South Beach

So, if you know me at all, you know I don't generally share too much personal information or tell much from my heart unless I'm REALLY comfortable with you. That's just how I'm wired. So this post is not in my comfort zone.

Back at the first of the year, I mentioned I wanted to change my lifestyle so I could be healthier for Brayden and for myself. I started then by counting my calories and doing a Couch to 5K program. I lost about 16 pounds in a couple of months and I felt really good and was motivated to keep going. Then, my ankle got sprained while I was doing my Couch to 5K program which made it pretty much impossible for me to run without being in severe pain. So, not only did I quit running, I quit eating well too. I got very discouraged and just gave up.

But today, I'm starting over. I'm so tired of being tired and feeling like a slob. I know if I change my diet and start adding exercise to it I'll feel so much better about myself. I started the South Beach diet today. I've tried to do this diet a couple of times in the past but I never make it out of Phase 1 Week 1. If you're not familiar with this diet, let me explain. It's actually more of a lifestyle change than a diet.

You have 3 phases.

Phase 1 lasts only 2 weeks. Its main purpose is to stabilize your blood sugar and cease all cravings for processed sugars and grains. If you know me, you know I have a serious sugar addiction. Candy and ice cream are my weaknesses and I crave them with a passion. That's why I need something that helps me to quit craving sugar or I will never be successful on a diet. Unfortunately the past couple of times I've tried this diet, I've failed because I needed my sugar fix too much. Anyway, all you can have in Phase 1 is lean protein, vegetables, reduced fat cheeses, nuts, and some reduced fat dairy. You can't even have fruit because of the natural sugars that are found in those.

Phase 2 lasts until you reach your goal weight. In Phase 2, you can add back in fruits and can even add back in whole grain breads and pastas and such, the key word being whole grain.

Phase 3 is for the rest of your life after you've reached your goal weight. Which is why I say it's a lifestyle change. You learn to eat foods that are good for you so you don't really have to count or keep up with what you're eating. Of course, you can splurge occasionally. I also like it because if you feel like you've splurged too much or can feel yourself getting off course, you can go back to Phase 1 and start over.

I really want to succeed this time, which is why I'm posting about it. I'm hoping that will give me another measure of accountability. To know that all 3 of my readers know I'm doing this and will help me along the way.

Regardless of how much I weigh, I just want to be healthy. I want Brayden to grow up seeing me eat healthy foods instead of junk. I want him to grow up with a refrigerator full of fruits and vegetables instead of a pantry full of cookes and chips.

I'm not saying this will be easy or even that I won't fall off the bandwagon sometimes. As a matter of fact, right when I get done with Phase 1, we're headed for the beach. I'm just going to be honest - I'm not planning on doing this while I'm on vacation. So more than likely I'll come back from the beach and start Phase 1 again just to clean my body out and start fresh.

My ultimate goal for doing this other than to be healthy is to actually want to choose good and healthy foods. I think it's no secret that I love food and I really love bad food. My favorite foods are breads and starches. I could never eat another piece of fruit or another vegetable and I'd be happy. That's why I really hope this diet helps me want to eat better foods and make better choices.

I'll post updates along the way. I'm not brave enough to post my starting weight, but I'll try to post every so often about my weight loss or how I feel.

So, wish me luck and feel free to give me any pointers you think will help!