South Beach Diet Investigated

Welcome, Kristin! As a new mom, trying to lose weight while juggling a newborn and a job must be pretty challenging. Actually, 30 lbs. is not a huge amount to have put on during a pregnancy, and some of it will come off naturally in time. How old is your little one? Also, are you nursing? I think there are special recommendations for how to follow the diet if you are breastfeeding. You might be better off starting with Phase II if that's the case.

Good Morning All,

My husband was out of town for a week and took the computer with him.

I missed you guys!!!

Started doing interval training as Amy suggested. I have to admitt that I haven't been on the scale b/c weigh in is on mondays and I ate like a pig that day.

Had a big ole cheese burger, fries and a piece of cherry pie. Felt terrible after I did it.

I do have to say that I am looking forward to getting on the scale next mon. I can tell that I have at least lost inches. I can see and feel things(bones) that haven't felt in a long time. Thanks for the 411 Amy!!!

If anyone has access to an elipical machine, I would try it. I do only 20min, but when I put it on interval mode it kicks my butt. I have never sweat so much in my life.

Have a great day

Jodi, I've tried the elliptical stepper, but I have bad knees and it really kills them! I'd love to "step up" my work-out but am looking for something that doesn't wreck my knees. I used to do step aerobics until around age 45, then the pain was just too much, even if I modified the routines to avoid bouncing and impact. Sometimes my knees hurt when I climb the subway stairs in the city.

I know that if you lose weight it helps with the joints, but I am not that much overweight -- down to 129 lbs. after 2 months on SBD -- but I had pain even when I was thinner. I had a bone density test this year that was pretty bad. Right now, I walk 1 and 1/2 miles a day and do pilates and strength training 3 times a week. I have a personal trainer (very cheap due to my daughter's working at the YMCA!) and am meeting with her on Monday to learn how to increase my workout level. However, I'm open to any tips from folks on how to do cardio with joint problems!

I'm really looking forward to my personal trainer appt. because she does measurements and body fat calculations. I want to see all the progress I've made since the beginning of the summer!

Thanks for the tip, Jodi. Actually, my knees are fine with walking as long as I have good shoes, and I wear Merrills since a foot fracture last summer. Anything that involves a lot of bending of the knee, like climbing steep stairs, squats, and lunges, and also, anything jarring like running, jumping jacks, etc. So all those exercises that they make you do in those classes to tone the thighs and booty are out.

I have seen this trainer twice in the spring. She gave me some good advice and some weight bearing exercise to tone the upper body, but only some moderate things to tone the lower body because she had concerns about injuries.

Having 4 screws in your neck is worse than bad knees. I can imagine that sitting for long periods and using a computer, even driving might be tough for you.

Thanks everyone for your support and your comments. I am sticking to it and trying really hard. I went grocery shopping today and bought tons of veggies and lean meats. I got some sugar free jello puddings for a treat and some skim milk cheese strings, things like that. I don't know any of you, but it's helping to know other people out there are going through the same thing. It's also nice to know we all have the same goal, to be healthier. I know I'm not severely over weight, but I am over weight enough that I don't feel comfortable in a bathing suit and I want that again. It will be like a load off my chest. I actually didn't gain all the weight back. I started out at 143 and I'm at 139. I have been on it for a week and a half with cheating, so I started back on it today AGAIN and I'm starting over. So today is the first day of my two weeks on Phase 1. Keep up the good work everyone!

Well...
I am back to work today. I have had a wonderful summer and am now ready to face those middle schoolers! I already have my lunch packed and ready. Being at school usually helps me stay on a routine. Hopefully that will continue!

I have been on the SBD for exactly 1 month. Before I begin with the current results, I want to express my utmost hesitations with this "diet". Being a part-time personal trainer with a footballers build focused on adding mass and going for that "healthy" look, my diet was based a strong protein regime. I was even more hesitant after reading some of the meal plans that contained 1/2 of the protein content that I was used to. I was worried that I would lose muscle mass, overall strenght and would suffer decresed energy eliminating caffeine and some complex sugars (sparingly) completely. Many thermogenic products promote caffeine which confused me since caffeine was now out! I will admit that not all personal trainers are the most healthy when it comes to their diets and I will admits that I had added alot of "lazy" pounds from lack of cardio and overemphasis on heavy weight training. I have been a strong proponent for the Atkins Diets and had my reservations on a diet that placed no emphasis on protein loading.

During Phase 1 which lasted all but 7 days, I lost a total of 15 pounds! I was convinced that it was water and colon cleansing so I did not give it another thought. Had anticipated gaining some of it back or slowing the weight loss considerably during Phase 2. I chose to do Phase 1 for only a week because I did not care for any of the food. I love to cook and one of the greatest pleasures of cooking is the aroma. The scent of the food was very misleading to the actual taste, but in all honesty my appetite was satiated. I did have cravings for the first 2-3days but subsided as time past.

This is now day 30 and I have lost 35lbs. My level of energy was low during the first week but realise that it was acclimating to the new diet. I have not lost muscle mass, my cravings are GONE and the Glycemic Index approach definitely works. My body is now a perpetual burning machine with a restarted metabolism. I am MUCH more educated about the foods I eat and how slight changes in preparation and substitution can make a world of difference.

Thank you SBD, for this new outlook on life. Kiwi

My husband and also didn't give up caffeine. Dieting makes you cranky enough -- just because you're dieting, the whole world doesn't need to suffer because you're groggy or in a bad mood. We did switch to skim milk and splenda in our coffee. I don't know why Agaston says to avoid it because I don't think it affects weight loss one way or the other. In fact, I take a green tea supplement every day, which has caffeine. I know some weight loss supplements actually have lots of caffeine in them. Also, some of the research is showing that moderate amounts of caffeine (2 cups of coffee a day) can be beneficial for metabolism and mental functioning. Perhaps if the concern is "addiction," such as if one has coffee all day and lots of caffinated soft drinks, it's a problem.

But cholesterol is bad for people with high blood pressure and heart disease, and he has people eating eggs every day in Phase I... Also, the link between caffeine and high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease has been disproved by the AMA, the CDC, etc. Many of Agaston's recipes contains salt and the diet also has cheese which is high in salt. Salt does more to increase blood pressure than caffeine. If one is drinking lots of caffinated sodas, that might have an impact on blood pressure because of the combo, but the cuppa in the morning has not been proven to be harmful. Also, tea, both black and green, contains caffeine, but has been shown to be very beneficial to the health. Now, I know the one of the "secrets" of the weight loss is not a secret at all. Most people who go one SBD have come from a diet high in processed foods, so the salt in the SBD menus and meal plans is still probably a lot less than they have been eating anyway, so high BP is probably not an issue.

Not that I question the diet overall -- it works and after Phase I, it is balanced and healthy, but I do question some assertions. For instance, Agaston also says a baked potato with cheese or sour cream is better than a plain baked potato. Granted, on SBD, you shouldn't be eating the potato anyway, but here you are, adding calories to something you shouldn't be having -- how can it be better? So, I do question the "science" behind a few things.

I've been trying really hard to resist the urge to overdo my snacking on "healthy" carbs at night lately. Not usually a big issue for me, but the past week it's been a struggle. I am at a point where I've almost completely swapped out my wardrobe for smaller things - I feel like I've really accomplished something. Yet, I still have 10-15 pounds left to lose to meet my first big goal.

I almost feel like I can relax a little, since I've accomplished so much. It's a seductive and dangerous idea.

I think it's partly boredom. My typical/historical attention span for a diet change is 3 months at most. Tomorrow marks the end of 6 months on SBD.

It's a lot of continuous effort. It doesn't really let up. It's not like once I reach my goal, I can relax and go back to eating Burger King.

On a positive note:
This morning I put on one of my last remaining pairs of jeans in my "old" size (but now that I think of it, they were too tight for me to wear when I started SBD back in March - I could only wear my stretch jeans.) They are so baggy they are comical. I will wash them one more time and give them to someone else who can use them.

Just trying to spark some conversation - I need the inspiration this week. Maybe it's because I'm at that spot in my cycle where I feel bloated and generally kinda blah anyway. Bought dark chocolate tonight. Waiting until later to have a couple bites.

Well, I'm kind of discouraged. I went to see my personal trainer for the first time since February, and I have gained in fat in every part of my body except my hips! I don't know how this can be because I weigh less than I did then! I wonder how accurate those fat callipers really are because I can fit comfortably into clothes I couldn't wear three months ago.

The trainer says that sometimes when you diet, you lose muscle mass. I'm wondering if there are any folks out there who have had this experience. I have been walking a mile and a half and doing strength training every day, and yoga or pilates 2-3 times a week. This has been my routine for a long time, even before I did SBD. I would think the diet would make you more muscular or more defined, and I actually think I look better == I'm losing cellulite on my upper arms, but I guess they are stil too "pinchable."

She also said that I haven't been working hard enough or with big enough weights and that can make me "soft" from not shocking the muscles. It's almost as if working out with too light weights is worse than not working out at all. Anyway, I'm almost ready to throw in the towel and eat the damn chocolate.

Well, I don't have one of those electronic scales. They are pretty expensive and I'm not that obsessive to want to invest that kind of money. I looked up fat calipers on the web, and they can be pretty inaccurate. Right now, I'm wearing a pair of size 10 pants I bought at the beginning of the summer, and they are hanging off me, so I guess that's the "test" I'll rely on.

Can't say SBD would cause "muscle loss" as it has more protein than the way I was eating before. I'm hardly starving to death on it.

Good Morning Girls,

Is anyone else feeling obsessed with the scale??

I went to the Doctor Mon afternoon. They put me on the scale shoes and all. Had my Doc Martins on. I was 9 lbs heavier than I had been that morning. I actuall came home and weighed my shoes!!! 4.5 lbs by the way.

That is just not right!!!

Rosemarie, if you feel better and look better, what does a stupid measurement mean? I think your'e doing a great job. And I think we are all here not only for encouragement, but to keep each other in check.

It wasn't until I started reading our blogs that I realized how ridiculous weighing my shoes is. What a reality check.

Have a great day.

I always take my shoes off when I weight myself and usually any sweaters or sweatshirts. My dad used to tell this joke about how they threw him out of the drugstore because he insisted on weighing himself stripped! Of course, those were the days when they had those scales in the drugstores that told your fortune.

Well, I've plateaued at 10 lbs. Haven't lost any thing for a few weeks, just fluctuations 2-3 lbs. up or down. If I have a restaurant meal, I know it will be up, so I don't weigh myself for a couple of days.

Someone who hadn't seen me in a while said I looked thinner, which was nice. I said I wanted to lose more and she said that 10 lbs. is a lot to lose on someone my size (5'1") I'm around 130 now and would like to be 120 or less, but this friend said I don't even look like I weigh 130, which made me pretty pleased. My measurements aren't too bad 34 (yeah, I lost in the boobs) 28-38.
I do think the combo of SBD and working out really does change body shape. I'd like that hip measurement to go down -- it was almost 40 when I started! no wonder I was a size 12 in some pants!

My friend said that because I am going to be 50, I shouldn't get too thin because I already have bone density issues and drastic weight loss can accelerate it. This friend is thin and fit, so she's not one of those types who tries to sabotage.

SBD has a good amount of dairy, though, so I'm not too worried about the bone stuff. I have had fewer aches and pains since I've been on it! I take 1200 mg of calcium every day, too.

I think aiming for losing 10% of my body weight is realistic, so starting at 140, I should lose at least 14 lbs. Anyway, I'm staying on Phase II probably for life. It seems the right amount of food for me.

Has anyone heard about the Sonoma Diet? I have another friend who lost 22 lbs. in about 10 weeks on it. It sounded like an interesting program because it also has a 2-week induction period where sugar is avoided to stop addicitons and it depends on whole grains and veggies, very Meditteranean.

Hey everyone!!How's it going??I'm okay I suppose.I haven't been around.School and work has really knocked me out.

I don't know why but I haven't been drinking.I forget to drink all day.And now Im dizzy all the time.I always feel like the floor is going to come up over my head if that makes any sense what so ever.Its just that im so exhausted I forget to eat now b/c I have so much to do.I know I should go to the doctor but hes just going to tell me im dehydrated.I really haven't been feeling well and as Ive said before it doesnt take much for me to feel terrible.Its just making me so nervous b/c usually it goes away.But it won't go away.I feel so weak right now like my body is going to shut down on me and I dont know what to do.Even when I do drink enough I still feel like Im going to pass out.And im always always tired.Even when I sleep alot.I dont know what to do anymore.Maybe I lost too much too fast?

I'm sorry BCS, I hope I didn't worry you. Type II diabetes is not a frightening or disabling disease if it is controlled. My husband is just taking oral medication twice a day and he takes his blood once a day. He is only in the early stages and may reverse it with diet and exercise. His levels are already lower since SBD. But he does need to eat at regular intervals. Sometimes that means bringing an energy bar or fruit with him if he knows he is going to be away from a food source for a while.

You lost 22 lbs in one week! How is that possible? Or do you mean in the first month? My husband lost 18 in the first 2 weeks, but it was a radical diet change for him. 42 lbs. in 4 months is a lot of weight to lose, it averages to 2.6 lbs. a week.

When you say you work out a lot, how much is a lot? Could it be that you are not eating enough to sustain your exercise level, so that is why you feel unwell? Or could you have thyroid issues, which could explain the tiredness? Thyroid might also explain your weight loss, which is somewhat extreme if that 22 lbs. in one week is not a typo. There are blood tests to check for that.

Anyway, I hope you check everything out and are OK.

You could be overdoing on exercise, or I hate to say it, you need to eat more if you want to maintain the same activity level and have any energy. The purpose of SBD and weight loss is to feel great, not lousy!

A person of your weight burns around 600 calories walking a brisk pace. If you are "working out" for an hour in addition to that, you could be burning up almost 1000 calories a day. A typical SBD menu has only 1500 to 1800 calories per day, so your net calories would be between 500-800, starvation point. You are "lucky" in that you are still losing weight, (some people's bodies would "hang on" to calories and plateau at this point) but you're "unlucky" because this low level of intake with your level of exercise is making you feel terrible. Perhaps you can vary your activity some. I walk 1 1/2 a day (30 minute brisk walk with my short little legs!) and on the days I walk, I do yoga or strength training because I consider the walking my cardio. I do cardio at the gym only on rainy days or when I don't walk. In fact, on the days I walk, I often don't hit the gym at all, but just do some ab work at home and some reps with small free weights. If you want to work out on the days you walk, perhaps you should do a non-cardio activity, which might tone and build muscle and increase flexibility, but not burn as many calories. The strength training will also help you keep muscle mass as you lose weight. You might need to eat carbs right before or after your walk or workout -- a piece of fruit or a yogurt, maybe. I wouldn't advise giving up walking -- what a great contribution you are making to your health and your environment by not burning up calories and not carbons getting to work! But, you might want to adjust your eating or other work-out activities accordingly.

That being said, I am concerned about your saying you don't feel like yourself. A check-up might still be in order if a couple of weeks of changing your routine doesn't change anything. Most of the posts I see and my own and hubby's experience is that we have never felt better since going on SBD.

Hello, so i lost a total of 13 lbs on phase one and now have been at phase 2 for one week and i have not lost anymore weight should i go back to phase one ???

Well, today the scale finally budged after what seemed an eternity. I have 9.4 pounds to go to meet my first major goal. I feel so encouraged... and CUTE!

Starting Wt. 3-10-2008: 318.8
This Morning 9-16-2008: 259.4

Happyhappyhappydance!

And I've had such a productive Tuesday!

Wow Crystal, 58 lbs in less than 6 months -- pretty impressive!

Did I see a recipe for fried green tomatos?

I have finally lost 2 more lbs., breaking a plateau for me, but loss was probably due to upset stomach and low appetite because of stress due to stock market. I tend not to eat and to have indigestion when stressed, which I guess might be a positive side effect of stress!

So, as part of my whole new campaign to take better care of myself, I decided this year to try to stay one step ahead of my chronic sinus infections. I am trying daily sinus irrigation with a saline solution (I have several friends who swear by this) as a preventive measure instead of letting it get out of hand and ending up on prescription decongestants and antibiotics 2 or 3 times this fall/winter/spring.

I just did my first sinus rinse with the saline solution and I discovered that it feels almost exactly like accidentally inhaling swimming pool water. It's not entirely awful but it'll take some getting used to.

Talk about a revelation!! We have been soon construction at my job and I just found out that whatever chemicals they are using and the dust they are knocking around is making everyone sick!! Everyone is complaining about being dizzy and headaches. Lord knows what we have been exposed to!!

I was just interested in the recipe because of the book and movie -- I never knew anyone who actually ate them. I made this Mexican recipe with these cool little things called tomatillos, which are like green tomatos but a little sour and bitter. It was pretty tasty.

BS3, it could well be you have "sick building syndrome." Also, early fall is a big allergy time with ragweed, etc. The week after I took my daughter to school, I had this cold/allergy, and we all got it in my family. There are those days when your head hurts and feels heavy and fatigued, and as my hubby says, "You lose the will to live" which I guess is what it's like having a chronic sinus infection.

Well they are using alot of polyurethane.And the smell is horrific. I also work with a pregnant woman who has been complaining b/c besides feeling all the things that go wiht being pregnant,she feel sicker since we have started construction.

Yeah, that could do it! I remember years ago, my parents having some home rennovations, particularly in the bathroom, and I don't know whether it was paint fumes or epoxy or whatever, but my mom actualy passed out from it.

I'm having an issue with loss of appetite. I mentioned I had pasta the other night and could barely finish, which I thought was just because I wasn't used to carbs anymore. Today, I made myself a 2-egg spinach omlette, whole wheat eng. muffin, and a couple thin slices of lean ham. I could only eat half and saved the rest for lunch. Last night, I could have skipped supper entirely. I had tuna on a pita for lunch, and some fresh fruit at a church event in the late afternoon. I had to force myself to eat dinner, and all that was Indian spiced vegetables (eggplant and okra) my neighbor cooked.

I guess this isn't a bad thing, just a little concerning. Maybe I should be eating less, or my stomach has shrunken from dieting.

Can't eat eggs or eggswhites ,would like suggestions for breakfast that would help with my hunger.

So I was in the hospital last night.I passed out a couple times and I was so dizzy I couldn't walk.I was alone and I didn't know what to do.My sugar was fine and so was my pressure.My vertigo has gotten worse.I was suffering from sleep deprivation,dehydration,and exhaustion.But they want me to go to a neurologist.I guess I feel like wow I thought I wouldn't feel the way I felt if I lost alot wieght but now I know it has to be something bigger than that.I guess now Im scared b/c at least if they were like you're diabetic I wouldve felt better.But now I don't know.All this is just depressing me more and more.I can't do this.Im by myself and I don't know what to do.I just want to curl up in a ball and cry right now.

BS3, I am so glad that you did get medical attention. I hope you get to the root of your health problems. How sleep deprived can one be to become so ill? Or how dehydrated? If you are drinking normally, how can you become dehydrated? Believe, me I teach college kids, and with partying and staying up all night, one wonders how they can even stand up, but they are not ill the way you are. I hope that someone finds the cause of your malaise. Having an undiagnosed condition can be tough. My mom went through a spell like this in her early 40s, and it was very difficult. She went to doctors, chiropractors, etc. I hope you find your answer. Rest, drink water, eat fruit, and be kind to yourself.

I have been in Phase 1 for 6 days and I haven't seen any weight loss yet...is this normal?

Thanks Crystal! Yeah I have about 14-20 lbs. to lose. So, I'm just going to stick w/ it.

Tonight's spiffy totally-spur-of-the-moment Fall-Themed Phase 2 dessert:

2 packs vanilla sugar free instant pudding
3 1/2 cups skim milk
1 can of plain pumpkin (not canned pie filling)
ground nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice (I'd have added ground cloves if I'd had them)

Whisk the milk & pudding mix together until they start to thicken. Whisk in the pumpkin & spices to taste.

Makes a bunch of servings. I'd guess 6-8.

MMMMmmmmmmmm.....

Hi ya'll Im new here. But I have been on the SBD for 3 days and Im so sick and nausiated. Can anyone tell me what causes this?
Thanks

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Hi all, it's been a while since I posted.

Heather, I had that nausea early on, but it passed. Eating a little and drinking more wateractually helped it pass. Something with a protein and bit of carb, like dairy, really helped.

I'm wondering what happened to BS3, who had health problems? I was concerned about her.

I teach college and just had a student who had unexplained illnesses during the last year of high school, actualy losing vision and passing out, and it turned out the high school was undergoing construction, and she had "toxic building syndrome." She's a healthy girl and an athlete, so it really threw her. Wonder if this is what is going on with BS3.

Well, I'm down to 125 and am pulling stuff out of the back of my closet that I haven't worn in 2 years, so I'm a happy camper.

I'm not too happy about "Body fat percentage" though. I got an inexpensive meter after my meeting with my personal trainer, and that even shows very high body fat -- around 38%! How can I be losing weight and be almost 40% body fat! How thin do I need to be to be at the right body fat percentage? I'm around 5'1" and postmenopausal female. It seems as if I could get to my goal weight and still be too fat! I do work out, walking 1 1/2 mile a day. I haven't been too good with the weights lately, though, because with fall and teaching, I've been too busy to hit the gym. If I have to choose exercise, I always do my walk because I always thought cardio was more important and it's easy to do, especially in the autumn weather.

Thanks. I don't do MySpace. I guess I'm still a dionsaur in that regard. I'm glad to hear she's doing OK.

Here's a question for folks -- it's fall and getting cooler and I want soup. I'm getting sick of salads and this type of produce is getting expensive and of lower quaity because it's not in season anymore. Any folks have recommendations for SBD friendly soup?

Hey everyone! I'm alive lol. And I don't post my health issues on myspace b/c there are people on there who I would rather not know my business.If you know what I mean.I'm feeling pretty good.I'm almost at a loss of 50 pounds which is fabulous.I go to the neurologist on Wednesday so we will see what is going on then.I hate MRIs and all that.I am claustrophobic like no other.Thanks for your concern.

I haven't been exercising as much and getting more sleep and altho I feel sort of lazy I feel better.I think with work and school I was overdoing it.The medication they gave me really helps with the dizziness. Construction is almost over.They are doing less things but I still feel really sick when im there.I have to stop overdoing it.I only sleep about 3 hours a night.But im working on it.I feel much much better than I did last week.As soon I know whats going on I think I can get back to my routine.:0)

Hi BS3,

So glad to hear you're doing better. What you have sounds a lot like what my stuent descibed.

Yeah, sleeping 3 hours a night is pretty bad. I know people who get by on 5 hours, but anything less than that can really mess you up.

Congratulations on your weight loss!

As a college teacher, I advise my students that you have a lot of projects and papers, but you can only do one at a time, so don't stress, and just take each day at a time.

BS3, then you're way ahead of my students, who don't do the reading and turn all their papers in late. I finished a graduate program last year, and I did learn the fine art of reading selectively, so that I could participate in classroom discussion intelligently, but not be overwhelmed by feeling I had to read everything. As a student who was a parent and a teacher at the same time, I had to use my time very wisely and not burn myself out.

About feeling fat compared to other people, I have the same feeling with my sister, who has never had children and still has the same body she had as a teen-ager. I have had to accept that I am now a curvier body type and that my body has a history that hers does not have. Would I have not had my children so I could have a perfect size 2 body? Yoga has also taught me not to compete or be judgmental; some women in the class are very thin and fit, some are curvier. Even the teachers are not all the same size and shape. My dad used to say, "Audrey Hepburn's a nice size, but so is Sophia Loren." Tune in to "Mad Men" on AMC and watch how the gorgeous and buxom redhead, Joan, commands the office and the screen with her magnificent body, dressed in peacock jewel tones!

Food suggestions: my husband's grandmother used to put out proscuitto, or some other nice thin ham, wrapped around honeydew melon. Hummus is a great choice, too, as is taboule. Serve both pita and veggies with it. And of course, nuts are a great party finger food.

Ugh. I'm so frustrated with my progress right now. And I was so stressed out tonight - I just ate half a box of Wheat Thins.

Tomorrow I'll be good and atone for my transgressions.