South Beach Diet Fat Chicks on the Beach!

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Old 08-16-2004, 01:48 PM   #1  
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Question Some advice, please...

I've been on the Beach for about 10 weeks now, and so far I've lost approximately 28 lbs. When I'm hungry I eat, I exercise at least 30 minutes/day, I drink tons of water, and I feel great. This may sound stupid, but I'm concerned that I may be losing weight too quickly...I dropped 6 lbs since the last time I weighed in 10 days ago. I thought I should be losing 1-2lbs/week. Should I try adding more carbs back into my diet to slow down a bit? Or am I doing okay?

For reference, this is a typical day:
5am Walk or cardio 30 min
6am Eggs w/ veggie sausage, skim milk, coffee, multivitamin
10am Cottage cheese w/ sf jam or a strawberry smoothie
12pm Weights/abs 20 min
1pm Spaghetti squash w/ sauce, lf cheese stick, sf jello
4pm Apple and 15 almonds
6pm Grilled chicken w/ steamed broccoli and a salad
8pm (once or twice a week) No sugar added chocolate fudgsicle
Water = 100+oz/day

I know that SBD is not low carb, but those are the food items against which I have very low resistance. I try to avoid bread, pasta and potatoes because I know I can't just have one serving. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 08-16-2004, 02:27 PM   #2  
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Hi, Laurie!

Same name, same problem! I have the same issues.

You might want to add another piece of fruit to help slow down your weight loss. However, a starch might be the best way...I understand your fears, though! What about some of the following strategies to keep from overdoing it on the carbs:
  • Eat carbs that are already portioned. For instance, freeze a package of WW pitas, and only defrost one to use.
  • Make only one portion of carbs--for instance, cook up only one portion of oatmeal.
  • Eat carbs that are less likely to cause overeating--for instance, bulgher wheat or brown rice rather than WW pasta (which tastes a lot like the type on which we used to binge!)
  • Only eat the carbs at the time of day which does not lead to bingeing (I can't eat my carb in the morning...even with protein, it causes cravings all day long).
  • Perhaps, until you feel you can handle it yourself, have a friend, DH, etc. hold on to the carbs, and portion them out to you, so you cannot binge.
  • Always eat your carb with protein, so as to mimimize cravings.

I think you might be successful introducing some starches. Remember the old quote, "Women are like tea. You never know how strong they are until they are in hot water." I think you may find that your mettle is much stronger than you know!

Let me know how it goes for you! I've been playing around with 2 starches one day, one starch the next, etc., with one piece of fruit every day. It seems to be working as far as slowing me down, a little, but I'm more tired, more depressed, less energetic, and my IBS symptoms showed up, when they had not been bothering me before. So I would like to go back to the one starch, one fruit plan and either add a fruit or something else...I'm going to try this until the end of this week to see what happens, and then make the switch if all is still the same. I'm tired of being tired!

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Old 08-16-2004, 02:31 PM   #3  
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Oh, Laurie, one more thing...you might want to increase the size of your meals...make sure you are including some of the good fats. Check it over using www.fitday.com if you need to, but it looks like your caloric intake is fairly small...increasing it just a bit might help slow the weightloss to a safer level.

From what I can find, if we lose more than 2.5 lbs a week (and I'm not sure if this is meant as an average or if it is an actual amount), we lose a lot of muscle mass. I know that's not something I want to do! Some of the people I've consulted say that those who have a lot to lose, like me, might be okay losing a lot at first, but I would think that you might have trouble if you do that. So it's definitely something you want to keep an eye on!
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Old 08-16-2004, 02:35 PM   #4  
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I went from 168 to 163 in about a week on phase 2 so I know exactly what you mean. I also completely stay away from pasta and potatoes, and I only have one slice of bread a few days a week, if that. I assume that is why we are losing weight so quickly, because in reality we are probably on phase 1.5. I definitely recommend taking multivitamins (as you mentioned) and also a fiber supplement daily. That helps me to feel healthy and energetic. It seems from your food log that you are eating enough but if you are concerned you could always add another fruit or veggie to your daily intake. Since you are exercising on a daily basis, your body will require a higher calorie intake than someone who is not exercising. I've read that carbs are very important in repairing your body after you have exercised. Perhaps you could try adding a healthy, high fiber cereal such as Fiber One to your diet after your workout in the morning.

Mostly importantly, always remember that the best advice you will get comes from a doctor, a nutritionalist, etc. If I have health related questions, I've found that most medical and health related institutions will answer questions for free over the phone.
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Old 08-16-2004, 04:39 PM   #5  
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One word - LEGUMES! They are healthy carbs and will help regulate your loss.
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Old 08-17-2004, 03:21 AM   #6  
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With the amount of exercise you are getting I would probably add in some healthy carbs like beans. I understand what you mean about the starches, I can't have just one so don't even bother. Instead I eat a more root vegetables and legumes to get the healthy carbs. The thing that would worry me about losing weight too quickly is getting loose skin but I think that is only a problem if you are losing a lot of weight (100 pounds or more).
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Old 08-17-2004, 03:53 AM   #7  
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i think there is no need to worry unless you are feeling lethargic or any other unhealthy feelings.
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Old 08-17-2004, 09:49 AM   #8  
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I wish I had your problems! I've been on Ph2 for 2 weeks now and only have 1 starchy food a day, still. I feel like the scale just won't budge. Granted, I'm not working out like I should, but I usually don't have time. (I do today, and am about to in a few moments.) Here's my typical menu:

8am: Whole wheat bagel with minimal lf cream cheese.
12pm: 20 peanuts
3pm: Salad with 1/2 cup cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, and lf Carbwell ranch dressing
5pm: lf cheese stick
8pm: 1/2 cup black refried beans, with salsa, lf cheddar cheese, dollop of sour cream

If I'm craving something sweet, I'll have a sf fudgesicle/popsicle, or sf jello with a little cool whip on top.

Sometimes my dinner meal is stir-fried broccoli and cauliflower (in extra light olive oil,) with peanuts and a dash of low-sodium soy sauce.

I drink my water, and I TRY to work out, when I get the chance. I just can't lose. I'm tired of being 140. I haven't been in the 130's in over 5 years, so I'd really like to get there.

Tomorrow Aunt Flo is going back FLOrida, so maybe that'll help me a little bit. I guess I'll stop crabbing and go do my ab video and get on the exercise bike.
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Old 08-17-2004, 10:03 AM   #9  
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I hear what everyone is saying about losing weight quickly, but I must say that it still scares me! I have the feeling that even though I have a lot to lose, I still shouldn't be losing more than 2 pounds a week, as any more than that is losing muscle and water, not fat. I don't really want to lose muscle. In addition, from what I'm reading, it seems like losing this quickly makes us more apt to gain it back when we are done (which terrifies me!) because it is mainly water that our body needs. I realize that if I continue to follow Phase 3 when I am done, I am unlikely to gain much, if anything back. I'm not doing SBD just until I lose the weight and then going back to "my regularly scheduled program"...this IS my regularly scheduled program from now on. : The weight loss still worries me. Here are some things I found that were thought provoking. What do you think?

Quote:
You can't lose more than 2 pounds of body fat a week, so if you're losing more than 2 pounds a week you're losing something else. In most cases, it's body water and some muscle tissue.
This is from http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97787.htm (you have to search for it...it's about a 1/3 down the page)

Lots of websites for different diet plans list information cautioning you not to lose more than 2 pounds a week, and often list ways to combat it within their rules. This one was interesting:

Quote:
If you are losing more than 2 pounds a week, you may be losing muscle tissue as well, which is not what you want. Remember, if you lose muscle, your metabolism will slow down, and your fat loss could come to a screeching halt. When you first begin your program, you may lose weight rapidly, up to 10 pounds in ten days. But this lost weight is not all fat. Some of it will be “bulk,” and some will be water. This is a good thing. It means your body is getting “balanced.” Beyond those first two weeks, however, you should settle into a pace of about two pounds of fat loss per week.
From: http://www.musclemedia.com/qa/answer...uestionID=9178

If you are eating a lot of protein, exercising regularly, and eating a decent amount of calories for what you are burning, but still losing a lot of weight, would the worry for muscle mass loss still be there? I'm just not sure! And how to be certain that I am consuming enough protein and calories for the amount of work I am doing? Wish I knew... :sad:

Quote:
Losing more than 2 pounds a week on a
regular basis may cause you to lose muscle mass. A gradual weight loss of 1-
2 pounds a week helps you lose fat, not muscle. In the early stages you may
lose more since it may be largely water weight.
From: http://devweb3.vip.ohio-state.edu/Ma...r/ten-tips.pdf (very simplified view of weight loss, but interesting, nonetheless)

I called the local health hotline at our hospital and talked with a very friendly woman there. She agreed with most of what I have read, though she said that with my need to lose more weight, I might be able to lose more a week safely than a moderately overweight person would. She did say that she thinks I should add another piece of fruit to try to slow things down until I can get into the nutritionist (no open appt. until mid-September ).

I'd love to hear what you all think. I might also post this in the Maintainer's forum and see what those sage people have to say as well.
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Old 08-17-2004, 10:08 AM   #10  
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Weezle, we posted at the same time!

Looks like you need to add more veggies to your meals...just a thought, but I think that might help. Also, a bagel is a very limited thing, especially at the regular size, which is about three servings. Try a very tiny WW bagel (the mini size) if you have to have one (and make sure it has at least 3 g. of fiber), but you'd be best off with a slice of WW bread rather than a bagel.

Just some thoughts and lots of good vibes coming your way! I know that you have a lot less to lose than I do and that it sometimes slows down when you get that close to goal. So don't stress too hard, okay? You have so much going on in your life already!
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Old 08-17-2004, 11:40 AM   #11  
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Thanks for the help, ladies! Today I'm adding some lentil soup to my lunch and I'm gonna try to get more legumes in my diet over the next two weeks and we'll see how it works out.

Weezle: Don't be about hanging out at 140. Try to find something fun to do that can be physically challenging to help you over this plateau. We're having Dragon Boat races for my company in September...training for them has been a real hoot! It's also been a boost to my self esteem b/c I'm actually doing something that I didn't think I could do. IMO, you may be more likely to make or find time for something fun...maybe DF can join you?

Laurie: I know you're right about losing muscle mass, and I definitely don't want to do that! I'm also concerned that I may gain back all the weight I've lost if I do it too quickly. I've never really TRIED to lose weight before. Historically, I've gone through periods of time where I just felt like eating healthier and exercising more. I know that I shrank pretty quickly when doing that, but I it happened very fast and I never committed to any weight loss goals...so the weight always came back. Hopefully, if I really apply myself, do it slowly and am mindful of my goals, this will be a permanent change in my life. Like you said, I don't want to go back to my old habits when I'm done w/ Phase 2. I want this to be for good! Even if I never lost another pound, my life has improved 100 fold! I feel so much more energetic and happy. I never want to be uncomfortable in my own body again!
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Old 08-17-2004, 11:50 AM   #12  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LaurieX
Hopefully, if I really apply myself, do it slowly and am mindful of my goals, this will be a permanent change in my life. Like you said, I don't want to go back to my old habits when I'm done w/ Phase 2. I want this to be for good! Even if I never lost another pound, my life has improved 100 fold! I feel so much more energetic and happy. I never want to be uncomfortable in my own body again!
I love this! Great points, Laurie! I fully agree.

I hope that just by continuing on this path and making this a life change, we can combat the fear of the weight returning to us. But I still worry about the muscle loss, though. I'll let you know what I find out from the nutritionist. In the meantime, let us know how it goes with the legumes! I posted a ton of bean recipes in the recipe forum. I also happen to love vegetarian refried beans (check to make sure the fat is low and there is no added sugar) with a bit of low fat cheese in the microwave. I add a tiny bit of Lawry's Seasoning salt and garlic powder, and think it is pure heaven! Also good with some salsa and maybe sour cream.
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Old 08-17-2004, 01:39 PM   #13  
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I will definitely have to check out the bean recipes! I tried Amy's Organic Lentil Soup for lunch and it was great. I forgot how much I love those little legumes!
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