I choose this diet because I wanted to lose weight before exercising a lot more than I used to this past year.

This is both to de-tox my body and to cut on the sugar, which I think I eat too much of.

This diet is inspired by another diet often referred as “South Beach Diet” (plenty of information on the web/books). I adapted it to my taste, because there’s nothing worse than a painful and insipid diet. It’s also worth noting that this diet is approved by both cardiologists and dieteticians.

I spent last week in an Aikido summer camp (min. 4h/day), and I took a little weight (6 pounds), but by restricting my sugar intake to fruits and bread, all the extra weight is only muscles. Which is why I wanted to do this diet in the first place.

So it’s been a a month since I lost weight, and here’s the current situation.

I’m exercising a lot (daily): aikido, swimming, occasional squash game, cycling, and gym.

I’ve gained 2,5 pounds and it’s stable. I just make sure I don’t go back to my old bad habits of eating whenever and whatever I want in large quantities.

It’s what I wanted: lose some weight and have a healthier way of life. :-)

So if you’re reasonably careful after you go through this diet, you won’t gain back much more than I did.

Be strong ;-)
And tell me when you’re done.

Milaviv,
You couldn’t see me more happy than now. I was already happy that it worked for me, but after reading your message it confirmed that I wasn’t an exception…

So, just to make things straight, I didn’t invented this diet, I only adapted it to my taste.

Thank you for your feedback,
Enjoy your clothes again!

Did this really work for you???

I’m serious, though there are some things that might be different for you and I. I’ve always had a fast metabolism: I burn easily, so the normal amount you should expect to lose in two weeks is more around 10-12 pounds (which is already a lot considering the timeframe).

The other thing that you want to keep in mind is that contrary to what I read in one of the comments left on your page, there are some bad food: junk food. I you get used to eat fresh food (fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, cheese, etc.), your taste will change progressively and you won’t feel the same need for instant gratification (and the following emptiness feeling) provided by junk food.

Lastly, don’t think you’ve made it once the weight is lost… This is a life long discipline, but it doesn’t have to be a torture either: once in a while, eat something that you really like, but always with moderation. If you like pizza for example, don’t go for the Mega and eat it all by yourself in one evening. It’s common sense really, but we all fail someday because of this.

And tell your friends and family about your efforts, so they can support you; explain them that they shouldn’t tempt you, even once in a while. Be firm about this.

About pastas, and other excess: you definitely want to avoid the yo-yo, going back and forth to phase one is not something you want to do. It is useful after the Christmas period for example, but don’t stress your body by gaining and losing weight frequently.

If you want the taste, then have a few bites, but be smart, don’t ruin it for a temporary hunger.

I do eat pretzels and other snacks from time to time, but don’t make it a habit.

I gained back 2,5/3 pounds, and it’s stable, even though my lifestyle isn’t really healthy these past weeks (lots of travels, less sport). One thing has changed though, since I started this, I don’t order everything on the menu anymore.

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day; not in food amount, but because it’s the first food intake, it defines how you start your day.

Now, when you write that your stomach feels awful, what do you mean exactly? Are you hungry? Do you feel stomach ache?

I remember that the first 3 days were difficult because the change was pretty radical from my previous morning habits. I used to skip breakfast almost every day, or to have a bowl of cereals
and a glass of orange juice. It might be just that; but you shouldn’t feel hungry: the point here is not to starve you, but to remove the sugar addiction we all have. So eat until you feel satisfied (don’t eat to much though, use common sense…)

So my advice is to take a solid breakfast, it doesn’t have to be exactly like mine (2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 1 tomato, 1 piece of cheese, some hazelnuts), but I think you should have proteins (eggs+bacon), some moderate fat(cheese+bacon), fibers (tomato) and a small treat (nuts).

I don’t drink coffee, sometimes tea, and sometimes milk. No fruit juices.

When you’re out of phase 1, you can add a couple fruits, like an apple or an orange. But resist to the temptation of quick breakfast with cereals full of sugars.

Finally, to answer your question about low-fat fruit yogurt, yes it has too much sugar.

By the way, most low-fat products replace fat with sugar. And even low-fat products with sugar replacements still keep your addiction to the taste of sugar, which is exactly what you are trying to reduce.

Fat in itself is not really a problem if it’s ingested moderately and at the same time as other kind of nutrients, especially fibers. Actually fat slows down your digestion, which helps your body to assimilate the food you ingest.
For example, olive oil and veggies are a good match, meat or fish with a small amount of butter or oil is not a problem.

Last advice: always prefer fresh, unmanufactured products. Not only because they are usually healthier, but because they taste better. If you want to succeed with this diet, you need to enjoy what you eat.

Since I finished the diet (during which I had lost 17 pounds) I gained back 3 pounds and have been stable since nearly 11 months.

Workout depends very much on your initial condition in my opinion: since you are changing your diet, I wouldn’t recommend a strenuous workout, but something easy such as cycling (even going to work with a bicycle) or swimming is a good start.

Workout is always a balance : at the end of a session you should feel tired but not enough to be unable to do anything else after that. Keep in mind that the idea is not to be nearly dead, or to be unable to feel your legs or arms for a week.

If you cycle (which I do), it’s better to shift gears down in order to pedal more quickly (and with less effort) rather than forcing your way up that hill. A faster pedal rate is better for two reasons: first, no lactic acid build up in your muscles, hence no pain the day after, and second, your heart runs faster (but not harder) and you increase your cardio-vascular capacity, which means that you are less tired.

Added bonus of faster movements against slower harder ones: you burn more fat, and your muscles don’t get thicker.

As always, I’m not a physician, just a regular guy who happened to be lucky enough to read about this and experiment. Your mileage may vay. But in any case, if you have a doubt, check with your MD ;-)

I had the feeling for a few days, but it quickly recessed after the first 3 days.

I guess that’s the way our body express itself about the change of diet. Don’t forget that you’re drastically changing your habits over a rather short period of time… Nothing dangerous, but it’s still a steep change. We’re so sugar-addicted that it takes a few days to settle.

Oh, and good luck!

;-)