Last Friday I began the South Beach Diet. I was sitting in the waiting room of the outpatient care center where my mom was having her eye surgery. I felt fat. I looked fat. I felt out of breath. That morning, I brought my South Beach book with to read. As I read, the words just gelled with me and made so much sense. I felt empowered by the book in my hands and in the course of a moment, I decided this was the day I would begin making changes. I have two weeks before my upnorth vacation. Phase one is two weeks. The time is NOW.
I am on my 4th day of phase one and I feel very, very good! This diet, (although, I argue it should be called The South Beach Lifestyle), is amazing, because if you give up the bad carbs (white stuff-rice, potatoes, sugar, white bread and fruit) for the first two weeks, you totally lose hunger cravings and feel full most of the time. There’s so much you can eat in phase one, although I miss strawberries dipped in Splenda. I can resume them in a week and a half when phase two begins. My nightly treat is a bowl of sugar free chocolate pudding made with skim milk. It’s so good and really hits the spot.
I need this weight loss. Lately, I feel so heavy. Almost so heavy, it’s difficult to lift myself off the sofa. My bones ache. My feet hurt. I’m shooting for fourty pounds. I am going to pray every night for the will power to carry this diet to it’s completion and for success. During phase two I can eat everything except sugary stuff…and I can have bread and rice as long as it’s whole wheat and brown rice and in moderation.
South Beach just makes so much sense to me. It’s all about eating the right foods and giving up the crap we’ve been stuffing our gullets with all these years. America is getting fatter and fatter and it’s because we all consume processed, bad stuff and eat too many bad carbs. SB is all about relearning how to eat healthy foods. I’m ready.
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I love the new Starbucks coffee blend. It’s called Pikes Place. What makes it so good is it’s much milder than other Starbucks coffees. It doesn’t have that bitter, strong bite that is so characteristic of their coffee. I brew it at home and I love it. It’s my little luxury on a daily basis. Try some.
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Lately, money has been tight and I’ve been enjoying the simpler things in life and I haven’t been going shopping. Surprisingly, I don’t miss it. I really don’t. I have turned to free things for fun, like reading and blogging and taking Lilly for walks, enjoying the very balmy weather we’ve been having here in Chicago. If I want a new book, I take a quick trip to the Goodwill and choose from their selection. I’m amazed at the fantastic books I find there. I usually score lots of contemporary novels and almost always take home a lucky find.
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I’ve been thinking about some of the things I’ve been reading in the Sylvia Brown books. I want to believe her in the worst way. I think she’s truthful, it seems like she’s authentic, although on YouTube videos, she seems to have been caught making mistakes and seems complely off base. A fellow bogger wrote me privately and told me of a lady ghost she had in a house she lived in for 18 years. She actually saw her several times and the story seems just so amazing to me. I definately believe there is something beyond our life here on earth. There just has to be. Gosh, I really would love to see a ghost. Have you seen one? I’d love to hear about it.
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I have been so inspired by Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is such an incredible book. Easy, entertaining, interesting, heart wrenching, spiritual and inspiring are the adjectives I can throw out there to describe it. I can only recommend it with all my heart to you reader. The first ‘4 Beads’ is probably the most powerful thing I’ve read to date. It almost moved me to tears. ”As far as the ‘beads’ are concerned, you’ll have to read the book to find that out.
Why does this post seem like I’m a spokesperson for South Beach, Starbucks, Sylvia Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert? I don’t know…I just love them all!
I have been feeling disappointed in myself for not writing the kind of quality blog posts I’d like to be posting. But, as much as I’d love to turn a crank in my brain and pop some quality content out to the internet, it just doesn’t happen that way. Inspiration has to come naturally, on it’s own. It’s not something to be forced. One must wait patiently for the words to flow. Since I consider it a delicate balance, I wait with anticipation for my future inspiration to arrive. Comm’on universe, I need some help.
Why Jane 
Great good luck on the dieting, don't beat yourself if you fall off and have to get back on. About the other topics, well, I don't do Oprah. I'll leave it at that. ;-)))
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I loved Eat, Pray, Love.
All the women in my family have read it. Some twice!
Very inspiring.
I am thinking of starting a new "S pirit Blog" I'll let you know, of course.
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You pretty much described where I'm at right now…I'm back to changing my lifestyle habits (aka dieting) a la weight watchers/simply cutting calories/watching what I'm eating. I'm back at that point where I like the challenge…Money is tight here too and shopping is no longer fun, which I'm glad for. There's more to life than consuming…I do believe in ghosts and saw one when I was little – I'm also scared of them, scared of the unkown…I LOVED Eat, Pray, Love – it just spoke to me…And I always want to write some really thought-provoking blog post, but when I start the words just don't flow. Oh well…life goes on.
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I have been eating "mindfully" since I came back from Italy, and I'm 6 lbs lighter. Yay! I was sooo hungry all the time when I was eating all those carbs that I almost never felt satisfied! It really did take me a week or so to work that stuff out of my system. (Why can't you have strawberries dipped in artificial sweetener?)
I think Sylvia Browne is interesting — I do believe in the after life. I think John Edward is even more interesting, and I've had two very accurate phone readings by lysa mateau in the past. I have had some interesting psychic experiences since my parents passed away that have caused me to become a believer. I don't actually enjoy them, but I have them.
I generally dislike Starbucks coffee because it's so strong, so I'd be willing to give Pike's place a go. Thanks for that suggestion!
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You've got me behind you all the way girl! Kudo's to you for taking control of something we let control us far too often! (Clapping & attempting to whistle!)
Weight has been an issue and struggle in my life, during my youth and for the last 4 years, within a year of being seriously injured at work and an extremely complicated recovery. It's taken me a year and a half to lose 25 lbs of the weight I gained and while I've hit another proverbial wall, I'm not giving up. I don't want to be the weight I was before I gained, (at my age now, I'd look ill) though I am aiming to weigh at least 25lbs less than I do now.
My overall goal is to be healthy, as healthy as I can possibly be, regardless of size. I have a disease called Psoriatic Arthritis which complicates this goal and it's progressing, but I cannot afford to give up. (Please remind me of this if need be, lol!) Losing that 25lbs brought my blood pressure back down to normal and without meds! I can't diet, per say, because of my health, nor can I exercise consistently, but, I watch what I eat (especially watch for sodium and high fructose corn syrup), get moving when I'm able and take vitamins. (I am a firm believer in the power of Vitamin D, among others).
I think the best thing peeps can do for themselves is to aim to be healthy and accept whatever size we are when we're healthiest.
I love Liz Gilbert (like I mentioned in another comment) and I love Eat Pray Love. While I couldn't relate to all of her experiences, I related to many (I've battled depression for many years – bad relationships) and as Lizzi mentioned, it spoke to me and it's a very inspiring read! Made me look at some things differently.
I've had experiences in the past (ghostly) though recently was disappointed not to experience anything in Gettysburg PA.
No worries on the blog posts – we'll be here when inspiration strikes!
(Sorry for the LONG ramble here!)
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Hi, I'm new to your blog, but I totally love your writing style.
I'll have to try Pike's Place. I've been wondering about it for a while. While I love coffee, I don't like to be kicked in the teeth with it. Lately I've been buying the Dunkin' Donuts Original Medium Blend to brew at home. It's delightful.
I loved Eat Pray Love when I first read it. I definitely want to read it again, but I have a ton of other books to read first (and then decide whether I want to keep them).
I've been searching for a diet that works for me. (The picture I use on my profile is a couple of years old) I've felt so heavy lately and I miss my cute clothes fitting.
Sorry for the length. Your post gave me a lot to think about.
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Eat Pray Love was such a fantastic book. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Gilbert's a little kooky at times, but I love her message – find yourself and when you do, don't give that up for any other person.
Good luck with you're dieting, but remember to get enough exercise too! I've been feeling really overweight lately, but I know that it's because of the shift from retail to office work a year ago. A year of just sitting in front of a computer all day has gotten me really out of shape. So, I've caved and bought a Pilates DVD to help. Good luck to both of us, eh? :o)
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