This thread is for new folks, old folks restarting and anybody working on Phase I. Post your questions, concerns and helpful hints in here.

(Remember to join us on the Daily Chat too. There's more to life than dieting; it just doesn't feel that way sometimes. )

Does this include STARTING today?

I decided I HAVE to get serious about this after

A)Watching The Biggest Loser marathon on Saturday
B)Having a hard time finding something to wear yesterday, because all of my clothes feel too tight.

CA85, get in here! It means starting or ongoing for this week. Come on in - the water's fine - and drink lots!

OK, so I am still kinda sick and wanted to start out easy on the exercise. I know its not the best way to loose weight, but from being sick, I managed to take off another 5 pounds and wanted to make sure that it stayed off. So I figured, why not do some Wii sports. Well after some tennis, bowling and golf I tried 2 rounds of boxing. I am sweating buckets right now. I figure until I join a gym, this should be ok if I do at least 30 minutes of vigorous games everyday.

...and its FUN!!

Carey

Orangina, be sure you eat some slow carbs if you are exercising. Otherwise, you will be really draggy.

What is a "slow carb"?

Those are the carbs found in vegetables, milk and in legumes like beans and lentils. They are slow or good carbs because they slowly release glucose into your blood, keeping your levels stable and preventing cravings.

Remember this is NOT a low carb diet. Check out the Revised Phase I Food List in the FAQ Section. The food list in the book may be out of date.

Ahh, ok, yes, I have actually been eating tons of veggies, although since I was sick I wanted to see how I would do before adding in the ones that are harder to digest. I have to say I really think that the veggies are a highlight of this plan. I used to live in Italy and the bulk of all of our meals were veggies, and all different kinds, not just broccoli and carrots. After moving back to Canada my eating patterns changed significantly, and alot of those veggies were gone. It feels good to bring them back.

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So I have a question about going back on phase I when you back slide... do you do the whole 2 weeks all over again, or do you tailor it to how long you've been off track? I've never been able to find this definitively stated in the book, just vague statements in the case studies.

Right now, I've been bad since easter! So I should probably go on Phase I for the full 2 weeks...

comments?

Thanks!!

I'm really desperate to lose weight at this point. I had a good 3 weeks about a month ago and lost 12 pounds. Since then, I've gained back 13 so I'm feeling pretty awful. My clothes are tight again. 5 years ago I spent a year and a half on something called Prism that seems very similar to what I've read about South Beach - eliminating white/refined carbs and focusing on protein and veggies. So - I'm going to start this tonight. Any tips/words of encouragement out there? Thank you!

I don't know if this counts as words of encouragement, but I'm on Day 4 of Phase 1, and doing great. There are moments... but I'm getting past them, in part because I'm having SUCH great results so far.
I weighed and measured myself on Thursday morning, and sort of "tested the waters" with a couple of meals, but I didn't officially start until Friday. I didn't weigh myself on Friday morning, but on Saturday morning, I was down 3 pounds and an inch off my waist. I weighed myself Sunday morning and was down another 2 pounds, and again this morning, and I was down another 2 pounds, for a total of 7 pounds lost over the course of 3 days on the Beach!
This week is going to be a big challenge. Our 7th anniversary was today, and we went out last night to celebrate. We went to Outback Steakhouse, and I had the Victoria's fillet with steamed broccoli, and I didn't even taste the bread. Tomorrow is our daughter's 5th birthday, so it's going to be cupcakes and cake and ice cream city around here for a while, but I'm not even tempted at this point. The results are just too good to throw them away!

MissAnne, I totally agree with you! The results on this plan are phenomenal, and certainly good enough to give up the bland fluffy stuff. The more I think about it, it really gets rid of the "filler" which is good, because I certainly don't need any more stuffing than I already have, lol.

I also find it incredibly easy to stay on program, I really don't feel like I am missing out on much, and wherever the gang wants to eat out, I know that I can join them and eat as well as anyone else at the table. When I was doing weight watchers it seemed much more of a pain in the a$$, trying to figure out how much fat fiber and calories were in a dish, then calculating the points, ugh! In comparison I hardly even feel like I am on a diet, save for the fact that I am loosing weight. Can't get much better than that...!

Carey

Missanne & Freshorangina - thank you so much for your replies! I'm starting out today and I'm really excited to get the momentum started. Your words will help.

So far so good! I had a perfect Phase 1 day yesterday, and I already feel a hundred times better than I did the day before!