Joyful's Journey to MAINTAIN!
 

Well..since I've heard I'm "in a class all by myself", I thought it appropriate to start a thread based upon a 44yr old woman's journey to maintain optimal health and weight, while eating delishous gourmet foods and homemade decadent desserts. So far I've been "maintaining" like this with NO PROBLEM for the past 2 months (not counting most of my life being thin). The way I see it...I'm looking ahead...not back. This is going to be the NEW Jan Brady!:lol:

In this thread...WE LOVE FOOD. In this thread...WE LOVE TO MOVE. In this thread...WE MAKE NO EXCUSES or APOLOGIZE. In this thread...WE LOVE LIFE & LIVING IT. This is a HAPPY PLACE.:D

I'll also be adding in weight training to my new journey. This should be fun and exciting. I want to see just how "tight" and "firm" I can get these buttocks at my age! I'm loving the challenge and am hopeful.:D

Feel free to join me if you wish. I will posting pics along the way. I will talk about my triumphs, new self discoveries, accomplishments and failures. As always, I will keep it REAL & HONEST.;)

Ok...without further adoo...here goes it...

The past few days have been cookin, cookin and more cookin. The end results is 5 main entrees (enough to cover all my meals for a month or better). I say "or better", because some days, I just like a grilled chicken/spinach salad, instead of a hot lunch. Also did some Sams Club/Costco shopping and picked up a few LOBSTER TAILS (yummo!) and a package of ANGUS DELMONICO steaks (aka Prime Rib..double YUMMO!) Not sure when I'm going to treat myself to those meals.

Anyhoot...today I'll be turning my kitchen into a bakery. Here's what's on the menu (all made from scratch):

1. Carrot cake
2. 2 batches of Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
3. Chocolate chip cookie dough (to bake as needed)
4. Oatmeal raisin cookie dough (to bake as needed)
5. Pistacchio Cranberry Biscotti

Since I HATE cooking, I like to make all my meals and desserts in one BIG SHOT and not have to worry about food for at least the next month. It's alot of work (I'll admit), but sooooo worth it the rest of month.:D

More power to you if you can maintain on that. I make cookies, too I eat one to see if they are OK and take the rest to my church.
I personally, love decadent deserts, too, but do not have them in my home. I save those for dining out where I have just one. Good luck, come back in 3-6 months and tell us how this is working for you.

Found this article and had to post it...interesting, to say the least.

Diet foods that appeal to your inner glutton

When's the last time you were guiltily scraping your way to the bottom of an ice cream carton and noticed this message: "150 calories per pint"?

Yes, per pint.

Foods aimed at helping you slim down have been around for decades, but a recent wave of ultra-low calorie products - such as the 150-calorie per pint dessert Artic Zero - is making a direct appeal to our national sense of gluttony.

"What we're seeing here is a strategy that says Americans like to stuff their faces," says food industry analyst Phil Lempert. "And these mean we don't have to sacrifice."

With two-thirds of American adults overweight or obese, health officials have long warned that ballooning portion sizes are a major factor. Now food manufacturers are testing whether the desire for big servings can make peace with our need to shed pounds - or at least make big profits.

"It's fine to eat one serving of ice cream, but I can't remember the last time I sat down with a pint and ate half a cup," says Amit Pandhi, CEO of Arctic Zero, Inc., whose pints of "ice cream replacement" prominently feature the 150-calorie message.

"We feel like a serving is an entire pint. And if you're looking at it from that point of view, our product is the only one where you can eat a whole pint and not feel like you're doing something terrible," says Pandhi.

Similarly, commercials for MGD 64, a 64-calorie beer from Chicago-based MillerCoors being heavily marketed this year, pits a tiny martini or petite glass of wine against a cool, full bottle of brew. Meanwhile, the website for its competitor, Anheuser-Busch's Bud Select 55, promises no pain and no gain, boasting that you can burn off the product's 55 calories with - ready? - a 54-minute nap.

And though Tofu Shirataki noodles from California-based House Foods America Corporation, offer two 20-calorie servings per 8-ounce package, it's understood that you'll eat the whole bag.

"Most people eat the whole bag for a meal," says Yoko Difrancia, the company's marketing supervisor. "The whole bag is more realistic."

Which means that if you were feeling a need to binge, you could pound down a pile of noodles, a couple brews and a pint of "ice cream" all for 300 calories - the same as one McDonald's ( MCD - news - people ) cheeseburger.

Consumers seem to be buying it. Sales of Arctic Zero, introduced in 2009, have grown 15 to 20 percent per month for the past 18 months, Pandhi says.

Many of these products are achieving their low-calorie status with different ingredients than similar products in the past. Arctic Zero is made primarily of whey protein and gets its sweetness from organic monk fruit, an Asian gourd the company says is 150 times sweeter than sugar. Tofu Shirataki noodles are made by blending tofu and the root of konnyaku, an Asian yam.

Health advocates, dietitians and government programs decry the American propensity to over indulge. But what if we were meant to eat as much as possible? UCLA neuroscientist Dean Buonomano says in his new book, "Brain Bugs: How the Brain's Flaws Shape Our Lives," that the human brain was designed to guide us through a world in which dying from starvation was a greater possibility than becoming obese.

"There is little doubt that our proclivity toward overeating is in part a product of the fact that we were programmed to derive pleasure from eating, and that in the modern world many of us have essentially unlimited amounts of food at our disposal," Buonomano said via e-mail.

In 2000, Penn State professor Barbara Rolls began promoting what she calls volumetrics, an approach to healthy eating that shifts the focus from reducing portion size to reducing the number of calories per portion.

"When people sit down to a meal and don't know the calorie count they tend to take a set amount by weight and volume," says Rolls, whose new book "The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet" will be published next year.

So she says the solution is not to reduce the volume of food on the plate, but rather the number of calories in the same volume (called the calorie density). She urges people to do that by adding plenty of water-rich, calorie-light foods, such as fruits and vegetables. "The idea is not that you can or should eat a much bigger volume than you typically do," Rolls says. "It's that if you eat your usual amount you're going to feel full but with fewer calories.

Some experts say there's a place for these ultra-low calorie products in that kind of equation. Lisa Lillien, creator of the daily e-mail service Hungry-Girl.com and author of five cookbooks, relies on many specific products, including Tofu Shirataki noodles, to create satisfying, abundant, but still calorically light meals.

"The Hungry Girl philosophy is, `How do you swap out certain foods for other foods so you can make recipes taste great but still come in with fewer calories?'" Lillien says. "I want to get the biggest bang for my calorie buck because I like eating a lot of food."

Health advocates and dietitians remain committed to the idea that portion sizes must come down. But they say these products could offer baby steps to people struggling to control their weight. And they might also be useful when you feel that binge coming on.

"We have some die-hard fans who've told us they've eaten five or six pints in a day," says Pandhi. "We believe everything should be eaten in moderation. But if you're going to choose five or six pints of ice cream, it's definitely healthier to choose our product than a full-fat premium ice cream."

Hmmm...I think I smell a rat...but any thoughts on this ladies? Anyone try this Artic Zero? I'm having trouble believing that the ingredients are not some kind of "frankenfood" and is "all natural" at 150 cals for an entire pint. I also have a hard time believing that it's going to keep me away from Baskin Robbins when I'm in the mood for a pint of good icecream.:)

I've tried Arctic Zero, and I think, if you search, there are some threads about it on 3FC.

IIRC, the reason is calorie count is so low is that they subtract all of the calories that come from the insoluble fiber (which is legal, since those calories cannot be digested by the body and pass through us). Their source for insoluble fiber is monkfruit, I think, which I tolerated better than inulin (chicory root fiber) which is what's used by most of the "fortified fiber" products: Fiber One, Fiber Plus, and other bars/cereals.

As for taste, I remember liking the chocolate mint. The texture was closer to sorbet than ice cream for me, but it was nice and cold and hit the spot at the time. The article you included was right on - I'm a strict calorie counter and measure everything (that's what works best for me) and it was really nice to just open a pint of something and eat on the couch. :) However, in the final verdict, I decided I preferred the taste (and cheaper cost) of a frozen individual pudding cup. Not as much volume, but more to my taste.

I haven't tried Arctic Zero, but it's an interesting idea. I have one of the Volumetrics plan books and I have to admit the theory makes a lot of sense. Sometimes eating a small portion of a really good rich food isn't as satisfying as a big portion of a less good, less rich food. The whole idea for weight loss is to reduce the calories you are eating, so if you can't handle lowering your portion sizes it seems like the obvious choice is to reduce the calories in the same size serving.

This makes me think of the new WW plan where fruits and veggies are "free". My sister is on this plan and is having success with it, and I think it's partly because if you want to snack while watching TV, you can get yourself a giant mixing bowl full of grapes and munch away. It's far fewer calories than the mixing bowl of potato chips or nuts would be.

I was reading up on the noodles the other day too. I saw a blog post talking about zero calorie "miracle noodles" and had to look them up. Basically they are noodles made entirely of water and fiber. I don't know what sort of process is required to turn them into a solid object, but water is zero calories and fiber passes right through, so you can eat all the noodles you want for zero calories. I bet they don't taste very good though. :lol:

I'm totally opposed to these zero calorie "foods".

If you stop stuffing yourself ever- you don't want to anymore. It makes you feel awful. Why do we feel like it's our god-given right to stuff ourselves to the breaking point?? Yuck. To me that is NOT the way to go. At first, eating 1 serving seemed like it was so pathetically small. Then, I changed my mind. I realized that 1 serving was NORMAL. The portions I used to eat were disgustingly, horribly, ridiculously over-sized. After some time, I really accepted this notion of normal and it was no longer difficult.

I realized that my body gives me a signal when it's hungry. It's called HUNGER. And when I feel it- in my belly mind you, we're not talking EMOTIONAL HUNGER, I eat. If I feel emotional hunger, I deal with it another way- talking, writing, exercise, etc. My body gives me another signal when it's FULL. It's a physical feeling. When I feel it I STOP EATING. I know, crazy stuff here, right?

The trick is this: if you start eating when you are NOT hungry- you never get the signal to stop. When you eat when you are hungry, eat slowly and mindfully, enjoying every bite. Do not distract yourself with TV or internets. Pay attention to eating. If you don't pay attention you might miss the FULL signal.

I love reading the exuberance in your posts. I love how positive you are about this whole thing.

That said, I look on at you wistfully. No can do, unfortunately.

My relationship with my food & my body has been profoundly neurotic for decades now. I've talked elsewhere on these boards about what it's like to have an eating disorder. I've been through anorexia, which after about a year of getting progressively worse, turned into bulimia, in which I binged and overexercised for hours at a time as a method of purging. (Yes, one doesn't have to throw up to be purging.)

Now one of the weird things about my anorexia is that, even while not eating, I became more obsessed with food than I have ever been in my life. I was riveted in a nearly pornographic way by magazine pictures of it. I could watch food shows for hours on end. I would read cookbooks the way some people read novels. I would stare at food in bakeries & inside plate glass cases.

I also baked at home with an insane intensity, far more frequently than I ever had when I'd been overweight. I did this every weekend, not just one weekend every few weeks, as people do to store up things or before Christmas. I prided myself on my incredible self-control & that I'd only taste a little. Really though I was licking spoons & such all along, torturing myself with the tastes & smells.

This was all about control.

Until the control broke, quite spectacularly. It didn't happen immediately, though. It happened after more than a year, during which I got my weight down to 107 & STILL wasn't satisfied. I think it might even have been below that when I binged for the first time. Then, in horror for what I'd done, I hurried off to run six miles at the local nature center. I ended up retching in the middle of the bark-covered path because I was so sick, with a distended stomach from an overload of sugary raw dough. That became a pattern. Not the retching, but the exercising afterward to exorcise the demon. Kind of like a person trying to walk off a heavy meal, but to the "nth" degree.

Anyway, years have passed since that period in my life, years in which I've seen therapists, read all kinds of self-help and eating disorder books, taken medications, let my weight balloon back up to probably something near 260. (I never weighed myself at my worst, so I'm guessing based on my doctor's scale reading.) Back in 2007, when I became determined to lose weight in a healthy way, I was also determined not to exhibit any of my past behaviors again.

That included baking the way I had. Now, maybe once every month, depending on the weather -- I don't bake as much in the heat -- I'll make up a batch of healthy muffins & freeze them & take them out one or two at a time for breakfast. Or I'll make a whole-grain bread recipe that gives you two loaves, freeze one loaf & eat the other slowly over nearly a two-week period, slicing a little each morning for breakfast. (I tend to bake bread if I've got company coming. They like my bread.)

Unfortunately, given my past history, doing anything more is tempting the devil.

Once, I made a pumpkin swirl cheesecake for Thanksgiving that my family really wanted. It was painful and difficult. I'm not doing it again. That's what bakeries are for. Believe me, there are many fine food establishments in Manhattan run by artisans & perfectionists where I can pick up quite wonderful baked goods. I'm willing to pay the prices they ask to keep from putting myself in a bad situation.

Understand that I'd like to be more like you, Joyfull, but all the wiring in my head is messed up. This is something I will always have to work at.

I like seeing you happy. There should be more happy people in the world.

I support you & this thread, in spite of my incredible downer of a post.

saef, I don't think your post is a downer, rather I find it very enlightning. I was never into anorexia or bulimia but I could put away a whole pie or cake or half a gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Eating to the point of great discomfort. That is why I don't keep those foods in my house. I do like to bake but I give it all away. I only eat deserts at restaurants or maybe at a friends house where I only eat one slice, or piece or scoop.

Joy! Count me in!!!! Finally a place where I feel I belong! It's taken me a long time to figure out what works for me and I've gained a few pounds in the process, but those are finally melting away and I'm finally understanding ME and MY body and how maintenance works for me and I'm not going to apologize or question it anymore!

You go girl! I've been spending a little less time on 3fc lately, but when I do I'll be stopping by here for sure!

Oh and I too am ANTI zero cal diet food too (with the exception of skinny cow). First off they taste AWFUL, second of all most of them are processed junk!

Ok, Joyful, I have a challenge for you. You say you hate cooking. Maybe this is another area where you can change your mind! I used to hate cooking too but I figured out how to make it oh so FUN! I play music in my kitchen and I sing and dance around while I'm cooking. I don't think of it as a chore anymore- I think of it as an art and a hobby. I've learned to LOVE shopping for food, preparing it, and of course eating it :D

I still have a big cooking day on the weekend because sometimes that work week can get hectic. But I don't dread it, I actually really look forward to my Sunday cooking and Singing extravaganza!

Just invented a new recipe last weekend and it was SO good. I've never really been that into baking before, but now that I'm trying Vegan baking, I'm loving it. Here's the recipe if you want to check it out. All my carnivorous coworkers loved these muffins too :)

Kate's Vegan Strawberry Coconut Muffins

I too am opposed to zero calorie fake foods because they promote mindless eating. I must mention, however, that the shiritataki noodles (and konnyaku in general) have been used for many years in traditional Japanese cooking. They are not pasta in the Western sense at all. They really are about their odd texture.

I also can not have some things around. It starts that crazy-making cycle of obsession that is just not worth it. I went through the whole control thing much like saef and was so proud of my ability to bake like a mad woman and not eat the goods, etc. When I crashed after a few years it was not pretty and I was in a worse place mentally than before. We are all different and I look forward to seeing your "joyful maintenance" :)

Sorry to thread jack....but saef, I just wanted to thank you for your post. I have lurked on this board for YEARS and am only now getting more involved because I've seen posts like yours, help other people. I see a lot of myself in you, and your past/current patterns. I love that you can be very forthright about it, and call it like you see it. I always appreciate your posts.

Ok Joyful! I also love to see someone so optimistic about the maintenance part of this journey. I'm basically in maintenance, and I could learn a lot from you and your attitude. Like saef, my history with food and disordered eating and my body are probably far too whacked out for me to take the approach you do, but it doesn't mean that I can't learn something from your "joy". Good luck, and I can't wait to see how your health and fitness progresses!

Yay, Joy! You will do fantastically. I love that you want to figure out how your body works in different workouts/exercises and with different foods. It keeps life interesting, that's for sure! I might need your carrot cake recipe...I am a sucker for all things baked. ;)

I have tried the noodles and found them DISGUSTING!

I've also tried the Artic Zero and it was OK. Definitely not a substitution for real decadent ice cream. I eat a healthy choice fudgsicle most evenings for my "treat". I like the taste and it satisfies my sweet tooth without overindulging.

And WW "free" fruits aren't free. They are "Zero Points" fruits and you are supposed to eat them UNTIL SATISFIED. Some people overeat the fruits thinking they are free (like eating 6 bananas a day and a pound of grapes) and wonder why they don't lose weight. Moderation is the key.

Thank you everyone soooooo much for your support!:hug:

Saef - You are by no means a Debbie DOWNER!:D Actually...I love your candidness and frankness...and well...New Yorkness!:p I am honered to have you here.:)

K8yk - I took your "challenge" last night and popped in my Debarge CD and "oooooooooooooohhh I LIKED IT!":D You were RIGHT! It did make cooking a whole lot more fun.:carrot:

Paperdollme - I also took your suggestion (from prior post) and I made QUINOA FLOUR. I used it to cook my cranberry-pistacchio biscotti's. CAME OUT AWESOME! THANKS!:D

Emme - I got my carrot cake recipe from a cookbook. It's called, "The BEST Light Recipe" from Cooks Illustrated. I just doctored it a little (which I'll explain below) for slightly better health value...yet in all it's yummy and the homemade cream cheese frosting will make you pass out of JOY!:p

Ok folks...I'm done with the pastry cookin. You might all be thinkin'.."hey...what the heck? this is a weight loss site and she's baking biscotti?" Ok..ok...well hang on to your hats...the one thing that's important to know about WHY I COOK all my foods, is because I can control the "health" factor. All the items below were baked with Organic Crystalized Cane Sugar Juice. See below:

1. Cranberry-Pistacchio Biscotti (w/added quinoa flour & flaxseed)
2. Pumpkin Raisin Muffins (fat free) (w/flaxseed, pumpkin & no sugar added applesauce and 139 cals a muffin..mmmm...so moist!)
3. Carrot Cake w/cream cheese frosting (w/nutiva coconut oil, 1/3 fat cream cheese)
4. Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dough (w/nutiva coconut oil & butter)
5. Chocolate Chip cookie dough (w/nutiva cocnut oil & butter, flaxseed and oat flour)

Needless to say...after all that cooking last night, I was too exhausted to try anything (other than eating the crumbs that broke apart from the biscotti).:( In case you're all wondering, "how in the world is she going to eat all that goodness and not gain a pound", keep in mind that I have a 12 yr old 5'8.5, 105 lb daughter who LOVES sweety goodness!:dizzy: Also, that I have a HUGE deep freezer.

You see...this is another reason why COOKING all your food helps to control appetite and weight. It really is a workout. My muscles are sore after days of cooking. Here are the meals I made just the other day. Nothing sends the message home better than a visual, I say.

One last note and some insight on my MENTAL PSYCHE...since I made all this food, I know it's there whenever I want it. I set rules...boundaries. I don't try to eat everything in one day. These treats MUST and WILL last me for at least a month. If they don't...nothing will be cooked again and I will be treatless until the end of the 4th week. Honestly...I have NO DESIRE to eat everything in sight, but a HUGE desire to eat a VARIETY. I hate the same thing everyday.:mad: So...today's treats..Carrot Cake & maybe 3-4 chocolate chip cookies (freshly baked and still warm..YUM!) I had Pumpkin Muffins for breakfast. Generally..I allow myself 2-3 treats per day, single serving sizes. Ok...here ya go!

1. Grilled Salmon w/Red Pepper Coulis
2. Thai Curry Chicken Saute w/red pepper
3. Mock McDonalds Grilled Chicken (keep in freezer individually wrapped for salads & quick meals) - no pic included
4. Cod & Shrimp Alfredo
5. Homemade and slow roasted for 12 hours CHILI
6. Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

ETA - TOM today and I'm dyin!!!:mad:

Ok...so, I just finished lunch and it was AWESOME!!!:D So awesome, in fact, that I became compelled to share this most delishous and nutritious FOOD FIND! During my last shopping trip to COSTCO, among the many food samples that were being offered, I decided to try the following sample. I ended up buying not only the boneless/skinless sockeye salmon, but the crackers she sold it on.

The entire can of salmon is only 180 cals., 5 crackers (thin and sooo good), is only 70 cals., 1 tbsp real mayo 70 cals. and viola...GREAT SNACK/LUNCH! I still have more salmon in the frig for snack later. (I actually ate 8 crackers w/salmon)

Lastly...I had a slice of the carrot cake (for veggies..haha!). I must say, the coconut oil brought this cake to an entire NEW LEVEL of GREATNESS! It was so good that words cannot describe. Here's the best part...only 350 cals (w/cream cheese frosting - 250 w/o).:D

I am inspired by your kitchen prowess :) YES to the coconut oil. Best thing ever for baking. I'm going to make some banana muffins with my over-ripe banana and coconut oil today. Mmmm, muffins...

Joyfull, I have to ask you about the pictures of your dinners. They look so much like upscale packaged microwave dinners. (Well, they look better than that, but you know what I mean. It's the container.) Do you portion out the dinners individually to freeze in those containers? Or do you use containers like that with already thawed & warmed up or freshly cooked food, to help with portion control? Also, did you save them from packaged meals or do you go out & get them from someplace that sells plastic plates made like that? (Can you tell I'm intrigued by the idea of such packaging helping with portion control?)

I do the marathon cooking thing, too, just not baking. I get home quite late on weekdays after stopping at the gym after work. I am just not up for a lot of meal preparation. Steaming a side vegetable like asparagus or broccoli or maybe nuking a sweet potato in the microwave is about all I'm up for at 8 PM, with about an hour & a half till bedtime. Sometimes I freeze a portion of what I cook but generally I eat something three or four nights in a row till it's gone. (The thing about living in a NY apartment is that the only freezer I've got is the one under my fridge, and my fridge isn't even as big as a lot of people's because it has to fit into a galley-style kitchen.)

Saef - I saved those trays from my "BistroMD" meal delivery service days!:) I know...I love them to NO END! I've tried everywhere to find them, and actually did find them. Only problem is minimum order is 32,000 trays!:eek: They are made of a special plastic called "PETE". It is designed to go from freezer to microwave and even the oven (up to 350 degrees). Not every type of plastic can do this without disolving into your food or becoming toxic!:dizzy: These trays are specifically designed for frozen meal companies for this fact. Oh and they're dishwasher safe and look the same today as they 10 months ago!

I specifically love these trays because they don't waste any space. I can squeeze so many of them into my freezer and they stack wonderfully. When I first started, I used to weigh my food, each and every meal. Needless to say this got exhausting and I found a shortcut. My Farberware COOKING SPOON just happens to = exactly ONE SERVING. Yup. I've tested it many times. For example, one heaping scoop (whatever will not fall off the spoon) of rice = 1 svg. Same for veggies. For meat/fish/poultry...4-5 oz is what will fit the palm of your hand.

As an ex-NYC'r...I totally understand about the "space" issues. Space comes at a premium in NYC..so they usually don't give you very much of it.;) That said...another idea may be to make let's say 3 main dishes. However, only cooking a 4 serving portion of each main dish. You will have a total of 12 portions/meals of it. Store 1/2 of each main dish in a large plastic container, etc. The remaining half, portion into trays (2).

The main dish is really all I put any energy into. I make my usually variety of sides (spinach quinoa, bulgar wheat, brown rice and sometimes cous cous or barley). Nothing fancy...just add ingredient and water. No seasoning...nada. For veggies, I use mostly frozen (exception of brocolli).

So you see...there's really not much to it. Sure, you won't be able to cook too far in advance but you'll at least be able to cook a week in advance(unless you can find room for a 4-7 cubic foot chest style freezer - *hint Sams club under $200:D).

As far as finding these trays...you probably will have a better time than I (can get anything and everything in New York - yes, jealous!!!:mad: :p) Just make sure they are made of PETE plastic and are rated to go from freezer to microwave. You may also want to mention "frozen meal delivery business", and that may bring you closer to getting them.

Hope this helps.:)

Ok...so yesterday's goodies/treats ended up like this:

1 slice of carrot cake
1/2 pistacchio-cranberry biscotti
5 chocolate chip cookies

Yesterday's workout:

Swimming - 80 laps in a 40 foot pool

Today I'm going to make a fruit salad to bring to a friend's house for a luncheon. Finally going to get to pick some FRESH FRUIT from my trees. Here's some pics! (btw, I planted 10 fuit trees last March...so this is incredible that I have fruit this year...YEAHHHH!:D)

I was going to ask the same thing about your trays, thanks for answering it! So you cook the entire month in advance? Makes a lot of sense.

I've had several flavors of the Arctic Zero - the newer, reformulated version of the vanilla maple was the best. The chocolate peanut butter was a little bland, the strawberry banana tasted like whey protein. The vanilla maple was pretty good, better with a little hersheys syrup and some peanuts. It has a sorbet consistency, and it develops ice crystals easier than ice cream. It is hard to serve it out of the little containers because it freezes really solid - I typically ended up cutting the container off and dumping it into a bowl. It is expensive, and I'm not completely sure if it is worth it. It did satisfy the craving for volume, absolutely.

Joy - I need to regain some of my own joy, so I'm going to be popping in here from time to time to see how you are doing and try to use it as motivation. I may not be emotionally able to participate much, but I want you to succeed and plan to pirate some of your recipes when I can. :)

I tried the Arctic Zero and measured out 1/2 cp by weight. Same with the Shritake Noodles. Did not eat a the whole bag of the stuff, just the portion suggested. I did not like either one to continue with it.

Made homemade french vanilla ice cream this afternoon with DD, mixture is chilling in the frig: egg yolks, whole milk, heavy cream with white sugar. Guess how much I will eat?- 1/2 cup, 80 grams same as Arctic Zero. DH measures it out for me. I think getting used to proper portions for me and making that a habit is vital for my long term success. Binging has never been my problem, and I do not want it to start.

I have enjoyed my maintenance journey more that weight loss as I keep learning more things about my body and tasty things to prepare that are good for me. I do not fix faux foods except for splenda. I think Splenda is wonderful. If I want bread, I eat the real stuff, not low carb bread or tortillas.

We each get to choose where we will compromise and where we won't. I always account for my weight and food choices. This keeps me out of the isle of denial.

Hey Shannon!! :wave: Glad to see/read you...if even only for a drive by!:D

I love your theology Karen925...I try to stay out of that "isle of denial" myself too! I love that term too!:lol:

My thoughts for today:
When I gained 60 lbs in 2009, it didn't happen overnight. As I chomped on fast food burgers and fries EVERYDAY, I was FULLY AWARE that I was making myself fat....no ifs..ands...or butts about it... I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING. I just made a conscious decision that looking "cute" was NOT at the top of my list (at the time) and that I had other stresses and matters in my life (at the time) that were simply more important to me than worrying about my weight and cooking healthy, blah blah blah!:dizzy:

AND yunno what? It was FUN! I loved not caring about what I put in my mouth. I loved eating endless amounts of Baskin Robbins. No food, no time, no amount was off limit to me. I would frequently pass out on my couch with a smile on my face after some delishous Jamaican Food takeout. I say that because I want to let it be known that I was NO VICTIM. AND...that being fat is NOT the worse thing a person can be...albeit society today would have you believing that being DEAD is better than being FAT!:mad: Yup...I was one of those stereotypical JOLLY FAT person!:lol: As a matter of fact, had it not be for the fact that I was making myself physically ILL, I'd probably still be fat & jolly!:D

That said...I've made a new CHOICE in life. I've decided that my HEALTH is more important than eating endless amounts of food. AND yunno what? I've discovered that I actually LOVE the way I eat now 1,000,000,000 times better than I did before. AND here's the kicker...I still eat ALL the same foods...and to my heart's content. The difference? I don't eat every meal or dessert as if it will be the last cookie to ever enter the universe!:lol: I've learned that as difficult as western society would like you to believe weight loss/maintenance really is...and how much you need to BUY their product to stay/get fit, that all you REALLY NEED is MODERATION. No special foods...low carb....no carb...no white food...no grains, magic berries...etc., etc., just MODERATION. I am a happier person for learning this and wouldn't trade my journey for anything. It has made me who I am today.

Ok...so...todays sweets were:

2 Cranberry-Pistacchio Biscotti
2 slices of Carrot Cake w/cream cheese frosting (OMGoooooooooooooodness, this is just toooooo good for words!!!:eek:)
4 Chocolate Chip cookies

Yeah...I know...chalk today up to TOM munchies!:D Had a weird day with food though...I didn't really eat much of it. Ate the regular breakfast (2 muffins, 2 sausage links), ate lunch at friend's and didn't have dessert (guess I couldn't wait to get back home for some of my goodies (which are da bomb!). She had a nice spread of different foods, but I had a moderate portion of some pasta casserole w/chicken, baked chicken thigh or breast, green beans (southern style), salad and fruit salad. I did have a second portion of that casserole (hmmmm...was good).

All in all...didn't "pig-out", but when I came home I had the biggest sweet tooth. I immediately ate 4 cookies, followed by 2 slices of cake, then an hour later 2 biscotti's, and then 2 crackers w/salmon! Crazy thing is after that...my hunger went out of the window and I didn't even want dinner?

Okay. Today I'm feeling good. Did 15 pull ups last night. Did another 5 (thumbs facing me) this morning. Strong...feeling strong. I'll be doing my pullups throughout the day. Don't do sets like most people, just do them about every other time I go to the bathroom (since my pullup bar hangs over my bathroom door!:p)

Today, I'm gonna try to run 5 miles. It's been 3 weeks since I've ran and although I've been swimming regularly...it's not the same. Nothing builds full body stamina, endurance and overall core strength like running...NOTHING!!! I sure hope I haven't lost my running mojo.:?: I think my old tired knees have had plenty of time to "rest up" and my heart has been aching to run for some time now.

I'm about to enter a new chapter of my professional career and my mind could really use the "clarity" that running gives me. Nevermind the fact that I can eat MORE COOKIES when I run!:D

Love this! That is what I had to tell myself a lot during my WL journey. I would see something and think I was never ever going to have a chance to eat it anymore.

And you know something I discovered about myself? I still ate things in moderation while calorie counting (including chocolate), but my sugar binge monster was insane. When I'd be at a store, I had to talk myself out of getting things...literally. Sure, I'd eat chocolate as long as I put it into my calorie allotment for the day, but I think just the fact that I knew there was a certain calorie limit per day still caused me to want all these bars and bars of sweet things. Now that I met goal, this weekend was such a breeze. In and out of stores, not worrying about all the candy that was in front of my face, and actually not even really paying attention to it at all. It was actually really freeing this weekend! :)

Oh! And I started taking the cinnamon w/chromium last week. It seems to help me during the afternoon when my snack monster comes out.

Good luck with the run today, Joy - if you are in one of the hot places be careful. I've noticed that if I take even a week off I get hit much harder by the heat if I go back too fast, actually came pretty close to heat exhaustion last week I think. Pushed it too fast, too hard. Swimming is fantastic exercise, but definitely in a cooler place than running. :)

LOVE reading your posts! This journey has been pretty 'fun' for me too. I think the added exercise and the fact that my skinny bf accompanies me to the gym really helps. I want to be HEALTHY.. not 'thin'. For the first time I see the difference.

I try not to deprive myself of things, I just make better and smaller choices and still live my life. (when I tried to lose weight before it felt like I put my life on hold until I reached 'x' weight) That just doesn't work for me.

PS. I cook 99.9% of my food now too. Makes a huge difference

I read your post and I agree that balance is key. We should enjoy food and exercise, working towards a healthy and happy life. I will keep reading. TY

Thanks everybody for your support.:hug:

I'm afraid no good RUNNING news to report so far today (but the day's not over). Yesterday had to pick my daughter up from the airport at the time I usually would be running. I missed my little girl soooo much. So happy she is home!:D

Ok...yesterday's sweets:

1 slice of pumpkin pie
1 1/2 biscotti
4 chocolate chip cookies

Exercise:

NO CARDIO, but managed to get in about 30 pullups!:D

Although my weights been the same, my 12 yr old daughter (who has been gone for an entire month), told me that I look like I lost weight! I told her I hadn't and she said, "well, you really look smaller than when I left". Go figure:?: I think I must be putting on muscle while losing fat with all the swimming and pullups I've been doing. But I don't care....I..MISS..RUNNING!!!:mad:

Gonna DO IT...will not be back to this post until I DO IT...and I'M GONNA MAKE THE 5 MILES...BY HOOK OR CROOK!!! GRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I feel that inner "warrior" starting to come out...WOOT!:D

joyfulloser: One question: do you find that eating those decadent and fattening foods once in awhile causes your digestion to be um, a little 'sluggish'? I've gone the route of eating like a cavewoman, lol and the minute I ingest even the smallest amounts of cookies, cake or even a hamburger and my stomach cramps up from all the sugar/fat. It takes me days to get my um, intestines (sorry!TMI) moving again. We're not that far apart in age so I'm intrigued as to how you can eat like that and I can't. Not only that, I personally have found that my sweet tooth (although truth be told, never had much of one to begin with) is practically non-existent. Same goes for alcohol. I came back from vacation where my family stayed in a presidential suite and had access to unlimited sweets and alcohol - I was not tempted even one time. Weird or what?!? More power to you. :)

Hey fitmom!:wave:

I take NOW Super Enzymes (2 pills/3 times a day) with B/L/D. I never have any digestive problems these days. As a matter of fact...I've become an "everydayer"!;) I couldn't have said that a year ago. I don't drink alcohol (maybe once/twice a year at a party...maybe), but I can tell you that Alcohol completely STOPS my metabolism cold in its tracks!:eek: I know some people who can have a glass of wine and lose/maintain...uhhh uhh...not me! It's like my system completely stops functioning but only to digest the alcohol. Never understood how alcoholics can sometimes be skinny?:?:

Keep in mind also that my "junk food" isn't really junk. Its all homemade with love, extra fiber, whole grains and now, my new and improved organic sugar cane juice!:D I mean I used an entire pound of carrots in my carrot cake. And about the fatty goodness...I do use butter, but only half the butter the recipe calls for, the other fat I use is Organic Coconut oil (Nutiva brand) which has medium fatty chain acids which some studies show decrease obesity.:D

I love fat...my body loves fat. FAT & PROTEIN are my body's preferred source of fuel to function at top function and achieve maximum leanness. I think my body responds better to carbs that are from veggies or whole grains, so that it was I give it....even in my goodies!;)

joyfulloser, skinny alcoholics drink instead of eating. You can imagine the malnutrition that results. :eek:

Jay

I could really use some of your wisdom everyone!

My 2 yr maintenance anniversary is on 8-15-11. My weight was 108lbs when i decided to maintain. Was 106-109lbs for 15mo. & I realized how hard it was to maintain that weight without depriving myself of almost everything, even some healthy foods. I needed more of a variety of foods in my diet, thought that would help also with the junk food cravings. Well found out it didn't help with reducing my junk food intake, now I'm still eating a healthy variety of whole foods, but also more junk food. I am now at 122lbs!

I'm not looking to get back down to where I was, but do want to be able to fit into my clothes. I'm thinking 113-115lbs. So I need all the help I can get from all of you! Thanks chicks!

I Did It...i Finally Ran!!!
 

Yuppers! Baby got her running "mojo" back!:carrot: I ran 5.47 miles this evening (finished up at 12:30a.m.) I had taken my daughter out for a late night swim for about an hour, then we just hung out in the jacuzzi for another 45 mins. When I came back, I was relaxed, cooled off and basically just said, "to heck with this...I've gotta do this for my MIND's PEACE SAKE!":^: So I did it. I ran.:)

I was doing great until the last 10 mins of my 65 minute run. But no problems...I pushed through. Just kept telling myself "mind over matter...mind over matter"...and it worked!:D Yunno...our bodies can do much more than our minds are letting us on to believe.;) JUST DO IT!

I'm gonna sleep like a 2 month old tonight. I almost forgot how good I used to sleep when I ran. Over the last 3-4 weeks...my sleep patterns have been getting pretty lousy. It's been hard to get to sleep in the evening and even harder to wake up at 6:30a.m. School's back in season in less than a month, so I need to get my butt in gear and proper rest is a MUST. Running helps me in sooooo many ways...I just sure hope my knees don't fail me. No pain tonight at all and I feel that as long as I give myself a complete day's rest in between each run, my knees should hold out. I sure hope they do.:^:

Here's the problem. I KNOW that I'm gonna start dropping weight rather rapidly now that I'm back running. My body's furnace/metabolism just goes on OVERDRIVE when I run. I could feel it tonight...it's weird...but I know my body just that well. Oh well..I guess I it's more cookies...oh wait...I mean more CARROT CAKE w/cream cheese frosting...that's my NEW FAVORITE TREAT...YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!:D

Ugghhhh...pain...I'm in pain this morning!:( Getting old really stinks!:mad: My left knee is sore and just overall total body muscle sorenenss. I'm ok with the muscle soreness...but it's the knee that worries me.:?:

Oh well...I'll be wearing my knee brace today. Maybe I will cut down my mileage to 3 miles, with only 1 5 mile run per weekly. I could always increase my speed??? We'll see...

Yesterday's sweets:

1 slice of Carrot Cake
4 chocolate chip cookies
1 biscotti

joyfulloser: Congrats on the running!! I, too, ran after a week off, for the first time this morning. I'm a little sore (ain't as young as I used to be, lol) but damn, it felt good. I know what you mean when you say that you just sleep better on the days when you run. I sleep like a baby. ;)

BTW, thanks for the response to my um, question - duly noted. :)

Congrats Fruitlady on making 2 years maintenance!:D Just a quick question though...is there any particular reason your stuck on those number (113-115 lbs)? The reason I ask is because 122 lbs is within a normal weight range for your height. Sometimes its more about redistribution of weight, than it is the actual need for weight loss. Many woman will get down real low and think they need to lose more because they have a belly, or fat on their upper thighs, etc. - when really all they need is to get into the proper weight training/fat burning exercise regimen to "redistribute" their weight. Just something to consider. Anyhoot..you look terrific and thanks for stopping by!:D

AMAZING...as quickly as my left knee pain came...it went!:D Feeling GREAT this morning...still a little total body soreness...but I kinda like that feeling...tells me I'm "workin' it"! Gonna go running today and set different goal. I'll run at least 3 miles...anything after 3 miles, I'll go by how my knee feels.

Yesterday, I did swim for an hour. Being in the water all that time seemed to really help my knee pain ALOT because by the time I came out of the water...I was pain free!:eek: Weird.:?:

Anyhoot...yesterday's sweets:

1 slice pumpkin pie
1 slice of carrot cake (w/that most delicious cream cheese frosting..YUM!)
2 1/2 biscotti

Body Observations - Weight remains the same (150-152), however I'm on my TOM, sooooo... Body is definitely taking a more muscular form. Back and rear legs seem to be changing...more lean. Maybe the deadlifts are helping my bum and swimming is developing my back...sure hope so!:D

Okay Joy, I'm going to try the Now Super Enzymes. I've seen you post about them lots of places and I'm going to give them a try. Do you have to take them after every meal for best effect?