Gotta lose weight (again)

Old 04-15-2011, 11:23 AM
  #11  
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I am not obese but the weight has been creeping up over the last few years (20 lbs.) . I eat very healthy, very little meat, don't drink milk, no sodas, no fast food, lots of whole grains, fruits, vegs, and I exercise, it's still creeping up. What else do I have to do. Very discouraging.
Oh, and I don't even eat dinner. Last meal is tea and toast at 4pm.
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Old 04-15-2011, 11:29 AM
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Back in the 70's when living in southern CA I worked for a very wealthy family while going to school. This is where I learned about processed foods. I did clean up for the cook (dishwasher) Fresh produce and fruit was delivered every morning. One of the dairy farmers brought dairy twice a week. The lady of the house was perfection in my young eyes and I hung on her every word about foods to be prepared and what her kids were allowed to eat. I never got out of the kitchen area and that's all she talked about when she came to the kitchen. She was serious about her food. I never saw a box of mac and cheese, deli meats, chips, white bread, sweetened cereals, or packaged snacks like cookies. She said she'd pick dandelion leaves before spending money buying poison for her family's health. I grew up on a farm and I thought I was unlucky to have nothing but garden stuff and raised meats to eat and here these people ate nothing else and less of it.
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Old 04-15-2011, 11:55 AM
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I can remember when Hamburger Helper first came out. I bought a box and thought this was going to be great! I made it and it was horrible tasting. Nothing like the hamburger casserole I learned to make at home. My grandmother ate some and told me if you cook this for your kids they will never know how good real food is or how bad this stuff is. She said cook real food and leave food like this on the shelves. She said children need real food for their brain to grow sound. I think she was right.
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Old 04-15-2011, 12:01 PM
  #14  
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Ha! you can do what my DD did. The Dr. told her she needed to lose some weight around her hips before it got harder for her as she got older. She went and had lipo. Instant thin hips. She is braver then I am about surgery. That's been about ten year ago and she still has thin hips. I'm not for vanity surgery at my age but..... maybe a neck lift. LOL
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Old 04-15-2011, 12:24 PM
  #15  
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Started in on weight watchers - that's what is basically working for me. :)
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Old 04-15-2011, 01:17 PM
  #16  
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I find eating a lot of fruits and veggies, whole grains, cut back on the meat, 8 ozs total (include eggs, peanut butter, etc.. in this amount) is usually enough each day (unless you are very, very active) and fats in general has helped me to maintain my weight over the years.

A little protein with each meal helps fill me up, instead of having the biggest portion, usually at dinner time.

Have your biggest meal of the day at noon, not in the evening.

Breakfast is important, and eating every 3-4 hours does help keep your metabolism going. Just watch how many calories you consume at each sitting.

Brown basmatti rice is a great substitute for white rice, home made noodles last a week in a brown paper bag if you thoroughly dry them first.

I do use 98% fat free chicken and beef broth for sauces/gravies. Smash boiled potatoes or bake potatoes and leave out the milk/butter and use the fat free gravy made out of canned broth instead.

George Foreman type grills are wonderful kitchen accessories :D

Fried is NOT my friend...

A cup of chicken or beef broth with veggies will help fill you up before you start eating a meal. This can have as little as 30-40 calories total, just add a couple Tbls of finely chopped veggies to add flavor and variety. A great way to use up those little bits of leftovers.

Make it a bowl full for a meal. Frozen mixed veggies work well, add an ounce or two of lean, chopped meat. I freeze leftover meat/veggies in these small amounts, chopped and ready to go.
Add a sliced whole wheat roll to dip in the soup broth :D

Rinse, peel and bag up raw veggies so that you can reach in the bag and they are ready to eat. If I have to stop and do this serving by serving, I end up not eating them as often. YES I am lazy :lol:

Small changes do add up, and when you get used to them, add a few more.

If you are able, add just a little more physical activity. Rocking in a rocking chair burns more calories than sitting in a recliner. Tap your feet, swing your legs, move your arms around during commercial breaks to their music, or try a few sit down exercises. You would be surprised at how much these will help :D

If it tastes really, really, really good? Check the fat and/or sugar content :roll: :lol: :lol:
Try to eat only 1/3 as much as normal and then fill up on raw veggies.


Save your milk servings for a snack along with a little something healthy or with a smaller meal to help fill you up.

Some peoples bodies will process sugar substitutes the same as regular sugar. I have been reading more and more about this lately. So if you are using them, counting calories and still not losing weight, this could be you.

Never have foods I crave? :shock: about twice a month I eat a meal without any care to the calorie/fat counts. I only cook enough for that meal, no leftovers.
I do try and keep the rest of my foods that day reasonble to help compensate.
Once or twice a month I do buy sweets, but only enough for a couple of servings. If they are in the house, I WILL eat them LOL
The 5 minute mug cakes are a good way to make a single serving and not have leftovers to tempt yourself.

Teaching myself that food is fuel.. not a reward, or thinking it has to be cooked a certain way to be tasty or I won't eat it.
I love the saying, "Eat to live, not live to eat." Sometimes it is a struggle to follow this saying, but I try hard to live it.



What did not work over the last 40+ years?

Starvation/skipping meals... it tricks the body into converting everything you eat during this time into fat, and it will continue to do so for a while after you start eating regularly again.
For most people, anything under 2000 calories is a starvation diet.

Fad diets do not work in the long run, nor are most of them a healthy diet. Most of these Fads make nutritionists shudder.... They can also lead to unnecessary health issues in the future.

Fad diet pills/supplements... some may not be harmful and others? Check with your doctor/pharmacist about what these ingredients really are. Natural isn't always not harmful, toxic chemicals can/are made out of natural plants.
My DB's Mom died of liver problems due to fad diet pills...

Unfortunately the only ones who gain anything from these Fads are the authors or manufacturers :(

Ignoring serving portions can pack the pounds on quickly. Keep smaller glasses, plates and bowls handy.
I quickly found out the milk I was drinking that should have been around 90 calories a serving had jumped to 180 in the glass I normally used. That extra 90 X 3 meals is almost a meal in itself :shock: Still thirsty? drink water :wink:

Low calorie snacks? Check the portion size, usually that amount wouldn't hardly satisfy a 2 yr old LOL I would eat several of them, if not the whole box :roll:

Fast Food places? Wow!! I went through a drive through last week... Hamburger, fries (small) and a regular strawberry milk shake, almost 1900 calories :shock: It was a nice, tasty treat, but I really didn't enjoy the carrot sticks and plain, dry rice cakes the rest of the day ROFLMBO Wait... if only ROFLMBO would really do just that!! Then I would only have to diet to get rid of the rest :D:D:D

Super sizing? That is the fastest way to super size the butt, waist, hips..... LOL

Remember when:
The largest soft drink offered was the same size as the smallest one now?
When cup holders were made to fit these and the little 8-10 oz coffee cups?
Single serving bottles of soft drinks were 8ozs or less?
No one HAD to have drinks/snacks all of the time in the car with them?
Snacks were far and few between.
Life before meals in a box or pouch?
Fast Food was a rare treat?
People in general were more active?
AND there were not as many over weight people? :wink:

I don't mean to sound like I am preaching, just giving some food for thought, and what does and didn't work for me :D:D:D
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Old 04-15-2011, 01:41 PM
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When SIL became a diabetic DD started watching her cooking. Kept us down to 45 (good) carbs per meal healty snacks and we all lost good weight. The body needs most all foods, no not processed lol... and we can be choosey re: meats... well, DD went back to old way of cooking and we gained our weight back :( :( I wish you the best on your diet. :)
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Old 04-15-2011, 01:45 PM
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unsalted almonds are a great snack source... beef jerky in moderation because of SALT... your diet suger treats are a real farce... still sugar. different form. Also they say for a diabetic, pop corn is another good source, oatmeal, just some good foods. I am sure pop corn in moderation, without all the butter... Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top instead of butter & salt?
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Old 04-15-2011, 02:42 PM
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I'm still on the avoiding diet..no wheat or corn. Lots in my family have allergies to many different foods, pollens and insect stings. And I am strongly avoiding Aspartame and artificial sweeteners. I've read all over the Internet (WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT? DRINK DIET SODAS)!!

Food is pretty easy now to fix since I'm widowed and eat what I want. I even dig up weeds from the front yard and plant them in back for my salads (and the turtle loves them too). Weeds have far more nutrition than plants that have been genetically altered, or grown in worn out soil.

I've just returned from the grocery store I've shopped in for years, the rise in prices shocked me. ONE BELL PEPPER is $1.49. That is ONE pepper, not one pound. And other prices are also rising. I'm now going to grow far more than I had planned to in the back yard. Gonna spend the spring and summer collecting canning jars at Estate sales/yard sales, etc. And maybe get a bigger freezer, a floor model. They're pretty cheap nowadays. Then later today I'm going out to plant the roots of the two bunches of green onions that I got today. The rest I've planted are almost ready to harvest, and then THEIR roots will be replanted. Soon I won't have to buy them any more, or any of the onion family. Chives, leeks, garlic, etc. And at CostCo, I bought a big container of fresh, peeled garlic last year, and in a moment of wanting to see what would happen, I planted a couple of them. They sprouted!!! So soon I'm going to get another big container, plant part and freeze part of them. They last forever frozen.
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Old 04-15-2011, 07:29 PM
  #20  
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I have been trying to lose some weight to. I found that if I limit my calorie intake to 300 cal. per meal, and have a healthy snack in between meals (apple, yogurt, almonds, etc.) that I can make it through the day just fine. My last meal is usually a large green salad with lots of fresh veggies and a very small piece of protein. I have lost 11 pounds, which is not much, but it is a start. I also exercise a little every day ( you can also do some dancing to your favorite music kind of like Richard Simmons used to do) and go to a gym twice a week to use the bicycle and the treadmill. I have learned that you have to change your style of eating and don't call it a diet. It is a food lifestyle change. Also, on the food channel there is a program called "Hungry Girl" and she has some great tips for preparing food with a lot less calories. I signed up for her daily newsletter to. Good luck in your efforts, it is not an easy journey.
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