A friend of mine lost a lot of weight on the South Beach Diet, is it hard? I mean do you have to give up all good food and eat cardboard? LOL. Just curious if maybe this would be a good diet for me.
~Lisa

Lisa, that's a good question! I think that SBD is hard for some people...it depends on what you want your plan to be like. If you are looking for a plan with a ton of pre-made food or a plan that lets most of your meals be from restaurants, this isn't the plan for you. If you're looking to eat healthy, looking for a plan for life, don't mind cooking and preparing food at least half of the time (eventually...at the beginning there is a lot more at-home work ), and want a plan that gives you the flexibility to eat 'off plan' every now and again, this could be the plan for you.

The best way to know is to read the book (The South Beach Diet by Dr. Arther Agatston, which you can get at the library or a used book store if trying to save money). You might also get a lot of great insight by reading the sisters' book 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet: Because We're All In This Together, where they detail tons of different eating plans and give you information on what types of people do well on each. If SBD isn't for you, the book will help you figure out what plan will work!

You definitely don't eat cardboard on SBD. This is NOT a low carb diet...it's a GOOD carb diet. We focus on eating whole grains instead of white, processed &%$#. I think it's really yummy! For instance, you'd use a whole wheat (WW) tortilla instead of a white flour one. A sweet potato instead of a regular potato. Brown rice instead of white. WW crust for pizza instead of white, WW bread instead of white bread, etc. It's really easy to eat out once you're done with the first 2 weeks...more and more restaurants are complying with the FDA recommendation to eat more whole grains and are offering more whole grain options on their menus.

Anyways, I could go on and on, but I'm sure the other Beachies have a lot to tell you--and I know you'll get a lot from reading the book. So I'll let this be all for now. Good luck!

A reply from Fazio (sorry...was in original thread):

Lisa,
I would say, no, SBD is not hard to follow at all. I HATE dieting, and have never had any success before when I tried. I LOVE this plan because I don't feel deprived, and don't have to count calories, just learn a few basic rules. If you are a sweets person, especially, this is a great plan because it will make it easier to kick that habit if you can stick out the first few days. I actually feel like I'm eating so much better now than before SBD, and I don't just mean healthier, I mean more tasty home cooked meals with lots of variety. And I'm treating myself to foods that I might not have bought before because I felt like they were treats or too expensive. If it's on plan now and I want it, I have it!

I would say the most challenging thing is planning ahead, making sure you have lots of on plan foods available at all times, and packing snacks, etc., for when you're out and you're not sure what will be available.

I find South Beach to be pretty easy as long as I take the time to plan my meals. I love to cook but sometimes get tired of meal planning since my DH doesn't like the same kind of stuff I do. It can be tougher when I don't have a lot of time to cook too but the South Beach Quick & Easy and the South Beach Taste of Summer cookbooks have lots of fast meals.

I think it depends. If you live with people who do not follow this WOE, it can be difficult- especially financially. The first few days are rough... but once you push through that, by the 4th day the thought of eating bread will make you gag (or at least it did for me!).

The hardest thing for me is that personally, if I slip up- either a planned indulgence or accidentally eating something that I didn't know had illegal stuff in it- it's hard for me to get back because all the cravings go back into overdrive mode. I found other diets easier to jump back on board with- but I haven't had such good results on anything else as this in either weight loss or just overall health.

For me, it's not hard at all. I LOVE to cook and love to try new recipes and my family has not complained once about the food..I'm not cooking more than one meal for everyone. I have not once felt deprived, even when eating out.
My family is VERY picky about food..in that it has to be well seasoned etc and if anything tasted like cardboard, I'd never hear the end of it.
The first couple of weeks can be hard I guess, but I just tried something new every day and the 2 weeks went by pretty fast.

it's hard for the first six months after that it's easy but time consuming.

it's hard until it becomes second nature.

If your question is . . . will I be able to eat delicious and enjoyable food on SB, then the answer is yes.

If your question is . . . will it take time and effort, then the answer is also yes.

If your question is . . . do I think it is worth it, then the answer is yes.

It's much harder for me to eat this way than it is for me to follow my pre-change eating plan (ramen noodles, drive-through food, cookies, etc). I can't just head out the door to work and plan on eating "whatever" during the day. But I feel much better and it is much easier for me to look at myself in the mirror and go clothes shopping!

The longer you're on SB, the more you get into a groove--you develop little timesaving cooking tips and a collection of favorite recipes. It gets faster and more "automatic."

A side order of slim pants, please.

If you're a planner, then you will do well on this "diet" plan. Giving up grains and fruit for two weeks was definitely worth it, because I completely eliminated my cravings for sweets AND got to add the grains and fruit back into my meal planning after those two weeks. Definitely read the book if you're going to give this a go!

Kara

If you are not used to cooking everyday, then I think South Beach is hard. Also, I think any weight loss plan is "hard" because if it were easy for us, we wouldn't be overweight! Anyway, I think this is a very healthy and realistic way to lose weight. I hope you join us!

I agree with dreamy. This is a very cooking-intensive plan. HOWEVER, that means that you are eating a lot of fresh foods, without all of the additives and preservatives that your body does not need.

Kara