Elana,

I would really like copies of your recipes too.

For myself, if I totally obstain from treats I will eventually go overboard so I've learned I'm better off allowing myself a taste so I don't feel deprived. My technique, for instance with ice cream, is to not have a 1/2 gallon of ice cream at the house. If I want a treat I go with my spouse to a Dairy Queen, have the treat and come back home. That way I can't go back for seconds. I'm not deprived and my environment is kept "clean".

Elena,
I'd love copies, too. One of the ways I've dealt with treats is by trying to figure out how to remake them so that they are a "meal". One of my favorites is cottage cheese, blended with an egg and some vanilla and splenda, then baked in muffin tins with a sprinkle of fiber 1 in the bottom of the tin. Add a little sf flavored syrup, and you have any cheesecake flavor you'd like

Mel

SF?

Sorry, do you mean sugar free? What's confusing me is "sf flavored". If you mean sugar free, I've found sugar free syrup, but not one that's flavored anything other than syrup flavor.

There are several brands of SF syrups that come in lots of different flavors, ranging from SF vanilla syrup (like at Starbucks) to exotic flavors like "toasted marshmallow" and "cookie dough". The brand I've bought is DaVinci (here's the list of their 50 SF flavors http://www.davincigourmet.com/742.html ) They're all 0 calories. I think that Toriani is another brand that makes SF syrups?

I'm a big fan of DaVinci's SF French vanilla - it's what I use in my chai tea, along with a splash of skim milk, for my mock chai lattes.

Hmmm, I've never heard of them before. But then we're in a small area and moving to a large city. So maybe I'll actually find some of them there. But I'm going to try this cheesecake. I LOVE cheesecake and that would be cool if that tastes good and makes an alternative.

Interesting knowledge, Ali. That could be what's happens to me. I'll pay more attention if it ever happens again (!). Thanks.

I have to watch the Red Sox tonight--hopefully a night of victory and jubilation here in Boston--so I will post the recipes later this week.

Big downfall today--snacked a lot while prepping dinner (nothing unhealthy--red cabbage w/some low-fat dressing, a few pumpkin seeds). The truth is, I was full by the time we all sat down to dinner. But, being a person who does not always take the time to assess her true level of hunger, I ate some whole wheat pasta, tofu and spinach w/a bit of soy sauce. Once again, healthy food. But if I'm not actually hungry, why eat?

I have certainly learned that lesson in the past, and it's never fun. Now I am sitting here stuffed to the gills and I didn't even especially enjoy the nice dinner I made. Reviewed my eating for the day: I am not getting enough calories in at work. That seems to be the big problem. My lunch doesn't keep me satisfied long enough. I should eat a snack at school before I come home.

Well, I hope you join me in rooting for the Red Sox. It's an exciting night!

I have a trick for after work. On the way home I drink either ice water or diet coke in the car. I'm not sure why it works but I'm not famished when I get home like I used to be.


Oh I probably should have said that I eat at every break. Every two hours or so ... just like at home.

I find Elana, that I must eat 5-6 meals/day to keep away the starvation ravenous mode I used to get just before dinner... Now I would much prefer to come home have 1/2 cup cottage cheese and a cup of strawberries at 4pm and then eat at 5:30 or 6PM again with the family... I am never ravenous anymore if I eat every 2-4 hours... I rarely let myself go past 4 hours with no food, that's just asking for trouble , for me...

Perhaps an obvious questions--how much food for an "every couple of hours" regimen? I think I could try a plain ff yogurt (6 oz.) with sliced banana, a few hours later a handful of dried cereal and nuts, a few hours later a piece of fruit, a few hours later a low-fat cheese stick.

Does that make sense? Does it sound like too much food? Do you eat a substantial lunch plus the snacks, or do you focus more on reasonably-sized mini-meals? Boy, this maintenance has just been filled with landmines for me. I am weighing in again on Sunday--probably up another 1.5 pounds if my pants are any indication.

I'm a 5 - 6 small meal a day person myself and was while I was losing, so it's second nature to me now. I think it's one of the things that finally made weight loss work for me because - as Ilene says - I'm never too hungry.

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer about what to eat, since our food plans are all different, but here's what I do. Each meal is about 250 calories and always contains protein. Sometimes I have a starchy carb with the protein, like oatmeal for breakfast, and sometimes it's a veggie or fruit carb.

Here's a typical day:

7 AM (after cardio) -- 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup (dry) oatmeal
10 AM -- protein shake with some frozen peach slices blended in
1 PM -- 4 oz. chicken breast, salad, 2 T. dressing
4 PM (after weights) -- protein shake, apple
7 PM -- 5 oz. salmon, I cup green beans

But that's just what I do. What works for you might look completely different. Perhaps try experimenting and see what fits in with your schedule and meal patterns? Figure out when your hungriest time of day is? See if you do OK just eating carbs for a snack?

I do similar to Meg, but I generally go with fruit/yogurt instead of shakes. I've actually never even tried the shakes. I'm not much of a drink person.

But I do the eggs in the morning, either with oatmeal or tomatoes or a whole wheat muffin. Then I have yogurt, cottage cheese, a veggie or fruit, nuts, or a piece of cheese and/or ham/turkey/chicken slice for my two breaks - morning and late afternoon. At lunch I walk then eat a late lunch at my desk. That's generally chicken, turkey or ham on whole wheat or a wrap, a salad with chicken or seafood and vinagarette dressing, or a Lean Cuisine or similar. Dinner might be about 3 to 4 ounces of salmon or some other fish with half a cup of wild rice and a cup of broccoli, or turkey with mashed cauliflower, or brown beans with ham, something with a lean meat. Then for dessert (aw heck...desert or dessert?), fruit.

My meals are pretty much like Meg's lately... I try to have a portion of protein and a portion of low glycemic carb at every meal... The last meal I often skip the carb all together... I like the protein shakes also, (not to be mistaken for Slim Fast aka Slim Fat!), mine is a vanilla protein whey powder shake that is the cheapest I could find since I just gobble it down then enjoy my fruit, or I'll blend in frozen strawberries with my hand blender...

Yesterday was probably my most 'textbook' small meals day lately. When I'm at home I graze.
0600- fat free yogurt, protein powder
0930- turkey bites, blueberries, yogurt
1200- tuna, salad, lf italian dressing
1400- turkey bites
1730- chicken breast, green beans, more salad, homemade cornbread with olive oil margarine
2030- shake ... blueberries, flax seed, protein powder
2200- rice krispies with soy milk

I think that was around 1900 cals with a little more fat than I'd like.