I’ve started the South Beach diet yesterday. First time ever.

I am feeling good so far, it seems like my usual 4pm carb cravings were gone which makes me very hopeful that this time I will succeed!

I walked around the grocery store for an hour to buy a ton of veggies and meats, had to store them all in the fridge(a very challenging task), then I spent half an hour chopping salad and cooking the chicken from scratch. By the time I sat down to eat I was very tired! maybe that is how you lose the weight:too tired to eat.

I did WW for a long time but I noticed that every time I sat down to have my portion of baked chips I would want more and more and more!

Did any of you get rid of the carb addiction with this eating plan?

Thank you already, this site helps a lot since I don't feel so lonely, dealing with my food issues on my own.
Good Luck to you all!

I'm a white flour and sugar addict, 100%!!!!! Once you get into the habit of eating good things, it gets better, I promise! And you get used to making food, too. I do a combo of Ph2 and WW (I still count points) but had to give up regular WW because I would just binge eat. One thing would trigger something else, which would trigger something else, and before I knew it, I'd eaten everything in the house all in 1 evening!

I know you can do it, and welcome to the beach!

I TOTALLY know what you mean. I dropped my first 25 on WW and then got lazy ... 1 cup of rice turned into a huge overstuffed cup of rice, or one flour tortilla turned into 2 of them, and next thing you know i'm cutting into my extra points. LOL


adaminu: WELCOME! I am also on day 2 of PHASE 1. (again) Just hang in there. We'll be able to eat the good carbs again, we just have to suck it up for these first 2 weeks!

south beach definately helps me control my carb addiction. if it were up to me, i'd only eat carbs! if fact, when i was pregnant, i was doing just that, to the point where i was dizzy after my meals. i didn't know that was the problem until i discussed it with my ob. now that i eat right, i will actually crave healthy foods instead of unhealthy ones. and when i've been on the beach for a while, the smallest bite of something "illegal" is more than enough, or i feel dizzy when eating too much, like more than 2 bites of ice cream. its weird, but it helps keep me in check. I don't know if anyone else reacts this extremely? maybe its just me. also, i'm a vegetarian, so i have to work a little harder for the protein.

Thank you for your help, I don't feel like a freak anymore!

THANKS FOR THE WELCOMES TOO!

I was (and still am) a carb addict. Bread and pasta were my triggers - one serving just didn't do it. Cutting back and eating only whole grain has really helped. I have cut sugar completely and it's really helping me control my Type II diabetes.

I really think that the large and almost nightly servings of white pasta or mashed potatoes had a lot to do with my weight issues (and, of course, white rolls with salads and bags of chips). I was shocked the first time I saw an actual serving of pasta. I typically ate close to 1/3 lb with my meal. I came from the old weight loss school of thought - fat bad, carbs good - and that increased my weight quite a bit. South Beach has helped me get a handle on the carb issue and to identify my triggers.

Adaminu,

I was a total, over-the-top carb/sugar addict before I started SBD. I was eating at LEAST 25-30 servings of simple sugars and carbs every day. It formed the majority of what I ate, with some dairy, meat, and a little fruit. It was drastically unhealthy and I felt totally miserable. (you can read more about it in my post from my one year anniversary on SBD). Going on SBD changed my life. Not only do I eat much, much healthier now, but I was amazed to find that I didn't have the mid-morning, mid-afternoon, all-night-long cravings I'd dealt with for years. I didn't feel totally exhausted all the time and barely able to lift my head in the afternoons. I was energized, happy, and I actually had room to think about things other than when I'd get my next food fix! : It's life-changing to have your focus shift and to get healthy. I hope you have a similar experience, Adaminu!

It's not surprising to be addicted to carbs/simple sugars. They have a huge affect on your body and it's easy to become addicted to that feeling. One needs more and more of the drug (sugar) to keep having a similar reaction. When one stops eating it, one gets withdrawal symptoms. Here's more information:

From http://www.somethingfishy.org/doctor...article016.php :

• Toxic Foods and Mood (check out the paragraph starting with, "An imbalance...")
• The Science Underneath Sugar Sensitivity
• I learned a lot about this issue by reading Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons.
• There is a summary and first chapter from the book Little Sugar Addicts: End the Mood Swings, Meltdowns, Tantrums, and Low Self-Esteem in Your Child Today, also by Kathleen DesMaisons, here. You'll find pertinent information in the section of the first chapter entitled, "The Biology of Sugar Sensitivity."

Anyways, you are certainly not alone, Adaminu, and yes, you can beat your carb addiction with this plan. Like you, I found that on WW, I just wanted to eat more and more. It was a constant battle with willpower, and I don't have a lot. With SBD, I didn't have to.

I WAS/AM a carb addict. South Beach has so helped me to not crave them anymore. And now I am afraid to eat them.. so I am just extra careful of what and how much I put into my mouth!
My favorite carbs: tortillas, tortilla chips, and ice cream....

Hi you all, thanks for the encouraging words!
I am definetly going to some sort of withdrawal but I am staying positive and determined, I think once I see some results I will start to be more trustful of this new eating style. My mind keep saying "this is so hard, maybe it is not for you" and stuff like that but I have a feeling it is my bad habits trying to come back and I must be missing the sugar highs I was used to everyday

Adaminu, I find that the day before I'm totally detoxed (for me, that's day 3, for you it might be as late as day 5), my inner critics go NUTS trying to persuade me to give up. I'm now used to it and am ready to go into battle at the beginning of day 3. I make sure I'm free from any temptation around me, bring gum and tea with me, and have a mindset of being fiercely determined to get through. Before I know it, I've passed on to the peaceful land of no cravings! You'll be there before you know it...just hold tight!

Beachgal: LOL! That's EXACTLY the same time I try talking myself outta it ... day 3.

I like the "Inner critics" idea, I can see these little creatures walking on my head with their little signs that say all these reasons why I should just give up. I read somewhere that once you realize the little critics and start to observe them you become powerful over them and you can win. ... I sound like a total nut!. Once I had a friend that use to talk to the little critics and say :"thanks for sharing but no thanks."
Anyway I will keep trying to stay on track. Day four and the cravings were awful today but I survived!
Take care and Thank you!

I am not a Beacher but I was definitely addicted to carbs! I made the decision 3 months ago to give up sugar, flour and basically all the white stuff. I have since lost 43 pounds. Apparently carbs are my trigger to overindulge.

glad u survived day 4 is a tough day. I have made it almost thru week 2, and feel that my cravings have mostly subsided. it is no longer physical at this point; now it is mental. my body doesn't need the bread or fruit, but my head thinks it would taste delicious - know what i mean? anyway, hang in there, you're almost half way thru, and it will get easier with each day.