This is a long post - sorry about that!

Here's my compromises with the SB Program, and I'd be interested in hearing how others are dealing with it. (particularly those who don't have unlimited funds, time and/or a cook and maid)

There's no way I'll ever be "pure" enough for the SB Program, so I'm just adapting it. I can't afford much meat without hormones & other nasty stuff. Organic vegetables are very expensive and I don't have much to spend.

My time is at a minimum so her menus and recipes for the most part are not helpful.

Here's my menu for the day: AM - 1 protein shake shake (Unjury with low-carb milk); 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries with a dollop of Cool Whip Free and Splenda. Lunch - Crock pot roast beef with onions & bell peppers, stewed tomatos & okra. I'll probably have more of that for dinner just before 5 when I leave work. I have a rehearsal tonight so I won't get to eat in the evening before 10. At that point I will have a low-carb popsicle or ice cream. I also take a very good vit/min supplement as well as policosanol and CO-enzyme Q10. My medications are: glucophage, diovan, sinemet, lamictal and wellbutrin as I am diabetic and have high blood pressure, restless leg syndrome and bipolar disorder.

I've had to make compromises just to work the program into my schedule and budget. I have to cook meat ahead and it has to be very tender and moist because I have a gastric band. I use frozen vegetables virtually 100% of the time. I use a liberal amount of low carb ketchup, sauces, cold desserts, milk products. They don't seem to make me stall and honestly, they allow me to stick with it. Otherwise I go nuts.

The bit about hormone testing is a problem. It doesn't look as though it is ever going to be offered through her website. I've read a lot of conflicting information about the best way to test and who's qualified to do it. There is no concensus that I've seen so far. If there ever is SB approved testing again, it will be too expensive for me. I did find a compounding pharmacist and my primary doctor gave me a prescription for bio-identical estradiol, estriol and progesterone. I'm post-menopausal. SB doesn't seem to think estriol is important - but I've read otherwise. One source thinks it's as protective against uterine cancer as progesterone. I have no way of being absolutely sure I'm taking the perfect amounts but our best guess will have to do. My skin is in much better shape and I sleep better since getting on the hormones.

Exercise - Ugh! I think I'm in the exhausted adrenal category and I do just a little exercise at present. I think she's right about exercise being too taxing for some of us. I use my blood sugar as a guide. When I do too much it goes up and stays there for a long time. That was a shock when I discovered it. It certainly is counter-intuitive.

Sleep - This is worst part. I stay up too late - can't wind down - and have to get up too early. I'm push it all week, try to catch up on weekends, but really pay for it. This is an on-going problem and is probably related to my bipolar disorder because that's notorious for messing up the body's clock. I'm working on at least being able to relax on a regular basis. I have short meditations with music and a very easy version of yoga I do three times a week. (I've been getting a massage once a week too - I wish it didn't cost so much.)

That's about it for my program. I'm finally losing but I resorted to an adjustable gastric band to help me manage my huge capacity to eat. It's certainly possible to eat too much protein and I did it all the time. I was hungry all the time and my cortisol levels are 3 times normal. All apologies to SB, but I can't afford to wait any longer to see results. I was just getting sicker and sicker. Now I've lost 20 lbs. and feel a lot better even though there's still about 150 to go.

Anyone else struggling with the Program?