Reevaluating Priorities and DIY Crafts

How's that for a blog title? Awesome, I know.

So... I got on the scale again this morning after following my routine yesterday and I lost a smidge of the pound I apparently really did gain in SeaWorld. I first started justifying that perhaps I made some new muscles,  perhaps I'm just bloated, perhaps I'm standing on the scale wrong, and then I just stopped. Was I saddened by the lack of weight loss while I was away? Yes. Did I do the best I could with the food choices I had? Yes. Am I doing this to be healthy and give my kids a good role model? Yes.

The weight loss, while totally desirable, is really just a happy bonus and I needed to wrap my brain around the concept again. If I continue to eat healthy, if I continue to exercise, if I continue to set a good example for my kids, I can't help but to lose weight in the long run. So I had to have that pep talk with myself. Again. I'm sure it's probably not the last time either. I get so wrapped up in the dropping numbers I lose sight of why I'm really doing it.

Remember this picture?

My new DIY shame

Well, I finally got started!

LOTS of spray paint later -- oh look you can see my shadow.

The paint sticks now look like this after a couple coats of primer and a LOT of coats of white. Next, I'm going to do some fancy design of some sort on them. I haven't fully planned it out yet. I just wanted to get them ready while the hubs was home so I could spray paint outside without the kids trying to help me and inhaling toxic fumes. Weeee... paint fumes. 

Aren't they pretty?

And now my shoes are all blinged out. It took me HOURS with tweezers and super awesome glue to do each individual little gem. Of course I had to sort them by color, and then put them in flower formations, and then glue them on. I think for a first go of it, they turned out pretty fabulous. 

4ft got in on the fun too. Last summer, I think, maybe even the one before that (so old the paint was dried out and no good), 4ft bought a treasure box to paint. And he never got around to doing it. So when I started crafting this afternoon he wanted to do the treasure box. He did it all by himself. I think it turned out great!

Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to posting some SeaWorld pictures.

Finally

I never thought I would make it home. After a gourmand breakfast at Mc Donald's (I ate blueberry banana nut oatmeal), we got on the road. That was about 9:45 in the morning. I did not walk in my front door until 11pm last night. Can you say horrendous traffic boys and girls? And lousy road construction. It was awful.

It. Was. The. Longest. Car. Ride. Ever!

We didn't stop to eat until 9 pm. So I figure the pound the scale said I gained this morning was from a really late dinner and lousy hydration. So after being on my normal routine today we'll see how I really did tomorrow morning. Here's hoping the scale likes me better tomorrow.

Now I'm busy doing laundry and restocking my fridge today. I know, I have so much fun.

San Diego - Day 4

I did it!

The combination of SeaWorld and my three children did not kill me. I survived it - barely but I totally did. I am exhausted though.

Today we saw the Pets Rule show which featured dogs, cats, and a couple pigs. It was pretty funny and 4ft thought it was hilarious. Snugglebear slept through it and The Grumpybutt was on OCD overload and stacked and sorted stuff in Nana's scooter's basket.

Then we hoofed it to the other side of the park (of course) and caught the Sea Lion show which I have to say was my favorite because it was hilarious. I thought 4ft was going to pee his pants he was laughing so hard and even Grumpybutt quit tweaking on his OCD to watch it.

After lunch 4ft got his face painted. A pretty awesome dragon that took up a lot of his face. (I'll post pictures when I get home and can get them off my camera.) He had been begging me everyday to get it done so I promised today he could. 15 bucks for this dragon. I am clearly in the wrong line of art. I need to open up a face painting booth somewhere. Stick figures are $15 cool, right?

I had my splurge today. I told myself I could have one treat since I was on vacation and since I'm going home tomorrow I got a small slice of cherry cheesecake with dinner. I didn't finish my dinner, and I didn't finish the cheesecake bit I DID savor every bite of it I took. I'm not really worried about having eaten it. I had to have easily walked 5 miles each day. We got to the park each morning at 9am and didn't leave until 7pm.

I had a blast but I can't wait to get home. I miss my routines, my stuff, oh and I suppose the husband too.

I think I'm going to need a week to recoup from this one.

San Diego - Day 3

Had an awesome day.

We saw a whale show featuring Shamu. It was awesome. 4ft wanted to sit in the soak zone but then at the last minute chickened out because some people in front of us were tweaking on it so he started tweaking too. No skin off my nose I didn't want to be drenched first off in the morning anyway. I told him we probably wouldn't get wet anyway and he was tweaking for nothing but we moved up. Boy was I wrong. We would've had to swim out of there if we had stayed where we were.

While 4ft and my dad rode some rides my mom and I took the Grumpybutt and the Snugglebear to look at the sharks and bat rays. We went on the underwater conveyor belt and Grumpybutt thought it was totally awesome to watch the sharks swim over the top of him. He wanted to go back, against the flow of traffic, to do it again. Then at the bat rays my mom bought some fish to feed them. Grumpybutt took the whole carton and dumped it on the closest bat ray. It was funny and the upside was while the ray feasted on its smorgasbord we got to pet it. Grumpybutt thought that was even more awesome.

I just want to mention, I think I walked over 500 miles today (cue the Proclaimers) and my legs and feet feel like they are still walking.

I still remain strong against the temptation of the cakes and pies SeaWorld offers with every meal. I get either a salad or a cup of strawberries instead. I have been trying to not eat carbs at night but pickings are slim and I figure as long as I'm not gorging on cake I'm still doing better than nothing. Here's hoping that I am managing to atleast keep off the 16lbs I've already lost.

Tomorrow we're checking out the turtles, the penguins again (they're Grumpybutts favorite animal - we spent a lot of time there today too), and the arctic exhibit. I promised 4ft he could get his face painted and he wants to ride the Manta again.

San Diego - Day 2

Had. A. Blast. Today.

We got to SeaWorld at 9:30 this morning. We got breakfast - Not a lot of healthy choices which was unfortunate. I made do with a peach yogurt, some eggs, and potatoes. I stayed away from the muffins, the meats, and the cakes. Yeah they offer cake with breakfast. Crazy, right?

After breakfast we went and saw a dolphin show. It. Was. Awesome. 4ft and Grumpybutt really loved it. 4ft loved it so much he's decided that dolphin's are his favorite animal now. 4ft was hoping to be splashed as we sat in the splash zone but it didn't happen much to my relief - I'm not sure how the Grumpybutt in all his OCD glory would've handled it.

Then we did the usual stuff - ride rides, walk around (had to have been at least 3 miles), play games, and look at animals. 4ft won a dolphin for himself, a penguin for Grumpybutt, and a whale pillow pet for his sister. Isn't he just the nicest boy?

As to the rest of the day eating-wise:

For lunch I had eggplant Parmesan for lunch with a salad. It was the healthiest choice where we ate and I didn't eat the ginormous block of chocolate cake that the boys had (and left over half of it uneatened - which is why they don't struggle with their weight and I do cuz I would've licked that plate clean). For dinner I had a sandwich which I ate half of, some delicious strawberries, and a couple bites of potato salad. 4ft got an Oreo chocolate cream pie of some sort that looked and smelled delicious which he chose not to eat and i thought i might eat it but I ate the strawberries instead. Go me and willpower!

San Diego - Day 1

The Drive.

I got up at 4 am loaded the kids in the car and started driving. After a horrendous Denny's experience (how do you screw up oatmeal, really?) that took an hour and a half, Mc Donald's with a play area for lunch that took an hour, one stop for gas, and So Cal traffic we got to our hotel at 4:45 pm. Saying the day was long is an understatement.

After we unloaded the van we went to have dinner at a restaurant at the hotel. This place was classy -- Over priced food in a poorly lit building, with horrible music being piped over the speakers, and velvet paintings of naked chicks in ecstatic positions gracing the bar. Thank bob we only walked through the edges to the dining area which was thankfully "art" free. You are all jealous really.

4 ft was stoked I took him swimming and we all can't wait til tomorrow to go to SeaWorld!

Oh, and I'm proud to announce that I had a salad at Mc Donald's, crappy oatmeal and a banana at Denny's, and a Chef Salad at the Nudie Girls restaurant because they breaded and fried pretty much everything on the menu!

I Almost Forgot...

...but I didn't.

Let's see, a really fast update:

The Hubs picked our horrible movie for Monday Night last night. I'm going to be out of town on Monday. He picked "I Spit On Your Grave". It was by and far the worst movie ever -- not like awesome horrible -- seriously terrible and no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I've lost 5lbs this week bringing up the grand total to 16. So I'm pretty ecstatic about that.

I'm ditching the Hubs and taking the kids with me and my parents down to San Diego tomorrow til Friday to go to SeaWorld. Heaven help me. Here's hoping I survive the trip. So I don't know how active I'll be next week blogging. I'll have my iPad but when I try to blog on it, it doesn't save any of my paragraph spaces which drives me insane. I'm also going to be eating completely out and hoping that I can at least stay 16lbs total lost.

Wish me luck.

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:

Oatmeal w/ blueberries

Iced Coffee

Lunch:

BJ's house salad w/ 1000 island dressing and a bowl of Chicken Tortilla soup

Snack:

Apple

tsp of Peanut Butter

Dinner:

Shredded Chicken Taco Salad

Sabotage At Every Turn

I had grandiose plans yesterday.

I was going to start my shelf idea -- by priming my paint stir sticks so I could paint pretty acrylic designs on them. But every time I would try to do so one of my kids would have some catastrophic need for me like a "look what I can do" moment which are a matter of life or death. So I didn't even start.

I have a pile of work that is growing exponentially in epic proportions that I was going to start tackling yesterday. But the second I would sit down at "my beloved" the kids c-blocked me again and it's hard to tell the Snugglebear (who is going to be 6-months-old on Monday) that Mommy is busy and you can entertain yourself for awhile.

Why didn't I try to get something done after the kids went to sleep? Well that would be because the Snugglebear was trying to wait for her Daddy to get home last night (is all I can think of as to why she refused to go to sleep) and I couldn't get that rat to sleep until 9:30 and by then I was hot (the A/C unit for my apartment is laughable), exhausted (having been up since 4 am and wrestling with 3 children all day), and just wanted to be prone in front of the fan.

We did have a success in the make a smoothie to put into the new Popsicle mold I bought. 4ft had a ton of fun measuring greek yogurt and almond milk. He was also stoked he got to pick the fruit and chop the banana. He also got to blend it, and pour it into the mold. Then he couldn't wait to eat it. He ended up having it as the "fruit" to go with his eggs and toast this morning. He loved it. And can't wait to make different flavors.

Heaven help me if he starts trying to get "sandwich" creative with the smoothies.

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ banana and blueberries
Iced Coffee

Lunch:
Stir-fry soup. (I added beef broth, barley, and some left over meatballs to a big bowl of stir-fry. Super delish.)

Snack:
an apple
tsp of peanut butter
split the smoothie that didn't fit in the mold with 4ft -- around a 1/4 cup with a dollop of whipped cream

Dinner:
Roasted Tilapia w/ fresh herbs, lemon, and hot sauce
Big Salad w/ oil and vinegar

And So It Begins...

*hangs head in shame*

I went to Walmart yesterday with my Mom. I couldn't resist the urge or the impulse. I bought DIY craft supplies for a couple of ideas I had.

On the left we have what is going to be spice shelves when I'm done with it. I have like zero counter space. I also have a rickety Lazy Susan that is falling apart. The screws are mostly missing and it doesn't spin anymore. Well spice bottles are small, so I'm going to paint and transform these three paint stirring sticks into three spice shelves (or two - one deep one and one shallow one). One for above my stove for the stuff I use ALL THE TIME, and then the other two on the wall where the Lazy Susan is currently laying down on her job. I will have counter. I will have organization. I will not have a hoopty Susan anymore.

On the right are a pair of really cute Mary Jane sandals I'd found that were on sale. I'm not very girly except where my feet are concerned. I get a pedicure at least once a month with some neon eye catching color for my toes and I like jeweled sandals and flip flops to attract attention to my feet. I hate feet. I don't even think mine are particularly attractive (no feet are) but I cannot resist the urge for bling on my feet for whatever reason. So I got acrylic gems and craft glue to make my plain Mary Jane's fabulous with bling. I hate feet but that's where I'm getting my next tattoo -- three little feet on the top of my left foot. One foot for each kid. Like footsteps, right, left, right -- two boys and a girl (and on my left foot cuz I'm a girl.) Coincidentally -- that's my one of my goal's reward. Lose 100 lbs get a tattoo. Anyway. I digress...

It was like a flood gate. Once I thought of the spice shelf idea and bought the stuff I couldn't stop myself. Thank bob my mom found me and put a stop to my madness otherwise there is no telling what all would've jumped into my cart.

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ strawberries, blueberries, and banana slices
Iced Coffee

Lunch:
Went to Fresh Choice with my Mom. I did not eat the pizza, muffins, or ice cream. I did eat a lot of Ratatouille, salad, and some whole wheat pita chips with Hummus. When my mom and 4ft went for ice cream I went for another bowl of Ratatouille.

Snack:
Apple

Dinner:
Vegetable Stir-fry and Roasted Herb Pork Tenderloin

So Many Pinterest Ideas...

...so little time.

Grrrr. I have avoided Facebook Apps like a plague because I don't have time for them. When I sit down at the computer I get 10 minutes (and I'm being generous) of time before the chorus of "Mom"'s begin. I swear one day I'm going to change my name and NOT tell my children. And as I work on my computer, when I can squeeze in face time with my beloved, I can't be wasting time doing apps. I'm human after all and who wouldn't rather play than work (and yes I love my job).

But I have succumbed to Pinterest! And have overnight become a DIY crafts and projects JUNKY!! (I blame you Nikki Olson and your incessant babbling about how fabulous it is EVERY TIME I see you and then showing me all these crazy fabulous things! You. Are. The. Devil. She is -- don't let that innocent face fool you.) There are soooooo many things I want to try out.

There's a make your own paint. How fabulous is that for the boys to paint with and so much cheaper than buying it. Added into the fun how much would 4ft love making it and then using it??? Phenomenal, right? I already want to implement things I've seen and I. Don't. Have. Time!

Between 3 kids, my job (and being a stay-at-home Mom which is 24/7 labor of love paid in hugs n kisses), and trying to get back in shape I don't know when I'm going to do any of these projects I'm lusting after. Maybe sleep is overrated? Oh yeah, I hardly get any anyway. My kids are enamored with rising BEFORE the sun.

I think they take the "early bird gets the worm" saying very seriously. And the chanting begins. Yep about 10 minutes.

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:
1 egg over medium
on 1 slice of Ezekiel 7-grain bread toasted
1/2 a banana
strawberries
blueberries
Iced Coffee

Lunch:
The last of my Italian Wedding Soup w/ barley

Snack:
(hooray I didn't miss it today)
apple
tbs of natural peanut butter

Dinner
Roasted Herb Pork Tenderloin
Big salad w/ oil and vinegar

Testify!!

Can I get a hallelujah?

Here's why:

Yesterday, my friend, Nikki, came over laden with a crate full of baked cakes, tubs of frosting, bags of marshmallows, and a ginormous bag of powdered sugar. No, she wasn't trying to sabotage me, she wanted me to help her cake.  She needed to make a birthday cake for a party for this kid (Wow, you know you're old when you call someone turning 23 a kid. Hold on while I process this. Ouch. Okay) and she wanted my help building it and to teach her how to make Marshmallow Fondant which is like the most yummiest thing on the planet. (In my defense, my sister, Kelsey, is going to be 23 in November and she'll ALWAYS be a kid to me. Shew, there maybe I'm not that old after all.)

I was elbow deep in cake, frosting, and fondant from 10am to 4pm and nary a taste passed these lips. I ain't going to lie, as I pulled excess fondant off the cake and saw that it had cake and frosting stuck to it I was tempted to pop the marshmallowy goodness in my mouth but I didn't. I DIDN'T! There were also a number of times I caught my fingers halfway to my mouth with frosting on them (mindless habitual finger licking) but I quickly washed it off instead.

I had THE. MOST. FUN. yesterday making that cake. We agonized, cursed, I stabbed it by accident with a knife THROUGH the fondant (I could've committed hari kari at that point), and we laughed our butts off. I love building cakes and creating stuff like that (Nikki is going to post a picture after the birthday party - the cake is a surprise - and tag me in it that way I can show you what we did). I just wish I didn't love to eat the fruits of my labor as much. And I had been missing it. I love the creativity to it and making pretty food to give to others but I haven't done it because I wasn't sure I could without eating it and I didn't want to sabotage myself that way. Now I have the incredible urge to bake something and send it to work with the husband. I'm sure him and his coworkers would rejoice at the idea.

I also have another reason why I deserve a hallelujah.

I missed snacktime while caking. By the time we got done with the cake it wasn't almost dinnertime. We were all hungry and I was tired and I didn't WANT to cook. I was seriously SERIOUSLY tempted to load up the kids into the van and drive over to McDonalds - where I'd like to say that I would've ordered a salad and stayed away from the cookies but who knows. I was really hungry.

INSTEAD...

I tossed the chicken into the toaster oven and fed Snugglebear her rice cereal while it cooked. Then I made a pasta and some broccoli for the boys and then made the biggest freaking salad on the planet for myself. Normally when I say "big or huge salad" it's just romaine lettuce. It's just a side dish. But when I make it as the meal it turns out like this: (It's a big plate)

And I ate the WHOLE thing. And then I felt so much better. 

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:

Oatmeal w/ blueberries and banana slices

Iced Coffee

Lunch:

Italian Wedding Soup (my version) with barley added in

Dinner:

Planet sized salad with cucumbers, cauliflower, egg, cheese, grilled chicken, and romaine lettuce.

How the Kids Are Faring...

...with Mom's healthy food regime.

I asked 4ft what he wanted for breakfast this morning. He asked for eggs, Ezekiel bread toast w/ a little peanut butter and sliced banana on it, and "vanilla milk". He asked for a healthy breakfast without any prompting from me! We still have Lucky Charms in the cupboard and cinnamon rolls sitting on the counter and he asked for HEALTHY! I was so proud and I told him so. He was beaming. And from the way he ate, I can tell he actually liked it. (Every kid has tells about whether they actually like what they're eating or eating enough to not be hungry and be excused from the table)

Usually I get in the kitchen and throw something together and he has to eat it. But last night I asked him if he wanted Roasted Tilapia or Chicken (Husband does NOT eat fish, EVER! So if I want surf I have to throw some cluck in a different pan for him) and he chose the Tilapia and ate it all. He kept saying how good it was. That was why I asked him what he'd like for breakfast. I figure if I include him in the choices it'll help instill in him good eating habits so he doesn't struggle with his weight when he's older like I have my entire life.

The Grumpybutt is another story altogether. Does he eat healthy foods? No. He doesn't. But then he doesn't eat ANYTHING really. He basically picks at whatever food is in front of him. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he just drinks his milk, sometimes he does neither. So I figure if he's going to pick he might as well pick at healthier choices. I'm hoping he'll get used to seeing them on his plate and actually eat them. Regardless we talk about why it's important to try new things and the importance of the food on our plates and the vitamins and nutrients we get from them. Maybe eventually he'll understand and it'll sink in. I could try and force it but then I'd have a battlefield for a dinner table and the victory wouldn't be worth it. Mealtimes around the table should be an enjoyable time of getting face time as a family. I'm hoping Grumpybutt will grow out of the picky stage like his brother did and I'm really hoping that Snugglebear will not be picky at all!

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:
Oatmeal w/ blueberries and bananas
Iced Coffee

Lunch:
My take on Italian Wedding Soup
Slice of Ezekiel 7 Grain Bread

Snack:
Apple
String Cheese Stick

Dinner:
Roasted Tilapia with lemon and a shot of hot sauce
Brocolli

Where'd That Come From?

I'm not sure where it came from, but the other day I was talking to 4ft about how we were eating better to be healthy, happy, and have more energy and he added, "and because I'm fat." I looked at him in a stupor, completely caught off guard.

Where did he get that idea?


The kid isn't "fat". Okay, he's solid and is starting to have a bit of a tummy but I wouldn't call him fat. He's 7 and still growing. So it makes me wonder where he got this self image. If someone at school called him fat or if he hears me talking about myself and decided because I say I'm fat that his little belly makes him fat too. I don't know. So I stressed that we were eating to be healthy but that if his tummy bothered him (he nodded emphatically) that eating healthy would help make it shrink. 


So my little trooper has been trying everything I eat and game to try new things. He wants US to be a healthy family. I already locked down on the juice pouch intake but decided that at seven-and-a-half didn't need all the fat from cow milk and that he could get the same calcium and better nutrients from another source. So we've been trying alternatives to see what he likes. He likes almond milk if it has Ovaltine mixed in but he really likes Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk. He asked if he could have that from now on.


Hooray for healthy habits as a family!


Yesterday's Food


Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ blueberries
Iced Coffee


Lunch
The other half of the Casa Flores Shrimp Fajitas w/ sour cream and guacamole over a big salad

Snack
an apple
a cheese stick

Dinner
Tossed some shrimp, steak, red bell pepper, and onion from the fajitas I made at home into the last of the vegetarian chili, with a dollop of nonfat greek yogurt and a pinch of 2% shredded cheese
Big Salad w/ oil and vinegar

Prep For the Week

I've been a busy little bee today. 


I've hard boiled a slew of eggs, cut up and froze an entire pineapple, chopped some romaine, roasted some chicken breasts, boiled some barley, and made turkey meatballs. It's too hot now but in the morning I'm going to roast a bunch of veggies.


This is going to make my life easier this week. I'll have quick fixings for dinners, salads, and snacks for when time gets away from me with the kids and I need to eat NOW. This will keep me from reaching for the chips, gummies, and other snack foods I keep on hands for the kids and husband. Or even better, keep me from snarling at my family while I'm trying to put together a meal while starving. (They like me much better now that I've started eating fruit and oatmeal again - just saying)


I'm trying two new things this upcoming week: Barley and Ezekiel bread (found in the freezer of your grocery store). Bob touts how fabulous this bread is and how it's his favorite so I thought I'd give it a try. I'll let you know about the bread. 


Oh yeah, and I've lost 12 lbs already. (Like how I so nonchalantly throw that in there! Wooofreakinghoooo!)


Yesterday's Food


Breakfast
Oatmeal w/ banana
Iced Coffee


Lunch
1/2 portion of Casa Flores shrimp fajitas with sour cream and guacamole


Dinner
Barbecued Chicken Breast
Big Salad x2 (I went back for salad seconds)


Yeah, I didn't eat enough yesterday. I went to bed early instead of stuffing my mouth with food. It was too late by the time we got the kids in bed and settled. We left in the morning after breakfast and didn't get home til 7:30. I hadn't packed snacks because I didn't realize we'd be gone all day until after we left the house. 

Managing the Weekend

I find weekends are the hardest because the husband is home and the weekly routine gets messed up with all the errands and other miscellaneous stuff going on. If I'm going to do something unhealthy this is when it happens.

Not today, baby. I even went out to lunch at our favorite Mexican food place without a problem. I chose not to eat the chips or the tortillas. I had shrimp fajitas and when it came to the table asked for a box to split the ginormous portion in half so I wouldn't be tempted to eat it all out of habit. Go me. Now I have delicious leftovers to eat tomorrow. The most awesome thing of all: I didnt feel like a dieting pariah. I ate what I wanted and was happy with it.

 Yesterday's Food

 Breakfast
1/2 cup of oatmeal made with 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk and 1/2 a banana sliced
An egg
Iced Coffee

 Lunch
Yep, the veggie chili again but I added some cheese and a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt and it made it super even more delicious.
Big salad with oil and vinegar
Iced green tea

 Snack
An apple
Tbs of natural peanut butter

 Dinner Steak and shrimp fajitas on romaine lettuce boats with avocado and Greek yogurt.

Confessed Diet Book Whore

So my sister, Crystal, sent me a copy of The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper for my Kindle and iPad. I read it from cover to cover yesterday. And it made a lot of sense. It's kind of like the South Beach in it pimps a high protein low carb (bad carbs -- not fruit and whole grains) eating plan but it has actual rules to memorize that you can use in everyday life. Allowing you to eat more of the food you already eat just changing the quality of it. I thought it was better written and goes into how fruit is not a bad carb and I love how you can Harpersize some foods. It talks about label reading and how to do it effectively. And where his trumps South Beach? You can have a ONE splurge meal a week. Um. Yes. Hello. Sign me up!

Crystal says it works for her (and she's beautiful and amazing looking AND she's older than me -- yes I had to toss that in there. Love you Sis! Okay so it's only like a year but still.) and for all the seasons of The Biggest Loser. What more proof do I need? So I'm jumping the South Beach Diet ship and aligning my loyalties with Bob. I'm also going to suggest this book to my friend whose doctor prescribed South Beach because it has a lot of the same principals but a lot more information and I mean, come on, it's Bob. I love that guy! Plus splurge meal. Need I say more?

I know I'm a no account flip flop no commitment wishy washy lifestyle changer. But what it really comes down to is this: Something I can do for a lifetime. I think Bob just might have the key to the magical kingdom. We shall see.

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs w/ chives
Slice of Canadian bacon
Iced Coffee

Snack:
1/2 a string cheese stick

Lunch:
Vegetarian Chili w/ a couple small pinches of 2% Milk Fat Shredded Jack and Cheddar cheese
big salad w/ oil and vinegar
Iced Green Tea

Snack:
1 apple (Bob said I could - so there. )
1 TBS peanut butter
Sliced Cucumbers w/ pepper and oil and vinegar to dip in

Dinner:
Lean Hamburger w/ tomato and lettuce - No bun
Sauteed mushrooms and onions 

Detox - Day 4

You know the detox must be working when you want to eat your cinnamon flavored toothpaste, right?


So far yesterday has been the hardest day. I struggled with stress eating. I did NOT succumb. I might've woke up headache free but by the afternoon it was raging. It was ROFL'ing at my attempts to medicate and make it go away. I wanted sugar so baaaaaaaad. When I brushed my teeth I seriously thought about eating some toothpaste. Who cares if the fluoride would make me sick? I was dying already from sugar withdrawals. No I did NOT actual eat any but I kid you not that the thought crossed my mind.


I don't know if was just Day 3 or if it was the circumstances but I struggled from lunchtime on yesterday. I swear my husband's job WANTS me to be fat and unhealthy. I got a text with all the overtime my husband is going to have to put in and how many weekends he's going to have to work which equals no car and no weekend help with our kids.I got steamed. Then I got stressed. I kept chanting, "I will not stress eat today." and it worked. I didn't. But it was an uphill battle from then on. The siren's call of sugar kept beckoning to me. I resisted. But dear bob was it hard. My husband helped a little by saying he hated the overtime more than he hates broccoli (which is a lot, the man will NOT eat it) but it was still weighing on me.

Don't I look delicious?

So to help out with the sugar cravings I had a second Iced Coffee yesterday and on top of the much anticipated date I had with my Fudgecicle, I also made a peanut butter ricotta custard. I was still hungry and I don't think I got enough fat yesterday. So I creamed together 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta, TBS of natural peanut butter, dash of vanilla extract, and a TBS of Splenda. It was pretty good and filled the need for sweet and I was full after having eaten it. 


I already have a headache today and the toothpaste is still looking pretty good but I WILL NOT succumb. I WILL master this addiction. I will stick with this. I CAN do this for 2 weeks. And when its over I WILL NOT eat cake. I will have banana ice cream. (frozen bananas creamed in a food processor -- looks like soft serve, tastes like heaven, 100% fruit. AMEN!)


Yesterday's Food


Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs w/chives
a slice of Canadian bacon
6 oz of V8
Vanilla Iced Coffee
(I'm going to make quiche today for breakfast tomorrow. I already ate this morning -- and yeah it was this breakfast. It's quick, it's easy, and the kids like scrambled eggs. Of course they have theirs with a cinnamon roll. TALK ABOUT WILLPOWER, right? I haven't eaten a single one. And with my acute sense of smell and having extreme sugar withdrawals the smell when I open the container is torment.) 


Lunch:
Yep. Vegetarian Chili
big salad w/ oil and vinegar
Iced Green Tea

Such a GREAT idea. Guacamole INSIDE a mushroom!

Snack:
Deviled mushrooms
Cauliflower
Celery sticks
Guacamole
Iced Green Tea


Dinner:
Leftovers from Last night. The pork tenderloin, grilled asparagus, and big salad.
Vanilla Iced Coffee (while I made a noodle side dish for the boys. More WILLPOWER! Nary a pasta noodle passed these lips.)
Iced Green Tea (with dinner)


Dessert:
The Blessed Fudgciscle
Peanut Butter Ricotta Custard

Detox - Day 3

Ugh. I'm tired. 

The Snugglebear woke up at 4:30 this morning. Yes, shoot me now. By the time I got up, took care of a morning essential (yes a polite way of saying going pee), and made her a bottle the little brat was back asleep. Did I get to crawl back into bed? Ha! As if. The Grumpybutt fell asleep around 6 last night and I couldn't get him to wake up. He slept all night without stirring. So he was hollering for me at 4:45 and was in a horrible nickname earning mood. Did you know it still looks like the middle of the night at 4:30am? Trust me, it does.

One for the win column: I woke up headache free. So that's something.

I'm totally bummed. I tried to do my core strengthening exercises yesterday and it was a total no win. I ended up getting over heated (it was crazy hot), dizzy, and ended up horking. So, so much for that. I'll try again tomorrow and try to carve out the time in the morning before it's horrible hot. Tonight I have interval cardio slated with hopefully better results than the outcome of last nights exercise debacle. 

Yesterday's Food

Breakfast:

Same as Monday (If it tastes good and is easy to throw together, why change it? Plus I'm not bored with it yet.)

Lunch:

Same as Monday (The vegetarian chili made quite a bit so I might be eating that for the rest of the week. Unless I could freeze it. Does anyone know if freezing beans makes them weird?)

Snack:

Celery Sticks

Mushroom Slices

Homemade Guacamole Dip - 1/2 avocado mashed, 1/4 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese, 1 scallion chopped (all the white and half the green), 1 garlic clove minced. Mix it all together and salt and pepper to taste. Oh man it is SO GOOD. I based it off a recipe I found on my South Beach Diet app for my iPad. I hate cottage cheese but thought I'd give it a try. I put less than the recipe called for but it gave it a great texture, added some protein to be more filling, and I didn't even taste it. I highly recommend it. I'm going to make some today and pipe it into mushroom tops and make it like a veggie take on a "deviled egg". 

Dinner:

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Celery and onions (that I roasted with it)

Grilled Asparagus (leftovers from Monday)

a big salad w/ oil and vinegar

Iced Green Tea

Dessert:

Oh yeah! More no-sugar-added Fudgcicles!! (No I don't look forward to the end of the day. Why do you ask?)

Detox - Day 2

I'm an interesting mix of feeling great and not at the same time. I feel great having conquered day one without any need to use an ounce of willpower. I had no desire for anything other than what I'd already planned to eat and I can only hope that holds true. I'm already starting to have more energy. I owned that mountain of laundry I'd been procrastinating and the dishes didn't have a prayer against my might. However, I have a ginormous headache. Seriously it laughs in the face of the IB Profen I keep feeding it. I wonder if its because of the no sugar or if its just coincidence. 


Yesterday was Horrible Movie Monday Night. We feasted on Goon. It had Seann William Scott and Jay Baruchel in it. If it'd had Justin Long it would have been the trifecta of awesomeness. It was a disappointment to awful movies everywhere as it was actually pretty good! We laughed our butts off. And it was a hockey movie and we heart us some hockey. So it was a double win.


Last night I did interval elliptical. I've read that doing workouts in interval form allowed you to burn more calories in less amount of time. So I'm experimenting with that. Today I'm going to do core training. We'll see how it all works out.


Yesterday's Food


Breakfast
2 eggs and a slice of Canadian bacon
6 oz V8 original
an iced coffee made with a shot of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and Light Silk Vanilla Soy Milk


Lunch
Vegetarian Chili
Huge salad w/ oil and vinegar
Iced Green Tea


Snack
Tomato Caprise (a roma tomato cut in half, seeds removed, and filled with mozzarella, basil, and chives then microwaved for a minute to melt it all together.


Dinner
Herb Chicken
grilled asparagus
big salad w/ oil and vinegar
Iced Green Tea


Dessert
No sugar added fudgsicle (South Beach says I can have something chocolate? Hells to the yeah I'm going to have some chocolate)

Detox - Day 1

I made a vegetarian chili for lunch.


I based my recipe off of one I found in the book. One of the philosophies of South Beach Eating is to make sure to get your vegetable servings in and that they should comprise the biggest percentage of your daily food intake. I fail at this. It's not that I don't like veggies. I do. Its that I live in a household of picky eaters that won't eat them and when I buy them they go bad before I can finish them. I hate wasting food.


Well, I've put my foot down. I told the husband, "You're going to be thirty, it's time to start eating like an adult." Yeah, I got the frowny face but with him jumping on as first mate of the vegetable eating ship the cabin boys will follow (I love me some nautical metaphors). Hello vegetables other than canned corn and canned green beans! I can't tell you how excited I am to eat something else.


So what better way to get a lot of different veggies ingested than to make a hearty soup out of them. I used crackers, for the boys, as vehicles. And it worked. 4ft said it was good and ate all of his and the Grumpybutt dipped his crackers in it and actually ate them. The broth ought to have some nutritional value, right? I thought it was absolutely delicious. I didn't need the cracker vehicle. I coupled it with a large romaine hearts salad and had iced green tea. 


Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients:
1 tbs EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1 yellow bell pepper; chopped
1 orange bell pepper; chopped
3 stalks of celery; chopped
1 medium onion; chopped
4 cloves of garlic: minced
2 cups sliced mushroom
1 zucchini; chopped
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
2 14 oz cans of cannellini beans


Directions:


1.) Add TBS EVOO to a large saucepan and heat on medium.
2.) While oil is heating. Start chopping all the vegetables. When oil is lightly smoking add in all the fresh veggies and saute them for 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add spices and stir. Cook another 10 minutes until soft.
3.) Add in tomatoes and beans with their juices.
4.) Simmer for 30 minutes 
5.) Serve warm.

The South Beach Diet

I have a problem with sugar and fats. I like to eat them. A lot. My waistline can attest. 


The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Well I have one. Now if only that would magically make the problem go away I'd be a happy camper. But it doesn't so here's my game plan: The South Beach Diet. I had chalked it up to another fad diet when it came out and I'd finished having my required "Atkins Experience" so I was so completely uninterested. I don't like the word "diet" and feel it sets you up for failure so from now on I'm calling it The South Beach Eating Plan.


Recently a doctor prescribed it for a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless unless she wants to shed her anonymity) and I said I'd do it with her. Try as I might, I just have not been able to get control of my cravings, eating habits, and lose the baby weight I put on with the Snuggle Bear. I hate the way I feel and could feel better about the way I look. Time to do something proactive instead of whining about how depressed I am to my husband.


After having committed myself to the South Beach cause, I figured I should find out what I was going to have to do so I got the book. (Yeah I was on board before I even knew what it would entail. What can I say, I'm an awesome friend.) I read it from cover to cover in one evening. Quickly scouring the pages, I thought, "Wow, this makes a lot of sense."


Of course in all diet books there are a lot of testimonials of people who have done it and succeeded. This one is no different. And I'm always skeptical of "other peoples" results. Did they follow the plan exactly? Did they have help of nutritionists? Did they transform into exercise fiends? 


I'm just me and I'm too damn broke to hire a barrage of nutritionists and I have three kids so I don't have time to be an exercise fiend. So this will be my ongoing testimonial and you can bet I'm going to be honest. I'm either going to prove it true or debunk The South Beach Diet. Doesn't that sound like fun?


First Phase: Detox


Oy and Vey. No sugar, no fruit, no starches, and no grains of any kind for 2 weeks. 


I can do anything for 2 weeks. Rawr. Girl Power! I can do this.