South Beach for sissies

Conclusion: Obviously, one week on South Beach phase 1 isn't the proper course - two weeks is what's supposed to happen. Oh, well. Not to mention that I slipped more than once during the week, which probably affected my results.
What were the results? Well, I did lose a couple of pounds. I'm now 125/6, depending on if I jiggle the scale while standing on it.
I also learned that, due to the convenience of things like chips, bread, tortillas, etc, I probably previously ate more carbs than other things that are also healthy, like veggies. I've decided a better balance is a good idea and I'm going to try to incorporate fresh vegetables more regularly than I have in the past. Other than that, though, hitting the end of this diet is a relief. What's kind of fun is that I have a new appreciation for the simple pleasures of things like toast.

Day 7 - SBD

Breakfast - scrambled eggs, Cajun Turkey sausage
Lunch - Beef fajitas with asparagus
Snack - sugar-free, fat-free fudgesicle
Dinner - Zankou! Chicken schwarma plate with hummus, turnip pickles and salad. Good stuff.

Day 6 - SBD

Carrots vs waste. I had one of those little prepackaged salads from Trader Joe's for breakfast. Mainly they serve as cereal used to when I wasn't on this diet - a quick and easy meal when I'm running late, which is perpetual. There was a small amount of shredded carrots included in the salad. Carrots aren't to be eaten in phase 1 of South Beach. They're apparently too high in sugar. I could have pushed them aside, but I didn't. I ate the carrots. Big rebel that I am, and all.

Snack - sugar and fat free fudgesicle
Lunch - Cabbage salad, pesto chicken
Dinner - Steak, more salad, beans

Day 5 - SBD

Counting down the days, though I really don't mind the veggies. I think consciously eating more of them has given me a new appreciation for them.

Breakfast - Artichoke, heart of palm salad.
Lunch - Tofu scramble, raw zucchini sticks.
Snack - French onion soup
Dinner - Veggie, cheese and bacon omelet

Carb craving - moderate. Hash browns are a longtime favorite of mine. Those were really hard to pass up while eating the omelet, but there are only a few days left of this, so I figured I should toe the line.

Day 4 - SBD

Back on track, more or less.

Breakfast - salad, black beans
Lunch - cucumber salad, kimchee, squash soup
Dinner - tilapia, cauliflower, asparagus

Day 3 - SBD

Today sort of went off the rails, diet wise. Socially, I wasn't sure how to make it work, frankly.

Breakfast - hardboiled egg. Coffee. Half a bagel with cream cheese.

The last item isn't on the South Beach Diet at all. A coworker stopped by my office with the bagel half as a little present. She had brought it from the breakfast meeting on the other floor and I was touched by the thought. It would be rude to refuse after she'd gone through that effort, I thought.

Lunch - Cucumber with chili dip, beef and tofu soup with vegetables. Actually, lunch started off with perfect SBD compliance.But my stepdad was in town, at the convention center, as well. I picked him for a late lunch. We have a tradition of grabbing lunch together at Langer's deli whenever he is in town, and I didn't want to break it. Once at Langer's I contemplated ordering a salad, but Langer's pastrami is a reason to keep on living - it should never be passed up. Then I thought about ordering just plain pastrami, no bread, but the marriage of rye and pastrami that is Langer's sandwiches - well, it's the perfect marriage. I'm all about the family values of really good tasting food.
Half order - pastrami sandwich with half order of fries.
I met Rachel later in the afternoon, fessed up and promised to get back on track. To that end, we cooked a low-carb dinner together, followed by a lowcarb ice cream. It was tasty, but tomorrow, I'll try to maintain the diet better.
Cravings for carbs are low. Guilt- moderate.

Day 2 - SBD

I'm already bored with this diet. One way to combat this is to take advantage of the ethnic flavors that food in LA has to to offer. It helps keep things interesting.

Breakfast - Hard-boiled egg, plain yogurt, coffee
Snack - cucumber slices
Lunch - kimchee (Korean spicy cabbage) baked chicken, salad
Snack - Stir-fried octopus with vegetables
Dinner - Chicken souvlaki, Greek salad, tea

I miss chocolate. It's a wistful sort of feeling more than a craving, but it's there.