Hey friends. What’s been happening the last few weeks or so? I don’t know about you, but I’m super stoked spring is in full bloom. I’m loving the sunshine, longer days and the tank tops that have made it back into my clothes drawers.
I think it’s right to say sometimes our diets and lifestyles need a complete overhaul. I’ve been following the new Weight Watchers Points Plus program for two weeks now and it’s just not cutting it. I don’t feel like my eating habits are actually getting better, I’m just eating a little less. So I’m revamping my diet, South Beach Style.
I don’t believe in crash diets. I’ve done them before and like everyone says “they just don’t work for life”. But one of my best friends (who is also a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist) told me she was overhauling her diet with the help of the South Beach Diet and I said that sounded like a plan to me, so we teamed up to help each one of us succeed.
Of course, I only said I’d do it after some pretty extensive research…
The South Beach Diet (in a nutshell)
The diet is broken up into 3 phases. The first phase lasts for two weeks and eliminates all carbs, except for veggies, and all sugar from the diet. This allows the body to eliminate blood sugar drops and spikes which create those uncontrollable cravings. I’m not fooling you, this first phase is essentially a crash diet. I’m detoxing my body off sugar and carbohydrates by completely eliminating them from my diet. Then in the second phase, which also lasts for two weeks, good carbs and natural sugars are allowed back including fruits and whole grain bread products. Then in phase three everything is back on the menu with the hopes that you will make better choices when it comes to the sugars, fats, and carbs you ingest. Eating pita bread instead of white bread, whole grain pasta instead of white, fat free or reduced fat dairy products and keeping most sugars natural from fruit.
Basically I want my eating life to be phase three, but I’m willing to go through phase one and two to help eliminate those cravings and change how my body reacts to food. Plus dropping a few lbbys (pounds). According to the South Beach Diet book by Arthur Agatston, M.D. a person can expect about a 10 pound loss in the first phase and then 1 to 2 pounds a week in the second phase. Essentially, the larger weight drop in the first phase is water and a few pounds, but it does kick start a huge amount of motivation.
I’m excited to try it and hopefully revamp my diet for the summer.
Breakfast
For my first South Beach meal, I was a little limited by the fixings in my fridge and pantry. I do need to get to the grocery store for a few Florida approved items
I made a chicken, broccoli and gouda scramble with 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg. Truthfully, gouda cheese isn’t approved for the first phase of South Beach, but I didn’t have any reduced fat cheese so I chose the one with the least amount of fat.
So far South Beach is pretty tasty.
I seasoned my eggs with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
Hopefully I’ll make it to the store today to get some more veggies, reduced fat cheeses and deli meats and maybe a sugar free dessert for when the sugar cravings kick in.
Also on the menu this morning…
A Nike Training Club Sweat Session!
I’ve been doing this program for the last two weeks and I LOVE it. My arms are getting super toned and I feel so much stronger. I love doing workouts I did at the beginning that I really struggled with and now breeze through. It’s definitely proof that I’m getting more fit.
Question of the Day…
Be honest, tell me what you think about “diets”. Do you do them occasionally the revamp your eating habits? Have you done the South Beach Diet?
