need to lose 10-15 lbs

[rm1026912]

i will be new to the south beach diet and will be starting this after the holidays. i'm pretty nervous, since nothing else seems to work for me - i was wondering if i do the phase 1 for two weeks and hopefully lose at least 10 lbs, will i have to do the phase 2, or can i just watch my carb intake and be able to keep the 10 lbs off that i lost doing phase 1??? i'm asking because i have 15 lbs to lose at the most and was curious about this...i worry that once you go back to eating the carbs the weight will come back. thanks for the input : )

[Kimboroni]

If you only need to lose 15 lbs, it's extremely unlikely that you'll lose 10 lbs in p1. Even people with 50 lbs to lose won't necessarily lose that much in the first 2 weeks.

P1 is really just to reset your carb cravings so you can move to p2 and not only lose the weight but also learn how to keep it off. That's where you learn how to "watch your carb intake" by learning what the good carbs are and how to eat them in normal portions as a food makeover. If you just go back to eating how you ate before, you probably would gain all the weight back. That's why SB is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix diet.

[rm1026912]

thanks for your reply. How many lbs can i expect to lose if phase one is followed correctly? do people like me with not alot of weight to lose drop the lbs slower than others? i'm not looking for a quick fix, just a weight loss to get me started and to keep me motivated. I've done other plans before only to lose a few ounces...very frustrating

[Kimboroni]

We can't really give you a number-- it may be in the range of 10-20% of the total amount that you want to lose, but there are no guarantees. That last 10-15 pounds is slow for everyone. Just focus on healthy and lasting weight loss. Try not to weigh yourself very often.

[ami]

I just want to add that if you have small amount of weight to lose, the process is very slow in any diet. I suggest you go by the way your clothes fit, how you feel in general and how you can handle cravings. This diet is not a fast way to lose weight, its a way to eat healthy, losing weight is a side effect.

[RedRox]

I would just add that Phase 2 IS the program, not Phase 1. Phase 2 is where you lose the most weight (just not the most quickly) and it is really where you learn what works for and what doesn't and sets up the dietary principles you need to follow for the rest of your life if you not only want to lose the weight but develop the tools to help maintain that loss. You already have a "diet", but it apparently is not providing the results you want or you wouldn't be looking for alternatives. So you already know that your current diet does not work. SB eating and principles may be the long term diet that provides what you really are looking for.