Hey gals - just popped in for a bit of motivation and support, and I see that no one has been here in a while? How are you all doing?
I'm struggling to get back on track - travel over the past few weeks really messed up my program - no workouts while I was gone, and although my food was clean while I was gone, it fell to pieces once I got back - go figure.
Plan to spend some time with my EFL book and some Cooking Light mags this weekend and do some major planning. Anyone come up with some good new recipes lately?
Cindy
Hey everyone! Hey Cindy! I have a difficult time staying on plan when I am on the road alot. Fortunately that doesn't happen too much. I know that for recipes...just something I do for my husband and I..I stir fry (with no oil) some cut up chicken, green peppers, red or yellow peppers (If I have any), a spoonful of some minced garlic and add about a spoonful of Dale's sauce (kinda like soy sauce but different flavor). I cook all that up and serve it plain or with a tortilla. My husband loves it and its low fat, although you have to watch the sodium with the Dale's sauce, but it's full of flavor. That's just something easy and pretty good that you can cook up and last a couple of days.
I am on my 12th week of the program! So far I have lost 18 pounds. I don't know the overall inches..I'll figure that out this weekend. But I do know that my waist has gone from 33 inches to 29, so I'm pretty happy about that one. Now if I could just lose it in my arms and thighs. oh well, that will come eventually! This is something that has really worked for my family and I plan on continueing the program even after the 12 weeks is up. Everyone have a great day!
Hi Cindy and Jacklyn - glad you guys bumped this thread to the top. Since starting work I haven't had the energy to devote to BFL like I would like. I am slowly modifyng my habits and schedule to get everything going again.
I haven't tried any of these recipes, I just copied them from various blogs over the weekend as I thought they looked interesting.
*Salmon Burger* (serves 4)
1 large (14.75-ounce) can salmon (pink or red), skin removed
1 medium potato, baked or boiled, peeled
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsps. freshly grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
Mash salmon and potato ~ mix in soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Form into 4 patties. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper on one side. Spray with olive or canola oil and grill on each side about 4 minutes ~ Per patty: 166 calories, 19.7grams protein, 4.8grams fat (1.2g saturated), 10grams carbohydrates
*HomeMade Bars Recipe*
1/2 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (I use Optimum Nutrition's Whey Protein, Rich Chocolate flavor)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup skim milk powder
1/2 c. seedless raisins
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add enough water to make a stiff dough.
(You will have to get your hands gooey to really mix it well. it’s quite sticky).
Spray an 8x8 in. cake pan with Pam and press dough in evenly.
Refrigerate a couple of hours and then cut into 12 bars.
Wrap individual bars in cellophane and store in refrigerator.
1 bar is about 16 gm. each of carbs and protein, 3 gm. of fat, approx. 166 calories.
Depending on your size and build, you may need more than one per serving, or adjust the size of each bar by cutting into fewer bars
Raylene's Jello
Here's a FANTASTIC snack I made up/adapted from others:
1 packet Sugar Free Jello - Your favorite flavor
2 cups low- or no-fat cottage cheese
1 serving of vanilla protein powder
1 can or about 2 servings of fresh fruit
Blend cottage cheese and protein powder together in the blender. While it blends, boil one cup of water and If your fruit is canned, drain and run under water to rinse off excess sugars. Divide the fruit between 4 containers (I use the glad throwaway containers - they are just the right size).
When water boils add it to jello and dissolve. Slowly add the jello to cottage cheese/protein powder mixture and let the blender run for about a minute.
Pour the cottage cheese mixture evenly between the 4 containers.
Chill for 4 or more hours. Add a dollop of Redi-whip to the top and enjoy (real whipped cream, come on - it's only 20 calories, 2g fat, less than 1 carb).
It's SO SO SO good and I can't even explain it. It's like mousse with little bits of nirvana in it. I do this with:
- Orange Jello & Mandarin Orange Slices
- Lime jello and crushed pineapple
- strawberry jello and peaches
- cranberry jello & fresh raspberries
For a real treat add 2/3 cups of strawberries to the cottage cheese mixture along with the jello and pour over fresh strawberries.
Cindy, I have to say I am BAD, BAD, BAD. I signed up to Ediets for recipes and I'm still not cooking anything new! I might as well invest in Dannon and Quaker cos all I seem to eat is oatmeal and yogurt! I'm slooooooowly losing, but I'm happy. I will go and print out this weeks food and if there is a tasty recipe, I'll post it!
I have a question chicks. What is something with around the same "benefits" as cottage cheese, but is not cottage cheese. It's chunky. I asked this over in LWL and they just gave me ways on how to make it better. I want to know something to replace it. Help chicks! Im starting my first challenge tommarrow
Sorry Melanie, I can't think of anything - luckily for me I love cottage cheese - been eating at least 2 cups a day for over a year! If it's the chunkiness you don't like, what about eating ricotta? Not sure if it's the same nutritionally - you'd have to check. We have a brand here, Friendship, which makes a whipped cottage cheese, which is very small and creamy. I like to use that for "dessert" type recipes.
I used cottage cheese for meal 2 - cottage cheese and pineapple, and in some recipes, and then sometimes for meal 6, mixed with yogurt.
Is your issue with CC with eating it alone, or using it in recipes?
Cindy
Melanie, you can blend cottage cheese if it's the texture you don't like, or mix it into things. That said, there's no reason why you have to eat it - you can find other things that work just as well for BFL. It's only handy because it has high protein, low fat, relatively large volume for the calories, and calcium. But if you don't like it and won't eat it, just leave it out of your plan. The other thing I would mention is that the taste of different brands varies widely - try a few kinds and see if you like any of them.
I personally like cottage cheese plain or with tangy stuff, but I can't stand it with fruit, which is how a lot of people prefer to eat it.
I haven't looked at the calories and protein content lately, but maybe lowfat ricotta would work. I don't know if I could handle it on it's own - probably too rich, but mixed in with something might be ok. If it doesn't have enough protein, you could try and mix in some protein powder, or incorporate it with tuna, maybe!
The whipped cottage cheese sounds worth a try. I've whipped it myself to make smoothies and also blue cheese dressing, and you'd NEVER know it was there.
I agree that different brands of cottage cheese taste differently. I always hate it for people on BFL that don't like it because it is such an EASY source of protein and can be eaten in so many combinations w/ other foods. I compared CC and Ricotta last night, ricotta has more calories (twice as many), but also is a higher in protein. I don't remember it being on the BFL list of foods though.
Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself. My name is Jaime and I am starting EFL on Sunday. My goal is to stick to this for the whole 12 weeks (and lose weight too, of course ) I am ones of those people that is easily convinced that each diet works, so I have tried 5 different diets in 5 months. It's rediculous. But now I am going to try EFL for 12 weeks. It's tough sometimes because I travel and can't always pull out a Balance bar in the middle of a meeting. Saturdays will be my free day. I don't mind working out; I have most of my life that is why I like this program. I can do the workouts but what if I get hungry or a meal doesn't fill me up??? I don't need to lose much; just 10-15 lbs. But those are the hardest to lose, you know.
Any tips, advice on how to get through it, and favorite recipes I should make??? I bought the book and love the recipes in there. Oct. 17 is my start day!
Welcome, Jaime, and best of luck with the beginning of your challenge. As far as the travel, I'd recommend planning ahead as much as possible. Have healthy snacks available and with you, so when you get a break you can have your balance bar, or a cheese stick and an apple, or whatever. If all else fails, you can go to the bathroom really quick and eat in there.
I don't have the EFL book, so I can't speak to favorite recipes in it. In my experience, the key thing is to keep the cooking simple at first - don't make it too complex or feel like you have to make 3 new things every day, because then you'll get discouraged.
Hi, Jaime! I rarely get hungry on EFL. The first meal or two I felt like there was NO WAY I could do this, but since I eat more often, I don't get a chance to get hungry. You'll also be eating more protein than many diets, and that is also more 'filling'. Planning ahead is a very good idea, and if you have an insulated cooler that you can take to work, that is also a good idea. Bill Phillips drinks two shakes a day. I haven't been doing that, but I need to get back to it. It does make it easier to plan meals because then I only have 4 to worry about. Turkey wraps, cottage cheese and fruit, yogurt and cheesesticks and Myoplex Lite Bars (not too many of those) are my most common meals to take to work. I also eat a lot of grilled chicken salads from McDonalds. I do need to experiement more!
I printed off the eating tips on the BFL site and stuck them on my fridge. I also printed off the exercise routine. Today is day two, cardio for me. I'm already trying to eat 40/40/20 at around 1800 cals so the work out was like a natural for me to try.
As for cottage cheese, I can't do dairy. So I use soy protein powder to bump up my protein.
Starting on Sunday
) I am ones of those people that is easily convinced that each diet works, so I have tried 5 different diets in 5 months. It's rediculous. But now I am going to try EFL for 12 weeks. It's tough sometimes because I travel and can't always pull out a Balance bar in the middle of a meeting. Saturdays will be my free day. I don't mind working out; I have most of my life that is why I like this program. I can do the workouts but what if I get hungry or a meal doesn't fill me up??? I don't need to lose much; just 10-15 lbs. But those are the hardest to lose, you know. 
