Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: what to eat on the south beach diet

Question:
I need help with the South Beach Diet. This is week two for us and I don't think we are cheating, but we are not following the meal plans exactly. We eat only what is in the foods allowed columns, but some of it is so vague. Pop? Is it allowed or not? What is chocolate powder, no added sugar? I could use a few more snack ideas if anybody has any. Any advice about what to eat on the south beach diet?

Answer:
I have been following the South Beach plan for two weeks and have lost 11 lbs. When I say I'm following the plan, I mean I'm sticking to the things on the allowable foods list, though I'm not following their meal plans nor have I made any of the excellent sounding recipes. Rigid diets don't work for me. But what I took away from the book (checked it out of the library, so it was free) is that I should avoid high carb foods like potatoes, breads (other than 100% whole wheat), pasta, rice and other highly processed foods - White flour is NOT our friend -and that I should eat more vegetables and protein and fats that were heart healthy..... all of which is sound advice, no matter whose diet you subscribe to. I've eaten a lot of green things... broccoli, cabbage, green beans, etc. I haven't even looked at a potato during these two weeks. I try to track what I eat at fitday, though I admit I don't do it every day. Now that I'm aware of what's in the food I'm eating, I don't find it as necessary to write everything down. A food diary may work for you, though, so try Fitday for sure. It will tell you what you are REALLY eating. I was surprised to learn, when I finally started using Fitday near the end of week one, that I was not eating very many calories. That surprised me. As for snack ideas, I eat cheddar cheese, boiled eggs, anything on the phase one list is fair game. I'm not tied to rigid meal times or meal plans. I just adapted it to work for me. I eat sunflower seeds when I need to munch something. Buy the ones in the shells. You won't eat nearly as many as you think, and they satisfy the crunchy urge. Pistachios are good for this too, but I get more satisfaction from the sunflower seeds. Takes longer to get as much, and I enjoy them more. And a 3 oz. package only has 1.5 g of saturated fat, and 5 carbs. It takes me several days to nibble away at a whole package. About Pop: I gave up a 38 year Dr. Pepper habit. I went from drinking way more DP a day than I want to admit to drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper every few days. After the first week, I don't crave it. I drink a lot of water, and not much pop because too much Aspartame adversely affects me. But one now and then helps with the carbonation craving and doesn't bother me. It has no carbs. So it's 'legal'. There is a school of thought that the sweet taste stimulates sweet cravings, but that's not been true for me. If you like it, and it doesn't bother you, go for it. In moderation, of course. Water is still the best for you. Chocolate powder is unsweetened cocoa powder. I haven't figured out how to make chocolate pudding with Splenda yet. When I do, I'll post the recipe. I am not an Atkins detractor, but I have to say it did seemed far more rigid than I was comfortable with. SB made more sense to me, and I DO believe in the good carbs/bad carbs thing, because to me carbs from sugar are far more detrimental to me than carbs from broccoli. I eat out. I join my extended family for dinner sometimes. I cook. I snack. I'm doing it my way, and it's working for me. I took the book as a guideline and made the plan my own. You will too. There's no law that says you have to do it exactly their way. If you are losing weight and reshaping your body and improving your health, then it's working for you. I've lost 11 lbs, and it's working for me. Good luck to you and if you want to chat privately about SB, let me know. We do seem to be the minority here. :)