Need some help with menus and support and advice...

[Journi167]

I am new to this board, and new to this lifestyle. I am a little confused. How is this different than Atkins? DO I need to be in ketosis for it to work? Is there a "number" of carbs I should stay below or is this easier than I am makit it out to be?

I am frightened to not count calories even though I have been counting them for more than 5 months, along with a personal trainer and working out 6 days a week with absolutely no loss. I thought about Atkins as an alternative, but from what I recall, it is just too restrivtive. I need fiber and that fudgsicle makes this bearable. I usually can't last 3 days on Atkins without binging on icecream or something. the fact that I can have some things makes this easier. But am I fooling myself?

I ran 5miles today. I started this plan on yesterday. Today I felt completely exhausted. I had eggwhites and fat free cheddar cheese for breakfast before my run. When I came home I was not hungry. I was sore and needed an epsom salt bath. Afterwhich, I had a large salad with turkey and almonds. I had that fudgsicle for a snack. I had another salad and turkey burger for dinner followed by my dessert of a fudgsicle.

I am afraid of this. Am I going to do this for two weeks and find that I have gained weight, not loss? What supplements are carb free that will help me stay regular with all this protein? I feel full constantly.

Just trying to understand the differences and science behind this lifestyle.

Looking forward to all you have to say!

[ladybugnessa]

I am new to this board, and new to this lifestyle. I am a little confused. How is this different than Atkins? DO I need to be in ketosis for it to work? Is there a "number" of carbs I should stay below or is this easier than I am makit it out to be?

have you read the book? if not it would really help. the later phases of atkins and SBD are simlar.

we do NOT want ketosis. it's a bad thing.

we do not count carbs.

I ran 5miles today. I started this plan on yesterday. Today I felt completely exhausted. I had eggwhites and fat free cheddar cheese for breakfast before my run. When I came home I was not hungry. I was sore and needed an epsom salt bath. Afterwhich, I had a large salad with turkey and almonds. I had that fudgsicle for a snack. I had another salad and turkey burger for dinner followed by my dessert of a fudgsicle.

egg whites and fat free cheddar yuck! have a whole egg and some whites. have some veggies have some beans. have some 2% milk cheddar... you need veggies and fats..

btw you only get 100 calories of sweet treats per day so watch the fudgesicles....

are you getting your beans, your dairy and your good fats?

are you getting enough water?

I am afraid of this. Am I going to do this for two weeks and find that I have gained weight, not loss? What supplements are carb free that will help me stay regular with all this protein? I feel full constantly.

phase 1 is not about the loss it's about gaining control of your cravings and blood sugar levels

we don't supplement and we don't count carbs...

are you getting enough veggies and beans...


read the book
read the faq
read the stickies

learn what the program is about... it's a great plan....

[Journi167]

I drink 150-200 oz of water per day.

No I have not read the book. I thought I could gather the same information from the site. Quite honestly I don't have time to read it. I just checked to see if it was at the library and it is. I will drop by and pick it up. I still believe the nuances of any plan are better understood by those doing it....not reinventing the wheel, if you will.

I was looking at the Phase 1 food list and saw that I could have black beans. I am still searching to see if I can also have black eyed peas, and pinto beans. That is a staple in my family and I thought I would have to give them up for a while. That would help with the fiber for sure.

No ketosis huh? Wow, I am really looking forward to seeing how this works then. The premise of Atkins is a ketongenic state.

I am concerned about the amount of cholesterol I intake, that is why I use egg whites. That is all I buy for my family becuase my husband has extremely his bad cholesterol and refuses to do things to take care of himself. I do what I can. I also can have more eggwhites caloriewise than I can whole eggs. I can't think of a veggie that I can make myself eat at breakfast. Mentally just doesn't fit for me personally.

I do not drink cow's milk. I do eat cheese on occassion, so I am not sure what other dairy I can do. My family just doesn't tolerate cow's milk. We do soy instead. As for fats, I cook in olive oil and will now change to 2%fat cheese if I can find it. I live in Germany and shop at a military commissary. You get what you get here.

I read only 75 calories a day from sweet treats. That is why I chose the fugdgsicle. I get in 80 (and let my little one take a bite of the second one) so I can feel like I am having something decadent. I would probably choose rock hard coolwhip if the fudgsicle were not available. It is as close to ice cream with texture and taste without all the fattening stuff.

I am reading the faqs but have no idea what stickies are. Still searching through the site for information.

Thanks...and can I ask what your personal experience has been on this plan. how long? How much have you lost? Goals...etc.

Thanks for the response!

[ladybugnessa]

No I have not read the book. I thought I could gather the same information from the site. Quite honestly I don't have time to read it. I just checked to see if it was at the library and it is. I will drop by and pick it up. I still believe the nuances of any plan are better understood by those doing it....not reinventing the wheel, if you will.

those of us that are most successful on the plan have read the book. it's a fast easy read...

I was looking at the Phase 1 food list and saw that I could have black beans. I am still searching to see if I can also have black eyed peas, and pinto beans. That is a staple in my family and I thought I would have to give them up for a while. That would help with the fiber for sure.

pinto beans are fine as are black eyed peas. a serving of beans is 1/3-1/2 a cup and you can have more than one serving a day.

I am concerned about the amount of cholesterol I intake, that is why I use egg whites. That is all I buy for my family becuase my husband has extremely his bad cholesterol and refuses to do things to take care of himself. I do what I can. I also can have more eggwhites caloriewise than I can whole eggs. I can't think of a veggie that I can make myself eat at breakfast. Mentally just doesn't fit for me personally.

you are supposed to have 1/2 cup of veggies at breakfast. you can have tomato juice or v8 vegetable juice instead. for me on the weekends i have 1 egg 2 whites and scramble onions, peppers and mushrooms in with it... yummy...

I do not drink cow's milk. I do eat cheese on occassion, so I am not sure what other dairy I can do. My family just doesn't tolerate cow's milk. We do soy instead. As for fats, I cook in olive oil and will now change to 2%fat cheese if I can find it. I live in Germany and shop at a military commissary. You get what you get here.

plain fat free yogurt can be dairy. or milk. soy milk will have to be no sugar added... just make sure your cheese (which is protein on this plan) is 6g of fat per 1 oz serving or less.

I read only 75 calories a day from sweet treats. That is why I chose the fugdgsicle. I get in 80 (and let my little one take a bite of the second one) so I can feel like I am having something decadent. I would probably choose rock hard coolwhip if the fudgsicle were not available. It is as close to ice cream with texture and taste without all the fattening stuff.

it's 100 calories per day now. it includes fudgesicles, sugar free syrups, sugar free hard candies, and gum....

I am reading the faqs but have no idea what stickies are. Still searching through the site for information.

stickies are at the tops of each forum...

Thanks...and can I ask what your personal experience has been on this plan. how long? How much have you lost? Goals...etc.

started sbd May 1, 2006, been doing it since then.... i tend to eat larger portions of good foods AND I tend to treat more often than some who are more driven.. but my goal is to LIVE and be healthy and make this a lifetime permanent change so it's working for me.

as of this morning I'm down 71 pounds.

[Journi167]

Thanks again. I took a trip to the post library and discovered the book on the "give away" shelf, which means it was free! Was that an omen? Hmmmm. LOL

I went straight to the commissary from there and bought ingredients for meal plans on P1. I just had Suprise SB Mashed Potatoes and Vegetable Quiche. It was really good and make it a little easier for me to eat as many veggies as I should. That with salad should suffice for the week until I explore the book and find more options.

This is really not difficult for me as far as eating veggies and letting go of bread and other hi GI foods. What is difficult for me is eating. I have only been at this 3 days and I am not eating enough food. I do not want to screw up my metabolism. I recently had a test that showed it was at the lowest end of normal. I need to increase it and if I don't eat enough it will certainly decrease. This is why I work out so hard. I can do that. I am fat but in good shape. My weekly routine is as follows:
Mon-weight training (with trainer) and 30 mins of cardio
Tue-Interval runs with sprints and jogs 45min
Wed-Weight training (with trainer) and 30 mins of cardio
Thu- Step aerobics class 45 mins plus ab training 20min
Fri- Steady state run or Elliptical 45-60 mins
Sat- 5mile outdoor run
Sun-rest

If I don't eat, I can't keep up that expenditure of energy. But I am finding myself weak and tired in the last three days. Where does the energy come from? I have read that I would be full of energy.

Congratulations on your 71lb loss. Having losss 130, I know that was no easy feat. And good for you, recognizing that a lifestyle, not a diet will prolong your life and the quality of it.

[ladybugnessa]

ok the book you got is the OLD book but that's ok... check the faq for the updated food lists with bananas carrots and dairy... and all the beans...

sounds like you have a plan.

good luck

[Jeanniemae]

Journi-Great job on your weight loss so far. After sticking with Atkins this way of eating should be sooo simple for you.

I think your lack of energy might be coming from not eating enough beans and milk. On SB you are allowed 2 servings of milk (I use yogurt, but no sugar added soy milk works too) and beans. SBD suggests that you get your good carbs from beans and milk. 1/3-1/2 a cup is considered a serving of beans, and you can have more than one serving a day. And yes black eyed peas are included. Also, to help increase your energy, make sure to get in 4.5 cups of veggies a day. The veggies give you good carbs, but htey also fill you up on low calorie food.

That is really awesome that you got the book for free! Is God speaking to you ? You had commented on how your husbands cholesterol is high and he is not doing anything about. I think you will be surprised at how this diet can help, even if he is not following strictly you will be surving healthier food.

Looking forward to hearing more from you. Have a wonderful Sunday.

[Journi167]

ok the book you got is the OLD book but that's ok... check the faq for the updated food lists with bananas carrots and dairy... and all the beans...

sounds like you have a plan.

good luck

The book I have was published in 2003. Is there a more up to date version?

Ok...off to read.

[Jeanniemae]

Is there a more up to date version?

There is, the new Supercharged book, but you should be able to get all the information you need from the original and this website. For the up to date food list, check out this link for Phase 1:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29305
And this link will help you plan your meals:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24136
Hope this helps.

[Journi167]

Thanks!!!

[Journi167]

Ok guys, I was all gungho and thought I had finally found what I needed to lose the last of my weight, but I have not been successful.

If there are any of you on sparkpeople my name is forward167. You can see my food logs there. I still count calories and write down everything I eat out of habit. I just have to see what i am doing.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but I did not lose weight (8-10) in the first 14 days the way the book toughts. AFter 1 week, I might have been down a pound. I was so bummed out. On Fri and Sat I just let it all hang out. i didn't care anymore. I had a binging tantrum if you will.. No surprise...that just made me feel even worse.

So Sunday morning I woke up with a new attitude. Perhaps I didn't do the diet right. I have the book, I have read much of it. I have browsed the site. I thought that if I came back here and told you guys what I was doing you could steer me away from that brick wall I keep finding.

Today, for breakfast I had 2 spinach/eggbeaters/ground turkey sausage muffins. I went to the gym and did 30 mins on the elliptical at 150-160rpms and then an hour with my trainer on weights. I came home and had an 11.5oz can of V8 with 1cup of garbanzo beans mixed in. I have drank 50oz of water so far. the time is 12:34pm. I am not hungry, so lunch will be much later. I don't want to feel stuffed.

Yesterday was Aug 10. My goal is to stay away from the scale until the morning Aug 25. The scales movement up and down and so do my emotions. I am going to give it a full 2 weeks of doing it RIGHT and see what happens.

Please let me know if you see anything that I am doing wrong or know of anyway to boost my results. I really need to see some form of success. I am going crazy. How could I work out 6 days a week and train twice a week for 5 months and lose nothing? It is not a good feeling. It is seeping in to my everyday life. i went from feeling confident and powerful to feeling like a victim again...and powerless. I don't like these feelings. Feelings of failure are haunting me.

Thank you for your help.

[RedRox]

you may not be eating enough to lose weight.

so far you had:

B: 2 egg/turkey sausage spinach "muffins". I assume breadless.
S: none
L: 11.5 oz of V8 and 1 cup of beans
S: none?
D: ?

The plan is built on eating something every 2-3 hours. Breakfast was probably your best meal so far assuming at least 1/2 cup of spinach was used.

You need a midmorning snack, even if you are at the gym.

Lunch: both of those exceed recommendations. V8 is supposed to be 4-6 oz. daily in place of 1/2 cup veggies. beans are supposed to be 1/3 - 1/2 cup per serving and while you can have multiple servings in a day, you shouldn't double them up in a single meal. You should have 2 cups of veggies with lunch. While beans count towards that, they should not be the only vegetable. Lunch should also include at least 3 oz. of protein and a tablespoon of good fats. Proten and fats are missing completely.

Be sure to find the links to the meal planning template and the current foods list in the P1 FAQ sticky thread. I think if you spend some time reviewing those, you can start putting together better meal plans that may increase your chances of seeing some "success" by the 25th. Although I think you are defining "success" only in terms of scale weight and that isn't usually a good indicator of how things are really going.

[Kimboroni]

You've already lost about 100 pounds? In how long? Your body just might need a break to resettle before it can let go of some more weight. It doesn't need a break of healthy eating, however, so let's get you on a proper SB and in it for the long haul. This is your new life and you can make it work!

Just forget everything you learned on Atkins and "all this protein" (although it looks like you already have, so that's one less hurdle).

[SpoonSockSpork12]

Seriously you've already lost sooo much weight, congrats! But this truly works in the best possible way, so please don't give up! I can't believe you are working out so much too. I agree with everything said above, particularly the not eating enough food (which I am often guilty of, I can't seem to find a happy medium). Have you considered some of the weight being muscle?

[Journi167]

Ok, my husband often tells me that I lack tact. I thin I am brutally honest...you decide.

I am screaming inside because I can't type fast enought to "explain" my case and ask questions.

1. I lost 130lbs by using the concept of calorie defecit, in that I ate about 1500 calories daily and worked out burning anywhere from 400-1000 calories daily. I went from 320lbs to 130lbs in about 2 years. I kept it off for more than a year. I then had a tummy tuck. My convelescence lasted much longer than I had hoped. Then I had 6-8 weeks with no kitchen. I live in Germany. We bought a new house. Took 2 months to get a kitchen installed...cultural challenge number 15, 692! In that time I gained nearly 35lbs eating out every day 3-4times a day and not good food. For more than 20 weeks (I pay the trainer by the week, this is how I know for sure) I have been back in the gym, weight training, running, kickboxing, you name it. My heart rate is always above 80% in cardio and I work out 30-90 mins 6 days a week.

2. V8 in small can versus large can. I had no idea about this. I have to stop drinking it period because it has too much sodium and I have high blood pressure. This diet is much harder than it is touted. I need simplicity and it seems way more complicated. I have read the book and the stickies. Never read that. EEEK! So I have to start over again??? I don't mind the strict phase. It is not difficult for me to let go of the grains and other carbs. I wasn't eating processed foods or simple carbs much anyway. But it was the carbs that helped with the calories. I found out a couple days ago that I could have beans. This helps becuase all that protein left me irregular and miserable! That I cannot for life. So only 1/2c of beans at each meal...2-3 hours apart.

3. Yesterday I did have 2 snacks and three meals. I will show you. Please tell me what I did wrong and what I could have done right had I known. Breakfast-spinach, egg and sausage quiche with no cheese. After gym snack of 11.5oz can of V8 and a cup of Garbanzo beans. Lunch was lean ground beef burger, asparagus, sauteed onions and 1/8 cup of part skim mozzarella. Snack was 2 fugsicles (80 cals no sugar). Dinner was 4oz of chicken breasts, 12 asparagus spears, 1/8c part skim mozzerella nd 1/8 c 2% cheddar and 1/2cu scallions. I didn't have a snack after dinner. I was full. I read that I should stuff myself. Well I felt stuffed after lunch and dinner, but tried to get it all in.

4. Somewhere i read that lettuces or salad greens almost didn't count because they don't provide enough calories. I can eat a salad daily with 3-5 cups of romaine, cukes, spinach and some chicken or turkey but then I am not getting enough food.

Ok, I know you can feel my frustration. I also know that some of you are empathizing and some of you are wishing I would go away. I just want to understand. You can't imagine the feelings of failure and defeat I have been dealing with this year. Yes, the scale matters. I definitely matters. Inches matter too. My health matters. I was not unhealthy before starting this diet. I am just fat! I am strong and mobile as well. I just dont' know what the missing piece of the puzzle is. I am not a whiner by nature. I am a doer. I just keep running into this brick wall and it is effecting my quality of life. Esteem issues are resurfacing after having rid myself of them after 30+ years of having them. All kinds of emotional issues are surfacing again. I am back to not wanting my husband to touch me....big problem. But it is all mine. I want to do something about it. I thought this diet/eating plan was the way. It is certainly my final effort. I don't believe diets work. They never have. My attraction to this one is because it makes sense. Atkins did not make sense. Liquid diets, slim fast, nutrisystem, jenny craig, scarsdale, optifast...none of those make sense! I couldn't do any of them for the rest of my life. I couldn't allow my kids to eat like that. So what had worked, worked for my entire family...my life. I am trying to do the same with this....

I am prayerful....and looking forward to what ever you have to say.