I am seven pounds lighter than I was last week. Since going on the South Beach Diet a week ago, I have been eating nonstop and losing weight dramatically. The results have been downright amazing. I am glad I finally humbled myself and changed my diet and began exercising. I never had trouble losing weight before, but these last ten pounds of baby weight were not budging. Going on South Beach (and weightlifting) has gotten the scale going in the other direction finally! I did have to modify some things in order to keep up my milk production and to have enough energy to work out for an hour six times a week. According to Dr. Agaston, South Beach Phase 2 and 3 are safe for breastfeeding moms, but ask your doctor. [My baby is nine months old, but still nursing for nutrition.] I took 10 alfalfa tablets a day (increases milk production and helps keep iron up-ask your doctor!), drank more milk and tons of water, and on the fifth day starting eating a low carb protein power bar after I worked out. I simply wasn’t getting enough fuel to keep up with my workouts. I really tried to make sure I got at least 1800 calories also. Every woman’s milk supply is affected differently so I would closely monitor your supply everyday if you diet while breastfeeding- and of course ask your doctor.
I have to admit going gluten free prior to going on the South Beach Diet really helped me.
Food that is off-limits? I know that game pretty well.
Meal planning? Done.
Meal Prep? Can Do.
Cooking? Of course.
Going on any diet requires discipline, meal planning, meal prep, and some cooking. If you work full-time and are on a special diet, a lot of meal prep can be done on the weekends.
I suppose the results on South Beach will vary, especially if you are not exercising. I am working out five-six days a week now in the new home gym my hubby set up for the two of us. [He even did a mural on the wall]! I recommend taking measurements and “before” pictures to get you motivated. It is a humbling experience, but it was just what I needed to set my weight loss and fitness goals.
If anyone has a low-carb, no sugar, protein bar recipe please let me know! I have some gluten-free whey-protein isolate that needs to be used.
GF/Celiac Things of Interest:
Mike at Gluten Free Blog has a post about using whey-protein isolate in gluten free baking.
Tamar, a fitness model, wrote her story about celiac diagnosis and dealing with celiac disease on Bodybuilding.com. In the second part of her article she mentions several healthy choices for gluten free eating.
Breastfeeding and Dieting article at Breastfeeding.com.
My Gluten Free Menu:
Monday: Burgers Low Carb Style with Avocado and Red Pepper
Tuesday: Hot Greek-style Shrimp Broccoli Salad with Feta
Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin, Salad, and Veggies
Thursday: Mahi Mahi Mixed Greens Salad
Friday: Grilled Ginger Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
Gluten Free Sox Fan is hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap this week and the ingredient of the week is cornmeal. I won’t be eating cornmeal this week because of my strict diet, so go find out what other gluten free dieters are dining on this week!
My Monday Mommy Brag:
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Posted on April 14th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: gluten free menu
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[...] from Gluten Free Mommy, has been having good success on the South Beach Diet, so her menu continues to follow that plan. [...]
First off. I appreciate the good information on the south beach diet. I broke down and bought the book and supplementary cook book. I also am taking a shot of apple cider vinegar a day to help with weight loss( Fergie does this too).
I cannot believe dan is standing. They are so freakin cute!! Jude looks like hes ready for school
XOXO
Congratulations on the weight loss!
Can you post/comment/send me the recipe for the avocado-red pepper burgers? They sound wonderful!
A long time ago I was 90 pounds heavier than I am today. In fact, I’m actually having issues on gaining and keeping weight on because of recently being diagnosed with celiac’s disease. My environment is constantly contaminated so sometimes I feel its a losing battle.
But, the word “diet” had become so harsh due to the media and their exploitations of fads. I don’t believe in diets; I believe in healthy habits. Diet programs help one adjust to a healthy eating patterns. I think The South Beach Diet program is one of the better choices than some others out there which are - to put it bluntly - stupid.
For me to lose all the extra weight I had, I had to learn control which was my biggest issue and losing all the things that were unhealthy by any means. Cake for lunch? Right - not a winning choice there. So, I stopped the over consumption of fast food and learned to cook. By doing that, I controlled what was going into my body. Now, I mostly follow a Mediterranean style of eating and the basic FDA recommendations.
It’s good that you’re adding more protein from different sources and if you didn’t know fish oil with its omega 3 fatty acids are a great addition to any diet especially if you’re exercising. It helps fight off fatigue and promotes heart, bone, and joint strength.
So good luck on your goal!
And your children are so adorable! Puffy cheeks - eee!
Jenifer- Dan is growing so fast. The separation anxiety is killing me though. I broke down and bought an ERGO carrier. It has been working well. Good luck on the diet! xoxo
Beth- The burgers are easy! I sprinkle the patties with black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and chili powder. My hubby grills the patties and adds melted pepper jack cheese for those who want it. I use those huge green lettuce leaves for wrapping the burger and set out red pepper, avocado, and red onion for those who want it. If I am feeling particularly inspired I might make a spicy ketchup. It started because you can’t get tomatoes in the winter, so I subbed red pepper. Now we prefer the red pepper, avocado combo.
Manda- Thanks for so commenting! We can all learn so much from your experience. I started South Beach because I wasn’t able to control carb cravings and wanted to do a carb cleanse for awhile so to speak. I think the Med. diet is a great lifestyle. We are taking the fish oil too! I think learning to cook is a big one. It seems like a lost art in our culture sometimes- I am going to teach my children how to cook!
Congratulations on doing so well. I had an opposite problem after pregnancy because I was undiagnosed. While breastfeeding I just kept losing and losing and losing weight. My second was 9 months old when I went gluten free and all of a sudden my milk supply JUMPED up and I gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks. It was a little frightening since I have no idea what is normal now. The way the weight went back on is right where it tends to sit for breastfeeding.
Baby girl was THRILLED about more milk–and now I’ve had a lot of trouble weaning her, though I probably would anyway. She also seemed to be growning and gaining weight faster when I was able to take in more nutrition.
My biggest issue now is that my blood sugar drops really low late morning and again about 3 or so. I don’t feel hungry as much as week and totally foggy. I can’t figure out a way to snack that doesn’t make my stomach hurt (I think I’m still healing from years of my stomach aching all the time). Any suggestions?
oops, pardon the typos/left out words above! the little one was trying to help type, climbing on the table…you know how it goes.
Cris: You sound like me. Not really hungry but as if I’m in a cloud and if I eat a lot my stomach feels like it’s about to explode. My worry is about keeping my body in tune for when I get pregnant. I’m taking a good multi and extra supplements to get in what I’m missing but I still feel that I’m leaving out something. Obviously, since I shouldn’t normally feel as if I’m a physical manifestation of the song Lucy in the Sky.
Natalie: My boyfriend’s mother was shocked when she caught wind that I could cook. When I fed her husband TOFU Jambalaya and got raves, she started talking about wedding plans - no lie. Haha!
Natalie,
Have you seen Elana’s Power Bars at elanaspantry.com? They only contain 1 spoonful of agave and 4 drops stevia (chocolate is optional) and are full of high-protein whole foods like almonds, almond butter, flax, coconut oil, and coconut flakes. They are very easy to prepare (no bake), unbelievably delicious, and pretty filling (though addictive). I’ve made them twice now, and cannot wait to make them again (after Passover).
You’ve never posted a photo of your husband, but it seems to me that Jude is looking more like you ever day!
Thanks!
I’ll have to try it soon. My boyfriend loves his red meat, and I try to add in as much veggies as I can- it sounds like a winning combination!
those hamburgers sound so good!
the boys look very adorable. congrats on the weight loss!
Congrats on your loss, Natalie, and on your focus on taking care of yourself above the focus on just cutting calories.
Your photos of the kiddos are so cute! And the grilled ginger chicken sounds delish! I love ginger…
I am going to have to check out the power bars that were mentioned in a comment. My hubby is a triathalon man and with soccer and baseball season coming up, that sounds like just what we need around here.
holy crapola, those are some cute kids.
i did south beach once, back in the day, and lost weight even without exercising, but i loves me the gluten too much. there were some really good recipes that i still use, though - the coconut chicken is a personal fave.
Your babies are beautiful! And congrats on losing those 7 pounds. That’s no easy feat but the South Beach Diet seems to be a very good, sound healthy diet. Sounds like you picked a winner for yourself. Keep up the great job!