Introduction and a question...

[thisteensy]

Hi, all! I'm Teensy. I've been on SB since about the end of February. I've lost about 10 lbs, 5 of which happened in the first 2 weeks. It's been slow going, but I'm happy to read that this is normal. The plateaus can get a little frustrating, but there is no question of going back.

With the exception of one or two years after significant relationship breakups, I have been overweight since childhood. I come from a long line of overweight people, and I am probably the healthiest person in my family. I have one sister and two cousins who are not obese, and they are also overweight. Over the years I really haven't dieted much. There hasn't been much yo-yoing. There have been some waves of increased activity and exercise, but I've always remained at about the same weight, about 10 pounds over the normal BMI limit for my height, that is, until recently. In the last 3 years my weight started creeping up, despite having a more active job. In February of 2011 I bought a scale, and was shocked to find that I was borderline obese. I started working out again, really hardcore. I lost 8 lbs in 2 months, and after that, nothing. Then I quit working out, and I gained it all back. This February I was in exactly the same place. Then my colleagues started talking about SB. I adore them, and furthermore, I respect them. I decided to give it a try. It's actually the easiest thing I have ever done to lose weight.

A couple of significant insights:

1. I'm not crazy after all! I thought that my inability to overcome my food cravings was psychological. Now I know it was hormonal. I have seen them vanish, and I have seen them return if I stray. I don't feel crazy anymore.

2. I have not been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, but based on my life history (my childhood nickname from my father was "chub"), and my family history, I am sure I am closer to that end of the spectrum of insulin resistance. Both of my dad's parents were diabetic. My grandmother was blinded by the disease by the time I was in college. My grandfather died missing portions of both of his lower extremities.

Like many others, I have tweaked the diet to my liking. In P1 I was fairly strict, but I never stopped eating blueberries in my plain yogurt in the morning. I found this to be a small sin, and the cravings stopped, so I called it a success. Since then, unless I'm having a total cheat night, I really don't eat any starchy carbs, but I continue eating a serving of fruit most days, and a glass of wine most nights. I have also been allowing myself a couple of tiny squares of chocolate at night.

I really don't miss the starches, is there some reason I should add them back? Could I be slowing down my weight loss by avoiding them altogether?

Thanks, and strength to everyone struggling with their weight!

[SBMike]

I do not know if the lack of starches is slowing down your weight loss. It's the nutritional issue that raises a yellow flag for me.

Someone else jump in here, please, but my understanding is you need the whole grains for soluble and insoluble fiber. This helps digestion as well as blood chemistry. So small amounts of whole grain breads are a good thing. If yoyu are avoiding bread all together as a starch you may be shortchanging yourself. But I feel a little goes a long way for me, personally. I am still in the early stages of P2 and I am avoiding most starches still, though I have had bread a few times.

Other starches -- Brown rice is better than white rice, and new potatoes better than full grown ones for glycemic index purposes. A lot of folks eat a portion of a sweet potato as a starch. And I have been told that my tater tot habit is completely out ofline.



Now someone please correct my misstatements here.

And BTW, welcome Teensy!

[Kimboroni]

The starches are part of a balanced diet. It doesn't have to mean bread, or even wheat-- there are so many options-- barley, quinoa, oats, rice, buckwheat, sweet potato, winter squash, etc. Peruse the lengthy p2 food list and start trying some different things.

They are good for you nutritionally and overall for weight loss-- p2 should include both starches and fruits on a regular basis-- it works as designed.

[thisteensy]

Hah! I thought I had read around enough on this board. Turns out I just asked a total rookie question. Well, I think I'm on the right track, adding things in slowly, but I had really developed that FEAR of starchy carbs. I just had myself a multi-grain One Bun, one half peanut butter, the other with cottage cheese. Feeling pretty proud of myself.

Out of the nest now, wings a-flappin'. THANKS!

[Kimboroni]

Good job trying something! You do have to be careful to make sure it's whole grain, and also watch the serving size. "Multigrain" only means they used multiple grains, and it doesn't speak at all to whether they are whole or not. And a serving size for one sitting is about 1 oz (approx 30g). I'm not familiar with multi-grain One Buns to know if they fit those guidelines or not.

[thisteensy]

They are whole grain, but a whole one is 75g!!

I have confidence that I'll recover, though...

[Kimboroni]

Just watch for cravings, and be prepared with what you're going to eat next-- know what it is and have everything on hand, so you don't cave in a weak moment and eat whatever is easiest, etc.

[thisteensy]

Yes, that seems very important. I always have HB eggs, low-fat cottage cheese and V8 in the fridge (at work and at home) for emergencies.

[bethy]

Hey and welcome Teensy. Yes, that dog makes your butt look enormous. It makes my dog's butt look enormous. I have starchy carb fear too. You can hold up a bread basket and I turn into dust. If I eat one triscuit, I go on an all day tear. I'm in P2 week four now and I've taken it slow and careful with the grains. Because getting rid of those cravings and the way they made me feel like a lunatic is something I do NOT want to mess around with.
I did one week of fava beans, one of sweet potato, one of whole rye bread (small slices) with no wheat in it. I always have them with my evening meal so the starch serving is "buffered" by my protein and veggies. I've had NO problem except a minor "munchy" feeling at bedtime the day I had the sweet potato at lunch. I'm thinking about trying Quinoa next as a rice substitute in meaty dishes.
I *wish* someday I could have some crackers and cheese with my wine, but I don't wish it enough to test my new sane feeling out on it YET. You will find the grains that are right for you and maybe even get a pleasant surprise. I am tickled PINK about my rye bread, I use it to make a tiny hamburger
Nice to meet you and What an adorable doggy

[thisteensy]

What an adorable doggy

Thanks. She's had a lot of struggles, but weight is not one of them. Much easier to control intake when you only have one or two foods to contend with.

[Kimboroni]

Just an FYI for anyone reading-- Bethy mentioned counting fava beans as a starch, but beans/legumes don't count toward the starch servings. They are vegetables and allowed beginning in p1.

[bethy]

Absolutely Kim, I should have qualified that. The fava beans I have been eating are green and very starchy. They're more like english peas, GI-wise, than the canned and dried beans we eat in P1. So I count them as starchy vegetables, but that's just my own little weirdness.

[thisteensy]

Right. Thanks for the clarification. It seems like there is a lot confusion around the roll of beans and legumes in the diet. It's especially confusing for anyone who read The Zone, because Sears went to great lengths to qualify them as rather fibrous starches, from which it would be difficult for the human body to extract and make use of any protein, as many vegetarians hope to. I have no idea if that is accurate or not.

Is there any particular thread that unpacks these mysteries?

[bethy]

Well, All I can think of that really goes into the Bean Topic, other than the FAQs pages is there's a Daily Dish posting about them by Ami . SB stresses Beans and milk/yogurt for their slow release of healthy carbs. They stabilize our blood sugar and keep away cravings. (I stumbled over a list of 10 best foods for diabetics last night, maybe Prevention magazine, and beans and milk were in the top 5 there, too) I can tell you they SAVED me in P1 and keep me feeling full and satisfied in P2. I'm a total bean and milk convert. One of the vegetarians can tell you about that whole bean/grain amino acid combo to use beans as protein, for me they're just ideal carbs