[nauticalstar420]

I started the South Beach diet today. Can you guys give me your good and bad experiences with this diet? And overall, does it work?

Thanks a bunch.

[Scottish2008]

The south beach diet is more along the lines for weight loss. I have heard of it and I still as of yet to hear any good news about it. Then again it depends on the person. If you have strong goals and are planning on staying with it. I can see it working. Less we forget that allot has to do with you life still. You would still need to exercise. People that are trying to lose weight are always thinking it has everything to do with what they eat. The fact is that if you won't to loss weight you would need to exercise on a daily basis as well change your diet.
Try it and if it works please post it in the weight loss area so others can see your results. Best of luck to you.

[HistorianChick]

I started the SBD on July 1st with a friend. I've lost almost 50 pounds. The first 40 were simply the diet. My work was crazy and I never could find time to exercise... but the weight kept coming off. The last two months I've been semi-regular with exercise and have lost inches rather than more pounds.

SBD really worked for me because it was a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Your first two weeks (or however long you decide to do Phase 1) are awfully hard. Your body will go through the withdrawals and cravings... believe me - it will be hard! But don't give up!

Now, if I want to go Italian, I have no problem whatsoever eating a huge plate of pasta, Italian bread, and tirimisu :) The cool thing about it is you just don't want it all the time because you're body has gotten used to the stuff that is good for you.

Good luck :)

Oh - buy a George Forman Grill if you don't already have one... you will LOVE it! :)

[nauticalstar420]

SBD really worked for me because it was a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Your first two weeks (or however long you decide to do Phase 1) are awfully hard. Your body will go through the withdrawls and cravings... believe me - it will be hard! But don't give up!

I know what you mean about phase 1, I just started yesterday and I'm already craving so many things. I'm trying to be strong.. lol.

Oh, and I already have a Foreman grill. I absolutely love that thing. :p

[HistorianChick]

You're going to adore it by the time you're done! Kebabs are the best things about the SBD... they are totally good for any phase of the diet! Veggies and marinated steak... or shrimp... mmmmm... yum... :)

Cravings will pass, keep it up! :)

[kp2171]

Daughter did it after her first two years in college added on some lbs... beer, anyone?

Her experience was that the diet seemed to work ok-ish.. with exercise she saw big things happen, and then when exercise waned, she gained some back, but kept some off.

Wish I knew more details. A person my wife works with swears by it... but again, I don't know if they also became more physically active while doing the diet.

[nauticalstar420]

Thanks guys. I just want to see, overall, if I'm wasting my time on this. I am being active whether it be exercising, playing with the kids, etc. I've already tried diet pills, and they didn't work; it wasn't that big of a surprise, I didn't think they'd work in the first place, I was just hoping. :p

HC -- Shrimp and veggie kabobs sound wonderful! I'll have to add that to my shopping list! Believe it or not, what I'm craving the most is fruit! Luckily, I get to have it in phase 2.

Kp -- Thanks for the input. I've heard from other people the same thing, that its just okay. I'll at least ride it out to phase 2, and if I don't see any results, I'll see about another diet.

[HistorianChick]

Yup... fruit was what I craved the most. But you're right - you can add it back in during Phase 2. In the meantime, Crystal Light takes a little of the I NEED FRUIT bite off! :)

[lovelesspa]

I'm all for any diet plan that is healthy and contains all the nutrients that our bodies need each day to stay healthy. The reason there are so many different diet plans out there is because not every plan works for every-body. We are all different, how our bodies react to foods, our digestions and even the way weight is distributed, metabolism, thus the need for different plans for different people. Now, the "But"... I have reviewed this diet in the past and found that because it really restricts carbs in the first two weeks, it causes weakness in most people. Doesn't seem like a good plan to me. And, you won't be getting you 5 fruit/veggies each day during phase 1, so your also eliminating a lot of vitamins and minerals you need each day. When you eliminate all carb rich food you cut off good sources of fiber as well as B vitamins, Iron, calcium, zinc from foods like whole grain breads, cereals and Milk.
Once again, with the proper exercise and smaller portions of good lean meats, (3 oz) fish, fruits, veggies, legumes, seeds and nuts, and dairy, I think that most people can have the positive results they are looking for but it takes some time getting use to portion control. If you need a plan to get you where you want to be and this makes losing weight easier for you, great, (as long as you keep up on your vitamin and mineral supplements.)

[kp2171]

lovelesspa-

Just read an article about carbs and how you can restrict carb uptake by eating them cold... that heating starches opens up the chains (which it does... I've done chemical tests that use this phenomenon in the lab) and cooling them down can lock them in a restrictive form that doesn't get digested easily... and also causes the gi tract to ferment them into butyrate (a really nasty smelling chemical in the lab... wonder if this causes bad, bad gas?) which can cause the liver to stop using carbs and turn to fats...

Was that a run on or what...

Anyway... have you read any about this? Any experience? Any food prep experience with this?

My concern is recipes! Not a fan of cold potatoes for the most part. A banana for restrictive starch, OK... ill even do cold rice sweetened just a touch and with cinnamon... but cold beans, cold corn, cold potatoes sound unappealing...

Then again... I think the article said just a half cup to a cup of restricted starch food can make a big difference...

Don't know enough about it yet...

[lovelesspa]

KP2171; was quite a mouthful, and you got my wheels turning, I'll have to open the books and look into this further, I have heard about eating the cold way, with some carbs it's just a little rusty right now, but I will get back to you on this. ( like you, sound gross for the most past, to eat some of it cold. Hmmmm quite a great thinker!

[kp2171]

hey, didn't mean to put you on the spot... and I made a mistake by saying "restricted carbs" when its apparently "resistant carbs"

here's the article I saw and a wiki article that talks more about it

Nature's Fat-Burning Breakthrough - Prevention.com

Resistant starch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

thing is... fermentation of resistant carbs in the gut, in my opinion, should make one gassy. Add a little butyrate for stink and I think you'd be the sour, bloated, stinky person eating cold potatoes and too green bananas.

=P

seemed like an interesting article at first glance, but maybe id rather do another mile than that...

[lovelesspa]

kp2171 I think what your referrering to is resistant starch foods. This is a type of dietary fiber like what's in potato, grains, beans, yams bananas... Replacing 5% of your total carbs with resistant starch will increase fat burning after a meal, by 20%. Cooking makes it absorb water and swell as it cools, portions of starch become crystallized into the form resisting digestion. The R.S. is made during cooling, to room temperature (or you can refrigerate it), but the cooling process will raise the resistant starches as long as you don't recook or heat it back up. The whole process can prevent the liver from using carbs as fuel, instead stored body fat and fat you just ate are burned instead. But you don't necessarily have to eat it ice cold, just cooled to room temperature to get the benefits.