New Here - On SBD for Almost 8 Months
Hi Everyone :o)
My name is Linda and I live near Dallas, Texas. I am 47 years old
and began the SBD September 21, 2004 at 285 lbs. By the first part
of February 2005 I weighed 222 lbs., having lost 63 lbs. I stayed on
Phase 1 for more than 2 months because of the terrible hypoglycemic
symptoms I was having and the insulin resistance and triggering on
foods with a Glycemic index higher than about 60. I am on Phase 2
now, but conservatively so, if that makes sense. Around the first of
May of this year I weighed in at 195 with a weightloss of 90 lbs.
averaging 10 lbs a month. I would do a calorie count just every so
often - about two or three times a month and saw I was eating about
1,400 calories a day. For some reason the past month the weightloss
has been very strange. Just about a week after I reached 195 lbs. (I
weigh about once a week)the scales showed a weight gain of about 4
lbs. and then around my period, it went to another 3 or 4 lbs
increase. Today the scales show I have lost all the extra weight
(water weight?) except by now I would think I should weigh about 5
lbs. less than that even - Keeping on my monthly average I should
weigh about 190 lbs. or maybe a little less.
I have definitely reached a weight plateau and am trying to figure
out what to do about it. I am quite sure I must need more exercise
and maybe add more variety to what I eat? Also, could artificial
sweeteners interfere with weightloss? I have been staying away from
Nutrasweet and Splenda and using Sweet ‘N Low to Sweeten my tea (all
kinds of teas) and coffee (decaffeinated instant). Over the last
couple of weeks I have been drinking about 3 bottles a week of Fruit-
2O (flavored water that is slightly sweetened with Splenda) and SoBE
Lean diet drinks approved by South Beach diet, but they are also
sweetened with Splenda and very sweet, so I water mine down as I am
not use to that much sweet taste any more. I drink about 12 8 oz.
glasses of either water, tea, flavored drinks or a little of the
decaf every day so I know I am drinking enough.
If I still weigh about 195 lbs. then I have 60 lbs. to my goal (I
stand 5 feet 8 inches tall)I am not in a hurry to lose it since this
is now a way of life from here on out for me (my maternal great
grandmother, paternal grandmother, father and brother all diagnosed
with diabetes and I am NOT going to go there!!!, but I don’t just
want to be stuck here for weeks or months either. I want all the
excess weight off and to be as healthy as possible.
Maybe I am eating too much fat for the amount of calories I eat? I
think my diet may be too limited. I react so badly to many foods so
that out of sort of a fear, I stay away from a lot of things. For
instance, I had been on the SBD for about 2 months and decided to
eat an apple, but about 30 minutes after I did, I was so weak I
could hardly stand. That’s how I do, if what I eat is reacting
unfavorably with my blood sugar.
I used to have to eat about every 2 or 3 hours. Now I can easily eat
only 3 meals a day and not be hungry in between as long as I have an
evening snack as well. Once in a while I will get hungry in the
afternoon, so I usually grab something I know is okay for me to eat.
A good representative of what I eat in the course of a day or two:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup 4% cottage cheese
1 tomato sliced
Lunch:
BIG salad of LOTS of shredded lettuce, 1 serving of tuna in water or
skinless, boneless chicken, 2 Tbsp. Salad Bistro dressing (1 and 2
carbs per serving), 4 tsp. dry grated parmesan
Dinner:
4 cups steamed or lightly boiled broccoli florets, 1/2 red bell
pepper, 1/3 cup onion, 2 Tb. Salad Bistro dressing over all with 4
Tsp. dry grated parmesan over all.
Snack in the evening:
2 oz. M & M Peanut candies
I know the M & M Peanut candies seems a wild snack, but the Glycemic
index is only 19 for this, it’s only 300 calories, I have no
negative blood sugar reaction to it and have been doing this for 6
months with no bad side effects that I know of. I measure out 2 oz.
into snack-size plastic zipper bags and NEVER eat more than that
allotted amount. This also keeps me from feeling like I have to have
any other kind of chocolate or dessert.
All during the day I drink the liquids mentioned above. About half
of that is water.
On another day, my menu may go as follows:
Breakfast:
Salad with shredded lettuce, grilled marinated chicken breast
(boneless and skinless) 1 serving, 1/ avocado, 1 Tb. Hellman’s
Mayonnaise
Lunch:
3 cups frozen green beans that have been boiled, 2 summer squash, 1
tomato - sliced with 4 tsp. parmesan over tomato and 1/2 cup 4%
cottage cheese
Dinner:
2 low carb small whole wheat tortilla on which I put 2 scrambled
eggs with a little mustard or salsa.
Snack:
2 oz. M&M Peanut Candies
I usually don’t eat any other beans other than garbanzos and my
vegees are pretty much the ones I have mentioned above. I eat a lot
of tuna and chicken and turkey with no fat on them. I eat no red
meat or sea food. I eat no more than 2 or 3 eggs a week. My
cholesterol is 129, HDH/LDL ratio very good, BP averages about
112/72. After losing all the weight I have my energy level has gone
from feeling like I am actually about 70 years old and barely able
to cope and out of breath with everything I did and NOW, I can
actually run, do my every day work normally and am no longer out of
breath and even though I am 47, I feel about 15 years younger.
I hope to be a support for others here and also hope to gain support
since I could sure use some help right now. :o) I am not feeling
tempted to go off this way of eating as I truly love how I feel, but
I would like to see some progress again.
I am now reading all the archived messages starting at the beginning
and see if I can learn something from there.
Best wishes to all,
Linda