yes, i should have said my weight loss is stopped at the moment...not altogether i just try to remember that exercise creates muscles which weighs a little more but in the long run burns up more calories! plus, a non-scale victory is sometimes just as encouraging---if we take the time to recognize them!

Yay on the NSVs, totally. I just wanted to be encouraging!!! I always feel like my weight loss has stopped.

I'm here...! WOW What a crazy busy week. And it's not quite over yet. BUT I wanted to stop in and say HI to everyone. I have been reading some posts, but haven't been able to reply... it's hard to reply while holding a kid... and at night he watches "Pinky Dinky Do" (see noggin.com if interested), on one side of my screen, and i read my message boards on the other... just can't type..! HA!

ANYWAY... life on the beach is going GREAT FOR ME. I'm sure it is a slow journey, but I am feeling GREAT! Tomorrow will be my first weigh in, since Starting at the beginning of January. I refuse to be a slave to the scale "this time" so am only weighing once a month. (literally... the scale is in the trunk of my husband's car).

GREAT JOB everyone. You all's stories and ideas and suggestions are always SO INSPIRING!!!!

Ok so what you all up to this week????

I'm finishing up a sewing project for my step daughter. Started last Christmas so I really need to get it done and to her. Hope to have it finished by Wed so I can give it to her when she comes for dinner.

Trying to stick closer to plan. Listening to my body and eating when hungry. Making my snacks raw veggies. (extra fiber always helps )

Hope everyone has survived the Super Bowl Parties.

Have a good week.

Hi Camelle: You are doing such a wonderful job! Keep it up! Good luck with the weigh in. ps: my boys watch Pinky in the morning, and that Yesarooty, Positooty song is always stuck in my head for at least three hours every day!

Skippie, that sounds like a wonderful project! Clothing? Blanket? No matter what, you are so nice to do that. What a great idea, too, raw veggies for snacks. Getting in my 4.5 cups of veggies is something I have to really work at every day.

I'm not up to much this week, just working hard...lots of grading and extra projects so trying to make it to Friday in one piece.

It is a GORGEOUS day in VA today...65 and sunny, we have had the weirdest weather this "winter..."

This week I will be hitting the gym I joined over the weekend, oddly enough i am excited about all the equipment, I am tired of my elliptical at home and sometimes the walking just doesnt seem like enough--lets see if i can consistently stick to going!--paying 40 bucks a month will be good motivation

As for surviving weeks, i know how that goes....this whole month i have training 4 hours a day at work and appointments with clients the bulk of the rest of the time i am here---i am currently being a slacker and eating my pistachio snack before lunchtime.

As for this weekend, I have tickets to a wine festival i bought months ago, I am in phase 2, but my struggle will be avoiding the fattening food and limiting my wine samples...wish me luck!

rxqueen85 Your weather sounds just wonderful. Our winter weather has been a bit crazy this year too.

That wine tasting sounds like so much fun. I've been to tastings before and the samples I got were just that samples, not full glasses.

You might try and share your glass with someone. I did this with hubby we got 1 sample and I just had a sip for each one.

Could you take a few of your own snacks with you? Be sure to eat before you go so you aren't too hungry.

In phase 2 you can have wine. Hope you have a wonderful time.

Mornin'!

I'm have some computer issues and can't stay online for long at all. Its actually freaking me out and I'm trying to figure out what I will do to fix it.... I'm a mess right now.

Its been so great that so many of you are helping out by answering questions.....Thanks!

Just a couple of thoughts....

1- flax seeds....watching Oprah yesterday, Dr Oz confirmed for me that whoole flax seeds do not digest and we do not get their benefit from eating nthem whole...ground only!! Oprah didn't know this and wanted to know why it does not say this on the package.

2- crushed red pepper...which I use often...in place of salt in my cooking. Watching the Biggest Loser last night, Rocco Despirito was on and spoke of eating a low sodium diet, use crushed red pepper is the way to go as you get flavor from it without the salt...it does not take a lot to get this kick.

So sass...thats why I use it and had discovered this when I started 4 yrs ago

Hey SB gals and guys....I'm bumping this thread back up! What's new in everyone's corner of the world? How are we all doing?

Yay, yay, yay! We're back! Thanks, Char!

Still plugging along here. Good news: DH went back in for his follow-up cholesterol test and he can already see changes since we started the beach on 1/1/08. He didn't really have any weight to lose--naturally skinny--and he refuses to give up his morning bagel (though he did switch to multigrain) so he has just has SoBe lunch and dinners and he saw an improvement in numbers in only 7 weeks.

How are all of you doing?

Also, mind if I ask a question? I have some awesome low carb cookbooks that I'd like to adapt...if it calls for butter, how much can we use safely IN a recipe for SoBe, or should we stick to trans-fat-free margarine?

That's great about DH, Sass. I wish I could get J to eat a little better than he does. He just refuses to give up his nightly ice cream fix and regular, sugar filled sodas. He doesn't have a weight issue, so figures he doesn't need to watch what he eats so much.

I'd probably stick to using the margarine in recipes. I admit though, certian things do taste better with real butter and I have splurged on occasion.

Not much happening in my neck of the woods. The boy turns 15 on Thursday and gets to try for his drivng permit. I'm thinking of buying stock in L'oreal. Just the thought of him driving a car has me sprouting gray hairs!

hello everyone! been awhile, life has been hectic lately, although i feel it usually is....SB is still treating me well, although i have to say my weight loss has slowed a little---i have not been faithful to the gym the past week and a half, so back i go tonight! i havent felt this good in so long, i dont think my stomach has ever been this flat! also, i am amazed at how good eating good actually feels---been out to restaurants lately and i actually do not miss the greasy fried foods OR the way they made my stomach feel! i got grilled chicken and blackeyed peas with a glass of wine while out with friends this weekend, and at a birthday dinner at red lobster got crab legs and asparagus---absolutely delicious. i love SB <3

on a different note...i am so very ready for springtime....i am tired of the cold, and for once am not dreading bathing suit season quite so much!

We're moving so things have been hectic, getting our house ready to rent out and packing, yadda yadda....But I am so looking forward to our new home! It's in the wine country, with olive trees and vineyards and horses and a huge garden (still in my head My husband is a chef and our goal is to grow most of our own food on the property. I'm thinking of starting a new gardening blog emphasizing heirloom veggies and fruits so I'll let you know when I get that off the ground....I'm looking forward to all the additional exercise the garden will provide in addition to my regular jogging, weights, etc.

I found a great new website www.tastyplanner.com where you can enter any recipe, create search tags (south beach, slowcooker, etc) and generate shopping lists. I've been finding SB friendly recipes, cutting and pasting, basically creating my own cookbook. I know there are other sites like this but I like this one's interface the best so far...

Hi Iris: How wonderful! Am very excited for your new home. Good luck with the packing and moving process! The blog sounds great, too...please keep us posted.

I checked out the tasty planner site, which looks neat! When I entered South Beach, I didn't get any results, though. Do you have to be registered to make it work? Another one, if you haven't found this yet, is recipezaar.com, which has a number of SB recipes and you can make a shopping list. I love it!

Rx, nice to see you! So glad you're feeling great! Happy Birthday! Crab legs = and asparagus, too. Was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I like asparagus, too, after starting SB and making the oven-roasted veggies--ok, now I'm drooling at the thought of ORV.

Renee, I BET you are sprouting nervous tics, too, at the thought of your beloved boy taking the wheel! Be still, heart! I just told my 4-year-old the other day that he could drive "when you go to college" (trying to get that You're Going To College thing in there whenever possible). Thanks for the margarine confirmation. I'm on it.