She will be loved
Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004
the end of South Beach Phase 1
I just did my weigh-in after 2 weeks of South Beach, I lost 8 pounds. I'm pretty happy with that. Honestly, my expectations were higher, but I'm trying to be proud of what I've accomplished. The SBD book says that the average person will lose 8-13 pounds in the first 2 weeks, so I'm at the low end of the range.Other than my birthday, when I had cake, an ice cream sundae, and an onion ring, I have totally stuck to the diet. Well, okay, I did have a really difficult time locating non-diary cream cheese, so I used the regular stuff a few times (cream cheese is the secret ingredient in making cauliflower "mashed potatoes" taste more like the real thing). And on a couple of days I had more than my 30 pistachio allotment. But I don't consider either of those things as really straying from the diet.
One thing I didn't do was follow the eating plan. The meal plan in the book was totally unappealing. I think that's my biggest problem with most diets, the meal plans just don't work with my lifestyle or tastebuds. I do wonder, would I have lost more if I ate according to plan?
Maybe by doing my "eat whatever I want, as long as the food is allowed" plan, my diet wasn't as balanced.
Hummus is included in the diet, but I probably shouldn't have eaten a container (sometimes 2) every single day. But that's my biggest comfort food on this diet and I know it helped me through many times when my carb cravings would've otherwise pushed me back into the world of white flour and sugar. And I discovered that hummus is almost as delicious with celery (as opposed to celery sticks, I chopped the celery into bite-size pieces and mixed it and the hummus together in a bowl -- I am very aware of the sounds I make when chewing and celery sticks are just way too loud for me -- actually, I'm hyperaware of the sounds anyone makes when chewing or biting, it's a tremendous pet peeve of mine to hear food in anyone's mouth -- be more discreet, people!) as it was with crackers. So that's a pretty big change in my thinking. I know I was eating far too much saltines before!
And I probably ate too much string cheese. Ah well, not much I can say about that. It helped to curb my appetite from eating worse things.
Oh yeah, and I did definitely drink too much diet pop. But so what! I'd have been miserable without it. I'm sure I averaged over 100 oz of water a day outside of the pop (or soda, if that sounds better to you, I prefer my midwestern terminology), so I'm okay with that. Especially when I put it in perspective, not only am I fighting my carb addiction, but I am now almost 6 weeks clean of marijuana. So what's a little caffeine? I can't fight the battle with every addiction at once!
And I do have a lot of things I can feel really good about, too. I've always loved veggies, but now I've incorporated them even more into my eating. The celery with hummus is a big example of that. Also I've discovered I make a killer salad with tuna, Miracle Whip, cucumber, celery, hard boiled eggs, green peppers, and scallions. This salad is probably 90% veggies and it is to die for. I'm eating some right now, as a matter of fact.
There are a lot of off-limits foods in this apartment and I haven't been tempted by any of them! Including:
Kraft Mac & Cheese
Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken meals
Mama Celeste pizzas
Saltines
Reese's Pieces
Ramen
Egg noodles
So I should feel strong!
Speaking of strong, I also exercised every night but one. And because I got a bunch of new videos from my family for my birthday, I'm sure the variety helped build at least a few neglected muscles.
So, overall, I've liked the diet so far and see no reason not to continue. I can now move into the second phase of the diet, when I can eat more complex carbs like whole grain bread (Roman Meal makes a delicious lowcarb whole wheat that tastes identical to their regular stuff) and whole oatmeal. But I think I'm still going to continue eating much like phase 1, at least for another week. I can live with these food options and I'm happy, for the most part, with the progress I've seen so far.
I can definitely see myself making this diet a lifetime lifestyle. For over ten years now, I've felt the turmoil that starch puts on my digestion and intestines (my freshman year of college, I was diagnosed as being extremely allergic to all corn products and moderately allergic to all potato products -- too much of either and I better be close to a toilet). And I know that this is the best way to eat to keep my diabetes under tight control. This is far more than just about weight loss for me, it's about my total health. My body is just not meant to eat white flour, corn, or potatoes (sugar is debatable). Going back to that way of eating is would be health suicide for me.
Watching/Hearing/Listening to: nothing except occasional bitchy cries from Beav
Drinking: twist
Wearing: light gray undies and a white tank