South Beach Diet

I do wish everyone luck in achieving their dietary goals. I won't make this a long post, in fact I'm gonna keep it real short but please don't forget while you're on any of these diets as opposed to lifestyle changes, to make sure you feel satisfied. Nothing is worse than ending a meal or the day with the something's missing feeling in your stomach or mouth.

So I end this post with one quick testimonial (I've lost 40 lbs. and my daughter has lost 51, and we're respectively 5 and 8 lbs. from our goal weights), and two other words, which we've all been hearing and haven't faded out for 40 years now: Weight Watchers. And trust me, I may be a redhead but I'm not a spokesperson!

And I can still Roadfood it!

Again my best to all, always.

Here's my Atkins testimonial:

I started on the Atkins plan on Nov. 1 and combined it with 45 minutes on the treadmill, at least five days a week. Kept my carb intake at 20 grams or below, most days. In November and December, I lost 21 pounds.

Fell off the carb wagon in mid-January but stayed with the treadmill. Lost 2.5 pounds for that month. Got back on Atkins Feb. 1 and am down another 4 pounds as of this morning. I'm going to start adding whole grains and fruit to my diet in mid-March--basically, switching to South Beach. By spring's end, I hope to weigh what I weighed in high school and keep the excess off from here on out.

Twenty-seven and 1/2 pounds down, 24 to go. If a lazy bum like me can do it, ANYONE can do it.

Bill B: Good job. today was a bad day for me as I have lived a life of sin today. After going for five months without cheating with the exception of a doghnut two weeks ago, I messed up big time today. I stopped by KFC and got their two pieces extra crispy thights with mash potatoes and gravy and slaw. I ate it all. I know my keto stix will test negative tomorrow, but I will not eat any carbs for the next few days and will get back on it.

Stay with it.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

It won't take you long to turn those sticks purple again. Spend an hour on a treadmill or stationary bike tomorrow morning, and you'll burn all your stores of glycogen right out of you.

Five months is a long time to stick with a diet. You've done superb!

I've been on South Beach for five weeks now. I lost seven pounds in the first two weeks and four in the last three weeks. I would undoubtedly lose faster if I cut ALL sugar out of my diet, but I found the first two weeks hard enough -- I'm not convinced that life is worth living without it! I've been allowing myself a daily small piece of dark chocolate and one really decadent dessert a week. Sugar-free jello or pudding gets me through the rest of the week.

If I was exercising more I'm sure I'd lose faster, too, but the weather's been conspiring to thwart me there. In three weeks I missed four gym workouts because I was shoveling show or waiting for the snow to stop. I didn't want to walk on the days I don't go to the gym because of the icy sidewalks. Now the weather is warming up a bit and I should be able to get out and walk more.

I had a checkup last week and they're doing the tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and stuff now. I'll see what the results are in a few days!

4Fish: You are doing just fine. I have been a mostly devout Atkins dude for 5 months and with the exception of one donut and a order of KFC with the trimmings, I ain't done wrong.

Missing the sugar with me has not been a issue as I have never been a huge dessert fan.

I still have my nightly libations which to me is important. I guess if appearance is a issue, I have gone from a waist size of 38 to a 33 and a weight of cclose to 220 to 185. It has been slow but my pride in my appearance has improved. As far as a health issue, the jury is still out but my last appointment with my MD showed great improvement.

It comes down to who is the boss. The belly or the brain. I have found that my belly lies to me all the time. I have to let my brain be the boss.

Good luck. It is my opinion that South Beach diet is better than what I have done. Stick with it.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

This is going to be the start of something wonderful. (I HOPE) It was either this or maybe high blood pressure med. (I don't want that). I posted a little while ago and I don't think it went to the right place. We will see. Are there a certain amount of carbs that people should not go over? I have bought the book and have read it but nowhere does it say anything about this? I have an awful lot of weight to get rid of. ANY HELP would be appreciated!! Thanks

Welcome, pam g!

I've been on South Beach for eight weeks now. I found the book to be pretty vague, too, but I figure it's all just guidelines. You have to find out what works for you. If you're not losing, then you probably need to cut back on the carbs a bit more. I've only lost 13 pounds in eight weeks, but like you, I have a long way to go. I figure that I need to be in this for the long haul, so I'm not trying to be super-strict. I've got into trouble doing that in the past because I get sick of the routine and end up binging. I use Splenda on my oatmeal or fruit, stay away from pasta and potatoes, have one slice of low-carb bread a day and eat desserts made with sugar-free Jello and Jello pudding. But I allow myself one small piece of dark chocolate daily and I splurge on one really decadent dessert a week. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by redtressed

I'm probably going to be popped in the noggin for this but........

Please folks....be very careful with these fad diets. Remember the liquid diets of the 80's and 90's? The weight came off quickly..........Many hospitals sponsored such programs.....many hospitals started getting sued because they neglected to mention a little fact. The deprivation of fats from the diet caused many a gallbladder to atrophy or basically die from lack of use and lots of surgeries had to be performed that probably would of not, otherwise. Conversely with these little carb, high protein and high fat can make the same said gallbladder go into hyperdrive and cause the same problem...a malfunctioning gallbladder. Also the ketoacidosis that can occur with the same kind of diets can be very dangerous for diabetics, people with hypertension or people with kidney problems. Although this is not a quick fix rapid loss diet, one that follows American Diabetic Association protocol is much less stress in the long run on your body as well as teaches you some modifications. Talk to a reputable nutritionist before going on any of these please.

At last the voice of reason! Let me add my 2 cents to this topic.. One can lose weight on any diet.. it's not a matter of whether you can lose weight.. you can lose weight by starvation, you can lose weight via bulimia..the point is health.. whether you can live like that, whether it's good for you over a lifetime.. any diet that cuts out or severely limits anything but saturated fats is not something your body can live with indefinitely.. I've never understood the public's aversion to a normal "eat less fat/excercise more" diet.. always has to be the quick fix or the latest trend.

And explain this one to me.. carbs WILL make you fat, but unlimited fat WON'T make you fat and clog your arteries? We live in crazy world.

I can't speak for Atkins because I haven't even read any of the books, but South Beach is anything but unlimited fat. It emphasizes lean meats, olive oil and lots of veggies. It's made me think about the way I used to eat and realize that I was often using starches to replace vegetables. Now I replace the starch portion of lunch and dinner with extra vegetables. I'm still satisfied and how can it be anything but healthier?

quote:

Originally posted by MaryB

Help all! I am so excited to try the South Beach diet as well, the food looks great and do-able. I am allergic to eggs though and am baffled as to what I can substitute as a protein source. Any suggestions? Eggless in Kansas

I have been on the Atkins diet for a little over a year, when I started I weighed 385-390#, I am down to 260#. Feel good and my doctor is very pleased! I love looking at my pants I used to wear, they are about a foot too big around my waist. My "T" shirts look like small tents.
Rex in a very expensive paradise......San Diego

I surrender. Have bought The Book, the cookbook, and something else, and will start taking them seriously Monday. No problem with sweets, not too much with bread, potatoes, etc. My real weakness is considering cholesterol one of the major food groups (the other being Wild Turkey). And I'm a serious cracklins addict. . . .

Rick, I have been doing the Atkins thing for better than 7 months. I gave up all sweets, potatoes, bread and all other high carb stuff.
I am where I want to be. I started at 217 and I am 179 now. I had a 38 waist and now it is 35. Believe it or not, my cholestrol has dropped considerably and I may be able to drop my medication. My MD does not believe it as he wanted me to do his diet which included some stuff that I do not like IE: Salmon every day.

I have not missed a day with libations. They are 0 carb. They go good with cracklins. I try to have a salad daily and I find the buffet places like Ryan's offer the best. They have now red flagged their low carb stuff.

The thing I miss the most is Krispy Kreme. I have to drive past them every morning during hot donut time and they attack my olafactory senses.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Many interesting remarks on this board. It shows that everyone is, indeed, different.

I started the South Beach Diet one week ago w/ -NO- expectations. It is working wonderfully for my weight, workout recovery, anxiety, depression, and just overall well-being. I have been going through Lucinda Bassett's Anxiety Program and after a major battle with panic, fear, guilt, and depression I am finally moving forward. I have tried Atkins. I even spend $200.00 on drinks and had 2 a day and ate a high protein meal(I didn't go by the book). By reading about the diet it seems like too much 'pressure' to me. Through the panic program my life has improved dramatically but 'sugar' was still keeping me down alot. Falling off the wagon seems so easy doesn't it?? The reason I know without a doubt that the South Beach Diet works the best is because of the lack of pressure from the diet, and it can be used simply for a lifestyle change letting you have -ZERO- expectations. This is the way you should approach any diet. But, this is the only diet that lets you do this because you get too eat great foods but have your apetite lowered dramatically. I had some leftover oatmeal cookie dough in the fridge. I hate to waste food. So, I baked 2 dozen cookies and put them in a container for my daughter. I opened them up to smell them a few times. LOL. I didn't eat any because my appetite is different. It's not the 'loss of appetite through shock' kind because I really get hungry when it's time to eat. But I am satisfied. Dr. Fisher from the program said that the problem with Americans is that they go into things in an extreme way having high expectations. Most of them don't believe in 'gradual' change.
Again this is the only diet that I know of that gives you the power to turn yourselve around and eat like people outside of the USA eat. The majority of improvements in America's eating have come from European countries. Disagree if you want as I know some of you will. And you only drive Ford or Chevy and never an import. Some people are biased and always will be. I have been trying to change for years without any success. The biggest thing I have learned is to not place any pressures on yourself, and to lower your expectations with everything you do. You will learn that doing everything slower is a valuable tool. You cannot force a flower to grow faster than it can. You gotta slow down and you will get ultimately further, actually, you will get as far as you desire to.

If you take this advice and attach it to the diet you will win. No doubt about it.

While the initial phase of the South Beach diet is somewhat restrictive, it's not nearly as restrictive as Atkins is. And Phase II has great variety. I don't consider this a fad diet at all. It's just a common sense approach to losing weight.

I have a friend who has lost 57 pounds on South Beach and she feels better than she has since she was a teen. I tried Weight Watchers for six months. I lost 20 pounds and then couldn't lose another ounce. My daughter lost over 40 in the same amount of time and is still losing. I'm diabetic and came to realize than I have insulin resistance, which makes it nearly impossible to lose on a WW type of plan. I tried Atkins several years ago and lost weight, but the next time I did that plan I became ill after a few days. Now I'm going to try SB. It allows just about everything and only restricts those things we all know are not good for us. I should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals I need to keep healthy.

Dimity - good luck on SB. I am diabetic and was having real problems with the diabetic diet that the nutritionist prescribed. After months of little weight loss, I was giving up. My internist told me to go on SB for awhile to kickstart the weight loss. So far, I have lost almost 80 lbs. My blood tests have been fantastic. So, i hope you have the same kind of results!!

I've started dieting for the new year. This time I'm trying South Beach. Yes, it does seem more flexible. Being able to grab a few pecans in the evening has definitely helped cravings. This time I'm trying to keep to lean meats and follow what they said. No more chicharones for this boy!

I find that low carb works well. I took off 50 lbs and kept it off for over a year. Holiday eating this past season did me in like a pig in a feedlot. I'm back on low carb. I mentioned in another post that I had recently passed through 300 again. I'm glad to report that I am back below 300 and headed for 290. I expect to get back to 280 fairly easily, but I can report that 270 is very difficult for me to maintain, even on a hard low carb diet. 280 is easy enough to maintain even with an ice cream cone or a doughnut once a week. I am also happy to know that there is a lot of low carb roadfood out there, but I sure do miss those breakfast sandwiches! The hardest thing to give up for me was Mt Dew. There have been major health benefits for me. My Dr had put me on Lipitor, the side effects of which got me on a diet in the first place. We don't know if it is the weight loss or the giving up of the high fructose corn syrup in the Mt Dew that did it, but numbers are now very good, and without that awful Lipitor. The downside is that I need to use up my carbs on salad (no tomato) and Fibrecon.

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

Thanks redtressed and no, we're not goin to pop you in the noggin. I think a sensible diet as low fat as possible with lots of good vegetables and salads and fish, low fat meats....AND a proper work out every day is the best way to keep the weight off.

^^^^ exactly right. Sorry folks, but you have to get out of the mind set that there is a magic bullet to lose weight, keep it off and have a healthy lifestyle.
It takes a commitment for the rest of your life and it's going to be hard work. Going on a fad diet will give you no long term positive benefits because if you don't change your lack of exercise and your eating habits, especially portion control, you are doomed to return to the state your body was in when you started on a fad diet.

You didn't get overweight overnight, and you are not going to safely take that weight off and keep it off in going on a fad diet that is designed to take weight off in a few weeks / months.
Again it takes a commitment from you that you want to change to a better lifestyle.

I'll be turning 50 this year. I decided in September of 2004 that I wanted to transform my body, which i've never been really proud of into a physique that I'm not ashamed of. I joined a health club, an expensive club, so that would inspire me to go as often as possible to get my monies worth. I have a friend also going to that club, that encourages me to go when I don't feel like it and I do the same for her.

My workouts last about an hour and consist of aerobic training (stationary bike, Xcountry ski machine, and a treadmill), then I workout on machines and do some free weights.

I'm proud to say that after just 3 months, I feel better, look better, feel more confident and enjoy the positive comments friends and family have made when they see how I am transforming my body in a positive manner.

I have given myself a year to reach my goal, but in actuality, it is a lifelong commitment. It's hard at times, believe me, but there's great satisfaction in knowing I'm doing something that is going to make me look better, and feel better in my 50's then in the decade of my 40's.

Sorry if I strayed too far from the original post...

Maynerd: You are right on with you goal. The Sundancer has been doing the Atkins thing for a year and a half. I started at 245 and I have been at 185 for a year. I jumped up to 190 over the holidays but I am now back to 187 and I will be at my aligned weight within a couple of days.

You are right about a diet. It is a lifelong thing and not just a short time goal.

South Beach is better than Atkins but I am use to the Atkins and I will maintain this. Meat, cheese and eggs. Sorta boring but better than being where I was before.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Here is an interesting article on "dieting":

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050104/en_usatoday/thefrenchdietconnection

Inspiring story, Maynerd!! Thanks. I guess there's hope for us old guys, afterall.

I've been slowly moving toward the "eat good food" method for quite awhile now. I've cut out a lot of things I used to eat, and I don't miss most of them anymore. Probably the biggest change I made was stopping "cokes". I haven't had a "pop" in about 6 months, and it's really made a difference. I don't even drink sweet tea anymore. Now, if I could just stop the beer...

Anyway, I've got a LOOOOOONNNNGGGGG way to go, but I like to hear success stories like yours.

As for the South Beach diet, one of the new doctors I'm seeing said that was the best one to start with. She strongly advocates the "Zone" method of eating, where you eat small meals and snacks during the day, all including a good protein, good carbs, and good fats. But, she says that until a person can work out their own Zone-type diet, follow South Beach.

On Monday, I began the second real diet of my life -- in other words, more than a couple of vanity pounds. I gained about 12 pounds during my wife last pregnancy (believe me, it can happen.) Plus, I already had a pesky 10 pounds I've wanted to lose for about four years. So, my goal is 20-25 pounds.

For just the first two weeks, I'm basically doing an Atkins-type induction diet, because I feel comfortable with that. That doesn't mean I'm loading up on bacon and cheese. I'm eating a lot of eggs, but often just the whites. I'm having a different kind of salad every day for lunch, and at dinner I'm eating lean meat and a couple of vegetables. I consider that Atkins-type.

I've also stepped up my usual 3 days/week, one-hour aerobic workout to include more weight training and, for the first time, swimming. I went for the first time yesterday in what felt like 60 degree water.

I'm writing this in part to "go on the record." But, also, I have a question for the South Beach contingent. I'm reading up on it, and plan to make it the centerpiece for my eating going forward. What can I eat for breakfast other than eggs!!??? I know that once I re-incorporate carbs in about 10 days I can eat some oatmeal and whole grains, but what can I do in the meantime?

Thanks. And any other input is welcomed. Except for Redtressed telling me I'm an idiot. (Want to add a wink icon here, but I'm not being allowed to for some reason.)

You're an idiot

(works for me)

Thank you Bushie and Sundancer for your comments. One of the things I try not to do is "beat up" on myself. I love to eat, and haven't really denied myself any foods I really like. I know I'm going to backslide at times. I look at this as a project where I will take 2 steps forward and 1 step backward. The key I believe is not getting burned out, make your changes slowly,have patience with your failures, and try to stay on course. A friend or SO that can join in and support you helps immensely.

At first it was easy to be discouraged with not seeing any results, but after a time I could see changes in my body that spurred me on more.

Good luck to all those that are making an effort to better their lives by improving their health.

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Here is an interesting article on "dieting":

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050104/en_usatoday/thefrenchdietconnection

Thanks for the link Adjudicator. One of the reasons I shop at Whole Foods, a mostly organic store, is the quality of the food. Not to sound snobby, but I can't recall the last time I bought a loaf of "Wonder" type bread.

If you haven't walked into a "health store" because you thought all they'd have is tofu, you will be pleasantly surprised. The quality, freshness (remember no preservatives allowed) variety, and taste is remarkable, and the great thing is that you are eating healthy food, with little or no saturated fats, additives, and preservatives.

Back to the article though, one of the things they don't really touch upon is that most Europeans walk more day to day then Americans. So they get some exercise going to work, coming home, shopping, etc., where we tend to hope in the car for even a small trip.

quote:

Originally posted by redtressed

You're an idiot

(works for me)

Well, judging from the numerous icons accompanying my last post, it works for me, too. But, for some reason, they weren't appearing on the screen when I clicked on them.

quote:

Originally posted by Spudnut

quote:

Originally posted by redtressed

You're an idiot

(works for me)

Well, judging from the numerous icons accompanying my last post, it works for me, too. But, for some reason, they weren't appearing on the screen when I clicked on them.

Best I recall, the icons do not appear on your screen when you click on them. They show up when you post.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN