Things I have noticed on phase 2--same for others?

[momof4]

I began phase 1 Jan 1 of this year and moved to phase 2 as scheduled on the 15th. Here are some things I have noticed as I have become accustomed to phase 2 and wondered if anyone else has noticed these same things or some other things that seem to be consistently true. (I lost about 6 pounds on phase 1 and have lost 3-4 more pounds since going to phase 2. I am not weighing as often as I used to because I see how much it varies and I am pleased that my clothes are fitting differently. I would like to lose a little faster, but I am trying to be patient and change my habits so it will stay off.)

One thing I have noticed is that when I work out at the gym (usually 20-30 min strength work, 30 min cardio, and 10 min stretching), the following day, my weight is up--usually about a pound. I always think this is odd. I don't eat more snacks those days and drink plenty of water. Something going on that makes this happen or is it just a quirk of my body?

Another thing I have figured out is that I can have oatmeal in the morning and a couple of fruit servings during the day and the scales continue to creep down little by little. If I add a second bread serving...my weight goes up the next day. I am ok with only having one bread serving most days- I enjoy the fruit more anyway. 2-3 days a week I do add an extra bread serving, though. I guess this is one of those things that may only be true for me...just the way my body works.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/south-beach-diet-forums-phase-2/4498-things-i-have-noticed-phase-2-same-others.html

Also, early in phase 2 I wasn't eating as many vegetables as I had been in phase one and I was soooo much hungrier! So I went back to salads pretty much everyday at lunch to make sure I was getting enough at that meal.
I am getting bored with the same old veggies now, though and have been trying to experiment a little more!

Anyone else have things to share that would be helpful? I would love to lose a little more quickly and would appreciate any tips on daily diet or exercise that seems to be helping you. I feel like I am settling in to a new way of life, but maybe I am still needing to tweak my habits a little more!

[RedRox]

Couple of thoughts.

weight gain after working out: this is pretty normal. As we work muscles, we tear down the microfibers within them. As they repair themselves (this is known as either building muscle mass or increasing toning!) they tend to store water as part of that process, so most people probably do either stay weight stable or gain slightly from the water weight of that process.

breads: probably harder to come up with anything definitive. Might be extra water from storing more glycogen. Might be sensitivities to certain types of grains like wheat than oats. I'd try playing around with a second additional starch and/or grain that was not bread, wheat or flour based. So try a 1/2 cup of sweet potato, barley, brown rice or quinoa or something else from the starches list and see what you notice with that option. Any grain that is ground into a flour first is going to be higher GI than its more unprocessed counterpart, even with whole grains. Try going further back into the unprocessed grains and starches process and eating more that are less refined than more refined and see if that makes any differences. The more you have to chew your starches, usually the better off you are!

Variety is good! It ensures better overall nutrition and keeps us from getting bored, although my breakfasts and lunches don't vary much and it doesn't bother me. The days I don't have a large salad for lunch seem very odd to me!

Other than that it sounds like you are doing great! you are making this a new lifestyle and becoming more mindful of how what you eat affects how you feel and your hunger levels and potentially your overall weight, although I still don't take too much stock in day to day fluctuations. If the trend line is still going down on a monthly basis you're probably doing fine!

We'd all like to lose more quickly! You could try upping frequency or intensity of exercise or changing your routines up to see if that would shake things up a bit. There is a school of thought that says we should change that up every 6-8 weeks as our bodies get more "efficient" at the same routine and by changing routines and exercises, we become less efficient and therefore increase the amount of work being performed. So similar to keeping variety in your foods, if you are doing the same sets and circuits for strength training, come up with a new set and same thing with cardio. If you are always on a treadmill, switch over to the bike or always on an elliptical, then do a spinning class or vice versa.