Back to Phase I

We're now a week into our third try on Phase I of the South Beach Diet.  As a refresher, this phase is the most restrictive.  We are not allowed to eat any carbohydrates and are limited to very low fat items.  So the question is:  "What CAN you eat?"   Well, here's an example.

This is my lunch today.  A spinach salad, carefully measured:  1.5 ounces of Spinach (about a cup); one ounce of baked ham, shredded; a teaspoon of diced raw shallot; a teaspoon of diced roasted red pepper from a jar; a half a teaspoon of shredded low fat Swiss cheese; a half teaspoon of low fat Newman's Own Raspberry Vinaigrette and a half ounce of unsalted mixed nuts for crunch.  (Planters has a new "Nut-trition" line: http://www.planters.com/varieties/nutrition.aspx -- although it's not shown on the website today, they have a "South Beach Mix")

Is it working?  You bet.  As of this morning, I've lost five and a half pounds since last Sunday morning.  (Although I've "cheated" 2 times -- once with crackers and cheese, twice with Dairy Queen, which we used to bribe boys into good behavior.)

Another week and we can introduce carbs back on Phase two.

On the downside -- the 40-inch waist-size jeans I bought last weekend -- they keep falling down.