I am considering starting South beach but it makes me nervous that nothing is really counted, like carbs or calories. I'm from a calorie counting background and my husband did atkins for almost a year and lost 130 lbs so I decided to try that and I'm on day 2 of induction and am having the lovely atkins flu so I am reconsidering. lol

i think south beach sounds like a wonderful lifestyle I could live with long term and I hate counting in the long term that is usually when I regain (when I quit counting calories). But in the short term, when trying to lose weight I find it reassuring to be counting something and track my progress. My current plan was to do Atkins in the short term then transition to South Beach for maintenance.

So, while I know its not necessary to count calories/carbs/whatever in South Beach, does anyone here track their food like that and stay in certian ranges?

Thanks in advance!

Myself and a bunch here also track WW new points plus while doing the various south beach stages. There is a thread, so try doing a search. I need some help monitoring my portions and this works for me to track things this way.

Hi - I count calories, but not all the time. I use it to guide my choices for enough protein/fiber/nutrients etc. On Phase 2, I tend to keep carbs at around 100g but go up to 150g (which sounds HUGE to an Atkins-follower, I'm sure, but the sources are primarily veggie, fruit and beans. I rarely eat grains any more). This translates into approximately 40% of my calories coming from carbs and usually around 30g of fiber.

SBD is easy to combine with calorie-counting or Weight Watchers. You just apply the guidelines of SBD -- 4.5 cups of veggies/day, low saturated fats, whole grains, etc -- to whatever other plan. This definitely helps with portion control and balance. For example, you will quickly notice if you are having too many nuts or too much cheese...

By the way, I just read the Atkins for Life book (2003) and I found a lot of good SBD-friendly recipes in it. You and your husband will have a lot of overlap if he is actually including all of his veggies (per the book, 4-5 servings/day and 1-2 fruits)... you will just have to avoid the saturated fat, as SBD does specify lean proteins and dairy.

I count calories also because I know I should only eat until satisfied, I still tend to over eat.

So, I use the SBD guildlines when planning my meals. On good days, my goals are to stay within 1400-1600 calories a day, with ~40% carbs-whole grain, beans, veggies; 30% each heart healthy fats and protein and 30-40 g of fiber a day.

In the beginning, when I first did SBD. I did it without counting anything. I was much more motivated to stay on plan...something happened and 7 years later, I've regained it all because I didn't pay attention to the details.

good luck

I count during south beach- it's not a free for all from my understanding. I actually count carbs and calories and aim to get 30-40% carbs for the day.

I track using sparkpeople.com

ive done atkins and counted to make sure i wasnt going over..i failed on atkins cause i couldnt adhere to such a strict intake of little carbs..i always felt hungry..But when i switched South Beach, the first time, i didnt count calories, i just went all out and did it like i would normally eat and i lost a good amount of weight in a short period of time, but i didnt follow through with transitioning to phase 2 and then to maintenence..which i see is crucial for living south beach as a lifestyle... So...now im on it again and have lost 9 pounds in 14 days and i count calories..I just input everything into my fitday account and it totals my calories and shows me the percentages of carbs, to fat , to protein..and i make sure im gettin a balance of all of them with a lower percentage of carbs..but its calorie in calorie out still..so i make sure to watch the calorie count..

Hi!! I also count calories; I did not during Phase I, but I stopped losing in Phase II (pretty common) and felt like I wanted to make sure my portions were correct.

I try to stay around 1400/day

I don't count anything officially, but I have a rough idea of how many calories I'm eating just from my mental tally (usually 1600 ish naturally, if it drops to 1200 or below I'll add an axtra treat) Most of the time it isn't an issue- the amoutn of fiber keeps me full, and the cravings keep my appetite under control.

If I start stalling, I count everything for awhile to see what's going on.

I count calories when I hit a plateau but if I'm plugging along, losing without having to track calories, then I don't bother. I do, however, always have to make sure I adhere to the limits for nuts and cheese and use oils sparingly.

I just started tracking calories again because I'm working with a trainer and she wants to see what I'm eating. During Phase 1, it didn't seem to matter, but I think that now since I've started Phase 2, it'll be good for me to tally it up for a while to keep me on track with portions, etc. I'm aiming for between 1200 and 1500 daily.

I don't count calories or carbs, but I do count servings. (Making sure to get enough servings of veggies each day and not too many nuts, fats, etc.)

Keeps me on track but is way easier than counting calories or carbs!

I've counted calories and now I'm using WW points with SBD principles. Lots of people have success just following the plan as written (do measure protein, fat & grain servings though!). I've got a long history of eating disorder issues so I just need another layer of accountability.

The only thing I count is my serving allowances for nuts, cheese (self limit to 2) and dairy. As a former WW, it was a leap of faith to go on SB and not count points, but I've been loving it for over 2 years now.

I just keep a rough estimate in my journal, unless i gain or am stalled then start looking a lil more closely. I am really focusing now on portion control and stopping eating before i am full.

I track portions.. Say, 3 servings of veggies for every one serving of meat, that sort of thing. I don't "count" as in carbs, Calories, fat, or whatnot, because I know whatever I'm eating is going to be low fat, lower carb, and reasonably low in Calories anyway, because that's really all that's allowed based on the food lists I track portions though because otherwise I'll eat three servings of meat and a half a serving of veggies, which logic dictates will cause me to not lose weight.