I have gained! What a disappointment! I've kept a food log for the entire 2 weeks, and I've been pleased with the variety of foods, and the frequency at which I've been eating, but I'm disappointed that I gained! I'm not sure what I'm going to do now?

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks!

Please post some of your menus so that I can see exactly what you've been eaitng...with quantities too. I can't say anything until I know what you've been eating and how much.

Here is yesterday's menu:
Breakfast~tuna salad (1 can of low sodium tuna - clean ingredients, tuna and water only, 2 hard boiled eggs and 1.5 T of mayo), and 2 celery stalks
Snack~15 almonds and 2 stalks of celery
Lunch~2 Romaine sandwiches (4 large Romaine lettuce leaves, 4 thinly sliced pieces of ham and 2 pieces of Swiss, mayo/mustard), 1 cup 1% milk, 1/2 cup of kidney beans
Snack~1 cup of 1% milk, 1 cup of cabbage soup (can of no salt added tomatoes, 1/2 head of cabbage, onions, s/p, and 3 small pieces of cube steak that were previously cooked (plain) in crock pot, to tenderize them)
Supper~chef salad (big bowl of mixed greens, sauteed chicken breast chunks, cucumber slices, 1/2 cup kidney beans, and blue cheese dressing (low sugar, I checked!), 1 cup ricotta dessert, mixed with 1 Splenda packet, 1 cup hot tea (FF 1/2 and 1/2 and 1 Splenda).
I had 4 pieces of SF gum for a total of 20 calories, and I had a cup of hot tea earlier in the day, with FF 1/2 and 1/2 and 1 Splenda.

As a side note, I've had some stomach discomfort, I believe due to the consumption of AS. While on CALP, I learned that the Hellers did not approve of AS, and I used real sugar. I am not real keen on AS of any sorts anyway, so I think I'll resort back to using the REAL thing when needed!

In comparing my two last weeks on SBD to my last 3 years on CALP, with SBD, I am eating more frequently, using AS, but I have cut back on "carby" foods that I ate while on CALP and lost. I have a lot of thinking to do!

Thanks!

I am sure that Judy will be able to help you with that, but it looks that you are eating too much dairy: you had 2 cups of milk +1 cup of ricotta + half and half in your tea. We are allowed to have up to 2 cups a day.
Also, you had lunch meat for your lunch. I am not sure what kind you have, but usually it has a lot of sodium. I like that kind of sandwiches too. But usually I buy plain chicken breast, grill it, cut into 1 oz pieces and use 3-4 pieaces instead of lunch meat. It is still very quick and easy to grab it, but less sodium.
I also noticed that AS can be a big part of not losing. Try to cut it back and see how your body will react. I know that I am not loosing if I have more than 2 pockets of Spleda a day.

Thanks, broomangel! My misunderstanding -- I thought the two cups of milk were in addition to the ricotta (which I love, by the way). I've had problems with lunch meat in my years with CALP -- I try to buy the "cleanest" lunch meat that I can find -- ones without MSG and other additives.

And as for the AS, I swore them off in the past, while following CALP, as I had problems with them making me stall/gain. So I will be cutting way back (perhaps just using a bit of sugar or honey) in my use of them.

It's funny, I have to be so much more careful with what I consume now vs. when I was in the active losing phase of my plan. For instance, I ate regular tuna a lot, but the more weight I lost, the more I stalled/gained from tuna (with ingredients containing soy, broth and the likes). Now I eat "clean" tuna only -- tuna and water. While I followed CALP, in the beginning, I ate 3 meals a day, then I reduced to eating only 2, one of which was my Reward Meal (as per the Hellers' plan). In reading SBD, Supercharged, I thought maybe I wasn't doing myself any good by eating so infrequently, so my thought process was to try this plan and add more beneficial food to my day, more often (hence -- the 3 meals and 2 snacks). Like I said, I love the variety of foods, and I felt full for the two weeks that I've followed it. I guess I just need to re-evaluate my goals at this point, and come to the realization that this may be the weight I'm meant to be?!? I know this much is true: I'm much more healthier since beginning my journey in March of 2007! My lab numbers definitely reflect that, as well as the fact that I was told by my MD last week that I can stop the Metformin (for the first time since starting it 8 years ago!!!!)

Sorry to have rambled....I appreciate all of your help and wisdom! This plan is a great, sensible plan, and it's fulfilling as well! I just need to re-evalute some of my thoughts. I just wish that da*m scale would move again!!!

Hey Stephanie, just some thoughts...



If you are doing SBD sugar or honey would not be good choices, I suggest Stevia as it is all natural, no calories, no GI Index rating and ZERO carbs.



I'm confused, aren't you still in the "active losing phase"?



I don't beieve this is the weight you are "meant to be", in fact I think that thinking like that can be damaging to your losses.
Cup half full not the other way around!



It will move again, you will get some/ have gotten some great advice on your food log, which will help get the scale moving again.
Don't give up, it'll happen!

Sorry, just got home from my day of work. broomangel is right about the dairy. It is only 2 cups a day which as actually a lot, if you don't use it up drinking milk that is. Make sure that you count all the cheese you eat in that 2 cups. Keep that blue cheese to a very small amount. I have 1/2 cup yogurt for my breakfats, coffe gets 1 tbs of H&H....keep your mayo to small amounts as 1.5 tbs in a small can of tuna is quite a lot.
Here is an idea for you....make a big batch of tuna sald with that 1.5 tbs, meaning use a big 7 oz can of tuna, a few stalks of celery chopped up and some chopped onion too if you like....than take 1 HB egg and chop that into it also. Then you'll have enough for 2 meals and use 1/2 the mayo...which is very calorie dense.

Marie gave you good advice on this.


Ramble away...it helps!! The scale will move...you are learning a new way other than the Heller's way...you will make more mistakes so be ready.
If you want my Rx for getting the weight loss moving again....fish and veggies does it for every time!! not just tuna!!
Tonight I'm broiling spanish mackerel and having it with sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms.


Please do not take this the wrong way....this is not a snack...this is a small meal. Do you see what I'm talking about?
Snacks need to be even smaller....take 3 stalks of celery or slices of cucmber and have them with a small amount of hummus or other bean dip....or 1 tbs of cream cheese inside. Or have 1 cup of soup. Today, my afternoon snack was 1 cup of tomato puree soup.

You may also want to take an average day of your food and enter it into Fitday.com or MYPLAN right here, just to see where you are calories wise...you are getting to a place where total calories will impact your body's ability to lose weight.

If you don't want to eat deli meats, and you should avoid them anyway....try pre-cooking a bunch of chicken breasts each week and keep them in a tupperware in your fridge...easy to grab and go to toss into a lunch salad. I cook up at least 2-3 breasts each week and I also cook up a big pot of sup to have for lunches with my chicken in them....or toss into a sald when I don't feel like cooking dinner.

Did I miss anything?

Thanks for your reply! I haven't been in the losing phase since December of 2008, when I reached the "121 pounds lost" mark. Since then, I've stayed near 193 pounds (but up to 10 pounds heavier at times), never going below that weight. That was the main reason I decided to give SB a try; I thought maybe I'd jump-start my metabolism if I ate more often and allowed more carbs throughout the day vs. having them primarily at one meal (the Reward Meal). I am wishing for the scale to start moving again! Do you believe that an individual's body reaches a set point? I've been trying to research this.

I appreciate your encouragement! That's one thing -- I'll never, ever give up, even if it means combining some ideas to make my own version of a low carb plan. I can say one thing with certainty---I sure have learned A LOT since starting this journey!!

I totally misunderstood the whole dairy thing! Good to know now, so I can do it properly -- thank you, Judy!

I will have to do as you suggest about the tuna salad. That's one thing that I've always been --- a big eater! Perhaps I don't need as much food as I think I do? Like the cabbage soup -- it seemed like a small amount, and in fact I didn't even eat the entire portion. It was mostly the veggies and broth...the meat was sparce. But I will keep that in mind for future snacks. Speaking of snacks, are they required in Phase 2?

As far as calories, I sort of had a suspicion that calories now play an important part, since losing 121 pounds.

I'm not a big fish eater, but I'm willing to consider it! Judy, in your experiences, do you believe that the body reaches a set point, a point where weight loss just comes to a halt and rests comfortably, whether one likes it or not?? Am I beating my head against a wall?? Should I just continue on with what I've been doing and be satisfied, or should I try other options to get the scale moving? I've been reading a lot of different weight loss books, and considering the plans vs. what I've been used to (CALP). To me, CALP has been the best of both worlds, and now that I've tried SBD, I am fond of it as well! I am eating so much healthier than I was 3 years ago, and that feels right. Sorry for so many questions, but to me, it's always been a good option to consider others' ideas.

Have a good evening all! Take care!

now with the set point thing i can't really give you info on that but i do know i read some where that body has memory of certain weights and it can get comfortable there adn something else about really a stall or whatever is your brain trying to reset the body. another thing i have learn alot of this stuff is just opinons no more and no less. good luck hun.

Thanks bloodroses!

Your welcome! Don't be fearful about making mistakes as this is how we each learn.


The soup for your snack was fine, even with a sparce amount of protein in it. It was the cup of milk that was over the top a bit.
Snacks do become optional in phase II. I like them as I do try to keep my meals on the smallish side and I am walking 5-6 hours daily for my work...so I like a mid afternoon snack.
I'm a big eater too...so I know where you're coming from. I do keep my protein servings 4-6 ozs and pile on the veggies for filler.



Yes they do and I did have to make a concerted effort to eat less food to break through.



Seafood is fish too...shrimp, clams, lobster Click on my journal button and go to its first page. It has a link to my first journal where I literally logged my food daily for 20 months...feel free to see how and what I was eating. It gets better closer to the end...the start was very rough as I truly didn't know what I was doing.
I do believe in set points and thats why I think that we see so many stalls among those of us with over 100 lbs to lose. However, I do think that it is totally possible to break through them as I did it and so can you.
So no, you are not beating your head against the wall.....you are seeking a solution to a problem and trying something new for you.
When I hit a stall I didn't give up and went to a person who had lost 180 lbs and was keeping it off...and asked her what she thought I needed to do. she advised me to reduce my calorie totals....so for 2 weeks, I knocked out calorie dense foods, nuts and cheese to be exact, and it worked.
After I broke the stall, I was able to add them back in very small amounts.



Each plan we do, we learn things from, even if they don't work for us, we can learn from them. CALP got you off to a fabulous start losing 121 lbs! Now its time for you to get the rest of it off.....The things you learned doing CALP you can surely carry with you forever!!

In 1996, I followed the FAA food plan and lost a lot of weight but never reached my goal, only got to 210. Their food plan is no sugar, no flour, no wheat. It was a good way for me to learn about my carb addiction...to refined carbs. But it did not restrict my intake of white potatoes or white rice so I had a picnic eating those.
Starting this time on South Beach, I knew that I'd modify it for myself as I saw quickly that it allows too much flour(even whole grain flour is still flour) into the plan way too early....if I hadn't done FAA back then, I wouldn't have had the info this time.

Hope this helps!!

Judy, thank you -- you are a wealth of information! I thank you so much for your time!!

Honestly, today I ate according to my old CALP plan. I had 2 scrambled eggs with diced ham and 1 oz. of cheese. For lunch, I had a chef salad (big bowl of mixed greens, diced chicken breast, 1 oz. diced cheese and 1 oz. diced ham, with olive oil/vinegar), and for supper, I had 3 big plates of salad, and 3 small slices of pizza. I also had a cup of hot tea. No snacks, only water, water and more water. And no sugar free anything. And tonight, no stomach ache, thankfully. Like I said, I have a lot of things to weigh out in my head. I actually picked up Jorge Cruise's book, The Flat Belly Solution, just to take a look to see what it's all about. I've read reviews of it, so I'm curious.

Have any of you ladies (or gentlemen??) ever tried any other plans? I know Judy, you said you tried the FAA food plan. By the way, what is that? But I was curious if any of you have ever given any other plans a chance?

Thanks for all of your advice. I haven't given up on SBD, I'm just sorting through some ideas.

Your welcome.
Yes, I've tried many different ways to lose weight. WW, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Medifast and Optifast....diet pills...ugh, I can go on and on.

I had asked you what carb you ate for your reward meals....now you tell me it was pizza...which is refined white flour at worst and maybe whole grain wheat flour pizza.
As far as I'm concerned, eating flour from grain will inhibit your body's ability to lose weight even though it is allowed on your CALP plan.
White flour is my thing....pizza, bread, pasta....I see these foods now as my nemesis. I have them only once in a very great while and then only in very small amounts.
I have developed a deep respect for all foods made from refined flour from grains....I keep them at arms length as I do want to keep my weight off.

I can only suspect that this maybe the same for you.

*FAA food plan = NO Sugar, NO Flour of any kind and NO Wheat*
I hope that as you sort through all this in your head, you make the best choice for yourself.

I started out on Atkins, then tried Protein Power and then found SB. SB I found is the best fit for me, so it's where I'm staying. I find it very easy to eat on this plan. I love the variety. It's sustainable long term for me. It's a great way to feed the whole family without having to ever cook seperate meals. It's just all around great in my opinion.