STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

blubirde · Chanel

South Beach Diet

Hermione · Kate Spade

I: did this before I did WW - and I did lose alot of weight on it - as much as i wanted to, anyway -

the hardest part for me is the first week or two (i don't remember how long) you can't have any carbs at all - i get really really cranky and headaches with no carbs -

after that you slowly incorporate "good" carbs back into your diet, but they still discourage you from really eating any ...

it's not as unhealthy as atkins, though - so i suppose you could try it to get over this plateau you seem to have reached and then switch back over to WW (a much healthier lifestyle)

go get the book and read it and see what you think (should be at most used bookstores by now - halfprice books, etc) i say go for it for a few months (maybe 3-4) to lose a chunk of weight and then move over to WW again for maintenance.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

my mom is on WW core right now so i'm learning a lot about WW. she did atkins, then South Beach, and is now doing WW core. she lost a lot of weight on atkins and south beach, and she's slowly losing weight on WW (she doesn't want to be dieting her whole life so she thought WW core was the best option from here on out). from what i understand on the south beach diet, the first two weeks are rough, no carbs, then you can slowly incorporate good carbs, etc... so isn't south beach after two weeks WW core? sorry to answer your question with a question....

do you think you would just like to stick with WW and do WW core? that way you would still be responsible for your weigh-ins (that's why she switched to WW because with WW, there's accountability at meetings)

laken1 · Hermes

Well, I did this too - go figure. I did lose weigh - particularly in my mid section - when I was on it. The thing that turned me off of it was that you couldn't cheat AT ALL. Like on WW if I want a biscuit, white wine, or some kind of dessert I know how to plan for it & incorporate it into my plan. On SB you just can't do it. So it was a deal breaker for me that I just couldn't be that limited. I agree that it works & it is much healthier than Atkins.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

laken1 wrote:

Well, I did this too - go figure. I did lose weigh - particularly in my mid section - when I was on it. The thing that turned me off of it was that you couldn't cheat AT ALL. Like on WW if I want a biscuit, white wine, or some kind of dessert I know how to plan for it & incorporate it into my plan. On SB you just can't do it. So it was a deal breaker for me that I just couldn't be that limited. I agree that it works & it is much healthier than Atkins.

that's what my mom said. it was ok for a jump start, but she couldn't do it more than two weeks.

so is WW core like SB after the initial "starvation" period?

-- Edited by shopgirl82 at 16:43, 2006-05-04

blubirde · Chanel

I'm glad to hear that it works, for a little while anyway. That's my plan, too. I want to try this for a little while, lose maybe 10-15 pounds and then go back to WW to try and slowly lose the rest. I know I can't do SB for all that long, so it's just a temporary fix, if there is such a thing.

As for WW Core being like SB, I don't know. I've never done the Core program and I've never really paid that much attention to it. If it is, and if I like SB, maybe I'll do that one after the first 4-6 weeks on SB.

ViViDogWear · Kate Spade

I've tried to try this a few times. I have to say that the diet is really a "way of life" which I found more appealing than a fad diet. The teachings are good - but I can be honest - as a Coke and sodium junkie - I could not get through the first week.

The first 2 weeks are hell - no sugar, no carbs, no fruit, avoid soy sauce??? This Chinese girl could no subsist on cheese and almonds in replacement of rice and soy flavored dishes. LOL

But I have incorporated alot of the "ways of life on the beach" in my life. Good luck!

kealoha · Kate Spade

ViViDogWear wrote:

I have to say that the diet is really a "way of life" which I found more appealing than a fad diet.

I have to agree w/this. I tried it to improve my eating habits & found that it was beneficial to my overall health. I had a lot more energy, slept better, my skin cleared up & a bonus was that I dropped about 2 pant sizes.

I found that the first 2 weeks were a HUGE challenge b/c I couldn't eat any fruit, sugar, or carbs. However, once I got through it, I was able to reincorporate fruit & carbs (I chose brown rice, oatmeal & bran cereals) into my diet. I found that I no longer craved sugar as much, which was a hurdle I'd been trying to overcome since turning 30.

I don't recommend starting it during your period or any stressful time like finals or work deadlines. It took a lot of dedication for me to eliminate all of my comfort foods, but in the end it was worth it.

Good luck!