Moving to Phase Two

[ccook002]

I am starting my third week of the program and am starting phase 2. I stayed on phase one for an extra week, mainly because i am scared i am going to get the cravings back if i start adding them in, but yesterday, i had a half a small sweet potato at dinner and a half a whole wheat pita at breakfast and I seem to be still in control. I have to admit, it is tempting to stay on phase one. I have dropped ten lbs in three weeks and feel like a million bucks. I have been riding my bike at least five times a week and trying to push myself in both distance and resistance. My 13 yr old has been pretty much been eating what I eat and she is noticably slimmer. I developed a love of steel cut oatmeal when doing this plan in the past and look forward to having that for breakfast a couple days a week.

I got the most wonderful surprise yesterday. My daughter in law was coming over for dinner with my three grandaughters, ages 10, 15 mos and one week. I watched the new baby being born last week and it was amazing. Her husband (my son Jim) has been in Afghanistan since January. The car pulled in and I was wiping down the lawn chairs and I glanced up and there was my son, home from Afghanistan on leave, and they surprised me. It was amazing. My younger son did not know his brother was home either, and we surprised him when he came in, what a day. For dinner, we had barbequed pork tenderloins, baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cob ( I resisted), the salad in one of the books with the bosc pears, goat cheese and walnuts (an amazing salad that everyone loved), the jicama and bean salad, and a dessert all my kids love, whoopie pies (again, I resisted and sent home all the leftover whoopie pies with the kids). So everyone ate South Beach to some degree and never even knew.

I feel so much better I can't even begin to tell all of you. I fired the kid I had mowing my lawn (he was doing a terrible job anyway) and am doing it myself again. I forgot how much I like to do it. I feel like I am waking up after a two year sleep. Two years ago in May, I had a hip replacement and last June I had a UPPP for sleep apnea. Illnesses and surgeries and the resultant depression have dominated my life for the past two years. The hip was a success, but the UPPP has been a nightmare. I should have just lost weight or learned to sleep with the mask. My throat will never be the same. Anyone contemplating this surgery for sleep apnea, think long and hard.

But, a week after starting this diet, my depression lifted, and I got some of the old me back. I am going to the doctor today to see if i can stop taking my blood pressure medication. I am betting my pressure will be fine without it now. Anyway, thanks for all the support. Any comments about the "fear of phase two" would be welcomed.

Cheryl

[Judynyc]

Hi Cheryl :wave:

Your weekend with your sons sounds lovely...how nice for you. :thup:

You've done well starting phase II. I'd just like to suggest that you slow down a bit with the flour/grain(whole wheat pita) and have 1 piece of fruit and a starchy veggie instead.

Another thing that you may want to consider is eliminating wheat totally from your food plan. It happens to many women that the gluten in wheat can get in the way of our weight loss. Over time, I've taken wheat out of mine too. :agree: I do enjoy 1 Wasa rye crispbread now.

Try to stick with 1 fruit a day for the first week. Second week add in a starchy veggie serving with the 1 fruit. The sweet potato is great!! :thup: Then keep adding in 1 thing each week...you can change your fruit each day too...or not eat it daily for the first few weeks. Its better to add back slowly than too fast.

You are doing great!! :cool: :thup:

[Charran]

Cheryl....First of all, let me congratulate you on your successful 3 weeks! :clap: Great job weight loss wise, but you know what I liked even better about your post? It was your attitude and the way you talked about how eating this way is changing your life and your mental outlook. That is SO important and I'm so happy for you that you are experiencing this! :thup: I do wish you all the best with Phase 2. Now about your concerns about this continuing phase. I think it's normal for alot of people to be scared about it. They keep thinking...how can I continue losing when I'm eating all these great things? I think the key is to not add things back in too quickly! Start with one thing and see how you do before adding anything else. Most people like to start with things like a serving of fresh fruit. Berries are a great choice! Then progress to a starchy vegetable and see how that goes. Many people find that adding in grains, even whole grains, too quickly can stall their weight loss and bring back some cravings. You might want to be extra careful about these right now. Good luck at the doctors office. I hope you come back to post your results and let us know how it went! :)