Just starting: please help, words of encouragement: 2nd post

AinBoston · Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:16 am

Hi everyone, I posted this in the "success" area and realized it better fits here. Sorry for the double post! I'm new! =)
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Hi everyone. Before I get to my questions, let me start off with this: I have been reading through this message board and let me say this: you all are wonderful people. Wow. And this is NOT lip service. Everyone here seems to be focused, caring to help others, motivated. If only the world was filled with nothing but people like you.

I am male, 23 years old, going to school in Boston, and have gained 12 pounds in the last 3 months since I started at school. Studying and sitting on my butt (plus our amazing cafeteria, out of this world with so many temptations at such low prices) has left me chubbier than I would like to be. I was 5'10 and 160 lbs, and want to get back there. I tried a low fat diet with exercise, and it isn't working!!!

So I figured, what the heck, let's try something new. Came across this website and forum, and have decided to start TOMORROW on P1!! Thanks to reading all your posts, I have been INSPIRED to follow all you lovely people!!! THANKS!!! But......

I am a bit worried though: giving up ALL carbs will be rough, especially since I hit the gym 5 days a week now as well !! Is it possible to hit the gym this often AND be on the SBD without COLLAPSING?!? Confused

Let me know. Will I make it?!

Thanks in advance for your help and replies!!

Best wishes,
AinBoston

Ramona · Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:29 am

I, and many others here, have found it difficult to exercise in P1 due to lack of energy. There are some things you can do. Beans (like eating chili) help give energy as does having dairy products. If I were you, given your age, gender, and the fact that you work out so much, I would have an approved cereal a little while before my work-out, but stick to P1 other than that. It really helps. Also, many people feel really yucky for several days on P1 and that would take care of that problem also. Others may not agree with me, but it's what I would do.

PrincessJade · Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:54 am

you should get the book if you can. there is something on pg 93 that says that if you are going to work out, you should supply your body with the right fuels for a workout, and after, eat some potatoes or white bread to help replenish something...I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly what it is...I'm going off memory, I let my friend borrow my book! :) But even though it mentions that in the book, I know many people on this board won't go for the white bread. Maybe wheat bread, or some fruit....something that is P2 approved. You can make an exception for working out during p1. I think Dr. A designed this diet with no workout involved, but he makes sure to mention that working out is very beneficial. Anyhow, I really hope you can get your hands on the book. It would be so good for you. But of course, if you can't, just ask anyone here and someone should have an answer! :D

JazzJune · Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:46 am

I worked out consistently during phase 1, and didn't find it to be a problem. I did eat a lot of beans though. Good luck with SB - I think being in school would be an interesting challenge. Does your cafeteria have healthy options - do they use lean meats, etc? I went to school near boston (Amherst) and have many fond memories. Have a great semester and definitely use this board as a resource!

volleyteach · Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:08 pm

Hi! I am A in Boston also! of course the similarities end there (female, 35, teacher... need to lose a lot more than 12 pounds :? )

good for you for taking care of business, when you only need to lose a little. I didn't see anyone mention it, but it really is helpful to read the book before you start. It helps you to understand why certain things are cut out and why this works. This really isn't a low carb diet (it definitely is much lower than my old heavy-carb lifestyle) it is about healthy carbs.

Since you don't have too much to lose, and because you work out a lot, you might want to go straight to phase 2. The important thing is getting the good carbs in... someone above mentioned beans... they are great, give you a lot of energy.

Good luck!

KathyG · Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:21 pm

Don't forget your milk!
2 - 3 servings of 1% or Skim is okay. Made a world of difference in my Phase 1. You don't have to give up ALL carbs, just bad ones. In addition to the book, check out Kimboroni's FAQ's for important food updates.
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4895

AinBoston · Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:14 pm

First off, thanks for all the replies! The nearest bookstore is sold out of the book! =( So I ordered it on Amazon and it will be here in a week. In the meantime, to get me through the first week, can someone help me out? Thank you so much in advance!

So I am working out 5 days a week. Cardio for 30-40 minutes, weightlifting for 20 minutes. I am sticking to P1 completely (only carbs are the good veggies during lunch and dinner, plenty of protein and water and no caffeinated soda etc etc) and need your help in knowing this.

Before or after I go to the gym, if I do NOT have the aforementioned beans or milk or P2 fruit, is that bad? Will that hurt my body or will it set back the diet? I do not have a craving for them or a lack of energy, so I do not want to input any unneeded calories.

Jazzjune, did you eat the beans for your own energy needs or since the book said you have to? (and yes the cafeteria is incredible and has chicken breast readily available, low fat tofu, tuna, salmon, etc)

Again, thank you everyone! You people are so nice! Best of luck with your weight loss goals!

KathyG · Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:07 pm

I don't remember the book saying you have to eat extra beans/milk/fruit before or after a workout. I think the most important thing is to not let yourself become too hungry/weak. Making sure your blood sugar is stabilized is a very important part of SB. You will see by trial and error what your body needs. There have been several threads on exercize and food I'm sure. I would check the search function at the top of the page and also the Fitness and Exercise Forum on the main page.
I didn't exercise much until Phase 2, but once I started, I didn't need more than my 3 meals and 2 snacks with the exception of the occasional additional glass of milk (soooo sick of all that water!).

JazzJune · Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:01 pm

AinBoston wrote:
Jazzjune, did you eat the beans for your own energy needs or since the book said you have to? (and yes the cafeteria is incredible and has chicken breast readily available, low fat tofu, tuna, salmon, etc)

I ate beans because I like them :) and because they were a great carb subsitute for me. I don't own the book - everything I learned I learned off websites or asking the nice folks here! I do a similar workout - you might not see any weight loss at first since you'll be building muscle and since your closer to your target weight. Take a look at the "Little Losers" threads here where other people who are trying to lose a little hang out - you might find them useful.

Oh and I totally miss cafeteria food - so nice and easy!

LOWCARBnBARB · Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:40 pm

Boston...

How do you know you've gained fat-weight? Working out 5 days a week is a rigorous workout esp. if you're combining cardio with your weight program. I'd be inclined to believe (since I haven't seen you) that you are building muscle mass and retaining fluid from working those muscles so hard. Muscle is heavier than fat so you could be losing fat while at the same time building muscle which weighs more and can be increasing your weight. You mentioned the cafeteria food. this food may be a bit hard to work with in SB but I don't know what the caf serves... you just have to be vigillent of what's in or on everything. After the first 2 weeks (Phase 1) things lighten up considerably as far as all the "no-no's". Since you are still rather trim already, don't expect a HUGE weight loss initially but a more gradual loss week after week.... it's us folks that need to lose a LOT that get the bigger initial loss just simply because we are carrying so much.

Do be careful on P1. It 'can' make you feel whoozy and weak or even dizzy at times esp. if you are previously a major carb-a-holic. I found beans really helped with that and kept me on a more even keel. You just have to watch what's in the beans ie. a 3bean salad often has white sugar added for flavor, vinegrettes often have white sugar added, Some chile and bean soups have sugar added and so on. Ketchup is a HUGE sugar blast for the tiny amount you use so I switched to sugar free ketchup just because I like it on a lot of foods. Anyway what I was getting at is to be careful since you are studying and busy and stuff, don't let the fatigue or dizziness creep up on you. Check out all the forums here to get some good ideas on meals and find things that will give you lots to eat since you are a young guy who is very active, you don't need to have yourself passing out in class or anything. Not trying to scare you; not everyone gets the dizzy, whoozy feeling anyway, just want you to know it 'can' happen and to watch how you are feeling.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Barb

AinBoston · Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:57 am

Hi LOWCARBnBARB

Thank you for your thoughtful message! Well, I NOW go to the gym 5 days a week (New Year's resolution) but all first semester, I didn't! I was having these incredible fresh pancakes for breakfast, tortellini or Indian food or the like for lunch, and rotisserie chicken with mac&cheese for dinner. Didn't drink that much water. So clearly, I was injecting the fat and carbs (hard to pass up 5 star $30 tortellini that costs us $4!) and NO gym time.

So now, I have cut back massively. Today, I followed the plan strictly and felt pretty good! And no headaches, dizziness, nothing. I think it's the huge amount of water I drink that helps. Plus, someone gave me a tip on 1% milk as my snack which was an A+ idea!

I guess the key word here is PATIENCE. I want to drop these 12 pounds in 2 weeks! But then again, it took me 3 months to put it on, unrealistic to drop them in 2 weeks! I know this is NOT muscle since it's a little bit on my chin (a slight double shows when I smile, never had that before) and I have a gut now, too.

GREAT point about the ketchup. I didn't even think about the sugar in it! I will substitute salsa tomorrow.

QUESTION: Do you (LOWCARBnBARB and everyone else) think that if I go on simply a low fat, low calorie, diet, that will be fine, and I can ignore the no-no's a bit more than most people?

QUESTION #2: I was on the "Body for Life" body challenge and got very ripped on this muscle plan with protein shakes and the like. He had a VERY strict diet, much like P1, but every Sunday was "splurge day" where one could eat ANYTHING --- pizza, cake, you name it.

Can you EVER splurge or have a fun day (or fun meal like pizza) on this diet??????

Thanks for the help!

volleyteach · Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:26 pm

You are better off having a splurge meal or one splurge item in your otherwise SB day. Splurge days tend to lengthen into splurge weeks... I've splurged on a few desserts here and there when I am out to eat and I find that splurging on sugar now gives me a wicked headache, so I can only handle a few bites (which is really the way to go anyway)

If I really want the bread at a restaurant, I try not to dive in right away. Wait until I get my salad, so that I can have a couple of bites of bread, but eat my salad also. Otherwise, I could go through a whole loaf without thinking about it.

So just be careful!

Good luck!

AinBoston · Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:55 am

Great point, haha, yea I don't want to end up eating an entire chocolate cake! I was thinking more along the lines of getting one slice of pizza, once a week, for my sanity. Being on SBD and spending 60-90 minutes on the gym on a pretty fast treadmill and the weight room gets depressing. Well, I do not miss bread too much to be honest. It's the occassionaly creme brulee or slice of pizza (my 2 vices).

I will follow your advice and have one splurge item very rarely given how much I run and all. Thanks for the advice and help!

volleyteach · Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:38 pm

Its funny you mention creme brulee. I had dinner at a friend's house last Sat and they served creme brulee for dessert... and I did eat it and it was GOOD!

I've made SB friendly pizza before. I know there are recipes for ww crusts or use ww pocket or ww english muffin pizzas. I know they are not the same as the real thing, but they might get you over the craving. If you do break down and have real pizza, I would suggest thin crust.

My biggest temptation is Chinese food and there really isn't any way to make SB friendly crab rangoon, chicken fingers, fried rice or lo mein. Even their meat and veggie dishes are so loaded with the sauces that I know have a lot of sugar in them... oh well! Nothing tastes as good as being thing feels. right?!

Good Luck!!

fattyfattyboomboom · Wed Apr 18, 2007 4:42 pm

hey boston, just read this post [am also in university and procrastinating by reading several things on here:D]
curious as to how you're doing. i'm currently studying in leeds,uk but in august i will be beginning a year abroad over in america and will be having dinners from the canteen :| which i have never had before!!!will be quite strange, am used to cooking for myself now but might be a nice break. how are you finding sb on a canteen diet?

hope your beaching is going well


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