Phase II Transitioning 2/10 - 2/24
 

Thought I'd start a thread for people transitioning to Phase II...seems like it would be a good counterpart to our Phase I thread! :)

Anybody else transitioning right now? How's it going?

I ate 1/2 a WW English muffin and an apple yesterday. It's strange to eat that and wonder if you're eating too much. :?:

But without adding the carbs back it's hard to get even 1200 calories unless I eat peanut butter. I'm not really that fond of nuts. And I'm getting sick and tired of cottage cheese.

I just completed my first week of Phase II and weighed myself this morning. I lost 2 lbs this week, so I was really happy with that. It's right where I was hoping to be. Also, our treadmill broke and I was without exercise this week (because I was too lazy to figure out something else). I have been eating 1 to 2 servings per day of whole wheat bread products, and haven't added fruit yet, but will start today with one serving each day for the next week. I am really trying to ease into this.

Also going shopping for a new treadmill today. :)

I am into phase 2. Ihave added an orange every day. YUMMY!!! and I have had brown rice one day and one piece of bread another. I have only been doing phase 2 for 2 days so I can't say how it is going.
Tammie

The most cautious and recommended approach is to add the apple, and have it every day for a week. Then the next week keep eating the apple and add oatmeal (for example) for the week, and so on. This is a VERY SLOW entry into Ph2, and is really helpful to avoid that stall that a lot of people have temporarily when they go into Ph2. It's probably okay to just do the apple for a few days and then switch to another fruit if you want, and some people just add a fruit a day for the first week, but switch off the type of fruit. But it pays to be cautious - you won't regret it, even if you have to wait for some things, but you will regret it if you add back too fast and have to deal with the cravings and end up going off plan.

This is just the thread I need! I was just ready to go to Ph2 and came down with strep throat - after getting that cleared up and starting Ph 2 I must have hit a plateau. Even though I'm eating on program and adding one extra carb (either fruit or whole grain) back each day, the scale refuses to move. Any suggestions?

Thank you so much, Schmoodle! That is incredibly helpful!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling torn emotionally between wanting to add things back in and not wanting to. :lol:

Waquilter, I'll bow to the more experienced Phase 2ers here, but I wonder if a few days of Phase 1 might revitalize everything?

Moving in to Phase II can be "scary". We've all been there. The best thing to do as Schoodle said is to ease into it and really, really listen to what your own body is telling you. There are going to be times when your weight stalls, there are going to be times of plateus (I'm a queen of plateaus). If the scale is aggrivating you, put the thing away and go by how you feel and how your clothes are fitting you. I have been pretty much "stalled" at the same weight for a couple of months now, but have gone down another size which is past what my goal was. Your body will tell you by the way it reacts to certain foods. If you eat something and a little while later, you are starving, that's a sign to either cut back on or eliminate that food from your diet...or try it again a couple of weeks later and see if you get the same reaction to it. The world won't end if you get cravings or put on a lb...just readjust and move on. For me, I can only eat "grains" once a day...if I eat more, I get cravings...it's just me and others may do fine with more than one serving. If I eat a sandwich for breakfast, then I don't eat any rice, pasta etc for the rest of the day...like I said, just me and how my body reacts. If I don't have veggies and protein with that grain, then I get cravings but only at certain time..ie, if I just have a bowl of some kind of grain for breakfast, an hour later I'm starving. But if I have a bowl of grains in the evening as a snack after eating protein and vegs a couple of hours earlier, I'm just fine. It's weird.

Still get lots of water, tons of veggies and keep an ear out for that little "body voice"!!

I remember being terrified of PH2 also, and I'm sure I posted on here about it lots of times. Learning to hear that little voice is something I had never done, and so that was my big challenge. I am still working on it. I also never moved beyond 1 grain and 1 fruit most days. I was thinking to try upping it to 2 grains now and see how I do. Great points Cat!

Thanks for the great advice Femme and Smoodle. WHen I did SB before I never learned to listen to that voice. maybe that is why I gained back what I had lost. I am trying harder to listen. I am not a patient person and for me it is hard to wait for this weight to come off. But I am commited to thinking of this as a lifetime change and not a diet. I did have a piece of bread yesterday it was a 12 grain bread I had a whole sandwich but only ate 1 piece of the bread and the insides. I kinda felt like I was craving something salty yesterday afternoon and seemed to be more hungry so I guess I wont have that kind of bread again. It was at a deli restraunt type place and I just couldn't stomach just a salad. Was tired of salads. I did have it with a ceasar side salad.

Cesar dressing is ok right? It wasn't the ceasar that caused the hungry feeling and cravings?

I'm 3 weeks into Phase II and I eat oatmeal every day. Last week I added strawberries. This week I need to introduce another fruit. I haven't noticed any cravings yet. I was beginning to think I wouldn't lose anymore but yesterday I was down 2# from the end of Phase I so I'm happy with that. I just plan on going super slow.
I love how easy it is to eat at restaurants on SBD. We went to Cheddar's on Friday and I got a salad with grilled salmon on it. Oil & vinegar for dressing. I'm going to Olive Garden with friends tomorrow. That looks to be more of a challenge. Does anyone have any suggestions for entrees there? :^:

Tammie, Caesar dressing is usually just fine, but some have more sugars than others, so check the ingredients first. Cardini's makes a wonderful Caesar dressing, but I'm not sure if it's available all over.

murph, I ate at Olive Garden a few months ago, and remember I had a hard time finding anything that wasn't high fat or didn't have pasta. I got the bottomless minestrone soup and salad, and fortunately it was really good salad. I just ate salad until I was stuffed, and ate around the pasta in the minestrone as much as I could.

Doesn't olive garden have a whole wheat pasta? Or did they? I haven't been there in a while so not sure.

I am entering my 4th week in phase 2. I guess I didn’t follow the most cautious way of adding back items. I started with fruit...berries only for a few days. Then I added pears and cuties - small oranges of some sort - and peaches. I did notice that I had to eat my fruit with a protein or I would want to eat everything in my sight. It works out for me because I prefer fruit with cottage cheese, so that was one of my snacks every day.
The next week I did the same thing with fruit and cottage cheese and also added in a grain. It really varied on the day...mostly because I was on vacation and my sister makes ww pasta A LOT...so I had that and ww pita, ww bread, and a piece of sourdough. This week I added in another grain. I am not sure exactly how this has affected my scale since my weighing schedule was off when I was on vacation. I still lost 3 lbs...So I think I am doing okay. I’m just not sure exactly in what timeframe. I will know more next Sat. I usually eat my grain in the morning, like an english muffin with eggs and lean ham. Then I have a grain with my dinner. I find I don’t have cravings that way. When I have grains in the afternoon, I feel like snacking so I won’t eat grains for lunch.

I don’t know if I will add 3 grains. That just seems too scary for me. I actually can’t believe I added two grains. I did try oatmeal this morning but I had to eat a piece of LF Swiss cheese before because oatmeal makes me hungry. I don’t think I will be doing that again.

Olive Garden
 

I had to eat dinner at the Olive Garden during Phase I, and it was really hard. I had lots of salad, and then I ordered this stuffed chicken dish. I think it had 3 cheese in it. I asked for veggies instead of the garlic mashed potatoes. My friends had dessert and everything - I stayed strong somehow. Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice with Olive Garden. After looking at their menu, it looks rather challenging. They do offer a grilled chicken breast on their children's menu. Maybe a salad without their usual dressing and chicken or the minestrone as someone suggested without the pasta. The lunch menu had fewer offerings than dinner. Oh well, the hardest part is not to eat the breadsticks. The company will be more satisfying than the food for me.

I don't think I ate enough yesterday. I was really sweaty, light headed and hungry this morning - like low blood sugar. Not sure why. I feel better after eating breakfast.

RE Olive Garden. When you get there (or call ahead) tell the waitress that because of health issues, you can't have any butter, flour or sugar. Then ask if the chef whip you up a grilled chicken or shrimp or fish salad (or a combo of shrimp/chicken etc) with a vinegarette dressing with no sugar in it. Most restaurants are more than happy to. Or ask if chef can suggest something for you. Calling ahead helps. Apparently they have a "Garden Fare" menu so they should be able to accomodate you.

Olive Garden has WW fettuccini. It's talked about in a little box on the bottom right side of the menu along with other healthy options. Very easy to substitute.

Chickies, just so you're not re-inventing the wheel, you may want to check out the following threads (and post in them!). Not only may you find just the information you were seeking, but you'll find it quickly! This thread will eventually sink to the bottom of the stack and all of your great advice will be somewhat lost (if someone searches using the right terms, they might find it, but they might not). If you post in threads in the FAQ, the information is much easier for everyone to find and is less likely to become lost. Thanks! :goodvibes:

Not sure what's allowed? Check out the Phase 2 Food List - Most Current Version

Want to know the basic recommendations/guideline for transitioning to Phase 2? What other people have done that worked (and didn't work) for them? Check out the powerful What's your P2 Combo? thread!

The Emergency Handbook for Phase 2 thread is full of TONS of fantastic information on dealing with Phase 2, from how to choose bread, what wine is okay, how to add things slowly, meal planning and more!

I'm looking forward to seeing your posts! :D

Thanks so much, Laurie! Lots of helpful info!

Some observations: I don't think the 2004 Phase 2 list in the FAQ actually IS the most recent...the one I have from 2008 has two more veggies (parsnips and turnips), for example. Also, maybe the What's Your P2 Combo thread could be called Transitioning to Phase 2 to make it clear what's discussed? Just ideas...

The Emergency Handbook is absolutely great, btw.

I'm sure once people have been here awhile, they know where everything is, but when a person is new, it's not as easy to find the info and usually that's when we need it fastest, right? :lol:

Not trying to reinvent the wheel or step on any toes...really just wanted a place to talk about transitioning as going through it...didn't seem like we had one!

Have to say, I've felt so much better connected with other transitioners this week, too, here... :hug:

Hi All ,
So glad to see this thread I have been "hiding" in phase 1 for about a month now. I know I am not supposed to but my body just wasnt happy when I started adding in carbs. I am going to try all your great advice. I will try adding 1 carb for a few days to give my body time to ajust and keep a close eye on the scale to see what happens.Thanks in advance:hug:

Murph: Olive garden is usually pretty good at subing items , like steamed veggies instead of potatos or pasta, .and salad dressing on the side.Check out the menu and call ahead to see how accomidating they are, most chefs like a challenge and will be more than happy to help you out. That goes for most restaurants.

Breadsticks are are hard one for me too. Ask you friend if they would either A) skip the bread sticks
B) Get a half order and eat fast
C) order breadsticks at the end of the meal and take them home ( they reheat really well)

Tell them how great they are for helping you reach your goal and when you become a swimsuit model you will dedicate your first SI cover to them.:D
It works for me. GL

Where have all those helpful threads been hiding?


I don't think I could handle the temptation of being in Olive garden. I'd want the Toscana soup and breadsticks.

I started a PhII newbies thread last year and it ran for a month or so. I found it very helpful for the transition as there was a big group of us going through it all at once, like now for you guys.

Well, I went to Olive Garden and had the minestrone, minus the pasta. Also a salad with my own dressing. I did avoid the breadsticks, although everyone around me was enjoying theirs. We all had soup & salad, so no one notice that I was eating anything different. I did call ahead & the manager told me that you can always order the grilled chicken "without breading or marinade" although the marinade they use is a Caesar one so it's probably OK. Good to know for next time. According to online calorie counts, the minestrone is only 160 calories, so minus the pasta, I didn't eat very many calories for lunch. I was hungry about two hours later!

Ok, so I need some advice. Have tried twice to move to Phase II and both times, I get a few days in and become sloppy about my plan, for some reason (most especially not eating as many veggies as I'm supposed to). Should I go back and do another week of Phase I to recommit to the basic structure of the plan and then try again to do a clean transition? Or just forge ahead, trying to tighten up in Phase II mode?

hmmm
 

Hmmm good question. I am interested in seeing what everyone thinks.
Personally I would try to tighten up on phase 2 before going back to phase 1 only because phase 1 (from my understanding) is designed to rid you of carb and sugar cravings and that doesn't seem to be your problem.
But thats just me. Maybe I am wayyyy off base:?:. Lets see how everyone else weighs in. LOL

BTW: I like that we transitioners have a real time place to chat. I love that there seems to be a place for everyone on this site. :hug:

bellaluna, just how "sloppy" did you get on Phase 2? As long as you aren't letting sugars or refined foods back into your diet and have started craving again, I think you should just try to concentrate on doing a "clean" Phase 2. Be sure to go slowly at first. If you can do Phase 1, doing Phase 2 should be a breeze. ;)

There have been a few days that I did not get in all of my veggies, but that in itself isn't such a big deal. I think the ideal is to get them all in, but if I fall short on it occasionally, it won't be that big of a deal to me. Sometimes it's hard to keep enough fresh stuff in the house, or what I have looks less than fresh when I pull it out of the fridge. I do keep a few standbys in the cupboard, like canned tomatoes and mushrooms, which I like to add to anything.
I am having trouble with heartburn at night. I think because there is more fat in my meals than I ate before at supper, it stays in my stomach longer making me feel fuller, but also giving me nightly heartburn. (I'm on Prevacid for GERD but still have issues.) :(

Hello everybody!!
I am a newbie here. I just finished my first week in P2. I have just added 1 starch in so far. I have tried it at different times of the day to see what happens. Either a whole wheat tortilla with scrambled eggs in it at breakfast or half a wwpita at lunch with turkey and loads of lettuce and onions at lunch. I didnt feel. I think either one of those works for me.. I will see about adding fruit in next week.. I have been trying to find different ways to get my veggies in other than salads lol I love them, but well varity is important to me. Makes it feel less like a "diet" and more like better choices. I am excited to be on this journey.
Tracy

I lost 10 pounds in P1, I've only lost one pound in the past two weeks on P2 and I've been on plan the whole time. Anyone else going through this? :(

I lost 8# in Phase I. Just got on the scale and I've lost 6# in the last 4 weeks. I have been a little bit hungrier the last couple days. I can't believe I can lose without sweating it out at the gym. That has never happened for me before. :D

Neko, I'm sure if you keep on track, it's only a matter of time before you'll start to see the pounds come off. I only lost 1# in the first two weeks also.

Im new here!
 

Hi Everyone,

My name is Holly and Im 35 from NJ. I started SB almost 3 weeks ago and I just found you all here. I just started transitioning to PH2 and I have been doing really well on this diet. I did WW a few years ago but with 3 small children I do not have time to count points and the SBD is a much better fit for me and my lifestyle. To date I have lost 9lbs.

I went to a concert last night and I treated myself to the most delicious cheeseburger ever..I did ask for a whole wheat bun and omitted the ketchup..I think I died for 10mts and went to heaven it was soooo good. Back to the grindstone today though. I have to admit it was a great little treat for all the hardwork!

I look forward to getting to know you all and ride this journey together.

:D

:welcome3: Holly! We're glad you decided to join us here. :) Congratulations on your 9# loss, you are really doing well! We have several members here from NJ, so you'll feel right at home.
Be sure to look around our forum and check out our FAQ and recipe boards, too! We look forward to getting to know you better.

Question about Bars
 

Hello everyone!

Which SB bars are you referring too? I just bought a bunch of cereal Bars and Meal bars to change things up a bit or if I am on the run with the kids and dont have time to eat...although not eating these everyday I have to admit the cereal bars are a great alternative to the EGGS!!!!

:cool:

I like the cereal/snack bars...they come in handy when I am on the run. DH likes them as a dessert or with b-fast. We stopped using the meal replacement bars as they run 200+ calories and the cereal/snack bars are only 100-140 calories and are tastier--we think. Some people have trouble with the bars as a "trigger" food. It doesn't seem to be an issue with us.

I think the trick to finding out what food sets you off it to keep a food journal. I write in one every nite. I keep several on line, but I like to have the one at home I can look at easier. This way if I feel cravings I can look back and see what it might be.

We do NOT eat them everyday. At least I don't. DH had begun to eat them more, but his weight is still decreasing, so it seems to be ok for him. I typically will have 2 or 3 in a weeks time. At this point, they don't tempt me to want more, or to crave other carbs.
Those *!%^$#@ girl scout cookies arrived today. They made me drool for about 2 hours this evening. They are unopened, or else they would be gone! DH is taking them to work tomorrow.

Hello

Day 1, Phase II

I am here fresh from Phase I. While there I lost 9 #. The second week I learned a lot . I don't care for V-8 juice Sam I am , but I wasn't adding another veggie on some mornings. Those mornings, I was starving by snack time.

So, I now start my morning with scramble egg beaters, veggies scrambled in, and salsa.

at some point today I have an apple to savor. And believe you me I am gonna enjoy it.

I'v read most of the back posts, I am especially interested in how others handle eating out. For the last two weeks I just said NO. However that won't last, and the real world is , we eat out sometimes.

March 3rd I leave for a one week vacation in Texas. Its warm there! The sun shines! They have a lot of fresh fish restaurants, so it'll be a challenge to see how I do.

I find today really scary, I feel as though I just have Phase I figured out......

Phase II , here I come

Kay

My two cents worth
 

I did buy the SBD bars, they are in the protein bar section of Wal-mart or on the end of the aisles near bread in regular grocery stores.

I only bought two boxes. Both tasted really good and I felt one was filling enough but I felt that they went too fast, are too expensive and just aren't the same as "real food" for me to buy them again. I am not much for buying a lot of "convenience" type foods anyway so that is the perspective I am coming from.

It has taken me about 6 long weeks to figure out what works for me on this food plan. I hope it won't take you as long as it did me.

First of all, welcome to Phase 2, don't be afraid, and congrats on your nice 9 lbs beginning weight lose. You can do it and there are a lot of good resources on this website for you to pull from. The SBeachers here are very helpful and you can learn a lot from all of them.

I agree with mommamurray, it is such a relief to know that if I miss a workout or am not working out at all that this food plan works. I have been on so many other diets where if you missed a work out, it showed. Here eating and staying on plan gets you the results you are looking for.

Hope to hear from you again soon.:hug:

Welcome Kay! Fruits taste so good after avoiding them for 2 weeks. They are extremely healthy. If you don't care for V-8, don't drink it. You might try other veggy juices.
Have fun in Texas, that is where my DH is from and we get down 3-4 times a year to see the kids/grandkids and his mom. Just avoid those melt in your mouth handmade tortillas...those are our biggest temptation. Taco cabana's pico de gallo is delish on their b-fast tacos, we just eat the inside with loads of pico.
Eating out--we try to choose places where we know we can find something on the menu, or adapt things on the menu. I will go online before we go somewhere and look at their online menu for possible choices. Many restaurants list nutritional information on their websites or you can look at drgourmet.com he lists some national chains with suggested healthier choices. We always "think outside the bun", we can order just about any sandwich and not eat the bread. Just be careful on fat content as well.
Have fun in Phase 2, you will find what works best for your mind and body.
Karla