I started my diet on January 2nd of this year. I began the South Beach Diet and followed the diet pretty darn close for the first week. Lots and lots of veggies and salads and nothing white (except eggs). This first week was to clear your system and to eliminate the water buildup.
I found that not only was the water build up leaving but I was in the bathroom with D and cramping during this time because of the gassiness from the veggies and salad. I contacted the nutritionist for the diet and explained that I had colitis and could not tolerate the foods and she suggested that I begin Phase II immediately.
I began Phase II on the second week instead of the third week. There are 3 phases - the first to cleanse the system, the second to learn to eat right and the 3rd to live on the rest of your life. Each phase reintroduces foods you have avoided the previous phase.
I began eating lean meats and cooked the veggies in the steamer until they were very soft and ate breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and a sugar free dessert.
During the second week, the bloating was gone, I had more energy and lost the brain fog. I feel GREAT!!!!
I eat in the following manner (BTW - I do not believe I am GF intolerant because of the types of food I can eat without problems - I'll explain in a minute).
Breakfast - 2 hard boiled eggs and a glass of 2% milk or V8
Snack - 1/2 of a SBD cereal bar - maple is my favorite
Lunch - 1 hard boiled egg, low sugar/low fat yogurt with strawberries dipped in it (YUM) OR a pita bread or flat bread roll up with mayo, oven roasted ham (deli) and low fat cheese and turkey breast rolled in the tortilla. Sometimes I will eat a cup of tomato soup and a hard boiled egg, sugar free jello. Once in a while I will have a couple of celery sticks w/natural peanut butter.
For my pm snack I will finish the cereal bar. For dinner I will eat scrambled eggs and a couple of turkey bacon slices or a lean piece of meat and a veggie or a yam. For dessert, which I save to eat a couple hours after dinner, I will have a sugar free fudgesicle. YUMMY
I have eliminated (or eat once every 2 or 3 weeks) all white things - sugar, flour, pasta (will eat wheat pasta when I do) white potatoes and bread. I drink diet Sprite, water, coffee or V8 or milk (2%).
I have also found that I can only eat certain things on a rotation schedule. I can not eat a roll up 2 days in a row, nor can I eat salad 2 days in a row but if I alternate days, I am fine.
I push my food away when my belly says it is full; I use a smaller plate; I do not "bread" my meat, I bake, george foreman, grill or use the slow cooker. I use Splenda if I need sugar but don't hardly use it at all, and, I am sure to eat the snacks between meals.
My clothes are too big and the inches are coming off - I no longer have a double chin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My bra is too big (bummer
), and the weight is coming off a little at a time. This will enable me to keep it off since it is not falling off of me quickly.I feel great and am ready to begin the exercises on the tapes I ordered that Celia recommended. They shipped today! I have been going to the mall to walk once a week too.
I have found that eating this way has curbed the cravings - don't have any and I am full and well nourished without all the bad things. I read lables and keep the sugar and fat at 3 grams or less.
Ok, I've rambled enough but you get the drift of what I am doing. 20lbs so far and inches coming off! It helps to motivate me to continue what I am doing since I feel so much better and it is so obvious that I do. It also helps that Larry is on the diet with me.
Oh, before I went to the store for the first time when I began the diet, I literally gave all food I couldn't eat to my daughter. Wiped out the cabinets, freezer and fridge. There is NOTHING in my house that I can't eat! Makes that easy, huh!
Whoops - one more thing - I have (on my own) reduced my Nexium and BP meds down to every other day - I found that I feel better than taking them every day. I am going to make a doc apt. next week to discuss these things with him and to get some bloodwork checked and my cholesterol checked. I'm anxious to see what the readings will be!
Ok, done now!
Love,
Mars
I like our little team logo too. 
. She had a nutrionist tell her to move on to stage two and quit restarting the diet as she wasn't getting all the nutrients she needed. I'll let her know of your success.
