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I am wondering something, and I'll ask the doctor also, but, the drinking and eating situation. Is that an on going thing, or later will that change? I think about that every time I eat now, when I take a drink, I tell myself that I'm not going to be able to do that after surgery. Like you, not drinking alcohol will not be an issue, I rarely drink now. I have given up all carbonated drinks already. Yes, I will probably just grab a few bites off my hubby's plate. Thanks

Wholey smokes, look at this place... LOVE IT !!!! Anne, your NOT barging in, this site is for everyone, I'm so glad your here. Hope your head is feeling better, I always get sick on alcohol, at most I could drink 2 beers, now thats not even possible. Don't really miss it so thats one thing good I have going LOL. I dusted off my dreadmill too and tomorrow morning my ass will be on it. Enuf playing around, time to get down and dirty How long do you work out on it for? Pat, your car sounds BEAUTIFUL !!! bet is smells purdy. I love the smell of a new car, new babies and cabbage patch dolls hehehe. I love that santa, how cute he is with his little whip :confused: Cindy, all my clothes still fit me. I was stretching them out, now I'm fitting in them comfortably. Good for you for getting the old out and getting new stuff... bet it makes you feel pretty and new. The way every woman should feel. Have fun cleaning what are Mom's for right. John, I think its awsome that you are journaling your food. My gosh, you've done such a marvelous job. I see your struggling with the last few pounds but can I ask you something ????? Could the pounds be from excess skin and not necessarily fat? What ever you do, don't get discouraged like I did when I lost 150 lbs. The last 10 lbs I though was fat was actually lose skin... I got so frustrated that I started gaining b/c I felt it was a loosing battle. Ask your doctor what he/she thinks. Hugs to you my man Betty you always have the best parties to go to. Glad you had fun. 82 degrees OH MY !!!! Its rainy, cold, clamy and cold and cold and cold here LOLOL !!!! snow tuesday too...ick. Can I come visit ? Leslie.... your from dirty jersey LOL !!! no kidding. Where are you from? this is too cool !!. Your in a size 14???? OMG how cool is that. I would love to be a 14. Would be so happy and wouldn't complain a lick. Congratulations !!!!! Well folks, I threw out the chips, Cookies, dip, and tomorrow my rump is on the dreadmill. My mediterranian diet starts tomorrow Friday is my first fill and I am SOOOOOO ready. The past 2 weeks of eating had got me down, but PO'd at the same time. Anger can be a good thing lol. How's everyone doing eating and exercising? Did you start today, tomorrow? whats your plan, whats your dream? My 2006 dream is to be healthy, exercise and get closer to the Lord. I've been drifting and I wanna come home next.....

Yeah, I've heard of dungarees but have always thought they were some sort of off-white pants like fisherman wear. Of course, I think fishermen wear overalls now. We always called jeans jeans or Levis. Lots of people here in cattle country wore Levis before they got popular and became designer wear. My brother could wear out the knees in a pair of Levis in a week. So mother did a lot of Iron on Patches on his Levis. The only Levis we had were the currently very expensive 501s. We got them for about $5 a pair. I also have heard people call tennis shoes sneakers. We call them tennis shoes even if they do cost $200 and are made by some designer shoe company. Lately I've heard people in Oklahoma using the word sneakers!! Heresy! Clearly we played tennis in rubber soled shoes while the rest of the nation was sneaking up on someone. Tonic here means tonic Water for alcoholic drinks. Man, I would have been lost in Boston.:nervous

As another one of the men on this site, I can confirm that committed men lose fast. I am averaging 3.2 lbs a week since going to the seminar in October. I was banded in Late November. I have lost 62 lbs in 4 months. Committment takes diet, exercise and thought. I tracked everything for the first three months, but stopped and am maintaining my loss. I feel I know the rules now and don't track because the rules are ingrained in my day to day thinking. I travel a lot for work, and eat out often. I also drink alcohol sometimes when out with business associates. I work out 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes. I eat a lot of Protein, and at least 5 days a week rely on Protein shakes in the morning. I eat beef, chicken, fish and shrimp. I eat salads, vegetables and some carbs (one time a day at most). That is what it takes. I have PB's 3 times and slimed twice. I learned my lesson there to slow down and chew. I have had 2 fills. I do not think I am exceptional, just an average band patient, but I am committed. I am a scale addict too. Oh well. Good luck to you. If you want to lose and keep it off, this may be your best chance. TJ

I never and still do not experience any hunger. I just eat because I know I have to. I rarely got shaky, or totally weak. Especially once I got to mushies and was hitting my Protein goals almost every day. I survived on 600-800 calories very easily. I drink sometimes once a week, 4oz of Riesling or a German called Eisswein wine. I did refrain for several months because alcohol is just wasted calories. When we go out to a bar, or I go out with my girlfriends, I do rum/cokes, occasionally white russians, and various shots. I have zero issues with alcohol.

I so want my substitute to be exercise. I know it won't be alcoholism. In the 60s I know what it would have been, but that was then and this is now. Stealing doesn't sound appealing....maybe compulsive shopping on ebay...... :-)

We're almost twins! I was 245 at surgery and am at 178 today. No exercise. I am discouraged and mad at myself for not taking full advantage of the honeymoon phase, which I fear is over. I've let some bad habits creep back in - sugar, alcohol, carbs. Still losing but only 1-2 lbs per month. I'm recommitting this week...getting rid of the bad stuff and trying to get to goal once and for all!

I’ve decided not to tell anyone else for now (I’m preop). A big part is because of how my mom and sister reacted. I have a couple friends I have discussed it with and the rest of my close family who are very supportive. We just had family vacation and my mom made a point of pointing out all the things I was doing she thought I wouldn’t be “able” to do after surgery. Drink alcohol (I had 1-2 drinks a day) and have ice cream. Yep. Will I explain to people later? Maybe

The day after Halloween...and I feel like I have a hang over! It's very odd because I have not touched any candy, I did not drink any alcohol, but today I'm feeling like I was up all night drinking and partying. Today I did allow myself one almond cookie, this lovely lady in our education department brought in from the bakery on her lunch hour. (I know everyone wants to beat her over the head!) I have to tell you though I could only eat about 3/4 of it and the smell of the rest of them was actually making me feel sick. I had to move them all into the kitchen away from my desk. I'm the "festive" gal around these parts, so everyone brings things and brings them to me, because I am the self appointed party planner on top of my actual "work" title I'm glad to see people bond together though, so I'm happy to be the office cheer leader, it makes for a nice mix of people working together and getting so much more done then working against each other. There is a method to my madness but don't let them know. I can't wait to go home today and just get into my PJ's and crawl under my covers and turn on the idiot box as my Mother used to call it, and do NOTHING. I took a couple of Advil and might need a couple more to get rid of this brewing migraine...been drinking lots of water, and just trying not to get into full blown black out the world migraine. I love how the band really helps us to avoid these testing times like Halloween. I LOVE the spirit of the holiday, and this year I really have no desire for candy or cake and if I want to have something I can and do and it's very small just a taste and I'm satisfied. Maybe next year I'll have to have a real bitchin party so if I have to feel hung over it will be well worth it after a rocking party!!! At least my body could ache from dancing all night instead of just the miserable weather Hope you all had a good one...I'm off to PJ land and beddybye. Have an awesome weekend all!!!

They seem to be concerned about you and your health and with good reason. NIH has sponsored a large study of weight loss surgery and alcoholism. The results are that people who have weight loss surgery are 50% more likely to be alcoholics than they were before surgery. The results were particularly bad for younger people. The increase is startling to me. Presumably, your drinking this time was a one-off, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of the dangers. http://www.nih.gov/n...12/niddk-18.htm

I am sorry but I wrote, " 50% more likely to be alcoholics than they were before surgery." That is correct and does not mean that 50% of weight loss patients become alcoholics. Sorry if it could be interpreted the way you did.

trust the pregnant chick to know what the fancy wine is called I only drink spiced wine at Christmas, but it's tradition and it must be drunk Ever since my first trip to Germany I've been addicted to snowy nights with a glass of mulled wine (the english name). But each calorie is accounted for...even if it's the holidays, on my fitness pal. I have made eggnog for many years. The worst part of it is the burbon, whiskey and dark rum IMO (calorie wise). At least the milk and cream have some benefit LOL But several years ago the kids at Christmas wanted the eggnog so I made a non alcoholic eggnog using the same recipe (an old betty crocker recipe). It was far too thick because the original recipe counts on about 14 cups of booze to thin it. So I used milk and then more eggs without upping the sugar and it was great. As low cal as splenda? Maybe not, but much like icecream, I'll bet ya I can't drink more than half a cup anyhoo, so that won't kill me. BTW I'd rather be prego than able to drink Best wishes for a beautiful baby in the New Year!

I was advised by the dietician that wine along with all other alcoholic beverages were not to be used for a full year post-op, as they are irritants to the pouch, which needs that time to heal. I also enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner on an occasional basis, and just accepted going a year without any was just another part of my journey back to health and a normal weight. We all have choices to make; I would never question another individuals choices. I just know that my preferred approach to recovery from surgery is to stack the odds in my favor for as few chances for complications as possible!

I'm 26. I got banded in January and I don't regret it one bit, although I do get paranoid a lot that I'm not losing weight fast enough. It's definately something you should do if need be and I agree, 15 thousand is a lot but you can find places that do it a lot cheaper. Mexico, I believe, is half that. I'm lucky because my province pays for the surgery and all you have to fork over is the money for the band itself, but if you do have to pay yourself, check out mexico, or even if you go on websites, they have specials in certain places. When I lose weight, I'm going on the HUGEST shopping spree. I can't wait. I think that's what I'm most excited about. As for alcohol, breaking up with Beer is painful but think about what you're gaining. A new life, a new body, a new plateau of self-respect and you'll just generally feel better about yourself. Plus - hard alcohol is still there. It's a little more expensive but if you pre-buy it in a liquor store, you are saving a lot of money. I can't wait to see my end results. It's worth everything I've had to give up.

Okay, went on vacation, drank lots of alcohol and ate lots of seafood. I'm out of ONEDERLAND :thumbup:, but it's my own fault. I NEVER drink, but we had so much fun!!! I'm a little surprised that it is so much because we walked all OVER the place and I limited my portions too, but oh well... I'll see ONEDERLAND again...back on track I go!!!!!! 202.6:nopity:

Carlene: You are a gorgeous wonderful mom to take on your grandchildren for your DD and in all probablity giving the children an upbringing they so richly deserve. My bro in law is an alcoholic and a bi polar now in his 70's. Has been sober pretty much of of the time with a few slips. AA helped him and today he is in his 30th year. My sister went to Alanon for support. Somehow you wonderful woman must make time for yourself. All the baby chasing etc is tiring, but nothing like a little time off for yourself will revitalize you. You need that aqa walking. Is there anyone you know that could take the children for a 1/2 hour. In our community centre, they have day care for single moms while they take the exercise program. Any around your area? Just a few thoughts.

Matt, wait you had your surgery a year ago so technically you're really not cheating anymore if you drink alcohol right? Had my surgery only a month ago, and 11 freakin' months is way too long to wait without Vodka :-) On my first week post op, I was eating steak. I was chewing them really really good, then I'd spit it out. I only lasted a week doing the liquid diet after the surgery. I started eating soft fish and mashed potatoes on my 2nd week. Bad, Bad, Bad Gastric Bypass Patient!

Hey Cath, I'm now eating normal food but I need to be careful coz sometimes it doesn't sit well. I'm two months out now. Had my first drink if alcohol last night and seemed to go down ok. How are you going???

I'm an alcoholic...Sober over 20 years. When I'm out with a group of people I always get asked, "why aren't you drinking?" It's much easier to say "I just don't like it but thank you anyway" rather than explain I'm a recovering alcoholic. I'm very new to this weight loss journey, not even sure I will qualify, but if I do get surgery I plan on using the same logic I do with my sobriety. Basically it's nobody's business but if I feel someone will benefit from my story and they will keep things confidential, I will share it.

Our plan says never, citing statistics that Bariatric surgery patients who continue to drink have a 8-10x greater percentage chance to develop cirrhosis of the liver than the general population. That's interesting. I've never heard that. Could you provide me with the reference? The specific wording in our manual is "*the bariatric center* has a policy never to recommend alcohol consumption after any bariatric procedure. Eighty percent of the alcohol you ingest will go as a toxin to the liver resulting in a higher level of intoxication and more liver damage." The 8-10x increase in cirrhosis was listed on the presentation slide, of which I unfortunately do not have a hard copy of. (hopefully it's not something they pulled out of their @$$, they are supposed to be reputable...)

<CENTER>I got this off another thread. It is similar to the Cabbage diet. Someone else said you could use it in your mushies stage and add shredded chicken. I think soup is a good way to get your Protein and veggies, maybe add a little brown rice to it. If anything, it can by used as a plateau buster. Sacred Heart Medical Diet </CENTER>This 7-day eating plan can be used as often as you like. If correctly followed, it will clean out your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. After only 7 days of this process, you will begin to feel lighter by at least 10 pounds and possibly 17 pounds, and experience an abundance of energy. <DL><DT>SOUP: <DD> 1 or 2 cans of stewed tomatoes 3 plus large green onions 1 large can of beef broth (no fat) 1 pkg. Lipton Soup mix (chicken noodle) 1 bunch of celery 2 cans green Beans 2 lbs. Carrots 2 Green Peppers <DT>Season with salt, pepper curry, parsley, if desired, or bouillon, hot or Worcestershire sauce. Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with Water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are tender. <DT>This soup can be eaten anytime you are hungry during the week. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want. This soup will not add calories. The more you eat, the more you will lose. You may want to fill a thermos in the morning if you will be away during the day. <DT>DRINKS: <DD> Unsweetened juices Tea (also herbal) coffee Cranberry juice Skim milk Water, water, water <DT>DAY ONE <DD>Any fruit (except bananas). Cantaloupes and watermelon are lower in calories than most other fruits. Eat only soup and fruit today. <DT>DAY TWO <DD>All vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed with fresh raw, cooked or canned veggies. Try to eat green leafy veggies and stay away from dry beans, peas or corn. Eat veggies along with the soup. At dinnertime tonight reward yourself with a big baked potato and butter. Don't eat any fruits through today. <DT>DAY THREE <DD>Eat all the soup, fruit and veggies you want. Do not have a baked potato. If you have eaten as above for three days and not cheated, you should find that you have lost 5-7 pounds. <DT>DAY FOUR <DD>Bananas and skim milk: Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much milk as you can today, along with the soup. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates, as is the milk but on this particular day, your body will need the potassium and carbs. Proteins and Calcium to lessen the cravings for sweets. <DT>DAY FIVE <DD>Beef and tomatoes: you may have 10 to 20 ounces of beef and a can of tomatoes, or as many as 6 tomatoes on this day. Eat the soup at least once today. <DT>DAY SIX <DD>Beef and veggies, eat to your heart's content of the beef and veggies today. You can even have 2-3 steaks if you like with green leafy veggies but no baked potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once today. <DT>DAY SEVEN <DD>Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and veggies, again, be sure to stuff yourself and eat the soup. You can add cooked veggies to your rice if you wish. <DT>By the end of the 7th day, if you have not cheated on this diet, you should have lost 10 to 17 pounds. If you have lost more than 17 pounds, stay off the diet for two days before resuming the diet again. <DT>This diet is fast. The secret lies within the principle that you will burn more calories than you take in. It will flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. This diet does not lend itself to drinking any alcoholic beverages at any time. Because of the fat build-up in your system. Go off the diet at least 14 hours before any intake of alcohol. <DT>Due to the variety of digestive systems in individuals, this diet will affect everyone differently. After day three, you will have more energy than when you began, if you do not cheat. After being on the diet for several days, you will find that your bowel movements have changed. Eat a cup of bran or Fiber. Although you can have black coffee with this diet, you may find that you don't need caffeine after the third day. <DT>The basic fat burning soup can be eaten anytime you feel hungry during the seven days. Eat as much as you wish. Remember the more you eat, the more you will lose. You can eat broiled, boiled or baked chicken instead of the beef. Absolutely no skin on the chicken. If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef on only one of the beef days. You need the high protein in the beef for the other days. <DT>Continue on the diet as long as you wish and feel the difference both mentally and physically. <DT>DO NOT - DO NOT <DD>No bread, alcohol, carbonated drinks (including diet drinks). Remember, absolutely no fried foods. <DT>DO - DO - DO - DO <DD>Drink plenty - at least 6 to 8 glasses - of water a day, as well as any combination of the following beverages: black coffee, unsweetened Fruit Drinks, cranberry juice and skim milk. <DT>This diet comes from the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital that is used for overweight heart patients in order to lose weight rapidly</DT></DL>

What do you drink when you go out to clubs or partys? How did you deal with a hangover since your not supposed to vomit?

It's been a while since I've posted a new topic. Life got busy when I started a new job about three months ago. Just here to motivate others just starting on their journey, either pre-op or just home from the hospital. I finally reached my goal weight last week, just 13 months after surgery. I met my doctor's goal weight (135) just before my surgiversary Jan 30. Technically, a stomach flu helped me get there faster than I would have liked The best news (as if goal weight wasn't enough) were the numbers on my labs. I was well within all the acceptable ranges and my cholesterol alone is better than it's ever been, even from when I was a teenager! My HDL was gone up, my LDL has gone down and I dropped nearly 2.0 points in my ratio. I am over the moon!! I feel great, I eat just about anything I want, and I live a very normal, productive life. Now, when I say "anything" I want to clarify that I still make very healthy choices 85% of the time, but I don't even have to think of small portions now. What I want is all I need, I get perfectly full and I'm good. I haven't counted a calorie in months, just keeping common sense of Protein first, etc. I eat more Desserts than I care to admit to, Peanut Butter anything is my weakness. Soda is still out of my diet completely, but I enjoy Water, tea, coffee and occasional juice. Tonight I had my first glass of wine, first time having alcohol in over 14-months, and it was great. It did not treat me any differently than before surgery and I kept it to the single glass. I should post pictures soon, my profile pic is now very old and about 40+ pounds ago. I'm loving life, running, playing, sleeping like a champ - so happy I made this wonderful choice for my life! Good luck to everyone!

SouthBeach Diet Tips and Guides The SouthBeach Diet is different from the Atkins diet in that it is not a low carbohydrate diet. Regardless of which phase you are currently in, you should follow these recommendations: Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of Water, decaffeinated beverages such as club soda, tea, coffee, or decaffeinated sugar-free soda every day Limit your intake of caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup each day Take one Multivitamin and mineral supplement daily Take 500 mg of Calcium for both men and women under the age of 50, and 1,000 mg for women over the age of 50, each day Eating can be both pleasurable and healthy as long as you eat the proper foods. All the meals in the SouthBeach Diet consist of healthy combinations of carbohydrates, Proteins, and fats. Dishes can be made by anyone and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores. These foods will satisfy your hunger without depriving your system of the low-quality starches and sugars that caused problems with your blood chemistry in the first place. The SouthBeach Diet does not involve counting calories, fat grams, or portion sizes. This plan was designed to be simplistic and will help you understand the principles of metabolism and put it to work for your own body. A major key to success with the South Beach Diet is the Glycemic index (GI), which ranks carbohydrate foods based on the effect on blood sugar levels. When you start adding foods back into your diet in Phase 2, keep your focus on low-GI foods such as apples, berries, grapefruit, high-Fiber Cereal, and whole grain breads. Preparing For The Rest Of Your Life Mindset Change for South Beach Diet You have learned what the South Beach Diet is, how it works, and what to eat. Now, you need to get prepared to change the way you eat, for life. Start by accepting that the first couple of weeks will be a big change but one you will not regret. The first morning of this diet, you will eat a breakfast that may consist of a two-egg omelet with two slices of Canadian bacon, cooked in either spray canola or olive oil. In your old life, you may have toasted bread or a bagel and had fresh fruit or fruit juice to go along with your omelet. However, with the South Beach Diet, the bread will have to wait. Most people have been conditioned their entire life to add bread to meals. You have toast with breakfast, sandwiches on bread for lunch, dinner rolls with dinner, and cake, Cookies, or pie for dessert. However, during Phase 1, you will have to forget about the bread. It may take a few days to leave old habits behind but keep in mind that it is during this time that your body’s inability to process sugars and starches is being reversed. After trying numerous diets, most leave you feeling hungry, is one of the most difficult aspects of any diet. A common denominator seen with overweight people is that most of them skip eating breakfast. When this happens, blood sugar drops, which then increases the desire for bad carbohydrates to escalate until lunch when the entire meal is blown. Planning for South Beach Diet Planning will help you stay away from snacking or substituting things that are not healthy and could cause weight gain. Remember that once you start into Phase 2, carbohydrates will start being introduced back into your diet along with fruits. You also need to remember to eat your mid-morning and mid-afternoon Snacks, even if you do not feel like it. Some of the greatest low-fats foods to incorporate into your planning include cheese and yogurt to replace the fats since they have no bad carbohydrates. In addition, the sugar is found in the lactose, milk sugar, is one of the things you can have with the South Beach Diet. The South Beach Diet is a lifetime change, lifetime commitment, and a lifetime of health and vitality! How Does The South Beach Diet Work? As mentioned, the South Beach Diet is unique, successful, easy, and works in a three-phase process. Unlike many other so-called diets, with the South Beach Diet, simply substitutes your bad carbohydrates and fats for good ones. After trying this, you will be amazed by how well and quickly it works. South Beach Diet Phase 1 South Beach Diet Phase 1 lasts for two weeks. During this first phase, you will eat normal meals of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and shellfish, lots of vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts, and garden salads using 100% olive oil for your salad dressing. Each day for 14 days, you will eat three, well-balanced meals. While eating until your hunger is satisfied may go against most diets, with the South Beach Diet, it is part of the plan. Trying to lose weight and become healthy by depriving the body of food makes no sense. In addition to the three meals each day, you will also eat a snack between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner. Even if you do not feel like eating these snacks, for the South Beach Diet to work, you need to, and after dinner, you will even have dessert. Additionally, during this phase, you can drink all the coffee and tea you want and be sure to drink lots of water. You may be thinking that this is a lot of food - it is! With most diets, you deprive your body, eating only small portions of foods that are unappealing. The change you will make during this phase is that you will cut out all bread, rice, potatoes, Pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar. Keep in mind that these eliminated foods will be added back into your diet, starting in Phase 2. In addition to taking these foods out of your diet temporarily, you will also need to avoid beer, or any kind of alcohol. Once you start Phase 2, reasonable amounts of wine can be added back in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed about the foods that will be taken out of your diet during the first two weeks, stop and think about this for a minute. To achieve a life of health and lose unwanted weight, two weeks is a small investment to make. After all, you are worth it! The first two or three days will be somewhat challenging, but breaking any bad habit starts out a little bumpy. Once you pass this small hurdle, the rest of the time will go by quicker than you think. When you see the results that these changes bring, you will be glad you did not give up! 30 Things You Need to Know About The South BeacH The South Beach Diet -- despite sometimes being referred to as one -- is in fact not a low-carb diet plan. The South Beach Diet is based on eating the right carbohydrates (i.e. "good carbs") and fats. Eventually, you will be satisfied without eating the carbs you normally do, as your body adjusts to the good carbs you are eating. It is completely acceptable and recommended on The South Beach Diet to eat until you are fully satisfied. The first two weeks of The South Beach Diet are called Phase 1. Phase 1 is the strictest part of The South Beach Diet and provides the fewest allowable foods as compared to the other two Phases. The purpose of Phase 1 of The South Beach Diet is to adjust the way your body reacts to sugar and starches. You will lose the most weight during Phase 1 (up to 14 pounds), especially belly fat. During Phase 1 you will not be eating bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. The first few days of Phase 1 are the most difficult part of this diet. Baked goods, sweets, and fruits are completely off-limits during Phase 1 as well. Alcohol of any kind is not allowed during Phase 1. During these two weeks you'll be eating high-fiber foods such as vegetables and salads, as well as fish, meat, chicken, eggs, non-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and nuts. The South Beach Diet allows you six meals a day: three main meals, two snacks, and one dessert. You'll find a variety of recipes in the book, such as Marinated Flank Steak, but you don't have to cook to follow the plan. The science behind this diet is the Glycemic Index, which measures how a food impacts your blood sugar. Since salads and vegetables are naturally low on the Glycemic Index, you can consume virtually unlimited amounts of them on this plan. After Phase 1, those powerful cravings for candy, baked goods and "bad carbs" like white bread will be a thing of the past. Eventually, you can eat anything you want and still be considered on the program. If you feel hungry during Phase 1, increase the amounts of allowable foods you are eating.<SCRIPT>zSB(3,3)</SCRIPT> Eliminating "bad carbs" from your diet is a way for this diet to give your bloodstream a fresh start, free of those insulin-spiking starches and sweets. You can quell your sweet tooth: Sugar-free Gelatin such as pre-packaged sugar-free Jello cups are an easy and recommended dessert during Phase 1. Dr. Agatston provides recipes for a number of Phase 1 desserts that use reduced-fat ricotta cheese. Obese individuals may choose to stay on Phase 1 for longer than two weeks. Most people should advance to Phase 2 after two weeks to prevent getting burned out. Phase 2 is much more liberal than Phase 1. You will return previously "forbidden" foods such as whole grain breads, fruits, and sweet potatoes back into your diet (albeit a little bit at a time) during Phase 2. Weight loss will slow down significantly during Phase 2. Phase 3 is the maintenance Phase of The South Beach Diet. You can add any foods you wish unless you find that you are gaining weight. You can start over in Phase 1 again if you see you are gaining weight during Phase 3. You can start over in Phase 1 again if you see you are gaining weight during Phase 3.

Hunger/Cravings/Emotional/Habitual: [ FEEL FREE TO RELATE AND LAUGH WHILE READING ] If you have lived as a human on this planet we like to call Earth, you have experienced these different forms of eating habits. For some us, we have mastered the eating maze and are healthy and happy individuals. For some of us, we were just blessed with good genes that kept and continue to keep us skinny. Others may choose other methods of dealing with hunger and/or engage in habits that keeps them thin (but are in no way beneficial to their health): anemia, bulimia, drugs, even smoking (so I have been told). And then there is the rest of the world, the majority, who simply eat. Well as promised, I stated that I would share as I learned. So here we go. Three days ago, I started to have a strange craving for salt. I figured I just wanted something salty: French fries or something. The first day, I tried saltine crackers- didn't work. The Second Day, I broke down and got a small fry from McDonalds - after three fries and a terrible time swallowing it- I threw the rest away. I figured chips would hurt worse than fries so I didn't go there. By the third day, I was ready to pour salt in my hand and eat it. I ended up eating mashed potatoes with salt and Cajun seasoning. I wasn't really hungry nor did I want any of the things I mentioned. I just wanted the salt. We are conditioned to believe that cravings are ALWAYS remnants of are past BAD eating habits: nothing good can come of it. So I didn't mention it to the doctor. Well, I had a routine follow up scheduled the next day: blood, urine and so forth. Come to find out, I was Dehydrated. One of the symptoms associated with Dehydration is craving salt. Upon finding out this information, I told my doctor about the last three days. He listened and then he explained. There are several types of eating habits, but to simplify here are four main types: hunger or regular, cravings, emotional, and habitual eating. Hunger: Regular - Biologically Necessary Eating: When the food you have previously consumed has been digested and used, the body sends off signals to the brain to start the process of alerting you ( growling stomach, headache, and so forth) that you need nourishment. Insert a bunch of doctor talk here....and then arrive to the point. You need to eat small portions throughout the day to keep your system fueled and your blood sugar levels regulated. Cravings: Mostly a mental hunger but can occasionally be a symptom of a bigger health issue. Cravings are greatly linked to the wonderful neurotransmitters we call endorphins: the feel good stuff. Deserts, fast food, candy, and so forth can all be linked to cravings associated with the release of endorphins. Giving into a craving WITH MODERATION every now and then is not a bad thing. As my doctor has stated once before: deprivation is the mother of all diet breaking habits. Deprive yourself of something long enough and you will most likely binge when you do eat it. A few potato chips did not make you overweight OVER NIGHT. It took Several Bags of Chips over Several Nights to add the pounds. MODERATION is the key. Keeping a food log is a great help in this department. You will begin to see patterns in your eating habits. For example, when and what types of cravings you have and how you dealt with them. And if you find yourself craving something over and over again, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor or nutritionist. In some cases, as it was with my need for salt, there may be a greater medical issue at hand. Emotional eating: Well this topic needs no introduction and has a simple explanation: attempting to make us temporarily feel better through eating. We usually engage in emotional eating during times of Stress, Grief, Anxiousness, Indecision, Depression, Helplessness, and so forth. The best way to combat this eating habit, is to locate the source of the problem. Eating rarely if ever solves the problem that is causing the strong and usually negative emotion. Exercise, counseling, reaching out to others, and sometimes taking time to heal oneself are all great tactics. Once again keeping a journal of what triggers the emotional eating will help you get a better grasp on the problem at hand. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE UNIVERSAL EATING HABIT ACCURATLEY NAMED HABITUAL (OR RITUAL) Eating: ITS JUST WHAT WE DO. I believe that most people indulge in this eating habit and the following are some examples of when we do it: You are going to the Football/Baseball/Basketball/Hockey game: Hotdogs, Chips, Beer, Liquor. You are going to the movies: Popcorn, Coke, Pretzels, Funnel cake, Pizza or whatever the concession item of your choice is. Its the Holiday Season: I must have all of the usual favorites: Grandma's turkey, Great Aunt's Caramel Cake, Your Spouse's Sweet Potatoes, Your Neighbor's Candy Yams, Christmas Punch, and so forth. The Girls Venting Session: must have Ice Cream of some flavor and LOTS of it and alcohol. The Birthday party: most have party favors and Cake. Men's night: Steaks, Burgers, Chips, Ribs, and Beer. You are bored and in the house doing nothing: Must. Eat. Whatever. Its just what we do. LOL. MOST of us do it and have been conditioned all of our lives to do it. This conditioning has been formed through family traditions, societal norms, peer influences, workplace etiquette, school related gatherings, church and community functions, and almighty MEDIA (just to name a few). The best solution to this is MODERATION. Also, start a new tradition of your own. When all else fails, before you eat something ask yourself the following ( I practice this daily): Are you hungry, have you eaten this lately, how do you feel, and what are you doing at this moment. I usually find that asking myself these questions leads to further questions and eventually to answers. I will either talk myself out of it or I will understand why I am doing it. MOST IMPORTANTLY, No man has ever survived without making mistakes, without setbacks, or without occasional over indulgence. It just happens. Do not beat yourself up about it. Just continue to move forward. You will only be as successful as you allow yourself to be. Surround yourself with supportive people, practice good habits, start new traditions, keep a journal, exercise, and ENJOY your second chance at life. You only live once.