Several people are not on any of the idiot diets.

How hard is it to figure out what has carbs in it and to avoid those things?

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I started by reading protein power, began eating that way, and then read the new Atkins book. I never was totally ON either of the diets, but rather followed the concept of using ketosis and I dropped 15 pounds rapidly. Now ,maintaining the weight loss is my lifetime goal.

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I think many peoples started on other LC plans, but ended on the Atkins
(or Atkins-like) diet - because it is simply to follow and gives the
best results. Considering your question, I think you might be on the
same path...

Mirek

Ignore the idiot-like responses.... chocolate powder refers to cocoa powder.
Used with splenda it can offer a good dessert like dish, depending on how
you use it.  Pop is okay if it's sugar-free.  It as after all a low-carb
plan.  Some people report issues with aspartame, but YMMV.  Snacks, cheese,
nuts (in small amounts) LC veggies.  Just check the phase 1 list and eat a
bit of something on their.  Calories still matter.  Don't go through a whole
can of cashews everyday and expect to lose weight.  Good luck.

Tom

Joanne,

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. :)

Miss Jean

282/271/140

I have not had a cigarette in Eleven months, one week,
two days, 17 hours, 57 minutes and 42 seconds.
That's 6894 cigarettes not smoked, saving $703.29,
and adding 3 weeks, 2 days, 22 hours and 30 minutes to my life. But who's
counting?

No, but that is the one most commonly referenced.

Debbie

writes:

I dropped sugar while reading the two books -- Atkins and South Beach -- then
developed my own plan that's about 90% South Beach and 10% Atkins.  It's worked
pretty well so far.

I don't feel loyalty to one approach or the other, and I don't find them that
different.  The first two weeks of both plans are pretty severe compared to the
later phases.  Both have you adding foods back in during Ongoing Weight
Loss/Phase 2, which are easier.  During the first two weeks, I snacked on
deviled eggs, cheese, nuts, and bag salad.  I know the South Beach book has
some recipes for sweet snacks in which you mix a flavoring with Splenda and
low-fat ricotta cheese, and that's worth trying to see if you like it.  (Atkins
has the same thing, only with mascarpone instead of ricotta.)

I'm using a cookbook that's a bit more South Beach than Atkins, called "Low
Carb High Flavor Recipes Made Easy" by Fiona Carns.  I highly recommend it.
The publisher is Australian, but if you can't find it in a bookstore, you can
get it from Amazon.com.  I did see it in a Borders, though.

Good luck!

Daria
166/148/140
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04