The First Week on The South Beach Diet

I think most writers recognize the fact, we can produce more if we feel healthy and energetic, but we also recognize the fact getting there isn't always easy. We fall into bad habits and then one day we wake up and tell ourselves it is time for a change.

I truly believe dieting is absolutely horrible! I chose the picture above as a reminder of what I have had to give up. I have been battling my weight issues most of my life. I did lose quite a bit of weight a few years ago when I went through a blissfully happy time period. I played The Secret DVD and CD over and over and ate less without much effort. Then my class size at work grew. Last year I had 28-30 second grade students in my class in a high risk area of town. Last June, I married a wonderful man, but that also meant blending our lives together with an adjustment period. My daughter and my sister also got married this past year. I was the maid-of-honor for my sister and had no clue what to do when it came to throwing her a bridal shower. Oh, and did I mention I co-coordinated a writing conference in April with about 250 attendees? I truly believe stress causes you to gain and retain weight, which I did.

I tried the Dukan Diet and almost fainted. I tried eating less, but I was always hungry. Then my cousin, who is also a teacher, told me she lost weight on The South Beach Diet and so did her husband. My mother lost a lot of weight giving up bread and potatoes. Turns out she was on South Beach. I decided to give it a try. I bought the new book The South Beach Diet Super Charged.

I am one of those people who loses weight when the time is right. There is usually some sort of trigger. No, it's never a major event. I have never lost weight because of a reunion or wedding. That is too much pressure and I gain weight under pressure. This time the trigger was my doctor telling my husband that he should take me on his walks because he is worried about me. My doctor is wonderful, so I'm not upset about him saying anything. I love my husband dearly. He is the greatest and I don't want him feeling bad that he couldn't get me to exercise, so I decided it was time to take this seriously.

First, I'll admit I haven't read the entire book yet. I skipped around to what I think I needed to know.
I also cheated a bit, but not much. My husband and I have routines where we share meals when we go out between the time he gets off work and he joins me at Barnes and Noble where I write. We both enjoy the fried shrimp at Leo's Hawaiian BBQ. I did give up the macaroni salad I love. We also share a shredded beef quesadilla at Ajo Al's once a week. I did give up the chips and salsa.

The biggest change for me was giving up flavored creamers in the morning. Anyone who knows me well will tell you I have a little bit of coffee with my creamer. I never thought I would give it up, but I did. I switched from 2% milk to 1% and put that in my coffee with sugar substitute. It is nowhere near as satisfying as my flavored creamers, but it is manageable. My husband asked me if I was feeling well when I told him I hadn't had creamer all week. I mainly ate omelets in the morning and salad for lunch. We usually grill meats for dinner when we are home. I also cooked up a whole package of turkey bacon to munch on when I get hungry.

Overall, I would say, I'm not hungry as much as I usually am when dieting. There were a few moments when I panicked because I felt limited on choices. Sugar Free Popsicles got me through those times. Since I had already lost a couple of pounds before beginning the diet, I didn't lose as much as I might have, but I did lose three and a half pounds this past week. Not bad considering I cheated a few times.

If you are interested in this diet and sharing ideas, I will be blogging about my adventure at http://www.suspensebytina.blogspot.com