First day, stevia
I have been reading for a while and finally jumped in today andstarted. My sister and I are doing veg SBD together. The day wentpretty well — I had fat-free plain yogurt, chick peas, and peppersfor lunch; Amy’s burger, string beans, and tomatoes for dinner, withalmonds as a snack. It was okay, but I am already craving somethingsweet — fruit, probably, since I have always been a big fruit eaterand usually have a peach or some blueberries or watermelon in theevening after dinner. Since I don’t use artificial sweeteners I’m notsure what I will do to satisfy the need for sweets. Does anyone knowanything about stevia?
Also, I am not vegan but don’t eat cheese and don’t like eggs. I dideat a low-fat cheese stick today as a snack and it felt very weird! Idon’t think I will do it again. Are there options for snacks apartfrom the nuts? And how many snacks are allowed?
It’s so nice to see people eating the way I do on this site!!!I was on another SB site and all they talked about were things likediet low fat pudding!
I use stevia!I don’t have the sweet craving as much as the bread craving. But Ihad iced green tea with stevia a few times last week and it’vereally sweet…similar to saccharine.It also helps your blood sugar stay stable.
There’s a controversy about it, and I’ve read a few articles.Apparently, if you feed mice a lot of it, they develop some disease,but the scientist who works on it says they were feeding the leafand not the extract.
I feel secure that it is safe. It’s not a chemical.Welcome or welcome back.
Thank you for the info on stevia. I will pick some up the next time Igo to Whole Foods. Apart from the FDA warnings, is it allowed on thediet? Also, I’m glad you mentioned the green tea because I waswondering if it was allowed. Also, what about teas like CelestialSeasonings Red Zinger, which probably have some fruit extract in them?Are fruit teas allowed? What about sliced lemon or lime in a glass ofwater?
I wanted fruit last night but I am expecting the bread craving to setin soon! Or pasta, anyway. The first two days have been okay but I’mworrying that when the novelty wears off it will be really hard. Willtry to maintain a positive attitude.
Again, thanks for your help. My sister and I checked in with eachother last night and so far so good.
Stevia was taken off the SB foods list by Dr. A when the FDA beganto question it. Whole Foods no longer offers it at their coffeebars. I figure if saccharine is carcinogenic, and aspartame is aneurotoxin, I’m going with Stevia.
It’s good, especially for a sweet craving. Yes, you can have thatzinger tea and you can have lemon and lime juice.Zinger has fruit flavoring, and I’m sure it has little or noglycemic load.
I’m having a hard time on the diet. I just want to eat carbs!Especially when things aren’t going so well in life.
I’m missing sweet, so I will need to get the stevia before I give intothe sugar-free jello, which would be really bad since jello is not vegand I haven’t gone near it in years. The red zinger has an illusion ofbeing sweet, so I’ve been drinking some of that. It’s odd that I’vebeen doing well with no bread or pasta but am craving the sweet stuff.Probably missing the fruit. Actually I’ve discovered a new love forlima beans — they are really good mixed with FF cottage cheese. Alsowas eating jicama all week and my sis just sent me SBD updates in whichjicama was moved off the foods to avoid list. Good thing, since Isnacked on it all week.
Sorry to hear you are having a hard time! Which phase are you on? Iam terrified of going through this weekend on this diet — my firstweekend on it — because my husband and I alway have pancakes orwaffles on Saturday morning. Cottage cheese won’t be the same! Ohwell, I’ve gone this far — day 5 is almost over.
It’s always the worst time for me, too.I’d give myself a B- for this past one. I had a beer yesterday.
I SO HEAR you re: pancakes, etc. We got a waffle maker so we couldmake more whole grain ones, but they’re still not really on the diet.For Phase 3, eating them with fruit will be OK! Can’t wait.
Eggs are gross enough with toast!I’m doing Phase 2 now, since I want to lose really slowly, butoccassionally, during the week I do a day or 2 of Phase 1.
One way or another, I’m going to reach my goal.
The weekend went okay. I was worried about having to negotiate througha different routine than I have Monday to Friday. I felt bad for myhusband because he loves his pancakes, and I offered to make them forhim on Saturday morning but he opted not to tempt me, so he had cerealand some homemade banana bread that he baked (I don’t really likebanana bread so it was okay) while I had some cottage cheese with a fewsunflower seeds mixed in. The rest of the day went fine except Iprobably ate a little bit more food than I do each day during the week. My test came on Sunday, when I obliviously roasted a few differentkinds of squash — butternut and a gnarly green one called Kabocha anda spaghetti squash. I put a little bit of olive oil on them along withkosher salt and pepper. The squash was beautiful, carmelized andgorgeous. But as it was baking, it occurred to me that winter squashprobably was not allowed in phase 1. I checked the book, and sureenough, it was a no-go. As it came out of the oven I thought I’d justtaste a small piece and freeze the rest but wham! before I knew it Ihad eaten about ten small pieces. I couldn’t stop eating it. It wassooooo delicious. It was the first time since I’d started that thathappened to me. Meanwhile I had went and posted a query on the SBD.comboard about the spaghetti squash and someone answered that it wasallowed. But I could not find any mention of it. So — long story –but I was commiserating to my sister about the fact that it feelsstrange to fall off the wagon for something like squash, instead ofsomething really decadent like ice cream or blueberry pie.
Tomorrow is day 8 of phase 1. Apart from a nagging headache this weekI feel fine and have completely normal energy. Cravings for sweetsseem to be diminishing. I got the stevia and it’s okay but has a bit ofan aftertaste. I just ordered some Whey Low and will see if it’sbetter. But all in all I’m doing pretty well.
I agree about the eggs. I think they are very unappealing in any shapeor form. I did make the little quiche cupcakes with FF mozzarella butit was a bit too eggy. Maybe I’ll try it with tofu.
Since I’m trying to always think of this as a long term thing, Icertainly would NOT consider winter squash any way near as bad asice cream or cake! If that’s your cheat, you’re amazing.
Logically I knew the squash was not going to be a huge problem from thepoint of view of the diet plan. I think what concerned me was that Iknew I had to stop eating it and didn’t care. I’ve had really goodcontrol through this whole thing, except for that. But all in all I’mproud of myself. Today is a week since I started. I am still havingtrouble with breakfast, that is to say, I’m not having it, and I knowthat’s not good but I can’t have cottage cheese every day. Lunch todaywas hummus and red peppers, dinner was tempeh, tomato salad, andedamame. My snack tonight is a cup of chamomile tea, which I’menjoying now. I’m actually feeling kind of full — probably theeffects of the soy.
Well, as I always say, so far so good.
Don’t think you have to eat cottage cheese for breakfast everyday. Ithink a lot of people read the book and see the suggested meal plansand think they have to follow those to the letter. If you don’t wantto eat cottage cheese for breakfast then don’t. I think the beautyof this diet is it allows you to tailor the diet to suit your needs.There’s nothing that says you can’t eat beans for breakfast or asalad. Use that approved food list and mix it up. As vegetarians weare used to being creative to achieve our daily protien, vitamin andmineral needs. Apply it breakfast. I can’t tell you how many timesI’ve vegetarian chili or even just raw veggies and nuts in themornings.
Thanks for the advice. Yes, I realize I don’t have to eat only”breakfast” foods for breakfast. My problem is that I’m not hungry inthe morning and beans, veggies, etc., which I love usually, don’tappeal to me at all. That, combined with no time to really think aboutit because I’m running around trying to get ready for work, means thatI tend to avoid the whole thing and skip it.
The truth is that I’d really rather have a bowl of raisin bran or awaffle smothered with warm blueberry sauce!