South Beach Diet Support and Chat Thread!

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  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    My cardiologist said this was the perfect diet for me.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    I do sometimes drift away from South Beach (particularly vicious recent hormone fluctuations has made it pretty much impossible sometimes), but I always go back. I truly believe it's the best and healthiest way to eat. It's certainly the most satisfying. Once you get past Phase 1, it's way less stringent and easier to stick to. You don't make any sweeping food eliminations, not even chocolate. It's extremely practical.

    My best advice for anyone embarking on Phase 1 is just hang in there. It's worth it. It's only 2 weeks. It really does help with sugar / junk food cravings. If you're hypoglycemic, you're doing yourself MAJOR favors here.
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
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    My dh and I just started phase 1 yesterday. Did you ever find any good recipes? The hubs wants some "manly" lunches so he can take them to work w/o the guys making fun of him (at least that's what I think). Any ideas?

    I made up a pot of the black and white bean soup for ash wednesday and we're still eating it. Very spice and manly!
  • yellowrose5321
    yellowrose5321 Posts: 111 Member
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    Question: Do you count calories on the SBD?
    Hi Amy! Welcome to our little support thread. To answer your question -- yes and no :smile:

    Dr. Agatson designed the eating plans for SB so that users didn't have to worry about counting calories. Originally, the diet was designed to change blood chemistry in his cardiac patients, not as a weight loss program, so he didn't set it up with calorie limits.

    At one point, when I had used SB before, I tracked my own calorie intake for about a week, just to see how many calories I was getting. I was curious since I never really felt hungry. Then of course since I've joined MFP, I've been tracking my calories too. On Phase 1, I usually average between 1000-1200 calories. I really have to eat every available serving of each food category, including the 1/2 c of beans and both dairy servings (I think one is optional), to get up to 1200 calories for the day. That's one reason that it's not recommended that you continue with Phase 1 for more than 2 weeks -- it's hard to get enough calories!

    Once you've added in the good carbs and fruits allowed in Phase 2, you'll probably be getting 1500-1600 calories a day. So counting calories is pretty much up to you. If it helps you to track your food intake here, go for it (I do -- not so much for the number of calories, but to make sure I'm getting a proper balance between proteins, carbs, and fats, and to track my sugar and fiber intake). But if food tracking is annoying to you, then you don't need to do it -- I've found my calorie intake per day fairly consistent on SB, no matter what I eat (on plan, of course).
  • yellowrose5321
    yellowrose5321 Posts: 111 Member
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    Hi and Welcome to all the new people who posted this week. I've had a really busy week, and haven't been on to check on post or log my food or anything. Glad the weekend is finally here!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

    Hope you all drop by here and let us know how you're doing. I found when I was on SB before that I did much better if I popped onto the thread every day -- just reading the posts from others was very encouraging and made me feel more motivated. And, of course, when things weren't going well, there was always someone else who had experienced the same thing and could offer support and encouragement. So come back often and let us know how you're doing!

    The week of Valentine's Day, I had other celebrations to go to as well -- my daughter's bday and a baby shower. I didn't do as badly as I could have with my eating, but I still had several pieces of Valentine's candy and a couple of pieces of cake that week. I thought I could just go back to my Phase 2 eating plan this week, but I've struggled a lot with cravings this week -- chocolate and, for some reason, Mexican food! So I'm back on Phase 1 -- at least for a few days -- to see if that will put a stop to the cravings.

    Have a "beachy" day!! :drinker:
    Linda
  • qwills2cats
    qwills2cats Posts: 108 Member
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    Today is Day 5 of phase 1 for me and I know the scale is moving down.

    I didn't expect it to be this hard because I have been dieting and staying fairly low carb for quite awhile now. I have lost over 60 lbs but haven't been able to kick these last 15 or 20 lbs. I have been following the South Beach phase 1 strictly and finally yesterday I felt bettter. I don't think I realized just how much my little cheats were adding up. So looking forward to a great number on the scale on Monday.
  • qwills2cats
    qwills2cats Posts: 108 Member
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    Just to update: One week ago scale was 162 and today it was 154! That is 3 lbs lighter than my lowest weigh in so far and 8 lbs in a week. So here's to another week of phase 1 and hoping I can break into the 140s.

    I did cheat one time when I went out to eat for a family birthday but not by too much and I got right back on the diet track.
  • yellowrose5321
    yellowrose5321 Posts: 111 Member
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    Just to update: One week ago scale was 162 and today it was 154! That is 3 lbs lighter than my lowest weigh in so far and 8 lbs in a week. So here's to another week of phase 1 and hoping I can break into the 140s.

    I did cheat one time when I went out to eat for a family birthday but not by too much and I got right back on the diet track.
    Whoo-hoo!!! Congratulations qwills2cats!!

    Yes, the little cheats have a tendency to sneak up on you -- portion sizes too. Every time I get serious about SB, I weigh and measure my food meticulously. But after a while, I slack off and just start eyeballing portion sizes. It's amazing how those portions expand over time if you not pay attention to them.

    Another thing you might look into as you get closer to your goal -- changing up your exercise routine. I'm assuming that's you in your profile pic. If walking/jogging is your only form of exercise and you've been doing it all this time (60+ lbs -- that's fantastic!!), you may need to shake things up a bit to get those last few lbs off. I'm a walker, and twice now on SB I've lost right at 40 lbs, but then it stops. Now I know that my body has gotten accustomed to the walking, so even thought I may speed it up a bit (there's only so fast that these legs will go :smile: ), I'm not burning as many calories as I was in the beginning because it's not a challenge anymore. This time, I've gotten serious about the strength training (at least 3 times a week) -- still walking on off days -- but I'm interested to see what happens when I get to that 40 lb threshhold again!

    Keep up the good work!
    Linda
  • VikkiGettingFit
    VikkiGettingFit Posts: 30
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    I'm so glad to find this thread! I've been very successful with South Beach in the past (lost about 30 pounds), then veered off for a while (luckily didn't gain much back). I'm working on South Beach again now and am using MFP to keep an eye on what I'm eating. I try to just watch that I'm eating the right kind of carbs, not too much fat, and mostly whole foods instead of processed. I weigh in tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing the scale move again!
  • VikkiGettingFit
    VikkiGettingFit Posts: 30
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    Well that stinks that it isn't free, but it would be nice to get some meal ideas because I get so bored when I eat the same thing over and over!
    There is a website -- www. kalynskitchen.com -- that has a lot of recipes on it that are SB friendly. She even notes which phase of SB they're appropriate for.

    Love that website! I use kalynskitchen.com all the time to find new, easy recipes that are SBD friendly.
  • yellowrose5321
    yellowrose5321 Posts: 111 Member
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    I'm so glad to find this thread! I've been very successful with South Beach in the past (lost about 30 pounds), then veered off for a while (luckily didn't gain much back). I'm working on South Beach again now and am using MFP to keep an eye on what I'm eating. I try to just watch that I'm eating the right kind of carbs, not too much fat, and mostly whole foods instead of processed. I weigh in tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing the scale move again!
    Hi Vikki~ That sounds like me -- I've really been serious about SB twice; lost 40 lbs the 1st time (then gained 30 back), then lost 30 the 2nd time. That's where I seem to hit a sticking point. I'm really focusing on strength training this time. Before I was walking everyday -- a lot -- but after that 1st 30-40 lbs, it didn't seem to be having much effect. Hoping the strength training will move me past that bump in the road this time!!

    Check in here whenever you have a chance and let us know how you're doing!
    Linda
  • AmyMcDonald808
    AmyMcDonald808 Posts: 41
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    Just wanted to tell you guys I finished phase one this past sunday and lost 10 lbs! I love this diet but I am worried about gaining by adding in good carbs (starting with 1 serving a day). I have read enough to see that it works tho, just at a slower rate.
  • kelfly
    kelfly Posts: 15 Member
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    My husband and I started South Beach today. I think he'll do OK on it, but I've been searching for recipes to get me through phase one and am not having much luck. Thought you guys could help me out. I can't stand eggs or ricotta, and eat very little meat (really don't care for anything beef, but can tolerate small amounts of poultry and seafood). Breakfast is going to be the hardest. I made the veggie Quiche cups for breakfast today and put in a ton of different veggies, but I just couldn't get past the egg taste/texture. My breakfast usually consists of a Chobani Greek fruit yogurt, but I know fruit is out for 2 weeks. I bought some plain greek yogurt, but.... I can probably get through lunch for 2 weeks with salads (I'll add some thin sliced approved lunch meat to it), veggie chili, and soups. Dinner may be OK. But I really need help with Breakfast so I'm not starving and end up snacking on 'bad' foods!
  • AmyMcDonald808
    AmyMcDonald808 Posts: 41
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    Kelly for breakfast you could try having celery and peanut butter with some low fat or fat free cottage cheese. Another idea is leftovers from the night before but I usually use that as my lunch for the next day. Make sure you eat lots of legumes if your not eating much meat. Cucumbers and ranch with turkey rolled up with a low fat cheese might be a good option too. I know these dont sound very "breakfasty" but its only for two weeks then you can add in a whole grain for breakfast and have more variety. I usually have kashi go lean cereal with low fat milk or an english muffin with fat free cream cheese and a side of sauteed mushrooms. Best of luck to you.
  • kelfly
    kelfly Posts: 15 Member
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    Thanks for the ideas...
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
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    For some odd reason I keep ending up with high sugar and fat numbers on my diary every day. don't understand why! What should our numbers be?
  • clschaan
    clschaan Posts: 16
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    hello everyone .. i'm new .. day two of phase one!
  • MissEmilie2011
    MissEmilie2011 Posts: 27 Member
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    Hi everyone! I'm 1WK1Day into Phase 1. I've only lost about 3lbs, but I figure it's because I've started running in the past 2 months and I'm building muscle. I can tell my clothes are looser, but not seeing it on the scale is a little depressing. I'm still moving forward though and I just hope that the pounds will soon start coming off quickly. Luckily, I'm not an extremely picky eater and most of the recipes in the SBD book have been great. Any other recipes or tips would be greatly appreciated.
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    Recipes and tips:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group
  • healthybabs
    healthybabs Posts: 600 Member
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    Hi All - Glad I found this thread. I am on day 11 of SB Phase I and I am down about 6 lbs so far. Feeling great, no SB "flu" but I was eating pretty healthy before this. I am 54 and have been on MFP for about a year or so and another site before this. I am going to get back to looking thru all this great input and seek out some new friends for SB support. Please add me if you are willing to provide support and would like some in return whether you are a newbie or a long termer. Just give me a heads up that you are a "Beacher" when you friend request me so jog my memory.

    I am a little nervous to move into Phase 2 next week. Seems a little extreme to add in 3 fruits and 3 starches a day all at the same time. Thoughts?

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