Hi y'all!

Jill: good for you for being prepared! I'm convinced it's one of the secrets of success in this endeavor. What's the recipe for pasta e figoli? that is my favorite soup at OG!

I'm down 5 lbs in 4 days....not bad!

Here's the basic recipe I followed:
from http://www.recipezaar.com/31717

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

1. Brown beef in a skillet.
2. Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.
3. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.
4. During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.

I adjusted it to exclude the carrots (not allowed on South Beach Phase 1) and pasta. Instead, I added some extra beans and some extra meat, thought I used a combination of 93% lean beef and 99% ground turkey breast. I would say I used about 1.5 pounds meat total
and an extra 8oz of beans. I also used an extra stalk of celery since I skipped the carrots. I didn't use any tobasco sauce, but I like to add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and some parmesan cheese when I nuke it--YUM!

Thanks! this looks delish!!

Hi everyone,

Jen415 congrats on the loss, thats GREAT!!

Jill congrats to you for being prepared. Thats what keeps us on track. Sounds like you are doing really well. Keep it up!!

I have had a good week so far. I`ve been eating well and making it to work out each day. I have had the faux spuds and really like them, but I could not fool my kids who refuse to eat them. I think its a kids and veggies thing, lol.

Have a great Thursday!!

Hey all!

Slim, I reckon you need to disguise them with cheese, bacon bits, etc.!

I am feeling really good with this way of eating! 6.5 lbs in 5 days is pretty good too!

Mornin y'all! another pound down, for a total of 7.5 lbs in 6 days! :) The scale said 317.5!

I probably won't continue to weigh myself every day after the first couple of weeks. I'll probably just keep it to once or twice a week. Although that may be hard, because Alan (my SO) likes to weigh every day...in fact he weighs a few times a day--a bit compusive! LOL

We're working on finishing his office here at home. We bought the flooring last night and are finishing the painting this morning so we can start the floor. He picked a paint color called Brandy Butter, which is a bright happy color! It will keep him stimulated while he works! LOL

We're going to see friends tonight for game night. Our plan is to eat a good meal before going so we won't be tempted by any snacks there.

Have a great Saturday!!

Yeah, Jen! That is fantastic!

I bet with the faux spuds you could do half cauliflower and half potatoes all smashed together to start for picky kids and dhs, and slowly decrease the ratio of potato: cauliflower.

As for me, I have lost about 2 lbs this week. Amazing what a strict policy of no seconds at dinner/no fast food will do.

Good Morning :coffee:

Congrats Jen and Midwife on your loss this week !!
Nothing exciting to report from my little corner of the world. Not sure what I will get up to this weekend - although as always I am sure the time will fly by.

TTYS :D

Congrats Jen and Midwife on the weight loss this week. Good for you.

I have been having a so so week so far. No weight loss, but no gain either so that is a good sign. We were away for three days and I tried to eat sensible without eating just salad. I was pleased to see no gain when I got home. Time to get back on track and have a loss for this week. It has been a couple of weeks since I have seen a change on the scale.

Jen, you sound like you are enjoying the low carb diet. I give you credit to limit your carbs like that. I can handle not having the starches, but it is the veggies and fruit that I really miss.

Jilly, how are you doing? You were sure off to a good start, hoping things are still going well for you. Thanks for the soup recipe. It sounds delish.

Okay, off to scout out a stuffed mushroom recipe for supper. If not I guess I will have to make one up. Really, how can I screw that up.

Have a great weekend everyone, keep on losing.

Hi all,

Congrats Jen and midwife!!
Thats a great idea to mix the faux spuds and slowly decrease. I'll try that!!

Newstart - now loss is better than a gain, I'm sure you'll see a change soon. Keep looking up!!

I did another measurements and weigh in lastnight at curves. My last one was 12 days ago. My weight went up, I'm not going to change my ticker yet, but my inches are down 1.25. I have lost at total of 12.5 inches since starting on Nov. 5 2007. I'm happy with that. The lady there said not to worry about what the scale says, as muscle weighs more than fat. She said to give it time and eventually I should see the weight go back down. I will trust her for now, and see what happens. What do you all think?

Have a good weekend, Keep on lossing!!

I know no one else has posted since I last did, and I hate to double post, but I had to share my happiness...

I got on the scale this morning 3 times (including letting it turn of and back on once in between weighings to ensure accuracy!), and all 3 times it said...

315.5! yay! That means I successfully lost weight even while being away for the weekend :carrot: That is a HUGE victory for me! Travelling typically equates to weight disaster for me, so this is very encouraging :)

Way to go, Jill! I am so very proud of you! You did awesome! You proved that you are stronger than any temptation that comes your way!!

I was able to resist temptation myself on Saturday. We were at a friend's house for game night, and I did not eat anything there!! It helped that we had a good low carb meal before going.

Newstart: Low-carbing is actually pretty easy for me! The only thing I still struggle with is sweets, but not in a big way as before. This has helped me detox from sugar--I have been sugar free for eight days now!!

Midwife: congrats on your loss! :)

Slim: inches are really more important, aren't they? I mean, that is the evidence of sticking to your program more than dropping weight on the scale. Great job!

Congrats Jill, it is always great to see the scale down more than you were expecting. I am so proud of you for sticking to your plan while away. I find it very hard. Worth a dancing carrot for sure.:carrot:

Jen, congrats on being sugar free for eight whole days. You will probably notice that things will tase so much sweeter the first few times that you do end up eating it and it isn't as appealing.

Soontobe, you are doing great, the inches lost is great and even though the scale doesn't move your clothes will be feeling more loose.

My goal is/was 10lbs down for this month. I am 2lbs away and I think if I step it up a gear I could lose those last few pounds. Wish me luck.

Keep on losing everyone.

Woot! We are some on-plan, fat-losing chickies!

Jill, that is so fantastic! The loss is wonderful, and I am so impressed with your determination and resolve at the birthday party.

And Jen, too! You guys have iron-wills!

Newstart, 8 pounds so far is terrific! Good luck with those last two to make your goal!

Soontobe, I agree that inches lost are awesome! Scales are just one measurement of progress and they are not the best. Keep on your plan and your goal will come closer, I know it!!

When I weighed yesterday morning, I was down 20 pounds from the end of September. Hardly speedy weight loss, but both my exercise and my eating are things that I can live with. I went off plan a little bit yesterday. A midwife student I have been working with baked me a chocolate cake as a thank you. I had one piece and it was really good. The nurses helped with the rest. I adjusted my calories for the day accordingly and there you go.

Have a great day, ladies!

Morning, gals!

I made an awesome low carb dinner last night: a casserole with chicken breasts browned in olive oil and garlic, then put on broccoli and covered with a cheese, mushroom and heavy cream mixture. Baked to perfection!! :)

Can the Prodigal Be Welcomed back??
 

Hey everyone it sounds like you are all doing really well!! I am very proud of everyone.

I'm sorry ive been away for so long but its tax season and I'm a "part time" preparer and I have been swamped. Ive been putting in 30+ hours a week at the tax site and 8 hours at my second job and I have four college classes plus job application for next year and I can barely find time to sleep, let alone post. Peak time is over in two weeks and I should have a little more time to keep things together and post. And I'll definitly need it. I suspect I am going to put on 10 pounds this tax season.

Anywho, sorry for venting and I hope to be posting more regularly soon.

Again great job everyone!

P

Hi y'all.... I noticed the scale was up about a pound this morning. I think I am going to start weighing in just one day a week, because these fluctuations play with my head! So my official weigh in day will be Sunday.

P: that has to be a crazy job for four months a year! But folks really appreciate the help you give them!

Jen, I so hear ya--I like to weigh frequently when I first start something new, but it's getting to be that time when I need to back off the scale a bit. I'll use Wednesday mornings as my "official" weekly weigh in since I started SB on a Wednesday.

P, you sound insanely busy! We'll look forward to seeing you aorund more when tax season is over!

As for me, I'm done with Phase 1!!! I am "allowed" whole grains, fruits, and other good carbs on Phase 2, but for now, I'm only going to add in some fruit. I'll think about maybe adding bread a couple times a week when I get below 300.

I was wondering if I can get back in this loop? I started posting awhile back on this thread, but then I got sick and have been out of circulation for the last couple of weeks. I'm way behind on my exercising and feel like I'm starting over. I am not completely over this flu (or whatever it is) and it has kept me down and exhausted. But, I think I'm getting better!!! I just really like the support here, so I hope I can fit back in!!

Congrats Jill on your success!

Hi Diane! Glad you are feeling better. Glad to see you!

Jill, congrats on finishing the first stage of South Beach. Your determination is awesome!

Hi Mirth! Good luck with tax season!

Jen, I'm sure the pound is just a blip. Begone, blip!!

I had pizza for lunch and did not plan that. No excuses. It is what it is and it too is but a blip on my epic journey to health.

Hey y'all....

Yep Midwife, it was just a blip....it was gone this morning. But I am not going to weigh myself again until Sunday. The number that pops up on that scale should not matter so much!

Diane: Welcome back to "the loop"! :)

Jen, it is so hard to not be so scale focused! I know that I have to make myself weigh only once a week or I get crazy about it. Speaking of, I'm going to brave the scale on Monday. Spooky! I'm feeling better now so it is time to get back to walking and being accountable with the scale!!!

Hope everyone has a good Friday and weekend!

My weight has been sliwly creeping back up again, but I know exactly why. I've been eating more volume-wise lately instead of sticking to smaller portions. I've been doing this because I don't feel well, and while I know a lot of people lose their appetite when they're sick, I feel better when I'm eating. The biggest thing for me is that my throat hurts, and eating makes it feel better, so I'm almost constantly trying to eat. Also, my nose is stuffy, and hot (temperatur-wise) and spicy foods help me with that, so I've been eating more for that, too. Like this morning, I had a can of Progresso's Light Southwestern Style Vegetable soup for breakfast :dizzy: It's only 60 calories per serving, 2 servings per can (so 120 calories total), but it's quite the dose of sodium, and an extra 120 here and there adds up very quickly!

Anyway, I know I need to get back on track. We'll see how I feel after the weekend.

Hang in there Jill!! Once you get beyond this little illness you will do better! How's your water consumption? That will counteract the sodium.

Since today is the first of the month, I got on the scale (even though I said I would wait until Sunday). I am doing a video diary on the first of every month, and I announce my weight on it. (I've released 4.5 lbs since the first of the year.)

I'm looking forward to having a nice loss to report on March 1st! I'm a bit stuck on the scale at the moment--I'm looking for a big whoosh in the next couple of days!

Have a great day y'all!

Hi, Ladies :wave:

Sorry I have been MIA this week. Not sure where the time goes, but have had trouble getting here to say hi.

Hope you all have a great weekend :D

Hey Jill. I know how hard it is to keep losing when you are feeling sick. I just came through that. I have no answers for you, but try to not get discouraged. At some point, you'll feel better and then you can hit it hard again and watch the weight come off!

Jen: Congrats on the weight loss! That's great. You have a really good start to the year. I hope to catch up soon!

I'll get on the scale on Monday and get cracking again. I need to go to the grocery store and plan some good meals, particularly for lunch, so that I don't have any more excuses. Then, on to more exercise. I just wish that winter would loosen its grip on us and let some warmer weather come in!!!

Hi all, I've been very busy....once again....but wanted to pop in and say HI.
I'll read all the posts and catch up later..

Way to go Jill!!!!

Jill, glad to see that your weight is going back down. Good job on starting phase one over again. That should kick your weight loss into gear.

Today is my weigh in and I am still hanging on at roughly the same place I was two weeks ago. I guess it is time to kick my butt in gear and start doing some exercise. I had a goal of 10lbs of Jan and didn't make it so I have added the last pesky pound on for Feb. I better lose them all, because the further I get behind the harder it will be to stay on track.

Anyone else weighing in this morning?

Have a good week and I will try to get back on before next monday.

Well, my weight this morning was 317, so not horrible, but not great.

I was feeling much better yesterday and was quite productive--bathed and brushed both puppies, cooked a spaghetti squash for tonight's dinner, made dinner last night, did a couple loads of laundry...but then when I went to bed last night, I started coughing like crazy. I was coughing all night and didn't sleep well, and now this morning my chest hurts from coughing, my throat hurts, and my nose was all stuffed up again :( Not to mention I'm tired from not getting much sleep.

I'm still doing Phase 1 today, though. Most of what I eat is cold, so it still feels good on my throat. I just can't have any juice or ice cream. I just had some sugar-free Jell-o, and I had egg salad for breakfast. I'm still planning on having the spaghetti squash for dinner, too (with ground turkey breast in the sauce for protein).

I'm about done with what I absolutely needed to get done at the office today, so I'll hopefully be heading home in the next hour or so to nap. If I feel I have the energy, maybe I'll make my pasta sauce when I get home so I don't have to do it this evening (the later I put it off, the more likely I am to say, "screw it, I don't feel like cooking; let's eat out!":devil:).

HI gals:

Jill, it is SO EASY to say "screw it", isn't it? But for me, too much eating out is hard on my body and hard on the wallet! Hope you feel better soon!

Newstart: I'm in the same position you're in...the scale has only moved up in the last week. I havent been exercising either..so it's time for me to kick it into gear.

Slim and Slash: great to see you gals! I've got to get to the grocery tonight myself. I'll be doing some cooking when I get home tonight....I make a breakfast casserole that we eat from all week, and I ran out of eggs to make it for this week. Soooo.....

I did something really cool this weekend....two of my girlfriends and me did a photoshoot to give to our fellas for Valentines day. I'm not talkin' Glamour Shots--I'm talking an award winning photographer and a professional makeup and hair stylist with lots of different backgrounds, prope, etc. And get this....I did some of my shots NUDE. ME!! Un-freakin-believable! One picture was with 10,000 rose petals (a la American Beauty). I'm tellin ya....doing that shoot really gave my self-esteem and body image a real boost. I'm still on a high from it!! I can't wait to get the finished product!

Wow Jen! That's cool! I'm glad you had fun doing that. I'm not sure I could let go of my inhibitions enough to do that, so I'm impressed with you!
Well, I got on the scale yesterday. It was not great, but also not as bad as it could have been. I have a salad for lunch today and since it isn't supposed to snow today, I want to head out to do some walking at lunch. Now I want to see the scale go back down next week!!!
Have a good day everyone!

Thanks girls! I'll be glad to share them...probably would send by e-mail as opposed to posting them. I'm hoping to be able to crop one and use as an avatar....

One thing that helped me decide to do it: I have been waiting to do things until after I lose weight...and I realize I will always have my life on hold if I continue to think this way. So...NO MORE WAITING TO LIVE!! I'm doing what I want, weight or no weight!

Wow Jen, that is amazing, way to go on the pics. I would love to see them as well. I have thought of doing that for my husband many of times, but I would be so worried that the photographer would just be shooting away and I have would have rolls or cellulite showing everywhere. :) I can only imagine how gorgeous you looked and felt after being completely pampered.

I have been running on the treadmill yesterday and today. It feels so good to do it, I don't know why I put it off for so long. Hoping for a loss this week.

Hope everyone is doing well this week.

Hey all,

Glad to see that you guys have had some good experiences this week! My week has been so-so. Eating ok, exercising ok, nothing spectacular. I am working more than usual and I have so much to do and I don't want to do any of it. Do you think the dishes will wash themselves? I keep hoping they'll walk off....a few more days and there might be enough life energy growing on them that they can!!!

Have a good one, y'all.

Hi y'all:

I signed up at The Daily Plate to track my food, but I really don't like it! I think I will look into Fit Day. I had an account there a long time ago.....

Midwife, I'd settle for so-so on the exercise thing! I have done NOTHING at all this week. I've THOUGHT about it alot though! But thinking doesn't burn calories like a walk on the treadmill, does it? LOL

Newstart: At first I was concerned about the photographer being judgemental of my body, but he wasn't at all! He has been a photographer since he was 11 and had his own dark room in the basement! And his favorite subject to photograph is WOMEN--regardless of shape, size or age. He is awesome! I've already seen what he can do with raw photographs to make them absolutely gorgeous, and I cannot WAIT to get them back! :):)

Here is a link to his site: www.imagesphotographystudios.com

The low carb eating is going pretty well! The weight is not dropping off like I thought it would though. I have had a few more carbs than I should in a day, which is probably why I haven't stayed in ketosis very long. That's why I wanted to start logging my food at TDP. Too bad I don't like it!!

Jen, I have used both TDP and Fitday. They both have their ups and downs. I prefer TDP now only because Fitday's food database is so limited. I know you can add custom foods, but unless you find yourself eating the same things all the time, that gets pretty old very quickly. With TDP, I almost never have to enter my own foods--I just pick the one they already have that matches the label on my product.

Of course, my beef with TDP is that it's hard to figure out your serving sizes sometimes. For example, if they have something listed with 2T as the serving size, you have to enter how many servings you had. Well, if you were doing a recipe that had maybe a cup of that product, then you've got to figure out the number of tablespoons in a cup and divide by 2 to get the number of servings you consumed. And that's a straightforward example--some servings are in grams or ounces, etc....can get pretty mathematical! :dizzy: In Fitday, however, it lets you pick the measurement of the product. So if you enter a salad dressing with nutritional info in tablespoons, when you log it for the day, you can change it to cups, and it will do the math for you.

Anyway, that's my bit on that :p

I'm feeling a bit better today--much more human, if nothing else. I was still up at night coughing, so I'm tired, and my chest and stomach muscles hurt, but my throat is feeling better, and my nose isn't running or completely stuffed. Hurray!

I found some sugar-free maple syrup last night to try. I know there are many brands out there, but this one is by Walden Farms, and the ingredients list looked much better than any of the others. For one, it doesn't contain any sugar alcohols, so I have less fear of eating it since I've had *ahem* gastrointestinal issues as a result of sugar alcohol consumption in the past :o

I also discovered that Bloom (grocery store around here, incase they're not in your area) carries plastic pouches of already peeled hard boiled eggs. SCORE! Now I know that if I don't have a lunch, I can go to the store and grab a pouch of those and make my own egg salad. I've purchased egg salad at grocery deli counters a few times, but they all have sugar, so making my own would be much better.

OH, and I FINALLY found some no sugar added ketchup made with Splenda. I've found the hardest part of the lower carb eating for me is the lack of my favorite condiments. I tried following a recipe I found here on 3FC for a no sugar added ketchup, but it didn't come out so hot (very runny). I've also come to make my own tartar sauce from mayo and no sugar added sweet pickle relish. Now if only I could find a no sugar added barbecue sauce...again, I tried making one at home with a recipe I found on here, but it was really nothing like barbecue sauce in the end :dizzy:

Yay for the egg find, Jill! The Publix markets around here do the same thing. Very handy! :)

What brand of no sugar added ketchup did you find? I found a bottle of Heinz at the store the other day.

Sometimes us low-carbers have to IMPROVISE! LOL

Forgot to add: I'm trying something a little strange on the exercise front. I work in a building where I am the only female, so I get my own bathroom! Anyway,yesterday, every time I went to the bathroom, I would do 20 squats before I walked out. (This is a pretty roomy bathroom, so I could do this with no problem.) Yesterday I was able to do 80 squats! Granted it's not much, but it is something!! I plan to do a minute of some kind of exercise each time I am in the bathroom today--let's see how it goes!