South Beach - need easy meal ideas.

wilberfamily

My husband's doctor recommended he try South Beach. I'm not normally a fan of the restrictive diets but because of his health issues I will give it a try. We have both been trying to lose weight for a while so we are going to do the next two weeks as a team. I need easy meal ideas for phase one if anyone has done South Beach before. Thanks!

lyttlewon

Their cook books are super great. The Quick and Easy cookbook has some fantastic recipes.

AZKristi

The breakfast muffins are good.. basically just omelettes baked in muffin shape add tons of veggies for filling

honu18

I haven't done South Beach specifically, but I was put on a diet that mimics it mostly for PCOS treatment. I'm not going to lie, being a carb lover and getting most of my calories from carbs going to phase 1 was not the easiest thing. I was extremely insatiably hungry for the first 2 days, no matter how much I ate, but I came to realize that was 'false hunger' and carbohydrate cravings at their finest. Once you get through, say 2-3 days, you no longer are hungry and realize how much eating carbs has made you feel hungry.

Anyways- that's not what you asked for haha. I'm not exactly the most imaginative chef, but I'm a graduate student and my meals are quick and on the go, and here's what I had:

Breakfast- eggs and other breakfast meats (bacon, sausage, etc) basically are your best friend here. Unless you want to eat grilled chicken for breakfast. Omelettes with veggies & cheese are great too. Feta/spinach is my favorite combination. I also had some peanut butter (all natural, no sugar), or nuts for breakfast.
Snacks: nuts became a food group of their own for me. I know you're not supposed to have that much fat (I don't think), and nuts still have some carbs, but in terms of convenience, they work for me. Hard boiled eggs are great too.
Lunch/Dinner: Have big salads and throw any veggies in it you want. Or a lean protein paired with some non-starchy veggies (think greens- no corn, potatoes, basically nothing that grows below ground. Although I love carrots). For dressing, use olive oil/lemon juice, or for me, I like hummus as a salad dressing.

WinwillLose

I would definitely get the cookbook, this diet fails because people get in a food rut. If you get tired of eggs for breakfast try Cottage cheese, with a little sweetener w/ cinnamon with some chopped nuts. And take a look at the South Beach super charged, it adds just a few items in that aren't in the original book...like milk.

Grill meat and veggies a lot and a variety. Play with veggies in stir fry, I've discover Bock Choy and kale work in stir fry along with the normal favorites just stay away from the carrots in phase 1. Get the book and then plan your menu and shop for the week....toss the crap from you pantry that you can't have. And resolve yourself to eating in for the 1st week. It's really important to get through the 1st two weeks.

And don't substitute the carbs with over indulging in fat, if you have nuts for a snack know the portions ( sometimes you will want two servings, just know you are eating two servings) . I've just finished my first month and I feel great, and everyone is commenting. Tracking on here has really kept me focused.

Good lucks, it really works if you follow it. And if you fall off for a meal, don't make it the whole day or the whole weekend. Go for an extra walk and burn off the carbs you should not have eaten. I'm in phase 2 now, but I try to stick closer to phase one for dinner so that the carbs don't slow down the calorie burn at night.

WinwillLose

And if you have kids, eating a few extra salads instead of pasta and rice will not kill them.

smittenkitten4

I've been on South Beach since the end of June, and to tell you the truth I don't find it restrictive at all. Yes, sometimes it's hard to find something on a restaurant menu that fits the parameters, but it is worth that small trouble for how much healthier I am and how much better I feel. Phase 1 was really hard for me, and the first couple of days I wasn't able to stick to it completely but I kept trying and ended up doing 19 days total. I don't crave empty calories anymore for the most part - the food I eat is more satisfying than what I used to get at the drive-thru. Even now that I'm on Phase 2 and allowed more carbs, most of the time it's protein and veggies for me. The mashed cauliflower "potatoes" in the South Beach book are really a great substitute.

As far as meal suggestions go, here are a few things I do:
I cook a bunch of hard-boiled eggs and breakfast meat (turkey bacon, turkey sausage, Canadian bacon, etc.) and keep them in zip-loc bags in the fridge so I can eat breakfast without having to cook. I found I really didn't like the baked egg cups.

I also cook most of my meals on one or two nights, or at least get the main course done so all I have to make is vegetables to go with it. I also sometimes make more servings of a meal than I will need for the week, and freeze the extras either for lunches or for times when I don't feel like cooking.

I recommend getting all of the books - the original, super-charged, the dining-out guide, and any of the cookbooks. Most are available for a few dollars each (used) on amazon. There's also a blog called Kalyn's Kitchen ((www.kalynskitchen.com) that has a ton of recipes for all phases.

Small changes like using mustard instead of mayo can really make a difference too, and like someone else said one bad food decision shouldn't derail your lifestyle. On our anniversary, my fiance and I split an order of au gratin potatoes at Ruth's Chris (plus we each had a steak and other things), and I still lost 2 pounds that week.

starfishme81

There's also a blog called Kalyn's Kitchen ((www.kalynskitchen.com) that has a ton of recipes for all phases.

^^^^^This blog has some amazing recipes! Made the Layered Mexican Casserole tonight and it was delish!^^^^

wilberfamily

I just ordered some cookbooks off amazon. Thanks for all the tips

knittingbandmom

I just got a call from my doctor's office and while my good cholesterol is good my bad cholesterol is really bad. She suggested I go on a "Modified Atkins" or South Beach diet to try and push down my overall cholesterol. My son's doctors have basically told him to lose weight, period, He's only 18 but has about 100 pounds to lose. South Beach is the plan I've chosen and you guys have posted some excellent ideas here. I'm a carb freak so this "ain't gonna be pretty".

Is there a group or daily thread where you guys keep in touch with each other?