Oh, Jen, you cited my biggest weakness: the icing on the cake! Always corner pieces for me, please! I grew up in a small town, and my aunt happened to be "the cake lady." She made cakes for a living out of her home. When she used to babysit me and my other little cousins, she would tape a piece of wax paper to a piece of cardboard and give use frosting tubes with all different tips and colors of frosting, and we would make pictures on the wax paper, let them dry, and eat them later. No wonder I'm so big on sweets, eh? And what's worse, my favorite sweets are the FATTY ones, not just sugary. I go for the cheesecake, sticky buns, pecan pie, etc., as opposed to things like candy. Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid the cake and ice cream next weekend. That stuff is like crack for me

So yay, we can low carb together! I am still on SB Phase 1, so not adding back any fruit or anything yet. What sort of guidelines do you try to follow? Do you limit all carbs, or just try to stick to good carbs?

Right now I am limiting all carbs...kind of like Atkins induction...until I can get this sugar thing kicked. I'll do that for a couple of weeks or so, then add a few more carbs in down the road. Today I have had the innerds (that's southern for insides! LOL) of an egg mc muffin and the insides of a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, a salad with ranch dressing and a burger minus the bun, and a few pork rinds for a snack. Tonight I am cooking (yes you read it right!) parmesan crusted chicken breasts, faux mashed potatoes with cauliflower, and broccoli. YUM!

I can already tell it is NOT going to be easy to kick the sugar. But I know for sure it will be worth it.

Helllooo

Successfully managed my way through Monday.. bring on Tuesday !!

Had to laugh about the icing comments. I actually don't like icing... or cake for that matter. Show me a cookie though and I am in trouble.

Throughout elementary school my family lived in a house right next door to my grandparents' bakery - can you say weight issues Pretty bad when your fondest memories of being a kid are the things you ate at the bakery

Louie, that is kinda bad...but so common! BUT, the past is the past! It's onward and DOWNWARD!!

So far low carb is doing well....I made a fantastic dinner of parmesan crusted chicken and faux mashed potatoes using cauliflower. And I had a cup of SF jello for my sweet tooth. Yummmm

Jen - your dinner sounds yummy ! I have never had the faux potatoes - what did you think of them ?

Had a pretty good day today. Got to the gym first thing and I am starting to see a bit of a difference in the way my clothes are fitting.. YEAH !!

Hope everyone is doing well.. chat soon

Hi guys!

I had one of those days yesterday, too, Jilly. Crazy number of patients and NOTHING was simple or straightforward. I wound up with about 20 minutes for lunch and there was a line for the microwave so I had 2 hardboiled eggs and a string cheese for lunch. Not what I had planned. So then I was hungry at dinnertime and can we say bacon? But my overall calories were in range for yesterday but I had no time for exercise, but it was ok to take a rest day. Sigh. I like simple straightforward days. Today is a new day. And that was a good choice from Wendy's. I'm not sure I could have made the same choice! So congrats!

Go Louie! You have been really consistent with the gym and you should be proud of yourself. I'll bet you are looking great!

Jen, I like the idea of the faux mashed potatoes. How do they taste? Do you make them with chicken stock?

Someone noticed my weight loss at a meeting last night. He is a very nice older gentleman and it made my day that I am making enough progress that it shows. Have a great on plan day all!

Hey all...

Midwife and Louie: The faux spuds were pretty tasty! Because I am on low carb, I used heavy cream and real butter. One thing for sure--it definitely needs to be seasoned with salt and/or pepper! Maybe if I add sour cream next time.....

The way I do it is.....boil cauli until good and mushy; drain; then add the cream (you can use milk if you are watching calories), butter or margarine. Then use a hand mixer to really blend it well....I made these for Alan and he didn't know they werent real potatoes!

Jill: Don't fret--you can still make good choices eating out. You can't go wrong with a chicken ceaser salad!

Hi

Jill - sounds like you had quite the day - good for you for getting through it and letting it derail you !!!

Jen - hmm... I'll have to give those a try one of these days.

Midwife - does it feel great when people acknowledge all of the hard work and dedication you have put into getting healthy - yeah for you

Dinner is just about ready so I should scoot. Talk soon and take care

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!