Selling the House on the (South) Beach

Some of you, remembering our earlier glowing reports of life on the South Beach Diet may be mildly confused at how I could be so very disappointed with it. Yes, I lost 25-30 pounds in the first three months, an unprecedented weight loss, May to July last year. Joy also lost about 20 pounds. What's to complain about?

The promise is 8-14 pounds the first two weeks and a pound a week thereafter and that pound a week has not been present since September. That's more than half a year of nothing. Not only nothing, but the 5 pounds I put on around Thanksgiving have never come off, despite spending more than a month on the stringent Level 1 and 'cheating' during level 2 to make it really level 1.5 for the last three months.

There's a difference between maintaining my weight on my own terms and following someone else's restrictions without seeing any benefit. There's a difference between maintaining when that's your goal and maintaining when you ought to be seeing progress. It's just gotten frustrating.

That, and our notoriously variable WiiFit scale pushed me over the edge. It claimed yesterday I had gained 10 pounds. Today, the 10 are gone again. But I have this problem that I believe the scale whenever it says I gain weight and I doubt it when it says I lose. This is not healthy. So when it said I had gained 10, South Beach's days were numbered.

So time to try something new! Another lifestyle. One that lets me have a little more whole wheat each day and more fruit in exchange for a little less meat. Joy thinks she might be headed toward trying a Weight Watchers system. I just want a few months proving I can hold my own on my own and enjoying it.

So, goodbye South Beach. Thank you for the 15 pounds. I appreciate it. Maybe I'll come and visit some day.