Obstacles in the SP

[Swede]

Here are some of the difficulties I've had so far with the SP:

1. Vegetables before noon
2. Finding heavy cream without all the additives that make it "whipping cream"
3. Eating nuts without salt?
4. Going to lunch meetings where pizza is served
5. Giving up coffee (I am a swede, after all)

Other than that, I am convinced that SP is a well-balanced, nutritionally sound and healthy way to eat.

Comments?

[mmoranmic]

Hi Swede,
I agree the SP is a sound eating program that works for me. RE: heavy cream, I buy mine at our local health food store. I hope you have one near you, mine is organic too. Maybe you have a dairy near you that you could buy it from. Mine lasts a long time, longer than milk.
RE: veggies before noon, I've been on a cucumber kick. I eat it in the morning with my 1/2 apple and a few strawberries, it's very crunchy and refreshing.
RE: Pizza. Have you considered scraping off the pizza topping and eating that along with a salad. I've done that and it's not bad! At home I now make my own low carb lasanga with those low carb tortillas.
RE: Coffee. I'm a cheater! I drink one cup of water processed coffee each morning. I drink a diet coke once in a while. I also eat a little bit of really good dark chocolate too.
Take care,
Maureen

[alto]

All good points :) I, too, agree with Schwarzbein in principle, but find some of it too hard to do in practice. I look at some of her ideas as a goal, but things I'm not ready to do yet. (Give up all additives, salted nuts, etc.)

I hope this won't offend purists, but I've thrown out so many programs in the past because there was just one thing, or three, that I couldn't do that I've come to a place where I do what I can do.

The vegetables before noon is hard for me, too. I've tried to cook an extra portion of vegetables at dinner and add that to an omelette for breakfast. But I don't do it every day. I suppose munching on carrot sticks with breakfast would do it. I also find that two eggs in the morning doesn't provide enough protein for me and am adding bacon (I'm using Protein Power protein per meal guidelines). So it's a melange.

[Swede]

I would never chuck the whole plan just because I have a few rough spots. In fact, Dr. S makes that point quite clearly in her book: do the best you can. I'm getting very good results as it is, now I can gradually start working on the little things; like cutting my coffee consumption from 20 to 15 cups/day. I know it sounds like a lot, but I've been drinking the stuff since age 5 or 6!

Also, I am saving some cooked veggies from dinner and throwing them into an omelet. Today I added some green beans to a feta cheese and egg scramble. It was actually quite good. Another option I picked up from the SP book is to drink a small glass of vegetable juice with breakfast.

This is an excellent forum. I'm really glad I found it. :thup:

[alto]

It is a nice forum, isn't it, Swede? :)

I think cutting back on coffee gradually is very sensible. I can't quite drink 20 cups of water yet, never mind coffee! Giving up that much all at once would be too much, I think.

Good luck!

[clodagh]

Well my obstacles with Schwarzbein are that I don't know what some of the things in the book are!!!

e.g cilantro - what is this? veg, animal or mineral!!!?


I am in Ireland and the low carb idea certainly hasn't hit these shores yet....no stevia, splenda anything like that.

What I will say is though - this way of eating has been the first one in years which kept me motivated enough to persevere when times got hard. I have seen good results in the 8 weeks so far and even though I went up a lb this week, I am not going to give up.

I realise that this is because cutting down the carbs has reduced my cravings and this is a circle, no cravings = no breaking the plan etc.

However I do believe that you have to be mentally motivated to take on any new plan - I have lots of motivation as I am getting married in October, and I have PCOS so low carb = balanced hormones = (hopefully) pregnancy!!!!!!!!
Clo

[lisaf]

Clo - cilantro is the same as coriander I believe (anyone can correct me if I'm wrong here!)

Swede: FWIW - my solutions to your problems:

1. Veggies before noon - don't eat 'em.
2. Heavy cream vs. whipping cream - I use 18% table cream instead - and I like it better anyway.
3. Nuts without salt - I've gotten used to it. Didn't realize how sweet almonds were when they were covered in salt! I also do eat nuts with salt on occasion.
4. Pizza lunch - eat beforehand so not particularly hungry and pick away at the topping.
5. Gradually got off caffeine and now have decaf.

Make the plan your own -- if its working then you are okay. If it stops working, time to tweak a bit.

Lisa

[alto]

Bless you, Linda, for absolving me of Vegetables Before Noon :)

I think your final words -- Make the plan your own -- if its working then you are okay. If it stops working, time to tweak a bit. -- are right on, for Schwarzbein and every other program. Thank you for that, too!

[DebPenny]

Coriander is the seed that grows into cilantro. Cilantro is also knows as Chinese or Mexican parsley, depending on where you are. The plant may also be shown as coriander in some areas.

;-Deb
:daizy:

[lisaf]

Thanks Deb! That's always been a source of confusion for me...seems to depend on which store I'm at!

And alto - anytime you want absolution from veggies...I'm your girl!

Lisa

[DewTal]

Well, it's not really an obstacle, but has anyone else had trouble finding mayonnaise made from cold-pressed cannola oil that doesn't have any sugar? I used to buy Spectrum's Organic Mayonnaise, but I've stopped going to the store that carries it (too much of a shlep). My health food store down the street has a bunch of organic/egg-free mayonnaises made from cold-pressed cannola, but they all have honey/cane sugar/etc. in them. It's gotten so that I make my own every week, which is probably me just being anal anyway... :rolleyes:

Tal

[DebPenny]

I use Best Foods. By far the best tasting and if you read the ingredients, the oils are not hydrogenated, that's the most important, and no sugar. In fact the carbs are less than .5g, because they can say there are no carbs. I have tried Hellman's and it tastes terrible to me. I'll stick with Best Foods.

;-Deb
:daizy:

[lisaf]

If you have a blender...make your own!

Lisa

[TheBetty]

I get the most wonderful mayo from Whole Foods! It's made from cold-pressed canola oil and has no sugar or other funky ingredients. It's made by WHOLE FOODS, their own brand. They carry it in 2 sizes, the small one for $1.99 (why bother, with as much as we eat it?) and the large, normal size, for only $2.99. That's cheaper than Best Foods even.

I think you can check on the wholefoods.com website to see where there stores are. They used to offer online shopping, but I don't think they do anymore (hope I'm wrong). They also carry a whole bunch of hard to find items, like nitrate free bacon, if you like that bacon stuff. They have cold pressed oils, including peanut oil, which is great on chicken and oven cooked potatoes.

I sure hope you find a Whole Foods for your mayo--even my family and friends who are not on SP say it's the best mayo they've ever tasted! Best of wishes to you. --TheBetty