1 Month Update

August 19th marked 1 month since I began South Beach. I thought I would write an update to let everyone know how it’s going.

The number 1 difference is that I NOW FEEL FULL after eating!!! It still amazes me that I can eat ¾ of a meal and push the rest away (not out of willpower or guilt) but because I truly don’t care to eat another bite. AMAZING!

What I’m eating has drastically changed. All sugar, potatoes, corn, crackers, chips, white flour, and white bread are gone.

I now eat more meat, beans, reduced fat cheese and milk, nuts, whole wheat bread/crackers, whole wheat pasta, splenda, and vegetables. Gosh, that sounds so healthy!!!

I just added the first piece of fruit back yesterday. I have to be careful because even the natural sugar fructose messes with my system. I’m adding fruit back very slowly and monitoring to see if it causes sweet cravings.

As far as exercise goes, I haven’t done any intentionally this month. My mind and energy is focused on our eating plan, and I’m waiting until my body lets me know it’s ready to go out and exercise. I know it will come.

Weight: I’ve lost 10lbs total. My clothes aren’t as tight! I’m happy with these results.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be sharing new tips and ideas soon.

Wasa!

Today was the first time I added bread back into my diet. I made wasa pizzas! They are my favorite SBD lunch. Wasa tastes a bit like cardboard, but a quick base for pizza at only 35 calories is a winner to me. 

So here’s how the wasa pizza goes:

1.    Top a piece of wasa bread with (no sugar added) pizza sauce.

2.    Sprinkle with reduced fat mozzarella cheese

3.    Top with 3 turkey pepperonis.

4.    Microwave for 15 seconds and it’s ready to eat!

Super easy and fast!

You can find other wasa recipes here.

I Quit My Job

I don’t know if it works the same in your family, but around here everyone seems to do whatever Mom is doing. If I’m resting everyone will pile on the couch. If I go outside before long everyone has followed me out. It’s nice to feel so loved, but it comes with great responsibility. If I’m neglecting exercise then the rest of the family does too. If I’m eating junk food everyone else does too.

We recently took a drastic step in the fight to get our family healthy. I quit my part-time job so that I can focus on planning and cooking healthy meals. I know that sounds ridiculous, but meal planning doesn’t come naturally to GBD or myself. We REALLY struggle in this area. It’s so much easier to eat out than it is to plan, shop, prepare, serve, and clean up afterwards. And most of the time eating out is cheaper too. But I do not want my children to grow up thinking that eating out 3 meals a day is normal. I want them to have warm memories of their Mom providing great tasting (and secretly healthy) meals for them. So we bit the bullet and let go of the extra income. It was a tough decision, but I know we made the right choice.

I’ve also changed my priorities when it comes to daily activities. In the past if someone needed something I would push myself and my family to the backburner while I handled their situation. I would obsess about finishing whatever it was to the point my family didn’t get fed and my children had to entertain themselves all day. Oh what was I thinking? NOTHING is THAT important!

Now, my first priority is to take care of myself- physically, mentally, and spiritually. Second, I focus on making sure my family has healthy meals to eat. Third, I make sure I sincerely pay attention to my children and husband when they talk to me or need something. THEN comes taking care of and dealing with everyone else. Life is so much more enjoyable now that I have my thinking straightened out.

And you better bet I’m on the defense for when people ask me to volunteer for something. Umm…No, thanks. It’s really hard to say no, but until I can get an efficient system for meal planning and preparation down there’s no way I’m compromising. You live and learn. Live and learn.

South Beach Diet Phase 1 = Done!

We made it through Phase 1, and we’re still alive! For those who’ve never tried the SBD that means no bread products, potatoes, corn, or fruit for 2 weeks. It was tough on some days, but overall pretty easy. It broke the sugar rollercoaster I was on so now I’m not nearly as hungry all the time. Hooray!

The scale has been difficult. Usually, people report losing 7-10lbs during Phase 1. My scale keeps saying between 3-5 lbs. It’s frustrating, but I know any loss is a victory. And breaking the sugar cycle was the goal I was really after. So I’m counting it a success!

As far as exercise goes, I told myself I was going to wait for my body to let me know when it was ready. Finally, last night I got the itch to go walking. It felt good. I don’t know why, but I feel most alive when eating the SBD way and then walking (and eventually running) late at night. That combo makes my body feel healthy and completely at peace.

Mentally, I’m still not where I need to be to stick with the SBD and an exercise routine. The last time I lost the weight I felt much more determined and serious about it. This time I’m having a hard time believing I can do it. I don’t know why since I have all the tools and I know they work. I guess it’s just some weird mental game of self doubt. I know in my head I can do this, but don’t believe it in my heart yet.

I picked up a few new strategies during Phase 1. I’ll be sharing them with you in the posts to come. I hope you have a super blessed day.