Getting the 2pm tireds, how about a menu critique?

[celeryicing]

So, I would have to say that I've been transitioning to a full blown phase two for a few weeks now (I prefer to use the phase 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 approach), and I think it might be time to ask for a little feedback. It is seeming that in the 2 to 5pm range I'm getting a case of the tireds, and a bit of crankiness. My schedule is a little bit different from the average schedule, a typical day will run me from 4am to 9pm, so I don't think its the typical 2pm doldrums. So, any critiquing (positive or negative) would be well appreciated. After all, Sb is a constantly evolving way of eating, and there's nothing like a few friendly (I hope!!) suggestions.

Breakfast

Either: 3 egg omelet with cheese (some shredded cheddar or a chesee stick) and a 5.5 oz can of V8 OR Two hard boiled eggs and a 5.5 oz can of V8

Mid morning snack:

Single serving size package of salted peanuts or Planters South Beach Nut Mix OR "Pickle wrap" (1 slice ham and cheese, wrapping a dill pickle)

Lunch:

Large salad (lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber with either chicken salad, tuna salad or turkey, ham, and cheese topping dressed with olive oil and vinegar OR bowl of chili with kidney beans, onions, peppers, beef, cheese

Late Snack: cheese stick OR carrots and celery sticks with a smidge of ranch dressing

Dinner: (At home) Some kind of meat (chicken, turkey, steak) or fish (haddock, tuna, or shrimp) with the veggie of the night: Some examples: Steamed broccoli, green beans with parmesan cheese, cole slaw, large glass of 1%milk

Dinner: (out, maybe twice a week) Some kind of meat (steak, chicken, burger w/o bun) or fish, Caesar salad or chilli, and veggie of the day

Desert: (sometimes) SF Jello or SF popsicle

Drinks: Diet Coke, Flavored Water(0 calorie, with sucralose, or lemon/lime esscence) or Regular water.

[Magna]

One thing I notice is not enough vegetables in general, and not enough higher-carb vegetables or other good carbs. Beans and other legumes are sources of good carbs, as is dairy (milk or yogurt count as dairy - cheese doesn't). That could be part of the reason you're tired at 2 in the afternoon.

On the days you have a salad for lunch, you're eating fairly low-carb vegetables. On the days you have chili, you probably aren't eating enough vegetables (since a bowl of chili probably won't have a fully 2 cups of vegetables in it). You might try adding some milk or yogurt to your morning snack, or even some more vegetables.

Some higher carb vegetables are beans or other legumes (observe the limits on serving sizes), tomatoes, and onions. The vegetables you're having at dinner are generally higher in good carbs than the ones you're having at lunch and morning snack.

BTW, no carrots in phase 1. They're not bad, just a little too high in sugars (though the sugars are natural and healthy). No need to pick carrots out of salad mixes or cole slaw mix, but probably better to save carrot sticks until phase 2.

[Maralian]

You said that you are transitioning into phase 2, what are you adding? I didn't see a fruit or grain in your menu, could that be part of the reason?

[Kimboroni]

Yeah, I'm really confused. Other than the carrots, that's a p1 menu. Carrots are a veggie and don't even count as a transition food. The transition foods are fruits and grains/starches. If you've been transitioning for a few weeks now, you should be eating a few servings of those foods daily by now.

[Magna]

Sorry - I missed the part about you currently transitioning into phase 2. Based on your menu, I was thinking you were planning to transition. As others pointed out, it's basically a phase 1 menu. For a phase 2 menu, it's really low-carb.

Consider adding a cooked whole grain to breakfast, such as steel cut oats, old-fashioned oats, etc. There are several good types to choose from. Whenever I eat steel-cut oats or barley, I stay pretty full quite a while.

[celeryicing]

Now that I look at it after seeing what everybody wrote, I seem to be in agreement, it does look like a phase 1 menu. As for what I meant by transitioning, let me offer a clarification: When I first realized that I had to make a commitment to a healthier way of eating, all I had were my conceptions of South Beach. (Yes, afterwards, I read the book, and then found this website) but without those resources, I was starting almost an Atkins-like phase 1, although I was probably getting more carbs through vegetables than they would like, green beans and the like. After I started learning more about the Foods to Enjoy and realizing that it was okay to have milk, kidney beans, green beans, etc. I started adding them into my diet. I realize that you're not supposed to stay in phase 1 forever, and didn't want to add everything at once, so as part of my transition, I started adding them one at a time, along with carrots. I have tried a couple of other things, like, SF Chocolate pudding (not a good idea, after I ate one cup I wanted the whole package!) and searched out whole wheat wraps, but got confused on the whole wheat, and gave it up---The first ingredient (whole wheat flour) sounded fine, but then on all the other brands I looked at, the 2nd ingredient was enriched wheat flour, and I'm not too sure of that.

I guess I just need to figure out where to go from here. The phase 2 transition topic was very informative, and I am absolutely not terrified of phase 2, just a bit undecided.

Magna, this seems to be a really good explanation as to why I always tend to feel a bit better after dinner:"The vegetables you're having at dinner are generally higher in good carbs than the ones you're having at lunch and morning snack."

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and I WILL keep working!

[Kimboroni]

Yeah, enriched wheat flour is just plain old white flour.

SF pudding doesn't really count as an added p2 food either. You can look at the p2 list and choose a fruit or a grain/starch and eat that every day for at least a few days, then add a second food, and so on. So you might try adding an apple every day, and if you feel good with that, you still eat the daily apple plus you add, say, some oatmeal. There are a lot of options.