I've been doing south beach for about a month now, I'm currently on phase 1.5. My boyfriend has gained some weight recently, and whenever he diets he'll do the abs diet- which has a "detox" phase like south beach for 2 weeks, but still allows whole grains and fruits. He recently has become interested in south beach-- because I look so freakin' good now -- but is worried that the first two weeks without fruit will make him feel pretty ill. Phase 1 is no problem for me (ok, days 1 and 2 suck..) because I have a desk job and I've done it before. He's an audio engineer for events and has a few days out of the week where he is on his feet or doing physical labor for long hours-- sometimes 15 hour days. Does anyone have any tips for how he should start? Should someone with that much activity skip Phase 1? Or just eat more of certain P1 foods?

(Not sure if it matters- but he's 5'7 and 178 pounds, he doesn't have a lot to lose... just a beer belly)

Any input is greatly appreciated

Hmmmm. I suggest he start with Phase II. If he ends up with cravings, he should do a pure Phase I. Get him to register. We now have a Men'[s Section in Weightloss Support.

The last time I did Phase 1 I was running over 30 miles a week and it didn't affect my energy level. I made sure to include cottage cheese and beans for protein and fiber and lots of veggies and I was fine. I'm sure someone who eats meat would even have an easier time making sure he had enough calories and protein.

My husband is doing phase 1 right now because he wants more ab definition - he doesn't have any weight to lose, but wants to decrease his fat percentage a bit (he's 6'5, 185#). He said that day one and two were kind of hard, but the rest of it is just fine. He is an athlete and plays basketball 4 days per week, plus runs and lifts 4 days per week and hasn't had an energy issue. He makes sure to eat a lot of beans for energy and he does have a protein shake after basketball and lifting to maintain his energy and rebuild muscle.

Thank you so much for the input!

My husband doesn't do hard labor, but frequently has fairly active days and long ones. (He works with juvenille delinquents) He hasn't had any problems with phase 1. I make sure to pack him more snacks than he needs, so that he could have more if he was especially hungry (or when he was working graves and needed to stay awake) and so that he had some variety. Definitely nuts every day. I tried to really focus on gettign him lots of protein and vegetables. A salad usually had to have atleast two protein sources- meat, avocado, eggs or beans. That kind of thing. One of his favorites are burrito bowls from chipotle, and we make our own at home a lot now- black beans, carne asada, lettuce, some cheese or sour cream. (trader joes also has a chipotle lime dressing that we love). It's very filling, and doesn't feel like "chick food" He hasn't had any issues with being hungry or tired. Good luck!