How I got started on the South Beach Diet
When I began the South Beach Diet late last year, weighing in at 280 lbs, I felt enormous, unattractive and totally unfit to go out in public. I truly no longer paid attention to what clothes I wore, because everything looked disgusting anyways. I was exhausted the majority of the time and had little energy to enjoy being with my children. The interesting thing is feeling that way was not enough to make me stay with any diet for an extended period of time. I had absolutely no will power, and I really enjoy food. It’s not that I stress eat or something like that, I just adore the taste of excellent food…and as a general rule, diet food does NOT taste excellent!
The thing that began my weight loss was finding out my husband weighed over 500 lbs. His physician told him to try the South Beach Diet. He was frightened enough to give it a real try, and I knew I needed him to diet with me to really stick to a diet for long. Accountability is a big deal to me. I bought the book, and discovered the information made a great deal of since and it looked like something I could do easily. I had tried Atkins in the past but it just made me feel like sick, and the low fat diets out there just tasted horrible all together. This was unique in a lot of ways, so we gave the South Beach diet a try for better or worse.
So Long to Carbs!
Phase One was a challenge with virtually no carbs at all, but if anyone ever asks me I’ll tell them definitely not to skip it. It truly did destroy all of the cravings (and I have a ton of cravings!). With some creative thinking it ended up not tasting too bad at all. In fact I realized I even enjoyed a few vegetables I didn’t know I did previously. (I still hate most veggies btw…:)) I had a weight loss of about 11 lbs in three weeks. However, as the book will tell you, this isn’t the weight loss portion of the South Beach Diet. Its true purpose is to destroy the cravings, though I have also discovered it’s good for getting over a plateau.
Phase two is easy to stick to. There are so many products and recipes out there, that it’s truly not that hard. Most restaurants even have options that will work for us on the South Beach Diet. As we go along I promise to share them with you. I hope you’ll contribute your recopies and ideas with me as well!
Well long story short, I’ve lost over 50lbs so far… I have recently joined Curves, so I’ll be creating a healthy heart and body while losing weight! My husband is no longer my only inspiration, in fact I have managed to remain on track (with only a few little cheats) even when he has strayed along the way.
I have much more to lose, but with the South Beach Diet principles I know its very possible! Please continue with me as I share my South beach journey including great resources and recopies for everyday people who love food!
Korine is a freelance artist and stay at home mom. She has spent the last several months dedicated to losing weight and becoming a more fit mother and wife.
