A couple of weeks ago my new doctor suggested trying the South Beach Diet in order to lose 8-12 pounds. He brought this up during an annual physical at which all my numbers - except weight - came out well within healthy ranges.

So, figuring to get a jump on the usual New Year's Resolution, we're giving it a try, starting today. This plan takes away nearly everything we eat regularly. Shelley discovered lentils on the permitted-foods list, though, so I suspect we'll be raiding the Indian cookbooks quite a bit in the next two weeks for Phase I.

After the first two weeks of cold-turkey elimination of high-glycemic-index foods, some of them are permitted again later. The idea is to turn the diet into a long-term way of life. While I'm not at all sure that I want to take it that far, I'll certainly try the first few weeks and see how it goes.