Hello!

I've been an occasional lurker and finally joined, since I really wanted to start the SBD in earnest. I' m so glad this place exists!

I'm almost done with the first week and am wondering if I should be a bit stricter next week (maybe even for the next 2 weeks). Specifically, I'm wondering if I should cut out beans.

I love beans and know how versatile they can be, and that they add protein and fiber to whatever they touch. So, I've done things like have eggs with spinach and lentils for breakfast, made a salad for lunch and topped it with asian flavored hummus (an idea that I got here--it's fantastic, thank you!!) or with white beans mixed with a little pesto and olives. I make them from scratch, so they're not high in sodium.

I've also been using a decent amount of fats, but the good kind: (olives, walnuts and olive oil in the pesto, for example) but maybe for this first part I should limit it more?

I do have that "hollow" feeling that a few people are talking about, even after I eat a complete meal, so I'm wondering if I'm having too many "good" carbs? Or does it just take a while to go away? Will it go away faster if I cut those beans and fats out for a short time?

Everything tastes so good and it's been so easy that I have to wonder if I'm doing something wrong!

I weighed myself mid-week, after my stomach shrunk a bit (and it certainly did, since I'm pretty convinced I have a wheat intolerance. On day 4 I think I peed every 2 hours, even through the night! and have been much less bloated). I sort of wanted to start from *that* weight, since it's a truer weight after losing the water retention.

What do you long timers think?

Thanks in advance!

I would not cut out your 1/3-1/2 cup of beans/legumes each day. You might want to note how much fats you are using to see if it is too much. 2 TBS is not a whole lot and if you are getting fats in your foods (dressings, pesto, etc.) then it would be less. That's why only 1 serving of nuts/day is recommended.

For me that hollow feeling was from the initial purge of all the junk/carbs I had been eating. It didn't really go away until I added in my grain/starch. Those steel-cut oats made all the difference in the world for me. I still have only 1 (sometimes 2) grains/starches a day and if those were not the highest fiber-wise, I sometimes get that hollow feeling still.

I think you will feel much better once you start PH2.

to The Beach. It sounds like you are doing everything right to me. Perhaps you can post menus for a couple of days in the Phase I Thread. You should also be including dairy - see the Phase I Food List - and trying for 4½ cups of a variety of veggies, not just salad.

WELCOME to the Beach, Budino!

as long as you have 1/2-1/3 cup serving of beans (2 TBL for hummus) daily you should be okay. More than that daily can stall weight loss for some people. I'm a vegetarian, so I tend to eat more beans than others because I'm using it for protein, not just a carb. As for olive oil, you can have 1 tsp at breakfast, and 1 tblspoon at both lunch and dinner. In fact, you should have at least that much daily. and nuts are limited to 1 oz daily. the phase 1 foods list is more specific about how many of each type of nuts equals an ounce, usually 15-20 for almonds and cashews. peanut butter is 2 tbls. Going over these recommended servings can result in stalled losing, but I'm not gonna lie and say I don't do it myself. I just try not to do it so often, or if I go overboard on nuts one day, I don't have any the next. hope this helps!

Thanks everyone! I guess I should have posted this in the Phase 1 thread--sorry, still getting the hang of things!

I have been doing dairy and cooked vegetables, too--not just salad. But I was probably having about 1/4 c beans in at least 2 meals, sometimes all 3, and this is generally with other protein like chicken, fish or eggs.

Maybe I will post some meals for a few days and see. I will say that I do think it's working--we had a family party to attend today that was held in a chinese restaurant. I was honestly not even tempted by the fried noodles that sat on the table the entire 4 hours we were there, or the dumplings or noodle dishes or fried rice. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Budino! Though you certainly could have posted in the Phase 1 thread, there's nothing wrong with posting here. You'll get advice from different people. Glad to have you with us!

Celtic, check out the "Breakfast Alternatives to Eggs" thread in the FAQ for more ideas.