Slimming Down On A Gourmet Deit

To achieve a good body, like most precious successes we attain in life, requires much sacrifice and hard work. Becoming healthier requires more than a diet, but a lifestyle change.

Diets and I never seem to be a match. In high school my classmates and I drank water and pineapple juice and ate countless packs of Sky Flakes; not one of us lost weight. I have tried the cabbage soup diet, the three-day diet, Sugarbusters and even Atkins at some point in my life. Shamefully, I did not last long enough on any of these to achieve significant results.

I have joined a gym four times, each time lamenting how i wasted the money spent on the gym membership. I bought a stepper, ab roller, even a taebo video sold on television in the hope for quick results. I found brisk walking on the treadmill, Pilates, yoga and kickboxing classes to be the most efficient and lasting ways to work a sweat.

About a month ago, Chef Florabel Co of Le Souffle’s Top of the Citi told me she now cooks meals for her clients based on Dr. Arthur Agatston’s South Beach Diet. For 14 days, she prepares all their meals: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.

The petite chef is on the plump side, in the past reaching 50 pounds over her ideal weight. She admits to have tried just about any weight loss method and diet available. Last December, she was fervently praying for something and as a sacrifice, she gave up rice and soft drinks. In April, she tried South Beach diet. To date, she has already lost 19 pounds.

Many of her frequent diners at the Top of the Citi are health-conscious executives wanting to lose weight, manage their diabetes, or had just had a heart by-pass. She decided to offer "South Beach Diet To Go" delivered within the Salcedo Village area in Makati. Last month, she started serving South Beach in Top of the Citi.

"South Beach Diet is not low-carb, nor is it low-fat. Instead, it teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats," Chef Flora describes. "You eat the good ones so you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and get rid of cravings without feeling hungry. This phase of the diet is meant to last for two weeks only. And you will lose up to 13 pounds depending on your starting weight. It allows ample portions of protein, good fats, and the lowest-glycemic index and carbs needed for satisfaction and blood sugar control. By the time this phase ends, your cravings for sweets, baked goods, and starches will also have vanished."

She adds, "Now you have no excuse not to lose weight and look good." By getting the daily package, you will not have to worry about preparing the right food, interpreting the program, measuring portions, substituting local ingredients, preparing daily menus and cooking the meals. All you have to do heat the meals packed in microwavable containers and eat all five meals.

Chef Flora has since had three batches of satisfied clients who lost anywhere from 7 to14 pounds. She suggested that I try the diet to see if it actually works. It was a tempting proposition, allowing me to eat chef prepared food for two whole weeks.

On the first day, I hesitantly made my way from my Quezon City home to pick up my day’s worth of food from Flora in Makati. Seeing Flora’s noticeably thinner body, I was hopeful. Her weight loss was most obvious in her face, now with pronounced cheekbones and neck; her tummy was much smaller, too. Chef Flora tells me she feels lighter, healthier, and happier. Unlike other diets, you do not get constipated or hungry. Further, it was restaurant-friendly. The well-traveled chef managed to continue losing weight even on trips to Hongkong, Bangkok and China by simply choosing the right food.

Chef Flora provides the guidelines of allowed food during Phase One: lean cuts of pork, beef and poultry, skim milk, reduced fat cheese, eggs, nuts, seafood, tofu, canola and olive oil, and vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, snow peas, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, and zucchini). You are also allowed to eat 75 calories of sweet treats (sugar-free hard candies). Fruits, breads, pasta, rice and sweets are definite no-nos.

It was past ten in the morning. I ate my breakfast of sardine omelet and sampled my midmorning snack of Vegetable Minestrone Soup. I was immediately pleased; at least, it was not bland. Chef Flora even gave me a glass of pure tomato juice. It was not exactly my first choice from a beverage list, but this first glass broke me in. For the next 14 days, I made fresh tomato juice at home for breakfast. I told myself, "If the diet didn’t work, I probably wouldn’t get cancer either. With all the tomato juice I was drinking, I got more than my needed dose of anti-cancer lycopene."

Heating my lunch of pork steak with onions intrigued my mom and sister. The aroma prompted them to ask for a piece of pork and they were surprised at how delicious diet food could taste.

Flora warned the first three days would be the hardest, but by the end of the 14 days your cravings would disappear. She once loved rice so much, seeing a hot bowl of steaming rice made her drool. These days, she is no longer enticed. But she admits to giving in to the temptation of eating bad carbs at the sight of pizza.

Little did I know how drastically my lifestyle would change because of this diet. Every morning I anxiously anticipate the arrival of my white plastic bag filled with all the ready-to-eat meals from Chef Flora. The most difficult part of the diet was being deprived of my freedom to make food choices based on my cravings. For 14 days, I was guided by a piece of paper Chef Flora provided listing the day’s menu.

Receiving my rations in the morning, it became my ritual to read the menu and examine every dish sent. Even if the food was tasty, sticking to the diet was tough. Although I could eat the snacks or the salad Chef Flora provided when I was hungry, I was still not satisfied. Used to drinking two cups of coffee and binging on chocolates and candies, I was having severe withdrawals. I found it hard to focus, finding myself often sleepy. By the fourth day, I was more tolerant of the absence of caffeine in my life, learning to appreciate the joys of drinking decaffeinated tea and coffee. I even learned to make iced peppermint tea when iced water was getting too boring.

Since sugar-free peanut butter was allowed, I made my own from fresh peanuts. Whenever I wanted to reach for a chocolate bar, I scooped a teaspoon to satisfy my sugar craving. When I wanted potato chips or pretzels, I munched on sticks of cucumbers. I even kept some with me in the car.

Since I could not put my life on hold while on this diet, I went on with my daily tasks. On days I was away from the house, I heated the food and put them in an insulated lunchbox to keep it warm all day. I often found myself eating my meals in the car or in the parking lot. One Friday evening, I inched my way down congested Ayala Avenue with the delicious burger patty with grilled tomato and onion in hand. I learned to remain oblivious to the desserts of friends; even Chef Fernando’s offer to sample his new line of desserts in Uva had to be turned down to strictly follow the South Beach program. To address a request to taste test some pastries, I had a tiny bite to politely accommodate. Without sugar meant no bottled sauces, ketchup, steak sauces, and commercially manufactured dressings. But there were alternative sources of flavor by using natural herbs and spices such as rosemary, cilantro, dill, and even miso.

Having the food prepared for you leaves no room for excuses. With bread, rice or fruits not allowed for breakfast, it meant eating eggs every day. I admit I ate Flora’s omelettes only in the first few days; because eggs are unappetizing unless freshly cooked, I whipped up my own omelettes in the morning. But one day Flora surprised me with Chopped Vegetable Salad with Salmon for breakfast. The salad radiated beautiful bits of red tomatoes, green peppers, violet onions, lots of black olives, and pink salmon chunks. Every bite was literally bursting with a juicy medley of flavors–it was such a refreshing morning treat. I am not a big fan of breakfast fare except tapsilog; who would have thought a salad would taste so wonderful in the morning?

Instead of my usual bad habit of mindless munching on chips or pretzels, Flora provided healthy alternatives such as roasted walnuts, pistachios, a slice of light cheese, tofu asparagus soup, and skim milk. My favorite would have to be grilled zucchini, a vegetable I was not particularly fond of in the past. Its smoked subtly bitter flavor and moist texture pleased me immensely. It was also thoroughly enjoyable to snack on smoked salmon with lettuce.

Among the entrees, my favorites were the simple concoctions such as grilled blue marlin belly with tomato salsa, boiled okra, stewed meatballs with cilantro and tomatoes, green salad with dressing, burger patty with grilled onion and tomato, tilapia fillet with dill mustard sauce and sauteed beans.

The temptation to cheat are countless. Walking though Greenbelt was almost painful, especially when the aroma of freshly baked bread would make my mouth water. Being enticed by friends for drinks or helplessly watching them indulge in dessert while sipping plain black decaffeinated coffee wasn’t exactly fun.

But I was happy with the results. In the first six days of the diet, I had lost six pounds. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. But on the second week, the weight loss dropped to only one pound. As promised by Dr. Agatston, most of the weight came off from my mid-section. My jeans are now loose on the waist by several inches. Friends I had not seen for over two weeks noticed my face and body to be thinner. Even Chef Flora was pleasantly surprised to see the change.

Throughout the 14 days, Chef Flora checks up on you, calling or texting to find out how much weight you had already lost. Even after the program ended, she continues to check. Not only does she personally buy the food and cook the meals, she also joins her clients in doing the diet. This makes her relate better to the dieters’ needs and even improve the meals served. It is a win-win situation for all concerned.

Now, I am on the second phase of the South Beach Diet. I no longer get my daily food rations from Chef Flora, graduating to a more liberal version of the diet. Healthy carbs such as fruit, brown rice and whole wheat bread have been re-introduced. It is no longer as brainless as heating and eating Chef Flora’s food, but requires greater discipline and more effort to continue to eat properly. It is easier to slide back into bad eating habits. I admit to have binged already on my food vices. But thanks to Flora’s South Beach on the Go, exercise, and lots of discipline, a slimmer body, compliments, and fitting well into your clothes can be a delicious experience.

For details on South Beach Diet To Go:call Chef Flora at 0917-811-7334.