Half Way!

I am halfway to my (first) goal weight of 154 lbs. Down 12 another 12 to go! This is going a lot faster than I expected and so much easier than any other time that I have dieted. I have had plenty of "bad" foods put in front of me that I have very easily said no to. I can't even call them temptations, because they never really tempted me. I keep healthy snacks handy at all times, so the desire to binge due to being over hungry or because there is cake, etc around, is just not there.

In other news. I scored a treadmill today from a friend. She sold it to me for $50 which is awesome. I really wanted one, but being that I am broke, I couldn't spend big money. Right after I got the treadmill, another friend called and said she had a friend that was giving away some weight equipment and she knew that I was looking. She sent a picture and it is gorgeous and looks brand new! And the best part is that is free! That is definitely something I can afford.

The husband is actually excited about it, because while he wants to work out, he has no time to go anywhere to work out because of his crazy work hours. We are also going to do some major strength training with Carter to get him in shape for football this year. He is moving up a league this year and will be playing with the big kids. We want him to be able to keep up. If we put some muscle behind his weight he will be freaking unstoppable!!

I am just happy that I was able to get my family something we can all enjoy and improve our health with and the fact that they are just as excited about it as I am is the icing on the cake (no pun intended).

One Month

I have been doing this for one month. In one month I made the decision to become healthier. In one month I started making my family healthier. In one month I have lost 11 pounds. With everything I I have accomplished in one month, I can't wait to see what my progress looks like in month 2.

Next weekend Chad and David are coming into town so we can pick out the bridesmaids dresses for their wedding. I am actually looking forward to trying on the dresses. Being 11 pounds lighter has given me a good bit of confidence and I know when the time comes for me to stand up next to these two wonderful men while they pledge their lives and love too each other, I will be confident in myself and not trying to hide in the corner. I am proud to be Chad's best girl and I want him to be proud of me too.

Another Goal Met!

The scale this morning reflected a total of 11 lbs down. That marks off another mini goal that I had of losing 10 lbs. My new goal is to be down a total of 17.8 lbs which will put m at 10% of my starting body weight.

I have been doing pretty well on the eating front. A stressful situation has come about that makes it difficult for me to eat anything. I hope when this shit storm is over that I don't gain back. Maybe this will shrink my stomach even more so I won't need to eat as much.

I have decided to start working out in February. We have a small gym at the office that I am going to take advantage of. I will start out slow on the recumbent bike and work myself up to the treadmill and elliptical. I don't want to go in balls blazing because every time I do that I end up taking out my back. So starting on Monday, I will have my work-out clothes with me hoping to burn a few extra calories.

One Mini- Goal Met! One Pound Away From Another!

Got on the scale this morning and am now in the 160's! This was one of the mini goals that I set for myself. It is a 9 lb loss, but also makes me 1 lb away from my other mini goal of 10 lbs gone! I am very excited. These losses keep me motivated. I know the losing will slow down the closer that I get to goal, so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Mine and my husband's 12 year wedding anniversary will be here tomorrow. Since we are a little tight on cash we are just going to spend a nice quiet evening at home. I am planning on making white chicken chili. I hope it is as good as it sounds.

Loose

I got on the scale this morning and now have a loss of about 8 lbs. I really can't tell that I have lost weight, but my clothes are a lot looser than they were before. I wish that I had taken measurements and the beginning of this journey so I could track the inches that I am loosing.

All in all, a good week food-wise. My friend Shanna sent me a recipe for an awesome looking Tuna Guacamole. I can't wait to try this soon! I also need to try the White Chicken Chili that I posted about here. I am going to wait for the weekend though so that I have time to let the ingredients meld together and not rush it.

I had a fantastic week food wise despite the great pasta incident. I even turned down several temptations this week at work. They had cake yesterday, I am usually not a big fan of cake, but I could smell the sugary goodness from other people's plates. I am glad that I had a bowl of blackberries with me, because they really helped me get past it.

I have been doing this for almost a month now and while my eating hasn't been "clean" per se, it has been better than what I have been doing in the past. As long as my clothes continue to sag and the scale keeps going down, I will be a happy girl!

Chugging Along

I had my first day introducing healthy carbs back into my diet. I made a pasta side that I love, but made it South Beach friendly. It ended up being a BIG mistake and I overindulged which resulted in a bit of upward motion on the scale. A little dissapointing, but, you live and learn. I just know that IF I make that again anytime soon that I have to limit myself, but I think it will be a while before we add that back into the mix. I just don't want to risk it.

Today for lunch I made the boy and I some delicious wraps. I used the Flatout 100% Whole Grain wraps and topped it with some pre-cooked fajita diced chicken, lettuce, fat free cheese and a little bit of ranch. When I picked him up from school today he said that was his favorite thing in his lunch today and wants it again tomorrow! Score one for mom!! We also got to have some blueberries as well. They were fantastic. It is nice figuring out the way to eat again. Hopefully I will see some results from my effort.

The boy spent 2 days with his granny this weekend and when he got home I could definitely tell that he had lost some weight. I am more excited about his weight loss than I am my own. I think seeing the progress in him is going to be what keeps me motivated this time.

Recipe I Want To Try

Just ignore this post, I just want to make sure that I don't lose this recipe.

White Chili Ingredients: o 1 pound Great Northern white beans (I use 4 cans of Great Northern white beans, but you could use more) o 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into small portions/cubes) o salt and pepper, to taste o 2 medium onion, chopped o 2 4oz. cans of mild chopped green chilies o 4 garlic cloves, minced o 2 Tbsp. olive oil o 6 cups fat-free chicken broth o 2 Tbsp. ground cumin o 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed o 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper o 3 cups shredded lowfat Monterey Jack cheese o Lowfat or Fat Free Sour cream o Salsa o Fresh cilantro - In large pot, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. - Season chicken breast cubes with salt and pepper, then saute in a skillet using 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add to the pot. - Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot with chicken stock. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 15-30 minutes (you're basically just looking to meld the flavors and heat the soup here. I usually go for 20-30 mins, but use your best judgement.) - Add 1 cup of cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. - Serve with extra Monterey Jack, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro as toppings.

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Easy Peasey!

One thing that I like about being on this "diet' is that is is so easy to follow. It is a very natural way to eat. I don't have to worry about counting calories or points, etc. You are just given a list of approved foods and you can have at it. Almost everything on the list are things that I love to eat, so I really don't feel like I am missing out on anything at all. And I am not thinking about food and what my next meal will be all day like I have in the past on a diet.

I have been lucky in that I have been able to find things that I can have to substitute for the junk foods that I normally eat. The recipe that I posted here reminds me of a Reese's Peanut Butter Blast from Sonic, which is my all time favorite dessert. I also can have chocolate pudding (sugar free, of course) to satisfy the chocolate cravings. The only thing that I can't find a substitute for is chips. I have bought some Barbecue Pork Rinds, and while I am sure they are not on the South beach approved list, they have no sugar and 1 carb per serving. So as long as I don't pig out on them, I think I will be OK.

The boy is now down 9 lbs. I am so very proud of him and when he saw what he had done, he became so excited about doing this and hasn't asked for any of the "bad" foods like he has been doing. It makes me proud to see him making good choices on his own. I hope that this will teach him the proper way to eat so he can live a long healthy life and not have to worry about a number on a scale as an adult like I do.

My last weigh in I was 172.6, so I am down 6 lbs. Things are moving a little slower for me. I have only been watching my foods for 3 weeks, so 2 lbs a week ain't bad. I would rather lose small and keep it off than lose big and have it all come back on and then some.

Side Effects

One of the greatest things about eating so much better, as I have said in a previous post, is that my family is eating better too. The boy has lost 5 lbs already. He is a bit on the heavy side, and his weight has always been an issue. He is 8 years old and started out at 111 lbs. He is down to 106 and I can already see a difference in his body. He is so proud that he is doing this and without much effort on his part. I am proud of him too. Other than a few arguments here and there about what he wants to eat, things have been pretty smooth. I am not doing Phase I of South Beach as hardcore with him as I let him have a small piece of Doves Dark Chocolate for dessert. He is a kid after all and I don't want to make treats a no-no. I don't want him to binge on crap if he ever gets the opportunity. He is also eating smaller portion sizes and getting full faster. One of the problems we have always had is that he could out eat most grown ups. So, it is nice to see him putting up his plate not completely cleaned off.

I just wish that I had started this with him at a younger age. Him being overweight is my fault. A complete parenting fail. I decided to do what was convenient instead of what was best for him. I will take it as a lesson learned and hope that the people who read this blog (all 2 of them!) can learn from my mistakes and hopefully make better choices for their families too.

Yummy Dessert Recipe

I love being on South Beach. I found a delicious dessert that I wanted to share on here. It is soooo good and addictive!

1 sugar free fudge pop

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon Cool Whip Free

Microwave the fudge pop for a few seconds (just enough to get it soft enough to come off the stick).

Mix in a bowl with the peanut butter and cool whip.

Easy and delicious and definitely satisfies the sweet tooth!

Decision Made

I will be switching over to South Beach. It seems like a more realistic way of living than Atkins. Don't get me wrong, there are some aspects of Atkins that are great, but after a little research South Beach does it for me and seems more like something I can maintain than Atkins.

South Beach is a lot like Atkins as far as low carb goes, but it also promoted lean meats and dairies as well as low-glycemic fruits, nuts and whole grains. I have done it before and have been successful, honestly I don't know why I stopped. But I need to do this, this isn't just going to be a diet, it HAS to be a lifestyle change and the more and more I was doing Atkins, the more I realized that I wouldn't be able to maintain on it.

And so my journey continues......

Ch-Ch- Change?

I am thinking of possibly changing the route I am going with eating. I feel very restricted on Atkins and have been looking into South Beach. I have done South Beach in the past and lost 17 lbs on it. I have a lot of thinking to do this weekend and a lot of groceries to go through to see if I can make this work.....

Eating Out

This evening the boy and I went out on a "date". He had an incredible day at school AND he got all A's and B's on his report card. I decided to take him to a steak restaurant that is just down from where we live. We managed to stay on target with Atkins with him ordering grilled chicken and steamed veggies and I ordered a steak with steamed veggies. We both had a salad at the salad bar. With a little (ok, a lot) of guidance from me, the boy made some excellent choices of what to put on his plate. While we were eating, I explained to him the science behind Atkins and how it works. He seemed to "get it" and I hope he does, because understanding how your body works and it's processes makes it so much easier to make the right choice when bad choices are thrown in front of you all the time.

First Day Back at Work

Today was the first time in 2 weeks that I had to drag my butt out of bed before 8:00. It was a tough morning, but I got everyone out the door with a good protein heavy breakfast in their bellies.

Working is tough while doing Atkins because of all the planning in advance that it takes. I was home for 2 weeks and whenever I felt the urge to eat something I would dig around until I found what I wanted and would cook it. Now that I am not home all day, I have to think about what I am going to want to eat during the day and possibly snack on. Let me tell you, at 6:00 a.m. the only thing that I want is to go back to bed. But, I stepped up to the challenge this morning and not only cooked breakfast, but managed to pack lunch and snacks for me and the little one.

One of the bonus side effect (other than weight loss) is that I have my whole family eating better. More veggies and lean protein in everyone's diet can't be a bad thing. Even the little one likes stepping on the scale to see how this change in diet is making that number go down. I do not stress the weight loss aspect of this to him, but do talk about getting healthier. We are all bit on the chubby side in our household, so I am happy to see that what I am doing is having a positive effect on everyone.

Pictures

The following pictures are what I am going to use for motivation. The first picture is how I used to look many moons ago. The second picture is one of the pictures that was snapped of me on New Years Eve (I am the one in front).

Fatty Becky

On January 3rd 2010 - I made the decision to change the way I eat and become healthier and happier. I had ordered the New Atkins Revolution Book and decided that this was going to be the tool I used to get myself back to a healthy weight. I am 5'6" and as of right now I am 176 lbs on the nose. I would love to get down to 140 lbs. That will put me at a healthy BMI. My goals may change as I get closer to where I want to be, but right now, 140 is where I want to be.

On New Years Eve we went out with some friends and a few pictures were taken. Looking at that picture actually brought tears to my eyes. How did I let myself go so far? I used to be so thin and athletically built and now, well now I am ashamed of myself and my body. I look forward to this journey and though I don't expect to be perfect, I am going to do my best to get back my health, figure and confidence.