I started keeping weekly notes instead of the daily notes I kept previously. This page is designed to be read from the bottom up. Each month is separated and easily reached with the hyperlink bookmarks below. The reason behind the reverse chronology, is because I have many readers who "check in" weekly and just need to see what I accomplished the past week. This layout keeps them from having to scroll. For new readers, start at the bottom and work your way up.

Short Cuts to Each Month's Comment Log:

2006
March  April  May  June  July  August   September   October   November   December  

2007
January   February   March

I did manage to lose those two pounds I had gained and am back at 160 again. I also don't feel the "fat" I mentioned a couple weeks ago. I'm still not ecstatic about my stomach, but I appear healthy. I was at the doctor's office this past week and found out I'm shorter than I used to be - a product of aging or perhaps the back fusion I had years ago. That 1-1/2 inch height difference throws my BMI calculations off, so perhaps I need to lose a few more pounds to get to where I wanted to be.

A couple of weeks ago, I did create some tools for documenting your own stats and meals. They are available in both Microsoft Excel and Adobe PDF formats. I put links to them on my links page if you are interested in using them. They are developed to be downloaded and updated on your own computer - not for others to see. If you choose the PDF files, you will need to print them out and fill them in manually. The Excel file will work much better, but if you don't have Excel - choose the PDFs.

4/8/2007 - I made no updates this week - though I had weighed in on Sunday and was up two pounds.

4/1/2007 - Still doing fine weight-wise. I'm not happy though with stomach and waist yet. I'm seriously considering a visit to Phase I if I don't see some improvement in the next week or so. As for others, my uncle is doing very well and should be switching to Phase II today. My brother and his wife are also both doing very well - about 5 weeks into the diet so far.

I'm going to look into creating some tools for the users of this site in the next couple of weeks. I'd like to create some menus to be filled in, some stats logs, some blog space, etc. I'll keep you posted. These are all tools I created and used throughout my first year and I found them extremely beneficial. I'll make them private, though each user will be allowed to share with their own support group if they wish.

3/20/2007 - I was out of town this past weekend and didn't return until late on Sunday. Therefore, I didn't weigh in or write an update. I did weigh in on Monday morning just to keep track in my own mind, but I don't put that number into the stats log as it's not the usual time and day.

A bit of an update on others: My brother and his wife are doing great on the diet last I heard. They just finished with Phase I and are moving on to Phase II. As mentioned previously, he has noticed some great side effects - the asthma getting better. I guess I should have expected that, but I never put two and two together. Prior to starting this diet, I had bronchitis twice a year and usually slipped into pneumonia before getting it under control. I started this diet last March 6th, and didn't have my Spring outbreak. I also never got my Fall outbreak last November, nor have I (to date) had my Spring outbreak this year. I have had these outbreaks twice per year every year in recent memory. Can I blame this diet on the lack of being able to burn my sick days at work? I guess so.

The uncle I mentioned starting the diet last week dropped 11 pounds in his first week. He has already mentioned having more energy and seems to be looking forward to his meals now. I know I mentioned having experienced this phenomenon myself during my first couple of weeks - the food started tasting better and I started enjoying my meals. As an "old timer" in this diet, I can say that this doesn't go away. I still enjoy new food flavors much more than I did before the diet. Imagine, making menu choices based on food flavors - not the flavor of the sauces and sugars you pour on them...

I periodically run into people I haven't seen for a few years. They always notice the difference and ask the obvious questions - after inquiring if I've been sick or did the weight loss on purpose. I mention the diet, tell them about this website, tell them about others who have achieved dramatic results in diabetic, heart and weight health changes. I don't know if they actually do something about it or if they even pursue the conversation further by visiting the site. I hope they do - for their own good. If one of you happens to be reading this, go buy the books and get started. You can click on my "The Books" link in the left pane to find out about them. ...best money I ever spent (or I guess my wife spent).

3/11/2007 - I rebuilt the site this week - new look, much more information for beginning dieters. I'm also welcoming aboard another new dieter to the family; an uncle decided on Friday that it was time to start a healthier lifestyle. Kat worked with him yesterday to clean out the 'poisons' from his cupboards, fridge and freezer. She then helped him with a shopping list for some South Beach friendly foods. I'm very happy he has decided to do something healthy for himself. Welcome aboard - feel free to ask questions if you get 'stuck'.

As for me, still maintaining after my diet anniversary date. I am no longer keeping daily menus on here though. I figured one year of documenting everything I ate was enough. You can still browse the menus for some ideas of what to eat during each phase of the diet. Let me know if you experience any problems browsing through things - it's kind of difficult for me to see the problems - kinda like when you wash a window and someone else walks up and sees the spots you missed. Bottom line, this site is no longer for me - I'm keeping it up and building it for others wishing to visit me here on 'The Beach'.

3/4/2007 - Today makes 52 weeks on this diet plan - 1 full year since I started the South Beach Diet. It's also been 6 months since I met all my goals. These six months have been maintaining pretty well with only a 1-2 pound fluctuation. That's what makes so much sense with this diet - it has a "maintenance phase." Most diets tell you how to lose weight in a certain period of time, but they don't tell you how to maintain the weight after you've lost it. This one is different, because it's not about weight loss, it's about maintaining your heart-health. Those of you that are just starting out may not believe this is possible, perhaps you've tried other roller coaster diets in the past. Stick with the program. Pay attention to your food intake. Read the books again if you get stuck or need some motivation. Experiment with new foods and foods you typically haven't liked. I found my tastes changed and old non-favorites became new favorites. Hang in there - this is not only possible, it's easy!

One person on that recently started this diet tells me of taking less asthma inhalers since he started. He also speaks of wishing to cheat on the diet, going on a hunting mission for a deli sandwich (during phase I). Forces got together somehow - the convenience stores he visited had "nothing that looked good." Saved from his indiscretion, he returned home and stayed on track. Have the inventories at the convenience stores changed, or did his tastes already start to change? I say the latter.

On another note, my brother and his wife have decided to come to "the Beach." Welcome aboard - I hope you enjoy your stay.

2/18/2007 - 51 Weeks, still at 160 lbs. Family is visiting and I'm on vacation, so it's been a bit difficult to stay on track, but I'm doing ok. Today, we are headed for a buffet, where I always eat too much. I'll try to keep it to friendly foods anyway.

2/11/2007 - Starting my 50th week today - I can't believe it's been almost a year! As you can see by my menu this week, I was pretty careful through most meals and snacks to keep the carbs down. No quick trips through the drive-through, no late-night pizzas or toast, etc. It paid off at weigh-in this morning. I lost those two pounds again and am back at 160. I no longer  need to contemplate a week of Phase I to get it under control, I just need to watch the extras.

Those of you still in the early phases of this diet or just contemplating starting it, can learn from this experience. Keeping a close eye on food intake is a life-long issue. The reason I could catch this early and take corrective action is because I was able to go back to my food logs and see the problem before it got out of hand. The scale is my weekly gauge to find out how I'm doing - the menu log is my means of determining what works and what doesn't. The weight gain itself is the symptom of not watching food intake closely enough. The real problem is the underlying issue of going back to where I was - a long-term unhealthy predicament by anyone's standards.

My goal for this week is to keep a close eye on my diet again - not to attempt further weight loss, but to maintain where I am. Those of you that use myspace may notice that my daily food logs are posted there as well. I figured it would be a convenience for you. If that is all you come here to check, you can find it there instead. The running versions for more than one week at a time will be here only though.

2/4/2007 - I haven't been eating like I should these past few weeks. I know it, you can see it in my menus. Today, I paid for my indiscretion on the scale. I hit 162 - still within my margin of 160-165, but not a trend I like to see. I will need to watch my food intake this next week and get this increase under control before it becomes a problem. I guess this really is a life-long diet change. It's not that I didn't already know that, but now I have proof. I confess, I step on the scale periodically throughout the week and have seen this coming by noticing increased weight during other weigh-ins - though they go unrecorded. Earlier in the week, I had even considered going on Phase I for a week to get it under control. I've decided not to do so at this point, but will do so next week if I don't see forward progress this week. Stay tuned.
 

1/21/2007 - I spent all day Friday and Saturday on the road, eating at odd hours of the day. There were meals where the choice was limited and I decided to just go with it, eating things I shouldn't. If I continued that, I would start to see progressive weight gain and undue all the progress I've made. Instead though, I choose to go back to what I know I should be doing - case in point was supper last night (gyro with out the pita bread  and a cup of soup) and lack of a late night snack. I rounded out at 160 this morning instead of the 159 I had carried for a couple of weeks. I'm not upset about it because 160 is the weight I've chosen to maintain anyway.

There are others I've mentioned whom have just started their journey to eating better for their health. I offer you the following advice:

• Don't get discouraged if you have to eat a meal that is less than friendly. Eat it and move on. Go back to what you should be eating at the next meal. People fail by giving up when they have "lost a point." I've lost many points throughout this diet - but I'm still winning the game because I haven't given up.
• Don't get discouraged if weight loss happens "slowly". This is not one of those "lose 10 pounds in 10 days" diets. Those diets never tell you about the 15 pounds you gain back. This is a lifestyle change that results in permanent betterment of your health. A slow, steady drop in weight is a healthy way to lose it. You will also reach plateaus along the way where you go for a few weeks with no weight loss. Just keep up the program. Look in my stats log if you don't believe it.
• Pay attention to your body. If some form of food makes you extremely hungry or increases cravings later in the day, keep track of that and eat that food sparingly or not at all. Likewise, if some new food you've tried satisfies you and is good for you, remember that one and eat it more often. Grilled salmon has become my new, much healthier prime rib. If given the choice, I'll choose the salmon every time. I never even tried it before this diet.
• Enjoy and celebrate small victories. Every single pound you lose, every single time you bypass an old favorite that you shouldn't eat, every single time you put on a pair of jeans that no longer "fits" you, celebrate it. Those are points in this game that you have won. Congratulate yourself and know that you are winning. That's why I keep this log with my meals, my stats, and my notes - it encourages me to see those points on the "scoreboard."

1/14/2007 - Another week of good maintenance. The friend mentioned starting this diet last week has been doing wonderfully on it. Though he hasn't weighed in yet, he can already feel the difference in the way his clothes feel. That's one of the most motivating features of this diet program - you get very early results. Those first two weeks are very dramatic in weight loss and belly fat reduction. The problem with that, if there is one, is the temptation to stay on Phase 1 longer than prescribed. My recommendation is to move on to the second phase after your second week - slowly. The diet has three phases for a reason and the good doctor has experimented until he found the best results - don't mess with success by trying to outperform his program. Just work it as prescribed.

Another key point worth mentioning again - set some realistic goals when you work this diet. Set a belly size and a weight goal as a minimum. Set your goals out for 3-6 months and then document your progress. As you get closer and closer to those goals, your motivation stays strong because the end is in site. Don't shoot for the stars in the early stages, just a realistic goal that can be achieved. You can always modify the goal for additional loss as you reach the original goals. Meeting goals is important or you'll give up and go back to old habits - probably gaining more weight than you started with.

1/7/2007 - Doing great this past week! Another online friend has decided to do the diet again. Additionally, an uncle of mine purchased the books and is intending to start. A local friend that started about 5 months ago is seeing some big positive changes and has eliminated her diabetic meds because of the diet's progress. I love being the "poster child" for positive life impact for so many people. My wife does a fantastic job as the spokesperson and uses me as her example of how easy it is to accomplish. Together, we make a great team that helps people change their lives for the better. My own week went well, ate mostly friendly foods and finished the week a pound down. If I can get my motivation going to start exercising on a regular basis, perhaps I can redistribute the last of the stomach roll a bit. Don't get me wrong, I know I look world's better than I did last March. I'm not after additional weight loss, just some redistribution of where the weight is stored. Remember, belly fat is the killer according to the books. This new year has brought me some new goals - and that happens to be one of them...

12/24/2006 - Travel is hard on a diet. Airport foods and quick lunches while driving don't offer much in the way of friendly foods. I did great while on vacation in Vegas these past few days, choosing proper foods, lots of veggies and salads, etc. Yesterday, on the other hand, we had breakfast in the airport - an omelet sandwich from Burger King. Tasted good, but it certainly wasn't SB friendly. When we arrived in Minnesota, we had tons of driving to do - a quick lunch on the road included two Burger King Whoppers with cheese. By nightfall, still on the road, we stopped at a Pizza Hut and had pizza and garlic cheese bread for supper. I could feel the difference, but as you all know; I don't lament on failures, I just move on. Today will be better! At least I didn't end up with a huge weight gain - in fact I dropped that pound again. I never expected that, but we will take it...

12/17/2006 - Slight increase (1 lb) in weight this week. Could just be fluctuation, but I deserved the increase. I haven't been eating properly lately - at least not as regularly as I should. We are going on vacation this week, so I'll need to watch it. Don't be surprised if there are no updates throughout the week. I'll try to catch up on return from Vegas. I made a change today to the way the menus are listed. As each page of my menu has links on the bottom to get to the previous and the next page, I decided to just keep every 5th page as a link plus the current week. That gets you always within 5 pages either direction - close enough. I don't think there is anyone out there wondering what I ate on week 33 anyway.

12/10/2006 - Same ol' - same ol'. This blog must be getting pretty boring. Still at 160, maintaining very well.

12/3/2006 - Let's talk about metabolism a bit. I am at 160 again this morning. That makes 15 straight weeks of "160ish" since I first achieved that number. Those of you watching my food log may notice that many of my foods are still not SB friendly. I have a theory: By following SB as I did earlier in my diet and then adjusting a bit as time went on, I have changed my metabolic rate - the way my body consumes and uses the foods I eat. This would also explain why people with diabetes can usually control the disease and often come off their medication with SB. The body learns how to control the foods we eat - as long as the bulk of our diet stays on plan. This does not mean to lose the weight and then go back to old habits. (My theory assumes we can change that metabolism back again too.) It just means that once you have attained goal weight, you can probably lighten up on occasion as I have; as long as the bulk of the diet doesn't change. If my theory is true, this should relax some fear of failure attitudes out there.

11/19/2006 - I'm not sure why, but on Tuesday of this past week, I noticed a drop in weight. As you know, I've maintained at 160 forever. Suddenly on Tuesday, I was 156 pounds. I weighed myself throughout the week, seeing 160 at night and 157-158 in the mornings. I'm at 158 this morning, after a late-night pizza last night. Due to the weight loss and comments from my wife of getting "too skinny" I decided to check BMI, stomach and waist measurements this morning along with my weight. The results are in my stats log. I'll keep an eye on it so I don't start any major drop, but I don't want any major gains either. Personally, I'm comfortable where I'm at and I feel great. I'm not looking for either a drop or a gain in weight. I'd still like to get rid of the "stomach roll", but that would require some exercise and isn't anywhere near the bulge it once was. Who'd have thought last March that we'd even be having this conversation...

11/12/2006 - Still maintaining right at 160 pounds. When I started this diet, and again when I first met my goal weight, I was very concerned about maintaining the weight loss. I've heard numerous horror stories of people gaining back what they lost and gaining even more weight. As you may recall, I decided to drop to 160 as a buffer zone to keep below the original goal of 165. So far, I've maintained right around 160 for the past 12 weeks, hitting 161 only once. Since making my original goal of 165 in mid-June, I've only had one week where my weigh-in was over goal. That's 21 weeks! Again, weight wasn't my ultimate goal when I started this diet. I was actually after health issues. My father, with the diabetes, cholesterol and heart issues - coupled with him being the same build I was - gave me the motivation to start this program. As most of you know, he basically lives with us and has been on this diet part time by proxy; because foods served at dinner are SB friendly. So how's he doing? His doctor took him off of his diabetes medicine a couple weeks ago because he no longer needs it. He also cut my dad's cholesterol prescription in half after the last blood test. If a part-time SB can help a 79-year old fix the damage already done, my full-time SB  must be working to keep me from having the problems to begin with.

11/5/2006 - Another new month, starting my 36th week of working on this diet program. I'm still maintaining my weight loss with no issues.

For dinner last night, we went to the restaurant where I always get my grilled salmon teriyaki. They had a prime rib special - which I used to love, but didn't want instead of the salmon. My father always eats spaghetti there, but thought the prime rib sounded good. He will never order the prime rib though unless I do. So I made the sacrifice - knowing that he really wanted the prime but needed the "ok" from me first. I ate about 1/3 of the steak, trimming every bit of fat off of it as I ate. I had a salad and had ordered extra vegetables instead of a potato. A woman at the next table had steamed broccoli, zucchini, etc. which I love. I expected a heaping pile of the same. The kitchen must have run out, because I ended up with a bowl of succotash - my least favorite vegetable combination. I ate about half of it, mainly because I had already eaten the salad and still needed something to eat with the prime. I think the dinner disappointment is what caused my cravings later on. It's not that the prime wasn't good - it was excellent. It just wasn't what I wanted, and I don't know anyone who chooses canned mixed veggies as a vegetable choice - except maybe school cafeterias. Even Yosemite Sam always said "suffering succotash". Now I know why.

On a good food note this past week, I have another cereal to recommend. My wife bought me a box of Special K with Yogurt Bites. The cereal stays crunchy, the yogurt bites are sweet and the combination is delicious; try it.

10/22/2006 - Gained that pound back. Dead on 160 this morning. My worst fear when I reached my weight goal was the possibility of gaining it all back in short order. The horror stories all tell about people gaining back what they have lost and actually gaining even more than they lost while dieting. So far, I've been below my original goal for 3 months. I first attained goal 4 months ago, but had some fluctuations during June/July. As you can tell by my menu choices, I still don't hold this as a religion. If I want something, I still eat it. The bulk of my diet, however is still South Beach friendly. I've maintained my weight very well using this philosophy and don't intend to change it unless I start a weight-gaining trend.

I have now been informed of two more people that have been inspired by my progress. One has lost 15 pounds and the other has dropped 2 pants sizes since they started a couple of months ago. They've left no messages on my message board, but mentioned their progress to my wife by telephone the other day. Way to go guys! Keep up the good work.

I have been working on a new site design for the past couple of weeks that will work for all sections of my site. Last night, I went live with the diet section. I hope it works for you. One change is that I no longer have links to every week of my menu individually. If you are just starting out, you can begin at week 1 and then click "next" on the bottom of each week to follow along. I'm thinking of also splitting them into sections for Phase 1, Phase 2, etc. to alleviate the amount of links now that each week links to it's predecessor and successor on the bottom of the page. We shall see.

10/15/2006 - Don't ask me why but I lost another pound. I certainly have done nothing to earn it, but I guess it's just the normal fluctuations. Anyhow, I'm now at 159 - 40 less than where I started this thing. I've been eating nearly anything at times, though staying within my regimen most of the time. Those watching my menu may wonder what I'm up to and why I'm not gaining weight. I guess it's purely the overall diet - not any one meal. I'm actually getting kind of bored with keeping the menu listed here, but realize that it will help to determine what has gone wrong if I suddenly start gaining weight. For those of you working on either phase one or two, please don't follow my latest menus. Keep in mind that I am not trying to lose additional weight - I'm only trying to maintain...

10/8/2006 - My maintenance phase for this diet is going extremely well. I have been 160 pounds for five straight weeks. This past week, I have had more breads and even a couple of baked potatoes and even an order of french fries. This was mostly due to being away from home and having to settle for what was available. I expected an extra pound or two but was pleasantly surprised at weigh-in time this morning. I'm reasonably sure that a long-term diet like that would start me going back toward my pre-diet weight, so I intend to work on keeping most meals Phase III friendly. One thing I'm noticing now - I miss having a goal to be working toward. Perhaps boredom with not working toward a goal is why many people fail at diets and gain their weight back once they have reached their goal...

10/1/2006 - No changes. I have not done well again this weekend on foods. There seems to be a pattern when I stay up late, especially when we are out somewhere. Regardless, my weigh-in was still good - 160 pounds. I've had interim weigh-ins as well throughout the past two weeks and have always been between 160 and 161. I'm leaving the state for a 5 days starting tomorrow. I'll be eating in restaurants the entire time I'm gone. It will be interesting to see what effect that has next weekend. I can usually do pretty well in choosing foods at restaurants, so I'm not too concerned. I probably won't update until my return, so bear with me.
 

9/17/2006 - Ditto.

9/10/2006 - Same stuff - different week. I'm holding steady at 160 both in the morning and at night. I really don't have any revelations, so I'll just keep quiet today.

9/3/2006 - I've been in the maintenance phase for two weeks. So far, it's going well. This week, I dropped the pound I gained last week. As mentioned before, I expected these minor fluctuations of a pound or two up or down from week to week. I also watch my weight throughout the week to make sure it's not getting out of control, though I don't record the weight. I just make a mental note to determine if I should be watching my diet more closely or not. My thought process is that I can now be less strict overall as long as I catch any trends in weight gain before they get out of hand. It's important to note that I am not seeking additional weight loss at this time. If you are watching my menu, but are still trying to lose weight, don't follow it. By watching my weight throughout the week and recording it from week to week, I am looking for trends. Based on those trends, I make menu choices. For instance, Kat wanted to make an easy meal last night with macaroni and cheese. I was able to tell her that the mac and cheese was fine because I was doing well weight-wise. Had my trend been on the rise, I would not have eaten that part of the supper.
 

8/20/2006 - I was much more careful with my late night snacks this past week and it showed at weigh-in time this morning. I dropped the 2 pounds I gained last week and an additional pound off the top. I have now reached 160. This is the weight I had decided to shoot for to allow for fluctuations from week to week without going back and forth on the 165 pound original goal. I'm now ready to move on to Phase III for weight maintenance, instead of the current Phase II for weight loss. I've actually not followed everything in the diet plan - I've modified it along the way and eaten what I crave with no remorse. For instance, you may have noticed last night's hot wings for dinner. On Phase III, I will continue to do the same thing. I will eat mostly good SB friendly foods, but will have the occasional splurge if I feel so inclined. I am also going to now keep up with weekly weight measurements only - not stomach, waist and BMI. Unless my weight starts to climb again, I will assume the others are under control as well. By keeping up with weekly weight, I can modify diet as needed to keep in check. One of the beautiful things about this diet is that I always have Phases I and II as a backup plan if necessary - it's not an all or nothing thing.

8/16/2006 - Another product update: You may have noticed in my food log a few breakfasts of Kellogs All Bran with Yogurt Clusters. This is a new cereal I bought due to a TV commercial. This one is made with wheat flakes and has 10g of fiber per serving and 44g carbohydrates. I enjoy the variety these "healthy" cereals bring to my mundane breakfast diet. I'm too lazy to cook breakfast - even oatmeal is a chore for me. This is probably the reason I went for many years skipping breakfast. Having cereals with flavor has kept me eating breakfast as I should since starting SB. If you are getting bored with the same old same old, try some of these different cereals. Just stay away from the packing peanuts Kashi hides in their box called "7 Whole Grain Puffs". It might be another version of "7 whole grains on a mission", but in my humble opinion, all seven of them are tasteless when puffed.

8/13/2006 - I've been on vacation this past week. As feared, I gained a couple of pounds. There is a definite correlation in staying up late and snacking and weight gain. I need to keep that in mind as I move on to Phase III of my diet plan. I'm still within original goals, but I need to be careful as I go through this next week of vacation. On a happier note, my carpentry work over this past week is paying off. I have reconstructed 3 exterior and 2 interior walls after tearing out the old walls. I have 2 rooms entirely sheeted in and have the exterior almost completely sheeted as well. My next step is to finish the sheeting and run the rest of my electrical work. Afterward, I paint the exterior and begin hanging doors (4) and the soffit and fascia before starting on the roof and gutters.

8/7/2006 - New product update: I bought a new cereal made by Kashi. It's called Heart to Heart and is a very crunchy oat-flaked cereal with blueberry clusters. It's delicious and meets my needs for a breakfast food. The carb level is a little high at 42g (1-1/4 cup servings size) but the fiber is at 4g, which gives your stomach something to work on instead of absorbing the carbs. The cereal also has 6 antioxidants including Green Tea and Grape Seed. I really enjoyed this cereal and thought I'd share if you are looking for another cereal option.

8/6/2006 - Official weigh-in this morning was where I was hoping it to be: 161 pounds and my stomach/waist measurements held steady. I would like to lose 1 more pound to allow for those fluctuations that I was experiencing before. You may recall back in June that I had met goal and then lost it due to weight fluctuations over the weeks. At that time, I changed my weight goal to 160 by my birthday - which is September 26th. I'm now officially on vacation for two weeks. I had a delivery yesterday of a bunch of building materials for renovating my garage and adding a fence around our pool. Over these two weeks off, I intend to replace my garage roof and add aluminum soffit and fascia to it. I am also adding gutters, a new 18' wide overhead door, 2 man-doors, a couple of windows, and also boxing in my carport to add 2 additional stalls to the garage. The carport sits in front of the garage and is under the same roof, so this "addition" really makes sense to me. Having that space sealed from the elements will dramatically add storage space as well as working space for my truck project. Having time off from work is typically a problem with my diet - remember the problems I had over the July 4th holiday. I'm hoping my prior experience from that time frame will help me maintain my weight with a minimum of fluctuations. Perhaps the work I'm undertaking will also help.

8/5/2006 - I'm excited for tomorrow's weigh-in. I've stepped on the scale the past couple of days and have been at 161 both mornings and only 162 in the evenings. My evening fluctuations have historically been as much as 4 pounds from the morning numbers. I'm hoping to still be at the 161 tomorrow when I have my "official" weight that shows up in the stats chart. I'm also VERY excited for my daughter. We had a talk recently about taking a diet too seriously and losing faith after a "treat." It seems to have hit home and I'm seeing improvement in her emotional outlook. If you have studied my food logs, I often eat things I should probably avoid. My success is in eating it to satisfy myself and then forgetting about it and moving on with my diet at the very next meal. Case in point: Last night I had South Beach pizza just before bed. A definite no-no in eating carbs right before bed by anyone's account. Don't care, didn't feel guilty, still don't. This morning, I moved on to my normal cereal and fruit breakfast. This may seem like a very simple thing, but in reality it works very well. My key to dieting success - this ain't a religion; there are no "bad" foods that require time in the confessional afterward. It's the amount of which type of food you eat and the frequency with which you eat it. If your overall diet is improved, you will see positive results.
 

7/31/2006 - Another day another site change. (Sigh) I'm now ready to start recommending this diet through my site. Therefore I changed the initial frame for newbies and moved my notes section here. You obviously found them anyway...

7/30/2006 - As they say in the announcer booth at a soccer game; G-G-G-GOAL! I've met all my goals as of today. Weight, BMI, Waist and finally Stomach are all at or below my goal numbers. Don't read that to believe I'm happy with proportions. My stomach size is still an issue with me - though I have to admit it's a vast improvement from where I started. This actually surprises me, because the book states that belly fat is what you will lose first. Looks like I'm going to need cardio to take care of it. Regardless, I'm ecstatic with having met my final goal number today - 2 months ahead of schedule. I enjoy the fact that I can "cheat" on this diet on occasion, yet maintain overall progress by keeping the bulk of my diet on plan.  Last comment for today - for those of you that are keeping up with my site, I'm sure you've noticed another change in the design. I spent a couple days playing with graphics and color combinations to break away from that MSN look. I hope you like it. Oh, I lied. One more comment: That Snickers bar's days are numbered...

7/30/2006 - 9:30 PM - Update: 1/2 of that Snickers bar is now gone. Debating on the life expectancy of the other half.

7/27/2006 - Ok, another slight site fix. I just changed how each month looks on this page. From now on, the newest comment goes on top and then works its way back to the beginning of the month. I really need to spend some time reading my own site. I usually just post things and never look at them again. The reason I was in here this morning is that I heard through my wife that someone was accusing me of eating that snickers bar which is sitting in my freezer as a reward. Rest assured people, I still haven't allowed myself that little indulgence. The only thing I can figure is that the reader looked at my top comment, which was July 2nd's report where I said I had earned the Snickers. He probably thought that meant I had eaten it. That jump in weight the following week took away the reason I had given myself for earning it. Now I'm back under goal and will treat myself if Sunday's weigh-in is still under goal. I'll let you know if it was worth the wait. Hopefully, by rearranging the dates on here, we can avoid that confusion in the future...

7/23/2006 - Another pound gone this week. I'm back to the 163, where I was at the beginning of the month. Gotta watch those late night snacks on the weekends... I guess I can now officially call this a "lifestyle change" as opposed to a diet. I've never really felt I was "dieting" anyway. Yeah, I have to bypass some old favorite foods, but my impression of dieting was always that you would be starving and never really satisfy your hunger - which is why I've NEVER dieted before starting SB in March. I am happy with results other than stomach size. I did reach my waist-size goal this week! 33 is a nice size to have fit comfortably, as opposed to the 36's I used to wear. A size medium shirt is kinda cool as well. The stomach appears like it's going to take some work. I don't like to "exercise" and it looks like I may have to do some cardio workouts to get that goal met.
                   For those of you wishing to work on a diet like this, I highly recommend a log like this one. Even if you don't publish online, at least keep some notes on a daily basis to monitor what effect certain foods or meals have on you. I'm reasonably certain that this log; meals, weight, BMI, etc. has kept me honest as I have chosen my meal plans. It also has allowed me to readily see if I messed up and allowed me to adjust without having to either starve myself or just give up and accept that I would always be fat. My other recommendation is to SET SOME GOALS and monitor that progress as well. Seeing my weight drop, waist size go down, etc. has also been great motivation for me as I worked this plan. SB is kinda like the Home Depot; "You can do it - We can help."

7/16/2006 - I weighed in at 164 this morning. Not as good as I had hoped for, but not bad either. I've managed to regain ground on the scale again without going back on phase 1. I would like to continue losing weight until I reach 160 or below. This will enable me to have these 3-4 pound fluctuations and still stay within my goal weight of 165. I weeded out my closet today - removing all my size 36 pants and most of my XL shirts. They no longer fit comfortably and make me look "fat". That poor Snickers bar is still in the freezer and will remain there for now.

7/12/2006 - Finally got internet connection back. We've been down since last Friday. Therefore no writing in here on Sunday. I ate poorly the past couple of weeks. I had 5 days off over the Fourth of July and another 3 1/2 days off after the Fourth. When I don't have to work, I stay up late. When I stay up late, I get hungry. When I get hungry at night, I go for carbs. My Sunday weigh-in sucked! I gained 4 pounds, back to 167. I was devastated, and have vowed to work on getting it back off immediately without going back to Phase 1. I weighed in yesterday morning and am back down to about 164. We shall see how it looks next Sunday. I haven't given myself that Snickers bar yet...

7/2/2006 - Ok, I've earned my Snickers bar! I weighed in this morning at 163 - big yip. However, yesterday my wife made me trade in some old jeans. The size 36's had to go. I tried on 33's and was amazed at how easy they fit. I bought 2 pairs of jeans and a pair of shorts. I also wanted to buy a couple of tanks - I grabbed a large, knowing that I was no longer an XL guy. Kat said "oh no, that's way too big and handed me a medium. To make a long story short, when I tried on the size 33 shorts at my daughter's house, I found they were too big. I had to go back to the store and exchange my new jeans and shorts for 32's - and the medium shirts fit fine too. I don't remember the last time I wore a medium shirt or a 32 pant size - had to be pre-army. It's absolutely amazing what a few months and a sensible diet plan can do.
 

6/25/2006 - I was on the road this past week. I went on a business trip from very early Wednesday morning until very late Friday night. Meals were not on regular schedules due to travel and meetings. I did, however do a ton of walking in the airports - boredom while awaiting connecting flights. Then there was yesterday; we went to a graduation party after lunch and I ended up with basically 4 meals for the day. The good news is that I didn't gain back any weight for the week. I managed to stay at my goal weight. And no, I still haven't taken the time to re-evaluate and adjust my goals.

6/18/2006 - Happy Father's Day to me from my scale! Dead center between 160 and 170; sounds like 165 to me. That makes goal for both weight and BMI today - 3 months ahead of schedule. Now, before everyone thinks I'm going to call it done, rest assured that I understand this is only temporary unless I keep working the program. I'm not even silly enough to think I will stay at goal weight without hiccups along the way. Having reached this goal is BIG though. I've worked hard to get here and am indubitably proud of myself. I bought myself a small Snickers bar today and put it in the freezer. It's a treat I will allow myself IF I am still at goal or below next week. If I don't make goal again, it'll stay in the freezer until I have two consecutive weeks below goal. I'm also thinking about setting a new weight goal. Perhaps I'll go for 160 by my birthday. I'll keep you posted when I decide.

6/17/2006 - I set my goal for this week to lose at least one pound. I weighed in on Wednesday and found I had lost two. I weighed in again this morning, and found my weight to be 166 - four pounds for the week and only one pound away from my goal weight! I have no idea to what I can attribute this sudden weight loss. I've been eating the same basic diet for weeks and with the exception of a couple of times in our swimming pool, haven't restarted any exercise program. I haven't marked those weights down because tomorrow morning is my official weigh-in and whatever that shows is what will go on the chart. I'm keeping my fingers crossed... I normally only write notes in here on Sundays, but wanted to share this news in case the scale is unkind tomorrow.

6/11/2006 - Another weekend, another cheat. Last night, we met our son, his girlfriend and her family for pizza before her daughter's dance recital. After the dance recital, I broke another commandment - I had a chicken sandwich from McDonald's on the way home. At least it was on wheat and was grilled chicken... Today, we go back on track. Overall, I'm still doing well; though I have been simply maintaining weight - not dropping. I just looked at my stats, and I have only lost two pounds in the past six weeks and have been at 170 pounds for the past three. New interim goal: I will drop a pound this week! On the measurement front, things are looking good. I lost that 1/2 inch off my waist again and dropped 1-1/4 inches off my stomach. That's over three weeks though - I didn't get measurements the past couple of weeks. I'll still take it - total of 6-3/4 inches off my stomach and 2-1/2 off my waist since mid-March!

6/4/2006 - I "cheated" a bit this weekend. On Friday Kat and I went to Red Lobster and I had to have their sea food and artichoke dip with tortilla chips. Ok, the chips aren't  much of a cheat, but it was worth every bite and I don't feel a bit guilty for having eaten them. Last night, I also finally answered my pizza craving. Kat had purchased a pizza with WW crust for me and last night I ate about 1/4 of it. I know I shouldn't eat carbs for a late-night snack, but... So, today is the beginning of another week - still 170 pounds, actually a shade under, but I have an old-fashioned analog scale and the needle wasn't below the 1/2 way point so we'll call it 170.
 

5/28/2006 - Kat was gone from Wednesday - Saturday. I was pretty good all week though. I made spaghetti one night with WW noodles and also had some leftovers the following day for lunch. I was a bit worried about the scale on Sunday morning, but I stepped on and found I had not gained - in fact, I lost one more pound. I'm now within 5 pounds of my goal weight! I didn't get my measurements this week, however. I'll see about getting those next week.

5/21/2006 - Well, my week away from home didn't do too much damage. I lost a pound somewhere, lost 3/4 of an inch off my belly, and gained a 1/2 inch on my waist. My wife says my stomach is falling lower... Food was a bit tough while in Atlanta. There were scheduled, prepared meals that didn't fit into my diet, but I modified by picking out the things I could eat and leaving behind the things I knew I shouldn't - to include dessert. Most of my meals were either take-out or restaurant meals. Those are easy - I just order what I know I can get away with. I did splurge a couple of times - one moolatte (a coffee/ice cream concoction at Dairy Queen) and a beer. Otherwise, I was pretty good all week. I didn't do any "formal" exercising, but walked a ton every day in and around the hotel.

5/14/2006 - I didn't make any report this week. I was in preparation for a business trip to Georgia. I didn't get a chance to weigh in, take measurements or to update any of my food logs until my return on Friday night.

5/7/2006 - No weight loss this past week. I'm not sure if I'm starting a plateau, ate more than I should have, or if lack of exercise is slowing down my progress. My daughter, son-in-law and grandson were visiting from Wednesday through Saturday, but I believe I stayed on my diet during their visit. On the plus side, even though their wasn't any weight loss, my measurements dropped a bit - 1/4 inch each on stomach and waist. Regardless, I'm very close to my target weight in less than 3 months. Once achieved, I will re-evaluate and determine if I should set another goal and continue Phase 2 or move on to Phase 3 of the SB Diet Plan. I'm still not happy with my belly size, so I may choose to continue until I reach that goal.
 

4/30/2006 - Another 2 pounds lost this week, as well as 3/4 of an inch off my belly and another 1/4 inch off my waist. My BMI also dropped by 0.30 this week. It looks like with an average of 2 pounds per week that I should be at target weight in another month or so with BMI being close to target as well. My stomach and waist goals may lag a bit behind. It's possible I will need to adjust the weight goal lower to achieve those. We shall see. I'm considering some type of targeted exercise - like the AB Lounge;  I don't dare try sit-ups or crunches due to my spinal fusion. Regardless of the actual numbers, I feel I am doing extremely well with this diet regimen. It's certainly accomplishing the job on a steady basis. I'm confident that my goals are attainable with this program.

4/23/2006 - I haven't increased my exercise as I thought I would. My work schedule, coupled with the office remodeling job just hasn't been conducive to doing anything extra. I lost only 1 pound this week, but got accurate measurements from Kat for my stomach and waist. I've also gotten a bit lazy with snacks - which might be an additional cause of less weight reduction. I'm still not feeling stressed about it though. My weight loss and appearance are definitely on track. Additionally, seeing results in others who are looking for blood-sugar control - namely my father and a friend in Canada - shows me that this program does as purported. I don't test my blood sugar because I've never been diagnosed with a problem, but If they are experiencing a drop it must be good for me as well.

4/16/2006 - Another week begins today. So far, the weight is doing great! I'm also noticing great strides in clothes sizes. Yesterday, I looked at a spring jacket in the local K-Mart. My wife glanced at me and started to say "no way is that going to fit" as I slipped it on and showed both of us that I can now fit comfortably in a men's large for the first time in years. I was so happy, I bought the jacket. I don't know why the tape measure isn't showing more dramatic results, but the scale is doing fine. I lost another 3 pounds this week and am ahead of schedule for my goal of 165 pounds by my birthday in September. I haven't done much in the exercise department this past week, mostly due to a really screwed up work schedule and partially due to being lazy. I'm hoping to get back in gear this week. It's not happening tonight, due to some overwork in the office during the day. I spent the afternoon packing, hauling and tearing out carpeting to get ready for making it match the recently-finished, adjoining living room.

4/9/2006 - I undid the damage this week that I saw happen in measurements last week with the buffets. I went back to normal portions. I didn't exercise twice daily other than on two days this past week, but the results still showed as I wanted. Tonight I went on the treadmill at 3.5 mph for 18 minutes and then did a 2 minute cool-down for a total of 128 calories burned and 1.21 miles walked. Kat made some "noodle-less" lasagna tonight. It still contained the usual mess of cheese, meat and sauce; but instead of noodles she put spinach and zucchini layers to help hold it together as well as providing my veggie portions. Surprisingly, this stuff was excellent. I didn't miss the noodles at all and lasagna happens to be one of my favorite foods. She has done a great job in creating a variety of meals that are SB friendly. I suggested to her that a similar dish could create an alternative to pizza; using toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, etc.

4/1/2006 - Here's another little tip on portion sizes. STAY THE HELL OUT OF BUFFETS! I just spent 3 days in Las Vegas and went to a few buffets throughout my stay. The food is plentiful and most of it isn't SB friendly. I was able to keep to the SB food items, but I know I ate more food than I would in a "normal" restaurant. It's way too easy to get up and try a little bit of whatever didn't fit on the plate the first time through, causing larger meals than normal. I'll step on the scale tomorrow to see what effect it had and then go back to my usual portion sizes and diet.
 

3/20/2006 - Still doing well with the diet. No major side effects have been noted and I don't miss any foods. I prefer to stay on Phase I for another week, but have agreed to move on to Phase II, slowly introducing good carbohydrates back into my diet. The one major drawback will be less wait loss and perhaps even a little bit of temporary gain. My plan is to continue with the large amount of water intake and to keep portions small. I find when I'm thinking of taking seconds on something during dinner, here's a little trick: Wait five minutes with your empty plate in front of you after your last bite before you decide for sure if you want more. So far, I have achieved a 100% refusal on the second helping after the short break. I find that letting the food settle a bit will make me feel "full" and I no longer want the additional food.

3/13/2006 - So far, this diet is no big deal. I haven't found any foods that I miss yet and my system seems to be adjusting to the lack of carbohydrates, fruits and sugars. The exercise regimen I started at the same time seems to be of help in keeping me on track. To date (1 week in) I have lost 10 pounds and an inch and a quarter off my stomach. I had one small issue in foods - yesterday we went to a Blue and Gold Banquet for my grandsons' cub scout pack. The meal was a "pot luck." There were approximately 25 dishes there and at least 23 of them had some kind of potato, noodle, or sugary sauce  in them. Therefore, I was only able to have a little bit of ham and some hamburger/sloppy joe mixture - very minimal amount just to tide me over until I could get home and have a supper of tomato soup. I don't like to eat that late, but I didn't want to go without supper either.

3/6/2006 - My wife and daughter were discussing the South Beach Diet a couple of weeks ago. My wife bought the book and I picked it up and read it. Almost immediately, it began to make sense to me. For once, someone gave me a reason to diet. This diet is about your health - not your appearance. I have never been a vain person; appearance is just not that important to me. Dr. Agatston, the author of the book and the developer of the diet is a specialist in cardiac imaging. His whole purpose in developing the diet was for heart health - not weight loss. He found that excess weight, especially around the midsection, contributes greatly to diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol problems, etc.  He was also frustrated with the low-fat diets that the American Heart Association was prescribing - mainly because they weren't working for his patients.

When I read this book, it felt as though I was the prime candidate to whom the author was speaking. I carry plenty of extra weight - all of it around my midsection. My father has the same physique. I was only 8 when my grandfather died of a heart attack, so I don't have good recollection of his build. Both of my parents developed diabetes late in life and my father and both of his parents suffered heart problems. I used to have a problem with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Duh! You think I might have a reason to try this diet out?

I spent last week practicing the diet; eating a healthy breakfast for the first time in years, watching what I ate throughout the day and deciding if I could do this thing full time. I've made the decision - I'm going on my first diet!

Today was the first day of my "real" diet. This log will be kept as a record of how well it works, what goes wrong, what I like and don't like about it, and my ongoing results. This will NOT be an unfettered endorsement of the diet. If I find difficulties or find no definitive gains in the exercise, I will make a point of bringing the truth to you here. There are no links here to any diet websites, book purchases or diet forums - though there are many such sites available. I maintain a spreadsheet on my home computer, and hence don't NEED one here, but this log will help my daughter in Las Vegas keep up with how well dear old dad in northern Minnesota is doing. It will also help her to catch issues that need to be taken care of before they become habits...