A lot to lose - South Beach Diet?

[Attila the Honey]

I was just "pre-diagnosed" with PCOS and insulin resistance/pre-diabetes by an endocrinologist. She hasn't done the blood work yet but feels certain that is what is going on based on my symptoms. i am getting the bloodwork done in a few weeks.

She recommended south beach diet or sugar busters - and it's only day 2 and I am STRUGGLING. I am so nauseated. I only ate 1200 cals yesterday (counted them up just out of curiousity) but I couldn't stand the thought of eating anything else. I really miss carbs already. I am at a loss for breakfast today - cheese and eggs sound disgusting to me. I can eat them later in the day, not in the morning. I can't see myself eating plain yogurt..

Any advice?

Oh, and i have a lot to lose - over 100lbs.

Thanks!

[sellendie]

I know a lot of people experience a little "low carb flu" when they first reduce them significantly.

An idea for both egg whites and plain yogurt - mix them into a smoothie! The egg whites that come in a carton are pasturized and safe to consume raw...

I also dislike eggs first thing in the a.m., so I do a shake early, and then an omelette or something later in the day, sometimes with some lean meat like chicken breast thrown in.

[Attila the Honey]

I need details on the smoothie - is it ok for phase 1? How in the world do you make it?

just to complicate matters, splenda and all other fake sweeteners give me migraines.

[greenmom4]

I don't know if you want to deviate from what your dr. has suggested, but primal eating is similar to SBD in that it's lower carb, except it is a high fat diet. Primal advocates eliminating all grains and limiting dairy but having your fill of meats, fruits and vegetables. Folks have had amazing results w/ it, including reversal of diabetes, lowered blood pressure/cholesterol, reversal of PCOS among other. If you're interested, check out www.marksdailyapple.com. Also, there is a group of MDC women following this and they post mainly on the traditional foods board, but also here, too (see the primal fitness thread, below). I'm a big believer in this way of life and think it can work wonders if you give it a fair shake.

Okay, now, more to your question. In my world, the combatant for low carb flu is to increase fat. I'm only on week 2 of going primal, but I've had virtually no lc flu. Avocados are my friend and so are pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, (whole) eggs. I've done smoothies, too, and I've been doing unsweetened almond milk w/ strawberries and vanilla, maybe an egg yolk.

[JamSamMom]

I have done the South Beach Diet and it works until you go off of it. Then the weight comes back I now see so many processed foods in the grocery store endorsed by the south beach diet. I think greenmom4 is correct a whole foods diet is best, primal, traditional foods, vegeterian or vegan. After reading the China Study I have chosen the Eat to Live progran by Dr. Furhman, you don't count calories and can eat unlimited amounts of specific foods. He gives foods a nutrient score so you can eat a certain amount of healthy phytonutrient/antioxidant/healing foods. There is a pocket guide to carry to the grocery store for reference and Whole Foods stores have already started rating their produce acording to his scoring system! I am using his diet to cure my asthma and lose weight. The South Beach Diet in my opinion does not have a heavy empasis on healing/phytonutrient foods.

In addition to diet you will also need to exercise to gain muscle and lose fat. Diet and exercise go hand in hand.....you cannot lose weight and keep it off long term with out exercise. I would recommend researching the biggest loser workouts or Beachbody workouts. I am starting P90x and for faster weight loss you might consider slim in 6, P90 or Turbo Jam. I am also hearing a lot of positive about Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Once you complete a program you need to start another and make regular exercise a part of everyday. Walking is a good start but I have found I burn maby 150 claories in a 40 minute walk or I can burn 400 claories in 55min of p90x. Of course you can't eat 1200 calores and workout, you will need to follow the guide and eat more to build muscle and burn fat. Muscle burns more claories at rest than fat so it is the best way to sustain weight loss and look good.

You can read the reviews on amazon on everthing I mentioned if interested.

Good luck!