Day One of a New Diet

Today is the start of my new diet. I have given it much thought and decided I would try the South Beach Diet, which was designed by a cardiologist. The first two weeks of this diet is very strict but not that bad, at least so far. All sugars, fruits and carbs are cut out of the diet. According to the book on average, 7-13 pounds are lost in the first two weeks alone, particularly in the mid section. I would like to lose ten. Then I'll work on losing the other five. After the first phase carbs, fruits and sugars are gradually re-introduced back into your diet.

Between breakfast and lunch I did get a little hungry today, but I was able to have a snack (which was a cheese stick). I gave one to Bradley too

. He and I both enjoyed it very much. Lunch was fulfilling. It was grilled chicken on romaine lettuce and dressing (low in sugar). We also had sugar free jello for dessert which was just as nice. I don't think I normally care for jello that much, I always enjoyed the taste but something about the way it looks or jiggles gets the better of me some days. Regardless so far things are a success. Tonight for dinner we will have salmon, asparagus, salad and vanilla ricotta creme. I tried some of the creme last night while I was making it...yummy! I can't wait to try it for our dessert.

Chris has said he so far liked the diet. The fo

od was pretty good. He and I were both reluctant to eat the quiche cups for breakfast but they weren't that bad. Breakfast also included V8 juice, which I didn't like as a kid. Turns out I don't like it as an adult either, but drank it anyway. I figure I would

need the energy from it to sustain me throughout the day. Plus I may get a liking to it later on.

This morning I weighed myself. I knew I had to it and it was a scary thought. I was afraid to look at the scale and anticipated the 170-175 pounds. I knew I

had to weigh this much because I feel sluggish and know I haven't been eating healthy at all. Turns out my weight is 165.8 pounds, which is about 1.8 pounds more then what it was a few months ago when I last weighed myself. I was pretty excited

about that.

I am hoping I lose some of the weight around my mid section first like the diet said would happen. It did say after the first day your body is already healthier and levels are that much better in your blood stream. Let me be a little more specific. The diet wants you to lose weight, clearly but in a way that is heart healthy.

"Again our top priority was not weight loss for its own sake - it was to improve our patients' heart health by changing their blood chemistry. We wanted a diet that would lower triglycerides (fat carried in the blood, which are necessary, but when excessive cause serious cardiovascular damage) and LDL (low-density lipoproteins, the so-called bad cholesterol). We were looking for a decrease in LDL both as a total number and as compared to the level of HDL (high-density lipoproteins), the so called good cholesterol." ~Dr. Agatston

Basically this diet is going to reset the body clock and, according to the book, allow the body to crave the good fats, carbs, etc. Everything I have thus far read sounds good to me. I'm not starving. If I'm hungry I eat, which is the oddest thing in any diet I've come across so far and I'm hoping for some results soon. In the meantime, exercise is an option, according to the diet, although it is recommended. Me I have my personal goal of exercising for a total of two hours every week, so with that....I'm off to do something beneficial while the little man is sleeping.