Hi, I hope I'm posting this in the right place....if not...sorry
I am just getting read to start and I have a question. I ordered the regular South Beach Diet book....I saw they have the cookbook and the good fats guide ...i was wondering if I should get those also? I have no idea...I really want to do well at this diet so I need to make sure I am getting all the right books. Thanks! Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

to The Beach.

The most important book to have is the South Beach Diet Book which helps you understand the theory behind this lifestyle. The Guide is handy to have and the newest one identifies the Phase for the food. The cookbooks are nice - I prefer the Quick and Easy one. However, there is a ton of good recipes in our Recipe section.

Once again, welcome to The Beach. Please join us in the daily chatter which isn't "daily" this extra long weekend.

Ruth is right, definitely get the blue book- we have tons of good recipes on this site. Knowledge is power, and the more you arm yourself with, the better you will do in this way of eating.

I do cook from both cookbooks quite a bit so if you like to cook and can afford it, you might think about getting them. Target usually has them for a reduced price. Many of the recipes have been posted here and there are a lot of recipes here that are better than the book so you can't go wrong either way. The regular diet book also has recipes but I tend to like to make recipes that have pictures so I have to admit I've made more from the cookbooks.

Anyway, welcome to the Beach. You will find a lot of support here.

I love the cookbooks - almost everything I have tried is delicious (love the shirmp scampi from quick and easy - make it with frozen shrimp and it takes about 10 minutes to fix dinner). The one complaint I have heard is that the cookbooks can be a bit "gourmet" for some and require some expensive things in recipes sometimes. There are lots of good recipes on the web though.

The blue book is a must and is all you need. The guide helps explain things a bit but if you stick to the updated list on this website of Phase I foods you will lose weight!

One thing you might consider if you eat out a lot like I do is the Dining Guide. I have found it to be very very helpful (more so than the good fats guide). Even if the restaurant you are interested in is not listed, it lets you know what is acceptable at a similar one. It also lets you know how bad the stuff at other places is (like the sandwiches at Schlotsky's!).

We also learned Qdoba - which we have here in town - has low fat sour cream and serves "naked burritos" - now we order those at other similar Mexican places (like Moe's and Barberito's) and it would have never occured to us.

Good luck - you will do great!

Thanks everyone! I am really excited about trying this diet.....that may sound strange but I am excited to start losing this weight for my wedding. I guess I'll read my blue book and then see if I think I should get the others. The recipes on this site are very helpful, I have found so many already that I am excited to try. Thanks for all your help