New month, new journal.

I've finally decided on an eating plan. I'm doing the South Beach Diet. I hate the name of it, sounds trite, but is actually a good plan.

General info about me: always been very body-conscious, I've never been overweight, but I've never looked really good either. Dietting and my eating habits seem to be a constant struggle. I've inherited my mother's body, which, while I love my mother, is not exactly what I would have picked had I had a choice. I have an "all or nothing" mind-set in regards to my eating habits and many other things in life. Sometime this is good, sometimes this is very bad.

This is the first time that I've felt I'm actually coming to terms with my eating choices and patterns. I am confident that I can make healthy changes, that if I don't I will end-up being fat and most likely unhappy. That is not want I want for myself. I want to feel light and happy.

Last day of work before long weekend! I'm leaving for Virginia tom with my mom and grandmother. It should be interesting. We're going to Williamsburg - where Busch Gardens is. I'm so excited I'm and amusement park junkie.

I have a feeling that I will need to go back to phase 1 on SBD after I return, as I have no intentions of sticking rigidly to the diet plan. I know there's going to be lots of junkfood involved.

DH got back from business trip to Boston last night. He really enjoyed it there - and wants us to go sometime.

Have fun on your trip, nikic!

South Beach Diet does sound a lot like "Hollywood Diet," doesn't it?

Ah well. It works and I like it.

Hi Nikic,

Hope you have a great time in Williamsburg. I've always wanted to go there, passed by, but never been. Maybe one day.

And don't worry about not eating on plan all the time. You will have plenty of time to worry about that after vacation is over and you are back home.

Keep safe and enjoy yourself.

thanks kilogo and sandielynne for stopping by-sandielynne; i read about your sister in another thread, and i hope that everything is going as smoothly with her as possible.

my weekend get-away was great. I did go off-plan quite a bit, and think I will return to phase 1, just to get myself feeling back on track. it was nice to spend time with my mom and grandmother this weekend. i did alot of thinking about my eating habits and where i picked up certain tendancies and mindsets in regards to my diet habits. (eek!-i hope i am not becoming food-obsessed) my grandmother is amazing, she is 82 years old and she kept-up with my mom and I this weekend through tons of walking in 90+ degree weather. She is so sharp and has a great memory too. i tried to get her to let me in on her secret, but she claims not to have one.

it's back to work now today, and there's so much to do. fun, fun , fun.:D

i am starting phase 1 of SBD again today. I have the book now, that shold help me to stay better on track.:(

i'm not sure what i weigh, not getting on the scale until 7/16/03, in one week. my goal is to fit into a pair of jeans, that i haven't worn for about 2-1/2 years now, but that i used to wear all the time. (my mini-goal anyway)

so far today:

b-fast; 2 eggs scrambled, bit of shredded cheese, canadian bacon

morning snack; 15 raw almonds

planned for rest of day:

lunch; tuna salad over lettuce & pickle

afternoon snack; laughing cow cheese

Dinner; seasoned chicken over salad, SF dressing, diet rite cola

Dessert; glass of red wine ( i know, no alcohol, but........ we were out with friends, this is the only thing i gave into, totally bypassed all of the fried offerings on the table)


tonight is kind of up in the air, my sister wants me to go to a hip-hop class with her at 8:30, i haven't been in a dance class enviornment for awhile, not sure if i'm going to go or not. will play it by ear i guess.

Day 1 went pretty well. I didn't get up early enough to cook breakfast today, so I'll make do with some veggie roll-ups. Hopefully tonight, I will have some time to prepare more legal foods and cut-up some veggies.

We got a hot tub last night. DH got it off of e-bay. I'm usually not too thrilled about his impulse buys, but this one has potential, and he did get a good deal. Plus it will give me motivation to get in and stay in bathing-suit worthy shape year round.

I had all of these strange dreams last night, wonder if they are diet-related?? In one part of my dream I was eating M&Ms (wishful thinking)

Diet for today:

Breakfast: rollups w/turkey Lite swiss & mustard & 4 almonds

snack: 15 more almonds

lunch: tuna salad over lettuce, lf cheddar

snack: 15 almonds again (overdid the almonds today)

Dinner: grilled chicken & green beans

Dessert: SF fudge pop

*So much water I think I might explode!!

Last night we filled up the hot tub. We have to hav an electrician install an outlet for it, he is giving us a price quote this morning. I think it's going to be pretty expensive, as it looks like we don't have much room left in our circuit box thingy, so will probably have to have another one installed.

Yesterday we got a wedding invitation from a friend of mine that I haven't even seen for at least 6 months, and even then it was only briefly. He actually isn't even a close friend, he's the brother of a girl I used to be close with, but also haven't talked to for awhile. I think the only reason for the invitation was that he was invited to my wedding (he did attend). Not sure what I'm going to do, maybe I'll just send a gift, that's what people really want anyway right? (jk:D )

The SBD is going really well. I don't feel deprived at all. I don't even miss bread all that much. I know I'll miss fruit soon, but I'll just have to tough it out for these two weeks. My mother has shown some interest in SBD, I'm hoping that if I get healthy on it that will encourage her to try it. I just know she would feel so much better if she adopted a healthier way of eating.

It is the last day of the first week on phase 1!!!! What????

Can I just say that I love this diet, excuse me, way of life/eating. I don't even know if I've lost any weight. I'm not getting on that scale until tom. I feel so good though, it is almost unbelieveable.

I did cheat this weekend. Had wine. We had so much company over. The hot tub is up and running as of Thursday, so we had to break it in. It's going to be so nice to have, especially after coming home from the gym. Ahhhh, nice and relaxing.

We are getting living room furniture delivered on Thursday, right now the room is empty. I called a cleaning service to see what it would cost to have hardwood floor cleaned and waxed and they told me $350, that seemed a bit outrageous to me. I'm going to try and clean it up myself, it's not that bad, just needs to be polished or something.
Anyone have any wood-floor cleaning tips??

Week 1 is officially over and I am 5 pound lighter. Did cheat a bit last night-had some chips, but back on the wagon full force today.

Starting back at the gym today, haven't been there since before my trip to Virginia. This will hopefully give me more energy. I have a 4-day weekend starting tom, there is so much stuff that I want to get done around the house. Spare room needs to be painted, living room floor needs to be cleaned. I should really get curtains for the living and dining rooms now that they will be furnished, so we will probably be spending more time there. Need to clean-out spare room and take all my old junk to the attic, and put other old junk in my car to take to yard sale at my aunt's house. Should really clean-out my closet of clothes that I don't ever wear. So my four days are full already.

Tons of work to do today to prepare for my days off.

starting phase II tomorrow, should be alot easier to live with. I am looking forward to NOT having eggs for breakfast. Hello oatmeal!!

I went to the gym yesterday, I am psyched about getting back into the exercise groove, makes me feel much better. Exercise and healthy eating definately go hand in hand.

Finally got a hold of one of my old friends that I haven't talked to for awhile. Hopefully, we'll get together this week, it will be nice to catch up.

Hey Nikic, you're doing so well on SBD. Congrats on the 5lbs.

Your experiences with it sound a lot like mine. I craved M&M's for some reason the first few days. And I don't eat much sugar in the first place. Very odd.

My cheats are the occasional glass of wine, too. Social situations. :(

And I got really sick of eggs, too. Phase II is much better! Though the weight loss does slow way down.

Your hottub sounds great. We keep talking about getting one, but haven't done it yet. We have so many projects going on around the house. It's a never-ending thing.

Hooray for better health, as well as weight-loss!

I am pleasantly sore from all my gym time lately-actually enjoying it-wierd.

Kilogo-I can totally relate with the stuff going on at the house all of the time. It seems like something is always "in-progress".

I must admit I am really loving the hot tub. It even has me almost looking forward to colder weather. It will be fun to sit out there relaxing in the hot water while it is snowing. It is strange to think of snow now that it's a balmy 90 degrees here.

Need to get to grocery store to stock up on phase 2 foods.

Thursday already! This week really flew by. It's only 9 in the morning and I'm looking forward to the gym already. It's my favorite night-kickboxing, then pilates.

I finally caught-up with my high school friend last night. So much is going on with her, it was really nice to talk, just like old times.

I bought some uncle sam's cereal, I've never had it before. It has protein and fish oils and tons of other good stuffs. Hope it's not gross!

Since I've been so good about going to the gym this week, my goal for next week is to get up a bit earlier to get a little exercise in (walking or pilates). I just have such a hard time getting out of bed.

You re doing so well, Nikic. All the working out along with the SBD should show great results.

Let me know how the cereal is. Does it have any sugar in it?

Uncle Sam is not so bad. It doesn't have much taste, kind of like thin little pieces of bran flakes. I had it with my yogurt, quite good, provided some crunch. It has less than 1 gram of sugar, 10 g of fiber, 7 g of protein, also has flaxseed and 2000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

Pilates was hard last night. I haven't been to that particular class for 2 weeks and I was really feeling it. Going to the gym after work is fairly easy to fit into my schedule. It will be harder on the weekend to make sure that I get som exercise in. Maybe DH and I will take the dogs down to the creek (or the "crick" as they say around here) for a nice walk/swim. My mother is having a yard sale Saturday, so I plan to take some stuff over there and hopefully get rid of it. Not really planning on making any $$ off of it, just want some stuff out of my house. Whenever I try to take stuff to good will it seems that they are not accepting any new items. Whatever I don't sell will most likely just go into the ole dumpster.

So much stuff to do at home, get sale stuff together, clear out back room, remove painting tape from trim, move DH music equipment into back room. Clean. Do laundry (yuck) Go to bed early so I wake up in time for the yard sale. Wish I didn't have to be at work.

What a crazy weekend. Friday went to "Happy Hour" with friends that lasted until 10:30. Did not get up for yard sale, but did get house reasonably clean. Yesterday was spent at the police station, as my grandmother was murdered Nov 23, 2002 and they have made an arrest of the person who they believe to be guilty. The information we were given was very disturbing to say the least, and I did not get much good rest last night. They are having a press release today, so all info will be in the papers and on the news next couple of days. I'm glad that they have this person in custody, but rehashing everything that has happened and now the trial stuff, etc. looming ahead is difficult.

Bit worried about my mom and her family as this situation with my grandmother continues on. It is very hard on especially her kids-everyone was/is very close.

Diet-wise I guess I'm doing OK. I got on the scale today, it said 138, but I just got out of the shower and my hair was soaking wet. This past saturday night we hiked down to the creek w/another couple. We had only one flashlight to lead the way, so that was difficult and we all took a couple of spills. We went swimming and rope swinging and all kinds of fun stuff, much better than the usual sitting around in a bar listening to a crappy band. Only thing is now I am covered in bruises, scratches, and bug bites-well worth it.

That's horrible about your grandmother. Reliving it all over again must be especially difficult. I'm sorry. Is it some comfort that they caught the guy?

Wet hair undoubtedly added some lbs. Your weekend sounds fun. I'd much rather do something outdoors than sit in a bar. Most of the time, anyway.

News Report on My Grandmother's Case (http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/72803-hufnagleupdate.html)

Will probably only be up a few days. We are all relieved that he has been caught even though it doesn't come close to bringing her back. At least he is not free to hurt anyone else.

Good lord. That is horrific. I'm so sorry for you and your family.

Why do newspapers have to give such graphic detail? Don't they think about the family members at all?

I'm very sorry.

Yes it is horrible, and the reports from media have been very graphic. Thankfully the people working on her case took the time to meet with us beefore the press release to "prepare" us for the news that would be forthcoming. One thing that I'm taking away from this is that you can't be too careful. While you shouldn't live your life in a constant state of paranoia, you should be aware. You should have a plan for emergency situations. You shouldn't take on the attitude that "those things" only happen to other people.

On to diet/weight-loss related things:
Didn't get to the gym yesterday, because I found that I had no gym shorts in my gym bag (I had 2 shirts instead). I doubt that my fellow gym-goers would appreciate me working out bottomless. I went home and tried my winsor pilates DVD (for the first time) It was difficult, well some of the moves were difficult. New ones that I haven't ever done before, but it is good, will just take some getting used to. Power pump and yoga at the gym tonight. I triple checked to be sure that I have pants with me. I've been having Uncle Sam's cereal with blueberries and skim milk for breakfast most mornings. It's pretty good. I should probably still get eggs in once in a while for some variety. Maybe on the weekend.

Almost August already - where did the summer go? I have been doing SBD sorta. for breakfast I usually have Uncle Sam cereal w/blueberries and skim milk. Lunch is lf turkey on whole bread w/lf cheddar cheese and lf yogurt. Before gym snack almonds and some fruit usually apple or melon. Dinner meat and veggies. If we go out I usually do go off plan.

Have decided that I will continue making my "OK" food choices while I concentrate on exercise and physical activity. This is the second week that I have been really good about going to the gym and making sure to get my exercise in everyday. I want to continue on this exercise kick for 6 weeks, then it should be routine and I can transfer my focus to my diet. So.........I'm planning on restarting phase 1 of SBD around the begining of September.

Have sent out my resume to 2 different companies. Not sure what posessed me to do it. Just getting a little bored where I am. Would actually like to go on a job interview, just to make sure I still can. Want to see what else is out there. It is a bit scary to think about leaving my safety zone though. Oh well, guess will just wait and see what happens.

Yeah, exercise is very important. Make it a lifestyle, and it's easier. You don't have a huge amount to lose (like me) so it's easier to be lax on the diet now and then.

I've been unemployed for 5 months and haven't had a single interview in that time. Many, many of my friends are unemployed too. For each job opening hundreds of applications are received. Good luck changing jobs in this economy. You're lucky to have a safety zone right now.

I am lucky to have the job that I do. DH thinks I should stay here forever, but it is not exactly my dream job. It is my "it pays the bills" job. (Just Barely!)

Last night at the gym kinda sucked. I had zero energy, which is bad for kickboxing class. I felt all flubbery and gross. Couln't wait till class was over. Didn't stay for pilates cause we went over to friends new house. Bought him a blender as a housewarming gift, so of course I also had to bring all the fixings for margaritas - just to make sure that the blender worked of course! Had a good time, got home at a reasonable hour. I am still working on getting up early enough to fit some exercise into my morning routine. That is my biggest hurdle right now.

Hi there Nikic

I'm cracking up at the description at the start of your journal saying you've inherited your mum's body. Hahaha so have I! Legs with no shape, ankles that no matter how fit I was, would still be the size of balloons. Not what I would have chosen either! I feel your pain!

I'm really interested to see you do kickboxing. I have been forever wanting to join a self defence class. I think it would be so fun to get some exercise doing something so fun. You can get all your frustrations out with all that punching and kicking :) The gym that I am a member of has a class called body combat which combines a few different martial arts but I'm a bit too scared to try it because I think I might need to be a bit fitter. However they do say it's for all fitness levels but when I see the class going on when I'm there on the treadmills I can see all these skinny people with sweat dripping off them and so I'm not so sure :) hahaha.

Looking forward to seeing all your success. Well done so far!
Love Jo

Hi rainbow - nice to meet ya! Kickboxing is fun, the instructors at my gym are great. They make us count and grunt outloud while we're kicking and punching-the perfect exercise for after work. I wouldn't worry to much about not being able to keep up. There are always modifications. Just don't kick real high or punch too hard.

Had a good weekend although the weather has been not so good. It's all hot and sticky, then all of a sudden there will just be buckets and buckets of rain. Helped friend move on Saturday. He had been living on the third floor of an unairconditioned rowhome, with very narrow stairways. Glad when it was through. We had a good time afterward, BBQ-ing in his new backyard.

Got some stuff accomplished at home this weekend too. DH refurbishes pinball games as a hobby/side-job he sold six of them on Saturday. They had been sitting in the rec-room/family room downstairs taking up space. Now that they are gone it's like we have an extra room, so we moved DH music equipment downstairs instead of the back bedroom. Now I must order a bed for back bedroom seems as though we'll actually be using it as a bedroom, imagine that.

Have our annual "pool party" after work today with office gals. We all sit around the pool and eat, but there is not much swimming involved. Not sure when I am going to get my exercise in. Maybe will walk down to creek when I get home, must get some ab work in as well - that is my problem area.

Dear Niki,

You will just have to make sure for every mouthful you eat, you do a lap in the pool hahaha. Just kidding.

Love Jo

Pool party was fun, but there was asolutely no swimming going on. Did not get any exercise Monday, which means extra exercise for the rest of the week.

Yesterday at gym I took a Hi/low Aerobics class, and it was soooo bad. The instructor was a substitute, she had us doing the swim and the pony, the moves were very awkward, kinda felt like a waste of time.

Last night my brother brought his new girlfriend over, she seemed nice. They'll probably come over again this weekend.


Hmmmmm. Not much else to talk about. Power pump and yoga tonight, then chicken for dinner, then bed. Exciting stuff.

Last night at the gym made up for bad night on Tuesday. I was sweating like crazy, even during yoga!! Tonight is my fav gym night-kickboxing and pilates. I don't think I'm losing any weight, even though I've been exercising like crazy. I haven't really been focusing on my eating, I've just been trying to give lots of thought to what I eventually want my diet to be like and paying attention to how different foods make me feel, blah blah blah.

I'm actually considering doing the slimfast thing nxt week, just for a week. Would like to drop a pound or two before I go to the beach next weekend. Not sure what to do, will keep thinking for now.

Really want to start waking up earlier and getting some exercise in before work. Friday and Saturday I will wake-up at 5:45, not get out of bed, but stay awake. On Sunday, I will actually get-up, then on Monday, and Tues, etc.... That's the plan anyhow, we'll see how it goes.

Slimfast is just sugar-water. You're doing great on the exercise, no reason to sabotage it with a big rush of daily sugar. It'll just spike your cravings and you'll likely gain weight rather than lose it.

Not that you asked my opinion on Slimfast. Oh well.

You are right about slimfast-it would only set me back in the long run. Not sure what I was thinking-temporary insanity!!

:eek:

All opinions are always appreciated anytime!

:rose: I am just stopping by to say Hi! And thanks again for your support.

Good gym night, feeling "good sore" today.

Last night, DH and I were having major discussion about physical activity/diet/getting in shape. We were of differing opinions on lots of stuff. He was saying that I don't need to belong to a gym to tone up, that girls should do same exercises as men, that my yoga and pilates classes could not possibly be doing any good, that you have to do many many reps of exercises in order to realize any benefits. To me, he seemed to have a very old school view of exercise.

I did agree that I don't necessarily NEED to belong to a gym, but mentally, it helps me to exercise, because I'm paying for the membership whether I use it or not-so I feel like I have to go to get my $$$'s worth. I totally disagreed with the male/female issue. Men and women's bodies are different. We store fat in different places, we need different workouts to target problem areas. I told him that if you do too many reps of an exercise-beyond exhaustion of the muscles you are trying to work, that other muscles take over and the exercise becomes pointless then, so why waste your time. I also tried to explain that I ENJOY yoga and pilates, they make me feel good-those classes are not necessarily about losing weight, they are about me taking time to do something that I enjoy.

Anyhow, we agreed to disagree and left it at that. I'm sure it will come up again.:tongue: I know he is trying to be helpful and supportive and he wants me to feel good about the way my body looks. He is a good DH. :D

That is all of my venting for today.

:D Men. I actually saw a guy jogging outside yesterday wearing a big sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head. This on a very hot day. Talk about old school ideas on exercise -- sweating more is better! Yeah right.

Weekend went by so fast. Finally got around to having that yardsale on Saturday. I made $15.50, then it rained. Yesterday had family reunion. Also had many desserts. I keep having all of these strange dreams lately. Last night I dreamt I was babysitting one of my friends kids, cause she just ran off somewhere. I lived in some type of apartment complex. There was all of this other stuff going on that I vaguely remember. Who knows what it all means. I do have a "Dream Dictionary", but I wasn't sure what to look up exactly.

DH and I have been bringing up the subject of kids pretty often lately. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. Part of me would like to have kids while I'm still fairly young, but there is just such huge pros/cons argument there. I'm pretty certain that I don't want any for at least a few years, but it's fun to talk about. It seems like everyone around us has infants right now anyway, so if we get some strong parental urges, maybe we'll just volunteer our baby sitting services for an evening - that should cure us!

Going to Cape May on Sunday - Monday. Just one night. Should be fun - probably will be my last beach trip this year.

The gym was sooooooo crowded last night, not sure why. Mondays are usually the busiest day, but it was really packed. I think all that body heat made it alot warmer in there, I was sweating like crazy.

Been doing OK diet-wise, not horrible, not great. I have to get a new bathing suit before I go away this weekend. Mine are so old. I'm not looking forward to trying any on, but I need to just buy one and make it work.

Weighed myself, and have actually put a few pounds back on, but I have been getting much more exercise lately, so I've been telling myself that it's just muscle. I am planning to go back to strict phase 1 of SBD on August 30, not sure why I picked that specific date - summer and vacations will be over, so I'm hoping it will be easier to stay on track then.

Good gym night last night. I've been so tired lately, not sure why, maybe all the exercise is making me sleepy, hopefully I'll have more energy soon because of it. Woke up so late for work today. I was just leaving the house around the time that I'm supposed to be here.

Yoga night tonight, guess I'll do power pump too, not sure, haven't decided yet.

How about the heat? It really saps my energy and my interest in working out. Don't know if PA is having the heat wave the most of the rest of the country is, though.

Yoga! Wahoo.

Yes, we are also experiencing the lovely heat wave. The weather has been crazy here all year, seems like we've always had either the heater or the air conditioner running, not many "just right" kinda days. The weather people are all saying that the heat should let-up by the weekend, it's going to go all the way down to 87.

Yoga class was good last night, I feel like I'm progressing, and getting much more flexible. I need to improve on my balance though. Will keep working on that area.

Am getting excited to go to the beach, except for the pesky bathing suit thing. All of my aunts and cousins will be there. We are renting a house in Cape May with a pool and stuff, should be nice. The houses in Cape May are beautiful, lots of the ones in town are big Victorian style types. My mom is already hinting around that she wants to go on one of those horse-drawn carriage tours of town. We'll see, I'm only down there for 2 days, and there is lots to do.

Uh, kickboxing was terrible last night. We had a substitue instructor and she was just awful. Nuff said.

Think some of those extra pounds are finally coming off, guess my body just needed time to adjust. Feeling kind of icky and bloated today though, uck. There is so much junk here at work candy and someone made zucchini bread. I'm gonna go get some more water.

TGIF!!

the beach was gorgeous, sorry I had to come home. Yesterday at this time I was walking on the sand listening to the ocean. Ahhhh.

Did get some exercise in yesterday, took a 2 hour walk. I didn't eat all that bad surprisingly. Starting SBD phase 1 again on Saturday. Going to see if I can get my mom to start with me.

Met with lady yesterday about an accellerated degree completion program. It sounds really good, and I can start it sooner than I originally thought-the end of September. I just need to get my application in (she said my transcript looked really good though) and get my financial aid in order. I want to ask my employer about tuition reimbursement, but am not really quite sure how to go about it. I work at a sort of small company, and there's really no policy in place about this. I'll just have to present a strong case on all the reasons why my finishing school is beneficial to them.

Anyway, diet stuff, ate terrible yesterday, all junk, was tired from my vacation. Didn't get any exercise. Must force myself to get back to my exercise routine today, is always hard after vacation, even after a mini-vacation. I have yet to get my butt out of bed early enough to get exercise in before work. Power pump and yoga tonight. Salad bar for lunch - yum.

Hope it is nice this weekend, really need to get out in the garden and pull some weeds.

Did not go to the gym yesterday :down: so I must go every remaining day this week, or I will wreck my 4-weeks of good exercise habits.

Getting geared up to start phase 1 of SBD again, my mom is at the beach (the real beach) until Friday night, but I'd really like for her to go on this plan with me. I hope that she will.

I ate so horribly yesterday that I felt sick to my stomache last night, really bad cramps, yuck. It hit me just as Sex in the City rerun from Sunday night was starting, so I hardly got to even enjoy it.

There is a huge bee nest in our back flowerbed and DH got stung twice yesterday when he was mowing/trimming the lawn, so this weekend we have to find a way to get rid of them, fun, fun.

Hey nikic!

Don't be so down on yourself! Your journal is a great place to vent, but also a great place to record the GOOD choices you make each day - I'm sure there are lots! :rose:

Oh, question - what's a NON-real beach?

Hang in there lady!

Hi Elivi - thanks for the encouragement.

"Non-real beach" is a South Beach Diet term, some people on the diet call it "being on the beach", "at the beach", etc., etc.

Ah :o:

Hot and sunny here today - is supposed to be beautiful this weekend!!!

I am so excited to go back to phase 1 of South Beach. That's right, I can't wait to go on a strict diet. SBD really does make me feel good, it is sometimes hard to stick to, but well worth it.

I know what you mean! Sometimes a nice, strict diet is just what one needs. You know it only last a short time, and helps get you straightened out. Enjoy!

Re-starting SBD today, not Saturday as originally planned, weekend was just too crazy. Yesterday I went with DH first to my dad's house then to his parents to fix computer problems. My dad got a virus that kept shutting his comp down, and the inlaws got a new computer that needed to be set-up for them. Then DH complained all the way home about slow dial-up networks. (He spent about 2 hours trying to convince his dad to drop the extra $20/month for a cable line with no luck)

Traffic around my house was crazy all weekend - the Philadelphia Folk Festival is about 1 mile from my house. There were estimated to be about 5,000 people camping there from Friday until Sunday. The festival used to be good, and they still do have some good bands, but now it seems just to be a place where kids go to get drunk and do whatever else they aren't allowed to do at home. Or, maybe I am just getting old. DH and I considered going for maybe the afternoon or at night, just for the experience, but the tickets are ungodly expensive, just not worth the hassle. I think the fest people should offer discount passes to people who live in the area & have to put-up with the fest mess.

That is all of my complaining for now.

Got my butt back to the gym yesterday, was good, could tell I hadn't been there for a week. I am feeling the drag of SBD phase 1, have a headache, but other than that feel pretty good. I opted NOT to go out last night, did not need to be tempted by alcohol on my first day, plus I was tired. Diet went well, had some yummy chicken for dinner, and am having the lef-overs today for lunch.

Still going good, but it is hard to resist temptation. I just keep telling myself that once I've gotten down to a reasonable weight, I can add treats and stuff back into my diet once in awhile if it is still that important to me. But right now, it is key that I complete this two week sugar/carb detox. I'm sure this will help in alleviating cravings and some very poor eating habits.

Went to the gym last night and tread-milled it for 1/2 hour even though I didn't particularly feel like it. I have been drinking water like crazy, which is good-keeps me from putting other foods into my mouth. I am nervous about going out and sticking to the diet. I think my best bet will be eating before I go anywhere so I am not too tempted. Eating fried foods and huge sandwhiches when going out is how I got in this mess to begin with. Not to mention, often going overboard on the drinking.

Now I am on a path to a healthier way of life-feel much much better already.

Gym was really good last night, I was scared I would get too tired to exercise for so long, but it went well. I think I'm skipping the gym tonight and just going for a walk.

I am getting frustrated w/college stuff, just don't know what to do with my time and money. Weighing the pros and cons of finishing school, wondering if it will be worth all my effort in the long run......

Went out w/friends last night that I don't get to see that often. It is hard with everyone being so busy and all. I hope to see them on a more regular basis. We do have alot of fun. We are planning on getting together this weekend, hope that all pans-out.

I think a college degree is worth it. Professionally, it's definitely worth it. And if you don't, it'll always be lingering in the back of your mind. Unfinished business. When it's done, you can be very proud of your accomplishment.

Good luck on the two week detox. It should help the cravings, for sure.

Indeed, if I don't finish school now, it will be hanging over my head until I do.
I am concerned with the $$ aspect. To finish my 4-year degree will cost about $20,000. Which really isn't all that bad considering,.... I applied for Federal/state grants, and though my GPA is good, I am afraid that DH and I make too much money to recieve any grants for my continued education. (Well, DH makes too much) They don't ask how much $$ is spent on mortgage and bills, don't much care. My only hope is going to be my employer offering some kind of tuition reimbursement, so I will wait and see what happens next.

I made the mistake of watching the MTV awards last night, 3 hours of my life that I will never get back. :(
Metalica was actually pretty good.

Weekend eating was a wreck, but could have been worse I guess. Lost 3.5 pounds after 1st week of SBD. Could have lost more if I had been more faithful, but , something IS better than nothing after all. Back on the beach full force today.

Went to my mom's house yesterday and helped her to sort thru some photos. I used to be sooo thin, Oh to be 17 again. The funny thing is I thought I was heavy then too, I guess you're just never thin enough. Ahh Well.

Seriously considering buying a pilates machine to put in the spare bedroom, instead of a spare bed.

Have been doing lots of thinking about weight-loss, diet, exercise. It seems to consume me. Wonder if I am losing weight for the right reasons, going about it in the right state of mind.

Hmmmm....

Still doing South Beach, I believe it to be a very sound, healthy plan.

I believe you are doing it for the right reason WHEN you are not stressing yourself out about it and feeling happy/content/good about the way you are living your life each day. :)

Then again, I have only been doing it for the right reasons for five days, so what do I know.

:) :) :)

It's been awhile since I've visited my own journal, so I thought I would. Still doing SBD, restarted phase 1. I just can't seem to make it all 14 days. I will be so happy when I finally do - will feel like I've accomplished something.

Well, 2 whole days with no cheats, have been less tempted than I usually am. Also have firm goals set that I plan on reaching. Weekends are always tough, it is usually the drinking that throws me off, I get a bit tipsy and then think "to heck with the diet - bring on the carbs!!", but for the next two weekends that will not be the case, even if I have to completely avoid friends this weekend, I will do whatever I need to do.

Pilates was good last night, got to class a bit later than usual and had to sit in the middle of the room up front. I hate doing that, feel so "out there", much prefer a spot by the wall. Plus, there are mirrors on the walls so I can check my form, make sure back is straight and all that good stuff. My gym just started a class 2 weeks ago called Cardio Funk. I have gone. It is kinda lame, but it is also fun to dance and learn routines, maybe I will bust one out this weekend (yeah right). I wasn't so sure about the class at first, but it does make me sweat and it is a different kind of exercise. Should get some good exercise in on Sunday, as Hurricane Isabel knocked over a huge tree in our yard - we had someone come out to chop it up, but now we have to stack all the wood, thank goodness we have a fireplace, that reminds me...must call chimney sweeping person.

Did not get much exercise in this weekend, unless you count shopping for heavy items, and taking them in and out of car as exercise. I bought a steam cleaner for the carpet downstairs, then found one cheaper ($60 cheaper for same exact model) at a store down the road, so I had to return expensive cleaner first as I couldn't fit both in my car at the same time - it was already loaded up with impusle furniture buy. I did not cheat with my food - maybe a few too many cashews on Saturday. But I did have red wine on Friday and Saturday night. I still feel thinner. Haven't weighed in yet. Not planning on stepping on the scale until Wednesday. Today is day 6 not bad, almost to the halfway point. Something is different for me this time, I am really dedicated to staying on the program and I don't feel deprived of anything at all. I am looking at it more like I am giving myself things that I have never had before. Good nutrition, health, energy.

Feeling head-achey today. Think I may be catching something as detox phase should be over and done with. Tired too. Maybe it is the sudden cold weather bringing me down. Trying to be especially good today - my first weigh-in is tom.

goal for tonight-make breakfast cassarole.

I have no energy and no appetite, yuck.

I've really enjoyed reading your journal. Since I have 4 kids now it's kind of fun to live vicariously through someone who actually goes "out" on the weekends and gets to spend time with friends. I'm on day 6 of SBD and I'm also feeling a littly "yucky". I wonder if you just hit a slump about this time in Phase I. The thought of eating anything that I'm allowed to have makes me want to just puke. I somehow managed to shovel down some more eggs for breakfast along with some canadian bacon and broccoli but after that I just didn't want to eat. Since then I've had some peanuts. I'm going to try and eat a salad with grilled chicken for dinner.

One thing you mentioned briefly was that you were thinking about having kids in a few years. One word of advice I would give you is try to get to your goal weight and be as healthy and strong as possible before you have a baby. Pregnancy and childbirth can wreak havoc on you in so many ways. It's a lot easier afterwards to get in shape if you were in shape before and during pregnancy. I wish I would have followed my own advice a little better. :c(

Anyhow, I am enjoying your journal and good luck to both of us in making it through this hellacious 2 weeks. :D

ShrinkMom; glad you stopped by. Thanks for the kid advice. I don't have any problem waiting, as there is a long list of stuff that I'd like to do first. Reaching my goal weight and maintaining health is at the top of that list. Going out is fun, but this past week I've been searching for ways to just stay home without seeming like a party pooper.:party: I can totally relate about not wanting anything that is legal to eat. I'm having a problem eating at all and am scared that this will slow down my weight loss, and leave me with zip energy for exercise. I am going to force myself to eat some breakfast so that I have something in my stomache to put my vitamins on top of.

I was so nervous about my weigh-in this morning. I don't know if I've ever been so nervous stepping on the scale. I think I held my breath (hope that didn't add any extra pounds). My one-week-on-SBD-weight is ............. 138, a 5.5 lb loss!!!:jn I actually reached my first goal with a pound to spare!!! I'm so glad that this week of hard work yielded results, I'm not sure how I would feel about continuing in this strict phase, if I hadn't seen much drop. Hopefully I will learn to continue with this WOE not just for weight loss, but because it makes me feel good.

Gym tonight, then home for laundry and cleaning and hopefully some better meal planning. I made the fake mashed potatoes using cauliflower, and they are not so good in MHO. Will keep experimenting though.:-&

:dc :dc :dc

Congratulations on your weight loss!!! So glad to hear your hard work is paying off. I was suspicious of that cauliflower "mashed potato" recipe. I'm not stupid...I know the difference between cauliflower and potatoes. I do like cauliflower though, but prefer to eat it raw or steamed with some broccoli and a little cheese on top. Today I have no appetite for anything but I did manage to fry some eggs this morning in between disasters. Still hoping to make that chili if I can get the time. Still have to exercise and get myself together so I can take babies to doc. Have a great day and congrats again on the weight loss!

:peace:

WOW! You are doing super!!!! :cheer:

Your exercise and healthy eating is really paying off! :)


Beth :not:

Aww thanks for the support you guys!!!

I feel good too. It's funny how sometimes you don't even know you were feeling bad, until you feel better.

I am seriously getting sick of eggs and meat and cheese. What I wouldn't do for a little fruit. Just 5 more days. I'm 9 days into this, so I'm not about to give up now. Last night I made mini quiche cups with onion, pepper, cheese, and chopped up Canadian bacon. They're not bad. I just take em to work and nuke them.

I haven't told DH I'm on this plan, not because I don't want him to know, I just don't feel like listening to him tell me why this plan is dumb, and how I should eat low fat instead. It's not that he's unsupportive, he just thinks he knows everything! I don't think he even notices that I'm eating differently, or if he does, he hasn't said anything. Last night I made him grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup. I had leftover chicken breast with some salsa and green beans. The only person I told that I was doing SBD is my little sister.

I'd better go, got homework to turn-in today.:tongue:

"It's not that he's unsupportive, he just thinks he knows everything!"

I just can't stop laughing!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I'm in the home stretch. I will not blow it all now, even though I want absolutly nothing of what I am "supposed" to be eating right now. I am feeling smaller, and unbloated, which is the only thing keeping me going. This is going to be a pure motivation and willpower day.

Things I must think about to keep me on track:
(1) Shopping trip tom. w/friends
(2) dh ordered me stuff from victorias secret, and I want to feel confident in it when I model it for him.:o
(3) Big group outing on 10/25, and I want to look good and feel good about myself, and have tons of energy.
(4) I feel good, I feel healthy, I don't feel lazy or tired, I want to continue to feel this way!!! Feeling good is better that candy and breads and pasta!!!!!!!

I know today was your 1st day of phase II. I hope you aren't off on a carb binge!!! :laugh: Let us know how that's going. Tomorrow is my big day.

well i blew my last attempt at sbd. i am still convinced that this is the best plan out there though, so i have started all over again today. not sure what my weight is, but it's not at a happy place. i'll mostly be listing my diet and exercise.

Hey nikic! I was wondering what happened to you!!! Welcome back to DT. I've been where you are...many failed attempts with dieting. I agree with you that SBD is the best...or at least the best for us. I've been doing really well with SBD but I fall off the wagon every now and then.

I'm wishing you well on your new beginning. You can do this. I hope you don't mind me popping in to say "hi" once in a while.

Take care and good luck!

Pop in anytime, you are doing so great!!!

Monday foods & stuff:

b; egg, lf cheese & salsa & about 1/2 cup skim milk, decaf green tea
s; sf jello, peanuts, more peanuts later on
l; lentil soup and turkey and lf cheese
s; diet rite and broccoli w/ranch
d; chicken breast and salad some lf cheese again
gallons of water thru day (exaggeration :D)
exercise-some weights in am

i am determined this time around , i do not want to be a fatty at christmas.

Tuesdays food & stuff:

b; turkey and cheese, green tea
s; sf jello
l; lentil soup, leftover chicken breast
s; broccoli & pepper w/ranch
a sf lifesaver sometime during day
diet rite
d; turkey/mixed veggies (then i screwed up a little, had some of my mom-mom's homemade cookies)

tons and tons of water all day and night

exercise: little bit of weights in am, crunches, 30 min on treadmill at gym after work.

I'm feeling less bloated today, so that' s good, but i want to feel thinner, i want my clothes to fit again, i will get there.

today i don' t feel too bad, my pants are still frustratingly (is that a word?) tight, but i'm wearing them anyway (with a big ole sweater). doubt they would appreciate if i showed up at work without pants on anyhow. it is supposed to snow this weekend, good and bad, i need to get a 4x4 vehicle. i wanted to go shopping saturday, but not if the roads are all messy. i had some wicked strange dreams last night, in one of them i was eating gum drops. whenever i do these 1st 2 weeks of sbd i always dream about candy. **whine: my throat is sore and swollen: end whine**

Weds food and stuff:

b; turkey and cheese & lettuce, mandarin green tea
s; sf lifesaver, sf jello
l; leftover turkey, some cheese, salad
s; veggies w/dip; had a pc of sf gum
d; 90% lean burgers w/cheddar, more salad, a pickle ; cup of camomile

lots of water and did really good with my vitamins today.

exercise: treadmill for 30 minutes.

Doubt i will get any exercise in today, my throat hurts and i am going to test drive a car after work, maybe i will do crunches in the conference room during lunch
:lift:

well, it did snow, it is still snowing, it took me 40 min to get to work this morning, it usually takes 15. i had to turn around twice, but at least i arrived safely. i almost went out last night for drinks, but then decided against it. my throat still hurts, dh is sick too, he seems much more sickly than i am, so not sure if he got it worse, or if it is just the man factor.:D

i got on the scale this morning even though i really should not have, and i am down 5 lbs!!!! mostly water i'm sure but i'll take anything. another 10 lbs and i will truly be happy, i wonder if it is unreasonable to want to drop another 10 by christmas, or at least by new years, i guess i will just play it by ear. my biggest goal is to feel comfy in my clothes again, they have been getting much too snug lately.

Thursdays food stuff:

b; turkey & cheese, green tea, 1 sf lifesaver took fiber powder bef breakfast
s; had sf gum, sf jello, almonds
l; salad & turkey, another pc sf gum
s; diet rite, overate a little bef dinner on almonds & cheese
d; tuna salad w/cucumbers and peppers and had another pc of sf gum while at home.

tons of water as usual, & all my vitamins again:up:

exercise: nada:tongue:

Plans to last thru the weekend: big vat of chili, buy red wine, so if i feel i must drink at least i have an other than beer option. More turkey lunch meat, already made deviled eggs to have for lazy breakfast....it would be good if i could exercise over the weekend, but i'm not sure that will happen. goal for weekend: get rid of this #@$% cold.

I got that #@$% cold too. It is horrible!!! Feel like I am dying. I swear every year they get worse. And yes...the "man factor" is in action over here too...lol. Today...I have NO voice. Do you know how hard it is to do sign language with 3 year olds??? :D Thank goodness...the MAN...who is seemingly recovered from his life threatening bout with the cold...stayed home to give me a hand with the kids.

Here's to continued weight loss, good health, and red wine. :cheers:

ok, here is where i try to remember everything i ate all weekend:

Friday;
b-deviled eggs, some turkey
s-sf jello, almonds
l-salad w/chicken
s-????
d-chile
s-sf fudge pop

was snowing like crazy, got some exercise shoveling driveway, i also had other stuff thru the day like sf lifesavers, sf gum and my green tea.

Saturday:
b-deviled eggs
s-turkey and cheese
l-chile
s-some almonds
d-tuna salad and veggies
*had red wine, too much as i'm really not supposed to have any, but it was kina my weekend treat, and we were out w/friends. i also had 1 mozz stick. i drank tons of water too while out and also ate some peanuts.

no exercise except for more shoveling.

Sunday:
b-egg, sausage, green tea
s-some almonds, diet 7-up
l-salad w/chicken and way too much dressing
d- chicken w/ parmesean and tom sauce, and green beans
s-sf fudge pop
also had 1-1/2 glasses of wine, shoulda had more water instead, had sf gum and sf lifesaver thru the day.

only exercise was walking around shopping, legs sore from all the shoveling.

I got all of my christmas shopping done yesterday!!!!! so exciting. i still have to get all my decorations and stuff out though, maybe i will do that tonight, i am so behind on housework
:( laundry needs to be done in a major way. i may get a christmas tree tonight on my way home, or maybe i will get all the other decorations up first and save that for last. i want to make christmas cookies this weekend, but i don't know how i could keep from eating them. maybe i will anyway and just have 1 or 2, that will be a true test.

today is day 8 of phase 1, only 6 more to go after today. i weighed myself yesterday morning and was down another 3 pounds!!!!, that's 8 pounds total already!! i probably won't lose much more this week, but i'm pretty happy with this way of eating. the cravings are pretty much gone. i'm glad i started last week cause there is so much tempting stuff at work this week i don't know if i would have been able to resist if i was still in the first few days. i did have a few "twinges" while shopping yesterday and passing by so much candy, ohhhh godiva chocolate-yum. if i still want it, i will have a piece or 2 closer to christmas.

i really have to work on getting exercise in, especially now that it's colder, this is the time of year i usually slow down, must keep moving...this sickliness that will not go away is not helping any either.

I am feeling a little i'm-not-sure-what today. i am not feeling motivated to eat anything at all, i know that will just stall any weight loss, so at around 11:30 i forced some food so i could take my vitamins.

i royally screwed up last night, but i am not starting over, i'm sure it could have been worse, i know i've eaten worse, and i think that's part of the reason that i am so unmotivated today.

Monday:

b-deviled eggs, some almonds
s-
l-chile & cheese
s-almonds, turkey
d-french onion soup & chicken wings and 1 light beer:down: dh wanted to go out for dinner, and we did have a nice time, i don't want to be boring.

water thru day, green tea and vitamins.
exercise; none


Tonight i doubt i will get any exercise in either, i have this weird pain in my chest area, i think it has to do with all my coughing the last few weeks. besides, i want to get xmas gifts wrapped tonight and more laundry done.

Screwing up can be a real downer. Lately when I'm eating something "naughty" I just tell myself if I'm gonna eat this I'm gonna ENJOY it. I'm going to eat it and savor every bite and I'm NOT going to feel guilty about it. Not beating myself up about it seems to get me back on track quicker. Glad you had a nice dinner with DH. Keep up the good work.

screwed up again last night, not too horrible, but a screw up nonetheless. we went out to dinner again, oh well, maybe i am just falling into what will be my regular eating pattern. today is day 10 for me and i am NOT starting over, i will just be really really really good for the remaining days. i can't wait for phase II.

b; tuna & cheese
s;
l; chile & salad
s;
d; steak and baked potato, and about 4 boneless buffalo wings AND 1 glass of red wine, but lots and lots of water.

it doesn't seem like i ate very much over the day, maybe that's why i lost it at the end. i am done going out for the week. i have to go grocery shopping so i have tons of good stuff around to snack on. i would really like to reach goal #1 by the end of this phase.

i am not really in a strict phase I anymore, well i am during the day, but then at night i am not so much.

weds:
b; cheese, turkey
s;
l; salad w/grilled chicken
s; sf jello
d; some chicken nuggets (baked) and sf fudge pop

water & green tea and vitamins, sf gum & sf lifesavers

exercise; treadmill walk/run 30 min (5 min intervals), some weights and ab work.

i actually got my flabby butt to the gym, it felt good, forgot how it actually feels good to exercise if your throat doesn't burn and you CAN breathe thru your nose. tonight am planning another bout on the treadmill and pilates class, i haven't been to in ages.

i did turn down going out last night, dh went to watch a friend perform in a kaoroke (SP??) contest. i'm sure it would have been amusing, but the tempt to drink would have been much too strong, and i already had a drink on monday and tuesday.

my sister is coming over on saturday to help me decorate xmas tree and to bake cookies. i will probably have some cookies, but not go overboard.

i feel that i have succeeded in squishing some of my bad cravings, i haven't had candies or cakes or breads, and i really don't want any. i am looking forward to adding some fruits on monday, and maybe a whole grain or two. i feel so much healthier. i really can do without deep fried foods and beer, who knew?

two nights in a row to the gym woohoo!!! pilates was so hard on me last night, i really need to keep up with it. muscles are aching today, but it is a good ache. my eating pattern seems to be phase 1 during the day, then totally off at night, but progress that i have made so far: eating less in general, cutting down on the alcohol big time, cutting down on candy and treats big time, not as much bored eating (i do something instead). i am pleased, these all seem to be things that i can live with as i try to lose weight. i am hoping that on monday morning when i step on the scale i will at least be in the 130's, then my goal will be to get down to 130 itself, from there i want to continue eating healthfully and exercising on a regular basis, so as long as i am a healthy person, i am going to try my hardest not to obsess about my weight.

i ate a snack reeses peanut butter cup this morning and my stomache was not happy. i learned my lesson.

thursday's food;

b; chicken & cheese
s; green tea
l; salad w/grilled chicken
s; broccoli & peppers w/dip
d; 3 slices of pizza (very thin crust)

water, water, water, water, water & vitamins

exercise: 25 min on treadmill (walk/run) & 45 min pilates class

vowing not to step on the scale until monday!!

i am getting my hair done tonight, i am soooo excited, i will finally be getting the color fixed--i want to find my natural color eventually (whatever that may be).

saturday will be christmas decorating day, i can't wait, getting the tree up and baking cookies!!!!

it's supposed to snow again on sunday, i should stay in and study for my stat final.....boring.

That's great that you've been going ot the gym! I really want to join a gym or something here so that I'll work out more.
I hope you have fun getting your hair done. :)
I wish it would snow here, but I live in Florida, so no luck! It has been rather chilly though at least. :) Good luck with studying.

Hey nikic! Just stopping by to say "hello". Hope you hit your 130's goal. Good job on getting to the gym. My exercise has been kind of spotty lately due to illness, stress, exhaustion, etc. I'm trying to get back on track...ugh.

Hang in there! Merry Christmas!