I feel so much better!

I have been on the South Beach diet for the last 3 weeks. And I feel good! Of course the first 2 weeks are the strictest (no fruit, no bread, pasta, rice) lots of veggies & lean meats and fish. I lost 10 lbs and hubby lost 12 so far. Not bad! After the first 2 weeks you can add back into your diet some whole grain breads and rice/pasta and fruit but keep it at a minimum.
I think since hubby did it with me it was easier to stay on it. Now we've mostly adjusted to the types of healthy, whole-grain choices as normal and we cook a lot more. We have omelettes w/turkey bacon for breakfast, chicken caesar salad or meat w/salad for lunch and dinner is usually steamed veggies with a steak or grilled chicken or fish. We can have certain cheeses and nuts for snacks and surprisingly this keeps us satisfied once you get past the cravings for simple carbs that create the cycle of craving for more simple carbs.
Anyway, the weight loss is high only in the first 2 week phase, after that in phase 2 you lose about 1-2 lbs a week to get you to your goal. Then phase 3 is the maintenance phase. What I like about it is that the benefit is not just weight loss but prevention of pre-diabetes that could become diabetes if your diet is too full of processed foods and sugar. Another thing I like is that they encourage you to not feel deprived by entirely eliminating foods you love.

If you love it you can indulge in eating it once in awhile as long as you get back to your plan.

They help you find ways to substitute certain reduced fat or lite food products but still enjoy eating some of your favorite foods just slightly modified to incorporate the good carbs.
So wish me luck in staying healthy. Of course, for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday all rules were suspended so we could enjoy the family dishes everyone brought. By Christmas we may be seasoned enough to make the right choices for that elaborate spread.

To me, certain foods are addictive and you have to decide if you can still eat them or just say no.

I'm still figuring out what those might be. In the meantime, I give thanks that we've been successful so far in changing our eating habits for the healthier. That gives me hope that our little guy will pick up these habits for life. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

See you at the Movies!

Not much to report so I thought I'd throw out a list of:
Movies I recently went to see:
Shall We Dance with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. Great romantic comedy that I think even my hubby would have liked but I saw it without him.
The Incredibles - Good but toooo looong 2 hr movie could have been 1.5 hr by trimming the slow start.
Movies I want to see (previewed at the last movie we saw ((the Incredibles)):
Ray with Jamie Fox
The Life Aquatic with Bill Murray
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason--me Yay! hubby ehh!
Star Wars III - the little guy & hubby Yay!--me ehh!
The Polar Express - take the little guy & me Yay!--hubby ehh!
Spanglish- no idea but it looks hilarious!
Refuse to see 'National Treasure' as it appears to be a thinly veiled ripoff of "The DaVinci Code".
The "must buy" holiday DVD this year is "Elf"! It's hilarious and we all loved it last year. I've been waiting for it to come out.
I heard Tom Hanks was going to star in 'The DaVinci Code' and I was bummed cuz I don't see him as the right cast...I was hoping for someone like Matthew McConaughey or George Clooney.
Oh well, he's talented but I always like him better in comedies. Ron Howard's going to direct! We'll see you at the movies!

I still have a lot to learn

Last night was laughingly referred to as "girls gone wild" night at Vix's new home. We aren't wild so much as irreverent. We all hadn't seen each other in awhile due to traveling, moving, illness, new job, etc. Vix is a superb hostess and had an array of tastiness on hand for everyone's diet and palate. We dined by twinkly lites on the patio overlooking the lovely nightlights view. Wine was the usual tongue loosener and we shared gossip, fact and fiction as we are wont to do.
The new job we were all dying to hear about is with a successful and well-known company in town that, as she described it is, "almost surreal in their level of employee morale efforts" she regaled us with tales of the recent elaborate halloween contests and the pending hula lessons in prep for the company going to Hawaii in a few months. Wow! We just gasped at the concept that company mgmt would take their employees to Hawaii for vacation! New mommy was settling into her stay-at-home decision and adjusting accordingly but sometimes finds herself desperately missing the big people and stimulation.

My friends in this group all met thru work but we're all in different places, some left, some stay and survive (me!) some have gone on to find their dream job. But we all rally round each other and share our triumphs and our tragedies.

Our age range spans 20 years and a variety of professional, educational and ethnic backgrounds.

Some married, some not, some with grown kids, some with young children, some with no children. It's been one of the most rewarding friendships I've had in my life and I'm learning to take and give from these amazing and wise women who give as good as they get. I count them in my blessings always as they keep me real and connected to what's important. I consider them my teachers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This will probably get me in hot water with those that write so eloquently from the teacher view. I have to go to teachers conference next week and I am not looking forward to it. It just seems like the schools lately push too much on the kids because of the new educational edicts...state set goals for grade level. These are kids! They don't all learn at the same rate, they
are not "parts is parts." It just seems that these edicts were handed down to make sure johnny can read and add before he graduates...high school. I can appreciate that but focus on the kids that need that kind of intervention.

Most kids are successful in school and if they struggle here and there, that's normal too.

As long as we stay in touch we can help them through it. I feel like the teacher is oftentimes using this time to point out where my child is not fitting the cookie cutter mold at this moment in time and it would just make their lives so much easier if I took up the cause and coaxed my child into conforming.
Don't get me wrong, I have a tremendous appreciation and respect that teachers choose to lead and guide and teach children, but they are children, so don't be surprised when they act like a child! Teachers are the closest thing to saints in my book. I do my best to support them and the school because I know they often get short shrift. To me, education is one of the most important things you can give a child, right up there with love and acceptance. It will benefit them throughout their entire life. Which is why I'll go, and listen and ask. Besides my little guy gets the biggest kick out of knowing we went to his school and talked with his teacher because that makes him feel important and special. That alone is reason enough.

Thanks for sharing

So far this morning I am dancing with success. I often struggle with this blog just learning how to add things and cranky cuz I can't always take the time to figure it out. But when I do! Ah, such a feeling of accomplishment. I can't help it. You have to take it where you find it. My latest goal was to try to post some links to some of the blogs I've enjoyed reading.
It's fun to connect with others who enjoy sharing and writing about their corner of the world and many of you, I have read with great pleasure and now I can link from mine to yours with a blink and read your sage and silly missives.

Many of you make me laugh out loud so often and smile quite a lot.

I thank you, as you've helped me get through some trying times in my life. Nothing lifts the spirits quite like laughter.
This feeling of connectedness to others, even though we don't ever meet, really goes a long way to encouraging us that we are more alike than we are different and for all the right reasons. Too often I think we feel so compartmentalized in our own world of work, family, friends that we have few opportunities to easily interact with others and share ideas. It requires time, risk taking, coordinating, measure taking and establishment of common interests. Blogging removes all those issues and gives you the freedom to read, write and comment at your convenience. What a gift! I can share thoughts with someone in Alaska, or Pennsylvania, or anywhere in the world! All people whom I might never meet in person but are just as wonderful and interesting to learn about and learn from. I look forward to sharing some of my crazy and wonderful life with you and hearing about your adventures in life also. Keep it coming!