Started the SP a week ago, have gained 2 pounds. I know I'm still on the learning curve, but.....more water than ever before, have added walks on the days I'm not at the gym, MANY more vegies that ever before, no pasta, no white bread, get up 1/2 earlier in morning to cook breakfast which I have to force down, no Diet Pepsi (also I have had some ice tea), no late night ice cream...and three day headache. Whew.

My first and best suggestion is that you start a journal...I know you looked for feedback on a daily menu last week...if you start a journal a few of us can check in on you everyday to see how your menus look and try to identify what's going on.

That being said...how your respond to the diet is going to depend on a lot of things including your past history of dieting (lots of weight gain and loss will mean your metabolism is very resistant to losing weight and needs to heal a bit beforehand)...are you close to your TOM? That'll mean you gain water weight! Oh, and speaking of water weight...when you start losing fat, your cells will replace the fat with water for a little while (kind of a placeholder) - water is heavier than fat so it could be that those 2 lbs are water weight. You may very well step on the scale one day and find yourself down a few pounds (aka a visit from the whoosh fairy).

Finally...stop weighing yourself! Take some baseline measurements - bust, chest, waist, hips, thighs - and then put the measuring tape away for a while. Give yourself and your body 4-6 good weeks to get used to it and use a pants-o-meter to "measure" progress. Use other means to see how you're doing...do you have a lot of energy all of a sudden? Has your appetite disappeared?

Good luck!

Lisa

Lisa: I really have to force myself to eat the 5 times a day. I'm not hungry now, and it is time for mid-morning snack (18 cashews, 1/2 apple, V8 juice). For breakfast I had a turkey patty topped w/salsa, 10 g-wheat toast w/butter. Basic forum question: When I want to reply say, directly to you, to I reply to the thread? Also, what do the symbols by our names?

I guess the appetite suppression has kicked in then! LOL...enjoy it now because it does go away!

Listen...do eat but don't force the issue with yourself. By the way, cashews are pretty carby and your mid-morning snack is way high in carbs if you keep that in mind. Lower carb nuts like macadamias and brazils are better...I know SP does n't distinguish between one kind of nuts and another but this is something I've learned from experience!!!

If you want to send me a note directly that is off topic for the existing thread feel free to post in my journal which you can link to by clicking on the journal icon below.

The symbols below your name are for how many posts you've written - if you click on it you can see how many posts you need for which symbol.

Lisa,

First, I appreciate your advice so much. I love to read your posts, thanks for your help here.

I so agree with you about the cashews. I just love them. Maybe too much?! I find that I do much better to eat them with another protein, like a string cheese b/c they tend to give me a little more cravings if I eat them plain.

But sometimes I have to, if I am away from home. I just eat them plain and I am prepared for the any cravings that come my way. So I know exactly what you mean about they are carby.

I bought some raw brazil nuts, unsalted, and they are like eating cardboard. I was so disappointed! I love them roasted and salted, but these raw are terrible. They are the first raw nut I have not liked. What can I do to salvage the ones I have?

Can I grind them up and use them for mortar? Grout? Seriously, they need something or need to be an ingredient in something. Perhaps I can roast them myself, will that help?

Carberrys, I hope you are able to get your eating plan smoothed out. Lisa is absolutely right on on all the points she has made. And she's been doing this a long time. You really need to get the book. No advice we give can you will help if you don't have the book as a foundation and know what the plan is about. Please just buy the book and read it.

--TheBetty

Have both the SP and her non-vegetarian cook book. I do understand her philosphy and just have to fine-tune the diet. I've made such major changes that I thought I'd be in the minus column by at least a pound!

The problem with weighing yourself any time, is that today you may be retaining water and your true weight loss isn't showing. A lot of people only weigh once a month or not at all.

I weigh every day, but that's because I know it doesn't bother me. I understand my body's fluctuations. If my scale, which is currently 5 pounds higher than a week ago because of increased exercise and TOM, bothered me, I would stop weighing all together. Instead, I chart my real progress by how my clothes are fitting and my tape measure, although even those fluctuate.

Hang in there!

;-Deb

Send me your brazil nuts and I'll turn them into a cheesecake crust...but I do do the AS thing...if you don't mind the occasional AS sweetened dessert, one of Karen's cheescakes uses a brazil nut crust that's to die for.

You could also pop them under the broiler and brown them a bit...might taste better!

Carberrys - it takes time...patience and perseverence are major challenges for everyone here!

Lisa

Carberrys,

I am sorry if I offended you with my suggesting you get the book. I am glad to hear that you have it. I am sorry you are going through such stress right now. I will be thinking of you and praying for your patience, as lisaf has mentioned we all need.


Lisa,
I might be able to try the recipe with AS, since it would be one time, I will check out the recipe! Thanks!
--Betty

What is AS and as far as a cheescake I thought that we weren't allowed to have stuff like that? I thought that we werent allowed any sweetners or sugar on the diet. Although you do have my taste bubds going on the nut crust.
sherri

Hi there...

AS = artificial sweetener

When I first started SP I followed it to the absolute letter...I'm not kidding...I did the plan EXACTLY as written...and I lost weight too! But over time I've had trip ups and weight stalls and gains and losses and I've modified the diet to suit my own needs and lifestyle. In time, anyone who has been on this board for a long time starts to make alterations to suit themselves. This is why I have occasional AS'd desserts etc. I can't have this stuff around all the time because I tend to become obsessed with it....but I do need to have desserts I can bring to parties etc.

Hope this helps?

Lisa

Lisa!
Where is this cheesecake recipe you speak so fondly of?
I'd love to know how you make it. I use Stevia right now and Dr S says that is okay.
What do you mean by Modified BFL?
I wanted to try Body for Life quite a few times and probably will when the warmer weather comes back. (can we have it back soon?)
Thanks for your help, everyone..
Kelly

There are a few cheesecake recipes created by chef extraordinaire (and list moderator) Karen Burnaby in the Low-Carb Recipes link on the orange bar below the banners at the top of the screen. I've made both the baked and unbaked and I have to say they are both excellent...but they do use a combination of Splenda and Sugar Twin and I'm not sure what you would have available to you in Australia

...by the way its much too warm here...happy to send you some if you'd like it...

I modified BFL in the sense that I didn't follow his food plan, but did do 5-6 meals a day but low-carb'd them.

Lisa

I've filled out the application to meet w/Dr. Schwarzbein's nutritionist. My guess it'll take some time to get in to see her. In the meantime, this is what this week has looked like:

Sunday: B: cheese, wheat toast,w/butter; S: yogurt; L: pork loin w/cream sauce, grilled vegies; S: thin wheat crackers w/cheese-mayo mix; D: gazpacho, wheat toast w/cashew butter.
Monday: B: turkey patty (like a hockey puck!), salsa, wheat toast w/butter; S: 1/2 apple & cashews; tomato w/melted cheese, wheat toast, S: 1/2 apple, almonds; D: turkey sausage, coleslaw, green beans w/butter, 1 Ry Krisp
Tuesday: B: cheese, bacon on wheat toast, S: cheese, deviled egg; L: gazpacho, Ry Krisp, cheese; S: cashews, cheese; D: chinese chicken salad
Wednesday: B: cheese, wheat toast, butter, celery; S: cheese, 1/2 apple; L: turkey, cheese, wheat toast, gazpacho (yea, the recipe makes a lot!); S: almonds, 1/2 apple. D: 1 wheat tortilla, grilled chicken & vegies, salsa.

I do have about 4 use-to-be a-nickel choc. mints, after each eating at work. I've reached about 4 glasses of water a day--which is about 3 more than I use to have! My caffeine withdrawal headache is still there, but barely. Where am I getting Vitamin C?

I sincerely appreciate everyone's support and help. My husband and I are giving the plan a month; then we'll see. I definitely think we are eating better. Still hard to eat breakfast for both of us--we just aren't hungry.

Carberrys -

I'll be honest - I only just started eating breakfast a month ago. I don't think you should force yourself to eat if you don't want to! Consider an alternative like a bigger morning snack (modified breakfast) - a slightly later lunch, then an afternoon snack, dinner and then something in the evening.

Your menus look great! Try for more water though...4 cups ain't enough.

I'm all for following the plan but if you don't build in flexibility to make it fit your lifestyle then it isn't going to be something that can be easily adopted into your life on an ongoing basis!

Lisa