After speaking with my doctor and my stalled loss, she recommended I try south beach- I have PCOS and heard it's a great diet if you have PCOS.

I haven't had time to go to the library and don't really want to purchase the book. I just wanted to know if there is a set amount of carbs you are supposed to eat the first two weeks? I know Atkins was very low, like 20g or something, does south beach have a set amount for the first phase? Thanks!

I started yesterday and got 69 grams of carbs (18.7% of my intake for the day). I actually had a terrible headache and at some carbs to up my intake to that amount. But today with my plan I'll be eating 74 grams of carbs.

Smart doctor!

There is no set amount of carbs but all carbs we eat have to be good carbs.
Check out the Phase I Food List in the FAQ and please do get the book from the library! It's very important to understand this lifestyle change.

I wouldn't recommend a person try to follow either Atkins or South Beach without the respective book. They're both so much more than just eating from a list of foods.

Even in Atkins, the 20 carb limit during induction is very specific about where the carbs should come from, as well as what types of foods you should be including and adding in as you continue to lose and when you go on to maintenance.

Most libraries will pull the books from the shelves for you - so you could call ahead and they'd have the book waiting for you at the checkout desk - so it would take less time than getting a soda from a convenience store.

Neither Atkins or South Beach are diets to follow if you don't want to understand the reasoning behind the plans. Atkins gets a bad rap, because of the people who haven't read the book (or haven't read past the induction phase). As a result, a lot of people think of Atkins as the unlimitted bacon and sausage and no vegetables diet (which isn't true, at all).

Thanks for the response. I actually did Atkins years ago (with book and all) and got violently ill and had to stop- I remember losing 10 lbs that first month.

I have read quite a bit since I saw my doctor last week and definitely cutting down carbs helps because of my insulin resistance issues. I think I'm just going to shoot for less than 100 grams of carbs a day.

I guess I'm going to bite the bullet and order the book on amazon. At least it's cheap there.

I also have to recommend reading the book. I got mine at the library, then went and purchased the new version when it came out last year. If you don't understand the reasoning and chemistry behind the SB way of life, you'll definitely have a harder time making it a lifetime style of eating. Good luck to you!

Hi and

Maybe you could find the book at the library while you are waiting for the one you order. I think its really important that you read it. I think I would have been lost during P1 without my library copy.

As others have said, it is so much more than shooting for a certain number of carbs. If you are really eager to start perhaps you know a friend who could lend you a book.

It is a great WOL for me, I am finding myself very healthy and happy, AND losing weight. I do not count calories or carbs, I eat only foods OP and ask questions and learn from the more experienced beachers. I no longer have food cravings and am for the most part making sensible decisions.

Best Wishes!

I purchased the book on amazon for a good price, until then I'm winging it.

I do know about "good carb/bad carb" and all that. Besides my degree in biology I've read a lot online and when diagnosed with PCOS I cut out all the white breads, pasta's, and so on. I changed over to whole grains but was still eating like 200 grams of carbs a day. I initially lost weight- but then have stalled for months. My doctor believes a 40% carb diet is the way to go for PCOS so I'm trying to shoot for 20% to 40% of my intake being from carbs, hence the 100 grams of carbs a day number.

For me for some reason as soon as I start eating breads and even if they are whole grain, full of fiber, and so on, it seems to totally stall me out I'll probably stick with phase 1 a little longer than 2 weeks, I read it's not recommended to stay on phase 1 for more than 2 months.

I find the idea of counting carbs to be very tedious. One of the things I love about SB - no counting and only a few things to portion control. If I were you I might count for a few days, but once you get into the swing of things, maybe not worry about it so much. I know there are good carbs in dairy, veggies and beans and these are all on Phase I, so they don't affect your blood sugar too much. If 100 gms of carbs is 40% of your calories, then your total calorie intake would be 1000, which is too low.

I just use my spark people to calculate carbs. I ate 1300 calories yesterday, 85 grams of carbs, and it said my intake was 28% carbs... I'm aiming for 40% or less. I prefer to count because then I'll keep assuming I ate well and then will be frustrated with seeing the scale not budging.

Try going to your local thrift store, St Vinnie's or GoodWill. I got my book there for $1. It was not the most update version, so I got a lot of question answered from the FAQ section here.....and other dieters that have posted or blogged on the web. Great investment.....and I understand not wanting to pay full price. (I am a very frugal person!)

I am even asking for a SB cookbook for my bday, because I don't want to have to spend my own money to get it.

I read the book, re read it.....and then read it again. I use the book almost daily as a reference for my bf and I. Having it is a real lifesaver.....especially when our computer was down with a virus, and I could not google it!