Can you give us an idea of what you have been eating? Maybe post everything you ate and drank yesterday. Weight loss is going to be slower for those who have less to lose. I'm the same height as you and I would be pleased to be your weight. Are you drinking enough water?

Kvixen, you are very light to start with so I wouldn't expect you to lose 8-13 pounds in phase one. This weight loss is expected for bigger people (200lb plus) who have a large amount of weight to lose. Are you exercising? Drinking lots of water? Eating 4.5 cups of vegies a day (1/2 cup for breakfast and 2 cups each for lunch and dinner)? If you have been eating low calorie or low carbohydrate for awhile then you may be fairly resistant to the fast weight loss that occurs when you begin a diet.

Also keep in mind not every diet works for every body, I tried weight watchers with a friend, and in 6 months she lost 100 pounds, and I gained 5-10 pounds. We were eating all the same foods (she is a co-worker and we'd often eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together), I was even exercising more than her. My body just didn't work with that, keep trying though, because often it takes 2 + weeks to notice a huge difference.

Hang in there, KVIXEN! My SB buddy is about your size and it took her much longer to lose weight than it took me b/c I've got so much more to lose. But after a few months, she did it and you can too! Also keep in mind that the time of day and where you are in your cycle can influence the numbers on the scale. Be patient!

My day yesterday: I had plain fat-free yougurt in the a.m. (no time to make a veggie omelet, although I had been every day prior to that). For lunch, I had a greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and a little fat free feta. For my snack, I had nuts. For dinner, I had grilled chicken and green beans. Lots and lots of green beans. Oh, and I had an iced coffee- no sugar, skim milk. I drink at least two liters of water a day, I drink tea (no sugar) like it is my job, and I almost never have the desserts. During this whole time, I just made one little envelope of jello- and I am sugar fiend! Or a former sugar fiend. ;-) But usually, I am a lot better. I have a veggie omelet, then a Boca burger with lettuce, pickles and mustard, and a salad. For my snacks, I made a bunch of butternut squash soup. For dinner, I'd have chicken and veggies. It is hard to make a big dinner and eat it in ten minutes on the go.

As for exercise, alas, have not been visiting my gym, which I know makes a huge deal. But I work in a law firm 9-5, and then have LSAT class M-W 6-11. It's a long day, and I don't want to kill myself trying to work out too. Next week though, classes will only be twice a week, so I should be ok.

I am not looking to lose a ton. I lost a lot last year (without trying) and then gained back abt 10 lbs. So my beautiful clothes from last summer are a little too snug this summer, and I just want to fit back into my old stuff. I used to be a lot heavier, but since it came off, why should I pack it back on?

So I should stick with it? I was thinking that perhaps I should just go back to what I was doing before since this has been ineffective. I am thinking I will stay on for a few more months. I though of doing Phase 1 for another week, just to see what happens. I definitely had been watching what I ate since losing weight last summer, but then my family complained that I looked like a skeleton (we're european, they like their women with curves), so I started eating and eating around the holidays. And then I was good again, joined my gym, etc. And then I decided to do SBD when my roomie lost 13 lbs in two weeks. So then I decided that I was going to have fun before starting, and it was the week of my birthday, so that certainly didn't help. I also have a foot injury that randomly acts up and then I can't work out for a week. Or if I get too overconfident and try to run for 5 mins instead of power walking, then it comes back to bite me. I just want nicer upper thighs. But alas, that seems not to be my destiny in life.

And thank you all for your advice!

Your food menu sounds good. I'm assuming you are keeping your portions of nuts to the amount listed in the book. That is one thing that can get away from me if I'm not careful.

Are you getting enough veggies? It can be hard to get 4 1/2 cups. Exercise will make a difference but you know that. My recommendation is that you stay on South Beach and give it a chance. I only lost 4 pounds in Phase 1 and I started at 197 so sometimes it just takes time.

When I started my exercise plan, I had a badly sprained knee ligament, so I started with doing weights. Weights are a good way to firm up and build up your metabolism, so that might be something to think about with your ankle. You could also definitely improve your upper thighs with some weight training. Also, from reading your food for the day, it sounded like you didn't have a snack between breakfast and lunch? I would definitely make sure you are eating a little something every 3 hours or so.

I work at 9, and I live two minutes from where I work, so I eat just before work, and then btw 12/12:30, so I skip the morning snack. I drink a ton of tea though. FYI- Celestial Seasoning's Honey Vanilla Chamomile is amazing.

The weights work well for me, but then I bulk up HUGE, like a man, especially my legs. And really especially my quads which is not condusive to little thighs. My gym doesn't have my favorite inner/outer thigh machines, so I try to do it by walking quickly, and the Stairmaster. Anything else I should try? I also have my early 90s Buns of Steel video, which is so dated, but my goodness, it kicks my tush and legs, which is I guess, the idea.

Kvixen, you might want to reduce the amount of tea and up your plain water (or water with lemon or lime). The tea might hamper the benefits of water. I know we usually say that no more than two glasses of Crystal Light count towards the amount of water you should be getting (which works out to about a half gallon a day).

I wish you luck...I know this can be frustrating, but with so very little to lose, you might find that it takes a while. Have you tried putting in what you eat at www.fitday.com to see how many calories you are eating? If you don't eat enough, your body might think it is starving and be holding on to the weight.

Boca burger has trans fat in it. Be sure to read the labels. I used to eat those weekly, but then someone told me about the partially hydrogenated in the ingredients.

Don't get discouraged, you'll lose the weight! ((hugs))

I will be so sad to lose my beloved boca burgers. But it is all in the name of a greater good.

Alas, this weekend I broke. My family ordered pizza without talking to me first, and my mom would feel incredibly guilty for not cooking (because we were out too late shopping!), so I had a couple of teeny slices loaded with veggies. All is well though. I went grocery shopping and bought tons of food, so hopefully I will not starve through my repeat of Phase 1.

I have a question though. In the book, under foods to enjoy, it says plain soy milk. Then under food to avoid, it says soy milk. And also, I bought the little book Good Fats, Good Carbs and have found it thoroughly useless up til now, and extra confusing. I can have chocolate flavored soy milk occaisonally, according to the book, but I thought I couldn't have soy milk at all.

Also, on the Food Network, I saw a recipe for frozen yogurt using homemade yougurt cheese (plain yougurt straine thru cheesecloth to make it thick) mixed with fruit and sugar and frozen. Can I do this minus the fruit, plus Splenda?

Thanks for all the advice!

-Kelly

Yes, it is all very confusing. I haven't gotten the good carb book yet, so I'm throwing in my opinion: Plain soy milk has no added sugar. Regular soy milk available from the grocery store has a ton of added sugar. I'm not sure about the chocolate soy milk occasionally....maybe it's real chocolate/dark cocoa with all the healthy benefits of dark chocolate?

I think the yougurt cheese icecream should be ok. But remember- my opinion. The mods might have a better or different idea.

Also check the labels on your yogurt. You mentioned that you had FF yougurt, but make sure that it is also SF. When the manufacturers take the fat out, they often replace with sugar.

I have had trouble finding both FF and SF yogurt. I finally dug out my yogurt maker and will start to make my own, then I know what is in it.

Could it be that my store's plain fat free yougurt has added sugar? I never even glanced at the label. I will definitely do so tonight! Also, I went to fitwell.com, and am very confused. I made chicken sauteed with summer squash, tomatoes and onions, that was dinner last night and lunch today. How do I imput that? Also, I posted this elsewhere, but any info on tofu? Thanks!