End of Week 1 - S Style

This weekend was a little crazy.... a kind of crazy that trickled into Monday. Luckily, I only gained a pound and a half. This week is Go-Time. I keep an Excel spreadsheet of everything I eat, plus a list of foods I can eat with their NC count. It's a great tool and I love coming to it every day to see what I can eat. I won't bore you with the food details from the weekend... I will just say that I am sitting at 224.2 and really need to measure myself tonight. I have maintained a 5lb loss so far.

A few recipes

These are just a few of my favorite Atkins-approved recipes I've come up with during my time on this diet. I wanted to share them with you.

 Backwards Stuffed Peppers

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1/4C parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper
Thyme and Oregano
about 5 baby sweet peppers
5 chunks colby/cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with Pam or line with foil. In a bowl, combine beef, Parmesan and spices with your hands until well incorporated.
Prepare peppers by cutting the tops off, de-veining and de-seeding each one. Stuff with chunks of cheese.
Take a hamburger patty size portion of the beef mixture and flatten it as if you were creating a patty. Place the stuffed pepper in the center and mold the beef around it until completely enclosed. Place on baking sheet and repeat until all hamburger is used up. Bake for about 25-35 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow to rest about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy with a simple salad.

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 Low Country Boil - Atkins style (yields 1 serving) *adapted from Mrs. Paula Deen

3-4 Snow Crab clusters
Polska Kielbasa sausage (watch the carb count -- I like Butterball's Turkey version), cut into bite-size pieces
quarter of an onion, thickly diced1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic, divided
3 TBS butter
Parsley
Garlic Salt
1/4 can of Old Bay Seasoning, plus 2TBS for sprinkling later
Salt and pepper
a drizzle of olive oil
Shrimp *optional

Side:
half of a small zucchini, cut in half and then sliced thickly
handful of mushrooms

Additional items if your family isn't dieting with you:

small red potatoes (2-3 per person)
corn on the cob

Fill a large (15qt) stock pot about 3/4 full with water. Begin to boil over med-hi heat. Preheat oven to 375.
While it's heating up, juice the lemon into a small microwave-safe bowl, and cut the rind into quarters and throw in the pot. To the bowl, add the butter, 2 minced cloves of garlic, garlic salt, and parsley. Set aside.
Toss the remaining garlic into the pot with the onions, Old Bay, salt and pepper and olive oil.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam and add the mushrooms and zucchini in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside for now.

Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes if you're cooking for others. Boil them for about 10 minutes. At this time, add the sausage to the pot and put the mushroom/zucchini mixture in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Add the corn and crab and cook 4 more minutes. Then add the shrimp and cook NO LONGER than 3 more minutes.

At this time, put the butter mixture into the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute just to melt the butter down, stir well.

Pull out crab with tongs and place into a large bowl. Drain remaining pot into a colander and serve straight from there if desired, or separate into smaller bowls. Line your table with newspaper. Sprinkle everything with more Old Bay.

Dig in!

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*the following two recipes I took from the Atkins website!

Ropa Vieja

• 1 1/4 Teaspoons salt
• 3/4 Teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 Pounds flank steak or skirt steak
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 Teaspoon jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 Cups frozen bell pepper strips 
• 2 Cups chopped canned tomatoes

1. Season steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add steak and cook 5 minutes, turning once to brown.
3. Add onion and enough water to cover. Cover the saucepan and simmer about 2 hours and 15 minutes, adding water if necessary, until meat is falling-apart tender.
4. Remove meat from saucepan. Strain cooking liquid; discard onion. Shred the meat with hands or two forks; set aside.
5. Heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add jalapeno pepper and spice, cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Add bell pepper strips, tomatoes, 2 cups of reserved cooking liquid and meat, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
6. Mix well; cook 5 to 10 minutes more to heat through.

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 Bratwurst with Onions and Sauerkraut

• 1 Teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Cup sliced white onion
• 1/2 Cup canned sauerkraut, drained
• 1 pork bratwurst

1. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté about 3 minutes. Add bratwurst and sauerkraut. 
2. Continue to cook until bratwurst is browned on all sides and heated through. Serve immediately.
   
   
   This stinks and looks awful... but it tastes quite delicious. If it's too "sour" for you, try adding a little apple cider vinegar or chicken broth (or both if you really can't stand it!) 
   
   
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Meatball Soup

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2lb ground turkey
1/4C shredded parmesan cheese
oregano, basil and parsley
salt and pepper
half an onion, diced
4 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise and then diced
1 bunch of chard, spinach, or other leafy vegetable
4 cans of chicken broth
1 spaghetti squash, cooked and "spaghetti'ed"

*can of tomatoes optional

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine the beef and turkey with the parmesan cheese and spices.  Roll into balls and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake about 15 minutes.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-hi heat. Add the onion and celery and saute about 5 minutes. Add the broth and leafy greens (and tomatoes if using) and bring soup to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and add the meatballs and a little of the juices from cooking. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve: place a small fork-full of squash into a soup bowl and top with piping hot soup. Enjoy!

Mmmmm.... my mouth is watering!

Until tomorrow,
-S

The NEW Atkins diet

Here it is, as promised. Just a tidbit of info about the NEW Atkins diet that I am venturing into. I am not being paid by them in any way to spread the word... I am just one happy dieter that has seen success using this program, when all others have failed. This info comes straight from their website, so please... feel free to visit and learn more for yourself. The book available on Amazon is a great help!

The Program: Overview

How and Why Does Atkins Work

Atkins turns your body into a fat-burning machine.

Metabolism is the process that converts food into either energy or your body’s building blocks. Eating the right foods can increase your body’s metabolism, particularly how it handles fat. When you eat fewer carb foods—relying mostly on vegetables rich in fiber—your body switches to burning fat (including your own body fat) instead of carbs as its primary fuel source.

Get an exit pass off the blood sugar roller coaster.

When you digest foods high in carbs, they convert to glucose (sugar), which your bloodstream transports throughout your body. A rise in blood glucose level triggers the release of the hormone insulin, which moderates your glucose level. (For more information, see The Role of Insulin in Managing Blood Sugar.) So carb intake is largely responsible for blood sugar fluctuations. Food need not taste sweet—think mashed potatoes and white bread—to convert rapidly to glucose.

Because your body can store no more than half a day’s energy supply of glucose—unlike our ability to store almost limitless amounts of fat—it makes sense that we burn as much carbohydrate as we can as soon as it’s digested and absorbed. After each carb-heavy meal or snack, your body stops burning off fat as your insulin level escalates to deal with the rising tide of blood sugar. Fat calories are always pushed to the back of the line—where more than likely they’re stored. That’s why insulin is called the “fat hormone.” As long as your body keeps turning glucose into fat, you’re doomed to being heavy.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s why cutting your carb intake and eating mostly whole food carbohydrates is the core premise of the Atkins Diet.


By changing the balance of carbs, fats and protein in your diet, you boost your energy level and keep it on an even keel. When you eat foods composed primarily of protein, fat and fiber, your body produces far less insulin. And when the carbs you do eat are in the form of high-fiber whole foods, which convert to glucose relatively slowly, your blood sugar level holds steady, along with your energy level. You don’t crave a fast-fix energy booster in the form of sugary, starchy food. And you’re less hungry at meals.

This perfectly normal process of burning primarily fat for energy has a welcome side effect: weight loss.

There’s nothing strange or risky about a primarily fat metabolism. In fact, fat is your body’s back-up energy source. The ability to carry a “fanny pack” of energy in the form of fat actually helped our distant ancestors survive in times of famine and when hunters returned home empty handed.

Just to be clear, eating fats doesn’t make you fat as long as you give your body permission to burn them.

Place the blame where it belongs: overeating and overreacting to carbs. And herein lies the not-so-secret secret of the Atkins Diet and the key to weight loss—and later weight maintenance—without cravings or undue hunger.

The Program: Overview

Daily Life on Atkins

One of the reasons that Atkins remains so popular almost four decades after Dr. Atkins wrote his first book is that it’s easy to eat low-carb foods wherever you are.

Eating In?

If you love to cook and dine at home most nights, it’s a cinch to convert classic recipes to equally delectable low-carb versions. Our recipe database is also bursting with over 1,500 delicious recipes for low-carb foods. But how about when you’re out and about? Again, you can follow the Atkins dietary guidelines almost anywhere.

Eating Out?

Check out our inside advice on restaurants to get some key ground rules under your belt. Whether you’re grabbing fast food at lunch time or grabbing some burgers on the way home after a long day, we’ll steer your toward the smart low-carb choices. If you love to try different cuisines, Atkins has you covered there as well.

On the Move

The best intentions can get left behind when you pack your bags. Not so when you follow our advice when you’re on the road or out of town. And having an Atkins Advantage bar or shake in your backpack, briefcase or purse at all times is the ultimate insurance policy.

Bottom line: once you commit yourself to the Atkins lifestyle, you can make it work wherever you are.

I love their products. I have tried almost all of the Phase 1 approved bars and shakes and they are a huge help when time is short or food is low. They taste great and even after over indulging, I still manage to keep the weight off. It's incredible!!  

-S

January 1st ~ January 5th: The F Edition

So, in case it isn’t obvious, I feel that I should point out that the S in this F and S duo is the ambitious, go-getter, especially seeing as how I’m checking in to blog several days late.

Better late than never, here is my story. My name is Felisha and I’ve always struggled with my weight. By always, I don’t mean just a few years, I quite literally mean the entirety of my life. When I was  18 years old I had a weigh in at a doctor’s appointment and had my first 200+ weigh in at somewhere around 225. I was devastated…although I can’t really remember a weigh in that was less than 200. In 2011 I decided to plan a European backpacking trip for 2012. Doing this I knew I would have to step on the scale. Although I knew it was going to be a large number, I didn’t expect to see just shy of 300 lbs. staring me in the face.  The number was 292.6. I quickly went to work to try and lose at least a little before I left for Europe, and before leaving I was able to get down to 277 lbs. After returning home I stepped on the scale and pegged out at 263. Nearly six months have passed since I walked back through the door, and after weighing in on January 1, 2013, I was at my lowest in a very long time….260.6. Although I don’t quite know what I owe for being lower than when I stepped through the door all that time ago, I am immensely thankful for it. At this point, all of my goals are small. The first number I want to see is 252, followed quickly by 242 for a nice starter number of 50 lbs. lost. After that…I hope to get reacquainted with the 100’s. The day that I step on the scale and hit 199 will be one of the sweetest days of my life.

I’ve had four days of the diet and exercise, but seeing as how my weigh in day will be Saturday from here on out, I had to go ahead and weigh in even though it hasn’t been a full first week.  Over the course of four days I managed to lose 2.4 lbs. Slow and steady, but I’m happy.  Six more lbs. until I reach 40 lbs. gone! Here’s to a good week!

Also, due to weight, I’m afraid I do not have a picture (I’m sure family does, somewhere) of me at my 292.6. The best I can supply is from somewhere in the 270's while in Austria over the summer.

Until next time,

F

Day 4 - S

 I know this is terrible of me to be posting a picture of such deliciousness.... a diet blog with a burger on it? I'm sorry. Don't jump off the wagon! It's OK to indulge once in while... just make sure you come back sooner than later!

So why do I post these pictures? Because this is what happened to me yesterday. I'm being painfully honest on this blog and so you must know. My husband brought this lovely box of delicious, melt-in-you-mouth cocoa dusted chocolate truffles (seriously tastes like a ball of Hershey's syrup dipped in Dutch Cocoa) home last night. As PO'd as I was that he did so, I had to try them. Baaaaaad idea. 

Yesterday was all in all a rough day for everyone here. I had planned on making steaks and even had them defrosting... but he wanted something fattening and fried. I opted for Steak and Shake (side note: you can get a cheeseburger and fries for under 500 calories here... GREAT CHOICE. Just beware of the chili and other items!) and he and the kids had McD's. But SNS's shakes are terribly bad for you, and McD's ice cream machine was down, so we stopped at Wendy's for Frosty's (not my idea... I hate frosty's, but I wanted ice cream, dangit!)

I almost didn't jump on the scale this morning. I even thought of putting the whole diet idea on hold until Monday... but I pulled out the Wii Fit Board and jumped on. And guess what? I LOST weight... almost 3 pounds since Tuesday! That's right, I am now at 223.4! Yeah baby! Since starting Atkins in Oct, I have lost 5.9lbs, 5.3 of that being the last 3 days after the gorge that is also known as Christmas and New Years. So it's back on the wagon for me! 

Here's a look at today's menu:

Breakfast: 

I snuck a couple more truffles... don't hate! 

Lunch:

Ham and Cheese

Olives, Peppers and Ranch dip

Dinner:

Steak with sauteed spinach with lemon juice

tomatoes with red wine vinegar

Snack:

Shake/Bar 

Total NC: 17.4

Anyone want some delicious truffles?? I'd gladly bring them by!

Day 2 and 3 - S

So yesterday was a nightmare-ish day. My kids were out of control, especially the 18-month old. I was super busy running all over town delivering things and picking up things and such. My husband got rejected from what could have been a really great job opportunity close to home. But all is well. It's a new day, and so far... not a bad one! Here's what my food intake looked like yesterday:

Breakfast:

Atkins Bar - Chocolate Peanut Butter

Lunch:

Shrimp cockail
Colby cheese
Atkins Bar - Chocolate Chip Granola

Dinner:

Ranch Chicken baked with cheesy broccoli
See recipe here Note: I did not use stuffing, obviously. And we were out of bacon, so that was omitted. But it was still delicious, baked for 40 minutes just because I don't trust chicken, added extra cheese.
Greek Salad

Snack:

Atkins Vanilla Shake
Atkins Nut Fudge Brownie Bar

Total NC:  26.6

Normally you're only supposed to consume no more than 2 bars/shakes per day, but like I said... it was a rough day. I hadn't had a lot to eat, and I was at a maximum stress level. At least I didn't turn to the bag of chips or bowl of candy, right?!

I haven't weighed myself yet today, but yesterday's weight, I clocked in at 226.6.

Here's today's meal plan:

Breakfast:

Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

Lunch:

Shrimp Cocktail
10 Black Olives
Green pepper strips
ranch dip
cheddar cheese

Dinner:

Steak with sauteed spinach and tomatoes

Snack:

Bar or Shake

Total NC: 20.9

And I've decided to join a friend's Biggest Loser challenge. Take a look... it's pretty awesome.

I promise I will get to the basics of Atkins soon...

Day 1 - She-She

I was extremely nervous to weigh in this morning after all the junk I had eaten the past few weeks. When I began Atkins on Oct 16, 2012, I weighed in at 229.3. When I stopped Atkins on Dec 3. 2012, I weighed in at 219.8. I knew it would be a good day if I magically, somehow kept off at least SOME of the weight I had lost during my first 2 weeks. But I knew that was a long shot.....

I jumped on the scale and magically... the scale was on my side! I clocked in at 228.7. I had gained quite a bit during the holidays, but not quite everything I had lost! It was a major success in my book!

A post about the details of Atkins will come later.... but for now, here is what my day will look like.

Day 1 meal plan:

Breakfast: 

3 eggs, scrambled with 2 TBS soy milk, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper cooked with 1/4C bell pepper and 1oz Mozzarella

Snack: 

3 small chocolate bears and 2 small peanut butter cups (I know it's cheating, but I can't stand the thought of throwing them out)

Lunch: 

2 slices of ham
1 celery stalk and 10 black olives with ranch dip

Dinner:

Steak
sauteed spinach with lemon-butter sauce
Greek salad with kalamata olives, red onion, 1/2 tomato and Greek vinaigrette

Snack:

Atkins Peanut Butter Cups

Total NC (Net Carbs): 21.6 (not counting the chocolate)

Meet S.... aka She-She

 That was me... Spring of 2005, living it up in So-Cal... somewhere around 150-160lbs, size 10.

Me... Fall 2012, living it up in So-Georgia.... somewhere around 220lbs, size 18.

So what happened to me? Besides having 2 kids via C-Section... here is my story:

It all started 2 weeks after I got married. I became very sick. A trip to the doctors showed my platelet count was critically low, and after a 24 hour stay in the ER, the doctors still weren't sure what was wrong with me. A hematologist put me on a steroid called Prednisone with a warning that it has a tendency to plump you up. It was a 7 month trial trying to get my platelet count to raise, all the while trying to ween off the meds. Finally, 3 days before my birthday (Sept 2007), I was told my numbers had been stabilized enough that I could be off the meds completely.  Although, during this time, my weight had jumped from 185 to 225. I started Isagenix and made it back to around 190 but then found out we were expecting our son. 

A move to Utah and my first C-Section later, I was back to 190 and slipping into my then-"skinny" jeans. 

I'm not sure what happened the following year (2009)... perhaps it was the Schwans food, or lack of control, or my metabolism finally slowing... but I was back up to 215. 

At this point, I jumped on the HCG Wagon at the beginning of 2010. I lost about 20 lbs and felt great, but I knew my eating habits weren't healthy, and we wanted to try for baby #2. 

My daughter's pregnancy was rough on me. I had a major lack in desire for food. My OB actually put me on a high-carb, high-electrolyte diet to try and help me gain weight. After she was born, I was once again around 190. And once again, I have no idea what happened the following year. 

I can, however, pin point my latest weight gain trigger: Thanksgiving 2011. Food, food, and more food galore. And there was no stopping me. Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Pie, Coconut Pie... plus the rolls, turkey, stuffing, crackers and cheese, and the list goes on.

The week following that Thanksgiving, I gained 10lbs! And I discovered a local grocery store's Award Winning Key Lime Pie... to which the following 6 months, I had eaten 4 by myself. 

Then, in the Fall 2012, I was introduced to the New Atkins diet. I read and researched and threw out all negative thoughts I'd had about it previously and started. I saw immediate results, losing 10 lbs my first 2 weeks. But then Halloween happened, and as I tried to stay obedient, I still gave in. Then Thanksgiving happened. And I decided to take a small break and enjoy Christmas and New Years. 

With a new year upon us, I have decided this is my year. My year to finally get rid of this fat for good, with the help of a program that trains my body to work differently, resulting in REAL weight loss, while helping me to feel energized and excited about life! 

I have tried low-calorie, low-fat, counting calories, going to the gym... all that mumbo gumbo.. and it has not worked for me. I always felt like I was starving, and yet the scale wasn't budging... but with Atkins, I'm not hungry, and I feel great and the scale goes DOWN! It's amazing. This is the Chronicle of my journey to lose 80 lbs (or more if I feel like it), and get back my life so that I can enjoy my kids and husband and be the person I want to be.