New To South Beach

[devin5]

Hi, I am new to the SBD, but after seeing people get such great results on it, I have decided to try it. I went and bought the book at Walmart and have been reading up on it. A friend of mine referred me to this website and said that it would be helpful to me. I have read several posts and first off wanted to thank you guys for all the great info I have read. Even after reading parts of the book (I'm not yet done with it) I was confused on what to eat, how much, when...and so on. So if anybody has any tips or anything for me, that would be great. I am not really that much overweight, I just have some I want to lose before heading back to school for the fall semester. I plan on exercising every day doing cardio, strength training, etc.

I am officially starting the diet on Monday, August 1st. And, I had just a few questions about some things before starting....

*Is it ok to have tomatoes, cucumbers, and vinegar as a snack?
*Is there anything special I need to do that would give me more energy as far as working out since I won't be getting as many carbs as before?
*Last, would it be okay for me to stay on Phase 1 a week or so longer than the 2 week period. I am afraid I will not lose enough weight in justthe 2 week period alone, and just wondered if extending the 2 week period would cause me future problems with the diet?

Thanks in advance for any info, and I really appreciate everything I have read in the forum so far...

[Reg]

Welcome !!

[ReneeBW]

[justmarvi]

devin5, we think you'll love SBD! Join right in and you'll find great support here....

Be sure to check out the updated food list sticky above, it has things that can be added in that aren't in the book.

The Phase 1 Food List sticky is up-to-date so any question about what to eat or how much is pretty much there. The things that are limited are in that list.

The general rule is to eat until satisfied, I'm sure you know the general size of meat, like the size of a palm, etc.

*Is it ok to have tomatoes, cucumbers, and vinegar as a snack?

yes

*Is there anything special I need to do that would give me more energy as far as working out since I won't be getting as many carbs as before?

Not that I'm aware of, just eat program, if you feel you need an energy booster, perhaps some yogurt or protein. Maybe some of the SBDers who are really into heavy duty exercise will help us here.

*Last, would it be okay for me to stay on Phase 1 a week or so longer than the 2 week period. I am afraid I will not lose enough weight in just the 2 week period alone, and just wondered if extending the 2 week period would cause me future problems with the diet?

He suggests that we go on into Phase 2 , slowly adding in a whole grain or a fruit from the food list that we really want and finding what/which foods work for your individual plan as everyone has to work what works for them. Some stay a bit longer, some go on into P 2. If you begin having cravings and stop losing, you can back up to P 1 again.

Good luck and we hope you'll join us in the check in thread, posting menu, exercise and our challenges.

Marva

[moonstruck]

devin! This is a great board, so feel free to jump right in!

[anadday]

*Is there anything special I need to do that would give me more energy as far as working out since I won't be getting as many carbs as before?
i have to go with no on this question too... i do suggest to pay attention to how many calories you are eating in the beginning... i found that when i did phase 1, that some days i was not eating enough calories because so many of the foods you eat are so low in calories.... i dont count any now.. but i did in the very beginning.
*Last, would it be okay for me to stay on Phase 1 a week or so longer than the 2 week period. I am afraid I will not lose enough weight in just the 2 week period alone, and just wondered if extending the 2 week period would cause me future problems with the diet?
i stayed on phase one for about a week extra... but honestly i didnt see that much of a difference...and when i started phase 2, i started very slow... just a piece of fruit one day or a sweet potato one day...so you could just go straight into phase 2 after your 2 weeks and just add one thing in and from my experience i dont think that it will affect your weight. just pay attention to how you feel when you add the new food in..some will cause cravings.
hope this helps

[devin5]

Thanks everyone for your help with my questions. I am really excited to get started with this diet. I'll continue to post and keep you all updated on my progress and things. Thanks again...