18 Pounds to Lose!

I fully believe if somebody wants something bad enough, they’ll do whatever they can to get it.

I finally came to this realization just a few days ago.

My ‘light bulb” moment?  Unlike last summer’s weight loss attempt, I REALLY want to lose the 18 lbs. (you have NO idea how hard it is to admit that number) that has latched onto my body for the last 5+ years. Damn work schedule and getting older!

I know 18 lbs. is a drop in the bucket for some people, but for me, this is far more than I’m willing to put up with any longer. The weight has to come off and I want to start NOW.  Not tomorrow. Or next week. Or next month.  After all, you know what those words usually mean when somebody says them? They’ll never do it! Been there, said that!

This time, I REALLY want to lose this weight.

Here’s a couple pictures of me before I starting the South Beach Diet/Lifestyle.

The Solution – South Beach Diet

My mom and sister-in-law have followed the South Beach Diet off and on for quite a few years now.  Both have sang it praises in helping them lose weight.  They also told me this isn’t just a diet, it’s a LIFESTYLE.

When I had my light bulb moment last week, I remembered their words. So off I went to the South Beach Diet website to find out what all the hype was about.

How It Works – Three Phases

The South Beach Diet is made up of three different Phases.

Phase 1 – Phase 1, which lasts for two weeks, is designed to eliminate your cravings for sugar and refined starches. This stabilizes blood sugar (which minimizes cravings), making it ideal for people who are prediabetic or diabetic as well as those who need to lose a lot of weight.

Phase 2 - Phase 2 is the long-term plan for steadily losing weight.  It’s also an ideal starting point for people who only need to lose 10 lbs. or less or don’t have problems with cravings or have excess body fat.

Phase 3 - By the time you reach Phase 3 you’ve learned the South Beach Diet lifestyle by making smart food choices that fit with the way you live. Phase 3 starts once you’ve reached your healthy weight by continuing to follow the principles you learned in Phases 1 and 2. Because Phase 3 is the lifelong (lifestyle) stage of the three-phase plan, it includes almost every kind of food and it allows for additional occasional indulgences. It is the key to maintaining a healthy weight for life.

After reading about the three Phases, I was sold.  I knew I could do it.  It’s a LIFESTYLE change, not some unhealthy fad diet. I had never done those and wasn’t about to.

NO Chocolate?

Now, back to Phase 1.  I remember my mom and sister-in-law telling me this is the toughest phase.  No bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no rice (brown or white).  Hearing and reading this, it didn’t really phase me to cut those things out of my diet for two weeks.

I know, I know, I can hear you now, “What!  You can live without bread or potatoes or any of those other carbs?!? Are you nuts?” Yes, I am nuts, but nuts in a goofy, fun-loving way, not nuts as in schizophrenic nuts! HA!

You see, my weakness is sugar, NOT carbs!  Very rarely will I eat a hamburger with the bun or eat a dinner roll or baked potato. To me, I’d rather eat the main course – a steak, salmon, prawns – than to waste my stomach space on carbs.

But when it comes to sugar, in just about any form, I’m ALL over it!  So when I saw that Chocolate wasn’t allowed for Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, I thought, “Wow, this will be the real test!” Even though most of the Chocolate I consume these days is of the plain 70% cocoa kind, and actually considered a health food, it still isn’t allowed during Phase 1.

But as I initially said, I REALLY want to lose this 18 lbs., so I’ll do anything to make this happen – as long as it’s healthy, of course.  This “anything” includes NOT eating Chocolate for two weeks.

Sigh.

The South Beach Diet Book

After signing up the free 7-day trail account at the South Beach Diet’s website, I decided instead of paying their fee of $65 every three months for online access to all the diet plan information and recipes, I’d rather have everything at my fingers tips – in hardcopy form. So I ordered the South Beach Diet book as well as the South Beach Diet Easy and Quick Cookbook.  I also ordered some of the South Beach Diet Chocolate & Peanut Meal Replacement Bars, just to try them out (OK, somebody gave me an Amazon gift card, so why not!). The Chocolate bars will have to wait until I’m in Phase 2 of course, since I can’t have Chocolate during the first Phase! Sniff, sniff!

So stay tuned!  I’ll be posting regularly my honest thoughts on this diet as well as giving reviews of the books and Chocolate bars I just ordered with Amazon.  I can’t wait to get them!

Wish me luck.

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