Days 27-29: Delaying Gratification

After reaching 10 pounds lost (and never to be found again!), I realized I never have determined any goals for myself rather than the general "get fit, eat well, look hotter" blah, blah. I know a lot of weight-loss bloggers pick a cool gift or something fun when they reach each milestone. I thought that would work pretty well for me. Gigglepuss loves presents anytime!!!

So, I decided to shop around online and get some ideas of things that I want. I want a new digital camera, I need a new swimsuit, I really, really want to buy a heartrate monitor, I would love to go on vacation, I always need a new book to read....but I need to save for the wedding! But, if I space my goals out, I can afford some fun splurges down the road, right? Well, I just shouldn't be trusted with a credit card, just like I shouldn't be trusted with strawberry cheesecake. (Go ahead and put 10 tons of chocolate in front of me and I won't touch it, but I loves me some cheesecake!)

Here is a list of what I ended up purchasing since Thursday:

1. Two pairs of workout pants from Old Navy (I still hate you for switching to online buying only for my size but I can't ignore your prices!) on sale
2. Two pairs of flipflops (Old Navy sale yet again!)
3. Two workout video sets from Jillian Michaels
4. Two books (Half-Assed and Where Did All the Fat Go?)
5. New swimsuit from Old Navy that I plan on wearing to aqua aerobics (mine is two years old and getting very thin in certain spots)
6. Three tops and two pairs of capris from Lane Bryant for $60 total (gotta love coupons!)

I rarely go shopping crazy, but sometimes I just can't help myself. I think that could be part or my weight issues too. I usually do pretty well and eat on plan, but when I get around some things I haven't had in awhile (pizza, the previously mentioned cheesecake), I just have to have some. I need to figure out how to control myself! The food will still be available later...you can plan to have it and still stay in calorie-range. Just don't go chowing down when you've already had your scheduled meal. And just because there is a lot left over, you don't have to finish it all up now. What is going to be the best for you...enjoying the food for the moment in your mouth or later when you beat yourself up about it? I can think of these ways to combat it now but where is my brain when the temptation is actually there? Blech, I hate thinking too deeply!

So, maybe I'll save some of these things that I bought for a reward down the road. I don't know if I'll be able to control myself knowing that they are right there and available in the closet, though!

Days 24-26: Backed Up

Yay, I have a chance to post today! Giggleman's hours at work changed this week, so he has been home more in the morning. I get to see him more, which is great, but I don't get my time in on here. I'll deal :)

I'm still working hard with eating well...I'm still having issues with some sabotaging thoughts like "Why can't I eat this?" or "It's not fair!" or "I can do whatever I want" or "Just one won't hurt me". Time to reread that day in the Beck book. Yep, I'm still reading it, even though I think some of her ideas are crap. You know what is unfair? The way men can lose weight faster than women sucks! Giggleman weighed in at the gym this week...he's lost about 30 more pounds since March, and he has only cut back a bit on his food intake. WTF? I know my weight loss is going to be a LOT slower due to the conditions I fight (it'd help if I would stop typing and call the doc to renew my thyroid and PCOS scripts while I'm complaining). I also need to be vigilant on saying NO and working on doing my own cooking when the man doesn't. The kitchen is a mess at the moment and I don't want to clean it so I keep out! But then, I make other bad food choices to compensate. Sometimes I wish I could be blissfully ignorant about calorie counts, but that is what got me here, so I have to frighten myself with totals when I don't plan ahead.

Now time to move on to a sensitive subject...bowel movements. I was diagnosed with IBS back in middle school when I thought I'd die on the toilet. X-rays showed I was completely backed up...ewwww...and I given a list of foods to eat and added fiber supplements. Well, my parents did not change our foods at home, but I did drink down the gritty gross drinks full of fiber for awhile. I haven't really had any problems since then...until starting South Beach! In week 2, I noticed I hadn't done the deed for days. When I did finally go, it was a bit painful. I changed my settings on SparkPeople to check out what I was getting for fiber. OH SHIT! Yeah, I must have skimmed the part about how Phase 1 can cause some constipation due to the lack of grains and fruits and the off-limit veggies. Now that I'm putting some back in the diet, I'm just about back to normal, but I may need to add a supplement in again (I know the fiber supplement options are sooooo much better now than when I suffered as a kid). I certainly don't need poo up to my eyeballs inside me!!!

Day 20-23: Becoming a Gym Bunny

I didn't get to post yesterday because I was too busy at the gym before work. That's right, we finally rejoined the gym as of last Friday. So, I spent a good bit of time on the treadmill, in the weight room, and the pool. It is terribly sad to see how much my speed has dropped since we had to quit before. The first day, I wanted to quit at 30 minutes going between 3-3.5 mph. I persevered and went another 20 minutes. I was up to 9-10 minute miles last year. But, I will regain my power if I keep going! Luckily, my strength hasn't decreased much...and my legs are very strong! I really do need to work on my upper body strength, which is what I'll focus on this week.

Time for my weekly weigh-in results! I weighed myself at the gym and was shocked at the low number. Sunday night, my Aunt Flo decided to restart again (how dare you keep visiting more than once a month without proper notice!!!) so I am up a couple pounds from Sunday, which still puts me at 302. So, 10 pounds down this month! Yeehaw!

And forget what I said about me needing my carbs so much!!! I figured out that was my TOM cravings that were deluding my thoughts. I did indulge in Ritz Bits with Peanut Butter on Saturday...extremely high carb day! But, I am feeling more fulfilled with my peanut butter and banana wrap for breakfast than with just eggs and canadian bacon or veggie patties or whatever else I was doing for the first two weeks.

Day 20-23 Totals:

• Calories: 1099/1439/992/1057
• Fat: 49/79/43/32
• Carbs: 121/175/62/77
• Protein: 45/38/101/127
  

Day 19: We're #2!!

If you've read my previous posts, you can tell I am a fan of The Biggest Loser. While reading another person's blog (I forget whose, sorry!), I found out that the Australian episodes are available on YouTube. Score! So, I sometimes watch an episode or two after work. I noticed right away that a few gals there were bigger, maybe a bit heavier than me. In the American version, the gals are usually smaller, with the exception of Isabeau and Amber in season 4 who both weighed 290ish. Season 5 Kelly weighed around 270 I think at the beginning. Now I know there are heavier gals out and about, maybe just not pleasing to American viewers so they aren't seen, except for those headless fatty videos on the news. But based on the sizes I saw on the Australian episode, I wasn't surprised to read the article stating that Australia is now the World's Fattest Nation! The US was beat by a whole 1%....only 25% of us are obese. Interesting, no?

I have decided to head on to Phase 2 of the SBD. I'm really missing fruit and I would like to go back to a bit of breakfast or lunch grains. My brain seemed to function better on the days that my carbs went high earlier in the day. I will NOT be eating high GI/carbs at dinner or later in the evening though. The pizza night and one of the other off-plan days taught me that I feel like shit the morning after and cannot drag myself out of bed. Overall, I think the South Beach Diet has been a good thing for me to try. I've learned so much about how my body reacts to food. When I eat well, I just feel better about myself. And I'm glad I decided to track my food intake, even though counting calories isn't really required for the plan. I'm also finding it easy to track my food...I always thought it was a pain in the ass before. I don't know why! With keeping everything updated on SparkPeople, I can go back and review what works best and what days I felt better. Now, all I need is a cheer squad to keep me going :)

Day 19 Totals:

• Calories: 1753
• Carbs: 149 (yep, I had a sub and a cookie because I would have felt bad by saying no to the person who gave it)
• Fats: 78
• Protein: 120
  

Day 18: Loser Envy!!

My scale at home has some serious issues!! Actually, I believe it has The Biggest Loser scale envy. You know what I'm talking about. On the show, the scale goes up and down before finally settling on the weight to create suspense. My scale tries the same technique even after changing batteries! The first time I step on, it gives me a low number...not extremely low, but I just don't trust it!! I jump on a second time and it gives me a huge number! My scale finally commits to a number after the third try. Today, all my weights were lower than my last weigh-in, so that's a good thing!!

Yesterday, I had a great food day until after work. Giggleman was supposed to cook white bean turkey chili when he got home. He emailed me at work and asked if he could order out instead. Grrrrrr!! So, I come home to pizza, of course! "But, I ordered you whole wheat crust!! That's healthy!!" Ummmm, yes it is, but I'm trying to stay off bread this last week. Man mentality. I was hungry, and planned on eating 2 slices, tops. I still am lacking in self-control...I had another piece because it was just sitting there prodding me to take more. But, I stopped after that piece even though there was still a lot more pizza left. Baby steps...

Day 18 Totals:

• Calories: 1876
• Carbs: 217 (sigh!)
• Fat: 89
• Protein: 84
  

Day 17: Pulling Out the Tape Measure

This morning, I was going through my email and followed a link to LIVESTRONG.com. The site has many dares you can choose to do in order to change your life, like stop smoking, run a marathon, lose weight, etc. I was checking out the diet and weight loss portion...I went to check out a video about how to speed up your metabolism and it was pretty much just an ad for a certain personal trainer. Nothing about metabolism whatsoever...ok. Then, I click on the weight loss area and the first articles are about "4 Ways to Qualify for Gastric Bypass" and "Smart Shopping for Weight Control Pills". Under the video section, the highlighted ones were on lap band surgery. This part of the site just seems off to me! I would think I'd see more about nutrition and whatnot.

I then checked out the calculator to find my ideal weight. It asked me for my height and my wrist size. So, I had to go find my tape measure! My wrist came to 6.25 inches...my ideal is supposedly 140. If my wrist was a quarter-inch bigger, I could weigh 14 more pounds. Yikes, who knew what a difference a little bit could make. My ideal sounds a bit low to me...I was talking to my sister the other day and she said she weighed 170. She looks good and she's shorter! But, I remember weighing that in high school and I was ridiculed by some and feeling like a big cow. I know the country is getting bigger, but I'm shocked that I'd be considered pretty normal to the other kids now. Wow! Since I had the tape measure out, I figured I'd check out my waist size. I forgot to take measurements at the beginning of the month, but I did have that measurement from the health fair. Good news! I've lost two inches! Yay!

Day 17 Totals:

• Calories: 1310
• Carbs: 78
• Fats: 34
• Protein: 169
  

Day 16: Wow, Visitors!!!

Welcome to all my new visitors yesterday! I checked my email and I was shocked that I had so many comments to moderate :) I'll be working on replying and visiting all of your sites later today. I also need to work on my blogroll! As I've mentioned in a previous post, I have soooo many blogs set up in my Google Reader. The convenience of GR has made me very lazy about actually visiting the individual sites and commenting. I'll work harder, I promise!

So anyways, yesterday was pretty ordinary. I stayed on track with eating. I got 45 minutes of exercise in---I did the Biggest Loser Cardio Max video again and this time I'm not experiencing that crazy leg pain. So, I no longer have to kill Bob :) I also drank tons of water!! I was reading through my old blog's archives and realized my key then was having a straw. On my shopping extravaganza last week I happened to buy a new water bottle that came with a straw. Voila, problem solved! It is so much easier to guzzle water at work when I don't have to tilt my head and look away from the monitor. Am I just that lazy to move or am I too devoted to working? :)

Day 16 Totals:

• Calories: 1146
• Carbs: 86 (I realized I'm eating some starchy veggies which I'm supposed to stay away from Phase 1. I lent the SBD book to my mom so I conveniently forgot! Oops!)
• Fats: 47
• Protein: 100

Day 13-15: Never Too Late

I am soooo glad this weekend is over!! Well, I wouldn't mind not working another day, but my eating habits were all over the place. Let's just say, I pretty much blew off the SBD for a few meals and snacks. So, I'm going to do Phase 1 for another week. When I'm good, my body feels good and my hunger is in control. When I eat too many carbs, curbing hunger and cravings is an issue later on. Good time to read the way our body reacts to sugar and carbs in the SBD book again...he sure wasn't kidding!! I'm not shocked at all...my weight stayed exactly the same this week. I'm actually a bit surprised I didn't gain.

My big problem I always run into is "Why Can't I Have That?" I see family or friends eating something and I begin to want it! They can handle it in their body, why can't I? I have the choice to eat whatever I want, if I really wanted to, but I know what my body does with the crud and I don't like the effect. My stomach likes to be a bit of a rebellious teenager and a slow student too. But if I keep trying, it will slowly let these lessons sink in, and my brain will gain control over what I let inside. After two weeks, I'm already getting rid of the "All or Nothing" attitude. If I eat poorly for one meal, I don't let myself blow off the rest of the day. It's never too late to start again.

Day 13/14/15 Totals:

• Calories: 1601/1488/1210
• Carbs: 140/281 (whoa, Nelly!!!)/31
• Fats: 81/19/83
• Protein: 85/60/83
  

Off to other subjects: Giggleman and I have actually made a decision. June 13th, 2009 will be when we finally get hitched. Our budget is set for an affordable level, we agree on guest amount (finally), and have found some great vendors! At some point, our anniversary will fall on Friday the 13th, and I think something good will ward off the bad. (I've broken a wrist and an ankle on other 13ths in the past!)

Day 11-12: Leave The Headphones On!!

Shopping binges do not lead to blog posting! So, I'm covering two days again :) Since I got paid yesterday, I promised my Giggleman I'd finally buy him his late Hanukkah/birthday present. Yep, I said Hanukkah...I'm that behind. Well, more like we were that strapped for cash since I switched jobs and then he was out of work. This was the first week we didn't have any other bill to catch up on except my cell phone bill. And yeah, yeah, it's all about the thought that counts but he bought me my Pretty Pretty Pink iPod Nano so I wanted to get him something nice! He's been drooling over a certain cell phone for months (he got rid of his when he couldn't make payments and the contract was up). So, he made me get up early so we could get it for him before he had to go to work. Score for making him extremely happy!

After dropping him off at work, I got to do my own shopping! You know how they say bigger girls spend more money on shoes because they can always find something that is cute and fits? I don't get that luxury! My feet are long and thin...size 11! So, it makes it hard to just go anywhere and find a pair. I desperately wanted to find some flats because I'm soooo sick of wearing my clunky heeled shoes. Payless saved the day...I found two cute pairs there for about $20 bucks. The girl suckered me into buying some no-show socks..."they won't show when you wear your new shoes because they just cover your toes!" I knew no-show when you wear sneakers, but I'd never heard of these. I got one pair in tan and one in black, both the same size, but the tan ones keep popping off my feet. The black fit perfectly. It makes no sense! I bought a new pair of capris after trying on three different styles and sizes...I decided to keep the current size I'm comfortable in although the smaller size fit too without having to suck in or lay down to zip. Even when I had lost 80 pounds in 2005/6, I didn't notice my clothes size change that much. Either that, or I just didn't think I should be wearing smaller due to my total problem with recognizing my body...I know my mom said my pants were falling off, but I thought they fit!

Yesterday was a sort of cruddy food day for me. I did good before I went to work, at least!! Usually, my row is pretty quiet since there is only one other person in it and we both usually are listening to our iPods during work. A few weeks ago, another gal switched to our evening shift and is now in our row. She is fun, but talks sooooo much! I'm all about getting to know people since I'm now permanent, so I've been listening to my iPod less and less. Anyways, she is doing some weight loss challenge thingie and she has talked about it SO MUCH in the past couple of weeks. "That trainer kicked my ass!" or "Maybe I should try Weight Watchers!" or "I blew off that pesky Jenny Craig lady and her appointment!" Yesterday, she was "dying for CornNuts!" After that, she was talking about having a craving for tacos. And potato oles. And sour cream. And my stomach started rumbling!

I ended up going to Taco Bell for my dinner break. I was going to play it nice and just get one of their Fresco chicken taco things and not eat the shell. I ordered and the gal told me that they were out the pico de gallo or whatever is in it so it'd just be lettuce...she asked if I still wanted it? Grrrrr....I ended up eating two chicken chalupas instead...I ate the shell too. I didn't want to keep up the line trying to figure out something else! And why not throw some cinnamon twists with that too. I'm weak! Then, Giggleman was hungry when I got home and wanted to go grab something. I grabbed a taco salad from Wendy's even though I wasn't really hungry. So, I had a relapse, but I'm back on track today so far!!

Day 11/12 Totals:

• Calories: 1098/1950 (ouch!!)
• Fats: 39/109 (head shaking!!)
• Carbs: 81/150 (normal range if I wasn't doing SBD, but still!)
• Protein: 107/96

Day 10--Did I Do It?

Nope! I did not get to workout yesterday. But I did get my exercise in today!!! I almost talked myself out of it. I realized I needed to bring in the DVD player into my workout room. Giggleman had our player covered with DVDs...why can't he put them on the thingamabob we have for all the DVDs?? And then there were cords to deal with!!! If the DVD player worked on the TV/DVD combo we have in my workout room, I wouldn't have this issue. I sat on the bed and moaned about the mess. I stomped back into the workout room, tried the DVD player in there, and astonishingly it decided to work!!! It went goofy a few times, but I did get to finish the 5 mile challenge walk from Walk Away the Pounds. Leslie can get annoying, but she gets the job done!

Yes, I really do have a workout room. Our second bedroom is devoted to my stuff. I have my two fitness balls, all kinds of weights, one of those Firm box thingies, resistance bands, and my video collection that I alluded to in the previous post. I really have no serious excuse not to get my exercise in!!

Day 10 Totals:

• Calories: 1462
• Carbs: 33
• Fat: 50
• Protein: 114
  

Day 8-9: My Fitness Miracle!

I'm off on my day count! Today is the 10th...I'm recapping yesterday...so I guess we'll make this post Day 8/9. Oops!

Last night, I was up a bit late watching TV after work. You know you're up too late once the infomercials start playing. Sometimes, I just have to laugh at the cheesiness of the products. Well, I finally found the piece of equipment I just HAVE to buy...NOT!!!



The Red Exerciser!! I just had to go to their website...there are three different models of this thing! I think I'll just figure out how to pimp my office chair with some resistance, use a broom to grip, and I'll be fit for life, right? Swivel my way to health! I do love my infomercials and have some great products I still use (Winsor Pilates, Turbo Jam, and the Firm), but I just won't get suckered in by this idea.

Since I've made it through my first week of Phase 1, I think it's time to do a bit of assessment. I had a nice loss for the week, but there is a big component I didn't focus on last week. You might have guessed it....EXERCISE!!!! Now, I did walk everyday, but that didn't amount to that much work. So, I'll definitely be adding that in here this week. I let my Giggleman's attitude about working out ("Oh, I'll start hardcore once we rejoin the gym") affect what I did. I had a whole month of great home workouts using my various videos, but then slacked off after I had some major pain for a week. No more of that! If I don't report back tomorrow with some exercise results, make sure to slap me around a bit!!

Another thing I'm struggling with is eating enough. You'd think a girl my size has no problems with food, right? Well, before I began this plan, I usually ate one big meal at the end of the day, sometimes lunch, and never breakfast. I didn't really notice myself getting hungry and don't eat unless something is sitting in front of me, I wander into the kitchen, or I see Giggleman munching on something and grab some of his stuff. My big meal of the day usually ended up with us eating out or Giggleman cooking me some huge portions of food. With eating regular meals this week, I'm getting full, and when I track my food (except for Saturday), I'm shocked when my calories are low. I just don't feel like I could eat more, even though I'm trying to reach 1500 calories a day. Weird! I am going to plan my daily meals in advance so that way I know I'm getting my calories and nutrients in...if I eat too low now, my body will get too adjusted, and I sure don't want a plateau down the road where I'll have to cut more to get movement.

Third goal for this week: Increase my water intake! Before this week, I had no problem getting 64 ounces of water or more in daily. Maybe it was because I drank more instead of having the mandatory snacks for South Beach. Last week, I struggled. So, I will focus on drinking at least 2 glasses of water at each meal and making sure I keep my water bottle refilled at work. Hopefully these changes will make week 2 go even better!

Monday Totals:

• Calories: 1462
• Carbs: 62
• Fats: 75
  
• Protein: 137
  

Day 6 and 7: Blah, Blah, Blah

The weekend was pretty uneventful...I survived my Giggleman's birthday including a meal off plan and a piece of cake. My weight loss since last Monday is 4.6 pounds gone for good. Yay!

I'm running late, so I'm going to post my totals quickly and will have a more exciting post later. I'll start blogging about things other than food shortly, I promise!!

Day 6/7/8 Totals:

Calories: 1189/1205/2008 (birthday food!)
Fats: 37/47/95
Carbs: 61/107/217 (time to reign in again!)
Protein: 147/73/70 (when I eat the carbs, I'm forgetting the protein, I guess!)

Day 5: Off With His Head!!

Fuckitty fuckwat fucker!! OK, I've wanted to get those words out of my system since yesterday afternoon. I'm good now, on to regularly scheduled programming on this blog :)

Why am I so angry? Yesterday, we had a sort of health and fitness fair at work. We could sign up for a health screening to get certain things checked, which I needed to do anyways this year for cheaper health insurance, even if the results were not optimal. We had our cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, BMI, height, blood pressure, and waist circumference checked. Oh, I'm not angry with my results at all....I was shocked that some numbers were that good! I'm very, very pissed at the guy who went over my results with me. I now can understand why some fat acceptance people get so angry!

So, I finish up with my screening and wait for a person to go over the details. They take the person into a private conference room to discuss them. At least, that's what I saw happening while I was waiting. When my name was called, I had to talk to the guy right in the open room where everybody was getting checked. What? Maybe others were called that way and I didn't notice, but it felt weird. First, he showed my blood pressure...120/63...Yay! Optimal is 119/79 or below, and the last time mine was checked when I was ill, it was higher. Does he share my glee? Nooooo! Next, he gives me my blood sugar results. I was really curious about what this number was because I'm a PCOS/Insulin Resistant chick and I was ready for a number over 100. Nope, I got 86 mg/dl...anything lower than 110 when you aren't fasting is normal. Yay yet again! Cholesterol time-total cholesterol 142-another woohoo for me! I've never heard my results about that before and I know high is pretty typical in my family, so I was happy. The guy then got a sparkle in his eye as he noticed he could finally lower the boom. My HDL cholesterol (the good kind) was low...34...I know, I'm terribly undesirable now.

Here's where I get pissed. He tells me the way to fix this number is to "stop eating the fatty foods you do like greasy hamburgers, french fries, and cake." And then, "you have to exercise for at least 15 minutes a day, which I can tell you don't now. Do you know what an exercise band is?" And he then circles 10-15 minutes on my paper and prattles on describing one without waiting for my answer. WTF is wrong with you asstard tech? I'm sure you don't have any medical background, you have no idea that I used to be in marathon training before my ankle surgery and no clue about my workouts. You're assuming I'm just a huge, lazy slob! If I was in one of the private rooms, this man would have lost a testicle. So, I'm sitting there wondering how can I harm him physically in front of everyone or give him a stern talking to without losing my job. Hmmmm, I'm coming short on possibilities.

I stew in my anger while he then goes over my weight, BMI, and waist size. He tells me "You have to start doing something about your size instead of watching TV and eating all the time." Oh, I need to rip out his tongue, gouge out his eyes, strip him naked, and duct tape him to the flagpole outside NOW. You know what? I wouldn't be pissed at all if he would have just asked, "Are you trying to do something about this issue currently?" instead of just assuming I eat deep-fried Twinkies while watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air marathons on TV Land. I don't even have basic cable right now! We could have had an honest discussion about what I'm doing and what goals I'd like to achieve. I'm thinking about complaining to management about this guy, but I don't really see a good resolution.

Other that that arse, the rest of the fair was great! I learned about a lot of healthy programs available including free fitness coaching and mental health issues (which I'll need for sure now!!) through work, picked up some free gym passes, had a wonderful massage and neck check (where I found out that I better get to a chiropractor or something for it), and a free water bottle. I was ready to burst out laughing when I walked past a booth for Jenny Craig and this lady was doing a hard sales technique on this woman that maybe had 15 pounds to lose tops. She didn't even attempt to get my attention. Shocking! There also was a WW booth there where a girl that works here told about her success and that she had dropped out a few times before she was finally ready to commit. I'm still thinking about going back after I see how I do with South Beach.

Day 5 Totals:

• Calories: 1225
• Fats: 48 g (finally in the normal range!!!)
• Carbs: 27
• Protein: 163 (I'm an overachiever!)
  

Day 4: Carb Explosion!

I'm finally starting to feel a bit more energy this week. I'm not sure if it's the food plan that's helping or not, but I am waking up naturally earlier in the day instead of abusing the snooze button or resetting my alarm to the latest time possible without getting late for work. I feel that I'm getting better sleep also. Usually, I wake up at least 5 times a night and slug Giggleman (grrr, he won't let me use his name on my blog yet!) for snoring so loudly. I only woke up once early this AM when he was savagely clearing the forest.

Confession time: I ate a dessert with bread in it last night! I wasn't even craving it, but Giggleman bought it and I've never tried it before. The treat did absolutely nothing for me and I didn't go into a carb craving frenzy mode afterwards. I had my serving and wasn't tempted to eat more even though there was a huge amount left over. It did add 53 g carbs to my total and more fat than I'd like for yesterday and gave me a bit of a headache due to that huge influx. Overall though, I was still within a nice calorie range and even below the SparkPeople (which isn't based on SBD) recommended carb amount for the day. I'm back to full-on Phase 1 today so all is good.

Day 4 Totals:

• Calories: 1619
• Carbs: 74 (would have been a new low of 21 without the dessert!)
  
• Fats: 82 g (ehhh, whatever)
  
• Protein: 144 g (kick arse #)
  

Day 3: Kitchen Goddess!

The South Beach Diet takes a whole lot of food planning and cooking! I haven't had to cook in two years much due to my man always doing it. But, I never was a horrible cook before then, so I thought I could handle it!! I've been checking out recipes and picking out things we'd like. Kalyn's Kitchen and the boards at 3 Fat Chicks have been a tremendous help!!

Yesterday, I decided to make two items: Mock French Toast/Pancakes (no bread involved and the recipe is the same for both) and Egg Muffins. First, I had to try to find all the items in my kitchen. Let's just say that I am going to do some reorganizing because Giggleman's way just doesn't make any sense! Plus, I had to wash measuring cups, a bowl, a whisk (I think that's the proper name...I call everything thingamabobs myself), and a griddle. I tried the Mock French Toast recipe first. Breaking the eggs and mixing all the other ingredients together were no problem. Then, it was time to cook! I have never made pancakes or french toast before on the griddle, but I've watched plenty of times. How hard could it be?

Needless to say, I made a complete mess!! I didn't know what temp to put the griddle on so I set it in the middle. I waited about 5 minutes to see if the light goes off when the griddle reaches the temp. The light still hadn't gone off but the side of the griddle felt hot, so I decided to pour on my mixture. Big Mistake! The stuff didn't want to stay nicely in one spot like I've seen it when others have cooked and it oozed all over. I only dumped a little on the griddle first, luckily. The mixture started to solidify a bit so I decided to dump on the rest. Oops!!! So, a lot of the gunk didn't stay on the griddle!! And then, the light on the griddle finally went off. Gee thanks!! The part that did stay on did taste pretty yummy although it didn't look like pancakes or french toast at the end!

I then made the Egg Muffins...I put in some celery and meat like it said. Luckily, those worked perfectly!!! They were yummy and perfectly formed and everything! I have enough for days so I won't have to work so hard on breakfast until later in the week. I so wanted to take a picture but I couldn't even find my digital camera. Guess I need to do some cleaning!

By the time I had cooked, cleaned up, and sampled the fruit of my labor, it was almost lunch time. I wasn't ready for lunch so I waited to eat until right before going to work...I threw together a salad and used Wish Bone Salad Spritzer in Red Wine for dressing. Wow, that dressing is so yummy and much easier for me to not overload. Definitely try it if you haven't already. I had a cheese stick and the SB dessert staple, sugar-free Jello. I then headed out to work, forgetting to pack a snack or dinner. My stomach punished me with loud growling, which I haven't felt or heard in a long time. When I got home, I finally had dinner. Surprisingly, I didn't have the urge to gobble the food quickly and overeat. I did have a fudgsicle afterwards and discovered I grabbed the non sugar-free one. Oops!

After I tracked my food for the day, I was VERY low on calories...not good, but not shocking since my lunch and breakfast kind of mixed together and the portions I ate of my cooking were tiny. Totals were:

• Calories-877 (BAD, BAD, BAD!)
• Fats: 41 g
• Carbs: 33 g
• Protein: 91 g
  

Day 2: Woohoo?

First off--Weight for the Biggest Loser Challenge? Down 3 pounds from last week! 309. I still have an issue with typing that number because I told myself I'd never let myself get up above the 2oos. Oh well, I won't be there for long!

Day 2 went pretty well. I ended up going to the grocery store again to get some better items for snacks and some other stuff. I had a headache almost all day...I'm hoping it's the rainy weather/allergy type and not the food type! I feel another one coming on now and I can tell it's going to be a doozy already.

• Calories: 1410 (I can't believe that's it because I felt I ate a lot more!)
• Carbs: 22 (Whoa! That's a huge difference from Sunday!)
• Fats: 83 (High again, I had a bit too much cheese!)
• Protein: 142 (Nice! I usually struggle with that!)

So, what have I learned? Eat cheese but don't become a cheesehead, tracking my food isn't that bad, and make sure to read the whole nutrition label!

Day One--I'm Still Alive!!

As I promised to myself, I jumped back on the healthy lifestyle horse today. For my food plan, I am trying the South Beach plan. I'm shocked I didn't change my mind again about that before today. My man did a bit of grumbling while I pointed out veggies in the grocery store, but he's still with me so far. I tracked all my food today, and I did pretty well for the first day. I did have a few problems though!

1. I ate a LOT less caloriewise than I planned. Part of the problem was I couldn't get myself out of bed until almost 2 pm!!! So breakfast ended up being lunch and I had a bigger snack later on.
   
2. I ate a veggie that I'm supposed to avoid until Phase 2. But the corn was sooooo good! Also, my fudgsicle snack was higher in carbs than my whole breakfast. According to the book, this snack is recommended, so I'm still a bit carb-confused.
   
3. According to my SparkPeople food log, I had a bit more fat than I should have. Only by 9 grams though! My carbs were lower than suggested, but of course that will happen when I'm eating lower carbs during this phase! The book didn't really state (I don't think) how much I should aim for daily, so I'll have to check that out.
   
4. I didn't fit any exercise in. I'm not counting all the pacing I did in the grocery aisles. So, I need to kick that into gear tomorrow!!

Day 1 Stats:

• Weight: 310 (Dang, if I only would have kept the weight off 2 years ago, I'd only have 40 pounds left to goal!)
• Calories: 1287 (as I said, a bit lower than I'm shooting for)
• Fat: 69 g
• Carbs: 83 g
• Protein: 87 g (in the normal range according to SP)

I have to weigh in again tomorrow for the Biggest Loser Challenge (link on the sidebar), so we'll see if there is a weight change...if it doesn't move, I'm still down 2 for the week without really trying!