General Diet Plans and Questions - Prevention Millennium Diet #67

Prevention Millennium Diet*

Daily servings
veg and fruits, 9 servings ( 5 veg/4 fruit)
whole grains, 3-6 servings
high-calcium, 2-3 servings

Weekly servings:
Beans - 5+
Nuts - 5
Fish - 2

Serving Sizes

veg. & fruit
1 serving = 1/2 c. chopped fruit
1/2 c. cooked or raw veg.
1 c. raw green leaves
3/4 c. veg or fruit juice

Whole Grains
1 serving = 1 slice whole wheat bread
1/2 rice or bulgar
1/2 c whole wheat pasta

Calcium 1 serving = 1 c ff or 1% milk
1 c ff yogurt
1 c calcium fortified O.J.
1 oz. reduced ff cheese

Supplements
100% DV multivitamin/mineral
500 (under 50) to 1000 (over 50) mg. calcium
100-400 IU Vit. E
100-500 mg Vit. C

Keep calories to 1500 a day - 250 cal. per meal. Eat 6 small meals a day. Do not exceed 42 fat grams per day.

Drink 8 glasses water and 1+ cup of tea daily.

* Copied from the Jan. 2000 issue of Prevention Magazine

Thanks for pointing out that the PMD website is no longer up. Drats! I am not sure where you can find a copy other than the synopsis at the beginning of this thread. About 6 months ago I bought a paperback book on the grocery store newstand put out by Prevention on healthy lifestyle changes. In that book the PMD was written up as the Positive Eating Plan. Maybe you could find a copy of that or if you have time to search Prevention's website you could turn up a copy of the diet under that name.

Alexa I have done PMD, and on good days I still do. I lost almost forty lbs. doing the diet, I regained 10 of that, but have managed to maintain the 30 lb. loss over the last year. I do think it is just the best, most undietlike plan, I have ever done.

I am ready to get serious with it again so if you'd like to compare notes, I am game.

I read the most interesting AP article in my local newspaper this a.m., an article about people that lose weight and keep it off for years. The one statement that keeps replaying in my mind is this. Obeseity is a timebomb for disease. Yeah, at 48, I think I have gambled long enough with this bomb! The advice they give, besides the obvious, diet and exercise, is to have a positive outlook on your ability to accomplish a healthy weight. Believe that it is something you can do. So, that is what I will start thinking about.

Shebacat, I say go for the 3 day hike. Just think how exhilerated you will feel after a challenge like that.

Have a great week everyone.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. It was so hot and humid over the weekend. On Sat. DH & I went out to run some errands and we drove by a farm that had their pumpkins and other fall decorations out for sale. Because it was so hot they all seemed out of place.
We have learned from our neighbors that the bear is back. He/she got onto their back deck and destroyed the bird feeders they had hung. I have decided to go a different route for my walks. I make a loop, coming home the other end of our street which has dense woods on both sides. I don't want to meet up with the bear.

Shebacat~It was nice to hear from you! I'm glad your kitty is doing better. What kind of medication did the Vet give you for her? That's great you'll be walking in the AIDS walk. How many miles will you walk? That 3 day walk sounds great in April. But, I know what you mean about a hot shower and sleeping in your own bed;)

judi~The Greek potatoes sound wonderful. Can you post the recipe? Actually, it is more like Lacee walking Alice. Today it was so hot that it ended up Alice carrying Lacee. I wasn't going to bring her, but I asked DH if it was too hot out, he said it wasn't, so I took her. Out on the pavement it was brutal. My point counting would go much better if I counted them at every meal. I do very well at breakfast, but after that I sort of slack off. I do weigh & measure and I try to eat low calorie. Since I am not used to writing things down, it will take getting used to. How is your point counting?

Alexa~Welcome! I sort of do PMD, but I don't eat very many carbs. I also cannot get the hang of eating 6 little meals. I eat my 3, and if I get hungry inbetween I will eat a piece of fruit or drink some fruit flavored water.

ledom~How is the exercising going? I bought an Ultra Trak machine, endorsed by Suzanne Somers that can give you a total body workout. I started doing it this morning, and I can really feel it. I hope I will be able to walk tomorrow! I did start out slowly and will increase my reps as time goes on. I have been reading articles that say that you can be fit and fat. Maybe that can be a more attainable goal than trying to lose weight!

Take care. Alice

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup minced dill (I didn't have it so I used 2 T. dried basil)
2 T flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp. salt (if the can of tomatoes is unsalted)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 small sliced potatoes (I used 6, they say to peel them but I used new red potatoes with the skins on.)
2 medium zucchini (sliced)
2 green peppers (did not use)
2 onions sliced (I used 1 medium onion sliced thinly)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (did not use, instead added about a tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture)

[my own added addition was 1/2 cup of garbanzo beans (chick peas)]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 qt. casserole with cooking spray (I used an 8 by 8 inch pyrex baking dish).
2. Combine everything and bake for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hrs. Cover with foil.
3. If you are using the cheese add it in the last 15 minutes, bake with foil off
4.Let stand for 10 minutes.

With cheese it is 230 calories per serving and it makes 6 servings.
It is 5 points per serving.

Good to hear from everyone. I did a big shopping for clothes yesterday. They were 3X. They were nice things, thank goodness IF one is going to be big you can still get things that look good. Certainly not the case even 15 years ago. I think my problem with weight loss is I am too "accepting" of how I look...I look at the rest of the world and I think "Hey, I am more than good enough to be out here with these other people." Maybe I should look at more movie stars or models and try to develop a case of self loathing but, honestly, I don't live in that world... more of a old hippie, Birkenstock, Rockports, homemade bread and granola sort of a world and I feel OK, most of the time and I bet even thin people will have a day or two where they feel they look awful, if it isn't their weight, it is their hair or nose or skin etc.

If we want to lose weight for health reasons GREAT, but even that isn't a gaurantee of longevity. Skinny people get cancer too.
More and more I am thinking, ok, let's try to lose weight if we want but if we aren't at the moment...it is ok too. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this on a weight loss thread:s:

I am totally stunned by the events of this morning. I haven't been able to take my eyes off the television. I am so saddened by it all. To watch those buildings collapse was so horrific knowing how many people were in them.

judi~Thank you for printing the potato recipe. We are having friends over for dinner soon and I thought it would be something good to make. I am with you about reasons to lose weight, or not to lose weight. I think I would like to have more muscle tone. I recently ran into an old friend that I hadn't seen in a number of years. We got around to talking about weight. We are about the same height, weigh exactly the same, she wears a size 12, and I wear a 16/18. On good days I also feel pretty good about myself.

ledom~I was wondering how you divide your food to eat 5 - 6 mini meals. I am so used to eating 3 meals, I just can't get the hang of it.

Hi Shebacat and Alexa

Alice

Yesterday as I wandered through Walmart picking up things on my list I couldn't get beyond the feeling of surrealality. Things that seemed important or funny yesterday just don't read the same today.

judi, your outlook on weight is SOOO healthy as far as self-esteem goes. I know 2 people that have lost a lot of weight recently. They both look older and more unhealthy than they did beforehand. I don't know for sure, but I doubt that exercise and healthy eating was part of their weight loss plan.

Not much to say today. I hope that all the readers here are well and that the events of yesterday somehow missed your friends and family on a personal level.

I feel like you do, the events have been sobering and certainly puts things in perspective. Yesterday morning when I got up the biggest concern for the day was whether or not the new gardnerer was going to make it over. I doubt those kind of concerns will even be "concerns" for a long while now in the light of the awful things that have occured.

One thing that showed is how great and heroic the American people are as a people when when push comes to shove. We see inklings of this on every trip we take into the US.

Yesterday was a very sad day. To say I am horrified is putting it mildly. We received an e mail from a friend of our's. It was confirmed that one of his coworkers was on the plane that left Boston for LA that went into the first tower. We also heard on the news that one of the copilots was from NH. A son of a friend of one of my cousins worked in one of the towers. I don't know if they have heard from him or not. It is so tragic.

Take care. Alice

Good evening!

Yes, the devastation is horrific. Words are so inadequate.

Parasha is gone. I did not expect that this morning, but I got up and took one look at her and knew that I could no longer put off the inevitable. It was a sunny day, so I put her on the grass for awhile then she had a long afternoon nap. I held her the whole time, she didn't even shudder she just cuddled up on my shoulder and was warm and soft and it was hard to tell when she went. I was so blessed to have that little dog for as long as I did. Just so so blessed.

Tomorrow I am going to spend getting ready to go visit my DH's dad and then on to my brother's. We are taking a week of vacation then are going to wind our way down to Ca.

I probably won't be able to email for a week or so. So everyone be well and treat yourselves kindly.

I am soooo sorry about your little dog Parasha. I know how much that little dog meant to you. Through your posts she seemed a part of my family too. You have my deepest sympathy. I know exactly what you are going through. Please have a very safe trip.

Hello ledom & shebacat.

Take care. Alice

Thanks for your kind thoughts. I know that you know what it is like to lose an animal companion. The place seems so EMPTY without her here. I don't know if Marley even knows she is gone. He is an adorable dog but ... if dogs could get the Nobel prize...let's just say he would never be a contender.

I have been mainly just watching CNN since everything happened. My heart just goes out to those people.

I am trying to get everything ready to pack up tonight because we will leave on the first ferry (5:40 am).

I am looking forward to getting away from the house for awhile.

See you all from the road!

I am sorry I wasn't able to post to you yesterday. Please accept my sympathy for Parasha. A beloved pet is very much a member of the family and the hurt is so real. I am glad that her last day was so gentle.

Sigh, can you guys believe the sadness of our country right now? I was home yesterday, but back to work today. Being at work is better. I can't pry myself away from television when I am home and it just makes me weep to see the families of victims and their anguish.

D and I are going on a camping trip tonight as we had been planning. I am just looking forward to being out in nature with her close to me and other people that I really don't know that well but are united with me in that there is just one thing on our minds even as we try to go one with our plans.

Hi ladies,

Yes this week has definitely been horrible.... My company had three technicians on the 110th floor. I heard they went to the roof for air, but then the building collapsed. I'm like ya'll....in a state of disbelief that anyone could plan something so horrific. Judi, I'm sorry to hear about your baby....I'm sure I'll be in the same situation sooner than I want to be. Talk to ya'll later.

How is everyone?

Not much new here. I had a pretty bad weekend of overeating. I was camping out and somehow massive sugar found its way into my mouth. Monday I was so hungover from it, no alchohol but it felt like a hangover. I couldn't exercise Monday morning because I felt like crap. I pulled myself togehter yesterday in the diet department. It is amazing at the difference in how I felt. I got my 5 a.m. workout in and hopefully am back in the groove.

I haven't been weighing regularly for some time now and think that I am ready to start getting on the scale again. After I have been off a while I am scared to get back on, but I don't think I have really gained, just stayed the same. One day this week when I feel I have recovered from the weekend I am going to see where I am weight wise.

This has been perfect weather for walking. The trees are just starting to turn, but I see a little more color each day. I heard on the news the other day that the color is well on its way up north. They say that we may have some much needed rain Friday. We made a trip up to our local orchard to get our first apples of the season.

Ledom, Did you do any kayaking on your camping trip? Your trip sounded like a lot of fun. I think where you do a lot of exercising, that sugar you ate on your trip will not do any damage.

Shebacat, I am sorry about the technicians. This whole thing is such a tragedy. I think it's wonderful that the country is starting to pull together as a whole.

Judi, How is your trip going? I hope you are having a good time.

Since Lacee was a very naughty girl this morning, as punishment I did not take her with me for my walk. We are now on better terms so I am on my way to take her for a little walk and she can sniff to her heart's content!;)

Take care everyone. Alice

I am so pleased. I was ble to download the reply to topic page at home this morning. I hope this stroke of good luck will be helpful to me in getting back to reasonable eating. It has been a bad week. Once the sugar monster rears its ugly head, it is hard to contain it again. I just got some of my favorite recipes out and am planning to cook VEGETABLES today. I'll be going to the store to stock up on healthy food a little later.

shebacat, I am sorry to hear about your co-workers. This tragedy is almost beyond comprehension. It has affected my psyche and that of my students. I can hardly bear the thought of what is going through the minds of the young men I teach. It is a scary time.

My cats have all but abandoned me. They are so happy to be outdoor kittys now, that I practically have to force them to come inside to eat. I wonder if they will be more willing when the rains and cold weather comes. I miss them, but I admit I don't miss dealing with the litter box on such a continuous basis.

Well, wish me the best on getting my eating under control. I want to lose 25 more lbs. in the next few months. I am looking for the attitude of persistence that will enable to do so.

judi. I hope you are enjoying your travels. I miss your regular posts.

I hope that you all had a good weekend. Since this is the start of a new week, I am determined to buckle down and get back to dieting. So far today I've done alright. I think I'll just take it one meal at a time.

We got some much needed rain on Fri. and Sat., very heavy downpours at times. I hope it helped the water table in our well. After all that rain it got rather muggy, almost like summer.

judi, I hope that all is well with you. We haven't heard from you in a long time.

Take care. Alice

How did you do yesterday? I had a good day. I made one of the recipes I really enjoyed last winter that I took for lunch and I had a salad for supper. I do feel so much better after a day of eating right. I even took my vitamins and drank my water.

You asked the other day how I managed the 6 meals a day. I guess the part that took getting used to is eating a one course meal. For my main meals I try to find a recipe that has grains/vegetables/protein and is 250 calories per serving. Once you start looking there are a lot of good ones. The soup I made to eat this week is full of good things, it has butternut squash, swiss chard, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, a small amount of ground beef. I am sure the beef could be substituted with seitan. Breakfast is usually 1/2 bagel, or cereal. Afternoon meal generally fruit, yogurt, almonds. A clif bar or luna bar for morning break is my treat for the day. The last meal of the night varies, sometimes cheese crackers and juice. Sometimes lowfat popcorn. The thing I like about 6 small meals is that it keeps me from getting hungry though I am never really full either, kind of just right. The diet says it keeps your metabolism going and I think that is probably true, my energy level stays pretty even though by 5 o'clock I am pretty wiped out from my job.

We have had a cool front move through and it feels so good, we really need rain though.

Take care of yourself.

I did really well yesterday. I made stuffed peppers for supper last night, and instead of using brown rice and hamburger, I fried chopped cauliflower in a little canola oil, along with the tops of the peppers, and put that in with the hamburgh, with some spicy pasta sauce. It was delicious. Next time I will try it with beans instead of the hamburgh. For a snack last night I had some sugar-free pudding and a little vanilla ice cream on top, and it was like eating aan upside down chocolate sundae:lol:

From experimenting a little, I have found that if a have equal amounts of proteins and carbohydrates in a meal, I stay satisified longer than if I eat a total carbohydrate meal, or just a protein and vegetable meal.

I know what you mean about feeling better when eating right. I am glad that you had a good eating day yesterday. Maybe we are finally breaking the "not so good eating" habit. Your soup sounds delicious. All my favorite vegetables.

We are getting more beneficial rain today. They said it should last into tomorrow, then it's supposed to cool down quite a lot. Summer went by too quickly.

I hope we hear from Judi soon.

Take care. Alice

Your stuffed peppers sound good. Tonight I had apple pancakes for supper, a favorite old recipe from my diet center days.

I did something radical for me today. I got my hair cut short. Actually my hairdresser called it shoulder length, but I considered shoulder length when it was a good 5 inches longer. I have gradually been cutting my hair over the last 6 months after wearing it long for several years. I like it, D says it looks more polished and I think she is right. So it feels like a new me. I think it is a boost I needed.

I have been going to bed around 9 lately so I can get up to exercise before work. The last couple of mornings I have done the stretch and warm-up part of my tape and then the first half and second half on alternating days. Then I jog a mile in my neighborhood. I guess I was getting bored with just the tape. I like the new routine.

Your apple pancakes sounds great. Could you give me the recipe? Thanks. I had the stuffed peppers heated over last night for supper. Tonight I think I will make "tacos". I use romaine lettuce leaves for the taco shell. Now that I'm used to doing tacos this way, I don't think I could go back to the regular corn shell.

I am glad that you are happy with your new "do". I bet it really looks great on you too. Everybody needs a boost every so often, and I'm glad that you had a really good one. I had been wearing my hair shoulder length for many years. When I turned 50, on the urging from DH I got it cut short. Everyone liked it, even I sort of liked it, but it made me feel uncomfortable having it that short. Now it is still short, but the layers are longer. I still haven't decided whether or not to cut it or let it grow back to shoulder length. :?:

That's wonderful that you are jogging. Do you jog then slow down and walk, or do you jog the whole mile? I know that the experts advise that you change your routine so that you won't get bored and stop exercising. I am doing the Ultra Trak now that gives you more exercise options than the Torso Trak did. On the new machine you are able to do lunges, and other exercises for your legs. Unfortunately after I started doing the lunges my right knee was killing me, so that I had a hard time going up stairs. I still do the arm and ab exercises, but held off doing anymore lunges and my knee seems to be getting better. I figure my legs are getting exercised by walking. With Lacee, my arms do too:)

It's time for our walk. Talk to you tomorrow. Enjoy your new hair cut!

Take care. Alice