Reply #26: I tried it three years ago

[ginnyinWI]

I lost about 17 lbs. but then stopped losing, no matter what. I think what happened was that I learned to make up the lost calories with low carb foods, so began to maintain the weight I was at.

I think that the only way to lose weight is to be able to modify what you like to eat anyway so that you lose. When someone else tells you what to eat, that's a diet, not a lifestyle change.

Three months ago I was diagnosed as diabetic (mild case) and went on a carb-controlled plan that is letting me lose and maintain good blood sugar levels.

There is nothing magic about a low-carb diet except that it may help decrease your appetite so that you won't eat as much. This has happened to me on my current plan, however--and I'm still eating what I want. It's just that I have to control the amounts of carbs I eat, and not overdo the proteins and fats at the same time. I get about 50% of my calories from carbs and I'm still able to lose.


With a family history of diabetes, I'd suggest getting your blood glucose levels checked often, because damage can happen even before you are "officially" pronounced diabetic. I wish they had done this for me when my fasting blood glucose was 126 years ago. This fall it was 141 and then they said I was diabetic, but even before this stage I probably was having insulin spikes after meals,etc which went undetected.

Not to panic you, but if you've got a problem you are better off dealing with it, rather than hiding from it like I did for years. Today my blood sugar is under control, I feel a lot better with more energy, and eat foods I choose and that I like. I am semi-vegetarian (no red meat for me), and enjoy making veggie stir-fries and home-baked breads. Meat is definitely NOT the main thing on my menu but more of a sidelight. Much less expensive than South Beach too, that's for sure. The problem with the Beach is that all of that animal protein is going to be bad for your cholesterol, even if you stick with leaner meats. And the best way to deal with high blood pressure is to eat complex carbs and fiber--not just a lot of meat.

So in short, I have real "issues" with the South Beach Diet for someone prone to diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc like I am and looks like you are.

Good Luck! :)