Weight Control Support Group

Smoothies are a great way to get a serving or two of veggies in.

And Jeanie is right, try eating some low fat icecream or frozen yogurt w/ berries in a cone. Having it in a cone will make it seem like a treat!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will have to go to the store and see what I can find there. I'll definitely be checking this thread this weekend to keep me motivated to DRINK DRINK DRINK!

I've been keeping an eye on this thread. I don't really have a weight issue but I like to eat healthy and the thread has interested me hearing about all these great food ideas. I do however have a serious lack of motivation when it comes to exercise; you can be thin and still not be healthy.

Anyways, I wanted to chime in about Heidi saying she didn't like the consistency of certain foods - I have the same issue. Mine pertains to nuts and beans. I will not eat any bean/legume except for green beans; the others have this texture to them that literally make me gag. I'm funny about nuts. I like salted peanuts, but that's the only way I like them. I hate all other nuts, there is something about the way they taste and feel on my teeth that I can't stand.

I also wanted to mention something that I thought would be helpful. I am a breakfast eater. I absolutely cannot go without breakfast or I feel shaky. Typically I eat cereal; Fruitloops, Honeycombe, etc. Well the other morning I was running late so I popped 2 slices of wheat bread in the toaster and used Brummel & Brown spread (low fat margarine/yogurt spread), grabbed a small apple and ate on my way to work. I don't think cereal has ever satisfied me as much as the toast and the apple did.

Okay, I'll leave now................

O.K. Heidi, you've tossed out a challenge!

It's not quite as good for you, but how about canned fruit? Mandarin orange slices (too slimey?), pineapple? Most supermarkets actually sell fresh sliced pineapple these days - it is much crisper than canned. Either way - it's a fruit, and it also fixes a sweet tooth!

Do you like apples? They're crunchy.
Coconut? Edy's makes frozen lemon and coconut bars, since you don't like strawberries. You can add an Edy's frozen lemon bar as a fruit! It's a snack, but it's good for you, and I think they're 80 or 90 calories.

Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi (yummy!). Gary hates most veges and is bad about eating fruit - unless it's just a little not quite ripe, he won't eat it. But he really likes cucumbers and peppers. I'll just slice a red pepper, and he'll just munch and crunch on the strips. We sprinkle a little bit of garlic salt on cucumbers and eat'em just like that. I love celery - that's watery AND crunchy. (And it takes more calories to digest celery than celery has!) If you don't want the work, it is more expensive, but carrots and celery come pre-cut at the supermarket these days. Do you like carrots? They're crunchy! And now in the supermarkets they have those already-to-eat peeled baby carrots. YUMMY - no? So crunchy! And carrots have lots of fiber - also good for you!!

How about Raisin Bran for breakfast? It's got wheat, fiber and fruit! It's one of my favorite ways to start a day - and we do split a graprefruit EVERY morning. I also have my breakfast with orange juice, so I get three servings of fruit just with breakfast alone (grapefruit, juice, and raisins in raisin bran).

Maybe you've always just been served veges over-cooked? I love broccoli - if it's still crunchy. Cut the tops of, pop 'em in a bowl, put maybe a tablespoon of water in with them, put saran wrap over it, and "nuke" it for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes MAX. Drain, sprinkle a little garlic salt on, and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese (cheese is high cal, but a tablespoon of parmesan only has 35 calories). It's a big taste for something that is SO GOOD for you.

If you don't like broccoli....do you like pickles? That's a vege! And if you like pickles, how about pickled beets? I LOVE pickled beets.

Or brussel sprouts. I don't know ANYONE who likes brussel sprouts. Gary makes FABULOUS sprouts, and we have never had a guest over here who didn't LOVE them. Here's the trick - DO NOT BOIL THEM. Fry them (a taboo word in the world of dieting, but it's so worth it)! Peel the outer leaves off and cut them in quarters. Get the pan hot, then spray a little non-stick stuff in the pan. Put a DAB of butter in there (be careful - butter is 100 calories per tablespoon) for flavor. Sprinkle garlic salt in the pan. Then toss the brussel sprouts in there. Shake the pan, move'em around. Fry them until they are golden brown outside - should just be a couple of minutes at most. Again, sprinkle parmesan cheese in there while you've still got the fire on (it's how we get Gary to eat most veges!). It'll start to get melty and brown. They're done! And they should be hot all the way through, but crunchy.

Anybody else have good vege recipes? I could use them!

...not doing so good on the water today. Had a big glass of green tea with breakfast (as always), but I've only had one glass of water since . Got water boiling right now for more tea.

I've actually managed to do well on the water today-1 c this morning, plus my OJ. At least 1 1/2 liters of water at work, and one caffeine-free sugar-free soda. The eating part, well, I didn't do so good . I'm really congested and can't smell a thing. Needless to say, my chicken fried rice and salad weren't too appealing, so I bought a cuban pork sandwhich from our cafeteria. When I don't feel well, I'll often not eat because nothing is appetizing. So, I'm justifyingit by thinking I would have not eaten at all, or ate potato chips all day. At least I got a good serving of protein.

Christy

Laurie, you are amazing!! Have you ever considered being a weight loss councellor? You have soooo much knowledge and info stored in you! It's wonderful!

Anyone else using their journal also? It's amazing how, when you see what you are doing in black and white, you are more apt to behave. It is great! Although I am not proud of everything I am writing down, I am making some good choices also. I am slowly making my journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Not being a successful water day after all. I have had maybe 5 glasses so far. Guess I'll have to gulp down at least 3-4 more with my supper!

What does everyone think of all the fat free inventions they have in the supermarkets to tempt people to eat more fruit? Anyone try the fat free caramel dip? Or chocolate? I know someone who buys plain yogourt, adds some caoco and one env. of sweet and low and dips her apple wedges in it. She swears by that. Says it cuts her chocolate cravings too.

Christy, glad to hear you did well on the water. I wouldn't worry much about your lunch. Remember, we're taking this one step at a time. You got the water part done so...today had been successful for you. Hope you feel better soon!

WARNING

PLEASE NOTE - I didn't notice this until a long time into it, so I hope I'm helping someone else.

MOST Juice has 2 servings in the container! You may flip over the bottle, take a look, and go "Oh, it's got 110 calories." And you drink it for months, and you drink lots of it. And THEN you find out the bottle you've been drinking has TWO servings in it, and you've been putting down 220 calories each time!

Other than orange juice at breakfast, I no longer drink juice. It is SUCH a high calorie way of getting that fruit serving, for me it just isn't worth it.

I take cranberry pill supplements to fight the urinarty tract infections to which we women are prone. Cranberry juice also has lots of calories (again, I feel all juice does) - and IT DOES NO GOOD IF IT HAS FRUCTOSE IN IT!!!!! Fructose creates the perfect environment for "breeding" those nasties. Many Doctors recommend to their female patients that they drink cranberry juice - but so many forget to mention the fructose problem! So - if you're drinking cranberry juice with fructose in it, you're drinking those calories and getting the nutrition - but defeating the benefit to your bladder/urinary tract.


...O.K. Climbing down off the soapbox now....

Christy - GOOD GIRL! And by the way, you're so cute! Dr. O'Keefe, you look very happy, and that makes us happy!
Ghyslaine - GOOD GIRL TOO!
Me - BAD GIRL! I'm sipping my tea now, but I'm probably dehydrated after my really bad water day.

I know, I know - we're not supposed to beat ourselves up.

LOVE the journal. When I write down what I eat when I eat it, I'm totally aware of what goes in my body and it is a conscious decision.

When I don't use it, I have a tendency to binge. Yesterday is the perfect example. Gary's mom sent a "care" package (yes, she's a good Jewish mom. She thinks they don't have food here in NJ ). I wasn't using the journal because it was late, and I ate four dark chocolate Frango Mint cookies (220 calories each. I just went and looked.) Yup. You heard me.

Christy, I agree! You are very pretty!!!

Okay, I have a question.....since I absolutely hate the taste of water....I mean hate it, can I add decaffinated tea to it, and will it still have the same effect???? (cold tea that is)

I have dropped several pounds just in the two weeks I have been back at work, Yaaay!!! My face looks thinner already!!! I have quite a ways to go though!!!!!

Hi folks, haven't been posting much since I've been sick with the flu since last week, and now on antibiotics, got a bad sinus infection and actually pulled a muscle in my side from all the coughing! Very painful. So no dieting for me yet... Well, have lost more than a few pounds, since I haven't had much of an appetite, but not a good way to lose it.

Anyhow, on the fruits thing, how about dehydrated fruits? If it's the "slimy" consistency that gets you, dehydrated fruits (no added sugar or anything) might be an answer. And at least over here, they even sell stuff like 'apple chips', VERY dehydrated apple slices, so they're crunchy like chips. A nice snack, even though it does have some calories in it, it has no sugar or sweeteners, and it's way better than many things I might go for normally. Oh yeah and even though fruits are good to eat, we should remember fruits are higher in calories than veggies. For example, in the Weight Watchers points program I was on, fruits do make for points (like a banana is two points, an apple one, kiwi one and so on) but most veggies are free to eat, no points for those. Oh yes, and even though oranges are 'free', orange juice is not, since it takes so many oranges to make the glass of juice, it has much more calories.

I always try to snack on veggies, and save fruits for treats. Red and yellow peppers are often quite sweet, and a nice snack, and I love snacking on those small tomatoes (cherry tomatoes is what they're called here), or just plain cucumber. Plus you can make a light dip of fat free yoghurt and those dip mixes, and dip your veggies in that, in fact, I've had this for dinner quite a few times. Plenty of veggies, and some dip, and you do get quite full, especially when you don't really have the time to cook anything. Of course those of you with families may not be able to do something like this, when you have to consider the others as well.

Is anyone else a vegetarian? I do eat eggs and fish, but even so it often gets quite challenging to come up with low fat and low calorie dinners, especially salads, since it seems there's just so much variation you can get in. I'm not much for cooking, since it's just me, so I try to look for dinners that are rather easy and quick to prepare.

If you have trouble drinking plain water, how about putting in a bit of lemon juice? Or putting a couple of slices of cucumber, or something. That gives a bit of flavor, and at least for me it's nice to have a bit of a different taste to the water, I seem to need the variation.

Just as soon as I start really getting better (and not end up having a coughing fit once I walk more than 10 yards) I really have to start working out again... I take my dogs for walks at least 4 times a week, it's a great way to get some exercise, since it's fun for the dogs and me, and I don't really even consider it as exercise. I usually work out at home, have a few step aerobics tapes, and I also use small hand weights to work my arms, and do stuff like crunches and push ups. So far my routines are only about 15 minutes long, but I figure that's a good start, that's easy to do every day, and once I get into better shape, I'll start doing longer routines. For me, it's always a pain to get started, but once I do, I feel good. Of course stuff like cleaning the house, or doing stuff in the yard is good exercise too.

I have some small cans of V8 juice in the refrigerator, and I see that they have only 35 calories. V8 has more vegetables than tomato juice and has personality too. I hope that helps. Get well, Eeva!

*whacks head*......I coulda had a V8!!!!! :laughing2

I Love V8 juice!!! The spicy one is good, too!!! (it's really good in beer, although I guess that isn't very dietary now, is it?? )

Are you feeling well, Debby? (yuck!)

Well haven't you ever heard of tomato beer? Well it is really good with the spicy V8 juice!!! Trust me! :laughing:

Here goes nothing...

Woooohoooo!

Okay, it's an awful picture but,....it's a picture!!! This deserves a glass of water for sure!!!!

It's not that hard to post a picture once you understand how. :LOL: It just took me a little longer to get to the "understand how" part.

This picture was taken over 3 years ago. I believe Nicolas is about 8 months (he's 4 now) and today, I have straight hair with blonde highlights.

Once I figure out how to unblur, get rid of red eye etc....I'll post a recent one.

Thanks for the link Heidi! It worked great.

Back to today's menu......

I had 2 whole wheat toast this morning with a little peanut butter. I was craving that. I have to concentrate on the water again today. It does seem harder when you are doing it at home. Not sure what lunch/supper will be yet.

Good luck everyone.

Ghyslaine - CONGRATS!


What a beautiful family!!!!! I must say, you do look a little tired in the pic, but it's easy to tell you're beautiful!

I kind of made up for yesterday's water lapse last night, but I don't think it counts if you drink most of it all at once.

I started today as per usual: orange juice, grapefruit, raising bran, green tea. I've had a few sips of water, but I'm on glass two of the tea.

We didn't snack or eat sweets yesterday, but we did have Arby's for lunch! We always ask for the nutritional information now at fast food places before we order.

You know those "Market Fresh" sandwiches are the most caloric thing they have? They're between 600 - 800 calories! Wow!!!!!!

I forgot to mention Ghyslaine, in the e-mail I sent you, that your children are simply adorable!!!!!!! And like I told you in the e-mail, you are so very beautiful! I can't wait to see a picture of you as a blonde now!!!

I did very good this morning....hubby bought a huge thing of donuts...all different kinds, and I wanted one so badly....was very tempted to have just one...but I said Nope!!! Not gonna do it!!! Ans tried to imagine how one of those donuts would look permanently attached to my thighs...not a pretty sight, so I skipped it!! :laughing:

I did overdo it a bit on the Chinese food last night, though... But it was soooo delicious! And it did have lots of veggies in it!

So does anyone have an answer for me to my question of since I hate the taste of water, could I drink decaffinated iced tea and get all my water in that way or would that not work as well?

Thanks Laurie!

You are right though I was tired! I remember this trip as if it happened yesterday. I was on my way to visit my mom. It is about an 8 hour drive. About half way, we decided to stop and stay overnight in a motel. Well....it just happened that all the participants that were in town for a ball tournament that week-end had thought of the same thing. They were partying like there was no tomorrow. Needless to say, I may have slept about 2 hours total. We ended up getting the room for free (after a lengthy letter from me!). On top of that, we had no crib for Nicolas so he slept with me and Steven slept with daddy. It took me forever to convince Nicolas that it was okay to fall asleep in that strange looking room! Ahhhhh....the memories!

I think I am going to have a cup of green tea (thanks for the idea Laurie!)

My boys are begging for Kraft Dinner. Simple enough.

My scanner is up and running. I haven't figured out touch up the picture yet. When I scan them, they look okay but when I change the width/length, everything gets all blurry.

Okay...off to make lunch, drink some water and tea and try to figure out what I am hungry for.