Has anyone done South Beach Diet?

nrojas

Hello,

I am very curious about the South Beach Diet. I was wondering if anyone has done it and can give me tips. Is it a healthy diet to follow? are you able to eat 1200 calories on veggies and protein? any info would be good.

Thank you

jmarie9

I hope I don't come off as rude, but don't get sucked into a fad diet.

Check out Michale Pollan's book Food Rules

Seven Words:

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

and

Seven Simple Rules:

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.

2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.

3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.

4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.

5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"

6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.

7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

you know what is healthy, rely on what you know.

erinlindsay

hey!! I tryed the south beach diet a couple of years ago.
Overall, the food I ate was pretty good. The phase 1 is easier than it sounds if you eat the right foods.
I didn't notice any weight loss, and I didn't count the calories at this point, but it does seem like a really healthy diet and it is worth a shot.

Here are some tips on what foods to eat in phase one:

-Add cashews (or any kind of nut you like) to your salad...
-The ricotta recipes are sooooo good (in the book ..its just 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, tspoon vanilla, and 2 packets sweetner)
-A really good supper: fish with melted mozzarella cheese on top and tomatoes w a bit of pepper.

Let me know how this goes for you! When I get home I might try it again!

suejonestx

About the South Beach...it does work, but you have to ask yourself if you want to eat that way for the rest of your life? I tried it, and it does work, but I found that it wasn't realistic for me to avoid carbs for the rest of my life. Foods like whole grain breads and brown rice are rich in nutrition, and your body needs good carbs. If you have a medical reason for losing weight or if you are ready to commit for life, it might be the diet for you. Otherwise, slowly losing weight through healthy eating and exercise is a much better choice, IMO. Yes, I'd like a quick fix, but getting to my goal weight the healthy way is worth waiting for.....

MissingMinnesota

When I did south beach a couple years ago it allowed you in I think it was phase 3 to have complex carbs, fruits, brown rice, whole grains. I lost about 30 lbs on it in 4 months but I fell off it after 4 months since I wasn't ready to for the change in diet and my family was always asking me "can you eat this, can you eat that?" during a holiday dinner that I just threw up my hands and went back to my fast food ways. South beach is much better for you then Atkins since it doesn't promote you to eat all the protein you want. It should be lean protein.

Steph_135

I haven't tried South Beach, but I read the book, and it reminded me a lot of Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (which I did try) and Atkins. On The CAD I lost 10 lbs in 4 weeks and gained it all immediately back when I started to eat again, cause I was starving! I think they actually promote ketosis, which (correct me if I'm wrong) is when the body goes into starvation mode. I can't remember which book actually said it, but they're all more or less the same.

The bottom line is, you could try it if you want, but I'm not very optimistic. Check out something by Bob Greene instead, who encourages healthy eating and exercise. I like Bob. You can message me anytime if you'd like encouragement.

AnnieeR

I tried it some time ago and it didn't work for me, largely for some of the reasons others have mentioned - it wasn't something I felt I could do indefinitely, it was a bit too restrictive, and because I don't like much meat I struggled to get enough protein and with such low carbes I often felt quite weak.

Something similar that has worked for me in the past and appears to be working again is Low GI/GL. My only "rule" is to avoid white/simple carbs and sugar. I don't have a sweet tooth at all so that obviously helps me stick with it, but I find that brown bread, brown rice, brown pasta, etc. really works - it's higher in fibre and it fills you up faster and for longer and you don't get the sugar peaks and valleys that you get with simple/white carbs.... I'd highly recommend a quick look at Patrick Holford's books for more detail.... The only part that can be a bit onerous is the label reading and trying to avoid hidden sugar.

ruby1025

My sister has the recipe books and loves the food, but it is super expensive for many of the good recipes. I could be wrong. But she has to back off after two weeks as it hurts the pocket book.