Readers who regularly follow this column know that back in January, my wife and I began a diet known as “South Beach.” I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

The diet is conducted in “phases.” “Phase 1,” which lasts anywhere from two to four weeks depending on one’s own weight-loss goal, removes certain foods from the menu, including bread, fruit, and certain vegetables like potatoes and corn. In their place, other vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers are encouraged.

Now, I’m not a big fan of broccoli (in fact, that might be an incredibly large understatement), but over the last two months, I have become conditioned to tolerate it. I probably now eat broccoli at least three times a week.

We did “Phase 1” for three weeks. Every morning we had an egg with a side of tomato and either turkey bacon or sausage. Lunch consisted of microwaveable low-fat meals, and dinner (or supper, as it is also known) followed suit with the lunch options, but also included tastier menu blends (the result of my wife’s cooking, as she is a master chef).

At the end of the third week, I was down a good eight to ten pounds, and so we agreed it was the right time to enter “Phase 2.” This meant the return of bread (but only wheat), as well as an expansion of the vegetable options we could have. By the time we finished the second phase, both of us had lost more than 15 pounds.

I actually pulled out some of my slimmest pairs of dress pants, some of which I haven’t worn in over a year. The day I was able to wear one of them with a short-sleeved shirt tucked in was one of the happiest days for me this year.

The best part of the whole experience is that most diet methods out there imply a sense of “suffering” or “self-control” to the point that the dieter becomes frustrated, even miserable. As the child of a man who struggled with the need to lose weight right up until the day his doctor told him it was becoming a medical issue, it’s something I completely understand, and vowed in my childhood never to let happen to me.

A 30-pound weight gain in the span of about nine months to the point that I was having to consider the purchase of an entirely new wardrobe because some of my clothes suddenly stopped fitting was all it took to remind me of watching my dad go through that, and get me serious about finding a way to lose weight sooner rather than later.

As I was saying, this diet has been enjoyable, as diets go. I’ve still gone out to eat at restaurants a few times. We’ve had ice cream, burgers, and pizza. Even on the weekends where we were out of town the entire time and having to eat out every meal, we’ve still seen the pounds drop, overall. I’ve had a couple of times where I gained a pound or two in a single day, but if the total for the week is a loss of three to five pounds, then I am fine with that.

My only regret is that I didn’t learn of this diet concept sooner, because I would have been doing this all along had I known about it.

We aren’t finished losing weight, either. It’s our goal to lose another eight to 10 pounds — at a minimum — over the next two months. I’ll let you know how it turns out.