South Beach Diet success any tips just got the book today please be positive
Divamomma
Posts: 66 Member
hi I just recently returned to my Fitness Pal and trying to find a healthy lifestyle change that works for me and thinking about trying the South Beach Diet just got the book today was wondering about success stories& tips Thanks;)
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Divamomma,
No matter what diet you choose, you need to make sure you eat less calories than you burn in order to lose weight. I suggest getting a food scale, weighing your food, and logging everything you eat. If you exercise, eat about half of your calories back, especially if you get your calories burns from gym machines or the MFP database because those amounts are overstated.
The only magic any diet has is the magic you give it based on your own personal preference.0 -
Thanks this very helpful. I appreciate it very much thank you please feel free to add me if you like:)0
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In the first stage of The South Beach Diet, you can't eat fruit which supplies a lot of your potassium. If you do end up with low blood potassium, you could start getting very painful muscle cramps. If this happens, you can buy a potassium supplement at the pharmacy to help.0
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Any plan where you are in a deficient works. If you follow it 100% of the time. It is when you do it for 2 days, then the 3rd, eat something not on the plan or over your calories, then get back on it, for 1 day, then the 5th have "cheat meal". Then it doesn't work. You have to ask yourself if you can do this kind of plan forever. If so, great. More power to you, 100%. Not 98%, not 49%.
I have 2 friends that are Type 2 Diabetics and are talking about doing Atkins, which is a good idea for health in the long run (if you aren't worried about a heart attack) - if you can follow it for life. If you can't NEVER eat cake, cookies, candy, pasta, rice etc for the rest of your life you need to figure out a way to eat that you can enjoy those things in moderation.
Diets, in whole, are typically used for a short period of time. Ways of eating are for life. Be honest to yourself if you can do this forever. If not, look into IIFYM.
Good luck!0 -
The only magic any diet has is the magic you give it based on your own personal preference.
This. If you find it helpful to have a structure to get started, my understanding is that the SB structure isn't a bad one (lots of whole foods, protein, vegetables) and could well give you some meal ideas and habits to build on going forward, but remember how the diet part of it works is how any other diet works, by cutting calories. So go for it but make sure you learn what you can about what works and doesn't work for you, what you like, so on, and don't feel like there's some magic to particular formulas (like food combinations or macro ratios) or anything like that.
Also pay attention when you log and maybe look back over your logs every week. It's really helpful to connect what you eat with how you feel and (especially if you are a beginner in this kind of thing) see where your calories are coming from, what foods are giving you protein or fiber or the like, so on.0 -
Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?0
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The only difference in eating low carb out of need vs want is whether or not you can stick to it. Low carb, regardless of the plan you follow doesn't HAVE to be boring but it can be. Try new foods or cook old foods differently. Remember that substitutes, think cauliflower crust pizza, will NOT be the same as the real stuff but it can be a good trade off. I've actually gotten to the point where I prefer low carb alternatives because they taste better and I feel better. Good luck to you and feel free to friend me if want low carb friends.0
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I credit SB diet with helping me learn how to eat healthy. I had started a mediterranean approach, lost the weight, and then the SB book came out.
I read it, and the updated book.
I incorporated many of its principles and my diet looks quite a bit like phase 3.
It's a great way to learn (and a nice approach if you don't like calorie counting).
Don't worry about missing potassium if you choose to do the optional 2 week phase one.
Leafy greens actually have more potassium than most fruits. Don't worry about the "low carb" comments. Since it's not a low carb diet.
If SB helps you get into a groove, more power to you.
There's a group. Maybe send some of the folks there a friend request.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8279-south-beach-way-of-life
Best of luck. Feel free to friend me. I don't log and I'm at maintenance, but I do post yummy meal ideas, most of which would be SB friendly.
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why not do SB?0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
That's why.
But, yeah. People should make their own mistakes.
What of all the people who try MFP and quit? Is that a mistake as well?0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
That's why.
But, yeah. People should make their own mistakes.
So why bother trying to count calories? Maybe they won't like THAT and quit.0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
I didn't say she can't. I said why not just eat at a caloric deficit.
My statement was made, because I don't believe in having to give up anything.0 -
I tried it for two weeks and lost about 10 pounds. It was too restrictive for me. I started eating the foods that I could not have before doing the diet and gained almost of all of the weight back. Those diets are good for a jump start. I could not do it for the long haul. Good luck to you0
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I tried it for two weeks and lost about 10 pounds. It was too restrictive for me. I started eating the foods that I could not have before doing the diet and gained almost of all of the weight back. Those diets are good for a jump start. I could not do it for the long haul. Good luck to you
Doesn't sound like a very good jump start to me if you were just about right back where you started from. Sounds more like 2 wasted weeks0 -
You don't believe it for you? Or for everyone on the planet trying to lose weight?Liftng4Lis wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
I didn't say she can't. I said why not just eat at a caloric deficit.
My statement was made, because I don't believe in having to give up anything.0 -
If you're going to choose a non-counting diet, that's a great one. For me, counting calories is never more than a short-term thing. I'd rather eat most of my foods from certain groups and not have to micromanage the calories, plus it has other health benefits over just 'eat all the stuff but count it all'.0
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I tried it for two weeks and lost about 10 pounds. It was too restrictive for me. I started eating the foods that I could not have before doing the diet and gained almost of all of the weight back. Those diets are good for a jump start. I could not do it for the long haul. Good luck to you
Sounds like you glanced at a plan and jumped into it without understanding it. But wow, 10 LBS in two weeks!0 -
Pretty clearSabine_Stroehm wrote: »
You don't believe it for you? Or for everyone on the planet trying to lose weight?Liftng4Lis wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
I didn't say she can't. I said why not just eat at a caloric deficit.
My statement was made, because I don't believe in having to give up anything.
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For you. Got it.Liftng4Lis wrote: »
Pretty clearSabine_Stroehm wrote: »
You don't believe it for you? Or for everyone on the planet trying to lose weight?Liftng4Lis wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »Why not just eat at a caloric deficit?
Why can't she follow SB? It is, after, a calorie deficit plan. Maybe she won't like it and quit. Maybe OP will like it and find it an easy lifestyle and will stick to it. Either way she's learned something new that will most likely benefit her. It almost feels like a taboo for someone to come here and ask about anything but straight CICO. Different people respond well to different methods.
I didn't say she can't. I said why not just eat at a caloric deficit.
My statement was made, because I don't believe in having to give up anything.
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I also credit South Beach Diet for teaching me how to eat healthy and change my whole lifestyle. I can't even say that I'm still on the diet because it's just how I live my life now and have for many years. At 48, I feel better than I ever have and I attribute that to my healthy eating and exercise. Good luck!0
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I also credit South Beach Diet for teaching me how to eat healthy and change my whole lifestyle. I can't even say that I'm still on the diet because it's just how I live my life now and have for many years. At 48, I feel better than I ever have and I attribute that to my healthy eating and exercise. Good luck!
Great news!!!0 -
I actually started my healthier lifestyle about 10 years ago*, with South Beach. It was a great starter as it got me off the refined sugar for one. My husband and I still refer to the cookbooks every once in a while for recipes. We tend to eat the same thing all the time, he lives off of salmon & asparagas and I eat mainly chicken & broccoli. So it is good for us to have some options.
The one thing at first that almost stumped me was the meal plan. I started to complain to my husband about going out and shopping for all the ingredients and all the cooking. He quickly explained that the meal plan is not written in stone. It was thought out to provide variety in your diet. For example, if you like a specific breakfast recipe, you can stick with that one or have the same things for lunch for a while to alleviate that feeling of "oh God, I HAVE to eat this, then I HAVE to eat that."
I still recommend it to people as a starting point. I think you can learn a lot from it and alter your diet all around contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
*I was a women's size 12 pushing into 14, went down to a 10 w/ SB, down to 0/2 when I took up competing and now at a level 4/6 for the past few years. Basically, looking & feeling better at 40 than I was at 30.
Start with something and keep up the good work!
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dlvuyovich wrote: »I actually started my weight loss lifestyle about 10 years ago, with South Beach. It was a great starter as it got me off the refined sugar for one. My husband and I still refer to the cookbooks every once in a while for recipes. We tend to eat the same thing all the time, he lives off of salmon & asparagas and I eat mainly chicken & broccoli. So it is good for us to have some options.
The one thing at first that almost stumped me was the meal plan. I started to complain to my husband about going out and shopping for all the ingredients and all the cooking. He quickly explained that the meal plan is not written in stone. It was thought out to provide variety in your diet. For example, if you like a specific breakfast recipe, you can stick with that one or have the same things for lunch for a while to alleviate that feeling of "oh God, I HAVE to eat this, then I HAVE to eat that."
I still recommend it to people as a starting point. I think you can learn a lot from it and alter your diet all around contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
Great point. Absolutely. The meal plans in most formal diets are there for folks who need a meal plan. No one should assume they "have to" follow the SB diet meal plans. If you're following SB, you just need to choose the majority of your foods from the "foods to enjoy" list.
Also: no one "has to" follow phase one. He makes that pretty clear.0
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