Phase I - Second week of April
 

This thread is for new folks, old folks restarting and anybody working on Phase I. Post your questions, concerns and helpful hints in here.

(Remember to join us on the Daily Chat too. There's more to life than dieting; it just doesn't feel that way sometimes. )

I'm starting this way of eating Monday (well technically today since it's after midnight).

Here are a few questions:
Turkey bacon - why only 2 slices? also, is it a particular kind b/c mine does have sugar in it, but so did all of them I saw....

Dressing for salad - what do you use?

Deli cheese - I always get my cheese from the deli, you know where they cut it when you order it. Is that high fat cheese and not acceptable? Do I have to buy "processed" cheese to get the low fat stuff?

Thanks all and good luck! I'm starting with soy milk and turkey bacon in the am. :)

Starting 2nd week of Phase I
 

Hi all- one week down and down 5 lbs- :carrot: I was hoping for a little more, but I'll take the 5 in a skinny minute (pun intended). And I was on program nearly perfectly except for eating two slices of real bacon.

Katrs5: welcome aboard. I am not sure about why the turkey bacon is limited, probably because it has a little bit of sugar and is probably high in sodium. Regarding the salad dressing: most of the bleu cheese dressings are sugar free or very low. I was really surprised to find so much sugar in the salad dressings.

Off to week two and really not craving any carbs except for popcorn at the movies. My mean old mother went along and had to buy a tub of it that I usually helped her polish off lickety split. Good luck to all you fellow SB'ers.

:welcome3: katrs5 and SuzrBeth!

katrs5, I think the reason we're limited to 2 slices of turkey bacon is because of the sugar and sodium in it. One serving has very little sugar in it, but if you have more than that, it could set off those cravings that we are trying to quench in Phase 1. We can have any salad dressing that contains no more than 3 grams of sugar, but keep the serving size to 2 Tbsp. or less. The calorie count in a lot of dressings can really add up. Stay far away from processed cheese, processed foods in general is what we are to avoid on the SBD. Look for low fat or reduced fat cheeses. For more information, check out the up-to-date Phase 1 food list sticky in the FAQ section of this forum.

Hi Ladies:
Its my first day back on the Beach! So far I've had a cottage cheese and string cheese for Breakfast and the same for Lunch ( I didn't have time to pack salad and turkey) tonights dinner will be a veggie burger and baby greens. After this weekend I NEED TO DETOX!
Kat Have you tried Morningstar farms sausage? if you get the pattys they taste like the real deal!
gotta run!
Kier

Morning ladies!

Week 2 and I'm doing well. One thing I have noticed this time around is that I'm really not as hungry as I used to be. I'm eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks and dessert. When I did this diet in the past that didn't seem to quelch it on P1. I've been keeping a food diary and noticed how much green tea I've been drinking. I really think that's the ticket for controlling my hunger!

I used to not drink tea at all, but I've found that I can take a cup of green tea and add some Crystal Light lemon drink mix to it and it's such a treat! I've started making gallons of the stuff. This morning was raspberry flavored. FANTASTIC!

Also the PB cookies have really been a great help. They are in the recipe forum. I pushed my dough into little star shape cupcake "pans" and froze them. When I want one they are great right out of the freezer!

Back to class, hope everyone has a good week!

Hi all!
I am starting week two. Week one went really well, my husband started with me so it has been fun to try new dinners. He isn't much for veggies, so it has been a little hard trying to get him to try new things...I hate seeing him make the "you want me to eat that face"...I want to hurt him:)

Anyway, the last two days I have felt hungrier than I did last week. I don't think I have done anything "illegal" but will watch extra careful today.

Oh, I lost 4.5 pounds on week one:)

Hi everyone!
I am restarting SB today! I did phase one successfully, but started floundering and finally sunk in phase two. I just didnt know what to eat, I hadnt bought the book at that point and didnt know the program. So after the rigidness and tight structure of phase one was gone I was lost. Went back to WW ways, gained it all back.
So! I bought THREE South beach books! (One is the cookbook) The other two are Good Fat/Bad Fat and The South Beach Diet.
I am ready to do this ladies! In the first try, I lost 13 pounds...and noticable stomache fat!
I have one question at the top of my head this morning, regarding yogurt. Why does it have to be plain??? I understand no fruit in phase 1, but ewwww! What about vanilla? If it HAS to be plain...how do you "doctor" it up? I LOVE yogurt for breakfast....
Thanks in advance!
~Tracie

:welcome: to The Beach Tracie. Be sure to check out the Recipe Section and the FAQ section for hints and ideas.

Vanilla flavoured yogurt is fine as long as it is LF and has no added sugar, thickener or other crud in the ingredients. The sugar listed in the nutritional content is lactose and is OK. You can also perk up plain yogurt by adding a tiny bit of SF Jello powder and counting it towards your 75 calories of treats.

thanks for the welcome Ruth!
I have printed so much material from this awesome site! recipes, product lists, etc. This site ROCKS!
I dug out an old container to post the ingredients. Will you tell me if it has ok stuff?
ultr-filtered Skim milk, Flavor Base (Vanilla and Creme' flavor with other natural flavors, food starch-modifed, Citric acid, Sucralose, Potassium Sorbate as a preservative, Annatto Color, FD&C Yellow 5) Cream, Whey Protien Concentrate, Kosher Gelatin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3, Cultures.

Katrs5: regarding cheese: anything with 6 grams of fat or less per ounce is the guideline for phase one. (Reference: Article 1, Article 2)

Hello everyone...

I was on SB in the Fall before Thanksiving and got down to the lowest weight I have ever been (144). I have gained about 10 pounds since then. I don't want to continue to gain and with summer fast approaching I want to get back on track.

I will be starting Phase 1 tomorrow. I went shopping tonight and bought all of the food items that I ate last time I was on SB. I even posted the Foods to eat/foods to avoid list on my Frig.

I found this site to be so helpful and encouraging last time I was here. I am excited to start again!

Hi everyone! I started SBD in January and lost 15 pounds but started slacking and gaining weight back. So I'm refocused and started Phase 1 today. I had been using SBD online but then found this site. It has so much great information, tons of recipes and it's FREE!!

The day has gone great so far and I'm really looking forward to getting those nasty carb/sugar cravings back under control.

Hi everyone!

I have decided to get back on the beach after a few year hiatus. I wasn't good at it the first time around but now I've reached my highest weight ever and I simply HAVE to do something to reverse this trend. I've always agreed with the SBD eating principles and am so happy to have found this group!

Yesterday was supposed to be Day 1 of Phase 1. However, I let myself get hungry and then was pursuaded by coworkers to get chinese. I felt really bad afterwards, especially because I had been so good all day!

So far today I've had eggs with cheese on them (probably not low fat cheese though :( ) Then I brought some low fat cheese for snacks. For lunch I'll more than likely have a chicken salad and then for dinner I have a barbeque to go to at a coworkers house. That will be difficult but I'll stick to either a chicken breast for a veggie burger.

My biggest challenge this week is that I am traveling for work so I have limited control over my food options (hence the non lowfat cheese this morning). I am going to try to do the absolute best that I can. Any words of advice? :?:

Happy beaching!

SlimmingDown, I've discovered that one of the biggest challenges of this WOE is eating out. Sometimes a seemingly innocent food that appears to be SB friendly is loaded with additives and other ingredients. As much as I like to eat out, I don't go out as often as I used to. When I make it myself at home, at least I know what's in it! Friends and co-workers always seem to present a challenge, too, trying to entice you to cheat "just this once." Be strong and show them that you can do this! Only you are in control of what you put in your mouth.
South Beach has a guide book, Dining Out, that has many popular chain restaurant menus listed in it and tells you what the best choices are in each restaurant. That may help you. Just remember to order your meats baked, broiled or sauteed without sauces, and order steamed veggies with no butter or sauce. Order salad with the dressing on the side so you can control how much you use, and be mindful that it's a SB friendly dressing. Good luck to you, with diligence, you can do it!

Good morning to you ladies!

Lots of new faces! Justcallmetracie - your yogurt looks fine to me. Is it Dannon's Light and Fit? That's good stuff! :D

I hard-boiled another 7 eggs this morning, my favorite way of having them. Right now I'm putting together a mock menu and grocery list and then I'm off to the store!

Keep snacking gals!

I took a look at the yogurt ingredients and I saw the food starch and the cream and those raised flags for me. For phase 1, especially, I think it is better to stick with nonfat plain yogurt. How can it be nonfat if it has cream in it?

after a horrible weekend i told the hubby we can't count the few days last week as phase 1. period. so we technically restarted yesterday. doing good so far. just have to find the energy to cook at night my only downfall!
hope you all are doing wonderful!

newbie here
 

Hi all- very new to all of this "posting" business. Started phase 2 today and struggling with knowing exactly what and how much to add back in. Also, not really craving anything, but should probably start adding fruit back in, right?:dizzy:

2boyslater - Welcome! How much did you lose in Phase 1? I just started today.

OMG! I am having horrible withdrawals! I am craving candy SO freakin' bad! Help! I am proud that instead of going up to the vending machine I came online instead. I realize that I am not hungry, just having cravings. Evil evil cravings.

tiggre - thanks for the cheese info - that helps a ton...now if I can only get through a whole day!

Hi all,

I restarted phase one yesterday. I did it at the beginning of the year and lost 10 pounds, and then another 15 on phase 2...but the past couple of weeks I've been moving and haven't been adhering to anything at all! So I figure jumping back in at the beginning will re-teach me the fundamentals and then I can work on sticking with phase 2 a little bit better!

Of course, the move included coming back home, where my parents have all sorts of no-nos in the house. I went out and stocked up on all the food I can have, and every time I want some leftover easter candy, I reach out for a cheese stick instead.

Well girls I did SB a long time ago and decided to try it again. Checked it out this morning and gathered some info and now I am off and running. I did well today and hope to continue to try hard to stay focused. I am a little unsure of somethings so I will keep reading the post here and ck the site for more info. I was able to down load some recipes and ideas today at work. Ooops. Oh well if I am fit they will get more work out of me. At any rate this first 2 weeks will be tough no pizza huh??? Any ideas on a replacement for that product? Just kidding oh but I do like it. Have my lunch packed for tommorow. Healthy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you starting Phase 2 or thinking about it, please check out the "What's Your P2 Combo?" thread. There's tons of advice on how to do P2, how to find the right combination of fruits and good carbs for you, and more. It's REALLY helpful! You'll also find the Emergency Handbook for Phase 2 helpfull as well, I believe. Check 'em out, and if you still have questions, post 'em in the daily or start a new thread, okay? We're here to help! :corn: <--(well, not by eating that stuff! :o )

Slimming Down, those cravings are AWFUL, aren't they? :cry: :grouphug: I'm thrilled that you came here instead of going to the :censored: vending machines! :high: YGG!!! The cravings will go away...in the meantime, think how you'll have to go through three to five days of them AGAIN if you give in...and don't! Take a walk, talk to someone, write about your feelings here or in your online journal, drink water, chew SF gum or have a hard SF candy...or even splurge on a non-fat latte with SF syrup. Or have a cup of tea! Just find a way around or over it...you CAN do it! :cheer2: I had awful cravings this evening, but I made a really yummy cup of chai tea with a teabag and 1% milk (I splurged!) and splenda. Yummm... :T Oh, and I drank a lot of water, cuddled with DH and told him how much I felt like eating, and concentrated on how full I actually was. I'm glad I made it through, because the third day is the hardest for me. I WILL do it, though! :strong: So will all of you!

:dust: for everyone's third day!!! :cheer2: :broc:

Hey Everybody...

I have discovered that I do need to do a bit of planning to stay on track. I moved all of my non-phase 1 foods into one cabinet and have stock up on yummy P1 foods.

My biggest problem is at work... the community snack table is right next to my desk... every time I leave or come back I pass all of the goodies... and to top it off, all of my co-workers come to my desk to munch and socialize. I am trying to keep crunchie veggies, yogurt, and lunchmeat roll-up nearby to keep those urges at bay.

I hope everyone has a GREAT day today!

cacmsc - You can have something very like pizza if you use a portabella mushroom as the crust with a no sugar added pizza sauce, reduced fat mozzarella and veggies for toppings. Turkey pepperoni and canadian bacon should be okay too. You can also top eggplant and that tastes really good. I think there may be some recipes in the forum.

I managed to slip up again yesterday. Phase 1 is definately tougher than I expected. I started to get a head ache and I think that it was from withdrawals! I didn't know that could happen.

Today I am back on track. For lunch I am going to have a veggie burger with cheese and onions and no bun with a salad on the side. I feel so guilty putting regular dressing on my salad. I wish that the cafeteria here had the nutritional info on the bottles of dressing. I think that yesterday I put around 300 cals worth of dressing on my salad!!!! That's so much!

How is everyone else doing with the cravings? Please tell me that I am not the only one having a hard time!

P1 starts TOMORROW (isn't that always the case) I'm going to the store tonight so there are no EXCUSES tomorrow. This is going to be hard. I know I can do it I had a great run with SBD in 2003- lost 25 lbs. in 3 or 4 months. I need to do that again -I turn 30 in Aug. and want to look hot ;) aha-the real motivation shines through!
Wish me luck!!!
...t.

ALSO, some advice from the pros, please. I can live w/ RF mozzarella,cause frankly i'm not a Mozz. fan so whats the diff. HOWEVER 2% Cheddar is the best I can do. I am a taco fan and have no problem switching to salad instead of shells but FF cheddar is revolting. I'd rather not have cheese than go to FF cheddar! I always feel like i'm cheating or changing the rules then I just quit-cause I can't even follow the guidelines properly. Boy, that sounds completely defeatist!! This is thinking I am trying to change. But in the meantime what about that cheese?
...t.

Newbie experiencing withdrawl
 

I just started the SBD on Monday, April 9th. I'm experiencing some crazy sugar withdrawl and I believe it's causing headaches, however, I can't be sure if its the no sugar or work :(
In any case, I see that people have posted recipes including peanut butter. I would KILL for some peanut butter right now, and didn't know this was allowed in phase1 (don't see it in the book anywhere).

Also, I've read that some people stay on Phase1 beyond the initial two weeks to lose more weight. Personally, I don't like torture, but wonder if that would really work.

Thanks, and it's great to read about everyone's journeys!

:welcome: to the Beach, Doozy.

Please spend some time reading the FAQ Section in this South Beach Forum. There is a comprehensive and updated List of Phase I Foods that will help you. Having milk and legumes will certainly help with the carb withdrawal cravings. Remember, we eat GOOD carbs, not NO carbs.

tifanicole - Welcome to the Beach! I always use 2% cheese rather than nonfat. That is perfectly acceptable on SBD. Do check the food lists and they are updated from what is listed in the hardback version of the book.

tifanicole, I always use the 2% cheeses, too. The nonfat cheeses are awful, IMHO.

:welcome3: droozy!

ok the last of the sweets is gone, and I can shop tomorrow, so I feel like I will be on plan all day for my very first day. Wish me luck! I'll report in how I do, b/c I HAVE to get this right and quit fooling around with it. Chocolate cake is NOT worth all this.

I had some serious sugar cravings yesterday. We have Easter candy all over the place here but I didn't give in. I think the key was cup of hot chocolate w/skim milk, cocoa, splenda, vanilla and a dash of cinnamon -- yum! Plus, it snowed here yesterday so it was perfect treat! Hoping for a smooth Day 4. Have a great day, everyone!

Thanks guys! I know it probably seems trivial, I suffer from perfectionism and get caught up in the details sometimes. I need to just relax.

Good Morning P1D1- Just arrived at work and am making 2 scrambled eggs and some coffee w/ spenda and sugar free coffeemate (hazelnut, if you care)

Last night I binged on Little Ceasars pizza, crazybread, pop and had chocolate cake - I know that sounds crazy but I was like throwing myself a going away party. I am a new woman today. I am taking control of my life and my health starting NOW. I even told my family that we would be eating pizza only once a month. Saving money for our annual disney trip (yeah, like we go only once) and saving our health at the same time. My kids LOVE healthy food, but I'm lazy and always making them eat pizza (working moms, ya know?) So they were actually glad. Hooray, even hubby (for the first time ever) said he could use a diet overhaul as well.
Good luck for a great day to all of you P1-ers.
My mom (also my boss) says I will be addicted to 3fc soon instead of sugar!! hahah
...t.

Morning ladies! Day 10 P1 and going strong. I'm so pleased with myself that I'm not craving all the junk! I'm not even tempted, and for me, that's amazing. It's gotta be all the green tea.

SIL is spending the night with me so we're off to go play racquetball. Just online getting some recipes to try for the weekend. Made "Chinese Tacos" lettuce wraps yesterday that were yumalish!

Just found a bag of double chocolate cookie crisp in my desk drawer and THREW IT OUT!!! It could have been there for a month for all I know, I would have eaten it anyway :) I mean, if I weren't the strong and resolved individual that I obviously am, I mean I made it through breakfast, right??

Snack Time.. 1 0z 2% Sharp Cheddar (cracker barrel) I'm not hungry yet, I had 2 cups of coffee, but it's time and those are the rules!
...t.

D1P1 starts tomorrow for me officially. I've had a few false starts this week and today and going to look up yummy recipes on the site and make a grocery list. Tonight I'll go straight from the airport to the grocery store and tomorrow will be a whole new day!

Tifanicole - WTG on throwing out the cookies! I probably would have interpreted it as a sign and caved in :rolleyes:. You seem to really be doing this the right way and that is awesome. I bet that your perfectionism will help out in the long run!

AdiaFaith - :bravo: on Day 10! It's refreshing to hear that you aren't craving bad foods and what not.