[academy]

I have read the book and am thinking of starting the diet but I'm wondering if it's the right one for me... it is attractive because it's the type of foods we already eat although I have never been vigilant about carbs beyond limiting refined sugars. I thought it would be a good fit because it would be more shifting around amounts of foods vs learning to eat in a whole new way. Plus I have noticed lately that eating the worse carbs does tend to kick off more snacking as well as headaches.

But now I am wondering... I only want to lose about 10 lb and I really don't have much belly fat. It's more hips/thighs. Do you think this diet would still be effective for me? Or should I investigate a different one? With less to lose overall, does that mean less loss in phase 1? Just wondering what I might expect.

Oh one other question... some of the info in the book seems to contradict itself. Like it says no dairy products in phase 1, which I assumed meant milk since cheese is included in almost every sample meal and most snacks in phase 1... but then it also says coffee w/milk is OK. Similarly, it says no counting but then says to count nuts and I saw a remark in one of the FAQ here about a maximum amount of PB (and maybe tomatoes? or was that the book too?) allowed per day. So what gives? Do you have to count & keep track of amounts eaten or not? And is there one clear list somewhere of what/how much to eat that doesn't contradict itself? I have read a few blogs where people obviously weren't following the rules and didn't see much success (duh) so I'd like to make sure I don't sabotage myself at the outset by misunderstanding the plan!

Thanks so much! I have been learning so much from all the posts here.

[Ruthxxx]

Please check out the part of this Forum with Frequently Asked Questions. The book is OUTDATED! Tomaotoes and milk ARE allowed. After you've done that, perhaps it will all become clearer and we can you to The BEach. This is a great group of supportive chicks.

[Ruthxxx]

Please check out the part of this Forum with Frequently Asked Questions. The book is OUTDATED! Tomaotoes and milk ARE allowed. After you've done that, perhaps it will all become clearer and we can you to The BEach. This is a great group of supportive chicks.

[Ruthxxx]

Please check out the part of this Forum with Frequently Asked Questions. The book is OUTDATED! Tomaotoes and milk ARE allowed. After you've done that, perhaps it will all become clearer and we can you to The BEach. This is a great group of supportive chicks.

[academy]

typing 1 handed w/kitty on other--excuse typos

i did read faq but just got more confused. has there been a new edition of the book or....??? where did 3fc list come from? it had no source cited and given it had so many restrictions re:serving sizes while agatston touts the *lack* of counting as a major perk of his system that it makes me wonder what the heck is going on!? did i get an old copy of the book? when & why did it change if it was so great to start with? i don't see any of this addressed by faqs (nor the small wt loss Q, just not losing/gaining) but if you can direct me to the link(s) if i am overlooking, it would be much appreciated. thanks & kitty thanks all too for not disrupting her kid-free momma time. ;-)

[H-ko]

I think a lot of the info here comes from electronic sources, which are easier to keep up to date than published books by far.

I think a lot of your success will depend on you - if you are just looking for an effective way to lose a few pounds but aren't ready or willing to change your lifestyle, then this may not be the plan for you. You'd probably do better with Weight Watchers or something like that. However, if you want to change your eating habits to make them even more healthy than they already are, then you will have a much greater chance of succeeding - not just in losing the weight, but in keeping it off and in staying healthy, too.

Hope this helps!

[academy]

Thanks... so the food lists here are coming from Agatston himself (or his designees)? That is what I'm not clear on because if you do a web search, you can find lots of food lists but many are different from each other and who knows where they come from. Any wacko can start a website and put up a food list, ya know?

[Barb0522]

The hardback copy of the book is outdated but they came out with a paperback version last year. I bought that and it does match the lists that we have here. I remember checking to see that bananas were now allowed. that was one of the more recent changes to the phase 2 food list. The lists came from the official South Beach website (the one that charges). They are associated with the doctor.

There aren't many things that you need to count when you get to phase 2. Nuts and peanut butter are high in calories and fat even though it is a healthy fat. That is why we count those. And you want to keep your sweets (non-nutritional ones like SF gum and SF candy) to 75 calories a day but those are the main ones.

[academy]

Got it! Thanks for the clarification.

I'm not worried about changing lifestyle--as I mentioned, have already modified my diet. Really the only difference between my current diet and P3 is that I eat more orange veggies and more of the higher glycemic fruits. Also, I have maintained CW for about 4 yrs since birth of DS; just can't seem to get the last off despite exercise & healthy diet. I guess I'm more worried that since I don't fit the body type, maybe carbs aren't really at the bottom of this stubborn weight (I hate to think it's simply age and there's no hope!).

I guess only way to tell is to commit to the 2 wks of P1 and see what happens. Hoping to start P1 next week after my usual shopping day although I am already shifting food choices in anticipation.

Thanks again!