Currently I weigh around 190 and I'm 5'9" tall. My goal weight is 160, which is somewhere in the healthy range for my height. I've heard so much about the South Beach Diet and was just wondering how it's working for all of you. Do you recommend it? Is it hard to stick to (keep in mind I'm a carb freak and am not the queen of will power)? Just so information and some opinions of people already on the diet would be great. Thanks!
I love South Beach! But it does require that you plan a lot. Read through the sticky notes in the Frequently Asked Question section to find out what types of food are allowed and which are to be avoided. On South Beach you will avoid processed foods. That means either you do a lot of cooking or you work very hard to investigate what you can eat when you eat out.
Phase 1 IS hard. Especially the first week. But if you follow it faithfully then the physical cravings for foods will be gone. It has made a marvelous difference with my cholesterol (from 246 to 181) in just a couple of months. I've dropped two sizes in just the 20 pounds that I have lost since I started South Beach. But the big thing for me is that I have more energy than I used to and that means I can enjoy activities with my son more than before. While my husband is not really following the diet, he has lost 10 pounds just from eating the dinners that I cook for him.
Oh, one more thing. Do not get discouraged if you don't loose the amount of weight that the book says most people lose during Phase 1. I think it says 8-15 pounds. Many of the ones who do lose that much are much heavier than you are. I lost 4 in phase 1 but I have been averaging 2 pounds a week in Phase 2 so I will get to my goal weight. I didn't put it on in a few months and I won't lose it in a few months. This is a healthy way of eating. It is not a low carb diet. Read up about it, try it, I think you will like it.
Barb is absolutely right: Phase I is difficult, especially if you are a carb freak. The key is to read, read, read before you even shop for foods for this plan. the emphasis is on real food, not so-0called diet products whether they be fat free, sugar free or low carb!
I strongly advise you to get the book and also to read everything in the FAQ section of this South Beach Forum.
Come back and post again with questions when you are ready to start.
SB Diet is working really well for me. I found phase one pretty hard because I am a carb freak too but I stopped craving starchy food after two weeks. This has made it so much easier to continue to lose weight. I lost weight on WW a couple of years ago and was hungry all the time because I consumed a lot of starchy foods and fruit so I had to learn to tolerate feeling hungry all the time which didn't work. I decided to try SB Diet back in February. I stuck to the plan pretty religiously for the first eight weeks and lost a lot of weight. I have been a bit slacker the last couple of months and had lots of cheats but I think that is normal if you are looking at long term dieting, it can get a little disheartening. Having said that I am still losing weight slowly and getting loads of exercise so am sticking with it, just not losing weight rapidly.
You tend to do a lot of cooking because a lot of processed foods are off limits but salads and stir fries are pretty quick to prepare.
This chicks are right on the ball. The first few days of detoxing are hard. But once you get past that you will find that you don't want to put that crap in your body. Good luck. Remember to ask all the questions that you need to ask someone always has the answers. And we have 3 wonderful MODS that are vaults of information.
I gotta say if I can do Phase I anybody can do Phase I, but it ain't easy at first. So worth it though. I commented to my dh today that my thoughts about food have changed so much in four weeks I can't believe it is me talking sometimes.
Be sure you come here for support if you decide to join the beach party.
I bought the SBD book when it first came out, I tried Phase I and didn't make it. It took me a year or so to try Phase I and actually do it. I was missing a lot of motivation but also I wasn't using this website at the time. There is a lot of information here, lots of recipes and a lot of good people. You can do it and it isn't bad at all. I just started Phase 2 and my change for this week is to eat a serving of oatmeal every morning (with a couple egg whites) but other than that, it is the same as Phase 1.
Just quickly chiming in to say that, like you, I am a total carb (and sugar) freak, and that I, too, considered myself to have little will power. This plan is the first I have ever followed faithfully for so long (since 4/28/04), and though Phase 1 was tough, it was so worth it...I get mental cravings from time to time, but never physical ones anymore!
If you are tired of feeling sick and headachy from all the yo-yo blood sugar and you feel you need to improve your health, this may be the plan for you!
Another carb addict saying it is worth getting off the additions. It is worth the effort! I also so think that of al the things I have done to lose weight Phase II is one of the easier plans to follow - it just takes planning.
Somebody help!
So worth it though. I commented to my dh today that my thoughts about food have changed so much in four weeks I can't believe it is me talking sometimes. 
