In The South Beach Diet Super Charged, Dr. A says "most people will continue to lose weight by sticking with three fruits and three starches daily" in Phase II. My impression is that none of us on this board are eating three of each and continuing to lose weight. As a matter of fact, I suspect our maintainers are also not eating three of each daily!

I have a fear of starches/grains. I rarely eat more than one serving/day, and many days eat none. This is probably not the best plan. As a matter of fact, I seem to have fallen into a cycle of going off plan, making up for it by doing a Ph1, then transitioning into my version of Ph2 until I "cheat" again. I'm going to try to focus on doing a solid Ph2, no cheating, and making sure I get my starches/grains in also - after all, they are good for me, and might be the key to keeping me from cheating in the first place! I'm going to go for 2/day - 3 is still just too scary.

So, if you have been on the plan for a while, are losing or successfully maintaining, how many grains/starches/healthy carbs are you averaging each day?

I can maintain on 3-4. I need to keep it to about 2 to lose. A lot depends on how much I am exercising.

Good Morning! So far I'm losing with 2 per day - a serving of flax seeds ground up in my morning smoothie and a wasa crisp w/ laughing cow as an afternoon snack. Thinking about making tortilla "chips" from a WW tortilla and having some of those w/hummus also.

3 fruits and 3 starches are not good for me. I maintain on that. I have to stick with 1 starchy item -like cereal or bread-and 1 fruit a day pretty much. If I add too much I want even more. I think there is something in flour that triggers cravings for me.

When I eat brown rice, I want it with lots of melted cheese and want way more then a 1/2 cup serving so I try to stay away from that also.

I've basically learned that for me, I lose weight best on a phase 1.5 type plan. Only 1 fruit with the occasional starch like sweet potatoes or brown rice. (Which I have to measure and then I feel deprived because it's only 1/2cup )

Sarah in MD

Great thread!

My transition to P2 was not good, gained weight. I think it was because I added in too many grains, too quickly. I'm not a big fruit eater, so I'm not stressed about eating too much fruit.

So for now I'm doing 1 starch/grain serving per day, about 5 out of 7 days. We'll see how weigh-in goes this week, and then maybe add something else in. But truly, I can't imagine doing 3 a day!

Yes, 1/2 cup seems like too little to even mess with. I had a ton of brown rice my first week into P2, it was so yummy!! However, the scale told no lies, and I had to cut way back.

I think you are right. I honestly don't eat much in way of grains. I don't really want them either, though.

I haven't put a lot of effort into making phase 2 meals for the family yet. I think I'll start that next week.

I'm still losing at a good clip, but I'm exercising a lot, too. I expect to see my weight loss slow to 1-2 pounds a week after I really make an effort to add back grains, but I figure that's a fairly healthy thing.

I can eat almost as much fruit as I want but no more than 1-2 servings of grains a day. 3 grains is always too much for me and causes problems. When I was actively losing I rarely had more than 1 serving a day.

It also was about a year before I could have any grain in the morning without problems in the afternoon.

I've been on phase 2 for just a couple weeks, and I'm lucky if I get in a serving or 2 of grains per week! I'm not a big fruit eater, but maybe that is something I can add back. I'll have to try. I haven't lost a pound (I waiver between 170.6 and 172) in like 3 weeks, so I'm scared to add anything, but I worry that maybe I've stalled because my diet is so similar day in and day out?

I think right now I'm eating too many - usually 2 to 3 a day. After the holiday, I think I'm going to drop it to 0 - 1 and see what happens. Schmoodle, I am afraid of them (grains) also - but my attitude toward dieting this summer has been quite half a**, so once the summer is over (aka the day after Labor day) I'm trying to get fully motivated again.

With me, 1 or 2 a day. Don't really think about it much, but if I have bread or flatout for breakfast, I MAY have a grain with dinner, but only really cook grains like rice or pasta, cracked wheat about once or twice a week. Actually pasta maybe twice a month, I mostly live on veggies/turkey/seafood (but eat a lot of different stuff!) I may have some trisquits a couple of times a week, but no where close to a steady diet of 3 servings a day. I'd probably blow up.

I'm pretty much like Cyndi. I can eat as much fruit as I want, but I try to keep my grains to no more than 2 a day, and most of the time I only have 1 grain per day.

I have just eaten my first portion of brown rice in what feel like ages. I'm hoping to be able to eat a portion of it 3 days a week. To be honest, rice is the only grain I really miss it, so I'll keep doing that and see what happens.

Also, I don't know what everyone else thinks, but to me the portions on the SBD are just too many. Maybe it's 'cause I'm short, but man, 4 portions of veggies every day is way too much food for me. Adding dairy, fruit, protein and grains and wow, I can't eat all that.

I'm trying to figure it out right now. I feel like I started stalling during P1 week 2, even though I was totally OP, but no I'm fiddling around with what I can eat, when, etc.

Dr. A is a man and many of his testimonial folks are - I was wondering if that 8-13 pounds idea was based on men more than women and maybe the 3 fruits and 3 grains thing is too? I know there are a few men on 3FC, but we're mostly women - maybe that's a difference?

For maintenance I have been eating about 1 &1/2 servings of fruit and 2-3 grains (oatmeal most days, Ezekial bread, occasional sweet potato). I don't eat brown rice much and I never eat pasta. I like more crunch, so I tend to toast my Ezekial bread and have it with almond butter in the evening instead of a starch at supper. In Phase II, I usually ate one fruit and 1-2 grains, so I am not really eating that much more on maintenance.

Thanks chicks, that pretty much confirms my theory. Most losers (and maintainers) are keeping it at 1 - 2 servings per day. And I think Barb makes a good point about exercise too. It gives me some comfort to know that I can eat a grain every day, or even two, and probably still lose, particularly if I am exercising.

Daisy, I got over the 8 - 13 lbs Ph 1 promise a long time ago. I think it's true for some folks - if you have a lot to lose, or if your diet has been particularly horrible. For me, I have done a clean Ph1 about three times now, and 5 lbs. seems to be my magic number. It's okay, I am not in a hurry, and I always tell myself that Phase I is all about getting rid of cravings and getting on track, more than the weight loss. Permanent and sustainable weight loss comes in Ph 2. I think some of the things he says in the books are geared towards marketing - right on the cover "FASTER Weight Loss"! I guess lots of people wouldn't bother to pick up the book if it said - "Reasonable and Sustainable Weight Loss"! Well, I would, but those looking for a quick fix wouldn't.

At dinner last night, I realized I hadn't had any grains all day, so I had half a ww pita with my chicken. It was so good, I had the other half. Even though I came in around 1850 for calories yesterday, I really had the munchies before bedtime. So, probably not a good idea to eat the second half!