Sugar

by Rebecca Talley

I rarely ever watch daytime TV, but today I happened to watch The Tyra Show while I did my aerobic workout (sometimes I just get sick of my DVDs and work out to a TV program for a change of pace since I have the moves all memorized after doing them for so many years). So today's program was about overweight teenage girls. All four girls were at least 100 pounds overweight. I can imagine the kind of harrassment these girls face on a regular basis because of their weight. I felt bad for each one.

Tyra's guest was some dude who's pushing a new lifestyle change that includes limiting your sugar intake. I'd read LuAnn's post on watching sugar--limiting it to 25 grams--with interest a few days ago so this program piqued my interest even more. This guy advocates only 15 grams and substituting food flavored with other types of sweetners for sugary foods. I'm still not sure if I like these other sweetners of if they're very good for you.

He said an average American ingests 130 grams of sugar per day. Since soda has about 40 grams it only take 3 sodas to do the job. These teenage girls were all ingesting twice that amount of sugar. He challenged them to not only reduce their sugar intake, but to up their carbohydrate, specifically fiber, intake. He said that sugar bonds with the food in our intestines and it makes the food sticky and leads to constipation because it's harder to get rid of it when there's a lot of sugar present. He also said that increased sugar intake promotes belly fat. (I thought I could just use the "I've had 10 babies" excuse).

This is the same basis for the South Beach Diet. Cut out processed sugar and white flour and increase fiber through beans, fruits, and vegetables.

Anyway, like LuAnn, I looked at some of the foods I thought were sugar safe. I was surprised that non-fat milk has 12 grams of sugar per serving. However, I'm still confused about how to differntiate between the sugars. I've heard that the sugar naturally produced in fruit is not the same as refined sugar. I would think the sugar in milk is more comparable to that in fruit because it's naturally part of the milk.

Today, I have not had any sugar. I've stuck to vegetables, beans, salad, nuts. But, I do have a nasty sweet tooth that in the past has lead me to eat candy, ice cream, etc. So I need a sweet option. I've never been a soda drinker and for the last several months I haven't had much refined sugar because I've been sticking to the SB Diet.

I have questions, though. Is the sugar produced in fruit actually different? Do you count that toward your sugar intake? Or, is it just the refined sugar that needs to be controlled? What about these other sweetners (like stevia) are they bad?

I'm going to the CFI author dinner on April 22nd and I want to look good--no, make that amazing--in my red dress I bought for my son's reception. I'm hoping I can take off a few pounds before then.

Before and After

by Rebecca Talley

I've been a bit MIA lately. I've been working really hard on my manuscript, trying to keep up with other writing projects, prepare for the Storymaker conference, and take care of my family and house. Anyway, we took the family to CA for vacation last week and I thought I'd post before and after pics from the beach. The first photo is from the last time we went to the beach in August 2008. The next one is from last week. I'm still trying to lose that last 10 lbs and going on vacation doesn't help. But, I'm happy that I've kept off the 25+ pounds. I'm not sure I'll ever get the last 10 off . . . .

The Best Husband Ever

by Rebecca Talley

On Sunday morning, before church, my husband brought me a rose and a very sweet card for Valentine's Day. He's always so thoughtful on holidays (actually, he's always thoughtful). We had a big family dinner (with frosted heart cookies for dessert) to celebrate Valentine's and my honey said he had another gift. He pulled out a shoe box and set it in front of me. I was excited at the thought of a new pair of shoes since I'm a self-confessed shoe-aholic (I tried Shoes Anonymous once, but it didn't work). I opened the box and found a couple of silk leis, flip-flops, a new bathing suit, and . . . . . tickets to Hawaii. Yep, he's taking me to Hawaii. Is he awesome or what?

We spent our honeymoon, 25 years ago, in Hawaii and we're going back to the same hotel so we can walk along the same beach. A lot has happened in 25 years (like 10 kids) and it will be fun to go back to our honeymoon spot. I can't wait!

Now, did you notice what else was in the box? A new swimsuit. Yes, a smallish swimsuit--props to my man for thinking I'd fit into that size. I did try it on and I'm not sure I can go traipsing around Hawaii in it, but he picked it out and it's a really cute suit. So . . . it's time to super-charge my workouts.

I'm going to stay on Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet because I'm a little concerned about eating so many eggs on Phase 1--don't want my cholesterol level to go through the roof. So I'll stay on Phase 2, but I'm going to ramp up my workouts by doing The Firm (sorry, Gilad, I still love ya but I need more intensity to get bathing suit ready).

So that's my plan. I'm still battling my 6-10 lbs and hope to say "Aloha" to those unwanted pounds before Hawaii time!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii A Snow Day

Wooooo hooooooo. We're snowed in. Can't get into or out of our driveway. It's 1/8 mile long and we've been stuck before and my brother-in-law had to pull us out with his tractor. Unfortunately, this tractor that he also uses to plow out our driveway is not working at the moment so we really don't want to get stuck. We're homebound until 1) someone else can plow our driveway, 2) the snow melts enough to drive on it, or 3) it's spring.

Since we're all home, my daughter decided to set up a profile for me on a Wii game, "Your Personal Coach." It's fun but a little weird working out to a cartoon. I've been working out with Gilad on FitTv, you know, a real person. But, this Wii game is supposed to be a workout specifically made to meet your own personal goals. I'm going to do it for a few weeks and see how that goes. I'll miss Gilad and his funky pronunciation of abdomen.

I've been on Phase 2 of the South Beach diet which is super easy for me. Fruits, vegetables, lean meat, cereal, wheat pasta, cheese, etc. I can even have popcorn on this phase. I have cheated by drinking hot chocolate, but decided that snow days=hot chocolate.

My Progress

by Rebecca Talley

I started Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet a week ago. I stayed on it pretty well, though I did have a few bites of a flour tortilla on Tueday and some cereal yesterday. All in all, I did pretty well on it and plan to keep on it for another week. Then I'll move to Phase 2 which is really easy for me because it allows me to add in fruit, pasta, and cereal.

I have not snacked on sugary things, a big change from December. I do allow myself a Weight Watchers ice cream bar each night after dinner as a reward. Generally, the bars are about 130-150 calories. Enough of a sweet treat but not one that destroys my day's worth of eating. I also snack on whole almonds and drink as much water as I can manage (2-4 quarts).

I exercised M-Th for 60 minutes per day with Gilad on FitTV. I didn't exercise on Friday because I took my daughter into the oral surgeon to have her wisdom teeth removed. But, Saturday I helped my husband dig the Yukon out of the snow for an hour or so and then helped stack 60 bales of hay into our trailer so I decided I'd count that as my exercise.

Weigh-in today: I lost 3 lbs.

I'm hoping to lose another 3 lbs by the weigh-in next week.

Oh, and I love the background! Looks very Valentiney!

I'm Still Here

by Rebecca Talley

Yep, I disappeared. What with all the Christmas stuff and trying to finish my current manuscript, I kinda got lost. But, I'm baaaaaack!

For the last two weeks, I haven't been very good with my eating nor have I really exercised. I did try out the Wii exercise thingy we got, but I haven't been doing my regular 30-60 minute exercising. And, I've been eating goodies. I'm sure I've gained weight, but haven't had the courage to get on the scale. I've decided it's very hard to keep on my eating and exercising plans when all of my kids, and my husband, are home.

However, starting next Monday, when everyone goes back to school and work, I will be exercising with Gilad each morning on FitTV, doing Phase 1 of the South Beach diet, and working like a madwoman on my manuscript. Oh, and cleaning my house after two weeks of abandon (at least I've kept up on laundry so we have clean underwear--that's something, right?).

Goals for January:

Exercise 5 times a week, 30-60 minutes.
Phase 1 for two weeks--hopefully losing 5 pounds--then Phase 2.
Finish my maunscript and get it submitted.
Clean my house.

Big Weight Loss Goal:

Lose 15 lbs by LDStorymakers Conference in April.

I just stepped on the scale. Gained 3 pounds--not as bad as I'd feard, but not super great either. So off I go . . . .

Exercising with FitTV

by Rebecca Talley

I've been trying to stay on South Beach. I'm on Phase 2 which allows me to add in fruits, cereal, and popcorn while still losing 1-2 lbs a week. I don't feel deprived. I actually fell off the dieting wagon last week and this week when we celebrated birthdays. I had cake last week and a brownie with ice cream this week. I weighed myself the day after I ate the brownie and was happy that I'd actually lost a pound.

I really think that the most important part of losing weight is finding a diet and exercise system that works for us. I've seen women who've done Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, and the liquid diets and while they initially lose weight, it comes right back on as soon as they start eating normal food again. I didn't want to do that and had to find something I could stick with forever. South Beach may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

I'm happy to report that I've been exercising again. I changed satellite providers (read about it here) and am thrilled that I now have FitTV which provides workouts around the clock. I even found Gilad who hosts Bodies in Motion. I worked out to this show 15 years ago, but then lost it when we moved and I'm so happy I found it again. Each segment is only 30 minutes which is completely doable for me. And I love his Iraeli accent. It's set in Hawaii so the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes, his mother even works out with him.

So my new favorite channel is FitTV and it's getting me up and exercising again. Yay!

Remember Me?

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. My life has been crazy. I thought after my son's wedding everything would calm down. Wrong-o. After the wedding and the open house and lots of visitors, I had to catch up with homeschooling and laundry and getting organized with my YW calling and doing Halloween (I was divine as Winifred Sanderson from "Hocus Pocus") and there was one other thing, oh yeah, my work-in-progress. Yeah, that thing. Not having it done when I'd planned (September 1) has really thrown me for a loop and even made me question writing at all (after all, if I were really a writer I'd have it all done, right?).

As far as my dieting, I haven't gained any weight nor have I lost any. I still want to lose 6-10 more lbs. I am convinced that exercising alone does not help me lose weight. I have to control what I eat. I'm still doing South Beach, but I've modified it in that I don't do the sugar-free ice cream bars anymore because I'm thinking the sweeteners just aren't that good for me. I've been eating Special-K with strawberries or bran flakes with a sliced banana for breakfast, a salad and celery with natural peanut butter for lunch, and then chicken or fish or beans or lean meat or whatever I fix for the family for dinner if it's not too far off the SB recommendations. I also try to drink almost a gallon of water every day.

I'm thrilled I haven't gained back what I lost, but I still need to lose more weight. It's a little harder now because I'm able to fit into clothes I haven't worn for a long, long time (my kids tell me they're all out of style now but I don't care because it's been such a feat to fit back into them) and since I can fit into them I'm not as motivated to lose more weight even though I need to.

So I'm not doing great, as in I'm not taking more weight off, but I'm not doing terrible, as in I haven't gained it back. I need to get back on track. I did exercise 3 times this week for 45 minutes each time. That felt good.

And my work-in-progress? I'm deep into revisions and still hope to finish it soon. It's a very important book to me so I want it to be perfect--yeah, I know that's not realistic, but it doesn't stop me from wanting it to be.

Goals:
Lose 6-10 more lbs.
Exercise 4-5 times per week for 45 minutes
Finish my work-in-progress

Dang It, We're Awesome

I just wanted to tell everyone how awesome you all are. It's not easy sticking to an eating plan or exercise plan. Life gets so busy and hectic and, yet, everyone is still working through it. Yay for us!!

I haven't been exercising, unless you can call running through the house screaming at the sewing machine exercise :). Fortunately, I finished those *&%^$#$%* bridesmaids' dresses today. Woo hoo.

Now, I'm in a mad dash to get everything, and everyone, else ready to go to the wedding next week so I probably won't got to my exercise DVDs, especially because I also need to homeschool. And, I have a son who is barfing--now, wouldn't it be nice if we all came down with the stomach flu for the wedding? Shh, pretend I didn't say that!

I did try on my 80s dress and it fit. Woo hooooooo! Of course, my kids won't let me wear it to the wedding (I ended up buying another dress) but the fact that I can zip it up makes me feel all happy and fuzzy inside. I still have 7 more pounds to get to my goal weight. My total weight loss since I started is 29 lbs.

I'm so proud of all of you!!

"Hello, Pants, Nice to See You Again"

by Rebecca

I can't even remember my last post because I seem to have fallen into the "wedding planning vat" and can't get out. I never knew how much there was to do in getting ready for a wedding, and this is my son--can't imagine when it's a daughter. Whew! Things seem to be coming along (if they'd stop making changes that'd help). I've been sewing dresses, calling to make plans, making reservations, finding addresses, figuring out the Open House, etc. It's a bit mind-boggling.

At this point, I've lost 29 lbs. I still have 7 lbs to go to meet my goal weight and think I may try for a few more after that just to cushion myself in case I gain some back. I've been able to pull clothes, even pants, out of my closet that I haven't seen in ages. My kids tell me not to wear them because they're all outdated now, but I reply that the fact that I can wear them again completely overshadows their fashionability.

After so many years trying to lose that baby weight, I'm really excited to have found a way that works for me. Since it isn't too radically different from how I was eating before, I think I can stick with it. Mostly, I've cut out the nightly bowls of ice cream, Oreos (we had two bags of Oreos the other day and I was sorely tempted to eat some but I refrained), brownies, and other junk food. I have replaced the junk food with sugar-free fudgesicles and ice cream bars so I don't feel deprived.

I exercise about 45 minutes a day to my DVDs, but have knocked that back to 30 minutes because I have so many things to do at the moment (sometimes I even count painting or other physical projects in place of my regular exercise).

I'm still hoping to reach my goal before my son's wedding, but since it's now less than 3 weeks away I'm not sure I can lose another 7 lbs. However, any more weight I can lose will be good and as long as I can fit into the dress my daughters talked me into buying I'll be happy.

Marie Osmond

Have you seen Marie Osmond lately? She looks fantastic. She's lost 50 lbs. Wow. That's an amazing accomplishment. I wonder if she'll be able to keep it off. Will she have to eat NutriSystem food the rest of her life to maintain her weight loss?

No doubt that Marie looks gorgeous, but I'm not sure it's realistic to lose weight with NutriSystem unless you plan to eat that way forever. I couldn't do it. I needed to find a way to lose weight that is realistic for me and my family.

That's why I like South Beach. It isn't a radical change from my previous diet and it's easy to implement. I can eat vegetables, cheese, meat, beans, and add in fruit, whole grain cereal, and wheat pasta during Phase 2. I can also have a sugar-free popsicle or fudgesicle every night.

I think that's the key. If we lose weight doing something totally unnatural for us, chances are we'll resort to our previous eating habits and gain all the weight back. If we make minimal adjustments over time or find an eating plan we can live with forever, we'll be much more likely to succeed at our weight loss goal.

Today I ate scrambled eggs with cheese, onions, and green peppers. Drank 2 quarts of water. For lunch: salad, lunch meat, string cheese, 2 quarts of water. Snack: small bag of almonds. I also exercised to a new DVD by Leslie Sansone using the big ball and then did a few routines to a DVD of Dancing with the Stars. (I'm learning the dances so when I'm a NYT Bestselling author and they ask me to be on the show, I'll be ready).

Rebecca's Check-in

We just got back from vacation. I always thought vacation was defined as a relaxing time to enjoy the family and have fun. Well, not exactly. I enjoyed my family and we had fun, but relaxing? Not so much. We spent the bulk of our time shopping for bridesmaids dresses and running from one thing to the next--hardly a moment to breathe. I was soooooo relieved when my future-daughter-in-law finally chose a dress. It's a beautiful teal color and it looks great on each of my girls. The most important part? They all love the dress. Woo hoo. And, they talked me into buying a red dress because they refuse to let me wear my super-cool 80s dress. We also bought red shoes. I think my feet will hate me after I wear these shoes, but they're very beautiful. What's a little foot pain when your son is getting married?

And, to add to the non-relaxing vacation, I could not find any dresses for my younger three daughters so, yep, I have to sew them. Me and sewing, we haven't been on speaking terms for years and now we'll have to get all cozy and intimate over the next four weeks. Bleh! But, they'll all have matching (color) dresses and if only I can find red shoes for the younger girls we'll be set.

We did get the men and boys outfitted in tuxes, except my 3 year-old. I found a tux on the internet that I purchased for him so the boys are all done and they'll all be super handsome.

If I don't lose my mind sewing . . .

Oh, and I was scared to weigh-in, but happily, I lost 2 lbs, for a grand total of 26 lbs. I'm now within 10 lbs of my goal. I'd dance around the room, but I'm just too stinkin' exhausted.

Checking In

Thursday and Friday I stayed on the Phase I part of the South Beach Diet. For breakfast, I had eggs with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheese. I missed lunch on Thursday because I was in town and too rushed to stop but had lunch (in town again) yesterday at Subway. I ate the chicken breast salad and drank a bottle of water. I stayed on the diet for dinner (though I did have a small potato last night with ribs, steamed asparagus, and ranch style beans). Dinner on Thursday was pizza--I grind the wheat myself to make the crust and substitute honey for the sugar. My kids actually like the whole wheat crust better.

Wednesday was hard because it was my husband's birthday. I made a dinner I could eat but then made a scrumptious chocolate cake that smelled soooooooo good. However, I did not partake. I ate my sugar free fudgesicle instead.

I haven't been able to do my regular exercise routine, but I've been painting, cleaning carpet, and working on other household projects. Plus I've been running my kids to town for appointments, shopping, and last minute items for my girls who are leaving home. I spent most of the day Tuesday helping my oldest daughter shop for a car. She found one on Wednesday and is now the proud owner of her very first car and I'm happy to report she drove it to Ephraim without any problems--yeah!!

Friday is my weigh-in day. I'm excited to report that I lost 3 lbs for a total of 24 lbs so far. I still have 12 lbs (at least) to go to fit into the dress I want to wear to my son's wedding reception. My kids don't think I should wear it because it is from the 80s, but it's a totally cool dress and if I can fit into it after not being able to wear it for many years, it makes it even more appealing. My daughter said she wouldn't allow me to wear it. If I can fit into it maybe I'll post a photo and let you guys vote on whether or not I should wear it.

Happy Saturday!

Reporting In

Yesterday I had a salad for dinner.

Today
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. V-8 juice.
Lunch: 1 oz. bag of almonds (I was in town all day and didn't get a chance to eat a real lunch)
Dinner: Black beans, tortilla chips, 3 taquitos (not sure if taquitos pass the SB test).

I've been painting my basement and then took my daughter to town to try to find a used car (which we didn't). I went directly to a baby shower and rushed home for home teachers. I did not exercise to my DVD, but decided that painting for almost 4 hours could count as exercise.

I'm also trying to drink 3-4 quarts of water each day.

My Weight Loss Goals

My name is Rebecca Talley and I'm a chocaholic.

I'm also an ice creamaholic.

In high school I was on the bigger side and was ridiculed for my "jello butt" (shhhh, don't tell my kids I just used the bu-word).

After my first baby, I dropped a lot of weight. I guess my metabolism changed when I started breastfeeding. I'd gain weight with each pregnancy and then it'd fall off after the birth until baby #8. I had to work at losing the weight after that birth. Baby #9 and the impending 40 age mark both seemed to do me in as far as weight. I never lost all the weight after #9, though I did lose the weight I gained with #10.

After #10 I still had the weight from #9 to lose and thought I would. I was sorely disappointed when I found that I had not only not lost the weight but had packed on 20 more lbs.

In January I decided to cut out chocolate, ice cream, Oreos, and other junk food and lost 8 lbs. But, then I drifted away from that resolve and gained 3 lbs back. In June, my oldest daughters and I decided to try the South Beach diet. On June 8 we started Phase I, also known as the strict phase. SB is essentially cutting out white sugar and white flour and replacing them with vegetables, lean meats, cheese, nonfat milk, beans, and fruits. It isn't very different from the way I'd been eating, sans the junk food.

To date, I've lost 16 lbs on the SB diet and 21 lbs total. My goal is to lose another 15 lbs, for a total of 36 lbs.

I have always exercised. I have many exercise DVDs and videos. My favorites are The Firm and Tae Bo. I'm pretty active chasing my kids around and constantly cleaning the house, but for me, turning 40 seemed to slow my metabolism to zero. The SB diet has seemed to kick up my metabolism and allow me to lose weight I've been hanging onto for years.

Today, I went back on Phase I which consists of vegetables, eggs, beans, lean meat, and cheese because my son is getting married in September and I want to lose as much weight as I can before then (plus we're meeting our soon-to-be-in-laws next week and going to 7 Peaks water park with them and I want to be able to wear my swimsuit comfortably). I'm hoping to lose 2-3 lbs by next Monday.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, water.
Lunch: salad with ranch dressing, water.
Snack: almonds, string cheese, water

I plan to post a before and after picture when I hit my goal because the before picture is just too embarrassing.

Here's to attaining our weight loss goals to enjoy better health and activity.