Advice about South Beach Diet?

[Sabeking]

I am on my 5th day of SBD and going crazy! I exercise 6 days a week and am a marathon runner but could not lose weight!!! Five days on this and I have lost 5 lbs. That's insane BUT I dream of 's and ALL the time!! It makes me realize how carbs really have an impact on me. Does anyone have some snack suggestions for phase 1 and will the headaches go away eventually?? Thanks!

 

[lovetoscrap]

You have the South Beach Flu! It is very common in the first few few weeks. My doctor actually told me to skip the first phase because I was getting so sick.


For snacks I would have some lunch meat wrapped a piece of cheese, some tuna or cottage cheese.

There are a bunch of great South Beach Support forums with advice and recipes out there. Let me see if I can find my favorites for you.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Here is one that I really like with a great discussion forum--lots of information and recipes:

http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/

You will also find more links in there to other helpful sites.

 

[eeyore65]

Sargento low fat mozzeralla cheese sticks. I live on these! I also like morningstar farms veggie sausages for breakfast. And I learned to love low-fat ricotta cheese mixed with splenda and some vanilla extract and no sugar whipped cream. Tastes like the inside of a cannolli to me. I am on phase two - really for life. It does get easier.

 

[NewCrew42]

I go for the Kraft low-fat mozzerella cheese sticks. Also, have you tried laughing cow cheese? It is a great snack as well.

An egg! No kidding. I think just eating an egg helps my cravings.

Also, for some reason, Smucker's All Natural Peanut Butter does me a world of good. Can you have peanut butter on stage 1? I can't remember.

Just a little on a spoon and I lick it like a lolly pop. Mmmmm.......

It helps sooth my sweet tooth!

The headaches will go away. Oh, and when you do get over the carb cravings. You will have so much energy and feel so good.

 

[crz4mm2]

I sprayed almonds with I can't believe it's not butter spray and then rolled them in splenda and cinnamon. It was a GREAT snack and tasted sweet. You can have 15 as I recall....

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

For me, if I was craving carbs, I'd pick something that's got some fiber at least. I also try and keep the texture the same as what I'm dreaming of.

So, if I'm craving an apple, biting into a sweet red pepper will fix that craving better than peanut butter or cheese. If I'm craving popcorn, almonds would probably be the closest. Hummus scooped up with green beans was a great snack for me. A nice crunchy iceberg wedge with some chopped up veggies and low fat feta and acceptable dressing, is another great snack for me.

I also think that it's better to cheat a little than to give up. So, on occasion I had a 1/2 cup of berries. I also ate some lentil soup that had a few bits of carrots in there -- I didn't mix it with brown rice like I would otherwise, but I figured a few bits of carrots wouldn't kill me.

 

[Imzadi]

Losing 5 lbs in 5 days is incredible!!! Your going though sugar withdrawal right now. Stick with it, it will get easier. Once the sugar is out of your system you will NOT crave it.

Ideally, healthy snacks are what to eat between meals, to keep blood sugar up without unnecessarily spiking blood sugar levels, and tiding those hunger pangs until a real meal.

These are what I eat for my healthy Snacks:

Sliced turkey & lettuce rollups (no bread,) with a slight smear of mayo or mustard. Sometimes I add in a slice of cheese. I love Oscar Mayer's "Deli Fresh" shaved turkey slices just for this. In Ph.2, these can also be wrapped around a crisp slice of apple.

Celery sticks filled with cream cheese & topped with chopped walnuts or filled with no-sugar peanut butter. Or filled with Laughing Cow Lite cheese. I cut one wedge up into small pats and they either go on 3 celery sticks, cucumber slices, or strips of bib lettuce.

A scoop of tuna or chicken salad, or egg salad in a lettuce cup. Later in Ph 2, dip in whole grain crackers or pita triangles.

Wedges or cubes of cheese, or string cheese.

A handful of nuts.

Sugar free yogurts with nuts.

Deviled eggs. Homemade, pre-baked chicken nuggets.

Turkey hot dogs (without the buns) sliced up like Vienna sausages.

Can of refried beans topped with low-fat shredded cheese and low-fat sour cream, scooped up with celery sticks or lettuce leaves.

Hummus has become my new best friend. I have hummus scooped up in lettuce leaves rather than pita chips.

Phase 2 add:
Mini pizzas made on whole grain pitas, (instead of pizza dough, to keep the ratio of carbs to protein down, and the whole grain fiber,) with jarred tomato sauce and loaded with low-fat shredded cheese. These bake up quick in a toaster oven.

Nachos made with baked, stoneground whole wheat pita chips and smothered with chili and shredded low-fat cheese.


*** Make sure you drink enough water. It really does make a difference. Water lubricates the system and allows for better digestion and fat to burn more efficiently. It also flushes out the toxins & sugar. ***


Also, when you get to Phase 2 & 3, there there is a difference between a "snack" and a "treat." Even sugar free cookies or candies should be a treat and not used to quell hunger pangs. Treats should be portioned out to a few sweets: 2-4 cookies.

I love a good half cup of sugar-free jello.

Oh, and keep your iron up. I recently found out I am iron-deficiency anemic. I thought the majority of my carbo craving were from being hypoglycemic (low blood sugar.) But, as soon as I got on good iron supplements, my carbo cravings disappeared. Anemia makes one crave non-nutritive foods, because you're trying to suck out the iron from anything you can get into your body.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Your mini pizza reminded me of another favorite:

Mini pizza with a portabella mushroom cap for the crust, lowfat cheese canadian bacon, broccolini and roasted red pepper. Yum, yum, yum. I make this a lot -- whole wheat crust for the kids (have to try that pita bread idea) and PB mushroom for me.

 

[Imzadi]

Oooo! I love the portabella mushroom cap idea! I'm always trying to figure out what to do with those. It would also be Ph 1 this way.

The mini pita bread pizzas bake up quick in a toaster oven.

 

[Sabeking]

Thank you everyone; these ideas make it sound really bearable. Do you feel tired as well in the beginning? Like I said earlier I work out constantly (3 days with a personal trainer) and I run 3 days. I felt energized before but now I feel a little sluggish. Is the headache from no caffiene?

 

[DisneyBlonde]

Congrats on your loss!! I'm one of the ones that didn't do well on SB, but since trying it I really am very aware of carbs and still try to keep it on the low side. It just makes sense.

One thing I remember from Phase 1 is the recommendation to eat beans frequently to counteract the effects of not getting a lot of fiber. And they are filling.

 

[Sabeking]

Here is one that I really like with a great discussion forum--lots of information and recipes:

http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/

You will also find more links in there to other helpful sites.

Thanks for the link and I love the picture on your page!

 

[Sabeking]

How about breakfast? You can get egged out quick!

 

[goofy!]

How about breakfast? You can get egged out quick!

I do Atkins, but this is allowed during Induction, so it should be allowed during the beginning phase of South Beach.


Muffin in a Minute (suitable for Induction)

Serving Size: 1

1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 packet splenda (I use Stevia)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon butter

Put the dry ingredients in a coffee mug. Or a bowl for a different shape. (I use a ramekin)

Stir.

Then add the egg and the butter. Mix.

Microwave 1 minute. Take out. slice, butter, eat. Set mug to soak immediately. ( I found that depending on the microwave, anything over 40 seconds is too much - don't over cook!)

I usually add 1/4 blueberries to it and spread cream cheese on it. That way I get my morning blueberry muffin fix solved.

It is not quite the same, but has a wonderful nutty flavor and sort of a carb like texture. It is yummy in its own right though.

 

[redlight]

Are you doing Phase 1 or Phase 2? Phase 2 is supposed to be easier.

 

[WDWAurora]

I did modified South Beach (basically just told to follow the general guidelines) and have lost around 30lbs. I'm not really looking to lose more, but the weight seemed to go in spurts. 7lbs, then nothing for a week. 6lbs, then nothing for 2 weeks. And so on. Now I'm just maintaining.

Anyway...When I needed sweets, I lived off of the jello sugar free pudding cups in the dulce de leche flavor. For breakfast, I love the cinnamon raisin southbeach bars. Not sure if those are ok for stage 1 or not.

Good luck!

 

[Imzadi]

Thank you everyone; these ideas make it sound really bearable. Do you feel tired as well in the beginning? Like I said earlier I work out constantly (3 days with a personal trainer) and I run 3 days. I felt energized before but now I feel a little sluggish. Is the headache from no caffiene?

You're very welcome.

Where did you read you have to give up caffeine? Coffee is allowed on SBD.

If it's too hard to give up both caffeine & carbs at the same time, give up the carbs first. Once you are a couple weeks into Ph.2, then slowly wean yourself off the caffeine. That will help with the headaches & sudden loss of energy that the caffeine use to produce.

Also, if you are going off coffee, try Celestial Seasonings Roastaroma tea. It is caffeine free and when you let it steep fro about 3-4 minutes really is has a full bodied taste to it. It doesn't taste like coffee, (or decaf) but when I add in the usual milk & Equal to it, like the way I have coffee, it's a great tea substitute. I don't feel I'm missing coffee in the evenings.

I'm not a camomile tea drinker. That stuff is too bland.


I'd be interested in new ways to have eggs too. I've done deviled eggs and egg salad as many ways as I can: regular, curried, dilled. I need other ways to have eggs (besides fried & scrambled.)