All Cruise Lines - The South Beach Diet Plan - How I Made it Through Phase 1

I guess that's why I hate dieting so much. I love to eat!

Not my favorite, or they make you eat an overabundance of the foods that are well, most of those fad diets either totally restrict you from eating the foods you love (and crave).

I guess that's why I was so hesitant to follow my friends on the South Beach Diet bandwagon. Peanuts or oranges can you really eat, how many eggs, after all?

But couldn't get their groans and complaints out of my head during those first few days and weeks on the program, i watched enviously as their waistlines got smaller and smaller. Even losing weight, and yes, they were all trying it.

Not even for a smaller dress size. No way! Not me! Carbs and fats for two whole weeks, give up all sugar!

And even my blood pressure was boiling, my cholesterol was hitting an all-time high, he told me my glucose levels were rising, after some tests. I just felt tired and icky all of the time, i wasn't really sick. Then I went to see my doctor for an unwell feeling I couldn't shake.

But it also teaches you how to eat in a more nutritious and satisfying way, " the South Beach plan was being used by people not only as a safe way to lose the weight that affects your health, in addition to being a "diet, so I asked around and did some research and actually found out that, i knew it was time to get serious. Healthy? Ms. Me?

" as my friends like to cal it, and the very first thing I ran up against - you're probably heard about it -- was the dreaded "Phase I" of the South beach Diet Plan: the "hell of restriction. Time to give it a try, okay.

I could turn to them for assurance and advice, i knew so many people who've been on the diet already, luckily.

That's Tip #1: Get a Support System in Place, by the way.

Here are some of my favorite survival tips: They shared their tips and stories of surviving the first 14 days on the program and made me feel like I could too. I honestly don't know if I would have succeeded without the support of my friends. For me it made all the difference.

O Indulge in one last favorite meal and dessert before starting the diet

O Get everything that's not allowed to touch your lips in the first 14 days out of the house and threaten anyone who dares to sneak in contraband foods

O Keep a daily journal about your feelings during Phase I (its great to read how those cravings and yearnings really affected the way you think and feel after it's all just a distant memory

O Avoid mall shopping during Phase I (the smells of the food court will kill you)

For two full weeks (become a hermit) Etc, parties, school functions, o Don't plan on attending any family gatherings.

With a side a fries and a big slice of pizza, dipped in whipped cream, during those first few days on South Beach all I wanted was to dive headfirst into a bag of chocolate chip cookies, i'll admit it.

I knew that I'd make it, ). I said cheese; ed veggies sprinkled with low-fat cheese (yes, but when a friend came over and cooked me the most delicious meal of lean chicken and sauté!

That's Tip #2: Presentation.

I learned that night that a beautifully prepared plate of colorful veggies cooked to perfection out beats a bag of Oreos 10 to 1. The plate she set before me could have rivaled one found in any five-star restaurant.

I was actually looking forward to finding new ways to prepare and serve my new healthier food choices. My sugar levels were leveling out and my blood pressure was coming down - and I wasn't even craving junky stuff anymore, within a week my grumpiness was subsiding - after all.

Which leads me to Tip #3: Learn to Cook.

Since you can always find new and interesting ways to prepare and enjoy the foods I was permitted, watching a variety of cooking shows and incorporating their ideas using my South Beach approved foods was one way I found to survive the first phase of the program. Since starting South Beach I have learned how to really enjoy cooking.

). Like fresh fruit and bread (thank God, and then I was allowed to start reintroducing some of my favorites again into my daily eating plan, it seemed to go by so fast! I couldn't believe when the two weeks were over.

A true triumph for someone like me who had never been able to follow any diet for longer than a day or two before, and I managed to lose a whopping 12 pounds! Those diet buster cookies, yes, ice cream and even, the best part was I no longer craved some of those no-no foods like cake!

But it sure was worth it, in the first few days, yes! Was starting the South Beach Diet difficult?