South Beach Diet Support and Chat Thread!

PoshTaush

Hi! My name is Tausha. I am currently at the end of Phase I of the South Beach Diet. I've had some great success the first two weeks.

I know I can't be the only one doing this! So... Here's a place for us to hang out, help each other, etc... I can't wait to meet you all!

katieruns

I just started Phase I today. Any tips advice etc?? So far so good and it's half way through the day.

Great job completing Phase I!!! :drinker:

How much did you lose and where??

Good luck starting Phase II.

PoshTaush

Mostly through my mid-section is where I lost. Approximately 10 pounds. Advice.... When you are having a freak out I am gonna eat everything in the house moment.... Try drinking a glass of milk... I did this once and found that in the time it took me to chug about 2 cups...I felt full and the crazy moment passed.

Another bit of advice... Keep snacks around and TRY to have some variety. I even kept some "not so healthy" snacks...just to fill the void, give some satisfaction, and variety. Mind you, I didn't make my whole day junk..but every once in a while I ate beef jerky and pork rinds! lol...

I love eggs...so that was easy for me.

Good luck and let me know if you need any help. I'm excited to meet someone who is joining me! Maybe we can get a little group going. I would LOVE that!

PoshTaush

Ohh... and make sure you do the Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack thing..

There were a couple of days I ate too much...(not carbs...but too much)... when I skipped the snacks in between... They really do help. Oh and the v8 juice. :0) I found some in cans that were Low sodium.

ISalazar16

Hi Tausha,
I am starting Phase 1 today. Congrats on completing it already. How much did you lose?

Friend me please, I'd love the support.

katieruns-friend me, I'd love the support....Need to lose about 30lbs and I hope this will help me lose those last 30lbs.

Jewels211

(katie, this will be a rerun for you )

I lost 71 lb in 7 months 3 years ago on SBD, then let life get the better of me. So I'm going down the same road again; I'm going to DO IT and STICK WITH IT this time! Phase 1 can be really great for a kick start! If you have not much to lose or you've been eating pretty healthily before you started SBD, your weight loss won't be as dramatic, but your health improvements will still be great, and you will lose, just maybe not as fast.

Tips: Read the SBD book by Dr. Agatston if you haven't already. He spells things out so clearly and easy-to-understand form. When things make sense to me, it's so much easier for me to follow them. If it just seems like a random rule, then if I don't like it, it's stupid and why should I follow it, right? If you don't have the book, most libraries do, so you can check it out. The actual explanation part is just the first 1/4 of the book or so; the rest are food lists, sample menus, and recipes.

The second thing is just stick to Dr. A's guidelines and don't freak out about whatever the scale is doing for the first 3 or 4 weeks. Your body is going through a MAJOR adjustment, flushing out all the bad crap, adjusting to not having the bad crap, adjusting to the new influx of all that healthy fiber, etc. First time around in 08', I weighed after one week on Phase 1. I'd lost 10 lbs! Now, I had 114 lbs to lose, but still! I'd been eating--plenty! If I got any "hunger pangs", no matter when, I ate a bite of string cheese, or some raw cauliflower, or sauteed mushrooms or something. I was blown away, delighted, but blown away. Then I weighed at the end of next week, the end of Phase 1 for me. I had lost NOTHING. I was devastated. It almost derailed me. But I re-read the book, saw that it said my body was busy adjusting to things so not to panic. So I kept on. I weighed once a week, and the next couple of weeks were also wonky. Maybe no gains, but not much in the line of loss. I thought, I've done all this work for a month now, and I lost everything I'm going to be able to in the first week?! Is this worth is? But then, suddenly my body settled in, and from then on, most weeks I lost 2-3 lbs. It slowed some as I got lower on the scale, and I would still occasionally stall for a week or two or even three. But it always started again.

Also, make sure besides weighing, you've measured yourself. At least the "big 3" I call them--bustline, waist, and hips. But I also did just about everything else--neck chest above breasts, ribcage, upper arm, mid thigh, calf, ankle, wrist, and ring finger! I did that because there is always somewhere that is shrinking on SBD. Your hips might stay the same one month, but your upper arm goes down by a 1/2". Next month, the hips suddenly lose a 1/2" or inch, but your waist stays the same. Next time, maybe your thighs and bustline reduce. So no matter what the scale is doing, the tape measure is showing love.

One last tip, especially during Phase 1, do eat at least one serving of beans a day, like great northerns, or pinto, or red beans, etc. They have fiber to help keep you full, plus they help keep the digestive system plugging along nicely, which can be a problem if you eat too much cheese, as a lot of ppl do on Phase 1. The beans also help avoid "SBD flu", which is just a feeling of being a little "off" for a day or two, usually around days 3-5, a little tired, lethargic, etc. So make a pot of chili and include beans in it and eat a bowl a day, or throw some on your taco salad. Or eat them mixed with sauteed onion, mushroom, etc and maybe with some turkey or chicken sausage. Yum! They are calorie dense, so you have to keep an eye on them, but they are very filling, and do so much good for you that it truly is a very wise idea to make sure you get them in daily the first couple of weeks, at least.

TheDrBuchanan

I'm seriously considering going back on SBD in the near future.

I first tried SBD in 2007, about a year before I conceived my son. I had wonderful success with it, having lost 30-35 lbs. My husband and I did it together, and he lost about 60lbs. It was awesome! But then, during my pregnancy, even though I often craved vegetables, I found that I could not eat chicken without feeling nauseous unless it was a chicken finger. And I needed lots of ice cream. And girl scout cookies. And burgers. And pizza. And I was exhausted. I could literally sleep for 20 hours a day and still feel like I needed a nap. I went from 130lbs to 205 before I gave birth to my son. Combine that with finishing grad school, then moving, then new job all in my son's first year - and I was stuck at 180.

Earlier this year, I started again - this time on my own. I lost 13lbs in the first two weeks. I got myself down to 160-165, but doing this by myself was difficult and so I let life get in my way.

I've been tracking my calories on MFP for a little over a week now, and I have found that I still maintain my skill at the balancing act that is PhaseII/III. I splurge one day, and compensate it the next. No wonder I haven't lost a pound all summer, even though I started running and finished two 5K's! While I've been tracking, I've tried regulating my calorie intake to match what MFP says it should be. And I'm starving. I have absolutely no will power when it comes to feeling hungry, so I've gotten myself in this little cycle of restrict-binge-restrict-binge. Yea, that's healthy.

So, maybe the SBD method is the best for me. I'm not sure when I'll start yet - we have a trip to the amusement park, birthday party and then a wedding all in the next few weeks. When's a good time to be on Phase I? Never! I do fear that because I've been down this road before, I'll go on auto-pilot and won't follow the lifestyle as strictly as I did before. Or maybe I just won't have the patience this time around because it's lost that 'newness' and excitement. Who knows.

PoshTaush

Ladies, thanks so much for sharing your stories with me so far. I'm really hoping you all will stick around and we can support each other through this!! I really want to get to know you. I'm actually kind of nervous to start Phase 2 tomorrow!! I am afraid that I will go crazy and start eating all the "bad" carbs again!! AAAAHHH!!

Jewels211

Earlier this year, I started again - this time on my own. I lost 13lbs in the first two weeks. I got myself down to 160-165, but doing this by myself was difficult and so I let life get in my way.

I've been tracking my calories on MFP for a little over a week now, and I have found that I still maintain my skill at the balancing act that is PhaseII/III. I splurge one day, and compensate it the next. No wonder I haven't lost a pound all summer, even though I started running and finished two 5K's! While I've been tracking, I've tried regulating my calorie intake to match what MFP says it should be. And I'm starving. I have absolutely no will power when it comes to feeling hungry, so I've gotten myself in this little cycle of restrict-binge-restrict-binge. Yea, that's healthy.

Yeah, starving all the time is miserable, and there is no way to keep being inspired to go on if that's the way you're feeling all the time. Remember, with SBD, there's never a reason to be hungry, so yeah, it'd be a great thing to get back into. I'm wondering, are you eating things that have either hidden sugar or sodium in them? That "starving" feeling could be from too few calories, or it might actually be a chemical craving, your body pleading for more bad carbs to go with the ones it just got an hour or two ago. I hit a stall for a couple of weeks, and decided to add the sodium count to my food diary. Sure enough, making soups, etc. I was using a lot of boxed broth and canned tomato sauce, etc. and the sodium count was HUGE. I've been making adjustments, and now 3 lbs have come off.

katieruns

Mostly through my mid-section is where I lost. Approximately 10 pounds. Advice.... When you are having a freak out I am gonna eat everything in the house moment.... Try drinking a glass of milk... I did this once and found that in the time it took me to chug about 2 cups...I felt full and the crazy moment passed.

Another bit of advice... Keep snacks around and TRY to have some variety. I even kept some "not so healthy" snacks...just to fill the void, give some satisfaction, and variety. Mind you, I didn't make my whole day junk..but every once in a while I ate beef jerky and pork rinds! lol...

I love eggs...so that was easy for me.

Good luck and let me know if you need any help. I'm excited to meet someone who is joining me! Maybe we can get a little group going. I would LOVE that!

Posh I just saw your post... I replied to you in message but didn't realize you'd answered here. LOL You'll do great in Phase II I'm sure!!! I'd be scared too.... Are we allowed to do sugar free chocolate milk syrup in milk? I love choc milk but not such a big fan of plain white milk unless it's in cereal and well.....

PoshTaush

Mostly through my mid-section is where I lost. Approximately 10 pounds. Advice.... When you are having a freak out I am gonna eat everything in the house moment.... Try drinking a glass of milk... I did this once and found that in the time it took me to chug about 2 cups...I felt full and the crazy moment passed.

Another bit of advice... Keep snacks around and TRY to have some variety. I even kept some "not so healthy" snacks...just to fill the void, give some satisfaction, and variety. Mind you, I didn't make my whole day junk..but every once in a while I ate beef jerky and pork rinds! lol...

I love eggs...so that was easy for me.

Good luck and let me know if you need any help. I'm excited to meet someone who is joining me! Maybe we can get a little group going. I would LOVE that!

Posh I just saw your post... I replied to you in message but didn't realize you'd answered here. LOL You'll do great in Phase II I'm sure!!! I'd be scared too.... Are we allowed to do sugar free chocolate milk syrup in milk? I love choc milk but not such a big fan of plain white milk unless it's in cereal and well.....

I'm pretty sure the sugar free stuff is allowed. I'm still very new to this, so if anyone sees a mistake of mine, please correct me! I need to know too so that I'm doing it right to get the best result.

katieruns

Mostly through my mid-section is where I lost. Approximately 10 pounds. Advice.... When you are having a freak out I am gonna eat everything in the house moment.... Try drinking a glass of milk... I did this once and found that in the time it took me to chug about 2 cups...I felt full and the crazy moment passed.

Another bit of advice... Keep snacks around and TRY to have some variety. I even kept some "not so healthy" snacks...just to fill the void, give some satisfaction, and variety. Mind you, I didn't make my whole day junk..but every once in a while I ate beef jerky and pork rinds! lol...

I love eggs...so that was easy for me.

Good luck and let me know if you need any help. I'm excited to meet someone who is joining me! Maybe we can get a little group going. I would LOVE that!

Posh I just saw your post... I replied to you in message but didn't realize you'd answered here. LOL You'll do great in Phase II I'm sure!!! I'd be scared too.... Are we allowed to do sugar free chocolate milk syrup in milk? I love choc milk but not such a big fan of plain white milk unless it's in cereal and well.....

I'm pretty sure the sugar free stuff is allowed. I'm still very new to this, so if anyone sees a mistake of mine, please correct me! I need to know too so that I'm doing it right to get the best result.

I am going back to reread the book again (I got it from the library last week ) and I am pretty sure it said sugar free choc syrup was ok as well as skim milk so I think I'll be ok... but I want to double check just in case....

Today I moved to the next week in my running program and I definitely didn't feel sloggy,... not sure if it's no carbs yesterday weighing me down or if I just had God running along with me... I sure was praying a lot while running LOL but whatever the reason I felt awesome (I'm sure it was God LOL) and I managed to run further and faster before!!! It was awesome!!!

How did your first day of phase II go????

TheDrBuchanan

[/quote]
I'm wondering, are you eating things that have either hidden sugar or sodium in them? That "starving" feeling could be from too few calories, or it might actually be a chemical craving, your body pleading for more bad carbs to go with the ones it just got an hour or two ago.
[/quote]

An interesting thought. I've gone back through my diary, and on my 'binge' days, I'm definitely going over on sodium and sugars. Not surprising. On 'good' days, I'm under on sodium, but over on sugars, but it's often with foods like yogurt, fruits, and sweet potatoes. So, I'm not sure. Maybe I need to go back to plain nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese. :-( I like my yogurts, though!

Jewels211

I'm wondering, are you eating things that have either hidden sugar or sodium in them? That "starving" feeling could be from too few calories, or it might actually be a chemical craving, your body pleading for more bad carbs to go with the ones it just got an hour or two ago.

An interesting thought. I've gone back through my diary, and on my 'binge' days, I'm definitely going over on sodium and sugars. Not surprising. On 'good' days, I'm under on sodium, but over on sugars, but it's often with foods like yogurt, fruits, and sweet potatoes. So, I'm not sure. Maybe I need to go back to plain nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese. :-( I like my yogurts, though!

Are you eating the No Sugar Added yogurts? "Light" yogurts are light on fat, but not on sugar in one form or another. Fruits and dairy products both have natural sugars in them, so the container can't say "sugar free" but it will say "no sugar added" if it truly doesn't have sucrose or fructose in it.

It's also possible that you are having issues with a "trigger" food. Myself, I don't do well with peaches. They tend to throw me into cravings like crazy. I've learned mostly to avoid them, or if I really want to eat them, to do so in the evening so I can sleep through most of the cravings! :bigsmile: You may be having the same type of response to something you're eating, a specific fruit, or maybe the sweet potatoes. Try an experiment; try eating only the one kind of fruit for a couple of days (w/o the yogurt and sweet potatoes) and see if you have any "hunger pangs". If nothing happens, then try a couple of days of eating the sweet potatoes, etc. You may not have a problem or "trigger" food, but you may. That's why it's best to really easy slowly into phase 2, taking a couple of days to watch your body's response to each new addition, to see if you're going to have any problems. Also, sometimes a certain combination of two foods might be a problem, like if it's two higher-sugar foods together, especially if you're not eating any fat or protein with them. A bite of cheese with a sweet fruit can help slow down the rush of sugar into the system.

PoshTaush

Day 1 on Phase 2 went well. I didn't eat bread or fruit, but made Chili and added the beans back. I guess I was allowed to have them the entire time in Phase 1, but didn't, so I wanted to start with one carb at a time. I LOVED the chili I must say!!

1 can tomato juice Low Sodium
1 can Light Red Kidney Beans
1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans
1 pk. your choice chili seasoning
1 LARGE can diced tomatoes low sodium
1 pound Ground Sirloin --- fried/drained
2 cloves Garlic
1 large onion

That's just my own recipe. Had some colby cheese with it! YUMMY!! Oh..and to offset all the sodium I had lots of water. I can definitely tell the fiber is helping. :0) TMI

You can do it girls!

katieruns

LOL Tausha... too funny!!!

OK so I can feel the carb craving starting to kick in... I am at my desk at work and drinking water, and googling between calls... just ordered a really adorable pair of black riding boots... went to retailmenot.com and found a 30% off coupon for the avenue... so trying to stay off of food and on to cute clothes which will get cuter as I get smaller LOL attached a link for a pic of the boots...

Any other advice for this crazy craving... I am out of snacks so nothing to munch on....

http://www.avenue.com/clothing/Ellen-Stretch-Riding-Boot.aspx?PfId=247122&DeptId=19963&ProductTypeId=1

PoshTaush

LOL Tausha... too funny!!!

OK so I can feel the carb craving starting to kick in... I am at my desk at work and drinking water, and googling between calls... just ordered a really adorable pair of black riding boots... went to retailmenot.com and found a 30% off coupon for the avenue... so trying to stay off of food and on to cute clothes which will get cuter as I get smaller LOL attached a link for a pic of the boots...

Any other advice for this crazy craving... I am out of snacks so nothing to munch on....

http://www.avenue.com/clothing/Ellen-Stretch-Riding-Boot.aspx?PfId=247122&DeptId=19963&ProductTypeId=1

try my glass of milk trick! the protein helps....give it 15 minutes. cute boots!

Juana_Pedroza

I will be starting phase 1 tomorrow again i tried it a little while back and i fell off the wagon the milk idea is great i had never that of that ! Thanx

PoshTaush

I will be starting phase 1 tomorrow again i tried it a little while back and i fell off the wagon the milk idea is great i had never that of that ! Thanx

Welcome Juana! Glad to have you with us. Let us know if there's any way we can help. :0)

PoshTaush

Bump!

Day 3 of Phase 2 is going well. I'm slowly trying to figure out some new things to eat. As I've said before, It makes me a little nervous to add carbs back after fighting so hard the first 2 weeks! But... My husband and I talked today and there are a lot more options that I was realizing at first! This way I can eat the good stuff and not want and crave the "bad" stuff out of sheer boredom and lack of variety.

How's your day going??

Those who are on phase 1...how are you doing? I hope you are LOVING this, b/c you WILL see results!

katieruns

I am totally grouchy today!! UGH!! Michael and I almost argued this morning and that is sooo not like us... my fault totally for getting defensive over something absolutely stupid. Still trying to pull out of this funk.... Hopefully it'll pass and I feel better. I have to run tomorrow am and I already don't feel like it LOL so that's not good, but I'll get booted out of bed anyway.

But I was excited this morning about seeing the 3.6lb loss.... I cheated and jumped back after using the restroom and not wearing my tshirt and it was down a full 4 exactly LOL. But I'm just going to leave it at 3.6 so I feel better next time I jump on.

Looking forward to grilled pork loin and sauteed summer squash and zucchini for dinner tonight. Packed a salad with chicken breast on top for lunch and it is absolutely unappealing at this moment. Can you tell I'm grumpy? :grumble: