I am wondering if there is a book that can help me about the brands of foods you can eat on the south beach diet. What I mean is there for example a green giant meal or a lean cusine meal that I can eat on SB. I have read the SB book and reviewed the cookbook but still kinda confused. I will be starting the Diet this Friday. Also when reading the labels what should the carb and the sugar label say. Please help, haley98

Haley98, it isn't so much how much carb and fat as where they come from. For the most part you want to look at the carbs, sugars, fiber, and various fats on the nutrition label. What you are looking for is something with not too high carbs (how high will depend on the kind of food), very low to no sugar, high fiber (for veggie, fruit, or grains - meat, dairy, and eggs have no fiber), low fat, especially low saturated fat, and no trans fats (not all labels list trans fats yet, although they will be required to do so as of January 2006). Then look at the ingredients. You especially want to avoid hydrogenated fats, corn syrup (esp high-fructose), enriched flour, and other highly processed foods. However, in general you want to avoid anything that is on the list of foods to be avoided for whichever phase you are on. You might try getting a copy of the "Good Carbs, Bad Carbs Guide" - I think it will help you a lot with foods that don't have labels. For foods that have nutritional information on the label, it's just a matter of becoming a nutrition-savvy shopper.

I hope this helps!

Also, if you are just starting. You need to realize that all you will be eating is protein and veggies. During P1, I don't even walk into the aisles of the grocery store. We go from produce, to meat, to cheese and eggs.

HAve a good time, you will be amazed how much you can eat and how much weight you will lose!

Wow, Louise...your weight is dropping!! Great job!!

Big BUT don't forget dairy is now allowed on Phase I per the revised food list.

haley98~ Check out the SBD-Friendly Products sticky in the Frequently Asked Questions section! There are some things that are OK for P1, and many for P2 & P3!

Welcome!

don't you worry Ruth! I drink my milk, and I eat plenty of RF cheese!

thankyou everyone for your help. Today is my first day and for breakfast I fried 3 eggs with the right cooking spray and had two pieces of canadian bacon and some cheese sticks for a snack. haleymay.

No veggies? Maybe two eggs next time with some peppers and onions mixed in or a glass of V8. it's hard to get veggies into breakfast but it does help. You need about 4 1/2 cups of veggies a day, good veggies not just salad greens.