:::Waving Hi::: Hello All!!!

I've been posting over on the Atkins board, because that was the plan I've been following for the past 18 days - I was on an extended Induction, or Phase 1. However, last night I had my first meeting / work out / nutrition consult with my personal trainer and he said he wants me off the no carb plan. He says he wants me eating 5-6 small meals per day, eating every 2-3 hours. He says he wants me eating things like fruits and whole grains, in addition to dairy and protein. He wants me to watch my portion control, calories and fat intake, but not to be a nut about it.

The thing is, I am the type of person who will fail without a plan. I need structure. I need something to follow. Left on my own to make willy-nilly decisions, I am destined to fail.

So, my question is - do you think that South Beach may fit in with what he is telling me to do? Is this something I could follow and be within his guidelines?

Thanks in advance!

You will have to stick to the first phase of this diet for 2 weeks and there is no grains or fruits. But it is only 2 weeks and after that you will be able to slowly add fruits and many other foods from 2 phase list. Judy nicely posted the list of food at the start of every weight chek in thread.
Right now I eat 5 meals and do eat fruits (counting the portion size very carefully), I eat occasional whole grain, but not so much. Look at the food list of phase 1 and 2 and you will see what you can and what you can’t have.
I used to do Atkins long time ago too, and I was not satisfied with the food choice. I like veggies and you are supposed to have veggies with every meal on the south beach. That was the winner for me. Honestly, I don’t feel like I am on the diet any more. I eat what I like and what is good for me.

Seeing how I've already been on induction for 18 days, why would I need to do another SBD induction phase for 2 weeks more? Couldn't I just transition?

Atkins induction and south beach phase 1 is not the same. You do eat more carbs on the Beach even on the phase 1 (it will come from low fat dairy, beans, veggies). So transition to the First phase will be much easier for you than Atkins. And it doesn’t last forever, only 2 weeks. Just remember, we do not count carbs because it is not a low carb diet, nether it is low fat. We eat good carbs and good fats. Everything in moderation. When I was transitioning to the South beach from Atkins, that was the hardest thing not to count how many carbs I eat with each meal.

Exactly right seepling!!
Switching from Atkins to SB phase I, will raise your carb level substantially as it includes 2 cups dairy and 2 servings of beans/legumes daily in addition to protein, veggies, fats and 1 servings of nuts/seeds and 1 sweet treat. see the food lists and meal plans for this info.
It is best to do this slowly. Your trainer will see the wise logic of this so relax about not eating fruit or whole grains for a couple of weeks.

Another thing is that even when you do go to phase II, whole grains are not a large part of the plan itself....when we add in starchy carbs in phase II, we aim to get to 2-3 servings a day and this is to come from starchy veggies and whole grains...not just whole grains. IE: sweet potato, carrots, peas, butternut squash. The best whole grains, in my opinion, are oatmeal, rye, brown rice....I avoid wheat as do many others. I refuse to eat processed flour from whole wheat also.

You don't have a lot to lose.....did you lose weight in your 18 days on atkins?

Why are you switching from Atkins? Different plans work for different people. SB is great and works wonderfully for many people; however if you are happy on Atkins why switch just because a trainer tells you to?

Do you dislike Atkins or have you failed to lose on it? If you do switch you will need to do phase 1 of SB. There is a lot of support for SB here in this forum.

Just because her trainer told her to?

I guess I don't have the greatest respect for personal trainers, as there are so many bad ones out there. If I was doing well on a plan and losing and feeling happy, I wouldn't take orders from a trainer.

If I was not on the other hand, then I would listen.

I don't have the time now to respond to your post in total as it will require time.

Your views are just that, your views and do not necessarily SUPPORT the SBD....and this is the SBD support section of this site. This is not the war zone.

Okay. I wasn't trying to start an argument in any way. I said that SB is a great plan and obviously these were my views. My only contention was that the lady should listen to her own body rather than someone else's opinion.

Just forget I posted to this thread. Please don't respond to my above posts as they were obviously not appropriate. I would like to leave it.

To transition to SB, I have decided to go off plan for a day or two and eat normally. Not crazy, just normal. Then I will start with Phase 1 of SB. i did hear back from the trainer and he was actually thrilled with me considering SBD, but did suggest that i go into Phase 2 right away. However, I trust the opinions of people who have done it and also, to be honest, I'd like to eat some normal food for a few days. Atkins was the pits.

And yes, I did weight myself. After 17 full days of Induction on Atkins, I lost 1 pound. That's right. 1 pound. The juice simply isn't worth the squeeze.

Well, for one - I pay good money for my trainer and he really seems to know what he's talking about and obviously has a financial interest in me seeing results - if I don't, I won't continue to pay him. So, I do put a bit of weight into what he says, yes. But, that's not the only reason - I wasn't happy on Atkins. My body didn't feel right. I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin. I felt bogged down by all that fat and I wasn't happy - all for a 1 pound loss over 17 days.

That makes sense then. Atkins is not for me either.

"just normal" that really is cute!! what is your normal?

As you learn to do this plan, I hope that eating this way will become your "new normal". Because this is surely not just another diet to go off of after you reach your goal..... thats just plain crazy!!

If you are not already doing heavy wokrouts, it is best ( and advised by Dr Agatson)while doing phase I to exercise lightly...and when you get to phase II, then up your workouts.

LOL - I'm a bit quirky sometimes - I love when someone labels that as "cute". Hehe. "Normal", for me...well, that means balanced meals. Yesterday I skipped breakfast (don't yell at me!), because I wasn't hungry in the least. For lunch, I had a chicken Caesar salad WITH croutons (yay!) and a whole wheat baguette. I did have a little snackie, then...some cheese and peanut butter crackers...just a little. For dinner I had roasted chicken with about 1/3 cup of whole wheat cous-cous and some sauteed tomatoes. I did give in and have a biscuit, which I hadn't had in nearly a month. It was surprisingly disappointing. I remember loving the sinful things...and now...eh, it didn't do much for me. I really only ate it on principal - "I won't be doing this tomorrow, better have it today"...and ended up feeling guilty about it. So, one thing good that came out of doing Atkins induction - though I didn't lose any weight, it seems I really did lose my desire to eat...um, 'crappy', for lack of a better term. I'm not obsessing about food. That's a really good thing for me.

As for this plan becoming a WOL, I completely agree with you! I am in this for the long haul...which ever plan ends up working best for me (hopefully this one, because I'm tired of 'running around'). I have come to the point where I am able to admit that I have a horrible relationship with food - a real addiction - and something needs to give. I'm proud of where I've come in the last few weeks as far as where that addiction stands and now i hope I can start adding some weight loss to it as well.

As for the work outs, I felt like the trainer worked me out pretty heavily the other night (I'm REALLY, REALLY sore...even today), but, I also hadn't worked out in something like 7 years. Maybe more or less. It's been a while, let's put it that way. So...a 'light' work out by your standards may have just been the hell session that I was put through. Until I get used to this, I don't really know. I took the night off last night because I was too sore to move, but I plan on dredging through tonight, even if it hurts. The pain is temporary - my new body will last a lifetime! Or, so I keep telling myself...

Now...yesterday, I sort of posted my 'farewell' in the Atkins discussion - filling them in on what my trainer said, what my plan was...thanking them for their support thus far, yada yada yada. And, surprisingly, many of them bashed what my trainer said, told me he was wrong, I shouldn't listen to him, etc. One woman said that the fact that I hadn't ;lost any weight on Induction proved that I was "metabolically resistant" and basically insinuated that Atkins was the only plan for that. And now I'm scared - worried I may not be making the right decision. So, I suppose I'm sort of looking for testimonials. Should I try this? Have you all had success?

Also, I don't have the book yet - need to get out and get it...but I'm a bit confused about what to do / eat in phase 1. I have seen several links posted in the forums here bringing people to this info, but the way it is laid out there is really confusing to me. Could someone just give me a basic break down? Dairy or no dairy? How much meat, cheese, eggs, veggies? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!