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South Beach Diet anyone?
I've plateued on my weight loss the last 2 weeks. (It's my fault. I ate 1/2 a box of Valentine's chocolates today, before I got mad at myself and threw them away.) I think I need something more strict to get me over this hump, and I've been looking the South Beach diet. If you know nothing about it, basics: high protein, high veggies, no carbs. Personally, I think too much fruit and carbs are killing me. Damn low-fat pretzels!
If anyone else is interested, I thought we might do it together. We can share recipes or strategies here. I may do phase 1 for longer than 2 weeks, depending on how well it's going and how much longer I can stand it. I'm not going to start until next Monday, though, because I already have a girls' night planned for Sunday.
Anyone?
Re: South Beach Diet anyone?
Just going off what I recall from my nutrition class...the South Beach/No Carb diet isn't really the best way to go. For one thing...your body needs carbs. In fact, if you don't give your body carbs, it will make them itself but not as well, stealing amino acids and such from your body, when it needs those for other things. I personally think a better (and easier) way to go would be to lower your intake of carbs compared to the protein you eat, and make sure the ones you do eat are more productive, ie complex carbs like whole wheat pasta/bread, quinoa, brown or wild rice, nuts, etc. You can also find these kind of carbs (dietary fiber) in most veggies and fruits. You want to stay away from the ones that offer little nutritional value or have added sugars, ie cakes, cookies, white bread, and sodas or processed foods that have HFCS, maltose, etc. It's not that carbs that make people fat, its the type and amount that's the problem. You can also limit your dairy intake since generally there is a high fat content in dairy products.
I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you were asking and I'm probably coming off like a really annoying know it all or something, which is totally not my intention. I just think it's important to know the pros and cons to any diet structure, and I personally think the SB diet is misinformed, impractical, and difficult to maintain.
Thanks zane. I know low-carb diets aren't always the healthiest, and I'd never do something like the Atkin's diet. South Beach seems a healthier way to go, because you can still eat veggies. Your advice isn't what I wanted to hear, but it's sound advice, and I appreciate it.
I'm just afraid my current approach of low-cal isn't doing as well as I want it to, because I'm not eating the right low-cal things. For example, my breakfast usually includes yogurt, oatmeal, and/or a special k bar and a piece of fruit. According to the glycemic index, I'm killing my metabolism first thing in the morning.
Stand up for something you believe in.
This is one of the reasons I like the SB diet. I'm not a big fan of eggs, but I want to try to do more omletes, quiches, frittatas, etc for breakfast. I also like the idea of forcing myself to eat veggies and protein for snack vs. fruit or a 100 calorie pack.
Something like this would be a fantastic breakfast! Eggs(egg beaters) with spinach, peppers,mushrooms, and maybe lean turkey? Or, make your own breakfast sandwich, with lean sausage, egg, on whole wheat bread. Save the Special K bar for a snack.
Oatmeal is still a good breakfast, and since thats an insoluble fiber, you could easily mix in some fruit (like strawberries or blueberries) to get soluble fiber at the same time. But instead of yogurt with it, have a hard boiled egg (which you can totally make a couple days worth ahead of time), so you're getting a good kick of protein. Save the yogurt for an afternoon snack.
Zane took most of the words out of my mouth.
I would focus on healthy carbs rather than eliminating them completely. Don't deprive yourself, that's what will make you get off track.
I have been *loosely* following the mediterranean diet. Dr.Oz is big fan of it and so am I now. It's pretty much the way I ate beforehand, but I try to eat more whole grain and healthy carbs than I did before. Best part is, they encourage you to drink red wine.
Good luck!!
My Acme Box last update 3/28/11
Oh and another thing about breakfast.
I think Dr. Oz recommended eating 30 grams of protein within 30 mins of waking up in order to help boost your metabolism. 30 grams sounds like a lot but if you have an egg, turkey sausage and cheese sandwich, it puts you pretty close to that mark.
My Acme Box last update 3/28/11
Honestly have you looked into a diabetic standard recommended diet? What I found after doing South beach and Atkins in the past is my body reacted horribly and ended up gaining wait in an effort to store things it thought I needed. Since I have diabetes now, I found it to work.
my recommended diet would be 15g of carbs for breakfast, 15 snack, 30 lunch, 15 snack and 60 dinner. 60g of carbs is a lot for me so I have to keep it under 50 for my blood sugar. This also keeps your body from going into ketosis, which, is totally manageable for those who aren't pregnant. You can cut out most of those carbs to jump start the diet (15 is a good guide) but keep some in your system. Its something to look into- you more manage portions and increase the amount of veg and protein that you use on a regular basis.
I did the South Beach Diet about four years ago and lost a bunch of weight doing it. Only the first phase is carb-restricted, and it is only for two weeks. After that you incorporate healthier carbs (brown carbs as I call them). However, once I stopped the diet, I ended up gaining weight (because I have a horrible sweet tooth!).
What ended up working for me (40 lbs lost in a year) was a sort-of Mediterranean diet with lots of protein and calorie-counting for six days a week, then one "cheat day." A lot of people don't believe in the "cheat day" idea, but it helped me keep my sweet tooth in check. I could save all my cravings for that day and, after a while, wasn't gorging myself in too many sweets on the designated "cheat day."
I would eat a lot of chicken and fish, and even pork sometimes. A lot of beans. I love potatoes and rice so I would have those as well in moderation. And I would snack on protein bars, cheese sticks, nuts, etc. If I needed sweets, I would often chew gum.
I also was training for a half-marathon and running/exercising about 3 to 4 times a week.
Once I am done nursing I plan on starting the diet again.