Hey Cameron, I started the SBD about a month ago. I lost about 15lbs the first three weeks. Since I am a very picky eater, I did my own version of the diet, eating a few of the SBD lunch wraps (the turkey/bacon and Chicken Ceasar are my favs) from Phase 2 during Phase 1, a few times a week. One word of caution: be careful about the side effects of eating too much cheese - it's not pleasant. :-/ I love turkey bacon for breakfast. Sometimes eggs. Sometimes the SBD cereal with blueberries. I've cut way down on carbs, no candy/chocolate, which I thought would kill me but hasn't been bad. I do buy the fat free Fudgsicles and sometimes have 2 a day. I don't drink coffee, so I'm having half a glass of Coke in the morning and another half in the late afternoon to keep from getting headaches, but I plan on cutting it out - I hope. If the SBD doesn't work for you, at least be glad you're not gaining weight! Being healthy and feeling good is better than thin. A motto I read on the SBD forum has become mine "Nothing taste as good as thin feels." I didn't need to loose but the 15. Sure another 5 would be great but I feel better and I went down in pant size. When I want to cook brownies (which I would almost kill for today!) I repeat my motto and remember how much better I feel now. Good luck! Allison

Here are a couple of recipes that got a thumbs up from my husband and me: Ratatouille Soup 1 small eggplant (abt. 1#), left unpeeled and cubed 2 medium zucchini, cubed salt 2 t. olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 lg. clove garlic, finely minced 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 c. canned chopped tomatoes, with their juices 4 c. defatted chicken or vegetable broth 1 lg. or 2 small bay leaf 2 T. chopped fresh basil leaves 2 T. chopped fresh parsley freshly ground pepper freshly grated parmesan cheese Combine eggplant and zucchini in a large colander, sprinkle liberally with salt, toss, and allow to stand and drain for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a heavy 4 or 5 qt. saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper and stir well to combine. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini and eggplant begin to lose their raw appearance, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf; stir to combine, and increase the heat to high. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover the saucepan, and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in 2 T. of the basil and parsley and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf. Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender or use an immersion blender, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and reheat before serving. Garnish each serving with parmesan cheese, as desired. 6 Servings 77 calories, 2.3 grams fat I think the soup would be good cold as well, like gazpacho. Turkey Scaloppine 1 lb. turkey cutlets c. chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 7.5 oz. can tomatoes, cut up 2 T. dry white wine 2 t. capers, drained 3 oz. slice mushrooms ¼ t. dried oregano, crushed 1/8 t. pepper Nonstick spray coating Place each cutlet between 2 pieces of clear plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound meat to about 1/8 inch thickness. Sprinkle meat lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside. Repeat with each cutlet. For sauce, in a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic, covered, in 2 T. water till onion is tender but now brown. Stir in undrained tomatoes, wine, capers (if desired), oregano, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Keep warm. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Saute mushrooms 3 to 5 minutes, till slightly browned and softened. Remove mushrooms from pan and keep warm. Spray skillet again with NS coating, if needed. Cook meat, half at a time, over medium-high heat for one to two minutes per side or to desired doneness. Transfer meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Repeat with remaining cutlets. Serves 4 196 calories, 22 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat To serve, spoon sauce over cutlets. Sautéed Salmon with Zucchini Noodles and Red Bell Pepper Coulis These sautéed, julienne-cut zucchini strips are a lower-calorie alternative to pasta. A coulis is a thick purée or sauce. Red Bell Pepper Coulis (recipe follows) 4 medium zucchini 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon minced shallots 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon butter, divided Chopped fresh parsley (optional) Freshly ground pepper (optional) Prepare Red Bell Pepper Coulis; set aside. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips, stopping at the inside part of the zucchini containing the seeds; discard middle portions. Cut strips lengthwise into long, thin "noodles"; set aside. Combine lime juice and next 4 ingredients (lime juice through garlic) in a small bowl. Rub salmon with juice mixture. Dredge salmon in flour. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove salmon from skillet. Set aside; keep warm. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in skillet. Add zucchini noodles; saute 4 minutes or until wilted, tossing gently. Spoon Red Bell Pepper Coulis onto 6 serving plates. Top with zucchini noodles and salmon. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly ground pepper, if desired. 6 servings CALORIES 376 (45% from fat); FAT 18.7g (sat 4g, mono 8.7g, poly 3.6g); PROTEIN 38.9g; CARB 12.3g; FIBER 1.8g Red Bell Pepper Coulis This recipe goes with Sauteed Salmon with Zucchini Noodles and Red Bell Pepper Coulis 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon salt Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, shallots, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Add broth; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Place pepper mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Strain purée through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Stir in vinegar and salt. Yield: 1 cup (serving size: 2 1/2 tablespoons) CALORIES 40, FAT 2g (sat 0.3g, mono 1.1g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 1.1g; CARB 5.4g; FIBER 1.3g I use the zucchini noodle trick a lot. Good luck to all!

Hi goils! Besh--your MIL is in my thoughts and prayers---(((hugs)))!! How is Happyto? I was thinking about her a while back, and was hoping that things were good for her-- Tikanas--happy belated birthday! :):) Well, I got the auction--I signed it on Monday, and have a good chance to maybe get the real estate--it's been rezoned as commercial, so it would be a goooood thing for me--and I'd appreciate any and all good thoughts for me to get this--it can literally change my life-- Things are good here--the weather is great--I can't believe it's this nice--78, and low humidity. Raeanne--since you liked my sticky chicken mishap, I think you'll enjoy this one--I decided in June to enter a cake in the KY State Fair (which started here on Thurs). So I sent off the $, got the rules, and waited until last Sunday morning to make the cake (it was due by Mon at 5pm, but I had to work...). Let me preface all of this by saying that I have never made this cake before--I found the recipe in a box of stuff that I bought at an auction(now, **that's** a surprise!), and so therefore had no idea just what I was walking into. On Sat night, after getting out of the bath, with wet hair and no makeup, I realize that I need a bottle of bourbon--well, actually, just 2 tablespoons. So, off the the liquor store I go, and find an airplane bottle of Maker's Mark, and then realize that I have no cash. So, I charged $2.50. I was sooo embarrassed. Anyway, I got up at 6am on Sun morning to preheat the oven, and off I go. I'm just a mixin and a stirin, and raisin all sorts of h3ll, and I pour the batter into 3 brand-new 9" pans, and they go into to the over for 45 minute. DING! They're done--whhoooboy--they are done--burned on the bottom, that is. I'm standing in the middle of the kitchen, hot, tired, and just bawling. I was just so mad--and I had a raging case of PMS to top it all of, and poor ol Rog--didn't know whether to hug or to laugh. He wisely chose to hug, and then told me that we can cut the botteom of the layers off, and noone would ever know (true.) So that was our plan. Now--to top all of this off, the entry department opened at noon, and I was supposed to be at work at an auction at noon, so I had to keep an eye on the time. I made the frosting following the directions, and dumped into way to much powdered sugar, which gave it that funny, sugar-y taste, so then I added more bananas, which changed the texture. THEN--my cat decided to love me as I was dropping in the yellow food coloring (did I mention that this is a banana cake?), which made my icing look like a horrible mustard color (made worse by the fact that it had lumpy stuff like toasted coconut and chopped pecans in it), only sicker. What a freaking mess---I wanted to throw the d@mned thing aqgainst the wall, but managed to refrain. I iced it, and it is sitting on my countertop, glowing like a d@mned lighthouse. Sigh..... Anyhoo--I hope all is well with everyone--and where is Amy and John??? Hugs, Maddie

I'm not doing South Beach but I got this recipe from the book when I read it. It calls for part-skim ricotta but full fat is so much better if you can stand the fat grams. SOUTH BEACH RICOTTA CREME 1/2 c ricotta cheese 1/4 t vanilla 1 pkt Splenda Mix it up and chill. For variations add cocoa powder or lemon or lime zest. Or, for almond, substitute almond extract and add some slivered almonds. Cook's notes: This is quick and easy and satisfies my need for a little something sweet after a meal. I add extra Splenda for my sweet tooth. Teri