Thursday, March 14, 2013

South Beach Diet


 Okay guys, here I go again with my desperate attempts to lose as much weight as possible before this bachelorette party! I know I just told y’all that I was replacing two meals a day with Advocare meal replacement shakes, but this week I’m trying something new. When trying to get in shape in the past I usually just cut out foods that I know are terrible for me and eat a lot of chicken and broccoli. I’ve never really been interested in going on a diet that tells you exactly what you can and can’t have, but that all changed this past weekend when my mom told me about the South Beach Diet. She told me there are three different phases to the diet and that phase one lasts for two weeks and targets your midsection. When I heard this I got excited because two weeks was exactly what I had left to make things happen for myself and my midsection is exactly what I need to work on. I don’t know if I plan on continuing the diet when I return from the trip, but so far I haven’t swayed from the diet AT ALL this week. I am currently on day four. There is a book on the South Beach Diet and the author claims that you will lose 8-13 pounds in phase one and it will be mostly from the midsection. He is very confident in this since he is a cardiologist and did some serious research while putting this diet together. The book is actually really interesting and you can really learn a lot about eating healthy. The number one rule and pretty much the only rule in phase one is NO CARBS! Now I know that sounds terrible because you can’t have any bread, pasta, fruit, alcohol, etc. but since it only last for two weeks I knew I could do it. There is a list in the book that tells you what you can eat which is pictured below. I pretty much have been eating a lot of chicken, fish, vegetables, and eggs. This morning I ate an omelet with cut up onions, tomatoes, turkey, spinach, and shredded cheese dipped in picante sauce. It is actually super yummy and I don’t mind eating it at all. There are numerous ways you can use the same ingredients in different ways and recipes for the South Beach Diet are all over the internet. I have also included a link where you can buy the South Beach Diet book under the "links" tab. I could go on for days about this diet but I’ll stop here. If anyone is interested in trying it please ask me about it! I would love to give you some insight on my personal experience. I’ll be updating you guys in two weeks when I complete phase one and let you guys know if it worked or not! 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Advocare

The other night I looked at my calendar and realized that I only have three weeks until the bachelorette party. I don’t know why I wasn't aware of this, but it definitely freaked me out! All I could think about is how my body is not where I want it to be yet. I know how to eat healthy, but I am also realistic and know how hard it is to actually stick to it so I started brainstorming for ideas of how I could really buckle down with my diet for the remaining three weeks. My boyfriend’s mom came into town this weekend and gave me a great idea, actually it may not work at all, but I’m determined to find out! She sells Advocare products, which is a collection of health products, and one of the products is a meal replacement shake. She told me to replace two of my meals a day, whether it is breakfast and lunch, or breakfast and dinner. I decided to try this because it is so easy. I am always rushing out the door in the morning and then trying to figure out what I’m going to eat for dinner so this solution seemed perfect. I have no idea if this is even a healthy way to get in better shape, but hopefully it is effective. I have listed some key benefits of the shakes below, but I know that there are probably some negatives as well that the website left out. I started my new routine yesterday and it was a success. I drank a shake for breakfast and dinner, had a sandwich for lunch, and a few snacks in between. Overall, it was pretty easy and I have no complaints. I don’t know if this will give me the results I’m looking for but hopefully in three weeks I’ll be writing a new post about how it did! 

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KEY BENEFITS
  • Only 220 calories
  • Balanced meal for optimal nutrition and weight management
  • 24 grams of easy-to-digest protein
  • High in dietary fiber (5-6 grams)
  • 50% of the Daily Value of calcium
  • 26 vitamins and minerals
  • 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbohydrates
  • Low sodium and low fat