Doin' the "Beach"

Okay, I confess..I have always gave diets a bad rap.  Sure, if you follow a diet you will lose weight...and when you stop the diet you gain it back.  It has to become a 'lifestyle'.

A dear friend of mine has told me of her success on the South Beach Diet and I was a little jealous (7 pounds in one week!) and a lot curious, so I of course went and got the book cheap-cheap at the local used book store.

After reading, I am convinced that these people know their stuff.

South Beach is more of an eating plan than a diet. For the first two weeks you eliminate white flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta and fruit from your diet, to detox from sugar and to bring your insulin levels back to normal.  (And they explain exactly WHAT insulin does and HOW it affects your body...) Then gradually you add back in whole wheat products, certain fruits, etc.

What I love:  No counting points or measuring portions! 

                      Basically you are eating in the first two weeks lots of lean proteins and nutrient packed
veggies, cheeses, eggs and nuts. 

You never feel hungry. I actually felt 'full' all day yesterday...but I will admit feeling a little 'blah'.

I love that this is a way you can eat the rest of your life.  It's more about making healthy choices and I am all down with that! I want my kids to see food as fuel for their bodies and to make wise decisions regarding what they eat.

The recipe and meal suggestions are EASY to prepare and easy to adapt to eating in a restaurant.  I won't have to fix my kids one thing and myself another.  In fact, many of the suggestions are things we eat regularly as a family anyway...grilled salmon, chicken, steak...just pass on the bread and potatoes and opt for more salads and veggies. Easy! Now, I will not deny my kids bread or pasta or fruit...but I will have to maintain will power around these things.

I love how the author explains the 'why' of how this plan works.  Everything he says makes perfect sense about insulin levels, blood chemistry, etc.

Okay, I've only been on this one day and I'm sure I am in for some days when all I want is a chocolate bar and buttered toast.  But I'm willing to try this just to see if it works!