Elwing - Are you crazy? You do have useful advice....you started out where I'm at and am at where I want to be!!!! I want someone like you to tell me exactly what you do and eat so I can copy you...oh, but it has to be around all my picky eating habits... :) tee hee!

Yeah, I don't really eat bread. Just the usual english muffin. Not really sure why...just not that interested in bread. Do you have a diet journal that you keep on here or that you blog? I'd be interested in seeing your typicaly daily food intake. It's crazy to me that you say just a few weeks ago you were at my weight!!! I think I would eat dirt if it would only take me a few weeks to be where you are at!

I just think eating peanut butter and 200 calories worth of nuts may be a lot in one day. I'd do either the pb OR the nuts, not both. And maybe try laughing cow cheese spread or country crock (50 calories and 5g fat per tbs) on the english muffin instead?

And milk is great! But fat free is your best option. Orange juice is ok...but eating an orange would be a lot better.

Do you eat enough fiber? I have a high fiber breakfast every morning b/c it keeps me full and makes me regular (sorry if that's TMI).
I don't think you should cut out your ice cream bar, but how maný calories/fat grams is it? I love "skinny cow" ice cream sandwhiches. 150 cals 4g fat. And I'd only do a cheat day/meal if you're really counting points or calories.

I used to be stuck at 160 also. It sucks. I'd lose 4 lbs and gain it back.....but I always gained because I slacked off! If you really pay attention and write down/track or count what you eat, you'll see results.

I don't want to sound doubtful, but do you truly want to lose? I would put effort in for a week and then give up and eat whatever b/c I didn't really care THAT much about losing.....

Mindful eat (like someone else mentioned) is SO helpful! Don't focus on food ALL the time, focus on it WHILE you're eating! Don't watch tv or read or talk on the phone. Taste the food! :)

I stopped eating after 7pm and even on days I've gone over my calories I've still lost. It works for me.

I would have to ditto what Photochick has told you. My eating habits are much as she has described. I am not a dietician but I have spent hundreds of hours reading and believe the method she describes (also check her other posts) are best.

Just out of curiosity - what about yogurt don't you like? Have you tried different varieties? Because I'll be honest - I really can't stand most store yogurts. They have a weird texture to me and they're often too sweet. I make my own yogurt at home most of the time because I can make it thick and tangy. Fage is the first yogurt I've bought that tastes like what I make at home. But don't let me make you feel like you have to eat yogurt either. What about cottage cheese? Or ricotta cheese?

For the fritatta, I really just use any veggies that I have lying around or leftover from the night before. I always have onion because I love sauteed onion in just about anything. :) I've added asparagus, broccoli, green beens, squash (leftover spaghetti squash is particularly good), chopped baby spinach, etc. Just whatever strikes my fancy that night.

Finally as for things "not being good for you" ... I encourage you to look up the nutritional value of foods rather than just relying on what you hear. :) If you look at a lean pork loin, you'll see that it's not all that different from a chicken breast:

4 oz of chicken: 130 cals, 1g total fat, 0.4g saturated fat, 68mg cholesterol, 77mg sodium, 0 carbs, 0 fiber, 27g protein.

4 oz of lean pork loin: 120 cals, 2g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 50mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 4g carbs, 0 fiber, 21g protein.

Ground beef is a little higher in fat and in saturated fat, but eaten in moderation, there's nothing wrong with having red meat now and again.

4oz of 93% ground beef: 160 cals, 7g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 65mg cholesterol, 70mg sodium, 0 carbs, 0 fiber, 24g protein

Too many people limit their options or deprive themselves because they "heard" or "read" somewhere that something was "bad for them". I STRONGLY encourage people to research those common diet myths before believing them.

Some people prefer to avoid red meat for a variety of reasons, including the higher fat content. I think that's a very individual decision and I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for doing it. I personally chose to include red meat in my diet in reasonable quantities. Heck, I even enjoy a good steak or pot roast once in a while.

But definitely make the decision based on RESEARCH and not just "I heard it somewhere!" :D

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Photochick, I think the yogurt thing is the texture. Plus, everytime I eat it, I don't feel like I've really eaten anything so I end up eating something else a little while later. Thanks for all the nutritional value information! Geez, you're a wealth of knowledge!!!

Hotmama - You are totally right on with your "Do you really want to loose?" I do awesome for a few days and then I end up going overboard because I feel like I "deserve it" and "who cares if I'm 160..." But then the next day I feel horrible about it.

There is just so much different information out there. Like Jelbb....loosing all that weight by just cutting out wheat. And then the other gal on here who says eat wheat bread and she's lost so much so quickly....then my new book, Initutive Eating, which says to forget all of it and eat what your body biologically tells you to be eating. When you stop counting calories and points your body will naturally get to the weight you were meant to be....it's all just so confusing to me...I just want to be 140ish and not have to think about food constantly!!!

Yanno...
 

I had the same problem for years. No matter what I did I was stuck at 194. Couldn't lose, didn't gain, just plain stuck.

The only thing that kickstarted my weight loss was getting off of of hormonal birth control.

You diet looks fine, and the only thing I saw that made me wince was the diet soda. Dr. Oz said that even though it doesn't contain any calories or anything, the faux sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and sucralose) confuses your body and how you use calories due to that fact that it still causes your blood sugar to spike. Your body gets confused, since the spike wasn't accompanied by any usable source of energy or nutrients, so your metabolism goes into starvation mode.

You will gain weight, or you'll have extreme difficulty losing. If you cut out the diet soda, you'll probably notice that the weight will start to drop off. Try it for 10 days and see what happens. That would be my advice. :D

I thought my advice might not be that useful because there are so many people who have dieting for way longer and know much more. Anyway, I've sent you a quite lengthy PM containing my food and other diet habits. I hope it may be of some use to you :)

Jamie! I don't know if I'll get a chance before/until I get home tonight, but I promise a real post :hug:
:carrot:

YES! That was TOTALLY the cycle I was in until I finally got so fed up and SO determined to lose! Nothing changed for me until I changed my mindset and got serious! I had to learn to reward myself with things OTHER than food (I kept using food as a reward but that kinda backfired). Also, when I think about food too much, I go drink a glass of water and then distract myself.

I'm a big fan of lean red meat too!! I eat an In-N-Out cheeseburger (light on spread, extra lettuce and tomato) once a week! The burgers there really are gourmet quality and the beef is SUPER lean and never frozen.

I've never lost even an OUNCE by going off diet coke. Dr Oz can say what he wants and I'm sure scientifically speaking, he's right. But I drink soda WITH my meal so my body certainly doesn't go into starvation mode! And it helps me feel full so I eat less! I <3 my Coke Zero and I ain't giving it up!! :)

Just another thought...for me I can't have sugar because I'm insulin resistant and any sugar just seems to make my body hang on to weight even more. Do you guys watch your sugar/carb intake at all?

Not officially but kind of indirectly.

I try to avoid processed sugars - even when I make sweet things or bake, I use organic cane sugar - and I make sure the carbs I eat are whole grains or natural fruits, which are processed differently from processed sugar fructose.

And just because I count calories, it sort of naturally means I avoid a lot of sugary stuff, because those wind up being empty calories. I think today the only sweet thing I had was 1T of homemade cranberry pepper jelly on my pb sandwich. Oh, and the pb itself, which has honey in it.

But again, all natural sugars, and only a single serving of each.

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There is nothing wrong with red meat in reasonable portions. I have a burger every once in a while -- grilled at home with extra-lean ground beef, and I probably have a small lamb steak or a pita with ground lamb in it and yogurt/cucumber dressing with lettuce at least once a week. I also eat pork (OK, not red meat, but not turkey/chicken either...) about once a week as well. The key is to MEASURE the portions and make sure you are not eating an outrageous amount -- learning what 3 ounces looks like takes a while.

Early on you asked if we really measure everything -- yes. Or, at least, I measure what I am not certain I can estimate within a few calories...especially things high in calories like meat and cheese. I find that I spend LESS time thinking about food doing it this way. I plan pretty much what I'll be eating that day at the start of the day or the night before. I figure out the calories, and then I just eat my five meals at 8, 11, 1, 3:30 and 6. I find that eating this way makes eating just a normal "function" during the day so I am not thinking about food all the time -- I also found, at least in the beginning, that not varying my diet much was a good idea -- I ate things I liked, but not having to "think" made it easier.

I feel the same way. I've been stuck on a plateau for about a month now. I'll try some of the advice given here!

OK, I'm not sure any of my ideas haven't already been mentioned, but here goes. BTW, I just noticed how similar our stats are in a way. You're ~160 and your goal is 140. I'm ~ 150 and want to be 130. So I'll get the obvious out of the way - Yes, I've lost 50 pounds, but it has slowed way down. I think I may have just hit a new plateau, but it's hard to say until TOM is gone. The point being, I take it as just the way it is this close to goal, although I also know part of it is taking it easier than I used to. I think both of those things probably also apply to you! Take what works from below, ignore the rest! The suggestions are heavy on the things I do, just because that's what I know ;)


FOOD IDEAS

Breakfast seems kinda small and not hugely overly nutritious. I have been making a week's worth (or 5 weekdays' worth anyway) of extra thick oatmeal on Sunday, dumping in a can of pumpkin, and then reheating in the a.m. with soymilk and then stirring in 2T flaxmeal. Power breakfast! I also have coffee with soymilk for a little more protein. All summer long I also had oatmeal, but I made it with blueberries and banana in it. You could also do an egg or two on really good whole (or multi) bread. Like PhotoChick said, saute some onion and bell pepper (or whatever - shredded broccoli and spinach are good too), and then add the egg(s). Yummy.

A good morning snack - ~1/4c or so Greek yogurt (plain), 1/4 banana, 1/4c frozen wild blueberries, 2T granola (low sugar kind). I don't need to add any sugar to this because of the fruits and the granola. I have eaten just plain nuts for a snack, but lately I like incorporating them into my meals and snacks. Or consider a boiled egg (oops, just remembered you said you don't like them) - Maybe try the little quiche cup recipes I've seen posted a lot (I think mainly on South Beach), that would be nice and portable and small for a snack.

Have you ever tried beans instead of a grain with your meals? Extra protein, extra fiber, more filling. You can have tasty refried beans, or a thick lentil soup, or spiced chickpeas. Add kidney beans to salads.

I definitely think you can do better for your afternoon snack. I'm just not big on bars. Just ideas based on what I do: raw veggies with hummus (beans! protein! fiber!); salad for a snack (I like spinach, apple, few cranberries, walnuts, feta, good vinaigrette - LOVE this, and I feel so virtous); salad of diced raw veggies (carrots, celery, cucumber, bell pepper) with edamame, feta and vinaigrette, maybe some nuts. I dunno, I just kinda like having my salad for a snack instead of with dinner.

I don't think having a small ice cream bar is a bad thing, but I think having that a few times a week, and having dark chocolate most days, is probably too much sugar. Especially if the snack bar has sugar. Is it a diet ice cream bar? This may not be true for you, but highly processed foods just make me want more, more, more. I am personally LOVING a piece of fruit (or bowl of grapes) as an everyday dessert after dinner. The more fruit I eat the less of other desserts I even want. I think you're kinda low on fruit in general.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

I would definitely recommend carefully entering several typical days into FitDay or somewhere similar. Otherwise, you just don't know. It doesn't mean you have to do it forever :). I'm not. But I wouldn't being doing OK now without that experience. You'll learn not only about calories, but how much protein, carbs, fiber, etc. I also agree that sometimes by putting more planning and analyzing into it up front, you then obsess and think on it less during the every day. And there's also an intermediate choice - log your food, but without using FitDay and doing calories. That's what I'm doing now. I just type it out into a simple text file. If I want to count calories, the info is there. If not, I can still look back for patterns.

Also, maybe post here in more detail about the lunches and dinners of "veggies and chicken/turkey." That's really vague. I quite believe that you think you are doing it in a healthy way. I think you probably *are* doing it right. But sometimes we're wrong. Put it out there and get more ideas on it.

I also second weight training. Although I'm doing yoga now (which is strengthening me a lot), I have done significant weight training in the past, and all the praise heaped on it is well-deserved. When I was thirtyish, I lost weight and got into a size 6-8 with weight training alone. Loved it. I may have to figure out how to add some at home now! I think you're already just starting to incorporate some interval training with your running, and I think that will do you a lot of good too!

I think Intuitive Eating has great ideas. I'm definitely using them. But I'm not 100% on board. I just don't buy that your body will truly tell you just what you need to eat, and most definitely not unless it's accustomed to really good nutrition. And if it's accustomed to really good nutrition - you don't have a problem. It's circular. The typical U.S. diet conditions you to want junk, and lots of it. I do think IE is right in leading you toward making food a pleasurable part of life without unwarranted morals attached to it. And it's very right in teaching you to listen to your body. Your body will tell you a lot! And I think paying attention to hunger and satiety is critical. But you also have to make healthy choices. We're adults. What if I went on an intuitive budget? :devil: It's a balancing game between making better choices and not sabotaging yourself.

Have you ever considered South Beach? It gives you some guidelines to work with without having to count every calorie or portion.

I don't know if ditching the Diet Coke will make a difference. But I do think it's worth a trial.

Oh, and as you start making any changes - take some body measurements! They may show improvement before the scale does.