Doc Recommends South Beach

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kluinstra1
kluinstra1 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

New to MFP and need some help. I had an appt with my doc today and she is recommending South Beach, or any diet that limits carbs to 60g per day. Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work? Thanks!

Kelly

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    Hi all,

    New to MFP and need some help. I had an appt with my doc today and she is recommending South Beach, or any diet that limits carbs to 60g per day. Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work? Thanks!

    Kelly

    Did your doctor tell you why you need to be limiting carbs so severely?
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
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    Sugarfree Quick & Easy:

    http://www.amazon.com/Sugarfree-Quick-Deanie-Comeaux-Bahan/dp/0966080416/

    And I'm sure there are some South Beach recipe books out there.
    Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work?

    The short answer is "education, determination and commitment".
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    Hi all,

    New to MFP and need some help. I had an appt with my doc today and she is recommending South Beach, or any diet that limits carbs to 60g per day. Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work? Thanks!

    Kelly

    any particular reason for strict carb reduction?
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    marksdailyapple.com
  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
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    My husband's doc recommended South Beach. I disagreed only because I don't think it's a realistic lifestyle change, it's a diet. At least from what I've read in the book I purchased on the subject. However, I am being supportive of my husband's efforts on South Beach and he has had great results. He's lost 13 pounds so far.

    His doc didn't set a limit on carbs, however, when you eat the South Beach method, you will naturally consume fewer carbs. I have no idea how many my husband is consuming because he's not tracking. He's just focusing on eating "phase one" most of the time with the occasional venture into "phase two" or off plan altogether. He's not being rigid.

    If you can afford it, or one is available to you, I would suggest consulting with a dietician regarding what's best for YOU to lose weight (if that's your goal) and maintain a healthy lifestyle. They will help you develop a nutrition plan that's sustainable.

    This is just my humble opinion. I do not have any formal education in this area to back up my opinions.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    Did your doctor tell you why you need to be limiting carbs so severely?

    I would ask this too. Do you have diabetes or anything in your family? My doctor recommended South Beach for me too. For two reasons 1) I'm at risk for diabetes because it runs in my family 2) I was whining I wanted to lose the weight quickly lol

    Usually lowering your carbs you will see a faster drop in weight BUT (and its a big but) for a lot of people its hard to maintain. Which does no good if you stay under 60 carbs for 3 days and then binge on pizza on day 4 going over not only your carbs but your calories.

    Just my 2 cents. Unless there is a medical reason you need to cut your carbs I suggest just watching calories and once you get that down, then maybe tackle of the carb thing if you want. (you may not need to, I lost 70lbs just following MFP. Would have kept it off if I didn't leave MFP for over a year)
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
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    Hi all,

    New to MFP and need some help. I had an appt with my doc today and she is recommending South Beach, or any diet that limits carbs to 60g per day. Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work? Thanks!

    Kelly

    You can set MFP to show you the carbs in what you eat, if you want to know. You can go to "goals" and customize.

    As for reducing down to 60g carbs, simply avoiding flour and added sugar will get you almost all of the way there...which is basically South Beach (keep your veggies and servings of fruit, avoid highly refined carbs such as white flour and white sugar). If you have symptoms of insulin resistance, this may be why the doctor suggested it to you.
  • mrs_mab
    mrs_mab Posts: 1,024 Member
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    My father-in-law just, who just turned 70, got a the same advice from his doctor recently, said his hemoglobin was up to 6.3 and is potential pre-diabetic.......He is a HOT MESS! We've been telling him for months that his eating habits are CRAP, but he won't listen to anything! :grumble:
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    beyonddiet.com has some fun recipes (membership though). Allrecipes.com has all the nutritional information too and is free. Plan your days out so you can plan what you can eat. The key to sticking to low carb is to work with mostly the leafy greens, limit the higher carb fruits and veggies (you can focus on low GI foods which will help with the low carb goals.

    I try and limit my carbs to no more than 100/day so a little higher, but I find I get better results when I:

    1. Make sure that I'm not just eating carbs (veggies, fruits, grains, anything) at a sitting - or eat one that has a higher fibre count (Apple v. watermelon). Try to combine with a protein. Protein and Fiber will help your body not create an insulin spike
    2. Keep it vegan before dinner (so breakfast and lunch are veggie based - with plant based proteins).
    3. Unprocessed grains with dinner - quinoa, rice, potatoes, corn, etc - in a small portion with a good sized portion of a meat protein and more veggies.
    4. Fruit and dairy I try and keep before noon since they are higher in sugar and I need the extra time to process it through.

    I get between 12-15 servings of veggies a day, but not necessarily tomatoes and cukes and peppers and stuff. These guidelines seem to keep my sugar from spiking and causing insulin instability. I feel better and lose weight when the hormones are stable.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Hi all,

    New to MFP and need some help. I had an appt with my doc today and she is recommending South Beach, or any diet that limits carbs to 60g per day. Anyone have some ideas how to keep Carbs that low or websites that have carb/nutrition info so I can make my lunch and dinner for work? Thanks!

    Kelly

    Did your doctor tell you why you need to be limiting carbs so severely?

    My doctor also recommended South Beach and watching the glycemic index. When I asked why, it's because lots of people can lose weight on it. It's an "easy" way to lose weight. It's not a long term solution for a lot of people. I have tried to cut down on carbs *somewhat*, but I have to do what I can to lose weight that I can continue to do for the rest of my life.

    ETA: I'm reactive hypoglycemic, so I do have huge sugar crashes if I have lots of sugar (especially in drinks and whatnot), but she made the recommendation before I told her that.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
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    There are a lot of resources on the internet for South Beach. I'd recommend pulling some of the phase 1 and phase 2 food lists to see what is on the do and do-not-eat lists to get an idea of how it compares to your current eating habits.
  • unoriginalusername007
    unoriginalusername007 Posts: 83 Member
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    I know this doesn't answer your question, but I highly suggest the South Beach Diet Good to Go Bars in Cinnamon Raisin. They're my favorite. I'm not on that strict diet, but on the go sometimes I eat those, and they're so good! The South Beach Diet company at least has some really tasty food unlike other diet programs :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    My only piece of advice is to PLEASE read the book and get all the information about how exactly this plan works before you start it. Unfortunatly, with this diet and other similar ones like Atkins, there is lots of misinformation out there and many people don't understand what the plan is really about. Yes you restrict carbs but only n the beginning then as you go through the phases, you slowly learn to reintroduce them into your diet and how to choose healthier carbs and eventually get into a more balanced, everything in moderation type of eating.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Keep in mind that most family doctors spend about 15 minutes of their medical education on nutrition and are just as easily influenced by popular media as lay people when it comes to diet recommendations.

    See a Registered Dietician........
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
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    The two previous posts say it all; my cardiologist hates South Beach for his patient' (and the "inventor") is a fellow cardiologist!
    I tried it several years ago...and it is a workable DIET, but not a LIFESTYLE. I lost 60 lbs, got to phase 3 and gained 80#.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
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    If you're not illiterate, it can be a healthy diet plan...
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Diet Doctor has a wonderful resource with everything you need to get started. I've been eating this way for a little over a year now and it's been great. Good luck. :)

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

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