South Beach Diet - Phase I Thread - November

It's time to start this up again - a thread for new folks and restarting folks to share ideas, ask questions and post menus. As you move on into Phase I.5 and II, please hop over into the OP thread.

Of course, everyone is invited to join us in the daily thread where we chat about "other stuff" because life is not just about dieting - although it sure feels that way sometimes!

The MODs and experienced Beachers will be popping in here to answer questions and give encouragement.

I am, I am! I started last week, and lost 10 pounds!! I'm so delighted, and the loss is a definite motivator. So are the forums, so thank you for being here!

I just started today. My dh is also doing this with me. We both have 20 or so pounds to lose but in general just want a healthier lifestyle. I stocked up on some new and different foods so hoping to make it!!

:welcome: mbsam and Briggsy!

I've started PH1 again this Sunday (so far so good). It' my 3rd time on SBD (every time I loose 30 lbs I get pregnant :) ) - side effect!

I'll join in! I started PH1 on Sunday - so far so good. I love the way my body feels on SBD - once sugar cravings are gone!

Started Phase 1 yesterday. Two days down and doing okay so far. I have a slight headache tonight but know that will go away. This is my 2nd time doing SB. I had a lot of success last time.

Junebug, being sure you have dairy and legumes will help the headaches. We call it the SBD 'flu!

Mbsam, Briggsy, RRB2, Junebug07

:welcome3:

Best Wishes! Join us on the daily, and OP weekly threads.

I also had a serious headache yesterday (day 2).
I thought it was from Sucralose I've been using.
As far as success goes - I lost 30 lbs twice on SBD and then .....got pregnant (so you cou8ld call it a happy side effect :) )

Mbsam, Briggsy, RRB2, Junebug07

:welcome3:

Best Wishes! Join us on the daily, and OP weekly threads.

Thanks for the welcome!

:welcome: Mbsam, Briggsy, RRB2, and Junebug07!

I just started my second week on Phase I. I don't eat eggs at all. So I eat 3/4 cup of plain ff yogurt with a small spoonful of no sugar added jam. Then I have the morining star soy sausage links or pattys. There have been mornings where I just had the morning star soy sausage links and cabot lite cheese.

Welcome Kimmi! I love the Cabot reduced fat cheese. It actually has some flavor :)

I am pretty sure the sf jelly is not allowed on Phase 1, being fruit derived. If you can get Greek yogurt it will add a little extra protein to your meal on no sausage days.

I'm also wondering where your veggies are? The veggies really help you fill up though it can be a realy shift to think about them in the morning :)

day 2 is going ok. I've been eating salads for lunch and I end up hungry after just a couple hours. But then I eat my snack and start working on what we are having for dinner.
My dh leaves early in the a.m for work, so I have to have his breakfast, lunch, and snacks packed the night before. Kind of a pain, but hopefully worth it. I think tonight we are having chili for dinner.
i'm definately having some sugar cravings. I even made that 3 min chocolate cake in the recipes section. It was ok, but I'm hoping to find something better to cure my sweet tooth.
thanks for the warm welcome!!

Oh yeah and what's up with going to the bathroom more than normal? I was up like 3 times last night to pee. It is/was totally annoying. I read somewhere that someone else had this on the diet. Was it like this for you? or am I just weird? LOL

Briggsy, what are you having with your salad - protein, dairy, legumes? The bathroom trips are good - it means your body is dumping excess fluid. It gets better after a while.

Ditto about bathroom brakes - I remember it from last time as well.
Headache is gone - maybe because of the 5 mile walk today, maybe because of increased water intake.
Sugar cravings are pretty much gone as well - I love that about SBD that few days after starting PH1 I have NO cravings at all.
I made the Balsamic Salmon from the Quick and Easy Book and Eggplant Skillet Lasagna fro supper - yumm!

Briggsy, what are you having with your salad - protein, dairy, legumes? The bathroom trips are good - it means your body is dumping excess fluid. It gets better after a while.

salad was romaine, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, shredded low fat cheese. It was good, but I think I need to have some chx breast on hand to make it a little more filling and lasting!!

I made chili tonight ( i know its only 5 oclock but my kids wake up from nap ready for dinner! LOL) and with the low fat sour cream and cheese it is to die for!!!! Plus I made a double batch so dh can just take a bowl tomorrow for his lunch and I don't have to make him anything. He had a salad today but I'm sure he wasn't full with his either.

So I was kind of confused with the natural peanut butter used for the peanut butter cup...... in phase 1 the natural peanut butter is allowed?

Peanut butter and nuts are OK in all Phases. Have you read the food lists posted in the FAQ section?

Peanut Butter cookies used to be a must for me in PH1!

Welcome Kimmi! I love the Cabot reduced fat cheese. It actually has some flavor :)

I am pretty sure the sf jelly is not allowed on Phase 1, being fruit derived. If you can get Greek yogurt it will add a little extra protein to your meal on no sausage days.

I'm also wondering where your veggies are? The veggies really help you fill up though it can be a realy shift to think about them in the morning :)

Thanks for your warm welcome Cyndi! I do need to add more veggies, but at breakfast? Do you have any ideas? Also in the SB Supercharges Book on page 181 it lists that you can have Jams and Jellies, sugar free. So that is why I add a tiny amount to my yogurt. I will try the Greek Yogurt.

Question: what is Phase I.5?

Hi everyone!
I'm new to South Beach Diet, just started phase I Monday (it is now Saturday, so it's day 6). I have found it pretty easy to stick to protein, veggies and low fat cheese so far, guess I'm lucky. I feel like I'm eating a lot though! I told myself I wouldn't weigh-in until one week and then modify portions if needed. I have also noticed a lot of bathroom trips! About 3 times a night I get up to go! I thought maybe it was all the water I've been drinking, but I always drink water! I have also noticed I've been having a lot of dreams about "cheating" on the diet. Not gorging on cake and bread or anything, but I'll add a "bad" ingredient to a recipe or eat something on the "do not eat" list accidentally. And I'm not even craving/thinking about those kinds foods when I'm awake! Weird!

Today wasn't a great day for me - we are having company for the weekend, so lots of treat all around. I tried my best, though so hopefully the "official" weigh in tomorrow will be OK.

Kimmie, I'm adding my welcome. Phase I.5 is a slow transition into full Phase II. It's our own invention because soem folks gained weight when they quickly changed into full Phase II.

:welcome: to you too, Asphyxia and your interesting moniker. Frequent potty trips at the beginning are the norm as your body dumps extra water.

I do need to add more veggies, but at breakfast? Do you have any ideas?

Hi Kimmiblue - do you like v8 juice?
It's not quite as good as whole veggies, but it works great for breakfast. I'm always in a hurry in the morning and I don't care much for eggs so on phase 1 I usually have a couple of cheese sticks and an 11.5 oz can of V-8 as I'm driving to work.

Hello all!

I began phase 1 on Saturday. So far so good. Was out with DH all day and we had a lovely time. We had brunch at 1:30 pm and I still was not hungry at 7 pm when we finally stopped to have dinner. My pedometer said almost 11,000 steps! yay :D

Here is my question. I did great all day long when we were busy however my job is sedentary for sometimes very long hours. When we got home today I noticed that I felt hungry. I didn't eat anything I shouldn't but what's up with the hunger trigger as soon as I sat down? I really have to find an answer to this as changing jobs in this market is just not an option for me right now. :(

I did feel SOOOO much better with the reduction in carbs. It was truly amazing. :carrot:

I am also going to try to get starting weight, measurements and pics posted tomorrow along with planned short term and long term goals.

I look forward to your guidance.

~Deb

Kimmie, I'm adding my welcome. Phase I.5 is a slow transition into full Phase II. It's our own invention because soem folks gained weight when they quickly changed into full Phase II.

:welcome: to you too, Asphyxia and your interesting moniker. Frequent potty trips at the beginning are the norm as your body dumps extra water.

Thanks Ruthxxx. Can you explain Phase 1.5 or tell me where to goto read about it please?

Here's some links that may help you Kimmiblue:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sbd-frequently-asked-questions/59321-emergency-handbook-phase-2-a.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sbd-frequently-asked-questions/92773-how-add-new-things-slowly-p2.html#post1390480

There's lots of good info under the SB FAQ's.

well today has been my first full week of phase 1. I'm down 3.7 lbs for the week!! I'm pretty happy with that, and hope that week 2 brings the same kind of results!!!

My first full week too! I'm down 1.8 lbs and I'm happy with that because I only have about 20 I want to lose. I know it's going to take a very long time, but I'm feeling good about it! I'm going to take a better look at my portion sizes this week, I think I'm eating way too much meat when I have it at a meal.

My first full week too! I'm down 1.8 lbs and I'm happy with that because I only have about 20 I want to lose. I know it's going to take a very long time, but I'm feeling good about it! I'm going to take a better look at my portion sizes this week, I think I'm eating way too much meat when I have it at a meal.

cool to have someone else on the same week. I would like to lose 30 altogether. But anything less than what I am now will be good!! hoping next week I lose even more!!

Good work, Chickies. :cheer: Now where are the rest of the Phase I folks?

Here's one, I was accidentally posting in the OP thread. Oops! I guess I'm not blonde for nothing, hahah.

Welcome you guys who are new or seem to be new, I am glad I'm not alone in doing Phase 1! How are you guys handling it so far, besides the SBD flu?

Wow, I had completely forgot about the SBD flu... that explains my massive headache the past two nights. Thankfully it's gone now. Milk works wonders.

This is day 4 of Phase 1 for me, yet again. I'm hoping to lose 10, maybe 15 (one can dream?) by Christmas. I've had so many failures and so many successes with the SBD, the failures being my own responsibility, the successes being the SBD and my willpower, sticking to it. I went down 30 lbs or so on the SBD, but gained it back during a particularly hard time earlier this year. Went back on it, lost it all again, and gained it back fairly quickly after moving into the place I live in now. This is all my responsibility and my fault.

One of my major pitfalls is finances, which does at times prevent me from getting all the SBD approved foods I need for success. Often I had been relegated to buying some of the more unhealthy, yet cheapest options. (50 cent macaroni and cheese, anyone?) Luckily, my financial situation has improved that I should have NO excuses for not staying OP and I hope you ladies can hold me to it! Call me out on it if I complain about a unhealthy food binge, I have no one to blame but myself.

I believe that now that I am more financially stable, it will enable me to follow through with this and leave me successful...

GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!!! I'm a pro at Phase 1 after doing it so many times, regarding the right kind of foods and all that, so ask me questions if you need to, I am more than willing to answer!

You know, I don't think I ever got the SBD flu, does everyone? It's the end of day 11 on phase I. I think I've been doing pretty alright. I wasn't too too bad at sweets and stuff but I would do a lot of thoughtless eating. Grab whatever was around when hungry. And eat large servings of pizza and pasta when having it as a meal. So now I plan better and think about what I'm eating. Hopefully I won't always have to think so much about it- I think that's what makes me fail- the calorie counting or the portioning or the planning. I'd like it to just be second nature.

This week was not great for me food wise, but I did the best I could + I did a ton of walking -probably around 20 miles this week alone (pushing a stroller with a toddler), so I still lost 2 lbs.
I'm planning on continuing PH1 next week hoping to get back in the saddle. I'm also having my thyroid checked (I used to be on Synthroid few years ago)

Whew! For a while there I thought there was nobody on Phase II. Hang in there, chickies!

Hi Asphyxia, nah I wouldn't say everyone gets it, you didn't, right? heheh. :) Is this your first time doing Phase 1? Congrats on making it to day 11! Yep, I'm the same way when it comes to thoughtless eating and portions in meals. I still struggle with it because I always just want more... I always feel like I need to clean my plate and then get seconds.. I've tried calorie counting but it seems to take the joy out of eating and it's just a pain in the butt. I don't discount it though, I know some people here still calorie count just to keep themselves in check.

Hi RRB2, congrats on the walking and the 2 lbs! Don't worry, it'll get easier. It is hard to adjust to it at first. It really is! As a matter of fact right, I just unwrapped a little debbie's gingerbread cookie for my son and the smell of it made me WANT IT RIGHT NOW. So I just sat there and inhaled the scent for a minute (I know, that's weird), and gave it to him. I knew it wasn't worth it, I know how in the past I could polish off several of those lil debbies gingerbread men. And it's not worth it!! good luck with the thyroid, hopefully the doctor will help you rev up that metabolism!

Well you guys, it's been 5 days on Phase 1 for me and I did step on the scale this morning. I was very dissapointed. I haven't even lost 1-2 lbs, which is the average rate of loss a week. As a matter of fact the scale says I gained a few, but I'm not counting that right yet, knowing it could be water retention (it is that time of the month, although I think it's over now.)

I enjoy the 'quick' weightloss of the first two weeks of phase 1 because it's very motivating, and when it slows down in Phase 2 it doesn't bother me because I know this is normal and natural and that most of the weightloss in Phase 1 was just water weight, but still. I am dissapointed nonetheless.

That said, it ain't over til it's over, I still have over a week to go. It's not even been technically a week yet, so I'm hanging in there.

briggsy- How are those bathroom breaks going? I noticed after about the first week they started to slow down, haha! Great job on the 3.7 and I hope week 2 goes well for you!

Melanie- That is too funny about the gingerbread cookies! Today I walked into a little gift shop and wandered over to the candle section. There was a gingerbread scented candled and I picked it up and smelled it and I tell ya, I have never smelled a more delicious candle EVER! I stood there for a while smelling it, put it down, smelled some others, then picked it back up again! I would probably be sitting at home smelling it right now if it wasn't $10! Luckily I have some yummy pumpkin spice candles to smell!
Which reminds me, I came up with a ricotta cheese dessert that's the basic part-skim ricotta, splenda, vanilla extract, then I add a little pumpkin pie spice to it... so yummy!

Haha I know what you mean, I have a little gingerbread candle from walmart also, and somehow smelling it seems to help a little? I dunno! The little gingerbread ones are only $1 at walmart.

That ricotta dessert sounds really good, I'm gonna have to try that! The SF fudgesicles are delicious but don't hit the spot like some filling ricotta would.

So you guys, it is my 6th day on Phase 1, managed to deal with a fast food emergency last night, and I still haven't seen anything on the scale which is really discouraging. Urgh. How is everyone else doing?

Hi there, (Dont know if I am posting in the right thread...?)
I have been checking the forums for a few days now and it has been so helpful! You are all so supportive and kind to each other.

I am on Day 6 of P1, and I am so tired of eggs! I have expanded my choices for next week for a couple of egg-free breakfasts, like turkey roll ups.

I wonder if anyone might talk about how SBD affects how your body feels/reacts in the beginning? Just want to be sure I am normal!

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon!

Winnie, :welcome: to the Beach and you are posting in exactly the right spot.

Breakfast does not have to be eggs - lots of us eat leftovers - even chili!

This plan affects everyone differently. Some chicks get SBD flu from carb reduction, others have to pee a lot, some chicks are on a sort of high. :dizzy: It all settles down eventually.

Hi SkinnyWinnie, a lot of people have what they call the "SBD Flu" around here, Ruthxxx was saying earlier. And it seems to be true, but not for all (another poster says she has not experienced it.)

I myself tend to feel a bit fatigued at first, and have bad headaches.

This does go away and you will feel great with a lot of energy after getting through Phase 1, in my experience.

And I hear ya, I am so sick of eggs myself! Could barely eat them this morning. I'm gonna have to try something different tomorrow.

Plus, how cool is that that you're on day 6 of phase 1, so am I! :)

Thanks for the quick replies! I just tried the mashed "potatoes" tonight. Interesting...not sure I was fooled, but it was a nice change of pace. (At least there are no eggs in it!)

Ruth, I haven't tried chili yet, but that sounds like a great idea for dinner tomorrow, and I will save some for breakfast on Monday.

Melanie, Yay on Day 6! Maybe we can help each other stay on track? I am sorry to hear about the headaches, no headaches for me. I never ate breakfast in the past so that is hard for me, but I just wait until later in the morning. If I wait too long, I get the shakes. I guess my body is mad at me for taking away all that yummy sugar. Feeling tired for sure. Peeing alot and a little constipated (TMI! Sorry) from all the dairy. I have always eaten lots of veggies, so I may have to add some extra fiber somewhere to get things, uh, moving, so to speak.


Thank you both for the very nice welcome, and letting me know I am in the right place. Looking forward to "talking" soon.

I couldnt find jicama in the foods list. Does anyone know if it is allowed on P1? Looking for something to go with hummus...

asphyxia63- well I thought they had, but I was up several times last night. Maybe i just drank more yesterday? Not sure.

For those who are sick of eggs I've had the chocolate shake for breakfast and lunch. A nice change.

Sure, we can definitely help eachother stay on track! Sounds like a great plan. Jicama is fine, it is really low on the GI.

Yikes, actually I just read a different post, which I guess was archived, (I was on google) but it was from 3fatchicks.com because I saw Ruthxxx on it. Someone said it's not okay until Phase 2? I guess we need to call in the experts, lol.