South Beach Diet QUESTION
 

I’m about to start the South Beach Diet. I’m a bit iffy about it, because I’ve tried Atkins in the past and lost lots of weight, only to gain even more back. I really am interested in the diet, and I think it’s a healthy choice for me. I’d lose weight if I didn’t binge on carbs all the time.

Has anyone tried the diet?

I fear that it’s one of those ketosis diets – once you fall off the wagon, you start gaining weight like no tomorrow. Is it too risky for me? I’m going to purchase the book tonight, so I’ll get my reading done by tomorrow. I do learn from mistakes. I’m going to proceed through each of the phases, unlike what I did for Atkins. I’m at ends right now, because I can’t stop binge eating. I’ve gained 7 lbs within 3 weeks ( I guess I should update my meter thingy), and because I’m a ballroom dancer, my partner is beginning to notice it and comment. Our competition is next month, and I can’t even fit into my pre-purchased custom dress. If only I could describe the emotional trauma I’m experiencing.

In a sense, YES, I’m looking for a quick fix. I don’t want to disappoint my partner at the competition, and I want to feel confident about myself infront the audience. But I’ll abide by the rules…as long as I know I’m not at risk of gaining ALL the weight back when I decide I want a slice of pizza or bran muffin every once in a while.

Sorry for the long post and whine…but I really need some support right now, and a sense of direction.

This is kind of a quick fix. I did this diet a twice. I lost over 30 pounds the first time. This last time I ended up very ill in many different ways!! My doc was worrried!! She told me to get off of that diet immediately!!!! She said to count calories... that is the healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off. WW is also another good choice... and they also have a lower carb version to. You should check that out. Since I stopped doing SBD (I have done atkins in the past to) I have felt like a million bucks! These quick fix, low carb, and/or no carb diets are NOT healthy at all. A healthy diet does not EVER restrict any food group. And if you want to lose weight and keep it off... you will not go this route. The weight comes back.. and sometimes you get more back then you lost. :(

Hi Missy.. there is a whole forum for the SBD... I find that it works very well for me. I don't see it as a low carb/no carb plan. It is a plan that helps you to work out what carbs work best for your body and optimise your health... some carbs just aren't great!

It was actually the eating plan that was suggested to me by my specialist.. as it focuses on eating good oils and reducing saturated fats and eating non refined wholefoods and it is also a program that encourages you to pay attention to how food makes your body feel.

Good luck.

Missy, you'll find our forum for South Beach here http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=113

We have a huge number of members that have followed SBD successfully. Beachgal has lost 128 pounds on South Beach so far!

The South Beach diet is not low carb at all, so you don't have to worry about ketosis. Phase 1 is low carb, but that just lasts 2 weeks and you don't even have to do it, you can jump right into Phase 2. I agree with Marianna, it's a great plan and very healthy. It focuses on eating good carbs, and eliminating the bad carbs like sugar and white flour. You eat more nutritious foods. It's a whole lot like the Weight Watchers Core plan. It's also much easier to stick to than Atkins, since you have a wider variety of foods to choose from. Plus you don't eat a lot of saturated fats like you do on Atkins, since the South Beach diet was developed by a cardiologist to help his heart patients improve their health. Weight loss was just a fringe benefit.

Please join our other "Fat Chicks on the Beach" if you choose the SBD, they are a very supportive bunch :)

South Beach Diet
 

:comp: The South Beach Diet seems to be working for me. I was afraid to try it at first but after re-reading the book found that it had a lot of flexibility. It also is possible to buy a lot of their products in the grocery store now. Their boxed lunch products in the lunchmeat section are really good for me to take to work everyday. Also walk for 45 minutes 5 days a week.

Chicagochick, it sounds like you are really on the ball! Good luck with the plan, please keep us updated on your progress :)

Thanks!

I just purchased the book today. I'm a an eager-beaver ^.^

I look forward to trying it.

Quote from you, "I’m a ballroom dancer, my partner is beginning to notice it and comment. "


CAN I PLEASE SLAP HIM FOR YOU? Let me know where he lives--I'll be right over. :lol:

MissyK wrote:

I fear that it’s one of those ketosis diets – once you fall off the wagon, you start gaining weight like no tomorrow.

That was exactly what happened to me with the SBD. I followed it to the letter. Although there were things I noticed about it at the start that should have set the alarm bells ringing - like the fact it sells itself as 'healthy eating' but during induction, bans fruit and recommends if you miss it eat jello! I lost 9lb in the first fortnight. Then nothing. Then gained.

We are all different and our bodies respond to different things, but I've noticed with low carb diets of any type, that people who do them say *I just ate a small pancake and gained 2lb*... that for me, also suggests something's going on that shouldn't. It's not making a fundamental life change - just knocking out carbs which inevitably lowers your calorie intake and that's why you'll lose weight.

I ended up 14 lb fatter than when I started. I'm now dieting successfully - by folowing a low fat diet. I eat a MINIMUM of 60% carbs a day. They give my body the fuel it needs to burn fat. I'm losing 1-2lbs a week and haven't gained even once, in 9 weeks. I haven't felt faint, or ill, or tired - as I did on SBD. And the minute I go onto maintenance I know I won't regain weight, because nothing will change dramatically. I eat pasta, bread, spuds, even a small amount of chocolate or a glass of wine if I like. Although I've only lost 13lb so far my body shape and size has changed dramatically with a low fat diet - I've lost 4" from bust, waist, hips and each thigh - in just the first 8 weeks.

Even before I piled on the weight with SBD, when I lost the 9lb - I didn't go down a dress size. I'm almost down three, now. :) I didn't evenm begin to look toned, or different - so I suspect a lot of the weight loss with low carb diets is just water. Especially if you only have 20 - 30 lb to lose in the first place.

I wouldn't recommend it.

PhatPhoenix,

Amen! I could not have said that better. I also did SBD and had bad results. Well, I admit, the first time I did SBD I have wonderful success! I lost over 30 pounds! However, once I stopped eating low carb (yes, low carb is what SBD is in all honesty) it all came back AND then some more! And I am another one that ended up terribly ill from SBD!! My doctor demanded I get off of that diet and stay far from it! She feels it is very un-healthy and I do as well now that I see how much better I feel with counting calories instead of restricting carbs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't you wonder why Atkins had so many law suits and are now bankrupt??? Think about it... the diet is not healthy at all and can actually harm people. SBD will be down the same road once it is not a "new" thing. It is another un-healthy fad diet. It is sad that so many (including myself) decide to follow this un-healthy fad diets. I won't do it again no matter what.

I agree some have success on SBD! Give it several years down the road... I hope it don't happen, but you may end up with illness's you did not bargain for. I sure hope not. But after what I have been through with SBD I won't chance it again. :(

Actually, SBD is not low carb at all. It restricts the kind of carbs you can eat, but not the amount. You can eat whole grain bread, but not white bread. Whole wheat pasta, but not white pasta. Lots of fruits, veggies, dairy products, etc. It's nothing like Atkins or other low carb products. Lots of doctors recommend the SBD. It's also great because it restricts saturated fats and trans fats, and only allows the good fats that we need anyway. This is another way SBD differs from Atkins. The Atkins plan is very controversial, but SBD is considered a safe and healthy diet plan. The only part of South Beach that is controversial is Phase 1, and a lot of nutritionists recommend bypassing that phase and jumping straight into Phase 2. Other than that, there is no reason why the SBD is not healthy for everyone :)

I hope that clears up any confusion. I think your doctor probably has not read the book thoroughly and probably lumped it into the low carb category when she considered it. It's a common mistake.

Let me add my two cents - I haven't done SBD myself, but I've read the book - it doesn't seem even "low-carb" to me, except for the first phase - I know a lot of people who think cutting out breads and cereal equals "low carb".

Basically the plan advocates eating lean sources of protein, skim milk, whole-grain breads, fresh fruits, green veggies, healthy fats, while avoiding ice cream, candy, baked goods, candy, etc.

What doctor would object to that? That actually sounds a lot like the diet most cardiologists would put their patients on. :shrug:

Not being rude.. just a little upset already.

I plead the 5th due to anything I say (any post I make) will be deleted anyway because someone doing SBD gets upset and doesn't want anyone to know what happened to me while I was following that plan.

Again, I am not trying to be rude by no means... I just felt it was wrong for someone (not saying names - and I don't beleive they posted on this particular board) to remove my post just because I stated in it what had happened to me and how sick I got while on SBD!

You're completely out of line, Tracy. Ruth deleted your post with good reason, and all of the moderators here stand behind her.

MrsJim has it right on. Phase 2 of SBD is right in line with current nutritional guidelines.

It bears NO relation to Atkins whatsoever. Even in Phase 1 it encourages the dieter to eat plenty of veggies and legumes. That is not low carb. Dr A emphasises several times in the book that ketosis is NOT a desirable state and gives tips how to avoid it.

In my experience it's the people who either have not taken the time to read the book and understand the eating plan, or the people who choose to do their own "version" of the plan who mostly have problems with it.

ummmm no offense to anyone...if you notice the whole "support" thing has taken a back step on this particular thread....the "I'm right and your not" thing is taking over and well..it's getting old.
To Missy...If you try this SBD and it works for you..GREAT...if it don't..then move on and try another approach that does work for you.

Amen, Ellis. Tracy, it's fine to tell what happened to you when you followed SBD. But it's not okay to make broad generalizations about the diet.

Suzanne and Jennifer regularly remind the mods that any diet plan works by cutting calories (and hopefully encouraging you to move more...). None of the faddish things have been proven to work. Each person needs to find the plan that works for them, and that's different for each person! That's why when you talk with the Maintainers, you'll find that they all lost their weight in different ways. They all have in common that they ate less and moved more. How they did that, though, differs, sometimes dramatically. That's okay! :) To each his own. It's good for people to hear both sides of the story when considering a new plan, and I'm glad that you and Phoenix shared your stories. Just keep it to the facts, okay? :D

That said, here's my take on SBD:

• My doctor recommended SBD. She said that not only was it a healthy choice, but that her patients who had success with it were able to maintain their weight loss and stay on the plan. She felt that both of those factors made it worth suggesting to her patients.
  
• SBD is not low carb, it's good carb. Even during Phase 1, the most restrictive phase, you are allowed to eat tons of carbs...you can have beans, peppers, tomatoes, etc. You never count your carbs on this plan. I have no idea how many carbs are in anything and I've been doing SBD for 17 months. :D What we do pay attention to is what kind of carbs we eat. Like Suzanne noted, we eat carbs that are low on the glycemic index (and interestingly enough, more healthy, too): whole grains (is this sounding like the new food pyramid? Good, because it's almost the same!), sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc. Friends of mine on Atkins are always shocked at what I'm 'allowed' to eat. :dunno:
  
• Missy, you have a very small amount of weight to lose according to your ticker. If that's accurate (even adding the seven pounds you recently gained) you aren't likely to lose a ton of weight when you start SBD, even during Phase 1. You lose very slowly as you approach your goal (as I'm sure you've found out). SBD is not meant for a quick fix and honestly, there aren't any quick fixes out there that actually work (i.e. that actually reduce fat quickly...there are lots that will dehydrate you and make you lose muscle). What you can do now is start eating healthy and exercise a bit more (as long as that isn't overdoing it). By your competition, you'll definitely feel better and move better too. Your seven pounds might be partly water, and so it might not be as bad as it seems. Worst comes to worst, have your dress let out a bit and just look forward to the future. If your partner sees you making positive changes, I bet he'll be more understanding (although how anyone can notice 7 pounds is beyond me! He sounds like he needs a talking to... :mad: )
  
• Though it might not work for you, cutting out the high GI items from my diet (and all sugar) has been a miracle for me. For the first time in my life, I had willpower! I didn't crave constantly. I didn't feel like eating everything in sight. It was a total miracle of the highest order. When I eat sugar, I can feel how sick my body becomes immediately. Before, I had no idea what sugar was doing to me...and to what degree. I never thought I could give up starches for a day, let alone two weeks, but Phase 1 passed by before I knew it...and I had lost 28 pounds (that's not normal for this plan, but I was extremely overweight and had eaten unrestrictedly for three years before SBD). I continue to be amazed that I've stayed on a plan longer than six weeks...and that it's been so successful for me. It's a true lifestyle change for me...one that I intend to follow for the rest of my life, in happiness. :D
  
• SBD is very forgiving to planned treats in Phase 2. You just jump back on plan or, if necessary, do Phase 1 until your cravings go away again (3-5 days). However, you can easily have pizza and bran muffins as part of your regular diet as long as you don't eat a ton of them each day. We had pizza last night on a Boboli Whole Wheat crust with sugar free pasta sauce (Classico Tomato and Basil), reduced fat mozz. cheese (with roasted garlic and asiago...mmmmm), turkey pepperoni and tons of veggies. Delicious! :T The bran muffins would be easy to make (and really good!) with whole wheat flour and splenda. You can even have raisins, in moderation, in Phase 2.
  
• Tracy, I respectfully disagree with your comment that "A healthy diet does not EVER restrict any food group." In fact, I'd say that a healthy diet restricts a lot of foods because they are unhealthy. For instance, I'd say that a healthy diet would not include Hostess and Little Debbie foods, most chips, most cookies, most snack foods, and many types of fat and sugars. SBD doesn't eliminate any of the major food groups. You eat fruit, grains, vegetables, dairy, meat, nuts, etc. You simply don't eat some of the items in each group (basically the ones that are least healthy). There are very few kinds of fruit that are restricted (such as watermelon) and those that are restricted are not high in nutrients. You can eat a huge variety of vegetables, all meat that is lean (not high in saturated fat), nuts (healthy fats) in moderation, grains (as long as they are whole or higher in nutrients than in sugars, like sweet potatoes vs white potatoes), and dairy (low fat or fat free so as to reduce saturated fat intake). You are only allowed 75 calories of 'sweet treats' like J-ello a day, so you are hardly being asked to supplement J-ello for fruit, though that advice is given in Phase 1 (a 2 week phase at the beginning of the diet) for those who miss fruit during that time.

I hope this helps. Missy, take a look around the Fat Chicks on the Beach forum, especially at the stickies in the FAQ, to find out more. I'd be more than glad to answer any questions you have.

You'll find that not only has SBD helped many of us to lose weight, but it's also improved our health, immensely. Take a minute to PM Barb0522 and ask about her health. You'd never believe how much her blood pressure and other issues have improved since she started SBD. Ruth's diabetes is under control. My cholesterol, blood pressure, knee and back pain, incontinence, asthma, fatigue, IBS, and abdominal pain are all at healthy levels or no longer a problem. It's really amazing! :D

SBD isn't for everyone...but it is a healthy plan. Evidence? It's still doing very well while Atkins has gone bankrupt. :dunno: It bears an uncanny resemblance to the new food pyramid. This is a plan that's meant to bring you to better health, first, and has the added benefit of helping you lose weight as well.