South Beach Diet Support and Chat Thread!

I think Im going to give this another shot. I really wanted it to work, because its such a healthy way of eating. I just frustrated myself with no loss in the two weeks. (still not sure what that was about, but willing to try again)
I am going to wait through the holidays though because thats how my brain works. lol! I know its terrible, but Christmas is christmas, and I dont want to be not eating things that I only have once a year.
Good luck everyone and look for me again in a few weeks. (also add me if you havent already)

Hi Noeys -- just wondering if you were still trying SB and how you were doing.

I've been using SB (off and on, mostly off lately) since 2005. I've found from my own experience and that of others that I've chatted with, that whether or not you lose weight and how much you lose during Phase 1 depends on a LOT of different things. People who were already dieting and exercising before they start, especially if they were eating low-carb, tend to lose less weight. I've known of people who lost no more than the 1-2 pounds that they would normally lose with safe dieting.

And, as you mentioned, it's very easy not to eat enough during Phase 1 and your body will go into starvation mode and hang onto every single calorie it can if you eat too little. I didn't count calories on a regular basis, but thru charting what I ate everyday, I found that if I ate every single serving of what I was supposed to eat -- including the 1/2 cup of beans and the 2 servings of milk or yogurt, that I averaged around 1100- 1200 calories a day.

I really like SB and successfully lost 40 lbs using it. Wish I could say I had kept it off, but I'm back on the beach starting today. Wishing you luck in whatever you're trying!!

Hi Sanaylz. I got back to it on Tuesday too. 2 days down! Tomorrow will be a test -- I'm going to visit my son, and he often wants to go out for lunch (typical bachelor with no food in the house). I've already checked the surrounding restaurants and found something at each that I can have. I've found that advanced planning is very helpful to staying on the eating plan.

My fondness for eggs comes and goes -- sometimes they're OK; sometimes I just can't handle them. When I was a member on the SB site, one of the other members posted a recipe for Mock French Toast. You can probably find a recipe for it in the recipe databank here, but it faily simple: 1 egg, 1 T ricotta cheese, and a couple of drops of vanilla (maybe 1/4 tsp). Just whisk them together and pour into a small hot skillet sprayed with pan spray. Cook as you would a pancake. Can use a little sugar-free syrup if you want. It is surprisingly close in taste and texture to real French Toast.

When I was working, I often had a container of yogurt, 3 slices of canadian bacon, and my V8 juice for breakfast. I didn't really have to fix anything, just heat the bacon, and it was something portable that I could eat while I was getting ready or in the car if I was running late.

Some of the other members at SB suggested having leftover meat and veggies from their dinner the night before. I'm not big on breakfast anyway -- there's only limited things I can stand that early in the morning -- so that wasn't a good option for me, but it might work for you. Cheese is also considered a protein on SB, not a dairy, so that could be substituted for eggs too.

I do get hungry between meals sometimes during Phase 1, but I'm really bad about getting my snacks in.:frown: It seems like I just finish making and eating one meal or snack and it's time to start on the next. If I'm very careful to get in all the servings at all the right times, I don't usually get too hungry after the 1st few days.

Hey, all!

Did SBD in late 2003-mid 2004 and did well; lost 42 lbs. Then I had the "morning" sickness (read: ALL DAY nausea) thing with my first pregnancy, and corn muffins and ice cream settled my tummy. So much for the diet.... gained 45 lbs, and kept on going after that because neither hubby nor I really took the time to do the food prep. Tried a few times to restart, only to lose heart after a week of abject boredom on Phase I (or tried to skip Phase I and couldn't kick my cravings).

Especially on Phase I, it's actually kinda challenging to get calories above 1200 per day. Not surprising, when you consider what you're eating. Eating larger meat (and other protein) portions is the only way I ever managed it.

I'm not technically doing SBD now, but I'm approximating it. I started Phase I right before Thanksgiving (*facepalm*) and so didn't stick to it like glue, but good enough to get past the craving phase. Now I just shoot to keep my carbs below 100g/day and protein above 100g/day, and I still limit the foods that have a high glycemic index. This seems to be doing pretty well for me.

I definitely recommend getting the cookbooks; there are some GREAT recipes in there. Also, it's not hard to find low-carb recipes online. Best of luck to all the SBDers!

Hi! I did SB back in 2004 too, and lost right at 40 lbs. That put me right at 200, and I got stuck there, got discouraged, and quit. Last year, after regaining 30 of those lbs, I started back on it again. I lost fairly consistently until I got down to 200 again -- dropped a little below it, then bounced right back up again and just couldn't seem to get past that point.

So here I am again. I find that if I eat every single serving that I'm allowed in Phase 1, including the 1/2 c of beans and both servings of dairy and my "sweet treat" calories, I'm usually right at 1200 calories. I usually have protein for my snacks -- it seems to curb hunger pangs better and helps me keep my calorie total higher.

I was a member on the SB site (actually still am, but I got hooked on one of the message boards and was spending wwwaaayyy too much time on there). I won one of their challenges last year, and got a complete set of Dr. A's book and cookbooks. You're right -- there's lots of good recipes in there. Some of the earlier ones were a little too involved for my daily cooking, but I like the Quick and Easy cookbook. My problem is South Florida cuisine must bit different from what we're used to here in Texas. I've suggested some of the recipes to my DH, and he says, "Don't think so!" lol I do pretty good just adjusting my usual recipes.

Thanks! Those will be helpful.

DH is a carnivore, but our main source of disagreement is that he doesn't believe that soup or stew is a meal. I can fix a pot roast with roasted potatoes, carrots, and onions and that's fine. But give him a homemade vegetable beef stew or soup made from exactly the same ingredients, and he complains. Go figure!!

Oh yeah, and NO beans in the chili! Most Texans feel that way -- personally, I'm a native Texan and it really doesn't make that much difference to me. I may have been influenced growing up though -- my mom put beans in her homemade chili, cuz with 5 kids and 1 income, she stretched every meal as far as she could! lol

Hi Sowski! Welcome to this thread! It seems that people show up, post a few times, then disappear :frown: I'm hoping we can get a good group going to motivate and encourage each other. So stick around and keep us up-to-date on how you're doing!

I lose my cravings for sugar fairly quickly , but I know for some, it takes a while. I think the important thing is to listen to your body. I'm also not exactly sure what a "craving" is -- if it's being able to pass up something that I'd like to eat (my biggie is chocolate), then I've "lost my craving." But if it's not WANTING the chocolate, then I'm never gonna lose that. My DH left some chocolate kisses sitting on the side table next to his chair last night. This morning, I saw them and I would have loved to pick one up and toss it in, but I didn't -- and now I'm not feeling depressed or deprived because I couldn't eat it. But I can't honestly say that I didn't "want" it! So I don't know if that's losing my cravings, or just learning control.

I suggested a couple of other options to the eggs for breakfast 2 or 3 posts back. I get tired of them too -- I've never been a big breakfast eater, and when I did eat it, eggs were usually at the bottom of my list.

Hope you continue doing well with your eating on Phase 1. Are you doing any exercise? Come back and post whenever you can!

Linda

Hey there. I just started SBD for the second time. I love this program, but I took it a bit far last time and put myself in a bad state of health. This Wednsday will be my 1 week mark and I have lost 9lbs already. I set up a Biggest Loser type contest at work to get everyone motivated to be healther, but I am the only one utilizing SBD. I think this will be a great forum to get ffedback and support


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Is the SB website free? I don't want to pay for it since there are so many resources elsewhere.

No, they charge for it :-( It was worth the cost for me -- I got a lot of support from a particular group of like-minded (and similar age) group. The website has menu plans for you to go by, if you want, which you can modify and switch meals around in. Once you get your weekly menu set, you can print out a shopping list. It also had the recipes for the meals on the menu plans. But there wasn't any way to track your food or exercise -- and I consider that a really important aspect of losing weight.

Well that stinks that it isn't free, but it would be nice to get some meal ideas because I get so bored when I eat the same thing over and over!

Ok....I am running out of ideas for snacks. Any suggestions? I know I have only been at it a week, but I need some snackage variety! LOL!