Today marks the end of my Phase 1 diet on the beach. In total I’ve lost 3kgs after 2 weeks and I feel great. Tomorrow onwards I’ll be entering phase 2 of the South Beach Diet where I’ll be introducing fruits and other South Beach Diet friendly carbs back into my diet. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into my organic peanut butter whole wheat sandwich!!!

Friends have been asking me about this diet as there is a visible difference in my waistline. For anyone interested to get started on the South Beach Diet I recommend getting the book. Otherwise there is a wealth of information readily available on the web; I don’t want to reinvent the wheel blogging about it.

Instead what I like to share is some of the possible hurdles being on the South Beach Diet and how to overcome it.

• You don’t like eggs – During phase 1, breakfast will compromise of mainly eggs in one way or another-Eggs with ham, eggs with asparagus, eggs with mushroom, eggs with cheese and tomatoes… I am a big fan of eggs, but after ten days of eggs, I was close to gagging on it. There are a couple of options such as cottage cheese and salads which can be eaten instead of eggs. You could also eat food meant for lunch and dinner during breakfast.



• You hate vegetables- If you hate vegetables I can safely say that this diet is not meant for you. The South Beach Diet is about making healthy long term changes to your diet and if you are not willing to make this important change to your diet then try Atkins at your own peril. Otherwise experiement with different types of vegetables and you’ll surely find something which agrees with your taste buds. Personally I like zucchini, broccoli and asparagus.



• You hate cooking – It is pretty hard to stay healthy if you eat out everyday. The first 2 weeks of the South Beach Diet, is pretty restrictive and restaurant food tends to have sugar or flour in most dishes. There are a few places which serve SB friendly food but be prepared to spend a little extra. Try avoiding Asian restaurants in general for the first two weeks. During Phase 1 I ate mainly at home, but when forced to eat outside I choose Subway, Coffee Bean and Chili’s for their salads.



• You love and can’t live without rice, pasta, bread, cookies, and potatoes – If you are addicted to carb-rich food I can tell you that the first 3 days will be hell. After that your body will adapt and the cravings will disappear. I am big on pastries and used to have it for breakfast and tea but the cravings have stopped and I can walk into a bakery and walk out empty handed, but God I do love the smell of butter!

I struggled for the first few days but it got a little easier as I watched my weight slowly creeping down. I am looking forward to Phase 2, I hope I can keep the weight off, wish me luck!