I've done Atkins several times in the past...lost weight really well until the last time when I didn't lose very well. But regardless of weight lost I always give up on it because of the whole "one bite will kill me" thing.

From what I can tell SB allows some more options. Such as in the second phase it seems like I could maybe have lasagna (w/whole wheat pasta, no sugar sauce, etc.) occasionally or pizza (w/whole wheat crust and no sugar sauce, etc.). Anyway you get the idea...so I'm interested in trying SB since I think I'll be able to stick to it better since I'd have a method for allowing me those things I love even though only occasionally. But I have some questions!!

A) I need my coffee in the morning, I need the creamer in it, would it be better to use sugar-free or fat-free creamer? I don't think they make a fat-free AND sugar-free! So which would be the better choice for this diet?

B) In the book, the breakfasts for Phase I all include veggie juice or tomato juice...I hate juice of all kinds! So what is the purpose of the juice? Can I just leave it out all together or is there a viable replacement?

C) I've seen in these threads that a lot of people are eating the no sugar added Fudgesicles...In what phases are these allowed? (Desert is another element of SB that I believe will help me stay on this plan!)

D) We BBQ a lot...what BBQ sauces have you tried that are allowed and that you like?

E) Anyone know of a good salad dressing recipe that is similar to Ott's original that would fit into the SB plan????

Okay, I think that's enough for now...LOL! I think it's going to be really difficult to get my mind wrapped around the differences between Atkins and SB! I'm going to really confuse my brain...LOL.

Hello and Welcome!
Have you read the SBD book yet? It will help you to read it first, the library has it if you need to borrow it.
In the mean time, go to the first page of my journal for the food lists and meal plan charts that I brought here from the official SBD site. Print it all up to use as reference as you learn to eat this way.

Now, onto your questions:
A
See the food lists for this.....I use 2% milk in my coffee...what creamers are you talking about?

v8 or veggie juice is a choice if you do not want to eat veggies for breakfast....so eat your veggies!!

NSA fudgsicles are allowed in all phases.....2x 40 cal a day are allowed.

Make your own or buy it from the store just be sure that there are no added sugars in the ingredients listing.

I do not know what Ott's is...I use Good Seasons mixed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. See the food lists for parameters in chosing dressings.

Good Luck!

Judy,

I've actually been perusing your journal over the last week or so...ever since I started researching SBD on this site...so I'm glad to hear from you. I have read the book...I just finished it last week, but I guess I'm still a little confused. Like I said it's a little hard to switch from the Atkins mindset to the SBD mindset. I had made a copy of the food lists, but somehow I didn't manage to seriously look at the meal guide thing that gave an idea of what to eat at each meal. I've looked at it a little closer and it seems like it's making a little more sense to me....I think...LOL.

A) As far as the creamer goes I use Coffee-Mate French Vanilla and French Vanilla flavored Splenda at present. I'm not sure I could switch to milk...atleast it would really be tough for me! But the Coffee-Mate comes in either Fat-free or Sugar-free. I'm using sugar free right now. There's one gram of carb and one gram of fat per TBS serving in it.

B) I'll definitely be adding the veggies and leaving the juice then!!

C) So I can have 2 NSA Fudgesicles per day on all the phases?

D) I'm going to have to really look at this...I don't think I can buy any around here that won't have sugar in it...maybe if I looked in the diabetic section? I've tried making my own a few times, but have yet to find a recipe I like very much.

E) Ott's Original is very similar to a Western dressing if you have ever used it. Catalina would be the next closest I can think of, but Catalina is sweeter and not as spicy. I love love love my Ott's!! I'm not big on salads so if I could find a good alternative to the Ott's that would be so awesome. I'm thinking I'll try to come up with my own recipe..the ingredients don't look too complicated it would just be getting the right amounts. It's basically tomato paste, sugar, oil, vinegar, horseradish, garlic, and onion (according to the ingredients list on the bottle...of course that's with leaving out the High Fructose Corn Syrup and preservatives, etc). I believe those ingredients would work as long as I substitute Splenda for the sugar? Yes/No?

I'm going to be compiling my shopping list tomorrow and shopping on Wednesday...and then it's all about choosing the bite the bullet day...haha. Atkins had always worked well for me and I always felt so much better when I was eating that way so I was sorely disappointed when I stopped losing weight! SBD seems to be a little more lenient approach...well a little stricter in some ways, but yet I still think I will be able to stick with it better than with Atkins. Atleast I hope I can I have to do something!!!

Like changing my stats...that's a something I need to do...I'll do that the day I "bite the bullet"...heehee...but I can tell you I weigh atleast what I weighed at my start on this site!!

IMO, you need to ditch the Coffee Mate totally...and use unprocessed products like real milk or 2% milk or even a little H&H. Get yourself some Davinci syrups in the flavor you like in your coffee and flavor it with that. Sorry but that stuff is just pure crap!

This is all about unlearning our bad eating habits of using convenience foods as part of our days.....

Yes, you can have 2 NSA fudgsicles a day in all phases.

Do your best on the BBQ and salad dressings....just make sure that there is no added sugar, as I said before. I had to become good at reading ingredient lists....and finding all the words that are used for sugar....HFCS is one of them so be on the lookout for this too. Yes, you can surely use Splenda in your dressings.

Both plans work when you work them....sticking to plan is key. I know it sounds simple but I also know that it can be hard no matter which plan you chose. Even when we make a mistake, no sense stopping all together...keep going and chalk it up to experience.

Good Luck!

Okay, I'm making my grocery list---So new questions...LOL

1: The meal lists recommend at lunch and supper to include 1/3-1/2 cup of beans, but the food list says "start with 1/3-1/2 cup serving"---SO am I supposed to only have 1/3-1/2 per day at either lunch or supper? Or two 1/3-1/2 cup servings per day?

2: Is cheese included in the two cup allowance of dairy? Same for fudgesicles?

3: Is hummus any good? LOL...I've never had it...what is it like?

Good job on going grocery shopping!!

1- beans- we can have them 2 times day.....1/3 or 1/2 cup is a serving. You get to pick where you eat them.
Hummus is a bean dip made from chick peas, tahini and galric....yummmmy!! I used hummus as a bean seving but due to its high fat, I had to keep portions to 2 tbs at a time. 2 questions answered in one!!
Great with celery as a snack as are many bean dips!!!

2- cheese- you've hit on an area of debate....SB allows cheese to be a protein....an unlimited protein!! this is not wise, IMO and IME...I include my daily cheese intake with my daily dairy totals. I allow myself 1-2 ozs a day...some days no cheese at all.

Wow...that was fast! Thanks Judy!

What's tahini?

Off to our weekly T-ball game!!! Be back after!

Oh, and the two servings of beans per day is for Phase I?!

Welcome to SB, bosbaby! I too switched from Atkins to SB (a yr ago now) and have had GREAT success. I wish you all the best as you learn to work your new plan

Tahini is a sesame paste.

Yes, 2 servings of beans per day for P1. Just watch how they are prepared. Try and steer clear of anything that has sugar added (a lot of canned beans do, make sure to read the ingredient lists) or high amounts of fat.

On the cheese front, I too consider it a part of my dairy and limit it to only a couple ounces per day. And not every day. I've found that the easiest way to keep it in check is to not add it to things where I won't really be tasting it over other flavors. For example, I eat taco salads on a regular basis but I no longer add cheese because I can't really taste it over the seasoned meat and salsa etc..

I still use a sf french vanilla creamer (powdered type) in my coffee. It hasn't caused any problems for me, but I think it's because I don't drink nearly as much coffee as I used to before getting my food in line. I've gone from 2 pots/day to only 2-3 cups (small, 6oz cups) per day. The half and half or milk with Da Vinci syrup is REALLY good, just a tad to expensive for my weekly budget. Give it a try though and you may never go back to creamer! lol

2 servings a day for phase I...II and III!!

Beans and legumes are big part of this food plan. This also includes lentils....split pea soup, lentil soup are great ways to get in this food group. Very filling with all that great fiber...soluble and insoluble!!

Insoluble is dietary fiber
soluble is the fiber that gets into our bloodstream to do its cleaning work there.

Thanks for the response Renee!

Hummus sounds like something I might like. I may have to try it.

I'm actually drinking my coffee this morning with the vanilla flavored Splenda only. I think maybe once I get used to it I will like it fine without the creamer.

Today is grocery shopping day! I'm actually excited about getting back on track with something! I don't see any reason to not start this WOE tomorrow! I'll let you all know!!

Okay all.....I'm starting today!!!! I've updated the stats/profile. Also post number 135 in my journal begins my trek on South Beach!! Pop in and say hello!!!

I have something I can recommend for grilling...check out the spice isle in the grocery store. There are marinade packets (I think GrillMates is a brand) where you just add oil (I use olive oil), water and vinegar. Read the packet and pick only the ones that have 2g of sugar or less. Chicken or pork tastes great with most of these and it's a nice variety from typical BBQ sauce. I typically take a zip lock bag, add my meat, add the extra ingredients, and let it marinade in the fridge while the grill or broiler is heating up. Or, try a dry rub instead of sugary BBQ sauce. Throw some veggies on the grill along with it and you have a great meal!

Thanks for the suggestion firefly...I'll look for these the next time I go shopping!

We love grilling outdoors during the summer, but the meat (especially chicken) just gets so dry. Especially if you aren't adding any sauce. So I'll definitely give these a shot!!

Just thought of something else too - if you like Indian food, tikka or tandori pastes can be mixed with plain yogurt and make an excellent marinade for chicken shish-kebobs on the grill. You can find them in the international section of most grocery stores. Some are a little spicy, but it's healthy and another nice alternative. I normally throw a few skewers of zucchini and mushrooms on there along with. (And by me, I mean I prep them and then hand them to my boyfriend to cook - haha!)

I'm glad I could help. The grill is honestly my secret weapon for eating healthy. Everything tastes so much better on the grill.

Just my 2 cents on the coffeemate issue - I agree with Judy that it is better to switch to unprocessed foods as much as possible. But, there are times when you have to choose your battles. I think that the most important thing is that you eliminate sugar. Check out the label. I plan to switch to milk, but don't want to throw out a large container of lite coffeemate that I allready own. It has very limited sugar and no fat. So, I am careful to only add one level teaspoon of it to my coffee and that's all I get all day. So far, I have had no problems with it. But, if the kind you use has sugar in it, ditch it. Most coffeemates that I have seen have very low fat content, so always look at the sugar content as a general rule of thumb.