I have been on South Beach for two weeks and today is my first day of Phase 2. I lost 4 pounds in the first two days of phase one and now I am back to the weight that I was when I started the diet two weeks ago. I have been excersising twice a week (I know I need to do more) and sticking to the diet closely, or at least I thought so.

I have two diet buddies who are going through this with me. They are having excellent success, though. My husband has already moved a notch on his belt and my friend/co-worker has lost 10 pounds in a week. What I am doing wrong?

I am competing in a state pageant in April and I want to make sure that I don't gain any more weight and I want to lose at least a couple more pounds before April 9th. Any suggestions?

I am planning to limit my fruits and grains in phase two. I will only allow myself to have one or the other during a day, not both.

Also, I have been enjoying the CarbWise Protein Bars. They are Adkins-approved and not high in fat, but I wasn't sure if they are South Beach Friendly. Also, what about cupcakes that are made with all whole grain flour and splenda? They have 7 net carbs. Are those okay?

I read the book, but maybe I didn't retain as much from it as I thought.

I started this program at 143 pounds, then went down to 139, and now I am at 144. My clothing fits better and I feel pretty good, but I just don't understand why I lost and then gained????!!!!!!

I would like to be below 140 by the time the pageant rolls around.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

First of all, how tall are you? It could be that your set point is 143.
If you like, I can move this post into the Fat Chicks On The Beach Forum where it will get more exposure.
The protein bars are not to be used on this plan because they are too highly processed. If you are intent on losing weight, you will have to just forget about the cupcakes too, I'm afraid. How "pure" were you on Phase I? You may jabe to go very slowly into Phase II. Check out the ideas in the Phase II food list.

Because you are working out, you could be gaining muscle and still be losing "fat". If your clothes are fitting better and you feel good, that could be your culprit..I lost alot during phase 1 and once I started exercising more I began to gain it back but the clothes still fit better. Muscle weighs more than fat so this is the only explanation I could think of.

Thanks for all of your help. So I guess I will have to throw away the bars that I bought. Man, that is going to be a lot to throw away.

Feel free to post my questions anywhere you feel necessary so that I can figure out why I am failing at this??????!!!!

Thanks for your help!

If you don't feel good about throwing them out donate them to a food pantry. Hugs BB

One key to success is making sure you are eating lots of vegetables. It is recommended that you get 4 1/2 cups a day. Why don't you post your menu and we can take a look and see if we notice any problems (other than the bars)? You might want to add resistance/toning if you are concerned about how you look for the pageant. How tall are you?

When I started Phase 2, I monitored my weight really closely to make sure that I did not overdo adding starches and fruits to my diet. I found, initially, that if I add even one every day, I started to gain. I adjusted that to 1 or the other every second day and found that if I ate it in the morning, I tended to have more success than if I ate it in the afternoon or evening.

Others have already commented on the bars. I happened upon some new kinds this morning and read the list of ingredients...there is some truly nasty stuff in them. One of the bars had such a long list of ingredients that they were printed so small I couldn't even read it. I thought that, if there was so much stuff in such a tiny little bar, it must not be that good.

Take care. Hope you lose the weight by April 9.

Im a big support of water. Make sure your drinking your water. No Bars!

I would take your measurements and then in about 2-3wks take your measurements again to see if you are gaining muscle and not fat.

Good Luck!!

If you have a lot of bars, you might try to sell them on eBay. Or take them to work and put it in your common room area and let it be a free for all.

Hello mrscharleston;
By your name are you charleston, SC? I live in summerville.

Have more Water and Veggies..no protein bars. Good luck to you. My dh is the same, his belt is way too big and needs a new one. I wish I could say the same for me. You can do it!

Lots of good advice here. Good luck to you

Thanks to all of you for your help. To answer some of your questions, I am 5'9 and I live in WV. I only have about 10 bars, so I will bring them in to work to see if anyone wants them. I have been doing resistance training and will be added cardio to my regimen tonight.

I made sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding last night with FF coolwhip and 3 strawberry slices for dessert. (One box of pudding made 4 parfaits. I only had one. When I was on WW, I would devour a whole bowl of FF/SF pudding at one sitting. Hmmm. That is probably why I only lost 8 pounds on WW)
That satisfied my sweet tooth and was really tasty.
I have also made the flourless truffle cake that was posted on the recipe page and LOVED IT. I sprinkled a little slivered almonds on it for an added garnish. It is great for entertaining and the guests don't know that it was a "diet food".

I am going to measure myself tonight and again next week to track the progress.

I have a huge sweet tooth. I don't miss the potatoes very much and after trying Spaghetti Squash, I don't miss pasta very much either. But I miss having cake and ice cream. So, if you have any other sweet ideas, please let me know.

I have upped my water intake and that has really helped. I have lost a 1 and 1/2 this week so far. Thanks for your support and assistance.

Thanks!

how do I get one of the little cute goal bars for my posts???

First, at 5'9" and 143 pounds, your BMI is 21. The normal range for that height and weight is 18.5 to 24.9. Why do you want to go lower? Your body may be resisting you.

Second, to get one of the tickers, go to User CP on the purple bar above and click on Signature. Then follow the instructions at the top of the page. Create your ticker and then paste the correct code for it into your signature.