South Beach Diet-phase 2 wrap up

So the first two weeks of doing the South Beach diet was successful! I lost 4 to 5 pounds and I was feeling great. I had gone to the grocery store to stock up on fruit and soup for phase two of the diet.

Then on Monday January 19th, our beloved 12 year old rat terrier CadieBelle collapsed and was rushed to the vet. She was suffering from heart failure and we had to make the difficult decision to let her go. It was devastating,  she had been our constant companion for so long and we were heartbroken. You never know how much someone fills your life until they are gone. 

I eat when I am stressed but I lose my appetite when I am sad. I lived on coffee and cold cuts for a few days and had little motivation to continue with my diet.  I was too lazy to go to the store to buy more fruit and kept myself occupied by working alot of overtime and sleeping. Being at home just reminded me that she was not there and it made me miss her so much.

During this time it was also my husband's birthday and while we were not in the mood to celebrate I felt that it was still a special day so I got him a cake...and I had a peice. I am glad we didn't have any beer or wine in the house or I would have had that too.

I was keeping up with the diet during the day but then I had cake instead of dinner a few times. I had just lost my best friend so I didn't really feel like taking pictures of my meals and posting them. I tried to take a few but they didn't look very appetizing (except the beans) 

So at the end of the month I ended up losing 8 pounds my goal was 10 so even with everything going on I still lost weight. It is so hard to stay motivated even when you have the best circumstances so when things go bad it is so easy to give up.

This helped me put things in perspective. I had my cheat day on Super Bowl Sunday and now the Gameplan is to continue doing Phase 2 of the south beach diet. One cheat day: Valintines Day and incorporate regular workouts and waist training everyday for 3 hours. I need to stay fit and healthy not only for myself but also David & my fur babies Frida & Penelope...they need me! 

Cadie was my first dog we got her two weeks before we got married and she was the sweetest most loving little girl you ever met. She loved everybody and was happy and excited about each day and experience. I wish I could be more like her....she was one of a kind. 

We are slowly getting used to the new normal and I appreciate all of you kind words and prayers for our family. I still cry everyday either because I miss her so much or because I feel so blessed to have had her in our lives and I know we have a little guardian angel who is strong and healthy in heaven. 

South Beach Diet-week one

So week one is in the bag. We took breakfast and lunch everyday to work and the best part was we did not spend any extra money! In my cafeteria at work you can easily spend $6 or more on lunch so taking the time to pack your food for the day is a sure way to stick to a buget. I was never felt deprived and everything I brought was delicious. Unfortunately drinking only hot tea and water makes you take a lot of bathroom breaks I thought I was going to get in trouble for getting up so much!

I ate 2 egg muffins everyday and drank Dieters Tea every night before bed.

Day 2 it was salads for lunch and dinner.

Day 3 started with a tickle in my throat so I immediately drank an Emergen-C, I cannot afford to get sick this early in the year. I made a huge mistake by brining tuna wraps for lunch. While they were 

delicious it made everything stink! My desk, my lunch bag, my hands all smelled like tuna so I will save those for a weekend lunch from now on. David made homade chili that night and it was wonderful!

Day 4 more egg muffins, I took some to work and they were a hit! Had leftover chili for lunch and had cheese and lunchmeat for a light dinner I wasn't hungry...oh and dehydrated peas are my new favorite snack yummo! I also started waist training this week. I can only stand wearing it for 2 hours at a time but I already needed to tighten it so something is getting smaller! 

Day 5 I ended up eating my Greek Salad for breakfast I was hungry when I got to work and I didn't need to warm it up. Tomatoes, olives and feta cheese drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing and I sprinkled Italian seasoning over it all....so good! For dinner David prepared lean steak sliced into thin peices sautéed with onions and squash. We were even saying we should eat this way all the time! Meal planning at the beginning of the week really helped us stay on track. We have a lot of leftovers do we really don't need to make a grocery run. We might venture out on Sunday to get dog food and some more veggies but other than that we are set!

South Beach Diet Time!

For the past couple of years I have started the new year with the South Beach Diet. I have found it is a great way to get rid of those holiday pounds and to purge all of the leftover sweets at treats collected over the season. This year I am especially excited because my husband is joining me and it is easier to stay motivated when you have a partner in crime. I also have a bigger goal I need to lose 20 lbs! 

I usually only have 10 to 15 pounds to lose after the holidays but I have noticed that having a very seditary job and getting older has defiantly slowed down my metabolism and I need to start moving more! So in addition to the SBD I am going to be adding exercise and waist training to the mix! I will keep you posted... 

Preparation is the key to any project so I went grocery shopping on Sunday to get what we needed for one. I ended up spending $69.70 for a weeks worth of food this includes breakfast lunch and dinner and snacks. This does not include meat because last month we did a good job in stockingup on family packs of meat that we have separated into meal portions. Meal planning is a good idea even if you are not on a diet to insure you have everything you need plus it will keep from having to go to the store where impulse buys could wreck your budget. 

For me it is important to feel satisfied and to not feel like I am on a diet. Lots of options and colorful foods make me happy! I also decided to use real plates and utensils for the items I am taking to work so that even if I am eating at my desk I am going to enjoy the food that I prepared. 

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Cinnamon Tea!

My husband was cold when he came home from work so he boiled some cinnamon sticks in water and drained the cinnamon water after about 10 minutes and then sweetened with Splenda. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was! 

Day one was a success! 

Happy New Year!!

Today is National Motivation and Inspiration Day, and that made me think about New Years Resolutions. This year I am not making one, I know what I need to do....lose weight, save more money, drink less soda, eat better, get more organized.......it is the same thing every year. and every year it seems like January 1st is the best day to start and by February I am back in the same rut and nothing has changed.

For me it is procrastination that gets the best of me, I guess it is my Scarlett O'Hara syndrome that tomorrow is a another day, but tomorrow there will be another excuse and tomorrow becomes never. It will be too cold, it will be too hot, it will be somebodies birthday, the Spurs or Cowboys will be playing and the diet goes out the window and my Sunday will be spent on the couch watching 7 hours of Red Zone and everything I wanted to do gets pushed till tomorrow....

So today is yesterdays tomorrow and today is day one!

I made my dream board and placed all of the things I want to do and accomplish in 2015, goals, prayers, positive thoughts and motivational pictures. This will help me focus on what I want when I get lost or lose interest and get sidetracked or stressed out.

I left room to add some "before" pictures and for goals that may come up later in the year.

What are your goals for 2015? What do you do to stay motivated and on track? Do you make a dream board?