What's on the menu...

Hamburger (no bun) Lemon Chicken with roasted vegetables Southwest Pot Roast Balsamic Chicken Asian Tilapia and Cabbage Salad Roasted Winter Squash and Turkey Sausage Chicken with Bean Salsa and spicy green beans Chili with Mixed salad Spicy Green Beans and Shrimp Italian (Turkey) Sausage and Tomato Sauce and Broccoli Steak and Mashed Cauliflower Vegetarian Minestrone (no noodles) Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Crust Sounds like a lot of meat but when we serve up we take one serving of meat and 2 or 3 of the side veggies.

More on South Beach Diet - 16 lbs so far!

1 was so excited to hear that we wer going to visit family in Seattle for the weekend...but a little nervous. I have been doing great on the first phase of the diet and I didn't want to ruin it. When I packed for the weekend I was sure to pack a few things for the diet.... 1. Lettuce 2. Salad dressing 3. cucumbers 4. cherry tomatoes 5. 2 cans of beans (all of the above for lunches) 6. celery amd peanut butter 7. nuts 8. sugar free jello 9. cheese sticks (and above for snacks) 10. crustless quiche for breakfast. 11. vitamins 12. a few spices to make a quick dinner if needed This diet was a breeze this weekend because I was prepared. I was never hungry because I had snacks on hand in my bag when we were visiting family. I wanted to be sure to eat like normal so that my blood sugar didn't drop and make me feel like I was having sugar cravings. For dinner last night we went to Applebees and I got steak, vegetables, and a side salad with italian dressing. It was SO yummy! I ate every bit of it! Afterwords everyone felt full and heavy and I felt great! I was satisfied but not sluggish. When we came home we sang happy birthday to Nix and Grandma and had cake and icecream! Yes I had some!!! I still feel great today! I love that I made a good choice so that I didn't have to feel full, sick, sluggish all night. So yesterday we went to the thrift store...can I jus say I missed thrift stores!!! I got 2 shirts and a new jacket. (I'll post pictures later.) I'm excited because I have lost a total of 16 lbs so far!!!...here's the breakdown. March-We started the diet and lost 8 lbs the forst 2 weeks and 13 lbs total. Than we fell away and I gained 5 back. 2 weeks ago Monday I started phase one again and have lost 8 more! Woo Woo!! I tried on my size 4 pants and they fit! Only 7 lbs to go!

Day 5, Before and After/During Pictures!

I woke up this morning before everyone else (at 7:15) and prayed, read my scriptures, worked out and showered! Wow!!! It felt great! The best part about today... Yesterday I struggled a little with the diet. I haven't broken it yet but I have wanted to. I didn't last night and this morning I am glad that I didn't! My abs are almost FLAT! So...here are a few pictures. This is me when Brandon Graduated BYU I Last year in July. How come I never noticed I was this big?... And when I went to Rainier 2 months ago to visit Jennifer...See the pudge..... This is Today. Wondering why I love this diet...This is Why. Nice! I am wearing size 6 shorts that I bought when I was 127lbs! Woo Hoo!! (I don't have a scale but I'm betting I'm a little less then 135! Either way I feel great! It's like I'm not as tired and sluggish. I WANT to work out and eat right! This diet is for me! I love it because I can eat as much as I want. On this diet unlike other diets I don't crave as much. It may not be for you but I LOVE IT!!!

Why do I feel 41 weeks pregnant?

Dieters Beware!!! The first few days on this diet you pee like you're 41 weeks pregnant!!! We call it detoxing because that's what you feel like! Day 3...much better then 1 and 2. My insane withdrawals to sugar are gone. I had SO much energy! Worked out 2 times and still ran around with the kids. (My new trick is trying to wake up before them and if I don't then I put on a movie for them for 30 min.) Here is my snack for the morning. Yum Yum! After not having sugar for so long you wouldn't believe how sweet cucumber is! (It is part of the watermelon family.) For lunch I had a salad with leftover meat from 2 days ago. Still juicy and yummy. While I made my salad I cut up veggies for Brandon's lunch tomorrow and dinner tonight. The best investment I made for the diet was Tupperware. That way I can do all the prep work for a few days at once. Saves tons of time! Dinner was amazing and quick! I had enough to freeze 2 servings (large servings because on this diet you shouldn't be hungry!) for Brandon to take to work! Here it is...

Doc's Chili This recipe is from The Biggest Loser.

Ingredients

3 cups chopped yellow onions 1 pound lean ground turkey (or lean turkey sausage) 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground mustard 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained ) 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained ) 3 cups diced tomatoes (or one 28-ounce can roasted diced tomatoes, undrained) 1 cup fat free chicken broth 1/2 cup black olives 1/2 cup chopped green onions or chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Spray a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a few sprays of cooking oil spray. Add onion and sautà over medium-high heat until soft and just starting to brown. Add ground turkey or sausage; cook over medium high heat, breaking up meat with a spoon, until cooked through; about 6 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, mustard, garlic, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Garnish with olives and green onions or cilantro and serve immediately. Yield: 2 ¼ quarts; twelve (1-cup) servings Number of Servings: 12

Fat on the inside, Skinny on the outside...

Everyone always says to me, "You look great!" "You don't have to work very hard to loose weight." "Don't worry about it!" Here is why..... When I was little I was chubby. Not fat, but cute chubby and everyone told me so. When I was in 4th grade I got really sick with pneumonia and lost a lot of it. I liked not being chubby so then and there I started watching what I ate and haven't stopped since. I remember being on my first diet and exercise routine when I was 12. Slim Fast and Richard Simmons. I have never been able to drink a lot of pop and I love water (Thanks to mom :). Processed food makes me feel grose and sugars are nice but I love salty things. After having Phoenix I gave up dairy that cut out a lot of the greasy foods in my diet. Now, after having Atti I had 23 extra lbs that I was hanging on for some reason. I worked out and ate healthy but nothing was happening. Once he hit over a year old I started searching. A friend told me about South Beach Diet. I borrowed the book and fell in love with the concept. 1. eat when you're hungry 2. no sugar, fruit, carbs or starches for phase one (2 weeks) 3. snack I immediately made a menu and got on a schedule. 8am-quiche or eggs and turkey bacon with V8 for breakfast (I made the quiche in advance) 10:30-snack (nuts, cheese stick, vegetables and hummus....) 12:-lunch (salad with leftovers from lastnight) While making my salad I also cut up lettuce and vegetables for Brandon's lunch tomorrow and for our dinner tonight 3:-snack (tuna, cherry tomatoes...) 5:-dinner (usually meat, fish or poultry and vegetables and salad) 7: Dessert (sugar free jello for me) We went on the diet and without working out we lost 8lbs in the first 2 weeks and 13 lbs total. After that we went on vacation and slipped away from the lifestyle. This diet can be vary expensive. We are constantly looking for less expensive meals that still follow the guidelines. I started up again 3 days ago and feel great. The first 2 days are always hard because I go through withdrawal of the sugars. (Remember there are still carbs/sugars in tomatoes and vegetables and nuts.) I already feel like I've lost 5 lbs. My abs and hips have reappeared. I think I weigh around 140ish and I want to get to 125. We are doing it without a scale because really...it's all how you feel that matters! I feel great! Here is what we had for dinner last night (I don't usually eat this mugh meat, it was for the picture. There was a side salad) I just took frozen chicken breasts and covered them with salsa and taco seasoning. Covered it with foil and baked at 375 for 45-50 minutes. It is so tender that way! One of our favorite late afternoon snacks is beans. YUM! I'm SO excited because I'm actually working out this time! Wish me luck!