So this WOE has been great for me in many ways. I finally am craving free, I don't feel restricted, it comes fairly natural to me and I'm really enjoying what I'm eating. However, I'm afraid it's messing with my mind. Now that I'm not experiencing cravings anymore, I'm realizing that I'm rarely hungry. Add that to the number of vegetables I'm eating, and it doesn't take much for me to feel full. Though I don't weigh, measure, etc. I counted calories long enough to give a fairly good guesstimation of how many calories I'm consuming in a day. The problem is- I keep hitting low. Which is excites me. And that is an even bigger problem.

When I count calories, my sweet spot seems to be about 1700 or so, usually more if I'm working out vigorously. On this plan, most days end up 1200 or so, without trying. It's not unusual for me to end up with days that, when all is said and done, are under 1000 calories. Most of the time it's unintentional- I wasn't hungry for my snacks or got busy so I didn't eat them. Other times I realize it and that evil little monster inside says "Well If you're full on 800 calories for the day- do it! Huge weightloss bonus! Lower is always better!" Which isn't the way to go. On weeks where I dip too low, I end up not losing weight. When I eat like I should, I lose in between 2 and 3 pounds a week. So even though I know that eating too little is harmful to my weightloss, I still do it. How do you convince yourself to say no to that temptation?

On top of that, I'm finding myself getting restrictive. Though I've had several off plan excursions of a few days here and there, I have for the most part been following a phase one plan for the last three months. I'll have a whole wheat sandwich once every other week or so, go up a pound the next day (which I then take several days to lose) freak out and stop eating bread again. I've slowly started introducing fruit back, but no more than once a day and definitely not on a day I have bread. A month ago or so I plateaued for awhile, and realized I had been eating a lot of cheese. So this last week I decided to eliminate it from my diet as well. (I broke that plateau, but I'm trying to recover from a slightly rough Thanksgiving and trying to eat grainy carbs a few days in a row.)

I'm just not sure how to get out of this weird headspace. I feel like daily weigh ins and having target weightloss days have been the only thing keepign me really accountable. But I feel like now they're probably part of what is freaking me out and I'm afraid of what will happen if I cut them out. (For the record, I haven't met a single weightloss goal date and it has never bothered me, it's more the upcoming deadline that helps me walk away from a tempting plate of cookies)

Sorry this is so long/rambly/whiney etc. But I guess what I really want to know is has anyone else gone through this? Tips? Advice? Anyone want to chime in on how to phase into 1.5 or 2 better? Anyone else gain weight every single time they look at anything with flour? Advice on keeping calories higher with only one serving of nuts when you don't like avocados or hummus? How do you stay accountable if you don't weigh in daily? Between this and school and work stress my poor little head is spinning!

Been there done that.

All of it. I have gone back and forth from P1-P1.5-P2 for weeks. The first time I transitioned, I plateaued. So I went back to P1. The next time I did it, I did it slower and tried out different veggies and breads. I found that fruit will make me stick (every time) and the only bread that does not seem to make me stick is Ezekiel.

I weigh daily, mostly to keep track of myself, but I also have a hard time some days hitting 1200 calories, and like you, when I do that, I stop losing. I noticed when I had a wedding, birthday, etc and had a bit of a binge, weight would woosh off.

Basically, I decided this. Life happens. I eat on plan foods 99% of the time. If I am low in calories for some days, that is fine, if I am higher in calories some days that is fine too. Thanksgiving is one day not one month, Same with Christmas and birthdays and everything else that can throw you off. If we go to farmers market and someone has some yummy samples, I sample. ONE. If we go out to eat, I stay on plan for the most part, no dessert and enjoy a glass (or two) of red wine.

Once I just kind of relaxed a bit, and worked it into my lifestyle, and was not as "restrictive" the weight comes off at a fairly even rate. About 2.2 lbs a week. I am good with that. Sure, I would LOVE for it to be more, but it is what it is. That rate leaves me feeling good, full, not starving and works with our lifestyle.

Good luck

Southlake, So much of what you are saying is exactly what I am going through too. I keep saying that I'm doing a phase 1.5 but in reality, the only thing that I have added to phase one is one fruit every day or so. I am terrified of adding anything else (like grains, breads or even vegs that aren't included in phase one) and don't know when I'll be comfortable doing that.

I also have been skipping snacks and meals when I'm not that hungry thinking the same thing you do, why put those calories in my body. I know I shouldn't do that but can't seem to get a handle on this either.

There is no way that this old lady isn't going to get on the scale at least once every day. I marvel at those that can only weigh once a week. If the scale isn't in my favor, my first thought is to eat less which I know isn't the right thing to do but knowing that doesn't make me stop thinking it.

Wish I had answers for us but I sure don't. Just know that you aren't the only one going through this. I know myself and when I am good, I AM VERY VERY GOOD but when I'm bad, I'M VERY VERY BAD and I am terrified that I will lose whatever I've found to make me capable of being very very good right now. Perhaps as we journey further down this path, we will begin to understand more and hopefully it will all work out. In the meantime, we are doing the best we can and at the end of the day, that is all we can ask of ourselves.

Hi! The first time I did SBD a few years ago, I pretty much stayed on Phase 1 the whole time. I became terrified to eat grains or fruit. So, in my few years of evolving diet plan since then, I have learned to embrace the fruits, especially the high-nutrition ones. I never eat them alone. It's always half an apple with peanut butter, a clementine with some nuts or a small piece of dark chocolate, half a grapefruit with cottage cheese or berries with Greek yogurt.

RE: the grains, maybe you can't really process them well. You could try the sprouted grains (like Ezekiel) - the carbohydrates are different in sprouted grains. Try alternative grains like spelt (still a wheat) or quinoa. But you don't need to include grains unless you just like them. Yes, they have fiber and vitamins, but you can get those elsewhere. I have very slowly come to the realization that I can't include wheat in my diet on a regular basis (whole wheat pita is the only thing I keep around and I have to limit myself there), I occasionally eat brown rice and I am trying to include quinoa more. But I really have many days with no grains at all.

The fruit, however, I would encourage you to include, 1 or 2 servings/day. The calories are higher than veggies, too, so that would help some with getting your calories up.

Southlake-I really wanted to wait until I had the time to sit down, read, then respond to your post. I didnt find it "disordered" at all, but in fact, quite organized and precise. One statement you made really stood out to me. You said, "When I eat like I should, I lose in between 2 and 3 pounds a week". It seems like you've been following SBD long enough that you do know what to do, and I'm not one to be able to give you any advice regarding your tendency to want to eat too little, even though you know it is harmful to your weightloss.

There are numerous threads that discuss transitioning, and I'm sure you've read them. I read what you said about having a whole wheat sandwich every other week and going up a pound, leading you to freak out and stop eating bread again. If it were me, I would have to say to myself, "2 slices of bread is NOT making me gain a pound, it's OK to eat this and the fluxuation will work itself out on the scale." Perhaps it could also have to do with the "content" of the sandwich, not the bread itself. I never weigh myself the day after I've eaten something with higher sodium content then I'm used to. Perhaps, as Emma said, you are just super sensitive to wheat, and might choose to try other grains instead. I would just encourage you to not "freak out" because it doesn't do the body any good. I pretty much only eat the Ezekial breads, too.

Regarding fruit, I would have to look at the health benefits of 1 or 2 pieces of fruit per day, just as I would look at the health benefits of eating lots of vegetables.

As to everyday weighing and setting goals-if it is keeping you accountable and motivated then I think it's great. I am learning some behavioral tools in Beck Diet Solution, and Dr. Beck suggests weighing every day, but using the scale for information only, recognizing that there are lots of environmental factors which affect the daily number which have nothing to do with "gaining or losing" weight. That said, I personally, have seen a 5# rise, dip and rise in my numbers over the past week while I have eaten reasonably, and OP. Did I lose and gain all that weight? No. Does it work itself out? Yes.

My thought would be to focus on keeping you food choices healthy and OP. Stress is one factor which can keep the scale bouncing around. So the more stress, the more fluxuation you may see. It seems like you are doing just great, mainly because you have the desire to stay OP and the ability to honestly evaluate yourself. Following SBD, for me, is learning about my body and how my food choices affect me. We are all very different.

You guys are awesome. I was afraid that I was going to get a lot of "Badd Southlake!" lectures, so your responses have surprised and inspired me. It means a lot to know I'm not the only person struggling with this.

I think last week was especially hard, and to a certain extent, I got overly restrictive because it felt like it was the only part of my week I was able to fully control. That, I know, is a bad road I don't want to walk down, and I need to be careful that I find other ways to balance my stress levels.

For the rest of it- I think I'm okay with fruits. It doesn't affect the scale one way or another and doesn't seem to cause any issues with cravings. I've even had a piece here or there that are a little too high in sugar- pineapple and bananas, and they haven't caused any issues. I haven't gotten around to any p2 veggies, so we'll see how they affect me. I'm looking forward to trying some butternut squash.

The grains are what freak me out the most. Admittedly, I have only tried bread. I don't really care for brown rice, so I'm not all that interested in eating it. Most meals seem complete without a grainy side, so I just haven't had one. It also seems like they might take away from my vegetable intake. (I like my meals to have three components- meat and 2 sides. I like 2 different veggies with each meal and having an extra side throws my meal all off. Super strange, I know)

I just really crave sandwiches. Kind of odd, but those are like my dream food these days. The problem is that bread just seems to put me up. And it's not just that I will go up a pound (sometimes a pound and a half) the next day, but that it will take me all week (sometimes longer) to lose that stupid pound. It's absolutely ridiculous! I will try the Ezekial bread, and maybe some brown rice tortillas. It could be that I'm just sensitive to wheat(or it could be that my body hates me... doh!)

I took this last weekend off from worrying abotu what I ate and it was kidn fo nice. It felt good to not freak out over what I was eating and I didn't binge on anything, though I'm up two pounds (not surprising) I'm not upset about gaining, and I'm ready to get back on this. I noticed that at the end of my pasta meal on Saturday I felt sluggish. And yesterday I missed my vegetables. This plan is great for losing weight, but it's even better for how I feel. Thanks again guys.

If you do not like or care for brown rice, try (if you can find it) Brown Basmati rice. Even regular Basmati rice. The fiber content is higher and it is YUM. I am not a HUGE brown rice fan, so that one is what I generally have. Not everyday, but a few times a week.

Also, for sandwiches, I like Rye bread. Ezekiel is super yum, but it can be a bit dry and heavy. Rye does not seem to have an affect on my scale or cravings or anything. Again, not an everyday thing, only a few times a week for work.