Weigh-in Day

I woke up this morning filled with trepidation. I was filled with expectation as well as anxiety. Now that the time was here to get on the scale, I found that I didn't want to! I lost 4 pounds. I was filled with disappointment, mostly because last time I did the South Beach Diet, I lost 6 pounds the first week, and I was thinner than when I started it this time. I am trying to stay positive and remember that I have several factors counting against me this week: 1) my period is due the end of this week so I might be a bit bloated 2) I didn't really go #2 in the last 12 hours. I am heading into Week 2 of Phase I of the diet, which means I am still eating very limited carbs, no dairy, no fruit, etc. Next week, I will be able to add some carbs back in: oatmeal, high-fiber bread, strawberries, blueberries, apples, yogurt, etc.

Some of the things I know I have to work on:

• Drinking more water. I drank too much diet soda over the weekend and not enough water.
• Getting in a little bit of exercise a few times a week.
• Not eating takeout as much as I did this week.
• Cut down on the amount of peanuts I am eating

That said, here are my menus from Saturday and Sunday:

• Breakfast: Celery with peanut butter
• Snack: string cheese
• Lunch: Roman chicken salad from Quizno's
• Dinner: Grilled chicken caesar salad from Panera Bread
• Snack: peanuts

• Breakfast: Celery with peanut butter
• Snack: peanuts
• Lunch: 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese, 2 slices of turkey w/ 1 slice of provolone cheese
• Snack: peanuts
• Dinner: roasted turkey breast, cauliflower mashed potatoes, tossed salad
• Snack: sugar-free fudgsicle

Current weight: 177

Next weigh-in: Monday, November 21st

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Joe worked all day yesterday, so I hung out with Ethan. Joe works for Qwest Government Solutions; he is in the telecommunications field and works for government sites. The equipment and sites he deals with require a top-secret clearance, and so you can imagine the pressure on deadlines, the amount of red tape, etc. Much of the work he does must be done after normal business hours so that communications are not interrupted during prime time. He loves his job and he is excellent at it, but the hours SUCK!

I had a nice day with Ethan though, and Joe and I had a nice dinner after we put Ethan to bed. We even made time to take a bubble bath together and relax, something we haven't done in a long time. Since we don't know what kind of long hours this week will bring, it was wonderful to spend some quality time together.

Ethan's phase continued over the weekend. He was fussy and very needy, wanting to be held all the time. I don't know if he's teething, as I can't see any signs of teeth coming through. He's been sick off and on with a cold for quite some time, so maybe he just doesn't feel well. He goes next Monday for his 9-month checkup so I will ask the doctor what the thinks. At least he is still sleeping all the way through the night: from 6:30 until 6:30. Can't ask for more than that!

I'll try to check back in tonight with today's menu. My company is buying everyone pizza for lunch today...gee, another obstacle! When you work full-time, bad food literally surrounds you! I packed a tossed salad and some leftover roasted turkey breast from last night.