Let’s share our journey for those of us that want to pursue a healthier lifestyle to lose weight.

[VacationForever]

Not entirely related to weight loss. I tried "Gentle Yoga" for the first time yesterday morning. I enjoyed it and plan to go back. In the afternoon when I went to the driving range, I was surprised with how it improved my focus.

 

[Quilter]

Mention of sugar reminds me of movie I saw recently -- The Magic Pill. Anyone else seen it?

Watched it multiple times. It shows benefits of a keto diet. Pete Evans is the chef who hosts the movie. He is also in The Paleo Way.

Terry Wahls MD is the doctor featured in these. Her story is very interesting. She is one of the people interviewed by Mark Hyman https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/08/15/the-doctors-farmacy-episode-14-with-dr-terry-wahls/

 

[Quilter]

3 days living large. Time to get back to fresh and home cooked.

On Thursday we were packing, cleaning and doing laundry as we were leaving our DD’s after a 3 week stay. Her husband was deployed at the beginning of January. We’ve been staying to support and help with the baby. We went out for lunch and splurged with Italian. Took home a piece of tiramisu to share at dinner. Eggplant parmigiana on a bed of spaghetti. Delicious but I was overstuffed when we left. I made a nice chicken dinner but was stuffed again after the tiramisu.

We didn’t get on road until after dinner and drove till after midnight. Woke early to get to Orlando for dinner with good friends. They want to meet at Bonefish. Salad, mussels and glass of wine. Mussels was appetizer size but reality was it was ginormous. I shouldn’t have but we were catching up with long conversation so I kept noshing on all of the mussels. When I was finished I knew I should have stopped 1/2 way. The salad dressing had a sweet taste and so did the broth on the mussels. It wasn’t setting well after I ate it. Too much sweet. We went back to their room and had coffee and dessert. Stuffed again.

Back on the road this morning to head to Palm beach Shores. Started out right by stopping when comfortable with 1/2 portion of breakfast at Panera. It held me good till dinner. Only had a pickle from the cooler when we arrived. Went for an early dinner at Season’s 52 because we hadn’t gotten to store yet and all I wanted was a cozy, comfy booth and good food. Asparagus soup, chicken ravioli with mushroom broth. Just one of their small desserts with coffee (pecan pie). Again too much sweet on top of the pasta and I left regretting eating too much again.

I feel so much better with fresh, low carb and homemade. I make the mistake soooo often of not quitting before it’s too much. Looking forward to grocery shop tomorrow and cooking in our room.

 

[Panina]

3 days living large. Time to get back to fresh and home cooked.

On Thursday we were packing, cleaning and doing laundry as we were leaving our DD’s after a 3 week stay. Her husband was deployed at the beginning of January. We’ve been staying to support and help with the baby. We went out for lunch and splurged with Italian. Took home a piece of tiramisu to share at dinner. Eggplant parmigiana on a bed of spaghetti. Delicious but I was overstuffed when we left. I made a nice chicken dinner but was stuffed again after the tiramisu.

We didn’t get on road until after dinner and drove till after midnight. Woke early to get to Orlando for dinner with good friends. They want to meet at Bonefish. Salad, mussels and glass of wine. Mussels was appetizer size but reality was it was ginormous. I shouldn’t have but we were catching up with long conversation so I kept noshing on all of the mussels. When I was finished I knew I should have stopped 1/2 way. The salad dressing had a sweet taste and so did the broth on the mussels. It wasn’t setting well after I ate it. Too much sweet. We went back to their room and had coffee and dessert. Stuffed again.

Back on the road this morning to head to Palm beach Shores. Started out right by stopping when comfortable with 1/2 portion of breakfast at Panera. It held me good till dinner. Only had a pickle from the cooler when we arrived. Went for an early dinner at Season’s 52 because we hadn’t gotten to store yet and all I wanted was a cozy, comfy booth and good food. Asparagus soup, chicken ravioli with mushroom broth. Just one of their small desserts with coffee (pecan pie). Again too much sweet on top of the pasta and I left regretting eating too much again.

I feel so much better with fresh, low carb and homemade. I make the mistake soooo often of not quitting before it’s too much. Looking forward to grocery shop tomorrow and cooking in our room.

It all sounds so yummy. I always say if you deviate from eating well do it with great food. Too often we just snack and can’t even remember how much or what. There are times to enjoy and this was your time. Welcome back

 

[Quilter]

It all sounds so yummy. I always say if you deviate from eating well do it with great food. Too often we just snack and can’t even remember how much or what. There are times to enjoy and this was your time. Welcome back

The problem is that the overstuffed feeling isn’t enjoyable. I don’t regret the meal from guilt but because I’m uncomfortable for hours. I repeatedly continue to eat and once my brain says I’m done is long after my gut is overtaxed. My portions may be small compared to what I’ve seen others consume but for me a full order is generally twice my portion. I was raised with a lot of sweet in my diet and as a result others said I had a sweet tooth. Now I see it as an addiction to sweet. The end result doesn’t give me a feeling of being nourished.

 

[heathpack]

I had some strawberries I needed to use up from last Sunday’s farmers market run. So I was looking for a berry based breakfast recipe. Found one in the New York Times cooking section- Baked Oatmeal with Berries

I started out with the idea to make a half recipe ie four servings. I sliced up my strawberries, only to discover that I was low on rolled oats and only had enough to make a quarter recipe. I forged ahead and wound up with double butter (it was already melted), double berries (they were already cut), and double egg (because the original recipe called for 2 eggs and I couldn’t feasibly quarter that)- but it still came out pretty good.

Not exactly “diet food” but paired with a cup of black coffee and nothing else, it’s not too much of a calorie buster for breakfast. It’s very filling.

409 cal/serving
23.1 gm fat
43 gm total carb
6.7 gm fiber
12 gm protein

Recipe Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries, 2 servings

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt 2T butter, and use some of it to brush a small casserole dish

Place 1.5 cups sliced strawberries (or sub other berries) into the casserole dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1 large egg, 2T brown sugar, 1/4 t vanilla extract, and a pinch of nutmeg.

In a separate bowl whisk together 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 t baking powder, and 1/4 t salt.

Add the liquid ingredients to the oatmeal mixture, and stir well. Pour over the berries.

Bake 35-40 min. Serve warm.

 

[bluehende]

As expected this week was not good. I was doing well until the Wednesday casino buffet while on vacation. That seemed to toggle me into pig out mode for the rest of the week. As I was hiking 5 miles a day for 6 of the 7 days of vacation it did limit the damage. So the 8 day weigh in was +1.5 lbs which was actually better than expected. I assume that some of that is artificial so we are set up for a good week this week if I can get my act together.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am down 53 pounds today. I cannot believe this program has been so easy. I am enjoying my 4th meal of the day right now, a raisin oat cinnamon crisp bar. It's delicious and only 110 calories. I eat a pancake every morning with a tablespoon of SF maple syrup. Pretty good.

Every 2.5- 3 hours, I get to eat something. Last night, we had a beef roast and broccoli. I measured mine. I can have five ounces of the beef. Rick had potatoes, too, and his delicious gravy. I was fine not having the potatoes/gravy serving. I do have soy potatoes I can eat, if I want potatoes. They taste okay, lots of garlic flavor, but the ingredient is soy. I am not crazy about them, but I have eaten them twice. I have five packages left. Won't order those again.

 

[MULTIZ321]

I am down 53 pounds today. I cannot believe this program has been so easy. I am enjoying my 4th meal of the day right now, a raisin oat cinnamon crisp bar. It's delicious and only 110 calories. I eat a pancake every morning with a tablespoon of SF maple syrup. Pretty good.

Every 2.5- 3 hours, I get to eat something. Last night, we had a beef roast and broccoli. I measured mine. I can have five ounces of the beef. Rick had potatoes, too, and his delicious gravy. I was fine not having the potatoes/gravy serving. I do have soy potatoes I can eat, if I want potatoes. They taste okay, lots of garlic flavor, but the ingredient is soy. I am not crazy about them, but I have eaten them twice. I have five packages left. Won't order those again.

Hi Cindy,

Refresh my memory - what Plan is this?


Richard

 

[Panina]

I almost forgot to post, I got weighed yesterday morning losing another 2.6 this week.

 

[nomoretslt]

I almost forgot to post, I got weighed yesterday morning losing another 2.6 this week.

You’re doing great. I kind of stayed sluggish....am fighting a bacterial infection and just feel blah. My new at home goal for Friday is 137. I’m at 137.5. Did my morning 3 mile indoor WATP (walk away the pounds) and yard work today.

A friend of mine has lost 40 pounds in 3 months. She paid $2,300 for her program that was tailored to her and her DNA. Very restrictive (like 600 calories a day, plus special vitamin pills, and some other stuff), plus visit to the nutritionist every 10 days. She looks great but I’m wondering how she will do when she’s done. I’m proud of her for sticking to it.

DH made sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms. I saved points by not having a roll. Had a lot of the veggies. Very filling.

I’m so glad we are having an early spring. My crocuses are up!

 

[Panina]

You’re doing great. I kind of stayed sluggish....am fighting a bacterial infection and just feel blah. My new at home goal for Friday is 137. I’m at 137.5. Did my morning 3 mile indoor WATP (walk away the pounds) and yard work today.

A friend of mine has lost 40 pounds in 3 months. She paid $2,300 for her program that was tailored to her and her DNA. Very restrictive (like 600 calories a day, plus special vitamin pills, and some other stuff), plus visit to the nutritionist every 10 days. She looks great but I’m wondering how she will do when she’s done. I’m proud of her for sticking to it.

DH made sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms. I saved points by not having a roll. Had a lot of the veggies. Very filling.

I’m so glad we are having an early spring. My crocuses are up!

thank you

Everyone need to find which plan works best for them.

I have been through this so many times since my husband passed that I now realize there is no easy way. I have tried different programs, bar programs, shake programs, delivered meal programs, spas etc. Where I have had some success, for me, once I was off, keeping the weight off was much harder and it came back quicker.

Doing the same thing over and over, and going back each time, it was time to try something else. This time I am only using real food for all my meals. No bars, shakes, TV dinners, food services, etc. This has been easier as far as weight loss and the hardest initially because of having to prepare my food myself.

Now, the food I eat tastes so good, I don’t feel deprived and I am owning it. I have to think and plan, am only eating the foods I love. If I prepare a new recipe and I don’t enjoy it, I throw it out. I am making snacks I love that don’t call my name.

For me this works well, as when I get to a weight that is good for me there won’t be much to change. It will be a continuation.

 

[nomoretslt]

Which is why I love the weight Watchers plan. No special food to buy and it is a plan you can live with forever. And I get so much out of my meetings. We have a really great group. But as with any plan, you have to be ready to do what it takes. If there was a magic pill we’d all be slim. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s different stories and plans. As @Panina says, you have to do what works for you.

 

[Panina]

Which is why I love the weight Watchers plan. No special food to buy and it is a plan you can live with forever. And I get so much out of my meetings. We have a really great group. But as with any plan, you have to be ready to do what it takes. If there was a magic pill we’d all be slim. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s different stories and plans. As @Panina says, you have to do what works for you.

I am loving Weight Watchers too. Being in a 50+ community and that is where my meeting is, I feel for the first time I have others who understand and are experiencing what I am.

 

[Panina]

Bummed...my doctor told me today I should not attend any WW meetings for a minimum of 3 weeks and it probably will be longer due to the virus. I will self weigh. I have a manual doctors scale in the basement.

 

[dsexton]

Thanks for starting this thread. I’ve already picked up some good tips especially the skinnytaste site.

I’m 52 and recently retired so I’m trying to get more active ( love yoga !) and I have about 50lbs to lose.
The thing that has always worked for me is the My Fitness Pal app. It’s free and very easy to use. Whenever I follow this and do a daily food journal I drop 2 lbs per week and eat the things I want in moderation of course. It’s basically calorie counting but also allows you to create your recipes in the app for complete nutritional data and also has the ability to link with websites like Foodnetwork to download recipes for calorie count and nutritional info tracking. A fitness trainer once told me it’s 90% what you put in your mouth. I believe this !

My downfall is wine. I love my wine and for now I only allow myself to drink on the weekends. The problem is I can drink an entire bottle by myself. A pharmacist once told to eat nuts or protein with my wine. I think it has something to do with how the body metabolizes the sugar from the wine but Can’t really explain the science behind that.

Looking forward to learning more tips from this thread.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Hi Cindy,

Refresh my memory - what Plan is this?


Richard

It's called Opta Via. It's through Medifast.

 

[nomoretslt]

Bummed...my doctor told me today I should not attend any WW meetings for a minimum of 3 weeks and it probably will be longer due to the virus. I will self weigh. I have a manual doctors scale in the basement.

I had my WW meeting today...made my goal weight so “free” .....I’m good for a couple of years. That being said, our leader asked us all to write all contact info down......and this evening received an email telling me our meetings will now be virtual for a few weeks. I’m assuming this will be across the country. So just keep up the good work. And keep posting here. My meetings are my rock.

 

[Panina]

Even though my doctor told me not to go to WW meetings for a few weeks, ultimately WW cancels all meetings at all their locations. They will be doing virtual meetings.

I self weighed today and lost 2.1 lbs this week. Then I proceeded to eat too much fruit as my nerves overtook. And yes overeating fruit can make you gain weight. I ate so much I have a belly ache.

 

[Rolltydr]

I’m down to 210 this morning, losing 13 lbs. since January 1. I got off to a slow start walking 2-3 days a week but for the past few weeks, I’ve been doing 1 hour walks at a brisk pace 5-6 days a week. I also have cut my food portions and eliminate or greatly reduce the amount I eat at either lunch or dinner. I try to eat lunch and a snack at dinner but it doesn’t always work out. I haven’t had any reflux problems for about 6 weeks now, my clothes are looser and I feel better physically. (External factors are increasing my anxiety level but, hey, it’s always something, right?)

Anyway, a pat on the back to myself and an attaboy/girl to all of you! Keep at it. You’ll love the results!


Harry

 

[bluehende]

This last week was hard for me. After gaining the weight on vacation I was hoping for a big down week. Unfortunately some achilles tendenitis has limited my walking. I lost 2 but was hoping for more.

 

[Rolltydr]

How to deal with stress eating. We probably know these things but we somtimes need to be reminded. Stay healthy!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/03/19/stress-eating-comfort-time-anxiety-heres-how-experts-say-you-should-deal/

 

[bluehende]

Some good news today. I lost 3 lbs this week. Not sure how. Diet was good but very little exercise.

 

[Panina]

I weighted myself yesterday and lost 1/2 pound. I am actually very happy with it.

It was a very hard week for me emotionally especially in the beginning of the week. The WW purple plan was not working for me as I wasn’t cooking as much due to stress. After four days of using all my points and going negative into my bonus points I knew I had to do something. I switched to the green points. I get a lot less foods with zero points but get enough total points to manage. It was a good move for me as I have stayed within my points since.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am down 55 pounds total and staying there pretty steadily. I keep hoping the scale will move down, but it just doesn't.

If you aren't eating a snack between meals, I think that is a mistake. Small meals + 3 snacks seem to be the healthy way to eat. In the book I read, Habits of Health by Dr. Andersen, he has a list of 'fuelings" you can do between breakfast, lunch and dinner, then a snack before bed. Keeping your body from being hungry is key to prevent your body from going into a starvation mode. I used to eat two meals a day and now I eat six. I mostly eat the foods provided by Optavia, but it's $450 per month for the food. I am anxious to move away from that expense.

Lots of ideas:

3 oz of mixed nuts
10 almonds and celery stick
29 pistachios
12 cashews
20 peanuts
2 TBS of sesame seeds
4 brazil nuts
1/2 apple with 3 walnuts
1/2 apple with 2 tsp natural peanut butter
1/2 c fresh strawberries with 2 T of light whipped topping
1 cup fresh cherries
1 medium apple
1/2 C blueberries or strawberries with a dollop of yogurt
1 orange
1 pear
1/2 peach with 2 T yogurt
2 cups raspberries
30 raisins
Fresh veggie mix, 1 Cup broccoli, red pepper, cauliflower with 1 T of lowfat dressing
6 pieces of fresh basil, sliced tomato and hummus. Put hummus mixed with basil on top of slices of tomato
Herbal lentils and one tomato
Celery sticks with 1 T peanut butter
1 C fresh spinach salad with olives
1/4 cup egg salad with lettuce or endive
Half small avocado
1 C tomato and cucumber soup
1/4 cup guacamole
Grilled portobello mushroom, sprinkled with cheese
5 cherry tomatoes and one portion cheddar cheese (size two AA batteries)
1/2 C endive and cottage cheese spread (mix in blender with red pepper, fresh parsley, chives, chopped jalapeno and spread on endive leaf)
Eggplant slice (roast with oregano on top, then top with cheese and melt cheese on top)
1 C vegetarian chili
1/2 C edamame (soybeans)
Half red bell pepper dipped in 3 T hummus
1/2 cup cucumber slices
1 large dill pickle
1 Carrabolla (starfruit)
2 cups baby carrots
3 oz of frozen non-fat yogurt (my favorite bedtime snack)
1/2 C low-fast cottage cheese with 4 olives
1 Yoplait light Smoothie

That is about half of the list. Lots to choose from.