south beach diet
 

hey everyone!!!
new to the board yesterday, and cant get enough info.
i was watching "The View" today, and they introduced a diet i'd never heard of.......... South Beach Diet. the DR that developed it was there and it was very appealing. has anyone tried this low carb diet, or "change of life-style" as the DR says??
of course, a book is available, but wanted to see if anyone had tried it b4 buying the book.
thx!!!
sandy:) :cb:

I have never heard of it! Fill us in....

well, i dont know a lot, as the segment was only about 5 mins long, but...............
it sounds a lot like atkins,but tweaked a bit. low carbs, like veggies/fruit for 1st 2 weeks. protein like atkins, and for fats, no butter( bummer) but olive or canola oil.
no counting calories, no portion restrictions ( i will tho ) and the big thing was, was to make sure you eat breakfast ( eggs are good ) and make sure you are getting in your snack b4 your cravings kick in. so if you eat breakfast at 7, and lunch at noon, make sure to get a snack by 9:30-10am. if cravings kick in, you're doomed. he suggests for snacks, cheese or yogurt.
im going to get the book, i'll be able to write more after reading it. thx, hope this helps someone and ME!!!!

South Beach Diet
 

Hi,

I am new here but wanted to chime in and say that I have the book South Beach Diet, have read it, and am planning to start the diet this weekend.

It is similar to Atkins with less restriction on vegtable carbs in first two weeks ( he calls it Phase 1, but is similar to induction) and then slow add back of carbs after that... but, it allows more fruits and some grains and others like sweet potatoes much faster than Atkins.

It was developed by a Dr. Arthur Agatston, cardiologist in Florida for his patients after his research indicated that insulin resistance was a serious health threat for his heart patients.

He says most of his patients lose anywhere from 8 to 13 pounds in the first two weeks.


Very easy reading book... good recipes and plans...

There is also an outline of the diet in this month's ( May edition) of Prevention Magazine.

Hope this helps!

Hmmm I wonder if they'll create a North Beach Diet, and East Beach Diet, Or a West Beach Diet Next.. Sheesh I would love to know how they come up with these names.. I mean afterall.. Low carbing is low carbing right?? LOL

yeah, JoAnne you are right.. It is all low carbing... but, I guess everybody wants to get their two cents in, literally.

I gather this diet was named South Beach cause that is where this doctor's practice is.

but, I am excited about giving it a try...Looks very livable.

thanks katie~~
i'm gonna give it a shot too. if you want to do it "together" let me know. i havent gone grocery shopping yet, so im not sure when i'll begin, sun or mon probably. e-mail, im, or pm me. how much are you looking to lose? where do you live? let me know.
i need to go buy the book. is it in paperback??

South Beach Diet
 

Sure, Sandy,

I would love to have a buddy to check in with!

I plan on starting Sunday... grocery shopping and getting everything I need tonight and tommorrow. I have about 70 pounds to lose.

The book is a hard back and was $24 bucks or so at Barnes and Noble.. It has a blue cover.

But, if you go to the Prevention Mag website, they have a good rough outline of it. sorry, I don't have the link.

Book has lots more meal plans, of course, and details and recipes..

And while he does go into the "medical science" of why this plan works.. it was a much easier read for me than Dr. Atkins books. Just as much info, but in a more condensed version and easier to read.

but, that is just my opinion on that.

ok katie, its official- start date 4-6-03.
i have about 50-60 lbs, but i dont want to think that far ahaead/ lets set short term goals that are attainable, and we wont get discouraged. how much water do we need to be drinking??
oh, i did go to the prevention website and printed off what they had. good start, but i want the book. i am sooo excited you want to do this together. here's to our SUCCESS!!!!!!

South Beach Diet
 

I ended up starting today. Monday.. , had too much going on over the weekend.. I need to go back and look at the book about water, but, I am sure it is the ususal 8 glasses routine.

time change was tough to adjust to this morning.. but, I did it.. got in my nice balanced, low carb breakfast.... tomato juice, peice of Canadian bacon and eggs.

I wonder if I could be part of your group that started the South Beach Diet today. I received my book on Saturday and started out my morning with egg substitute, canadian bacon and V-8 juice. I also need to lose at least 50 lbs and I hope to do it by December. I purchased my book from Amazon on-line and was surprised how quickly I received it. I see it is also listed on e-bay, but the bids are pretty high. Hope you will let me do this along with you.

JOANNE, actually, the SOUTH BEACH DIET (we call it SOBE down here) has been around for a long time. Each year local TV station Channel 10 along with grocery store PUBLIX tries to get the local community to do it. They talk about it and the plan on the TV and Publix prints the pamphlets for the different weeks.

It's named that because the Dr. who "developed" it works at a hospital on Miami Beach:)

It's actually very similar to SUGAR BUSTERS:D which is what I've been following for 3 years now.

Continued success to you all!!!

Debbie
Moderator of the SB BOARDS

hey katie- congrats on starting. today is my day #2. drank 10 cups of water yesterday, i surprised myself. got thru yesterday, almost effortless. today was a little harder. had a headache most of the afternoon. was wondering if lack of carbs or withdrawal of carbs could have been the cause. im on my 8th cup of water, so 10 will probably be my daily #. i need to get the book. im winging it, but have have cheese or nuts for my snacks, no bread, pasta, fruit, sugar. does the book talk about headaches at all? also, does the book specify what kind of yogurt to buy?? they all seem very high carbs.
Cacikat- you're more than welcome to join in. the more support the better. i am soo psyched up for this.
look forward to hearing back from you both and anyone else who is interested.
everyone, stay strong, believe in yourselves, and remember success is in each of our hands. WE CAN DO THIS. lets make this effort the last one, the one that works, the one we keep for a lifetime.
oh, by the way, expected 10" of snow here tonight in CT. Boo.....

I read about The South Beach Diet in prevention this month. So I thought I would give it a try. I am a carb JUNKIE. Today was my first day and it seemed OK. I had a headache tonight but wasn't sure if that was SOBE or lack of sleep. Well I look forward to hearing everyone's successes. :dizzy:

Rebecca
starting SOBE 163 lbs

Sandy, On the first two weeks of this diet, you are not allowed any dairy products and no fruits. You are allowed 1 whole or 10 cherry tomatoes with each meal. You can also have sugar-free jello with 1 tablespoon fat-free whipped topping.
I did pretty well yesterday except for my water intake. Does anyone know of an easy way to make the water go down?
I didn't see anything in the book that talks about headaches and this is the first low-carb diet I have ever tried, so maybe it is just the withdrawal frm carbs. Hope this diet turns out to be something that works and that is easy to live with. Have a great day.
Caci

headaches are common with starting the low carbs It is the boyds reaction to changing the fuel it burns but it goes in a few days. and drink water.

Sorry no easy way to make it go down except may add a touch of lemmon to flavor it. But the more you drink the better it goes down then you will soo crave it.

sue- thanks for the info re: the headaches. i have another one this afternoon, but will continue the BIG water consumption.
i have AIM so i added your name to my list, i'll be watchin for you.
it is always fun to chat w/new friends.
caci- hows it goin? thanks to you too for the info. i must say i'm so tempted to hop on the scale, but i'll wait til sun, for my weekly weigh in. will chk back again later today or tomorrow.

Did pretty well yesterday except for the water. I went to the store and brought some flavored water (no sugar) and see if that helps any. I also am very tempted to get on the scale, but know that is a big "no no" and will wait until Monday morning like I should. I am a little confused as the things listed not to eat on phase I includes no dairy, yet I notice that a couple of the recipes use mayo--maybe this really isn't included as a dairy product. Congrats on making it thru another day--talking to others on this plan really seems to help me stay on it. Thanks. Caci

hey caci,
i have a water bottle that holds 2 cups- i only have to fill up 4-5 times thru-out the day. i try to drink more in the morning, so im not up all night running to the bathroom. i have made the water my daily challenge- and once you're in the habit, you'll be fine. i am a big diet coke drinker. ive noticed ive cut way back on the d/coke. almost tastes too sweet now. thought this would be my biggest obstacle.
without the book, my challenge is coming up with a daily plan. can you give me an idea of a south beach day for you? thx
oh, and about the scale.... i felt the same way, and did jump on it on day 2. i was down .5 and it was at night, so i am sooo anxious for sunday to come.
take care- drink that water, and you have lots of support here.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I had WI at WW this morning, and I was down 4 lbs:D Me being always skeptical I will wait a few more days before I really believe it was The south beach diet. Good luck to everyone.:) :) :D :)

Rebecca
started SOBE 163
now 159

South Beach diet
 

Hope you don't mind that I popped in here. I am also going to try this diet. I have been on Atkins off and on and find that this diet may be a little easier for me to live with. I too have had alot of headaches-not enough water? I really don't know why that is. I'm hoping I'll see successes here to motivate me to stick with this diet. Good luck everyone!!

Congrats Rebecca for the 4 pound loss - you must feel proud of yourself. Does WW have a low-carb plan? I thought I read somewhere that they had several choices.
Got thru Wed. just fine with no hunger pangs, but still haven't been able to drink my 8 glasses of water, but will try to do better today.
Sandy-yesterday I had egg-busters (just b/c I still had some), but you can have eggs, canadian bacon (2) v-8 juice (6 oz); lunch was
tossed green salad w/tomatoes, sweet onions, mushrooms; snak
string cheese stick; dinner grilled chicken breast, broc., green salad and for dessert sugar-free jello w/1T ff cool whip. Thought I would be hungry later, but wasn't. Will see if I can find the prevention web-sit for the diet and let you know. What have you been eating? So far, no headaches. Caci

Sandy: try www.prevention.com/links and then where it says "search" type in South Beach Diet. There seems to be lots of information on the diet and many people trying it for the first time. Hope this helps. Caci

As far as I know ww doesn't have a low card diet. I was following the ww plan when I came across the SOBE diet. Last week on WW I lost .6 lb this week 4lbs on SOBE. :D Have a great day:)

rebecca

caci- thx! i checked out the prevention site, and it was very helpful. 1/2 way thru day 5, feelin great. need to up the water- got a late start today.
Enjoy- the snow is melting here & its going to be in the 50's.
maybe spring is coming...........
have a terrific day everyone!

On day 5 and still doing well--much better than expected, but the scale keeps calling me, but I am trying to wait until Mon. morning to step on it. Water still my biggest problem, but drank 4 glasses yesterday, so am improving. How is everyone else doing with this? Does anyone know how this one differs from the Sugar Buster's diet? Went to the library to look for Sugar Busters yesterday, but they didn't have one. Have a great weekend everyone.

I know this started out as a question but seems to have evolved. I am moving this thread to the Low Carb! Board where more folks will see it and perhaps benefit.

Welcome to the Low Carb Forum! Please post in the daily too so we can welcome you and get to know you better. There is a great group of supportive chicks here. They are also a wee bit crazy but we try to ignore that!

hey everyone!!!
today is day 6 and i must say this isnt as tough as i thought it would be. i believe if your heart/mind is at 100%, you have less to battle with. water is back on track, already had 8 cups, will go for 10.
ruth- thanks for the compliments. we all want to succeed, and the more support the better.
everyone, hang tough over the weekend. know we are all in this together, and log online, if things start getting tough. you will always find words of encouragement here.
sandy

ok girls, where are you????
well, today was weigh in, and the results are........................
I lost 6 lbs, and 5 inches my first week. OMG
i was dancing around when i got off the scale.
god bless SOBE. i start week 2 with even more excitement than the first.
i hope to hear from everyone, how everyone did. its been quiet around here lately.

H everyone. Congratulations Sandy. You should be jumping around and very proud of yourself for your great weight loss. I am still trying to stay away from my scale until tomorrow morning, but almost got on it this morning, but decided I could wait one more day. This diet seems to be easier as time go on, but I am still trying to get my 8 glasses of water in. Hope everyone does well-weekends always seem the most difficult time for me. Keep of the great work Sandy, I am really proud of you!!!!

Well, you SBers have convinced me to give it a try. I've been on Atkins for ages without much luck at all. More recently I've been on a carb binge which sure hasn't helped matters.
This woe doesn't seem to be much different from Atkins Induction with the exception of eating less fat. I've always loved that about the Atkins plan but it hasn't loved me. :lol:

Does this menu plan sound right to you?
Breakfast
2 eggs with cheese omelet
slice of lean ham

Snack: String cheese

Lunch
Chicken breast strips
Mixed salad with olive oil and vinegar

Snack
15 almonds and string cheese

Dinner
Lean pork stir-fry with mushrooms, peppers & zucchini

Diet Jello

It's 4:45 and I'm on my fourth 10oz glass of water. Slosh Slosh. I will try to get in another 20 or 30 oz before bedtime.

Good Monday Morning! I jumped on my scale this morning and lost 5 lbs, so was really proud and gave myself a little pat on the back. I am going to try to get in some exercise this week and walk at least 30 minutes a day, which I did early this morning. I would like to try a little weight training, but have never done any before. I really need to lose the flab under my arms so I can wear something with no sleeves. Still struggling with my water, but otherwise this diet seems really simple and I had no hunger pangs and only a little grouchy to my dh, but that is usual. Hope everyone else did well and survived the weekend. Linda, everything looks great. Good luck!! Caci

OK gang -- I bought this book yesterday, and haven't cracked it yet. I'm looking forward to trying it, but with some trepidation.

I had lost some weight on Prevention's "Ice Cream Diet," mostly minus the ice cream, using the men's meals. Sounds goofy but it's not -- really a list of healthy mix-and-match meals, that allows for a low-fat ice cream snack. Anywayyy, I don't much like diets, but this one was fine; followed the meal plans, wasn't hungry, easy to adapt, good stuff.

Then they put me on 3rd shift (11pm-7am) at work, and it all fell apart. I'm back to having major hunger problems and chaotic eating, with the bonus of eating the house when I get home from work, even if I've eaten a small breakfast before driving home.

Maybe it's an excuse, but I think it's physical, and seriously want to lose more weight. So though I've been leery of the low-carb thing, maybe it's the change needed to counteract the bad schedule. I think I've read that poor sleeping habits can negatively affect insulin resistance.

Whew! Enough about me, just had to vent -- it's so annoying to find something that works, and have it blown out of the water by shiftwork.

Hello all!

hey Linda....
that sounds like a great meal plan for a day. better than I'm eating. I am trying to keep it simple, and until I get bored w/a specific food, I'll keep eating it. It's almost natural, the way I think of food now. I dont crave the carbs anymore, I just eat my protein and feel full, and dont dwell on food anymore. I think when I tried other "diets", i was always thinking of what I couldnt have. The diets never lasted, cause my craving were always stronger than my will-power. Not in this case. I have no cravings, how cool is that. Drinking LOTS of H2O and am anxious to see what this week brings.
Good luck to everyone, keep up the good work, and welcome to all.

Hi Sandy, How you doing? I still have a few more days to go with Phase 1. I was going to try it for another week, but went to the grocery store this morning and the stawberries were really calling my name. I didn't buy any, but they sure looked good. Maybe if I just add them and a little oatmeal next week and otherwise say with Phase 1 that might work. Getting a little bored with eggs in the morning. What have you been eating if you are keeping it simple?
Have a great Wednesday all,
Caci

hey caci- i'm doing fine- some personal stuff (husband, $$, still looking for work) that really got to me yesterday, but i'm trying real hard to stay on track. i weighed myself yesterday, addl torture to myself, and was the same. : (
not going to let it get to me though. i may try to extend phase 1 for another week, or as long as i can hold out, which ever gets me there first.
hmmmm.................... i'm eating a really boring diet, sorry to say.
eggs, fried, scrambled, omelet, hard boiled. some cheese for snacks. celery and cr cheese for snack. chicken and hamburger, oh and tuna. slim jims for a snack sometimes too. i need to make jello, so i can have that for a snack. lots of salad. lots of water, except today............... and diet coke. the soda is my crutch. i notice if i'm low on drinking water, i go for a soda, so the water is really important for me. better go fill up now.
ok, well, got to go drink h2o now. have a great day, we'll chat again soon. keep up the good work.

Hi guys -- I haven't been on the boards in a while, but I noticed this thread and checked it out. I bought the Prevention and am going to start when I buy groceries. I'm not working, either, so I have to make everything streeeeeetch. :)

It does sound much more palatable than Atkins or Protein Power. And I'm excited to hear about all y'all's successes!

I just started late last week (can't remember which day) but I've already lost 7 lb. It's really not that different from Atkins Induction except I'm not eating all the butter, cream cheese and cream. Feeling pretty good and losing those nasty carb cravings.
I generally start my day with 2 slices of Canadian bacon or ham and 2 eggs scrambled or in an omelet with lite cheese.
Mid-morning I have a piece of string cheese
Lunch is a chopped salad containing raw cauliflower, cukes, tomatoes, green onions and green/red bell peppers, parsley (other low carb veggies optional) with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a dash of Dijon mustard. Whatever meat I have around completes the meal. Today it was a couple of frozen lean burgers.
Afternoon snack, light cheese slices and handful of almonds.
Dinner has been steak, chicken, or pork with sauteed low carb veggies like a mixture of zucchini, tomato, peppers and onion with garlic.
Dessert is light Jello with a dab of light Cool Whip.(more nuts as well)
I'm still trying to increase my water. Today I should reach 60 oz.

Hi everyone. Did you know that the doctor who wrote the South Beach Diet is suppose to be answering questions on the prevention South Beach forum this week. Seems like a lot of people have questions about what they can and can eat.
So far I have been doing fine, except for my water which has been a real chore and know I am still not getting enough. Is anyone on Phase II yet, and if so, how are you doing?
Not looking forward to all the goodies around at Easter--particularly the chocolate bunnies and the hot cross-buns--guess I will just have to stick to the pretty hardboiled eggs. Hope everyone has a great Thursday. Caci

I'm making my grocery list and I have a question. Does anyone know what he says about salt?