I guess I'm feeling really thankfull this morning. After spending the last year learning, living, and finding success on South Beach, I guess I feel like I should be giving more back more to this forum. For me, coming to this forum on a daily basis during my weight loss was as important as discovering South Beach. So, without going on one of my usual long winded rants, I thought I would list just a few things that might help others through the process of starting out and becoming successfull.

1. Read this entire SB forum. If you can think of a question it has probably been asked and answered here somewhere. Reading the posts will help you "get your head in the game".

2. If you haven't, start a journal. This gives you a nice easy way to track what you've been eating, write about how you are feeling, and interact with others.

3. Find some buddies here! I've been fortunate during my time here to make a couple of friends who are always there to support me and to who I lend support. Thanks Monika and Judy!

4. Read the other diet forums here. Reading the posts in the other forums really helped me gain insight and knowledge about what I was trying to accomplish. There are a lot of weight loss heros on these forums. Their stories are inspirational. I found myself continually thinking "if they can do it so can I".

5. Be patient - be tough...it took a long time to put the weight on and it's going to take a while to take it off. If you fall, get up, dust yourself off and get back on track as soon as possible. Don't quit just because of a slip up.

6. Read the book and use it along with the SB Good Fats Good Carbs guide to plan what and how much you are going to eat everyday. It seems like the longer I lived SB, the more the book made sense. It's all second nature now.

7. Read labels and understand what you are eating. SB is really just all about eating healthy, whole, unprocessed foods that are lower on the glysemic index. You've heard it a zillion times - "shop the outer perimeter of the grocery store". That's where the whole, unprocessed foods are.

8. Read some journals...check out JudyNYC and Monika4's journal if you haven't. If you are starting SB, Judy's journal is a good example of someone who tracks things carefully and really understands how to eat and lose weight on SB. If you are switching to SB from Atkins, Monika's journal can provide insight.

9. Remember that Phase II is all about finding out what you can eat and what you can't for the long haul. Add things back in slowly and gauge their affect on your weight loss. It seems that some can add more whole grains and some can add more fruits. This way of eating isn't the same for everyone. You need to learn how your body reacts. If an added in food makes you gain or stalls your weight loss, avoid it and try something different.

And finally.....

SBD really boils down to 4 simple things:
1. Don't eat bad carbs - eat good carbs.
2. Don't eat bad fats - eat good fats.
3. Don't overeat and maintain portion control.
4. Get some exercise - any is better than none.

Ok, it turned into a rant...but I'll click submit anyway.

Bill