Exchange plans - support thread

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  • Quote: Thanks C.Woman , I have never tried tofu, and where would you find it in the grocery store, I shop mainly at Walmart and HEB. What is your favorite dish that you prepare it with? Reason I ask is, sometimes I buy new products but don't really have the best recipe and I end up not liking it, and don't try it again. I don't want to do that in this case because; just look at the high content of calcium, potassium in it ! Might be good for cramps in my legs and low in calories. If you can give me your favorite dish I can look up the recipe on the internet in google. That way you won't have to type it all out for me. Then Monday when I go to town get some and try it.
    Thanks Kalop between you and C.woman I should have no problem keeping my calcium filled, also help my bones who the Doctor said is not in such good shape.
    At my regular grocery store, I find the tofu where the fruits and veggies are but some stores have it in thier dairy cases. It just depends on the store. I have no idea what HEB is but I have seen it in the refrigerated section at Walmart.

    I don't have any particular recipe but I add the firm tofu to stir frys, homemade soups and chili because it takes on the flavour of the other foods it is prepared with. I even put it in beef bourginon once and no one noticed it was in there. (I am sneaky like that. LOL!)

    The soft, silken tofu can be added to smoothies. Good for a quick breakfast when you are practically dashing out the door and are pressed for time in the mornings. I drank a lot of those when I was taking computer classes and pressed for time in the mornings.

    Here is a link you can read. It was where I started with tofu.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu

    Calcium (plus vitamin D), magnesium and pottasium will help you get rid of the cramps in your legs. I get them all the time and have to take supplements. When my magnesium is especially low I get leg and foot cramps very badly at night when trying to sleep. They hurt!!
  • Thanks Cwoman, I think I am going to see if I can find the silken tofu for I make a lot of fruit smoothies.


  • It is raining here! What a blessing! Just passing through brother is suppose to come stay with me this weekend . He does not like it when i get on the computer, so if you don't hear from me that's why.
    Everyone have a wonderful weekend!
  • Quick question
    What would a can of Campbells Tomato soup be as an exchange?
    I made with milk so i know a dairy, was thinking it may be a veggie.
    thanks,
    I hope you all don't mind once in a while asking about exchanges but sometimes I'm not just sure.
    anyway i love taking about exchange recipes and ideas.
  • Hi from a newbie
    I'm new to this site, but not to dieting. I've been on almost every diet only to gain back more than I've lost. (Sound familiar?) After much research I've decided an exchange plan is the best for me, and I had done it in the past with WW.
    I have a couple of JoAnna Lund's books and have ordered Exchanges For All Occasions. I'm hoping to finally succeed in taking off the weight and keeping it off. I need all the help I can get.

    ---Ann
  • Quote: Quick question
    What would a can of Campbells Tomato soup be as an exchange?
    I made with milk so i know a dairy, was thinking it may be a veggie.
    thanks,
    I hope you all don't mind once in a while asking about exchanges but sometimes I'm not just sure.
    anyway i love taking about exchange recipes and ideas.

    For the entire can, made with skim milk, it would be 1.25 milk exchanges, and 2.5 bread/starch exchanges.

    On the hillbillyhousewife website,

    1/2 cup condensed tomato soup, 1-cup prepared
    with water

    is categorized as 1 "other carbohydrate" exchange (used to replace or "count" as a bread/starch exchange).

    This is her description of other carbohydrate exchanges

    Other Carbohydrates
    The main purpose of this exchange group is to give
    your diet greater flexibility. Other carbohydrates are
    usually made up of sugar. Each exchange in this
    group must be used to replace a Bread/Starch exchange.
    Foods in this group are not as nutritious as
    the Bread/Starch exchanges they replace. For this
    reason I recommend you limit yourself to one per
    day. Remember, you must omit one of your
    Bread/Starch exchanges, whenever you use the
    Other Carbohydrate exchange


    I have seen plans which also use the "other" category that allow you to substitute for either a fruit exchange or a bread/starch exchange.
  • I never would have guessed it was a starch window, who would have thunk!! thanks kaplos.

    Welcome Ann, glad to see you here, yes I too think the best way to stick with a healthy lifestyle is the exchange diet. I am using Richard Simmons Foodmover to help me keep track of my exchanges and I also have TOPS book, there is so much help and support here you will make friends quickly.
  • Hi girls having computer trouble, hope it cures up soon. Hi Ann welcome! It let me on this morning but sooooo slow! Amps are 21.6 ABPS today, hope it clears up! It has let me post so far. If I am not here its because I can't get here. Lost 3 pounds this last week!
  • I've been doing a bit of research into vegetarian exchange plans. I found an article from Vegetarian Times, April 1989 on Google books.

    Here's a link to the article:
    http://books.google.ca/books?id=iAcA...age&q=&f=false

    There are three calorie levels: 1200, 1500 and 1800 and a Vegan (no dairy or eggs) and vegetarian plan (includes dairy and eggs).

    There is a "typical day" eating plan included --as well as a bunch of exchange lists.

    Downside to the thing is that you can't copy it--or print it. (At least I haven't figured out how!)

    But it is still useful nonetheless, as I haven't found too many vegan and vegetarian exchange plans out there!

    I've been thinking a lot about incorporating vegetarian meals into my plan--and since I found this, it might be the thing to include the exchanges close to my calorie plan (so that would be the 1500 one) two days a week or something--rather than try and "squeeze" the starches into *my* plan--even just for one meal.

    I'd think that would be very do-able--just plan two vegetarian "days" a week, to start.
  • Alana love your picture! Just passing through.
  • Bumping up for October.
  • Woo, the move is over! We're in our new apartment now, and even have the essentials unpacked - everything else can be done a bit at a time.

    The new apartment is beautiful, and much more functional than our old place.

    I packed up all of my dieting and exercise gear - scale, food journals, everything the day before the move, and spent five days completely off plan. Didn't even try to count or keep track, and my weight is up about 8 lbs. It could be all water weight, or I may have regained because I wasn't being careful. I'll give myself until next Monday to get all of the weight back off before changing my ticker (that's the deal I usually give myself, because I figure that if it's real weight 8 lbs is not coming off in 7 days, and if it's just water weight, I'll drive myself nuts, if I change my ticker at every fluctuation).

    To top off the excitement, our computer died on Wednesday (the day before the move). Because our computer is also our phone, we could really do without one, so we had to go out and buy a new computer. Luckily, the movers charged about 150 dollars less than we had anticipated, so we were able to afford the cheapest compulter Walmart had (an emachine for $248 with no monitor - but our monitor was fine so that worked out).

    So, back to the drawing board, so to speak. A fresh start.
  • Kaplods--so good to see you again!

    I was just wondering last night if everything was OK.

    Glad you are hooked up to us again!
  • We are all back together again. I was on vacation the past week, and ate everything in site. So its back to eating healthy.
    Afraid to weight myself.
  • It feels really good to be on plan again. The scale is coming down quickly, so I may not have to change my ticker on Monday, after all.

    The new apartment is awesome. It was hard to tell how much space we really have in the new place until we got all of our stuff in the apartment, and a good part of the unpacking done. It's awesome.

    Our old place was under 800 square feet, and was laid out poorly with a lot of wasted space (it was built in the 60's), and very little storage (the kitchen and bathroom were especially tiny and poorly laid out). Our new place is nearly 1200 square feet, with a very open layout and just incredible storage space. A walk in kitchen pantry, a very deep coat closet, two large closets off the kitchen and living room, and two long bedroom closets.

    I've been really wanting a Wii, and in the new apartment, there will be plenty of space. I never thought I'd be so happy to wash clothes, but I've not been able to do the laundry in a couple years, because I can't do stairs very well, and the laundry room was in the basement. The handrail wasn't safe and I really hated hubby doing the laundry, because his knees are only marginally better than mine. Having our own washer and dryer is awesome. I did about five loads the first day (I'm embarassed to admit it, but we moved dirty laundry - I also washed comforters and blankets that were a bit overdue - the washer and dryer capacities are larger than average, so there's plenty of room to wash even a king-sized comforter).

    We really had to streeeeetch the budget to move, and the rent is significantly higher, so the budget is going to be much tighter, but it's just so wonderful to be in an apartment that is more functional, especially for cooking.

    I even made a big batch of my tvp/ground beef mix. I was irritated that I couldn't find the tvp in bulk bins, so I paid nearly twice the price I usually pay - but it was still cheaper than hamburger. Once we get settled, we're going to take a day trip to Madison to visit Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, and maybe one of the asian markets, there.

    So, so excited.