South Beach Diet Excitement

I have just stepped off the scale after 7 days on the south beach diet.  I have stayed away from weighing myself because in the past I had trouble emotionally handling the 2 pounds lost, one pound gained cycle I typically find myself in.  So here are some quick facts about my past week.

• I started the week at 230 pounds and my goal is to be at 178-175lbs
• I started by going to the store and buying the food I would need to be successful
• I kept a jar of unsalted penults at work for quick snacks and always had a glass of water close by
• I made one mistake, I without thinking grabbed a piece of taffy out of a bowl in one of my employees offices without thinking.
• I tried very hard to anticipate situations that might mess up my diet attempts
• I have a very supportive family - wife and kids - and a few supportive friends.
• I felt hungry often, but found that a slice of thin ham, or cottage cheese, did a great job of helping me get rid of it.
• I took a few walks, but not as many as I had planned 

So what were the results???  I am at 221 pounds this morning.  I have not eaten yet or drank anything this morning, but I am at 221 pounds on 4/29/07. I am off to a very satisfying start to this diet.  As I mentioned before, my real reason for being on the diet has more to do with overall health then weight loss.  As I have been reading, those who have lost the weight and keep it off generally lose small amounts of weight each week, 1-2 pounds, over 2 years or more, not as a result of a fad diet, but as a result in a life style change that effects how they view food, how they use food, what they think about food, and ultimately what they do with their food.

So what did a typical day look like for me? I started each morning with a large glass of water.  I then would make breakfast with a variety of sauteed vegetables ( I love onions, mushrooms and bell peppers), two slices of lean thin sliced ham, two eggs, and a small amount of cheese. I also gave myself a small cup of coffee with some 1% mild.  While breakfast was cooking I would start making a salad for lunch.  I tried to always add chicken, shrimp or ham to the salad for protein and then olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing.  I would grab a cheese stick out of the fridge for a later morning snack and by the time that breakfast was ready I had lunch ready to go as well. My kids laughed at me because I was outside grilling chicken at 7am.  I would try to eat the cheese stick around 10:30 and lunch at noon.  The second half of the day is tough for me.  I would find myself getting hungry around 2pm.  I would have a handful of peanuts but be hungry again at 3pm. With only peanuts around I would have another handful and hope to make it until dinner.  At home around 6pm I would grab another cheese stick or some cottage cheese so I wouldn't be so hungry at dinner I would eat uncontrollably.  Dinner would be some form of grilled beef or chicken, I will buy fish this week. I also would fix up a large amount of vegetables steamed or sauteed, and then make a crispy, crunch salad. Throughout the day I was drinking glass after glass of water.  Sometimes it would help with the hunger, but I swear most of my exercise was walking back and forth from the bathroom.

I found that yesterday I was a little bit bored of the same type of food every day, but after next week will be adding some fruit and carbs back in.

Weight is coming down and so are the blood pressure numbers.  I am excited.  I wish you success this week in your diet endeavors.  It is worth the battle.