Weight Loss Journey....

Originally Posted by Grogs

Greetings. I'm going to assume that you mean 'guys' in the literal sense.

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Guys/gals..... weight issues have no sex. It's great to hear from both sexes.

I was blessed (or maybe not) with a fast metabolism as a kid and that, combined with lots of running and sports in high school kept me quite skinny. I think I weighed ~120 lbs (I'm ~6') in high school and I tried hard to gain weight by eating as many as 6 full meals a day. Unfortunately, that habit did not serve me well.

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Funny you should mention that. All through highschool, well from about 14-19, I stayed at 140 with horrible eating habits, lots of illegal drugs, etc.... I could out eat most of my guy friends, and always stayed at 140.

I had my first child at 19, then weight issues at 21-22. Guess I thought I could still keep up my bad eating and continue staying at 140

I've lost ~10 lbs since the beginning of the year and not long ago, I saw a 1xx on the scale for the first time in a year and a half. The weights seem to have started working as well and my upper body is getting fairly toned. I still have a bit of a spare tire, so I feel like I'm in a sort of a Robert Mitchum 'in shape, but out of shape' place. At this point, I'd like to get rid of the last of the spare tire and lean up a little more.

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sounds like you are doing great

Alcohol: I haven't completely eliminated it, but it's a very rare thing. Just too many empty calories.

Cream and sugar in my coffee: There are almost no calories in a cup of black coffee.

Soda: I limit myself to 1 16 oz bottle per day.

Fast food: If I want a hamburger, I just cook my own. Much leaner quality of meat and much less grease = fewer calories.

Snack suggestions:

Grapes: I really don't know if it's possible to eat enough grapes to get fat since they run through you so quickly.

Cherry tomatoes/carrots: Dip these in a good ranch dressing for a tasty snack.

Honey-Nut Cheerios - When I feel like a sugary late-night snack, I try to grab a bowl of these instead of the cookies.

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Great ideas.

I won't give up alcohol, but I do count it in my calories. I drink vodka coolers and buy the "lite" ones for the most part. 100cals/bottle. I will have a few on the weekends especially now getting into summertime. That's probally my worst eating habit.

I drink coffee, milk and sugar but I switched from cream to milk, and down to 1tsp sugar. That would be another pleasure of mine.

Soda: I drink diet when I do drink it.

I don't eat fast food, and very seldom go out to dinner....I'm hoping to make smarter decisions when I do go out to dinner though.

The cereal suggestion is great. I eat plain cheerios from time to time.... but honeynut would definately work for the sweet tooth.

Another sweet snack: Fat free yogurt. There's one we buy, its a package of "dessert yogurt"...each cup is 35cals. There's lemon merange(sp), strawberry chantilly, cranberry/raspberry and cherry in the box. Nice, sweet creamy texture. I will eat a couple of those instead of ice cream.

My day today:

Food:

Coffee x 2: 57cal.

1/2 pita bread: 85cal
tuna: 41cal
dill pickle: 10 cal.
mustard: 11 cal

Skinny chips: 100cal

Pizza (spinach/mushroom wholegrain thin crust) 3slices: 345

Sunflower seeds: 50cal

Total Intake: 699 calories.
Total difference between BMR and intake: -955
So far this week, I'm down 2099

I also got in some physical activity.... walked for 45mins at the conservation area (grassy/bumpy trails), and about 30mins walking in stores

My goal is to lose 1-2lbs each week.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

My day today:

Food:

Coffee x 2: 57cal.

1/2 pita bread: 85cal
tuna: 41cal
dill pickle: 10 cal.
mustard: 11 cal

Skinny chips: 100cal

Pizza (spinach/mushroom wholegrain thin crust) 3slices: 345

Sunflower seeds: 50cal

Total Intake: 699 calories.
Total difference between BMR and intake: -955
So far this week, I'm down 2099

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Wow, that sounds like a very good job!! I probably ate 3 times as much as you did today. We got take out tonight because I was too lazy to go grocery shopping, and then my parents made dinner so we had to go and eat with them-- which meant a double dinner. Earlier in the day I had a can of soup and then some ramen (no more ramen, I promise!).

I also got in some physical activity.... walked for 45mins at the conservation area (grassy/bumpy trails), and about 30mins walking in stores

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That sounds great... Again, you outdid me by a long mile. No exercise to speak of today. I have to get started on the workout DVDs again. Sad to say, but we also have a large home gym that we do not make use of.

Have you tried Tai Chi? It reminds me of yoga but with more movement involved. I'm not talking about the more active exercises but the slower type that is popular among the elderly in China. Something like this:

My goal is to lose 1-2lbs each week.

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I think that's a very good goal-- very achievable but still requires effort!

Snack/meal ideas:
Before, these have worked for me, but I'm not sure about the nutritional value -

canned soup meals - these usually fill me up enough, sometimes need to eat with some low fat crackers or bread

cereal, as mentioned before - my favorite is Special K (fruit and yogurt)

oatmeal, flavored kinds, with a side of fresh fruit like an apple or banana - I love this for breakfast

I will also substitute brown rice where we usually eat white rice. This is a BIG deal for me since I'm Chinese and am used to eating white rice with almost everything. Hubby still refuses to eat brown rice, so I have to make both types of rice when I want to eat the brown.

I will make an exercise schedule tomorrow. This thread has already motivated me!!

Snake_lady you're doing amazing keep up the good job!!

I'm embarassed to even put mine because I know it's deplorable..

Honey ham sanwich on wheat bread, no cheese, mustard and some veggies: 250 calories
(60 calories per slice bread, 70 calories for 3 slices of honey ham and whatever else comes from veggies) I think the bread I use is very good and low calorie.

And then it goes downhill from here...
Pringles cheddar cheese chips: 600 calories
Cheetos puffs: 300 calories
Baked chicken breast for dinner: I have no idea how many calories. I didn't eat anything else though just the chicken breast with no side since I had done so terribly with the chips so I'll guess no more than 200
Total: 1350
I drank tons of diet pepsi with all those chips...

Yup this means, no breakfast, small lunch, binge on chips and then nearly no dinner...I'm the epitome of bad eating habits.

Arghh this is eye opening!!! I didn't think I was eating so much until I wrote it all out!! I normally count my calories mentally but i guess i must have been slacking lately cuz I didn't expect I had eaten so many!!
Like I forgive myself about those chips, I had a final today and I have two more to go so when I'm under that much stress like finals I say it's okay. As long as I don't make a habit of it though..

Originally Posted by Cat.Ling

Have you tried Tai Chi? It reminds me of yoga but with more movement involved. I'm not talking about the more active exercises but the slower type that is popular among the elderly in China. Something like this:
.......................

I will make an exercise schedule tomorrow. This thread has already motivated me!!

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No I haven't, but thanks for the video, I will check it out

Glad you feel motivated, thanks for posting.

Originally Posted by ut0pia

Baked chicken breast for dinner: I have no idea how many calories. I didn't eat anything else though just the chicken breast with no side since I had done so terribly with the chips so I'll guess no more than 200
Total: 1350
I drank tons of diet pepsi with all those chips...

Yup this means, no breakfast, small lunch, binge on chips and then nearly no dinner...I'm the epitome of bad eating habits.

Arghh this is eye opening!!!

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Yup, definately eye opening for anyone, especially when you start counting calories, and weighing food. (cheese for me was the eye opener for me).

Baked chicken breast per 75gr is 119....mind you, the frozen chicken breast I buy is 89 per 75gr....and one breast is about 150-200grams cooked.

ETA: 1350 isn't bad at all...I'm gonna go back in the threads and see what your stats are to figure out your BMR.

ETA again: not knowing your lifestyle, I used the calculator and selected sedentry for activity level.... If all you were to do is sleep all day, you would burn 1545cal. So still, you've stayed under what your body burns....

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I just blew my day to crap Just had another tuna pita with cheese + 1 bag of skinny chips + 3sl of my pizza.

I can't believe I'm actually admitting my binge

I really don't know why I did it.

- wasn't hungry
-not upset

but after I had my sunflower seeds, I got an insatiable hunger. I feel so awful now (awful as in my tummy is sooooo stuffed + the after emotions). Blew my awesome day to crap.

There's my "secret".... I binge, and afterwards I feel awful about it. The only reason I can think of for tonight is due to it being ovulation time, and I always get insatiable in my tummy and grab whatever I can to fill it. Plus I eat it fast, which doesn't help.

So if anyone has suggestions for binge eaters, I would love to hear them. I've been this way most of my life.

So, what does that make your total after your mini binge? I'm asking because I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. I mean yea it isn't what you planned...but remember, you don't gain weight after one binge it happens after days and days of eating like that..So NOT EVERYTHING IS LOST. Just by saying "I blew my day to crap" you're dooming yourself to feel depressed, angry and feel really bad about yourself which only makes things worse. I know that maybe ignoring this and denying the fact that you made a mistake is probably not the best thing to do either, but don't beat yourself up so much!

I hope this doesn't sound too challenging to you, but I think actually looking at the calories you've eaten rather than dismissing this as a screw up and moving on is probably going to be more helpful.

utopia's got a great response!

I know I'm not being too helpful... but what if you tried to come here or just online when you get these urges to binge? Something to take your mind off it? Log onto here, starting typing, and try to get immersed on the site. You could even come into this thread and let us know about your urge... Or think about how you'd have to confess it on here when you do binge, don't think about any possibly future guilt but think about what we or any of your friends would tell you.... maybe the thought of that might help curb your bingeing?

The only other idea I have is to designate a good friend, hubby, etc. to be "on call" when you get these urges, and you try to call them when you get the urge to binge and have them help you talk yourself out of it.

Thanks guys. I wasn't ignoring anything, I had went to bed.... literally felt like crap.

I exceeded my daily limit by +414 (went from 699 to 1718).

Actually I think it was a good thing though, in a embarassing way. It felt good to admit it and NOT have negative comments about it. For that I thank you.

Second: this was the first binge I've had in almost 2wks....my body is paying for it now...my IBS is acting up and that is no fun, plus I just feel kinda yucky. Not sick, just yucky.

Third: You are so right. One binge did not make me gain weight, many poor eating habits did.

Mariya, have you ever read the book Flip the Switch by Jim Karas? The reason I ask is that the comment you made sounds just like the book. It is a good book...I'd recommend it for anyone.

My goal for today: Drink my water (for some reason I didn't drink my usual 3-4L so I feel bloated), and just do something for me today.....combine feeling yucky with having a soon to be 13yr old daughter who has been a little witch the last two days and I feel extra blah.

Chris, I admire you so much for starting this thread and you have my support 100%! I'm not actively trying to lose weight (although I should...I'm about 20lb over) but I'm trying to lower my cholesterol and stop the begining of diverticlious which I found out about a few months ago. Basically, that isn't a huge deal, I just have to eat more fruits and veggies and that has made a BIG difference!

Now with spring coming, I spend 1/2 my grocery money in the produce section. Steamed zuchinni (the green ones are best) with italian seasoning and a tiny bit of olive oil is wonderful. I also tried to make zuchinni chips in the oven (low heat broiler with italian seasoning) and they weren't bad...may have to experiment more with them. You can also try to make your own potato chips with old bay seasoning the same way. Just make sure they are cut thin.

For low calorie, healthy entrees I usually do fish or chicken. Fish for some reason here is the cheapest. I can get 4-5 tilapia fillets for under $4.00. Just throw some lemon and pepper seasoning on them, make brown rice and a veg and I just mix it all up together on my plate. For chicken I use breasts with a low fat or no fat italian dressing and cook slow until it falls apart.

My problem is every veggie I want to smother in butter, but I have found olive oil (sparingly) and seasoning works as well. But SO much more expensive! I'm now craving fresh snap peas so I can't wait until payday because I think they have them in the store now.

Anyway, just wanted to give you some ideas and wish you good luck! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Mariya, have you ever read the book Flip the Switch by Jim Karas? The reason I ask is that the comment you made sounds just like the book. It is a good book...I'd recommend it for anyone.

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Nope I've never heard of that book...I've never actually read any weight loss books, maybe that's a good idea to start reading some. I have a lot of experience with the type of eating you're describing though. Of course I could never know if I was feeling the same but this binge eating was exactly what I used to do. It was like binge one day then nothing for a few days then binge again. Yours may be different, like what you consider binge is probably much less than mine were..mine was really drastic. This type of bad eating habits that I have now are nothing compared to back then. But still, when I look back I can identify some of the patterns that probably helped me get over it so that's how come I made that comment.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

I exceeded my daily limit by +414 (went from 699 to 1718).

Actually I think it was a good thing though, in a embarassing way. It felt good to admit it and NOT have negative comments about it. For that I thank you.

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Way to go for staying positive!

if it's okay with everyone, I'm going to jump in on this. I made a new years resolution to lose weight this year and have actually been sticking with it so I think it might help me to be able to chat about it.

Date: Apr. 30/09
Name: Kate
Age: 29
Sex: F

Height: 5' 4"
Current Weight: 179 (But it was 200 in January so I'm actually a bit proud of this)

Goal Weight: 145

Current Pant size: 16/14 depending on style

My thoughts/feelings:

This is the first time I've found an eating plan that seems to really work for my body. I have an under-actiove metabolism so I've found most diets don't work weel for me. My mom started WW under thier old Core plan back last September and had lost 30lbs by Christmas so I figured I'd give it a try and I'm really happy with it.
Thing is, I'm pretty self-concious so there is no way I'd ever drag myself to meetings...don't know why posting it here doesn't seem to bother me, though.
I have 3 friends at work who I go to the gym with at least 3 times a week and I'd like to be down in the 160's range by the fall of this year. I don't know if that's too ambitious...
Anyway, (sorry for the ramble) this is the first time I've actually been able to start managing my weight since I was about 16, so I'm trying to stay focused and look for more ideas that will help me keep it up.

Things that really work for me:
- Campbells Healthy Request soups...seriously, I don't know what I'd do If I hadn't found these. Since I need to take food to work, this stuff is awesome. 1 can = 2 meals and it's really good and filling so I'm not starving by 3pm.
- I keep at least 4 different types of fruits in the house...that way I can usually find one to snack on regardless of my mood and it's healthier than cookies.
- Workout buddies. I can't think of how many times I've only dragged my butt to the gym because someone else is going. There's something to be said for peer pressure.
- make your own non-microwaved popcorn. Less salt, less fat and it's infinately more filling. DH found the instructions for this in support of my weightloss oath in january and it's been a huge help when I'm feeling snack-ish.

You guys might want to think twice before using artificial sweeteners. When I was getting my master's in education we read study after study about the bad things artificial sweeteners do to the brain. It's especially terrible for children, but very bad for adults, too.

Plus, there is now research from Purdue University showing that artificial sweeteners are very probably making people fat.

ABC news:
http://i.abcnews.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=4271246&page=1

from Purdue University:
http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/....research.html

Originally Posted by calico2222

...My problem is every veggie I want to smother in butter, but I have found olive oil (sparingly) and seasoning works as well. But SO much more expensive! I'm now craving fresh snap peas so I can't wait until payday because I think they have them in the store now....

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Fresh herbs really help jazz up vegetables, too! My favorite way to eat cooked vegetables is roasted with herbs and olive oil... I even like rosemary on them and that's not my favorite herb. It's easy to grow a couple of pots of parsley, thyme, oregano, etc. all year-round. I've found that fresh herbs make every dish really tasty.

Thank you to everyone who has posted. It is appreciated very much. The support is wonderful.

Calico222: thanks for posting your tips. One thing I've done, instead of butter on veggies I put either soya sauce or I have this vegetable seasoning spice that when cooking veggies I put on it and it makes them ooohhhh so yummy. I also find that steaming veggies makes them juicier, so the need for a topping is less (for me anyways)

Is there any other seasonings you like on your fish? I'm looking for ideas.... I like fish fillets and currently put a lemon/dill on them. I'm going to look for the lemon/pepper one next time I'm out.... but was wonderring if there's anything else you have used? ( or anyone for that matter, I would love some recommendations for seasoning fish fillets)

Originally Posted by Ms. Freya

if it's okay with everyone, I'm going to jump in on this. I made a new years resolution to lose weight this year and have actually been sticking with it so I think it might help me to be able to chat about it.

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Of course thank you for joining in.

Current Weight: 179 (But it was 200 in January so I'm actually a bit proud of this)

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Awesome!!!!! Was the 21lb loss from WW? I do like WW (too expensive for me tho) as they don't focus on fad diets, etc. Their plans/advice are very realistic and teaches you about nutrition and better eating habits.

Thing is, I'm pretty self-concious so there is no way I'd ever drag myself to meetings...don't know why posting it here doesn't seem to bother me, though.
I have 3 friends at work who I go to the gym with at least 3 times a week and I'd like to be down in the 160's range by the fall of this year. I don't know if that's too ambitious...

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I think on here, one feels less self-concious due to no face to face contact. I know that is what helps from me. In real life, the only people I've shared my story with are family members. I lack the self confidence to join groups and such.... but online, I have more confidence because even though people may be judging me, I don't have to see them doing so....and so far, this thread has been wonderful and I hope it continues to be that way.

I can see you in the 160's by the fall.... that's still 4mos away or so, even if you lose 3lbs/month, by Sept you'd be down to the high 160's. It does sound like a reasonable goal to me

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Awesome!!!!! Was the 21lb loss from WW? I do like WW (too expensive for me tho) as they don't focus on fad diets, etc. Their plans/advice are very realistic and teaches you about nutrition and better eating habits.

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Actually it was. I don't buy thier food. I agree that it's WAY too expensive and I won't pay for thier sessions. My mom paid for it though (she finds the groups sessions really good for her) and I borrowed the books to do it on my own. The version I'm doing gives you a great long list of food that you can eat as much as you need so I can shop around and get whatever happens to be on sale that week.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

I think on here, one feels less self-concious due to no face to face contact. I know that is what helps from me. In real life, the only people I've shared my story with are family members. I lack the self confidence to join groups and such.... but online, I have more confidence because even though people may be judging me, I don't have to see them doing so....and so far, this thread has been wonderful and I hope it continues to be that way.

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I think you're definately on to something here. It took me the longest time to admit to my friends that I wasn't going out with them at lunch in order to stay on my diet. The minute they knew, they started going for lunch in places I could eat, though, so then I felt a little silly for not just admitting it sooner. I never claimed my mind made sense. I must admit, one of the things that drewme to the thread was seeing how positive people are.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

I can see you in the 160's by the fall.... that's still 4mos away or so, even if you lose 3lbs/month, by Sept you'd be down to the high 160's. It does sound like a reasonable goal to me

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Thanks.
I have a horrible tendancy to set unreasonable goals. So I'm glad to hear this one makes sense to someone other than me.

Just to share, one of the things that I've found to be a great help from the one WW book is the idea that one binge here and there won't actually ruin your weightloss so long as you keep overall healthy habits, so don't dwell on that one bad day where you ate an extra helping, instead look at the fact that you chose to binge on healthier food instead of beer, donuts and french fries. I think you're doing agreat job, both on your own weiht loss and for starting this thread.

As for the fish - you can get a number of low-fat marinades or dry rubs that are awesome on fish. Also, low-fat vinegrette salad dressing makes a nice marinade.

I was afraid to post on this thread because I amnot looking to neccesarily loose weight, BUT I eat awful food!!! I mean i should not be my weight with what i eat! I have found for me exercise has helped a lot with keeping my weight, I ride 2 horses 5x a week and do other things with them hte other 2 days, I walk a lot at school, campus is big, and at work, i power walk lol cause customers expect me to be speedy gonzalez. And ihave a high metabolism.... I rarely eat breakfast if so it is a cup of coffee, or tea both with creamer and a LOT of sugar, and i will eat a donut, muffin or other sugary things...if i eat that is. Lunch i dont eat until like 2-3 in the afternoon because i have no time to eat and then it turns into fast food choices....with Large sodas.. Oh and I drink a lot of caffine like soda=bad idea....and dinner, well sometimes i dont eat much for that because i dont really like what i have to offer. To get to the point, i know i am going to have health issues in the future if i dont start eating better, i will have diabetes (sp) both my dad and grandpa have it and i know my blood pressure is awful. So I hope i will find the strength here from you all, to eat a little better or have motivation to not waste my money on bad food...lol...

My mom has battled with weight problems she has been to Curves, it is a womens exercise type place and when she was going she actually did lose some weight, and she has gone on weight watchers, nutri-system, and other such things, but her main problem was keeping to it and it was mostly our fault because we would eat bad stuff while she had to eat her "stuff" so I am trying to help her by eating what we should be eating and convince her to not eat out as much. It is for both of our benefits.

Sorry i feel like i am writting a novel! I think losing weight or trying to eat healthier is extremely hard to do and I applause all those who are battling it! I have learned that when you have support from other people, it makes it a little easier.

I think this thread was a great idea

Has not been a great one, in the sense that I don't feel I've eaten enough today.

I have not felt good today, partially due to my binge yesterday which irritated my IBS and the rest because of the weather... my pain has been sky high, and eating is that last thing on my mind. I have been drinking alot of water though.

I've spent this week and last week focusing in on portion size, and smarter food choices. Next week I want to start adding more focus on eating proper meals.

I do not eat breakfast, and sometimes don't eat lunch untill 2 or 3.... I KNOW I don't eat as Canada's Food Guide recommends. Aside from this last 1.5wks, I normally eat a LOT of carbs and low veggies, pretty much no fruit. I'm fairly good with protein (I eat chicken and fish, as well as assorted beans/legumes and some ground beef)

Another problem in my house, the other 3 in my family don't like alot of veggies and alot of the foods I will eat. So most nights, I make 2 meals.... one for them and one for me. For example: they will have chicken nuggets and fries (both baked, we don't deep fry anything), I will have chicken breast and rice (I don't want the breading on the nuggets, and love rice). OR another fav. meal is pasta with mushroom soup and ground beef... the only veg I can put in it is peas... for me I have pasta, mushroom soup, either ground chicken or tuna, plus peas, brocolli, spinach, mushrooms.

Today all I've eaten was/is supper:

Stouffers skillet sensation ( http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/bra...p=Frozen+Meals )
with added chicken and brocolli..... total calories 199.5

It was actually a good sized meal.... had meat, grain and veggies (minute amount of dairy for the sauce).

But I know I need to eat more, just on days like today, high pain days....eating is not on my mind because of my nauseous feeling from the pain.

I am going to have a yogurt and maybe some sunflower seeds later on.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Has not been a great one, in the sense that I don't feel I've eaten enough today.

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Some days go better than others, don't they...and it's even harder when we're not feeling well.
Don't beat yourself up over it, though and just jump back on track for today. Often after one bad day the next day is easier, so hopefully today will be good.

One thing I find helps on really bad days is smoothies. - Throw yoghurt (fat free), fruit and a bit of ice in a blender, mix it all up and it's enough of a light treat that you can enjoy one even if you're not convinced you're hungry. I find it will either hit the spot, or stimulate enough or an appetite to get you to eat a small meal. My DH gets migraines and this is one of the things we do to get him to eat on those days. Hope that helps.

Snake_Lady - in a past post you mentioned summer time being bad on your eating habits. Grilling food is actually a pretty good way to cook it (much better than frying). Even better if you have a smoker and like fish. You can also cook a lot of veggies on a grill.

I'm going to echo what SwampWitch said, though. Artificial sweeteners really are a bad idea. Regular sugar and sweeteners are fine, if you learn limit yourself. Do you know waste management plants have problems filtering out artificial sweeteners. So they get dumped out in the ocean where they may actually be causing harm (it's being studied now).

As i was preparing supplies for dinner, I thought of a few tips.

Tip: suck on a sugar free candy/chew gum/have a bowl of veggies available while preparing items for meals. It will stop you from snacking as you are preparing.

I was slicing meat, and grating cheese for tonight's dinner. Normally I would have a piece or 4 of it. I didn't

Alot of people don't stop to think about "munching" while preparing meals...

TIP Make your own pizza Alot less calories than store bought or ordered in.... alot healthier too, less greasy. Use pita bread for crust, and make a pita pizza.

Example: My supper tonight is:

Pita Pizza

1 wholegrain pita: 170cal ( 1g fat, no cholesteral)
Mushrooms: 15 cal (approx 1/2 can of pieces and stems)
Tuna: 55 cal (approx. 1/2 can. I toyed with having pepperoni, till I looked at the fat content in a serving of 3-4 thin slices)
Cheese: 100cal ( skim mozzerella, shredded finely so it goes furthur)
Pizza Sauce: 10 cal (2tbsp)

Total for supper: 350 cal, good amount of fibre, and protein. Some dairy, some veg....if I had some spinach, I would have put that on it.

TIP for the cheese lovers (like me). Buy the skim mozzerella, or the light chedder. When shredding it (for pizza or nachos, etc) use the thin side of the shredder.... it makes it go furthur.

Originally Posted by Ms. Freya

One thing I find helps on really bad days is smoothies. - Throw yoghurt (fat free), fruit and a bit of ice in a blender, mix it all up and it's enough of a light treat that you can enjoy one even if you're not convinced you're hungry. I find it will either hit the spot, or stimulate enough or an appetite to get you to eat a small meal. My DH gets migraines and this is one of the things we do to get him to eat on those days. Hope that helps.

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Great idea Thanks for the suggestion. I've never made a smoothie before, but it sounds like it would be a great summer treat instead of ice cream. As well as healthy for days like yesterday.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Snake_Lady - in a past post you mentioned summer time being bad on your eating habits. Grilling food is actually a pretty good way to cook it (much better than frying). Even better if you have a smoker and like fish. You can also cook a lot of veggies on a grill.

I'm going to echo what SwampWitch said, though. Artificial sweeteners really are a bad idea. Regular sugar and sweeteners are fine, if you learn limit yourself. Do you know waste management plants have problems filtering out artificial sweeteners. So they get dumped out in the ocean where they may actually be causing harm (it's being studied now).

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Yes, summertime is bad for me for a few reasons. I do drink more alcoholic beverages when we're sitting outside, we eat more burgers, sausage, hot dogs and pasta salads.

We do bbq ALOT and I steam or bbq my veggies When I do fry food, I don't really use anything in it.... I add a little water to my veggies, or use a non-stick spray. The one thing I do use oil in, is frying up hashbrowns. Though we don't eat them too often, maybe 2x a month.

The other negative, is instead of having a side dish, we'll have 2 burgers, or 2-3 hotdogs, or 2 sausage. Which falls under me learning portion control, as well as examining what I eat.

I did find a good burger last time I was grocery shopping. Very lean, 130cal per patty compared to the normal ones we have at 300 per patty. The only problem is that they are pricey, and like most people, I have to budget.

I plan on serving sides more often.... a side salad, veggies, wholegrain pasta salad with italian dressing instead of mayo....etc. That way, I can have one burger and a bunch of veggies, instead of 2 burgers.

re: artificial sweeteners. Personally I do not use a whole lot of them. I drink my coffee with sugar, but I do drink diet pop in low amounts (maybe 1can every 2 days). I prefer the taste of diet pop over regular pop. Hmmm, my yogurt has sucralose in it as well.

I can't eat alot of foods/drinks with aspartame in it.... migraine trigger.

I know others that use the AS alot... on or in everything. YUCK. personally I can't stand too much of it, my hubby does not like aspartame whatsoever.