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.
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!
Easy Asparagus and Mushroom Omelet
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 stalks fresh asparagus
- 2 sliced white mushrooms
- 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Directions:
- Boil 1" of water in a large skillet. Add the asparagus and cook, uncovered, just until tender-crisp.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and water until the whites and the yolks are completely blended.
- Coat a 10" nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until just hot enough to sizzle when a drop of water is added. Pour in the egg mixture. It should set immediately.
- With an inverted pancake turner, lift the edges as the mixture begins to set to allow the uncooked portion to flow underneath. When the top is set, fill one half of the omelet with the asparagus, mushrooms and cheese.
- With the pancake turner, fold the omelet in half over the filling. Slide onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Info:
238 calories, 21 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 6 g saturated fats, 260 mg sodium, 440 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber
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:
View Comments (10)
I would say that what I have heard about Splenda is not good, and I wouldn't touch it. A safe sweetener is stevia. The flavored ones are great!
Ooh, thanks so much for this tip, Carol! I've always stayed away from aspartame, but I didn't know Splenda wasn't good either. I'll give the stevia a try! :)
I have an artice from Dr. Mercola on Splenda:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/08/23/splenda-part-one.aspx
This is just one of many. I subscribe to his site-very helpful, full of great info. You can search for all kinds of stuff on it.
Have a great day, Melissa!
This is awesome, Carol...thanks! I'm off to subscribe to this site right now. :)
Great Tips :) Good on luck on South Beach Diet
I was gonna also comment that Stevia is a better option the Spelenda!
Blessings
Audrey
Thanks so much Audrey! :) I'll definitely be switching to Stevia over Splenda now!
Keep up the great work! The first two weeks anytime I started cutting back on what I eat is the hardest and I get downright grumpy.
Thanks Brenda! The encouraging thing is that every day things seem to get a little better than they were the day before. I know my husband is ready for my grumpy phase to be gone for good! :)
I did this diet years ago and loved it:) I had forgotton about it for now. Now I am hopping back to catch up:)
Thanks!
Hi Evelyn,
Thanks so much for your comment! I'm glad that you liked the South Beach Diet too and are going to work this plan again! :) I'm in Day 4 now and have to say that I'm beginning to feel better than I did before. I'd still REALLY like a piece of bread or a big bowl of pasta, but hopefully these cravings will go away by the end of Phase One.