Phase I Chick-Check - week of August 4

You're on Page 1 of 2
Go to
  • Please post your successes, problems and helpful hints in this thread where we can all share. If you are new, this is a good place to get in the groove.
  • First Week Over!!
    Well I am past my first week of Phase 1. The first few days I felt sad and hopeless, but I moved along. By day 4 I was feeling better and having a better time with my food choices. I found I could eat almost anything I wanted. Well my weigh in came this morning and guess what...I lost 8 pounds!! Unreal!!

    Thank you to those who wrote words of support!

    To be continued...
  • To be continued indeed! So glad you are over the hump.
  • Hey Ladies
    It's day 1 Ph 1 so far so good. I had a salad for breakfast (strange but surprisingly satisfying!) with flax parm and cottage cheese.
    Here's to a successful Cravings Massacre
    Zany Great Work!
  • Day 2 of phase 1 for me. Eating my lunch of chicken breast on romaine right now.... so far so good! I have been pretty hungry though probably because my portions were out of control before.....Did some Zumba this morning. Feeling motivated and excited to see progress!
    My kids had dental appiontments this morning and the routine we have is after a good dental check up they get McDonalds as a treat, we never ever ever eat fast food for the most part, it's a big treat for our family. Honeslty for the first time in at least 7 years I didn't order anything and waited until we got home. Silly to many, but for me it was a BIG accomplishment. I about stole some fries a few times but reminded myself that it isn't worth it and was ok. I did get a diet coke so I hope that was ok....
  • Today is week 2, day 8 of phase 1 repeat for me. This is my first time repeating phase 1 since January 1.
    DH is not really doing phase 1, he is sticking with mostly phase 2. He is only about 5 pounds from his long term goal and only had to lose about 35 pounds total.
    Lately, I do most of the cooking, so he gets phase 1 for dinner. He eats out for lunch most days and does make mostly SBD choices. I did notice last week with our phase 1 dinners, he would head to the kitchen a couple hours after dinner and eat a bowl of cereal.
    My cravings are mostly gone...TOM hit on day 4 of last week and I'm so glad I was doing phase 1 or I would have eaten everything in sight.
    This was the first time doing phase 1 that I did not get SBD flu headaches and fatigue. I think it was eating beans everyday that did the trick for me.
    With TOM hitting, my weight has been up and down 3 pounds almost every other day. (that is better than the 5-10 pounds up and down normally during TOM)
    I still have not started back up on my exercise routine. I don't know why. I really did enjoy it and was very motivated mid Feb until mid May, then I just burned out during our move.
    It's time to make exercise INO (it's not optional--I got that from secrets of a former fat girl book.)
    Congrats ZanyJane!
  • Autumn!! That's fantastic. and The diet coke is a good defense against grease and carbs.
    Skinny: Love when the cravings are gone!
    I have a question:
    Does ground flax seed count towards your nut limits for the day? I had 2tbsp in my salad but I hit the wall for tired and had .75 oz pistachios in the shell and 2 coke zeros (cough)
    Give the choice I'll keep the flax.
  • Dumb question - what is flax???
  • Flax seed- hmm its a seed its ground it tastes nutty and its good fat and fiber I googled it
    Flaxseeds are rich in alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat that is a precursor to the form of omega-3 found in fish oils called eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA. Since the fats are found in their isolated form in flaxseed oil, it is a more concentrated source of ALA than the seeds themselves (although it doesn't have the other nutrients that the seeds do). ALA, in addition to providing several beneficial effects of its own, can be converted in the body to EPA, thus providing EPA's beneficial effects. For this conversion to readily take place, however, depends on the presence and activity of an enzyme called delta-6-destaurase, which, in some individuals, is less available or less active than in others. In addition, delta-6-desaturase function is inhibited in diabetes and by the consumption of saturated fat and alcohol. For these reasons, higher amounts of ALA-rich flaxseeds or its oil must be consumed to provide the same benefits as the omega-3 fats found in the oil of cold-water fish.
  • Quote: I have a question:
    Does ground flax seed count towards your nut limits for the day? I had 2tbsp in my salad but I hit the wall for tired and had .75 oz pistachios in the shell and 2 coke zeros (cough)
    Give the choice I'll keep the flax.
    Nuts & seeds: Limit to one serving per day
    Flax Seed - 3 TBS (1 oz)

    Since you only had 2 Tbs, technically you had 2/3 of a serving of nuts, so you could have a few more nuts. You can have 30 pistachios for one serving so 10 would equal another 1/3 serving. Does that make sense?
  • Thanks Murph!
  • Congrats to all and also thanks!

    We all must keep up the good work!!!
  • I'm planning to start phase one next week. I'm putting it off because we're moving this week and I haven't had time to cook anything for myself, been eating out a lot though I'm trying to stick to salads.

    So Next friday (day after my 4 year wedding anniversary dinner). I have until then to fill myself with knowledge and prepare to conquer mad cravings for hot fudge sundaes! I'm also planning to make food in advance and have a long list of recipes, thanks to the forum.

    Until I start, I hope to remain dessert free as a preparation phase. I know the author recommends dessert, but I can't stop with a little and substitutions (i.e. sugar free jello, or dark chocolate) drive me crazy with additional cravings. I hope I can stick to the plan to start this far out... it makes me nervous but I really feel like I'd be setting myself up to start right now.

    hmm... suggestions? because I keep reading that messing up in phase 1 is a very big bad thing... and I don't want to screw my metabolism up or get discouraged before I really get started on a life change like SBD...
  • Hi, Sciana, and ! I think you'll discover that if you follow Phase 1 faithfully, you'll lose your cravings for sweets completely. That's what it's designed to do. Once we get all the sugars out of our body, we don't even want them anymore. Just be sure to plan all your meals and snacks ahead of time, it really helps you stay on track, and including the recommended servings of beans, dairy and protein will help you avoid the "SBD flu" that some of the Phase 1er's experience.
    Let me wish you an early "Happy Anniversary", and we look forward to having you join us!
  • Sciana. It sounds like you have a plan. Be sure to peruse the stickies in the FAQ section as well as the recipes. Good advice from Cottage, as usual!

    As far as dessert goes, I consider it optional. Like you, artificial sweeteners make me want more which can be dangerous! I think the doctor put in desserts to assuage the feelings of deprivation some folks might feel.