Just started South Beach :)

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justamom65
justamom65 Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all :) My name is Kristin and I just started the South Beach Diet yesterday. I used the diet plan six year ago and was very successful, but as the years have gone by, I went back to my old ways...lol. Anyway, I was wondering if there were any South Beachers out there :) My biggest issue is night time snacking and last night was rough...lol. Any suggestions? Thanks :)
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  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    Im going to start tomorrow. I just read its really good for people who are insulin resistant so I thought I'd give a try.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Do you want a diet or a lifestyle?
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
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    My suggestion is to take your time to figure out a program that works for you, not to find a program and try to fit yourself into it. Success is based on long term commitment... if you can see yourself eating the South Beach diet for a year + then by all means rock it out. But if you are concerned that you can't stick with it long term (aka diet vs lifestyle change) then you may need to rethink your approach.

    Either way, congrats on deciding to improve your health!
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    good luck!

    I have a late night snacking issue as well.... coupled with a sweet tooth.

    So I got a 40 calorie brownie recipe from MFP and made those so at least the caloric intake of my late night eating wasnt too bad.
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    Do you want a diet or a lifestyle?

    Lifestyle. I never looked into it before because I thought it was fad diet and Im making lifestyle changes. I have PCOS and I'm insulin resistant and my doctor suggested South Beach or a Insulin Resistant book. South beach appears to be a little easier to follow. I want to lose weight but more importantly I want to be healthy. I don't want to end up with diabetes so any suggestions would be helpful.
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    My suggestion is to take your time to figure out a program that works for you, not to find a program and try to fit yourself into it. Success is based on long term commitment... if you can see yourself eating the South Beach diet for a year + then by all means rock it out. But if you are concerned that you can't stick with it long term (aka diet vs lifestyle change) then you may need to rethink your approach.

    Either way, congrats on deciding to improve your health!

    Ive been counting calories and working out and its been helping with weight loss but I feel like crap sometimes. I can tell when my insulin is spiking etc....Im insulin resistant so I want to do this for lifestyle change and health benefits. Im not into fad diets. I like that you can slowly introduce good carbs back in so I feel like this is something I can do for life once I break the carb addiction.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
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    I have PCOS and eating South Beach way is very good, I try to eat this way most of the time.
  • musicalshadow00
    musicalshadow00 Posts: 21 Member
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    I have PCOS and eating South Beach way is very good, I try to eat this way most of the time.

    I have PCOS as well and my gynecologist always told me that South Beach was the best plan out there to help loose weight.
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    I have PCOS as well and my gynecologist always told me that South Beach was the best plan out there to help loose weight.
    [/quote]

    Are you currently following the plan? If so, do you feel better?
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    I have PCOS and eating South Beach way is very good, I try to eat this way most of the time.

    Do you feel better following the plan? Im tired of the spikes in energy. One minute I feel like I'm bursting with energy and the next minute I feel like I'm going to faint. Then I eat something to bring my levels back up and then I get super sleepy.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
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    Yes I have always liked South Beach, it's not quite as extreme as Atkins. I am doing leangains which I find is the best thing ever for my body. I try to eat the south beach way, but i find that I don't have extreme binges by doing Leangains.

    One thing to be prepared for is that in the first few days of South Beach you may get headaches from the sugar withdrawal, I had one for 4 days straight, but don't give up after that it's easy.
  • kbags420
    kbags420 Posts: 3 Member
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    I just started South Beach too! I have PCOS, and the diet was recommended by my gynecologist as a way to manage insulin resistance without taking more pills everyday. I have about 20 pounds excess weight to lose, and I'm hoping that will get better too. My mom went on it last year and lost 50 pounds and kept it off without any problem, but I had always thought it was a diet for people with heart problems (her blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides were better than mine by the time she was done!). Now that my gynecologist has recommended it to me, I'm going to try it out. I've only been on it for 2 days, but so far so good.

    If you like to cook, here's a food blog that's centered around South Beach-friendly recipes. She has categories for each of the phases, further divided by dish-type, so it's really easy to find a good variety of things to eat. I think my biggest problem would be boredom, as I really like to have a good variety of foods in my diet. I do not eat meats other than fish, and her site is also really helpful for finding delicious protein-rich meals. Hope it helps!

    http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/09/south-beach-diet-information-posts-on.html
  • 4serena
    4serena Posts: 5 Member
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    I will have to look into to this program. I am also insulin resistant.. and feel very sluggish. I am super sensitive to carbs.. So maybe this is something I should follow as well.
  • cjalexander
    cjalexander Posts: 15 Member
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    I started about 10 days ago and lost 8.8lbs so far.... Yayyyy
  • franniepan79
    franniepan79 Posts: 3
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    Also on South Beach. I tried it last year. Phase 1 went swimmingly, I didn't find it easy but it was straightforward in its no carbs or sugar approach. I never really got my head around Phase 2, though and, coupled with a massive stressful work deadline, I went straight back to my old habits.

    I've just completed week 1 of Phase 1 and so far finding it easier than last time. Determined to get my head around Phase 2, so that I can sustain this as a lifestyle. Also have PCOS with insulin resistance, and both my parents are diabetic so now is the time to get on top of this. Certainly recommend it to others as it targets belly fat which is the problem with PCOS.

    What are others' experiences of phase 2? Do you have any simple, handy tips for calculating a day's intake?
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    I started about 10 days ago and lost 8.8lbs so far.... Yayyyy

    That's Awesome!!
  • Christinah5150
    Christinah5150 Posts: 73 Member
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    Also on South Beach. I tried it last year. Phase 1 went swimmingly, I didn't find it easy but it was straightforward in its no carbs or sugar approach. I never really got my head around Phase 2, though and, coupled with a massive stressful work deadline, I went straight back to my old habits.

    I've just completed week 1 of Phase 1 and so far finding it easier than last time. Determined to get my head around Phase 2, so that I can sustain this as a lifestyle. Also have PCOS with insulin resistance, and both my parents are diabetic so now is the time to get on top of this. Certainly recommend it to others as it targets belly fat which is the problem with PCOS.

    What are others' experiences of phase 2? Do you have any simple, handy tips for calculating a day's intake?

    I just started Phase 1 so I can't say anything about Phase 2. Phase 1 is easy because its very straightforward but hard because I miss bread. My doctor also said it helps with belly fat so Im excited about that. But I mainly want to get my insulin under control. My parents are diabetic too so Im with you on being healthier.
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
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    I did SBD several years ago and lost weight and maintained that - until I let myself have sugar again. Then is was a downward (upward?) spiral. Last year I did the 17-Day Diet to get myself off sugar again, and this time stayed off. Now I'm using MFP to lose a few more pounds and to regulate how much I eat and exercise. I still have several SBD cookbooks and use them a lot - very good recipes!
  • msudaisy28
    msudaisy28 Posts: 267 Member
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    I did SBD about 5 years ago and lost 35 pounds on it. It was fairly easy for me to stick with it because I already ate the way that the diet is structured. I already was eating (and still do) 100% whole grains, lean meats and lots of fruits and veggies. Phase 1 was hard for me, but Phase 2 wasn't so bad.

    My downfall, and the reason why I gained 80 pounds over 4 years, is sugar and portion control. I can eat mindlessly without being hungry and I can eat even more if what I'm eating is sugary! I'm not doing SBD this time around because I don't want to deprive myself of sweet treats like I felt I was before. But I still eat using a lot of the same principles. Good luck!
  • franniepan79
    franniepan79 Posts: 3
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    I just started Phase 1 so I can't say anything about Phase 2. Phase 1 is easy because its very straightforward but hard because I miss bread. My doctor also said it helps with belly fat so Im excited about that. But I mainly want to get my insulin under control. My parents are diabetic too so Im with you on being healthier.

    It's definitely worth it for the belly fat. Try measuring yourself, as that is a really good indicator of how the inches go down around your waist. Especially if you are doing the excercise component of the diet plan, which would mean you'd be putting on muscle mass and not see such a big weight drop. Honestly, within the first few days I knew that fat was going from around my belly, I *feel* less blobby.

    With respect to the headaches mentioned above, I had the opposite effect - mine are gone now that my sugar levels aren't spiking all over the place. Not a single one since I started. Would recommend you keep a stash of mixed nuts and seeds, low fat cheese (the mini ones that come in packs are v. handy), and lean ham handy. I have one in the work fridge as well as at home. Knowing it's there helps me to ignore the sugar/carb cravings.

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