Hi girls.
I live in Europe, so sometimes when I make my post ~ you're still with your sweet dreams in your warm bed. Hope the dreams are about your new, beautiful
healthy bodies.
It is said that visualizing your new self, will help to keep you motivated. Well that is what my Self Hypnosis, diet motivation tape says anyway.
KY-blue, the Fitday software was a very good purchase. I have one, and I'm using it to count calories, log my exercise efforts, etc. You can even customize the food section with the most common foods you eat. I started to use it again since New Year's Day.
I'll be interested in hearing more about the Fitday software. Also, does anyone know anything about the Sonoma Diet? How does it differ from South Beach?
Good Morning everyone. Hope yesterday was a good day and today is going to be even better! Welcome all the new people! Can't get too much support!
I am on tract again, hopefully there will be more good days than bad.
Gail, Yes, YEAH for you for having vegetable soup at Bob Evans. They do have a lot of tempting things on the menu, but I love their vegetables too. I often just have the vegetable plate. There are good choices to make at most restaurants if you can get past the temptation. And isn't just enjoying the company a big part of eating out anyway? A tip: try to decide what you are going to have before you go and don't open the menu. Move the bread basket as far away from you as possible. And most places bring you way too much food. Ask for a doggie bag right away and half your meal before you start to eat.
You have some really good tips in your posts. The bread basket can be a real temptation. It's funny though, when I am in my motivated mode, I can do really well, when eating out. I have even taken my no-fat, no calorie spray butter to restaurants to put on toast or baked potatoes, and once in a while my diet salad dressing. My family might tease me a little, but they are used to my dieting ways now.
My grandchildren like the spray butter now better than margarine. It is one thing I use even when not dieting. It's also good on vegetables, and to make garlic toast, on baked sweet potatoes, etc....oh and popcorn.
Hey Gail, I use it all the time too. And I don't like butter. That's probally the reason I use it. I use it on corn on the cob to hold on the salt. Ans I use it on popcorn to hold on the salt. I have been know to take diet dressing to a restaurant too. My DIL worked at a family restaurant and she said when they ran out of diet dressing they just poured regular dressing in. After that I always took my own. I don't want to get a salad and end up eating enought calories to make it as much as a big mac!
I started back at Weight Watcher today after a two year absent. At least I didn't gain all the weight I lost last time, but I'm close. This time I plan on attending all the meetings. Just going to get weighed in does not work for me. I need support to be able to reach my goal. That's way this site is so GREAT!! I have done great as far as eating and exercising goes. I still have 10 points I can use if I feel hungry, but I'm making a point not to eat after 8PM. Having a plan on what you are going to eat when going out will save you a lot of calories.
I also carry my own salad dressing with me. So many places do not have fat free dressings. Have a great night.
Cheryl
Thank you, Gail! Yep...I must do it this time! After losing (so easily) with Suzanne, I was under the mistaken assumption that I could just start up again and lose. Not True. All repeated attempts resulted in nothing but frustration and more added weight. One leads to the other, as you probably know!
Now I'm trying Sonoma....which seems to be a better fit for our lifestyle.
Nice to find a group with the same gripes and goals!! Thanks to my friend, WritersBlock for telling me about this forum!
Welcome to Jill! We're glad you're here too ... it is reassuring to know others are facing the same obstacles we are.
Thanks for the tips on eating out. I especially like the idea of planning ahead what you will order and not even opening the menu. I have taken salad dressing with me and that's another great idea. And when I get to the phase where I can have popcorn, I want to try to spray on butter! That sounds great. I'm trying to make it through Phase I of South Beach ... so I'll have to wait a while!
since I did really well today, I fixed a sweet snack while watching the Biggest Loser. I love my desserts, so I mixed a sugar free pudding cup with a sugar free jello cup and added a dollop of fat free cool whip. It wasn't Apple Crisp al a mode, but it wasn't bad, and made a pretty nice sized bowl full.
60 calories for the pudding, 10 for the jello, and maybe 40 or so for the cool whip. ( didn't measure it).
Not a lot of nutrients, but I had healthy food the rest of the day.
I love reading about your tips for eating out and am taking them seriously!
I have lost 3 pounds since Monday on Sonoma and do not feel like I'm "suffering" through another set-to-fail diet.
We're having dinner with friends at Olive Garden on Friday night, which freaked me out until I read their online menu. I discovered that there are four really good choices from their Grille! All are basted in ex-vir olive oil & spices and served with broccoli or another veggie! Choices are salmon, steak, pork chops or a mixed medley. Now if I can just have the will power to cut the portion of whatever I order!! Mentally I have already passed on the breadsticks and I will eat a few almonds before I go to make sure I'm not too hungry. I will, however, reward myself with a glass of fine red wine with dinner, even tho' I'm still on Wave 1.
Good morning all, The goal of dieting is to lose weight, ocf course. But we don't have to suffer while doing it, at least not too much. Food is to be enjoyed. There are lots of good choices you can make and still follow your diet. Just budget in the calories for a night out and you can still enjoy a glass of wine. And it's good for you too! Just remember, you will have a chance to dine out again! You don't have to eat everything! Plan, plan, plan! Fail to plan, plan to fail! And you will feel so good about yourself later!
That's why I was so happy to see that the Olive Garden has their menus online. I'm sure many other restaurants do too. Once we get the hang of what we can eat when we eat out, it will be easier to choose. Then we won't have to be so dependent on planning....but for now, it's a MUST for me!
I remember going to Ponderosa once while dieting, and feeling deprived while others gorged themselves on all the lovely starchy fatty entrees on the buffet.
this time I scoped out the buffet first, then determined there wasn't an entree suitable for me. So I ordered the grilled salmon and baked potato, made a great salad from the buffet with fat free italian dressing, and passed on the rolls. I brought some of the salmon home so I could enjoy a dessert of sugar free jello w/bananas, pineapple, and whipped topping.
A very good and filling meal. I asked for barbecue sauce for the salmon to flavor it, and just put a little on; and a little sour cream on the potato.
And I didn't feel half sick from being stuffed when I walked out of the place either!
It can be done ladies, and we can do it! (And gentlemen if there are any reading this!)
All are basted in ex-vir olive oil & spices and served with broccoli or another veggie! Choices are salmon, steak, pork chops or a mixed medley. Now if I can just have the will power to cut the portion of whatever I order!! 
Mentally I have already passed on the breadsticks and I will eat a few almonds before I go to make sure I'm not too hungry. I will, however, reward myself with a glass of fine red wine with dinner, even tho' I'm still on Wave 1. 
