Hi everyone,

I need to lose about 30 pounds and am going to start the South Beach Diet in a few days. Anyone want to join me?

~Laura

Laura, while a low-carb diet can be a good idea for losing weight for some people (depending on their metabolic type), the South Beach Diet is NOT a good way to go. Here is a link that explains why. http://www.mercola.com/2004/jun/9/south_beach.htm

The Paleo diet might be a better option. Why don't you search 'Paleo Diet' here, and join the group that is doing it?

Laura,

I've been doing South Beach for about a year, and I love it! I've been doing it gluten/dariy/soy-free, which does require some modifications to the diet as written, but it can be done. It's certainly a lot healthier than I was eating before, and I feel better than I have in - well, ever, I guess!

The article that Ursa posted was interesting; I don't agree with everything that Dr. Mercola has to say, but he does make some valid points. However, I think that they're all pretty easily addressed by minor modifications to the diet. (e.g., obviously you're not going to be eating gluten, right?)

There's a good South Beach support forum at http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/. There's a lot of good advice and support there, particularly for figuring out how to modify the plan so that it works for YOU.

I lost about 15 pounds when I started about a year ago; then life got busy and I slacked off on exercise, so I pretty much stayed at the same point for awhile. But now that it's summer and I have a bit more free time (I'm a college professor and don't teach in the summer), I'm hoping to get to the gym more often and hopefully lose a bit more.

Good luck!


Jeanne

Thanks Jeanne. Funny, I'm an adjunct college instructor (and a banker full-time).

Your 15 pound loss and the fact that you kept it off is a good result. I'd be happy with that. I will be doing it mostly dairy free (and gluten free, of course).

I did look at the SBD forum but would rather have someone to talk to who is both celiac and SBD. I'm looking to start a support thread or trade emails. Are you interested?

~Laura

Ursa, you must not have read any other my other posts but I am very familiar with the Paleo diet, have read the book and my hubby has been on it for 2 years. Further, I don't consider that I'm a SBD groupie or that I follow it blindly, i.e., I don't use aspartame, limit dairy and I am knowledgeable about contaminated fish. I also don't buy any SBD food items and I didn't buy the books (well, I got them used). I'm doing a hybrid SBD. I also don't trust everything anyone says, including Dr. Mercola. And finally, SBD is not extreme low carb...have you read the book?

However well-intentioned, I didn't ask for a negative comment on my diet, especially since my post only asked for posters to join me and not for advice. No one has to join me if they don't want to and I am not trying to convince anyone that my plan is good or better than some other plan.

~Laura

Laura, you were not saying that you would do a modified SBD diet, and I was just concerned that you would be doing more damage to yourself. Sorry if I offended you.

Sure, I'm game! :-) I think there are a few other SBD'er's around here, so maybe they'll jump in too. It's definitely different doing it gluten/dairy-free. But still, I did get a few useful tidbits from the SBD forum - like, for instance, be sure that in Phase 1 you really are eating ALL the allowed carbs, or you can end up feeling pretty crummy after awhile. Beans are really good. And dairy if you're doing dairy, or hopefully some subsititute if you're not. I used soy milk and soy yogurt in place of dairy in Phase 1; unfortunately, after a few months I figured out that soy was causing me problems too! Good thing I was well into Phase 2 by then; I'm not sure what I would have done for Phase 1 carbs otherwise!


Jeanne

Laura,

I was so excited to find your thread! I've done South Beach in the past and lost 30 pounds without even exercising. It was really easy. I want to start it up again but have some questions. In Phase 2 what do you do about the starches (breads, cereals, etc)? When I did the diet before I used whole wheat products. So I guess my question is - can you substitute gluten free bread or cereal? Or do you just not have any at all and basically stay in Phase 1?

Beth

What I've done is this: I've settled into two starches a day, at breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is usually a piece of toast made from Breads by Anna bread. It's not technically whole grain, but it's closer than a lot of gluten-free breads. If not that, then Arrowhead Mills "Rice and Shine" cream of rice cereal. Dinner is usually brown rice, quinoa (both totally South Beach - approved), or occasionally rice pasta or a sweet potato.

I actually adore South Beach for the fact that it means I eat a lot LESS grains than I used to , so I don't have to work nearly as hard at finding gluten-free subsitutes as I did before!


Jeanne

Thanks for the reply. Count me in!!!!!!! I will officially be starting on Monday.

Dandelion and Jeanne, I never started last month but I'm ready to start now!

Do we want to start a new thread or do you want to do it via PM?

~Laura

How about a new thread? This way if anyone else wants to join us they can.

Beth

Works for me.


Jeanne

Great, sounds good.

~Laura

Wait! Don't leave me out. I confess I don't know much about the South Beach Diet, but I'ld like to give it a try. I keep looking for diet/exercise buddies, but I never have any luck! Can I do it, too?

You can definitely join us! Glad to have you on board. South Beach is so easy to do. You won't even feel like you are dieting. I joined South Beach Diet online so if anyone needs any info just let me know.

Today is the start of Phase 1 for me. My goal is to lose 25 pounds.

Beth

Thanks! I'm in, but I just read up about Phase I and it says NO ALCOHOL at all. As of Saturday, I am starting a vacation with wine tasting and all that implies. I guess it would be a waste of time to do it this week and blow it next week?

You could start it this week and then maybe just do an extra week of Phase 1. But if you want to wait until after your vacation (which is completely understandable) we'll be right here. Just join us then.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Beth

OK, I'm excited. But I'm a huge diet screw up because I always end up starving myself. And I think I already screwed up today. I'm looking at my desk and I see my Diet coke, decaf herbal tea, bottle of water, and the gluten free/lactose free slimfast I had for breakfast and 1 for lunch - so I ruined today. Any suggestions on how I can do dinner right?

The great thing about this diet is how forgiving it is. At least that's been my experience. When I did it the first time I found I could cheat once a week and not ruin the whole thing. The diet was set up knowing that we will make mistakes and that we are only human. I think that's what I like best about it. Dr. A really gets it.

What are you in the mood for tonight? I will look up some Phase 1 recipes for you.

Dinner is:
Protein - Quantity is not limited. Start with a 3 oz. portion, eat slowly, go back for seconds if still hungry.
Vegetables - Minimum 2 cups. You are encouraged to include a serving of beans (1/3-1/2 cup) as part of your vegetables.
Milk/Dairy - 2 cups allowed daily (including yogurt)
Fat - 1 Tbsp mayonnaise, trans-free margarine or oil, or 2 Tbsp salad dressing

OK, I love lima beans and chickpeas and lintels. But I have a hard time with the meat - are we allowed canned tuna or does it have to be like beef? I do have some ground beef in the freezer I could do. And Dairy - hate milk. Is cheese or cottage cheese allowed?

Any ideas with any of that? I'm a mess. I like roasted veggies drizzled w/ olive oil. I guess that would work.

Gina,

You can have canned tuna. Cheese (low fat) and cottage cheese are also allowed. If you send me your email address I can send you the phase 1 list of foods to enjoy and avoid.

These are some of the tuna/vegetable based recipes I found so far. If you like chicken there's a lot of yummy recipes.


White Bean and Tuna Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna, drained
1 cup rinsed canned small white beans
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 scallions, sliced (about 1⁄4 cup)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Instructions
Combine tuna, beans, tomatoes, scallions, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir gently to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chickpea and Red Onion Salad
serves 2

Ingredients
2 tablespoons slivered red onion
1/2 cup rinsed, drained chickpeas
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
1 1/2 teaspoons drained capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Red-leaf lettuce leaves


Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, cover onions with cold water and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain well and place in a salad bowl. Add chickpeas, parsley, lemon juice, oil, and capers; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Lentil and Kale Stew

4 (2-cup)
Description
This is so hearty that calling it a mere soup just didn’t seem right! It’s jam-packed with protein and rich earthy flavor.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 30minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium tomato vegetable juice
1 (1/2-pound) bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (5 to 6 cups)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Instructions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (do not brown).
Add lentils, tomatoes, juice, and kale; stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with cheese, and serve.

Vegetarian No Pasta Lasagna

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 large eggplants
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
2 (14.5-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 large egg
1/2 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 cups (4 whole) roasted peppers
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups spinach (optional)
1 large yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise (optional)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in skillet and cook garlic and onion until they become aromatic and begin to brown. Add stewed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. Once tomatoes begin to bubble, stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper to taste, cover and let simmer lightly while you continue.

Slice eggplant lengthwise in 1/4-inch slices. Spread out eggplant on a rimmed cookie sheets sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Salt the slices generously on both sides, sprinkle with thyme, and lightly brush (fingers are fine) with the remaining oil olive. Roast eggplant in oven until tender and slightly browned. If using yellow squash, also roast briefly until soft and pliable. Remove and let cool enough to handle. Reduce oven to 375°F.

Meanwhile, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, remaining oregano, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. In a 12x9-inch baking dish spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Cover with 3 or 4 eggplant slices, then half of the roasted peppers, and then a third of the ricotta cheese mixture, followed by a third of the mozzarella. Sprinkle half the basil over cheeses, and then spinach and yellow squash (if using). Cover with more tomato sauce, eggplant, peppers, ricotta, mozzarella and basil. Top with remaining eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and any remaining Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 15 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.


Beth

It's day two. How's everyone doing? Yesterday went really well, but eggs every morning is starting to bother me already. Oh well, it's only for two weeks. Time to buck up. It will be worth it in the end.

I was a late starter for yesterday, but I had the above recipe you sent for tuna/white bean salad for dinner....yum yum yum.

Today has been good, although I feel like I've eaten more than I usually would allow myself on a diet. But at least I'm not starving! I roasted some almonds for snacks and fixed up those cherry tomatoes w/ balsamic vinegar. My problem is eating 30 of them instead of 10.

So far so good, but sorry to say I'll be off of it next week for vacation.

Wow, Beth you have a lot of good recipies.

I don't usually get tired of eggs but I have quite a few ways that I cook them. I can post some recipies later. I usually do a make-ahead casserole thingy (but not today).

I am eating fruit, so kind of a modified Phase I. Two years ago when I did this I missed the whole strawberry season, so I'm not doing that this year.

Today's food plan:
B'fast:
Egg (non-stick pan)
4 slices Turkey bacon
Lunch:
Shrimp salad with veggies
Snack: Lara bar
Dinner: Hot Salmon salad with low-fat buttermilk dressing
Snack: ? apple and low-fat cheddar

Exercise: 1 hour bike ride plus yoga/abs work

Have a good day, everyone!

Oooh - strawberry season. I forgot about that. Maybe I'll have to modify phase 1 too.

I have another recipe for you all. I made this last night and it is soooo good.

Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients
4 ounces turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
5 large eggs
1 can (12 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese


Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the eggs and mushrooms. Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the egg is set.

I guess I'm in a bit of a different position than you guys because I've been doing this for a year, so I'm pretty firmly entrenched in Phase 2. I lost about 15 pounds and then stalled for several months, primarily due to a lot of work stress, which meant (1) not nearly enough time to exercise, and (2) a bit more alcohol consumption than usual. But I'm back on track on both counts now, and hoping that I'll be able to take off another 5 or 10 pounds. Although I gotta say - even if I don't, I'm already at the lowest weight I've ever maintained as an adult, and this is the first "diet" I've ever found that I feel I can stick to for the long haul, so I'm already pretty happy with my results.

For what it's worth, my typical day looks something like this - remember that I'm gluten/dairy/soy-free, so it's adjusted a bit to take that into account!

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with stir-fry veggies, a piece of toast (Breads by Anna) with a little coconut oil, cinnamon, and Splenda, and a fruit serving

Morning: a hazelnut milk latte (this is as close as I get to dairy)

Lunch: a big salad with lots of veggies, half a can of beans, meat of some sort, an ounce of nuts, and dressing made with 1-1/2 T. olive oil and either lime juice or red wine vinegar, and maybe another fruit serving

Afternoon (if I'm hungry, which I'm usually not, which is pretty amazing to me!): carrots with hummus

Dinner: chicken or fish, half a cup of brown rice (that's 1/6 cup dry), and veggies

Evening: a Lara bar or Clif nectar bar


For those of you in Phase 1, be sure you eat plenty of the allowed carbs (beans, dairy, etc.). I ended up starting Phase 2 by adding fruit after just 10 days, because I was starting to feel kind of lousy from not having enough carbs. But that was okay, too; the point of Phase 1 is really just to get rid of cravings, and in the long run it's really just a blip, so doing it for a few days less is no big deal.

Jeanne

For those of you in Phase 1, be sure you eat plenty of the allowed carbs (beans, dairy, etc.). I ended up starting Phase 2 by adding fruit after just 10 days, because I was starting to feel kind of lousy from not having enough carbs. But that was okay, too; the point of Phase 1 is really just to get rid of cravings, and in the long run it's really just a blip, so doing it for a few days less is no big deal.

Jeanne
[/quote]

Thanks for the info, Jeanne. It makes a lot of sense and helps ease my guilt when I think I'm eating "too much."

Wednesday plans, anyone?

I haven't been able to cook ahead enough and am struggling to get enough veggies. Hopefully that will change soon.

B'fast- Chili/Cheese square (eggs plus egg whites, green chilis and low-fat mexican cheese), tea

Snack - lunchmeat with low-fat cheddar

Lunch- true cod and shrimp with low-fat dressing, veggies, apple

Snack- Lara bar

Dinner- hamburger, spinach salad

Dessert- (Hubby's birthday) blueberry cobbler without the bread part (just fruit)

Exercise- Yoga/abs, upper body weights, 30 minute walk at lunchtime

Have a good day everyone!

OK, here is my plan for the day. But I'm not real good at this, so if you guys think I'm eating too much or too little of something, I wouldn't mind your input:

Breakfast: low fat cottage cheese & cucumber slices

Snack: dry roasted almonds & tomatoes

Lunch: Lite lunch meat, green lettuce blend

Snack: same as before - sorry I like it

Dinner: I am fixing chicken for the family - open to any good ideas for what I can do with skinless chicken breast?

Dessert: part skim ricotta w/ cocoa powder & splenda & vanilla

Exercise - You've inspired me. I am comitted to doing 30 min of something tonight - depends on what the kids will give me space for.

Ok. So I'm having a slight obsession with toast right now. I haven't given in to the craving but last night it was all I could think about. Can't wait for Phase 1 to be over and to get rid of the cravings. I am happy to say that I've lost 2 pounds already. YAY! Which is what is keeping me going.

Today's plan:

Breakfast - one egg over easy and canadian bacon.

Snack- mozzarella stick

Lunch - tuna salad made with low fat yogurt instead of mayo with some cumin, garlic and lemon juice added to it and a few slices of avocado on the side.

Snack - mozzarella stick

Dinner - don't know yet. I always decide right before I leave work for the day. I never know what I am going to be in the mood for.

No exercising yet. I have a few almost bleeding ulcers and the doctor won't let me exercise until they heal.

Have a great day everyone!

Ladies,
I've been inspired to look into the South Beach Diet. Just today I posted a plea for help because in the year and a half that i've been diagnosed with Celiac, I've gained a whopping 40 lbs., and I'm miserable. I'm so happy to hear that other Celiacs are finding a diet that works. My mother was just telling me about the SBD today, so this must be fate!! I'm anxious to go and find some info about it and hopefully start within the next couple of days. Thanks so much for the recipes! I'll keep looking for added comments on the board.
Mary

P.S. I'm new to this messaging thing, and I don't quite understand the "thread" that was mentioned in the writings, but I'm game to try and figure it all out.

Hi Mary,

Welcome to South Beach! Is this your first time on the diet? I'm on week two of Phase 1, but I am extending it for another week because I wasn't as good as I should have been. We had a bbq over the week and let's just say the diet was the last thing on my mind. I thought that I would be bad for that one day and then go right back to eating right. Well, that was a nice idea in theory. We had tons of chips and ice cream, etc left over so of course, we ate it. Now I feel really guilty. At least I didn't gain the three pounds I lost back.

I am going to try to post every day because I feel like it keeps me honest on the diet. Hope you all don't get bored with me.

Beth

PS - The thread comment means that we are going to continue to post here instead of doing this through private email. This way anyone who wants to join in can.

Hi Beth,
Thanks for the reply. Yes, this will be the first time that I've tried the SBD, and I'm anxious to get started on it. I probably won't get things moving until next Monday though, because I'm going to gather as much info together first so that I know what I'm doing.

I've tried WW in the past, and it worked well for me, losing 24 lbs. about 5 years ago, but as soon as I was diagnosed with Celiac, I gained that plus more. When I look back on it, after I lost the weight is when I started to feel ill. It took 5 years for the dr. to finally diagnos me correctly. I had been repeatedly told that I had irritable bowel.

Anyway, I don't feel so quite alone now, knowing that other Celiacs are fighting the same problems as me. I'll check daily for any more responses, and add my 2 cents worth from time to time.

Thanks for clarifying the "thread" issue too. I'm pretty lame when it comes to computers at times!

Have a great day!

Mary

Hi guys! I'm interested in trying this, but the stress in my life right now, the newness of gluten-free and other possible food problems... I'm forseing problems. I am going to try to read here for a little while and get your motivation start fresh on July 9th (after holidays and far enough out to eat all the bad stuff out of the house). My history... I did atkins sucessfully for 5 monthes in 2003, I felt awesome I didn't know I was celiac, but felt great. I lost about 25 lbs then. I broke down and ate a potato. If was all down hill. I'm newly dx'd with celiac, 3 months gluten free today. When on Atkins, I was just so bored of eating meat! I like how you can have veggies here, though I need to be careful still. I don't have the books, or anything, just know it's like atkins, but with veggies.

So I'll be here reading and gaining education and motivation.

Just wanted to respond to a couple of things in a couple of new posts.

For Dandelion: There's no reason to extend Phase 1 just because you cheated, AS LONG AS you're not having carb cravings. The point of Phase 1 is to get rid of cravings, NOT massive weight loss. Most of the weight lost in Phase 1 is water, and the real weight loss happens in Phase 2. It's not a good idea to stay in Phase 1 for longer than the recommended 2 weeks under most circumstances, because once you go through your glycogen stores your body can start going into ketosis.

For SunnyDyRain: I completely understand wanting to get a handle on gluten-free before starting South Beach, because it's a lot of change to cope with at once. That said, Phase 1 of South Beach is pretty much gluten-free by definition - in fact, several people on the South Beach web site I read have discovered gluten problems when they realized how much better they felt on Phase 1. I actually find gluten-free South Beach eating easier than gluten-free eating before South Beach, just because I'm not eating that many grains to begin with. So if/when you're willing to take the plunge into South Beach, you may find that gluten issues are easier than you think!

It's great to hear from everyone.


Jeanne

I feel like I need to do the extra week on Phase 1 because I haven't been taking this as seriously as I should. The other problem is that my husband hasn't been allowed to eat for two days due to medical testing so I've been trying to make things that don't have strong smells. (Don't want to torture him.) I've unfortunately been eating a lot of bagels and rice. Now I need to buckle down and start over. A fresh start. I love how forgiving South Beach is about the little slip-ups we all have. I just feel that if I don't get myself under control now I'll never make it in Phase 2. Last time I did South Beach I was really good about it and lost so much weight. So here's to a clean slate.

SunnyDyRain - welcome to South Beach! This is a great diet because it actually teaches you how to eat a healthy balanced diet. Nothing weird. Just eating right. I promise you won't get bored on it and you will never be hungry. And you can eat more than just meat and veggies - fruits, nuts, good carbs and even desserts!

Hi all! I found a book at the used bookstore and am pretty much desperate to lose weight. I'm going to start "south beaching" tomorrow. No one has posted for awhile. Is it working, is it not worth trying?? Just wondering if I should give it a shot. Let me know how you are all doing? Thanks

Hi,

I keep saying I'm going to post and then don't. Sorry. My ulcers have been acting up and so I can't eat a lot of freshand/or acidic fruits and vegetables right now. I also have to be careful with how much protein I eat because it seems to aggravate them if I eat too much. So it's been modified (really modified) South Beach for me. I do plan on doing it full fledge when I am feeling better.

The diet is definitely worth trying. I haven't gained any more weight and didn't even gain back the three pounds I initially lost.

I hope you give it a try. Keep me posted.

Beth