Hi,

I've been on Sugarbusters for about 1 month, and have lost 14 lbs! Which is great, but just these past few days, I've gained back about 3 of those lbs.

I'm really not sure what I'm doing wrong.

My daily meals are: Breakfast - 1 slice of toasted sprouted whole wheat bread, with "natural" peanut butter. And a glass of water (actually I drink at least two bottles of water in the morning - 16 ozs).

I take my lunch to work, and it's usually a spinach salad with mushrooms, some cut up cheese, celery, and sometimes a hardboiled egg. I put some salad dressing on top (no sugar) and that's my lunch. Sometimes I will add an orange either before (1 hour) or after (1 hour) lunch. I also drink three 16 ozs bottles of water while at work.

For dinner, I've been eating either a steak, or other meat such as chicken or pork. Then usually a large salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, and dressing. Sometimes I will add a glass of fat free milk or water. I drink tons of water.

There have been two times that I have "strayed" from this WOE, and the first time was about 1 week ago. Went to dinner with friends, and had two slices of french bread. Also, a Gelato was ordered and the 4 of us shared that. I had about 3 tablespoons of the gelato, and boy, was it good!

The only other time I strayed was two nights ago. I had the sudden cravings for sweets, and had some sugar thins with chocolate topping. I had 4 of those, and then of course I had to have something else, so had about 10 Ritz crackers.

I don't even know why I'm asking you why I've gained the weight! I was doing so good, and then two times, and 3 lbs! It's not fair!

Anyway, that's my sad tale of woe. I have not purchased the Sugarbusters book yet, but I plan to as soon as I find the original book.

Any suggestions or "pick me ups" would greatly be appreciated!



Thanks. This seems like a great forum with many supportive people.

First of all, get the book. I like the new edition and it has a lot more information in it then the original. If you can find the new one, get it.

As for the three pound gain, it is probably water, and can be due to any number of things. You may have had more sodium, it can be from certain foods you ate that weigh more and digest slower, etc. It is probably not regained fat. If you weigh every day, you are going to see fluctuations in weight. One way to keep from getting discouraged by them is to weigh only once a week. I have to admit though, in that I am not doing well. I weigh every day, sometimes more than once! Oh! Maybe I peed out a pound! Lets check! Oh, I feel thinner now, maybe I weigh less! Lets find out! You get the picture... I hop on and off the scale so much, I wonder if I could count it as step aerobics. I have learned though, not to judge my progress by the fluctuations. I lose VERY slowly, and it would drive me nuts if I did. The best I have done in probably 15 years is 10 pounds in one month, and I had to have all kinds of medical help (like diet pills to speed up my metabolism, pills to help my insulin resistance, and thyroid hormones) to achieve that. Celebrate the 14 you lost, and keep on doing what you are doing. If you lost 14 in a month, you are doing something right. Do you exercise? I find that helps me lose better than anything. I walk on my treadmill 30 minutes or more three times or more a week. If you are not exercising, it will help to add in some moderate walking. I am going to assume you are a woman, but forgive me if I am wrong. Could your gain be cyclic? As for your 'cheats', don't beat yourself up over it. We all have cheats now and then. After all, we are not perfect! Just drink plenty of water, and get right back on program. The water will help flush the stuff out of your system, and keep you from succumbing to the cravings for more sugary stuff.

I hope some of this helps. Glad to have you here.

Hi Monet and thank you for your response.

I had to laugh when you wrote about getting aerobic exercise getting up and down off the scale several times a day!

I do weigh myself 2x a day ; morning and night. This morning I'm still up the 3 lbs, which is really frustrating because I KNOW I didn't stray.

I do exercise "usually" 4x a week. I have an exercise buddy and she and I exercise at 5:15am (yes, a.m.!) 4x a week in my basement. We have a mini-gym in our basement, so I have a treadmill, stationary bicycyle, Pilates Performer and a NordicTrak skier.

I start out the morning with stretches on the Pilates, then do the bicycle for 10 minutes and treadmill for 10 minutes.

It may not seem very much, but it does help. I have fibromyalgia, and also severe osteoarthritis in my knee so I can't get to an aerobic level.

I will get the book, I promise. I was so hyped with the quick loss, which NEVER happens to me, as my thyroid was removed 30 years ago, so I'm on supplements. My metabolism seems sometimes to be almost dead!

My husband and I are leaving for a 4 day trip today and will be motorhoming with friends. I'm a bit freaked out, as there will be lots of eating, but I think I've planned around it pretty well. I know I can eat most of what we've planned, so hopefully I will stay on track (read not gain).

I had a complete hysterectomy 20 years ago, so there are no fluctuations in my system anymore.

I will check back with this forum as I've enjoyed reading the posts, and have gotten some good ideas.

Thanks again.

I agree wih Monet.
Its probably some water weight. I know if I have an "indulgence" the carbs will add back a pound or so.
Those ol' carbs just suck up the water! LOL! So drink plenty of water and those water pounds should disappear pretty quicky.

I weigh daily but average the weights for my Wednesday Weigh In. I think it gives a truer picture of what I weigh by smoothing out those water fluctuations.

Also you could be building muscle from all the great exercising that you are doing. That could account for some of the weight gain. How are your clothes fitting? That's a good way to judge. Ya know I was considering added a "Monthly Measure In" to the SB Forum. What do you all think?

HTH
molly ... (also a "turtle' loser who still can't handle the "E" word ... sigh)

ps your meal plans look great

Hi,

Well, I survived the weekend with only gaining two pounds, but it came off the next day. So I'm assuming it was water.

I've taken off the 3 lbs that I gained so I'm back down to 14 lbs total loss.

You're right regarding the clothes, as I'm getting into clothes that I have not been able to wear in a couple of years!

Thanks for the encouragement on the exercise. I really HAVE to exercise with fibromyalgia, as it helps my muscles so much. But because of bad knees, I can't get into the aerobic level, but I always feel better after exercising.

I finally bought the SugarBusters book (new version) yesterday, and have just started reading through the book. I also bought the Sugarbusters shopping list, which has helped me a lot. I was eliminating a lot of food choices that I didn't know that I could have.

I probably won't change my eating habits much, as I'm comfortable with what I'm eating, and enjoy the salads at lunch.

The one HUGE benefit to me with the Sugarbusters WOE is that my pain levels are way down. I have heard that those who have fibromyalgia are very "carb sensitive", which is why I decided to try this WOE. I'm thrilled, as my pain meds are just sitting on the shelf! Yea! Also, my energy level is up, which is also a huge benefit.

So far, so good. I would love to make this a lifetime WOE, as I really do feel better.

Thanks!