Tonight we had home made pasta sauce with ground turkey and DreamField Spaghetti pasta. Now DreamField pasta Co. claims to have only 5 grams of digestible carbs. I am not sure how they can claim this? I have read their packaging and I have reviewed their website but I am not sure how they can claim this?

If anyone knows please let us know. Until then I will just believe the packaging…

I will try and post the South Beach Diet pasta sauce recipe we have created.

Technorati Tags: pasta sauce, ground turkey, DreamField Spaghetti pasta, carbs, South Beach Diet, pasta sauce recipe

Last night we had pizza! We have not had pizza since the first week of January 2007. We had a serious craving for pizza so we gave in… But before you get all over us we tried our best to find a “healthy” frozen pizza. We ended up buying DIGIORNO Pizza – HARVEST WHEAT RISING CRUST PEPPERONI.

The pizza was pretty good. It doesn’t hold up to a regular slice of NY pie. The good news is the pizza didn’t affect my weight the next day. I tried to really limit the carbs so I could enjoy the pizza.

Be careful of some of the thin crust pizza’s from Digiorno they have trans fat. Just read the label carefully and you should be ok.

Technorati Tags: pizza, frozen pizza, DIGIORNO, HARVEST WHEAT RISING CRUST PEPPERONI, NY pie, thin crust, trans fat

When I started on the South Beach plan my goal was to get to 150 pounds, down from 164. Once I reached my goal I realized I still had more weight to lose. Fast forward to today and my weight is at the 144 to 145 mark. I am happy but not. Let me explain.

So this is what I figured out. I have not worked out with weights in over two years, but when I was in shape my weight was in the 145 to 148 range. My muscle to fat ratio was much higher. So since I have not worked out in years my “lean weight” is more in the 140 to 142 range. I am not happy with this. As Lilly says if you keep going you will be at zero pounds.

She is right, I would much rather be 145/148 with the extra added weight being lean muscle. I need to make a commitment to exercise again and get that muscle back.

Happy Friday!

Technorati Tags: South Beach plan, weight, fat ratio, muscle, Happy Friday!

I was on my own for dinner tonight. I thought about going home and trying to fix something healthy, but I was just too tired. Our two year old woke us at 4:30 am this morning and kept us awake. I got about half the amount of sleep I normally get, plus work was very stressful so I decided to just stop by in-n-out and grab a double/double protein style. So tasty but not the most healthy meal, at least it wasn’t full of carbs.

I look forward to a home cooked meal tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: in-n-out, double/double protein style, tasty, carbs, home cooked meal

This couple lost more than 200 pounds together. They hit their max weight and made the decision to change their life. The trick was to start small and work the weight off, being realistic about results. It took years to pack on the pounds so the weight was not going to drop off over night.

Some of the highlights form the story:

1. “Get out of the diet mentality.” This is excellent advice. For us it was a lifestyle change and not a diet. Diets work short term and are not a long term solution.

2. Allow for “cheats!” This is critical for us in our success. But the trick is not to go over board and get back on track once you have had your fun.

3. Having a partner in the weight loss effort was critical to their initial success.

I agree with all of the above. Great job to Elizabeth and martin!

Technorati Tags: max weight, diet, lifestyle change, cheats

In Josh’s last post he mentions our menu planning. We try to plan out our meal for the week, during the weekend. If we don’t do this, I usually run out of ideas by the middle of the week. Which results in Josh coming home to no dinner or canned food. LOL!

Seriously, just plain sauteed chicken and veggies or hamburger patties. That can be kind of boring, though… Fortunately for us, with all the tax deadline pressure, we were able to plan our meals for this week. Today’s dinner was Chicken asparagus w/three cheeses It was outstanding! Even the baby loved it… I did make a couple of changes to the recipe, but not pertinent ones. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. I am not a huge fan of chicken breasts. I can have them but not on a regular basis. They tend to be too dry.

I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs. Then I take off every piece of fat, nerves and tendons. I also didn’t have poultry seasoning so I kind of made up my own. Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, a little cumin and paprika. Everything else was the same and everyone loved it. I will definitely add this to our regular dinner options. Delicious!

Technorati Tags: Josh, sauteed chicken, tax deadline, chicken breasts

Congratulations to Lilly on achieving her weight loss goal! Losing weight is not easy for many reasons. First you have to mentally make the decision to make a change for the better and then you have to take action and avoid temptations. And of course never give up!

This week I also hit my goal of reaching 145 pounds, down from 164. Together Lilly and I have hit our weight goals. With out having a partner to encourage you and help keep you on track; this would have been much more difficult.

We live busy lives like most modern families, so we really have to make quality time for each other. I work 12 hour days in the tech sector and Lilly is a stay at home mother, caring for our 2 year old child. Both are very intense jobs, accept Lilly’s is a 24/7…

Planning our meals together, shopping for the ingredients and ultimately cooking together has brought us closer together as a couple. Looking back it’s been really fun. We have increased our daily menus; we try new foods and eat healthy. We’ve made a lifestyle change for the better.

However one thing is still missing, exercise. I have always worked out. I like to play soccer, ride my mountain bike and lift weights. For the last 2+ years I have done very little working out, mostly just walking. One of my very few criticisms of the South Beach Diet is the lack of emphasis on exercise. Do not take that as an excuse, but rather an observation. Our next goal is to add exercise to our daily routines.

Technorati Tags: weight loss goal, tech sector, stay at home mother, eat healthy, lifestyle change, exercise, soccer, mountain bike, lift weights, South Beach Diet

I haven’t talked about where my weight was prior to starting the South Beach Diet, yet here I am, talking about reaching my goal. So let me start off with this, my turning point. It was close to Super Bowl this year, and I had tipped the scale at 115. I know this doesn’t sound like alot, but for a petite person it’s the equivalent of about 30 pounds overweight. I definitely felt it. My clothing also kept reminding me; as snug as they felt. I had one last day of bad eating habits for the Super Bowl game. Chips, guacamole, pastrami sandwiches, pizza, ice cream and candy. By the next day, Monday, I had put on another pound and a half! Good thing I start my diet today, I thought.

Fast forward to Easter sunday, I was pretty close to my goal weight. I thought I would be stalled at 108 for another week, since I’d had slow cooked BBQ beef short ribs, mashed potatoes, a slice of peach boston cream pie and a cake cookie w/buttercream frosting and sprinkles. To my sudden surprise, the following day, I weighed in at 106.1. I couldn’t really believe it. I thought someone had broken the scale, but that wasn’t the case.

I’m happy, however….. Because I don’t exercise yet, I feel like I still need to drop another 3-5 pounds. Prior to having a child, I worked out 5 days a week and weighed 106. Which was fine because I had toned muscle. Now I’m 106, but not toned. Exercise is the key. Which is why we are looking into buying a new elliptical machine soon. Until then, eating healthy will keep me slim.

Happy Healthy Mommy

Technorati Tags: weight, South Beach Diet, Super Bowl, my diet, Easter sunday, mashed potatoes, exercise, toned muscle, elliptical machine, Happy Healthy Mommy

Ingredients:
Fresh Mint 2 sprigs
Half a fresh lime
12 drops Sweet 10 sugar substitute
Crushed ice
2 oz Bacardi Rum
Splash club soda

Mixing instructions:

Muddle 2 mint sprigs and three lime wedges with a sugar substitute in the bottom of a tall glass. When the ingredients are well pulverized, add ice to fill the glass. Add the rum and a splash of club soda. Stir very well.

You have just made a low carb mojito that taste great!

Enjoy

Technorati Tags: fresh lime, Sweet 10 sugar substitute, Bacardi Rum, club soda, lime wedges, low carb mojito

Tonight we are going to try “Slow Cooker BBQ ribs” from Kraft.

We will have to modify it of course to fit the South Beach Diet Plan. Here is the original ingredient list:

4 lb. beef short ribs
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup KRAFT Barbecue Sauce, any flavor
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

Here are the modifications.
Kraft carbwell BBQ sauce. The label says ok for phase 1, 2 and 3 of South Beach Diet.
No honey
½ flour (This is a big cheat! If you want to stay 100% on SBD then just do not add the flour)

Technorati Tags: Slow Cooker BBQ ribs, South Beach Diet Plan, KRAFT Barbecue Sauce, Kraft carbwell BBQ sauce, SBD