South Beach Dieters Group Meet Here!

[adoptmom]

It's definitely taking much longer than I expected, that's for sure. I'm also not as happy with our agency as we were the first 3 times we used it. There's all new people there and I just don't feel like they're pushing for us as hard as they could be.

Tami

[cruisinqt]

I put a couple of pounds back on after breaking my plateau and starting to lose again. I'm really bummed out now. :( My period is coming soon so maybe that's what the weight gain is, I hope so because my DH and I are taking a weekend trip to New Orleans tomorrow and I know we'll be eating out a lot. I hope I can control myself, I know it's been a little harder lately to lose weight. I think I really need to break down and start doing some serious exercising. I exercise once or twice a week on my exercise bike when I get a chance, but I don't think I'm giving it my all.

On a different note, I threw together a last minute dinner last night that turned out fabulous. My husband said it was restaurant quality.:D I took some low carb tortillas and warmed them up for a few seconds in the microwave and then filled them with taco meat made with ground sirloin. I rolled them enchilada style and then put them onto individual dinner plates. Next, I covered them with Picante sauce followed by low fat cheese and onions. I popped the dinner plate into the toaster oven until the cheese was melted and it browned a little bit. I put our hot dinner plates onto larger room temp. plates and served them that way. Boy was it good, and low carb too!;) It didn't take very long to make at all and it was a welcome change from the basic grilled meat and veggies we've been eating lately.

The funny thing was I accidentally made this out of leftovers. I sat and thought long and hard about what little food I had to put together for dinner before my husband came home from work in about 30 minutes. All I had was a few low carb tortillas, some leftover taco meat, a few veggies, picante sauce and some cheese. I was craving enchiladas so I decided to try to make some quick low carb enchiladas out of my leftovers and it worked. My husband says it tastes just like the "Bueno Chilada" platters at "Taco Bueno." Pair it up with some fat free refried beans and it tastes great.:)

[irislady]

Tami, I'm so sorry things aren't going as smoothly with this adoption. I know you had high hopes for having the baby in your home by now. Hopefully, things will move along in the right direction soon.

QT, your Mexican dish sounded wonderful! I'm going to have to try it. You're naturally going to have some fluctuations in your weight if you go by what a scale says. Try a measuring tape instead. You may still notice some periodic bloating, but it usually isn't as bad as the scale makes it seem.

Sheila, how is everything going there?
Shae

[WeirdEyes]

Hi everyone! I've made a decision to switch from SB to Weight Watchers. I started WW yesterday and I'm already down one pound. I feel like I have more control with the points system. It is very easy to follow. I'm still incorporating SB as I'm staying away from sugar and the "whites." You guys won't get rid of me here though. ;)

Tami ~ I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you with the adoption. I hope you hear something soon.

QT ~ Your meal sounds fab. I love Mexican and this is one dish I'll add to my recipes. Thanks for sharing!

[adoptmom]

Hi everyone- Whew! I made the trip down to visit Grandma today since we're going out of town for a couple of days and the drive made me NUTS! I think I was putting on/taking off sunglasses and turning off or on the wipers every 500 yards for a while! :rolleyes: Ok, maybe not quite that bad but I had a headache by the time I got home from trying to see. The weather was playing Sybil today.

Grandma was in a spacy mood today. Good, but somewhere out there by that new planet they discovered recently. :D Last time I saw her giggling like that was when she was on the morphine pump. Once in a while I see glimmers of what she must have been like as a girl before she became a preacher's wife and had to clamp down on that sense of humor. I have a feeling that she was a real pistol in her day.

We're taking the kiddos to Holiday world on Tuesday. We've been wanting to go all summer but DH's foot has healed slowly. I'm still worried about him making it with all the walking but I guess if he wears out I can park him with the youngest DD at the kiddie pool and he can soak his foot while she plays. I'm not so sure how she will stack up to the water rides anyway. She likes fast rides but getting her hair and face wet is not her forte. She jumps into our pool but always has this disdainful look when she comes up or when someone splashes her. :rolleyes: She really thinks that she should be a princess. We always say shes a Ritz Carlton kinda girl in a camping family. Very athletic but wierdly girly too. I think that's why she likes ice skating so much. She gets to be competitive but wear a sparkly costume and not get sweaty. She makes up for the oldest DD who reminds me of Sandra Bullock's character in Miss Congeniality. :D

Anyway, hopefully Holiday world has decent food. I've never really eaten there before. Usually we go camp and do a couple of days so we go back and forth to the campsite to eat. I think the only thing I've actually eaten there is a soft pretzel and an ice cream cone over the several trips we've taken there.

Oh! The new "big thing" at the state fair this year is fried reeces cups and moon pies! I can't imagine the moon pies but they were interviewing people by the dozens who were raving about them. Guess you have to like moon pies in the first place, huh. I'm not sure that I've ever had one that wasn't completely stale and scary.

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Tami ~ Your kids sound delightful! I hope y'all have a fun day at the park.

[stanford's girl]

[size=4]Just got back from a week's vacation to see mine and DH's family. Ate and drank everything I wanted to.:D Thought I would have put on at least 5-10 pounds but only put on 3.:cool: It was well worth it and today I'm back on phase 1 for a couple of weeks.[/size]

[size=4]Has anybody had their hair start to fall out being on SB? It's the only thing I've done different and I've had all sorts of test done to make sure it's nothing medical. I'm not stressed either. I'm also having swelling in my hands and feet and my joints are killing me. Ever heard of this???:confused: [/size]

[WeirdEyes]

Janice ~ Yes, SB can make your hair fall out and make your nails brittle/dry if you restrict too many good carbs. I know this from experience. Glad you had a great vacation and only gaining 3 lbs is awesome! Good luck with Phase 1. :D

[stanford's girl]

[size=4]Thanks Sheila.:) I had noticed that the hair loss started to slow down once I added some carbs back in. I wish I would have asked sooner. It would have saved me a bunch on Dr. visits and tests. LOL [/size]

[irislady]

Janice, the problems you were having are some of the reasons why no one should stay on Phase 1 too long, or go back on it too often. Also, make sure you get enough vitamins. With fruit so restricted in phase 1 you can have a vitamin deficiency that will cause those very same problems.

Tami, my grown kids love Holiday World. This year my son and his friend took their daughters there since both mommies are expecting. They had a blast.

We're off in the morning for Indy to Chicago to Copenhagen for the start of a 12 day Baltic Cruise on the Rotterdam. I must admit it's harder leaving the dogs this time after losing Shelby the last time we were away, but Jenny and Murphy are healthy and love staying with my daughter, so I'm sure they'll be fine. If our b-i-l gets really ill, tho, we will cut our cruise short.

Y'all stay healthy and eat right.
Shae

[jlbkty]

[quote name='WeirdEyes']Recipe continued...

Line cookie sheet with wax paper or foil. Measure oats, peanut butter and peanuts and set aside. Combine Splenda, Smart Balance, milk and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Add oats, peanut butter, peanuts and vanilla. Stir quickly, mixing well. Immediately drop mixture by heaping tsp onto wax paper or foil and cool. Store in a cool, dry place. Makes about 2 dozen. Enjoy!

Why did I have to break up this thread???? Are we limited to the length of our posts? The previous post wouldn't let me go any further. Sorry![/QUOTE]

Hey WeirdEyes. Made your cookie recipe. Everyone @ the office loved it! I'm on my second batch! Do you happen to know the approximate fat & carb content of those cookies?

[WeirdEyes]

[quote name='jlbkty']Hey WeirdEyes. Made your cookie recipe. Everyone @ the office loved it! I'm on my second batch! Do you happen to know the approximate fat & carb content of those cookies?[/QUOTE]
Sorry, but I don't. That's one reason why SB can get me into trouble. I need to be more accountable for calories, etc. One reason why I'm doing WW along with SB. Glad you like the cookies!

[adoptmom]

Hi all- We had a great time yesterday. It looked horrible all day but never stormed and the crowds were non-existant. We had a great time. We're off to the state fair tomorrow to see DD's exhibit. Hope to get loads of walking in. I think I'll wear my pedometer.

Shae- You're probably already off and running for your trip but have a great time! Hope you don't have to cut it short.

Tami

[cruisinqt]

Well, I just got back from a four day trip with my husband to Biloxi/Gulfport and had a blast!:) We really needed some alone time for just the two of us. I truly believe these occasional weekends together for just the 2 of us is what keeps our marriage going so great. Anyway, we ate at casino buffets the entire time and I was very naughty. I've gained 5 lbs!!:eek: I'm going on phase 1 for a while to get a jump start on my weight loss. Our cruise on the Grand Princess this December 3rd is starting to creep up on me. I've got to get really serious about my weight loss now.

I found a recipe in one of my late grandmothers cookbooks when I had a little down time when we got back from our weekend trip. It was easy to convert to SB since it had very few carbs in it to start with. My husband and kids really liked it and asked me to fix it again. Here's the recipe:

Ground Beef Gyros

8 oz. fat free plain yogurt
1/3 cup chopped cucumber
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. Splenda

Filling:
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 whole wheat pita pocket halves (warmed in microwave)
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large tomato chopped
1 small onion, sliced

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and refrigerate this, the longer it sets the better it tastes. In a bowl combine beef and seasonings; mix well. Shape into four patties. Cook patties in skillet 10-12 minutes. Cut patties into thin slices and stuff into pita halves. Add lettuce, tomato, and onion. Serve with greek yogurt sauce.

These really do taste a lot like the greek gyros that we have eaten at restaurants. I think what really makes it taste authentic is the yogurt sauce which surprisingly tastes just like the real thing. This actually tastes better when you make everything ahead of time the day before you eat it (except cooking the meat). The flavors in the meat and the sauce are much stronger when they've had time to sit for a while. Sometimes I do the sauce and mix the meat together in the morning (it only takes 10 minutes) and then it only takes about 15 minutes to make dinner that evening. This tastes best when the meat is freshly cooked right when you eat it. I actually make 5 or 6 pita pockets with this because if you try getting one whole meat pattie into the pita pocket, you don't have room for the veggies. You can easily make an extra pocket or two with this recipe. ;)

I hope you haven't gotten tired of all of my recipe ideas, but I love to cook and always dreamed as a child of being a chef. My hero growing up was Julia Childs, I mimicked her voice and mannerisms perfectly. I've won a couple recipe contests at the local fair, but I never got into cooking professionally. I guess I'll have to be happy with the occasional "ooh" and "ahh" from my family and friends. Though on occasion an experimental recipe has gotten the dreaded "yuck, this is disgusting" from my painfully honest husband.:rolleyes:

[reverie04]

Hey guys! I just wanted to say that i started South Beach today and that I'm looking foward to loosing about 20 lbs!

[WeirdEyes]

QT ~ Thanks for the recipes. We really appreciate them so keep them coming!

reverie04 ~ Hello! You won't have any problems losing your 20 lbs. Good luck!!

[adoptmom]

Hi all- Just a quick checkin this morning because it's our second day of camp. Today though, I just have to show up. My part is done! :D I'm still working on losing 10 pounds by my birthday on SEpt 10. I thought about going back to phase 1 but it doesn't make sense for me to start this week during camp. So I'll start back Monday with it. Right now I'm just trying to keep the carbs on the low side and keep moving. I exercised an hour every day for the last 5 and put on a pound! :mad: I'm going with the thought that it's muscle but still!

QT- Thanks for the recipe! I love Gyros. I may have to add it to my menu for next week. I can leave out the pita since I'll be on phase 1 and add some lettuce, feta, and olives for a greek salad.

Tami

[cruisinqt]

Hey Tami, my birthday is also on September 10th!!:D I knew there was something special about that date.;)

Well, since you're not getting sick of all of my recipes, I'll keep them coming. And don't worry, my family are the guinea pigs not you guys. I'll only send you the ones my family likes.;)

[adoptmom]

QT- Ok, now the question is how old will you be on that day??? I'll be 39 :D Dang, I can't believe I'm so close to 40. In my mind I'm still 25. We were laughing at my 20th class reunion last month that we really don't FEEL 38 except when we first get out of bed in the morning. :rolleyes: Oh yeah and I felt 38 when I tried to do a cart wheel the other day. :D I gotta get back into yoga because my flexibility is NADA!

Well, I have to get the kiddos to camp. Today is creek stomp day so I'll have to powerwash the kids tonight.

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Tami ~ I'll be 41 in Oct. Turning 40 isn't bad at all! :D

[reverie04]

wow i feel young! i'm 20

[WeirdEyes]

[quote name='reverie04']wow i feel young! i'm 20[/QUOTE]
OMG! You ARE young. ;)

[cruisinqt]

Tami I will be turning 38 on September 10th. We aren't very far apart in age at all. I'm still younger than you are, na-na-na-boo-boo!:p :) Just joking! Seriously though, who would have guessed that we would have the same birthdays and only be a year apart? Weird huh? And WeirdEyes is only a couple years older than we are. I wonder if we're all close in age because late 30's and early 40's is when you start to put on extra weight. I know weight wasn't much of a problem when I was younger. In my 20's I could crash diet and drop 15 pounds in no time. Since I've had children, just losing a couple pounds is a major obstacle.:eek:

[stanford's girl]

[size=4]I'm 51. Does that make me the grandma of the group?;) [/size]

[suni]

This is a great site! I am motivated. We wil be in Europe for three weeks next month. What is the typical gain? I am working hard at losing before I go , yet I am conerned that I will take this trip and gain it all back. Would love to hear your thoughts!