Hi girls,

I've not been doing as well lately due to poor planning. I'll get home from work and am not hungry right away, but later in the evening get hungry and grab anything that's available. Had I fixed a healthy dinner to begin with, this wouldn't happen. <sigh>

I'll try to do better tonight - I'm making a london broil and will steam some vegetables to go with it.

Lots going on with house issues - a possible new roof and the water softener needs replaced, too. It's only money ;-)

Have a good day!

I decided to try the fiber drink before each meal. I wasn't completely faithful to it, but was at least 2/3 of the time. I ate my normal meals....which for me isn't a diet, per se, just watching what I eat and eating less of it. Down five pounds this week!!! I am going to keep up the fiber drink 30 min. before each meal. I still ride my exercise bike...aiming for 3 times a day...and am adding other exercises....started with wall push ups.

Byugal - Do you think the fiber drink is helping you to eat less? If so, I may go back it it and see if it helps. I just have to get past the fact that it turns into that jelled blob that turned me off so bad. LOL My main problem is portion control, as my signature cartoon illustrates, and if that jelled blob can help me to eat less, it also is claimed to lower cholesterol, and I need that, too.

:congrat:buyugal way to go!
Andi I am there with you, I know what you mean. My poor planning is what holds me back. I decided to try something that I am not totally comfortably with. I ordered the "Sensa" weightloss package. Everyone that calss in has great results and some are my age. I am concerned becaused of my thyroid & high blood pressure. But, if this works, it will really help with this. It is supposed to curb your appetite and desire for junk foood. I searched the web for the ingredients and basically its just sugar & salt substitute from what I have read. I really don't know abot that. It was created by a doctor to help reduce portions. I have not recived it yet.
Carol Sue its good to see you post and I myself can't handle fiber drinks. I think if you eat more fiber and drink lots of water would work best.
Well I hope we all can figure this out and find what works for us. Have a good day.

Izzy

Yes, I do think it helps me eat less. I do it a half hour before a meal. I hate the stuff....I drink it down fast and chase it with more water. Also, according to that book you mentioned, it helps trap fat and calories. I was up one pound this morning, so I may have celebrated 5 lb. too soon, but I expect my weight to fluctuate like that sometimes, so not going to let that deter me. Onward and upward.....or, rather....downward. :D

The impact of boosting fiber through supplements — in pills, powders or added into into food and drinks — may not be the same as eating naturally high-fiber foods.

Fiber amounts vary, and supplements may not help

Amounts and types of fiber in studies vary. Six studies showed increased weight loss among overweight people consuming daily fiber supplements containing from 4 to 20 grams of dietary fiber. In most cases participants were also on a 1200- to 1600-calorie diet.

The weight loss advantage of those on fiber supplements was relatively small: an average of 2 to 4 pounds greater loss after two to 14 months. Three studies that used smaller amounts of fiber (4 to 6 grams) for three months or less while reducing calories had no affect on weight loss.

Participants taking fiber supplements report reduced calorie consumption, decreased hunger or increased fullness in about half the studies.

Overall, these studies suggest that dietary fiber from foods or supplements may support weight control. But it’s important to note adding fiber — whether through supplements or by replacing low-fiber foods with high-fiber choices — only seems to assist weight control when it leads to a decrease in calorie consumption.
(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.)

I thought it might help.

Izzy - I understand that you can't eat any and all things you want and just drink a fiber drink and think you are going to lose weight. But if this helps you feel full sooner and eat less, then that's the bottom line. But after my colon surgery, Metamucil was recommended to me by my home nurse. I don't think it's unsafe. I have always eaten lots of fiber and never had problems with constipation. But after this surgery, it is imperative that I don't get constipation...even one episode could be disasterous. They cut out a portion of my colon and had to stretch it to re-attach it, therefore it is narrower than usual. Because of this, I also have to chew my food very thoroughly...pulverize it. LOL This is also known to promote weight loss because it slows down your eating and you feel full sooner. Metamucil is also recommended to reduce cholesterol. If I lose a couple pounds along the way because the fiber is absorbing some of the calories from my food, I won't be mad. LOL

I always wondered about that Sensa. Be sure to let us know how it works for you. It is supposed to control your appetite so you eat less. I doubt if it's dangerous, but it's the same concept as with the fiber drink, or any other supplement meant to help you lose weight. If you are one who eats emotionally, not from actual hunger, you might continue to eat, even after your brain receives the message that you are full. You always have to be concious of your eating and stay within the proper calorie count. If you can find a safe supplement that helps you do this, you're ahead of the game. But no matter what, it still comes back to eating less and moving more.

The past couple days I have done very well with my food and am down a couple pounds. If I could just stick with this! I track my food in a little notebook and periodically enter it in Fitday. I noticed as I entered it that there were days when I went over 2000 cals! Now I'm doing it differently. I am entering it each day instead of entering days at a time. I enter my breakfast and lunch and then see how many calories I have left for dinner, based on 1500 calories or less per day. I want to be optimistic about this. I want to say that I am going to continue doing this and lose this weight. But I know from past experience, I get gung ho about things and then after a while my resolve fizzles. I know I shouldn't think about it that way, but I am just being realistic.

Andi - You do so well with your eating and exercising, I don't think one day of not staying on track is going to have any effect. You realize what you did and why you did it and you will be back on the bandwagon the next day, probably none the worse! It happens to everyone, usually much more often than it happens to you. The important thing is to realize it and learn from it.

When I was younger....and maybe not so horribly long in the distant past...I had trouble with eating just to be eating....not because I was hungry. I don't compulsively eat any more. I eat three meals a day and a couple of snacks if I feel hungry, but usually I don't. I am eating high fiber anyway. I eat grapenuts for breakfast with yogurt and walnuts. I don't drink milk, and this is the only way I can eat it.

I haven't felt hungry in a long time. I am tempted to wait to eat until I feel hungry, but since I work outside in the heat, at least some every day, I don't want to get to feeling weak. Before I started my "diet"....which isn't really a diet because I don't count calories... I have dieted so long, I know what I can eat and what I can't. Anyway, I was suggested the fiber drink as a way of evening out my IBS. Which sometimes caused me to go from one extreme to the other as far as bathroom habits go...without being too specific.

I hate it...because it tastes like sawdust. I accidentally got unflavored...I used to always get orange flavored. I didn't drink any of it yesterday, but I am back on it today, and will stay with it. I am also continuing to exercise...riding my exercise bike, because it doesn't seem to aggravate my knees, and some other exercises I am adding as I go along.

I had to make changes that I can live with because I am a very unsuccessful dieter. I love to cook, and in the past, when I dieted, I would become so obsessed with food. I would read cookbooks and all I thought about was eating. I couldn't stay with it. Now I know I am going to eat three meals a day, and snacks and whatever I want, within reason. I can go on about my business and not be thinking about food all the time. And, I have a goal. I really do want to lose 45 pounds and take up riding again. That is an ambitious goal for someone my age (almost 66) and haven't ridden in more than 15 years. My plan is to be pretty close to my goal by October...my birthday, and I am going to go to a local stable and sign up for a few lessons....just so I know I can get on and off a horse again....and then I am going to go buy myself a saddle mule. I am going to ride again....or die trying. :D

Hi Girls, and Happy Friday!

It's been so hot here I've missed several walks outside, and just trying to stay cool.

Byugal, you sound very committed to your healthy eating plan, and as long as you keep sugar and carbs low, those cravings will stay away. I certainly agree with you on the importance of fiber, and I get mine the easy way and take a Glucomannan fiber capsule 2 or 3 times a day with a big glass of water - there is no flavor whatsoever and they are quite effective. For me they make me feel fuller so I eat less, and I like the fact that they help control cholesterol and keep things moving along as it were ;-). I don't count calories either, but really watch the carbs and sugar.

Izzy, we're waiting to hear about how Sensa works for you! I've seen it advertized but have not tried it. Seems too good to be true? Hope it works!

Carol Sue, congrats on the weight loss!! Keep doing what works for you - I can never find the time to log my foods, but You go, girl!

Glucomannan is a dietary fiber becoming more popular in Western countries. Peoples in East Asia have used this fiber for more than a thousand years. This dietary fiber is the main polysaccharide obtained from the tubers of the Amorphophallus konjac plant. Glucomannan fiber has a extraordinarily high water holding capacity, forming highly viscous solutions when dissolved in water. It has the highest molecular weight and viscosity of any known dietary fiber. This supplement has studied in the treatment of obesity due to the satiety sensation that it produces; as a remedy for constipation, because it increases the feces volume; as a blood cholesterol lowering agent, interfering in the transport of cholesterol and of bile acids and as blood sugar lowering supplement for those with diabetes. The use of a glucomanna supplement delays gastric emptying and slows glucose delivery to the intestinal mucosa.

Have a great day!

Hi guys,
great point of views. I do agree that fiber is very important. I posted the medical view for comparison. I am looking forward to getting well so I can do
something. The infection in my stomach is back with a vengeance. Boy I have been so weak and sick for the last 2 days. I tried to swollow some water today and It felt like something was ripping my esophagus out of my body.I have been puttin off the EDG because of finances. Oh boy!
But enough of my gloom. Congrats to all who have lost and are doing so well. I hope everyone stays cool, its been 105+ here today ahhhh!

Well, made it through the storm. WE were hit hard. There is still alot of people without power. I was lucky, mine stayed off overnight. but my son and his family has been staying with us plus my sister. Wow! nothing is normal.
hope everyone is fine

Izzy - Glad to hear you made it through the storm. It hit hard in some places!

I guess everyone does something different to get their fiber. I do eat a lot of high fiber foods because they are things I like....veggies and beans, but they do cause some discomfort for me and Beano only works to a point. LOL

I did not do well over the weekend. I was not around home much to log my foods and did not watch my portions. Back on the horse this week. I am already planning my 4th of July get-together. I think if I watch the bread I'll be ok. Being the hostess, I get to choose the menu!

Hi Girls,

We were hit hard, too, but power was back on by morning. Izzy, it's got to be crazy with relatives staying with you on top of the storm activities.

Carol Sue, glad to hear you're back on the horse this week and already thinking about your food choices for the holiday. Don't let hostessing cause you undue stress!

My 19 y-o DS was playing basketball and another kid came down on his ankle - it's broken and they want to do surgery and insert a screw in the bone (ouch!). I'm waiting for a call now about when that will happen - probably on Thursday. He's got a "boot" that stabilizes it somewhat until surgery, but of course I'm worried about him. :-( It's always something...

Have a great 4th!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful 4th
Andi I hope all is well with your son and that the operation went well.
Carol Sue, Glad to here that you are riding your horse again.
Today reminded me how fast this year has gone by, before you know it. It will be Christmas.

Hugs to all
Izzy

Well, the holiday was a 50/50 for me. I ate the wrong foods, but I ate very small quantities of them, and I sent leftovers home.

Andi - Ouch! Your son's ankle injury sounds painful. I hope everything goes well for him.

Izzy - Oh, don't talk about Christmas! I haven't even started my shopping! LOL I saw a shot on TV news showing snow and it was refreshing to see it after all the hot weather we've been having. Yesterday, we had a terrible storm with hailstones the size of golf balls. They were hitting on the living room window and I was afraid they were going to come through so I went into the basement until it let up. My husband ran out and put cardboard on the hood and trunk of my car but he said it got 6 dents on the roof. He is also concerned about the roof of the house and will have to go up to check it in the next couple days. It cleared up in time for a nice fireworks display in the local ball field to finish off the evening.