[angleigh]

SodScrap, on 08 August 2011 - 06:55 PM, said:

Wow-great ideas ladies! Thank you Angie for all of your information! I don't eat anything first thing, but have wondered about that. I'm like you, it would be 10 or 11 and I'd just be eating breakfast.

I feel for me it's made a big difference. My staple for me has been a banana in the AM, but i've also grabbed an apple, cheese stick or handful of nuts. Those are also what I snack on alot during the day. That or a health snack mix, there's a great one that's at WalMart called Good Health Energy, it's about 150 calories for 1/4 cup and has cranberries, almonds, pumpkin kernals and soy nuts in it. I'll also do some tried fruit or even a protein bar.

[mimes1]

I had my Monday night sweet tonight, and now Mark is taking the rest to his buddies at work tomorrow. Getting it out of the house is key to me because I know me, and I can't be trusted. So just not having it in the house is the best thing. It kills me, but next Monday is only 6 days away.

[SodScrap]

angleigh, on 08 August 2011 - 09:16 PM, said:

KayMitch, on 08 August 2011 - 09:11 PM, said:

Hi all I have been reading all your tips with great interest but I've just received an important email that I thought I would share.

Health Message:-


1. If walking/cycling is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

2. A Whale swims all day, only eats fish, drinks water and is fat.

3. A Rabbit runs and hops and only lives 15 years.

4. A Tortoise doesn't run, does nothing... yet lives for more than 150 years.



AND YOU TELL ME TO EXERCISE??????!!!!!!!

JUst a thought. HEHE Kay

HeHe...too funny!

LOL...I'm feeling quite turtle like this morning.....

[Sara Arell]

I was feeling like a turtle this morning - forced myself to do my exercises though and now I feel pretty good.

I just cannot eat anything in the morning - haven't for years and not sure I can start it now - hmmmmmm not sure what to do about this part!

[Karis]

Did someone say "Food Thread"? Okay ~ the chef is all over this one

I have been working with a nutritionist for the past 2 weeks. I have more energy than I've had in months (not that I had nothing, but would have that 3pm I-want-a-nap feeling). I have learned SO much about food and what fuels a body, what's necessary in your diet and what is dangerous. I've made some dramatic changes to my diet and can't believe I've stuck with it. Being a chef and lifelong foodie I've enjoyed the challenge of keeping flavor and excitement in my diet. The changes that I've made are mostly for health benefits ~ the weight loss (which I also need ~ doc says 20 pounds) is a bonus.

So...no dairy, no sugar, no processed foods, no "white" stuff. Lots of fruits and veggies; whole grains, lean proteins, legumes, water and green tea, and 2 "fats" (1/4 c. nuts, 1 avocado or 2 tablespoons oil). I've always read labels, but now have a keener key and know what to look for. If I can't pronounce it or know what it is, I skip it altogether. The best shopping is done on the perimeter of the store where the perishables are. Things that can sit on my shelf indefinitely are typically chock full of chemicals and not conducive to my good health.

The education that I've received is tantamount to the changes (in some cases drastic ~ I'm a cheese and ice cream fiend) I've made. Fortunately, I LOVE being in the kitchen ~ am at the grocery store or farmer's market several times a week and have an abundance of good food around me to work with.

My first 32 ounces of water have already been consumed via green tea (I don't count it towards my total consumption...but it gets me started in the mode of keeping my bottle with me). I'll refill it with plain water and keep doing that throughout the day. I typically have steel cut oats with bananas and/or blueberries for breakfast and keep some fruit/veggies with me throughout the day. Lunch is almost always a huge salad ~ lots of spinach, as many veggies as I can cut up and sprouted legumes. I "dress" it with a spritz of good olive oil (best investment I've made is an oil mister), balsamic vinegar and fresh squeezed citrus. I also love to add a handful of freshly chopped herbs for a variety of flavors. I'll have a small chicken breast or fish as well. Dinner ~ yum...this is when I get my most creative. Again, lots of veggies ~ I love to roast them ~ it caramelizes the flavor, bringing out the natural sweetness of whatever veggie you have. A protein and some kind of grain. Dessert for me is no longer a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey (which is what I became.....they say, "you are what you eat"!) So now, I have a Lara Bar or starting this week, a serving of Coconut Milk Ice Cream with fruit.

As for weight loss ~ without measuring, weighing, journaling or portioning (other than the "fats"), I've lost 2.8 pounds in 2 weeks. Normally, I would have thought that to be a failure....simply because most diets are so restrictive "up front" that you have a rapid weight loss. Healthy weight loss should be between 1-2 pounds per week. The other thing for me is that this is a lifestyle choice/change, not a "diet" ~ a horrid 4-letter word for me.

My biggest challenge at the moment has been trying to get into some kind of exercise routine. It's why I joined the 30-day shredders. I've done NOTHING ~ except play tennis. I abhor routine exercise and have all my life, in spite of being an athlete. Ick. I just don't like it. I've heard some good things about Zumba (saw "Pab's" LO on it here too!) and love to dance...so I might try that.

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread, for sure ~ because food is SO right up my alley. Love all the tips everyone is giving too ~ the supportive SG are the bomb!!

Keep up the good work everyone...I'll keep you posted on mine!

[SodScrap]

Great information Karis! Thanks for sharing. The no dairy thing would be most difficult for me. It's not ice cream,I can skip it. It's the yogurt and cheese! A small portion of cheese goes a long way for me to help me keep protein up and keep from crashing!

[CreativeSparkle]

Karis, I've never heard of Coconut Milk Ice Cream. Is this something you can get in a regular grocery store or is it a specialty store item?

[Karis]

Hi Wendie ~ yes...you can actually get it at the regular grocery store, as well as the health food stores. The one I got is Purely Decadent (recommended by my dietician/nutritionist), it's sweetened with agave nectar...much better for you than other sweetners. It's dairy and soy free. I'm staring at the Chocolate container I haven't yet opened. One serving (1/2 cup) is 150 calories. I WILL measure it ~ I am seriously used to a whole pint to myself...no problem...so this will be a challenge. If I find it too difficult, then I'll just take ice cream-type treats out altogether. Haven't tried it yet ~ that will be for tonight. I'll let you know how it tastes!

[CreativeSparkle]

Yes, please do! I really like agave as a sweetener! I use it in fruit/veg smoothies so my kids don't ask about the squash and other things I toss in when they aren't looking.

[Bride]

I am so glad we have this thread!! Today, because of a busy morning I was unable to pack my own salad and it got too hairy at work to be able to run home and late in the afternoon as well, so I was very hungry and getting a headache. I decided I had to do fast food – something I wanted to avoid altogether these 30 days – and ended up at Wendy’s. Knowing that I am being held accountable by you all, I made what I think is a very good choice – a half blt cobb salad with avocado ranch dressing. I was surprised to see the dressing only had 1 grm sugar and it was well below the 5^th item on the list!! Thank you, my friends, for keeping me honest and motivated!!

[tinkerbell11]

Bride, on 08 August 2011 - 01:25 PM, said:

Good tips Angie! I always head to the pool on an empty stomach (except for water I drink) because I don't like a full tummy feeling while working out - especially in the water. I am back home usually by 6:45 and that is when I eat breakfast. I volley back and forth between oatmeal (with walnuts, cinnamon, purvia and unsweetened almond milk) most days and a few days I'll have 2 scrambled eggs (sometimes with 2 TBS shredded cheese and 2 TBS Salsa. On the oatmeal day, I will carry either a yogurt, stick of cheese or 1 hard boiled egg - if I get hungry it is usually the protein I'm needing.

Lunch is usually a salad, 3 oz of protein (tuna, chicken or 1/2 C cottage cheese) and 1/2 to 1 C hot veggie (green beans, brocolli, etc) I try to have no added sugar - and for dressings sugar needs to be the 5th item (or more) on the list. I really watch "low fat" stuff because for taste, a lot of times they will bump up the grams of sugar so the product tastes good, thus I was advised to steer clear of "diet dressings".

If I can go 3 to 5 days without sweets I find I don't crave them.

I also try to have some little snack on hand at work for about 4:00/4:30. I get out of work at 5 and somedays I come home feeling famished and can graze my way straight through to the dinner hour - If I have a hand full of almonds or a cheese stick or sometimes a yogurt, I find that curbs my grazing and I can hold off until dinner.

My biggest struggle is going to be night time. I LOVE popcorn ( movie butter & kettle corn) and it has always been a little treat I share with the dogs (plug your ears/close your eyes, Shannon). We don't have it every night but I know with counting carbs it is one thing I really need to cut out this August round of Shred.

ROFL I was scanning the thread for new info and my name caught my eye Miss Lei! Actually I usually suggest to my doggie owners that need to have their pets lose weight to feed them AIR popped plain popcorn, carrots and apples (in moderation).

[Sara Arell]

Bride, on 09 August 2011 - 01:41 PM, said:

I am so glad we have this thread!! Today, because of a busy morning I was unable to pack my own salad and it got too hairy at work to be able to run home and late in the afternoon as well, so I was very hungry and getting a headache. I decided I had to do fast food – something I wanted to avoid altogether these 30 days – and ended up at Wendy’s. Knowing that I am being held accountable by you all, I made what I think is a very good choice – a half blt cobb salad with avocado ranch dressing. I was surprised to see the dressing only had 1 grm sugar and it was well below the 5^th item on the list!! Thank you, my friends, for keeping me honest and motivated!!

Yummmmm! That sounds like a good choice, Lei - I haven't had anything from Wendy's in a long time - will have to try that one day.

My neighbor brought us a whole bunch of zucchini this morning along with a huge bag of tomatoes so we are having an all veggie supper tonight - zucchini with tomatoes and onions, corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes too - we do love our neighbor's garden - he has the greenest thumb around!

[Karis]

Okay Wendee ~ I'm here to tell you that Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream (at least the chocolate flavor) is a HIT! It was, as the name promises, decadent. Very rich and creamy and smooth. I can taste the hint of coconut ~ which I love, so that was a pleasant surprise of flavor. Now ~ here's the best part....I only ate 4 bites and relished each and every one of them. I let my DBF feed them to me (giggle) which made it a little more special and like the treat is was! I made us a very filling dinner of Turkey Chili ~ good and spicy, just like we like it, so the ice cream was a welcome respite from the kick of the jalepenos in the chili.

I also did my homework of reading the section in Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live, on why dairy is not a good choice (he explains, with extensive cites to research, that dairy products do not protect us from osteoporosis and can promote cancer). It's enough for me to stick to my eating habits today.

Anyway ~ I don't want to get on a soapbox but I will keep eating my fruits and veggies and shelf the dairy and sugar stuff and toast with my matcha powder green tea to my long life and health

[Sara Arell]

Trying to ward off the M & M cravings tonight! (fortunately, I don't have any in the house!)

[SodScrap]

I have never heard of coconut milk ice cream!! Interesting!

[Bride]

I'm so excited with myself today. Today is DH's birthday and as I was planning my day this morning I thought - there is this one grocery store in town that has a bakery that offeres cake by the slice - so - instead of making (or buying) a whole cake for just him (cuz I am sure I could possibly cave in and splurge and I don't want to do that yet) I opted to go to this store (I hardly shop here) and bought one beautifully decorated piece of carrot cake. Now, I don't have to feel guilty for not having bday cake for him or be tempted to eat some and then feel guilty for that!!

[Sara Arell]

Bride, on 13 August 2011 - 10:55 AM, said:

I'm so excited with myself today. Today is DH's birthday and as I was planning my day this morning I thought - there is this one grocery store in town that has a bakery that offeres cake by the slice - so - instead of making (or buying) a whole cake for just him (cuz I am sure I could possibly cave in and splurge and I don't want to do that yet) I opted to go to this store (I hardly shop here) and bought one beautifully decorated piece of carrot cake. Now, I don't have to feel guilty for not having bday cake for him or be tempted to eat some and then feel guilty for that!!

Now THAT is dedication and committment, Lei! I am soooooo proud of you! You go, girl! And Happy, Happy Birthday to your dear husband!

[SodScrap]

Bride, on 13 August 2011 - 10:55 AM, said:

I'm so excited with myself today. Today is DH's birthday and as I was planning my day this morning I thought - there is this one grocery store in town that has a bakery that offeres cake by the slice - so - instead of making (or buying) a whole cake for just him (cuz I am sure I could possibly cave in and splurge and I don't want to do that yet) I opted to go to this store (I hardly shop here) and bought one beautifully decorated piece of carrot cake. Now, I don't have to feel guilty for not having bday cake for him or be tempted to eat some and then feel guilty for that!!

Awesome idea Lei!! You go girl!!

[tiza126]

I'm just now checking out this thread.


Becca, I love Greek yogurt too. I often take a little tupperware of Greek yogurt, add a few drops of almond extract and a handful of frozen mixed berries, and take it to work with me for a mid-morning snack.


I've heard that for best results, you should eat breakfast soon after waking up, not waiting until later. Since your body has been fasting overnight while you sleep, it needs a jumpstart. The best is a combination of proteins and fruits.
This is the biggest challenge for me, since I already wake up at 4:40am every day just so I have time to squeeze in a 20-minute workout before I have to leave for work. I have NO time in the mornings to make breakfast also.
I posted this in the exercise thread, but I'll share it here again: http://www.rd.com/he...er-breakfast/3/


I really really like coconut milk. If I had to choose between coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, or regular milk... I'd go coconut It's good drinking straight out of the carton, tastes great in smoothies, and is delicious in my coffee. (Although for cereal or cooking/baking, I'd still use regular milk)


I've been toying with the idea of going back on South Beach Diet, at least for a while to get myself into making better health choices. It worked for me in the past....until I went to college LOL But I don't know anyone who can keep up a diet through college.

[Smiles]

Tiza, I would caution anyone reading that thread that it's probably not wise to drink 3 glasses of OJ at one time. That's an incredible number of carbs with no fiber to slow down absorption. I think you would get a big blood sugar high and then a big crash.
My diabetes educator has stressed that the best snacks have some carbs, protein and good fats. Peanut butter on celery, whole wheat crackers with cheese, a piece of fruit and nuts, etc. So for your breakfast on the go, maybe a hardboiled egg, a piece of fruit, and something whole grain?

[tiza126]

Smiles, on 18 August 2011 - 12:11 PM, said:

Tiza, I would caution anyone reading that thread that it's probably not wise to drink 3 glasses of OJ at one time. That's an incredible number of carbs with no fiber to slow down absorption. I think you would get a big blood sugar high and then a big crash.
My diabetes educator has stressed that the best snacks have some carbs, protein and good fats. Peanut butter on celery, whole wheat crackers with cheese, a piece of fruit and nuts, etc. So for your breakfast on the go, maybe a hardboiled egg, a piece of fruit, and something whole grain?

yeah the OJ thing sounded really wrong to me. But I liked a lot of the other suggestions

[podiumchick]

You all may tar and feather me...but I still have a dish of ice cream almost every evening. BUT I have learned that just a 1/2 cup serving does the job instead of the 2-3 (or more... ) scoops I'd have previously. I want to lose about 15 lbs. total. Still having my ice cream during the summer may slow that down a little, but it is also teaching me that I can eat in moderation (or just enough to satisfy the craving) without overdoing it. I have to believe this will help me to keep from regaining the creeping lbs. I just know that if I'm going to be having pizza for supper that my lunch is going to be mostly fruits and veggies. So far, with the exercise, I've lost 6 lbs. since the first of June.

I'm not keen on breakfast though. I will eat a yogurt with some All-Bran cereal sprinkled on top. In the winter I do like my steel cut oats.

I've had to rethink my snacks. That has been tough.

One food I MUST control BIG TIME is peanut butter! The problem is that I cannot stick with the suggested serving size! I can manage to nurse a piece of dark chocolate and be satisfied, but when I have peanut butter I want lots of it! Weird that I can control most splurges, but not that food, huh?

[Sara Arell]

podiumchick, on 18 August 2011 - 01:22 PM, said:

You all may tar and feather me...but I still have a dish of ice cream almost every evening. BUT I have learned that just a 1/2 cup serving does the job instead of the 2-3 (or more... ) scoops I'd have previously. I want to lose about 15 lbs. total. Still having my ice cream during the summer may slow that down a little, but it is also teaching me that I can eat in moderation (or just enough to satisfy the craving) without overdoing it. I have to believe this will help me to keep from regaining the creeping lbs. I just know that if I'm going to be having pizza for supper that my lunch is going to be mostly fruits and veggies. So far, with the exercise, I've lost 6 lbs. since the first of June.

I'm not keen on breakfast though. I will eat a yogurt with some All-Bran cereal sprinkled on top. In the winter I do like my steel cut oats.

I've had to rethink my snacks. That has been tough.

One food I MUST control BIG TIME is peanut butter! The problem is that I cannot stick with the suggested serving size! I can manage to nurse a piece of dark chocolate and be satisfied, but when I have peanut butter I want lots of it! Weird that I can control most splurges, but not that food, huh?

Yall may already all know about this but I have just discovered the Skinny Cow snacks and I love them! They have ice cream bars, candy and chocolate bars - the calorie count is low and the taste is incredible - one would never know they are "skinny snacks" - of course, I can't eat the whole package in one day cause then the calories would add up too high but they have taken away my M&M cravings and I do love my M&Ms

[tiza126]

I love Skinny Cow!!

[Sara Arell]

tiza126, on 18 August 2011 - 05:54 PM, said:

I love Skinny Cow!!

I found the ice cream pops, the candy and the chocolate bars - do they make anything else worth looking for? Sometimes things are a little late arriving in good old WNC!

[podiumchick]

I was getting mini ice cream sandwiches from Schwans that were just 100 calories and very satisfying but they are discontinuing them. I have learned that just a small scoop of regular ice cream now is all I need. I used to think I wanted a big serving. One day a while back I 'finished off' some frozen yogurt so it wouldn't sit in the freezer with just a little left and I almost couldn't finish it. I shouldn't have, but couldn't waste it either! I have to skip the ice cream tonight though. Took a DD out to lunch while running errands and ate a few french fries. So for me it is all a trade off now. And THAT is the lesson this girl needs to learn because before age 40 I could eat anything without cost.

[Sara Arell]

I found an excerpt from the book that has been recommended for us to read and I tried to copy the page about weighing oneself regularly but it wouldn't let me copy it - if you click on this link and scroll through the pages, it talks about how one should not weigh themselves daily and why not.....just passing on some interesting info in case you are interested.

Interesting read

[podiumchick]

I used to weigh daily, but have switched to weekly.

[Bride]

I couldn't figure out how to get to the article Sara posted. That link took me to a kindle page or something? I don't have a kindle (old fashioned paper page turner here). I have read a great article on "Why Scales Lie" several years back and bookmarked it, but it appears it has been moved and now I can't locate it. If you google that title, several articles show up - not the same as the one I once read, but they have good info. Ayway, several things factor in - water, salt intake and so on and so on, all can fluctuate your weight on a daily basis. Many have encouraged to throw away the scales and go by feel and clothes fit and measurements.

[Sara Arell]

Bride, on 19 August 2011 - 06:59 AM, said:

I couldn't figure out how to get to the article Sara posted. That link took me to a kindle page or something? I don't have a kindle (old fashioned paper page turner here). I have read a great article on "Why Scales Lie" several years back and bookmarked it, but it appears it has been moved and now I can't locate it. If you google that title, several articles show up - not the same as the one I once read, but they have good info. Ayway, several things factor in - water, salt intake and so on and so on, all can fluctuate your weight on a daily basis. Many have encouraged to throw away the scales and go by feel and clothes fit and measurements.

It was a Kindle page, Lei - just an excerpt from the book - you just had to turn the pages to read the part about not weighing so often - you don't have to have a Kindle to read the excerpt. I was looking at it trying to decide if I wanted to buy the book. Maybe you could try it again?