South Beach Diet Investigated

Thank you!! I did at the end of the day throw out what was left then I got up this morning and did a really good work out and when I needed chocolate today I ate a sugar free jello chocolate pudding and even if I need to eat another one, they are only 65 calories each and I can never eat more than two of them, so that is much better than the sugar filled chocolate covered goodies that are probably 150 calories each (at least) that I was munching on Tuesday and Wed. Thanks for your support. I am back on track today.

I am just about to start the SBD and I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions.
1. Are you allowed to eat all the food you want or just portions?
2. Do you have to follow the breakfast/snack/lunch/snack/dinner/dessert??
3. With the eggs, are you allowed to eat the yolk say like deviled eggs?
4. Fat-free skim milk is o.k. right?
5. Will this diet work if I do not like veggies?

To Beginner:
1. You eat until you are satisfied, which as you progress (as long as you dont cheat), you will need to eat less to feel satisfied.
2. As far as do you have to eat that many meals per day - yes, absolutely, the snacks are very small - 60 calories or less and the are "pre-emptive" eating which keeps you from getting hungry, you have to eat the snacks even if you are not hungry, this allows you to eat every few hours and keeps your metabolsim burning and your cravings down
3. Definitely allowed to eat the yolks, deviled, scrambled, fried, boiled poached, whatever you want, i occassionally even eat egg salad for lunch w/out bread or salad, as for dessert those ricotta things are kind of nasty so i either eat a low carb sugar free popsicle or sugar free pudding with can whip cream or sugar free jello with can whip cream
4. Skim, 1% or 2% milk is good
5. As for veggies, I dont always eat as many as I am supposed to. Sometimes I have salads for lunch and a glass of V8 with breakfast and maybe a little bit of green beans or asparagus or spinach with dinner some days I dont eat the salad, i will just eat tuna salad or egg salad.

I would also add to be sure to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day you can include decaf coffee, tea, iced tea, water, decaf diet soda and anything else with artifical sweetners.

I started this diet on Feb. 1st of this year at 157 pounds and I am now down to 140. I could have lost more, but about 2 weeks out of each month I have done a lot of cheating, now I wish I hadnt since bathing suit season is only a month away and I wanted to be down to at least 130 by then, so now I am going to try not to cheat at all this month and see if I can get those 10 lbs off by memorial day.

I started SBD one week ago today and have lost 5 lbs so far. I had lost 110 lbs on WW over the last few years but have gained some back and wanted to get a "handle" on this before it went any farther. Being used to dieting, I didn't have a ton of trouble adapting the first week. I think the lack of carb and sugar control was definitely "doing me in" on WW. I am hopeful that I can keep this plan until I get "comfortable" again. Wish me luck!

Thanks Michelle..also since I'm not a big fan of lettuce on my salad how much dressing can I put on it? Do I have to go by the 2 tbsp per serving or can I put more?

If you use a fat free low calorie balsamic vinagerette you can use more because it is only 5 calories per 2 tablespoons. Plus I have used about 4 tablespoons of ranch dressing without it inhibiting my weight loss too much, but wouldnt do that every day.

I recently began the SBD for the second time. My goal has been to go down about 6 to 8 pounds. By the end of Phase 1, I hope to be there, just as when I did it the first time a year ago. Objective: be "diesel" wearing a bathing suit at the beach.

FWIW, I keep the menu very simple:
Breakfast-Omelette (I change what I put in it daily)
Snack: string cheese
Lunch: a good salad with some meat (chicken, tuna, or turkey) and jello.
Snack: nuts
Dinner: Meat (usually grilled), beans (and salad if I feel like it), and jello

That's it--with minor variations day to day. A little boring, but very low maintenance, for two weeks, it can be done.

Best wishes.

hi just started sbd 3 days ago. so far i'm confused a little. i feel full when i eat , but i get hungry around 8 and then for all night. can i go get a peice of protein or somethng after meals?do you have to stick to the recommended portion sizes? what is unlimited usually, like is it protein? i was on the atkins last year and lost 26 lbs, then nothing even tho i was faithful to diet. i gave up after 6 or 7 months with no results. i have heart disease and need to lose this weight that i gained from a alow fat diet. could the meds i'm on have anything to do with my stall( blood pressure and heart stuff)? hope someone can answer me . i'm starving! thanks i'm 240 lbs and 5'2 and 54 . i put on an extra 20 lbs after atkins

Does anybody workout in the morning on the South Beach Diet? I have been reading lately that if you work out in the morning you should eat something BEFORE you work out to really get your metabolism going? Does anyone have any suggestions? I usually eat after I work out, after I take a shower.

I am a vegetarian and followed a link to sign on. So far so good. Filled in at question 5 that I had hypertension and when I tried to continue with the link was told that I had not completed question 5.

Ive got 3 days left on phase 1,havent weighed myself once but the clothes tell the story and the comments from friends and work mates tell me im doing fine..i eat a lot of dill pickles ,ceasar salad (no croutons)omelet in the morning and jello lite after dinner to go along with the regular meat and cheese,my energy went way up and havent felt this good in quite awhile,the only thing i miss is my regular vodka and diet pepsi..if i could have these drinks throw in fruits and yogurt i could live on this plan for life!..i dont miss bread at all or donuts,cake for that matter

i been on the sbd for a week i don not know if i lost weight i haven't been hunger i just have constant bowel movements then i did before at least every hour why?

i am on phase 1 and had a glass of wine, its been my only cheat, do you think that will be ok? my hubby doesn't know i am doing a diet and so i had to take the wine when he poured it. to be honest i figured the wine would be my downfall. i will try not to do this again. should i do an additional day

I am just starting the SBD and I had a couple of questions if someone could please help me!
1. Can I have reg coffee with skim milk instead of decaf in phase 1?
2. Is diet soda ok in phase 1 or no?
3. What else besides salads is there for lunch?
4. Can you skip meals? I am not usually a breakfast person and am really not hungry until lunchtime anyways. Will skipping breakfast or only having V8 or coffee effect my weight loss?

Thanks for your help everyone!

I just started the SBD yesterday and this morning I woke up feeling awful. I have felt like I'm going to throw up and my stomach is very upset. I am also very shaky. I am not overweight and my "diet" before this just usually consisted of eating what I wanted, when I wanted. I joined the SBD to drop about 10 pounds for bathing suit season. Is this normal or okay to feel like this? I woke up and in a state of panic this morning, ate a s'more poptart. Will I feel like this every morning during phase 1?

Hi Beverly, I can identify with you,I am 57 and 168lbs and I am convinced that some medication does cause stubborn weight gain. I stopped smoking and gained weight but I accept that age has a part to play. Please stop worrying so much! I am novice to SBD but I think this eating plan does stop cravings for carbs and sugar. I try not to eat anything after my dinner in the evening (meat/poultry & veg). Depending on what I have for dinner I manage this fine. If I am hungry in the evening and I can't be strong, I have an oatcake with a teaspoonful of peanut butter(without sugar)or try an oatcake spread with thin honey dotted with a few varieties of nuts on them. nibble slowly. This seems to satisfy me. Be careful with the peanut butter though it can be very addictive! Good luck Beverly stick in there.
Have you stepped up your activities? walking etc.

I'm in Day 12 of Phase I.

Up until yesterday, I felt GREAT. More energy, no stomach growling, etc.

The last two days I have felt jittery, shaky, slightly nauseous and dizzy. Very "out of it." Before yesterday, I actually felt more clear-headed than in a long time.

What's going on? I've been making sure to eat three meals and a snack. I haven't had any "forbidden" foods since I started. I've lost about 4 pounds and I can feel my waist getting smaller.

But I don't like the way I feel right now!! Help!! I've never gone totally carb-less for any period before. Is this a normal reaction to not having carbs for so long? Anyone else have this problem?

Im on day 6 of the SBD and so far its working fantastically. My jeans were actually loose today! I found the first few days extremely hard though and the restricted number of things I could eat and wanted to lead to hardly eating anything at all. And even on the days when I literally stuffd myself with fish and vegetables and cheese I felt sick and weak. I certainly couldn't do any exercise.
Today however I feel tip top so I think its just until your body gets used to it.

I have a couple of questions though: is skimmed milk allowed in phase one and if it is how much?
Is 0.1 % fat yogurt allowed in phase one and how much?
Are diet drinks allowed in phase one?

thanks guys!

I'm new to the SBD.

Are you--- or are you not --- supposed to go into "ketosis" during the first phase?

Hello! I read the SBD book last year and tried it out for a few days before I quit. I felt very weak, disoriented and hungry no matter how much recommended protein I ate. This was very frustrating because according to the book, you are supposed to feel less hungry if you follow the meal plans. I am considering getting back on the diet but I am a full time student and I really don’t need these symptoms in my daily regimen. Anyone have any advice or input on the matter? Please help! I really, really, want to lose some weight here!

OK I'm new to SBD, but I have read the book from cover to cover and researched it on the net.
-Yes! You can have coffee in phase 1 that is not decaf, but it spikes your insulin level which might give you more cravings so take it easy.
-2 servings of dairy are allowed on in P1 skim milk can count as one and plain, nonfat yogurt as another
-IF you are going to skip meals or snacks, you will probably not find success with SBD. Skipping meals slows your metabolism and you will find yourself hungrier later in the day-IF you find yourself light headed or with nausea, eat more carbs in the form of allowed veggies and milk also helps

I started the sbd 6 days ago and I have been nauseous
and running to the bathroom every half an hour.
Is this normal and when will it go away?

I am on day 3 of phase 1. While I feel satiated, I am incredibly thirsty even though I drink tons of water during the day. I also noticed my energy level is very low. I could barely jog 1 mile where I could easily jog 3-4 normally. So far I have lost 2 pounds, but I question if this is going to be longterm or not. I'll stick with it, but I am wondering when my energy is going to come back. Also, I only have a small amount of weight to lose, maybe 10 pounds, so is phase 1 really necessary?

Hi Christina,
I have always been a runner too, and like you, found it difficult to run when I first started SBD. However - all of the strange feelings you experience in Phase I pass! Stick to it! It really does get better after awhile - your body just needs time to adjust to this new way of eating. The thirstiness is also something I experienced and it too went away.

I only had about 20 lbs total to lose and found I only lost about 4 lbs in Phase I - BUT... that is 4 lbs more than I would have lost had I stuck to my regular habits. Now I am down 15 pounds and find the diet so easy to live with. I am back to easily running 5 miles in the morning.

As I read through these postings I have one piece of advice: SPEND $10 DOLLARS ON YOURSELF AND BUY THE BOOK! Most of everyone's questions are answered and you need not be frustrated or hungry if you know what you are dealing with.

Those are my two cents! This diet is terrific for me and I've tried most of the diets out there....

Good luck to all!

I currently weigh 145 pounds and i want to loose 15 pounds in the next 5 weeks. Is it safe to stay on phase one for about 5 weeks, and will i have better results if I do. Also if I ate one piece of fruit in the morning, like an orange will it effect my weight loss? thanks!

Agatston says in his book that if you are hungry you are not eating enough. He also said someplace or other that you need to eat the snacks and desserts on the suggested menus in order to keep from the insulin highs and lows (and thus the cravings) that can come with carb consumption.

One of the things that a lot of people don’t seem to get about this diet (or many of the low/controlled carb diets) is the idea that you are working to keep blood sugar from jumping around. Controlling cravings and hunger by controlling carb intake is one of the ways you eat less (and then take off weight!) Eating something lower on the Glycemic Index that is higher in fiber (Like an orange) that is acidic, is probably not going to mess with your blood sugar anywhere near as much.as eating a big slab of cake or a loaf of bread would..

Eating AN orange or eating a cup of regular yogurt is not gonna make you fail on this diet. It might make you lose weight less rapidly if you do it al the time, but it is not by itself gonna render the diet ineffective. What usually makes anyone fail is eating the orange, combined with the leftover lunch pizza in the afternoon, along with the little dish of Mac & Cheese at dinner, and that handful of cookies in the evening. Agatston does a great job of talking about this in his book, and I seriously suggest investing some time reading it.

Best of luck on The Beach!

At the beginning of this blog, it was discussed whether it was even necessary to start on Phase 1. I have read somewhere that if you have 20 lbs. or less to lose, then you should skip Phase 1 and go right to Phase 2. Reread the comments at the beginning and then decide if Phase 1 is right for you. If you look at the Phase 2 food items, they are very similar to Oprah's "White Diet." Don't eat anything that is white (flour, sugar, potatoes, etc.) That is where all of the carbs are. If you follow those principles, you should lose weight. Dr. Gott has the same advice - no flour, no sugar.

Thanks, SBD Believer. I actually stopped phase 1 after Day 4. I couldnt take it anymore. I've tried to jump to phase 2, but I find myself cheating & carb-loading big time. I've gained 3 pounds in fact. So this morning I am back to phase 1 and will stick with it through the thirst and low energy. I'll let you know how it goes.

I started the SBD yesterday and I was vomiting last night, and still feel nausious today. I've noticed that others have been experiencing the same thing. Should I add some fruit to my diet?

To anyone who has experienced nausea on SBD:

I started Phase 1 on SBD and that first day I was nauseous and vomiting! The second day I still tried to keep up the diet but I still felt completely horrible. The solution is this: Eat a small amount of carbs in the morning. I figured my sickness was from being on a diet where I ate almost anything I wanted, which was quite high carb, crashing to almost no carb intake so quickly. Anyone could get sick off this diet. So as soon as I got home from work, I had a small amount of dry whole wheat toast and I felt better almost instantly. Keep on the diet, but have a small bit of carbs in the morning. It's working for me, and you will still lose weight. Maybe not as fast, but it's better than feeling horrible all the time. I even have energy during the day. Give it a try, and good luck.

I went back on SBD yesterday after a three month break. Neither time have I had trouble with the first phase. I guess I'm lucky. I highly suggest planing out snacks as close to in the middle of meals as you can. I had to stop after my first time because I had lost too much weight and they couldn't make my wedding dress any smaller without destroying it. I'm now back from my honeymoon and starting over agian. We have never been strict on following the meal plans. We just look at what we can and cannot eat and make up our own meals. Ours are usually less complacated and thus easier to make! Good luck to everyone.

Hello there,
I want to do SBD but when I saw the first phase description it has lot of eggs and meat. I am a vegeterian and also allergic to eggs. So how do I follow the phase one ??? Any suggestions.

Suchi

I felt a little sick for a couple hours on the second day of phase one. Hasn't happened since. currently on day 5. Here are my staple foods for Phase One:

Sugar-Free Jello
String Cheese
Sliced white meat turkey
any kind of cheese except processed
lean meat - this means no processed deli meat like baloney or sausages/salami.
cashews, almonds
celery
eggs - hard boiled for a snack, however you like for breakfast, but you shouldn't really eat more than 4 a day. 8 is way too many.
Coffee with Equal artificial sweetener
salad with oil and vinegar dressing
NO BREAD - absolutely not
Sprite Zero - zero sugar zero carbs, drink in moderation

What some people don't seem to understand is this isn't a diet that you can cheat on and expect similar results to the ones promised by the book. If you are going to cheat and have a little chocolate, or a little maple syrup, or *carb one* icecream ( ITS SUGAR AND CREAM!), you are giving in to your cravings and ruining what you have worked for. What has kept me going the past few days is that I've already gone four days, and I don't want to waste all that sacrifice just so I can enjoy a zebra cake that is empty and won't fill me up. And I work in a convenience store, surrounded by this stuff! slurpees, coke, turkey hill iced tea, candy, king size chocolate bars! It's been a real challenge so far and I'm not going to make it all a wasted effort, as well as fail in my goal to get rid of that pot belly.

I just started South Beach a few days ago but there are some questions that I cant find answers too ( i even have the books) are you allowed any type of spaghetti sauce ever? Or what about chili??

I have started the South Beach Diet and actually only have one more day on Phase 1. Which hasn't been too bad but as I am ready to start Phase 2, I read that the diet introduces fruit slowly back into the diet and no fruit in the beginning of this stage for breakfast. Well Day One of the meal Plan has strawberries for breakfast and a pear for snack and the eve desert is choc strawberries, Did someone proof this?

Thanks for your job, sorry for my essential english :)

kiss
lory

I started the diet 1 week ago tomorrow. I don't know how much I've lost, but I definately feel better. I only had one break down and that was yesterday. i didnt plan well and gave in to an ice cream sandwich. But, i know there has been positive results in a pair of pants i tried on earlier in the week. The key is plan well, and make sure you you have snacks. I just had a celery stick with a wedge of light laughing cow. Very yummy and satisfying.

Help! I've been doing SBD by the book for 2.5 weeks. This past weekend I had a couple glasses of wine, since I am technically in Phase 2. Since I've started Phase 1 however, I have not had anything from the bad lists, and I haven't added any fruit or breads/rice/etc back. And I haven't lost a pound. I do 4 cardio and 2 strength training sessions a week minimum. My portions are small. Is it possible to do everything right and not lose weight?? Please help!

Renee: If you've recently started exercising, especially weight training, you might be putting on muscle. This is even more likely if you've tried losing weight before by cutting calories. If you've lost 4 pounds of fat and put on 4 pounds of muscle, then you've lost fat, but not weight. You should monitor your body fat percentage.

Renee - it's also possible that you're eating just enough calories to maintain your weight. To lose weight I would suggest working out how many calories you need to maintain, then creating a deficit of 20-30%. A good rule of thumb to work out maintenance calories is bodyweight in pounds X 12-16. Since you work out, I would suggest bodyweight in pounds x 14 as a starting point.

As the review mentioned, one of the criticisms of the South Beach Diet is that it doesn't recommend counting calories. But if you don't count calories, at least at the beginning, you have no way of knowing whether you're eating too much or too little. I work out a lot and if I undereat, I start losing muscle.

And as Ryan suggested, monitor your bodyfat percentage too - it's a better gauge than weight.