Wanna Win The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook For Christmas?

"...and may all your South Beach Christmases be light (in weight, that is!)."

Oh, hi there, you still caught me singing from this blog post the other day.

Today I have a very special contest to share with you featuring that brand new book I told you about previously by Arthur Agatston, the world-famous creator of The South Beach Diet.

But before I get into the details about how YOU can enter to win one of 10 copies of The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, let me share with you about a South Beach diet success story.

As most of you know, I lost the majority of my weight on the Atkins diet in 2004. But my friend Kalyn Denny from Kalyn's Kitchen was VERY pleased with her experience on the South Beach program. As you will read in this blog post she wrote about her weight loss, Kalyn didn't have as much to lose as I did, but she still lost over 40 pounds on the South Beach Diet! WOW!

She started The South Beach Diet in July 2004 and quickly lost 35 pounds before Christmas! Zoom, zoom, zoom -- THAT WAS FAST! Congratulations, Kalyn! And, like me, she has done some minor modifications to her South Beach program to tweak it into a carb-conscious way of eating. Or, as I like to call it, she's now livin' la vida low-carb. :)

Wouldn't you know it, Kalyn has already read and reviewed the book I'll be giving away to 10 of my readers already.

In describing her thoughts about The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, Kalyn said she just loves "sitting down in my favorite chair and reading cookbooks for a few hours" and this one was no exception. She does admit she had to "resist this book" since she had bought hundreds of books previously that are now collecting dust or ending up in her garage sale. But she convinced herself she needed to buy this one and she's glad she did.

Kalyn has promised to share her experience making any of the wonderful recipes in the book that she enjoys. We can't wait to try them either, Kalyn!

In fact, let me share another one of the recipes from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook right now:



Shrimp and Celery Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Fresh lime, curry powder, and creamy sour cream make a zesty dressing for this refreshing summer salad. In later phases, spoon it onto toasted whole-grain bread for a heavenly open-faced sandwich.

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1½ teaspoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ pounds peeled, deveined, and cooked medium fresh or frozen shrimp (thaw if frozen)
4 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, curry powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add shrimp, celery, and cucumber; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 4 (1½-cup) servings

Nutrition at a Glance
Per serving: 330 calories, 17 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 37 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 670 mg sodium

Can I go make this recipe RIGHT NOW?! Man, that sounds sooooo good and it is chock full of a healthy dose of protein and only 4g net carbs per serving. YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT!

Okay, so I guess you are wondering how you can win YOUR copy of The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, right? Of course you are and now I'm gonna tell ya!

Here's what you need to do to enter and WIN:

1. Go to LowCarbNewsLine.com and register. If you are already registered at LowCarbNewsline.com, then skip to the next step.

2. Send me an e-mail to editor@lowcarbnewsline.com and share in 150 words or less why you support the low-carb lifestyle. Keep in mind that these entries will be posted at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, LowCarbNewsline.com, CommonVoice.com and will also appear on Google News.

3. Check back at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog daily starting Wednesday, December 14 through Friday, December 23, 2005 to see who the winners are. I will notify you by e-mail if you are the winner and will request your mailing address information at that time. The book will be shipped directly to you from the publisher.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and from The South Beach Diet. And best of luck to you in the contest! I literally can't wait to read all of your great entries about why you are livin' la vida low-carb. Winners will be chosen beginning THIS WEDNESDAY!!! WOO HOO! Send 'em in today!

LIST OF CONTEST WINNERS:
12-14-05 WINNER: Shirley Y. from Pennsylvania!
12-15-05 WINNER: Karen C. from Texas!
12-16-05 WINNER: Joyce T. from Wisconsin!
12-17-05 WINNER: Jennifer W. from Virginia!
12-18-05 WINNER: Hannah B. from Connecticut!
12-19-05 WINNER: Michael W. from Kentucky!
12-20-05 WINNER: Nancy W. from North Carolina!
12-21-05 WINNER: Joanne Z. from Washington!
12-22-05 WINNER: Beverly V. from Florida!
12-23-05 WINNER: Stan S. from South Carolina!

THANKS to everyone who entered! I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year in 2006.