Stuck in a Rut on Phase 1
 

Hi everyone,

I need some advice. I restarted Phase 1 on February 23. Then, I had a few days off of work and I cheated, so I restarted Phase 1 on Tuesday. I am having issues because the weight isn't coming off like the first time I did Phase 1. I have to admit, I am eating the "protein packed cheesecake" for breakfast because I am extremely sick of eggs. Do you think that's doing it? Also, my husband and I started to jog 1-2 times a week, so I am getting more exercise than I used to with that. Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks!

The less you have to lose the slower the weight will come off, and hard to tell without seeing your daily menus...

I suggest you post them and many will chime in :)

Thanks for the suggestion. I honestly don't have a "daily" menu because it changes. The only constant thing is either eggs or the cheesecake for breakfast, but sometimes, instead of having the eggs for breakfast, I"ll have it for lunch.

If you have previously detoxed recently, you probably won't have the water weight woosh you had the first time. Just remember the point of Ph1 is to get rid of the cravings and the real weight loss will happen in Ph2. The breakfast cheesecake (made according to the recipe) is a little heavy, so eating it every day may not be a good idea. I love it, but make it as an occasional treat, It makes a lot so I freeze the slices wrapped individually.

Thanks Schmoodle. When the cheese cake defrosts, does it taste the same?

Do you know how many calories you're taking in?

It's pretty easy to overeat on SB simply because the idea is that you eat until you're "full" or "satisfied". Overeaters may not get the results they want with this. I think the benefit of SB is in WHAT to eat; counting calories will tell you HOW MUCH to eat.

I honestly have no idea because I didn't think that you needed to county calories on this. I guess I should start paying attention.

Phase 1 is for detoxing and there shouldn't be a strong focus on calories. The book is pretty clear - eat until you are satisfied.

Why don't you post yesterday's food? even though every day is different we may be able to make suggestions :)

Faith,

You don't need to count calories on SB. They don't tell you to do that so please don't think I'm suggesting you should. But if you're on SB for several weeks and nothing's happening, you have to look at other reasons. It certainly isn't the food choices that'll do you in on SB, but the quantities may really mess you up if you're not conscious of your portions.

Breakfast- Cheesecake from the recipe section

Lunch- 2 turkey burgers with low fat cheese

Dinner- 2 pieces ham, 3 pieces roast beef, 1/2 piece turkey, salad (we went out to dinner)

Faith- I am sure everyone here will echo this, but it seems like you're really low on veggies (4 1/2 cups a day.... that would have to be a huge dinner salad!).

Faith - Have you read the book yet? I looks like you need to add more vegetables and a serving of beans. Dr. A recommends at least 4.5 cups of veggies a day and that shouldn't all be salad.

I think you're right- I've been trying to get more veggies in. I've been trying to add them to lunch and dinner. I'm not a big salad fan, so it's more like spinach, brocoli, and mushrooms

I've read the book when I started in November. Is there anything I can replace beans with? I can't stand beans at all, unless they are green or string

Spinach & broccoli are great vegetable choices!

Have you tried the chickpea crunchies and/or bean dips or hummus? White beans are really mild and mashed with garlic, basil and a little olive oil you might not even notice any bean taste. I'm sure other Chicks will have suggestions too. I can't imagine doing this plan without beans but I bet there are other people who aren't fans :)

:welcome2: FaithRunner! One way to incorporate beans into your meals is to puree them and stir them into your soups or chili. ;) That way you're getting the nutrients and fiber, but you won't be able to taste them. Have you tried sauteeing your beans in olive oil with a little garlic and onion? They're pretty tasty that way, and red beans are great with salsa and some LF cheese melted over them.
I hope these suggestions help to change your mind about beans!

I haven't experimented much with any types of beans. It is hard to make recipes because my husband is an extremely picky eater and it would be expensive to create two meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Also, he doesn't eat a lot of vegetables and hates beans like me, so it makes it more difficult.I do, like store bought hummus.

Faith, you're eating a lot of protein, some dairy, and not much else. You need a much more balanced diet. I can't say that it will help you lose more weight--but it is more likely to help you feel better! All that protein takes a while to digest and I can imagine it might make your system pretty sluggish without anything fibrous to help "move" it along, if you get my drift. ;) Here are some things to consider adding in:

• Veggies! I hated them all when I started SBD. I was nearly 30 and had tried my whole life to eat veggies but never could get myself to do it. When I started SBD, I decided I had to make a more concerted effort. You might want to read the How To Eat More Veggies When You Hate Them All!!! thread for lots of great ideas on how to eat them more!
• In P1, it's especially important to make sure you're eating good carbs, such as tomatoes (they're actually a fruit...does that help?), bell peppers (delicious dipped in hummus!), beans, and dairy. Try to get as much of the veggies in as you can and aim for around 2 servings of FF or LF dairy a day (I eat a lot more and have never had trouble with it, though...).
• Beans! I understand that you don't like them, but you might want to try other options. If you like hummus, then you don't mind the taste of chickpeas. You may mind their texture, but if that's the case, you should still try the roasted chickpea recipe. They are crunchy and good! Try mixing up some LF cheese and salsa with a little bit of refried beans and dip bell pepper slices in it. When you're in P2, you could use WW pita chips or crackers instead.
• Once you get to P2, add some fruit. It'll help a lot.

As for breakfast, check out the Alternatives to Eggs for Breakfast? (answers and suggestions) thread in the FAQ for lots of options.

Here's a possible revised menu: (note that every time you eat, it "revs" your metabolism. Not only is it a good idea for your blood sugar to eat six smaller meals a day rather than 3, it's good for your weight loss, too!)

B: Fat Free (FF) cottage cheese with a handful of grape tomatoes (they're really sweet!)
S: 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese on celery (mild in taste and crunchy...usually something people can stand, even if they don't like veggies much)
L: 1 turkey burger with cheese, homemade coleslaw (use the bagged cabbage and make a dressing with 1/2 cup regular mayo, 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 packet of Splenda, celery seed, salt, and pepper to taste), and a handful of roasted chickpeas, SF Jell-O cup
S: red bell pepper strips dipped in flavored hummus (my favorite is roasted red pepper)
D: Taco Bake (if you like Mexican food, you are bound to like this and hardly notice it has veggies in it! Really! Feel free to use less beans so you won't notice them as much if they bother you) served either on shredded iceberg lettuce or shredded cabbage, with Low Fat (LF) sour cream
S: Peanut Butter Cup (divine! :drool:)

As for the weight, you are likely to lose less when you do P1 again. I usually don't lose much more than what I may have gained while off plan, if that. It's meant to kick the cravings to the curb. Then you can get into P2 and get back into losing.

:congrat: on the jogging! That's awesome and will help so much with the weight loss! :cp:

Faith, to answer your question the cheesecake freezes okay. Cream cheese doesn't actually freeze well, but there's enough other stuff in this that it does okay, although the texture may be a little different than non-frozen. I've gotten impatient and eaten it partially frozen before and that was really yummy - cheesecake ice cream, mmmm

Laurie~ That menu sample you posted had me droolin!! Thanks for sharing!