[Mommy2BrookeAndKaleb]

My fiance' and I are thinking about starting South Beach. I have about 70 pounds to lose and he has around 40 pounds to lose. My question is what does it consist of? We have a 4 and 2 year old that will also be eating the food with us but I'm going to include bread and fruits and things to keep them off of the diet. Randy drinks a lot of pepsi which he is refusing to give up. Thank you in advance. Or if you think there is a different diet that would work better for our family, please let me know.

[DeafinlySmart]

I'm not an SB diet person. I will bump this post so someone can answer your questions. I am a calorie counter. I can eat any foods I want (but I try to aim for the healthier the better) as long as I portion control and consider how many calories there are in that serving.

Whatever you decide (no pressure because you need what works for YOU), pepsi is going to be an ouchie on ANY diet (the full sugar kind). If he drinks a lot of them, ask him to alternate water and soda so he is getting his water intake and likely he will reduce some of the pepsi intake naturally as well. Start the day with water, then alternate. I also will put Crystal lite on the go (a flavoring packet) in my water to flavor it without adding calories, etc. If you can't get him to quit them or find an alternative (I know the addiction..I'm that way with diet coke/diet pepsi but thankfully it isn't the full sugar stuff), at least work on reducing it.

Journal. Either journal by hand or find a free online journal (those calculate the data for you and I love it). This really keeps track of how you are doing and makes you more mindful and precise. In the beginning you will have a learning curve. MEASURE. If you eyeball everything (or don't journal) you really could be fooling yourself into thinking you are getting far less or (not enough of the good stuff) than you think. Use this tool. It's really worth it (at least for a while during the learning stage).

Don't guilt yourself if you make mistakes. Learn from them (learning is fun..let it be fun) and move on.

Seek support (You already are..good for you!)

Don't turn on each other. I had to say it. Be supportive and not judgemental. We all have to learn this road ourselves.

[Barb0522]

Take a look at the FAQ section and you will see the list of allowable foods for phase 1 (two weeks) and for phase 2 (the rest of the time until you get to goal). You really should buy the book or check it out of the library to get the full description but I'll try to help. Basically what you are aiming for is a good fats/good carbs style of eating. You will be eating olive oil and canola oil rather than saturated and trans fats. You will be eating lean meats, fish, beans, etc. South Beach heavily emphasizes eating vegetables. While it is possible to do this if you eat out a lot, it is much easier if you are willing to cook.

South Beach goes for good carbs. The emphasis is on slow carbs. You will be eating 100% whole grains. Uncle Ben's Converted rice is allowed on phase 2 and your children will eat that if they eat rice. My son eats 100% Whole wheat pasta just fine. Initially, I took the rest of my regular pasta and fed it to him while I was on phase 1 (and early phase 2). Dairy is also important. We drink skim and that is healthier for kids (once they are old enough not to need the whole milk).

Pepsi really is very high in sugar. My DH has never totally given up his Dr Pepper but I have gotten him to drink Diet sometimes. Even if your fiancee doesn't go totally on South Beach, the other changes will be helpful. Some men seem to be able to consume the sugar without getting cravings but obviously it would be better if he would go to diet. I don't know how you feel about children having Splenda but I make Koolaide with Splenda and my 9 year old and I drink that. Eating healthy is so important for children. My son asks for salad now and when he asked for a snack while we were grocery shopping yesterday, what he wanted was yogurt. I wish I would have started on this when he was younger but this way of eating does work. I would never go back to how I ate before.

[beachgal]

Hi, Mommy2!

You might really benefit from looking through the 3 Fat Chicks book. They review a ton of different diets with information on what works well and doesn't work well with each. They give lots of good advice on what diets work well for different types of people (list of information on "This diet works well for people who:" etc.).

To learn more about SBD, pick up a copy of The South Beach Diet by Dr. Arthur Agatston. It's out in paperback now, so it's fairly inexpensive, but you can also borrow a copy from your local library. When you've read it, you can supplement what you've read with the info in our FAQ, but you really need to read the book; the FAQ won't give you enough to successfully follow this plan. The book is at least half recipes, so don't be daunted by its length.

If your husband won't give up Pepsi, he wouldn't do well on SBD. If he's willing to switch to Diet and drink no more than 16 oz a day, he'd be okay. But if he drinks more (caffeine issues) or regular (sugar issues), he won't be able to succeed with this plan. He might do better on a plan like Weight Watchers, which allows everything, in moderation, or on a counting calories plan like DS described. However, make him aware that he can consume a lot more calories by drinking them than he can by eating them...so he's literally making it very easy for his body to gain weight if he's drinking a lot of Pepsi. Plus, the caffeine in it causes problems with insulin (leading to fat) in his body and also limits the amount of nutrients his body takes in with any food he consumes while drinking Pepsi. It's his decision, but he should be informed about what kind of a decision he's making.

Good luck...if you decide to join us, hope you'll participate in the daily thread (the one with the day of the week in the title) and introduce yourself so we can get to know you better! :

[beachgal]

P.S. Barb is a FANTASTIC resource, Mommy2, especially when it comes to doing SBD with your children in a healthy way.