This is the last day of week 1 P1. I don't know why, but my motivation is in the toilet all of a sudden. I'm still OP and have exercised 6 times in 6 days so by all accounts, I'm doing great. But I feel so run down in the mornings, kind of queasy, and foggy. I feel better if I drink some skim milk and then have a FF yogurt for a snack but it really takes both those things to not feel like crap.
One more week to go and I know I can do it. I'm just really struggling right now. I figured I'd reach out for support while I'm still on the wagon instead of after I've allowed myself to do something I'll regret.
Any words of encouragement for surviving P1? What helped you get through it?
I agree with Cyndi that a look at what you've been eating may help solve your problem. You've made it through one week, though, and that's the toughest part of SBD. The next week of Phase 1 should be a lot easier, and before you know it, you'll be finished and ready to start the induction of Phase 2.
Look through the Phase 1 recipes and plan out some menus that you know you'll enjoy and can look forward to. And don't forget that leftovers make great lunches, and even breakfasts. Adding beans and getting enough dairy every day will often improve your mood, too. Also, have you begun to notice a difference in the fit of your clothes? That, alone, is enough to motivate me.
Good luck, TallGirl, and don't give up! Consider the alternative.
You can do it tall girl! Maybe you're not eating enough filling foods like beans? It's great that you're working out so much, maybe you need to stretch or do some yoga to help your body relax? How much sleep are you getting? Especially when you work out a lot, you need a lot of sleep or that's what i've found with myself. It's a good thing you asked for help before you fell.
I always like to try and find some quotes that make me feel better and look at them often to remind me why i'm doing it. Here are some good ones that I like
- There is no food tasty enough to make me throw away all my progress.
- Because there is no other choice
- To do list: Lose 1 pound, keep it off, repeat
- You either make room for health in your life or you have to make room for disease
- junk food = junk body
- I worked too hard to take orders from a cookie.
*** hope that helps a bit. Quotes always keep me motivated.
Do you have a snack before you go to bed? I always made sure to eat something to tide me over til breakfast, whether I was hungry or not.
As for mental encouragement, I always check out the 3FC blogs when I'm feeling melancholy or just kind of "off". There are so many there and no matter what diet plan the authors are using, the blogs are always a wake up call. You find blogs written by ladies who worked hard, stayed on track and are at goal or close to goal now. You also find blogs written by people who didn't stay on track and are still struggling with the same weight they were fighting with months ago. I want to be in the first category and the more blogs I read the more determined I am to stay on track this time.
Everyone has already made good suggestions on the food side. My suggestion would be to chill out on the exercise and place the food part and making it through this next week with improved energy to be the top priority.
You have made a really positive step by making it this far!!! One day at a time you can make it through this and I PROMISE you it DOES GET BETTER! I wouldn't have stayed OP this long, if I felt like crap all the time.
You did the best thing by posting. The troops are lined up to support you and see you through!
Could it be the "SBD flu"? I know I felt great until days 5-7 when I felt moody, lethargic and just plain icky (much later than the other chickies). It could be sluggish feeling reaction catching up to you because you cut out sugars. Have you cut back caffeine too? I know I did and it made me feel icky!
All great advice. I will agree wholeheartedly on beans, having done this before and found that they helped me a lot. And I also agree about not emphasizing exercise in PH1. I think many of us don't feel great that first week or two as we adjust to a new way of eating and detox. It also helped me to drink a lot in the morning right when I got up if I had that queasy thing going on. And the blog thing has helped me tons. Both doing my own and reading others. Plus it distracts me from eating... which is why you might see me on here so often
Hang in there TallGirl. You can do it! You will be so glad you did.
I am also on the last day of my first week of Phase 1. I have done well, but I was just telling my husband that today is the first day I am feeling really lethargic. I have no energy of which to speak. No cravings... just blah. I really haven't had any dairy today, so maybe a cup of milk will do the trick.
Could it be the "SBD flu"? I know I felt great until days 5-7 when I felt moody, lethargic and just plain icky (much later than the other chickies). It could be sluggish feeling reaction catching up to you because you cut out sugars. Have you cut back caffeine too? I know I did and it made me feel icky!
I felt like this the first time I did phase 1... very foggy and slow to get going in the mornings.
If you can manage it, Tallgirl, then I'd suggest doing some exercise during phase 1. I've just started my second week of phase 1 (after a few months eating off-plan) and have felt awesome all the way through it. A little exercise in the afternoon (if possible) will help you sleep better, flush toxins out of your system and should have you feeling better in the morning. Seriously... I am bursting with energy at the moment!!
Hang in there. It does get better. Sounds like how I felt after the first 3-4 days. I don't think I knew about the beans then, although I did get dairy. I agree with laying off the exercising for a while and posting you menus here. Hope you're feeling better!
Thanks ladies. I feel better now after DH and I went out on a little "date" to a movie (I packed my own SB friendly snack so I was OP). I've been posting my menus every day in the On Plan thread and I eat dairy, beans, lots of protein, and veggies every day. I'm not hungry and don't feel hungry- it just takes me a long time to de-fog my brain in the morning. I have also been moody and irritable so I'm going to blame sugar withdrawal. The exercise is actually helping me sleep and my insomnia was creeping back up so I'm very hesitant to drop it. I am planning my menus and shopping for meals and cooking.
I'm just going to soldier on and hope it gets better. I can continue feeling foggy for another week and it won't kill me.
Thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it!!
Were you exercising before starting South Beach? I've just started reading the new Super Charged book and Dr. A recommends exercise during Phase I only for those who were already exercising. He recommends starting in Phase II for those of us who weren't.
I don't know if that's the problem or not.... just a thought.
Today is our last day of Phase I... I actually had just a very slight headache and felt a bit lethargic days 3 and 4, but I did feel MUCH better this time than I did the first time I did Phase I... I made a point of keeping up with my beans and dairy this time and it really did seem to help.
I also felt a little tired and out of sorts in Phase 1. It will really get better when you add in a fruit or a portion of grain. In the meantime make sure you eat your beans, 2 servings of dairy, and a portion of nuts each day.
It's useful to also realize you will not feel motivated at the same level each day. Everything in life goes through ups and downs. Some days you will feel very motivated, others perhaps not so much for whatever reason. Set minimum standards for yourself (for me, I post here at least once a day on the on plan thread to talk about my menu. If I'm super into it, I'll post more, if not, then not) and just try to 'fake it till you make it.'
Motivation is fading - need encouragement!
