Weigh-In Wednesday: Summer, Week 5

This week was a good one for me, mentally and physically.  I had all the motivation I needed to put my plans into action.  And for the most part, I did.  I’ve had a few times where I let the cravings get the better of me – I won’t blame PMS, but I think it’s a factor.  Let’s see what the scale has to say…

Which means I lost 1.4 pounds this week, for a total of 15.6 pounds lost, overall. Not too shabby.  This was my first week back to normal eating.  Not being over conscious of carbs, not restricting myself.  I kept the calories around 1400-1500 each day (they should really be  closer to 1300), and I enjoyed my balanced meals.  I also did really well with the exercise, especially during the week.  I’m happy with this weight loss, even though it’s modest,  because I did have a few evenings where I overindulged in snacks.

In the past my solution to the overindulging would be to eliminate all snacks from the house.  But that’s not moderation.  That’s also not realistic, because all it does is set myself up for a shopping trip to buy all of the items I’m craving and insuring a mini-binge occurs.  Not good.  Instead, I’m going to work harder to watch the portions.  Because having healthy snacks like PopChips or TJ’s Lentil Potato Curls isn’t bad, but eating too many of them is.  Learning how to enjoy the things that I like to eat in moderation is a goal that I need to master, because even after I have the wls, I’m going to struggle with this unless I get it under control now.  And I know that I can.  It’s like anything else that I’ve tackled – quitting smoking, for example – it’s difficult, it takes effort, but I can achieve it.  This is no different, and I know that I’ll have the same success with it if I just keep at it.

I have been really great about working out, which I’m so proud of.  I’ve been on a trail walk with a colleague, swimming, kickboxing (post coming next), and today I plan to go to aqua aerobics.  I started creating a weekly workout plan a few weeks ago, and it’s something that I’m going to continue.  Just like meal planning, planning my workouts allows me to stay on track.  Even if I change or modify something, as long as I have a plan in place, I get it done.

So, life is good.  I’m learning what moderation means.  And I’m taking each obstacle as it comes.  I can’t ask myself for more than that.

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Need Motivation? Check These Out!

I’m always on the lookout for new shows, blogs, etc. that can offer me motivation in my weight loss journey.  I’ve recently found a few that I’m really enjoying and I thought you might, too.

For me it all starts with food.  The best defense against insane cravings taking me off track is to stockpile some quick and delicious recipes that I’ll enjoy making as much as I’ll enjoy eating.

I love a good cookbook and this one from South Beach Diet is a keeper.  The recipes are clearly marked “Phase 1” or “Phase 2” and the directions are easy to follow.  It has tons of photographs throughout, which is really important for a visual person like me.  The recipes themselves look delicious, and I plan to make a few of them in the coming weeks, so look for posts.  Even if you’re not following SBD, these recipes are healthy, flavorful, and easy – perfect for summer.

Once you’ve got a cadre of great-for-you recipes the next element is working out.

Have you guys seen this new show on ABC?  I really like it because it’s not a competition show – it’s just one person working hard and losing weight.  Yes, the weight loss is extreme, but so are the starting weights.  The trainer/life coach Chris Powell’s approach is kind and effective.  He doesn’t need to scream and yell at his clients like Jillian Michaels in order to get them to comply with his plan.  He treats them with respect, understanding, and honesty.  They trust him with their lives and they get results.  I’ve watched three shows and found all of them to be so motivational.  If people who are much bigger than me can workout hard and stick to a diet plan then so can I.  Yes, they’re in the gym for 5 hours a day, which is unrealistic for most of us, but the concept is the same.  And since I’m off of work this summer and have nothing but time on my hands, there is nothing stopping me from working out to my full potential, too.

And since this is a lifestyle and not a diet with an end date, what better way to stay motivated than with a new site that offers tips on weight loss, fitness, fashion and fun?

Remember the purple team from the last season of The Biggest Loser?  Olivia and Hannah have come up with their very own blog called My Fitspiration.  I loved these girls on the show, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with on this blog.  It’s going to include videos as well as written posts and will have a little bit of everything – Q&A, motivation, fun finds.  It’s already in my blogroll, and I think it should be in yours, too.

What new weightloss or fitness finds have you come across?  Please share in the comments!

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Weigh-In Wednesday: Summer SBD, Week 2

SBD has been going really well. I’m finding the food so delicious, and I love the fact that I can make it work with an active social life, even on Phase 1. This week my focus has been on exercising, and I’m proud to say that I’m on a roll. Monday: aqua, Tuesday: Afro-Belly Boogie, today: swimming. It’s so nice to be back in the swing of things in terms of fitness.

Which means I lost 3.4 lbs this week, 5.8 lbs so far this summer, and a total loss of 20.6 pounds overall. I’m very happy with these numbers, but I’m a bit bummed because I weighed even less yesterday (289.6).  I always go up a bit on the scale after I have an intense workout.  Always.

And since I love going to the Tuesday night Afro Belly Boogie class, I’m thinking about moving my weigh in day.  But is that too scale obsessed?  Because there are classes that I’d like to take every day, each of them with varying degrees of intensity.  There is no perfect weigh in day.  And really, 0.8 isn’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

But the thing that I need to celebrate is the fact that I am eating real food, around 1300-1400 calories a day, and losing weight.  Fairly significant weight loss, at that.  Sometimes it really is as simple as eating right, moving your body, and being mindful.

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Summer Sundays

What a terrific weekend I had! This post may seem a bit scattered, but hey, it’s Sunday, and I don’t have to keep it linear if I don’t want to, right?

Yesterday I bought myself these gerbera daisies and I am happy each time I look at them. It’s like having a bit of the summer right inside my house. I haven’t done it in a long time, but buying flowers for myself is a simple way that I can enjoy the beauty of time. These were on sale for $3.99/bunch, and so I got 2 arrangements for $8 – a very reasonable price for a week’s worth of happiness, wouldn’t you say?

This little vase on Lulu’s table makes me smile every time I see it.  I’m going to treat myself to some beautiful bouquets this summer so that I can bring a little joy into everyday.

Today is Father’s Day, and this year my sister and my dad spent the morning just the two of them, rather than our normal, big bbq dinner.  She wanted to make him a special breakfast and spend time one-on-one with him.  She made the most fabulous looking Uova Benedetto (think Eggs Benedict, Italian style: homemade polenta fried, then topped with priscuitto, a poached egg, and pesto sauce).  I thought it was a great way to show my dad how much she appreciates him without spending a ton of money.  And it was right up my dad’s alley – he’s more of a simple pleasures sort of man.  I did get to spend a tiny bit of time with him and wish him a good day.  He and I are going to celebrate Father’s Day and his birthday (which is this weekend) by going to an SF Giants game.  We have amazing seats right behind home plate (I love Stub Hub!).  They were expensive, but my dad is worth every penny, and I know we’re going to have a great day together at the ballpark.  Can’t wait.

Yesterday I had my friend Neeka over for a puppy playdate.  Her cockapoo, Riley, is 5 months old, so he’s the perfect in-between for Sofi and Minnie.  He’s got the full-of-energy puppy giddiness that Sofi loved and he’s the same size as Minnie.  They had an absolutely amazing time together, and I hope we’re able to do it again and again.  (If you want to watch the puppies playing, click here.

The best thing about SBD is that it’s so liveable, even on Phase 1.  Yesterday I served this:

Now, I ask you, does that seem like “diet food?”  The weather’s been warm here, so this was really light and refreshing.  (I also had pretzels for her, just in case this was a veggie overload). Neeka enjoyed it, and so did I.  It’s so nice to be able to hang out with friends again and not feel like I just have to sit there with a glass of water.  I have a lunch coming up on Tuesday with a friend, and I’m not one bit worried about finding something SBD-friendly to eat.  The pitchers are filled with Crystal Light (iced tea and sunburst grapefruit, respectively).

I have quite a few celebrations coming up – my dad’s birthday, my birthday, 4th of July, and yet I’m not worried about a single one because I know that I can easily incorporate this SBD lifestyle.  Luckily I timed it perfectly, and I’ll be one Phase 2 beginning on my dad’s birthday.  Meaning, I’ll be able to have some fruit and grains (if I want to) as well as up to 2 glasses of wine per day.  I will make sure to amp up the activity around those days, just to counteract the fact that I may indulge in more than 2 glasses of wine.

Speaking of which, I’ve been really bad about activity and I don’t know why that is.  I think part of it is the fact that with Sofi here now, I’m  trying to establish a new morning routine.  Because I always do better if I hit the gym in the morning.  That way, it’s done, and if I get more activity in throughout the day, that’s just a bonus.  So I need to commit to exercising this week, to you guys (for accountability) but to myself as well.  Here’s the plan:

Monday – 9am: Aqua aerobics
Tuesday – 6:30pm: Afro-Belly Boogie
Wednesday – 4pm: swimming with my nieces, which will be more like doggie paddling than anything.
Thursday – OFF.  Giants’ game with my dad.  Although we will be walking several city blocks from the train station to the ballpark and vice versa.
Friday – 9am: Aqua
Saturday – 10am: Zumba

Then next week I want to begin introducing weight training into the mix.  I’m thinking that if I get their 30-40 minutes before the classes start, I can do a circuit and then do the cardio.  Because I know that most of the time after the cardio workouts, all I want to do is recover and rest at home.

This afternoon my sister and I were talking and she started asking me all about SBD.  I think she’s seeing how easy it is for me to follow it, and so she’s been inspired. 🙂  She’s going to start tomorrow!  It’s going to be nice to have someone to do it with who lives right next door.  My sister said she wants to lose about 80 pounds, and when we crunched some numbers, she could very conceivably lose the weight by April.  I’m so happy that she’s starting to put herself first.  She’s really blossoming lately – she had her hair done the other day, had her curls blown out for the first time ever, and is starting to wear really cute outfits to work.  I think the heaviness has lifted and now that her divorce will be finalized soon, she’s feeling happier.  I’m so glad for her.

I’ll end the post on a really positive note…this morning I peeked at the scale and I’ve lost a very impressive amount of weight this week! 5.8 lbs since beginning SBD last Monday!  Wednesday’s weigh in should be great.

How was your weekend? What was the highlight?

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Bella Cooks: Smoked Salmon on Cucumber “Crackers”

I just ate the best lunch I’ve had all week, and it was completely SBD-friendly.  This lunch was so good that I didn’t even miss the bagel.  🙂 I can’t really take credit for the recipe, though, because it appeared in SBD Supercharged, and then my mom suggested how to really doctor it up.  If you love smoked salmon as much as I do, read on for a terrific lunch or appetizer.

Smoked Salmon on Cucumber “Crackers”

Nutritional Info: (per serving) 268 calories, 10.9g fat, 9.1g carb, 30.2g protein

Ingredients: (for 1 serving)
1/2-3/4 of an English cucumber, cut in thick rounds
3 Laughing Cow Light, French onion flavor wedges (this was my mom’s idea, and it adds so much to the recipe)
4 oz smoked salmon

Directions: It’s so simple; it doesn’t get much easier than this recipe.  Just slice the cucumbers, spread the Laughing Cow wedges on each “cucumber cracker” and add the small pieces of smoked salmon.

It looks beautiful, tastes decadent yet fresh and light, all at the same time.  When I finished my lunch today I felt satisfied but not overly full.  I can’t wait to make this again, maybe for an appetizer for friends.  It looks impressive but is oh so easy.

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Weigh-In Wednesday: 3 Days on SBD

I’ve been following Phase 1 of SBD since Monday, and I have to say that I am really loving it. I’m not finding Phase 1 restrictive at all, but I know that’s because I was so used to Medifast, which was REALLY restrictive. I am enjoying the fact that I am eating real food for 3 meals, 2 snacks, and dessert and I’m losing weight. It may not be as quickly as I would on another diet, but this summer it’s not about how quick I can lose – it’s about being healthy.

Which means I lost 2.4 lbs this week (in 3 days!!), for a total loss of 17.2 pounds overall.  I’m happy with this progress, and I look forward to seeing how much I’m down next week, after being on the plan for about a week and a half.

(I’m not going to focus on the fact that I’d lost 29 pounds at one point in the very recent past, because that’s not where I am now.  I’m moving forward.  As I mentioned earlier this week, one of the main pitfalls with Medifast is that as soon as you start eating real food on a regular basis, you gain weight.  800-900 calories/day is hard to maintain.  But I digress).

I’ve been using LoseIt to track my calories even though SBD doesn’t require calorie counting.  For me, it’s a way to keep myself accountable and to make sure I’m not eating too much of a good thing.  Plus, it gives me a record of my food so that I can look back if I ever need to see what I was eating to have a great weight loss one week.  Anyway, as part of LoseIt’s program, they project how long it will take to get to your goal weight.  I think they use the average weight loss up to that point.  Here’s what mine says:

That date definitely works for me.  A month ago I would have said that was way too long and that I had to have the weight off much sooner, but I am so relieved that I’ve banished that kind of thinking from my mind.  The middle/end of September would actually be a great time – it means that I’d been in full swing with my classes at school and that the surgery would be sometime in late October/early November.  Far enough from Christmas that I could enjoy the offerings. (Because I’m not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food, so that’s not a factor for me).  It’s a nice date to shoot for, but again, I’m not putting a timeframe on myself right now.

This coming week, my focus is going to be establishing a summer workout routine for myself.  I know that some days I’ll have other things going on, which is fine, but I’d like to make sure that I have a “go to plan” in place for normal days when I don’t have a lot going on.  Other than that, I’m going to keep up with what I’m doing because it’s working!

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SBD, Day 1

Today I started Day 1, Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, and I am loving it.  I know that some people find Phase 1 too restrictive (no fruit, no grains), but compared to Medifast it is a joy.  Actually, it’s a joy no matter what you compare it to.  The thing I really like about it is that you’re eating plenty of food and the focus is on eating until satisfied, not on calorie counting.  Although because I’m still working on knowing what “satisfied” feels like, I am counting calories.  I’d like to keep them somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300, give or take a 100.  1200-1400 is what Kaiser outlined for me, and it seems to work well. I’m going to be tracking my food using LoseIt, so please add me, if you’d like to follow my progress and see my meal plans on there.

What wasn’t working well was going rogue on my diet.  For the past month I’ve half-heartedly attempted to stay on Medifast, gone through 3 “loading” days of HCG, done 2 500-calorie days of HCG, and then just ate what I wanted for over a week.  The result?  Weight gain.  No big surprise.  I’m still down from my February all-time high, but once again I am feeling disappointed in letting myself give in to out of control eating.  Which is exactly why the Lap Band surgery is going to be a great tool for me.

Now I have almost exactly 30 lbs to go to reach the 266 goal, and about 35-40 to be in the “safe scale zone” where it doesn’t matter what I wear on the scale at Kaiser.  Sisyphus comes to mind.  Sigh.

I want to focus on the positive, though.  I’m feeling good, looking good, and I know SBD is going to be a great plan to follow this summer and beyond.  Now that I’m eating enough to sustain vigorous workouts, I know I’m going to be much healthier as I lose the weight.  No only will the lbs drop, but the muscle and tone of my body will improve, making me look better (and feel better).

I went to the grocery store yesterday and got LOTS of SBD-friendly food. As with any new food plan, the first grocery bill is always a shocker.  I bought spices, extracts, dressings, not to mention meats and fish and veggies, all of which add up. But it’s worth it. Shoot, I was spending $300/month on Medifast food alone (not counting dinner), and I didn’t even like the taste.

 

Happiness = a well-stocked fridge, filled with healthy choices.

It feels good to face the music, take a realistic look around, and move on.

BTW – be ready for lots of posts now that summer is here.  At the moment, there is a lot going on, and I want to share it.  And remember, Sofi’s got her own blog, if you want to read more about our adventures.

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SBD Background

This blog began with two of my friends, CCLuv and BeachGirly, but within one week of beginning Phase 1, both of them stopped doing the South Beach Diet (SBD). Which is fine; everybody is different and what works for one person doesn’t work for someone else.

For me personally, SBD has completely changed my outlook on dieting, nutrition, and weight loss. I feel such a sense of empowerment that I know I’m going to be successful this time. There’s simply no stopping me now that I’ve discovered the ease of eating the low-glycemic index way.

 

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Getting those last carbs in!

I’m trying not to think in a deprivation mentality in relation to the South Beach Diet, but…

Knowing that most carbs (bread, rice, pasta, fruit) are going to be off limits for 2 weeks, I’m getting plenty of them in this week. I bought some amazing rosemary sourdough bread that I enjoyed two nights in a row with some Italian wedding soup. I LOVE that soup so much, but the little pastinas definitely aren’t SB-friendly.

I’m looking forward to embarking on this new weight loss program, and can’t wait to see the results — both physically and mentally. I can’t wait to see those initial water weight plans shed themselves, which will no doubt give me tons of encouragement. I also can’t wait to have more energy. I’ve been feeling so sluggish lately, and I really hate that.

The one trepidation I have is about being organized enough with the food. I’m going to have to make sure the pantry, fridge, and freezer are well stocked with SB-friendly food that is easy to prepare. I’m planning on trying to do plenty of cooking/prep work on the weekends so that during the week, all I have to do is cook the food. I’m also going to use the Dream Dinner mentality of making a few things at once (cooking 4 chicken breasts instead of just one) so I have dinner already cooked and ready to reheat.

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Here we go!

December 1st is “D” day for us. Diet day. The first day of the rest of our lives and all of that stuff. I’m excited and anxious to get started, but think that taking a week to really prepare is going to help to set myself up for a a success that I’ve never experienced before with weight loss.

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