This is not a pity thread. I'm not looking for "oh,you can do it." I think I have a real problem. My hubs and I started SB on Monday. I have yet to make it through one day with out cheating. So, basically, I have started over and failed every day this week. And I don't mean I cheated and had a potato or bread.. I mean all-out sugar-fest. A big part of the problem is that I have a very slow, boring job where I sit behind a coffee kiosk all day. The pastry case stares me in the face all day long... cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and breads. I just feel hopeless.

Have you looked at this thread? There are some really good suggestions:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sout...uth-beach.html

And I'm not sure if you have children, but if you can, clear your house of all the bad stuff! I got rid of all the refined carbs/100 calorie packs/etc. before starting. I'm lazy, so if it's not in the house and I'm craving it, I'm not going to go out to get it.

As far as the job is concerned, that's a tough one. I feel your pain; I worked for Godiva Chocolates for three years. Once I quit, dieting became a bit easier...I digress - I'm not saying quit your job.

The best advice where the job is concerned...once you make it through a successful, solid two weeks of phase I, the cravings will lessen and you won't be as tempted to give in.

I tried SB for a week and was very unhappy and by the end of the week wa completely off plan. I am much happier counting calories.

Maybe try something else. I did south beach for 3 months and finally realized it just didn't work for me and wasn't something I could maintain. I count calories and I am much happier.

Chew gum! I'm not doing south beach so i'm not sure if this is allowed, but if it is, it will prevent you from eating things absentmindedly...Also have a big bottle of water with you. You CAN do it!

Hi texasmama...sorry you are having a difficult time. I was about to tell you "Whether you think you can or you can't..either way you're right" but I already see you have Henry Ford's quote in your signature. Positive thought is the only thing that gets me through it sometimes.

If SBD doesn't work for you, then you can search these forums and find something that DOES work! I've done WW before and had success, but I didn't feel that WW was a lifestyle choice I personally could stick with. I feel great on SBD, so it's easy to stick with. If you aren't happy, then you're setting yourself up for failure trying to follow a diet plan that doesn't work for YOU! (I really don't care for sweets/sugar, so besides the lack of potatoes and pizza, I don't miss too much on SBD!)

I hope that you are able to find something that works and makes you happy! There is so much info on all these threads - maybe reach out with questions on some of the other diet plans that might work for you. Don't force yourself to be unhappy!

Good luck!!

Thanks guys... lol, I DO have that quote as my signature don't I? Can I edit this post to say, I can't do SouthBeach, but I can lose weight some other way.... just trying to figure out how. I'm off to peruse the rest of the forums and see if anything jumps out at me.

Just my opinion, but I don't think any program will work until you are truly ready for it. At least that's the way it was in my case. I tried and tried over and over and over for years to lose weight and would "give in" on the first day. I think your head as to be ready as well as your body. When I was so mad at myself that I couldn't stand myself, that's when the mind kicked in and it just happened. Plan, plan plan is also a major key.

It may be that another plan will work better for you. However, if you have sugar issues, I suspect SB is exactly the right plan for you. If you can commit and get your head in the right place, those treats will not tempt you nearly as much after you get through Ph1. It's not easy. You've gotten some good suggestions already - gum, water, etc. Make sure you are snacking regularly, and are getting enough protein and don't forget your beans and dairy. Is there any way you can block your line of sight to the pastries? Maybe with a motivational sign? All of the tips and tricks can help, but it won't happen until you decide it's going to happen.

Change jobs? I work at a cafe too, and its only because i've overhad everything that I don't eat all day anymore.

With your experience you could be a barista/waitress at a resto and be too busy running around to eat, work at a booster juice/jugo juice/healthy shake store.... Changing jobs will be exciting, challenging and motivating and help you with that feeling of hopelessness.

I agree with others. Until you really decide to make a change no plan is going to work magic. Sounds like you have a binge eating issue. I've had a problem with that forever, still do. I had to accept that I moved the food to my mouth and I had to make a choice. I'm not saying it was easy in the beginning, it wasn't. But no magic diet can make that change. You aren't saying your problem is portion sizes or food choices, you talk about eating out of control. There are things like journaling, figuring out your triggers, etc that will help but ultimately you have to decide whether changing your relationship with food is really what you want.

When the time is right this plan could work for you. Sounds like the carbs are really a big draw for you and getting away from them might help. For me detoxing made a big difference. I still have issues but they are easier to deal with if I just don't take that first bite of something sweet or starchy and I never eat anything with high fructose corn syrup because it sends me out of control. I'm not perfect, heck I can binge on pickles or fruit or zucchini chips but I can get back on plan easily with those things. It's a hard habit to break but it can be done. Good luck with whatever choices you make.

Texasmama, you have two options here. It depends on what you want to accomplish.

If your only goal is to lose weight, you may want to look at other plans that are more workable for you. A great resource for that is the information on the main 3FC page and the 3FC book--it reviews tons of diet plans, gives you the pros and cons of each along with helpful tips on making them work for you. I highly recommend it.

However, I have to ask--why were you drawn to South Beach (SBD) in the first place? If you were just drawn to it because you thought it would be fast or easy or something, then, by all means, please look for a plan that fits you better. But if you were drawn to SBD because you realized that you were addicted to sweet things, you may have to think harder about why this isn't working for you. If I were in your position and knew that I needed to break my addiction to sweets, I'd consider some things, depending on how important my job/making money was to me:

1. If you can afford to do so, either take a week off of work (for your first week of Phase 1), or look for a new job and start Phase 1 once you start there. Another option would be to transfer to a different department at work, if that's possible. For instance, if you work at a coffee bar in a bookstore, maybe you can work in another part of the bookstore rather than at the counter with the pastries.
2. If you cannot take that long off work, see if you can get 5 days off to do Phase 1.
3. If all else fails, wait until you have at least three days off (like a weekend?) and start Phase 1 then. The first 3-5 days are the hardest, and once you get through them, your cravings will be gone! Then you'll be able to walk by those pastries without giving them much of a thought.

You also need to set yourself up for success by clearing all sugar and non-SBD foods from your house, bringing healthy snacks and meals with you to work, and talking to others about your eating plan so they can support you in sticking to it.

If you think you need to work on your sweet tooth because it's causing problems with your health and weight, SBD can be a great way to do it. It all comes down to what a friend of mine had in her signature: "If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." Seems you're working on a finding a way, which is great!

I am on SBD for the 3rd time...The first I was successful and I am a manager for Mickey D's! I got off track when my marriage went downhill...I decided a couple of yrs ago I would do it again and really fell off...didnt try to get back on immediately. This time around I knew it was what I wanted and what I had to do...Ive done well...and I am one who has a major sweet tooth. I just go with what SBD allows for that. Good luck in finding something that works for you!!! It will happen exactly when you are ready for it to!