Finally finished skimming through the back post and I have a few questions...sorry if its about old topics.
Apil ..how do you have the will power to eat just 2 hershey kisses and not the whole bag? I would have to save that for a splurge day.
You seem to be the recipe guru. I fixed my hubby stroganoff the other day in the crockpot. It was already pretty low cal, by using low-fat cream of celery as a base and broiled top round instead of fried, but we only had regular sour cream on hand. I know I read somewhere that you can substitute fat free plain yogurt in recipes. My question is, would that work well in a crockpot and other long cooking methods?
Jacklyn Awhile back you mentioned Fat Flash. Did that not work for you? Just Monday, my mom said she brought that book for her and my dad. Any advice on it as a program?
Anybody know?
Are red potatoes better than white? They seem to be in alot of diet frozen dinners.
Does anybody know the calories (before cooking) of chicken drumettes..with the skin on?
Does anyone have a good vegetable egg roll recipe?
Anybody heard from Littlechick, who used to post here?
missymont-I would try to find low fat or fat free sour cream for sour cream called for in recipes...if you really want to have that zip that it gives stroganoff and other recipes. As far as the chocolate and other goodies...I never eat them from the bag, unless it is a single serving size bag. If I occasionally want a few chips, or pretzels, or kisses-I take out one serving and put it on a paper plate or in my hand-and put the bag up before I start to eat. I try to savor the treats...make them last.
As far as goal weight...I try not to focus on the scale too much, so 140 is kindof a "roundabout" goal for me. I am 5'6"-5'7", but I am very small framed like I talked about earlier-so rather than really focusing on the number-I would say I am striving more for physical changes...increasing my muscularity, decreasing my body fat percentage...and really challenging myself in my exercise by increasing my weights, improving my dance skills, and increasing my flexibility in yoga...one of my mini-goals is to actually be able to sit on the floor with my legs far apart, and be able to be flexible enough to lie down with my upper body completely on the floor between my legs. So, 140 is a roundabout goal, but I would be completely happy anywhere within the 125-150 pound range, if I was happy with my progress in fitness, and I had a low body fat percentage and was strong and shapely. I am worried more about these changes than the scale...I would rather be 150 pounds and firm than 120 pounds and flabby.
I hope I answered your questions well enough...
Aphil
Thanks, all for the compliments! I hugged the dog and told her what a pretty girl she is. She slobbered on me.
missymont, I am 5'6". I currently am 145. In that October pic, I was not any less than 142. I honestly don't care what the scale ultimately shows, as long as I am feeling fit and muscly. I am seeing improvement in my legs, which have always been chunky, to say the least! And my upper arms are so much improved, that I can wear T-shirts without embarassment. And I would wear a midriff-baring shirt, if socially I could get away with it, haha. But I think I can pare down some more, so I am going to try for that 142 mark, with the improved muscles since last year. What a long answer!
Aphil, I remember when my kids would accidentally break something - they would act as if I regularly beat them for such infractions, when of course I didn't! I know it was because they felt bad, but it's rather comical, isn't it.
I hate to use TOM as an excuse for anything, but I am a couple of days before the event, and just wanting starches & sweets so badly. I made a couple of not-so-great choices today; will just have to "face the piper" when I climb on the scale tomorrow. But I won't let it put me in too bad a mood, just continue on positively. I hope. (haha)
Who do we have here from Colorado...? What a snowstorm! Yikes! We had a cold rain today, which turns the ice pretty treacherous. We bought two 60 lbs. bags of sand to have on hand to broadcast on our driveway.
Blood donation day for me tomorrow - send me strength to say NO to the doughnut I usually justify for myself after donating a pint!
Have a nice night and a great, strong day tomorrow!
I am 5'4" and my 'realistic' goal is 130 pounds... but if I can dream here for a minute... I'd love to be 120 I don't want to give myself unrealistic goals that I'll never reach so I stick with 130 and I will be extremely happy to even be in the high 130's!
I am medium framed (i believe). According to that site I posted the other day, I should weigh between 124 and 138 (if i remember correctly).
And... i'm doing sooo badly with getting back into diet mindset
Anyone want to help with grocery shoppin ideas? I need healthy options around!!
I am 5'7" and weigh 147- 150 and I am either a size 8 or 6, depending on the cut. This weight works well for me. I agree with the others, the number doesn't matter as long as you are fit. I did gain a couple of pounds when I first started doing aerobics, but my body looked better! I think it's better to have a range and a picture in your mind of what you want your body to look like.
Healthy shopping ideas...
1. asparagus is in season. I never liked it until I had it cooked in orange juice with a little bit of toasted nuts on top! What a nice spring dish!
2. it's not too early to be grilling those vegetables! Remember how good they were last summer? There's no reason to wait!
3. turkey breasts usually go on sale around Easter. There's very little fat and very little waste. We get several meals and soup out of one.
4. turkey chili in the crock pot always tastes good on a cold and rainy day!
OK, now I"m hungry and it's only 7:30 a.m.!!
Have a good day everyone!
I'm 5'4" and weigh 166. I'm striving for 130 (but secretly wish to be in the mid 120's if I can manage it). I'm currently taking medicine for high BP but it's getting better.
I do not go the grocery store hungry -- I know what happens if I do. I eat a meal before I go and try to stick to the list.
I've been buying lots of fruit and veggies and chicken cutlets...the frozen ones that you can just pop into a pan or oven and have with spinach or salad.
I have decided that I'd rather have a smaller amount of the "real" dressing on my salad than the "diet" stuff. I measure out a tbs and mix it really well before serving. I can use a lot less that way and I really enjoy it.
Been eating Better n Eggs mixed with an egg lately for omletts. I also have become a real fan of soy burgers, sausage and other soy products. I don't like them all but I've made an effort to try them.
I like WOW chips to have with my low-cal sandwiches. I actually count out the chips to make sure I'm sticking to the serving size.
I've become a big fan of writing it down. I can see the future -- some drawer will be filled with little notebooks that I've saved over the years containing daily menus and calorie counts. It gives me a feeling of control knowing what I'm taking in each day.
I also weigh almost every day...I know this does not work for some, but I "just gotta know." It helps me to stay focused and on course. When I was 20 lbs. heavier, I didn't weigh for months and I was fooling myself. I need to know what I weigh and face the music and, if need be, do something before a weight increase gets out of hand. (I'm thinking maintenance stage here.) It will be so much easier to lose 5 lbs than wait and lose 20.
Some shopping ideas....hmmm....
Here are some of my staples at our house:
1.) Yoplait Light yogurt-it is my favorite of all brands-creamier, with bits of fruit in it, not just flavored to taste like fruit. I love the Strawberry-Orange Sunrise, Very Cherry, and Harvest Peach-at 100 calories each, it is a great way I can get my calcium in and actually not loathe it.
2.) Fresh Fruits-they can get expensive, so I skim the ads and buy what is on sale this week-last week it was Washington apples, strawberries are on sale this week-it saves me $ and helps give me variety...bananas are usually always cheap.
3.) For dinner, I always buy ground round instead of ground beef or ground chuck. A little more expensive, but less calories and fat per serving-a higher quality ground beef. I replace this for regular ground beef in burgers, lasagna, etc.
4.) I always buy bags of those boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer section of the store-they are cheapest at Wal-Mart and Aldi's...you can thaw out only the amount you neeed, the calories and fat are on the package, and they are great to throw on the grill or to bake in a little BBQ sauce or marinade. These are also great to make one for myself when the family is requesting a fattening dish like fried chicken...I eat the chicken breast grilled or baked, the family eats the fried, and we have the same vegetables, etc.
5.) Instant Oatmeal-great for you, fiber rich, inexpensive-lots of flavors available now so you don't get bored. I have found that the generic tastes exactly the same as the Quaker-so save a few cents there.
That is a few of the staples around my house...
Last night I repaired my hip scarf that Raiden made a mess of, did some other small mending projects...getting everything cleared out of my bedroom for the onslaught of new projects being started. I am also hoping that Jason will start the landscaping project that I have been wanting him to do. When we bought the house a year and a half ago-the bushes and landscaping in our front yard is just awful...but we have been so busy with the inside doing things-flooring, drywalling the garage, etc. that we have not had the chance to do anything outside, other than put up new shutters last year. I bought some rock and edging...hoping Jason will dig up our AWFUL bushes and put the river rock down with edging instead. I don't even want any bushes in the front...I'll sit out big pots and plant flowers in them, and build a retaining wall later this spring. You would all seriously have to see these bushes-they are that ugly.
Well, I need to get my workout in...
Aphil
K.C.--another salad dressing hint--put it in a bowl and dip your fork in the dressing and then eat your salad. Lots of flavor!
Aphil--I also buy the better chopped meat, but I also rinse it with hot water in a colander after I brown it if I'm adding it to another dish. A lot of extra calories go down the drain! I'm going to try your yogurt recommendations!
Hello everyone! Wow! There have been alot of posts here since yesterday! Okay, first of all, weigh-in this morning was 154. So I am down a pound since last week. I am pleased with this particularly because we ate Mexican last night and I always eat way too much chips and salsa when I go there. I swear I would pick that salty food over chocholate ANY day of the week.
Missymont~lets see...to answer your question about the Fat Flush. Yes I did try it and YES it does work. However I found it very restrictive for me. If memory serves correct, I believe I dropped about 8-9 pounds the first couple of weeks. And I am sure that it was all water since I spent about 23 hours and 45 minutes on the toilet everyday. As soon as I went back to normal eating I gained the weight back. Actually because I felt so deprived, I believe I gorged myself for a couple of weeks so I may have actually gained more back. Now having said that, I do believe that it is a decent plan with some really good ideas. I continue to incorporate some of the ideas into my current plan. For example, she advises that you use limited salt, certain spices, and certain vitamins and I continue to try to do that.
Oh yeah, another problem I had was with my TOM. I am on the pill so I'm pretty much like clock work. When I was on the program I spotted through out the month. I also read somewhere that the psyllium that the author advises you to take may actually neutralize the pill, if you take the two closely together. So for a person not ready to start a family, that scared me! I don't mean to discourage you or your family about this program. I really think that if you can stick with it, it would definitely work! I felt pretty good on it, other than cravings. I just found that counting calories was the best for me. Let me know if you have any other questions, because I could write a book on it. Every now and then I do go on it for a couple of days when I feel like I am retaining some water and it definitely helps.
Okay, next subject. I am 5'3"....the shortest of the group, of course I'm used to that. It stinks. Ideally I would like to get down to 120. Having said that, I have always been extremely active and tend to be of a muscular build, so if I am comfortable with myself at 130 I'll take it. So I guess 120-130 is my range. I think my ultimate goal is that when people look at me, I don't want them to think...man, she is skinny!! I would rather they think....man, she works out!! Thats REALLY my goal!
I am with you Aphil, I have definitely started to feel the benefits of my work outs. I feel stronger and since I started lifting again, I dont feel like I jiggle all the time.
okay, I have now written a short novel. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Its more of a 'remember what I used to get' thing than a try something new thing. I'm a picky eater... my husband is an even pickier eater... he doesn't do veggies at all.. and I'm very limited in which I like.
I will definitely have to get a package of frozen chicken breasts. I already buy the real lean ground beef (sam's club always has good prices on that!) but I haven't gotten the chicken in a long while.
I'd really like to get some bananas and strawberries and make some smoothies.. but my blender is a sad piece o' crap! lol
I am not a fan of yogurt.. it tastes like sour milk to me! ewwww
WOW chips are great.. I know the fake fat is supposed to be bad for you but it's never messed with me so I figure a little now and then is no biggie
I really need to try Kashi cereals, I've heard good things.
Now ya'll have my brain goin... hopefully it continues in the right direction! LOL
So far today I've been good.. but its only 10:15am and I'm starving right now.. perhaps the other half of the banana I had in my cereal this morning will tide me over until lunch.
I used to write down everything I ate and I have 2 filled notebooks! I need to get me a new one again, for a fresh start!
I'm also going to try to dig out my old workout video tapes and see if there's not something in there to start motivating me again!!
Hope everyone else is doing well!!
I gotta run and get some cleaning done whilst the baby is actually in a happy mood and letting me set her down
Thanks to all that respondent to my questions. Vermontmom, I'm in Colorado. It was nice, snuggly, build a snowman kinda weather.
Thanks Jacklyn for the info on fat flash. If its retrictive I doubt my mom can keep my dad on it. She's trying to "cure" his dependency on salt and to lose her little tummy. My journey to health and fitness sorta resembles yours. I'm 5 feet, my goal is 120, but like you that is going to be dependent on how I feel. I'm currently 140, last weight at Doctor's office in Jan was 155. So I'm gonna be watching you for inspiration!
Missymont~maybe your parents will have better luck with the program than I did. I know one of the hardest things for me was fixing my husbands dinner and then having to eat something entirely different. So maybe if they are both on it, it will work for them. Like I said, if they can stick to it, they will definitely lose!
I dont know why you have to look to me for motivation. You've already lost 15 pounds!!! You go girl!! I cant wait to see the scale hit 140! Maybe we can use each other for that added inspiration. Lord knows I need all the help I can get!
I'm going to the gym tonight. 2 weeks until I am cramming myself into a swim suit. Even though I'm definitely not where I want to be, I do see a definite improvement. So I'll take what ever loss I can get. Talk to you guys later!
Aphil! I WANT to see those bushes!!! I am still cracking up over your description of them, and just can't imagine an ugly bush. But you make them sound hilarious. Congrats on getting all the wedding flowers done! Phew! onto your next project(s), right?
Jacklyn, congrats!!! on being down a pound!!! I, on the other hand, am still stuck on 145...well, I'll just do my best from this point on! And I like your wish to have folks be able to tell from your fit frame, "wow, she works out, she looks great!"
Christine, I've been having the Kashi "Good Friends" cereal since my weight loss journey. I happen to like mine with a serving of yogurt, but I know that would be yucky for you - - so you'd prolly want to stick to the traditional skim milk. But I think because it's so twiggy and grainy, it really keeps me going in the morning...or I'll add a small banana or apple mid-morning, as the serving of Kashi with milk isn't alot of calories. Oh yes - and because it's so twiggy and grainy, NO ONE ELSE IN THE HOUSE WILL WANT TO EAT IT so it won't disappear on you.
Tryin'hard, that is a smart trick to rinse the browned ground beef. I know a culinary school graduate who now does research and developement in the lab for B & J's; but formerly he was in charge of a local town's school lunch program; and he totally revamped it by making great changes, such as substituting fresh ingredients for canned, reducing fat and salt, etc. But rinsing the browned ground beef was something he insisted on becoming protocol for the lunch ladies to do.
Missymont, how nice that you didn't speak of the snowstorm in a negative way!! You must look to the positive in things, that's great!
Hi GeorgiaLady! And a smart tip from you for us NEVER to grocery shop when hungry!!! It can be disastrous!!! Also, whenever possible, and we love them, we know, but kids also set us up for disaster when shopping! They want everything that's bad and/or junky/trendy/expensive/just plain cr*p. It's so awful to keep having to repeat, "no, we never get that; no, it's terrible for us; no, too expensive, maybe when I have a coupon; no, that looks too good, I'd eat it all the first night" and so on.
Hello to everyone else! Nancy, we're thinking of you, tho' we know you're super busy with the moving!
Ladies, I got my motorcycle out of the garage and up the driveway by myself today which is only a big deal because the drive still has patches of packed snow and ice...I spread sand all over first; then put on my hiking boots which have treads like a Humvee's tires - - parked it carefully where the kickstand wouldn't sink into muck - then dashed inside to put all the gear on. Then went for a nice ride by myself! Yeehaw!
Well, I'm going to fix a big green salad, and re-commit to doing well and drinking water!!! (I already had my date with Gilad today, haha)
Jacklyn, I just had to post a reponse!! I can relate about being vertically challenged!! I am barely 5'2"!!!
Talk about being limited to what sports bike you can ride!! Oh darn, guess I am stuck getting a Ducati like my 5'4" riding friend :P Thank goodness they are WAY cheaper here in Aus than America & Canada!!
I am also aiming for a goal that makes me look muscular vrs skinny/fat. So if I can be a ripped 140 - 135 I will be sooooo pleased!!
Hi all!
I hugged the dog and told her what a pretty girl she is. She slobbered on me. 
I don't want to give myself unrealistic goals that I'll never reach so I stick with 130 and I will be extremely happy to even be in the high 130's!
Thanks to all
Even though I'm definitely not where I want to be, I do see a definite improvement. So I'll take what ever loss I can get. Talk to you guys later!
which is only a big deal because the drive still has patches of packed snow and ice...I spread sand all over first; then put on my hiking boots which have treads like a Humvee's tires - 
