Reply or don't reply: that is your decision

[Guest guest]

Folks,

If you can't handle negative talk about the SBD, please delete this message

without reading it. If you're very happy with it and willing to offer advice and

encouragement to someone, please scroll down and read.

I am really discouraged with this SBD diet.

I am obese and have been for decades, although I can remember a time I was at my

ideal weight and very happy about it and what I was eating. (I was in my 20's at

the time ~ so long ago!)

I have been on the Atkins diet and find it *so* much easier to follow! Meat,

cheese, eggs and lettuce. If food isn't one of those things, it's not on the

diet.

Unfortunately:

1) I haven't been on the Atkins diet for decades and I'm now so old, almost 58,

that I have to pay much more attention to what I'm doing to my body.

2) I was diagnosed about a year ago with Type II diabetes and can't afford to

risk the complications of going into ketosis like I was able to do with the

Atkins diet decades ago.

3) My doctor, a new primary care physician to me, and a woman whom I respected

instantly after I met her, *ordered* me on this diet. It was not my choice,

based on my motivation, like the times I was on the Atkins diet.

4) I live with my elderly mother, who has rules of her own that I should be

obeying , and they don't coincide with the SBD diet, but she doesn't care,

because she thinks what she's spent her day fixing me is good diet food and is

hurt when I tell her it's not on the SBD diet.

5) I commute 30 miles each way to work and am having trouble taking things

(remembering to take them) to work, and to lunch (e.g. sugar-free salad

dressing) and have very limited choices of restaurants for lunch. But I want to

*leave* work for lunch. It's my break. And I do not want to get up earlier than

6 a.m. to fix lunch so I can eat it at my desk.

6) Mid-morning snack. I hate it! I'm not hungry, it takes too long, I'm too

busy, it's an interruption I can do without, etc. etc.

7) Coffee. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was diagnosed and treated for

breast cancer (two years ago now). Not only do I not want to give up my morning

caffeine, but I consider that awful fat-free milk stuff so unsatisfying that I

find myself drinking more coffee than I ever have before to replace the

satisfaction of the organic cream I was using. I used to drink two cups of

coffee a day, switching to Maxwell House's half-caf for my second cup and de-caf

after 12 noon, on the rate occasion I had one then. Now I find myself drinking

strong caffeinated coffee until about 4 p.m., unsatisfied with the " cream " of

the fat-free milk for my first cup at home and then Coffee-mate (yuk!) the rest

of the day. Granted I've had a stressful coupla weeks, but I'm drinking more

caffeine than I've ever had in my life!

8) The " quiche-to-go " nightmare. After it's frozen, it takes a coupla hours to

thaw and then tastes like old, frozen stuff. The few days I've stayed home and

been able to eat it fresh or heat it in a toaster oven, it's been delicious.

But, I'd rather drink my coffee and the V-8 juice and hold off until noon for

lunch.

9) The afternoon snack gets in my way.

10) My serious diet problem is coming home and eating and drinking until I fall

asleep. The SBD diet doesn't seem to address this issue.

I've been " on " the SBD diet (with exceptions every day, almost every meal) and

haven't lost an ounce.

I'm throwing out a lifeline. Can any of you catch it and reel me in?

Phalbe Henriksen

[Guest guest]

(Stepping timidly here)

As a diabetic, you could be extremely carb sensitive - so even the little

bit of extra carbs on South Beach vs. Atkins could be a problem.

Ketoacidosis (which is what you should be worried about) is *NOT* the same

as Ketosis. Being in Ketosis should not be a problem for you.

My dad is severely diabetic and a year ago Mother's Day he had a heart to

heart with me...he was using 180 units of insulin a day and spiking to over

400. His doctor told him that (basically) there was no way to get it under

control and that he was going to die. I convinced Dad that at that point he

had nothing to lose by trying Atkins. Within a week, his insulin usage had

been cut in half and he was only spiking to a little over 250. Atkins saved

my dad's life.

Not only that...over the summer, they cut his cholestrol meds...Most

physicians don't like Atkins because they only hear about people staying on

induction forever. If you do Atkins *right*, it can blend very nicely with

South Beach principles.

For instance...I'm not afraid of fat, not a bit. I use a couple of

Tablespoons of cream a day, lots of avocado, olive oil, grapeseed oil, flax,

*real* butter (like eggs, the " experts " are beginning to say that it's not

as bad as they've thought), real cheese (although not much, a couple of

ounces a day).

You don't have to eat red meat...I do a lot of chicken breasts, fish, I love

crab meat, canned tuna, etc...

I don't eat the legumes - (at least much)...I have PCOS, and I am *very*

carb sensitive...even the legumes hang me up - if they bother you, don't eat

them.

For the South Beach part...eat as many of those veggies as you want!

The biggest differences (on the surface) is that in the first phase, South

Beach gives you legume choices, and fewer fat choices and gives you

unlimited veggies. In the second phase, you add in carbs more quickly than

Atkins, but I've heard a lot of people say they're doing " phase 1 1/2 " .

Plus, Atkins makes your life easier, in that there are convenience foods

available (I don't use many of them, but the shakes are nice for breakfast)

As far as lunch...I make mine the night before and put my car keys in the

bag with it (that way I can't forget it). If you're not hungry for the

snack, don't eat it...but I'd keep something handy, just in case. *BUT* you

are diabetic...and you need to eat betwen meals to keep your blood sugar as

level as possible. It really just does not take that much time to eat a

cheese stick. Salad dressings...I went to Gordon Food Service and bought a

whole case of single serving salad dressings. It has lasted all school

year.

Enjoy your coffee...use cream - a serving a day shouldn't hurt. This is

supposed to be a diet you can live with, and as long as it's working for

you, go for it.

Eating until you're asleep - go ahead...celery, I have a dip that I make

(layer of salsa, sour cream (fat free or not), guacamole and a little

shredded cheddar) and I eat it with celery or green pepper. But when you

are not hungry any more...stop eating...

The quiche things...I agree (but my kids like them)...but I do dress them

up...pepperoni and pizza sauce with pizza veggies, etc. I do hard boiled

eggs and string cheese for breakfast, and then celery and green peppers on

my break.

You can make this work (I have not lost a bunch of weight, either, but I

find that when I eat South Beach amounts of veggies, it's better and I feel

better)

hope this helps...Ellen

Reply or don't reply: that is your decision

> Folks,

>

> If you can't handle negative talk about the SBD, please delete this

message without reading it. If you're very happy with it and willing to

offer advice and encouragement to someone, please scroll down and read.

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> I am really discouraged with this SBD diet.

>

> I am obese and have been for decades, although I can remember a time I was

at my ideal weight and very happy about it and what I was eating. (I was in

my 20's at the time ~ so long ago!)

>

> I have been on the Atkins diet and find it *so* much easier to follow!

Meat, cheese, eggs and lettuce. If food isn't one of those things, it's not

on the diet.

>

> Unfortunately:

>

> 1) I haven't been on the Atkins diet for decades and I'm now so old,

almost 58, that I have to pay much more attention to what I'm doing to my

body.

>

> 2) I was diagnosed about a year ago with Type II diabetes and can't afford

to risk the complications of going into ketosis like I was able to do with

the Atkins diet decades ago.

>

> 3) My doctor, a new primary care physician to me, and a woman whom I

respected instantly after I met her, *ordered* me on this diet. It was not

my choice, based on my motivation, like the times I was on the Atkins diet.

>

> 4) I live with my elderly mother, who has rules of her own that I should

be obeying , and they don't coincide with the SBD diet, but she doesn't

care, because she thinks what she's spent her day fixing me is good diet

food and is hurt when I tell her it's not on the SBD diet.

>

> 5) I commute 30 miles each way to work and am having trouble taking things

(remembering to take them) to work, and to lunch (e.g. sugar-free salad

dressing) and have very limited choices of restaurants for lunch. But I want

to *leave* work for lunch. It's my break. And I do not want to get up

earlier than 6 a.m. to fix lunch so I can eat it at my desk.

>

> 6) Mid-morning snack. I hate it! I'm not hungry, it takes too long, I'm

too busy, it's an interruption I can do without, etc. etc.

>

> 7) Coffee. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was diagnosed and

treated for breast cancer (two years ago now). Not only do I not want to

give up my morning caffeine, but I consider that awful fat-free milk stuff

so unsatisfying that I find myself drinking more coffee than I ever have

before to replace the satisfaction of the organic cream I was using. I used

to drink two cups of coffee a day, switching to Maxwell House's half-caf for

my second cup and de-caf after 12 noon, on the rate occasion I had one

then. Now I find myself drinking strong caffeinated coffee until about 4

p.m., unsatisfied with the " cream " of the fat-free milk for my first cup at

home and then Coffee-mate (yuk!) the rest of the day. Granted I've had a

stressful coupla weeks, but I'm drinking more caffeine than I've ever had in

my life!

>

> 8) The " quiche-to-go " nightmare. After it's frozen, it takes a coupla

hours to thaw and then tastes like old, frozen stuff. The few days I've

stayed home and been able to eat it fresh or heat it in a toaster oven, it's

been delicious. But, I'd rather drink my coffee and the V-8 juice and hold

off until noon for lunch.

>

> 9) The afternoon snack gets in my way.

>

> 10) My serious diet problem is coming home and eating and drinking until I

fall asleep. The SBD diet doesn't seem to address this issue.

>

> I've been " on " the SBD diet (with exceptions every day, almost every meal)

and haven't lost an ounce.

>

> I'm throwing out a lifeline. Can any of you catch it and reel me in?

>

>

> Phalbe Henriksen

>

>

>

>

> Reminder: The South Beach Diet is not low-carb. Nor is it low-fat. The

South Beach Diet teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right

fats-the good ones-and enables you to live quite happily without the bad

carbs and bad fats.

>

> For more on this WOE please read " The South Beach Diet " by Arthur

Agatston, MD. ISBN 1-57954-814-8

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Phalbe,

Here's a big hug for you - sounds like you have lots of challenges. I'm going to give you some of my opinions, but not try to address everything right now.

Sounds like you don't really want to be on a diet, or maybe you're just not ready. So being on any diet is going to suck. So you might as well be on the SBD, because it's really a pretty healthy way to eat. But until you make up your mind to do it, nothing is going to succeed.

Figure out why you want to do this. If you can't, you are going to have a hard time.

Write down 5 short term goals that are important and can be addressd by this diet. I'm not sure what a diabetic would have for a goal - would it be lowering your blood sugar levels? Or walk to the end of the block and back without getting out of breath. Losing 5 pounds. You get the idea. Tape this on the fridge, on your mirror, on your steering wheel. Read it to yourself every chance you get.

As for the complexity. I think people make this harder for themselves sometimes. Is this ok? Can I eat this? Are these legal? I finally figured out that what worked for me in Ph 1 was this: Is it on the Foods to Enjoy? If yes, you can eat it. If not, forget about it for two weeks.

Stick a note on your doorknob. "Do you have your lunch and snacks?" Make up your mind - don't leave home without them. Can you prepare them the night before? Then go eat lunch in the park or the mall or something? Salad dressing does not have to be sugar free. Just 3 g or less of sugar per serving, which is almost all dressings except for French or Catalina.

The snacks are very important to maintain your metabolism and your blood sugar levels. They don't have to be messy or complicated. They can be shelled nuts, a slice of turkey, or a cheese stick for example. Set an alarm clock to remind you to eat them. Try to eat smaller, more often. Maybe cut down on breakfast and lunch.

Don't give up your caffeine now. You have too much other stuff going on. How much cream do you use? Can you cut back on your real cream to just a splash? If not, this will be a true challenge. Can you do without it for a couple of weeks?

The quiche - if you don't like 'em, don't eat 'em. Don't eat anything you don't like. Sub anything else from the foods to enjoy, but get veggies and protein.

Do you have a feel why you eat and drink till bedtime? If you're hungry, eat Foods to Enjoy and drink your water. You will find your appetite decreasing over time. If you're eating cause you're depressed or stressed or some other reason, try behavior modification. Do something active - vaccuum or go brush your teeth. Drink water. Walk around the yard. STAY BUSY.

Anyway, just some thoughts. I have confidnece that SBD can work for you when you're ready to really give it a try, of your own free will, instead of being forced into it. And we'll be here to help and support you all you need.

Reply or don't reply: that is your decision

Folks,If you can't handle negative talk about the SBD, please delete this message without reading it. If you're very happy with it and willing to offer advice and encouragement to someone, please scroll down and read.I am really discouraged with this SBD diet.I am obese and have been for decades, although I can remember a time I was at my ideal weight and very happy about it and what I was eating. (I was in my 20's at the time ~ so long ago!)I have been on the Atkins diet and find it *so* much easier to follow! Meat, cheese, eggs and lettuce. If food isn't one of those things, it's not on the diet. Unfortunately:1) I haven't been on the Atkins diet for decades and I'm now so old, almost 58, that I have to pay much more attention to what I'm doing to my body.2) I was diagnosed about a year ago with Type II diabetes and can't afford to risk the complications of going into ketosis like I was able to do with the Atkins diet decades ago.3) My doctor, a new primary care physician to me, and a woman whom I respected instantly after I met her, *ordered* me on this diet. It was not my choice, based on my motivation, like the times I was on the Atkins diet.4) I live with my elderly mother, who has rules of her own that I should be obeying , and they don't coincide with the SBD diet, but she doesn't care, because she thinks what she's spent her day fixing me is good diet food and is hurt when I tell her it's not on the SBD diet.5) I commute 30 miles each way to work and am having trouble taking things (remembering to take them) to work, and to lunch (e.g. sugar-free salad dressing) and have very limited choices of restaurants for lunch. But I want to *leave* work for lunch. It's my break. And I do not want to get up earlier than 6 a.m. to fix lunch so I can eat it at my desk.6) Mid-morning snack. I hate it! I'm not hungry, it takes too long, I'm too busy, it's an interruption I can do without, etc. etc.7) Coffee. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer (two years ago now). Not only do I not want to give up my morning caffeine, but I consider that awful fat-free milk stuff so unsatisfying that I find myself drinking more coffee than I ever have before to replace the satisfaction of the organic cream I was using. I used to drink two cups of coffee a day, switching to Maxwell House's half-caf for my second cup and de-caf after 12 noon, on the rate occasion I had one then. Now I find myself drinking strong caffeinated coffee until about 4 p.m., unsatisfied with the "cream" of the fat-free milk for my first cup at home and then Coffee-mate (yuk!) the rest of the day. Granted I've had a stressful coupla weeks, but I'm drinking more caffeine than I've ever had in my life!8) The "quiche-to-go" nightmare. After it's frozen, it takes a coupla hours to thaw and then tastes like old, frozen stuff. The few days I've stayed home and been able to eat it fresh or heat it in a toaster oven, it's been delicious. But, I'd rather drink my coffee and the V-8 juice and hold off until noon for lunch.9) The afternoon snack gets in my way.10) My serious diet problem is coming home and eating and drinking until I fall asleep. The SBD diet doesn't seem to address this issue.I've been "on" the SBD diet (with exceptions every day, almost every meal) and haven't lost an ounce.I'm throwing out a lifeline. Can any of you catch it and reel me in?Phalbe HenriksenReminder: The South Beach Diet is not low-carb. Nor is it low-fat. The South Beach Diet teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats-the good ones-and enables you to live quite happily without the bad carbs and bad fats. For more on this WOE please read "The South Beach Diet" by Arthur Agatston, MD. ISBN 1-57954-814-8

[Guest guest]

Right on, Doreen!

Carol

> I agree completely with what Ellen responded to you with. I'm

going to go a

> little bit further, and I really hope that I do not offend you.

Please do not

> feel as if I am attacking you. I'm just giving you my honest

opinion.

> I hear you making a ton of excuses for not liking the diet. A

snack is

> bothersome, it gets in your way. You don't like to take your

lunch, it's bothersome.

> There are only a few restaurants for you choose from. You live

with your

> mother, etc.

> You are basically re-vamping your entire eating habits. You're

going to

> experience a feeling of being " inconvenienced " for a short period.

It's an

> adjustment period. You'll adapt and adjust, and feel 110% better.

Of course it's

> easier to pop into a restaurant for lunch, but that's what you're

accustomed to.

> You wouldn't be in this position, if eating restaurant food, daily

for lunch,

> was healthy for you. You want to get out of the office? Totally

understandable.

> Walk over to a park, sit on a bench. If it's raining, go to a

nearby indoor

> mall or shopping center. There are many ways to get out of the

office for lunch,

> that don't involve a restaurant.

> You know as a diabetic, and being overweight, how urgent it is for

you to nip

> this in the bud. You have to make the committment to change your

eating

> habits. And stick with it.

>

> Doreen

[Guest guest]

Right on, Doreen!

Carol

> I agree completely with what Ellen responded to you with. I'm

going to go a

> little bit further, and I really hope that I do not offend you.

Please do not

> feel as if I am attacking you. I'm just giving you my honest

opinion.

> I hear you making a ton of excuses for not liking the diet. A

snack is

> bothersome, it gets in your way. You don't like to take your

lunch, it's bothersome.

> There are only a few restaurants for you choose from. You live

with your

> mother, etc.

> You are basically re-vamping your entire eating habits. You're

going to

> experience a feeling of being " inconvenienced " for a short period.

It's an

> adjustment period. You'll adapt and adjust, and feel 110% better.

Of course it's

> easier to pop into a restaurant for lunch, but that's what you're

accustomed to.

> You wouldn't be in this position, if eating restaurant food, daily

for lunch,

> was healthy for you. You want to get out of the office? Totally

understandable.

> Walk over to a park, sit on a bench. If it's raining, go to a

nearby indoor

> mall or shopping center. There are many ways to get out of the

office for lunch,

> that don't involve a restaurant.

> You know as a diabetic, and being overweight, how urgent it is for

you to nip

> this in the bud. You have to make the committment to change your

eating

> habits. And stick with it.

>

> Doreen