South Beach Question

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KandisV
KandisV Posts: 26
in Health and Weight Loss
Just completed day 4 of South Beach Diet (phase 1) and feel pretty good. Surprisingly not hungry. I've been following the recommended meal plans & logging my food intake but the end of day journal keeps telling me I have too few calories. I'm following Phase 1 (which is for 14 days) of South Beach & not hungry, so should I worry about not getting enough calories right now?

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  • janimei
    janimei Posts: 105 Member
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    MFP calorie/nutrition values are not based on the South Beach diet. I would not be surprised if they don't mesh.
    If your doctor has told you to follow South Beach, then continue, under supervision.
    Personally, I consider Atkins and South Beach to be fad diets designed to sell books, but that's just my nonexpert view.
    My doctor told me to cut out all grains and white potatoes (fewer carbs than I had been eating, but no drastically low carb limit). I haven't had any trouble meeting my calorie requirements.
    Clarification: By "end of day journal," are you referring to MFP or to a South Beach journal?
  • KandisV
    KandisV Posts: 26
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    Yes, I realize that the MFP values are not based on the SBD...I don't have a SB journal (?)
    For the record, I bought the book for .50 at a used bookstore so they didn't make any money off me :-)
    My Dr. recommended it over a year ago saying she has seen lots of success in her patients because it is pretty simple to follow and is was "nutritionally sound". I am not someone who is into "fad diets"....it just seemed pretty logical--don't eat crap.
    SBD encourages mostly lean proteins, a bit of lean dairy, & lots of veggies--not totally carb restricted, you do get some complex carbs from veggies. Once you get to phase 2 after 14 days you re-introduce some whole grains and fruits (those with low glycemic index). I was just looking for a little insight---sorry I asked.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    When I was doing Phase 1 I very seldom reached my caloric goal that MFP had set. When you are eating only lean meat and vegetables it is really hard to eat a lot of calories.

    Actually my wife set up a SB account and SB gave her almost 2,000 calories to start out with. This was 800 higher than MFP gave her so she really had a hard time hitting the SB goal but she did strike a happy medium.
  • 4myboyz25
    4myboyz25 Posts: 8 Member
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    I agree while I was on phase one I never reached my MFP calories, So do not worry, I also believe South Beach is a the was to go if you want to have a heathy Lifestyle especially if you have a family history of diabetes ( like i do), nothing wrong with being preventative and watching sugar and avoiding bad carbs, which is what South Beach is all about!
  • lizyork27
    lizyork27 Posts: 2
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    I too am in SBD Phase 1 (also recommended by my doctor) and absolutely cannot get up to the calories MFP is recommending. I have noticed on the days I exercise I am hungrier. Hope this helps. :)
  • kethry70
    kethry70 Posts: 404 Member
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    SBD is not fad and is medically sound - esp for those needing a pre-diabetic type diet. I believe healthy fats and nuts are allowed on phase one, right? Try adding a serving of nuts or no-sugar-added nut butters to your diet- or maybe avocado? They are both nutritionally and calorically dense. But, I seriously doubt 2 weeks of LCD will destroy your metabolism :)
  • Big_Bad
    Big_Bad Posts: 57
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    As someone who used to SB and did phase 1 several times, I would very much recommend against it. Everyone I know who's done it gained back the weight almost immediatly after stopping, including myself. I realize now that I lost mostly water weight. Do yourself a favor and try calorie counting and strength training. It will be slower but the lbs are much more likely to stay off.
  • nleighp
    nleighp Posts: 117 Member
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    It's quite the same with raw vegans and some types of vegetarianism. Vegetables have a low calorie count. Additionally when you're only having a limited amount of low fat dairy and lean meats you're not going to bring in a high calorie count. Just make sure you're eating a diverse range of foods.

    I found with the South Beach Diet that I lost a lot of weight (50+ pounds) but I was eating the same 5-8 vegetables and fruits which left me nutritionally deficient in some of the minerals and vitamins I needed.

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