So...two weeks in and I feel good. Lost either 6 or 9 lbs... Scale said 227.2 this morning but I was reeeealy retaining water for some reason so I may be lighter later. Anyway, best go with 6 pounds for now...

I began phase 2 this morning with 1 c Uncle Sam cereal with 1/2 c 1% milk. Omg so good! One hour later and no cravings yet so fingers crossed. I completely forgot veggies because I was so excited about cereal...must have v8 next time.

Should I only have this a few times a week, with the rest of the week looking like phase one? Thats my plan. Then next week adding an apple after dinner a few times a week. Sound good?

I have read the posts advising avoidance of cereal, but I really missed it for breakfast. Almost 3 hours and no cravings, that's pretty good.

I dont plan to eat it daily, perhaps a few days a week. Is that really going to pose a huge problem? I feel much more energy today...great news when chasing two kids!

I'll write to you all about why and what is a good way to go into phase II.

Later though as I'm busy working now.

Good luck, javamel! I will be watching your food journal for ideas as I plan to start phase 2 in a little over a week. Judynyc, I am looking forward to seeing the phase 2 advice you give.

You can do what you like.
I will share my experience and knowledge with you then its truly up to you.

The way its written in the book, he has us going way too fast adding in fruits and starches aka 'good carbs'. So, based on my mistakes and what I've observed over the years, I came up with my verison of adding in good carbs. A lot of what I based this on was the OWL phase II of Atkins and its carb ladder. I know....don't throw tomatoes at me!!

First week- start with 1 serving of fruit per day. See how you do with that before moving on. You get to pick the fruit from the acceptable fruits list and it can be different daily.
A good snack is an apple, or 1/2, with 1-2 tbs of peanut butter to slow down the digestion.
Are you still losing? Cravings at all?

Second week-
OK, so we are up to 1 fruit a day and 2nd week we get to add a starch to this. IMO, its best to go with starchy veggies first ie: sweet potato, winter squashes, peas and carrots, etc.
I would not yet add any grain ...not yet!!
Second week gives you 1 fruit and 1 starch a day in addition to all the other food we eat in phase I.

Third week, add in a 2nd fruit so your at 2 fruits and 1 starch
Fourth week- add a 2nd starch so your at 2 fruits and 2 starches.

Going slowly allows your body to adjust to digsting these foods and you can see if you have an intolerance or it sets off a trigger.
I found that wheat triggers me...bad!!

I can eat 2 fruits and 2-3 starches a day and be OK. I don't gain and I don't lose. I'd have to cut back to lose. But we are each different in age, lifetsyles and so what works for me could be different for you in your life and body.
I just ate a pear...had 1/2 cup brown rice with my lunch...and yes, I do count my fruits and starches daily and have been since I started eating this way.

Ask me questions so that I can zero in on where you need info.

No tomatoes to be thrown! (though they would be SBD Friendly ) You give really good advice. I think I will back away from the box....for now. Tonight after dinner I will have an apple with a little natural pb. Yum!

But...I know I am going to have to work grains into my diet sometime, as I derive a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment from eating them...surprisingly, I like unprocessed ones best (barley, oatmeal, brown rice, and natural cereals like uncle sam's). If I am honest with myself that this will be a long term woe, I can't live without small amounts of them.

So I think I could maybe try fruit week one , starchy veg week two, two fruits week three and finally add my cereal week four. Then I might have a handle on my triggers and if it stalls me or starts cravings, I could try dropping it or having it with an egg or at another time of day. Do you think that is a reasoned approach?

What is it about grains that causes problems for folks? Is it a chemichal thing (ie, can the body differentiate between grain carbs and parsnip carbs?) Tricky machines, our bodies.

Thank you for your time and help. It means a lot that you help people you don't even know in person. Thanks again.

Great!!


There is nothing wrong with you adding grain into your food plan for the long run. What you'll need to figure out for your body, is just how many servings you can eat per day and still see loss.

This is where phase II becomes your experiment for how you'll eat after the weigh loss is over. This is where you find wihch ones work best for you.

I've found that on the days that I'm not as active, I steer clear of grains because if I'm not burning it off, it'll stay on my body. KWIM?


Sounds good to me!!


Veggie carbs seem to not have the same effect on the body that grains do. I think its the fact that any veggie has water in it...grains don't. Whole grains are much better than any processed ones.


Your very welcome!
I love this plan and see it as a very easy way to learn to eat in a controlled carb way. I never had any success on any other plan so I'm committed to helping others do as well as I did and still do.

Hi all....am starting the plan tomorrow. Have about 30-35 pounds to lose. I hate eggs. Are there any other options? Help!! Thanks so much

Hi and welcome!
Of course there are many options for you to eat other than eggs! The thing you need to begin to see is that you can eat any protein for breakfast..think outside of the traditional breakfast box.
Here are some things that I eat for breakfast:
tuna salad,
chicken salad
leftover steak
leftover anything from the night before
cottage cheese with chopped fresh veggies
chili...yes I said chili!
yogurt
etc
etc
etc

Ask us questions so that we can help you further.
The food lists and meal plan guides are located in our weekly weighin thread, 2nd and 3rd posts.

Fat free plain greek yogurt and a glass of v8 is a good alternative as is cottage cheese!

I have an oatmeal alternative. Yes, it is grain and is oat, so it actually tastes like oats.
But it is mostly fiber.
If I eat oatmeal, it increases my blood sugar and ultimately my weight.
Last time I ate this my 2 hr pp was 82!! which is amazing.

1/4 c oatbran and 2 T bran (I pulverize the wheat bran but no need, really).
A little salt and a cup of water.
Set the heat on low and cook slowly.

I eat it w plain yogurt w a dusting of stevia.
The topping is up to you.

It is not meant to be a grain alternative just a less carby oatmeal.

Oh, and this is exciting; Daisy now has cottage cheese w only four ingreds. Milk, cream, salt and vitamin A.

Thanks for this idea.
So essentially, what you did was add extra fiber to your oats.
Can't this be done with psylium fiber too?( for those who avoid all wheat)

I use oat bran which has less carb than regular oats.

And yes, you could add whatever but my purpose was to have more in my bowl so wheat bran achieved that. But you can try different combos and decide what works. Flax meal is probably a good bet. But I am sensitive to too many nuts/seeds.

I didn't eat any grain for years but have now been able to handle a bit. So I decided to to try and work it in here and there.