Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Annette_C Guest

    Default Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    As I said in the weekly posting, DH and I started the SB diet on Monday. We're not following the daily menus but are using the food listed in the "allowed in stage 1" and obviously avoiding the no-nos.
    It has been a loooooooooonnnnnggggggggggggg five days!!!
    An Italian without carbs is like an ocean without water! :)
    The other problem we're having is that we feel EXTREMELY tired all the times....I mean, "dragging our feet" tired!
    I know that he mentions that in the book (I haven't gotten there yet, my SIL told me since she's also on this diet and doesn't feel well either) but are any of you on the SB diet feeling this way also?
    In addition, I like to work out every day but, without carbs in my diet, I'm finding it hard.
    On the other side, I've lost about 3 lbs so far...but I don't know how long I can continue on it. I really don't like feeling this way!
    Annette
    SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Texas.
    Posts
    880

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Wow - I only made it three days! I just couldn't stay awake at work and hit the gym afterwards. Besides, with my other digestive issues (I have IBS), it was NOT pleasant! I spoke with my nutritionist and after a stern scolding, we agreed that I need to stick to a more balanced diet everyday and not try something drastic like this. She said it's just the first phase I can't handle - lack of fiber and something else (can you tell I was falling asleep in her office??!?), but the other phases should be fine for me. She was actually pretty positive toward the diet, but said it just isn't good for ALL people. Maybe try Phase II?

    Jennifer
    Mom to Aidan Christopher
    01/28/03

  3. #3
    mattysmom Guest

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    I'm in the same position as you. I started on Monday too but am not doing well with it. I just can't bring myself to eat eggs, etc for breakfast and even the simplest menus are challenging to find time to prepare. And it doesn't help that DH is not on it with me - so that makes mealtime even more challenging. And, I too try to work out every other day (or so) and I definitely don't feel like I have the energy. So, last night I threw in the towel and ate microwave popcorn and watched "chicago" on dvd. I think I'll try to LIMIT my carbs/sugars, etc, but not follow phase I - but maybe phase II. Then I'll re-evaluate. Keep us updated on your progress - with or without SB!

  4. #4
    liya Guest

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Ditto a Puerto Rican without rice and beans..ETC!!!(almost everything carb related...LOL) Nope it isnt moving me at all...I talked to my nutritionist friend and she has advised me to add my carbs now and try using more natural carbs(whole grain) isntead of white but that i can still use whites..Im going to the WW meeting this tuesday she told me it was a great support group even if i didnt follow their meal plan. She gave me all the portions i needed for my intake and im rolling here ppl already 2pds YAYY1!!! Happy as a clam...I guess slower is better for me...Who cares in a year ill be HOT!!

  5. #5
    22tango Guest

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    My DH is doing so much better than I on the SB Diet!! I really felt tired too...and usually I'm so good on diets. I've been cheating. I'm actually doing the 2nd stage now after cheating like crazy on the first stage. I don't think NO-CARBS works for me. I'll just try doing low-carbs (the good kind -- ie. whole grains) instead. I did lose 3 lbs...but no more than that. Slow but steady seems to be the way to go. And I know that I certainly DO eat far to many of the highly processed sugary carbs, so trying to do low-carb will help me eat a more balanced diet if nothing else!

    I agree about the eggs...I just can't! I'm not a big egg person. I'm perfectly happy with real oatmeal or whole grain cereals for breakfast (or yogurt-fruit smoothies). Breakfast has been the worst meal of the day for me on the SB Diet!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    717

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Hi all... just wanted to give my 2 cents as someone who has had a very good experience with the S.Beach diet. I also was a super duper carb addict, but before I started this diet, I had already cut back to eating whole grains exclusively (including wh. wheat pasta) and cut way back on the amount of sugar I was consuming, so maybe that's why I didn't have such a struggle starting out. I did feel that the first 3 days were tough, but after that, I have to say that I felt like I had more energy than at any time since my baby was born and felt less tired in general. Too many carbs will actually make you tired, especially ones that are high in sugar (i.e. candy bar vs. complex carbs like wh. wheat bread, etc) because they make your blood sugar go up and down erratically.

    Anyway, what I was going to say is that I don't think you have to be strict with carb-cutting to get results from it. Like anything, if you do it in moderation, it will help you. Why not try just reducing your simple carbs (sugars and "white" food like white bread, rice (brown rice is better for you), and pasta) and replacing some high carb items in your pantry with whole grain or lower carb versions? This is a healthy move anyway, and will probably help you to lose a little weight with little effort. Even something as simple as not having bread with dinner and having an extra serving of veggies is great for you and fairly easy to do. I have just discovered that they make bread that is low carb/whole grain in the grocery and that was an easy way to make a substitution that is rather dramatic - why do you really need extra sugar in your bread anyway? Also cutting out high sugar desserts if you eat a lot of those could help. They make ice cream with no added sugar that tastes the same as regular. I think it's always best to start with easy stuff that you can't even tell the difference. Not feeling deprived when you go about changing your way of eating is key!

    So, if S.Beach isn't working for you, modify the general idea until it does - like more Phase II or even Phase III? I was pretty strict for about a week when I started and then I loosened up and since then have been doing a cross between Phase I and II and III depending on the day and what I feel like and that really works for me. It basically just keeps me from going completely out of control and chowing down on a box of Entenman's or something... lol!

    The end result is that I've been doing my own thing and using my best judgment (I just can't see doing anything TOO extreme) and I've lost 13 lbs in about a month. My husband has been doing it with me (a tremendous help) and he's lost 17 lbs in that time. I also have to add that I am a pretty active person, but I have only been formally exercising sporadically (although I have intentions to do more and have just bought the Firm exercise system), so reducing carbs really does work.

    Sorry this was so long, but just wanted to present some other ideas! Let me know if you have any questions... I've been doing alot of research about this and I really feel that it has changed the way I think about food and it has certainly changed my clothing size!

    HTH,

  7. #7
    Annette_C Guest

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Laurie,
    Thanks for your advice. I just PM you because I would like a little more info on this diet and you seem to know it very well.
    I have to say that I don't feel tired anymore and I'm getting used to the menus minus carbs.
    I hope we can exchange some e-mails on this!:)
    Annette
    SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    717

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Annette, I just sent you an email, but thought I'd post this here too!

    So glad to hear it's going so well! Feel free to email me whenever :)

    I know it sounds corny, but this diet really has changed my life... I've been feeling for the past couple of years like maybe I just wasn't destined to be a "thin" person... and when I say thin, I really just mean, "not pudgy"... I thought, well gosh, I'm eating healthfully and lowfat, and working out a few times a week, but I'm still 20 lbs over my ideal body weight for my size (which is still like a size 10). I thought that in order to get back there I'd have to work out Madonna style and starve myself, which, let's face it, who has time to work out 2 or 3 hrs a day or even wants to do that?! Well, I have to say, this way of eating has totally changed my thinking and made me realize that with a little bit of work, nothing crazy, there really is the potential to get there. I started the diet with my prepreg weight as my goal, but now I'm getting more ambitious and saying, why not just aim for my college weight?!

    I plan on having more kids and I DO NOT want to be HUGE like I was last time, when I just pigged out on everything in sight... I gained too much during the pregnancy (started out 24 lbs overweight and gained 46 more) and it left me feeling horrible afterward. In fact, I'm just really looking at those numbers for the first time right now and realizing just how bad it had gotten - could I really have weighted 70 lbs more than my ideal body weight at the end of my pregnancy?? I really just can't even believe it because now I know how other people must have seen me - as a fat girl! Next time I want to start out weighing less, and gain a more healthy amount while I'm pregnant, so I don't feel like getting it off afterward is an impossible task.

    I have lost a total of 36 lbs of the preg weight so far and have 37 lbs to go in order to get to a weight I haven't been at in 8 yrs... I even threw out my "skinny jeans" a year ago when I found out I was pregnant, because I thought it was totally hopeless to ever get back into them and I should stop setting myself up for disappointment (good thing they were out of style anyway ;). Anyway, I just can't tell you how excited and positive I'm feeling about this weight loss and I want other moms to feel like they can do it too... it just changes the whole way you feel about yourself. I had no idea how down on myself I was really feeling until I made a little headway digging myself out of that hole. Now, looking back at myself a couple of months ago, I realize that I really was depressed about it and it carried over into my relationship with my husband and made me feel like I didn't want to leave the house or have my picture taken with my baby. That is a horrible way to feel and I never EVER want to feel like that again!

    Best of luck - you're doing fabulous!!

  9. #9
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Northern VA, USA.
    Posts
    31,123

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Laurie, what an inapiration you are! I have decided to give the South Beach Diet a try. I've read most of the book and so far it makes so much sense to me! Like you, I thought I basically ate pretty healthily. Now I can see how my typical meals were actually making my weight problems worse!

    Also, BOTH of my parents are Type 2 diabetics and the stuff in the book about prediabetes really scared the crap out of me. I want to dance at Sarah's wedding and see my grandkids.

    Keep posting and thanks for the inspiration!
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    717

    Default RE: Update: I don't think the South Beach Diet is for me!

    Thanks Beth... like you, I read the book on a whim and thought it really made sense to me so decided to experiment and just see what happened. Now that I'm more aware of how much sugar and useless calories are in a lot of food, I feel like I can make smarter decisions about my eating for the longterm. I've finally realized that "lowfat" doesn't necessarily mean "healthy", there are many other factors to take into account. I also was interested in the prediabetes information because my grandfather had type 2 diabetes. No one else in my family has it yet, but I showed the information to my mom so that she can help my dad to make smarter choices, since there is a family history.

    Anyway, best of luck and I'll keep posting... I think I'm at the point now where I really need to do this PLUS commit to a serious exercise regime and not just the sporadic exercise that I do now. I am active, but I know that building more muscle mass can increase my metabolism and also helps with bone density as you get older - sounds like a win win to me! Plus I would love to feel like I had more energy since it won't be long before I'm chasing around a crawling baby! :)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •