[claire0412]

Hi everyone!

I am about to switch over from Atkins to South Beach, so I thought I'd drop by and say hi!

I found Atkins too extreme with the saturated fat and very low carb, but I need some kind of low GI plan to keep my blood sugar / cravings in check. I'm currently just free styling the healthy eating plan, until Sunday. On Sunday I'll start phase one of SB. However, I am thinking about just doing phase 1 Monday to Friday for the first week, because I'm going away for the weekend to somewhere where it'll be hard to stick to the plan... Worst case scenario will be to stick to plan Monday - Friday and restart on 28th Feb, when my boyfriend flies to the US for a month!

My goal is to lose a few pounds, until my stomach is flat. More importantly, however, I'd like a healthy eating plan I can stick with low term and keep my rollercoaster cravings and blood sugar under control. Obviously a bit of weight loss is always welcome though, especially because I'm running a half marathon in April.

I've ordered some callipers, so will measure my body fat, waist etc and weigh myself of Sunday and post them here!

In the meantime i'll be browsing the yummy recipes to prepare myself well!

Have a nice day

[AmyKitKat]

Welcome Claire! Hopefully this program will work for you - I did Atkins once and lost a ton of weight, but I could never seem to get back on it; all the fat made me pretty ill.

SB has been a really good choice for me - and yes, the belly fat does seem to be the first to go!

[claire0412]

Hi!

I'm definitely hoping South Beach will be more manageable than Atkins, once I stopped Induction I couldn't keep to the rules...

I'm enjoying a generally low carb cheat week at the moment, and will defo start on Sunday!

Thanks for the welcome

[Lexxiss]

Welcome! Other Beachers will probably chime in about Phase 1. Since P1 is about detoxing and getting rid of the cravings, two weeks interrupted is really highly suggested. Perhaps knowing that, you could figure what your P1 schedule is going to be. I really suggest getting through the two weeks totally clean (whenever you decide to start).

Best wishes! I am really happy following SBD as a WOL.

[claire0412]

Hi!

Yeah I will definitely do 2 weeks uninterrupted. If I end up off plan next weekend, I will just tag another two weeks on to the end. Phase I doesn't phase me too much after Induction on Atkins, I'm happy if I can eat ff yogurt and nuts!

One question though, are protein shakes allowed on phase 1? I've taken to drinking one every morning for breakfast and it really fills me up. I drink it at 6:45, and very rarely am hungry before I finish teaching at 1:30pm. I have a few nuts in my break, but I think it's the shake that keeps me full. Can I still do that? My shake powder is made from whey, is low -carb and has no added sugar.

Thanks!

[Natasha1534]

I've never used Whey (that I know of, at least) so I wasn't sure...but I googled it and found this:

"Dear Elizabeth,
The South Beach Diet allows Whey Low D in all Phases. There are different types of Whey Low. Whey Low D contains both lactose and fructose which are approved for all phases of the South Beach Diet. Unfortunately, the regular Whey Low has lactose, fructose and sucrose. Sucrose is another word for white table sugar, which is not allowed on the South Beach Diet. Therefore, if you choose to use Whey Low, we encourage you to use Whey Low D.
It has 5 calories per teaspoon and should be counted towards your sweet treats. The Whey Low Gold also has sucrose and therefore would not be the best South Beach choice.
Remember this is still a form of sugar and should be used sparingly. It would be a personal decision whether to use this product for your child. There is lot of information available on the internet about this product if you want to read more information.
Please let us know if you have further questions.
Best Wishes,
Ellen, Registered Dietitian
South Beach Diet"

[claire0412]

Ah great thank you! I'll try not to have it every day but mine has no sugar in it at all so it should be ok for occasional use. Thanks for the info :-)

[WaistingTime]

Welcome!