Doing another two weeks...
 

Well, after a major transgression with some Girl Scout cookies and only a 10 pound loss over my first two weeks, I'm going to stay with Phase One for a week or so more.

I'm really upset with myself for succumbing to it but it's just time to move on and make sure I don't do it again. Obviously I'm not over the sugar cravings as much as I though I was. Oh well.

ONLY a 10 pound loss?! That is fantastic for your first two weeks! Your losses won't be that great as time progresses. There will be weeks you lose more, less, or none at all! Just don't get discouraged. You're doing great so keep up the good work!

Girl Scout cookies will bring out the worst in all of us.

I don't understand the sugar cravings, though. Is it that you NEED the sugar or is it that you think "ice cream would be good right now".

I smoke cigarettes (quitting in four days) and I think of THOSE cravings. I wonder if a sugar craving is the same thing: withdrawal, mood swings, depression, lethargy.

I even wonder sometimes if SB is right for me since I don't crave sugar. I'm doing it anyway because I think it's the perfect way to eat, but if you could shed some light on sugar cravings, that'd be great.

Also, the book said not to do more than two weeks on Phase I. Are you worried about it messing you up in any way to stay on longer than that?

Smoking was more the HABIT breaking for me than anything else. I quit 7 years ago. I had to re-learn how to live without cigarettes: drinking coffee, what to do after meals, what to do instead of smoke breaks... That's kind of how I feel about food too. Not relying on something to get through the day. Good luck to you Diva!

a 10 pound loss is a great loss for Phase 1. Get rid of the cookies and try, try again! :)

Girl Scout Cookies are the Devil's Trap! Sweet little faces asking politely, "Will you please buy cookies from me?" Of course, I will, da**it! :)

POM, another thought is that maybe it is time to move on to PH2 (or the unofficial PH1.5). Even 1 fruit and 1 starch a day can make a world of difference and maybe it would be easier to pass those goodies up. Just a thought. Congrats on your 10# loss! :D

Diva, Some people who have a lot to lose (>100#) stay on PH1 for longer periods for rapid weight loss but (and this is an important but) you really are depriving your body of some great nutrients by not having fruit or grains. Some people in this group (such as myself) use the unofficial PH1.5 and only have 1 fruit & 1 starch serving rather than 3.

I don't understand sugar cravings either. Getting rid of cravings is a big topic on the SBD but I never have them. Maybe because my diet was always more on the savory rather than sweet side? Or maybe because I don't/didn't eat a lot of processed/packaged foods & sodas? Don't know but I'm glad I don't have them. :)

So Mizski,

Is the concern that adding the fruit and starches will cause weight gain? You eventually will eat them, right?

And Pom, you really need to be excited about a ten-pound loss in one month (a short one to boot).

If I have 3 starches/day my weight remains constant. That is maintenance for me. If I am very active I can get away with 2 servings/day several times a week. I also eat 1/2 - 3/4c. beans/legumes a day so 1 other starch only works for me. Fruit has way too many sugars for me and my body seems to like only 1 per day and I need to have it later in the day (not for breakfast).

Like any diet it often takes a little time and some tweaking to see what works for you. Things like activity levels, age, post-menopausal or not, diabetic or not, PCOS or not and dozens of personal body system idiosyncrasies need to be considered in making any diet the perfect diet for you.

My suggestion is to follow the SBD as written and if you notice that you are not losing much once in PH2 for a couple of weeks then try reducing the starches by 1 serving and see what happens. You might need to reduce the fruit too. Maybe not! :)

p.s. I will probably not be adding the fruit and starches back up to 3 of each/day. Maybe when I'm closer to goal...but that is a long way off.

Well, I decided to just go to Phase 1.5. I had hubby hide the GS Cookies so I wouldn't be tempted. Seriously, it's ridiculous that I can be really really good 99% of the time but I can't even just cheat a little bit with the cookie. If I had eaten just one, I would have been okay with it but seriously it was like I blacked out and woke up surrounded by cookie crumbs. On a positive note, aside from the "Cookie episode" I didn't do anything off program. So, I'm dusting myself off and moving on.

I'll add a fruit and a whole grain to my daily diet. Today I added strawberries to my breakfast and they were wonderful. I'll probably have some whole grains at lunch and then a Phase 1 dinner. We'll see how it goes.

I'm confused about the amount of starches allows in Phase 2. Is it three fruit AND three grains are allowed or is it 3 total fruit and grains through the day?

MomPOM, It is 3 of each. But I also find that to be a maintenance level. I don't usually have more than two of each. It's important to pay attention to recommended servings sizes too. A serving of grain is really not a lot, and a small fruit is a fruit serving.

I have tested and retested the theory that I can learn to control myself around sweets, and I just have to accept the fact that if it's candy or cookies or something like that I will never be satisfied with just a couple. If it's a rich, protein-heavy dessert, like flan or cheesecake, I am okay with just a couple of bites. I've had a couple of GS cookie incidents lately as DD is a Girl Scout.

After much study on the subject I've realized I have different types of sweets cravings. The first is when I see something and decide I want it, say one of the kids is eating ice cream. If I've been on plan and in control, I can distract myself, eat some protein, and get over it. The other type of craving is when I start thinking about something I love. It keeps popping into my head, I can practically taste it and the craving is intense and can stick with me the whole day. This is typically the worst just prior to TOM. It's hard, and you just have to tough it out. I eat protein, have my snacks, and maybe have a couple of extra fudgesicles.

As far as starting PHI over, I don't know that you need to do that. Maybe a couple more days, but if you feel in control, I would move on to Ph1.5.

I feel pretty in control now that the cookies are hidden. I've had an on program day so far.

I can't imagine eating 3 of fruits AND grains and still losing weight. I think I'll stick to one of each for now and see how it goes. If anything, I would add another fruit before I added more whole grains.

Thanks for the input everyone.

I'm on maintenance and I eat 1-2 fruits and 2-3 grains a day. On Phase II I ate 1-2 fruits and 2 grains, so I really only added a grain in maintenance.

Thanks for the info Anne. That helps clear it up for me.

Jenn

We shouldn't do Phase 1 longer than 2 weeks. But that refers to doing a clean Phase 1 without any slip-ups. Traditionally, if you don't make it through, you need to start over. It really helps. However, if you've had several slipups and started over a couple times, you may need to just get through the 3-5 days it takes to get rid of cravings, and then start Phase 2.

That said, MomPom, you may want to really think about how to make this more effective for you. It seems like you've had a couple run-ins with temptation in the last 2 weeks. How can you make sure they don't happen in the future? Like Diva was suggesting, there's a difference between the cravings we are trying to delete with P1 and emotional hunger, which never leaves us until we work on it. If you are dealing with the latter, you need to figure out what helps (like hiding the GS cookies--good idea!) so you can be successful. Sending some :goodluck: and :dust: your way!

Grains and fruit don't have any more calories than other things you are eating. Nor are they any more likely to cause you to gain weight. What you need to figure out is what you can eat without creating cravings. There's no reason 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of grains would cause cravings--though it might in your body. Only you can figure that out, but don't make assumptions about what your body can and can't do without experimenting. With all the "low carb" diet hubbub, it's easy for us to get into thinking that grains, even complex (good!) ones, are bad, but that's not true. Simple sugars cause problems, but whole grains aren't instantly converted into fat.

When it comes down to it, all that really matters is the calories we ingest and the calories we burn (exercise). SBD helps me eat less calories because it controls my cravings to eat more. But it's not a magic formula or anything like that. :) Experiment and find what works for your body, MomPOM. Originally I could only lose weight if I ate 1 grain and 1 fruit a day. Currently, I eat several servings of grains (usually 3-4 a day) and 2-3 servings of fruit a day and am losing at a steady pace. I'm exercising more, which helps, and I'm being very careful about emotional eating (which also helps). You'll find lots of info on finding the combo that works for you in the What's your P2 Combo? thread.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ARE EVIL!!! They are floating all around the office right now and it is taking EVERYTHING in me to resist!!!!

EVIL, pure EVIL, I tell ya! :devil: