I'm 53 years old and have battled obesity all my life. I never thought I would be able to lose weight and keep it off.  I gained 40 pounds with my first pregnancy and 25 more with my second and I never lost an ounce afterwards.  By the age of 28 I was already 215 pounds. I felt tired all the time and never exercised at all. I had pain in my knees and legs and felt 50 years older than I was. Unfortunately, my love for food was greater than my love for myself and I just couldn't stick to any diet. Believe me, I tried them all. They all worked! The problem was that I would always stick with them for a while but eventually gain all the weight back, plus more. I really hated myself and felt hopeless. Nothing seemed to get me motivated.  However, it was the startling rise in my cholesterol that really got me scared. I already had high blood pressure for years but at my doctors visit that year he informed me that my cholesterol had risen 100 points from the year before. He wanted me to go on medication. I realized at that point that I was really headed for trouble. I did some research and decided to try the South Beach Diet. I had heard from other people that it lowers your cholesterol and allows you to eat without counting calories or measuring anything. No pre-packaged food either. It was really the diet for me!

I started doing South Beach 6 years ago and I lost 65 pounds and cut my cholesterol in half! I have kept the weight off the entire time and I am now walking 4 miles a day, 5 days a week. I feel better than I did 20 years ago. My energy level is amazing and my skin is glowing.  I love all the foods on this eating plan and I never feel deprived.

The reason I'm writing this guide is because I feel like there are so many people like me who have tried dieting a million times and failed. I want to give them the encouragement to try a diet that is more like a lifetime, healthy eating plan. I do not consider this a diet. It is a way of life for me.

The diet has 3 phases.  Phase 1 is for the first 2 weeks only. You are limited to eating only proteins, vegetables and good fats. The foods you eliminate are anything with sugar in it or anything white (potatoes, pasta, flour). After that you enter Phase 2 and can add back fruit and the good carbs. When you've reached your desired weight, you enter phase 3. There are no set portion amounts in any of the phases. Just eat until you feel satisfied. When you reach your goal and enter phase 3, just start adding in more of the good carbs that are allowed on phase 2. Please note that I am not a medical doctor nor a nutritionist nor do I claim to be.  If you want to try the diet you can go into google and type in "South Beach Diet" or read the book by Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D. The diet plan is readily available either way. I am not claiming to be the inventor of this diet but I have been following it and it really worked for me. As with any diet you should first consult your doctor and see if this diet is safe for you. Good luck. I wish you all great success!