The verdict is in

and it shows that I did, in fact, lose weight from last week! Woo hoo! Check out the thermometer to see where I am currently. I will be gald to see the red go up, up, up!

There is not a lot to say for today. I got a George Foreman grill so when I want to grill something, I don't have to go fire up the Weber in the backyard. I tried a burger, following the guidelines in the book, and it was soooo overdone! In the next few days, I will try one again and just follow the time that I would normally do it on a grill outside. I also got some cute little fluted condiment cups to put my dessert in. I make the ricotta creme or yougurt and 1/2 cup just swims in a regular sized bowl. It fills up these cute little .33 cent cups nicely and give the illusion that I am getting a bunch! heh...

Tonight we had a Pack meeting and it was Fiesta Time...all kinds of Mexican food. I took a bite of some refried beans and that was it. I was a good girl until we got home and I made my own dinner. Since it was a hectic night, my food intake was down. I normally would not worry but because I am also a nursing mother, I need to make sure that I don't compromise my supply at all.

Breakfast: yogurt with cinnamon, nutmeg and splenda
snack: mozarella cheese stick
lunch: salad with almonds, cucumber, avacado, sprouts, tuna and FF dressing
snack: cashews
dinner: grilled lean hamburger, lettuce
snack: Peanut butter cup ricotta creme. (SB approved!)

Tomorrow I plan to eat more salad and veggies! I am also making spaghetti for dinner....using spaghetti squash for my noodles.

First Weekend

My very first weekend on this new way of eating has come and gone with little stress (as far as eating went).

Tomorrow is the big weigh in day to see how things are going. I am hoping the 3 lbs are still gone and perhaps 4??

I ate more today, I think since it was Sunday and I didn't have a snack like I normally do, I was more hungry than I have been. Even with that, I think I still did well.

Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with ham and cheese
snack: mozarella cheese stick
lunch: grilled hamburger steak, avacado, plain yogurt
snack: fudgesickle
dinner: grilled lean pork chop, green beans, boiled cabbage
snack: 1/2 cup cottage cheese

I didn't eat as much salad today as I normally do and actually ate more meats than I have been. I think once a week is not bad to go lighter on the salads.

I need to expand my lettuce horizons too, beyond iceberg. I really am not fond of leaf lettuce but as long as I have some crunch in the salad, I can eat the lettuce.

Okay, tomorrow is the big weigh in, I will see if this is taking hold and doing well then!

Day Four

I am still trying fish and have yet to find one I like.

You may ask why I am eating fish when I don't like fish. I am trying to make sure I don't like fish rather than I just don't like the way it is fixed. So far, I have tried grilled cod and a spicy talpia and have not liked either. I am not sure on tonight's fish if it is the fish that I didn't like or the capers in the sauce so I am giving both the sauce and the fish another chance before declaring that I don't like it. I am going to try some farm raised catfish in the next few days to see if that fares any better.

I was out running errands today and never really felt hungry. I did have a total NSV though that I have to share. Right now, the remote to our TV in bedroom is missing. While I was searching for it (still lost), I came across my favorite candy bar, a Nutregous, in a stack of books. I didn't even pick it up (so it is still there in the stack of books)! Woo hoo! I didn't even consider eating it or taking a nibble.

A friend on another board gave a recipe that called for an ingredient that is not in my Phase I yet and another asked me what harm a dusting could do. I want to put my answer here again just so I can have a reminder.

If I can justify a "dusting", then I can certainly justify a "taste" as well, can't I? If a "taste" is acceptable, then surely a "nibble" would be okay. Heck, if I can get away with a "nibble" then a "teeny bite" wouldn't hurt me. And the cycle goes on. If I justify, at least in my mind, even a little cheat, that opens the door for me to jusify in my mind a bigger cheat than that and all the work I have done is down the tubes. I don't want to even open the door, I want to be in control of what I eat rather than what I eat to be in control of me.

Here is what I have eaten today:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese with cinnamon, nutmeg and splenda
snack: mozzarella cheese stick
lunch: salad with avacado, broccoli, sprouts, mixed lettuce, sunflowerseeds, baked ham and dressing
snack: fudgesickle
dinner: spicy talpia, cauliflower, salad (think lunch but smaller and no ham)
snack: laughing cow cheese w/celery

I also found out I can have fat free sugar free plain yougurt so I am going to get some and mix up a bit for breakfast. It will have to wait until Monday though.

Still Going

Day 3 has come and gone with little change. I am eating big meals and not feeling hungry. Snacking is still a constant challenge and I really want sweet stuff. All in all, I think it is going very well.

I broke my own rule and got on a scale today rather than waiting for Monday. If it is accurate, I am down 3 lbs from Monday. I will hold off celebrating until Monday though...if it is true than I hope I am down more!

My meals today were:

breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese with cinnamon and splenda
snack: mozzarella cheese stick
lunch: salad with turkey bacon, avacado, sprouts, cucumber and dressing
snack: 30 pistachios
dinner: 4 oz roast beef, mock sweet potato (acorn squash) and salad/dressing
snack: celery with natural peanut butter

I also feel like I had a NSV since I sliced cake for everyone else and didn't get a slice myself. After seeing the 3 lbs, it is sure tempting to "reward" myself but I didn't do it. I had my celery stalk with natural peanut butter instead.

Second Verse, same as the First

Sorry, it was required that I do that after reading another blog that was singing Henry VIII. Okay, so today was the second day of beaching and I think it is going well.

I still catch myself starting to eat a bit of this, a bite of that and I have stopped myself each time. It is sooo tempting to give in but I didn't.

I did have a lowlevel headache most of the day and a few hours where I think I had a low grade fever. I took some tylenol and slept a few hours and felt fine. I think it was not related to all this since I just started but I guess it could be.

I had to take a few kids to dental appointments today and forgot to bring a snack with me. By the time I got back home, I was raging with hunger. I need to remember to bring a snack with me next time.

Here is a run down of today's menu:

Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with a sprinkle of cheese
Midmorning snack: 1 mozarella cheese stick
Lunch: salad with tuna, avacado, alfalpha sprouts and dressing
Midafternoon Snack: celery stalk with Lite Laughing Cow cheese
Dinner: baked chicken, green beans and salad
Treat: Sugar Free Fudgesicle

Today blew as far as getting any exercise in but tomorrow, I am going to do that in the morning. I have the morning free, no errands to run.

I want to give a big thumbs up and kudos to my buddy, Alexis. It is her story to tell but she had a fantastic NSV and gets applause from me on it.

South Beach Day 1

Yep, you read correctly, I have decided to get some beach front property and start lounging on South Beach. For those of you who now REALLY think I have lost my mind, I am simply going to be following the South Beach diet.

The first two weeks, so I have read and been told, are the most difficult. I am at day 1 of 14 in the first phase of the diet. Here is what has been eaten today (or will be before I am done)

Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with a sprinkle of cheese
Midmorning snack: 1 mozarella cheese stick
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken, sunflower seeds and dressing, 2 mini sugar free Reece's Cups
Midafternoon snack: 1 wedge Lite Laughing Cow cheese
Dinner: cod fillet, steamed asparagus, salad
Dessert: Vanilla Creme Riccotta

I am not hungry but it has really driven home how much I snack. It is so insidious too... a bite of cereal when I pour it for the kids, a cookie when I make lunch, the rest of a banana after I cut it up for Kierynn, a cracker when I give some to Iain etc etc etc

My jogging stroller came last night and since I had to go pick up Son #1 from school, we walked up there. Ugh, remind me to NEVER walk with Son #2 again.... I got a watch that counts down so it lets me know at the half way mark if I am at the pace I want or not. Smart watch? No, I know where the 1.5 mile mark is and if my watch goes off before I reach that spot, I am going too slow. On a positive note, a neighbor saw me out and then called this evening to suggest that we go out walking together. Cool! An actual walking partner!

I will be posting daily from now on since I want to keep my food journal tied in here as well. I think it will help me stay on course.

You just don't know how tempting it is to eat that ONE chip, that ONE chocolate heart or that ONE bite of whatever. I was good, I didn't do it!

Brrr!

It was below 30 this morning when I bundled up the kids and got my husband to come out walking with me. I really regretted not wearing any gloves for about 5 minutes until my hands got warm.

He had used his truck to get the milage so I had him set his watch to count down to the half way mark. We were walking and both pushing strollers so I had him do a 15 minute walking mile. I was kinda bummed that we didn't quite make that at the half way mark so we picked up and finished within the time I had in my head.

Later today, we double checked the milage and he was OFF! We DID make the halfway mark and actually because it was off, we did marginally better than a 15 minute mile. I think that is darn good considering we had the strollers and we live in a hilly neighborhood.

I am currently contemplating doing something different as far as eating goes. I have been following a meal plan but it is limiting and I find myself really craving the sweets it lacks...as in anything with sugar! I am looking at a few other options and will decide in the next few days what I am going to do.

My double jogging stroller should be here tomorrow...probably while I am down in Nashville in the morning.

Still need to work on the water drinking issue though. It is easier to do in the summer but in the winter, I really have to force myself to drink it.