Ky's Korner

[Chris55]

Wow, Ky, I'm impressed that you lost with all that splurging. I had pizza yesterday and I'm back up around half a pound, but I'm hoping that's just water retention from the salt!

The family liking your SB recipes is AWESOME! My boys always want some kind of pasta or something in cream sauce, lol! But one of them loves chili and likes to make it, so that's good. He's my boomerang kid - finished college and had to move back home due to the economy. They've both been enjoying my soups a lot more than they used to, though. I used to do a hearty soup once a week but mostly I make them for my lunches now so I don't indulge in a sandwich. It's so nice when the kiddos cooperate and like what you cook!

[dene]

My DH eats whatever I fix, so I can make whatever I want. He's willing to eat healthy foods and walk with me, so I am very grateful for that. We bought both of us new walking shoes today. Yay. They'd better make me lose weight at the money I paid for them!!!

[Kyan]

Chris - how do you like your "boomerang" son being at home for awhile? I LOVE it when my college boy is home for vacations!! Well..... I enjoy him MOST of the time. He still fights with his twin brothers. I don't think they ever grow out of that!?!

Dene - so how do you like the shoes so far? Last year when I was running 5Ks every weekend I bought a pair of shoes that were well over $100. They have you run on a machine to see what shoes would be best for you and all that jazz. They are ok as long as the stupid running socks don't bunch up around your toes. (They are kind of thick socks IMO.) Your hubby sounds like such a nice and supportive man!!!

Well I am doing really good! Official weigh-in day is on Sundays - because I can sleep in - and when I weigh myself first thing in the morning after I wake up I'm not squinting, trying to read the numbers at the butt crack of dawn like I have to do on weekdays! Anyway - it's only been two days since weigh-in day and I am down another half pound! I am psyched!

Tomorrow night I meet with my new personal trainer. I think it's a guy this time. I'm used to "Jillian", so this may take some getting used to. Because my trainer quit on me they are giving me three extra sessions. That was nice of them! I really like this gym.

So breakfast was ham fricos, lunch was my homemade white bean soup with shaved parmesan and dinner was peppered steak and green beans with pine nuts and fresh mozzarella cheese. I realized TOO late - WAYYYYY too much cheese in one day! I hate it when I do that! Tomorrow I will probably be up TWO pounds. One step forward and two steps back! lol

Tonight on Biggest Loser they voted off a woman who says she expects to get down to 130 by the finale. How do all these really tall people get down to such teeny numbers? I am 5' 2". I wonder what I am supposed to weigh???

[Kyan]

I like my trainer. He's nothing like my last one - although I liked her, too! She reminded me of Jillian and this guy is more laid back. He really worked me hard, but he told me jokes the entire time. (Some off-color!) We worked on upper body and then I did 30 minutes on the Stairmonster. I'm wiped out!! He asked me my goals and I told him I want to be healthy and I want to lose weight. I want my BMI to be in the normal range and not overweight!

Breakfast was homemade muesli with fresh strawberries. Lunch was leftover peppered steak with limas and leftover fresh green beans from last night. Dinner was steak in pepper cream sauce and chickpea/edamame salad. MMMMMM!!!

I was thinking about the Beach today. It makes more sense to me than any other way of eating out there. How could ANYONE find fault with eating whole grains, whole fruits, veggies, nuts, some dairy and lean meat? Why would anyone bother with any other diet out there??

[Kyan]

I made it to candlelight yoga! YAY!!! I love that class. It is the only exercise I actually look forward to! Boy I really stretched some muscles tonight - and I've really got to work on my balance. He had some really great music again tonight. I was half-way there when I realized I forgot my mat. I hate that! But about 5 other people also forgot their mats so I didn't feel too stupid!

I am down another 1/2 pound today.

Breakfast was ham fricos. Lunch was peppercorn steak and edamame/chickpea salad. Dinner was Greek sloppy Joes over Orzo and apple slices. Drank lots of water as usual. My kidneys thank me. My bladder hates me. So it all evens out!

[Kyan]

Wow, down another pound today! The portion control and working out is paying off!

I ended up eating my leftover white bean soup with spinach and shaved parmesan for breakfast. Lunch was Greek Sloppy Joes on a piece of whole wheat bread and an orange. Dinner was South Beach creamed spinach and African Red Bean Stew. Drank gallons of water. (Close enough.)

[Kyan]

So I am too tired to get ready for bed (ever have nights like that?) and couldn't move my butt off of my computer chair (yes, I am STILL sitting on it)and I was scrolling down and looking at all of the names of people who have started journals and then just disappeared. They come here all fired up and wanting to lose weight and get healthy... and then one day they are just - gone. Most of the people were here such a short time that they didn't really give the Beach much of a chance. Others stayed for awhile and then left.. and have been gone for years. There are some ladies that I still really miss after all this time.

Ok, I am getting all melancholy which means I am overly-tired. lol

[Kyan]

I think I had a revelation today. I am a stress eater! I never realized that before. I eat because I love to eat and I eat junk because I love the taste and I like to snack... but I never realized that food is also an emotional thing for me.

This morning the twins and I went to the dentist. Oh boy, THAT was fun!! (Not!) None of us had cavities, but the jackhammer going on my teeth to remove plaque wasn't exactly my idea of Saturday fun! It was really painful - and I am really good about brushing and flossing. She said it might have been bad due to the fact that it had been two years since I was last there. I couldn't believe it - two years?? Time flies when you are trying to forget your last oral ordeal! I promised to go back in 6 months because I don't want to bleed to death through my gums the next time I go into their office. I love the dental tech - but that woman is brutal!!

Breakfast and lunch was Beachy. But ....

We came home and cleaned the entire house... and I stressed a lot about work... and then it happened. We had a 7-11 dinner. I will not go into the gory details because it's too mortifying. Use your imagination. I mean, does 7-11 sell ANYTHING healthy? The worst part about it was that the clerk at the store recognized us and not only was he happy to see us again but he knew exactly what crap we were going to buy and told us where they had moved the stuff. (They did their monthly rearranging.) At least I kept the snark fest to a minimum. Less than 2 hours later I was STARVING - so I ate a bowl of Cheerios with fresh cut strawberries on top. Cheerios is a "sometimes" Beach food.

Tomorrow is my official weigh-in day, too. ::snort::

[Chris55]

You just cracked me up again, Ky! I totally relate to the dental hygienist story! I must have had the same person last week - like a vampire!! I go every 6 months and I still have plaque! Sorry you had to follow it with a snark fest Just forget it, and by all means stay away from the scale today!! Just the sodium content of all the stuff you ate will probably put on 5 lb. Start fresh, have your veggies and protein!!

Off to move kiddo back to college today. It's one degree outside, hoping it warms up a few degrees before I need to pack up the car. Not a trip I'm looking forward to.....

[Beaching It]

Too funny Ky. Hope your weigh in wasn't too bad. Sounds like you're doing really well... before 7/11. I hate the dentist too. I think the BL contestents get too skinny and the number they give them is unrealistic... personally. I'm 5'3 and weigh 152 and no one believes it. When I weigh 140 I look AWESOME!! Couldn't imagine weight 110!

Anyway, hope you had a great weekend.\
Lisa

[dene]

Been a busy week, and I didn't get to walk in my new shoes yet. I know...I have to make time to exercise, but sometimes I just shove it down the to do list too far. Yes, my DH is totally with me in this. He needs to lose a little weight, but more importantly, I want him to stay healthy. He will be 68 tomorrow and has no health problems, and we want him to stay that way!

Congratulations on the weight loss. You're doing great!

[Kyan]

Hey ladies! SOOO awesome to see you here!

Chris - you are going to miss him SO much! I know, because we took our college "boy" back on the 16th.

Lisa - I didn't know you were only an inch taller than me!! For some reason I pictured you like 5' 6" or 5' 7" or something!! What is your ultimate - ultimate weight goal??

Dene!! The shoes will wait until you get some breathing space - but I still want to hear how you like them when you finally try them out - so don't forget!

************

Well I met with my trainer this morning and we had a total body workout - and then I did an hour of interval training on the Dreadmill. oh I forgot - I worked out on the rowing machine BEFORE I met with my trainer.

So I came home.... and that was it. That was essentially my entire freaking day.... because I was DEAD!! I managed to make my menus for next week and cook dinner. Period. I didn't even do a single load of laundry!! I am eyeballing my bed at this very moment thinking how awesome it would be to go to bed now... even though it's 8:30 and I still need to finish cleaning my kitchen! I can't believe I was running a 5k every single Sunday! I am soooo out of shape!! I shuffle around the house like an old person. Er... older than I am person. ha ha

As far as weight goes - today was official weigh-in day. I am down a pound and a half this week! Woohoo! Only up a half pound from yesterday, so apparently my disgusting orgy with the corn nuts and ice cream/7-up drink and chocolate bugles didn't totally kill me. And I didn't have any cravings today. What a relief!

I discovered a new Beach dish - crispy chicken strips dipped in peanut sauce - all South Beach from the Super Quick cookbook - and my twins gave it 6 stars on a scale from 1-10. It's so awesome to have them loving the healthier foods! It took long enough! I also made roasted cauliflower to go with it, but only one twin ate any. I love it!

OOOOOo OOOOO - I almost forgot! I saw a commercial today on TV advertising these brownies... can't remember the brand - OH - FIBER ONE - and they are 90 calories each. I was salivating while I watched the stupid commercial thinking I would run out and buy some when I noticed the drizzly chocolate frosting on top and realized that just because it has 90 calories doesn't mean it's Beach friendly! So then I started thinking about Black Bean Brownies. Unfortunately when I made a batch they were dry and not very appealing. (Meaning tasty!) Sooo.... yes I could go on this site and find all kinds of black bean brownie recipes, but what I really want is to know what recipe some of you have found or adjusted so that it is yummy? Lisa? Is it you who makes these brownies? Or Chris?? I remember Gramma used to make black bean brownies and loved them, but she's been gone for over a year now.

Oh yeah - since I was couch-ridden because of my massive exercise-zeal today, I watched a lot of TV. Has anyone seen that show about the 600 pound woman who moved to the states from Haiti and her five daughters who take care of her? ALSO - there is a new series starting about another woman who weighed 600 pounds but it looks like she lost most of the weight she needed to lose! The series was 7 years in the making! How inspirational is THAT??

[Kyan]

WHAT!! I haven't been here since Sunday? I can't believe it! Probably because I have nothing interesting to say. lol

Met with my trainer tonight for upper body work. (After a session on the rowing machine). He's a good guy. My workouts are HARD, but he always makes them interesting. Then I did 30 on the stupid StairMonster. I actually saw an overweight woman in the gym tonight, so I guess they let a few of us slip in. Every time I see some potential new members talking with the whateveryoucallthemdudes that sign people up, they are always skinny as a rail. Maybe skinny people love to workout. Masochists!!
I think I am going to see what other classes will fit in with my schedule. Candlelight yoga is BY FAR my favorite way to exercise! Oh - I'm also thinking of taking up running again. MAYBE. Running is SO not fun. But since I am wearing my race T-shirts to workout in, it makes me think about it and my Trainer has asked me twice if I will start it up again.

Tried a new Beach recipe last night - open-faced chicken sandwiches with roasted red pepper and melted provolone cheese. It was ok... I'm not a big sandwich fan - but my twins loved them! I had an extra chicken breast so for lunch today I cut it up and put it on Bibb lettuce along with a diced apple, some raisins, chopped celery and some chopped walnuts. Then I put a raspberry vinegar dressing on top. It was decent. It reminded me of Wendy's apple/chicken/pecan salad - but it probably has about 1/3 of the calories and it's better for you - considering Wendy's probably cooks their chicken in trans-fats and preserves their apple slices in some chemical and they sugar-coat their pecans.

My weight is still great!!

[Kyan]

The frustrating thing about weight loss is that it will always be something present in our lives. It's not like you can eat healthy and watch portions and exercise - and then when you lose enough weight you can go back to living how you used to... eating fast food and snack foods while watching TV, and whatever else you want to eat. That is always my struggle. I hate exercising and I love junk food. Half of me would be ok with being overweight and eating whatever I chose and not exercising... and the other half of me wants to be at a good weight and be fit and healthy. Unfortunately it's a whole lot more work and a whole lot less fun to put forth effort for the healthy half of me.

My trainer didn't show up today at the gym. It must have been a lack of good communication between us - although I'm not sure how it could have been. We were scheduled for Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 11:30. HE picked the Sunday time. So I warmed up on the rowing machine and then waited. And waited. And waited. He said he didn't have me on the schedule. I guess we will discuss it on Wednesday. I worked out for an hour on the Dreadmill doing interval training, instead. Then I made the mistake of buying a protein drink at the juice bar. One sip and I knew it had to be full of sugar!! SOO sweet! It was kind of tasty, though. (Pina Colada flavored!)

Speaking of my trainer... he's been having me do upper body workouts on Wednesday nights and then my hands are so bad on Thursday that it makes yoga SOO hard to do! So much of yoga is planks and dog pose - and my hands just KILL me!! Last week I couldn't even go. It's so bad that it's really hard to drive.. or crack an egg open - or do a hundred other daily tasks! I'm going to see if we can switch and do upper body on Sundays and full body on Wednesdays, instead.

I'm sick of cooking. SICK of COOKING!!! But since I am on the subject of cooking - I think I chose some good recipes for the week. Chicken and black bean tostadas for one. They are supposed to be in a whole wheat tortilla, but I don't really like WW tortillas so I am going to buy some brown rice ones, instead. Lemon caper chicken. Mop (coffee) steak. Chickpea Saute. OH - and turkey meatballs with whole grain crusty bread. I could make brown rice to go with the meatballs - but I think the bread sounded better.

I think my love affair has hit rock bottom and is totally over. It started out so sweet and passionate... it's a shame that some things don't last. I no longer like the South Beach dark chocolate soybeans. I opened a package this afternoon and UGH!!

[Kyan]

Grocery shopped tonight. As usual my store didn't have everything on my list. They didn't have fresh asparagus, no yogurt, no thinly sliced chicken breasts (which I need for TWO meals this week!) and I almost didn't find my whole grain crusty bread. The lady in the bakery said they didn't have any.. but then she walked me across the store and found a loaf. I am so tired of always having to go to three stores to get everything on my list.

Dinner was avocado sandwiches and a small chicken chopstix salad. Way too many calories, no doubt. Instead of potato chips I had a side container of Mandarin oranges - and then I felt guilty when I ate them. I have a feeling they are a no-no on the Beach, but I'm not positive.

No exercise because it was a Monday - and I didn't drink enough water today.

As Scarlet O'hara once said... "After all, tomorrow is another day."