New here.

What would you call this diet I am on?

--Try to only eat foods with nutritional value.
--Try not to eat higly processed foods (such as frozen pizzas).
--Frosted mini-wheats or raisin bran and 1% milk for breakfast is ok.
--No cookies, chips, or twinkies.
--No soda, beer, or ice cream.
--Lots of water.
--All the fruits and vegetables I want.
--Milk (1%) with breakfast and dinner.
--Whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta, but no white bread/pasta.
--Eggs, steak, chicken, lamb, or venison with every dinner.
--Potatoes are ok, as long as fresh with the skin, and not deep fried.
--Peanut butter and jelly whole wheat sandwhich ok, but not too many in a weak.
--Tunafish, chicken salad, or egg salad, with mayo, for typical lunch sandwhiches.
--Very little butter, and prefer to cook with olive oil.
--Goal is to lose a pound a week.
--Moderate excercise encouraged.
--Being hungry is not allowed (see fruits and vegetables).

Sounds like phase three of South Beach. The differences are
1. South beach advises to drink skim
2. no potatoes unless they are a treat or I think it's red skinned are allowed (not sure on that though)
3.jelly isn't considered a healthy food. It's full of sugar and is high on the GI.

other than that it sounds close to the third or second phase of SB. SB diet is high fiber, good fats (olive oil, fish) and good carbs (low starch veggies, and most fruits). The first phase of the diet is very different though. Check out the book and see what you think. Hey, if your losing that's all you need to know!!

Janette, thanks for the reply. "Phase Three of South Beach" sounds like a new Fox series, on after the "O.C."!

It's just my own homemade diet where I'm trying to reduce the crap I know I don't need (like Coke and beer and chips). But at the same time there are foods I love (PBJ and milk). I actually use strawberry jam, so there's got to be SOME nutrition in those chunks of fruit, but also a whole lot of sugar, too.

Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I also add Nestle's Quick to my milk. Not good, but better for me than candy bars.

The water is probably the best thing I have going for me. I used to drink Coke out of addiction as well as taste. And beer, of course. But instead, I now have a large water bottle with me at work all day (with my own tap water from home).

And that white bread, I love it, but I'm pretty sure it gives me a rush and makes me even more hungry. Just like what beer does to me. The wheat bread doesn't seem to do that.

Ok, now I'm off to read about the South Beach diet!

Their is sugar free strawberry jam out there!! ( made with splenda) You could always use that instead.

and there is yummy no sugar added peanut butter too

Adukart, guess I should give some background about my outlook.

I'm morally oppossed to "diets" and "diet foods". I only begrudgingly call my change in eating habits a diet.

Like many, I suppose. Once upon a time I could eat all I wanted, and did. I ran track, played soccer, and had a physically demanding job. But by time I was 30, my lifestyle and my metabolism definitely changed. Desk job, old age, and still eating everything I wanted began to put the pounds on.

In my early 20's I was 145 pounds. In my late 30's I was 205 pounds, until 3 months ago when I made this diet change.

All this somehow relates to a stubborn attitude that I'd rather go without than buy "sugar-free". Thus my solution to just accept limiting the number of PBJ sandwhiches each week!

But I have not been foolish enough to start running again. That is unhealthy for an overweight person, in my opinion. Walking, yes. Running, no. As my weight drops, I intensify the excercise slowly, and may eventually start running again.

Jeffrey,

I think you'd like _The Schwarzbein Principle_ by Diana Schwarzbein. See if your local library has it. It heavily emphasizes whole foods, no preservatives, no frankenfoods, etc. It is geared toward getting healthy.

What you're on isn't much of a weight loss plan, unless you lose very easily. Still, though, people lose gradually on Schwarzbein, over time.

She'd make you give up the jam, though.

You guys are great! I scanned the internet and the Schwarzbein and South Beach sound quite similar. No carbs for a few weeks, then bring them back in under a controlled situation.

I'm not sure where you found your information, but neither of those plans is no carbs for a few weeks. The first 2 weeks of South Beach is very similar to Atkins Induction (20 grams of carb per day), but Schwarbein starts right off at between 45 and 60 grams of carb per day (very much like Atkins For Life maintainence levels which might be another plan you'd be interested in checking out).
Being male works in your favor here in that it will likely be much easier for you to lose weight than the average female of your age (no hormone issues going on, higher proportion of lean muscle mass, etc...) and you'll likely lose quicker too as well as at higher levels of carb intake.
If you're going to eat "unlimited" fruits and veggies, I'd suggest that you keep them to those in the lower half of the glycemic index and note that corn and peas are not veggies.

The "unlimited fruits and veggies" doesn't mean I stuff myself as much as a I can. Instead, it means that if I am hungry between meals, I am allowing myself to eat fruits and veggies to satisfy that hunger.

Typically
--oranges
--bananas
--apples
--broccoli
--carrots
--celery

I don't actually know what a carb is. Nor a calorie. I can't physically see them, and don't know how to measure them. But I can tell the difference between an orange and a package of cupcakes. I'm guessing the orange will be better for me, and more likely to help me lose weight. But I don't know the carb count or the calorie count of either, per ounce. Nor do I know how many ounces of each it takes to "fill me up".

LMAO!!!

Jeffrey, you are killin' me!

You don't have to be on a "Diet" to make healthy changes in your life. Good for you for realizing that you want to make healthy changes in your life and for knowing that want you consume and your activities make a difference. Being aware of what you are doing (eating) and taking the blinders off is a good starting point. Do what works for you as long as you are happy with the results. Also, glad to see you are willing to research diet plans and review the health benefits of several of them. Information is your best weapon in almost all cases in life.

Good Luck to you!

Seems like the 3rd bullet violates the first and second bullets.

Spoken like a man.

Me (a woman) I'll go for the sugar free! Now that there's Splenda, which is the first artificial sweetener that actually tastes right to me.

Of course. An alternative is Captain Crunch. But I'm guessing the mini wheats and raisin bran are somehow better for me.

Mainly, I realize those are over processed foods, but try to stay away from the thousands of additional over processed foods to choose from in the grocery store.

I grew up eating sugared cereral for breakfast and watching a lot of tv while drinking soda. Hard to teach old dogs new tricks, they just want to head for the couch!

Possibly the raisin bran (although the raisins are usually coated with sugar), but certainly not FROSTED mini-wheats, if you're eliminating overly processed foods.

Grape Nuts
All Bran
Unsweetened (if you can find it) granola
Bran Flakes (without raisins)

If you need cereal products, may be better options.