portion and calories

[zacmom]

During phase one how much emphasis did you put into these two areas? I know I am eating the allowed foods but I have a horrible habit of scale watching. The fluctuation is scary. For instance this moring I weighed 198 went to work came home and weighed 194.7 go figure that

[RedRox]

The results of weighing multiple times a day are relatively meaningless IMO. Swings of 5 lbs or more within 24 hours are not unusual. The only meaningful comparison is at the same time of day under similar conditions and looking at trends over time.

As to portion sizes and calories in P1, I think it's probably important to make sure you are eating enough and not too little. Make sure you get in your minimum of 4.5 cups of veggies, some dairy and beans and try not to overdo cheese and nuts which are the more calorie dense foods. You actually have more leeway at first than you will when you are closer to your healthy weight or when you are in maintenance IMO, it's more important to not be hungry from eating too little and to keep your metabolism fueled and get past the cravings than it is to worry about "dieting" too much and being hungry and feeling deprived. (again just my opinion and observations)
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/south-beach-diet-forums/1957-portion-calories.html

There's a daily meal model for P1 as a sticky in the P1 forum if you haven't found it yet here: Meal Model for Phase One For me those meal models for each phase were what really helped me figure out how I should really be eating.

And personally I find counting calories really painful but some find it helpful and useful and don't mind the process. Just be aware when counting, the goal is to find the optimum level, not just a minimum level which can actually hinder weight loss. The target is 500-100 fewer calories intake than you expend. Figuring out the intake is usually easier than the expenditure since so many variables (including current weight) figure into the expenditure amount. Nothing magical about this online calculator, but it's just one I found one day and post frequently. Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs You can probably find others too if you search! You can also do some searches on BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate which is the amount of calories you expend daily if you just were at rest all day.

[zacmom]

thank you... sometimes I'm just not sure. I don't want to be in bad health with 2 little kids to chase after....lol my ten yr old is tall as me so I can't say little

[RedRox]

To me that's much better motivation than a reunion, wedding, or bikini season! Plus, your kids will learn healthy eating habits that can last them a lifetime too! I love when my now 13 yr old daughter wants to know when I'm gonna make grilled brussel sprouts and broccoli again!

[zacmom]

My kids have always liked the "wierd" vegies. You know the kind other kids don't usually eat like spinach, broccoli, lima beans. They are getting use to brown bread is what the kids call any whole wheat or whole grain bread I buy for them.

[RedRox]

good faults to have! (liking the weird veggies) can't do lima beans myself, but black beans are great in all sorts of things. I think if we had started sooner, it would have been easier because they wouldn't have known any different at our house then. But they are used to ww pastas and breads and even the occasional weekend buckwheat pancakes or waffles now. They were 9 and 12 when we started and are now 13 and 16. It's really just how we eat as a family now. Their mom still does a white flour pizza night every week though when I am off cleaning my yoga studio. (in trade for free yoga!) But I don't have to eat any of it! I'd make ww boboli's but they don't like those as much. So it's not always 100% healthy stuff, but it's a lot better than we used to eat. Whether they keep it up as adults is their issue, but it won't be from lack of nutritional education and example!