Starting Today - few ?'s

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Starting Today - few ?'s
7
Mon, 05-03-2004 - 12:56pm
Hello everyone! I am starting the SBD today...I'm a little nervous to do this strict Phase I (I looooove bread...pastry...cake..LOL!!) Anyway, I figure I can handle 2 weeks and HOPEFULLY those carb cravings will diminish like it says in the book. I have a few questions maybe you experienced South Beachers can help me with. THe book states that there really isn't any limit on how much you can eat -- just to eat until full. But does that apply to meat, cheese and dairy as well as the veggies? How about eggs? Also, I read somewhere that low-fat yogurt is now allowed -- but does it have to be plain or vanilla only (i.e. no fruit) ?

I'm not as prepared as I should be today -- but I started off with a hard boiled egg this morning for breakfast, with coffee w/skim milk. (I have read that I should have 1/2 cup of veggies in the morning too -- but I will be sure to make up for that during the day today). I don't have anything for snacks yet (going shopping tonight!) but I will have a salad for lunch w/turkey or chicken on it. I hope I can get through this afternoon without breaking down for a cookie (we have home-made cookies at lunch every day here at work - served in a big basket, hot out of the oven....this is going to take some incredible willpower!!!)

Anyway, thanks for any help/suggestions. I am going to search through these messages and see if people have posted their daily menus -- I need some good ideas to get through the next 2 weeks so I don't dive into that cookie basket! :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-23-2006
Mon, 05-03-2004 - 2:01pm

Hi and Welcome!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Mon, 05-03-2004 - 7:50pm
Hi! I just found this board myself a few days ago, but have already found it to be incredibly helpful. I'm out of Phase 1 and into Phase 2 but thought I'd give you some hints. I do all my prep work - chopping, slicing, dicing - as soon as I get home from the store. Keep hardboiled eggs on hand, part skim string cheese, a big bowl of salad, sliced deli meats. All make a quick meal. If you have a day that you can prepare meals ahead, do that too. I make up a big pot of vegetable beef soup, some sausage/egg cups, meat rolls, etc on Sunday. Kind of takes the "I'll just grab something easy" excuse away. If you know you already have dinner or breakfast made, you can wait the few minutes it takes to heat it up. I have the same problem at work. The boss buys a big box of doughnuts for birthdays - someone seems to always be having one - and brings in cookies, brownies, etc. It does take willpower to resist the first few days, but after that, the cravings will disappear and I was able to just ignore the stuff. Be prepared to feel icky around day 4-7. But it will pass. It's just the junk getting out of your system. Hopefully I've helped a little. Stick to it - it really does work. I'm down 20 pounds so far!! Barb
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 05-04-2004 - 8:47am

You've received wonderful advice so far!

Susan :)

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2003
Tue, 05-04-2004 - 9:51am
Thanks everyone! Those are great tips. It sure makes a big difference to be prepared. I went grocery shopping last night and bought all my snacks - string cheese, low fat cottage cheese, celery, hummus, turkey, lettuce, etc. I even made those quiche cups to go last night and ate 2 of them for breakfast this morning on the way to work, along with a V-8.

One thing I noticed -- I had to get up 2ce in the night to pee! And I really didn't drink a whole lot of water yesterday (I do plan on upping my water). But I found that to be very strange. Does that normally happen? Maybe that's part of the "detox"?

So far, so good...but I know for a fact that my carb cravings are still with me and going strong. Even walking by the bakery aisle last night in the grocery store -- I had to hold myself back. I REALLY wanted to say the heck with it and dive into a Creme Pie. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth - more so than I really realized. I made some of that Ricotta cheese dessert, but I have to put a LOT of sugar substitute in it to curb my cravings (I use Splenda or Stevia). Do the sugar cravings eventually go away too? I honestly can't imagine that. I've been a sweet-a-holic for as long as I can remember!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2004
Tue, 05-04-2004 - 10:23am
Those sugar cravings really do go away.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-19-2002
Tue, 05-04-2004 - 12:03pm

Hi!

Avatar for barelylucid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 05-04-2004 - 4:13pm
Hi there,

I had a bit of a different experience than most. I normally (pre-SB) craved potato chips, hickory sticks, cheese curls, and other savory snacks. I rarely reached for the sweet stuff, and never felt deprived if I passed over the doughnuts and stuff at work. But on SB, I never craved chips. Instead, I was dying for something sweet! I can only guess at why, but I think it's because I was eating a lot of hidden sugar in my processed foods (i.e. corn syrup in my spaghetti sauce - gross!), and my system missed it once it was gone.

Also, my cravings weren't bad the first week of Phase 1. They didn't happen until Phase 2, and when they hit, it was with a vengeance.

The best advice I can give to you is plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, and don't skip any of the snacks. If I was late with a snack, I got the worst cravings for junk, but as long as I ate regularly, I was okay.

Good luck - you can do it!

Cheers,

Holli