DAY 4! Comments? Advice?

[Vicky]

Hello all...

Today marks my fourth day on "The Beach" (I really like that, "The Beach" thing ). Things are going well, Im loving all the veggies, the salads, eggs for breakfast. I guess Im lucky because I am absolutely not suffering at all with the food choices. I am blown away that I can have cheese (yes, I know, LIMITED), because that was always the first to go with other diets.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/south-beach-diet-forums-phase-1/3817-day-4-comments-advice.html

Yesterday, (day 3) I woke up a little cranky, spent the day bouncing back and forth between agitated and very happy...go figure? I gave it some thought last night and realized that after my afternoon snack of boiled egg and a cup of tomato juice, my mood improved dramatically, so Im thinking maybe I have to up my protein a little?? Not sure, but Im increasing the protein today....adding canadian bacon to my eggs this a.m. (yum), packed beans along with my regular lunch....etc.

Anyway, Im loving what Im doing....being pro-active is doing wonders for my depressive state of mind....and really, Im beginning to understand that this is all going to boil down to a psychological thing for me, at least for now. Im greatly looking forward to the physical rewards...I know they are hurtling towards me as I type this!!

I have a question, what's the "skinny" (pun intended) on black olives? Ive seen green olives mentioned as an ok source for oils, but I really like black ones better. Ok to throw in as a snack or with salads?

[RedRox]

black olives are fine. The word "ripe" in the food lists means the same thing. It's just another term for black olives. Just be aware of good fat equivalents from the food lists and adjust other good fats in the meal accordingly.

And my guess on the reason for your mood improvement from that snack was likely more due to the natural sugars in the tomato juice than the protein, although both were probably helpful. It's easy to get enough protein in P1, a bit harder to get adequate carbs. Carbs and sugars have a direct impact on brain activity as well and the brain needs glucose to function properly. (well all our cells do, but the brain has special needs! ) So keep things like allowed dairy, beans/legumes and adequate veggies in your diet. A glass of milk too is a good picker-upper exactly because it is higher in natural sugars than most other P1 foods.

[Jilly_Bean]

Hey, Vicky!

My only comment to add to Red's good word, is watch the salt content in the olives. Salt can have an adverse effect at the scale, so just keep that in mind. I LOVE black olives, but eat them rarely and not close to a weigh-in day.

[Vicky]

Thanks Red and Jilly. The two of you are awesome, and I really appreciate your advice