I'm with you on the dark chocolate too, milk chocolate is blech! My secret is either Godiva dark chocolate pearls (8 are only 25 calories, but I can take 1 and just let it melt in my mouth & I'm good), or AmberLyn sugar free dark Belgium chocolate. This is 47 calories for a square, and is low carb and gluten free too. I found that at Costco, if you belong, check AmberLyn's website (google it) to see if they will be road showing the product in your local store. If you like good chocolate, I think you'll like it.

Funny, because I used to always eat chocolate (and all I could get my hands on) and since I've been on my plan, I occasionally really enjoy it, but I have some of both of the above, and haven't had any for at least a week. I keep it well-hidden from everyone else though, or it wouldn't be there when I went back to it...

127.0 this am

B- 2 eggs over easy, 1 slice bacon, refried beans (breakfast out with car club, but I got rid of the rest of the cookies!)
S- Costco - 1 Itailian meatball, small taste chicken sausage, 1 bit of ham.
L- salad, chicken, animal crackers, orange
D- chicken breast, sour cream, salsas, spinach, black beans (restaurant) 2 diet coke & Malibu rums
S- orange, no sugar added choc ice cream
Water - 8 cups, exercise 1.75 mile fast walk
Approx 1300 calories before walk. I need to stay out of Costco!

Another day that I did not log my food Scale went even lower; I am 0.6 pounds away from my monthly goal. -- My double exercise days are working. I walked for 4.5 miles and swam for 40 minutes.

Plan for today

B ~ Green Tea
L ~ Porkloin salad with avocado, tomato, peppers, onions and oil and vinegar dressing.
D ~ Filet Mignon; bell peppers, broccoli, onion in Evoo
S ~ TBD

Exercise
Step aerobics (60 min)
Walk 4.5 miles

Weight
152.2

I am dusting off my South Beach Diet Cookbook. Anyone here follows SB?

I am debating if I should do phase 1 or just skip into phase 2? I don't know if I need the cleansing part of the diet...what do you think?

Welcome tztz, marier4him, Donna!

Sum 38 - I'm on SBD - if you have lots of cravings for carbs, then I'd absolutely do phase I. If not, you probably could skip to phase II. I find I do a lot better if I do "phase 1.5", which is no grains.

I kept thinking of joining you ladies here for a bit better accountability. I hang daily in the SBD forum, but we tend to chat more about life than diet . Sum38's post prompted me to make the plunge.

I'm one of those that lost weight (20 lbs), and gained most of it back. That darned creep! I'm a realist though, so I'll go all out after the 1st.

TwynnB Welcome!

You have a good point about carbs; I have Celiac so breads and pastas are not part of my diet. I do eat rice or potato each day, though. -- I just made my meal plan for the upcoming week, and I am following phase 1 atleast for the first week, I may introduce fruit back into my diet after week one; I shall see how it goes. The cookbook is filled with yummy meals!

Twynn - love your avatar photo, that is one cute pup!

I continue to rock the exercise... and the liquor. That's balance, right?

Ha.

MarleneV, I have sampled AmberLyn at Costco and it is good! I'm tempted to buy some but artificial sweeteners make me a little nervous. Have you had any trouble with the sweetener in AmberLyn chocolate?

Sum, good going on the scale front! I loosely follow SB and I agree, lots of great recipes. As for what phase to do, gotta follow your gut! (Hee-hee, I couldn't resist being punny!)

Ah, Mrs Snark, you're funny, too!

Welcome, TwynnB!

B: yogurt with chia and banana
L: three meatballs
S: two chocolates, a carrot
D: grilled chicken and zucchini, green salad with Italian dressing
S: 1 oz lemon pepper dark chocolate, dried mango (too much!)

It's so hard to loose during the holidays. I'm up 2 lbs but started back on SB ish today.

I broke my foot almost 2 months ago but didn't know it until last week. I have been still walking a lot but no standing exercise and now I can't walk either. Floor exercises are my only exercise right now.

I need to stop self medicating to dull the pain. Good bye wine; rum and diet sprite. .... hum don't like that idea one bit.

I weigh myself again on Friday so fingers crossed that I can do this.

Good luck to everyone.

and to the thread marier

Thanks Marlene I'm sure your way of eating would work for me if I had some help and discipline. I have typr 2 diabetes. I really wish I had a person that I could talk to face to face to be accountable. I love 3FC and the friends I've made here but the face to face accountability would be great Marlene that's the way treats are in here for me. The things I think they won't like they like, I wonder how they know I like your menu today

LOL Leeh, I think I could eat my weight in Reece's & KitKats I'll gladly take a virtual plate from your house on NYE

Cattails I wish more things made it easier for portion control

and to the thread Donna

Sum I wish I had your energy and will

to the thread Tammy

Michelle LOL whatever works

wantochange and to the thread, Sorry about your foot. for a good weigh in

I was down 2 more pounds of water today to 176.4, didn't expect that. Today I ate cornbread, potato salad and 2 cookies at a reception. I am hoping that the collards that I ate help to combat some of that . I ate a baked chicken thigh and one meatball also. Now to get my water in before bed. Hoping tomorrows weigh in is the same as todays not up at all

Rennie, what I liked about MRC was that I checked in with a coach 2 times a week. That was certainly accountability. I was/am doing the "At Home" program, so my check-ins are via phone call. I still talk to her, just not as often. It is nice to know I have someone I can call if I need help. The menu was actually what I ate yesterday, I'm posting it at the end of the day. I like what I eat though, and it works well for me.

Do you have someone in your house that would work well as the person who to be accountable to? Or a friend that lives nearby? For me, in addition to the coach, everyone at my office knew that I was on the program, and while they never judged, I felt like they were watching me (except our receptionist, who is a grandmotherly type who pushes junk...).

I'd tell you to come visit me for a while... Last year at Christmas we had a high school student from another country staying with us for a month. She wasn't obese, but was over what would be ideal. She basically ate what I was eating, even though the rest of my family would eat junk. She lost 15 lbs while here, and stuck with it after she got home and lost some more. Then a few months ago, one of my cousins came for a long weekend. Even with eating several meals out, she was still eating similar to me, and she lost 2 lbs over a 5 day weekend.

Cattails, I have not had problems with the sweetener, but I don't really seem to have any problems with any of them. No headaches, tummy upsets or anything. I know some people do seem to have issues though. I spoke to the gentleman at Costco about it at some length, he said that people don't have problems with it, but then again, his job is to sell the stuff!

Skipped the scale this morning... got up late & had to go take care of animals.

B - MRC Meal Replacement Shake
L - Salad, chicken, feta cheese, 6 black olives, guacamole, salsa, orange, animal crackers
S - cheese stick, veggies with low fat dip, a few potato chips (at church)
D - tri-tip, potatoes with cream (almost gone), salad, orange
S - MRC choc pudding
Exercise - 3.5 mile fast walk
8 cups of water
Approx 1260 cal before walking

My big victory today is not polishing off the potatoes. This is a family recipe that is YUM! It never lasts long, but since everyone is gone, I can eat a little bit and know that it will still be there when I go back. If my daughter eats the last bit, I won't mind.