I just started on South Beach a few days ago, and I have to say, it seems too good to be true! It looks like people are having a lot of success with this diet but after just a few days of eating great food, and not being hungry at all, I feel like I must be doing something wrong???
I'm going to stick with Phase One for two weeks just to see what happens because I'm getting the chance to cook all kinds of vegetables that I don't usually make (my family doesn't like them) -- kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms -- and also because after three days I'm already feeling so much less bloated and puffy, the way I always feel when I've eaten too many carbs or just overindulged in any way.
I love all kinds of veggies, veggie juice, eggs, etc and am not a big dessert eater or even a big fruit eater. Even bread--unless it's in pizza form--most of the time I can take it or leave it. If I start on it, though, I have a hard time stopping. My biggest downfall is crackers, roasted nuts and other snacks--so I'm going to keep nuts as an emergency snack or a garnish only, and stick with raw, unsalted nuts, because they tend to be less addictive for me.
A little about me--I'm 38, five one or two, and right now at about 138 lbs, which is only 10 or 15 lbs over my 'ideal' weight, but for the last few months to a year I've been in what I call free fall, lots of midnight snacking and junk food. I lost 20-25 lbs a year and a half ago and have been slowly working on gaining it back. I'm looking for a lifestyle commitment that will make it easier to maintain and also improve my general energy level and maybe resolve some issues with bloating and digestion that have developed since I hit my mid thirties. Like I said, I've already seen a difference there, so even though I'm not convinced I'm going to lose weight on this diet, if I feel good and I enjoy the food, maybe I'll focus more on calorie counting later on down the road. I spent years, though, obsessively calorie counting and exercising to maintain a weight that really was way too low for me, and have had a dysfunctional relationship with food for most of my life. I think exercise is great, in a healthy way, which this was not. So after experiencing total burnout as a result of these years, I'm reluctant to start down that road again.
Anyway this looks like a great forum, I hope I didn't sound too negative initially because if this diet works I'm going to be totally thrilled!!
I'm not hoping for perfection anymore, not quite as hard on myself as I was a few years ago--just hoping to drop a size or two and improve my general well being. Nice to meet you all!
New to SB; this seems impossible!
It sounds like you're off to a great start, Tater! I loved the way I felt when I first started and lost the water weight and bloat. Also, it reset my blood sugar and helped me feel more stable, if you know what I mean. Good luck!
I felt the same way when i started.I couldn't believe that i had so many options of good food to eat.
MissusTaterHead! (funny name 
) I'm new here too, day 4, and it has been relatively easy because of the allowed foods. Yay!
