or any newbies who want to share

Some of you may remember me from my previous attempts at SBD. I am giving very serious consideration to trying SBD once again, along with using the Beck Diet Solution and Tom Venuto's Body Fat Solution books.

I have tried everything else and SBD is the only thing that has worked for me. However I've never stayed committed for one reason or another.
Now the time has come that I really MUST lose weight. I am in my late 40's. I am tired. I'm unfit. I'm a series of aches of and pains. NOW is the time that I must start to care for my health. Also, I hate the way I look. And I've been single now for 3 years and I'd really like someone special in my life, but I dont have the confidence to date.

I need to lose at least 30 pounds, my doctor would prefer me to lose 60.

I do have a problem with craving sweets and other 'white' carbs and can very easily overeat these foods.
I've discovered that eating these foods just makes me crave more and more of them and it turns into a binge. I have just recently tried a plan that allows me to eat such things in moderation, but for me, with those foods, moderation is not a concept I can understand. Allowing myself those foods just makes me eat them in very large amounts.
My experience with SBD has shown me that when I follow P1, the cravings do go away, but I've never gotten very far into P2 to judge the diet in the longer term.

So what I'd like to know,especially from the maintainers or the longer term Beachers, is this:

were you a person who used to really crave sweets, French bread, etc etc and has SB really helped you to overcome your cravings?
Also what other benefits have you found with this WOE? Anything at all, maybe you don't have as many aches in the morning, or your skin looks better.

As I said, newer beachers, please feel free to add your own experiences too

There is a thread in the FAQ that has some good info.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sbd-...real-life.html

I'm like you, Goddess A. - there is no such thing as one cookie or one jelly bean!

Add me to the list of people who failed miserably at the intuitive eating or calorie counting type plans.

You are exactly where I was when I started this journey - joints ached, I had no energy, couldn't do anything without getting winded, felt like crap, cranky all the time (okay, you didn't say that but I was!). I've dieted successfully a few times, then gained it all back with friends. I wasn't going to do something I wasn't going to stick with. The secret for me is to stick to the plan, no little exceptions all over the place. I see lots of people start this and go off plan almost every day right from the start and then wonder why it doesn't work for them. I really didn't eat one off plan food until May, 7 months after I started. Yes, that includes the holidays. Even now with a year in maintenance I rarely stray from the basic Phase 2 guidelines. If I make an exception the cravings sneak back and I spend a week fighting my desire for off plan food. That's not true for everyone but it's absolutely true for me. I know because I've been crazy enough to try several times

I know that may sound daunting where you are right now, but it's actually much easier than it sounds. The hard times are when I do eat something off plan and spend a few days detoxing yet again. I love the food I eat, I eat as much as I want, I have sweet things when I want them (fruits, yogurt parfaits, etc), and planning ahead is just second nature now.

You really can do this and if you stick with the plan it will become easy. I know because if I can do this absolutely anyone can. I'd been overweight or obese since I was 7, committed to this lifestyle at 46. You just have to decide it's what you really want, that you are worth making yourself the priority, and get a strict, clean Phase 1 completed. It's only 2 weeks to start, you can do anything for 2 weeks You can do this if it's what you really want! I have never, ever regretted this choice. I never look at a brownie and wish I was still obese because I remember how obese felt and this feels far better than you can imagine.

Hi Artemis and
We've never met. I am in week 16 following SB with a passion. Why? Because I am 51 years old and want nothing more in my life than to be able to do things that my heart has wanted but my body hasn't been able to participate in for a long time.

Why SB? I came to 3FC looking for a "plan"; something I could follow to a T and get to my goal weight. I had lost 40 pounds on my own during the previous 5 years. I spent a long time reading posts, and at SB I had a light bulb moment. What the seasoned beachers said made sense. I did my own research and am of the belief today that my inability to lose the belly fat has been because I continued to consume white sugar and white flour.

How do I feel today? Fantastic!! I have lost almost as much weight in 16 weeks as I lost in 5 years.

You mentioned that SB has been the only thing that has worked for you , but you've never stayed committed for one reason or another. Again, all I can share how I feel. Today, I stay committed because I really believe this IS my opportunity.

What works for me? I don't put one drop of food in my mouth that isn't OP. When I do that, it works! I don't crave and I don't go hungry. Could I have an occasional cookie right now? Sure-but why would I want to. If I need a treat, I find a way to bake something I truly enjoy such as WW Carrot Cake. I have a couple of pieces and give the rest away.

3FC, Hot Wings, has a saying with her ticker, "No food is neutral. Everything you put in your mouth either moves you forward or backward." I live every day by that because I'm going to reach goal weight and start living those dreams. I don't even anticipate "when" because eating OP it "will". I never thought in a million years I could eat "happy and healthy" AND lose weight. I'm moving forward, and recognizing that if I "cheat" I only hurt myself.

Best Wishes. I have received a tremendous amount of support here, for which I have gratitude every day.

Welcome back, Artemis! South Beach worked really well for me when I started it in 2004 and it works great whenever I follow it properly. I let myself get lazy and let the bad stuff creep back into the house and put 30 pounds back on. I'm working on that now. For me, I started this for my health. I was on three blood pressure meds and my doctor threatened to put me on cholesterol medicine. Now my cholesterol is fine and I only take a low dose of one blood pressure med. My 12 year old is dealing with cholesterol issues now and I'm going to take that as a reason to get all the bad stuff out of the house so we will both be eating healthier. I CAN stay on plan. I just have to want it bad enough.

I'm a single mom now and I have to admit that I'd like to look better. The weight I have lost has helped me gain quite a bit of confidence. I went from a size 18/20 to a 10. I also find that when I exercise it helps me to stay on plan. When I feel healthier, I eat healthier.

Hey Artemis...
Here's the story in a nutshell. I was 51...My Dad had died the year before of diabetes/congestive heart failure and kidney cancer (all preventable) I promised him I would lose weight..and I did...but didn't start till 1 year after he died. My feet hurt, my knees hurt. I hated myself for the way I looked. I didn't want to go out and see people who knew me when I had a cute figure and was pretty. I was embarrased and I felt old and crummy..and it hurt my heart to see that old lady in the mirror instead of that cute girl I used to be.

I baked every day, ate the stuff I baked every day. I lived on french bread (I'm from New Orleans) I had white rice or pasta with every meal. I picked leftover dinner out of the pot, I went back for seconds. Then the cycle started over an hour or so later and I hit the brownies, cake etc again...
then the horrible heartburn would hit and I'd hate myself more for being so "weak"..

Fast forward to almost 2.5 years since I started SB...

I will be 54 in a few weeks. I wear a size 6 and look damn good in my clothes. My face looks like me again. People who have not seen me in years say "You have never changed since college!" People who I meet now are surprised to know how old I am. I feel great, I have energy..nothing hurts and I feel like a kid again.

I teach school and I think I have more energy than the other teachers 1/2 my age. I go to the gym every morning before school, work out and pamper myself in the steam room etc. When I get to school, I feel full of energy and hit the ground running and am not tired as others at the end of the day. I was talking to another teacher the other day and she thought I was younger than her. I am 16 years OLDER than her.

I have SB to thank for this. It's also a mind game. You just tell yourself "I don't eat that junk". No junk tastes as good as I look and feel (or want to look and feel!)

Take it day by day by day and one day you won't even think about making yourself sick again. It will be second nature and just the way you live. It will be natural.

If I can do it, you can too!! White flour and sugar are just poison and make us old before our time. Don't try to rush it, take one day at a time. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't come off quickly. It took me about a year to lose somewhere around 70lbs. (not real sure, because I don't weigh myself, but that's a guesstimation) I'm glad I took it slowly..no hangy skin etc!!

While I haven't lost as much weight as some here, I did have a problem with binge eating, and my cholesterol was creeping up past 200 post-menopausal. It dropped 30 points after 6 months on SB. Can't wait to see what it is the next time I get it checked. I've also quit taking my Prevacid for GERD which bothered me the last 10 years. I've never been able to maintain my loss before SB, but find I'm quite happy with this WOE and have fewer problems with cravings. Even if I stray off plan and splurge a little, I'm able to hop right back on Phase I or II and get the weight off.

Thanks so much to each of you for taking time to respond.

I'm going to read through the thread that Ruth directed me to, and make a list of the benefits of eating this way, and then come back later to address some of the points you've each made.

I see a lot of empathy in what you've written and this is what i needed..I feel isolated in a way, that it's only ME who struggles this way. It's been very reassuring to read these responses. Actually it made me quite tearful to read them....

I can do it. I will do it.
I know you all recognise that doing this is a big thing. It's not a case of eating sensibly for two weeks and the job is done. NO.
I now realise that this is ongoing, for the rest of my life. I think that's the mistake I've made previously. Thinking that losing a little weight will magically solve the problems and all will be fine. And of course that's not the case. This is something that needs a lot of work and commitment.

Thanks again.

I've been clearing the bad stuff out of my kitchen - eating it though instead of throwing it away. The carb frenzy is a terrible thing. I'm eating and not satisfied. This latest carb fest was induced by trying the intuitive eating thing...I know it works wonderfully well for some people, but I am not one of them. Bad carbs, sugar = poison to me. It's almost like a drug. I just can't eat them in moderation.

I'm starting P1 on Monday. I have the things I need to have a good P1 breakfast, then I'll go to do my grocery shopping immediately after breakfast. I'm putting a menu together right now for the first few days. I've found that PLANNING is essential for me.

I'm also reading the book again. I guess I haven't read it since 2006.

I have finally acknowledged that I am a person who will always need to be vigilant when it comes to eating sugar and white carbs.

I'm really glad of the support here

I am not a regular poster but when I read your concerns re/SBD, I had to jump in...I, too, was a sweet eater, not just one eater, eat my troubles away eater, I lost 30 pounds on SBD in 2006, and have managed to stay within 5 pounds of my goal ever since..How?...I decided that I am not a person who can have one cookie, 1/2 cup of ice cream, etc.....I gave up sugar cold no more...I simply do not eat sweets...During the first two weeks of Phase I, I gave up caffeine...This too has stayed...I may occasionally have a regular diet coke caffeine but mostly I stick to no caff...I also quit on the white stuff...potatoes, rice, pasta, bread...And do you know what happened, the cravings for the sugar, caffeine, white stuff, left...Pouf...gone and I have not had them return...I know this sounds difficult and extreme but the rewards of no cravings, also feeling great, wonderful and looking good, being able to wear anything and having a ton of compliments are SOOOO worth it...Do I miss these things?...Honestly, I really don't...I have my little treats and I really enjoy the recipes from Phase 2...which is where I stay...But I don't miss the junk...The longer I am without junk, the less I want it...
South Beach Diet is the holy grail where I am concerned...I could bore you with a list of my past efforts...None of them were lasting and provided me with a plan for my life...and some were health center types, weight watchers, etc...For some reason SBD clicked for me and it WORKS!
I wish you the best...This is not a trip with an end in sight but a life long journey...I know I could be back where I was four years ago with little effort but I am also resolved not to ever go there...

Life gets in the way, and this is not an excuse!

I was starting P1 today. However, I just found out I'm going to France for 5 days later this week. It would be absolutely idiotic of me to try to do P1 while I'm there. I suppose some people could make it work but i know myself well enough to know that I will not make it work and if I start P1 now with the intention of trying to do it on vacation, I'll slip up and start the self hate all over again.
I can only do a clean P1 when I've got a detailed meal plan committed in writing to paper that is on my fridge door. I also know that I have to be preparing my own food to do a successful P1 otherwise it's easy to get out by hidden sugar and starch when you're eating out all of the time.
So P1 is delayed until I return.

Meanwhile this is not an excuse to continue with the carb fest/binge that I've been on for the last week.

I had lost a lot of weight in SBD several years ago but over the last couple years regained most of it.
I too have discovered that I can only lose weight on SBD and I'm sort of doing Beck also. It's a great book.

Things I've learned about myself and eating:
1) Flour based foods-breads, wraps, tortillas- trigger me to over eat-even healthy whole wheat.

2) I have to plan my treats to include things that are not SBD friendly so that I do get them occasionally because if I don't have them in my diet at all, it sends me into an eating frenzy and all I want is an ear of sweet corn and I'll eat 6 instead of just 1.
If I plan my treats ahead of time I don't feel like I've cheated and I don't have the desire to eat the rest of the day out of frustration. If I go to a cookout, I'll tell myself that I can have 1 burnt hotdog and a handfull of chips and 1 serving of desert plus what ever vegetable thing I bring. It helps to know that I'm not locked into "never" then I don't feel like I'm deprived.
but I have to be careful that the special occasions don't occur every week. Which is what happened with me. Almost everyday was a special occasion of one sort or another and I found myself eating off plan a lot and of course the weight came back.

3) I really do need to eat all those veggies every day. I slowly got out of the habit of eating them and realized that I could go days without eating many veggies at all.

4) I can't cheat and buy those frozen meals for lunch. They just don't work for me. It's not enough good and I find myself grazing all afternoon. Plus all the sodium isn't good for me either.

5) I really have to plan my meals and my days because it's so easy to fall back on bad eating habits in a crunch when you're hungry. But it's not so bad, once I have a couple weeks ideas I just pretty much stay with about the same thing-I learned that from "You-on a diet"

6) When I go from P1 to P2 I need to do it extra slowly. I need to do the P1.5instead of jumping into P2 with both feet because I tend to overeat the things I've given up-brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread. I have problems with portion control with these foods.

Good luck and hopefully things I've learned about myself will help you too.
Sarah in MD

Hey, Artemis!

As for France, definitely don't try P1 there! I tried P2 there and nearly fainted from hunger...I always go off plan when I'm there now. I think that planning ahead for the start of P1 is a very good idea. Do whatever you can now (like make a meal plan, print out recipes, toss away food that isn't SBD-safe, etc.) so that you can start Phase 1 the morning after you get home.

I'm a long time SBDer. I definitely loved sweet treats and French bread (or any simple carbs) more than even sweets! SB really helps. It did from the first day I started--by the third day, I was totally craving free. I'm still marveling at that, even five years later.

As for the changes SBD has wrought in my health, check out the post I wrote after a year on SBD: Celebrating a year of health and weightloss...

We're here for you, Artemis. I know you can do this when you're ready.

Artemis........
eat a big old hunkin plate of escargot for me, ok??? My favorite food...I'm drooling. Sop up the garlic juice with a big old chunk of french bread!!!!!!!!!
don't you love the way I live vicariously through others???

LOL !
I cant eat them..But my travel partner will have a huge plate of them with a hunk of bread and I'll think of you