brand new to SB - looking for tips and support!
 

Hello!
I'm looking for tips and insight into SB. As someone who has tried dieting too many times and not yet been successful at keeping the weight off - I'm hoping to hear from some of you who have succeeded at SB. I'm desperate! Thank you!

Pen.

Being successful on this diet I have done (last time around I lost over 50 lbs.) but keeping it off has been a challenge, hence me returning back here. But this board is a great place to find support and advice. I highly recommend looking through the FAQ area, there's a lot of great info. Other than that, check out the Phase 1 thread and join us in the daily chat.
Good luck and Welcome!

:welcome2: Pen! I think many of us here on SBD have tried other ways to lose weight, so we've all been on the same boat. This way of eating makes a lot of sense, you eat lots of healthy, wholesome foods and whole grains, so it's pretty easy to follow. The first two weeks, Phase 1, are the strictest, and it's designed to get you over your cravings for sweets and get your eating habits under control. Once you're over the induction period, you hardly know you are on a diet!

:welcome: There's lots of info and support in this Forum but be sure to read the new South Beach Book as it's important to understand the theory of this lefestyle.

the best piece of advice... this is NOT a diet. it's a PERMANENT LIFESTYLE CHANGE and as such you will have times that will WAX and WAN and times you will ROCK the loss.

the key is PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE! you gotta keep going forever.

Again, Nessa, Ruth and Cottage all have made some excellent points. I remember telling a good friend of mine my intention of going on SBD and she said "My brother and his wife went on it and as soon as they stopped eating the foods they gained all their weight back". And, I think, that is probably the biggest mistake a lot of people have when going into this food plan, even though Dr. Agatston clearly states in each edition of his book that this is a food plan to recover good health. Weight lose is just the natural byproduct of eating healthy. This is not a "quick fix". As I am sure most others will attest, we didn't gain the weight in a day so we shouldn't expect to lose it in a day either.

I know that we all come with the idea that it must be instant, quick, painless, easy, etc. I also know that there are times when we would rather have a skinny butt than a low cholesterol reading. Accept that you will feel this way.

Although I would like to see my butt deflate before next year, I see evidence every day of all the good things that eating this food plan have given me. My skin glows, my hair shines (and yes it is getting thicker too), my stamina is more, I didn't have a cold or the flu this past year (and usually I do every year!), my belly fat (which is where most of my fat is/was) is disappearing and I am regaining an actual bonafide waistline, just for a few of the things that I have seen in the past four and a half months.

There is a good group here who will help you arrive at your goals. Good luck and great to have another body on the beach.;)

Thank you!
 

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post! What a wonderful community I seem to have found! I've just finished reading the new book and I've made my grocery list for tomorrow! Here we go.... I'm really looking forward to making some lasting changes - and it is wonderful to know that for the times when it isn't so easy to do, there are such wonderful people here to help to buoy me up! Thank you!
Pen.:carrot: