I'm wanting to try the South Beach diet, but I have no idea where to start. I was going to see if there was a book, but I have no cash. So I'm wanting to know what exactly can I have on Phase 1? The web site only gives a general idea, it just says veggies, cheese, eggs, and nuts. Does this mean no meat? I got that it means no pasta, rice, potatos, anything sweet, or sugary. I just need a list of "do's", I work well with lists, heh. I suspect I have PCOS, and low calorie diets aren't working for me, so I need to try something new. Someone suggested South Beach to me, does anyone have PCOS and had success with SB? Any help would be great

Welcome to the Beach, swimgirl! You can get a ton of information from the Frequently Asked Questions forum but it is very very helpful to at least read the book. Can you see if your library has it? There is the book about the diet as well as a cookbook and a smaller reference book called Good Fats Good Carbs. That one is cheaper. You could also go to a bookstore and read it there.

Welcome to the beach swimgirl!!

If you can get the book from your library, it has meal guides. A lot of the women made their own plans during the Phase 1 weeks, but I actually followed the book model pretty closely. If you like to be told what to do, then this will help.

The Good Fats, Good Cards book is pretty cheap. That combined with the food lists posted in the FAQ of this site will really help you get going.

I was never diagnosed specifically with PCOS although suffered many of the symptoms. This diet will match your needs well. As you research PCOS and the links to diet, you will see that most of the recommendations match SBD. Whether losing weight will help your PCOS, I can't say but I know I am more regular since I started this lifestyle change.

Good luck.

SwimGirl, it's really tough to be successful on any plan without reading the book, but especially with this one. Dr. A gives you guidelines, but you really need to understand how the diet works to be successful. I HIGHLY recommend that you read the book. See if you can get it from your library. If not, see if you can get it at Wal*Mart for a low price. It's not terribly pricey...I bought mine at Wal*Mart for $17.00 I think. If you can't get it right now, I would try to eat as healthily as you can right now, then start SBD after you can afford to buy and read the book. You'll do much better than any advice we can give you here.

I know several women on here have PCOS. Try posting a thread about PCOS and SBD and I am sure they will reply. There is also a PCOS forum on 3FC, check it out. My OB/GYN and I think I might have it, but she told me that SBD is exactly the type of diet they would prescribe to help me fight it. So yes, I think this would be a great plan for you, but please read the book first.

Thank everyone for the advice, I even talked to a customer at my work today, and she said she'd drop off a list of foods. I also found a list of foods online a few minutes ago, so I think I might be able to figure it out for the first little while. Also by reading the meal plans they suggest, I can figure out the portion sizes they intend. So I'm going to wing it, I think I should be alright, I mean I went to school to get a degree in health and fitness, and took a few courses on proper nutrition. SBD might just give me the right proportions it takes for my body to lose weight, hopefully this will be it for me! And then I'll become a big loser! heh.