New to South Beach Diet

Today I have started the 1st day of Phase 1 on the South Beach Diet. I am feeling excited because I really want to be successful with it but I am also nervous at the same time because I love carbs, sugar, etc. I am wondering if anyone has any personal experience with the diet and how did you make it through phase 1? Also, how much weight did you loose by sticking to the phase 1 plan for the 2 weeks? Hopefully if I hear some real success stories that will help keep me motivated.

I've done South Beach before.  You'll lose really fast during those first two weeks, but it will really slow down once you add the carbs back in.  You might even gain some back, because not all of it is true weight loss.  Keep in mind it's important to make sure you're getting enough carbs.  While South Beach is pretty well set up to make sure you're getting a lot of vegetables, fruits and some grains as well once you hit phase 2, it's possible to take it too far and cut carbs too much.  Don't do that - you could damage your body.

I wouldn't recommend sticking with phase 1 for longer than you have to - it's hard to stick with permanently, especially if you're like me and don't like fish, nuts, or a few other things on the list.  I was really restricted with what I could eat, and it was just such a relief to move away from that phase.  It's also not really that healthy, since you're missing some nutrients.  It's only intended to be temporary.

I actually used phase 1 of the South Beach diet to kick off my new healthy lifestyle.  I felt like I needed to go cold turkey from sugar in order to stop craving it.  It seems to have worked for me, though I definitely overindulged on Saturday.  For the most part, I can now eat whole grains, veggies, and fruits as my carbs and I rarely crave sweets any more.  When I do, I allow myself an indulgence and then get on with my life.

The first week, you will be hungry.  And you'll be craving sweet things.  Some people get over it more quickly, but for me it took a full week.  After that, sweets really didn't have the draw that they used to, although I really looked forward to some strawberries when the phase ended. 

One thing that got me through that week was going to Ruby Tuesday with my husband.  I had a steak, some delicious mashed cauliflower (I think there's parmesan in it, it's so yummy), steamed broccoli, and the salad bar.  Going out felt like cheating, even though it wasn't.  That was halfway through week 1, and that one "splurge" helped me finish out the week. 

Then in the second week my body finally stopped craving sugar and I wasn't hungry all the time.  Now, after the second week, I just try for a balanced diet (20-20% fat, 15-25% protein, the rest carbs).  So far, I've lost just under 20 lbs since the end of July.  (Well, except for a little bloating after Saturday.  I do love Halloween!)  I lost 8 lbs during phase 1, and then I was stuck for a couple of weeks before I dropped any more.

As for what I ate, I usually had eggs of some sort for breakfast (the cheesy frittata recipe in the book is now one of my favorite foods, I love it), maybe with some canadian bacon or lowfat cheese, and I tried to fit some veggies in somehow.  Lunch was usually a huge salad, or sometimes a chicken breast and vegetables.  Dinners involved a meat and two veggie side dishes, possibly with another salad.  I didn't like the ricotta mixture (the texture really bothered me) that they recommend for dessert, so I had sugar free jellos and puddings.  Snacks were veggies usually, and if I was feeling really hungry I would have a serving of peanuts (the only nuts I can stand), a glass of lowfat milk, or some lowfat cheese - probably once or twice a day.  I was really glad when I could have fruit again, because one of my favorite snacks is an apple with peanut butter.  I really craved that for the whole two weeks, so it was my reward when I got through them.  And some strawberries!  At that point, fruit was so amazingly sweet that it almost felt like I was eating something I shouldn't.

I hope some of this info helps you.  Lots of luck!

Thank you Corellia, all your information is very helpful. It sounds like it will be worth it to get through these next 2 weeks since I can gradually bring back carbs. I am really hoping that this will work out. It seems like my food will be repetitive for the next 2 weeks, but I know I can get through that. Fortunately, I have a good motivator because I am going to Europe in 18 days. The hard part will be to keep my carbs to minimum in phase 2.

Phase 3 has always been my downfall(bread and my love of ice cream).  i lost close to 13 lbs the last time i did strict phase 1.  Don't veiw it as a diet but as a life style change and you will be more successful.  Remember portion control  calories are still a factor going low carb.