I'm at the end of week 2 of ph2. Yesterday, I make popcorn for DS and ate some of it. The whole bag was 'snack size', so I truly didn't eat much. That is the only new thing I've eaten in the past few days, and I guess it's made me crazy. Today, I have been hungry all day, grazing from one thing to the next. I did eat on plan, just non-stop. What should I do next to make the hungries/cravings stop? A day or two of ph1 again? Do you think I just had a bad day?

Speaking of craving... Maybe I have a wrong definition. Even on days that I'm fine, there are things I would like to have. For example, the other day, I made myself a pot of broccoli cheese soup and Auston a Digiorno Pizza. When that pizza came out of oven, HEAVEN HELP ME! It looked and smelled so good! I ate my soup, but wanted the pizza. Another example, when I walked into grocery the other day, they were pulling cookies out of the oven. Yum! Of course, I bought my groceries and left. So, by wanting the cookies and pizza, was I craving it? By wanting to eat (and eating) all day long, is that craving? Will there ever come a day on the South Beach Diet that I won't want pizza and cookies?

What do your menus look like? Sometimes, a craving is telling you that you're not eating enough...and I have found that I do better when I eat something every few hours - instead of a solid "breakfast lunch dinner" routine.

Some people have reached the day where they don't want/like/eat cakes/cookies/pies/etc., but I haven't reached that day I usually have a day once every few months where I allow myself to *reasonably indulge* in sweets.

Today's menu was crazy:
B -- deviled egg and V8
L -- Fajita soup
D -- porkchop, baked beans (sf), green beans and coleslaw
Snacks included: SF hot chocolate made with milk, spoon of peanut butter, maple ricotta, another deviled egg -- I think that's all.

I have not had a big splurge since we've been 'beachy'. DH and I are going on a splurge date when we both lose 20 pounds. Then we'll visit ph1 again, I'm sure.

I found some great alternative to pizza and cookies from the recipe forums. The SBD official website had a featured peanut cookie recipe there too. I wish I have splenda so I can make the peanut butter cookies.

There's a great recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies and also Peanut Butter & Jelly cookies right here in our own recipe section.

Your breakfast and lunch look too light on calories. I sometimes eat 2 eggs with cheese & veggies + V8 for breakfast. And for lunch besides soup (on days I eat lentil soup), I eat fruit, yogurt and lots of veggies. Make sure your protein portions are adequate. I always have 2 Tbs. of peanut or almond butter daily. You're not getting two servings of dairy in. I'll bet if you figure your calories for the day you'll be way low.

The portabello pizzas are yummy if you want to stick with P1 ingredients. I also make my own ww dough (you can also find it at some Trader Joe's) and make P2 friendly pizza when I have the craving. DP uses ww tortillas to make quick pizzas.

For me part of making this work is finding SBD friendly alternatives to the foods I love. I can't do too much of that with sweet stuff but pizza is a must For example, I'm a salty food snacker and eat a fair amount of garbanzo and lentil crunchies, Doktor Kracker snack packs, and other whole grain munchies (my grain servings often get used that way). You don't want to feel deprived because that often leads to going off plan so find reasonable substitutes and figure out how to make it work for you. (my advice from the for what it's worth department )

Chelby, I think the difference is that if I am craving something it is in the back of my mind all day and I can't stop thinking about it until I have it. After almost two years on the plan, I still experience a momentary pang of desire if I see one of my favorite treats or smell something delicious. But if you are on plan and eating enough it's much easier to resist.

I agree that you may not be eating enough. One thing that really helps me is to have a substantial breakfast that includes a hefty serving of protein. It really seems to set me up for getting through the rest of the day successfully. This morning I had a piece of whole grain toast with mustard, a pile of baby spinach, and a piece of leftover turkey meatloaf on top, a skim latte, and half a grapefruit. My breakfasts are usually about 400 calories.
I also have a bad habit of forgetting the fats, and try to make sure I get them in every day because they really help with feeling satisfied. I hope to one day break my mental sweets addiction but for now if I need something I have a NSA fudgesicle, pudding, diet soda... If you are craving something sweet, first eat some protein and wait a little while. Sometimes that helps. A hot drink can do the trick for me too - tea, a latte, skim milk hot chocolate. And sometimes around TOM I have a "hungry" day and feel like a bottomless pit. I just go with it and throw in a couple of extra snacks that day.

For a while I was having popcorn as a treat once a week on movie night. I had to give that up because I found it set me off. It's just not something I can keep in moderation. Hang in there. Hope some of this helps!

I have never in my whole life been told I'm not eating enough. You are probably right! I live in a very small town with a small town grocery store. It may be time to visit Birmingham to find some really good ww snacks and crackers. I'm sure I'm not getting enough healthy fats, either. Thank you so much for your help and encouragement! SBD has truly been easy to follow. I love not being hungry, that's why yesterday caught me off guard. Okay, off to find the PB&J Cookie recipe...