South Beach Diet, Fad or good diet.

[schrodinger]

Just wanted to ask people if they have had any experience of the South Beach Diet. I have spoken with a couple of friends (1 male, 1 female) who have recently started this diet. The female raves about it (almost like a cult, THE only way to eat kind of thing) the male is a bit more realistic and just glad that his waistline has thinned since starting a couple of weeks ago. Does anybody know someone who has stuck to this diet for a long time? Does it still work after the 1st stage? Or do people go off it after a while? I was thinking of joining weightwatchers, but the idea of not counting points sounds appealing. But I know that their claim of losing up to 13 lbs in the first 2 weeks sounds like a lot (but also appealing) but is it safe? Is is just water weight loss? Just curious to hear other people's points of views.

[kbsocial]

Do a quick search for South Beach and you will find several thread discussing this and several other diets and their stories! Hope that helps:) :gvibes:

[schrodinger]

Thanks Kbsocial, I should have looked in past posts before shouldn't I? :blush:

[skpaw]

Ravzie the nurse told someone that she thought it was a pretty good plan. I respect her advice. I would get the book from the library or borrow from a friend and read it before you decide. I am just not good at planned diets. My best bet is to just choose to eat less, and better foods.

[Ravzie]

Thank you again for your confidence in me, Skpaw.

Yes, I researched all the diet options when my size 14 jeans were no longer comfy. Size 16 was not somewhere I wanted to go... I'd tried the low fat, portion control, food pyramid for years, like most of us, with very poor result, like most of us.

I believe in the good sense approach outlined in South Beach. You toss the bad carbs and bad fats for the good ones, in short. No counting calories, no counting carbs, no urine dipsticks. You try to avoid the big glucose (sugar) rushes from cheap carbs that end up as fat. SB is a safe and HEALTHY way to eat for your lifetime. Read the book for yourself and decide.

I started 8/15/03, and I am still hanging tough. I do have a goodie on rare occasion, but overall I'm pretty sound with SB. I do not miss white bread, white rice, white pasta, potatoes, etc. I really enjoy the substitutes I've found. Last night I made "steak fries" with rutabagas, and they were pretty good!! Who woulda thunk it??

I'm very happy in a size 10. Any less would be unrealistic for me - I'm a big girl. I'm 5'11" and holding between 150 and 155 on any given day, 40-30-42. My hip bones just aren't going to get any smaller, no matter what I do!! But the big gut, butt and thunder thighs are gone, and the 10s fit nicely. I do have a physical job and I do try to get to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. BUT, the 8 weeks in Oct & Nov I was on the couch recovering from surgery, I had NO weight gain.

Good luck which ever way you decide to go. I hope you avoid the all the different pills - they are the worst options available.

[schrodinger]

Thank you so much for the advice Ravzie, it makes me feel confident enough to give the diet a try, I could certainly do with losing 20-30 lbs. I will be nice to fit into those jeans again. :)

Congratulations to you btw, first of all for losing the weight and for sticking with the diet. Keep up the good work.

[peachypoo]

I have not gone on this diet myself. But a friend did and she had no luck she even bought the book and everything. Different diets work better or worse for different people.
Good luck!

[Karen_246]

Hay Rav - Did you switch up the first two weeks? I can do chicken and turkey, but some of those recipes sound pretty nasty to me, lol. I was just wondering if it had to be followed to a "T" as long as you had the stuff that they listed you could eat for the first couple of weeks.


Thanks,

Karen

[Ravzie]

Karen,

I followed the 'general' idea, using the recipes and recommended food list. I couldn't do the daily plans exactly becoz I'm allergic to seafood.

Most of the SB recipes I tried were really pretty good, some more flavorful than others. I have tried to be very open minded, trying things I didn't think I'd be crazy about - for example, I really like the cauliflower "mashed potatoes" now, and as I said above, I liked the rutabaga fries. Never tried a rutabaga in my life!! I never liked ricotta cheese, but I sure have stuffed down a lot of the ricotta dessert! (If you nuke it a bit, it's even better, IMHO)

Since I'm in the maintenance phase now, I've been branching out to low carb friends website and other low carb cookbooks for new ideas. But as I scan the list of ingredients in a recipe, I think, "Would Dr Agatston approve???". I made one thing the other night that called for coconut oil, but I subbed canola. The recipe turned out good, not sure if it would have been better with coconut - but I don't think coconut oil is in the program.

Good luck!

[Karen_246]

Thanks for the reply - I guess if I'm going to give this a shot I'm going to have to plan the 14 days out ahead of time..

I have some serious food allergies, and plus I'm not a big meat eater..and I don't do red meat or fish, but I can handle chicken and turkey. There are some interesting recipes..



Thanks again,

Karen

[Luckylulu]

I also have followed the "general idea" of this diet with excellent results. I'm going to go shopping for some new jeans as the ones I have that used to be too tight are now too loose!

I have not found myself hungry on this diet or craving certain foods at all. I tried the carb addicts plan a while ago and by dinner time, I would have killed for something crunchy like a tortilla chip.

That plan allowed you to have one "normal" meal, such as dinner, with high carb foods and I think that just did not work for me. Now, I just don't eat bread, potatoes, rice, etc. and am doing OK without.

The book is very easy to read and understand, so you might get it from the library and give it a try. Good luck!

[schrodinger]

So I just wanted to let you know that I have been on the [general idea of the] South Beach diet since last Monday (9 days now). I have cheated on a couple of occassions, yet I still have lost 7 lbs. :toot: I know most of it is water weight, but it is great to have a great kick start (I'm already lower in weight than I have been for about 2 years!!).

Thanks again for your advice Rav.

[boobear1111]

I started Atkins In August of last year and have cheated a few times, but still have lost around 45 lbs. Got about 35 more to go. So recently, my mom who has diabetes went on Atkins after seeing my father and me lose a lot of weight and her sugar just kept spiking. So after going to the doctor, she was told that South Beach would be a better option for her. I tried getting her the book at the library so she wouldn't have to buy it and would you believe that after they checked all the libraries in the county for me to order it, there are 177 people ahead of me on the wait list? lol.

Anyway, I'm thinking about giving South Beach a try too since I hear you are allowed more fruits, etc. I'm having a hard time staying on Atkins right now and am thinking trying something different might give me motivation again. :smile9:

[Ravzie]

Way to go, guys!! Keep up the good work!

I saw a magazine about Low Carbing at the Barnes & Noble. Glancing through, I saw an article that called SB "the healthy Atkins".

We may be losing some water weight during the first two weeks, but I think a lot of it is really related to tough carb restriction. You're settling down the big swings in your blood sugar & insulin production, and burning off your stored sugars.

Each person needs to talk to his own physician, but in general, SB is a great way for diabetics to eat. The idea of SB is to control the blood sugar. So if you have a problem with insulin production or have insulin resistance, you really want to keep a {relatively} low, stable sugar level. Voila.

The WalMart here has SB for $17 now. I hear the Costco sells it for $14!! I think it's money well spent. (As much as I've talked about it, here-there-and-everywhere, I think Dr. Agatston needs to be sending me some money!!)

You're welcome, schrodinger! Anytime!!

[Heather]

I've heard good things about it, but I think it takes dedication. I dont think I could stick to it. :laugh: