[Drewdane]

I agreed to try this diet with my wife (she only thinks she needs to lose weight, but I actually do ). Anybody had any experience with it? Is it effective? Does the weight stay off?

Thanks.

 

[HTail]

Low carb

My wife and I were following a low carb diet, similar to South Beach but less strict. It works really well as the weight will fall off relatively quickly. The trick is to make sure you don't over do it on proteins like meat and milk products. Some of these diets allow you to eat non-carb foods till your stuffed, not sure how healthy this is. Moderation is the key.

Also watch it if your riding a lot. You will need carbs for the aerobic activity or you'll bonk. I also find that I cramp easier when low on carbs, so I typically change my food intake on ride days.

In summary, it's a great way to loose weight, but definitely not a diet to continue indefintely. Some amount of carbs are essential to our diets, the key here is to limit the amount we take in. It's no secret we here in the U.S. eat way too much at a given meal. Portion control & excersise alone will do wonders for the obese waist lines I see these days.

 

[TheRedMantra]

Um, I did south beach, got to my goal weight, and couldnt stay there. I exercized regularly, but on south beach had such a lack of strength. I had to get off of it. Your body needs carbs. I gained it all back and then lost a bit the ol fashioned way. Just dont do any no carb diet, thatll shorten your life . South beach is nto for everyone. My uncle and aunt did and, lost the weight, and are keeping it off and are happy. It might be good for you. Give it a try, it cant really hurt. Eh, It'll at least make the misses happy.

 

[Chester]

Why not just eat better....instead of doing a diet?

I agreed to try this diet with my wife (she only thinks she needs to lose weight, but I actually do ). Anybody had any experience with it? Is it effective? Does the weight stay off?

Thanks.

Look if you need to lose weight, and you said you do, then why do a "diet"?
The long term success of the South Beach diet is no better than the other diets according to recent studies.
Will you lose some weight quickly? YES
Will you, at the end of 12 months, be any further along than people doing other diets? NO

All these diets rely on "jumpstarting" the weight loss during the first few weeks or months.
So the buzz gets around that they really work wonders. Check back in 12 months and see the results......About the same as any other magic plan. Dismal

Why not instead just begin "gradually"......"gradually"......moving in the direction of improving your eating, looking for "gradual"....."gradual" weight loss of about 1 ounce per day.....with half coming from more exercise and half from your changes in eating.

One ounce per day equals about 22 pounds at the end of one year.......
Some, perhaps even yourself, would say that is not much to lose in a year, yet that is far. more than the average person on the South Beach, or Atkins, or any other diet will have lost at the 12 month mark.
Let me repeat that.........Losing one ounce per day, 22 pounds over 12 months, is far in excess of the average weight loss, experienced by ANY of the popular diets you hear about today, South Beach included.

So gradually change your diet towards better eating.

Some simple steps......
1. Perhaps one or two less spoonfuls per meal of carbs in the first few weeks.....and perhaps substituting a few more complexed carbs such as whole grain pasta for regular pasta
Whole wheat bread for simple white bread.

2. Making your portion of meat, chicken, etc a little bit smaller... Most Americans get far more protein than they really need.
If you normally eat a chicken breast, begin by eating only 3/4's of it in the first few weeks and then after a few months gradually cutting back a bit more. Cook it with the skin but don't eat some of the skin.
No set pattern.....just begin by cutting back a bit

3. Do the same with dairy, eggs and ice cream. Begin by eating a spoonful or two less, then perhaps later you can find some brands with lower fat. Switch from regular milk to 2% and then to 1%.......gradually over time. If you have an egg, perhaps only eat 2/3's of the yolk. You won't miss it.

4. Gradually increase the amount AND "variety" of veggies you eat. Both cooked veggies and salads. On many plates you can eat more veggies in proper volume to offset any volume you may have cut back on in your meats and carbs. Your stomach will feel equally as full.

Play it all by ear......and stomach. See how you feel as you make little steps.

By just doing some small gradual changes, there is NO WAY you will not lose an ounce a day.......AND......to repeat......That is far more weight loss than ANY of todays popular diets average over 12 months. 22 pounds over 12 months, 44 pounds over 24 months.
South Beach does not even come close to that for the average person.
Do not believe all the "success" stories you hear. Look at those folks after 12 and 24 months and the truth comes out. 90% of them gain almost all their weight back.
Very, very few lose weight and keep it off.....

A slow gradual adjustment of your diet is far better......allowing you to slowly adjust your tastes and to gradually allow the weight to drop away.
Slow increases in riding will also help.

Follow my advice or go the way of the masses.......who lose quickly and end up back where they began 12 months later.

Eating now as you plan to eat for the rest of your life is the only diet that works.
Gradually move in that direction if you want lasting success.
The real question for you and your wife is .......Where do you want to be in terms of weight 2 and 5 years from now? Not where you want to be by Labor Day.

 

[Fuelish]

^^^ what he said !!! ^^^

Look if you need to lose weight, and you said you do, then why do a "diet"?
The long term success of the South Beach diet is no better than the other diets according to recent studies.
Will you lose some weight quickly? YES
Will you, at the end of 12 months, be any further along than people doing other diets? NO

All these diets rely on "jumpstarting" the weight loss during the first few weeks or months.
So the buzz gets around that they really work wonders. Check back in 12 months and see the results......About the same as any other magic plan. Dismal

Why not instead just begin "gradually"......"gradually"......moving in the direction of improving your eating, looking for "gradual"....."gradual" weight loss of about 1 ounce per day.....with half coming from more exercise and half from your changes in eating.

One ounce per day equals about 22 pounds at the end of one year.......
Some, perhaps even yourself, would say that is not much to lose in a year, yet that is far. more than the average person on the South Beach, or Atkins, or any other diet will have lost at the 12 month mark.
Let me repeat that.........Losing one ounce per day, 22 pounds over 12 months, is far in excess of the average weight loss, experienced by ANY of the popular diets you hear about today, South Beach included.

So gradually change your diet towards better eating.

Some simple steps......
1. Perhaps one or two less spoonfuls per meal of carbs in the first few weeks.....and perhaps substituting a few more complexed carbs such as whole grain pasta for regular pasta
Whole wheat bread for simple white bread.

2. Making your portion of meat, chicken, etc a little bit smaller... Most Americans get far more protein than they really need.
If you normally eat a chicken breast, begin by eating only 3/4's of it in the first few weeks and then after a few months gradually cutting back a bit more. Cook it with the skin but don't eat some of the skin.
No set pattern.....just begin by cutting back a bit

3. Do the same with dairy, eggs and ice cream. Begin by eating a spoonful or two less, then perhaps later you can find some brands with lower fat. Switch from regular milk to 2% and then to 1%.......gradually over time. If you have an egg, perhaps only eat 2/3's of the yolk. You won't miss it.

4. Gradually increase the amount AND "variety" of veggies you eat. Both cooked veggies and salads. On many plates you can eat more veggies in proper volume to offset any volume you may have cut back on in your meats and carbs. Your stomach will feel equally as full.

Play it all by ear......and stomach. See how you feel as you make little steps.

By just doing some small gradual changes, there is NO WAY you will not lose an ounce a day.......AND......to repeat......That is far more weight loss than ANY of todays popular diets average over 12 months. 22 pounds over 12 months, 44 pounds over 24 months.
South Beach does not even come close to that for the average person.
Do not believe all the "success" stories you hear. Look at those folks after 12 and 24 months and the truth comes out. 90% of them gain almost all their weight back.
Very, very few lose weight and keep it off.....

A slow gradual adjustment of your diet is far better......allowing you to slowly adjust your tastes and to gradually allow the weight to drop away.
Slow increases in riding will also help.

Follow my advice or go the way of the masses.......who lose quickly and end up back where they began 12 months later.

Eating now as you plan to eat for the rest of your life is the only diet that works.
Gradually move in that direction if you want lasting success.
The real question for you and your wife is .......Where do you want to be in terms of weight 2 and 5 years from now? Not where you want to be by Labor Day.

 

[Ratt]

Everyone at my work has been on it at some point

I am old middle aged dude and see all diets as fads. A simple balanced diet and calorie counting (requires honesty) is all any one needs. I find the low carb diets alarming in an xc riders perspective, i need a lot of carbs on epic and non-epic rides. In the long term I don't see how they can stay on it.

But in all my life i haven't seen a diet get positive results so fast.The amount of weight loss i see in the people at my office is extreme and impressive. I eat lunch at my desk but when i have french fries or chinese food no one comes near me , I should be more considerate but what the hey.

 

[Cary]

Eating now as you plan to eat for the rest of your life is the only diet that works.
Gradually move in that direction if you want lasting success.

You have it so right, it is not even funny. The problem is that people want results now and want them to be easy.

 

[rkj__]

my family tried it (not me). From my observations, it seemed like there was a lot of cooking. You had to make "their recipies". In terms of effectiveness, i would not say it was anything exceptional. You will likely lose weight, but i don't think it will last. Didn't among my folks.

 

[Bunge]

do what I did- get so overwhelmed with work that you don't feel like you have time to eat- and then, when the stress of it all is unbearable, do it a few more days- and quit whining, damnit! Stay up really late every night, especially when you have work the next morning- this is key, because it fries your head and makes it easier to not remember to eat. After a while, it becomes normal to be stressed and not eat- and then the pounds just melt off. I lost 20 pounds in a three or four week period, and somehow most of it never came back.

or you could do what Chester said

 

[MightySchmoePong]

Yup.

Went on the SB for two weeks, then used the guidelines to eat better.

I'm now 164 pounds (down from a whopping 205!) and have pretty much stabilized.

Honestly, other than the first two weeks (which are really tough; you'll be completely low energy) the rest of the "diet" can be pertty much summed up as : Eat good foods in moderation. The SB (2 weeks+) isn't really a "low carb" diet as much as a "complex carb" diet.

I was pleased w/ the diet b/c it shows immediate results. You tend to stick with something that is working.

Now that I've lost the weight I'm on the "exercise a lot" maintance diet that seems to be working.

Dave

 

[Casual Observer]

I did, and so far it's pretty much stayed off. I'm currently about 183, down from about 210. I did it pretty religiously for about a month or more, and then slowely introduced carbs I really like (read: beer). This was maybe a year ago, and despite a number of hiccups (read: Thanksgiving, X-mas, vacation, summer [where it's 110, and riding is very limited), I was still not able to gain it all back. I have gained some back, as I think I was down to about 175 at one point.

The only downfalls is that is zaps your energy. I don't recommend it if you are planning on doing some extensive activities (I tried doing a Rim to Rim to Rim hike in the G.C. shortly hater starting; biggest mistake of my life). But if you're willing to slow down your exercise routine to lose some weight, I say give it a try.

 

[moab63]

I was a pritikin baby, and I was getting fatter so finally

I agreed to try this diet with my wife (she only thinks she needs to lose weight, but I actually do ). Anybody had any experience with it? Is it effective? Does the weight stay off?

Thanks.

last year I tried the atkins diet(which I guess is similar) to the South one, and I did loose about 15lbs fast. I didnt stay on it for several reasons, but I did change my eating habits and with the riding the weight still off a year later, maybe even a little less weight. I'm almost 41.

 

[Earthpig]

Another short term SB success story

I agreed to try this diet with my wife (she only thinks she needs to lose weight, but I actually do ). Anybody had any experience with it? Is it effective? Does the weight stay off?

My wife and I both went on it on March 17. As of today, I'm down to 170 from 207. My wife has lost about 20 lbs, but she doesn't exercise as much or at the same intensity I do. I found that my riding energy plummeted during the first two weeks, but rebounded nicely after I started adding "good" carbs back into my diet. I also found to my great pleasure that adding protein into my diet helped my muscle recovery immensely - my legs used to ache all summer long, but now I can do hard rides more often. Overall, I can ride faster, harder, and longer ON this diet than I could on a "regular" diet. I make sure I eat "good" carbs about 2 hours before a ride (such as a granny smith apple) and I have no bonking problems. Basically, my maintenence plan is no taters and no white bread or pasta, and I have cut WAAAAAY back on beer. Other than that, I pretty much eat what I want.

 

[Drewdane]

Eh, It'll at least make the misses happy.

Roger that!

 

[ender]

I don't believe in any of these low carb diets and especially losing weight fast without excercise. I believe they are dangerous to your health and you're asking for trouble. I got a better way to lose weight. It's by no means easy but, that's the way I lost weight I and how I keep it off.

Here's the plan:

1. Excercise regularly
2. Eat the right kinds of foods
3. Don't over eat

Gosh, it sounds so simple but, does it really work? Why yes, it does!

Here's a book that I read the give you low down on food and the industry.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-0749816-1287134?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

[Cyco-Dude]

also, losing weight doesnt mean anything. losing fat does. are you losing FAT, or just losing meaningless WEIGHT? hide the scale. your new scale is how much you can grab

 

[sfalexi]

I don't believe in any of these low carb diets and especially losing weight fast without excercise. I believe they are dangerous to your health and you're asking for trouble. I got a better way to lose weight. It's by no means easy but, that's the way I lost weight I and how I keep it off.

Here's the plan:

1. Excercise regularly
2. Eat the right kinds of foods
3. Don't over eat

Gosh, it sounds so simple but, does it really work? Why yes, it does!

I second this method.

 

[Chester]

Less beer and more riding.......

My wife and I both went on it on March 17. As of today, I'm down to 170 from 207. My wife has lost about 20 lbs, but she doesn't exercise as much or at the same intensity I do. I found that my riding energy plummeted during the first two weeks, but rebounded nicely after I started adding "good" carbs back into my diet. I also found to my great pleasure that adding protein into my diet helped my muscle recovery immensely - my legs used to ache all summer long, but now I can do hard rides more often. Overall, I can ride faster, harder, and longer ON this diet than I could on a "regular" diet. I make sure I eat "good" carbs about 2 hours before a ride (such as a granny smith apple) and I have no bonking problems. Basically, my maintenence plan is no taters and no white bread or pasta, and I have cut WAAAAAY back on beer. Other than that, I pretty much eat what I want.

You've lost about 37 pounds over 19 weeks or about 2 pounds every week.

Just wondering how much beer you were drinking before and how much now?
Also, how much have you increased your riding over that same period? How many extra miles per day or per week from prior to the diet til now?

 

[Chester]

Whats a Pritikin baby?

last year I tried the atkins diet(which I guess is similar) to the South one, and I did loose about 15lbs fast. I didnt stay on it for several reasons, but I did change my eating habits and with the riding the weight still off a year later, maybe even a little less weight. I'm almost 41.

Curious how long you had been doing Pritikin just prior to starting Atkins?
Were you doing it up til the week you began Atkins?

And how faithful were you to the Pritikin guidelines?

 

[Locoman]

Are you a nutritionist?

Are you a nutritionist or do you just do your homework? Cause you are spot on.

These diet crazes kill me, especially when people go extreme like totally removing carbs from their diet. I see it as quintessential American logic. "Ok, I can eat all this to the point of stuffing myself, and sit on my @$$ and still lose weight!"

I guess portioning food and exercise doesn't sound fun.