South Beach Diet - Phase 1, Day 1

Morning:

12 oz. of Coffee with 1 oz. of Skim Milk

3 Hardboiled Eggs, seasoned with ground pepper

Breakstones 2% Cottage Cheese (4 oz.)

8 oz. can of V8 Vegetable Juice

This South Beach-friendly-coffee is actually normal for me, as I always have it with skim milk and without sugar/sweetener.   I used to be a “Medium-Iced-Coffee-with-2-Splenda,” type of girl, but I decided I didn’t want to use Splenda anymore and was still trying to avoid extra sugar.  So, over time I gradually reduced the amount of Splenda I was using to sweeten my coffee (I added a little extra milk to compensate) until I was able to drink my coffee totally unsweetened.  Now, even lightly sweetened coffee is too sweet for me. 

A typical weekday breakfast for me is usually pretty carb or fruit-heavy, consisting of a bagel, oatmeal and/or a banana.  These things are easy enough to pack for work and require very little thought ahead of time (aside from adding them to the grocery list).   But since carbs and fruits are out Phase 1, I was left with having to come up with an entirely new breakfast option.

For my breakfast protein, I went with hardboiled eggs.  They’re a great option for me, because they’re easy to make ahead of time in bulk, fairly easy to transport and are relatively inexpensive. They also make a regular appearance on my grocery list, so I always have them on hand and they’re easy to whip up even as an after-thought.   I found the hardboiled eggs surprisingly satisfying; so much so that they may become a regular breakfast staple for me.  I was going to have four of them this morning, but I lost one due to a clingy shell and a poor-peeling job on my behalf.  Three of them might be enough for me, though. 

As my breakfast dairy option, I went with Cottage Cheese (2%).  I’m not a huge Cottage Cheese fan, but I’m also thinking long-term and in Phases 2 and 3 when I can add fruit to my diet, I think I’ll like the cottage cheese option better.  It’s a great source of protein without the added sugar (like most yogurt) and easy to transport.   Tomorrow, I think I’ll try adding some cinnamon to it.

The V8 Vegetable Juice was a nice change from the second cup of coffee I would normally drink with breakfast.  I thought it went well with the eggs – just make sure it’s well-chilled (it tastes better, in my opinion)! 

After this breakfast, I feel surprisingly full.  I’m sipping on water all morning and I feel confident I will be able to hold out until lunch/snack time before I’m hungry again.

Morning Snack:

1/4 cup of mixed nuts

I normally eat lunch around 12 or 12:30, but I always felt this was too early for my schedule and at 11:45a, I was only mildly hungry anyway.  I decided to eat the ¼ cup of mixed nuts I brought as a snack and see if maybe I could hold out until 1:00 or so for lunch.  I went for a walk during my lunch hour and planned to eat at my desk when I got back. 

Lunchtime:

Kale Salad with Mashed Avocado

2 Polly-O Low Moisture/Part Skim String Cheese Mozzarella Sticks

The majority of SB lunches (especially in Phase 1) are salads.  I actually really like salad and that’s often my go-to lunch option when I forget to bring one or didn’t have anything to bring.  There are a lot of great salad bars in NYC for lunch, but they’re extremely expensive, so I try to bring lunch instead.  Unfortunately, I rarely make my own salads at home to bring to work. I  find the lettuce wilts with certain toppings and packing up all the toppings separately is not ideal for bringing lunch into the city for work.  Instead, I would often bring leftovers from a previous night’s dinner or a sandwich (easy to pack).

Since I’m back on the salad bandwagon, but can’t afford $12 salads each day for lunch, I decided to try a heartier green that might stand up better to being made ahead with toppings/dressings.  I love Kale and I find it very filling, so I made a kale salad with homemade guacamole with mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, cilantro from my yard, lime juice, ground pepper, red chili flakes and salt.  The kale salad was very filling, but I was definitely missing my protein.  I don't know what I was thinking not having any chicken or something with it, but this really wasn't a problem until later in the afternoon.  The string cheese mozzarella sticks were nice, but didn't do much to hold me over.

Afternoon Snack:
Skipped

I really wish I had packed an afternoon snack.  I think I intended on eating the string cheese as a snack, but it wouldn't have been enough, anyway.  Right around 3pm, I typically crave sugar in the worst way - today was no different, except that I didn't indulge.  I wasn't craving sugar, specifically - I was just craving SOMETHING, mostly because I was a little tired.

Dinner:

Tomato, Cucumber & Onion Salad
Grilled Swordfish with garlic and herbs
Sauteed String Beans

I got home at my normal time of 6:30.  By the time I finished cooking dinner, it was probably 7:15.  I resisted the urge to snack on something while I was cooking - instead, I made my salad first and ate that while cooking.  I really liked this salad - my favorite kind is any variation of a greek salad and this is pretty much that, without the feta or lettuce.  It was flavorful and refreshing, plus I had leftovers for the following day.
For the Swordfish, I grabbed some mint and basil from my yard and chopped it up.  To that, I added 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, salt, pepper and 1 clove of minced garlic.  I brushed it onto both sides of the swordfish and then grilled it for about 6 minutes on each side.  This was delicious and easy.
While the swordfish was cooking, I made string beans (previously frozen) in the microwave and tossed them with a drizzle of olive oil, then seasoned with garlic salt.

My portion of the swordfish fillet was around 6 oz.  I was definitely satisfied after dinner. I wasn't FULL, but I didn't feel like eating anymore.

Dessert:
Skipped

I was planning on having some cottage cheese mixed with cocoa powder, a drop of vanilla extract and a little splenda, but I wound up taking the dog for an evening walk, instead.  Usually, by this point I'm crashing on the sofa watching TV, but tonight I had a little excess energy.  I think my dog was most excited about that perk.