South Beach Dieters Group Meet Here!

[irislady]

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday.... don't have raw celery AND cashews for a snack and then go out shopping! Good thing I was just at WM and the ladies' room was close by! I don't think it was a return of IBS although the cramps were terribly familiar. I made sure everything I ate the rest of the day was soft and well-cooked.

I do believe our loved ones can watch and smile down on us. I lost my mom and one of my aunts this year (her sister), and her other 2 sisters the year before. Her only surviving sibling, my uncle, told me while we were home visiting that my mom has "visited" him several times in his dreams. He said that the last time he "saw" her she had come to tell him all about her new house and how much she was enjoying decorating it. He said she was very happy. He knows he was dreaming, but his "contact" with her was real in his heart and mind and wasn't just a replay of old memories.

Deb, we're looking at Hawaii in 06, too. Have you decided which itinerary and which cruise line you'll go on? DH now only gets 3 weeks vacation since he switched companies last Feb. (He used to get 6 wks since he was with the old company 35 years). Many of the cruises we want to take are 10 days-2 weeks long so we'll have to decide which ones we can do each year.
Shae

[adoptmom]

Here's the legal cheeseball that I made. My favorite was 2 blocks of creamcheese and a cup of cranberry chutney but that's way too much sugar. :( The legal one is 2 blocks of cream cheese and 2 small packs of dried beef. I just processed it in the food processor. From the basic mix I've seen people add green onion, horseradish or just about anything. I added a teaspoon of dry BBQ mix. Once you process it altogether you can either pack it into a plastic container or put it in the freezer for 20 minutes and then shape into a ball. It's good for cucumbers or celery.

For the turnip chips I just slice them very thin with my mandolin slicer. Then I spread them on cookie sheets lined with parchment or wax paper. Spritz them with a bit of cooking spray and kosher salt. Sometimes we make BBQ or curried ones by mixing the salt with dry seasoning mix. You just put them in the oven for couple of hours on 200 but check them often. I think my oven temp is lower than it should be. Once they're dried out just turn off the oven, leave the door cracked and let them cool off in the oven.

Tami

[Deb in Cali]

Shae,

I am so sorry to hear about your Mom. I was kicking myself for not writing that the last time. I was in tears as I read that you had just lost your Mom. I don't even want to think about it. :(

I would love to go to Hawaii with my Mom. SHHHH She is going, but doesn't know anything about it yet. My younger brother is going to pay her way as a special gift, since she has so supportive him starting his new photogragraphy business. My brother asked me about what cruise I thought she would like to go on. I knew that she has been wanting to go to Hawaii, since she has never been there.

It has always been my dream to be the one that takes her to Hawaii, but it would be a miracle for me to pull it off financially. We can only afford to cruise every few years.

I see that you are going to Alaska in early June. We are also, but on a different ship. I am wondering if we could end up in the same port at the same time. If not, we will have to wave as our "two ship that pass in the night"!:rolleyes:

[ColoradoJuli]

Tami - Thanks for the recipe. I don't think that I have ever had turnips. What do they taste like?

I did pretty good at weigh-in. I am finally showing a lose again. It has been a month since I lost any weight. I think switching to Phase 2 really slowed my weight lose down. I have made a pac with a few girls to start exercising. That starts on Monday. I think that should help with the weight. Now if I could just enjoy it.;)

[adoptmom]

Hi all- today was a pretty good day. I went to the asthma doctor's and found out that I didn't have bronchitis, just an irritation of the bronchial tubes from some allergic reaction about 3 weeks ago. They put me on medrol, a steroid that doesn't make me sick so that's good. But it can cause increased appetite and weight gain :mad: I'm shooting for keeping on phase 1 1/2 so at least if I eat I won't gain. I took the first dose 4 hours ago and already I can tell a difference. Now the elephant just has his foot on my chest not his butt! :D

I tried new LC&LI recipes today! I made George's bourbin BBQ sauce, sans the bourbin. It didn't say to let it rest but I made it this morning when I put the ribs in the oven and then refrigerated it all day. It was ok this morning but very good tonight. DS and I added sriracha hot sauce to it but the rest of the family like it the way it was. Don't know what the bourbin would have done for it because it's never been on my list things acceptable to put in my mouth. Tried it once and it took me 3 days to feel my lips! On the rare occasion that I actually do drink I'll stick to my boat drinks. It's a sad commentary on my social life but the only time I drink is on vacation or if I'm out with my mom :rolleyes: We're on a quest for the perfect margarita.

I also tried his cauliflower "mac" and cheese. The cauliflower part was bleh! but that was because I used store brand frozen cauliflower and it was tough. I planned to buy fresh heads but when I went to the store the cauliflowers looked like they were wearing those fur hats that you always see the Russians wearing in old movies. Yuck! Anyway, the cheese sauce was fabulous. I think it would be great on it's own in a fondue pot (if I owned one) with blanched veggies. It certainly was the perfect consistancy for it.

Well, gotta go. I actually won't have to use my rescue inhaler tonight so I might actually get to sleep before 3am! Yay!

Tami

[irislady]

Thanks for your kind words. It has been tough. I'm very lucky to have the support of a wonderful husband and 3 terrific sisters.

Deb, going on a cruise with your mom will be something that neither of you will ever forget... especially to Hawaii. Before DH and I took our first cruise to Alaska we started really cutting back on frivolous spending. We put our change and single dollar bills into a special jar, and opened a special account where we put our rebate checks, dividend checks, etc. Within a year there was more than $2,000 in that account, and it happened quite painlessly.

I'll look up our itinerary and let you know when we'll be in which ports. When we went last year we were usually just behind the Star Princess, and there were usually a few other ships docked, too. Who will you be cruising with? DH and I are going by ourselves.

Tami, I sure hope the Medrol keeps helping. That's a scary feeling when you can't breath! I keep missing LC &LI. I'll have to be sure to check out the website. I'm starting to get a little bored with my list of recipes.

Juli, good luck with your exercise program. Working out with friends is usually "less work" than doing it by yourself.

Shelia, good luck staying "legal" at those 2 parties this weekend. I think that's really hard to do.
Shae

[ColoradoJuli]

Tami - I too suffer from severe asthma. I have 3 sprays that I use twice a day four puffs of each. It is a lot of medicine, but it keeps me clear and keeps me off the steriods. I always gain weight on steriods and my appetite can not be satisfied, then it wires me so much that I can not sleep. Bad stuff!

Shae - I do the same thing with 'spare' change and rebates. I have $1,400 sitting in a savings account that I will use for the 'extras' that I buy on the cruise. Plus I have a couple hundred dollars of rebates that I am waiting on. I am very excited because our entire cruise was paid with cash. Good luck on the new recipes. I need some too.

[WeirdEyes]

What a small world! I have asthma also, but not as severe as all of you. Mine is basically caused by allergies. The only bad part of mine is that when I get a cold or flu, I get severe bronchitis or pneumonia. I used to be on inhalers everyday, but now only take the occasional hit on my inhaler. I hate that several of you suffer from it. It is not fun when it feels like something is sitting on your chest.

I did Phase 1 this week trying to lose the 5 lbs I gained over Thanksgiving. I've lost 4 lbs of it. I'm on Phase 1.5 now and will keep this up until Christmas with the occasional cheat (too many parties and too much fun). ;)

Tami, please post the BBQ sauce recipe. I really don't like the low carb versions in the store. Thanks!!! :D

Juli, when I go from Phase 1 to Phase 2, I seem to stop losing unless I exercise at least 4-5 times a week for 45 mins. Hopefully, exercising will really increase your weight loss. I'm happy to hear that you've started losing again. Good luck with the exercise!

[irislady]

Tami, I think we're all interested in your BBQ sauce recipe.

Shelia, good work getting rid of those 4 pounds so quickly. That last one may just be a natural variation of body fluids, etc.

Juli, let's keep an eye out for new recipes and share them here.. the ones that aren't copyrited, of course.

I did make a dish before Thanksgiving that DH really liked. I thought it was okay, but preferred it with chicken breast like I had made it before. I pounded out a pork tenderloin into a flat patty, browned it in a little olive oil and a touch of garlic. I put it in a glass baking pan and topped it with Mont. Jack cheese, thinly sliced fresh mushrooms, and homemade tomato sauce based on the one in the SB book, but with a little grated parm cheese added. Bake covered 35-40 mins. at 350. Uncover, sprinkle on a little more Jack cheese and let that melt. We just had ours with a salad, but if you can serve whole wheat pasta with the remaining sauce if you're in Phase 2-3. It's similar to veal or chicken parm., but the Jack cheese and mushrooms give it a different flavor.
Shae

[ColoradoJuli]

Shelia - Way to go on the weight loss. I have tried to go back to 1 a couple times but my will power seems to go out and I end up back in 1.5.

Shae - Your recipe sounds great. I am going to try it. Do you crush the garlic or leave the cloves or whole?

Today will be a lousy SB day. We are headed out to dinner tonight with some friends and we are going to eat beer and hot wings. Good thing we can 'cheat' every once and awhile.

Everyone have a good day!

[adoptmom]

Hi all- What makes this thing with my asthma so freaky is that I never have to use my rescue inhaler. When this whole thing started coming on 2 weeks ago I had to go buy a new one because the old one was over a year expired. I take nothing except an antihistimine on a daily basis. what we can figure out is that I had a small allergic reaction when we took out the wall in our kitchen. It wasn't any big deal but because my lungs were irritated, there's still dust floating about the house and (my theory- I ate like crap over Thnksgiving) the reaction never settled down like it normally would have. I feel much better today though I do have to keep food in my stomach for several hours after I take the meds. I grabbed a sandwich with a white bread bun while I was out today and ate it. My intention was to take the bun off but I forgot to have them leave of the mayo (Yuck!) and it was a slimy mess. The rest of the day went pretty well though.

Here's the link to the BBQ sauce. It's copyrighted and I know they were posting messages a while back about not posting that stuff. [url]http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_29233,00.html[/url] There are a ton of good things in there. I like him because he makes food that real people would eat. He even has a recipe for pumpkin pound cake that I may have to make to get me though a birthday party next week. It uses almond flour.

Tami

[irislady]

Tami, Thanks for the link for the BBQ sauce. I'll try it the next time I make pork chops.

Juli, I just used garlic powder since I didn't have fresh garlic. I think the crushed might work better than whole, but that's probably a personal choice.
The amount of mushrooms is a personal choice, too. In the restaurant where I first had the chicken version of the dish they covered the chicken fillet with mushrooms. I don't put quite a many on mine. ( I pound both the chicken breasts and the pork tenderloins to tenderize them before browning.)

I'm going to run out and get some snow peas, green onions, mushrooms and maybe some bean sprouts so I can make a chicken stir fry tonight. I already have the celery, carrots, & onion. It's one of those meals where the prep time takes more time than the cooking, but I always make enough for 2 meals. It heats up really well.

Have a good weekend, everybody.
Shae

[adoptmom]

We live on stirfry. Last time I was a costco they had huge bags of raw unbreaded chicken breast strips. I keep those in the freezer and toss in whatever fresh or frozen veggies I have on hand. Instead of making a sauce I sprinkle them with low sugar teriyaki sauce (the thin kind) and let it go at that. I did try a carb options teriyaki that wasn't bad but it's a bit pricey.

OK- I'm probably the only one who tried these which is why I found them at Dealz (a dollar store) but DO NOT TRY the carbolite version of poptarts! (they really need a "yuck" smiley!) I saw them at Walgreens a while back and figured they'd be bad, especially for $5 a box but for a buck at dealz it was worth a shot. Well, now I know. I tried the cinnamon ones and if you REALLY like gingersnaps you might think these were ok but they were dry and very strong on cinnamon and ginger. Not like my beloved brown sugar and cinnamon poptarts at all. :(

I'm still hanging in there with the steroids and keeping at the same weight. I'm happy because be tween the medrol and it being TOM week I figured I'd be up. I also had a happy surprise yesterday when we got to my favorite mexican restaurant because they've added low carb tortilla to the menu. Now I just have to figure out low carb adobo sauce and I'm set!

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Tami, thanks for posting the recipe. I'm sure I'll be using it. :) Good job on keeping the weight off even with the steroids. That is very tough.

I had two parties this past weekend and I ate bad again. I'm not even weighing because I know that I gained. I guess I should just try to maintain right now because it is too darn hard to actually lose because of all of the social engagements. I had one too many glasses of wine Saturday night also...and I hardly EVER drink. :rolleyes: I have one more party to attend...thank goodness! So I should be able to lose the extra I've gained and maintain. After Christmas, it is hard and heavy on Phase 1. :D

How did all of you do this weekend? What Christmas plans do you have that might cause you problems on South Beach?

[adoptmom]

sheila- I bragged too soon! :( Today i'm up 2 for some reason so I'm chalking it up to either the steroids or PMS. Both could be a factor. Fortunately I'm down to just 2 of the pills today and one tomorrow then I'll be done. Yay!

Let's see... For potential party disasters I have oldest DD's birthday this Friday. I'm making chicken tikka masala and channa masala (chickpeas) both of which are low carb. She also requested biryahni rice and mango mousse which arent' so I'm going to try to avoid those. The rice is no problem but I love mango mousse. She's also having an ice cream cake from DQ.

Then we have my nephew's graduation from Technical school the next day. We're eating with them at Max and Erma's so I shouldn't have a problem finding something there. I'll look them up online and see what's on their menu before I get there.

The 19th is christmas with the inlaws at SIL's house. That will probably be a disaster. I was already going to take food for youngest DD due to her allergies so I think I'm going to throw in some dessert options for me too. christmas eve at my mom's will be carb fest. I'm positive there will be corn casserole, mashed potatoes, and noodles. The corn casserole will be the only thing that's hard to pass up. I love corn and cornbread but the Dd's allergies and my new WOE I hardly ever eat it anymore.

Christmas morning I'm having what I want. The tradition is egg casseroles (which I'm going to make one without bread) and Granny's cinnamon rolls. That translates to tons of butter and sugar/cinnamon rolled up in homemade white bread dough....no icing please! My insulin spiked just thinking about it. :eek: Late christmas day is usually just snacks and stuff but I'll probably actually do some kind of meal since Grandma will be with us this year. I just bought a huge pork tenderloin so maybe that.

Tami

[irislady]

For me it will be the Christmas cookies. I know the kids will expect my traditional batches of spritz butter cookies. I'm not sure I can bake them without sampling.... I used to make a half dozen different kinds of cookies but the spritz were everyone's favorite so I still make those.

It's become a tradition for me to make a pistachio cake (the kind with the whipped cream frosting) and a pecan pie for Christmas dinner dessert. DH and I can just a little bit of those that night and send the leftovers home with the kids.

Shae

[WeirdEyes]

Well, it sounds like we all have our work cut out for us trying to be good this holiday season. I am baking cookies, but I did order some sugar-free cookie dough. You know it will be loaded with white flour though.:rolleyes: I'm going to try to be good though.

Tami, you sound as if you are as active as I am during this time of year. One party after the next. Good luck staying away from that mango mouse. Sounds yummy!

[hoenichj]

Hi Adoptman,
Do you have recipes for the chicken tikka masala and channa masala. I'd love them.
Thanks.
Judy

[ColoradoJuli]

Hello Girls-

Didn't particularly want to check into this thread because I did so lowsy over the weekend! Not my best effort on SB. This time of year is more difficult than I every imagined. I know that I am up, but don't want to find out how much. I will wait until Thursday. Hopefully between now and then I can be good. :o

Have chicken thawed out for tonight and will grill it and have a salad. If I can just get back to my meat and salad meals, then I will do fine. I really want the middle number to move down again before my cruise.

I don't know of any other parties that I have. We do have two dear friends that usually like to throw a small get together. I wont even try to promise to be good. I did so lousy this past weekend that I think I will just tell you if the parties come about.

Christmas shouldn't be too bad. Since we are eating at my folks house and it will be only the four of us, I don't think that sticking to the WOE will be too tough. Mom is so excited about how much I have been losing that she is willing to help. The worst thing will be the mashed potatoes. I'll let myself have them on Christmas day and then that will be it. Hopefully I will be able to move that middle number in the correct direction soon!
Tami - Glad to hear that you are about done with the steriods. Do they make you ache all over? I hate taking steriods because it makes me feel like my entire body is bruised and being touched, even by clothing, hurts! I get very tight with my asthma before I will break down and take steriods. I have waited a bit too long a couple times and ended up in the hospital.:eek:

[adoptmom]

Juli- Is that what's going on? I feel like I've been in a train wreck! Granted I helped move a cabinet but I shouldn't be hurting this much. I'm glad to say I take my last steroid today!

Judy- I will try to post those recipes tomorrow. For the chicken tikka masala for Friday I'm cheating! I found sauces at Trader joes, that, while aren't quite home made, are darned close and don't take a 2 day prep!

Shelia- I forget, are mangos allowed in phase 2? I could probably use frozen mango and splenda for the puree instead of the canned stuff which is full of sugar. I'm going to try it when I'm not making it for company!

Shae- we also love swedish spritz cookies. I was going to make some to ship to my brother because they actually get better with age but just ran out of time. As it was I got his package out on the last guaranteed day to recieve it before Christmas.

Whatever, that little blip of 2 pounds was is gone today. Thank goodness. Now I just need to get the medrol out of my system and hope the asthma doesn't flair up again. I still have another 2 weeks of inhaled steroids to take but they dont' bother me so much.

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Juli, don't be so hard on yourself. We all know the stress that you are under and you should be proud just to get through the day without eating everything in your pantry. ;) We sound a lot alike when it comes to those holiday temptations.

Tami, I hope you are feeling better even though you feel like you've been hit by a truck. Try to take it easy for a couple of days. Also, I'm not sure about the mangos. Do you have the SB reference book handy? Mine is at home so I can't look them up. Let me know if you don't have the book and I'll check it tonight and post. I seem to remember that you have it though. I get frustrated sometimes because not all foods are listed. :rolleyes:

We got another invitation yesterday to another neighborhood party. The bad part is is that it is a cookie exchange party. :eek: I've never been to one of these, but I always try to attend neighborhood parties just to try to get to know my neighbors better. We are in a new development and we have a lot of newbies even though we've been there 4 1/2 years. (We were the very first house built.) DH asked me if we didn't have anything else planned because he doesn't want to eat all of the junk food. I told him no and we are going. Of course, after he asked me this, he ate some peanut M & M's.

I'm on Phase 1 today....trying to lose a few more lbs. Take care all!

[adoptmom]

Shelia- Mangos are on phase 2 so I will try that with some coolwhip free someday. It's a terribly complicated recipe :rolleyes: Just equal parts coolwhip or whipped cream and mango puree. Sometimes if I'm feel exotic I throw in a pinch of cardamom or cinnamon.

I have a suggestion for your cookie exchange. Perhaps you could go and have fun, do the cookie swap part and then take your cookies to a shelter or soup kitchen and donate them.

I'm down 2.5 this week despite steroids and being close to TOM! :D

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Tami, that's great about the 2.5 lbs. Thanks for the mango mousse recipe. Yes, it sounds very complicated. ;) Also, great idea about the cookie swap!

[ColoradoJuli]

Tami - You sound like such a wonderful cook. And you seem to be able to come up with great recipes. I need to learn to be more creative. Yes - I am sure that you feel like a train hit you because of the steriods. I always end up feeling that way. Give it a few days after you finish your last pill and the feeling will go away.

I had a sudden realization last night. I made grilled chicken, green beans, and salad. Suddenly I realized how far off SB I had gotten and that I need to have more meals like the one I was cooking. I am going to try and be better especially because the cruise is almost a month away and I want to be down more than I am right now.

Take care all -

[WeirdEyes]

Tami, I agree with Juli. You sound like you are a fantastic cook. I am not creative at all when it comes to cooking. My DH is so I guess that's good. It is funny because I am creative in other areas.

Juli, your dinner sounds yummy! We had grilled shrimp, lima beans, and green beans for dinner last night.