New to SB Diet and need some info on good products
 

Hello I started the south beach diet today . I am really lost at what I can and can't eat . I know the basics from the book but like what are some good products to buy at the store. And what do I look at on labels ??? I woukld greatly appreciate this. I have tried oh so many diets before and i am getting married in Sep so this is really important for me to do this right and get results so any suggestions of products would be great :D

Hi Sassy -- first off, congrats on getting married. That's fantastic!

Now, the thing is, this diet is NOT about products. It's about eating whole food. Especially in Phase 1. You're not counting carbs or calories. You eat what is on the list, and that's it. If it's not on there, you can't eat it. Take a look at the list... you'll notice that pre-packaged foods aren't on there. What does that mean? You shouldn't be eating them, especially if you want to get the real results on Phase 1. You need to be buying fresh veggies, low fat cheese, lean meat like chicken and turkey, eggs, and lots of beans. The only thing packaged there is the beans, and those are canned.

(You should also note -- the minute you cheat on Phase 1, you wipe out any progress you've made. While this diet is designed so that you can fall off and pick back up the next day, that's really only in Phase 2. In Phase 1, you're changing your blood chemistry so it knows to burn fat for fuel -- and if you eat anything that's off the list, you'll reverse that and your body will go back to how you were before, storing fat instead of burning it.)

What that means is, a lot of time preparing meals and snacks to take with you to work/school/etc. And THAT means, that this diet isn't the right fit for a lot of people because they don't have the time or energy to do all the cooking and preparing that is required.

This is a typical day for me on Phase 1 -- you can get an idea if this is something you can do (I almost always have to do some preparation before bed... like making the bean salad, putting together my salad, etc.):

Breakfast:
-2 eggs + 2 egg whites scrambled and 2 slices of turkey bacon with a glass of milk.

OR

-4 eggs beaten with 2 tbsp. of skim ricotta cheese and a splash of vanilla, fried like an omelette. Glass of milk.

Lunch:
-Bean Salad (Red Kidney beans, chickpeas, red peppers, low-fat feta cheese, artichoke hearts, with a dressing made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a pacakge of Splenda)

OR
-Huge salad with leftover chicken from dinner the night before and the same dressing as above

OR
-Couple of hard boiled eggs, with a salad

Afternoon snack:
-30 pistachios, 2 triangles of Laughing Cow Lite cheese.

OR

-15 almonds, and one part-skim mozarella cheese stick

Dinner:
-Taco Bake (see Phase 1 recipes section)

OR

-Huge salad with grilled chicken, feta cheese, tonnes of veggies, and balsamic vin. & olive oil

OR

-Bean Soup (see Ph1 recipes)

OR

-Grilled chicken shishkebabs with peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini and a salad

OR

-Grilled lean steak with steamed brocolli and cauliflower

Evening Snack:
-Ricotta Creme (1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/4 cup skim ricotta, 1 tbsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tbsp. of Splenda, splash of milk, splash of vanilla... I blend that up and put it in the fridge to cool... or in the freezer for a frozen treat)

OR

-Sugar Free Jello

And that's it. Does that make sense to you?

--Dr. A recommends not to eat anything packaged or canned or bottled that lists more than 3 g of sugar on the label.

--Avoid labels that list hydrogenated anything or that have high saturated fat levels.

--If a product says it has less than 3 g sugar, but the first ingredient listed is high fructose corn syrup, chances are they're lying.

Otherwise, stick to the outside aisles in the grocery store...produce, dairy, meat, grains and stick to your list in the book. One change to the list that I know of is that bananas are now allowed, though, I am not sure if that is just for Phase II or not. (?) Look for low-fat or fat free versions of everything (though, my experience with fat free cheddar was not good...I like the 2% cheddar much better)

--For my A.M. snack, I am presently eating Carb Countdown yogurt, which is OK for Phase 2. I like the strawberry (1 g sugar, 1.5 grams fat) and french vanilla flavors (the french vanilla yogurt is really good for making the strawberry parfait recipe that's listed in the first book). I think they also have a peach flavor and something else.

Good luck, Sassy! You'll do great!

Hi, Sassy!

There is a lot to learn, and you'll find lots in the FAQ section and in the recipes section. Check them out! There are a lot of great Phase 1 recipes in there, like the Taco Bake that Kim mentioned above, that helped a lot of us get through Phase 1 without going nuts. :D

Some great products to purchase and have on hand are:

• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans) with no sugar...just roasted or boiled.
• Sweetener of choice--sweet n' low, equal, splenda, or stevia. You can get packets (which are easy to carry and measure) and pourable (easy to use for recipes)
• Natural Peanut Butter--Laura Scudder's is a great brand in the West, and you can find Smuckers in the East.
• Cool Whip Free (great for the Peanut Butter cup...see recipes, and on Sugar free Jell-o, but you may want to try heavy whipping cream mixed with sweetener instead)
• Fat Free (skim) or 1% milk to drink...you can have one cup a day
• Sugar Free Jell-o...it comes pre made in little cups, which is great
• low fat cottage cheese and plain yogurt
• Sugar free syrups, made by DaVinci, Toblani (sp?), or other brands (great for use in all sorts of things from coffee, cottage cheese, ziploc ice cream, etc.)
• Lots of fresh veggies!
• Little containers for dressing and PB...Glad makes a perfect 1/2 cup size that you can throw away if you need to.
• SBD friendly dressings...look for less than 3g of sugar (listed in nutritional panel) and nothing with the word "hydrogenated" in the list of ingredients
• Low fat cheeses (less than 6g of cheese): part skim mozz. cheese sticks (string cheese), low fat feta, red. fat cheddar, Laughing Cow Light cheese.
• Lean meat, chicken breasts, lean lunch meat for roll ups or to toss on a salad
• No Sugar Added Fudgesicles and Creamsicles, Sugar free popsicles
• Crystal Light and/or diet soda
• Sugar free ketchup and barbecue sauce, if you like those
• Sugar free tomato sauce (Hunt makes one in a can, or you can pay extra for the carb options ones)

Hope this gets you started! I think you will love SBD and find it a great way to maintain that weight after your wedding! :D

Good advice, Sassy. I can't think of a thing to add except do not forget to eat legumes. this is not a low carb diet!
Welcome to the Beach!