LA Weight Loss - "Volumetrics" - March/April 2008

Hi ppturner! I find that another option for non-sugar sweetener is stevia, which has less of an aftertaste than the pink stuff, and stays sweet in hot beverages, unlike the blue stuff. It's usually found in natural food stores, and p'haps larger grocery stores. Welcome back (from a newbie)!:wave:

Oh my goodness - I meant 2 teaspoons NOT 2 tablespoons. I think I'll look for the Stevia. Thanks!

So glad to hear that PPTURNER . . . I had visions of the coffee being so thick with sugar, you couldn't even stir it. :lol:

Anyway, gang . . . Good Morning . . . we are supposed to be having a sunny day today, but so far no sign of it.

See you later . . . :wave:

Good Morning all!

Meowee, I'll send you some of our sunshine from down here in CT - get a good south breeze to push those clouds outa there!

Well, back to work this week after spring break (I'm a school bus driver) - gotta get back on track for exercise, too. Gonna take the kids and the dog for a walk this morning, before it gets much warmer. I get frustrated that I seem to burn so few calories when we seem to put in so much time and energy! But, I know there's gonna be other benefits - just not immediately tangible!

Well, the dog knows we're going out and is dancing like a crazy pooch, whining and carrying her leash - better get going!

;)

I am so glad to hear you meant teaspoons, not tablespoons! I had a thought - how about using 1 tsp real sugar, and one packet of blue or pink? I wonder how that would be. Also, how many cals in a tsp of sugar - 35 seems like. Maybe you can make caloric room for at least one cuppa just the way you like it.

My DIL really does use tablespoons of sugar in her coffee. It is like syrup. Yuck.

I had one cup this morning with Splenda and skim and couldn't stomach it. It is a small thing but it really ruined my morning. Then I made it the way I like it but my taste buds were ticked off and it didn't taste good either. I'll try the combo idea of a little sugar and a little splenda. Thanks for the good ideas!

hi all- It seems we went from rainy cold days to hot sunny days. At recess the kiddos were all sweaty and cranky. This weekend I need to do some summer clothes shopping.

Shop 'til ya drop, teacher!

ppturner, of course your tastebuds are ticked off! Really, the morning coffee is sacrosanct! It is not a small thing. It is good that you are thinking about cutting back on the sugar, but this might be a place where you want to leave things alone. I am such a coffee addict.

Yup - I think I just need to plan on one good cup of coffee the way I like it. No more than one, though!

Just don't be putting two tablespoons of sugar in the coffee. :lol:

This morning I weighed 142lbs!!!! :carrot: That means that I have now lost 40 lbs total. It happens that DH brought home a 40lb bag of dog food this afternoon so I quickly lifted it to feel how much I've lost. That's a bunch!:D W00t!!!!!

Just a quick little HI this morning . . . :wave: . . . things to do and places to go.

Congrats Gail! Keep up the good work!

ppturner- I give myself 1-2 cups of coffee the way I like it in the morning, no questions asked. I just remember it and figure it in for the day. Some things are just worth it.

and judi- I give you much respect for being a school bus driver! My kids had some special ones while they were growing up, and you have the opportunity to set the tone for the whole day for them. Kids are so impressionable when they're school age, even high school. It's a huge job!
If you're not seeing results from walking, I can give you some ideas- put weights in your pockets so you burn more energy while you walk (I think they sell walking vests like that), and when you walk, pretend you're showing the person behind you the bottom of your feet. It really speeds you up. If you have time, I think muscle-building exercises make a big difference for weight loss, because muscle burns more calories that fat, so you're ahead of the game. So now I just need to take my own advice...

I put my big winter wool blanket outside, rinsed it off and let it hang in the sun to get it ready to pack away. I left it overnight, and today, after bringing it in, my cats are all over it, smelling it. My gut instinct tells me that it probably got visited by a neighborhood cat, and now I really need to wash it again. So there goes some more time wasted!

I also feel very sad today because I killed off a bunch of my vermicompost worms. I'm not sure what happened, but I managed to save some, and will start a new bin for them. It just makes very upset that the whole time I thought they were deliriously happy downstairs eating veggie scraps, they were actually drowning and dying. My DH thought it was silly that I was upset, but he still helped me clean up the mess.

Just don't be putting two tablespoons of sugar in the coffee. :lol:

This morning I weighed 142lbs!!!! :carrot: That means that I have now lost 40 lbs total. It happens that DH brought home a 40lb bag of dog food this afternoon so I quickly lifted it to feel how much I've lost. That's a bunch!:D W00t!!!!!
Congratulations - you've come a long way!

Gail- Congrats!!!

Liz- wow, that's a rough day. feel better

Tonight I made a yummy pizza loaded with veggies. Yum :)

Hi everybody . . . another day has gotten away from me . . . hopefully I'll be sble to chat tomorrow. :wave:

hi all- nothing much exciting happening here. have a great night :)

Hi everyone! Just popping in to touch base and visit for a bit.

Had a wicked craving for a salty crunch - perpetuated by making a salsa/avocado mash, that begged me to dip a dozen tortilla chips into it! :idea: Well, I improvised by slicing half a cucumber, lightly salting them, then using THOSE as the dip delivery system. Hmmm - I am astonished to admit that it did the trick! Yeah, that avocado added fat & calories to some innocuous salsa, but it satisfied that craving, without the added fat and calories of the chips. :cbg:

The scale is not cooperating this week - it says I went up 2.5#, then the next day it went down 2# !?! Pain in the patootie, if ya ask me! But it's only been a little under a month, so I gotta give the ol' system time to adjust...just need a bit of patience. All told, I am heading in the right direction!

Oh, and Artcat, I hear what you're saying re:walking and exercising...I am really, very badly, out of shape and haven't done much of anything as far as doing "nip-ups", as Dad would call 'em - I admit to a bit of caution in pushing too hard. As I don't have a doctor or insurance, I'd hate to risk going overboard :faint:- I'm moving more, walking a lot more, and am going to add weight training to my routine - eventually!:exercise: I like the idea of carrying some kind of weight, and I did try adjusting my stride to "show the bottoms of my feet" - whew - good one! I am grateful that the weather is cooperating, so I'm getting out more - there's a veggie garden waiting for me, so that's next on the hit parade!

Gotta head out to collect the kids at scouts - have good Thursday, one and all!



Judi:book2:

It's the little things but I'm posting just to see the weight tracker I chose. I have also lost 4 pounds in the time I've been on here. Slow but still there!
:dizzy:

That didn't work so I tried again. Forgive me for posting just to see my tracker. Like I said, it is the little things!

ppturner- congrats on the 4 lbs! That's a great start!

Judi- you did a great job with your salty craving! And avocados are good for you (within reason, of course), so now you have a new way to enjoy "chips" and salsa. It's all those little things that add up.

Good Morning . . . :wave:

Weather-wise it is definitely not a good morning around here. Second day of overcast and rainy and definitely not warm. That's nothing, of course, compared to the forecast for tonight -- Wet Snow.

Other than that, nothing exciting for me today -- I'm actually having a little trouble getting back into do nothing mode after three fairly hectic days so far this week. :lol:

Have fun gang . . . :carrot:

nothing much going on here. I have tomorrow off so I plan to hit the y.

Hi there . . . :wave:

Well . . . "they" got the weather forecast right -- woke up to a couple of inches of heavy wet snow on the ground this morning and no sunshine or warmth in the forecast to help melt it away. . . Just gotta :love: Spring in Atlantic Canada. :lol:

At least my blood sugar levels and my weight have almost recovered from my tooth-induced binge of last weekend, so not everything is too awful. I'm so enjoying being able to eat my multitudes of vegetables again. :rofl:

Other than that . . . SOS in the plans for me. See you all later . . . :grouphug:

hi all- I have so much to do today but I'm feeling so lazy.

My DH of the strange eating habits consumes a large salad of iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, bacon bits and crushed up saltines. No dressing. Last night he commented that the salad fills him up and he doesn't want anything else. :lol: No wonder. I started yapping about ED (always makes me think of Viagra):lol:, fiber, water etc and his eyes sort of glazed over.

I made a stir fry for me last night. It was so huge, I almost couldn't finish it. The ingredients were sugar snap peas, bell pepper, onion, chard, mushrooms, and bean sprouts topped off with about three ounces of cubed chicken breast. I put a lot of soy sauce on it which I know is not good from the sodium point of view, but it was good. I used one Tbs of canola oil, divided, for the frying. The way I see it, the main calories came from the oil and the chicken and maybe the sugar snap peas.

Oh wow . . . I think I can feel my blood sugar level rising just reading about those crushed up saltines . . . :lol: . . . and, my ankles swelling from the salt on them. Your stir fry sounds a lot better -- except I'd have to pass on the SS or I could sit and watch my ankles swell some more.

Aaaahhhhh - the end of the week!!!:cp::cp::hat::dancer: I am ready for a day off - it seemed like this was the week that would NEVER end!

I am enjoying a smoothie made with melon, frozen raspberries, fresh strawberries and a bit of nonfat greek yogurt...mmmm. To assist with the need for crunch, there's the pita chips. I have been making pita chips for years: cut a pita bread into 6 wedges, pull them open (you end up with 12 triangles), spray lightly with olive oil spray, sprinkle with onion or garlic powder, and/or grated cheese, then toast lightly - good crunch factor.:D

I bought some herb plants today: a couple mints, bay tree, rosemary, some scented geraniums (rose-scented), and thyme. I love going out to the garden in the summer and picking fresh herbs - or even just sitting out and enjoying the scents. The good Lord gave me a "generous" schnozz for a reason!:lol:

Well, gotta head back to work...sigh...:no: Have a good one y'all!

I like toasted pita, too. I eat it along with veggies and a low-fat hummus or roasted red pepper dip.

I thought I would be puffed up like a balloon this morning, but it wasn't too bad. I always promise myself that I will drink extra water after a sodium orgy, but so far I haven't. There was lots and lots of water in all the veggies I ate, so maybe they canceled eacheother out. Probably not.

hello- I hope everyone is having a great weekend. The weather here is beautiful. :)

Hi Gang . . . :wave:

Nothing too exciting around here . . . the rain washed away the snow again but it is still very cold and windy and overcast. :shrug:

Have an OP day everyone. :yay:

I had a very bad eating day yesterday and the day before. I think the main problem is that I started both days off wrong, was off schedule for meals, and had a bad attitude. It is amazing how much I need my bowl of oatmeal to start my day off right. :lol: Also, someone gave my DH a flat of homemade chocolate eclairs. He will eat one or two, and the rest of them sit there hollering at me.

Oh :drool: . . . Oh well . . . all you can do is put it behind you, Chickies . . . failure is not falling down . . . failure is not getting up again. You can do it. :hug:

Good Morning . . . :wave:

We are supposed to have :sunny: all day today -- but so far it's looking pretty overcast.

Hope everybody else has a great weather day and a great OP day, too.

Wow, what a day yesterday! My daughter graduated from the University of Michigan, so it was a long day of sitting in the car, sitting at ceremonies, sitting at a long dinner celebration and then sitting in the car. It's amazing how tired sitting that much can make you!
We ate at a great Mediterranean restaurant in Ann Arbor- I knew I ate too much, but wow, was it good!

So, after all that excitement, it's time to get back to normal. I was thinking I was a pound down, but now I have to check tomorrow and see if I still am.

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

Liz- Congrats for your daughter!

Today, I running some errands and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Very Cool! Weighed in this morning, and was pleased to see another 2 pounds gone! :dancer: Been OP for the most part, although haven't gotten much exercise. Spent a good part of yesterday afternoon downloading a bunch of boogie-ing tunes into my i-pod - wearing it around the house and cranking dance music keeps me moving (looking foolish, too,:hyper: but still moving!):dancer:. At this stage, any movement is a good thing!


Made up a batch of hummus (roasted garlic and roasted pepper), and am getting a load of veggies ready for grazing during the week. Picked up 2# of chicken sausage yesterday - handmade at an Italian deli we stopped at - cooked it all, used half for supper last night, and will use the rest for a bean soup this week. Oh, it is just fabulous. Not at all greasy (a bit salty, tho:shrug:), and loaded with fresh garlic and sweet red peppers, with a balance of spices and fresh herbs... :hun: What a treat.

well, I have a craft show this Saturday, and I have to get my inventory checked, and a few million other things done today. Will pop in during the week - have a good one!:sunny:

:dust:

Congrats Judi :)

Everyone have a great week.

Good Morning . . . it's another Manic Monday . . . well for a lot of you. Nothing exciting on the agenda for this old retired lady. :lol: Just have to wait and see what develops.

You sound really busy, gang -- especially JUDI and family. Congrats on the loss, BTW . . . :high:

I sincerely hope that one of the things to develop for me today is the sunshine that is in the forecast for most of AtlanticCa. Everywhere except parts of Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island -- guess I'm too close to the island. :shrug:

Well, better go and visit a few more 3FC places . . . see you all later . . . :wave:

congrats, Judi!

And even after that bad weekend, I'm still down a pound, so I'm claiming it!

:yay: LIZ . . . :hug:

Omigosh! I went to an old thread and thought the group was gone!

Glad everyone is still here!

I'm continuing to lose, about 3 pounds a week (I weigh over 300, so that's about average). This WOE has become ingrained in our household and both myself and my husband are really doing well with this.

I've lost a total of 42 pounds so far, and will soon weigh under 300. YIPPEE! I'm also beginning to exercise more because I feel better.

Well, I'm going to go and backtrack to see what everyone has been up to. I wish each of you a day of success and low stress.

Cheers!

Claire

Hi CLAIRE . . . glad to hear you are doing well with Volumetrics :high: . . . come back soon Chickie -- I will be starting a new thread in May and don't want to lose you again. :lol:

Thanks. I'll post pretty often (tend to be a little blabby, LOL). And I'll be happy to join the new thread when this one expires.

Busy making a list of things we like to eat and getting the ED of each of them. I'm sure I will silently scream when I see the ED of some of them, followed by moving the food in question from the "faves" column to the "treats" column. :D

Cheers!

Congrats Liz and Waterbaby :)

I like this group- it makes me feel important, for lack of a better word, and always supported and encouraged.
Thanks everyone! :hug:

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

You are important to us LIZ, and don't you ever try to forget it . . . :hug:

Another overcast day in AtlanticCa . . . but at least it is relatively mild and things are definitely starting to green-up; even the trees are looking a little 'fuzzy' at last.

On a more personal note . . . I think it must be my TOM (yep, at Age 65, that has to be what it is :lol:) because my ankles are puffy this morning and I did NOT overindulge in either sodium or carbs yesterday. :dunno: Hopefully this water retention will go away as magically as it showed up. :crossed:

Other than that, nothing very exciting on my agenda -- quick question though, do any of you find a difference (taste-wise) between decaffeinated and regular coffee of the same brand? I seem to remember that de-caf tasted pretty awful to me about 30 years ago which is the last time I ever tried any. I was thinking a switch might improve my sleep patterns.

Anyway, guess I'd better get myself moving and shaking; see you all later. :carrot:

Hello everyone...I've just read up on this diet online and it seems to be along the lines of what I am already doing. I'm wondering what a good book to buy is? I'm looking at one at a nearby bookstore called The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan by Barbara J. Rolls and Robert A. Barnett. Is this a good book to use?

Also....is there a lot of counting and measuring with this diet? I don't mind watching caloric intake,...but I really don't have the free time to log every point.

That is the book to buy . . . There is another one from the same author (Barbara Rolls) which contains more recipes and less science . . . either one is good and they are the only two out there at the moment. Both are available from Amazon (use the link at the top right had end of the forum page called "store" to quickly go to amazon.

Most of us tend to think of Volumetrics as a set of principles rather than an actual plan . . . just the idea of getting the most good quality food for the lowest calorie buck. It is based on some very sound scientific principles which is a comforting thought when so many plans just use anecdotal evidence. There are no specific things to eat or not eat and definitely nothing to count or record -- unless you want to of course. :yes:

If you have any questions . . . give me a shout. Hope you will become one of our regulars on this journey . . . :hug:

Welcome Crazed!!!

Such a busy day. I'm watching some TV and heading to bed early.

Linda and I are PMSing.:lol: :lol: :lol:

Crazed, I don't count very much. I have made up a lot of different healthy things, divided them into portions and frozen them. That way, I can peruse my freezer for something that looks good and know that it is the proper sized serving. I use the idea that each meal should contain soup, salad and sandwich to figure out what to eat. At least for lunch and dinner. Sometimes it turns out to be different from those exact things, but my "sandwich" contains a starch and a protein. My "salad" contains a bunch of veggies or fruitxc, my "soup" is a bunch of veggies and a starch. That framework sort of keeps me on track. It would probably be easier to count, but really want to learn to eat properly without so much obsession.

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

I certainly hope the old adage about April Showers bringing May Flowers is going to be true. Last day of April is going to be a very rain-filled one. Unfortunately, that's what the forecast calls for tomorrow, too. :( No exciting plans for today; but tomorrow -- got at least five different things in five different places, on the TODO list.

:lol: on the PMSing GAIL . . . my ankles are down again this morning and consequently so is my weight -- 222.4; but based on my newest tracking methodology of 'weigh everyday and take the monthly average'; I'll be changing my ticker to 225.

Gail and I may both be PMS prone . . . but we work at Volumetrics very differently -- not in the things we eat; I'm a big soup and salad fan, too -- I track absolutely everything, but that's because of my Diabetes and has nothing to do with the plan. Afraid I'd be doing the same thing if I weighed 125. :yes:

Anyway, everybody, have a great moving and shaking kind of day . . . see you later . . . :carrot:

Congratulations Meowee! So what happened to the "weigh once a month plan"? I think it's really hard to restrict yourself to weighing so seldom, but it's nice to not be so obsessed with it, either. Right now I'm weighing myself probably every other day, and I think I need to keep it to once a week at least. Especially since Volumetrics moves slowly, on purpose.

We had a semi-hard freeze last night, so I got some nice frosted-flower pictures this morning. Hopefully all the tree buds survived, especially the fruit ones.

Last night my cats were meowing and yelling up a storm, so I put the back light on and scared a raccoon away. He was eating the seeds I put out for the squirrels and birds as entertainment for my cats. I think they really enjoyed the 'coon entertainment! They sure let loose with some ugly sounds, though.

The 'weigh once a month' upset me even more than the 'weigh once a week' did. :dizzy: Well -- if things didn't go in the right direction.

For some reason, I honestly don't mind the daily "blips" and since I decided to start plotting them on a graph in Excell, I honestly get a kick out of watching the silly little ups and downs. I decided in March to use the average (because I sure didn't like where things ended up). For April, I prefer the end number, of course, but want to put some consistency in there -- in case I don't like the May number, for example.

Just finished my March/April "Blip Chart" so here it is. Unfortunately, even when you click on it, it doesn't get really big, but you can get the idea. Best part, of course, is the fact that April is definitely lower than March. :yes:

Great progress Linda :)

Thanks, TEACHER, :lol: I am up a pound again this morning. :shrug: C'est la vie.

Anyway, gang . . . it is the first of May . . . and here's a link to our new spot for the next couple of months . . . http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2179012#post2179012

Looking forward to seeing everybody over there . . . :carrot: