weight loss...tips, recipes, someone to talk to??

**slightly long post, sorry in advance**

I have been unhappy with myself for a long time now, and am trying to do something about it. A few years back, I was in an unhealthy relationship and poor. I made horrible food choices, and gained a lot of weight. I went from a size 14 to a size 22/24 within months/a year. The guy I was dating and I would go out to eat all the time, get ice cream/junk food at every shopping trip if we could. When I had extra money to splurge it was always on food. Food made me happy while I ate it, made me feel better, but afterwards, I felt like crap. This started when I was 21. I am now nearing 27 and need to change my life.

When I was 24 I decided to make a change. I ate healthier, ended the bad relationship/situation, started working a second job and got more active. I lost weight (not sure how much, I avoided scales at all cost) and went down to a size 16. Where I have been stuck. I now fluctuate from a size 18 to a size 16. My weight fluctuates within about 10 lbs. I have decided that I need to make a lifestyle change. My husband and I both decided actually. We have been doing it over the past couple months but seeing little results, so we are trying to step it up. Some things we are already doing....

We are vegetarians. We eat a lot of tofu & fake meats, veggies (mainly broccoli, corn, peppers, lettuce, carrots). We have problems with soda, so have cut down and only allow ourselves one day a week that we can drink soda. We drink a lot of water but over the summer have had a lot of sweet tea, which is a lot of sugar. We cut out on sweets....no cookies, candy, ice cream (my weakness....). When we want a sweet "dessert" we plan to incorporate fruits or light puddings or yogurt. We don't eat fast food....except the occaisonal burrito from chipotle. We do eat pizza once a week probably, and are trying to cut down on that. Typically plain cheese, or veggie.
Our problem foods? We eat pasta, potatoes, rice....starchy foods too much. I enjoy wheat bread but DH does not. So we are going to try multi grain breads. I love brown rice, he is okay with it but likes white rice more, so I am working on getting him to make the switch. IDK what to do about potatoes....and we have been buying this Ronzoni (i think is the brand) smart taste pasta that is supposed to have whole grains in it.

Okay, so this is kinda a long post now, and I am sorry for that. The reason I am writing all this out, is because we could use advice. Recipes, food ideas....anything you could think of to help us eat healthier.
We are working on the exercise thing too. We don't have sidewalks in our area, and two busy highways on either side of our town so we aren't too comfy walking outside but are starting to try to plan a route. I ordered a cardio fitness dvd that I want to try that got good reviews...and he is trying to work on our basement so we have a workout area. We cannot afford a gym or classes at it, and the local Y is 60/mo for the two of us to join, so that has to wait. We want to go to a local park to walk but are trying to coordinate times with my schedule of having kids at the house (i do daycare from home all day). So if anyone has any ideas on workouts or ways to get more active that you think would help, or have helped you, I would love to hear it!
Also I wanted to know if anyone else was struggling with weight loss...if you wanted to have a friend to talk to about it, we could encourage each other, share tips and etc.

Well, having gained 20 pounds because of not being able to walk for the past six months or so, I'm on board. Basically, my problem is that I got lazy. I couldn't walk due to knee surgery and decided the heck with it all. Now I've got 20 pounds to lose. I'm always around; if you'd feel better PM-ing, that's fine, too. Or email. Or even a phone call is fine with me. I just started back on my healthy eating and exercise plan last week. 20 pounds....I'm such an idiot!

I like to cook and bake, so it's difficult for us to keep on track. I have found, though, that substituting healthier foods for other foods works out well. And it may take a long time to adjust to different foods....for example, brown rice instead of white, whole wheat or multi-grain breads instead of white. It took my DH months to go from whole milk to skim. (And there was a lot of "tricking" going on to help him. ) Now? The idea of drinking whole milk makes him gag....and that's the truth.

I suggest things like.....instead of cooking white rice, use a combination of white and brown rice for awhile, maybe half of one, half of the other combined (watch the cooking times b/c they are different, but you can work that out). And then start adding more brown than white. The whole wheat pasta is good; that's all we eat anymore. You can still have a potato once in a while, but just watch the quantity...don't eat them every night. Make stir-fries with lots of fresh vegetables. Use olive oil (or even chicken or beef broth) to saute ingredients. Lots of fresh salads with healthy dressings. Lots of healthy soups and stews (and I have a ton of really delicious recipes that are low in fat, sodium, sugar, etc.! Even for sweets) Unsweetened tea takes a while to get used to, but it's better for you. You don't eat meat, but I found that after browning some meats (ground beef, for example, or turkey kielbasa), I can actually rinse it off and even dry it a bit with paper towels to get rid of even more fat.

There are nights when I will do a quick stir-fry for dinner with nothing but fresh vegetables. I'll pour a bit of balsamic vinegar into the skillet, reduce it down, and that's our sauce. And that's it for dinner. We eat beef now once every two weeks or so....maybe. We do eat chicken and pork, some shrimp, try to have fish at least once a week. Grilling or roasting on a rack is better than browning foods in oil. We are back to our Meatless Mondays starting next week; DH isn't real happy about that, but he'll adjust again. I'd like to get back to having meatless meals at least twice a week again.

I use a lot of different spices and herbs to complement our foods. Green beans with a wee bit of sesame oil. Snow peas with fresh sauteed garlic. Green peas with tarragon or thyme. You get the idea. We eat a lot of sweet potatoes. I finally got my DH to enjoy squash! Roasted chunks of squash with a bit of olive oil, a tiny sprinkle of salt? So good! One of my favorite side dishes is nothing more than butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions, drizzled with a wee bit of olive oil and tossed with a little(!) salt and then roasted until crisp-tender. Actually, DH and I have been known to have that as an entree on our meatless Monday.

Pizza is my downfall; I could easily live on pizza for the rest of my life! For the most part, we have pizza once a month or so, just a couple slices. I can't live without it and I don't want to. And I try to make it a healthier pie by making it myself. It's not hard to do.

I know this is a real PITB, but have you thought about counting calories? I do, every day. How can you know where you are if you don't know what you've eaten or how many calories you've consumed for the day? I keep a complete journal with calories, exercises, etc. I weigh myelf every single day of my life. Research has shown that people who do that know how they're doing....if they've gained a few pounds, they know it right away and more often than not, will get back on track. I've kept my journal now for eight years. Yes, it's a pain. But after awhile, it becomes second nature.

Is portion control a problem for you? It is with me. I have a nutritional scale so that I weigh my food...you'd be surprised how much 4 ounces really is! My scale tells me the calories, fiber, potassium, calcium, etc. The kids got it for me several years ago as part of my Christmas present.....it is on my kitchen counter, right in full view, so there's no reason not to use it.

I still have to watch the type of exercises I do because of my knee: no twisting, no hard cardio where I have to do fast stepping or anything like that. I've been using the elliptical faithfully and that does help. I exercise with dumbbells. And I'm on the exercise mat to work on crunches and leg exercises. Like I said, I'm limited right now because of the knee (and won't be able to get back outside to walk until next spring), but I am determined to get back on track.

So.....I apologize for the long post. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I did manage to lose 76 pounds eight years ago and I've kept it off....until my recent 20-pound weight gain, which was my own fault. And I'm always around. And like I said, I have no problem with phone calls, emails, etc. I could use some help, too!

Originally Posted by frankthetank

IDK what to do about potatoes.

Click to expand...

Use more squashes - not yellow squash or zucchini, either. The large winter squashes can be used in a lot of dishes and are great for fiber and calcium. Kabocha is great if you can find it, too. Replace baked potatoes with baked sweet potatoes - far more nutritious.
Eggplant, turnips, taro (use carefully, if you're unfamiliar with it), cauliflower, and if you can find them (or grow them next year) there's jerusalem artichoke roots - they taste good and cook up slightly firmer than a potato.

I hate brown rice, too. But I do like wild rice. You can also try other grains like cous cous or quinoa.

If you're trying to cut out sugar and starches, though, why not just pick up a few good diabetic cookbooks? You'll gain some tips, substitution suggestions, and some new recipes out of it.

(I'm not one trying to lose weight, btw, I just happen to eat a lot of veggies and have to avoid higher fat foods since I can't digest a lot of fat)

Portion control...that is what you need to do. Even if you eat the right foods, if you eat too much of anything you will gain weight. I suggest you join Weight Watchers, maybe just one of you can go and then you can both follow the rules. If you can't afford to go every week then just get those rule books and follow it. It will tell you just how much food you should eat...portion control. This is the best advice I can give you, WW worked for me.

I have fallen in love with Food Matters by Mark Bittman. There's a book that's a few years old, that's half the idea and half recipes, and a new cookbook that just came out (and is on my wishlist). It kind of builds on the Michael Pollan philosphy of "eat food (nothing fake, or overly processed), not too much (portion control), mostly plants." It isn't strictly vegetarian, but does have a ton of vegetarian friendly recipes and those that have meat can easily be made veg. I have never ever ever been able to lose weight, despite running and exercising well for years, but by making the simple changes to my food outlook from the book, I've lost probably 20% of my body weight in the last 6 months, and hope to get the other 20% in the next 6 months.

What I like about Food Matters is it isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change that is totally sustainable. I hate counting calories, so I really like that so long as I cook copious amounts of healthy food (heavy on the veggies), I can be satiated and eat well.

Looking at what you eat, I'd say you're almost there, just a few changes and hopefully the rest of the weight will fall off.

Do try to switch to whole grains (not just wheat, it's gotta say whole grain to get the most benefit). It can be a shock to the taste buds, but you will get used to it after awhile. That means whole wheat pastas, whole wheat breads, brown rice, whole wheat couscous, oats, the whole 9 yards. Use non whole grain carbs as an occasional food, not something you eat every day or every week. I actually don't like the Ronzoni pasta, and find that the straight up whole wheat with just a few ingredients tastes better. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, definitely check it out, as their whole wheat pasta (and couscous) is tasty and pretty cheap compared to the grocery store. Also, their whole wheat tortillas are cheap, fabulous and have a short ingredient list.

I'm vegetarian most of the time, and I honestly never eat fake meat. There's just too much crud stuffed in there, and not enough real food. Most fail to fall under the maxum of "eat food" with all the additives in them. I make my own veggie burgers out of things like chickpeas, oats and vegetables (lots of recipes out there via google).

I also didn't see you mention beans anywhere. Beans and lentils are a vegetarian's best friend Chock full of nutrients and very very cheap (especially if you buy dried). Those are great filler uppers, and a way to give you something of substance to eat rather than breads and whatnot.

Soups and stews are also your friend. My favorite cookbook is "Love Soup" by Anna Thomas, 100% vegetarian. Not every recipe is healthy, but there are lots of great options. We usually end up eating soup or stew for dinner each night. Chili with beans, a lentil soup, or a pureed root vegetable or squash soup all stick to your ribs and lessen the desire to eat lots of bread (although sometimes it's nice to have a crusty piece of bread with a bowl). This week, I have this squash-lentil soup that is to die for.

And finally, get sweet potatoes. They are my favorite favorite favorite thing to eat. Chop em up, roast em in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and enjoy! The nutritional quality is insane.

Don't forget to check out your local library. They may have a selection of exercise DVDs you can borrow, and then when you find some you really like, budget them in to buy them. Ditto for cookbooks. It was really finding good (vegetarian) cookbooks and starting to get away from processed foods that has really helped me. Maybe they'll have food matters and you can browse that


Some links:
101 Cookbooks - Vegetarian Health Recipe Journal
Mark Bittman - author of Food Matters, occasionally will post recipes
Fatfree Vegan
Jamie Oliver - check the vegetarian option under the recipes tab
NYT's Recipes for Health

Danielle, there's some fantastic information in these posts for you.

Go to 3fatchicks.com. It's a website for folks trying to lose weight. Tons of stuff to read, blogs, chat rooms, etc. I go there for fun just to read some of the posts.

I had severe eating disorders for 15 years, which I painfully overcame eventually. Here's a few of my tips:

1. Lose the car keys and try to take a walk every day.

2. Sit down at a table to eat. Don't eat while driving, doing laundry, cleaning, watching TV, etc., etc.

3. Don't eat between meals. It's okay to be hungry sometimes. Hunger is the best appetizer.

4. Have dinner at 7 p.m. Try not to eat a meal any later than this. Earlier is better.

5. Eat breakfast, it's a great start to the day.

6. I try to have major calories as early in the day as possible. I would never eat dessert after dinner, but would eat cheesecake for breakfast if I wanted to.

7. IMO, drinks with calories are a waste of calories. Water is essential for the body and it fills you up too.

8. No second helpings.

I'll think of more things to help you.

On the exercise thing, Gary and I have become very sedentary since his pain began. Our work is on the laptop, researching and writing. What I (try) to do is everytime I get up to do anything, I do something before I sit back down. Jumping jacks, knee bends, toe touches - jogging in place for a few - ANYTHING to get me "moving."

And you mention a basement. Stairs are GREAT for exercise. When you go up and down, instead of just going down, go down, then up, then down. You can even make a point of setting aside some time just to go up and down the stairs. Your legs will hurt at first, so start slow and work up to it.

...and walking is really one of the best things you can do for exercise. The summer Gary and I were in the best shape was when we took a break EVERY DAY at some point to go for a walk. We got it up to a couple of miles a day. You just change the pace at which you walk while walking, and it really helps your metabolism. We didn't have to pay attention to what we ate, and the weight came off.

The other thing you can do is simply force yourself to drink a lot of water. I cannot chug it down, but I am TERRIBLE about staying hydrated. So I have a little cup - it's about 6 ounces. I started setting a timer to ring every hour during the day, and I'd down the 6 oz. You can even bump that up to every half hour - even better for you. It helps rev up your metabolism, and it helps you feel fuller so you don't eat as much when you eat.

We make our own iced tea. We never used much sugar to begin with, but I added less and less, and now we just drink it unsweetened. Like Winchester says, part of it is just to "trick" yourself into new habits, transitioning, not trying to take too much on at one time.

Thank you everyone for the awesome tips!

I have a VERY picky husband. I will try a lot of things and like a wide range of foods and he doesn't at all. I love whole wheat pastas, couscous, brown rice, veggies etc. Before I met him, I was not big on cheeses, pizza and stuff like that. He only likes certain veggies, doesn't like whole wheat breads/pasta, couscous and any beans. I am not a fan of beans at all but I have thought about trying to make some to see if my tastes have changed.
We went to the grocery store today and actually did well. I discussed with him that because we have such different food tastes, it is fine if our meals vary. I got myself some whole wheat pasta, so when he has his regular pasta, I will boil my own. We simmer store bought plain sauce with added garlic, peppers and onions, so we have added veggies.
We are also going to buy a food scale this weekend...I want to start measuring out food, so I only get one actual portion of everything.
Meal times....are kinda funny. We both get up at around 430am. IDK what time he eats at work, I typically pack him some food. At home, I have breakfast between 5 -6am, typically a whole wheat english muffin or a mini bagel w/ a little spray margarine. I am trying to add fruit, juice and maybe some yogurt to it. I do daycare at home, so I usually eat whatever I feed the kids which is typically a protein/carb/starch type thing, fruit and a veg. We eat dinner by 430pm (DH and I). We try to make sure we don't eat within the last 2.5 hours before bed.
I also joined a website called sparkpeople.com where you can register and add in the foods you eat & portions and it will count calories. It also let me put in how much I want to lose, and it gives me a target date, tips on exercise & food ideas as well as message boards of other people trying to lose weight.
We have a lot of little kinda small not so great libraries around me but the main library in Columbus is really nice. I have been on the library website searching vegetarian cookbooks & "diet" cookbooks for ideas on things to make. Since we have been together Korey has gotten a lot less picky, so I am definitely working on him to make him try new things. I make our tea and just brew it and add sugar...but I have been adding less and less lately so he can get used to unsweetened. I love unsweetened tea...he isn't so keen on it. But...today he mentioned wanting to try lentils! And soup....he HATES soup! So I am excited...he seems like he is committed to this as well. I am going to start a food diary in addition to online and keep track of our foods.

I think it is so funny/interesting how couples can really change each others eating habits and activity habits....not always for the better! So let's see if I can work us both into some good habits. I hope he stays on board, if not....his loss! But for his health I hope he is on board...so far so good.

Oh another "trick." When you drink the presweetened teas, or you drink juice or something, don't drink them from the bottle. Pour them into a glass, and make the mix 50/50 tea (or juice)/water. This cuts the calories you're drinking. (And now we can't stand full strength juice LOL).

Originally Posted by frankthetank

And soup....he HATES soup!

Click to expand...

How can anyone hate soup?! If you're going to go with unsweetened or lightly sweetened tea, make sure you use a very good quality tea.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

How can anyone hate soup?!

If you're going to go with unsweetened or lightly sweetened tea, make sure you use a very good quality tea.

Click to expand...

I refuse to eat DH's homemade soup. Basically he would fill a pot with water and throw any old rubbish into it. He loves it.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

How can anyone hate soup?!

If you're going to go with unsweetened or lightly sweetened tea, make sure you use a very good quality tea.

Click to expand...

He has the weirdest eating habits EVER!!!!!!!!! I don't get it. When I met him he basically survived off frozen pizza and spaghettios. GROSS.
I love soup. I could eat soup alllll the time. One of my favorite meals is our homemade noodles in broth.
We made our own veggie stock, basically water and tons of veggies. He likes noodles cooked in it but doesn't like many veggies other then broccoli, corn, potatoes, uncooked peppers. I try to hide veggies in other things, like you would with a child. I am very excited he is willing to try a garlic soup recipe we found. Neither of us really enjoys milk or creamy soups, so I am trying to find soups he will eat that are healthy....in winter, I could eat soup every day! He has high blood pressure, bad, so I am trying to lower his salt intake also.
OH just to share some info....he typically cooks for us because of how picky he is. Its sad for me, because I love to cook and want to open my own cafe/bakery some day but his picky-ness is crazy and better dealt with by him. However, I am going to start preparing meals while I am home during the day, and I want to start eating fresh salads more often instead of frozen veggies.

Originally Posted by frankthetank

When I met him he basically survived off frozen pizza and spaghettios. GROSS.

Click to expand...

And that was some how better?... guys are odd.

Mine was very picky about vegetables, too. The problem was that his parents would "cook" a lot of them... their method of cooking was (and still is) to under cook things, overcook - boil, make bland stuff, etc. With the way I cook I've been able to get him to try and like a lot of stuff.

What about curry? Do the two of you like it? You can curry just about any veggie.

Try switching to diet sodas on your soda days. For some people it doesn't work but if you can do it it cuts out a lot of calories. Also when drinking sweet tea, make it with Splenda or another sugar-free sweetener. If you like lemon in your tea add that it will help mask the artificial taste. After awhile you don't notice it is made with artificial sweetener anymore. I am the worlds biggest sweet tea drinker and this has helped me a ton! Also at restaurants you can ask for unsweetened tea with no ice, and a glass of ice. Mix in your sweetener while the tea is still room temperature and it will mix better, then pour it over the ice.

There's some great stuff in this thread. What a wonderful resource TCS people are!

I haven't had much luck losing weight, but I have drastically improved my health in spite of my weight -- and I attribute that primarily to the breakfast I've had almost every morning for about 18 months. It's incredibly healthy, and so filling that, even though it's a little expensive, I end up spending less on food because I'm not as hungry later in the day.

I make some hot Earl Grey Green tea, sweetened with TrueVia... and then I mix up an
Oikos brand Greek yogurt (much higher in protein and lower in sugar than other yogurts) in a bowl with a little low-fat milk, ground flax seed, wheat germ, chopped walnuts, and Bear Naked brand "Fit" Granola (very low in sugar and fat). I top the yogurt with a quarter-cup of frozen blueberries (which defrost nicely with a few quick rinsings under the faucet).

This breakfast is so loaded with healthy things, I'm surprised I'm not a supermodel yet... but I certainly do feel better than I used to, even if I'm not skinny!

Originally Posted by CruiserMaiden

Try switching to diet sodas on your soda days. For some people it doesn't work but if you can do it it cuts out a lot of calories. Also when drinking sweet tea, make it with Splenda or another sugar-free sweetener. If you like lemon in your tea add that it will help mask the artificial taste. After awhile you don't notice it is made with artificial sweetener anymore. I am the worlds biggest sweet tea drinker and this has helped me a ton! Also at restaurants you can ask for unsweetened tea with no ice, and a glass of ice. Mix in your sweetener while the tea is still room temperature and it will mix better, then pour it over the ice.

Click to expand...

If a person is wanting to diet with a focus on healthy natural foods putting that chemical garbage in their body is worse than the HFCS found in sodas. It's truly amazing the political and financial gain that was behind pushing aspartame through FDA approval when what few studies where done (it was approved after too few) showed it as being quite bad. Many have serious side effects from splenda, too. (I'm one who does. ) There's also the problem with it not breaking down and waste treatment plants not really being able to filter it all out - thus its getting out into oceans in some areas. This is currently being studied as to just how much harm it could be causing.

Originally Posted by frankthetank

I love soup. I could eat soup alllll the time. One of my favorite meals is our homemade noodles in broth.

Click to expand...

What about meatless chili? I have a recipe for vegetarian chili that is just delicious....if you like mushrooms, that is. (Get used to eating various kinds of beans; honestly, for the price, beans are the greatest food around.) There are all kinds of recipes for white chili that use chicken or turkey, but you could simply omit the meat. A beef stew with lots of chunked vegetables and a tomato base....no meat, but still delicious. Make a pot of soup or chili or stew for yourself on Sunday....I could send you some recipes for low fat, low salt soups that you can make. And then take a cup in your lunch. Or have a cup for your dinner. While you're making your soup, throw together the ingredients for some muffins, if you like to bake. Or a healthy bread or rolls. Since you like soup, have a hot bowl of soup with a muffin for your dinner. And, who knows, if the soup or chili is already in the fridge, your DH might help himself to a bowl.

Carrot muffins, apple wheat muffins....I think they might be healthier for you overall than a bagel at breakfast. And it might be a good way to add some vegetables to your DH's diet. I would think that even carrots baked into muffins are better for you than no carrots at all.

When DH and I got married, he was not a salad eater. It took awhile for me to get him to start eating vegetables. We started out by me making dips (low fat, low sodium, etc.) and having fresh veggies on hand all the time. That man eats salads now almost every night with whatever fresh produce we have on hand. Low fat coleslaw can be delicious.

We were talking about nutritional scales. Mine has now been discontinued, but it is a Salter 1400. Here's a link: http://www.fitzz.com/Salter-1400-Nut...le_p_3257.html . I like it. You might be able to find one on eBay or maybe Amazon. There are other scales out there, too.

Originally Posted by Winchester

What about meatless chili? I have a recipe for vegetarian chili that is just delicious....if you like mushrooms, that is. (Get used to eating various kinds of beans; honestly, for the price, beans are the greatest food around.) There are all kinds of recipes for white chili that use chicken or turkey, but you could simply omit the meat. A beef stew with lots of chunked vegetables and a tomato base....no meat, but still delicious. Make a pot of soup or chili or stew for yourself on Sunday....I could send you some recipes for low fat, low salt soups that you can make. And then take a cup in your lunch. Or have a cup for your dinner. While you're making your soup, throw together the ingredients for some muffins, if you like to bake. Or a healthy bread or rolls. Since you like soup, have a hot bowl of soup with a muffin for your dinner. And, who knows, if the soup or chili is already in the fridge, your DH might help himself to a bowl.

Carrot muffins, apple wheat muffins....I think they might be healthier for you overall than a bagel at breakfast. And it might be a good way to add some vegetables to your DH's diet. I would think that even carrots baked into muffins are better for you than no carrots at all.

When DH and I got married, he was not a salad eater. It took awhile for me to get him to start eating vegetables. We started out by me making dips (low fat, low sodium, etc.) and having fresh veggies on hand all the time. That man eats salads now almost every night with whatever fresh produce we have on hand. Low fat coleslaw can be delicious.

We were talking about nutritional scales. Mine has now been discontinued, but it is a Salter 1400. Here's a link: http://www.fitzz.com/Salter-1400-Nut...le_p_3257.html . I like it. You might be able to find one on eBay or maybe Amazon. There are other scales out there, too.

Click to expand...

I would love a vegetarian chili recipe! And about the beans, I know everyone says they are great for vegetarians, I think I just never really got into trying recipes with them....but since I am looking to make overall lifestyle changes, I am now searching for recipes to make beans, or to add beans too. I am thinking about making some stuff on sundays that we can reheat for the weeks meals, so I am looking into soups with beans in them.

Also I love the muffin idea. I mad squash muffins last week and loved them...and I have been trying to figure out what other kinds of veggies and fruits I can add to muffins to make them healthy. I agree that a bagel isn't the best breakfast....I had a bagel and banana today and according to the site I am on that counts calories, that was 300 alone. I know there is a new product called Bagel Thins where it is a thin bagel with around 100 calories per serving, but I am trying to cut down on bread, so I am thinking my breakfasts will start to be cereal, fruit and yogurt and I can save some bread servings for other meals.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

There's some great stuff in this thread. What a wonderful resource TCS people are!

I make some hot Earl Grey Green tea, sweetened with TrueVia... and then I mix up an
Oikos brand Greek yogurt (much higher in protein and lower in sugar than other yogurts) in a bowl with a little low-fat milk, ground flax seed, wheat germ, chopped walnuts, and Bear Naked brand "Fit" Granola (very low in sugar and fat). I top the yogurt with a quarter-cup of frozen blueberries (which defrost nicely with a few quick rinsings under the faucet).

Click to expand...

That sounds awesome! I have been wanting to try greek yogurt when I see it in stores, but overall I have never been a huge yogurt fan....however I am trying to change that. I love granola with yogurt, because I love the crunchy aspect of it. I have been trying to make my own granola but have not perfected a recipe, so I think I will try the brand you mentioned. Thanks!
Oh also, what is TrueVia? I think I have heard about it but I don't know much about it....is it a sugar substitute?

Honestly, if your husband is picky, let him cook for himself, and then you make things that are good for you. My husband is still an omnivore, so I usually make one meat based dish for him each week, and then 2 or 3 vegetarian ones. He can eat a little of the meat dish, and then eat the vegetarian ones as well.

He started out able to tolerate no spiciness, but by gradually introducing them into his diet, he's now able to tolerate even more spiciness than me. Maybe the same would work with variety for your DH?

And I have a saying about beans - if you don't like em, you just haven't found the right way to prepare them yet. There are a million and one ways to make beans, so keep trying until you find something you like.

The favorite bean recipe in our house is Unsloppy joes. The first time I made it, AbuS and I finished it all in one meal! Now I usually double or triple the recipe. Make it with dried beans makes it much cheaper. And I usually either serve it on whole wheat tortillas, or just in a bowl, kind of like chili.

There are a few recipes from love soup here. Check out the stewed root vegetables on page 8. That's on my to make list this weekend


And for muffins, this is one of my favorites. No vegetables in it, but very very filling:

Banana Bran Muffins



½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons dark molasses

2 eggs (or egg substitute)

2 ripe mashed bananas (or 1 cup applesauce)

1 cup low far or non fat milk

3 cups wheat bran

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, dried cherries or mixture of all)


Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined

Spray 12 large cupcake tins with cooking spray and fill each ¾ full with the mixture

Bake at 375 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes