Hey guys...

I am really glad I found this forum. I am just starting a new diet for about the millionth time over the past 10 years. I am almost 29 years old and lately my husband and I have been thinking about wanting a baby. However, due to my weight my doctor doesn't think that is a good idea right now. I also am having some issues with high cholesterol and an enlarging heart (due to the extra weight). So...to make a longish story short - he put me on a diet. He suggested South Beach because of the jump start and rapid weight loss, however I have been a long time WW member (lots of good its been doing). So, for the past 6 days I have been in Phase I of the SB diet (no carbs or sugar) and have lost a whole 3 lbs. Things aren't going so well. I feel sick a lot (to my stomach) and I am very tired. I know it will get easier, but right now I am questioning if this is the right diet for me. I have also started walking in the evening - at least a mile or two a day, which makes me feel good. Any advice out there for me? I am only on day 6 and ready to give up...I am considering going back to WW, but actually trying this time.

I think some of your symptoms might be caused by the withdrawal from carbs, but don't quote me on that
There is a lot of people on SB here, although I am not one of them, just look around in the support forums and you'll find them. They will give you a lot of good information and support.

Don't give up!, keep your eyes on the prize (having a baby in your case I assume)



Edit: Here's the link for you http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=110

Hi Jewel, Please give the South Beach diet a chance. I was on it 4 years ago and lost a lot of wt. I got careless and it all came back. This is a life long commitment. I've been back on the SB diet since Sept. 1. I lost 12 pounds on Phase one. Make sure you are eating enough veggies and do try the ricotta desserts. I weigh myself one time a week. I will not weigh myself more than that. I can't be stressed by what the scales say. Phase 2 you will eat good carbs. Just introduce them gradually. Go to the South Beach recipe thread. I got a lot of ideas for good meals. If you stick to the program, you won't have craving for sweets. I'm also a lifetime member of ww. That is a good program but I do better on the SB diet. It goes back to eating what is good for you. I encourage you to go the the South Beach threads. There are a lot of experienced South Beach dieters and maintainers there. I try to read the threads every day, just for encouragement. I have a slow internet connection so I don't post often. I just had to encourage you to stick to whatever program works for you.

Well, I am no expert and haven't tried this diet, but my only advice is drink some green tea with fresh ginger slices this will help with the feeling of sickness!

1/2 a pound a day and your complaining?! Seriously, though that IS rapid weight loss, very, very rapid weight loss - especially if you've been on a million diets previously (repeated dieting, tends to reduce metabolism).

Losing 1% of your body weight, really is largely considered the maximum safe weight loss, so you're really pushing the limits. It's taken me a year to lose 40 of the 60 lbs I have lost. My metabolism is just shot from the last 36 years of dieting (since my first, at age 5).

As for South Beach and other lower carb food plans, I dismissed low and lower carb ways of eating for years, because they made me feel dizzy and nauseous. I rarely made it past the most carb-restricted first stage, whether that be Atkins induction or South Beach Phase I. So, I really didn't think a reduced-carb lifestyle was for me.

Then my doctor recommended reducing carbs, because I'm insulin resistant, and then I met another doctor who had lost almost 100 lbs herself on a modified Atkins (more veggies and a little less fat). She also recommended either the modified Atkins or South Beach as good program choices, and she recommended that if I didn't feel well on the lowest carb first phase, I could skip it. The weight loss would be slower, but it was perfectly fine. My husband who is diabetic and on insulin and other blood sugar meds was advised not to do the first phase at all because of the meds.

I ended up with my own cross-breed plan. I use an exchange plan for portion control, and I try to choose from South Beach friendly foods. If I start to feel nauseous, or light-headed, I eat some food with a bit of lower GI carbs (whole grains, beans or a low sugar fruit).

Reducing carbs has been amazing for me, for hunger control. Finding the right proportions of carbs, protein, and fat - and learning to identify problem foods - I'm still learning, and I make a lot of mistakes. This has been the slowest weight loss I have ever experienced, but it's also been the longest lasting. The only secret this time, I really believe, is not allowing myself to turn little mistakes into huge ones, and refusing to give up.

You'll find what works for you, but don't be afraid to keep experimenting, and you're not really starting over - you've just learned a lot about what doesn't work for you. Even experiences we don't consider successful, still teach us something.

Thanks for your encouragement. I think I just felt like I was sacrificing so much - that I should be getting a larger reward. I am impatient. After that first week I got quite sick - rapid heart beat, shaking, etc. and decided not to continue with Phase I. I think I was suffering from low blood sugar, my doctor didn't seem concerned, but I was. I have now been doing Phase II for 1.5 weeks and feel much, much better. I have lost about 6lbs, which is fine by me. Sometimes I get caught up when people talk about losing 100lbs in 6 months. I know I need to lose it, and I am losing it to have a baby, so time seems to be going by slowly. But I am committed to this and will see it out. My doctor wanted me to lose weight very quickly, and I am just worried that I am not meeting his expectations and I am worried about seeing him again next week and what he might say.

Welcome! I hope all goes well. You will reach your goal. Maybe you should talk to your doctor about it. He might tell you to take some supplements.