South Beach diet

Loved South Beach! Not doing it currently (at least not to the letter), but have not had anything but positive experiences with it. Some people complain of being hungry during the first phase, but I never had that issue. And it's actually pretty easy to stick to when you are in a restaurant.

Yes I did a while ago. I went on it after a life threatening medical issue made me realise just how heavy I was. I used South Beach and then a Good Carbs Good Fats diet to lose 3 stone, I lost it very fast but got fed up of not being able to have sandwiches etc - I did stick to it for around a year. I then lost a further stone doing Rosemary Conley and kept the weight off for around a year. I then stopped being unhappily married and became happily in a relationship with my dream man and stopped going to the gym and watching what I ate and put weight back on. Dream man and I are now very happily married and are both using MFP to get back in shape. This time I am just calorie counting and exercising rather than doing a particular diet.

It works great for weight loss, however, the best plan is always one you can stick to for life. If you can live with reduced carbs/grains forever, then it would work.

I've lost weight very quickly on it, but realized that I wasn't ready to live a life without ice cream or birthday cake.

it says in "phase 1" elimate ALMOST all the carbs, what carbs dont you eliminate?

Vegetables actually have carbs. So do nuts. What South Beach tries to get you to eliminate - or drastically cut back on - ultimately are the crappy processed carbs (like white flour) and sugar.

South Beach and similar plans like Sonoma rock!

I lost 20% of my bodyweight on it back in 2003 and kept it off for 2 years until I got pregnant with #2. Went back on after he was born, and lost all the pregnancy weight within 6 weeks of weaning him. Kept it off for another year until I got pregnant with #3. Went back on after she was born, and again lost all the pregnancy weight within 6 weeks of weaning her. Kept it off a year, then some stressful life circumstances caused me to fall off the wagon & re-gain 15 lbs. Went back on as of January 1st and lost 9 of those lbs. before plateauing.

I switched to Dukan on March 30th (which is like South Beach on steroids) because my SIL is getting married on June 4th and I want to wear a particular dress from my closet. Dukan helped me blast through the plateau. I don't think that I'll be able to stick to it long-term like I did South Beach/Sonoma, but I can do it another month.

You have to really understand and follow the plan to make it through the first phase. In phase one you can eat lean protein, one serving of nuts per day, vegetables (except carrots, potatoes and corn), one or two lf dairy, and a couple servings of legumes per day. Vegetables, dairy and legumes all have carbs in them. It is about what type.

I have done it, and have lost a lot of weight.

In phase 2, you start the first week adding ONE serving of whole grain or fruit per day, week 2 adding two, until you get to about 4 per day total.

For me, it is hard to maintain. I end up royally crashing off the wagon and trying to "go back Monday". On a plan like MFP, I can eat like that most days, and have days where I have five servings of grains, carbs or candy, and not feel like I have blown it.

I've lost weight very quickly on it, but realized that I wasn't ready to live a life without ice cream or birthday cake.

You don't have to entirely. You can have the occasional small slice of birthday cake so long as the rest of your diet is healthy. It's not an "all or nothing" type thing.

From the "South Beach Diet" book pg. 114:

This particular dieter could've indulged his sweet tooth all day long at the family picnic, and the next morning gone back on the diet. That's how plenty of people operate: they'll give in to temptation on special occasions- a wedding, say, or on vacation, or a fancy dinner - and then made up for it the next day. On this diet, you can easily fall off the wagon, find that you've put on a pound or two, and easily backtrack to Phase 1 until you lose what you've gained.

You just can't have cake with ice cream every single day (even if it's Weight Watchers brand).