Newbie needs advice on dairy alternatives

[piggles5]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and have just decided to switch over from a low cal diet (which didn't seem to be losing me much weight).

I have done this diet many many years ago - as well as Atkins & WW but as I had cut down my sugars already with my low cal diet, I thought this would be a simpler diet to give my weight loss a boost.

My only problem is that I have a dairy intolerance which means this will limit my food choices.

I can eat a small amount as I'm not allergic, but it does give me really bad guts and too much makes me nauseous. Also, I'm not supposed to have too many egg whites either.

I can handle lunch & dinner but I'm going to struggle with breakfasts as I usually have a small bowl of porridge with water or rice milk.


My questions are:-

1) can I still have coconut milk (drinking type) or almond milk in place of milk?
2) I use butternut squash as a potato substitute (mashed) - is this not allowed??
3) any alternative breakfast ideas ie can we make low carb wraps with alternative flours (rice or flax etc)

And any other advice as I don't want to end up eating nothing because of my problems.

Thank you

[masm2]

Yes, you can follow South Beach and be dairy free. I have been dairy free for years. I use soy milk instead. I am not sure about coconut milk-maybe one of the moderators will know the answer to that question.

In Phase I you are not supposed to have any grains. It is only for 2 weeks then you can slowly reintroduce the grains and starchy vegetables.

In the book there are lists of allowed foods for each phase and sample meal plans and recipes. You can also find those things here. When you see eggs or cheese in a sample menu-simply choose a different protein from the lists of meat or tofu-problem solved! More people have trouble getting the vegetable serving with breakfast. I have a small can of V8 vegetable juice. It is important to have lean protein and vegetables at every meal, snacks, and good fats through out the day.

For two weeks-have a serving of ham, turkey bacon, etc. with a V8, or meat and veggies left over from the previous nights dinner. Add beans to bump up the good carbs and fiber.

Don't get bogged down by the things you can't have. Try new things instead!

[piggles5]

Hi! Thanks v much for replying.
I will avoid the flax & squash for now then and I bought some feta light so I can have that with salad.
Can't have any soya unfortunately as it gives me terrible indigestion. I'm the worst candidate for dairy intolerance! Ha ha. I checked my coconut milk & it's v v low carb & low cal & low fat so hoping it will be fine.

Also got some smoked salmon to try that for breakfast :0)

[DCLissa17]

If you have one of the SB books, please read it thoroughly. Also check out the P1 faq's and food to enjoy list to get answers to most of your questions. South Beach is NOT a low-carb, low-cal, or low fat diet and it is very important that you understand that and understand how the diet actually works so that you are able to get fully on board with it.

- Butternut squash is a starchy vegetable and is considered as a starch serving...ok to add in P2 and count as a starch (similar to sweet potatoes)
- Flax seeds are counted in the nut category, one serving of nuts a day. A serving size of flax is 1oz (3 TBSp) so if cooking/baking with them, calculate how much you'll eat in one serving. Remember that other nuts and peanut butter are counted in this daily limit so if you're eating something made with flax you may not be able to have any other nuts that day
- I'm pretty sure that coconut and almond milk are both acceptable substitutes as long as they don't have any added sugars but I don't know that they actually count towards dairy limits or as a good carb source
- Don't get hung up on breakfast being "breakfast food" The only restrictions about breakfast is to include a protein portion ~2-4oz + at LEAST a 1/2cup of veggies. It is not required to have eggs or milk products. You can have salmon, chicken, turkey, ham, fish, cheese, beans, yogurt..so on and so forth for your protein. Don't forget the veggies! A few raw veggies, or something in a stirfry/skillet with your protein, or a V8 are all various options. Dairy is not required at all, but it is a "good" carb source so that is why it is often recommended. In P1 a lot of carb sources are cut out in order to help moderate the blood sugar and cut down on cravings, so it is important to maximize the good carb sources to prevent the body from going into ketosis which is bad for you. If you aren't going to have milk no biggie. Just make sure to really maximize the other "good" carb source - beans! If you don't have any milk or yogurt, try to have several servings of beans a day. Any meal or snack is fine. A serving of beans is 1/2c. at a time.

[Magna]

Light coconut milk is allowed as a condiment - it's listed on the phase 1 "foods to enjoy" list that way. It might work in some recipes that call for milk, but it's not a milk/yogurt substitute for SBD as far as I know. (This means you could have some light coconut milk as well as whatever dairy substitute you decide on.) If you decide to use light coconut milk in cooking, watch the quantity - even the light kind is kind of high in fat. Soy milk is fine as a substitute for milk, though.

Fwiw, the moderators' job is to take care of administrative things. But any experienced member - not just the moderators - can probably offer useful advice.

[piggles5]

Hi guys,

Thanks for replying.

Coconut milk - its the drinking variety I meant & not the cooking one. It has added calcium but no sugar so I'm glad it's ok to drink in moderation.

I have ordered the book which should come tommorrow, it's the super charged version. I have also printed out a list of foods I can eat from the FAQ's but it didn't mention about the coconut milk (I can't have soya hence me needing it as a replacement).

I have to be honest and say I'm really struggling already with eating. Lunch and dinner are generally fine but I hate breakfast time now & feel quite depressed about it. I have always eaten loads of veg but for breakfast I just can't hack it. Maybe it's because I don't feel well and think I'm getting a cold as since I started dieting 3 weeks ago (first few weeks were low cal but I cut out all bad carbs anyway and sugars, having only one or 2 apples as snacks. I honestly feel that I haven't had any cravings for anything bad or sweet & was extremely healthy on my previous diet. The reason I swapped was that it wasn't working fast enough for me and on week 3, I didn't lose anything.

I have done this diet before so know the basics and thought my bod needed a good kick from all the desserts and wine I was having.
Will see how it goes...

[KatrinaR]

I love unsweetened almond milk, which I get from Trader Joe's. I like it better than real milk and it's very low calorie.

[DCLissa17]

I honestly feel that I haven't had any cravings for anything bad or sweet & was extremely healthy on my previous diet. The reason I swapped was that it wasn't working fast enough for me and on week 3, I didn't lose anything.

ou
These 2 sentences are worrisome to me for a few reasons.

1. If you truly don't feel like you have cravings for "bad" carbs, sweets, etc., you are fine to just start this diet in P2. Note: you STILL have to eat the P1 minimums, you just add in good starches and fruit to those minimums in P2.
2. I am extremely concerned that you may not understand exactly what SB is. It is NOT a quick-loss diet. It is not even designed as a weight loss diet, weight loss is just a happy side effect of eating this way. If you were on another diet for 3 weeks and switched to SB because you didn't lose weight as fast as you thought you should, you are likely to be very disappointed. It is unlikely that you will suddenly start losing weight quickly on SB. Especially if you don't have a great deal to lose. The less you have to lose, the longer it takes and the more committed to this way of eating you will need to be. If you don't understand that going in, and understand the principles of SB, you are not likely to find success and will be frustrated and quit. Please read the book when you get it, search and read online here so that you truly can understand how this all works.

I hope you can wholeheartedly adopt this WOE, it is a great LIFETIME "diet"!

(FWIW, I'm 29, 5', 115lbs. I'm on SB and believe in it to eat better, feel better, and be healthier for my future!)
~Lissa

[piggles5]

Hi,
Yes I do understand what the diet was designed for as I have done it before and read the basics online. Being honest thought, not many people do this diet or any diet as a lifetime change - but rather to lose weight., I chose to move onto it because I hated counting calories (& felt I was never accurate), knew you can potentially lose weight faster in phase 1 (whether it's a happy side effect or not-it's still an incentive) and is one of the healthier stricter diets out there. I chose not to do Atkins because I refuse to eat lots of fat & no veg or fruit.

Not everyone will be doing this with a view that it's a way of life. Most will just be to lose weight.
What I was looking for was some support from people having the same issues rather than being made to feel like I shouldn't b on the diet if I don't fall into the whole concept.

[qtssima]

You may also want to check on some of the vegan cheeses. I use them every once in awhile. Daiya is a shredded form that melts really well. If you aren't into eggs in the morning, some mornings I would take a few slices of ham and melt some cheese on them under the broiler, then roll up. Have this with your V8 or other vegetable based juice that you can tolerate. Or if you can find a decent tomato, cut the ends off the tomato, then cut it in half, top with the vegan cheese, and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. Slices of cucumber with lox also worked on the mornings I just couldn't do eggs.

The only way I could do veggies in the morning was with eggs, and it looks like you can't do much in that department.

There are also block forms that can be sliced. These cheeses are usually soy-based, so you will get some good protein. Can you eat yogurt of any kind?

I can't tell if you are trying to do some type of modified Phase I or not - wraps are definitely not allowed in Phase I, but some are allowed in Phase II. Hope that helps -

[masm2]

Hey I just thought I would add my 2 cents in the "quick weight loss fix" verses "way of eating" debate going on here.

SBD does seem like a healthy way to drop some pounds quick in PI. If you follow the plan closely-that can happen. As explained in the book as... I understand it... the pounds lost is water weight due to the chemical reaction of your body using up glycogen stores. Glycogen is your body's store of "fast fuel." If you don't use it it will be stored as fat. When the glycogen is used-water molecules are released. The food you are supposed to eat is all low on the glycemic index and you eat those foods in proper combinations of good carbs, protein, and good fats. That in turn stabilizes your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is stable-you do not have those afternoon crashes that have your reaching for that candy bar. When your blood sugar is stable and you are not creating an excess of glycogen you then start to burn fat in PII. PII is slow weight loss-but it is real weight loss. PIII is when you are a the weight you want to be-or if you accept it- the weight your body chooses for you. Then you are prepared to maintain your weigh and be healthy for the rest of your life and return to PI and PII as you need to-because we do have ups and downs and at times need to refocus.

In a nut shell-what I think DCLissa was trying to say-if you embrace this way of eating-you will not need to look for a quick fix ever again...and yes you can do it dairy free.

[piggles5]

Thanks for your input guys!
Unfortunately I can't eat anything with soya in, or yoghurt - but I will just avoid cheese altogether as I don't want to feel icky and I'm not 100% convinced on the fake stuff, he he. They may have improved with time tho so I might pick some up next time I'm in town to try.

Thanks also for explaining re the water weight loss. I wld be happy with even that just so I fit into my dress for this big event next wk! I don't think it will happen now anyway as I'm doing more of a phase 2. I don't get the afternoon slump anymore and only craved carbs for the first time on day 3. I'm sticking to my healthy porridge in the morning and using butternut squash occasionally for me tea. I felt so much better last night for having added those little things and they r both low GI and low fat etc. I don't add in extra sugar to my porridge either.
I also understand that weight loss won't be fast but I seem stuck at 149lbs at the moment (got 2 stone to lose) and can't get anymore off.

Re V8 - my husband says its something he drank when abroad but I haven't seen it here in the UK. Thinking only health food shops might have something similar...