Is the South Beach Diet a good idea?

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Replies

  • Keane2baMsed
    Keane2baMsed Posts: 5 Member
    The only 'diet' that is good for you is a healthy balanced one.

    Plenty of fruit and veg, protein and carbs and minimal saturated fat and sugar and lots of water and you cant go far wrong.

    14 lbs in 2 weeks sounds great on paper but it is primarily a quick fix and not sustainable. People that lose lots of weight on these diets tend to put it all back on and then some once they eat 'normally' again.

    Eat a healthy balanced diet and get some exercise that's all you need to do :)
  • crawford4398
    crawford4398 Posts: 441 Member
    Just Wanted to ADD, I Love the SBD, A few years back i was training for boxing and really needed to beef up i lost 20 lbs and 2 % body fat in 30 days, the body toning was Amazing !! Good news is i haven`t gained any of that back and have some pretty Great definition still.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    The only 'diet' that is good for you is a healthy balanced one.

    Plenty of fruit and veg, protein and carbs and minimal saturated fat and sugar and lots of water and you cant go far wrong.

    14 lbs in 2 weeks sounds great on paper but it is primarily a quick fix and not sustainable. People that lose lots of weight on these diets tend to put it all back on and then some once they eat 'normally' again.

    Eat a healthy balanced diet and get some exercise that's all you need to do :)
    Do you know anything about the south beach diet? You just described it when you said "Plenty of fruit and veg, protein and carbs and minimal saturated fat and sugar and lots of water and you cant go far wrong."
    In fact with the exception of the hot cross bun you ate, it's pretty much what you ate yesterday, except without restricting you to 1280 calories.

    And as we know MOST folks who lose "lots of weight" on any weight loss regimen tend to gain it back. Even good ole calorie counting.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Just Wanted to ADD, I Love the SBD, A few years back i was training for boxing and really needed to beef up i lost 20 lbs and 2 % body fat in 30 days, the body toning was Amazing !! Good news is i haven`t gained any of that back and have some pretty Great definition still.
    Fabulous!
  • raeless2011
    raeless2011 Posts: 18 Member
    A few years back, I went on the SBD. I really liked it, but unfortunately fell back into old habits. I currently just use MFP and keep under my carb and calorie allotment. I still prepare some of the foods that SBD had in the book. It is a low glycemic diet.
  • raeless2011
    raeless2011 Posts: 18 Member
    You will probably lose a fair amount in the first week.
  • kittyx2
    kittyx2 Posts: 33 Member
    I'm thinking that SBD is too carb restrictive for me after trying it for a few days. I have felt sick on it the entire time. I have dropped 5 lbs (pretty much fluid) in trying it, but I've been so sick, weak & had a migraine since Saturday that this morning I had some carbohydrates with breakfast.

    I'm going to try & maybe just modify my eating so that I'm eating only healthy carbs & always with a protein when I eat them. I have to have enough energy to exercise.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm thinking that SBD is too carb restrictive for me after trying it for a few days. I have felt sick on it the entire time. I have dropped 5 lbs (pretty much fluid) in trying it, but I've been so sick, weak & had a migraine since Saturday that this morning I had some carbohydrates with breakfast.

    I'm going to try & maybe just modify my eating so that I'm eating only healthy carbs & always with a protein when I eat them. I have to have enough energy to exercise.
    too carb restrictive? How so? It's not a low carb diet! What information are you following?
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I'm thinking that SBD is too carb restrictive for me after trying it for a few days. I have felt sick on it the entire time. I have dropped 5 lbs (pretty much fluid) in trying it, but I've been so sick, weak & had a migraine since Saturday that this morning I had some carbohydrates with breakfast.

    I'm going to try & maybe just modify my eating so that I'm eating only healthy carbs & always with a protein when I eat them. I have to have enough energy to exercise.
    too carb restrictive? How so? It's not a low carb diet! What information are you following?

    The first phase is definitely restrictive, but it is not necessary for following the general principles. As long as you had whole grains with your breakfast, you are still well within the scope.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm thinking that SBD is too carb restrictive for me after trying it for a few days. I have felt sick on it the entire time. I have dropped 5 lbs (pretty much fluid) in trying it, but I've been so sick, weak & had a migraine since Saturday that this morning I had some carbohydrates with breakfast.

    I'm going to try & maybe just modify my eating so that I'm eating only healthy carbs & always with a protein when I eat them. I have to have enough energy to exercise.
    too carb restrictive? How so? It's not a low carb diet! What information are you following?

    The first phase is definitely restrictive, but it is not necessary for following the general principles. As long as you had whole grains with your breakfast, you are still well within the scope.
    Beans,
    vegetables
    etc.... not enough to feel sick on.
    it's not like it's atkins.
    You don't even count good vegetables!
    OP: if you're sick, just move on to phase 2 (if this is something you want to pursue. the more restrictive phase one is optional.
  • Suzero2013
    Suzero2013 Posts: 1
    Just curious if you kept off the weight.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Just curious if you kept off the weight.
    who are you asking?
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
    I lost 35 lbs on SB in 2003. Since then, I gained back the 35 lbs, plus another 20 lbs. The first two weeks are very restrictive, after that, it was better. The problem is, as with all diets, and I've done them all, you are dieting and not changing your ways. Which makes it a doomed to fail prospect for most people.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I lost 35 lbs on SB in 2003. Since then, I gained back the 35 lbs, plus another 20 lbs. The first two weeks are very restrictive, after that, it was better. The problem is, as with all diets, and I've done them all, you are dieting and not changing your ways. Which makes it a doomed to fail prospect for most people.

    It is meant to be about transforming your diet, as in your eating habits.

    My partner's diet would be a good example of phase three as general healthy living for someone whose only weight concern has ever been being borderline underweight. He chose those way of eating as a means of combatting the four o'clock slump at work and has been eating this way for two years.

    I, on the other hand, spent part of that time stopping at McDs for lunch while eating healthy at home.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I lost 35 lbs on SB in 2003. Since then, I gained back the 35 lbs, plus another 20 lbs. The first two weeks are very restrictive, after that, it was better. The problem is, as with all diets, and I've done them all, you are dieting and not changing your ways. Which makes it a doomed to fail prospect for most people.
    I never did SB.The ONE time I "dieted" was about transformation. I read many things, and adopted many principles from SB and the Mediterranean diet. And, after I lost 25lbs. I kept the principles. That was ten years ago....
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    No
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    In my opinion if it has the word "diet" in it... it isn't good.

    Stick to your cal deficit and watch what you eat. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet to drop a few (and gain back!)

    ^ this...

    everyone is always trying the chicken diet, or the this diet, or that diet and they lose like 10 pounds and then gain it back. Why? Because they did not make the right lifestyle changes to have long term gains. Eat in a deficit, work out, and watch macros...you will lose weight and keep it off...

    The south beach diet just wants you to spend money on all their bars, shakes, and other crap ....
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    In my opinion if it has the word "diet" in it... it isn't good.

    Stick to your cal deficit and watch what you eat. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet to drop a few (and gain back!)

    ^ this...

    everyone is always trying the chicken diet, or the this diet, or that diet and they lose like 10 pounds and then gain it back. Why? Because they did not make the right lifestyle changes to have long term gains. Eat in a deficit, work out, and watch macros...you will lose weight and keep it off...

    The south beach diet just wants you to spend money on all their bars, shakes, and other crap ....
    Everyone on here is on a diet. Some just have names.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    No
    why?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    In my opinion if it has the word "diet" in it... it isn't good.

    Stick to your cal deficit and watch what you eat. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet to drop a few (and gain back!)

    ^ this...

    everyone is always trying the chicken diet, or the this diet, or that diet and they lose like 10 pounds and then gain it back. Why? Because they did not make the right lifestyle changes to have long term gains. Eat in a deficit, work out, and watch macros...you will lose weight and keep it off...

    The south beach diet just wants you to spend money on all their bars, shakes, and other crap ....
    Everyone on here is on a diet. Some just have names.

    I think the point is that everyone is looking for some "quick diet" that is going to magically erase five years of bad eating in a month and that is not going to happen..it took five years to get out of shape/fat and it is going to take more than one month to get back in shape and melt off the excess...

    I am not on a diet..I just eat up to my macros, eat in deficit, and lift....what diet is that?

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