I re-started Phase 1 of the SBD last week and had being doing pretty well (0.5-1lb/dy) but then stopped losing weight. So I tested my urine and don't see any ketosis (on the test strip, mild ketones). Where should I be on the test strip? And here is my daily meal plan:
AM: Veggie omlette (bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms) with 1 tablespoon of eggbeaters (yes, very little) and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Coffee with sweet and low, half cup
Lunch: Veggie and shrimp stir fry.....water chestnuts, broccoli, bell peppers, tofu, shrimp, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil
12oz diet pepsi
OR
chickpea salad with no dressing and feta cheese and 12 oz diet pepsi
Dinner: Mince chicken patties (chicken with onions) and cauliflower and chickpeas cooked in no oil. 12oz diet pepsi
Snack: Maybe 5-10 almonds if I get hungry
Why am I not more ketotic? Can anyone tell me? Are there too many carbs in the veggies there, I recently read something about even benign veggies that I thought were just calorie empty (like bell peppers, broccoli or cauliflower) having too many carbs....is that it?
Are you sure you are thinking of South Beach Diet? On the SBD, you do not want to be in ketosis. I believe it is Atkins that wants ketosis on their induction phase. In fact, we recommend you eat lots of dairy and beans to make sure you get enough healthy carb. Phase 1 is for losing the cravings. You may or may not lose much weight depending on how you had been eating previously and how much you have to lose.
I agree, you don't want to be in ketosis... I used to use the strips when I did atkins, and to me, you aren't getting enough veggies in and its probably the chicpeas keeping you away-but that is a GOOD thing. You need to eat those beans! Also, if you are eating many onions that will affect it too...
Lori- i think you may have posted in the wrong section
how long has it been since you've lost? Not losing everyday doesn't mean you're doing something wrong...just that you've stopped losing for a day or two.
To parrot everyone else, you don't want to be in ketosis on South Beach.
Unlike everyone else, I think you're getting enough veggies in BUT you're definitely not getting enough calories. I just logged everything into fitday and even with decadent portions of everything, you're still only getting around 950 calories. Really try hard not to drop below 1200 for risk of slowing or even stopping your metabolism. Try getting some snacks in there - a serving of almonds is an ounce (22 almonds roughly). Try some veggies with hummus, or roasted chickpeas for a snack.
Also, fats (like olive oil) are limited to two tablespoons per day - try a cooking spray or a olive oil sprayer instead of pouring olive oil into the pan.
You can't expect to maintain 0.5 - 1 lb loss rate. At first you may lose a lot of water. Most people will lose up to 10% of what they want to lose on Phase I. But there are no guarantees, everyone is different. I have never lost more than 5 lbs on Phase I.
Otherwise 4 - 5 cups of veggies a day. Add some dairy, cheese, nuts. Eat some snacks. More eggs in your omelet. And focus on getting rid of your cravings and stabilizing your blood sugar levels during Phase I, not so much on the weight loss. That will come.
Fitmommy, thanks for posting! Here are some things I noticed:
Like everyone else, I repeat that we don't want to be in ketosis on South Beach.
Another repeat--though you might lose a lot in Phase 1, it's more normal to lose about 1-2 pounds a week. If you have a very large amount of weight to lose (how much are you trying to lose? Your ticker's expired, so we can't tell), you may lose faster. But expecting to lose more than that isn't a good idea--and, in general, it's not healthy. Many people lose much less than 1-2 pounds a week. Even though that can be frustrating, it's actually a good thing.
You're not eating nearly enough food. Try putting your food into www.fitday.com to see how many calories you're getting. I think it's highly likely that your body has gone into starvation mode and that's why you aren't losing. You need at LEAST 1200 calories a day.
Plan to eat at least 2 snacks a day. Remember Dr. A tells us to try to eat every 3 hours. Make sure you have protein and veggies with each meal and snack.
You need a LOT more protein in your breakfast. Not only is it important to make sure you keep your muscles while losing weight, but it keeps you full much longer. Make sure you get at least an egg's worth of Eggbeaters in the morning. Or try FF cottage cheese, adding tofu to the eggs, etc.
Remember that there's an emphasis on healthy fats in SBD. Make sure you have healthy oils in your dressing on your salad, or saute your dinner in olive or canola oil. The oils are good for your health and also help you feel more full. They're important
Include more dairy (I'm assuming you aren't vegan since you are eating eggs) in your day. Any fat free or lowfat dairy without any added sugar or fruit should be fine in Phase 1 (milk, cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
You're doing great in eating a lot of veggies! Keep that up and make sure you're getting enough water. I think you'll figure it out and do very well! Let us know how it goes.
How long has it been since you stopped losing? If it's been weeks, maybe you have cause for concern, but if it's less than three or four weeks, I think you're stressing over expectations that aren't necessarily realistic. Even if you have a lot of weight to lose, 4 lbs per week isn't necessarily achievable for the long haul. I know my body won't pull those kind of numbers any more - even on Atkins.
I had to deviate from South Beach because I wasn't losing (but wasn't gaining either), but it was six weeks without losing before I considered making any changes. Six weeks without a loss may seem like failure, but I found it a huge success, because I've never found any food plan before that I wouldn't gain on without counting "something" (even in Atkins you count carbs). I don't think it's true for most folks, but I need a portion control element, so I switched to an exchange plan, but what I learned from South Beach is still very important to me. When I choose only SB foods, I lose steadily - when I try to use my exchanges on processed carbs I don't do well at all.
I'm not advocating following in my footsteps. I think South Beach as written works very well for most folks. Insulin resistance, thyroid issues, and 36 years of dieting (much of it crash dieting) and health problems that sometimes limit mobility and activity (and usually limit motivation) have decimated my metabolism and my perception of "real" hunger. I do think I'm the exception not the rule, so even though I'm not legitimately a South Beacher at this point, South Beach is the plan I would recommend to anyone asking me about food plans.
Wow, thanks, you guys are great, thank you for all the responses!
So I haven't been losing anything for the last week, really, but I tried SBD phase 1 and 2 again to lose weight about 2 months ago and lost all of 3 lbs so I stopped. I think it may well be that I'm not eating enough? Should I up the snacks and will I still lose weight?
Also, I've been on SBD maintainence for the past 3-4 years, so I don't eat many carbs to begin with and have no carb cravings at all even in Phase 1. Does that mean the first and second phase will be less effective for me in terms of losing weight and should I do something else? Because I really really need to lose the 35lbs that I gained with the new baby
Thank you so much again for the suggestions and, if you get a chance to read this, please post some more.
If you've been on maintenance, I don't really think Phase 1 is going to do much for you in terms of speedy weight loss. If you're not having any cravings, I would skip phase 1 all together.
Are you breast feeding or anything? How far along PP are you?
Like I said in my earlier post, I put your menu that you posted into fit day and got less than 1000 calories. Strive to never go below 1200 calories if you are sedentary and more if you're active. You may want to see how many calories your body needs. I like http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/calneed to determine my needs. What you may have needed a year ago may not be the same today.
Zeefryn, thank you for taking the time out to respond. I'm almost a year PP and have been on maintenece for quite a while, maybe 3 years or so. I thought that the original SBD book that I had read said when you need to lost weight again, you can go right back to Phase 1. It looks like I'm fuzzy on the details, need to go back and read that book again.
Hi, Fitmommy! As someone who has just completed phase 1 for the second time, I can tell you that its not just to "lose weight again". although that does happen, Phase 1 is for people who need to beat their cravings in order to proceed with the healthy lifestyle of phase 2. after the initial "big loss" of phase 1, which is mostly water weight, you should lose .5 - 1 lb on average per week. first time i did phase 1, i lost 12 pounds. second time (6 months later, after going off plan for at least a month) I lost 6 lbs. I lost less the second time because I has less water weight and bad carbs to shed, imo. anyway, following SB and being patient has helped me lose all 80 lbs i gained with my pregnancy. now i'm working on the not-so-great figure i had before baby, and i think a sensible exercise plan will help me get there quicker. I guess what i'm trying to say is, SB is not a crash miracle diet, its a healthy lifestyle that when done correctly produces desired results. It is not good for our bodies to lose more than a pound a week anyway.
Also, I agree with the other posters about getting more protein in at breakfast (2oz.) making sure your veggies add up to 4.5 cups per day, don't over do it on the beans (but don't omit them, either!) 2-3 servings of dairy per day (milk, yogurt, soy milk). and remember that cheese is a protein, not a dairy serving. and olive oil is your friend, 1 T at lunch and dinner, and 1 teaspoon at breakfast, if desired.
I agree with the other posters and won't repeat what's already been said.
On a minor note, I'm wondering about the chicken patties. Are these something you make yourself so you know what the ingredients are? Or is this something packaged? I'm thinking there may be some ingredients in these you want to avoid. Again, this is minor after you address the other items already mentioned.
What am I doing wrong: please brainstorm
Here are some things I noticed:
