Getting Back on the Wagon

Posted by melodieshouse on January 25, 2009

Over a year ago (Fall 2007) I started the South Beach Diet.  Over a couple of months I actually lost 20lbs and a pant size.  Then I quit sticking to it.  I’ve been watching my carb intake somewhat all along, pretty much avoiding white flour, rice, potatoes, and added sugars (particulary high fructose corn syrup), but I just couldn’t stay away from sweet iced tea and beer, particularly expensive beer like Sam Adams.  My weight plateaued, and over this past holiday season I gained another 5lbs due to eating crackers, cookies, and candies.  As of yesterday I decided to get back on the wagon and work toward losing the remaining 35 lbs to reach my goal.  So what got me after a year to be proactive about my weight again?  I went to the doctor and after a blood test found out my total cholesterol is 221 and my LDL is 150.  These numbers should be under 200 and 130.  I’ll have to ask about the triglycerides. I’m already taking medication for high blood pressure.  I’m only 37 and menopause is still another 10yrs off, I shouldn’t be having these problems.  Fortunately I’m not diabetic or pre-diabetic, but I could very well get there if I keep up poor dietary habits.

As for my husband, he’s not keeping a particular diet.  He’s diabetic and using metformin, insulin, and Byetta.  He’s been watching simple carb intake (he’s not currently following a low-carb diet per se), avoiding high fructose corn syrup, and eating sashimi 3-4 time a week.  Byetta causes modest weight loss, and between that and what I consider very modest dietary changes, he’s gradually lost close to 60lbs and 2 pant sizes since Fall 2007.  He has what’s known as the metabolic syndrome.

The South Beach Diet is not just a weight-loss “diet” – followed correctly it can be a lifelong principle of eating.  It has a short (1-2 week) phase similar to Atkins that is low-carb, but doesn’t cause nor is intended to cause the ketosis that comes with Atkins’ induction phase.  It’s meant to jumpstart weight loss and end cravings for sugar and starch.  It has a second phase where you slowly introduce carbs like whole grains, pasta and fruit while watching that weight loss doesn’t stop.  When you reach your goal there’s the third phase which is a lifelong eating plan of eating good carbs and good fats.  In the South Beach Diet saturated fats are to be eaten in moderation; chicken, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy, and moderate amounts of nuts are encouraged as well as lots of vegetables.  Fried foods are to be avoided.  Alcohol is avoided in the first phase, wine is allowed in phase two, and beer is allowed in phase three.  Beer used to be strictly verboten with South Beach but the South Beach nutritionists have modified this rule – Dr. Agatston wrote in the book that beer contains the sugar maltose which has a very high glycemic index and causes a bulging belly but that’s not true, all sugars are consumed during the fermentation process by yeast.  Beer is starchy though b/c it’s made from grains. As for the beer belly, that comes more from the burgers and junk food people tend to eat with beer.  In the first phase, you can enjoy all the low-carb veggies you want, unlike Atkins where you eat almost totally protein and fat in the induction phase (I think you’re only allowed 15-20g of carbs a day during induction, which one bowl of salad meets – it’s a very low number).

Dr. Agatston, a cardiologist in Miami, FL, developed the diet for patients that had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and pre-diabetes or Type II diabetes (the metabolic syndrome) who needed to lose weight and improve those conditions but were getting nowhere eating high-carb, low-fat (and often low-protein) diets (ie. the American Heart Association diet or the USDA Food Pyramid).

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