WELCOME! South Beach Diet Thread -- Good Carbs, Good Fats

  WELCOME BEACHERS  
      We are glad your here!
    Lose weight - Get healthy

  CLICK BELOW LINKS FOR HELPFUL SB INFO
      THURSDAY is Voluntary Weigh-ins 
          Original 2007 SB Thread LINK

Cardiologist Dr. Agaston's diet for healthier hearts resulted in weightloss. 
Healthy carbs ~ Healthy fats ~ Lean meats ~ Low-fat dairy. 
Your body deserves it! 
********************************************* ******

PHASE 1 --  2 Week Intro
(Bootcamp - hang in there! Just 2weeks :D)  
   LINK 1  Foods To Enjoy
   LINK 2  Foods To Avoid
   LINK 3  Model Menu
   LINK 4  Tips

PHASE 2 --  Weightloss    
   LINK 5  Foods To Reintroduce
   LINK 6  Foods To Eat Rarely
   LINK 7  Model Menu
   LINK 8  How To Reintroduce Carbs

PHASE 3 --  Maintance   
   LINK 9  A Lifestyle Change 

HEALTHY VS UNHEALTHY 
   LINK 10 FATS
  LINK 11 CARBS
  LINK 12  FIBER

DINING OUT & ONLINE RECIPE COLLECTIONS
  LINK 56  DINING OUT & RECIPES

Much of this data obtained from the southbeachdietbulletinboard .

Hey... I recently been thinking about trying the SBD, mainly because of my carb cravings. I've lost a good deal of weight mainly by counting calories, but lately I've gained a lot of it back, mainly by bingeing on carbs. I think the only way to lose this weight again would be to stop these carb cravings. But I have a few questions for you all....

#1) Do I really NOT need to count calories??? I'm afraid I'll eat too much without counting calories....

#2) How much weight should I expect to lose during the first two weeks? (I'm at 155 now looking to get to 125)

#3) Can someone give me some basic menu ideas? Keep in mind I have the resources of a college dining hall.

#4) Does excercise play a role in the SBD?

#5) I'm a moderately active athlete (equestrian), can I expect to still have enough energy, especially during phase one, to compete effectively, without the carbs?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!! (you can eply here, message me, or both!)

Original Post by ohio45:

I heard my name.  When I've hit a plateau I've increased my activities and gotten in something that gets my heart rate up........that always seems to keep my weight down and the zigzagging is within reasonable limits and never lower than 1,200.

From this site I've read you have to be plateaued for 3 wks, for it to be considered a 'plateau'.  Yes, the zigzagging calories works, but if you can't do it you can't do it.  1900 sounds like an awful lot of calories to me.  40% of your calories in carbs is higher than what I'd want and there's no way I'd increase my fat intake.  Water, lots of water.  Also fiber is important, 30 g, but you seem to be eating high fiber foods.

Do you swim or have any other exercise besides your bike?  On the fitness forum someone recommended changing your exercise routine after 6 months, but it was mostly to keep from getting bored.

Losing 1# a week is what many of us have had to learn to accept and that's considered a decent amount.  I've quit concentrating on daily calories and have been tracking my daily deficit, as others do on here, and keeping an average of 800.

I'm sure you'll be able to break thru this barrier, but it can be a real test of your willpower.  Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

 Well, I burn about 2900 calories per day through life and exercise ... so 1900 calories gives me a 1000 calorie per day deficit. (I burn almost 2400 just being sedentary .... so 1900 still represents a 500 calorie deficit before exercise.)  I was at 1500 calories a day and really wasn't losing ... plus my blood sugars were getting too low and I was exhausted a lot.

If I drop my carbs at all, my blood sugars plummet ... I'm a diabetic and struggle with blood sugar lows and spikes.... so 40% is as low as I can go without risk of flopping over. And if I increase my proteins any more, my kidneys will freak out.   As for fat intake, I've been around 12% of my daily calories from fat for 7 months, and finally decided to increase that to closer to 17%.... almost all healthy fats. I average 5g of saturated fats a day. As for fiber, I average over 70g a day.... along with lots of water. 

I will start swimming as soon as the icebergs thaw in our swimming pool. The temperature of the water is still in the 50s, and it's just too cold right now... but by mid-May I should be in the pool.  Biking is really the only exercise I'm allowed to do right now, since I've had cardiac episodes recently with weights/gyms. So, my doctor said I can ride my bike and tread water in the pool (once it warms up!)

I don't know that I've hit a "plateau" per se ... since in Feb I lost 1.5 pounds per week, and in March I lost 1 pound per week.  Now that I've lost 92 pounds, I think my body is going through a period of adjustment ... especially since I really started increasing my exercise and biking on March 1.... so I am really only 5 weeks into this increased exercise thing.

Thanks for your comments.

MOLLY

 

 

Stormsrun.  If you dont count your cals youll have pay close attention to your body.  I didnt count during phase one and joined here on my way to phase two. I lost around 15 lbs the first two weeks of course I was 202lbs and a lot of it was water and waste. As for the dining hall the salad bar is going to be your new best friend.  I just recently tried a South beach meal bar it wasnt bad and kept me full for 5 hours which shocked me.

Yea Bee your back.  I get the same thing from family it bugs me so much.  Im still classed as slightly over weight and there saying Im getting to skinny(yea right).  I dont know where they get there  info from on BMI.

Molly  youve lost a lot of weight and now it sucks that its slowed down.  Its most likley a phase and will kick back in once your body gets used to your new routine.  Im so glad your health has improved since the begining your new lifestyle.  It can only get better

I slept until noon after being up until 6am sorting through closet dresses.  They are now in size order and the huge majority require tailoring and/or mending but I can not tell you how exciting it was - Ive a huge set of clothes I can fit into!  AND fitting into them made me decide NOT to get rid of the smallest sizes 12, 14 and 16 - you never know!  It was actually two closets and thats with me weeding them out over the years.  I now have a "clothes countdown" by size.

Rachael, Ive always heard swimming to be the most forgiving exercise on joints because of the lack impact while your still burning calories.

Hi stormsrun - 20 years back during college, the campus had a nutritionist who worked with the cafeteria whom you could visit with free of charge.  It wasnt something most students knew of but I had pursued it and she helped me with my eating, particularly there at the cafeteria.  You might check into that.

Bee - youve done so well and I think youre right about your family feeling better after they see how well your doing so they wont be concerned.  Sarah, Ive read non SBers talk about using the bars. 

The bars are easy if Im running late with everything.  Thanks for the reminder to sort through my winter clothes.  Not looking forward to it but its something that needs to be done.  Ive done great today and still have plenty cals left for a good dinner.  It helps that Ive upped my cals to 1500.  Was on my treadmill for an hour today so It made me hungrier.

Original Post by ohio45:

molly;  also, another thing that might cheer you.  Do you take measurements?  They don't change often, so I only do it once a month.  But you might see a change that way.  I lost 3" last month and was pleasantly surprised, and 10.5" since joining CC.  I do upper arm, midrift, waist, hip (at widest part), thigh and calf.

I read how much you bike, so I'm sure you know the better shape you are in the less effective the same amountof exercise will be.  Yes, our bodies take time out to readjust or catch up with changes.

It's got to be rough dealing with the blood sugar.  I hope you've had improvements with that since losing weight and exercising.  At least your weight is moving AND in the right direction.

A cruise will be a great reward for you after all your hard work.  Where are you going?

You are right -- the scale isn't the only way to measure progress. I took measurements in October (2 months after starting ... silly me, I didn't take starting measurements), then again in January and in March. I will measure again in May since I'm now on a every-other-month schedule.

From October to January, I lost a total of 17.5 inches.  From January to March, I lost another 15.0 inches ... so I definitely AM shrinking.

• waist (lost 6.0 inches October-March)
• hips (lost 8.5 inches October-March)
• neck (lost 1.5 inches October-March)
• upper arm (lost 1.75 inches October-March)
• wrist (lost .5 inch October-March)
• chest/back (lost 7.5 inches October-March)
• thigh (lost 5.0 inches October-March)
• calf (lost 1.75 inches October-March)

And my feet got smaller ... I used to wear a W width shoe, and now it's M width. And for clothes ... 34 down to 32 down to 30 down to 28 down to 26 down to 24 -- depending on brands, of course.

Cruise? We are taking a 7-day cruise through Alaska's inside passage ... starting and leaving from Seattle. We will visit several glaciers, plus Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia.

Yeah to shrinking Molly and wow, on the inches!!  It certainly makes sense now.  I noticed the shoe thing too - my feet were so swollen they looked like little footballs and now theyre just feet.

Funny thing about the winter clothes (and blankets) Sarah - I keep thinking its time but then the cold nights keep coming.  Looking for my closure :P

And stilllllll not burnt out on spaghetti squash ... snack time!

 

Hey Bee I shopped at the clearance racks in the department stores for jeans and bought some that were to tight.  they were a better deal than walmart or a thrift store. under $7 a piece.  Goal jeans here I come LOL.   Has any one else noticed the big change in sizes.  I wear a size 8,9,10 now but Im one of those people who kept some jeans from highschool(13yrs ago).  They are size 11 and are to tight.  Its a conspiracy to make us feel smaller I guess. 

Morning ALL!!!

 

Hey guys.... can you let me know if this menu is OK for phase one? Just wanna make sure I'm doing this right... this is my 2nd day. Any advice??



Sun, Apr 06 2008

  Breakfast     Egg Substitute - Garden Vegetable 246 119 A   Onions - Raw 75 30 A   Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw, Year Round Average 62 11 C   Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese - Sharp Cheddar - Shredded Cheese 39 165 A   Milk, Nonfat, Fluid - Without Added Vitamin A (Fat Free Or Skim) 245 86     Wawa French Vanilla Creamer 15 45   Lunch B   Roasted Red Pepper - Hommus 60 100 A   Peppers, Sweet, Green - Raw 184 37 B   Egg, Whole - Cooked, Hard-boiled 25 39 A-  Egg, White - Raw, Fresh 50 24 B-  Exp Spinach Bacon Salad 178 280 A   Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette 85 93   Dinner A   Classic Cafe Salad - Hand-Tossed Salads 279 170 B   Chicken, Breast, Meat Only - Cooked, Roasted 142 234   Total Calories Consumed   1,433

ooh that format is confusing - the 2nd number next to each food is the calories.

Storm - I'm thinking about starting this South Beach Diet tomorrow (4/7) if I can manage to get it started without going food shopping. I'd love someone to bounce ideas off of. I am 5'5", 165 lbs, 44 years old, and hoping to keep calories to about 1500 per day. I do not have a menu for tomorrow but will be at work and hoping that i will be able to wing it. I just boiled some eggs and know that I have some cold cuts that I can bring to work tomorrow. I'm still looking at the list to see what I can eat. Email me on this site if you want to provide each other support. Good luck!

Are there any staples that I should definitely have in the house to survive the first few weeks?

come on, anyone? wanna make sure I got this right...