Want to do South Beach but won't cut out butter...

[Bamboozled]

I've done South Beach years ago and had great success. I'm thinking of switching back to that way of eating BUT I am having a hard time because I refuse to remove butter from my diet. I have done lots of reading about how bad margarine is and it's an opinion I hold quite firmly.

Has anyone else done south beach but not quit butter??

[Camille]

How much butter would you actually be eating each day? In the beginning you can't eat baked goods, potatoes, or toast, and use olive oil for cooking, so I can't really think of where you would use the butter.

But I may not be a good person to ask because even when we're not eating on plan, a pound of butter will sit for months in our fridge before it gets used up!

[rose1]

I won't allow margarine in the house. We use butter when it is called for, but like Camille, a pound goes very slowly. We scramble eggs in butter, use a scrape on Ezekiel toast, occasionally on vegetables. A little goes a long way as far as taste appeal. If you are using gobs of butter, maybe cut back, but not eliminate.

[Bamboozled]

Okay I am glad to read that guys. I definitely don't eat a lot of butter, butter lasts a LOOONG time in our house, even on my current WOE which does not limit butter.

I would only be eating butter on my veggies. I just cannot stand vegetables without some butter and salt. I don't want to give that up but I do want to try South Beach again because I had great results on it when I did it years ago. I've been having chest pains in the past few weeks and I'm sure it's not related to low carb eating but I want to cut back on the fatty meats anyways.

So basically I'd be eating no more than 2 tablespoons of butter a day. I also want to use coconut oil occasionally which is a big no no on South Beach. I personally don't want to use olive oil to cook with and the other oils are too high in Omega 6s. I have an autoimmune disorder so I try to stay away from the Omega 6's now because the imbalance in omega 3's to 6's can cause inflammation. Honestly, I find I cook my meat more with some water and spices than anything else. So I could definitely stop using butter to cook with and that would lower my intake a lot.

Thanks all!!

[rose1]

IMO, coconut oil is in the category of things that look bad on the surface, but really aren't. Our cats love it.

[glitterific]

I don't eat fake foods anymore, even if is SB friendly.. SB really started me down the path of examing what it is I am eating so I do give a lot of credit to this WOE.

I do eat the full-fat foods, I eat much less of them since they are very satiating and like a lot of other SBers here, I also limit grains.. I make my own turkey sausage now instead of any regular or turkey bacon or sausage in store Turkey Breakfast Sausage

something else I've noticed is that I'm actually eating less meat this way too.. SB suggests starting with a 4oz portion and going back for more.. well, I always went back for more so I was always eating about 6-7oz meat in addition to the 2-3 C of veg I'm also not snacking as much, I might in the afternoon but I have to be so careful about the time of day or else I won't be hungry for dinner.

So yes, I think you can stick to the real fats for SB but be more concious about how much you need for something to taste good.

[Bamboozled]

Originally Posted by rose1

IMO, coconut oil is in the category of things that look bad on the surface, but really aren't. Our cats love it.

That's the thing, I don't agree with SB that we shouldn't eat coconut oil. It's a good fat!

[Bamboozled]

Originally Posted by glitterific

I don't eat fake foods anymore, even if is SB friendly.. SB really started me down the path of examing what it is I am eating so I do give a lot of credit to this WOE.

I do eat the full-fat foods, I eat much less of them since they are very satiating and like a lot of other SBers here, I also limit grains.. I make my own turkey sausage now instead of any regular or turkey bacon or sausage in store Turkey Breakfast Sausage

something else I've noticed is that I'm actually eating less meat this way too.. SB suggests starting with a 4oz portion and going back for more.. well, I always went back for more so I was always eating about 6-7oz meat in addition to the 2-3 C of veg I'm also not snacking as much, I might in the afternoon but I have to be so careful about the time of day or else I won't be hungry for dinner.

So yes, I think you can stick to the real fats for SB but be more concious about how much you need for something to taste good.

So when you buy cheese, you buy the full fat? I was wondering about that, I would prefer to eat the regular full fat cheese and cottage cheese and all that... but I also don't want to tweak the diet so much that I am no longer really on South Beach!

So glad I made this thread, I feel much better about keeping butter and maybe coconut oil in my diet! Margarine will not set foot into this house ever again.

Those turkey sausages look AMAZING! I have some ground turkey in the freezer, was going to make a LC meatloaf with it but now I know what I am doing. Looks so good, thanks for sharing.

[jlieb62]

Just wanted to add my two cents...

Even if you are all about eating 'real food' there is some merit to buying the lowfat versions. Conventional meat and dairy in the USA is raised very unhealthily and much of the hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and whatnot are typically stored in the animal fat. So purchasing lowfat meat and dairy and supplementing with healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil... does have its merits.

Jim

[glitterific]

Originally Posted by Bamboozled

So when you buy cheese, you buy the full fat? I was wondering about that, I would prefer to eat the regular full fat cheese and cottage cheese and all that... but I also don't want to tweak the diet so much that I am no longer really on South Beach!

So glad I made this thread, I feel much better about keeping butter and maybe coconut oil in my diet! Margarine will not set foot into this house ever again.

Those turkey sausages look AMAZING! I have some ground turkey in the freezer, was going to make a LC meatloaf with it but now I know what I am doing. Looks so good, thanks for sharing.

I don't eat much dairy but when I do it's always full fat. I tend not to eat more than 1 or 2oz a day

[glitterific]

Originally Posted by jlieb62

Just wanted to add my two cents...

Even if you are all about eating 'real food' there is some merit to buying the lowfat versions. Conventional meat and dairy in the USA is raised very unhealthily and much of the hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and whatnot are typically stored in the animal fat. So purchasing lowfat meat and dairy and supplementing with healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil... does have its merits.

Jim

I don't understand the logic, the lowfat versions are still a problem unless you are buying organic and usually you aren't getting lowfat. I didn't mention but I do buy local and organic meats and produce. I find that when using the full fat versions, I'm eating less so it helps to offset the cost of eating organically.

Also, there has been a huge problem with olive oils cut with garbage oils as of late.
Olive oil regulation and adulteration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Shalbrihil]

I just wanted to add something about cooking with olive oil. Don't do it. Heating evoo changes it to a not healthy oil. I love to use it in my vinaigrettes but not for pan frying.

I lost 150# eating SB and did the program faithfully at that time. Now I have put some weight back staying that mind set because of not feeling satisfied. I have never left the plan. I was just eating more of the foods on the plan. Make sense? By doing that I am proof that you can gain weight eating SB. After adding higher fat with SB foods I'm able to eat with portion control once again and feeling much better. I do use coconut oil and some butter for frying. It depends on the taste on the dairy on my decision to use high or low fat. Nonfat isn't an option. Not much of a taste.

Sorry to ramble on so much. I just wanted to put my foot in on this subject. Thanks.

[jem51]

I cook w EVOO and in some cases mixed w butter.
I love EVOO and use it as a condiment at the table, as well.

In the southern Mediterranean, where olives grow, OO is used for everything including baked cakes/desserts.

One of my fav blogs is Olive Tomato which is written by a woman who lives in Athens. Good ideas for OO.

I also look at the Olive Oil Times on occasion.

[wiz]

In 28 years of marriage, I have never bought margarine! I don't like it and never have...in fact, I am not all that crazy about butter either. It's got to be really melted and blended in for me to use it. So we use very, very little butter in a year.

For cooking, I mostly use a light coating of cooking spray, then liquids for sauteeing - such as wine, broth, etc. I use EVOO just about every day in my salads, marinades, etc. For me, the key to lots of flavor is fresh herbs. I grow and buy tons of them.

[jlieb62]

Originally Posted by glitterific

I do buy local and organic meats and produce. I find that when using the full fat versions, I'm eating less so it helps to offset the cost of eating organically.

Sounds like you are eating very healthily! Like I said in my post, if you have to buy conventional meat and dairy, purchasing the lean/lowfat options can at least minimize the amount of hormones, pesticides, and whatnot you consume. Seems like you have done great on your plan and I congratulate you on that. I only wish I was doing as well.