its_my_life: Thanks for the info on overstock. I was getting ready to order it via Amazon.com for 21.00. Good find!!! Can't wait to get it.
I had a pretty off plan day yesterday as well. Today I put on my pants and they were actually a wee bit loose!!! Finally!!!!!! That his given me all kinds of incentive and I am re-committed.

I also can't wait to get the book to make sure I am eatting the right amount of exchanges and calories. This is the book I am been looking for since I really don't know how many calories or exchanges I should be eatting.

I will let you know when I recieve it.

bev

Hi, bev and jujubee. Wow, that's a great deal you got, bev! I think you'll find the book very refreshing in terms of just common sense advice (something sorely lacking in many "diet" books today). Jujubee, how long have you been doing the exchanges? I truly believe that it takes a while to get your palate used to eating healthier, whole, unprocessed foods. It has taken me a few years to get to where I am right now, i.e., where I actually PREFER whole, unprocessed foods to junk foods. For example, twinkies don't really tempt me now. This isn't to say that I lost my taste for goodies (Haagen Daz Banana Foster ice cream is a favorite of mine), but now I make sure even my goodies have natural ingredients and try to avoid things that contain the artery-clogging hydrogenated oil. And, I'm not just concerned about calories; I'm just as concerned about nutrition.

All rambling aside, Jujubee, here are some tips I hope will help you:

1) I know you said you don't like to cook, but perhaps if you could try just one new recipe a week, you'd find that it can be fun to experiment. Go on foodtv.com and check out some of their recipes. You may have to adjust them to shave off some calories and fat, but that's easy enough (I haven't bought a cookbook since I found out about this site!). Besides this, you can get a lot of "mileage" out of one recipe. For instance, if you cooked a big pot of homemade minestrone soup on the weekend, you could freeze individual portions in 1-cup containers and have soup on hand for when you want it.
2) You said you have a problem incorporating veggies. I find that journaling my food really helps me to "fill in the blanks" where my diet is missing vegetables. For example, the other day, I journaled my food the night before and did a quick check to see close I would get to hitting my exchanges. I noticed that I was a little deficient in my veggies. I was going to have chili (homemade) for the next day's lunch, so I decided to cut up a couple of carrots and have it with my chili. It added a nice, crunchy side to my lunch for only an additional 35 calories. Why not add a cup of tomato or other vegetable soup to your sandwich lunch? Why not add a small salad with a tablespoon of your favorite dressing (I use the real stuff) along with your pasta dinner? In short, try to incorporate vegetables with your meals. Sometimes vegetables are my meal. For instance, I make a lower fat version of eggplant parmesan and a serving of that contains two servings of vegetables.
3) Finally, don't eat the low fat stuff that you don't like. I use regular mayo all of the time; I just use less of it. A teaspoon is usually enough for my sandwich (or 1/2 a tbsp. at most). I use full fat dressing and eat full fat cheese as well. The key is to use less of these items.

4) By the same token, I do not deprive myself of treats, I just eat less of them. I have a pint of Haagen Daz in my freezer right now and a bag of ginger snaps on my counter. I have a moderate serving of these and count them in my daily calories.

I hope you guys don't think that I'm a saint where dieting is concerned. I've have my low motivational periods too. However, this is the only plan I've ever been on, though, that I've stuck to for so long without feeling deprived.

Finally (I promise!), as my husband likes to say, "It's the small stitches that make the suit." Trying to change everything in one day (like telling yourself you'll start eating 5 servings of vegetables tomorrow when you usually don't eat more than 1) will doom you to failure. Making small changes gradually gets you used to it and helps to ensure you stick to it.

Good luck!

Great info vmelo, thanks!!! I sure hope I can get to where you are someday. I'm still missing and mourning all my favorites.

I do journal my food through fitday.com. But of course it doesn't figure exchanges. I can pretty much figure those out in my head unless it's a mixed meal.

I don't like eating salads because I hate all the low cal/low fat dressings. That is a good idea to just let myself have a small amount of the good stuff. The mayo stuff was awful. I even tried mixing it half & half with the real stuff and it was still bad.

To answer your questions about me. I have been doing this for 5 weeks now. So far I have lost 15 pounds. Have almost another 100 to go. This just really makes sense and is how people should eat everyday. For dinner tonight I had spaghetti (again) with tomato sauce & parm. cheese. I would usually have a HUGE plate. But I didn't, I had my 1/2 cup of pasta with the sauce and cheese (more cheese than I should have though). It was great!!! I drank a couple cups of water with it and I am perfectly full. I can't believe I ever ate 6 or 7 times that much at one sitting.

I'm going to check out that website right now.

Hey All,

I lost lots of weight with Weight Watcher exchanges years ago. I'm now looking to lose lots *again*. I just ordered some old weightwatchers cookbooks on half.com - they have the complete list of exchanges there.

I imagine it's possible to marry the old weight watchers plan with the new one for days when I'm eating out a bit more than staying home. Home - exchanges. Eating out - points. Makes sense to me... I'll let you know in about 50 pounds...

Jujubee,

Wow! 15 lbs. in 5 weeks. That's awesome!

I'm registered with Fitday as well, but I haven't used it very much because many of my foods are name brand, and I'd have to create a database of them. I find that it's just as easy for me to write it down.

You'll find that if you do use the full fat versions of things, you won't need as much. For instance, when I use a tablespoon of the full fat Marie's Blue Cheese dressing, it's so thick that it more than adequately covers my salad.

Good luck to you, and let me know how you like Dieting for Dummies.

go to www.tops.org and go to resourses part middle ways and it has the food group there. this is the program they follow. i try to stick to it.. explains it real well. LaDean the first page that shows has enter. click that and then you will see resourses and exchange it helps me more then any i have seen on the food groups. :)

What about Extra's?
 

I eat pria or zone bars as a snack. What would they count as on the food exchange program?

I am following food exchanges, too, but whenever I diet, no matter what kind of diet, all I do is think about food. How long before that goes away?

I also eat zone bars as a snack but I don't know how to count them .

I wish there was a software program around that would do both calories and food exchanges. Right now I use dietpower.

Bev

I just received my book Dieting for Dummies. I really like the book so far. I like that it helps you figure out your calories and food exchanges. I have read alot of diet books and I have never seen one like this.

bev

weightylady , I did some research on the internet today and I found out the balance bar has the same amount of calories and fat and one less gram of protein than zone bars. I did find food exchanges for balance bar and not zone so right now i am goign to count zone bars as 1 1/2carbs, 2 lean meats.

Here is the book that started it all from the ADA :) i just orded it and its is wonderful. there are also tons of other books but this one is the exchange lists book and its only ONE dollar 95 cents...

http://store.diabetes.org/adabooks/p...6HBJVEDNXQE4L0

I just went back on my exchange plan and its hard but im trying......

msberks

msberks, I sent you a private message but in case you don't get it I will repost my question here. I saw that you ordered the book with food exchanges. I read that the book has carbohydrates, proteins,and fats lists but I was wondering if you know if the book also has lists for fruits, veggies and dairy

thanks
bev

I received an e-mail yesterday saying my "Dieting for Dummies" book is on it's way. Hopefully it will arrive soon.
I went for my weigh in today. Only lost 1 pound. It's weird how I can stick to this on days I work but on my days off I think I tend to let myself get too hungry and that blows all my willpower. I know they say you should only eat when you're hungry, but I think for me, I need to stay on somewhat of a schedule.
I stopped on the way home and bought me some salad with my favorite full fat salad dressing. Wow is it fattening too!!!! I'm going to try that TOPS website and see how much 1 exchange of it is. The bottle says 2 tbsp is a serving but I'm sure an exchange is at least half that. I've heard the best way to eat less salad dressing is to take it on the side and dip each bite in. Somebody also said to put it on the salad and put it inside a closed container and shake it really well.
I'm going to go check out that TOPS website now. Good luck everybody. I'm sure glad this thread is getting active!!!

LaDean, I went to that TOPS website. What a wealth of information!!!!

It's my life: If you go to that TOPS website, on the first page there is a link for "nutribase". It is software that, among other things, it "provides food exchange, pyramid and nutrient data for every food item, meal, and day" and "calculate the fat, protein and carbohydrate ratios for your intake". I'm really tempted to order it. It is 39.95.