South Beach Diet - Update

From 1/29/04 -

Anyway, it seems to me that when you get right down to it - and this
is nothing particularly profound - the three keys to successful
dieting are (1) take in fewer calories than you expend, (2) don't
screw up your lipids, renal function, or hepatic function, and (3)
don't get hungry. Well, in that regard, Dr. Arthur Agatston spoke
last week at a medical grand rounds meeting at a local hospital where
I'm on staff. I was impressed with what he had to say - especially
about avoiding between-meal hypoglycemia so you don't get hungry.

And ... long-story short -- my wife and I went on the South Beach Diet
this past Sunday. Now my wife only wants to lose three or four pounds
- but she figured that if she did the South Beach Diet with me, I'd
have a better chance of succeeding -- and I need to lose
ever-so-slightly more than three or four pounds. :-)

Anyway, Thursday begins Day 5 for me. All I can say is that I'm
following the recommendations pretty much to the letter except that
when it requires Canadian bacon, I substitute lean Kosher balogna;
when it requires shrimp, I substitute hallibut; and when it requires
meat and dairy at the same meal, I split 'em up by a few hours.
Besides those compromises in the interest of Kashrut, it's been by the
book. So far I have (surprisingly) found the meals to be not
unappealing, I have not experienced any withdrawal from my beloved
dietary no-nos (like pizza ... and sharing a bottle of wine with my
wife at dinner), and I have not been hungry at all! Really! Weight
is down seven pounds in those four days.

If I don't report back in a couple of weeks - it's likely because I'm
too embarrassed to. Hopefully such will not be the case.

smn

...........................

From 2/3/04 -

So here's the deal ... I started the South Beach Diet eight days ago
weighing 233 lbs. This morning I weighed 222 lbs.

And I confess, one of the reasons I am posting here regarding my
progress is to have a little added incentive to stick to it. Thus
far, it has been a piece of cake (hmmm, better select a different
analogy), but I suspect it might get a little more difficult as time
goes by.

...........................

From now ...

Today marks two weeks for me on the South Beach Diet. I said in the
fourth paragraph quoted above that I hoped to be able to give an
update in two weeks.

I started out at 233. This morning - same scale, same time of day,
same state of dress (or rather undress), I weigh 218. That's 15 lbs.
in two weeks. Best of all, except for the first day or so, I have not
been hungry in the least. I mean I'm not even hungry for the foods
that got me up to 233!

My plan is to keep going on the same diet. Phase One lasts two weeks
- so now it's on to Phase Two. I posted earlier that I'd be real
happy to get down to 200. Well, now 190 doesn't seem like such a
daunting goal. But it's still early in the game.

Anyway, to this point I am quite pleased. I feel better, and my
clothes fit better. Well, that's not quite true. My jeans are
getting quite loose.

Your mileage may vary.

smn

On 8 Feb 2004 14:00:02 GMT, Ignoramus19353
wrote:

Sounds great. Congratulations!

.................

Thank you.

..................

How are you exercising?


..................

I'm embarrassed to say this as a former marathon runner (then again
I'm embarrassed to say that I weighed 233 just two weeks ago) ... but
to this point I have not exercised at all!

My own personal plan was to get through Phase One of the diet being
the same sedentary type I'd become over the past year or two (or three
or ...).

Now that Phase One is over, my personal plan calls for 40 minutes of
brisk walking with a little jogging/running mixed in three times a
week.

You know, everybody is different. I think that the above is
reasonable for me, and I hope as time goes on to increase the
running-to-walking ratio.

I am unaware of what the cardiac literature says about this point, but
it is my understanding that from a cardiac standpoint the key is the
time invested rather than the type of excercise (as long as it is
aerobic). And 40 minutes three times a week (my doctor's
recommendation) is something I know I can do without taking too great
a chunk of time out of my routine. Then, when it becomes *part* of my
routine ... who knows?

smn

"Stephen Nagler" wrote in message
...
From 1/29/04 -


My plan is to keep going on the same diet. Phase One lasts two weeks
- so now it's on to Phase Two. I posted earlier that I'd be real
happy to get down to 200. Well, now 190 doesn't seem like such a
daunting goal. But it's still early in the game.


So far it sounds really good and you're doing well. I have two friends at
work doing the SBD and they had similar results with Phase One. In Phase
Two, their losses slowed dramatically and over the course of time one of
them eventually gave up. The other one is still going strong, losing slowly
(a good thing) and says he likes the WOE and that he hasn't gained anything
back. I think that's the big thing right there - if you can live with the
WOE. If you go back to those things that made you gain weight, they'll do
it again.

I've heard and read lots of good things about SBD, and it's nice to know you
can make changes to accomodate your personal needs and still be successful.
Keep up the good work!

Jenn

Stephen Nagler wrote:
From 1/29/04 -

Anyway, to this point I am quite pleased. I feel better, and my
clothes fit better. Well, that's not quite true. My jeans are
getting quite loose.

Your mileage may vary.

smn

I'm only a week ahead of you and seeing much the same result. I can't
believe how easy this process is. The first week I was a bit jittery and
lacked some energy. I've found that my exercise recovery after a hard
workout takes over 24 hours, but other than that, this has been a piece of
low-carb cake. My wife and I decided to stay on phase 1 for an extra week,
just because it didn't seem hard at all. At this stage, I'm looking forward
to reintroducing some complex carbs into my diet, but carefully timed with
my exercise regime. The wife is just as pleased as I am with this whole
thing.

I've been fighting weight gain for almost two years since I quit using
tobacco. I'm amazed how quickly a put on the pounds once I kicked the
nicotine addiction. I'm not sure if it was metabolism change or just
stuffing more food in my mouth to replace the tobacco. My guess is a
combination of the two. Being in the military, being overweight has
implications beyond just self esteem. I've managed to stay in limits, but I
can't take any time off from the gym, and I've really had to watch my diet.

Using a variety of low-cal and low-fat strategies has kept me just under the
acceptable limits, but the result has been constant feelings of deprivation
and craving. Low carb eating has given me the fastest weight loss results
with the least amount of effort that I've ever encountered. In the space of
three weeks I'm down to a weight I haven't seen in over 10 years. I'm
already halfway to my goal.

I have no illusions that the second half will be as easy as the first, but
I'm confident that I can adapt this diet to my lifestyle and continue to see
results. Self-discipline has never been a problem, but this doesn't call
for many outright acts of will.

The more I educate myself on the the mechanics of low-carb, I'm convinced
its the appetite suppression that is the key to success. At least for me,
anyway. Hopefully my blood chemistry will benefit as well. I'll have to
wait and see the results there. But with a genetic history of high
cholesterol and borderline numbers for years, I'm optimistic that this diet
will achieve some positive results there too.

While this is one of the most troll-ridden NG's I've ever seen, its also
been a great resource for information, inspiration, and expectation
managment. Thanks.

Tom

Do you pH test your urine frequently for ketone levels also?

"Stephen Nagler" wrote in message
...
On 8 Feb 2004 14:00:02 GMT, Ignoramus19353
wrote:

Sounds great. Congratulations!

................

Thank you.

.................

How are you exercising?


.................

I'm embarrassed to say this as a former marathon runner (then again
I'm embarrassed to say that I weighed 233 just two weeks ago) ... but
to this point I have not exercised at all!

My own personal plan was to get through Phase One of the diet being
the same sedentary type I'd become over the past year or two (or three
or ...).

Now that Phase One is over, my personal plan calls for 40 minutes of
brisk walking with a little jogging/running mixed in three times a
week.

You know, everybody is different. I think that the above is
reasonable for me, and I hope as time goes on to increase the
running-to-walking ratio.

I am unaware of what the cardiac literature says about this point, but
it is my understanding that from a cardiac standpoint the key is the
time invested rather than the type of excercise (as long as it is
aerobic). And 40 minutes three times a week (my doctor's
recommendation) is something I know I can do without taking too great
a chunk of time out of my routine. Then, when it becomes *part* of my
routine ... who knows?

smn

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 18:03:22 GMT, "Pizza Girl"
wrote:

Do you pH test your urine frequently for ketone levels also?

.....................

No.

smn

Where would I find information on this diet you speak of? Is it a low carb
diet or can you give a brief description of its basis?

"Stephen Nagler" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 18:03:22 GMT, "Pizza Girl"
wrote:

Do you pH test your urine frequently for ketone levels also?

....................

No.

smn

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 18:31:56 GMT, "Pizza Girl"
wrote:

Where would I find information on this diet you speak of?

..................

www.southbeachdiet.com

...................


Is it a low carb diet or can you give a brief description of its basis?

......................

Well it is "low carb" only in the sense that it eliminates those carbs
that tend to make you hungry when metabolized.

I really suggest you look at the website above for more details. But
I'll tell ya one thing for sure -- if you're gonna go on the South
Beach Diet, you'll *have* to change that nick!! :-)

smn

Stephen Nagler wrote

Now that Phase One is over, my personal plan calls for 40 minutes of
brisk walking with a little jogging/running mixed in three times a
week.

You know, everybody is different. I think that the above is
reasonable for me, and I hope as time goes on to increase the
running-to-walking ratio.

Walking works, Stephen! I lost almost 100 pounds walking and eating
right.


--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

This sounds like a clone of the Atkin's diet. Big problems with the Atkin's
diet is that he encourages lots of animal fats and many people have a
problem with that healthwise.

The pizza is definitely a big downfall for me and many others like me, I am
sure. Working on it. By the time I am 30 I will have it under control, I am
sure. Well, maybe 50 ish?

Thanks.

"Stephen Nagler" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 18:31:56 GMT, "Pizza Girl"
wrote:

Where would I find information on this diet you speak of?

.................

www.southbeachdiet.com

..................


Is it a low carb diet or can you give a brief description of its basis?

.....................

Well it is "low carb" only in the sense that it eliminates those carbs
that tend to make you hungry when metabolized.

I really suggest you look at the website above for more details. But
I'll tell ya one thing for sure -- if you're gonna go on the South
Beach Diet, you'll *have* to change that nick!! :-)

smn