Things I Need to Work On. (edited to add...Posts welcome)

[marsh0013]

just stopping by to offer my support and encouragement. once again, i know it's tough, but you're doing a great job making it through phase 1! and 3 pounds gone! that's so great! and i'm glad you're enjoying your pilates, it's a great workout

 

[sharoncity]

Wow TL! You are SO determined! I really admire you for that!
My DH asked how I was doing the other day. I told him lousy! 4 weeks and I've barely lost 5 lbs! He starts in on how I expect too much, give up too easy, yada yada.... Who said I was giving up? I just said it was going lousy! We will keep fighting our fight! And we WILL win!!!
Give it time and I hope the bloat fairy beats a path right out your door!

TTFN-
Sharon

 

[tlgoblue]

Sharon, I don't ever give up. Tenacity is my middle name. Yes we will do this. (One way or the other and if it takes forever.) Thanks for your support.

Marcia,

Day 9 on SB

Yesterday was hard as I am hormonally off balance. Really had nothing to do with SB. I finally decided to take my measurments and actually gained in my waistline. It could be a little water, but I know that it is more distention than anything. I really look about 3 months along! So I bit the bullet and went to fitday to run some numbers and found I was getting an average of 12 grams of fiber a day. Not good. I rushed to the market and grabbed some fiber additive (Like metamucil) and am hoping that helps. (My luck it will help on the day I have to spend on a field trip with DD! )

Breakfast yesterday was cottage cheese w/ tomatos, and cucumbers with a ton of black pepper, and a hard boiled egg. Lunch was Leftover Senagalese soup and a portabella mushroom topped with tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella and balsamic/olive oil. Snacks were all pistascios. (I think I may be eating more of those than I should. They may be what is making me so thirsty. They are about the sweetness level I crave.
Dinner was lettuce wraps with cilantro mayo, ham, onion, red pepper and broccoli sprouts. They were yummy!

I may need to drink more water, too. I drink 16 oz with every meal and snack, upon awakening, while exercising and right before bedtime. That should be enough, but I find myself thirsty at night. (i know Diabetes acts that way, but I do check my sugar periodically, and have always had normal readings. Except while pregnant with DD, which is why I do check every now and again, as I am at risk for developing Type II since I was insulin dependent while carrying her.) So, I'm thinking I need more water. (or less pistascios )

Looking forward to Valentines day, so I am assured of Legally (as in Legal Seafood) eating one of my favorite dishes, Portugese Fishermans Stew, ala Craig Common. I will also have a glass of champagne! (Maybe two! ) My WISHers from the NE will appreciate my excitement about that.

So for today, that is it. I will stay OP and get through this. I must say, I have been temted to throw in the towel, but as I said, tenacity is my middle name. (it can get ugly at times. Think Pittbull on fresh meat. )

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 10 on SB

Yesterday was very pre-menstral! Breakfast was 2 min. quiche and a glass of metamusil. Lunch was a salad, of course, and a glass of metamusil. I am beginning to get a bit tired of them. Snack was cauliflower and broccoli with hummus and dinner was taco salad, and yup, a glass of metamusil. I went off on my kids right before dinner. DS is a junkie and he was doing everything in his power to get back to his fix (Anything cyber ) and I had had enough of it. After 3-4 hours away from the cyber world, he returned to me as the child I know and love. :happy1: We watched Spaceballs and then watched 10 Best Hawaian beaches and went to sleep dreaming of his 15th birthday, so we can go there and he can learn to surf.

The metamusil is a very slow go, but I can feel some intestinal rumblings and that must be good. It does fill me up though, which could be useful. Still having misgivings about this route I'm taking but still hanging in there.

Tonight I'm making one of my family's favorite dishes, Ferakh bel Hummus, which is an Egyptian dish of chicken stewed in onions, garlic, & turmaric, served over chick peas. It is a great SB friendly dish. A 1C. serving is only 275 calories, with 7.5 g fat (1g. sat fat, 2.4g mono, 3.6g poly,) 25.7 g. protien, 6.3 g fiber, 59 mg. cholesterol, and 26 g. carbs. After dinner, I think we'll head to the bookstore for a few books to celebrate Black History Month. Something inspirational from Maya Angelou for me, and maybe a kids Civil Rights book for DS and DD. We are trying to have one African meal a week to help us in our celelbratin, and while Egypt isn't exactly where the earliest African Americans came from, it is African nonetheless. We have also done Senegal, which is closer. I'm going to have to find some great soul recipe too, I think, but I'm not sure how SB friendly that would be. I bet it could work though. Anyway, hasta manana!

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 11 on SB.

Well, only a few more days to go on phase one, I hope. yesterday went quite smoothly. I am starting to get some energy back, but I am still having doublts about my rate of loss. Though I haven't weighed in since Thursday and, therefore, have no real basis for this opinion, I just feeli sluggish and bloated. Pants still tight and doing Pilates is getting more difficult, as I am uncomfortable rounding forward for many of the moves. My family is growing frustrated with my not being able to just drop this thing and move on. I told myself I would stick it out, and not be disappointed one way or the other. Still hoping for a whoosh. (And a reason to end this whole thing.)

Yesterday's breakfast wasscrambled eggbeaters w/ onions and peppers and metamusil.
Lunch was a salad, and metamusil.
Dinner was Ferahk bel Hummus, and it was soooo yummy, and metamusil. I am getting concerned that regularity has not come about yet. Doing everything I can to move things along, but so far, things are disappointing, to say the least.

Today has been difficult. Spent the whole day at DD's field trip, had very little brekky and a very abbreviated lunch which only allowed me time to finish about half of my salad. I did eat all the chicken on top, knowing full well I would not get to my snack! Anyway, I have no plans for dinner. DS has a dance at 6:00 ahd DD doesn't get back from the Y 'til 6:00 and I just want to hop into the tub and soak!

So about 3 more days to go officially, but again, I think I'll wait til Saturday or Sunday, to give my verdict.

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 12 on SB

Yesterday I practically starved! Too busy to eat. When dinnertime arrived, I was wiped! I had leftover Egyptian Stew and it was really salty for some reason, and I just couldn't stomach it. I did have some almonds for dessert though. I'm getting concerned about why the metamusil isn't working and I realised I wasn't using enough, and even then, it can take up to 72 hours! So I'm upping the dosage and hoping today is the day!
I am feeling more upbeat as the end of Phase One draws closer, though yesterday I had the worst cravings I've had in a very long time. Maybe it was the salty stew, or maybe it was my body telling me it meeded some energy, and that triggered the sweet tooth. I just wanted something sweet. This went on for about an hour. I thought maybe I could get a cappuccino, but no milk, so that was out. That is why I settled for almonds. They are a bit sweet. It did pass eventually, but I honestly don't get cravings like that even when I'm not on a diet that is supposed to eliminate these types of cravings.

So today begins day 12, and I am still hanging tough. Hoping to get some pilates in this A.M. to keep the old metabolism up and muscle tone from going buh bye! DH comes home today. Maybe I'll see just how committed he is to his health (He told me he needs to get to the gym) and go to the gym with him. Even if all we do is walk the track, it is better than sitting on the sofa, siping martinis. (well, not really better, but better for us! )

Until tomorrow!

 

[marsh0013]

i'm so impressed with your determination! you are really having a rough time with all of this, but you're sticking it out anyway. i hope that things turn around and you end up seeing the results that you're looking for. good luck

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 13 on SB

Marcia, I am getting really tired of this. I know that this should be working for me, but so far I have only managed tolose the weight I gained over the Holidays. While I am happy about that, and don't think I would have done it without going on some sort of regimented plan, I'm not yet convinced of the claims this diet makes. At least not for me. I will keep at it though for the next few days. Thanks for checking in on me!

Yesterday was a great day. Breakfast was cottage cheese and chopped tomato and cucumber. Lunch was tuna salad with chopped pickles, cucumbers onion and dill mixed with low fat mayo, lemon juice and dijon mustard, served over greens. Dinner was mahi and veggies. No snacks and no dessert, but I felt pretty good yesterday. Got all my laundry and ironing done! Then DH came home with a weeks worth, but it's OK. At least I'm caught up.

I'll be going to the gym more frequently according to DH. We'll see. Maybe that will help get things moving in the right direction. I have no plans for dinner tonight which means I had better start thinking about it or I'll be in trouble. I spend all a.m. with DD's class, so there will not be much time to prepare when I get home.

TTFN!

Oh boy! The Golgothan is making a departure! (thank Goodness for metamusil and indoor plumbing! Can you imagine that problem in an outhouse this time of year!?!? ) However, he's been replaced by the Bloat Fairy! But that is a trade I'm willing to make! I still look pregnant, but it must be mostly water, as I can see the imprint of my blues in my thighs. Not the seams mind, but the grain in the denim! Things are looking up! I never thought I'd be happy to see the bloat fairy, but if it kicks the other demon out, that's fine with me! Still WISHing for a whoosh!

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 14 on SB

Yesterday was terrible. Breakfast was leftover tuna salad, lunch was a salad with a hunk of mahi left over from the night before and dinner was edamame Succotash. TOM is here with a vengence, and I am still wiped out. I was in bed by seven and sleeping by 8:30. I'm supposed to weigh in today, but I don't think I will. I can tell I'm holding too much water and I don't want to get discouraged with only a few more days to go. Had incredible sugar cravings last night, and it dawned on me it's from TOM. This too will pass. I won't be able to exercise today, and maybe not tomorrow either . But I promise to stay on plan today. That's the best i can do. Good news is I should be back on my game by Valentines day.

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 15 on SB

Yesterday was good. Brekky was one mini quiche. Lunch was a salad, with almonds for a snack, and for dinner we went to a Japanese Steakhouse. I passed on the rice, soup and most of the salad. (it was yucky iceburg with a ginger dressing that isn't really good, and I'm sure it has sugar in it.) I had onions, mushrooms, zucchini, beansprouts and chicken with a few bites of beef. Oh yeah, and 3 shrimp. Probably the most food I've had in a single meal for 2 weeks, but while I was full, I was not overly so. The bad news in all of this is that everything is cooked in butter and tons of salt. Not good fat, but I'm sure this was not a deal breaker. The salt will have me for a while but I am drinking, drinking, drinking my water. I may actually get to exercise today, but not promising anything today. I think I will weigh in "officially" tomorrow. By then, most of the water should be gone, and I can better guage how this diet is working for me. I have pretty much made a mental committment tho keeping to Phase one untill I lose 10 pounds, so I'm praying I have lost at least 8, which would put me at 142. That would be two important milestones for me. I will have officially lost 15 pounds since starting WISH, and I will have met my first mini goal of 145! So I am kind of excited. Actually, I'm excited already as I know I have already lost 15 since my heaviest of 162, (which happened after I started WISH! ) And, for the most part, I have managed to keep all but 3 of that off for several months! So I will check in tomorrow with an official statement.

 

[marsh0013]

hey it seems like everyone is going through tom right around now! crazy! don't sweat the cravings, you gotta give in sometimes.

hope weigh in went well for you!

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 18 on SB

Valentines day I was baaad! Woke up with a headache. I was really good for brekky and lunch, but the dinner hour got away from me. I was really busy all day, and didn't get to start dinner until almost 6. Since my weigh in that morning showed me at 144, I was not going to not have a glass of champagne, so I did. While cooking, I began snacking on pistachios, then another glass of champagne. Repeat above scenario for yet another snack and glass of champagne. Dinner was not the best I've made, and I was very disappointed. All in all, I wish I didn't even open the champagne. (But it was the best part of the night! )

I'm not suffering greatly because of my indescretion. No cravings were sparked, and I'm still on plan. I did meet my first mini goal milestone, but can only report a 6 pound loss for my first 2 1/5 weeks on SB. Not exactly the progress I had hoped to make. Still only 4 pounds away from 140, and that will be a happy day for me. (havent seen under 140 sind Dbil passed away, and that was just a trauma reaction and very short lived) I am now at the "I need to lose 20 more pounds" point. I'm hoping to lose another 5-10 befor the end of March. I will start Phase 2 of SB when I've hit 140. That could be sooner than later, as I will be hitting the gym for some cardio work. I know it is going to get harder, the closer I get, but I bet by this summer, the gramdparents will be amazed. Oh yeah, DH is starting to cut carbs! Not going all out, but just things like no sugar in the coffee, and a lot less bread, and cereal. (we don't do potatos often and rice is not a staple either. Pasta is another thing. I have purchased some whole wheat pasta, and that will be a side dish for my first phase 2 meal.)

That's it for now.

 

[tlgoblue]

Day 20 on SB

Today is the day I come to my senses and realize South Beach is not working for me. With the single exception of Valentines day indulgence of some Champagne, I have followed this thing to the letter. I have lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks. That is only 2 pounds a week. I have zero energy to do anything. I am wiped out by 4 in the afternoon, I can't live without metamusil and I am definately losing muscle. That is the final side affect that brought me to this conclusion. I have always been able to lose 2 pounds a week when I was very strict with myself. And I know what my body needs and what it can and can't handle. I need to exercise. I like exercise, but on this particular plan, I haven't the energy to do so. South beach has given me my single most successful loss. If my body isn't "detoxed" from bad carbs yet, it will never be. This 3 weeks had psychologically programmed me to fear anything with fructose, sucrose and any other form of sugar. I have stopped having my wine with dinner, which was not a real problem, but I haven't really seen the benefit either. Since I pretty much eat a phase 3 diet anyway, I think I'm just going back to watching my portions, and keeping my carbs on a limited, (fiber rich) basis. I'm not saying SB is not a good eating plan, but I have only 20 pounds to lose, and I don't want it to be muscle. If I'm too tired to exercise, I won't and then my muscle will further deteriorate. At 40, I am losing about a half pound a year anyway. I can't afford to lose more. I am a bit disappointed, but I have made some improvements thanks to SB, which was what I was hoping for. I don't feel like a failure. I just think that I wanted more than it had to give me.

Today for breakky, I HAD OAT BRAN! Skim milk and splenda. We'll have to see how that affects any sugar rushcravingcrashs I may have. I have been checking my sugar and it has been consistently 84-86. I just finished brekky and will wait about 20 mins and check it to see how things go. For lunch I'm having ceasar salad, and my famous chicken fajitas (with LC whole wheat ) wraps. See, still pretty much SB friendly, and truely the way I normally eat anyway. I already did pilates, and will go for a walk with DH at lunch. I think I'd like to hit the elliptical sometime today as well, to get my legs back.

So long South Beach! Thanks for al the tips!

Ok. Checked my sugar. It was 146! So, a definite spike, however, there was a concurrent spike in my energy level, as well! Checked it again, an hour later, and it was 111. My energy level, however has not diminished at all. I have not noticed any increase in appetite, any cravings. I am preparing my lunch right after this, and I imagine I will be hungry by the time it is ready. I will check my sugar right before I eat, and it should be back below 100, if my body is handling the sugar, the way it is supposed to. I have had no desire for a snack. So far, so good.

Sugar 2 hours later: 84. Guess I'm doing ok. Lunch was yummy and filling. I won't be walking with DH at lunch , but will go with DD to the Y directly after school. It will be a family affair, as I will take DS with me.

 

[marsh0013]

i'm sorry that south beach did not work for you, but i am glad that you have come to this conclusion and are working on a plan that will do you well! i agree about your muscles. if you were feeling too tired to exercise on south beach, that can't be good for you. i hope that your new way of eating will give you a great boost of energy and that you will be able to exercise again

good luck!!

 

[tlgoblue]

Yesterday was great! I did pilates and 1/2 hour on the elliptical. It almost killed me though. The heart rate monitor was flakey. I noticed my heart was beating harder than normal and when I took my pulse it was at 34/10 seconds! It took 10 mins. just to bring it back down to 150! Man! I am out of shape. But I felt really good for the rest of the night. (Once I convinced myself I was not going to have a heart attack)

Brekky was oatbran, splenda, and skim milk.
Lunch was ceasar salad
Dinner was chipotle chicken stew.

I actually had the energy to stay up past 10! I also had energy to tidy up my house. Things were getting rediculous around here. I was not keeping up with the housework, and in bed by 8:30! That is no life. Now I can see why my family was unhappy with me. They were, however, very supportive.

I think I have found where I belong in the health spectrum, and need to remind myself that I have lost over 15 pounds. I will lose the rest sooner or later. Though tenacity is my middle name, stupidity has no place in my life. Live and learn!

Well, OK, so I'm weak and stupid!
I just got back from the gym and found that I have been working waaaay beyond my fintess level. Is that possible? I ran into my pilates instructor and she wondered where I'd been blah blah. Anyway, I was asking about personal trainers and how they work. (she is a certified something or other). Anyway, she gave me a mini session. So on the elliptical, I was running right around 172bpm. She said "Woah! That is way too high for you!" I told her that is about where I get to feeling like I'm actually doing something. Anyway, that is way below my 80% aerobic level. She asked how I did in math. Seems I was taking the target bpm and multiplying by 10, not 6! So here, all along, I thought I was just doing a moderate 55-60% level, when in fact I was doing way too much. That was stupid #1.
Stupid #2 was the balsamic Chicken recipe from SB meal plan. I must have been crazed with hunger or something and was too stupid to trust my better judgement when I thought the recipe called for me to marinate the chicken over night in a balsamic marinade. Upon re-reading it, I realised I was only supposed to use the dry ingredients as a rub, and drizzle the balsamic over the chicken towards the end of cooking! I'll have to give it another try.
So, I learned two things today, and now I am somewhat less ignorant. It is a good day so far. Did my cardio, the right way, for 40 mins. I would like to get a pilates session in, but who knows. I would also like to do some strenth, but my legs are still a bit sore form Monday!
One more thing I have noticed. My face looks happier. I think I must have lost all 15 pounds there, as my measurments don't reflect much of a change. But I do look happier, like I'm not in a perpetual frown. That is good. Maybe it's is from not drinking as much alcohol. Certainly less beer and beer will bloat. I think I'm done with beer. (At least until next September! And then only one per Quarter! )

 

[marsh0013]

oh i am so happy for you! you can just hear the motivation in your post! that is excellent that you are feeling so much better, makes me so happy

glad you found out you were exercising too hard. better late than never. and now, like you said, you can fix it. same with the balsalmic chicken! i knew that didn't sound right! glad you got that one figured out. maybe it'll actually taste good when made that way

hope you have a great day today

 

[tlgoblue]

Another winner yesterday! Though I did get really hungry around 3, and was in no positon to snack. Brekky was oatbran, et al, Lunch was a humongous salad, but I forgot to put some protien on hence, the hunger around 3, and I did have (eventually) some almonds and broccoli with baba for a snack, and leftover chicken chipotle stew for dinner with a glass of syrah. Yum! I got my bedroom cleaned, got to the gym, and tried on some of my clothes that used to fit last summer then got way too tight. They ar too big! I have very mixed feelings about this. I'm happy that I am seeing results, but these were expensive clothes. I'm going to have to find a good tailor, and have them taken in. It's got to be cheaper than buying new. Some of these outfits I have only worn once, as I bougth them on the premise that I would continue to lose, when, in reality, I gained! I figure I'll wait until I reach my second goal of 135, before I have them altered. Than they will have to come in at least 2 sizes, and I'll have less of a chance that I will outgorw them again.

What will I do for me today?

1. Exercise
2. Try to have lunch with DH (He's been in meetings all week )
3. Put away the remaining boxes of Christmas stragglers that have been cluttering my Family room for a month!

I will make jerk pork for dinner tonight, and have the usual for lunch and brekky.

HI Marcia! Thanks for the inspiration. I must hit your journal 2-3 times a day to get me ready to roll! I'm so glad to have you haer to keep me going.

Have a day everyone!

 

[marsh0013]

i am so glad to help keep you going! that makes me so happy, but you're making me blush . i started out this journey learning from and being inspired by the others on the board, it makes me so happy that i can be of some help as well

that's great about the clothes! really, it is. i know it stinks because they cost so much money, but i think your approach is a good idea. tailoring sounds like a wonderful solution

hope you got to have lunch with dh and that you have a great day

 

[DoeWDW]

I just got caught up on your journal! You are amazing for giving SBD such a thorough trial, learning from it and then moving on! I love your story about last summer's clothes being too large - a good tailor will get them all fixed up for you when you're ready!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

[tlgoblue]

Friday was good. Stayed on plan. Jerk Pork was amazing! I did my full strength session, and on Saturday, was not sore at all!

Yesterday was good too. Brekky was oatbran. Lunch was actually an early dinner at Hooters! I had a garden salad and a few bites of DD's grilled chicken breast (though I think their idea of grilled is griddled), and 3 fully dressed 911 wings. OH MAN WERE THEY GOOD! Iced tea to drink. Went to the Mall for a walk, but that was a waste of time. I forgot about teenagers and the mall on Saturday evenings. Went home and split a most amazing bottle of wine with DH. We Watched Grand Canyon and I slept like a baby.

I woke up early this morning and made coffee, and am waiting for the rest of the family to wake up and start the day. I didn't exercise yesterday, but I did do some vigorous housekeeping. I'm grabbing my 15 pound clippie as well. Though today is not my weigh in day, I jumped on to see if exercise was helping, and I'm at 141! Talk about whoosh! Not to mention the motivation it gives me to keep going at get exercising. I could be to my second goal easily, by the end of March.

Doreen, thanks again for the kind words. I don't know why SB didn't work for me. I do know that it wasn't from lack of trying.

Thanks to you too Marcia! It is so nice to have my WISH's watching over me. You guys are inspirational and keep me going. Thanks!