I was on phase 1 for about a week and a half and have lost 8 pounds already. As I have only about 7 more pounds to lose to get to my goal weight, I have started phase 2. All during this time, there are times when, after eating, I feel sort of icky -- like if I eat anything else when I'm feeling like this, I will surely lose it all. Is anyone else having this feeling? I am eating a lot less than I used to, I get full faster, it seems. Eating isn't really that much fun anymore (which is all right with me). Also, if I happen to have even a little bit of real sugar (some sweet potatoes I ate had sugar added by the cook, unbeknownst to me at the time), I feel really lousy. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks.

Could you give a little more info about what you're eating? It's hard to guess what your problem is. And, sorry to ask a dumb question, but have you ruled out a late-season cold? It is possible your body is still detoxing.

About the sugar thing...Real sugar has made me sick for a long time, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to South Beach. It is probably that you have become unaccustomed to it. You never realize how sweet a lot of things are (and exactly what sort of things sugar is slipped into!) until you get away from sugar.

Hi, GreatBigMonsterMamma. I am eating things such as: poached eggs, nonfat, plain yogurt, a few Trader Joe's whole wheat crackers (similar to Triscuits, I read about them on this site), lowfat cheese, baked fish, baked chicken, extra lean hamburger (4% fat), lowfat cottage cheese, salads with olive oil dressing, small amounts of walnuts and/or dry-roasted, salt-free cashews, about a gallon of bottled water a day (which is my usual amount), lots of steamed vegetables, sugar free Jell-0, and so on. I know it isn't a virus because I keep feeling this way, off and on, and it doesn't feel like a virus.

I can't say that I have felt yuk. I was tired and run down for the first few days when I went through sugar-detox. This is fairly common. Your food intake looks fine. I would imagine that if you are not a big meat eater that the amount of protein (especially from red meat) may make you feel a bit uneasy. I find the taste of anything sugary unappetising now and found the larger than normal meat intake a bit much to start with.

chick on the beach, I wonder if it is indeed, the meat. Tonight we had crock pot beef and mushrooms for dinner and maybe I was feeling queasy because of that. It was chunks of beef (fairly lean), but maybe that's it. I used to eat lots and lots of fatty foods and I used to love to eat! Now, I am finding that I don't look forward to eating, that I'm doing it to nourish myself rather than having the "pleasure" of diving into a plate of french fries or cheese and pepperoni pizza. Thanks for your input.

My sister-in-law has gall bladder problems and she reacts badly to fat and spicy food. This was brought on by a high fat diet but she gets tummy pains like cramps. I seem to recall it started out with an uneasiness in her tummy after eating something rich or fatty. You may want to check it out with your doctor if it continues. She lost a huge amount of weight simply by not being able to eat a lot of fat. Now she is careful about trimming the fat off meat and not using butter etc.

Thanks, chick on the beach. It's something to consider.

Linda Jean, I think you need some new recipes! I fully identify with looking forward to eating. But I am a strange person who loves vegetables. Just think about what good you are doing for your body when you nourish it.

I don't have any more ideas about why you're feeling rundown, sorry. The only thing I can think of is, are you possibly dehydrated? Most of the weight we lose to begin with is water weight, and I think that might predispose one to dehydration. I know from experience that being a little dehydrated but not overly so can make me feel pretty rundown.

BTW, I love your name. I have a sister & a daughter who are both Lindas.

GreatBigMonsterMomma, I have heard that dehydration can cause tiredness, but I don't think that's my problem, because I drink over a gallon a day (always have, I am a *very* big water fan!). My main problem is feeling just sort of icky -- sick to my stomach (during this time, I have never have actually lost anything from the stommachal area, however; it's just a nauseated feeling). For instance, I just had some lowfat cheese, a few TJ's wheat crackers and about 1/3 cup of nonfat, plain yogurt. I do experiment in the kitchen with different recipes (which I've gotten from the SBD book). I also have heartburn every single day! I'm a mess!

My sweet sister's name is Jane, so whenever I meet someone with that name, I like them before I even get to know them. I'm imagining that you named your daughter after your sister?

<Hanging head in shame...> I think I might have discovered why I haven't been feeling very well (please don't hate me for being stupid). Tonight I had a "regular" sized dinner and I am feeling perky and energized, with no heartburn. I'm wondering if I was just eating way too little (a friend and I ate lunch out today and I had 12 small cocktail (cold) shrimp and one biscuit). I have been so careful to eat right that I haven't been eating *much.* I will say that I don't feel as hungry anymore as I used to, but apparently, my lack of hunger shouldn't dictate how many (or few) mouthfuls I take. Are idiots allowed to post? <

I wouldn't say you are an idiot. I'm struggling with trying to eat enough right now too. When I see the scales start to drop I just want it to happen faster. I know that is backwards thinking, I need to keep eating right.

I think I went through a detox sort of thing my first week on the Beach. I felt so horrible. I didn't exercise I couldn't force myself to. I've felt great since.

I never thought about it, I've been doing the same thing too. Don't feel so bad about it! I don't eat enough, I do get heart burn. Hmmm... I have the same problem and a background with anorexia when I was in Junior High. I always try not to go back to that state - perhaps that's how I got so fat *LOL* But now that I think about it, it is something to really watch out for.

Also, did you notice yourself in the evenings wanting to munch on everything you could find? Because I do that too, probably since I didn't eat enough dinner or lunch. Just goes to show you have to be very careful and the difference between dieting and changing the way you eat and live is a big one. We need to get out of the dieting mentality i think.

Hi, RNMOM. I'm glad that you are beginning to feel better since you've been eating a little more. You're right, we do need to get out of the dieting mentality. I'm feeling just fine today, guess I just needed to use my head about this WOE.

Liziness, no, I haven't wanted to eat a whole bunch at night after not having eating much during the day -- I just am not feeling very hungry anymore. Now that I know that eating too little is not a good thing (as you found out too, back in junior high), I can correct that. Live and learn!

Ah, not eating enough, I didn't even think of that! I am one of those people who gets so engrossed in what I'm doing that I hate having to stop to eat. And it's hard sometimes when you're dieting to make sure you eat enough.

And yeah, my daughter is named after my sister...who, in turn, was named after her aunt. I guess I just have to hope my elder daughter follows up with it.