Help...I'm not losing!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-10-2004
Help...I'm not losing!
18
Sun, 01-25-2004 - 11:06am
Hi there,

I'm in the middle of third week of PH1, and I'm not losing (I have about 20-25 to lose). This is what I ate yesterday:

B--

2 eggs poached over spinach

6 oz V8

Sn--

couple of slices of Sara Lee turkey breast

L--

tuna over lettuce

2 sliced tomatoes grilled with 2 slices of reduced fat cheese

jello

Sn--

15 almonds

D--

Grilled chicken breast

zucchini and mushrooms sauteed in olive oil

Sn--

Ricotta

This is pretty much it. Maybe 1 or 2 more slices of turkey breast here and there. I'm not exercising (no time!). But shouldn't I lose something?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-21-2003
Tue, 01-27-2004 - 3:07pm
This is long, so please bear with me. Hopefully it will provide some answers and some hope. I posted this a couple weeks back when someone else had the same problem, but I have amended it to show my most recent three-pound drop.

Definitely don't lose heart. I started SBD at the end of October and have only lost 10 pounds to date. Yes, you heard right, ten pounds. I know that sounds really sad, and I will be up front with you that while I had a couple of "cheating" foods over Christmas/New Year's (in VERY small quantities), I have been 100% strict on SBD otherwise from the start. I even lost a pound over the holidays, which was pleasantly surprising since I had only aimed at maintenance.

During my first week on SBD, I lost three pounds, and then it took another month for me to lose anything else. Here are my hypotheses as to why:

-Much of the weight lost during Phase 1 is water weight. I was well-hydrated and generally do not retain much water, even during my TOM. I am on a birth-control pill that is a diuretic as well.

-Men generally lose weight faster than women, so 8-13 pounds during Phase 1 is much more likely for a man than a woman.

-The diet works best for those with "belly fat," as the cover of the book and the website promise. I am an hourglass shape; I am busty with a small waist and womanly, curvy hips. Or some might consider me a pear because I am thin on top and have heavier legs (cankles=calf-ankles, no definition there!). So I don't have much fat in the middle to lose.

-The heavier you are (and presumably the more weight you have to lose) the more likely you are to lose quickly. I only had about 30 pounds to lose overall.

-I had already been watching my bad-carb intake sort of subconsciously before I "officially" started SBD.

If you fit any of the above criteria, you might be like me and will lose slowly. Don't despair; the more slowly you lose weight, the more likely you are to keep it off. That has been proven in study after study. Hopefully you will see results more quickly than I have, but hang in there. Once you get the hang of it, this WOE becomes second nature.

Don't weigh in too often. I limit myself to weighing in once a week or less. I aim for less so I can be surprised every two or three weeks instead of disappointed weekly that the scale hasn't moved. I also find that, as someone said in this post, my weight will drop suddenly as opposed to gradually. You could weigh in one day and lose the next, but you'd never know until you weigh in again. That's why I weigh in less often than weekly. If I weighed in every day, I would lose heart rather quickly.

Also, don't bank on the scale. I am taking measurements (but do that every couple of months, so I've heard). Thus I took a baseline, but that's it. In a couple weeks I will measure again.

But even though I've only technically lost 10 pounds, I can see small changes in my body that lead me to believe I'm doing better than the scale would have me think. My ankles are thinner. So is my face, and I have lost the bulges above my butt but behind the traditional location of "love handles." My lower abdomen is flatter. And I wear a comfortable size 10 pants, as opposed to my previous comfortable size 12.

Of course exercise helps as well. One of the SBD ladies with whom I have been e-mailing since November shared a story of someone on this board who went from something like a size 16 or 18 to a 6 in a matter of months because she worked out a lot. I know working out makes a big difference for me in my weight loss in general, and I plan on putting a bigger emphasis on that.

But do keep eating, so long as you are hungry. Keep snacks around that are easy to travel with and don't need refrigeration, such as almonds. They are great to keep in your car (unless you live where it is cold, in which case, keep them in your purse or something).

I hope all this info helps for you and those who are having the same problems. Sorry to be so verbose.

Good luck, and God bless!

Becca

167/157/135

Becca

On the Beach Since September 8, 2008

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
Tue, 01-27-2004 - 4:23pm
too, am in the same boat! it makes me feel better to know i'm not the only one experiencing the frustration. i'm starting week 2 of phase I and have lost NOTHING. no change, whatsoever. i also have about 15 lbs to lose, and i've always been good about not eating refined flours & sugar, and have exercised 4-5 days a week for the last year..plus like becca, i am also an hourglass shape and don't tend to store a lot of fat on my middle (it goes to my hips, arms and face!). i'm really hoping that if i just keep on going--i do follow the diet pretty much to a T now--that i will suddenly leap over whatever impasse that's keeping me from losing weight. does that really happen..?

at least i feel healthy & don't have cravings, and enjoy the foods. like ibchi said, i am also less obsessive about food, that that's such a relief!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-23-2004
Tue, 01-27-2004 - 5:42pm
Wow, it's great to see so many people staying positive despite the slow/total lack of weight loss. I am starting week 3 of phase 1. I hope to see some weight come off...even a pound! The first week I thought I had lost 3 lbs which I was very excited about, but my weight jumped back up 2 lbs for a net of 1lb! I was also weighing myself everyday in the first 2 weeks which I know is bad, but I wanted to see what my daily fluctuations were like. This third week I'm determined not to weigh myself until the week is up.

I would be curious about the statistics on this diet...seems like most people on this board lose weight, but maybe not? Someone should do a poll...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Fri, 01-30-2004 - 6:57pm
I'm a very slow loser and decided this time I would add exercise and I don't know if that has helped or not, but I've lost about 9 pounds in four weeks. I say about because I was too afraid to weigh myself the first week. I figured I lost about 2 pounds just in water weight the first week. It's come off in increments. I'm the type that can not lose for weeks at a time too. Then lose a pathetic one or two.

One thing I'm doing is watching my carbs. I only do this because I tend to not eat enough carbs. So my carbs have been around 20 a day. When I start Phase Two this Monday I'll naturally be adding more carbs and I'll see how that affects my weight loss. I know SBD is not a carb counting diet and understand the science behind buffering carbs with fiber, protein and good fats. But I want to be sure that I both get enough and when I start Phase Two, don't eat too many. I just have to know what they are.

I have a good amount to lose by the fourth of July (thinking that will be my public bathing suit moment)so I have a plan on how much I want to lose. I think adding exercise and not overdoing carbs will get me there. Meanwhile, I love the foods allowed on SBD and look forward to more variety on Phase Two. (in order words- that red wine on weekends- yippie!) (oh, okay, grapefruit, oatmeal (Steel cut) and sweet potato too)

Sally

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2004
Sat, 01-31-2004 - 5:07pm
I totally feel everyone's pain who is not losing wt. on SBD. I've been in Phase 1 for 12 days and haven't lost any either. It's discouraging especially when we all seem to be following the plan to a "T". I feel like a failure and hoped to be one of those on the boards and in the book who have lost at least a few lbs. by now. I'm planning on going on to Phase 2 in a few days and keep with that for a couple of weeks to see if there's a difference. If not, I'm moving onto something else and having a chocolate chip cookie!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2004
Sat, 01-31-2004 - 6:21pm
Becca,

Thanks for your message of encouragement. I only have about 10 lbs. to lose so this may be why I am not losing quickly. I've heard that several times on this board. I can say that I feel like there is less bloating in my stomach and that is a good thing!! I don't think my clothes fit noticeably different at this point, but I hope that will come. Also, it's important for ALL of us to remember that this is not a diet (I'm not depriving myself) but rather a way of eating that can last a lifetime. So in that case, what's my hurry? LOL.... I am rather amazed at how disciplined I have been. Today I went to a home party at a friend's house and she served brunch. Since I'm in Phase I I just bypassed brunch altogether since none of it was anything on the SBD. I was not only amazed at my self-control, I was PROUD!!

Thanks again for the pep talk!!

Nancy

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-05-2004
Fri, 03-05-2004 - 1:15pm
I have a quick question - Do you snack in between your quiche meals? And also, do you follow the quiche menu in the book? If you have your own recipe, do you mind sending it to me at mjk658@yahoo.com

Thank you.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2004
Tue, 03-09-2004 - 8:16am
I'm having the same experience as many of you - I'm on day 9 of phase 1 and except for a couple of pounds in the first 5 days, (probably water weight) I have not lost anything. I'm concerned about adding any carbs back in for phase 2 since, if I'm not losing in phase 1, I'm guessing I'll either gain or stay the same once I do. I haven't cheated at all and am getting discouraged. I'm planning to continue phase 1 for 3 weeks to see if that gets things jump started, but I agree with many of you that it is frustrating to hear so many people who lose 10, 15, etc. in the first phase when I am not losing.

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