Spiraling

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Unfortunately things have been spiraling out of control, some not my doing but most ALL mine, no one to blame but me. So what do I do when things are insane? I resort to solace in food which isn’t good at all. I just can’t seem to stop. South Beach diet kinda has me confused on what I can and cannot eat. It confuses me. Weight Watchers seems to be easier but for me what I did before , cutting down, low cards and just knowing what I can and cannot eat in combination. I mostly lost 90 lbs when I turned 50 by exercising and doing a modified Weight Watchers.

South Beach has 3 kinds of shakes. I love all three but I am not really sure what the difference is. It has kept me on track when I write in here. I also fell down on that, not good. I have creeped up and need to do more conscious choices and take responsibility for what I am stuffing into my mouth.

I Just Couldn’t Stop

I don’t even like banana pudding! Truly I don’t. You would have thought different with the 2nd helping I had!! So we are at an Awards Banquet, 10:00 AM and there is food….lots of food! Yesterday at the Multicultural Celebration I marched right by all the food. Today I seemed to graze at the desserts table.

So as I grab my plate, I skip the sweet roll french toast bake.I skip the potatoes. I pile on the string beans, fruit, 2 pieces of quiche with no bread crust and one piece of turkey bacon. I was downright proud of myself. So I HAD to go back for seconds, right? I had another piece of quiche.Then I moved away from the food.

Dessert time! I could not pass up for the 3rd time a piece of the homemade banana pudding. I got a small mouthful. That wasn’t enough.OOhh no I had to go back for a rather healthy piece with 2 strawberries. Then , did you think I stopped? Hell no! I had another piece, which I did not eat all but geeez. It was an ugly food moment.Blah. I feel sick to my stomach. I gorged, binged ate way more than I was suppose to. Why?

Ok how do I correct this and correct it fast? Sticking my finger down my throat is not an option. Damage is done , now I need to pick up the pieces and continue on.So no dessert tonight, thats a given. And now I feel like I need a nap, yup sugar crash. I hate this .

When There Is No Routine

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12 1/2 pounds gone! I am very proud of myself. It’s a great start of week 4. This week my challenges include a lot of helter skelter to my daily day. I will be staying at work very late, attending meets at night and working 16 hour days. So how do I plan to stay on my new way of life?

It’s all about preplanning. Today I packed many snacks. I have a low fat cheese stick, cut veggies and hummus, South Beach snack bar, strawberries, and sugar free jello. For lunch I have a couple lamb chops that were from dinner Sunday and a bag of Steamers, Cauliflower and Broccoli. I started the day with South Beach’s High Protein Chocolate Shake. Let’s not forget about the water! I am prepared this day. For me it’s a lot of being prepared and having time to do this stuff beforehand, like cutting veggies.

Tomorrow will be just as hectic with a late night meeting. I am going to try and be just as prepared.As my weight loss is slowing down I notice many days of nothing. I know that if I were exercising which I must start doing that my weight loss would be significantly more. I will wrap my brains about that next week.

Creeping Up

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I am not having much success. The up and down of a diet is a norm I get that but I am having problems staying on track. I have a friend who has perhaps 2x the amount of weight I have to lose. We see each other at work to have lunch. Well that’s not true, to run out to grab lunch. We are situated around a Wa-Wa, Burger King, Chipotle, McDonald’s,Wendy’s, Chick FilA, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Saladworks ( where we never once went) Nick’s Pizza, and more. We have 45 min to run out grab food, gobble it down and get back to work. This is the only time I see my friend, we work at separate ends of the building, our paths do not cross.

I brought my lunch yesterday, a diet friendly, healthy and pretty good tasting lunch, yet I texted my friend to go out and do lunch. We did Chipotle. I had the salad bowl, with steak, salsa, cheese and guacamole. I did not chips and had unsweetened ice tea. I thought I did pretty well. It would have been GREAT if I had only eaten half of that for lunch. I understand that as much as healthy eating is important so is portion control. Why cant we meet and eat our lunches together in the building? Thats a good question. It was a beautiful day, warm sun bright. I HAD to get out. So why didnt I eat outside or in the car with her? Hmmm

I didn’t because I wanted to eat what I considered real food. I need to rethink everything.It’s a process.

Tues. the Ugly Stepchild of the Week

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I always have said that Tuesday is the ugly stepchild of the week. There is nothing exciting about a Tuesday. Monday, you are back to work talking about your weekend exploits. Wednesday is “HUMP DAY!”. Thursday you can taste the weekend and Friday, let it begin! But Tuesday…..nada! I guess we could say it brings us closer to Friday.

So on this ugly stepchild Tues I start by having my shake ready to go.Truly I enjoy the South Beach shakes. They are flavorful and never chalky. It does taste like a vanilla or chocolate shake. The chocolate caramel shake is not as good as the plain ones.I change the directions and always add a 1/2 cup more ice. Admittedly if I did not have my Vitamix blender I am not sure if it would be as good. That blender is the most amazing piece of equipment in my kitchen besides my husband. What’s more, I purchased it on QVC at a fraction of the normal cost.I will also add that the shakes are filling, travel well and an easy thing to make and go.

Yesterday I attacked those Girl Scout cookies. I was possessed I swear!! It was not me eating that half of sleeve of Thin Mints or cramming lemon cookies into my fat trap….. Before I could do any MORE damage I threw them into my son’s room( He is 30) and rushed out of there. I told him to take the cookies and get rid of them! When I told my husband of this exploit his only comment was,” Where did you hide them?”

I ain;t telling nobody nuttin’!

Getting Back in the Saddle

Even though we are thousands miles away, something definitely connects us because I also had a rough weekend. Or week rather.

I had my first ever work trip last week that took me to Las Vegas for three days. It was an a amazing experience that stuck me right in the middle of the entire film industry. While I averaged about 10,000 steps, I was also given free reign to room service FOR FREE. So who am I to choose the cheaper, blander salad over the delicious filet mignon with french fries? I stayed away from alcohol besides sharing an alcoholic slushie that was truly not worth the calories, but all my coworkers were partaking and I felt I had to as well.

Unfortunately, I’d hoped my diet would rebound when I returned on Thursday. But I struggled with turning down AGAIN FREE pizza that covered dinner and lunch the next day. Weekends I usually only eat one to two big meals and I allow myself to cheat. But, I truly need to settle in on weekends. Yes, postmates makes getting good food easier than ever. But it’s not easy on my wallet or waistline. Cooking during the weekends is a MUST for me going forward.

Now, while I would love nothing more than chalking up the last week and the diet as a whole as a loss and go back to eating what I want, I need to refocus. I won’t give up regardless of how hard this is. Mistakes and bumps happen. Temptation is real and sometimes we give in. But it’s not about how many times you get thrown off course. It’s about how you find your way back.

And just to give you a little taste of the daily temptation, here is a picture of the food my office constantly has stocked and ready for the taking.

-Apple

Killer Weekend/Mushroom Broth

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Yes after this weekend I gained a pound. Can I say I hate my family? Seriously no one was shoving the food into my mouth but me. You also don’t see me making sticky buns first thing Sunday morning either! Friday through Monday morning is a battle. It’s a battle because while I know “I” am the one on the diet and no one should have to suffer but me, I still feel some support would be wonderful.

Ok.ok.ok.my husband is supportive in helping me prepare for the week. This week he cooked for me pork chops and grilled chicken, all ready to grab and go for lunch or dinner. He also sautes ahead of time spinach, garlic and onions. This makes for a great additive for morning scrambled eggs or even a side veggie . Its what he eats during the weekends that draw me in and make me gobble more.

For example our local Acme has a container of homemade guacamole. I count out 14 Wheat thins, low sodium.I eat them and now need MORE. Instead of walking away , I eat probably 4 servings and finish it off with my hubby.-_- . Next was the bag of popcorn I popped and ate the whole thing.Friday was my treat day! I had planned to go out with friends for A slice of pizza. This is an every Friday lunch date event and last week to stay in the diet I didnt go.So this Friday I was prepared, normally I get 2 pieces of thin plain Brooklyn pizza.I was allowing myself ONE. I get there and what do I do? I order the same, two. I don’t know what came over me. They are not very big but still I was allowing myself one, with no cheating but no, I had to have TWO.

My husband did a really cool thing, I recommend this for those on a diet. He made me mushroom broth. He boiled mushrooms adding fried onions. This also cocks the mushrooms. When he was done he strained the broth and put it in a large container. Now I have mushrooms with onions to add to a scramble or any dish. More importantly I have a container of broth which I can add healthy things to, to make a soup. I chop up the grilled chicken, throw in some of those mushrooms, even the cooked spinach. I now have a hearty soup that is a full meal! It is delicious and filling!

My goal this week is no cheats and ONE piece of pizza on Friday!

Preparation

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Like anything being prepared makes the difference. If you are going for that interview, know everything you can about it and the person you are interviewing with. If your final exam is coming up, wishing upon a star isn’t going to cut it, you must study. Dieting is the same thing. You must know what is next , what is down the road and have contingency plan for things that didn’t follow your action plan.

One of the reasons I chose South Beach is because it was one I haven’t tried yet. I have done them all just about. They all work, some just taste shittier than others. I am a lifetime member of Jenny Craig. I did Nutrisystem when it came out years ago and of course there is old faithful, Weight Watchers.You can add Atkins, Cabbage Soup and other various diets too. All of these plans work. They do. Its about finding what works for you.

I needed a non thinking, go to plan that I could just make and eat.. South Beach’s Week 1 is a no brainer.I looked on my little chart, grabbed it and went. Veggies were on me but the steamable bags were simple. The food while MUCH smaller in portions than I had been eating was very tasty and for the most part filling with the added vegetables. Now comes Week 2. This is a whole different ball game.I need to PREPLAN I need to think through when I am going to eat and what. Even worse, the foods I was going to choose had to be in my fridge! This is called…..preparation. Something I definitely need to work on.To make this diet succeed I need to work on my preparation!

Week 2-Starting…

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Well I made it to the 250’s! I survived Week 1 of the rather strict South Beach Diet. It was not too much of a struggle to be honest. My cheats were an over indulgence of almond, while allowed on the diet probably not the amount that I ate. The other cheat I had wasd Nutrisystem popcorn which another person had given me, sitting in my drawer. All in all I was proud of myself. It was difficult to stay on the same number for so many days after being very carefukl. I lost 5.9 lbs in the first week.

The weekend was more difficult than I thought. Due to his work I see my husband Fri-Sunday, with him leaving Mon morning after me. As mentioned before, he is the cook in the house. He prepared for me 3 homemade stuffed chicken breasts for this week. He stuffed it with spinach, mushrooms and a little sprinkle of low fat cheese. I have to cut each into half because they are FAR from 4 oz.While the stuffing is all dietetic it is almost impossible to not eat the whole damn piece! I WANTED it! I NEEDED it! I didnt have it.I will be having the other half today for lunch.

Weekend Warriors!

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So the weekend is upon us! My husband travels M-F so staying on the diet during the week has been easy. The temptations of my husband’s rich and delicious food is not in my path. He is the cook in our house. He loves cooking and he does a great job at it. While he has been known to help the both of us lose of 100 lbs each with his cooking, his heavy handedness with salt, butter and all things that we should have in moderation is his real thing.

He also is trying to lose weight, an ongoing battle for most of my family, yea genes! I am going to try and stick to my diet as much as I can. I only have until Sunday to deal with this cleanse diet food then on Mon I can start to eat real food. I really needed the detox. He is very supportive but we both sabotage each other, him with salty foods and me with sweet foods.

I will try and focus on more exercise this weekend. The weather has been cold. It should be in the 50-60’s yet it is still in the 30’s. It is reported that we will hit the 60’s this weekend so time to get out there! Three days I have been holding at the same weight. Need to break that number!