[Wannabehealthy]

I can't find an introduction thread so I will do it here.

My name is Carol and I am a diabetic. Also a senior citizen. I am not new to 3FC so some of you might have posted with me before. Because of my diabetes, I tend to follow low carb, but no specific program. I think I tried SB years ago and used to have the book. I looked for it but can't find it. I must have donated it. But I found a copy at Goodwill today for $.99, so I'm a happy camper! It interests me because it allows beans and dairy, which many plan do not allow. I am going to read through the book and see what I think. I think it's the old version, but I have seen the lists of the new foods that have been added.

The only problem I'm going to have is the snacks required during phase 1. I have spend the past 2-3 weeks eliminating between-meal eating. I think that is what stalls my weight loss. I get it into my head because I'm eating something that's healthy that it's OK, but I find that it makes me eat when I'm not actually hungry, then I'm not really hungry when the next mealtime rolls around. I have just about eliminated the snacks and I feel better and my weight has gone down a bit. I don't want to risk starting that again. Maybe reading the book will explain to me why they are required, and maybe that will be a tweak for me.

[jekel383]

Welcome back Carol Sue. I tend to skip a morning snack when I am off. Breakfast keeps me full. However, on my work days, breakfast is around 5:00 so by 10 I'm getting hungry. So a pack of nuts is my go to. My afternoon and nighttime snack is raw veggies. I'm far from perfect with SB, but so much better then I was. You'll tweek things as you go along we all do.

Looking forward to getting to know you. Good luck

[WaistingTime]

I'm not an expert but I don't think you need to eat snacks as long as you are not going too long between meals so that you get starved and overeat. I've always thought the best approach was to eat when you are legitimately, physically hungry. That said, I did find great success with packing snacks for times I was away from home as a way to be sure I didn't arrive at my house too hungry. I would often bring sliced peppers or little tomatoes or other veggies, in an insulated bag, and eat them on my way home from work or exercise. And I always kept one portion of almonds in my purse for just in case.

I'm not a SBD purist and have tweaked the plan for myself. The key was learning what did and didn't work for me and to avoid my triggers. But the big help for me early on was eating a lot of veggies! Way more than I would have given my druthers.

[Wannabehealthy]

Thanks, It's good to know that not everyone feels this has to be followed to the letter. I haven't been eating between meals to break my bad habit of grazing. Now when it comes to mealtime I am hungry, and the food seems to taste so much better when you're actually hungry, and not eating because the clock says it's dinner time. I am retired, so it's not often I am away from home long enough to worry about needing a snack. For me, it's more of a problem knowing the stuff that's in the house that I could snack on. LOL It's there because of DH and I am very good at staying away from his sweets and salty snacks. It's the things like pepperoni and cheese that call my name.

Several months ago I read a book by Dr Joel Fuhrman about the importance of vegetables and what they do for your body. Since then I have upped my vegetable consumption considerably, and sometimes I actually crave things like broccoli and brussels sprouts. LOL Who knew? But my grazing on poor choices still continued and weight loss was not to be.

I know a couple who went on SB and both lost a lot of weight. He had diabetes and back problems and needed to lose and she just did it along with him. I don't really like the low carb diets that push eating a lot of added fat. That's just not my way of eating. I'm hoping I do well with this.

[seachick]

I also returned here in the past several weeks.
I don't believe ANY program has to be followed to the letter, one size does not fit all. You need to tweak whatever you're doing to fit your lifestyle.

On that note, I didn't even do P1. Haven't done P1 since SB first arrived on the scene all of those years ago. I just started with P2 because even though I put weight back on it wasn't due to eating the wrong stuff. I just tend to eat way too much of a good thing. lol Portion control is my demon most of the time. And for those snacks....the reason for snacks in between meals is to keep your metabolism at a steady burn. Even if you are not hungry, eat a few veggies, a few nuts, a hard boiled egg, etc.

Good luck and welcome back! :-)

[Wannabehealthy]

Thanks, Seachick. I also believe in "one size does not fit all" but I have also been on forums where someone will berate you for not following the plan exactly. I have a big issue with not being able to limit a snack to a few, or a little bit of anything. I think I'm OK because the things I'm eating between meals are healthy, but healthy food has calories too. I end up not being hungry at the next meal, but I eat it anyway. I may reach a point when I can do a healthy snack and stop there, but I'm not there right now.

I too have a problem with portion control. I have decided to combine SB with 5:2 intermittant fasting for a while. I might not go as low as 500 cals on the 2 days but it will be 2 non-consecutive days of just veggies and salads, and I will follow SB on the 5 days. My choice of SB is due to the legumes and dairy being allowed. I think this is going to work for me. Let's hope we both do well!

[ruby2sday]

I have recently returned back to 3FC after some time away too, and started SB again today. Sadly, I'm starting back with having regained all the weight I lost (except 5 lbs) so again, it's going to be a long road ahead.

I do find that SB is a plan that suits me best. I feel better when I stick with it, and it's easy and works well with pretty much any lifestyle.

Good luck to all of us starting over!