Most suggest a clean Phase I (the whole two weeks). Sounds like the cheats may be your problem. Sorry, I would start over. Dr. A says beer is a no-no.

Thank you for the response. Beer really is my biggest setback when dieting. I know it's sad - but I love my beer! I just ordered the book and the dining out guide, so I hope that helps me as I re-prepare for Phase 1!

Here are some tips from today's Daily Dish on preparing your kitchen for Phase 1 that I thought were helpful in this thread:

For the first phase, can't I have unlimited veggis. I do have the book but I didn't read front to back. I thought you don't have to count calories or weigh your food.

gfallo, you don't have to weigh your food or count calories on the SBD, and you should be eating at least 4 1/2 cups of approved vegetables every day.

And please, PLEASE read the book thoroughly. It's very important. You should also check the Phase I Food List in this Forum which will save a lot of confusion.

I found this thread incredibly helpful when I went back to South Beach at the end of January (2010).

This year, I have struggled with being away from my own home, being on the road, being in other people's spaces with lots of temptations. I sat down recently now that my life has (hopefully) calmed down a bit and tried to figure out what is the minimum I need to have on hand at all times to do what I consider a good job of eating by South Beach principles. There of lots of OTHER foods that I include sporadically but I am getting the basics down so I don't ever have an excuse for not eating well. It helps me to not get bogged down with all the things I COULD eat, but just the minimum I want to have on hand. It also helps with simplifying my shopping - I can always add stuff on, but a good place to start is to keep up with the basics.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone else operates this way, but it helps me to have a manageable, specific list of what I CAN have rather than what I have to AVOID - if I have this stuff on hand (of course with the other stuff gone) I have no excuses.

I am posting my list in hopes it helps anyone else who is just beginning to formulate their own list. I limited it to 40 items total. Like I said, there are lots more things that could be added but I tried to keep it simple. I didn't include the really basic staples like spices, onion/garlic, oils & vinegars, lemon juice, etc etc ...

Happy Beaching!!

[NOTE: I am mostly veggie, but try to incorporate more fish in my diet.]

THINGS TO HAVE ALWAYS

1. Tea
2. Nuts, any kind, but especially almonds and walnuts
3. Peanut butter, natural
4. Tahini (to make hummus) or prepared hummus
Proteins (& dairy):
5. Tofu/tempeh
6. Eggs
7. Veggie sausage
8. Frozen fish: tuna steaks and/or salmon fillets
9. Shrimp, frozen
10. Canned tuna and/or salmon
11. Skim/lowfat milk or unsweetened soymilk
12. Cottage cheese, lowfat/nonfat
13. Parmesan cheese, shredded
14. Cheddar cheese, lowfat
15. Mozzarella cheese, fresh and/or mozzarella cheese sticks
16. Greek yogurt, fat free
Veggies:
17. Vegetable juice
18. Cucumbers
19. Tomatoes
20. Broccoli
21. Cauliflower
22. Cabbage
23. Celery
24. Red/orange Bell peppers
25. Green leaf/Romaine lettuce
26. Radishes
27. Green onion
28. Spinach, fresh and/or frozen
29. Edamame, frozen
Beans:
30. Pinto beans
31. Refried beans
32. Garbanzo beans, canned – for salads and for making hummus

Phase 2 additions
Veggies:
33. Carrots
34. Sweet potatoes
Fruits:
35. Berries (especially blueberries), fresh and/or frozen
36. Other fruits, a selection of oranges/kiwis/apples/pears
Grains:
37. Quinoa
38. Brown rice
39. Steel-cut oats
And the bonus:
40. Dark chocolate

YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Welcome . . . come over to the daily chat threads and the daily meal posting . . . makes things MUCH more fun!

Be well -

Just remember how much healthier you are becoming each day!!!

I wanted to see what this looks like tomorrow is my first day of the south beach diet...I don't even own a scale I just want to shrink and loose those damn carb cravings how do I get one of those little scale thingys

What type is scale are you referring to? Most stores with a housewares section sell scales to measure food. Personally I don't measure anything I eat. Check in often it helps a Good luck

jesscar - you have to have a certain number of posts in order to get the ticker...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/anno...questions.html

One thing I found useful was shortly after I started SB I bought a Collected Recipes cookbook. It is essentially a 3 ring binder with pages like the photo albums of my youth: a sticky page with a plastic protector sheet. There were also pages for conventional recipe cards available and of course, dividers. Whenever I print or hand copy a recipe it goes in there, either on cards, hole-punched, or on whatever scrap of paper I used. That way I have my favorite recipes in 1 spot.