This is my 2nd day. i have been cooking with splenda, cocoa, lowfat ricotta. am i doing this right? im confused with this diet because im used to atkins. i keep forgetting not to count carbs. But i know everything is supposed to be sugar free. but some of the things like fat free whipped topping has a little bit of sugar as well as the cheese. am i doing alright ? help!!

Hi, New Mom!

Have you checked out the Fat Chicks on the Beach forum? It's a great group and has lots of posted tips on the diet! Feel free to PM me for more info on the diet. The FF whipped topping does have a small amount of sugar. Personally, I would avoid it during Phase 1 so you get a full detox from sugar...but lots of people have used it and lost. You can substitute heavy whipping cream whipped with a bit of Splenda, but use a very small amount (no more than 2 Tbsp) because of the fat.

Instead of counting carbs, focus on the following:
+drink lots of water!
+eat lots of veggies!
+only eat 15 nuts (20 for peanuts, 30 for pistachios, 15 for every other kind of nut) or 2Tbsp of Peanut butter (natural only) a day. One or the other, not both.
+Only 75 cals a day from non-nutritive sweets (like hard candy, popsicles, jell-o)
+Check out the recipes section on the Fat Chicks on the Beach board for yummy entrees during Phase 1!

Some great OP sweets are No Sugar Added Creamsicles and Fudgsicles. Yum!

Hope this gets you started and hope to see you in the SBD forum!

Have you bought the SBD book? I totally recommend it because it gives you a good understanding of the ins and outs of the plan. I started at the end of March and I lost 15 pounds in the first 3 weeks. I stalled out after that but have gone back to phase 1 and have added exercise. I think that the philosophy behind it makes so much sense. Good luck!! Feel free to send a pm with any questions