South Beach Dieters Group Meet Here!

[WeirdEyes]

QT ~ At this point, I would probably go back on Phase 1 for the whole 14 days. A weight loss right up front will motivate you. I've been toying with going back on Phase 1 for 14 days myself just to help my mentality and hopefully lose the 5 lbs that I've gained. Good luck and yes, you are lucky that your DH doesn't criticize you about your weight. My DH doesn't either and it makes a big difference. :D

[irislady]

Hi, everyone, the cruise and landtour were lovely, but I missed all of you! Bill and I did well MOST of the time watching what we ate, no potatoes, very little bread, dessert just every other day, and almost no alchohol. We walked a min. of 10,000 steps every day, usually closer to 13,000 even on the days when we spent hours on the bus or train. We'd just make a point of going on a long walk (or 2) each day before or after all the sitting. In the ports we often went over 15,000 steps. I did gain a couple of pounds, but I think it's mostly bloating from the carbs we did have (pizza, icecream, etc.) and weight gain from my anti-anxiety med, although the med used to make me gain 5-10 lbs. in 2 weeks. I only took half of the smallest dose, though. I can already feel the bloating lessening. I got off the med. once we got home.

Very bad news while we were gone, so I didn't post til now because I was so down-in-the-dumps. Shelby had a rapidly growing tumor and not an infection that was ready to abscess, so she got weaker and weaker and the vet "put her to sleep" a week after we left. He felt it best that we didn't know, so told the kids and pet sitter not to tell us. The worry about not hearing was actually so much worse than finding out. By the time we reached Denali I KNEW something was seriously wrong. We called instead of emailing and learned that she had died several days before. We got home last Friday, but didn't have the emotional energy to go get her ashes til Monday. It's been very hard knowing I wasn't there for her at the end, but I'm glad she didn't have to suffer until we did get back into town. If I had known before we left that it was cancer, I would have cancelled the trip.

At least there was some good news while we were gone, too. B-I-L has been doing better than expected and hasn't had to be hospitalized again.

Tami, I'm glad your DH is back to work. I know your GM will be fine after the surgery on her foot. Your pool sounds heavenly. Bill won't consider getting one because of the maintenance issues out here in the woods. I know what kind of critters the filter used to catch in a well landscaped subdivision. I can't imagine what we'd find on this property! We had sweltering weather here while we were gone, but it has been very comfortable since we got back. We even got to enjoy fishing in the lake on Sunday. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity are due back on Friday.

Sheila and Jori, PCD stinks, doesn't it? I would have jumped right back on another ship if I could have taken the dogs, GD and kids with us. Sheila, are you back on the SB wagon again? I saw the great big KICK Juli gave you! Boy, that's motivation...

Juli, I was so glad to hear how much you're enjoying your house. You'll have no trouble getting back into the swing of SB once things settle down. Don't worry about the scale, just use a favorite pair of jeans or a tape measure as your guide.

Holly, I know you've been through an awful lot, but good things will be happening for you again, soon. Just hang in there. I can't wait til you get to tell us about your first grandchild. How exciting. We're expecting grandbabies #2 and #3 in early Oct. and early Dec. #2 is a little boy. We'll hopefully find out about #3 on July 7th. Bill and I are going down to KY for DD's ultrasound.

QT and Holly, it is SO true that attitude makes a difference. Once you start seeing the positive differences that SBD will make in your health, weight, etc. it makes it easier to think of it as a WOE and not some punishing diet. After you're settled in the WOE for awhile returning to it after a break becomes almost second nature. Not many ways to cheat here at home because I just don't have that stuff in the house. Even things like Krispy Kremes don't hold much allure any more... and I used to LOVE those, too.

Cruiseonly, we've got a few SB products here. I didn't see the cookies or other new products yet, but I just ran into the grocery for a handful of items and didn't go down most aisles. I tried the pizza a while ago and thought it was just horrible. Worst frozen pizza I had ever had... very pricey, too. I generally like other low carb or sugar free products, so had expected to like the pizza.

[WeirdEyes]

Shae!!! I totally forgot that you were on your cruise! I'm glad you're back, but hate to hear about Shelby. I hope she didn't suffer in the end. I know that was very hard on you. I'm so sorry.

I'm back on the SB wagon...thank goodness. I've been doing my 3-mile Walk Away the Pounds DVD so far this week. It is affecting my back/knees, but hopefully that will get better. I feel better when I exercise so I'll keep it up even though it causes some pain. I'm starting new meds next week for the nerve pain so that should help. Side effects of the drug are weight loss and loss of appetite. I'll take it! LOL

Congrats on how well you did on your cruise. I wish I could be that good when I go on mine. Oh well....

Again, glad you're back! I missed you! :D

[Sandycruise]

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd post to ask a question for those who would be kind enough to answer.

If you were to write a Cliffs Notes of SB, or a guide for an illiterate idiot, how would you sum it all up? I'm taking a stab at phase one and it is a little overwhelming. BYE!

[WeirdEyes]

Sandy ~ I'll let our resident SB guru, Shae, handle this question. Good luck! I'll be joining you soon. :D

Shae ~ Are you there?

[ColoradoJuli]

Hi Girls ~

Been AWAL for a few days.

Had a really bad day earlier in the week, but am doing much better. I have plans to go back to Phase 1 for 14 days after the 4th. I am ready to kickstart this again. I have lost 30 pounds over the past year and would like to add 20 more to that by January. Don't know how unrealistic that is, but we will see what happens. That is only 4 pounds a month so 1 pound per week. That should be doable. Wow! I like breaking it down like that.

Shae ~ So sorry to hear about Shelby. We had to put our kitty cat of 16 years down a little over a week ago. She lost 50% of her weight in a little over a week and was in complete kidney failure. She was so weak and ill that she couldn't even get out of her bed to go to the bathroom. She would just lay in her urine. It was pretty sad. Scott & I were in the room with her when the doctor gave her the injection. It was nice to see how peaceful it was for her. It was really good for me to see it and know that the end was so 'easy' for her. On the other hand, it was very hard for Scott to see. She was alive one second and not with us the next second. Scott was very upset. Scott had bottle fed Dealey as a baby and hand raised her. We were able to bring her back home and bury her on our property. We have a little rock memorial for her. Scott found a great place between to huge Evergreen trees. It really is tough to lose such a wonderful long-time family member.

Sandy ~ Welcome to the group. I agree with Sheila, I'll let Shae answer. She is the SB guru. I do suggest reading the book, if you haven't, and buying the cookbook. The book really gives you a good basis and the cookbook helps you stay on track without getting bored eating the same thing all of the time.

Sheila ~ Take it easy, I'd hate for you to hurt your back any further. I am guessing that since you are going on some new medicine that you did go to the neurosurgeon? (or whoever it was you were going to see) Good luck with the new meds. I, unfortunately, am on drugs that don't suppress the appetite or make you lose weight. I have to do it all on my own.:mad: You lucky girl.;)

QT ~ What a great guy you have there. He sounds like a keeper even though he can eat anything! My nephew is 6' 10" and he eats anything he wants, but does not exercise. He is 22 years old and has a roll around his belly (love handles). I just hope he gets ahold of his eating or starts exercising. He is going to be huge if he doesn't do something soon.

Headed downstairs to help Scott with his office. He has boxes everywhere. I would like to find the floor so I can run the vacuum.

[irislady]

Juli, I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Besides Shelby we've had 3 other dogs and 2 cats that I dearly loved who had to be put down, too, so I understand your pain.

Sheila, I hope your new med. really helps your knees and back. Do be careful with your walking program. While walking is a terrific exercise it can still be hard on you under certain conditions. I was forbidden to walk on grades or uneven surfaces for weeks after my back surgery. That made it a bit tough where we live, so I had to get a treadmill. Once I got stronger I could go back to walking outside.

Sandy, welcome... and thanks Sheila and Juli for your confidence in my ability to summerize SBD. I hope I don't let you down. Sandy, I also recommend that you buy the SBD book, read it from cover to cover first, and then start this new way of eating. Understanding the impact of certain foods makes them easier to exclude from your way of eating. The book also gives you a good understanding of the glycemic index which plays a big part in food cravings.

Basically, SBD amounts to eliminating all the "poor" quality carbs. It's not low carb eating, it's "Smart Carb" eating. The easiest and best way to accomplish this is to banish all the simple carbohydrates from your kitchen. I literally bagged stuff up and gave it away or put it out of sight/out of reach for when our kids visited. Watch for hidden sources of sugar, like ketchup, some salad dressings, BBQ sauces, etc. While you won't be counting calories or grams of fat, you really need to make sure that you are eating sensible portions. Before you start Phase 1 make a grocery list of the allowed foods and stock up on those.

Phase 1 means no sugary or flour-y snacks like cake, cookies, chips, no sugar in your coffee or tea (use Splenda or Equal), no fruit. Watch for hidden sources of sugar, like ketchup, some salad dressings, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauces, etc. Phase 1 SHOULD NOT be done for more than 3 weeks because the purpose of it is to break your carb cravings and give you a fairly noticeable "weight loss" at the start. It is not a healthy way to eat long term. The "weight loss" is mostly from the lack of bloating and water weight that carbs usually cause. The actual fat loss comes more slowly as your body adjusts to your new way of eating.

The foods you can eat in Phase 1 are lean meats, eggs, cheese (preferably low or reduced fat), nuts and non-starchy, low-sugar vegetables (no corn or carrots yet). This is also a great time to start adding more calcium to your diet especially in the form of low-fat or skim milk. Also, watch that the fats you consume are not the saturated fats or transfats. Try to stick with lean meats, olive or canola oils, and use spreads like Smart Balance rather than margerine or butter. Drink lots and lots of water. Sometimes you think you're hungry, but actually you're thirsty, plus water gives you a full feeling among other benefits. Don't feel like you have to have eggs for breakfast all the time since you can't have cereal. Get creative and have a lean burger, turkey sausage, or leftovers from a previous dinner. If you find you can't give up your grapefruit or glass of orange juice at breakfast, don't quit SBD. I've had friends who were very successful in Phase 1 even though they had their orange juice each day. They made sure it was no-sugar added natural juice. It just took a bit longer to eliminate the carb cravings.

Do not skip meals during any of the Phases. Skipping meals will actually slow your metabolism down and causes a tendency to over-eat at your next meal. SBD emphasizes 3 meals plus 2 healthy snacks.

Add moderate exercise, starting with Phase 1. It will speed up your metabolism, and burn more calories, so you'll see results faster... and feel better.

In Phase 2 you start slowly adding healthy carbs back to your diet. Fresh fruit, high-fiber cereals, whole grain bread (still limited amounts). By Phase 2 you won't be having the carb cravings at all, so it becomes easier to choose wisely. Slowly add a new healthy carb to your diet. Some people can add a new one each day or every other day. I found I could only add 2 or 3 a week without a stall in my weight loss. When we went out to eat we planned ahead about where to go and what we'd have to make it easier not to make poor choices.

Phase 3 is basically eating normally except avoid the "white foods"... white flour, white rice, potatoes, pastas, etc. We use whole grain bread if we have a sandwich, or will use a low-carb tortilla as a wrap. Dinner usually consists of a lean meat and 2 veggies, but sometimes I'll add a whole-wheat pasta or a baked sweet potato. DH and I normally just have fresh fruit or no-sugar desserts most of the time, but allow ourselves a regular dessert occasionally (less than once a week... unless cruising). By Phase 3 you really won't miss the sweet stuff because it won't even taste the same anymore.

One thing we all have in common on this thread is that we occasionally "have a cheat" and fall off the SBD wagon. No big deal. Enjoy the cheat, then forget about it and get back with your program. I personally feel a planned "cheat" every so often keeps me from wanting to binge. After Phase 1 no food is totally forbidden, but you have to realize that certain foods will undermine your success. Beer, for example, has such a high glycemic index that it should be eliminated from your WOE except on rare occasions. DH now enjoys a glass of heart-healthier red wine instead.

On this thread we're all in various stages of SBD, but we share our successes and our mistakes with each other. That kind of support really helps.

You wanted a condensed version of SBD. I hope this isn't too wordy, but it's not easy to sum up the principals and 3 phases of SBD in "100 words or less". I probably still left out some important points that I hope other thread members will add. It's been a rough week and my brain still isn't out of vacation-mode yet!
Shae

[marvholly]

Sandy:
Personally i am a little loser w/ SBD having had <10 lb to lose. Wanted to get back to a better WOE after I became a widow 8/03. I am a big veggie and moderate fruit (especially berries and cantelope) fan. I call my approach PH 1.5. I cook almost ALL meals at home and carry lunch to work. Saves a bunch both in time and $$$.

I do eat regular white pasta about 1x/week. I generally do eat regular tortillas <1x/week. I do eat dark meat poutlry/regular gound beef after it has been cooked and WELL drained of Fat. I also eat regular white rice (do not like the taste of brown) about every 10 days. I also eat veggie for meals or snacks a nearly daily and rotate weeks for tofu/bean based veggie meals/snacks (humos is really great, add spices and sasonings to taste). I try to eat fish/shellfish or fake shellfish at least 2x/week. I do eat and have liked since I was a grade schooler cottage cheese as my primary protein/dairy source 3x/week generally for lunch. On the other 2x days/work week I eat NS/NF yougert for breakfast. These are usually my dairy for the day.
I eat red meat about 2-3x/week. I limit eggs to 2x/week (usually Sun and 1x during the week) due to cholesterol problems w/in my famiy history. I am real strict about sodium,again due to family history.

[WeirdEyes]

Shae ~ Thanks for the GREAT post! I'm sure it will help Sandy a lot. I live in a very hilly neighborhood so I don't walk outside. I use a 3-mile walking DVD. It doesn't hurt my back.

Holly ~ How are you doing? Lost any more weight?

Juli ~ Hi!! We've missed you over here. ;) My doctor prescribed Cymbalta for me. He said it was an anti-depressant that is also used to treat nerve pain due to nerve damage (what I have). My mom said she took it and it didn't decreased her appetitel. Oh well.

I had a good weekend. I stayed pretty much on plan. I did eat a piece of cake, but that was after working in the garden for over 3.5 hours. I also cleaned and cleaned my house so I know I worked off a lot of calories. I actually feel a little thinner today. My back and legs are screaming though.

[ColoradoJuli]

We worked in the house again this weekend. We are slowly getting things done. Scott sprayed the outside of the house and the window sills with bug spray this weekend. He said that the bugs were running away from the house. :eek: Now my windows need to be washed because the spray streaked my windows. Guess that is the big project for next weekend.

Gearing up toward next Tuesday. I have promised myself lots of water and low carbs. I am going to break my cravings and get back on track!

Shae ~ You did excellent explaining things to Sandy. It also reminded me of a few things.

Need to get to work. Everyone have a great day!

[marvholly]

i am not trying to lose any weight at this point. I maintain my 125 or slightly under which is what I have been since college (that nearly 40 years ago).

[cruisinqt]

Tomorrow will mark one week on Phase 1 and I've already lost 5 sbs!:D I have cheated just a little bit like eating a few potato chips as I'm making a sandwich and chips for my husband to eat. I have also munched down a couple of my kids pizza rolls (they're bite size) that they didn't finish. Overall, the few bites here and there every couple of days has not hurt me.;)

I went to the graduation party Saturday and had grilled chicken, green beans, and a bowl of homemade pinto beans. I brought my own SBD dessert that was so good several people asked me for the recipe. I made little individual cheesecake cups out of fat free cream cheese and used crushed almonds and pecans for the crust. So I was pretty good especially considering there was a very yummy looking graduation cake there.

I have a few questions, is fat free cream cheese okay on phase 1? Are pork rinds okay on phase 1? Pork rinds only have 5 grams of fat for each (good sized) portion and they are carb free.:confused:

[WeirdEyes]

Holly ~ Congratulations on maintaining your weight over the years. That is quite an accomplishment! :D

Cruisinqt ~ What is your name again? I'm very sorry, but I forgot it. About the ff cream cheese. I don't care for it so I buy the light cream cheese. Both are allowed on Phase 1. Congrats for doing so well! A 5 lb loss is fantastic!

[adoptmom]

Hi everyone! Wow, it's been absolutely crazy the past two weeks. I can't believe I've been off list for 9 days and I really didn't go anywhere. :eek:

I've been good about my exercise averaging 4 times a week with lots of strength training exercises that I do in the pool. I haven't lost much weight but clothes are starting to fit differently so that is a plus. I started doing protein power, which is very similiar to SB, on Monday because I needed a change. We shall see. So far it hasn't been too difficult even though I'm only allowed 30 effective carbs a day. I'm going to try and write everything down for a while and see if that helps.

I did find a way to make low carb marshmallows for my camping trip this weekend. I found low carb marshmallows and these crackers that taste like ice cream cones at the low carb store. I used some of my favorite lc chocolate. They were very good! The marshmallows are a little sweeter than regular ones though so next time I'm going to try dark chocolate. bEcause I found those I was able to go the whole weekend on low carb foods.

Tami

[irislady]

Hi, everyone. I had typed out a response and then got disconnected, so my post is gone. I'll have to try again later since I've got DGD here today and don't want to spend any more time in front of the computer. Later...
Shae

[cruisinqt]

WeirdEyes, my name is Oneida. Some people call me Oneida and some people call me QT, either one is fine. I use cruisinqt because back when cb's were popular my mom's name when using the cb was "cruisin cutie." I decided to use the same name she did except spell it differently.;)

I was reading a thread on Carnival about that woman that went missing. Someone who was on the cruise said they had her picture on all of the tv's all over the ship asking if you'd seen "this woman." The cruiser that was on the same cruise as the missing woman said she was "a larger woman." The FBI ruled out homicide or an accident which leaves only one thing: suicide. :(

The cruiser that was on that cruise said her clothes were in a pile beside the railing and her finger prints were up high on the rail where you had to be standing on the rail to put them there. I know there is no official ruling yet, but it sure looks like suicide which is so sad. What really disturbs me is that she was quite heavy and supposedly suffered depression. Do you think her weight made her depressed? Do you think her weight had anything to do with this? I can't help wonder if someone made a rude comment to her about her weight or something. If she was already dealing with depression one rude comment could have been the last straw for her.

Ever since I read the comment about her being a "larger woman" I've been wondering if her size had anything to do with what happened to her. Unfortunately, this world is full of terribly rude people who are prejudiced against heavier people. I have noticed on cruises and elsewhere that the really, really, heavy people get unkind comments all of the time.:(

[WeirdEyes]

Tami ~ Hello! I wondered where you were. Glad you've been doing so well. I thought maybe you got the baby. Any news yet?

Shae ~ Have fun with your DGD!

QT ~ I don't know if being overweight had anything to do with the woman on the Carnival ship. It is very sad, indeed! One of my friend's brother killed himself on a cruise two years ago. He was also depressed. Very sad thing to happen, but you can't really know what someone was thinking at that time. :(

[cruisinqt]

WeirdEyes, you're right, we just don't know what was going on in her mind when she made that decision. I think what bothered me most was what other CCers that were on that cruise were saying about her. One CCer referred to her as a "larger woman" and another said they couldn't imagine "someone that large being able to climb up onto the railing." I think all of the references to her weight is what bothered me. I am not severely obese, but I've seen some who are and the way they are treated is deplorable. :(

[Jacquelyn11]

Restarted SBD today after my cruise a few weeks ago. I'm going on to Alaska in 4 weeks and I want to get down a few lbs so they won't gawk when they weigh me for the dog sled/helicopter tour! :eek:

My DH is back from his FL job, but is now unemployed and has health problems. I've also been very busy at work doing my job and part of that of a co-worker who is out on maternity leave. I have to try real hard not to "stress" eat!

I hope I can lose about 10 lbs before July 24!

Best of luck with SBD all!

Jacquelyn :D

[stanford's girl]

[size=4]Thanks Shae for the great post.:) I have a question for all of you out there. Have you ever heard of someone doing the SBD and gaining weight during phase 1? I did it to the letter and gained 5 pounds!:mad: The only thing I didn't do was exercise but I would think that there should have been some weight loss. I'm wondering if this diet doesn't work for everybody. Anybody have some insight in to this? [/size]

[cruisinqt]

I had a similar problem when I first started the diet. The SBD book was pretty vague about which foods were okay to eat and it gave no specific portion amounts. So I ate a lot of peanuts at least twice a day. I also ate quite a few cheese sticks. Then I started my period which really messed up my ability to see how much weight I lost. At that point I had actually gained weight.:(

So the SBD people on this thread told me to go buy the other SBD books like the "Good Carbs, Good Fats" book and the SBD cookbook. I went and bought those two books and learned a lot. The "Good Carbs, Good Fats" book listed just about every food out there in column form with a mark beside it identifying it as okay for Phase 1, Phase 2, or Phase 3. There are a lot of foods out there that are okay for Phase 1 that aren't mentioned in the SBD book. It also stated that you should have no more than 1/4 of a cup of nuts. I was way over the limit on eating nuts. I wasn't watching my portions and was overeating pretty bad on everything. After reading those two books I realized what I had done wrong. When I saw the list of all of the other foods I could have on Phase 1, I knew the diet would be much easier with such a variety of foods.:)

The SBD cookbook is great because it gives even more details about the diet and it has a guide to stocking your shelves for each phase of the diet. The recipes are really good and the "Ask Dr. Agatston" section is very helpful. Many of the questions asked there are questions I had wondered about. The Wal-Greens near us had the "Good Carbs, Good Fats" book for just $7.99 and the SBD cookbook for $17.99. It was money well spent. I went back onto phase 1 and have lost 5 lbs the first week so far.:D

[stanford's girl]

[size=4]Thanks for the insight, cruisinqt.:) I ate alot of nuts and cheese sticks too. I have the "Good Carbs, Good Fats book but I never bought the cookbook. I guess I'll go get it and give it another try. I started to exercise about 3 weeks ago so I'm hoping it will make the weight drop faster. Congrats on losing 5 lbs. so far.:cool: I'm going to cruise at the end of Oct. for our 20th anniversary and hoping to get into a couple of really great dresses I have. I'll be checking this thread and reading it all the way through for helpful hints.[/size]

[WeirdEyes]

[quote name='cruisinqt']WeirdEyes, you're right, we just don't know what was going on in her mind when she made that decision. I think what bothered me most was what other CCers that were on that cruise were saying about her. One CCer referred to her as a "larger woman" and another said they couldn't imagine "someone that large being able to climb up onto the railing." I think all of the references to her weight is what bothered me. I am not severely obese, but I've seen some who are and the way they are treated is deplorable. :([/QUOTE]
QT ~ I totally agree. If she were thin, I doubt they would've brought that up. Very sad.

[WeirdEyes]

Standford's Girl ~ You really do have to watch your portions even though that is not stressed in the book. I ate way too much peanut butter and didn't lose. When I cut back on the peanut better, the weight started dropping off. Also, exercising will definitely help you lose inches. You'll also look and feel better. Good luck!

[adoptmom]

Hi everyone. So far so good. I've lost 4.5 of the 8 pounds I put on. I feel good and so far, have loads of energy. No baby yet. We did find out that our agency has only 3 families who are even willing to accept a boy so that should help us out immensely. I will try to post when we leave.

Stanford's girl- I have a friend who gained weight on phase one. She was exercising and put on muscle but didn't lose fat along with it. She finally traced it back to a medication she was taking for tachychardia. If you're taking any kind of meds you might check those out.

Tami