That got me thinking…

I have lost over 40lbs in the last year on Weight Watchers but frankly I found that when push came to shove, so long as I didn’t go over my “points” I was making some bad food choices such as processed meals and high sugar snacks.  So as much as I was successful on Weight Watchers, I still have some weight I want to lose and was open to switching things up a bit.

So I borrowed the South Beach Diet book from the library and read it cover to cover in 2 hours while I sat at my son’s football practice.  I think I was hooked after the first chapter.

The basic gist of the program:

How The South Beach Diet Works

3 Phases to Success

The South Beach Diet is truly a food lover’s diet. It’s about living well and loving what you eat. But it’s also practical, flexible, easy, and effective. The South Beach Diet plan is divided into three Phases. Phase 1 lasts two weeks and is designed to eliminate cravings and kick-start weight loss. Phase 2 is intended to produce long-term, steady weight loss. You’ll stay in Phase 2 until you reach a healthy weight. Then you’ll move to Phase 3, the lifestyle Phase. This is how you’ll eat and live 365 days a year — and it’s the key to maintaining your new, healthy weight.

To learn more about how it works, visit the South Beach Diet website.

Willpower is not necessarily a problem for me.  What is a problem is that I tend to be a picky eater so finding foods that I will eat on the list of acceptable food choices can be a challenge, but I persevered.

Phase 1 was really very easy for me.  It is basically no-carb and I honestly had no cravings and only felt hungry first thing in the morning when I got up.  I felt really good, did not feel tired and LOVED that I could eat almonds and peanut butter every day a lose weight.  Week 2 of Phase 1 was a little more difficult for me because I started to get bloated for some reason.   I took some OTC stuff though and it has resolved itself.  Hopefully the introduction of some carbs this week will keep it at bay.

I lost 6.4 lbs on Phase 1 of  the South Beach Diet.  The first week I lost 4.4 lbs, the second week I lost 2 lbs.

I really think this is a lifestyle rather than a diet.  I can eat REAL foods and not really have to worry about portion control.  I’ve found that my body has been telling me I’m full much quicker than it used to eating this way and I’m not hungry throughout the day so long as I eat my 3 meals and 3 snacks.  And I don’t have cravings!  Plus on Phase 2 I can add some dark chocolate and wine.  Hello?  What kind of diet is this?

Oh and the mocha ricotta recipe alone is worth trying this diet lifestyle.  Trust me.

If you are interested, check out your local library and see if they have the book.  It’s a fairly quick read, the program is simple and the basis for it is sound.  Or, you can buy the paperback on Amazon for $7.99.  I also bought The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less from Amazon.  I haven’t made any of the recipes yet but I’ve got some earmarked, most of them sound great and are perfect for the novice cook (which is what I am).

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I mean, I knew I had dropped 3-4 clothing sizes so far.  I knew I had lost weight.  But I hadn’t looked at my “before” picture in a long time.

I’ve still got a little ways to go, but this has totally inspired me to get to my goal.

And yes I said cabbage soup.

Sounds great huh?

I can’t wait to eat something made from a food that smells like FEET.

I gained 70 lbs when I was pregnant with my daughter in 2007.  I’m actually around 7 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight, which was on the high end of healthy when you looked at the charts.  I know how to eat right and exercise to lose weight, mostly thanks to Weight Watchers and good old-fashioned common sense.  But these last 7 lbs have been eluding me for the last few weeks.  The scale won ‘t budge.  On top of that, I actually want to lose 15 more lbs to get to my college weight.

The cabbage soup diet isn’t just about eating cabbage soup for 7 days.  You also incorporate fruit, veggies, baked potato, brown rice and beef during the course of the week.  And lots and lots of that smelly soup.

This morning I have to make the soup.  I hoped to have it ready last night, but we had a big party and I didn’t get around to it.  I did, however, get a call from Trisha who made hers yesterday and she claims it’s not stinky…we’ll see about that.  I am convinced that I will know the answer to “what’s that smell?”.

In addition to eating as much cabbage soup as we want, today we also get to eat as much fruit as we want (except no bananas), so I doubt I will go hungry.  I bought enough fruit to keep me full.  The hard part will be avoiding the goodies we have left over from our party yesterday.

Here is the recipe for the soup:

Cabbage Soup Recipe

• 6 large green onions
• 2 green peppers
• 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 3 Carrots
• 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
• 1 bunch of celery
• half a head of cabbage
• 1 package Lipton soup mix
• 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
• 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Directions:

1. Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.
2. Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.
3. Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.
4. Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.
5. Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.
6. If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.
7. You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.
8. Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time – two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

And these are the instructions for today:

Day One:
Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.

Now, I know we are going to hear from everyone that this “diet” does not change habits, it is not a healthy long-term option and numerous other things related to fad diets.  But, I have a few facts for you to consider:

• I have lost 37 lbs this last year.  I eat healthy and KNOW how to eat healthy in my regular routine.
• Trisha eats healthy and has maintained a nearly ideal weight for a long time.  She gained a few lbs and wants to lose it to fit back in her clothes.
• It’s for 1 week (7 days).  We don’t plan on making this a regular event.
• You can eat mass quantities of fruits and vegetables and drink an unlimited amount of water.  It also incorporates some grains and some protein.
• It’s not starvation, and it’s not diet pills with who-knows-what in them.
• We’re not expecting miracles (although it would be nice to see some), we just think it will be an interesting week!  We want to see if the cabbage soup diet really works.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the adventure.

Just don’t sit too close to us…..