I second Schatzi's very wise advice, chicks!
However, please keep in mind that those who lose the most quickly in Phase 1 are usually those that have a lot of weight to lose and have been eating a lot of carbs and sugar before starting SBD. If you've been on Atkins and have only 7 pounds to lose, you are unlikely to see a ton of them fly off in the first week.
Even if you do lose a ton during P1, you will see that slow pretty soon after. Yes, part of that is the transition to P2, but if you stay on P1 (which is NOT recommended), you'll see that the loss stops completely. P1 is really meant to detox you from sugar, but it also helps rid your body of extra water. It's just not possible to lose tons of fat super quickly...most of it is water. But it's very encouraging and can give you the boost you need to keep going!
So celebrate, but set yourself up for success by setting healthy goals, okay? If you've done SBD before and it worked for you, you know that it will work again, but be aware that each time you do it, the weight takes longer to come off.
Even more importantly, make this a change for life, please!
Every time you lose weight, even when you do it in the healthiest way possible, including strength training and good food, you still lose muscle. When you gain the weight back, you only gain back fat. So you are slowly reducing your lean muscle mass (which burns calories even while you are sleeping) and replacing it with fat (which doesn't burn calories and endangers your health. You are literally destroying your metabolism. There are tons of other reasons why yo-yo dieting is harmful...but I'm sure you've heard them before.
Bottom line is that your health matters...much more than your weight.
Not that I don't find shedding pounds encouraging...it's just much healthier to focus on one's overall health than on just the numbers. Relying on how your clothes feel and on how many inches you've gained or lost helps round out the information you need on what's happening to your body.
In P1, you often feel tired and worn out as you detox, so exercise can be difficult, even if you've been doing it for a while. Once you move to P2, you will see the most benefits if you include both cardio and strength training exercise into your routine. Not only will it help you shed pounds, but it'll help you build muscle which will improve your metabolism and make you look skinnier than you would at the same weight but with fat instead of muscle.
So glad to have you all with us and thrilled that you are enjoying SBD so much. It's been a lifesaver for me and I'm glad to see it helping others.
How many of you just started Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet and seen amazing results
on your loss! You're doing great! but don't get discouraged if you loose less this week..., 
Hi!
which makes me grumpy (I am not kidding. Every picture of me the last 3 years, my arse!). I missed my 10 year hs reunion due to the hurricanes this past fall, and when my 10 year college reunion comes (in 3 years) I would like to be in much better shape when I walk out on the field to present our class' fundraising check (I'm such a go-getter), and look thinner than I did at the 5 year reunion (7 months pregnant with child #2).
LOL!!!
Wonderwitch!
