South Beach Diet Investigated

For everyone who has been getting nausious, its my 2rd day on Phase 1 and i had that problem in my first night. i woke up at 4 am feeling so bad. it wasnt even like nausia... it was just plain bad. whatever it was woke me up... I rememebered my tummy growling before i went to bed the night before so i thoguht maybe i shoudl eat something... only thing is, im in college and i dont have much food in my dorm room. All i had was Activia Yogurt from before i started the diet. I ate the and imidiately felt 100%better and fell back asleep.

All i know id tonight im certainly not going to bed with a growling tummy!

I figured I'd throw out my experiences with SB. I first tried it a few years ago and managed to lose about 35 lbs. in about a month and a half. Now I've started it again. The first go-round I followed the Phase 1 rules religiously. I lost 1 lb. per day for those 14 days. I then entered Phase 2, but actually didn't embrace it fully, instead opting for sort of a Phase 1.5 instead. I continued to avoid any and all bread (including the whole grain breads the diet says you can partake in very liberally), and I barely ate any fruit either. What I did do was increase my consumption of nuts and milk. But otherwise, I was still pretty much on Phase 1. My weight loss continued at a rate of about 1 lb. per day for about 30 days and then I started to plateau. At that point the weight loss slowed to about 2 lbs per week. An important caveat to all this is that I wasn't exercising in conjunction with the diet.

A few things some of you should be aware of. First, most of the wieght you lose in the first month or so is predominantly water weight as opposed to body fat. When you cut carbs, you're body loses water since carbs attach to water molecules in the body which causes simple water retention. No carbs = very little water retention. Second, yes, the nausea, diarrhea, bloating and sluggish feeling are part of the initial process. Believe it or not, that's basically your body going through withdrawl. Ever see what people go through when they give up cigarettes, drugs or even caffeine? Your body is being radically reprogrammed and its first reaction is to rebel against you. Some people get it worse than others. Eventually your body adjusts to the new program and those feelings pass. Drink plenty of fluids and be sure to eat healthy portions of both veggies and lean meats (or other good protein sources if you are a vegetarian) every day. When you go too many days in a row with too much of one and not enough of the other, you start to get a little sick. There is actually a condition called "protein poisoning" if you eat nothing but proteins and animal fats - it can be very destructive if you allow it to continued for too long. So it helps if you balance all your meals.

The last thing I'll throw out there is that my weight lost in the first month did not vary at all when I tried eating extremely low cal versus just eating all the time, as much as I wanted, whenever I felt hungry (allowable foods, of course). So even though you feel glutinous, or even physically bloated, it's actually counter-intuitive. You don't mess up the diet by eating more, so long as the stuff you're eating is okay. It's better anyway, since you'd have to be the Superman of willpower to maintain that over a long period of time. Every time I've tried to stick to a super low-cal diet, I'll fallen off the wagon within a few months. It's just too hard. So in my experience, I find it helps to pig out and snack like crazy on allowable foods in the first few weeks. It keeps you on track and won't do much damage. Later you'll find it much easier, and a lot of the hardcore cravings will disappear. Then you can move more in the direction of limiting your calories without as much agony. I'm on week 2 right now, and it's getting much easier. Last week it was a real challenge staying honest.

I just started the the SBD yesterday. All I really want to lose in 10 pounds that I have collected now that I'm almost 40. I'm a vegetarian so the idea of complex carbs really intrigues me about the SBD. I've already noticed that I'm starving and that I'm a little weak. Will this end? I've never been a big sweet eater. My down fall in salty snacks and tortilla chips and queso. Does SBD cause water loss, and is this really healthy? I'm kinda concerned about this.

I just wanted to say that after the first day I feel totally better. I think I was eating to many high protein foods and not enough veggies. After a great salad of chick peas, lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, and cucumbers, I feel much better. I DO think much of this is water weight, but not all. I think that this diet has too many carbs to put your body into kitosis. Beans that the diet allows have too many carbs to allow this to happen. Also, you are allowed broccoli, califlower, and zucchini which aare high in carbs, but have a low GI.

Hi All...

Just want to tell all of you to KEEP IT UP!! You're worth it!

I started SBD in April of 06 and followed Phase I to the letter. I loosened up a bit in phase II, but really, still don't eat much bread (and frankly, don't miss it!) or rice (except I break down for sushi once in awhile.)
My weakness is beer (and pizza!), and while I've found satisfying substitutes, I still cave in and eat the real stuff once in awhile.

I've quit counting how many weeks/months I've been doing this, becuase it has become an effortless way to live at this point. I am down 16 pounds, and ideally, I'd love to loose 9 more, but I'm a size 8 for the first time since high school and I really couldn't be happier with this program, and I've tried many of the common ones!

I have energy like never before, and I'm no longer falling asleep at my desk at 3pm!

I've always been a runner, and while I did experience workout dizziness initially in phase I, I no longer feel this way, even while on a 10 miler!

I know everyone is different, but I can't sing the praises of this program enough.

I started the South Beach Diet 4 days ago. I've tried lots of diets including Atkins which worked the second time I tried it. But it was not do-able in the long run.

So far, this diet seems to work well, but I'm not hopeful about it. I've never been one of the lucky ones who say,"it's amazing, the weight just FELL off!" Although I would love to say that.

My problem is I can't have artificial sweetener because they make me sick and I'm gluten intolerant, so that leaves most of the wholegrain foods out.

But I'm following the basic principles. The thing I have changed is I have full strength coffee if I can't get good decaf (say, at Starbucks etc). And I have one teaspoon of raw sugar to sweeten. To me, that shouldn't make too much difference overall and it stops the bloating from Splenda, etc. And I only have one cup in the mornings when I get into work, so I'm not expecting it to derail me.

I also do 90 mins of exercise 6 times a week without fail, so hopefully the new eating plan and all that activity should make the weight fall off :)

I'm not that big. I need to lose about 15 kgs (33 lbs) which sounds like a lot, but I'm a big build and I'm quite tall. To look at me you could say I was curvy but not fat. I'm thinking that the scales won't move hugely because of all the weight bearing exercise I'm doing and we all know muscle weights more than fat.

Still, I'll keep blogging and let you know how I progress. It gives me hope that others here have seen great differences in themselves on this diet.

STEVIA:
Anyone having a problem with sugar-free sweeteners (as Killer Bees mentioned) might be interested in trying stevia -- a sweet extract from a latin american plant sold in powder and in liquid form by various distributors, such as Trader Joe's, GNC, etc.
I've been on the South Beach diet since May 2 and found stevia quite by accident at Trader Joe's a couple months ago and have used it ever since. My original goal was to lose 20 pounds and I've lost 22. Together with dieting I've been doing exercises at the Y for the past 6 weeks.
Joan

Joan,

Thanks for the reminder about stevia. I do know about it, having followed the Suzanne Somers eating plan a few years ago. It didn't even occur to me to use that. It's quite expensive, but I don't have much sugar in my diet anyway, so the intial expense would be worth it.

As well as my previous comment, I'm also taking Musashi Fat Metaboliser with L-Carnitine capsules. It's supposed to help you burn your fat more readily. You take it twice a day on an empty stomach (which initially worried me), but I've had no ill effects.

Another thing I found out about: beware using artificial sweeteners in place of real sugar. They're good in the beginning, but the whole point is to wean you off sugar and these help to train your brain to want sweet things.

Since I've been off the Splenda, I haven't had any sweet cravings which is unheard of for me. So I recommend you use them with caution.

This is now day 5 of the diet and it's going well. No cheating, no over eating, no huge cravings. And I'm finding it easier than Atkins because I'm allowed to have lots of veggies so that takes the protein overload off my body. I'm even back to eating eggs again, something I didn't think I'd ever do after the saturation on Atkins.

I'm sleeping better and I'm not sluggish in the morning. I actually get out of bed when the alarm goes off and after abotu 5 mins of generall fuzziness, I'm awake and able to get ready for work without fuss.

I started the South Beach Diet on Monday, and I did great. I wasn't hungry and I was feeling fine. On Wednesday, I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I had to literally crawl to the kitched to heat up a cup of clam chowder soup. I tried eating "approved" snacks to settle my stomach, but it just didn't work. After the nice hot soup, I was finally able to sit upright without wanting to throw up. By 12:30 in the afternoon, I was finally able to shower and get ready for school. I want to try again, but I am going to keep phase one a little more liberal. I can't afford to be sick like that again. I am interested to see that others have had a similar experience, so it seems to validate my theory that the sickness was diet related. Once I got some carb food back in me, I felt better. I am going to cut out as many "unapproved" carbs as possible, but not totally. I can't let myself get sick like that again. I only want to lose 10 more pounds anyway, so I am just going to chug at it the old fashioned way, and eliminate as many empty calories as possible. This was my experience. :(

Am vegetarian but take eggs. Any one succesful with vegetarian version like this? Need some boost here to start this.what recipes did you use?Thanks!

I tried this diet for two weeks and I didn't like it at all. I got sick at the end and couldn't complete it. I didn't lose a lot of weight and now I can't eat eggs anymore.

I started the SBD on Monday (Oct 9, 2006). I'm starting my second week and I haven't had the nausea that some of you talk about. I'm not following the menu in the back of the book, I'm following the guildelines the book teaches. I thought the menus were more to display the choices you could make when eating. Since I'm in the first phase, I don't limit how much I eat. I eat a little bit and if I'm hungry, I eat more (recommended food types). I snack on boiled eggs, sugar free ice pops, and 2% cheeses. The diet has been quite successful for me and I've already achieved the 8-13lbs in the first phase (12lbs at this point). If I continue to drop weight, I may stay in for one more week and then move on to phase two. I may also introduce some form of exercise if I'm not happy with my weight loss at that point.

I'd like to get to 175-185lbs (which is a healthy look for me; losing much more and I'm scary skinny looking). I've never been on a special *diet* before. I've often thought I needed to cut back on snacking and fat stuff, but this is my first (and hopefully last) diet. I don't mind the foods, but I miss the ones I enjoyed in my previous life. I fully plan on pigging out at thanksgiving as much as I can stand. If I gain a few pounds from the pecan pie and mashed potatoes (or maybe sweet potatoes), I'll just have to take off the pounds, but it's worth it to me!

Oh, before I forget, I did increase my water intake a bunch for this diet. My wife picked up a portable jug from walgreens that holds the daily recommended 8 glasses. Every day of the diet, I have more than finished that jug. I've also been taking one-a-day vitamins and drinking V8 in the morning. This is in stark contrast to my daily regimen of Diet Dr. Pepper and Lipton Light Green Tea. Although I have found LIPTON Green Tea To Go works great for me. I have one of those per day.

I will blog about this diet occasionally at blog.tk421.us. Feel free to check it out in the future to follow my story. (If this is inappropriate, please mod it out.)

To all that want to start the SBD.

Above all do not see this diet as a "diet" per say, it is a learning process of the right foods to eat. This is my second time around on the diet. The first time around I followed the book strictly and lost over 20lbs. Unfortunately as I was feeling so good about the weight loss, I did not keep up. Now almost 2 years later and having only gained back 5lbs, I am on it again.

Here are my advices:
- Do the online version at southbeachdiet.com, not only will you have your personalized information, a huge amount of recipes to chhose from, as well as an awesome message board which will help you learn from others as well as ask question and advice.

- JUST STAY ON PHASE 1 for two weeks. The idea is to take away the cravings and clean your body pror to re-introducing yourself back to som carbs.

- DRINK A LOT OF WATER

- Prior to any physical activity have a low fat plain yogurt, it will help your energy level.

- If you are hungry, EAT

- Weigh yourself only once a week

- you do not have to follow the menu per say, as long as you follow the foods you can eat and the amounts from each category. I find myself eating every two hours, and never felt hungry.

- When you get into Phase 2, re-introduce the carbs slowly, and see how your body reacts them them, what triggers you to get more cravings, what brings you into a plateau.

I have been on it now for a little over a week, have lost 10 lbs and feeling absolutely fantastic. I also work-out 30 minutes in the morning, and walk for 40 minutes at night.

Hope this helps everyone

I've been on the diet for 2 days so far to lose about 10 lbs from my beer belly. Thus far I have felt weak and fatigued and in a constant daze. I have a high metabolism, and carbohydrates were a main source of food for me, pasta, bread, rice, etc... Will this diet be too much of a shock for my body to handle?

Hello there,

I do really well in terms of weight loss when I cut back on bread, pasta and other foods of the sorts. So, I really like the SBD. I do have a couple of questions for anyone that could help me out.

First, is amount of lean protein restricted in the SBD.
Also, I do not feel well when I cut out all carbs, so do you think that if I start on phase two, I could still lose weight?

Thank you,

Hi Beer Belly,
The SB Diet book says that beer has the highest glycemic index of almost any food out there. If you are accustomed to drinking it, plus eating lots of other carbs, you will probably feel the difference. The great thing about the SBD is that it teaches you to pay attention to your body. If phase 1 feels like too much of a shock to your body, then respect that, add some carbs back and try again later. Phase 1 is really more about getting your body to be beautiful on the inside with good blood sugar levels than it is about weight. If you get through Phase 1 and have lost your cravings for sugar and starches (beer is in that category) then you have been successful. Good luck to you!

Vicki

Hi Millie,

On SBD you can eat as much as you want as long as you stop eating when you're no longer hungry.

I have heard of people who skip Phase 1 and go straight to Phase 2 and who still lose weight.

Since the main point of Phase 1 is to cure sugar/starch cravings and straighten out blood chemistry, if you don't have a problem with these, then starting with Phase 2 should be fine.

But beware that the reason you may not feel well without carbs is because your body is addicted to them...if you feel nauseous, weak, cranky, etc., without them, that's a sign of withdrawal. The good news is that it does pass.

For me, Day 3 and 4 on Phase 1 were really hard. I ended up eating Haagen Dasz ice cream...a whole pint! But after that, I got back on the wagon, and fell off again a week later and did the same thing. Then got back on again and haven't had any ice cream except for the low carb kind since...which is unheard of for me! It doesn't even sound good anymore.

Overall I feel fantastic with the SBD way of eating...high energy, clear thinking, flat stomach, slowly losing weight...I feel and look better than I have in years. Mostly though I feel in control of my life again. I have a way of eating that works.

Hope that helps,

Vicki

Hi Vicki,
Thank you so much for your answer. I agree. I must be terrribly addicted. I just can't stay away becasue I get so sick. But, I have noticed that if I do phase two, I still get temped, but I can stay on it. I have tried to start on phase numerous times without success. So, I am going to try this and see.

Thank you,

Millie

Hi Rachel,
I'm the same height as you are and I also need to lose about 8kilos, I just started a few days ago and I seem to be losing around the stomach. I've lost 1.5kilos in 3days, so I think I'm on the right track.

A new dessert that I've tried that's great is soft Japanese style tofu mixed with 2 sweeteners, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of almond extract. Taste great without the calories. You can also mix in almond extract and coco powerder (non-sweet)--like the ricotta dessert.

Rachel said:
I just started SBD today but read the book last night and was wondering if it was right for me. I am 5'1" and need to lose about 20 pounds. Will I lose very much in the first phase? I was just curious if anyone around my height and weight loss needs has tried this and succeeded? Any advice?[...]

I have been on phase 1 of the SBD for 1 week and have lost 4lb. I just have one big craving and thats skimmed milk its fat free sugar free so I'm sure it cant be to bad, can anyone give me any advice???????

DIETING is STUPID!

I just started this diet officially today, but I hate to call it a diet. It should really be a way of life and we should always be careful about what foods we eat and what the effects are to us. I am 28 and about 45 lbs overweight. My doctor recommended this diet because 1). I am overweight and 2). there is diabetes in my family. I believe that if this is seen as not a diet but a chance to start eating right then it's less of a burden. Read the book, twice if you have too, understand the GI and the effects food have and you'll be fine. I feel great eating this way and I really started on Saturday, so it's been no problem. I think the mental part is hard, especially for us fast-food fed Americans. Anyone notice that the bad, not good for you food in the grocery store is the cheapest? or that you can get a whole lota cheesburger for very little money these days?
Start eating right, right now and you will reap the benefits later, I am sure.

God Bless!

I have followed the diet before, but after my wedding, I slipped a lot. This is my second week of Phase 1. The first week I lost 8 pounds, it is now Thursday of my second week and I have yet to drop a pound. I have not "cheated" at all and am disappointed that I haven't lost any weight this week. I work out everyday and have not changed anything since last week. Is it normal to not lose weight in the second week of phase 1?

I'm on my 3rd week of SBD, just started phase II 3 days ago. The first 2 weeks weren't that bad at all. Natural Peanut butter and sugar free jello were my heroes! I lost 6 pounds the first 2 weeks. I thought it'd be more than that considering I work out 5-6 times a week also, but that's all I lost. Considering I'm not overweight to begin with, just wanted to lost around 10 pounds for vanity's sake, I guess I should be pleased. People with more to lose will lose more initially. Plus I didn't always stick to just 2 tablespoons of PB, sometimes I ate a little more;) cuz i LOVE that stuff..Anyways, I was rarely hungry, and eating seemed more like something I "had" to do, rather than something I wanted to do. I actually had MORE energy than ever before. I used to crash around 3pm and would eat chocolate or something sugary to bring me back up, but now i never feel fatigued. Now that I'm on phase II I've brought back cereal (high proten, high fiber grape nuts) and that's all I'm adding for now. (Although last night I had a Christmas dinner with friends and splurged a little with wine and fried calamari:( so i'm back on phase one for a day!) But so far this diet has rocked. I lost weight and I learned how to cook! (i never cooked before...). Even my SKIN looks better from eating the fish and other healthy foods. I don't think I'll EVER eat another piece of white bread or pasta, OR BEER. In fact, I almost looked down at the girls grubbing out on that stuff last night at the dinner...thinking "if they only KNEW!" For most americans, food is viewed more as entertainment than necessity. I think this diet helps you to change your outlook on what you eat. Sure, hangin out with friends, eating pizza drinking beer, scarfin down some ice cream is a good time...but it's just as fun and healthier to do the same activities without the glory of bad carbs and fatty sugar!

I went on an unplanned SBD Phase 1 last week for 5 days, trust me.. I dint face any kind of fatigue, I am a vegie & i found it difficult to plan my meals. So i gave up on the 6th day. despite the Xmas parties happening, I was still able to hang on to my urge of attacking the cheese cake in front of me.

I would really like some vegie dieters to help me plan my phases.

Do feel free to help me by mailing me to gayuiyer@hotmail.com, Just in case I miss to see your reply on this blog.

i wish the rest of you good luck and dedication to keep healthy.

I understand that in Phase I you can eat yogurt - fat free. but can you eat fat fee with fruit in it or just plain, because even the fat free plan I have found has sugar. Any suggestions? Thanks

started this way of eating in June 2005 at 668 lbs-i was totally sedintary-today I my wt. is 335 lbs and I tell everyone about this program. thank you my goal is 250lbs and then I will get a new truck

Frank said:
I understand that in Phase I you can eat yogurt - fat free. but can you eat fat fee with fruit in it or just plain, because even the fat free plan I have found has sugar. Any suggestions? Thanks[...]

You aren't supposed to eat the yogurt with fruit in it until phase II. Try eating the yogurt with nuts, splenda and an extract of your choice. It's not bad!

I am now in day 9 of phase I (and five pounds lighter I might add!). I am preparing for my wedding and to fit into my wedding dress in march, which I bought 10 pounds ago. Both my father and my sister went on this diet over two years ago. My dad is 67 and looks better than I ever remember him looking. My sister is a size zero now. They both look great but I notice that they never want to cheat on "bad" foods, not even at the holidays. We have to make steamed broccoli especially for them so they don't have to eat the au gratin variety that is usually served. Anyway, instead of looking at food and thinking, "I can't have that", they think, "Yuck, I don't want that, it's disgustingly unhealthy". Anyway, that's got to be the key in maintaining your weight once you lose it. It's a mind trick. The book is a great education on what is healthy for your body.

I have just started Phase 1 of the Southbeach Diet and and following completely but still am drinking 1% milk, how much of an effect will this be on the loosing process??

Hello, I just began Phase One 3 days ago. That evening I began with a headache. It lasted all night with the nausea as well. All day Thursday I had it as well, so bad that when I got home from work that day(3:30 pm) I spent the rest of the day in bed, getting up occasionally to eat a bit of jello(sugar free) or take some kind of pain relief(which did not seem to help). Friday was okay up until about 6 pm, again headache and nausea all night. Here we are Saturday morning and I am still not feeling well. I wasn't sure if it was related to the South Beach or not, so I decided to try to investigate on the web. Glad I found this web sight! I've been reading and noticing people getting the nausea but not seeing anything about headaches. Would you consider this to be a normal 'withdrawal' sign? As far as my eating habits before this, I have a juicer and tried to drink a vegetable juice every morning, yogurt--protein drinks now and again-due to the holidays I probably was eating more carbs than normal!My goal is to lose 20 pounds.I have heard alot of good things concerning the South Beach. I would like to try to stay on Phase One for the whole 14 days and then move onto Phase Two. However,I have a family and job that I cannot neglect, I am hoping these miserable feelings will pass soon. Any advice is much needed and will be well appreciated! Thank-you!

To Everyone:
The single most important thing you cannot overlook on ANY diet is to keep pounding the water. This will help your Kidneys work normally to flush out the bad stuff. If you don't do this, all bets are off. When they say 8 glasses of water a day they mean it. Better yet, just say it as a gallon a day. If you don't do this, you could end up with all kinds of problems. You won't gain the water weight back. If you are drinking this much then your body thinks it is OK to start releasing water because of the good supply, instead of holding it in.
Humans can go a long time without food, but not without water. I know people that lost weight just by drinking a gallon a day. THIS IS A MUST. Hydration helps to keep the kidney stones away as well. All the people that are complaining of headaches and pains, this could be due to the lack of water. Coffee, milk, alcohol and soda do not count for part of your water intatke. If you don't believe me, then do the research.

I am at the end of day two in Phase One. I have an awful headache and I broke down and ate 6 lil chocolate donuts. I had this craving I couldn't shake, I felt like I was pregnant again. Has anyone else cheated in Phase 1. I plan to have a better day tomorrow but am consumed with guilt after today. If I have 70 lbs to lose, shouldn't I be able to lose a good amount of weight (if I don't cheat that is) during this first phase. Also, has anyone done the Phase One for a month? Because I have so much to lose, I am thinking about trying it. Please advise!

I am a physician, a 5' 11" man weighing, before the diet, about 215 lbs.

I have been on the meat version of the diet for two weeks. I found the first four days of phase I very difficult, but after that a rapid change happened. I found that Agatson's claim--which I had doubted severely--was true: cravings decrease or disappear. I am a compulsive eater, and was starting to toy with Overeaters Anonymous. But I have found that those irrational, compulsive cravings have simply ceased. I have also found that I am very satisfied with far smaller portions than in the past. My wife is amazed. Scientifically, Agatston is right--the point of phase I is NOT psychological, but adjusts the blood chemistry on otherwise healthy people. Those who have trouble with Phase I beyond the first few days of adjustment are likely to be people who are either at risk for, or already have, hypoglycemia. Phase II is excellent for hypoglycemics, but phase I can be disastrous. Also persons already skirting the edges of Type II diabetes may find that Phase I knocks them off the rails.

However, I was a vegetarian for a very long time, and I live in rural Kenya, where good-quality meat and fish of the sort we expect in the first world is very expensive. I would love access to the vegetarian diet--beans and legumes are plentiful here--but I can't afford the $5 per week, and I can't just pay-then-cancel, because you have to call their customer service by telephone.

By the way, my slender and beautiful wife decided to do the diet with me. She is hypoglycemic--and had a hideous experience on phase I. She abandoned the diet, and found that the cravings returned in force and she actually gained weight--something that has never been a problem. So she went to phase II and is now doing fine.

With this or any other low-carb diet, keep in mind that you are playing with your blood chemistry, so you should expect a degree of discomfort, or worse. If the SB, or Adkins, diets leave you feeling strange for longer than four or five days, you should move to phase II--don't abandon the diet, because you are likely to wreak more havoc on yourself--and you should get your blood sugar tested and ask your doctor about your risks for type II diabetes or hypoglycemia.

As if to prove Agatston's basic claims: in our part of Kenya, the main staple is an extremely high-carb cornmeal mush, eaten in huge quantities, eaten at supper. At lunch, people usually have beans and rice. Quantities of meat vary depending upon financial resources, and a hearty local green vegetable is eaten once or twice a day, high fiber but fried like the dickens in huge amounts of trans-fat shortening. Breakfast is tea brewed in milk, plus white bread and margarine. For people who don't have to struggle for money, the cheap cornmeal mush is easily available: and there is a huge incidence of obesity among women and massive pot-bellies among men, along with a high rate of heart disease. In the local boarding high schools and nearby colleges, if ever something other than the cornmeal mush is served for dinner--even something like rice--there can be riots. The local Luyha community has a proverb: If you haven't eaten ugali, you haven't eaten. Kenyans can speak clearly on the issue of how highly-refined, high-glycemic-index foods inspire deep cravings for more of the same.

A footnote:

If you find yourself completely miserable on phase one, it may be because the blood chemistry is changing too rapidly, and you are throwing yourself into hypoglycemia, or worse, advanced ketosis.

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

I'm saying this as a physician thinking through the science of the diet -- not as a dieter myself.

If Phase I makes you miserable, START WITH PHASE 2 FOR ONE MONTH, and be religious about. ONLY THEN should you begin Phase 1. That way, you are inducing changes in blood chemistry much more gradually, and phase 1 will be far less of a shock to you system.

The problem with this will be controlling your carbs: if you start with Phase 2, you will not yet have transformed your blood chemistry as Phase 1 is intended to do. Therefore you will find yourself craving a second or third piece of whole grain bread, or eating more total carbs than phase 2 demands. It will require more of the will-power that makes other diets difficult, but over the one month, your cravings should decrease gradually, without the sometimes debilitating blood-chemistry chaos that many dieters experience on Phase 1.

And again, IF YOU WERE THROWN INTO CHAOS BY PHASE 1 for more than four days, get a complete blood workup with special attention to your risks for hypoglycemia and diabetes.

I started SBD on Monday (Jan 15th). I find myself staying full a lot longer and I put on a pair of jeans today that are normally a bit tight, but they feel pretty good.

I've lost about 2 - 4 pounds. I don't know exactly because I have two scales. Both scales gave me the same reading Monday morning (130 pounds) but this morning one scale said 126 and the other said 128. Don't ask me why I have two scales - I'm just obsessed I guess.

Anyway, my question is regarding breakfast foods. I am not a big egg eater, and I've been making omelets with salsa and other protein. I'm just SICK of it now. Does anyone know of something else to eat - besides bacon, sausage, etc. What I'm really craving is a blueberry muffin! Does anyone know of a mix sold in grocery stores that fits in this diet? I'd be much appreciative.

Well, to answer my own question, I did find some SBD breakfast bars that are fulfilling, so I'm happy.

Question to those who have lost weight during Phrase 1.

Is the weight lost just water, or have you measured yourself to actually notice inches lost?

I understand that if you lift weights, you'll gain muscle weight. Therefore, I'm more interested in the inches lost. Please share your experience. Thank you.

Has anyone gone onto Phase II and still limited their carb intake? Sort of a mix of Phase I and Phase II? I have been on Phase I for 2 weeks, lost 9 pounds, and just started Phase II but as scared of adding too many carbs...

Hi all

I'm on Day 10 of Phase 1. I've done a lot of diets in my past, and this one is bad. I hated days 1-5 as I felt shaky and the food was boring, but since then have felt fine. Lost four pounds in the first week, and seemingly nothing since - but still have four days to go and I know that weight fluctuates day to day, so the best thing is to only weight yourself once a week. I've also introduced ready meals (SBD/Kraft ones) - they are nearly all hideous, trust me! But beats another omelette or chicken with veg. The Pork filettino at Olive Garden isn't bad, and the Grilled Garlic Shrimp at Red Lobster are okay too (these feature in the South Beach Diet eating out book, but mostly it tells you what you can't have - unless eating salads with no dressing is your thing, that is!)

In my opinion, this diet is one of the most logical and one of the best for the long-term, but I found the first few days almost unbearable. I am a wimp, I know! I just had to think of the 'no pain, no gain' thing - or, should I say, 'no pain, no loss'!

I'm slightly wary of going on to Phase 2 as I still have about seven pounds to lose, but I can always go back to Phase 1 if necessary - if I can bear it!

I also have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), which generally makes it harder for me to lose weight, but this diet does seem to work. I might not be losing as much as other (lucky!) people, but hopefully if the rate of loss is slower the weight will stay off.

By the way, has anyone found that Diet Coke or glasses of (low-fat) milk interfere? That's the only thing I reintroduced in the last few days and I wonder if that's why the rate slowed down?

Good luck everyone!