Re: 1st Day on South Beach--You can do it,

[Guest guest]

Hi, --

I know what you're going through. I found converting to the SBD way a real

challenge at

first because I'm a creature of habit and had been doing Weight Watcher's for

about a year.

I had decided to switch to SBD because I'd reached a point where I didn't seem

to be able

to take off any more weight and wanted to try something different to " shake up

my

system " and jolt it into a new mode of loss. This was scary to me because you

measure

everything in Weight Watchers, and here, you're not supposed to have to do that.

Here, the recipes and philosophy are totally different.

But on neither plan are you supposed to skip meals.

I am still working on a real and true Phase 1.

One big difference between this " diet " and others is that you can't get to

Phase2 until

you've done Phase 1. In a sense, I suppose that that right there weeds out the

mice from

the men, or the ditzes from the grande dames. (I tend to be a bit -- no-- more

than a bit

-- ditzy.)

Maybe the ones who make it through Phase 1 are more likely to succeed in the

long run

due to various personality characteristics, which include the ability to play

totally by the

rules, and the ability to just accept and do what you're supposed to do without

any

whining or backtalk or self-sabotage, or anything else. And, no matter how

committed I

am, there's always a teensy thread of self-sabotage woven into the fabric. And I

will never

figure that out, no matter how driven I am (which can be immeasurably strong

sometimes).

Anyway, as people here will attest, I got so hung up the first time on the

fact that the

book said you had to eat 5.5 cups of veggies every single day, that I thought

I'd go nuts

stuffing that much broccoli and cauliflower and green beans down my gullet. So,

I went

for exotic recipes and " different " veggies, but took so much time preparing them

that I

didn't have much time for anything else. The pressure of learning all those new

recipes so

fast, plus learning a whole new way of approaching food was intimidating to me.

Everything was becoming " about food " for me and I was having little time to do

other

things, so I backed off for a while for a new sally-forth.

Hanging out here and picking up hints here and there, and learning new recipes

as I go,

I'm realizing it SBD probably isn't as hard as I had thought. But people here

do send in

really cool gourmet-type recipes, and recipes made with unusual ingredients --

and I'd

been pretty much a " normal fare " type of person, so I was a little daunted at

first, thinking

maybe I might have had to be a gourmande or something. Not so.

Also, lots of detailed information is shared on such things as fiber, and

various health

conditions, and salt, and sugar -- and what all these things do to you and how

they affect

your diet. When you have the time and interest, it might be worthwhile doing

searches of

the archives because I haven't seen anything on some of those subjects written

quite as

concisely or explained quite as well as I've seen here. I cannot vouch for the

scientific

accuracy of those descriptions and little mini-essays because I am not a

scientist, or

nutritionist, or doctor -- and neither are those who wrote them. However, for

the most

part, they seemed accurate enough for me. And I got a lot of information that I

might not

have had the time to research for myself.

I am now on my second or third P1, and I am determined to " get it right "

before going to

P2.

I think I'm on my second day of P1 now (the first day of this attempt, I was

in the bank

and they had red and white hard candy mints on the table, and I popped one into

my

mouth without thinking and just then I had to go to the teller and was too

embarrassed to

spit it out, so had to chomp it down. So, I had to rule out that day, which set

me back a

day.)

However, I think I will make it this time around. I know a lot of recipes. I

know lots of

new ways to cook veggies. I have the concept BETTER (not perfectly) in mind. I

have my

book in hand. Plus, there are other groups online, too, where I can get SBD

info, if

necessary.

I tell you these things to offer support and encouragement, which I think can

be

desperately needed when you're just starting out. No one is perfect, certainly

not me!

Despite my advanced age, all my accomplishments, and other achievements, I

needed

some hand holding for this new venture. YEEeeeeeee -- yikes! It was scary,

since I'd

gained on a lot of diets before doing Weight Watchers, and actually HAD lost on

that one,

and didn't trust this one completely not to put SOME weight back on that I'd

already lost,

and I didn't want to do that. (Of course, it would not have been THE DIET that

would have

put the weight back on, but my own inadequate application and bad understanding

of the

diet, and the fact that I might not be following it 100 percent to the letter,

but only 99.5

percent to the letter. And that half percent of fudging or error CAN make a

difference

here!) Which is why it's important to GET THROUGH those first two weeks! To

prove to

myself, if nothing more, that I CAN do it!

As for fast food -- personally, I find that it isn't a good idea to stop at

fast food outlets

since most of the stuff they sell is bad for you. True -- you CAN find

SBD-friendly dishes

at most of them -- but I am not yet at the place where it's easy enough for me

to

differentiate and pick out specifically the few good things they offer that are

okay for this

way of eating. At some point I WILL be able to develop " an eye for it. " I know

that. Just

as, eventually, on Weight Watchers, I got to the point where I could look at the

number of

calories, fat grams, and fiber grams in a food item and know how many points it

had in it

without using a calculator.

But my first goal is to make it to P2. And also to watch the pounds start

falling off.

I know that exercise isn't stressed as much on this eating method as on, say,

WW, but if

you're into this for weight loss as much or more than for other peripheral

benefits (such as

altered blood chemistry, for example), then I'd also recommend a good program of

cardio/

aerobics combined with muscle development exercises.

I also find that, personally, it helps me (since I'm used to it) to keep track

of what I eat by

writing it down.

I tend not to realize that what I'm craving might not be food. I tend to fool

myself into

thinking I'm " hungry, " when really what I'm craving isn't in the kitchen (relief

from sitting

in one spot and working, break from routine, comfort, support, relief from

anxiety, etc.)

and food can satisfy THOSE cravings, which is why pounds get put on in the first

place.

So, when I write down what I've eaten, it's easier to see that I'm probably

NOT really

HUNGRY, but wanting something else besides food.

(The book says something about eating until your hunger is satisfied -- but --

unfortunately I'm never REALLY satisfied until I'm " full. " But the book doesn't

say to eat

until you're full. So that's why, in my case, I like to write things down.)

Anyway, good luck on P1 . . . .and hang in there, girl.

For me, it has not yet become as routine as " night follows day, " but I'm

hoping that,

before long, at least it will be " as easy as pie. "

One step at a time!

You can do it, and so can I!

Annie

>

> Hi!

> My name is and this is the 1st day of my Phase 1. So far I

> skipped breakfast(Bad girl) and then for lunch I had a Burger King Side

> Salad with no carrots/croutons. I also poured on a Burger King Chili

> for dressing , no crackers. Then for Supper I had a salad at home with

> eggs, tomatoe, chick peas, black olives, and (whoops) blue cheese

> dressing. I also had a Medium Dunkin Dounts Coffee (is this bad)? and a

> bottle of water with Crystal Light Iced Tea. I want to have eggs and

> canadian bacon in the morning for breakfast but it is really hard when

> I am trying to get the kids dressed for school. Can I plllllllllllease

> cheat and have a little ketchup on them?

> Mia

>