New to SBD
 

Hi,
I am a 64 y/o F who is in my 3rd week of SBD. I have been trying to follow the diet fairly closely for phase 1 and I have only lost about 3 # in the 3 weeks! Did anyone else have a hard time starting weight loss at the beginning of this diet. This is my first diet ever. I used to eat whatever I wanted with no problems until I entered menopause. :help: Then I began gaining and went from a size 6-8 to a 12-14 and the weight just won't budge. I am drinking plenty of water all day. Have one mini quiche (1 egg) for breakfast, turkey/cheese roll up for lunch and a burger patty with cheese and steamed squash for dinner. I am not accustomed to eating 3 meals. I used to eat a large meal at lunch time and something small maybe for dinner. But, the weight isn't coming off like I hear others speak of. For snack I have peanuts and maybe a glass of unsweetened tea with splenda. I need some help and encouragement. Today i broke down and ate cookies from discouragement. HELP! Any pointers or tips would be good. How long does it take to see a decrease in weight in phase 1 SBD?? Lyn

Welcome LyninSC,

I've been on a low carb (Keto) regime since April 8 and one week that my weight did not move down was the same week that I ate peanuts. Try removing it from your diet completely. If you need some nuts, try eating up to 10 almonds per day or macademia nuts. Se how that goes. It helped me. Stay away from cookies and keep eating clean and the weight will come off eventually.

Thank you for the encouragement Chef Ron. I will stay away from the peanuts!!

Welcome to the forum!

First, you should probably anticipate that weight loss after menopause will not be fast and will require every trick in the book. Even younger women on very low carb diets can't really expect to lose much more than 1–2 lbs./week over the long term and South Beach is more low to moderate carb, I think. So, you're doing great! Congratulations!

This is actually a really good habit and I suggest you go back to it. The longer that you can keep your insulin low by not eating, the faster you'll probably lose weight. I'm not really familiar with SB rules, but if you could switch up what you're eating to just two meals and no snacks, it might help a lot.

Thank you for the suggestions, City Girl!

Hello, Lyn. Belated welcome to a great forum. Visiting here often will be one of your best strategies for sticking with your new way of eating. The first thing to learn: every BODY is different. Comparing your experience to reports from others can be discouraging, as you've noticed. Don't do that.

Second, three weeks is not very long in nutritional terms. Your body will take its time adjusting to the new plan. I ditto what someone else said: eating only one meal a day as you are accustomed to is actually a pretty good habit. Just make sure to eat enough, and eat on plan. Don't let yourself get hungry.

Finally, bear in mind that you are not on a "diet." SBD (or Low-carb or Keto or LCHF or Atkins, etc.) are simply names for a healthy way of eating that eliminates massive amounts of sugar, starch, and nutritionally unhelpful foods from your life. And that's for life.

Best wishes!

Thank you BKloots for the tips. It helps to understand that every body is different. I am 64, on medications for various things, including hypothyroid and blood pressure and depression along with several meds I take for digestive issues from several surgeries I had. I am sure all of those things contribute to my situation. I am going today to a Medical Weight Loss practice. They will do a complete work up on me which will include hormones and thyroid blood work , etc. That way I will know what exactly I am up against. Om the SBD although I have really given up carbs, I am eating lots more food than I normally would have. I don't know if that is part of the problem or not but I have only lost 1# and that is discouraging. I am also doing some exercise with the YouTube Walk at Home videos with Leslie Sansone. I could do a bit more of the exercise, but I am starting to feel a bit drained. Again, thank you for the welcome and tips. Lyn

Lyn, when you have time, consider setting up your personal Journal here. That way friends can find you and chat personally.

Go to the Journals/Bootcamp section and look for the How-to Stickie at the top.

Best wishes.

WHen a family member gave me her SBD book I read it eagerly BUT found it too liberal in the carbs for what my body could handle effectively. I had already tried Atkins and found with DANDR at my side, the weight was shedding off for the first time in my life. I didnt find SBD working for me, so jumped back to DANDR.

May I suggest looking at Atkins???? Since you have made major changes to meet the SBD requirements, DANDR is only one more step.....it might be the level of carbs that a post menopausal body needs.

Good luck--- this is a journey.....