However, when I read the book, it really made sense to me. The South Beach Diet isn't just a low-carb diet, but works more because of the glycemic index. The lower the glycemic index value of a food, the less it impacts your insulin level. Once I read the book, and understood the science behind why the diet works, it just seemed to be a safer and healthier option than other diets, such as the Atkins Diet.
Really there are just three main things I concentrated on avoiding on the South Beach Diet.
1. Sugar
2. Potatoes (and other starchy foods)
3. Foods with bleached enriched white flour
These foods were avoided completely for the first two weeks of the diet, which is considered phase one. In phase two, certain foods were allowed that contain sugar, mainly fruit. I had always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so instead of a potato with my meal, I'd just double up on the vegetables. Another key part of the South Beach Diet is to eat smaller portions more frequently. This keeps the metabolism and blood sugar at a more constant level. So I always eat a healthy snack between meals. Other little changes that helped me lose weight were:
1. Instead of 2-3 glasses of milk with supper, limit myself to just one.
2. Use a smaller plate to create the illusion of more food.
3. Convince myself it is okay to throw away food the kids don't eat, instead of cleaning their plates for them.
I began the diet at the end of January 2008. By the end of March, I had already accomplished my goal of 20-25 pounds, so I needed to set a new goal. My revised goal was to get below 200 pounds, which is something I don't think I've been able to claim since sometime in middle school. Well I'm happy to announce that after 41 weeks, I have lost a total of 44 pounds and am now at 198 pounds!
Since I'm still kind of a math geek at heart, I tracked my weekly weight loss in a spreadsheet and made some charts to help track my progress. Here are a couple of those charts.
Prior to July, my weight loss was with diet alone, but beginning in July I added more exercise into my routine. Since that time I have been lifting weights three days per week and taking walks every day, if possible. While I may gain muscle mass, and perhaps weight, by lifting, I've also read that for every pound of muscle gained, you burn 50 more calories per day. So at this point, I'm less concerned with my weight and shifting my focus to shedding the little bit of belly fat that I have left. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to achieve the coveted 6-pack abs, but that remains in the back of my mind for something to strive for eventually. I'm basically just trying to make my body a more efficient machine now.
Of course I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish, and my self-esteem has been through the roof for most of this year. However, when I started this adventure, I had several reasons for doing it.
- I wanted to set a good example for my kids.
- I didn't want to have the burden of being overweight, and associated potential health risks looming over me anymore.
- I didn't like the way I looked when I saw myself in pictures. This really became more of an issue for me in 2007. My passport and driver's license photos are particularly unflattering.
- I wanted to inspire others. I've always been heavy and I thought I always would be because "that's just who I am." But I've proven to myself that with a few rather simple changes, that doesn't have to be me. If I can do it, so can you.
- I saw that my body/frame had potential, it had just always had some extra fat on it. I want to see what I can transform it into, and that's what I'm working on now by reducing my body fat and increasing my muscle mass.
No weight loss story would be complete without before and after pictures, so I close this blog entry with just that. (These aren't necessarily the best pictures, but they are pretty similar photos and you can still see the results in my face at least.)
Before (Sept 2007):
After (Aug 2008):
