My South Beach Diet Journey - Phase 1 Day 1

So I haven't posted in awhile. In fact, it's been almost exactly a year this month. What have I been up to? Hmm.. a divorce, a promotion, a loss of a total of 35 lbs... um ya, I said divorce. That in itself could be a whole other post filled with betrayal, disappointment, frustration, emotion, and new beginnings. And I promise to share as much as I can at some point, but for now, let's stick to the health stuff.

If you remember my last post, I had completed Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. That was a huge accomplishment for me! Prior to that, I never consistently exercised since my high school cheerleading days. So after my 30 Day Shred victory, I continued on to exercise and eat well. I also became a vegetarian, which was tough at first, but after watching documentaries on the treatment of animals, as well as the hormones injected into animals that are thought to lead to the development of human cancer, I knew I had to turn away from meat. Unfortunately, during the winter I got extremely busy (and lazy) and stopped my 6 day a week workout regimen. I also found out that I am gluten sensitive. So there I was, a vegetarian, thinking that I was treating my body well by avoiding meats, when all of a sudden my skin became horrible. I was breaking out terribly on my face, chest, and back. My eczema was out with a vengeance. And a skin disorder that I have, Hidradenitis Supportiva, was worse than ever.

Needless to say I was extremely confused. I started to do research and found out that many people who were Gluten Free saw improvement in their skin issues. That's when I had my Eureka moment. I realized that the moment I stopped eating meat, I naturally increased my Gluten intake through breads and pastas. So my body was now getting overloaded with the thing that was harming it. I then had to choose - Vegetarian or Gluten Free. Since Gluten appeared to be making me ill, I had to go back to my carnivore ways in order to have somewhat of a normal eating pattern (ideally hormone-free and grass-fed of course). I know, I know. Some of you out there in bloggyland are shouting at your computer screens, "You can be both a Vegetarian and Gluten Free!" And yes, while I know that I "can", it doesn't mean that I am willing to devote my whole entire life to eating primarly lettuce leaves.

In any event, here I am - 35 lbs down, but still have another 25 to go. That's why I decided to do South Beach. I did it in the past many years ago with minimal success, but it was minimal only because I gave up after a week. This time around, I'm older and wiser, and realize that it's more for health than it is for weight loss. I actually gained a couple of pounds when I began eating meat again. Why? Because I was supplementing all of my Gluten-filled favorites with their Gluten-free counterparts which mostly is equally unhealthy. Studies show that most people gain weight while being Gluten Free because the Gluten Free substitutes have more sugar and other fillers to supplement the Gluten. Finding that out was a total bummer.

This is why I decided to try South Beach again. South Beach has 3 phases. Phase 1 is when you avoid all bad carbs and sugar for 14 days. This phase is supposed to reprogram my system, reduce cravings, and lower blood sugar. It also will help me to eat more along the lines of what a true Gluten Free person is supposed to eat like. Today was the first day and... I. AM. HUNGRY. I don't believe it's because of the diet itself because the diet has me on 1600 calories per day (and more if I exercise). I believe it's just my body going through porition size withdrawal. Today I actually ate the appropriate serving size at every meal, and was satisfied but not full. Supposedly that's the RIGHT way to feel after eating. Go figure. My body just has to get used to it because I would get hungry 2 hours after the meal as opposed to 4.  

 

What's my analysis? Overall Day 1 went okay.  One issue is that I snacked a bit too much in the evening while preparing dinner.  Though the snacks were things allowable on the diet, I ended up going over my calorie limit by 260 calories. The other issue is that I ended up eating dinner at 10:00pm, which isn't healthy in itself.  But I found a solution for that one: I will be cooking the next day's dinner the night before.  So tonight I have chili in the slowcooker for tomorrow. The apartment will smell AMAZING in the morning!  

 

Due to my hectic schedule, I won't be able to blog every day, but I'll blog every week to give updates. So without further ado, here is my Meal Plan for Day 1:

 Phase 1 Day 1

 Breakfast

1 hard boiled egg

1 tsp mayo

1 cup of coffee w/ 2 TBS evaporated milk, 1 truvia packet

 Midmorning Snack

 1 slice of bologna and 1 slice of cheese wrapped up

 Lunch

 Tuna on a bed of lettuce, 3 slices of ham, 1 slice of cheese

 Midafternoon Snack

 2 ozs peanuts

1 hard boiled egg

 

Evening Snack (this is a no-no!)

 

1 slice of bologna and 1 slice of cheese wrapped up

 

polly-o string cheese

 Dinner

4 oz boneless chicken breast

mixed vegetables