I Give Myself Permission to be Imperfect. Do You?

I give myself permission to be imperfect!  I really like this part of the program.  I know that I am not going to be 100% all of the time.  I know that there are going to be days when we want to eat out, and days when I'm with my family (who love to cook a lot).  So, up front, I am giving myself permission to mess up every once in a while.  Therefore, I will not feel devastated if I don't get it right one day.  I'll just get back together the next day.  Of course, with that said, I do plan to follow the program as closely as I can.  However, this program is so versatile that it will look differently for each individual person, which is one of the things I like best of all!

My husband has also been on a weight-loss journey, he has lost 90 lbs. so far...Yay!  But he is so obsessed about eating low/no carbs and he is really hard on himself when he feels that he has eaten too many.  I think it's borderline unhealthy because I'm worried that he is taking it too far.  I am glad that this program gives me the freedom to be me and that I don't have to feel that 'all is lost' if I mess up every now and then.  How do you feel when you mess up?  Do you find it difficult to get it back together because you were being too hard on yourself?

Learning So Much...

I am delving deeply into the Venus Factor 12-week system and all of the resources available on it's site.  I am learning so much about my body and how it works.  One thing that really surprised me today is the 'fasting' part of the program.  I was always told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that it is what gets your metabolism started each day.  I have always been forcing myself to eat breakfast, even when I didn't feel like it.  Could it be true that fasting is really better?  Perhaps this will be one of the answers I have been looking for all my life.  According to the program they call for a 12-hour 'fast' overnight.  It tells us that when you have been fasting your body looks for other energy sources and begins to use the energy stored in your fat cells.  Then, when you start to eat again, the body switches over to the energy form the food you eat.  Makes perfect sense when you think about it, right!?!

I don't think 'fasting' will be a huge problem for me, I was just so surprised when I read about it, as it goes against everything I thought I knew about metabolism.  I OFTEN go without lunch during my workday, I'm a teacher and we don't get much of a lunch break anyways.  But, I would rather skip breakfast and eat a small lunch instead.  So, I think this will work well for me.  I am definitely going to be in for a surprise when I start accurately counting my calories, I've never done this part before and I know it's going to be shocking to see what I actually eat each day!

WOW, I just learned that some ladies have been doing 24 hour fasts!?!  They go from dinner to dinner.  That doesn't sound like it is good for you (based on everything I thought I knew about metabolism).  Does that really help?  There are many days that I think I will be able to skip breakfast and lunch and just eat a small dinner, but I always thought that was bad for you.  Eeek!  I'm so shocked by this information.  It's hard to take it all in at once, but I'm eager to get started!  YAY!

Getting Started...The Venus Factor Program

I am a 36 year old mother of one and my heaviest weight was 280 (I'm 5'6").  I hated the way I looked and felt.  Nearly 3 years ago I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. www.ihrfoundation.org (great website for information about this condition).  For some reason, my body started making too much spinal fluid which caused major headaches for months at a time.  One thing the neurologists recommended was loosing weight.  Since I have been trying to loose weight ever since I had gained it, I knew I needed something radical.  Several months later I decided to have a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (weight-loss surgery).  I lost a whopping 90 lbs. the first year.  I was starting to feel great and was finally under 200 lbs. for the first time in a long time!  Now, it is coming up on my 2 year surgiversary, and I have gained about 25 lbs. back.  I am over 200 again...boo!  This weight was just recently gained.  I have tried so many different medications for my headaches that I can't even keep up with them.  But, in March, we finally found one that worked.  The only side-effect is this sudden weight gain that I have experienced.  I know I need to do something, and I am hopeful that the Venus Factor program will work for me.  I know that I am not alone and that there are many others out there that are going through this process with me.  I wish anyone else trying to lose weight the best of luck on your journey, and I want to hear about what you are doing!

I am brand new to Venus and am still trying to figure this whole thing out.  I am enjoying looking around the forum and customizing my blog, but I'm not sure where to go to find out what to eat vs. what not to eat.  I still need to explore a bit more before I can put this program into action.  I'll let you know what I find out soon!

Just found this out today...
I am learning so much while reading the Venus Factor 12-week program download.  I now understand that there is no what-to-eat, or when-to-eat.  It's only a matter of how much calories you are putting in.  I think I can handle that!  Also, I like that there are 'eat-up' days built into the plan.  'Eat-up' are much different than cheat days.  Since this program allows you to eat whatever foods you want (all you have to do is eat a certain number of calories) you don't really need any cheat days.  'Eat-up' days are when you eat enough food to hit your maintenance caloric intake instead of your deficit.  I think it will help keep me on the right track, and not make me feel like I am constantly starving myself.  So far, this program looks like it will work wonderfully for me.  I am only on pg. 55, so I have lots more reading to do tomorrow.

Oops...My Bad!

I'm workin' it out.  Some things are working for me and some things are not.  I kind of cheated with my FlyLady routine this morning.  I know I said I was awake and dressed.  Well, that wasn't entirely accurate.  I was dressed alright.  But I had decided to skip FlyLady's most important step.  Putting on my "lace-up" shoes!  I thought I could beat this system.  Quite frankly, I thought I knew better.  Low and behold...I was wrong.  The plan was to go work out at 2:00 today.  Well, by around 4:30 I realized that I still hadn't gone to the gym.  I didn't fell like actually going out of the house!  Which is the whole reason FlyLady tells you to put on those shoes.  That way you have no excuse NOT to leave the house.  I did eventually throw on a pair of flip-flops and head to the store for a few things we needed for dinner.  And when I got back (shoes still on and all), I decided it was time to clean out the refrigerator.
Here's the thing.  I have supposedly learned this lesson once before, but my memory isn't always so good.  I took the glass shelf from the fridge to wash in the sink and with the hot water running and a sponge in my hand.  BAM!  Broken glass all over the kitchen!  Luckily it was the good kind of glass that cracks into a million pieces without any sharp edges, so I didn't get cut.  However, that was a pretty important shelf!  That's the shelf where we stored our gallon jugs of tea, milk, and some random bottles of alcohol.  Now where are we going to put that stuff!?!  My kind, sweetheart of a husband came home from work and cleaned up the glass while I got started on dinner.  South Beach all the way, baby!  Photos included...

Day 3 Photos Continued:

Broken Glass in the Sink - Oops!

The Refrigerator - AFTER

Sautee the Vegetables

Cook the Chicken and Marinade

Mix in the Steamed Broccoli

Add in the Chicken Broth

Dinner is Served - Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Establishing a Routine

Day 3 - Repeat, repeat, repeat!  That's what FlyLady recommends.  This is how I am going to establish my routines.  Today I must get up and get dressed in the morning and then keep my kitchen sink cleaned.  So far, so good.  My plans for today are to eat a quick chicken salad for lunch then hop on over to the gym (since I refuse to exercise outside right now), stop by the grocery store on the way home to get needed items for dinner, cook dinner, clean out the sink and go to bed.  Sounds easy enough.  I still want to clean out the refrigerator since I didn't get that finished on my initial day.  I'm sure I'll have room in my plans for that.  Just to help motivate me, I am posting the refrigerator before picture.  It's gross in there (so embarrassing)!

Day 3 Photo:

The Refrigerator - BEFORE

Nope, Ain't Gonna Happen...

Nope, ain't gonna happen...
I am not cut out for this "outside" shit!  It is way too fucking hot and I can't handle the heat.  Today, I opted to go for a walk with the family (including the dogs), and it sucked!  Halfway through, hubby and son turned to go the long way, and I continued straight to go the short way (taking both dogs with me).  A few minutes later, Daisy's back legs refused to even move.  It would have been quite comical if I hadn't been so damn HOT!  Her back legs stopped moving, but her front ones continued to walk until she was flat on her stomach.  So, we waited.  I was actually grateful for the few minutes we stood in the shade, I need to cool off and catch my breath myself!  Tony and A.J. had made it all the way around and meet me back where I was.  I wasn't sure it was gonna happen, but we finally made it back home!  Home, where I quickly fixed myself a glass of ice water, and stripped off every piece of clothing (shoes and all) that FlyLady made me put on this morning!  I was sweating, hot, and thirsty!
From now on, I am vowing to stay indoors while exercising!  The only time I want to be outside this summer is when I am at the park, the pool, or the beach.  As I said, this whole "outside" thing, just ain't for me!

Photos of our Dogs:

NOELLE - "Toes in the Sand" - 5 1/2 years old

DAISY - "Nose in the Snow" - 1 year old

Very Interesting!

So, apparently my body has "misplaced" nearly 6 pounds today.  I know that weight fluctuates from day to day, but come on, 6 pounds?  Where exactly did it go?  I don't know, but I can't really get excited about it because I don't expect it to stay that way.  Only time will tell.  As for FlyLady's Day 2, I am up, took a shower and got dressed (including my laced-up shoes).  Just so you know, it took me until 12:00 p.m. to get to that point.  However, FlyLady didn't give me a time limit!
Plans for today include, eating something for lunch (of course), heading out to the gym or going on a walk with the family, cleaning out the refrigerator since I didn't have time to do that yesterday, and eating a healthy dinner.  I wonder what's on the menu for tonight?  Stay tuned if you want to find out!  Day 2 is just getting started.

A HUGE, BIG, ENORMOUS "THANK YOU" TO MY HUSBAND TONY!  Not only did he run to the store when I found out that we didn't have any sink cleaner, he also put away the dishes from the dishwasher 3 times for me!  Our "shiny sink" would not have been possible without him!

Day 1 - COMPLETE!

Today, I have officially "shined my sink"!  It took a whole lot longer than I expected.  However, that wasn't FlyLady's fault.  All she told me to do was shine the sink.  I am the one who chose to clean the rest of the kitchen as well.  I figured it make a whole lot of sense to have a shiny sink and a messy-ass kitchen.  So, I washed two loads of dishes, cleaned the countertops, scrubbed the stove and wiped down the kitchen.  I did it in sections, so it didn't seem as daunting all in one day, although, it does feel like it took me all day to finish.  So, that's it for Day 1 with FlyLady.  Tomorrow should be an easy day, the only think listed for me to do is get dressed to lace up shoes.  Not that I often wear actual lace-up shoes, but for one day, I think I can handle it.  If that's even what she meant in the first place.
As for my healthier lifestyle, I ate a few pieces of rotisserie chicken and a bit of tomato and cucumber salad for lunch.  Went to the gym with my good friend, Ashley, at 1:30.  I rode on the bike for 15 minutes, onto the treadmill for another 5 or 10, then to the butt-kicking 30 minute workout with Jennifer.  She about killed us today!  OMG!  After being home for a short while, Tony wanted to take A.J. on a bike ride, so I decided to join them.  Well, that was a big mistake!  My legs and arms felt like jello every time I had to ride up hill.  By the end of the ride, I couldn't take it anymore and walked my bike home.  I hope I get better at that as time goes on!  For dinner, we had grilled chicken salads.  Tony chose caesar dressing and I had balsamic vinaigrette.  Yummy.  I was actually quite full after eating the salad.
After dinner is when I actually cleaned the sink.  I ran into a slight snag.  Can't shine the sink without any cleaner!  Apparently sink cleaner is not something we choose to keep in stock at our house.  We have lots of stuff for the carpet and furniture, but sink, NOTHING!  So, I sent Tony out to the store to get some cleaner and voila, kitchen complete!

Day 1 Photos:
AFTER

MY SHINY KITCHEN SINK!

Look at the sparkle!  Oooooh!

My clean kitchen - view 1

My clean kitchen - view 2

My clean kitchen - view 3

My clean kitchen - view 4

DINNER - Yummy!

In the beginning there was...

In the beginning there was...
ME - an obese woman who lives in a messy house.  I am sick of myself!  I am tired of being overweight, and I wish I wanted to help my husband clean the house more often.  So, my two goals for the summer are:  to start a cleaning regimen (I am going to use the "FlyLady" approach) and to get myself a little healthier (we are starting South Beach and I need to go to the gym more often).

Here is the plan:
Today, we are starting to eat healthier, AGAIN!  We have converted to South Beach before, and we partly continue with some of the changes we have made.  For example, we like to use whole wheat pasta, I look for whole grain bread, and we will occasionally choose a baked sweet potato over a white one.  Although, as time goes on, I am less likely to continue choosing the right thing.  So, time to start over.  Going all the way back to Phase 1, for the third time.  Here is the history:  the first time, I lost about 40 pounds and Tony lost 60 pounds, we both had a work out system that time.  Second time, I only did the food plan, no exercising, and I lost 15-20 pounds before I fizzled out.  They say the third time's the charm, I hope that works here too!  This time, I am going full force, food and exercise.  Luckily, since it is summer vacation, I don't have to worry about working full time as well.  So, I am hoping that will help me be more successful this time.
Then, on to the house!  From what I understand from the FlyLady website, it's a step-by-step process.  Day 1 only requires me to shine my kitchen sink.  Well, my kitchen has been neglected for so long that I'm doing that in two phases.  Phase 1 is complete, I washed a load of dishes and cleaned up some of the countertops.  Next is phase 2, another load of dishes and the actual "shining" of the sink.  Fear not, I will be posting before and after photos!  I am hoping that posting all of my trials and tribulations (because I know there will be many) on this blog, not only motivates me, but also motivates you too!  :)

Day 1 Photos:
BEFORE:

The Kitchen Sink - BEFORE

The Kitchen Sink - BEFORE

The Kitchen Sink - After the first load of dishes

The Kitchen Sink - After the first load of dishes

Spreading the Love

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She also has a page on FACEBOOK.  
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Heading in the Right Direction

It's week 4 and I am steadily loosing weight.  An average of about 3 pounds per week.  The one thing I haven't been able to do is start exercising.  For some reason, that just seems like the hardest thing in the world to me.  I know it will help me loose the weight faster, and getting into an exercise routine will help me keep the weight off for longer, but I just can't seem to get started.  I will try again next week.  I'm not going to give up!
As far as the eating is concerned, I've been doing great!  I'm eating less and eating things that are so much healthier.  I am, again, amazed at how easy it was to implement these changes in eating.  I don't even want to eat the old stuff anymore.  My favorites are the potatoes...I do miss those.  But, I know that one day I will get closer to my goal, and then I will allow myself to eat my favorite potato dishes every once in a while.
This is the Chicken with Snow Peas that we had for dinner one night last week.  After undercooking my chicken the night before, I wanted to be especially sure that the chicken was cooked this night.  But, other than the over-done chicken, everything else came out perfectly.

Sesame Ginger Chicken with Snow Peas

Resisting Temptation!

Tonight we went out for dinner.  We went to a steak place...steak is definitely OK on South Beach, as long as your diet isn't only red meat.  My husband and I both got our steaks with a salad and a baked sweet potato.  Dinner was good, but my husband and son were interested in the brownie from the dessert menu.  I told him he could have it if it was a sugar-free brownie made with whole-wheat flour.  He, of course, said it was (and almost had my son convinced he was serious)!  Well, after much persuading, I told him he could have the brownie and I would get the cheesecake...just this once.  When the waiter came back to take our dessert order, he ordered his brownie and I ordered NOTHING!  I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I didn't really want a cheesecake that badly, and why ruin the last 3 weeks for just a cheesecake?  Well, at least not one that isn't from the Cheesecake Factory.  My husband and son ate the brownie, I tasted the ice cream, and that was then end of it.
So, it was a huge step considering just 2 weeks ago I was forgetting about the diet all together and scarfing down a creme-filled chocolate-glazed doughnut!  I was, and still am, rather proud of myself for resisting the temptation of dessert.  Now, if only I could force myself to get up and exercise...
On the menu for the rest of this week:
We are revisiting the Turkey & White Bean Chili, since it was such a big hit last time!
Grilled Pork Chops with Butternut Squash (I am told that the Squash needs to be cooked "like my grandmother makes it")
Rigatoni with Sausage & Mozzarella
Chicken Breasts stuffed with Spinach & Goat Cheese
Meatloaf with Gravy & Sweet Potatoes
ON TO WEEK 4!

9 Pounds Down...On To Phase 2

We have been on Phase 1 for 2 weeks now, and I am already 9 pounds down.  It would probably have been more if I didn't drink any liquor (or licorice as my son calls it) these past two weekends.  My husband has dropped 15 pounds.  It's not fair that men always lose weight faster than women.  I have decided to start exercising next week.  I am going to start out with 2 days a week and see how it goes.  In the meantime, these past two weeks have been great for our son.  He is starting to think about healthy foods more often and is getting good at correcting us when we want to sway away from our diet momentarily!
I am much more excited about Phase 2.  We can re-introduce a lot of the foods that we have been without for 2 weeks.  I love fruit and that is back into the mix now too!  We can also have sweet potatoes and whole-wheat bread and whole-wheat pasta.  We are going to try making our own homemade bread crumbs so that we can have Chicken Parmesan as one of our meals this week.  I'll let you know how they turn out!

On the menu this week:
Steak and Sweet Potatoes
Vietnamese Pork Rolls and Salad
Chicken Skewers and Sesame Green Beans
Cheeseburger Quesadillas with Sweet Potato Fries
Chicken Parmesan, Whole-Wheat Pasta and Broccoli
Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Ham and Peas

It's Not All Fun and Games!

This whole South Beach Diet "lifestyle change" sure is hard work!  It takes a lot more time to cook dinner than to just pick up something on the way home.  Plus, the dishes pile up in the sink SO much faster.  But, I know this is going to be the best thing for me and my family.  We will be healthier and stronger after it is all said and done.  Last night, I didn't really like my soup too much.  After I followed the recipe, it was looking kind of scarce.  So, I searched around for some more vegetables to add to it.  I found some corn in the freezer and added it to the pot.  Only to find out that we can't have corn...oops!  Tony suggested adding chicken to it as well.  It looked much more like a hearty soup when I had finished with it, but it wasn't exactly South Beach anymore!  I ate it anyway.  Tony sat there and picked out all of his corn (he's so good at this).
Tonight was Barbecue Chicken and a salad.  I made the sauce as the recipe said to, but it didn't taste just right.  So, once again, I looked around for something else to add to it.  I added more of some of the ingredients that were already in the recipe, but it still didn't taste right.  Then I sifted through our refrigerator to see what our usual barbecue sauce looked like.  We had:  Sweet Baby Ray's, Honey Baby Ray's, Honey KC Masterpiece, and Hickory Brown Sugar KC Masterpiece.  Then it finally clicked...what do all of these sauces have in common?  They are all sweet!  Since we can't have sugars on this diet, the recipe didn't call for anything sweet!  So, in all my infinite wisdom, I decided to add some Splenda to the mix.  Voila!  Suddenly the sauce tasted just right.  I slapped it on the chicken (what I could see of it since I was once again cooking on the gas grill in the dark in below freezing temperatures), and it was great!
I hope I get up for work on time tomorrow, because I am too tired to make lunch tonight.  It helps to have it done the day before, but this diet is getting to be time consuming!  I'll get better at it though!

Week 1 - Five Pounds Down

Well, it's official, I have lost 5 pounds.  Even with my night of debauchery last night, I still managed to lose 5 pounds!  So, I know we are on the right track, even if it is going to be a long road.  My husband made a delicious Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach for dinner tonight.  He also created a side-dish with asparagus, mushrooms and onions.  It was very good!

On the menu this week, we have:
Vegetable & Bean Soup
Barbecue Chicken w/ Antipasto Salad
Beef & White Bean Chili
Grilled Chicken & Avocado Salad
Beef w/ Asparagus & Mushrooms

This will be our last week on Phase 1.  Phase 2 will be much easier.  We will be able to have whole wheat products, such as bread and pasta.  I will finally be able to have fruit again, and we can have different vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and carrots.  I can't wait!  This will be one resolution I plan on keeping for a very long time!  I am going to make this "lifestyle change" work this time.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day...Or Five!

Well, it's Day 5, and I have lost 3 pounds.  Yay!  But, I am not completely acclimated to this whole "lifestyle change" yet.  This morning we had a 2 hr. delay for school because of the icy roads, so we were there nearly 2 and a half hours before the students.   One of the teachers offered to go and get doughnuts, and before I even realized, I had shoved a nice creme-filled chocolate-glazed doughnut into my mouth.  While contemplating over whether I should eat another one, I suddenly remembered that I was on a diet!  I jokingly accused the teacher who brought the doughnuts of being an "Evil Villainess!"  But, of course, I knew it wasn't her fault.  I never even told her I was on South Beach.  I felt so guilty after I came to my senses, so at least that's a good sign!  But, I'm not to the point where I just always pass up doughnuts.  I'll get there one day, but it wasn't today.
P.S.  I haven't told my husband what happened, so don't say anything!  OK?
For dinner, my son cooked us some Shrimp Scampi.  My husband prepared the green beans, and a salad.  I'm not really one for seafood (although I'm going to have to get use to it), but I was very proud of my son! He even chopped the garlic himself.  He enjoys cooking and wants to become a chef when he grows up.  I hope that this "lifestyle change" for us will mean that he is a healthier eater when he grows up too!
Time for another picture, here is the Shrimp Scampi my son cooked!

Shrimp Scampi - a la A.J. Jr.

Day 4 - Exhaustion sets in...

Well, if finally happened.  I'm so exhausted I can hardly type.  I'm not quite sure if this is my usual week 1 crash, which typically happens around day 5 for me.  Or if it is because I accidentally took two doses of Zyrtec this morning.  Usually I take 2 pills out of the bottle, I take one pill and give the other to my son.  This morning, before I realized what I was doing, I had swallowed both pills plus my Sudafed.  The bottle clearly says not to take more than one in a 24 hour period.    Whoops!
As for the diet.  My morning Slim-fast was much better today...considering the fact that I didn't try to mix it in my coffee again!  I had left-over Grilled Chicken and Tri-Colored Salad for lunch.  On the menu tonight, Chicken stuffed with Spinach and Cheese and Cannellini Bean Salad.  I also made a Red Wine Vinegar dressing to go with it.  The Balsamic Vinegar is all the rage right now (I know...I'm addicted to it too), but don't underestimate the power of a perfectly blended Red Wine Vinegar Dressing.
Also, the Cannellini Salad was SUPER easy, because, remember I already cut up my vegetables on Sunday!  Oh yeah!  That has come in handy this week.  I mixed the beans with cucumber, green and red bell pepper and purple onion.  Then I put some baby arugula leaves in the bowl, put the bean salad in, and topped it of with half an avocado (sliced).  It was delicious!
I hope to perk up again by tomorrow...off to bed for now, though.

Lessons Learned on Day 3

1. Coffee and Slim-fast do not mix well together, despite what I thought.
2. Cooking on the gas grill is no fun in freezing temperatures.
3. My dog will eat anything from my salad except black olives.
4. My son would rather eat Chef Boyardee over our delicious Grilled Chicken and Tri-Colored Salad.
5. Balsamic Vinegar smells amazing straight from the bottle.

Here is a picture of the dinner I made tonight.

Grilled Chicken and Tri-Colored Salad

Surprise! Surprise! - Day 2

Well, the brussel sprouts did NOT go over well with my son last night.  He nearly had a panic attack just trying to taste one!  It was quite comical though!  Then we tried to make a deal or maybe it was an ultimatum.  We let him choose to either try the brussel sprout, or to go 3 days with NO video games.  He actually chose NO video games, so we knew he was serious about not wanting to eat this brussel sprout.  My husband is always trying to get him to eat new foods, but we didn't force this one because he does eat so many other vegetables that kids normally don't like.  I remember the look on the waitress' face at Bob Evans when my son ordered double broccoli with his meal one night.  She looked at us and said, "Really?"  We were, like, "Heck yeah!"  If he wants to eat broccoli, let the kid eat some broccoli!
Tonight, on the other hand, was a completely different story!  He LOVED the Turkey and White Bean Chili I made tonight.  He even said that he like it better than my husband's chili (which is unheard of, because my husband is a much better cook than I am).  I told my son that it was just a recipe that I used, and Daddy makes his on his own.  My husband liked the chili too.  When I first taste tested it, I didn't like it at all.  But I guess it just needed to simmer and let all the flavors mix in for a while.  So, that is the surprise on Day 2...My son actually liked the Chili!  Hooray for the South Beach Diet Cookbook!

Day 1 - Feeling Good

So the first day is always a good day.  You're hyped up and feeling pumped about the new diet.  The crash doesn't come until about the 4th or 5th day.  By then, your body is deprived and feeling weak!  I'm hoping that I can keep up this pace, because today was pretty gosh-darn easy.
For breakfast, I had a cup of coffee and a slim-fast shake (not exactly on the South Beach Diet, but it's better than nothing, right?).  Then I had one diet Mountain Dew and for lunch I had a salad with chicken salad on top (it was just basically lettuce leaves and for the actual salad part, though).  Of course, one of the things I love most about the South Beach Diet is that he actually encourages you to use regular salad dressing...none of that low-fat or fat-free crap for me!  Thank goodness!  Once I got home, which was about 6:30 (sure, I could have made it home sooner, but I had work to do), I got dinner prepared.  On the menu tonight was Chicken and Mushroom Soup with leeks and baby brussel sprouts.  My husband and son pitched a fit about the brussel sprouts, but I'm glad they are both going to at least try it!
This dish was quite easy to put together because all on my vegetables were already cut up.  (I am super proud of myself for getting that done on Sunday!)  The only thing I had to cut was the chicken.  Then, it basically just throwing things into the pot at the right time and...Voila!  Dinner is served!
While, I was waiting for the broth to boil, I went ahead and chopped some more vegetables and got my lunch ready for tomorrow.  I made another salad, this time I put cucumber, celery, green and red bell pepper, chick peas, black olives and tomatoes.  Tomorrow before I leave for work, I will top it with some more of the chicken salad I made on Sunday and some of my Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing.
On a side note:  ...about those bell peppers.  For the longest time now, I have been on an anti-bell pepper kick.  I don't know exactly why or when it started.  My husband is from South Louisiana, and their basic "trinity" for any dish is onion, celery and green bell peppers.  I have tried and tried to get my husband to stop using the bell pepper for quite some time now.  However, seeing those bell peppers in the grocery store on Sunday, they looked mighty tasty!  Wicked awesome, as some would say.  So, I just had to try them!  I diced them up and had some on my salad and I loved it!  Now I am sitting here, wondering, why didn't I like the bell pepper in the first place?
I am not even going to mention how much I weighed on the scale this morning...but I will tell you, it wasn't pretty!  I'll post how much weight I lose as time goes on.
ON TO TOMORROW...

South Beach Diet - Day Zero

My husband and I are beginning our - dare I say, "traditional" - diet tomorrow.  Everyone else probably starts their resolutions on New Year's Day, but we start ours the first day I have to go back to work after winter break.  So, armed with 4 books about South Beach Dieting, we begin.  Although, if you read the book you will quickly learn that this is not a fad diet...it's a "lifestyle change".  What have we gotten ourselves into?  After 32 years of living one way, we are expecting ourselves to change?
Well, this diet has worked for us in the past.  A few years ago, my husband and I both brought about this "lifestyle change", and had great success.  After several months, he had lost 60 pounds and I had lost 40 pounds.  I didn't even exercise all that much (if at all).  I like to get use to the food changes before I overwhelm myself with the exercise!  But that's just me...my husband is quite the opposite, it's all or nothing with him.
Now, we have both gained our weight back and need to get ourselves healthy again.  Last time, one of the reasons we stopped South Beach is because we remodeled our kitchen and couldn't cook anymore.  (We weren't so good at eating healthy at a restaurant even though we had the Dining Guide.)  So, the time has come for us to start again.  We went grocery shopping today so we can begin Phase 1 tomorrow.
Phase 1 is the hardest part for me.  Maybe it's because I love potatoes and fruit so much, or maybe it's because I don't like being told what I can eat and what I can't.  But, if I can endure it for 2 weeks, I know it will get much better after that!

Here is my plan:
My husband and I always plan out our "menu" for the week and go grocery shopping on Sunday.  On days my husband works, I cook and on days he has off, he cooks.  This is mostly because he works 12 hour shifts and won't get home until after 7:30 p.m.  I can get home much sooner than him, if I choose to!  He only works 3-4 days per week, so the workload is usually 50/50 over a 2 week span.
As I have already mentioned, Phase 1 lasts for two weeks.  Only the no carb items...lean meats, veggies, stuff like that.  Which usually means lots of salads!

On the menu this week:
Chicken & Mushroom Soup
Turkey w/ White Bean Chili
Grilled Chicken with Tricolor Salad
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach & Cheese
Cannellini Bean Salad
Shrimp Scampi & Caesar Salad
Pork Tenderloin w/ Asparagus

Today, to be proactive about this, I decided to take it one step further.  Instead of just planning the menu like we usually do, I decided to chop up all of the vegetables. and bag them up for when we need them later.  I am hoping that this will make it much faster when it is time to cook.  I chopped green and red bell peppers, yellow onions, celery, and leeks.  We are even trying some new veggies this week.  We are having leeks, radicchio, and belgian endive; I have never had any of these before.
I am excited for this adventure and I hope to come out a much healthier person by the end.  Well, and of course, I hope to lose a lot of weight in the process!