Hi. I am brand spankin new to this ( the site as well as the South Beach Diet) and I would love to get some advice and guidence. I am on day two of the diet and so far so good. I am shocked, however, at how my previous eating habits were the mirror opposite of what I should be eating now. I am working out (Curves gym5 days out of 7 each week) and walking my wonderful dog. I discourage easily (or perhaps I should say I give up and give in easily) so if anyone has any good snack tricks or wisdom to help me live without bread for awhile I would love to hear.
Also, I must admit that I have only skimmed the book and am relying heavily on word of mouth guidence about what I should eat. I know that this is wrong so I will read the book. Has anyone used the southbeach website to get menu's and shopping lists?
thanks for any advice and support. I have a long long long way to go and I know that I am going to rationalize my way out of this unless I stay in contact with others who are doing it. CW/232 GW/170......
fluffypuff

Fluffypuff, I'm so glad you've decided to join us! It sounds like you're making great strides with the exercising.
A few people have tried the SB website, but most of the women here find more than enough information here on the boards. There are lots of great recipes here, too! (which we're currently trying to organize)
It's so easy to give up, but we're all here with support for each other. Come and join us on the daily threads!

Welcome to the Beach! I keep the book out as reference everytime I eat so I know I'm making the right choices. There are threads here that tell you what you can eat at each phase and check out the recipes and meal ideas here. What I did was write down the list for Phase 1 and post it on my refrigerator. If I write it down it's also easier for me to remember. Also, don't forget the water. When I think I want a snack, I'll drink water and sometimes after that, I don't want the snack, but it's a good idea to have a snack or two a day. The ricotta cheese thing can get old for a while, so some people mix a low sugar frozen fudge bar (melted 10 seconds in the microwave so the stick comes off) with fat free cool whip and a spoonful of natural peanut butter for a snack called "the peanut butter cup". Or you can make it without the peanut butter if you like. Just make sure your sweets don't go over 75 cals (that's a tough one for me! ). Good luck...keep looking here for ideas and come to the beach for support!

Ladies
thank you so much for your encouragement. I have been reading the various postings on the SB threads for a few days and wasn't quite sure how to jump in. How do I get on the "daily threads" that Ellis mentioned? I really need to check in multiple times a day. My relationship is in a bit of a tailspin and I don't share any of this stuff with my husband or friends....especially my weight. It is probably a statement of the obvious but when things at home are not good I seem to treat myself worse. Does SB allow for some variation on portion size when you are beginning? I have been eating a ton of salad stuff (minus the pea/carrots etc. that aren't allowed) and lots of chicken. I get completely frustrated when I have to measure stuff. Any thoughts?
Puffyfluff

Welcome to The Beach! The Daily thread is called "The Daily" today and is usually started by the first chick to put out the beach umbrellas.
Don't worry too much about portion size during the first part of Phase I. Eat until you are satisfied. Remember that legumes ARE part of this phase and will help fill you up.

Puffyfluff, here's the link to todays daily!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42889

Welcome to the Beach!!

I am like you in that when things are going wrong or just not as right as I want them to go, I eat. The good news about SBD is if you find a good snack that meets the plan, you can still feed those cravings. Its all about a new way to eat.

Pull up a beach chair and pass the sunscreen, you are going to like it here!

Puffyfluff...welcome. I'm in the same boat as you with the stress and the eating (I'm going through a divorce right now and it's not pretty). Don't look at it as a long long long way to go. Set SHORT TERM goals. Maybe monthly. I'm on day 4 of phase I and I'm hoping to see SOME kind of loss after these 14 days. Then, I'll go from there and set another short term goal. I would suggest to read the book though....it is VERY informative. It gives you a good understanding instead of just knowing the rules and that helps you to remember w/out having to go back and constantly look things up. Stick with it and good luck!