South Beach Diet questions
My boyfriend, who is about 30 pounds overweight, and his best friend, who is maybe 250 pounds overweight, are considering starting the South Beach diet. I don't know much about the diet, except that it is restricting carbohydrates and foods that your body quickly turns to sugar. Where can I go to better understand this? Does anyone here have any experiences with this? Is it a good idea? I want to know everything I can about the subject from serious eaters before I decide whether or not I'm going to join him.
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10 Comments:
SE'ers are smart folk, but random people on the internet is rarely the wisest place to look for diet/medical advice. Ya'll should talk to your doctor(s).
But if you need SBD-friendly recipe ideas, check out Kalyn's Kitchen. Pretty much everything related to the diet on her site recommends it, if you're looking to be talked into doing it. But even if you don't, the recipes are for fantastic food, sbd or not.
joyyy at 8:08PM on 07/14/09
after my ex had a heart attack his dr recomended the south beach diet and I found out they consistently recomend it to all heart patients in this area. Ex lost weight (60 lbs) but as soon as he slacked off a bit he regained 30 of it. the best thing would be to talk to a nutrisionist especially his friend that is so severly overweight, it really is a bad idea to just start a diet like that without talking to your doctor and a dietician. IMHO
huneybumper at 8:36PM on 07/14/09
I appreciate the mention of my blog as a resource for someone thinking about the South Beach Diet. I am definitely a fan of it, after losing 40+ pounds and keeping it off for about 5 years now, but I agree, talk to your doctor before starting a diet. I also recommend people read the book (first book is super cheap now that there are several later ones) so they understand how the diet works. South Beach is based on the glycemic index, which is a measure of how quickly foods turns into sugar in your body. There is a lot of good information about the glycemic index online too.
Kalyn at 10:55PM on 07/14/09
Give it a shot! I used the South Beach Diet. It worked pretty well I lost 15 pounds reasonably quick (a month or so). However men tend to drop weight a little quicker at first so don't get discouraged.
I did quit using it. The biggest drawback is that you almost always HAVE to cook. Even though I love to cook, the time, money, etc that it took made it difficult. I manage cooking better now but at the time it was freaking hard and my food bill went up like crazy. I stopped buying cheap foods like hot dogs, pasta, and frozen diners and made tons of salads, fish, lean meats, veggies, etc. Also I always felt like I was depriving myself. But if he's doing it with a friend it might easier.
I actually use the ABs Diet plan (which is South Beach like) and I exercise 4-6 times a week and the weight has come off I have more muscle and I went from size 40 pants to size 34. I cook a ton of good food. And I even eat fries for lunch a couple times a week.
Give it a shot and you might find it works for you as long as you make sustainable changes in your lifestyle. It shouldn't be a temporary thing.
joeqboo at 8:30AM on 07/15/09
I haven't done it (although former President Clinton did) but I do know something about it--like Kalyn said, it is a GI-based diet, that emphasizes a lower carbohydrate diet based upon lean protein and healthy whole grains. The most 'unusual' or planned features of the diet is that it has an 'induction phase' where the dieter totally weans him or herself off sugar--so no fruit at first, then slowly adding it back to help the dieter remember what 'just enough' sugar tastes like.
It sounds like a good idea, in general, but I do wonder--why a 'diet plan' per se, versus cutting down calories, eliminating really calorically dense and nutritionally empty foods, not drinking calories, and so forth--doing your own plan makes it easier to tailor it to your lifestyle.
HeartofGlass at 10:29AM on 07/15/09
@Heart- Re: diet plan/Weight Watchers/counting calories/SBD
As my mom always says, "everybody needs something to count!"
Kerosena at 1:52PM on 07/15/09
The problem with some of the diets is that people tend to throw themselves into the deep end of the pool, radically chainge their diets, feel deprived, eat a whole lot fewer calories...which is fine if you need to take off five pounds for the high school reunion or you have a small amount of weight to lose, but for the person who needs to lose 250 pounds, the first step ought to be to see a doctor and a nutritionist.
Everyone wants to lose the weight as fast as possible, but then it tends to bounce right back. Gradual weight loss that becomes a new lifestyle might make more sense. Maybe the SB diet is a good choice, but a little medical consulting wouldn't hurt, either.
dbcurrie at 3:31PM on 07/15/09
I've done South Beach...and I liked the Michael Thurman diet way more. It is less about restricting carbs and sugars (you can't eat fruit for the first few weeks of SB, which doesn't seem healthy to me). I think it's okay for a quick fix, but to lose a lot of weight I'd do something that's more balanced. I had a lot of cravings on SB, and not so much on Michael Thurman's, which focuses more on balanced meals.
The SB book and recipe book are pretty good though, they explain the science of it. Still, I'd rather eat nectarines and brown rice...
embolini9 at 8:33PM on 07/15/09
My husband and I have both done it with good success. Aside from the wieght loss, we've become more conscious of what we eat, and to eat it in moderation. I didn't like that it limits the amount of fruit you can eat, and the breakfasts are very egg-heavy.
beth1 at 6:06PM on 07/16/09
I am a big fan of south beach and have lost a good amount of weight with what I consider very little heartache (being a food lover).
To clear up a couple things:
1. SBD does NOT restrict carbohydrates, and you are NEVER asked to count carbs, net carbs, or any of those other silly things. The diet (although in the most succesful form it's really just a "way of eating") emphasizes food low on the glycemic index - food that your body has to work on getting to the nutrients. Good fats (unsat), protein, and fiber are all important - but again, you NEVER have to count anything.
2. Yes, for the first two weeks or so you are supposed to give up all fruit and grain products. However, it's not so much that "fruit and grains are inherently bad" but more that "most people eat lots of crap" and this is a way to wean yourself off the crap. A whole apple... good thing. a big glass of processed apple juice... all sugar, which immediately rushes to your bloodstream, causing a spike and then a big dip (when you rush for MORE food). It's all about getting off the rollercoaster of blood sugar highs and lows.
3. Atkins, for a while at least, did not restrict fat (saturated) intake and in fact pushed things like full fat bacon, cheese, etc. SBD recommends emphasis on the "good" fats found in evoo, nuts, seeds, etc and lean meats.
4. "You always have to cook." Entirely not true. Find me a restaurant in America that won't serve you a green salad with some chicken on top. Just say "no croutons." Order the grilled salmon with extra veg, no potato. It's actually very simple to eat SBD without slaving over a hot stove. It's also easy to eat SB with others who are non-SB... you aren't restricted to shakes or bars or anything that you can't find in a normal restaurant setting. I've eaten good SB friendly meals in ITALIAN joints. And no nasty frozen meals... I know they make SBD meals, bars, etc... stay away from them, seriously. That's not what eating is all about.
5. I would absolutely agree with PP's who suggested contacting a nutritionist, especially when dealing with a lot of weight or another serious medical condition. They can also give you more information - but read the SBD book first (blue cover, I think) which will give you a better understandingn of the principles behind the diet.
6. SBD does not ask you to count calories, fat, carbs, grams of anything... which is very good for everyday living. Some people ask, well then how can you lose weight? I used to have very "moody" blood sugar with lots of highs and crashing lows. I finally was eating about every 2 hours just to keep from fainting - although I tried to eat healthy snacks (fruit, granola, yogurt) I was eating WAAAY too much... my body didn't need all those calories, but my blood was telling me it needed more glucose. Not a good situation... SBD cleared up the blood sugar issues, I promise, in 2 weeks flat. I don't count grams of anything, but I have lost a lot of the weight simply due to the fact that I am only eating when i'm hungry, because my body's not addicted to sugar anymore.
In order to understand it, you really have to read the book or talk to someone, because there are a lot of misconceptions out there that can derail your BF's efforts if he falsely believes them. Good luck!
wasliche at 1:22PM on 07/17/09