Lara and coldbrightday, I just tried Oikos Greek Yogurt this morning and I really liked it. I'm not a big fan of Fage but this was great, and seemed lower in cals than other yogurts: 120 cals for 6 oz. (I don't touch artificial sweeteners, so I don't count yogurts that have all the junk in them.)

I eat plain yogurt. There aren't a lot of options here brand wise though, so I think I may start making my own again. I haven't touched the yogurt maker since we moved.

GrammyL/Coldbrightday~ If you feel like experimenting with some non-meat alternatives at some point, you can find tempeh and seitan that are organic, so they'd be free of GMOs and pesticides. Tempeh is the Indonesian answer to tofu, but it's fermented so it has a nuttier flavor and it absorbs marinades well. It works well in sandwiches. Seitan is "wheat meat" it's made from gluten and can be shredded easily like chicken or pork. I eat tofu quite a bit too.

I like the Cliff Nectar bars too. Although I feel that power/granola bars are basically slightly healthier candy bars, so they are more of a treat thing for me. We seem to end up eating them when we travel because they are easy to find in gas stations these days. Better then most fast food at any rate.

Laura ~ I have heard of Greek Yogurt but have never seen it in the stores I shop at. I will have to check Meijers to see if they have it. I don't normally shop their.

Zenor ~ I have never heard of of sietan. I have heard of tempeh but didn't know what it was.

I am going to check out the Larabars and the Cliff Bars. Luna bars are made by Cliff bars but they wanted to make a lower calorie version for woman.

I am just to the point it is time to feed my body what it needs so I can feel better. I just don't feel the greatest all the time and I definitely don't feel what I think a healthy person should feel like. So, I am just trying to get as much junk out of my eating plan as I can. I want to be healthy and being thin as a side effect. LOL!

I already have my exercise routine in place that I feel I can stick with for the rest of my life. To go beyond what I am doing I have the feeling would be over kill to some but not enough to others but its perfect for me. Most days I get in 10,000 steps a day which is a little over three miles. I go to Curves 2 times a week. I tried 3 but just couldn't work it into my schedule.

Well I better get going for today and I will talk to you all tomorrow.

Good morning friends!

Ok I did find the Larabar's at Meijer. I had one yesterday and it was SOOOOO GOOD! I can see why you like them. I found some Clif Bars for kids so I bought a couple for my GS. He hogged down on my Luna bar so I figure he will like the Clif bars.

I also bought the Agave and Stevia Plus sweeteners. Now that I know about the Stevia I used it in my coffee this morning but only 1/4 tsp for 32 oz. and it was perfect. I used the Agave on my oatmeal, 1 tsp and that was perfect. I like them both.

I bought Organic Fat Free Plain and Vanilla flavor yogurts. DD is totally in love with the vanilla and said now she will eat yogurt. I had the plain and I put in Cascadia Farms Blueberry Jelly, 1 tablespoon and it was WONDERFUL! That is the yogurt I remember in high school. It has a slight tang to it but the jelly added the flavor. I was talking to my Mom about it. I didn't realize that todays fruit flavored yogurt had changed that much until I had the plain organic. That HFCS really changes the taste and its not a favorable change. I like that tang that yogurt has and so does my DD. I think I am going to bring it to work and put a note that its in the refrigerator for who ever wants it.

I am finally starting to feel a little better today. I can't say for sure it was withdrawals from the Splenda or possibly fighting something off but I don't feel so antzie and no headaches. I also can't be for sure but it appears my intestinal problems are clearing up but it could be from the good yogurt.

I had Falafel for the first time last night. I REALLY like it. I have it for lunch today. I little pricey calorie wise but if I plan right I can afford the extra and if I would settle for a true serving it would help also. LOL! Each package has 6 servings and I ate half a package which filled me up but what they consider a serving wouldn't even come close. I figured the calories at 270 but its 270 of healthy good for me calories. I put it in a low cal healthy tortilla I found that is 70 calories and then some bell pepper and lettuce. YUMMO!

Well I better get going for now. I have decided what to do more research on yet. I am really finding this very interesting and fun but I have to get some little projects done this morning.

Hi ladies! I had a fabulous weekend. We got lots of sun, and I spent pretty much the whole time working in my garden, getting ready for spring planting. Plus I'm finally losing at a good pace again, and down to below where I was before that stupid weekend blowout last week. Yay!


Congrats, Tinky!! That's wonderful news.

Zenor -- I love tempeh. Love love love. I can take or leave seitan. Unfortunately these days I have to relegate both of them to when I eat out or at a friends, because my girlfriend can't eat much soy or gluten. Have you every tried making your own seitan? It's actually super easy.

Lara -- Glad to hear you're feeling better!!

CONGRATS TINKY HOW EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey all I have been MIA for a bit because I have been a little stressed and depressed and was off my calories all weekend, good news no damage was done bad news I didn't lose any either. I am back on track today bought my new trampoline and used it 45 min today, I have eaten 450 cals so far today and I feel alot happier. I do have a sore throat and hope it goes by my vocal lesson thursday. I talked to a psychic (free) and she told me she sees I will make it to at least the cut before top 25 on canadian idol....I hope she is right!!!

talk to yall soon
Nic

:carrot: CONGRATULATIONS TINKY! :carrot:

Coldbrightday ~ There is a sun? LOL! Just kidding, I live in Michigan and it is a dark gloomy time of year. We see it on occasion. Is your girlfriend sensitive to it or just doesn't like it that well. I have noticed I am sensitive to wheat if I eat it to often.

Irish ~ Could it be all the stress your under from the Idol competition? I know you live in Canada so maybe its just the lack of sunshine. I sure do miss the full sun effects. Glad your feeling better and back on track before damage was done.

Tinky ~ I have really missed you and that is fantastic news. Yes, that would be a huge motivator for most but me I would fall apart. I am not good with deadlines. Even here at work I just get it done right away or it will never happen.

I have been working on a mass mailing off and on all day. YUCKO! Seems like special projects are being dropped off none stop this week and one of my workers is off sick with pink eye. So, it all comes back to me. I feel so lucky. LOL!

Off to do some more work.

Hahaha. I used to live in Minnesota so I know how that one goes. Although we actually got a lot more sun there in the winter than we do here... but I can't complain too much because it never gets truly cold here (though you'd think so by the way folks bundle up when it's 35 degrees!), and all the gloom and rain in the winter means a beautiful green spring. And spring does tend to come early... I saw my first crocus buds this morning!

Re: wheat and soy, my girlfriend has crohn's disease, and has tried a huge number of different strategies to manage it, but what seems to work the best is a diet of mostly fresh veggies and meat, a small amount of whole, sprouted grains, no refined sugar, and little to no soy, corn, nightshades, wheat, or cow dairy (sheep and goat dairy is okay because the proteins are shorter, easier to digest, and more similar to human milk). It sounds super restrictive, and it is, in the sense that it makes going out to eat nearly impossible, but there are still a really wide variety of foods that she can eat, so we get along pretty well. :)

Congratulations Tinky from a newbie! My daughter is getting married next January... in Wisconsin (brrrrrr) so I know the motivation that you are talking about. My middle daughter is a bridesmaid in July and the dresses from J Crew are small. She needs to lose 20# so I am trying to help her.

Did you see the new show "Bulging Brides"? They take a bride who can't fit into her dress 6 weeks before her wedding and get her in shape. 6 hours of exercise per week and a diet that looks pretty healthy. !,600 calories ish. Anyway, it was an inspiration. Don't stress yourself out to much about it!

Irish, good luck and I hope you feel better! Colds and flu are whipping around my office. I am in Wisconsin and I am tired of the cold too. The snow helps because it gives us reflected light.

Hello to everyone else, I look forward to losing with you. :cheer2:

PS I am a splenda, Diet Coke addict. I have been trying to switch to water with crystal light etc but isn't that the same thing as drinking the diet coke and splenda??? :o

Some varieties of crystal light are sweetened with aspartame (same as in diet coke) and some with sucralose (splenda). Personally, I find Splenda a lot scarier than aspartame -- despite what I said earlier about artificial sweeteners, I do indulge in a diet coke once in a while, but I avoid Splenda like the plague. Mostly it's because of this conversation I witnessed between two (quite brilliant) organic chemists:

OC#1: You've heard about this sucralose stuff?
OC#2: Huh?
OC#1: You know, Splenda.
OC#2: What is it?
OC#1: Tri-chlorinated sucrose.
OC#2: (Literally almost falls of his chair, with a HORRIFIED look on his face) Wait, wait, and people EAT it?

All of which I found both hilarious and telling.... Chlorine is bad for you. :)

I don't want to sound like a food **** though... everybody's got to figure out where their priorities are. I eat all organic produce but I've been known to take down a bag of cheetos, too. Others make different trade-offs. All things in moderation (including moderation!!).

That is scary! My mom once baked a cake with splenda for me... seeing 1/2 of a cup of the stuff go in a bowl is super scary! No one ate it. Maybe we'd be better off working real sugar calories into the morning coffee. I think I may do that and try to cut back. I put 3 splendas in a cup of coffee each AM! :o

I look at it this way: if you're using artificial sugar, chances are in its in a food that would otherwise not be on-plan. So... how does it make sense that you're eating cake or drinking soda, just because it doesn't have real sugar? If you're trying to get healthy, ditch the cake and the soda, and start eating more fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc.

Just my opinion - not meant to criticize anyone's own choices.