I'm 5 feet tall, and I weighed about 115 pounds when I got married. After my three children were born, my lowest weight was in the mid-120s. For the past five years, I started putting on a few pounds a year. I reached a high of 155. My doctor had been treating me for an inherited thyroid disorder, and thought he had things under control with medication. He urged me to try and get some weight off. I started The South Beach Diet™ at the beginning of August. I'm a seventh grade teacher, so I chose to start during summer vacation from school when I didn't have a lot of outside influences or commitments.
The biggest challenge was just making the lifestyle change. I was good at convincing myself that I "needed" chocolate or a snack or a cola. I had to learn to replace those foods with healthier choices, and to do something other than just put food in my mouth. I liked that The South Beach Diet™ gave me a list of healthy foods to choose from. I hate being told what NOT to eat — it just makes you feel deprived and depressed. The South Beach Diet™ allowed me to eat — and eat frequently! In fact, I found that when I hadn't lost for a few days, if I had an extra snack or a little more to eat, I would start losing again! I logged onto the Web site every few days to check out new articles — they seemed to be right there whenever I had a question. I also treated myself to lots of magazines about healthy lifestyles.
I didn't worry about exercise until I was feeling pretty confident about my eating plan. I have been lifting weights in our basement since the fifth week of the diet. I started with one or two sets of basic exercises, like bench press, squats, and dead lifts, and I've been adding other exercises since. I also do cardio a couple of times a week, even though it isn't my favorite thing.
My teenage daughter started dieting with me, and we keep an eye on each other. We splurge on a reward for every 10 pounds we lose. Our rewards are always clothes or jewelry — something to make us feel pretty. When I started this diet, I didn't think I could give up white bread and potatoes. Now, I don't even buy them! I mean it. I don't want them. We don't eat them. I don't miss them! I've never felt deprived. I make sure that I have nuts and string cheese and yogurt handy all of the time — especially at school. I also make sure I eat some protein every three hours. I'm not sure if others have noticed this or not, but I started enjoying the scent of things — I found I could actually appreciate the smell of chocolate without eating it!
I lost 32 pounds on The South Beach Diet™, and my daughter lost 30. The last three pairs of pants I bought were size 4. Last summer, my size 12 jeans were getting too tight! I haven't been this slim since my freshman year of college. My daughter had to have her cheerleading uniform taken in. She'd been wearing a junior size 13, and when we went to the store recently, she needed a size 7!
My family is very proud of me. My kids are all athletic and they have encouraged me the entire time. Even with all of that, I think my success has most affected the teachers I work with. I think they have all bought The South Beach Diet™ book! We no longer bring sweets in to the teacher's lounge every few days. Our refrigerator is full of yogurt, cheese, water, and milk. We've replaced soda pop with water, milk, tea, and coffee.
I can't wait to look in my closet each morning and pick out something that is going to look great on me. I feel more energetic and happy. I can deal with the stress of teaching much better than before. I owe it to myself to feel this good. My doctor is also very pleased with my weight loss. I have regular checkups to monitor my thyroid disease, and he praises me most lavishly! Thanks, Dr. Agatston. I'm now in control of my eating!
Favorite snack: Popcorn for something salty, and no-sugar-added fudgesicles, gelatin, or pudding for something sweet.
Most effective strategy when facing temptation: The first few weeks, I ate extra peanuts when I just HAD to eat something. I also got back into the habit of drinking skim milk when I felt hungry. Most of all, I kept reminding myself that I didn't want to undo all of my hard work for a few moments of pleasure. There is NOTHING good about wearing ill-fitting, tight clothes — or feeling tired and grumpy all of the time!
Best compliment you've gotten: I don't think a day has passed that someone hasn't complimented me! I bet over a hundred people have asked me how I did it!
