Hi all

I need some more advice from all you experts if you don't mind.

I started SP about 4 weeks ago and have lost 6 lbs. Is this a standard enough weight loss? Is it less than the rest of you?

I am not sure if I'm doing something wrong. Here's an idea of what I eat on a typical day:

Morning: Scrambled egg, 1 piece bacon, 3 low carb crackers, very small glass of orange juice ( diluted) tea

Lunch: Piece of chicken , big salad, salad dressing ( very small amount) water

Snack; handful of raw peanuts, handful of grapes, tea

Dinner: Chilli ( beef, onions, peppers, kidney beans, tins of tomatoes, chill etc) 1 oz brown rice, water

Snack: handful nuts, 2 squares of dark chocolate.

Also going to the gym 3 times a week, 1 hour Cardiovascular, half an hour brisk walking 4 times a week.

What do you think? Am I eating too much, too little, should I be taking more exercise or should I just be a bit more patient ;-)

thanks a million
Clodagh

Hi Clodagh! Nice to meet you.

I am not an expert, but I know Sp works for me toward my goals of losing weight , staying healthy, and hopefully slowing metabolic aging.

Your diet looks balanced to me. I know personally I do best when I eat as many low glycemic/low starch veggies as possible. I have to constantly keep that in mind and action.

This is a gradual weight loss for most, because it is healing (in my case years of yo-yo/silly/'gotta lose 10 lbs. in 2 months' type of dieting) for the body.

6 lbs. in 4 weeks sounds good to me! Congratulations! I don't think there is a "standard" as every body comes from different situations in their life.

Keep us informed as to your progress.

Clodagh, Dr. S. said that some people see no movement for upwards of a year. It depends on how damaged your metabolism was (how inusulin resistant you are) to begin with. Everyone loses weight at different rates. Be happy with your progress. Also, the slower it comes off, the easier it will be to keep it off.

However, I have one question: Have you calculated your carbs? I would check the rice, crackers, orange juice, fruit and salad dressing. You say you use just a little salad dressing, but what kind?

It also looks like you might want to see if you are getting enough fat and calories. Many people on the site suggest you need to have at least 10 to 12 times your weight in calories. In addition, it is recommended that you get 60% to 70% of your calories from fat. These are not actual recommendations in The Book, but it's working for me. My progress has been slow (after an initial fast drop, I've evened out to an average of about 1/2 pound a week), I am very happy with it and feel great!

Myself, I do best with mostly non-starchy veges for my carbs. And in The Book, Dr. S. states that if you eat enough non-starchies, you don't need to augment with starchy veges. And I stay away completely (except for 3 tablespoons of flaxseed every morning for regularity) from any grains and fruits. A typical daily menu for me is:

Breakfast - Joe's Special (2 eggs, 1/4 pound lean hamburger, spinach, onions & mushrooms scrambled in 2 to 3 tablespoons butter). Three tablespoons of flaxseed, ground in my coffee grinder, with 1/2 cup hot water and a small pat of butter added (the water should be no hotter than 180 degrees or it kills the enzymes in the flaxseed). This meal doesn't vary. But the others do, sometimes considerably.

Lunch - grilled chicken, salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, mushrooms and lots of oil & vinegar (or similar) dressing - I make my own dressing so I know it doesn't have any added sugar.

Dinner - one of my chicken-in-sauce one-pot recipes which typically contain non-starchy veges and are usually cooked in another 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil or butter (I'll be posting my recipes this weekend, I have over 40, all single-serving) or grilled meat and an artichoke with lots of mayonaise. I started out having rice with dinner, to no ill affect, but stopped because it was a hassle to make 1/2 cup of rice.

I'm not good at snacks, so today I am trying splitting my breakfast and lunch into two meals each to spread out my eating. Everywhere you go they suggest you eat more and smaller meals rather than three large meals. So far so good.

You also need to make this plan your own or it won't last. I have used my intelligence and common-sense and the information I have found on this site and elsewhere to help me tailor this program to my best advantage. I don't let myself get bored or feel limited. With all of our choices, it's not hard to do!

Good luck on The Schwarzbein Principle. It's my chosen path and I haven't regretted it one day. I'm sure you will do well. Slow and steady is the way to go.

;-Deb

And I'm glad you are enjoying my recipes.

;-Deb

Well I'm not an expert but I'll try to help anyway. I agree with Deb that adding more non-starchy vegetables might help you. The fiber slows the insulin response. As far as your exercise, try substituting some strength training exercises for some of your cardio or walking. Strength training builds lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat. It also pulls in the fat and makes it look better. Don't worry about bulking up; that won't happen unless you really work at it. A good website to check out is www.exrx.net.

Jen

Although I'm single, I also cook for a week in advance. My life is so full right now I have to do it that way or else I end up spending too much time at night making dinner! I'm also a vegetarian so I can't just pop a chicken breast into the oven and be done with it! I have discovered the magic of marinades!

You'll probably think I'm a nut but I've written up a few weekly menus in advance so that way I can just make a shopping list and I don't have to think too much about it. My sister (who has switched from Atkins to the GO Diet to Atkins to Carbohydrate Addicts...) thinks I'm a dork for eating the same thing practically every day but I really don't mind it.

BTW, she's not a vegetarian and always has things like pork loins, burgers, chicken breasts, and filets of fish in the freezer which she adds spices to and grills in the broiler. She might whip up a mayonnaise/vinegar/mustard "dip" or just vinegar and oil for the fish. It seems to work for her.

Tal

Hi Tal, thanks for writing!

I believe in planning menus. In previous generations, housewives were taught to make 2 or 3 weeks worth of menus and rotate them - if you were really fancy you might have a set for winter and a set for summer.... they are called cycle menus, by the way, if anyone gives you grief about them...



Yeah, I go to Costco and get individually frozen portions of things like fish, etc - i always have, the rest of my family doesn't really like fish... I also cook up lots of things in advance and freeze them. Payoff is days like today - I am home with a cold but I pulled out a marinated and grilled chicken breast and threw a little veggie in with it, and I had a great lunch...

In fact, I feel pretty good, cold notwithstanding. I think that not having blood sugar ups and downs has been very good for me...

-m-

Thanks to all the Experts!!!!!

I think it's all about finding a balance which works for you. I am in Ireland and I can't get things that that people on this website talk about, like stevia etc.

However I guess meat and veg/salad etc is pretty much the same the world over!!!!!

I have been resisting the people in my gym who are trying to get me to do resistance training as I was afraid that it would halt my weight loss. But I will start doing more.

thanks again
Clodagh