Count me in the folks who had this plan recommended by their doctor. She suggested SBD or WW.
I've discovered that everyone thinks they are obligated to advise you on weight loss. Reminds me of being pregnant, suddenly your body is public property My personal faves are the two people who I know only in passing who told me they thought I should stop losing weight now that I was "thin enough". Ummm, okay, yeah, thanks........
I absolutely love when people look at me and ask why I'm "on a diet" (meaning I'm not partaking of something that they're eating.)
"Why are you dieting?"
"You don't need to lose weight."
"You're already too thin."
Well actually:
a) I'm not on a diet. I just try to eat healthy things (most of the time.....)
b) I know what I weigh and have done extensive research using my height, current weight, bone-size, body-type, etc and know what weight range I should be in.
c) As long as I'm not starving myself or throwing my dinner up, and I'm getting proper nutrition, whose business is it what I eat and why?
I think people just tend to like to be downers. It doesn't matter what "diet" (or lifestyle) plan you're on, people are going to see that you're bettering yourself and either they aren't bettering themselves because they're too lazy, or they've tried and continue trying to better themselves and whatever they're trying isn't working as well for them as what's working for you. Either way, they're just jealous.
I bounce back and forth between WW and SBD (and usually end back up with a WW/Ph2 combo) and I love everybody. Well, nice people anyway. I'm sure I've shot my mouth off a time or two..... hard to imagine, I know. Kinda glad I wasn't around Thursday for the drama.
Just try not to let it bother you. I don't keep what I do a secret, and when they start spouting off with those comments, I let them have it. I don't tell them what to do with their bodies, so they don't need to tell me what I need to be doing with mine.
When I'm a size -4 and 87 lbs soaking wet, then someone can say something about it. Until then, I know I'm getting my veggies, my lean proteins, my water, my LF dairy, and my whole grains, and I'm getting 1200-1800 calories a day, depending on how hungry I am.
Don't let them get you down! Keep doing what you're doing if it works for you! If not, switch it up! But always know that you have supportive people on this forum that don't care if you're a SBD'er or a WW'er or a... uhh... what else? Calorie counter. Or whatever.
My name is grneyedmustang and I have a confession to make...
I was one of those people.
Before I found out about South Beach, I thought it was just another fad diet. My beliefs were similar to what someone else said - where I thought it was another "eat oranges and drink water all day" for the teenyboppers (no offense to anyone who might be a teenager!) to lose 15 pounds to wear their new bikini in the summer. When SB first came out, I'd see the book/products and just think in the back of my mind, "when will they learn that those fad diets where you eat paper and drink grapefruit juice all day won't work?!" This is when I was doing WW (around 2005) -- and weight watchers was working for me at the time, so of course, that made me the authority on dieting, lol.
Fast forward to this year. For the past year (after I put on all the weight I lost on WW) my best friend kept telling me that I should try SB. She has done extremely well with SB, going from a size 16 to a size 8. I started with WW again this year, but felt that the flexibility with WW might possibly get me into trouble because I might find ways to justify my food choices, and looking at her results, decided I should look into it. I started reading about SB and I found out it was good for people like me who are insulin resistant - which WW doensn't really address. Here it is, two weeks into the plan, and I'm totally loving it!
Don't get me wrong, WW is a good plan, and it works for some people. At this point in my life though, I felt that I needed more structure in terms of my diet plan - and so far, that structure is working!
Yaaay for south beach! Ok, I'm going to stop now before I once again start sounding like a SB informercial.
Last edited by grneyedmustang; 06-28-2008 at 11:23 PM.
Cathy, try not to let it get you. We even have some of that hostility here in 3FC. Atkins is getting bashed all the time but it does work for some people. I pretty much just don't talk about my plan on other websites or with folks in real life. Don't let the bastidges get you down!
True and sound advice. Sorry for butting in on your forum but I just had to respond to the Atkins getting bashed part.
After my recent involvement in a thread that kept getting steered toward degenerate insults, I have to say: Ignore the nay-sayers. Follow your doctor's advice and your own. You know what makes you feel better, and your doctor will have the medical information to help you make informed decisions about your nutrition and exercise.
So I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is also on the "bash south beach" wagon.
I told him that I had been doing SBD for the past two weeks. He tells me how we need to sit down and talk about that, because he's totally against the SBD. I ask him why, he never really gives me any specific answers.
So then he begins telling me what I need to be looking for in a diet, such as:
"You need a diet that keeps you away from High Fructose Corn Syrup". I respond back that SB detoxes you from all sugars, including HFCS. He doesn't want to hear that...
"You need a diet that promotes whole grains". I inform him that I can't have any bread during Phase I, but I can have whole grains on phases II and III. Then he says, "no bread? I don't agree with that." I tell him that its only for the first two weeks. He says, "I still don't think SB is a good diet"...then he starts back on HFCS.
"You need a diet which emphasizes the elmination of processed foods." I try to tell him, again, that this is what SB promotes. He doesn't want to hear it. I also tell him that this diet is good for those who have issues such as insulin resistance (which I am) or PCOS. We go back and forth for a few minutes, then I get off the phone after telling him "the diet is working for me, so I think this is what I'm going to do".
I imagine there will be more of that coming from other people before it's all said and done...
That's exactly what I think is going on in the Atkins thread. I don't call my foodplan anything (other than maybe "what Colleen is trying to eat"), but it is fairly close to South Beach, WW Core, Glycemic Index or Glucose Revolution and even Atkins OWL (or at least maintenance).
In a nutshell, I try to choose whole foods, and be careful of carbohydrates that could trigger hunger and binging.
I do have a few disagreements with some of the organized plans, mostly on how strict you have to be in the beginning. I rather cynically suspect that much of the true reason behind starting off so rigidly is to impress participants with a dramatic loss in the first few weeks. Gradually decreasing high glycemic carbs might result in no or slow initial loss. Unfortunately in our easily frustrated, instant-gratification, no attention span culture you've got to grab people's attention fast, or they lose interest.
But that is really neither here nor there in this argument. There's always someone telling you you're wrong, even when what they consider is right is substantially identical to your opinion. They'll disagree with you anyway, because you call it by a different name.
If you argue your points, rather than respond to your arguments, they respond to what they've decided to believe (even if you've already pointed out the err in those beliefs).
It's like in the Atkins thread pointing out that it isn't all eggs and pork products (in fact you can follow Atkins without ever eating eggs or pork) and then someone ignoring that statement and saying "I still don't care what you say, all that pork and eggs can't be good for anyone."
You're left wondering "Did they hear/read a single word I said. And I really think the answer is No, they didn't.
I agree (although I often do waste my breath, if not brain). When someone asks my opinion, I have to say I enjoy giving it (I am an attention-seeker, what can I say). And I might even occasionally give it when not asked, though I do expect, and don't take offense when people to tell me to shut up on the topic if the opinion isn't welcomed.
However, if they asked, and get angry with my opinion, that's their problem, not mine. I don't expect anyone to follow my advice or agree with my opinions, but if they asked for them, I don't understand them getting angry with me for the content of my adivce or opinion. If you don't want my opinion, don't ask for it.
I mean I would understand it, if someone asked my opinion and I said "my opinion is that you are an idiot," but I don't see a respectful disagreement as the attack some people percieve.
I recently experienced a hostile reaction about the SBD. I told my Great-Aunt I was going to be doing it and she started rolling her eyes, telling me "oh, pffft, that crap doesn't work, you should do Weight Watchers instead." I was just like, eh, whatever. I have a feeling she and my grandma have been doing WW because they both have lost weight recently, so I guess that's why she mentioned it.
I don't think she knows what the South Beach is about.
I was one of those people until last month. I'd done WW before and gotten to goal. Got pregnant again and it just wasn't workin' anymore. Long story short...nearly died from blood clots in my lungs, thought I had metastatic cancer (didn't). All ended up being from a thyroid condition. My endocrinologist suggested a low-glycemic index diet due to the metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance common in this type of thyroid problem. Plus, he pointed out, I have such a strong genetic component that diabetes are likely no matter what I do but this kind of diet is medically sound and the research has really backed it up. He said I could probaby stave off the diabetes and help my metabolism with this type of diet.
So, there you nay-sayers. Let's just wait until they've spent close to 200 hours researching the right thing to do to stay healthy. I'm with you sister. Totally on board. Do you want me to beat 'em up?
It's funny, because I did SBD a couple of years ago, trying to learn to eat better and keep my weight down after nursing a child. I gave up after 7 days. I guess I just didn't understand it as well, didn't have the support, had a stressful job, and had two very young children that were sucking out my life energy .
Now, I have 3FC, a much more laid back job, and my children are getting a bit older. And a husband that REALLY wants me to get my old body back (yeah, that's a whole 'nother post). And for some reason, something clicked in my little brain, and I have completely thrown myself in it this time.
If you had asked me about SBD after the first time, I would've told you it didn't work for me, was very rigid, etc. etc. Now, I have "seen the light" , and I would bet most of my friends/coworkers are sick of hearing about it!!
I think I'll just say "I'm cutting out processed food and starchy fruits and veggies", not go into more detail unless asked, and not try to educate people on SBD.
Last night I posted on a "foodie" forum that I have participated in for many years looking for south beach friendly recipes.....
IMO, "foodie's" can be downright mean at times! I belong to a foodie forum and have been jumped on several times (to the point that I no longer visit). And what's weird is that I was simply chiming in on an off topic "general chatter" type of thing--just adding my 2 cents worth that seemed to mirror what everyone else said, but with a different twist and suddenly I was hijacked.
Anyway, even though I don't completely follow SB, it does appear to be the most practical "diet" out there (healthy, good mixture of proteins, good fats, etc. and emphasis on whole grains, etc.). In fact, if you listen to a lot of people who "aren't following a diet" you'll find that they are in fact following a lot of the same principles of SB. It is easily a way of eating that you could/should follow for life.
I know what you mean! When I told my family I was going on South Beach, they totally freaked. I think they truly thought it was a cabbage soup or grapefruit juice diet haha! Then once I explained it to them, they started berating me about choosing a "low carb" diet. Thing is, I don't consider SBD a "low carb diet".. LowER carb than I was eating before, sure, but that's because I was pretty much living off of bread, cookies, crackers and potatoes with some cheese and dairy thrown in!
Anyway, what finally got them off my back is I had them over for dinner and they LOVED the food, and every singly morsel was SB friendly Now if only I can get my dad to do it. He's convinced he can't live without processed foods.
My personal faves are the two people who I know only in passing who told me they thought I should stop losing weight now that I was "thin enough". Ummm, okay, yeah, thanks........
Ok, I'm going to stop now before I once again start sounding like a SB informercial.
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