Anticipation of Day One

I made the decision about 2 weeks ago to commit to the South Beach Diet. I have done quite a bit of research. One of the first things I did was compile a grocery list and that was when I hit snag number one. One book that I have suggests has meal plans laid our for you every day for 2 weeks (Phase I). I had already filled up an entire page of college-ruled notebook paper with items to buy at the grocery store and I hadn't even finished with Day 2 recipes. I decided that I was just going to have to refer to the list of things you can eat in Phase I and plan my meals around that instead of going exactly by the book. What's the fun in that anyways?

Just in case you aren't sure about what the South Beach Diet is, here is a crash course.

Phase I - During this 2 week phase of the diet, there is no sugar allowed along with no refined carbohydrates (no bread, cereal, pasta, rice, etc.). Also, no fruits. You can eat all kinds of meats, reduced fat cheeses, nuts, vegetables, eggs, and some dairy. Not too restrictive. The idea behind this phase is that our bodies need to be "shocked" so to speak. Throughout history, our bodies were programmed to take things like processed carbs and store them as opposed to use them. A long time ago, you never knew when a famine or disaster might strike, so people's bodies just naturally stored those carbs as fat for just in case purposes. Nowadays, it is not necessary for our bodies to store carbs in that way. We have an abundance, some would consider an extreme surplus, of readily available foods. Most of those readily available foods are processed (icky) carbs! Phase I of the South Beach Diet attempts to retrain your body that carbs do not have to be stored as fat. They should be used immediately for energy. They should not even have a chance to think about turning into fat! From what I gathered, the idea behind it all is that depriving yourself of those carbs for 2 weeks and then gradually introducing them back into your diet tricks your body. Your body will learn that it needs to use those carbs right away because who knows when it will see more again?! (joke) From the literature I have scoured, most people lose around 8 to 12 pounds during this phase. I have my fingers crossed!

Phase II - During this phase, most people lose around 1-2 pounds a week. You stay in Phase II until you reach your goal weight. This is when you can gradually introduce good carbs back into your diet! I already can't wait for Phase II and I haven't even begun Phase I. Anyways, some of the types of carbs you can reintroduce are whole grain breads, bagels, and pastas, FRUIT!, fat-free pudding, and red or white wine. I have two books that list all of the can and can't eats for these phases so let me know if you have any questions.

Phase III - During this phase, you are no longer considered "on a diet." The idea is that Phase III becomes a way of life. You can eat all of the things from Phases I and II as well as quite a few more carbohydrates. The idea is to stay away from cakes, pies, candy, white breads, pastas, bagels, and anything containing a ton of sugar. It's pretty simple really. These are things you should be eating sparingly to begin with if you want to maintain a healthy weight.

The books also says that it is okay to have some of those "bad" foods every once in a while, but of course in extreme moderation. And if you ever do find yourself having a "bad food" couple of days or week, then go back on Phase I for a week or two to reprogram your metabolism. I really liked the books and I think I learned a lot about our bodies and food. The author is a doctor named Arthur Agatston. The books were published in 2003 so I guess I am a little behind on the times.

So, what really drew me to this diet was the promise of losing 8-12 pounds in 2 weeks. How can you say no to that? But the more I read and learned, I became interested in really giving this a shot and sticking with it. The book is filled with testimonials of people who claim that their carb and sugar cravings weren't "that bad." I think this is the part that worries me the most. I am a carb and sugar LOVER. I have been known to live off of carbs alone for weeks at a time. Sometimes you just crave them.

I planned to start the South Beach Diet the Sunday after Thanksgiving because I knew my body would be ready for a break from overeating. When I decided to go on the diet, I told myself that I wouldn't overeat in anticipation of the diet. I failed miserably. I ate EVERYTHING bad for me I could get my hands on. You name it, I ate it. Fast food galore, cakes, cookies, fried foods, not to mention 2 HUGE Thanksgiving dinners (one was leftovers the day after), and I topped it all off with trip to Golden Corral this morning for a friend's birthday. You would think I hadn't eaten in weeks! It was, after all, "The Last Supper."

I headed off to the grocery store, armed with a tentative list and the abbreviated version of the book. I really am not that worried. The things you can eat are all things that I like to eat. The book even tells you to eat 3 meals, 2 snacks, and dessert with 2 of those meals. It tells you to eat until you are hungry and to eat when you are hungry. This is my kind of diet. I am always hungry. I purchased things to make egg-white omelets with, salads, lettuce wraps, beans, chicken, veggies, sliced turkey, turkey bacon, peanuts and of course sugar free Jell-O! I really had no trouble steering myself away from carbs.

Initially, I was going to start the diet on Monday, but I was anxious and strangely excited to start so I changed the date to tomorrow, Sunday. I know that I have strong willpower so I am not worried about overcoming carb cravings, I even told my boyfriend to eat all of the carb-filled foods in the apartment that I had left over. He is not going on the diet, although he might change his mind after he sees my hopefully amazing transformation!

I plan on weighing myself first thing in the morning, before I eat breakfast. I may, or may not, post my weight and keep us updated that way. The books say not to use the scale, but to use clothes that may have become a little tight in recent weeks. I am going to be doing this also. I have a high-waisted pencil skirt that I plan on fitting into before a friend's Christmas Party. I fit into this skirt beautifully about 3 months ago.

So, check back if you're interested in my starting weight. Ha! I'm not .. and I'll have more information about why I decided to start this diet in the first place!

Happy Dieting!