Jan 17 2007
Day 1 on the new eating plan down; A lifetime to go…
That’s right, I’m on the South Beach Diet. I’m not trying to lose a phenomenal amount of weight in a short amount of time. What I am doing is attempting to eat healthier so that in the long term, my blood chemistry will remain good. Weight loss is desired, of course, but I’m not going to gauge the effectiveness of my diet based on the weight I lose. Rather, I’m hoping to feel better. I have no doubts I’ll lose some weight…I don’t think it’s possible for me to be much healthier than I am now without losing some weight. So that’s the plan. :)
The nice thing about the South Beach Diet is that in the long term, it’s not a fad…it’s a change of habits to eat healthier. It’s a “doable” diet…It’s something I think I can live on for the long term, and that’s what a diet is all about. Losing weight in the here-and-now is great, but if you can’t stay on the diet, what’s the point?
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet is the most strict phase, with no sugars, and no carbohydrates, complex or otherwise. However, there are a LOT of vegetables, lean meats, etc. So far, I’ve been very pleased with the foods I’ve been able to eat, though I look forward to phase 2 when I can have oatmeal, brown rice, etc. :) Nothing I’m missing terribly, but something I AM missing.
The saddest thing for me about the South Beach diet is the lack of beer on this diet. Last night, I gave away all of my beer to Gabe. It’s going to be awhile before I can drink it here and there, so why have it in the house? :) I’ve drunk plenty of his beer, so I think we’re even. :)
Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be posting much about the diet after this unless it’s interesting: Discovery of a new food/recipe, cooking mishap, etc. :) Diets are interesting to people at first, but they lose interest. I’m not a “convert” to this diet…I’m not saying everyone in the world should be on this diet. It’s something I want to try, and I’ll be happy if I can achieve my goals with it.
And yes, I’ll be working out as regularly as possible. Any diet that does not include regular exercise is not going to be as healthy for you as it could.
