BeachReady

Breakfasts on Phase 1

Phase 1 breakfasts were the only real challenge of the South Beach Diet.  We were eating eggs every morning and we don't like eggs.  We tried lots of variations, soft-boiled, poached, hard boiled and scrambled.  Our favorite quickly became egg-white scrambles (or omelets) with vegetables and cheese, or salsa.  (Egg-white scrambles have less cholesterol but taste just as good as regular scrambled eggs.  If you add one yolk, you get better color and still keep the cholesterol low.) 

We decided to skip breakfast and go straight to lunch.  We knew we needed that morning protein, so we just ate lunch early (7:00 a.m.).  We had non-fat yogurt, smoked turkey, low-fat cheese, and dinner leftovers.  I admit, we weren't thrilled with it.  But, at least we had our coffee, and the rest of the day would be filled with things we liked at normal times.  We reminded ourselves of the poor people who never get to enjoy a morning feast, and we stuck it out.  We're so very glad we did.  ~ Louise

One day at a time

When we first started the South Beach Diet, we were concerned about getting through the first phase - two weeks of no fruit, bread, pasta, or wine.  Scary.  So, we decided to do it for just one day.  We survived that first day.  Then we did it for one more day.  We still did fine.  Third day - okay.  After that, it wasn't a chore.  We're so very glad we persevered.  It was life changing and definitely worth it! ~ George and Louise

How we lost 78.5 lbs. so far

Yes, that's right.  In 6 months (almost to the day) we have lost over 78 lbs.  I've only lost 20 of that, but that's ok because I didn't really want to lose any.  That is, I didn't think I needed to lose any.  (I feel so much better , and look so much better, that I'm really glad I did.)  I couldn't help but lose, even though I didn't really diet.  I just went along with George.  He's the real hero.  He's lost 58 lbs.

So, how did we do it?  Well, as you know, we started with the South Beach Diet.  Did the two weeks on Phase 1.  It wasn't hard.  We just took it one day at a time to see how far we'd get.  We did the whole two weeks and it changed our lives.  We didn't crave bad fats or bad carbs anymore, and haven't ever since.

Now, we're on Phase 2.  With a couple of modifications.  Little things that make it work for us.  (In answer to all your e-mails, I'll share our entire eating plan in a separate post under the "Picnics" category.  Maybe, tomorrow.)

The other, very important thing we've done is have fun.  We walk for over an hour, now.  Of course, we didn't start out walking that long, but as we spend more time at it, we enjoy it more and walk longer.  And, we enjoy it more as we get more fit. 

We also do other fun stuff that we don't think of as exercise.  We cruise the mall to window-shop.  We cross-country ski when we have the chance.  We dance around the house.  (One of these days we will go out dancing for real!)  We run up and down the stairs.  Now that we can!

George still wants to lose another 50 lbs. especially since he's getting so many compliments.   I don't think I want to lose too much more weight, but I sure don't want to put any of it back on.  I don't think we can help but continue to lose weight if we keep eating and playing "on the beach".   ~ Louise

Are you Beach Ready?

There are 20 weeks until the first day of summer (June 21st)!  Are you ready to hit the beach?  Ready to buy a new swim suit?  20 weeks is plenty of time to lose 20 to 40 lbs. or more and get into shape for fun on the beach, or wherever.

We recommend sensible weight loss - eating good carbs, good fats, and proteins.  We like the South Beach Diet because it makes it easy to eat that way.  And, we suggest that you don't wait until you're slender and chic to have a good time!  Get out and play now.  Play hard and enjoy life.  It will burn up the calories and keep you healthy.

Enjoy!  ~ George and Louise

Can't help but lose

George hit a new milestone today!  A weight-loss goal he didn't think was possible!  Of course he hit it.  How could he not?  He's eating all the right carbs and fats, snacking often, and he doesn't feel at all deprived.  He's not hungry.  He doesn't feel like he's on a "diet".  Unlike dieters who can't wait to "get off their diet" and back to normal eating, this IS normal eating!  It's no sacrifice.  His energy level is up and his knees don't hurt anymore.  He wants to exercise.  We're setting a new goal - another 25 lbs by Easter.  That's about 10 weeks away.  The way it's going, he can't help but lose enough to make or surpass that goal.  He's so excited and so proud.  What fun!  ~ Louise

P.S. It's important to understand the basic principles of the South Beach Diet so you can use them in your life.  Check out the book at the Amazon links on the left. 

New Government Guidelines

No surprise in today's announcement of the new government guidelines for nutrition and exercise.  Eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains.  Of course!  But, what they didn't say, is eat ALL whole grains and limit the use of sugar and white flour to occasional treats.  That's what they wanted to say, according to some reporters', but sugar lobbyists got to them first.  Ah, politics.

They also said 30 minutes a day of exercise is a bare minimum.  It takes 60 to 90 minutes a day of brisk walking to keep the weight off.  Hear!  Hear!  We couch potatoes can use every bit of encouragement to keep up our exercise programs.  Maybe now we'll have more companions to head out the door with us. 

It took a week or so after we being sick to get back to over an hour of walking.  We're back.  Now, we just got to keep movin'!  ~~ Louise

P.S.  For those who have written that you can't take that much time to walk, consider this.  Two or three short walks a day are better than none.  There's always time, if you make it a priority.  If you were injured, you'd have to make time for physical therapy.  If you were mentally stressed, you'd make time to lie on a psychiatrist's couch.  Park a long way from the store entrance, rather than jockeying for an upfront spot.  Walk to the library rather than drive.  Take the stairs.  March in place while watching TV.  Keep movin'.  It's a new way of life!

Can you keep it off?

After finding out how much weight George lost, my friend said, "Yeah.  But the trick is to keep it off."  Of course!  That's the whole point.  The reason we're changing our lifestyle, not just dieting. 

With a diet, you can't wait to get off the diet and back to real eating.  What we're doing is eating in a way that we can live with for life.  We're making conscious choices of the foods we eat and those we avoid.  But, we're not obsessing over counting calories and we're not depriving ourselves by giving up all fats, or all carbs, or whatever.  It's not much of a sacrifice to choose whole grain bread over white, or eat a frozen, low-fat fudge bar (like a Frappuccino), rather than a dish of ice cream.  But, it would be tough to give up all frozen desserts.  Sure, maybe we'd lose faster if we did, but we might not be able to lose long-term.  We figure it's better to be smart about it. 

This new lifestyle is not a punishment for all of our eating transgressions of the past few decades.  This is a new beginning.  A new start to the way we want to eat long term.  With this in mind, I think we will keep it off.  ~~ George and Louise

Back on Track

Please excuse us, while we pat ourselves on the back.   Louise and I are both down a 1/2 lb. from where we were before Christmas, despite gaining a bit over the first part of the holidays. 

Did we miss out on anything?  Well, we didn't have turkey sandwiches.  Instead we had the leftover turkey and cranberries, sans bread.  We ate fruit, nuts, and cheese (mostly reduced-fat cheese) as snacks during the football games, rather than traditional junk food.  We drank wine, not beer, and enjoyed some really good meals. Never once did it feel like we were on a diet. Oh, yeah. We also walked a lot.  Even did some cross-country skiing while the snow lasted.  What a great way to start the new year. ~~ George

Slip-ups

Despite our best intentions, we slipped-up over Christmas.  We ate some bad (but delicious) stuff and we didn't exercise much, either.  George gained 2 lbs. and I gained 1 lb.  (Hey, better to look and know, than not, right?)  But, here we are - two days later and back on track.  So, what we learned is this:  you can slip-up and get back on track pretty easily. 

We might have gained more except that we consciously planned our slip-ups.  We knew we would want a drink on Christmas Eve and dessert, too.  That was more important to us than rice,  potatoes, or stuffing, so we didn't fix those.  We filled in the menu with a Caesar Salad made with a new fat-free, carb-free dressing which was awesome.  Christmas Day and Boxing Day were similar.  We ate a few cookies and yummy desserts, but we kept the portions small.  We also managed to get in an hour walk every day except Christmas. 

Yeah, we felt some cravings for more bad stuff, but we stayed in control.  We indulged knowing that we had a time limit and some sanity about it.  And, we didn't beat ourselves up about our slip-ups.  We just enjoyed.    ~~ Louise

Why the South Beach?

As New Year's Day approaches, we're seeing lots of diet and exercise tips in the news.  Just this morning on the Today Show, there was a new approach that highlighted the evils of sugar and the value of certain foods.  It proposed eating certain foods (e.g. Salmon and Green Tea) three and four times a week.  It made me think again about why we chose the South Beach Diet. 

South Beach does not focus on one or two foods.  Nor, does it shun all fats, or even all carbs.  It's much more sensible and easy-to-follow.  It does require that you educate yourself about what makes some carbs or fats good for you, while others are bad.  (Or, you could just order a South Beach guidebook.)   Learning about the Glycemic Index and trans fats makes sense to me.  It's knowledge I can use to tailor my eating style as I like.  And, while new information is constantly being discovered, I now have a better base to evaluate it. I suppose I could just follow an eating plan, but knowing why I'm eating what I eat makes me feel more in control.  ~~ George