South Beach Diet

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lwilson1953
lwilson1953 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone had luck with the South Beach Diet? At my last visit to my doctor he strongly suggested that I try it. I have a terrible time getting pounds to drop off. I have been on Weight Watchers, Akins, Nutrisystem (more luck here but burnt out on foods) and a local weight clinic who threw their hands up because they couldn't figure out why the pounds won't budge when I'm doing everything they suggest.

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  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
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    Honestly, I lost 150 pounds in 2009/2010 by following South Beach fairly accurately. But I wouldn't do it again. As you can see, I am back because I went back to eating other foods and gained weight (along with many other excuses). And really the ONLY reason I lost weight doing South Beach was because I was eating fewer calories.

    Calories in vs. calories out is the way I am going now. If you aren't accurately weighing your food, you'll struggle losing weight. Are you using a scale to weigh solids and cups/spoons to measure liquids?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Unless you have medical issues........it doesn't matter what diet you choose. Atkins & South Beach are similar anyway (I believe). Instead of asking your doctor for weight loss advice, maybe have your thyroid checked.

    If you are eating more than the calories your body burns....you won't lose weight. This is true for South Beach, Weight Watchers, Atkins, whatever.

    In the past, how did you keep track of calorie intake? Did you measure portions with a scale? How did you measure calories burned (or choose your activity level)....the activity trackers they have now can be useful tools.

    Any diet you choose, should also teach you how to keep the weight off (for good). I've done the yo-yo diet thing. Eat 1 way to lose weight....and figure I'm done / I'm good. It doesn't work that way.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I lost some weight with the South Beach diet but couldn't sustain it.
    No matter the diet you need a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you aren't actually counting/tracking calories then it can be hard to be succesful consistantly.
    Try just telling MFP your height, weight and activity level. Choose a goal like losing 1 lb a week. Eat the amount of calories it tells you to eat. Log everything you eat and drink as accurately as you can (weigh and measure). Stick with it for 1-3 months.
    Using just MFP has been the easiest and most succesful weight loss I've had.
  • TheBeachgod
    TheBeachgod Posts: 825 Member
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    I did SBD the first time I tried to lose weight. I did well on Phase 1, the belly did go away as advertised.

    The two main downfalls to the diet in my opinion are:

    1. It is not explained that the original belly fat loss is caused by depletion of glycogen stores due to a low carb diet and it can quickly return.

    2. Serving sizes are not stressed or explained. Phase 2 was my downfall because I was supposed to start reintroducing foods that weren't allowed on Phase 1 and since I had no idea about serving sizes I ate as much as I always did and the weight came back. My specific example is pasta. It is amazing how tiny a serving size of pasta is but I had no idea and was probably eating 6-7 servings in one meal.
  • RetroPolkaDot
    RetroPolkaDot Posts: 83 Member
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    My experience with South Beach was similar to TheBeachgod.

    For me the biggest ah-ha moment has been getting real about what I was eating. Not only the type of foods but more importantly the portions. I would be thinking I was doing great and sticking to whatever plan it was but the reality was I was simply still eating too much and I wasn't being 100% truthful about bites, licks, and tastes. I weigh my portions and I write every thing down even if it's 2 hard candies from bowl in the lobby of the bank.
  • RodneyCornelius
    RodneyCornelius Posts: 13 Member
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    Generally supportive of what Lounmoun and TheBeachGod say.

    About 12 years ago I had drastic weight loss using Atkins (80 lbs). I ended up hating the experience. I have put back half that weight now, so I decided on South Beach Diet with some small adaptations that work for me:

    1) When you live outside of the US, you learn very quickly that few food companies make a 'diet' or 'light' version of most things. So I go with what I have or use alternatives if possible.

    2) I count calories, but not to extremes (CI/CO). I am counting mostly because MFP is so good it makes it easy. By this I mean if I use an extra teaspoon of pepper or olive oil in my meal, I am not going through the effort of modifying a recipe entry. If I eat 1.x servings of something instead of 1, of course I count it.

    3) I also use other apps/devices. I track exercise in Fitbit (I have a Charge HR) and strength training in Jefit. For example, I have the Fitbit Aria (wi-fi scale that also does body fat and BMI). For me, what it showed was that Phase 1 weight loss was equal parts body fat and muscle mass (yikes). I find the data like this very useful and generally speaking the "numbers don't lie". So in Phase 2 I am prepared to work in such a way that I add back (and more) the muscle mass, even if I stay at this weight a few weeks longer than planned.

    4) When in doubt about a portion whilst 'AFK' (Away From Kitchen), I assume the worst. At the same time, I have been holding raw food in my hand before cooking it at home so that when I eat out (I travel a lot), I know what one portion really is supposed to look like.

    5) Create a "Phase 1.5" for yourself. Many people jump right from Phase 1 meals to Phase 2 meals. The book doesn't do enough to clarify the importance of slowly adding back carbs, really over another 2-3 weeks I would say. For example, on days I strength train, it's a Phase 2 kind of day. If I got distracted from working out or can't even get in some cardio, it's a Phase 1 day. Also tend to go back to Phase 1 a few days before I know I am going to go off the wagon (e.g. birthday party, social event, etc).

    Above all else, I think of the South Beach Diet more as the first step of cleaner eating, which combined with portion control, should get anyone pretty far.

    Good luck with it! I am on the South Beach Diet journey now and I don't regret it at all :-)
  • lwilson1953
    lwilson1953 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks Rodney...I'm almost through Phase 1 and lost 4 lbs last week but this week 3 have come back. I'm not cheating but my body just doesn't want to let go. It's so hard for me to lose the weight!
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    lwilson1953 wrote: »
    Thanks Rodney...I'm almost through Phase 1 and lost 4 lbs last week but this week 3 have come back. I'm not cheating but my body just doesn't want to let go. It's so hard for me to lose the weight!

    Based on that, I think reading through this thread would do you a bit of good:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

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