Things I've discovered/general thoughts on Phase 1 so far

switchdoc · Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:21 pm

I'm entering day 6 on Phase 1 and although I know there are many posts like this I feel compelled to share my personal experiences and some of the things I've learned so far. Maybe this will help someone just starting out. I know I was hugely helped by similar posts on this board. This will have both the good and bad things I've experienced so far, just to be accurate.

BTW, You'll be hard pressed to find someone with as bad of a diet and as large of a carb addiction as I had, so if *I* can do this, YOU can do this!

1) The first 5 days or so, I definitely had the SB flu. Tired, and more importantly just feeling slightly 'off'. Its getting better today and I expect this will continue to improve.

This is definitely a result of switching from high-octain carb/sugar fuel to a the better, but slower and more balanced fuel.

2) But the good news is, breaking that cycle hugely helped me. I used to skip breakfast and then nearly pass out due to the need for sugar around lunch time. When I got hungry it went from 0 to ommygoodnessfeedmerightnow very quickly. I am finding on SB that when I am hungry it is a much lower key sensation. I know this is because my blood sugar is more stable. Now when I am hungry I am aware of it, but I don't feel literally shakey like I would before. Thats a huge benefit all by itself. I keep telling my wife her hunger headaches will go away if she goes on the diet with me, or at least phase 2, but she isn't buying it.

3) I'm sick of eggs. I'm eating them because I am too lazy to try something more complicated and they are easy to make. :) I know I am going to need to find some other options if I am going to have sucess in the long term.

4) It's the things you CAN have that save you. Thank goodness for mustard. Thank goodness for Chili. Thank goodness for small amounts of steak sauce! And just a tip from me, warm foods seem to feel more filling than things eaten cold.

5) You HAVE to plan your meals ahead of time and you have to fit in your snacks. Yesterday I skimped on breakfast and didnt take a snack with me, and by the time lunch rolled around I was going crazy with hunger. Its different then my old carb induced hunger comas, but still not much fun.

6) If you aren't someone who normally cooks (and I definitely fall into that category) you're going to need to learn a lot. In the past my diet was nuked or purchased from a drive thru so this has been a huge learning experience. How do you know when chicken is done? How do you cook steak without a grill? How do you steam brocolli? These are all things I didn't know a week ago that I know how to do now.

7) People are going to think you are on Atkins when you tell them what you can have on phase one. Then when you explain to them about bloodsugar and good vs bad fat, their eyes are going to glaze over and they're going to start looking at you funny. THEN when you tell them about eggs you'll get into a 10 minute argument about Chloesteral.

:)

8 ) You have to watch what you buy. This can be expensive if you aren't smart and creative with your shopping. I learned this the hard way and posted elsewhere that I've spent 200 dollars on my first 6 days. The problem? I tried to keep things simple and just eat chicken breasts and eggs and brocolli and didn't actually make dishes from which leftovers would result. I also didnt focus on the other meat and vegatable options available. I also need to start making things (like chili and green beans ) rather than buying cans.

9) If you don't like vegatables, you're going to have to work through that. I'm still fighting this one and its just going to be a matter of a) sucking it up and eating em anyway and b) getting creative. I'm also going to spend more time developing a more intimate relationship with the musical fruit.

As a side note, one thing I didnt catch on to right away is that veggies are there to slow digestion (fiber) AND to add filler since they are low in calories but fill you up. Still working on making sure I use veggies to help avoid hunger.

10) The most frustrating thing for me so far, even beyond missing some of my favorite addictions, is that I am constantly thinking about food. When you aren't thinking 'Can I have this? Can I have that?' you'll be thinking 'Should I have had this? Should I have had that?' and when you aren't thinking those things you'll be wondering how to cook something or trying to figure out what a better snack would be.

11) Phase II is scary. I am not there yet, but it's scary. It's also something to look forward to. Help, I'm schizophrenic. No I'm not. Yes You are. Shut up. You shut up. I asked you first. ;)

12) So far, its been worth it. It's a learning experience and thats okay cause this isn't a diet, its a way of eating for life. That means I have time to work out the kinks and thats important to remember.

So there are my thoughts. Sorry for the long post, but, apparently I had a lot to say lol. Thanks for listening! :0

Darlene · Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:31 pm

Thanks for the post! It was very good :)

Im second time round on P1 and can deff relate to a lot of things youve realized and gone through!

Dont be afraid of P2, I was nervous but once we got started into it I was so much happier, it bought a lot of variety back in.

Your doing great! Keep it up!

tebtew · Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:01 pm

What a great story. I can relate to a lot of the things you said. Here's a couple of tips from me.

Breakfast - LF cottage cheese and bell peppers (frozen/thawed or fresh). Not my first choice but a nice break from eggs.

As for veggies and cooking, I buy almost all my veggies frozen, especially this time of year. It seems like every time I buy them fresh I say I'll cut them up and portion them out and freeze them but I don't and then they go bad. The only things I buy fresh right now are avacados (cheap at costco), tomatos, celery, lettuce and mushrooms. Peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc I buy frozen. Then I just pop a bowl of them in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes. The water from when they were frozen keep them from drying out.

Keep up the good work. :D

RedRox · Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:03 pm

13.) It really helps to have a sense of humor to get through this!!

Thanks for the smiles! Sounds about right on most of it! Phase 2 might be scary, but at least you can start adding oatmeal and/or approved breakfast cereals in place of the eggs! Of course, you'll have to learn how to cook the oatmeal!! ;) (Don't worry, microwaves do most of the work!)

Good luck! Sounds like you are off to a good start! You do stop thinking about food and the whats and whys so much as you gain experience with it, but hopefully we never stop learning!

janedf · Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:08 pm

Great post. Thanks. Even though I am on Phase 2 and have been a long time, I was in need of some encouragement right now and your post sure helped me.

peacefulpath · Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:19 am

Hey doc, you've got the right attitude to succeed in this WOE!!! Excellent post/ramble! Thanks so much for sharing this with other newbies - they need to see it to understand that they're not alone/abnormal/going crazy (well, maybe YOU are!!! :wink: :wink: :wink: )

volleyteach · Wed Jan 26, 2005 2:43 am

Great post!!

#11... FOFLOL :D

thanks for the reminders... and the chuckles!

KathyG · Wed Jan 26, 2005 6:24 am

Switchdoc you are cracking me up!
I will get you to eat veggies and like 'em. Let me think on this for a while. I'll have to use my dear husband as a guinea pig. Poor guy. He's new to this vegetable thing too. If I can just find some things he likes and are easy to make. . .
You've come a heck of a long way.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm a schitzophrenic
and so am I

AmyW · Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:03 am

Sing it, brother, sing it! You get a big "AMEN" from me on your post!! I officially start PH2 today, and I have lived the life you describe!!!

For a yummy breakfast alternative, try cottage cheese with sweetner (I use Splenda) and cinnamon - tatses good, like a cinnamon roll (okay maybe not JUST like a cinnamon roll.....but it's better than eggs!!)

Let me add that hot, caffeine-free tea with sweetner and Salsa saved my WOE more than a few times this past 2-weeks! Soy "meat" prodcuts also gave me some variety - Soy Crumbles (like ground beef) are great in Chili and Taco Salad (sans the tortilla chips)!

I don't even tell people I'm on SB - if they ask what I'm doing, I say that I'm just eating healthy; watching my fats/carbs/everything. This has proven to be much easier than trying to explain the difference between Atkins & SB - unless of course they're really interested...

I'm not hungry anymore, but let's face it - I didn't get to be this weight because I only ate when I was hungry!! The best part is that I feel like I'm always eating something (I try not to go longer than 3 hours without something SB approved).

Keep the faith!
Amy

240/230/150

Redvelvetdragon · Wed Jan 26, 2005 3:43 pm

Well I can say that I'm a newbie on SBD. Today is my first day. I'm an old and believe me, battle scarred veteran of Atkins and I couldn't take it anymore. I was turned on to SBD by a friend who has had a lot of sucess on it. When I read through my abridged book (I have the smaller guide that isn't so complicated and lists all the foods you need and many of the details) I was shocked at how much veggies we can eat. I mean, its the difference between day and night from Atkins! At least in my mind. I'm a veggie a holic and this seems to be a better plan for me.

Anyway, having said that, i can tell you as hard as SBD seems to be, Atkins is much more strict. i'm looking forward to this!

by the way, my first breakfast was a nice chicken tenderloin and some celery. I've had a celery snack just now and for lunch I'm planning a salad with tuna.

audreyh1 · Wed Jan 26, 2005 4:14 pm

Switchdoc - that was a terrific essay! Thanks for sharing your observations. Very entertaining! :lol: :lol:

You have a great attitude!!
Quote: So far, its been worth it. It's a learning experience and thats okay cause this isn't a diet, its a way of eating for life. That means I have time to work out the kinks and thats important to remember.

I can tell from your "philosophical" thoughts that you will make a success of SB even though you haven't adapted to Phase 2 yet. I notice that people who think deeply about this way of eating and adapting it as a lifestyle and notice the changes in their hunger and how food affects hunger - those folks seems to make it. If you can see the "big picture" of it all, then you can usually figure out how to make it work for you.

You are so going to love Phase 2!!!

I see so many folks get frustrated because they are too focused on how quickly they are losing weight and why didn't they lose X pound in Phase 1 and how can they tweak things to lose faster. If you realize that this is for the rest of your life and focus instead on how to make this WOE for you, and the pounds will take care of themselves. In the long run who cares is they come off fast or slow? You obviously already "get" this! Congratulations!

Congrats too on learning how to cook for yourself by the way. It doesn't take too long to learn some basic skills that then pay off in spades for the rest of your life. And you just get better and better at it!

Audrey

switchdoc · Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:24 pm

Hey all!

Switchdoc checking back in here :)

I am glad you all could laugh at some many of the things we've all noticed in common about phase 1. I have to admit that reading the book and starting this have been a revolution for me! Before SB I thought eating healthy was buying a bag of apples along with my 5 frozen pizzas. I'd have one of the apples in a week and hold my chin high for 'improving' my diet!

I am finding I am getting impatient to move on to phase II, which I think is a good thing. I've got most of my cravings under control and I realize that the benefit that will come from adding in a few of the things I have been missing will be a huge boost.

I am planning to add in some exercise in some form or another in Phase II as well . In particular I am hoping to score some old weight equipment to use at home. Then I can work in some kind of cardio thingy or another and I'll be eating healthy AND exercising. People who know me will think I've hit my head. Repeatedly. With a sledgehammer.

Seriously though, one thing I have come to realize is you can't go on eating like I was before forever. I only ended up 45 pounds overweight, but it could have easily been 100 pounds or more. I think there's a tendancy in society for a lot of folks to look at the foods available and say, "Well, that's what they're selling, I guess this is what's normal to eat!" So you buy the stuff they put in front of you and it all goes screwy. And you think, "It can't be my diet, EVERYONE eats like this."

That's not to say I didn't realize that scarfing double-cheeseburgers (Hold the vitamins please) wasn't a good idea, but rather it just seemed to me that any other way of eating was 'unnatural'. Had I not been recommended the book by my doctor and instead tried to diet on my own, I am sure I would have cut down on some things but left a whole host of familiar foods in because "there can't be anything wrong with potatoes right? RIGHT?".

Thanks all for the encouragement and I'll report my progress on phase II. I haven't 100 percent decided if I am going to start that tomorrow or not, maybe I'll post and ask for some advice. Some of what I read suggests another week on Phase 1 would be a benefit, other things I read suggest if yer ready to move on, move on. Any thoughts on that greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the encouragement guys!

-Switchdoc

switchdoc · Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:38 pm

Quote: I will get you to eat veggies and like 'em. Let me think on this for a while. I'll have to use my dear husband as a guinea pig. Poor guy. He's new to this vegetable thing too. If I can just find some things he likes and are easy to make. . .

KathyG, I'd love any ideas you come up with and tell your husband thanks for falling on the 'veggie grenade' for me. What a trooper! What a guy! What a great thing it is that it's him rather than me! :)

I've mostly been surviving on brocolli, green peppers, romain lettuce, green beans, and onions. I haven't branched out too much from that because most other vegatables seem scary to me. I picked up an eggplant the other day at the store and it didn't feel right at all. There is something seriously twisted and wrong about those things. I feel the same way about asparagus. There were also several vegatables that were so strange the store hadn't bothered to label em. I think the names are either untranslatable to English, or they found it growing out back and decided to try and get a couple of bucks for it.

Thanks for taking up the mantle on this one, i am looking forward to your tales of veggie daring-do! And tell your husband I sincerely appologize.

:)

-Switchdoc

vickil · Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:48 pm

Hi switchdoc, I like your posts, too. You are funny. Keep on posting, OK? As for moving to Phase 2 after only 1 week -- I would stay on Phase 1 for the full 2 weeks, especially if you are a junk food junkie. Couldn't hurt to tame the cravings a little more, KWIM?

I've learned a lot about cooking from this forum, too. These people are great. You'll like it here. :)

RedRox · Thu Jan 27, 2005 12:12 am

I've posted this a couple times today, but thought it would fit in with the veggie ideas here for both switchdoc and KathyG's DH.

The secret ingredient in tonight's Iron Chef episode is: .... Zucchini!!

We had some grilled zucchini on Monday night and it was really good. You can get a similar effect by broiling it if you don't have a grill. It gets this nice nutty flavor that I really find very flavorful and delicious. I just cut them in half lengthwise, spray with a little olive oil and sprinkle the fleshy side with a little pepper, basil and/or oregano. Cook skin side first and flesh side 2nd. About 10 mins total or 5 mins a side or until they are at a tenderness level you like. I tend to like them on the crisper side as I'm not a mushy texture person. Pretty low effort, quick and might be something to that even a veggie-hater would like. I mean what guy doesn't like something that you GRILL!! Fire good!

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