Woo hoo!  I'm officially into Day 3 of the South Beach Diet Phase One and I have to admit that this diet is pretty challenging for me so far.  The first full day I was a total wreck!  I tried not to drink any coffee at all (which I always begin my day with) because I also pour a ton of cream and sugar in it.  Unfortunately, this made me feel worse and so I did my best to drink a cup of coffee, black, which was pretty gross too.

Honestly though, I think I felt so bad because my body was actually detoxing from the horrible foods I've been living on for so long.  Now that I'm on Day 3, I'm beginning to feel a little better and I even have moments where I feel quite good.  The hard part for me is finding unique, yet healthy ways to feel full, without all of the cooking and preparation for each and every meal.

My go-to breakfast is definitely a veggie omelet of one kind or another and I've become quite fond of turkey wraps too for lunch.  I've also discovered that I like drinking vegetable juice cocktail, like V-8.  Honestly, I'm quite surprised that the veggie dishes I've been eating are as yummy as they are.  I've always avoided vegetables like the plague and see now just how silly I've been all these years.  They're not near as bad as I've made them out to be, which is a pleasant surprise.

Here are a few other tips I've picked up along the way when it comes to surviving the South Beach Diet Phase One:

• The Slap Chop is your best friend!  I don't like large hunks of veggies in my dishes and also don't like the texture of most veggies either.  With the Slap Chop, you can dice those babies up into super small pieces so that they are better hidden in your food.
• Don't count calories and eat when you're hungry, no matter how often!  (Just make sure you're only eating South Beach Diet Phase One approved foods.)
• Wash and dice all of your vegetables at once and keep them in separate airtight containers in the fridge.  Now, you can easily grab and go when it's time to eat a snack or make breakfast or lunch.  Preparing all of those meals will seem like much less of a chore and you won't have so many dishes to wash either.
• Stick with it and don't cheat!  I've been tempted a time or two to have a sugary morsel or a carb-filled delight, but if you do, know that you will need to stick with the South Beach Diet Phase One 2-3 days longer to completely detox yourself from this type of food.  I don't know about you, but I want out of this phase as quickly as possible, which is why I won't cheat.
• Don't be afraid to use a natural sweetening alternative, like Truvia, in place of regular sugar.  Now, I look forward to having my morning cup of coffee again (which I was never going to give up anyway) while still abiding by the phase one rules.
• Start your morning off on the right foot with this delightful recipe from the South Beach Diet Phase One:  Couple it with a 6 oz. glass of vegetable juice cocktail and a small coffee and you will feel full and satisfied all while kicking your metabolism up a notch!

I'd really love to lose a few pounds, but honestly, I'm more interested in improving my overall health and eating habits for the long haul.  So far, I think the South Beach Diet is teaching me smart snacking, smart meal preparation and how to live without my two favorite vices, empty carbs and refined sugar.  I did check the scale today though and was thrilled to see that I've already lost 2.2 pounds!  :thumbs up: