After four weeks on the South Beach Diet and having reached a plateau for the past couple of weeks I've decided it is time for me to re-evaluate my initial goals for beginning this diet. I had two primary goals in the first place.

• Get rid of Buddha belly
• Lose fifteen pounds

I did get rid of the bulk of my belly fat. I reduced my waist measurement by three whole inches. I also lost an inch from my hips.

This reduction made a change in my overall body shape from an apple to a pear.

Are You an Apple or a Pear?

• Apple Shape - Your body fat is located above your waist. This indicates a higher health risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers.
• Pear Shape - Your body fat is located below your waist which indicates a lower health risk. However, fat located in lower body regions can be more difficult to lose.

You can use the Healthy Body Calculator at www.dietitian.com to determine your body shape. This calculator will also estimate a healthy weight range for you based on your gender, age, and height. The healthy weight range is very generous allowing approximately 30 pounds leeway. For example, my healthy range is from 131 to 160 pounds. I weighed 150 pounds before I began the South Beach Diet, but because of the way the fat was distributed I was an apple. After losing six pounds I am still in the healthy range, but by reducing my carbs the distribution of remaining fat in my body has changed.

I am now a pear. I'm happier and healthier as a pear.

The first of my two diet initiatives has been met. I've reduced my belly fat! I've also lost one third of the weight that I planned on. My dilemna now is deciding on how much more weight (if any) I should focus on losing. I certainly want to continue the life style changes in choosing the right foods that this diet has taught me so that my body does not revert back to an apple shape. According to the Healthy Body Calculator, I could lose up to another 12 or so pounds and still not be considered underweight. However, I don't want to go overboard. Yes, I'd like to lose a few more pounds, but I realize that I have probably been a bit obsessive in expecting that to happen too quickly.

Setting New Goals

• Maintain pear shape by eating sensibly
• Lose another 5 pounds
• Exercise regularly
• Breathe comfortably
• Allow myself occasional food indulgences (not daily, but perhaps once a week or every two weeks)

DAY 29

Morning Weigh-in: no change
Breakfast - lite yogurt
Mid-Morning Snack - nut cup
Lunch - cottage cheese, tuna, tomato, 1/4 raw turnip
Mid-Afternoon Snack - butterscotch pudding (sugarfree)
Supper - green salad, minute steak, new potatos and low-fat gravy
Dessert - jello (sugarfree)

DAY 30

Morning Weigh-in: -.5
Breakfast - 2 fried eggs, Canadian bacon, V8 juice, white seedless grapes
Mid-Morning Snack - protein bar
Lunch - hummus spread on Rye Krisp crackers
Mid-Afternoon Snack - skip
Supper - thin crust pizza (the works: pepperoni, sausage, black olives, green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms)
Dessert - Fudge Lite

DAY 31

Morning Weigh-in: +.5
Breakfast - 2 egg omelet stuffed with mushrooms, onion, and tomatoes, V8 juice
Mid-Morning Snack - skip
Lunch - small salad (romaine, chicken breast chunks, tomato, turnip)
Mid-Afternoon Snack - banana popsickle (sugarfree)
Supper - leftover pizza
Dessert - jello
Bedtime Snack - tangelo

Next: South Beach Diet - Days 32-35