[nweisha]

Hi there, I have a question fo rall of the chicks who have tried the South Beach Diet more than once. I went on SBD around October of last year for a few months before I started having complications with my diabetes & had to give it up. I then restarted mid-May & have lost about 8 lbs so far. I DON'T GET IT!
The 1st time I tried it I was cheating, not working out & making more bad choices (I decided not to do low-fat cheeeses the 1st time cause I hate the stuff) that you would think would sabotage my diet. Yet, for some reason the weight melted off. I lost around 25 lbs in 2 months, yet I am almost a month in & have stalled at 8 lbs. I am almost ready to give up, but I really can't since the last time I got off of SBD I gained it all bank, plus 15 more lbs just to make me feel REALLY crappy
This worries me because according to the book you are supposed to just pick up at anytime.I just wanted to know if there is anyone out there who had the same exprerience.

[Suzanne 3FC]

I think you are doing good If you started mid-May, and it's just now mid-June, then it's been a month. 8 pounds in a month is about 2 pounds per week, which is what is considered normal and safe. We should only lose about 1/2 to 2 pounds of fat per week. This is not only considered the healthiest rate, but it also ensures that the weight will stay off later. Quick weight loss finds it's way back a lot easier.

Did you restart phase 1 or jump back into phase 2? When you go on a carb-restricted diet such as phase 1 for the first time, you lose a lot of water, not fat. So maybe you didnt' have a lot of excess water this time around. The numbers quoted in the book are not true for everyone, and not true every time you do it. When I did SB, I only lost 6 pounds in the first month, and that was my first time trying South Beach. But that was pretty good for me, so I was happy. It's going to be different for everyone.

I think you are right on track, so please don't give up!

[nweisha]

That water-weight thing does seem likely. It's just that I was REALLY looking forward to firring into my not-so-fat-anymore shorts by the end of the month, but I don't think that will be happening.
ALso, you are right about quick weight loss/weight gain! I have almost an entire wardrobe of stuff I couldnt fit into if I tried

[Meg]

Something else to think about is the effect of weight loss and regain on your metabolism.

The muscles that you have in your body are little furnaces that burn calories and keep your metabolism running as high as possible. Every pound of muscle that you have burns 20 - 25 calories per day - yay!! But ... when you lose weight without exercising, studies show that up to 50% of what you lose is muscle and the rest is fat. What that means is that your metabolism slows down as it loses its little calorie burners.

Ah, but when you regain weight, it comes back on as 100% fat. The lost muscle is NOT replaced unless you actively lift weights to regain it. The net result is that you've changed your body composition - the percentages of fat and muscle - and your metabolism is slowed down. The next attempt at dieting is harder because your metabolism is slower and burning fewer calories than it did the first time around.

Many cycles of yo-yo dieting without muscle building exercise can really put your metabolism in the slow lane by stripping off a huge amount of your muscle mass. We do metabolic and body fat testing at the gym where I work and frequently see women who have spent their lifetimes on the diet rollercoaster and consequently have shockingly high body fat percentages, along with the metabolisms of turtles. Which stinks.

The only way to avoid this loss of muscle is to lift weights to sustain and increase your muscle mass the whole time that you're dieting. This will keep your metabolism ticking along and let you burn as many calories as possible - helpful for both weight loss and maintenance. What's really cool is that you can actually INCREASE the number of calories that your body burns every day by adding some muscle - I've managed to raise my resting metabolic rate by more than 200 calories per day by adding some additional muscle. And I'm very, very happy to have those 200 calories to play with every day!

Maybe something else to consider?

[beachgal]

Meg, that may be one of the most fabulous posts I've ever read!!! What a clear and perfect way to explain the importance of strength training!

I spent the morning in the gym and it felt SO good. Lifting weights makes you feel like a goddess!

[nweisha]

Thanks so very much for the info. It all seems to click now & I guess I can kind of stop beating myself up (a little ). I heard that the best way to go was 30 strength, 30 cardio, 30 flexibilty. I don't have any problems with the cardio & flex, but for some reason I HATE strength training. I just seems so very involved. Right now I do around 30 mins tae bo & around 30 mins yoga & feel spectacular afterwards. The thought of lifting weights kind of puts a dark cloud over me.

[jen4806]

I did SBD a few years ago, and lost 20 or so pounds for a vacation in about 2 months(from 200 to 180ish) and then after the vacation, I didn't do the diet anymore. I gained those 20 back, plus another 15 which got me to an all time high of 215. I have since restarted, and lost 31 pounds. I am on week 24 of my restart, and have lost 31lbs in 24 weeks. It seemed very slow, with multiple plateaus, but 31 pounds is actually quite a lot. It comes off slow, but it adds up in the long run if you stick to it. Good luck and stick with it. You will see results.