I was following Atkins type diet for the last two years and not only stopped losing but ended up gaining 25 pounds. Two weeks ago I started Phase I of Southbeach. I have been very good except for a couple of extra sevings of nuts a couple of days (Yes, my weakness and they are now banned from my house) and not always eating enough vegetables for breakfast. So far (and I do have 3 days left on phase I) I have only lost maybe 3.5 pounds.

Should I still move on to Phase II? Will my weightloss really slow down even more? I am really looking forward to adding carbs back in finally, guilt free.

If so, I was thinking of adding 1/2 a cup of steel cut oatmeal in the morning and a piece of fruit for a snack or with lunch. Should I still be able to lose weight with this? How long before I add in more? If I gain weight should I remove them again?

I think that at your stage, -3.5 lbs is great!!! Any overeating you did with the nuts will make your total calorie intake too high for weight loss so its best that you keep them out of your house. Good idea!!

YES!! Phase II here you come!!


whooaaa!! Slow down here.
I know what it says in the book but over the years, I've seen from my own experience and that of many others, that its just too fast.
First week- add in 1 fruit serving per day. See how you do with that weight loss wise.
Second week, add in 1 good starch per day( in addition to the 1 fruit) and it does not have to be grain(oats) as it can also be a starchy veggie.
Third week- up to 2 fruits a day and 1 starch
Fourth week- 2 fruits and 2 starches per day.
You can also alternate days at first, to slow it down even further.

Work it slowly. Working phase II properly has enabled me to learn how to manage my weight. I can have 2 fruits a day and 2 starches. When I need to see loss, I knock out the starches and sometimes the fruit too. I call it "floating between the phases".

Hmm that makes more sense to me than in the book. It really doesn't spell it out like that. Maybe that's why it didn't work for me last time. I will start out with a fruit serving. When you add the fruit, are you supposed to cut back on the protein or maybe that just happens naturally?

Nope, no need to cut back on anything as long as you are following all the portion controls.

Yes, I hear you on that can be why it doesn't work for many when doing it by the book. If we have a reaction to a food, how will we know which it is, the fruit or the starch? Adding in one at a time, we can spot these reactions.

When I started out, I ate a wheat cereal as my phase II starch. I had a bad reaction in that it triggered my hunger and I was ravenous for the entire day. From that day on, I knew that wheat was a big for me.
If I had eaten a fruit also, I would not have been able to identify that.

I do remember being really hungry after starting phase II last time. Will this be something that will lessen over time as my body gets used to good carbs again?

I do think that it is different for each of us as we go through this process. Thats why it is so important to pay close attention to how we react to different carb foods as we add them back in to our food plan.

I am an admittedly big overeater. I had to pay close attention to learning how to feel for the full feeling when I eat. He goes into this in the book when he tells us to start with a small portion, eat slowly, wait 20 minutes and then....if we are still hungry, we can have a bit more.

I still have to pay attention when I am eating as I tend to overeat even now in maintenance. What can I say, I'm a work in progress.

I've also learned a couple of other things about how and what to eat to feel full and not get hungry. Both things are already part of the SBD plan so not anything off plan or weird.

1- we all know that fat makes us feel full and for quite a long while. I now throw 1/3 -1/2 avocado into my salads as that is good fat and it helps the salad to digest slowly.
2- the other is adding fiber into our meals as that will also slow digestion and keep us feeling full longer. Beans/legumes/lentils fall into this category and we are allowed 2 servings of this daily. I use split pea soup as my choice and have a cup before dinner and or lunch as it does help my hunger levels. When I make a big pot of chili, I'll throw in 1x 13 oz can of beans.

Make sense?

I am also about to begin Phase 2... well, sort of. Technically my two weeks of Phase 1 are up tomorrow, but I am going to stick with Phase 1 for an extra five days just to make sure I am really feeling good when I proceed to Phase 2. (is that a bad idea? I hope not...)

Anyway, I'm also concerned about being too hungry and having some cravings return. For anyone who's already made the transition, did your body react negatively to the addition of fruits/carbs in general? Or was it just a slowdown in noticeable weight loss?

5 additional days won't be a problem. You don't have a lot to lose so getting your phase II started in a timely way is best for you, so no more than the 5 days. OK?


The whole point of doing phase II, slowly, is to find which carb foods you add that may trigger hunger or other reactions that are not desirable. This si where we find foods that we have in our food plan for maintenance. Trying many new foods here is a very good idea. Doing it slowly, with one food at a time, will help you make these determinations.

As I said, I found that wheat triggers my hunger. Others may have a different response. Somne may find that certain fruits and not others, trigger them. We each have to find what works best for our individual body.

Weight loss will slow but you should be able to see 1-2 lbs loss per week. Some weeks we don't lose at all, other weeks we could see a whooosh of 3-4 lbs, it varies. Many do not see loss for the first 2-3 weeks of phase II as the body adapts to this.

Hope this helps!

Hi,
I wanted to add in some tips on how to avoid cravings and or blood sugar rises and falls. Being that the SBD uses the GI and GL as a part of the plan, it teaches us how to use it to help with keeping our blood sugars stable.

If/when we have a fruit serving, ie: 1/2 apple, have it with 1 tbs of peanut butter or other nut butter as the good fat in it with slow down the digestion of the sugar in the apple. Aside from the fact that the combo is delish, its a great way to guard against rapid blood sugar rises and crashes and the cravings/ hunger that come after.
Berries: have some yogurt, cottage cheese.
Melon: I haver some cottage cheese with mine.
You can also make a smoothie with your fruit.

I know that others have tricks they use too. Maybe someone else will post to this?

Thanks SO much Judy!!! Very helpful. It's crazy to think that weight loss will slow down with the addition of just one apple a day or something to that effect, but it is what it is, I suppose. I'll incorporate one fruit and/or starch per week just so I can tell what's what.

I like the berries for a fruit serving they are easy to measure and you get the added fiber.

I add fruit to my salad which I usually have grilled/baked chix with the salad veggies.

Some fruits are what I term Gourmet because of the size of them. Some apples are the size of grapefruit, I've seen grapes over size too. So be sure to watch the portions/sizes of fruit. If I do buy the gourmet ones I only 1/2 portions or share with someone.

Hope this is helpful.

Skippie, that's so true. I need to make sure that when I do have fruit, I don't have too much. That's where I tend to go wrong, especially with sweets and fruit. I eat the right things, but just too much sometimes!! Eek! Thanks for the advice! And CONGRATS on your progress thus far, I am so inspired by you, it makes me feel like I can do it too!!

I'm on Phase II, week three and I'm eating just two fruits a day for Carbs and I'm losing steadily. I lost 8lbs on Phase I and have lost 22.2lbs total. I plan on eating three fruits starting Oct. 17. I worked my way up from 1 fruit for two weeks to now 2 fruits for 2 weeks till I get to the set point of 3 fruits forever till Phase III at least.

Thats great progress Bella!
Have you begun to add in any starches in addition to your fruits yet?