|
Quote:
|
I know ham is bad...but we got a 1/2 a pig right before I started MRC so I have a few hams in my freezer. I'm hoping since it went straight from the pasture (it was pastured pork) to the local food locker straight to our freezer that it won't have quite all the salt additives. And I'll just drink lots of water:) The leftovers will be for DH's lunches:)
Here's the recipe...super simple. 1 box cake mix. Pour in 12 oz can of diet soda (if you use a white or light cake mix, use sprite, 7 up, etc...or you can do strawberry with diet cherry 7up, etc...chocolate cake mixes, use dark diet soda...for this recipe I'll use a white or funfetti cake mix with diet sierra mist). Bake in 9 x13 pan coated with pam or similar, usually same temp and time as the box calls for. Poke cake with fork. Prepare sugar free jellos as per package directions (do not let set). Pour over cake. Top with 8 oz carton of cool whip free (that's a lot of cool whip) when cake is cooled. Store in fridge. Super yummy. (well, I've made the cake that way before with cool whip and I've made jello cake with regular cake, I haven't combined the two...that will be my experiment). |
Ham really isn't evil or anything. Any gains from eating it is just water weight, so easy enough to take back off (drink lots of water over the next few days).
FWIW, when I indulge in ham, I usually don't have that be my only protein source. At christmas I had 1/2 serving of turkey and 1/2 serving of ham. This sunday I"ll probably do 1 boiled egg (in the form of 2 deviled eggs--made "light" by not using mayo) and 1/2 serving of ham. Nwcgina--I have recently come to the realization that I've become slightly OCD about my fitness/eating/calorie intake. I'm paranoid about gaining, so most days I eat just slightly under my maintenance calories (I was initially set at 1600/day by MRC when I started maintenance, I"ve been eating 1300-1500/day--eating more on the days I run). About once a week I have a "high" calorie day, where I let myself eat anywhere between 1500 and 2000 calories. So far, so good. Also, I got totally overwhelmed with the choices when I started stabilization/maintenance. So, most days I pretty much stick to how I ate on the green menu, plus a sprinkling of some of the foods I got added back in during stabilization (yogurt, soft cheeses, more breads, pasta, rice, carrots, etc.). |
Still south of my goal at WI today, but given I've eaten grilled chicken salad take-out every night since Monday since I've had some late nights at the hospital to see my nephew, I went up a pound. He's worth it. ;) I've got my dinner ready for tonight...AT HOME...and I'm going to get groceries in the morning. Enough is enough.
I decided to make things easier on myself and came up with a menu plan during this stabilization period so I don't have to think to much about what new additions I'm allowed to eat when. I'm going to print it out and take it home with me (it's on my work computer). Can't wait to see what Week 3 has in store. :D |
It's fun realizing how my brain has been reprogrammed and I don't even know it. Yesterday I had a panini for the first time, then just altered my eating and exercise the rest of the day (have to do the same thing today and tomorrow due to family holiday meals). I didn't feel deprived or angry having a spinach salad for supper, it was worth the panini at lunch. But earlier in the day I had been at work one gal who is always complaining about wanting to have money and losing weight was talking about how she's doing the latte diet. 3x a week she goes to an expensive coffee shop and gets a latte for breakfast...don't think that will help her with the weight or the money (and I always hear her at her desk getting in bags of candy...she says she doesnt' eat junk, but there are like 5 bags of candy in her cupboard). ANYHOW...she was telling about how she had been doing good until the day before when she ate something she "shouldn't" so she went ahead and had a big brownie too since she already blew it (yeah, been there with that thinking, not anymore). Now I don't see food as "shouldn't have" or that one bad choices justisfies more. I see the balance...I know foods that are higher in calories/low in nutrition. I can enjoy them on occasion, but then I have to be ready to alter the rest of my day (or couple days). And it doesn't bother me to. And salad is just a part of what I love eating now...you don't even realize how big that is. I used to tell people I was allergic to lettuce because I hated it so much and it made me gag. I still don't like iceburg, though I will eat it, through MRC I tried lots of veggies and learned what ones I liked.
Okay, off to get groceries. |
Quote:
Quote:
I went over to a friend's house and had a subway salad for lunch, and then had some Irish Black Ginger Cake with some whipped cream. I only had a small slice of cake and a tiny bit of the Reddi-Wip, but I automatically adjusted by not eating my starch and fruit that I usually have with lunch (or saved as an afternoon snack). Then, for dinner, I just had plain chicken and veggies. Just like you said, I don't feel angry or deprived. The cake was toootally worth it. And, in addition to the yoga I did this morning, I'm going to go for an extra walk either tonight or tomorrow. No biggie. I (literally) got to have my cake and eat it, too. ;) (get it? get it? haha, I'm a nerd.) I also used to just so rarely have salads--didn't hate them, just wasn't a fan. Now I actually crave them sometimes. And there's so many more veggies I'm willing to eat now. I didn't love broccoli before, but I'm getting there. And I used to avoid cauliflower like the plague, but just this week I've tried it 3 different ways and have decided I kind of like it (especially as a pizza crust, yum!). No matter what I do, though, I still hate brussel sprouts. I want to like them--my husband loves them--but even covered in melted cheese, they're just too acrid or bitter for me. Blech. |
@teacherlady-I'm with you...brussel sprouts, blech! Is the pizza crust cauliflower recipe on your blog...sounds interesting.
How did people fare this weekend? I had 3 days of special events and think I did okay (I always think it takes a day or two after for the scale to really show). Friday was date with the hubby. Saturday was Easter/birthday/family reunion. I enjoyed lunch including a huge roll, but then didn't have the cake (and my mother in law makes THE BEST buttercream icing) or cookies or ice cream sundaes, or hot dogs at the campfire. And I didn't feel deprived. I knew my roll with strawberry jam was my big starch for the day and adjusted accordingly. Today was our small family celebration with the jello cake (didn't make any rolls since I had one yesterday). It turned out good. And as I did the past 2 days, adjusted my other meals accordingly. So my weight Tuesday will really let me know. Coming up with a new workout routine for myself...a mix of my favorite strength moves done in a circuit for cardio with yoga poses and pilates moves mixed in (which I need to do more of for my knees). My knees & hip are struggling with the strength routines I've been doing...and I've had to tone down my running. Losing weight has helped my arthritis symptoms, but like my doc told me, it doesn't make the arthritis go away. Trying to remember to be kind to my body while also kicking my own butt:) |
Good morning friends!
Well, Tami hasn't been doing that great:( I think the holiday got the best of me because I am PMS'ing and craving everything chocolate...not to mention the increased appetite. I have had trouble making myself STOP when clearly I need to... Today is a new day...never too late to get back on track. I do get so frustrated with myself tho..Why is it some days I feel so strong and others I act like I don't care? Such a mental battle that has a tendency to continue for me sometimes...fortunately not all the time! When I discussed losing more weight to get further under my goal, my counselor discouraged it with me....said that being so close to goal will keep me more focused each day to stay on track. Truthfully, whether I am under or at my goal makes little difference, because even if I was under, I would want to remain under so would be having to make adjustments to keep myself there...just like if I am at my goal...need to keep myself there, too. Well, here is to Monday, a new day, a new week, and another chance:) |
Tami-I'm with you that PMS causes me insane appetite. I thought I was losing my mind last time as I had just started adding in some starches and thought it was them...but even a lot of protein wasn't helping. Once TTOM started my appetite was restored to normal. Battle on.
|
WI yesterday and I was able to maintain since last Thursday, but that's not the whole story. It's the weirdest thing, but I guess it makes sense. Now that I'm not stressing over my weight, it's just falling off. Sunday morning I woke up to 136.4 on my scales. :D I made a plan for Easter Sunday to allow myself a little leeway and see where it goes. I ate OP for breakfast & lunch. Then, I had a little extra at dinner. In addition to the turkey, broccoli, & 2 oz. baked potato that were OP, I had half an ear of corn on the cob and a dinner roll. Then I had a slice of cake for desert. Turns out the roll and desert were a huge mistake. Those are definitely my triggers. I gave up bread for lent and I'm going back to giving it up. I just have no self-control. I would rather have that than chocolate. One roll turned into too many. Same with the cake. One slice became several small slices. When all was said and done, I was at least the same weight as last week so that was good. However, between Sunday and Monday, the scales said I was up by 2 pounds, but as of today, I'm back down a pound. We'll see what Thursday's WI says. I'm not going to beat myself up over this. I count this as a learning experience of what not to do.
On a positive note, I got my Week 3 menu yesterday. I'm going to see if I can find some fat-free, sugar-free frozen yogurt today. If not, I'm going for the milk. Beyond excited! |
I had maintenance weigh in and lost 1/2 pound, putting me 5 1/2 pounds under goal.
Patzi |
Well, 2 days after the weekend and I'm down .5. Woot! Exciting, especially with trying some new things.
Jen-I love Blue Bunny's fro yo (homemade vanilla). There is a huge difference in the nutritional stuff in fro yo. That's one I've found that is good for me calorie/fat/sugar wise. I'm doing 1 treat a day now...either dark chocolate (that's my usual) or fro yo or a weight watchers type ice cream bar. |
I find it funny that the things I want to try during stabilization and stay totally "legal" are not available in my local grocery stores. Still can't find the fat-free graham crackers. And, from what I can tell from my research...there is no such thing as fat-free, sugar-free frozen yogurt. I can only find fat-free, no sugar added yogurt. How frustrating! I did find something close, however. There is a frozen yogurt store in our mall called Tutti Frutti. They make frozen soy yogurt. According to their website, they have a no-sugar added chocolate frozen yogurt. It has 1 gram of sugar and 0.5 grams of fat. To me, that's close enough.
|
Glad to hear everyone's Easter went well!
I weighed in last week at 168--so I'm actually down another 2lbs. Hubby started a new diet (another funny story I'll explain below) so I've been eating more "plain" for dinners again which I think helped cause the loss. I was actually up the day after Easter (probably the ham, lol), so I just did a lot of water and one day of metaquick to get it under control (I know I'd also had several extra carbs that day). Easter was great--got to try a little bit of everything, and still had a full slice of lemon meringue pie with about 3-4 strawberries, too. Yum! Been a long time since I've had that much pie in one sitting! Funny story: So, hubby decided he wanted to lose some weight (he lost about 10lbs while I was dieting just from eating dinners with me, but he is still pretty heavy). I asked him if he just wanted to do my diet, adjusted for his gender/size. Nope, nuh-uh, he had found this "well-researched" diet by this "well-respected doctor" and had ordered this doctor's book from online. The book arrived and I flipped through it... and it's basically the exact same as the MRC diet. I just had to laugh and roll my eyes. I guess he just needed to feel like he found something that would work for him and that he understood rather than just doing what I did. Whatever. I'm glad he's finding success on it and feeling better about himself (even if he is grouchy from carb withdrawl). However, I still wanted to punch him when he lost 10lbs in the first 10 days. Ugh! MEN! I'm sure it's from simply upping his water, cutting out drinking beer, and not eating out for his lunches at all during that "conditioning" time. |
teacherlady-that's funny about your husband...whatever works for him:) I'm married to a guy that never, ever, ever has had a weight problem...in fact when he was working nights he was doing physical labor and got downright too skinny. But he has always been completely supportive and (mostly) okay with eating however I"m eating. A few times he has said he doesn't prefer...like a spinach beef soup I love!
Jen-I settled for the "no sugar added fat free" fro yo when I was looking. It didn't cause me to gain. Just had some now...tastes like homemade ice cream. I spent part of the weekend scrapbooking with my MIL & SIL. The week I started MRC I did the same time. I remember packing my cooler, freaking out about doing something totally foreign to me...ordering a salad, saying no to the pizza and chocolate. And it was hard and I wanted to cry. This time eating salads is what I do...and I like it. I packed my snacks. I said no to cake (and it didn't even really tempt me or make me sad). We did eat out at Red Lobster and when I entered my calories into MFP I was shocked at how many calories my shrimp skewers had! Didn't weigh in this morn since I was at the hotel but cut back my calories today to metabalance levels. We'll see what it is like in the morning. |
Gina..I love Red Lobster, and I had same thing you did and I gained, but went back to green menu and in two days ok, but hopefully you are ok.. Let me know.
I was at a meeting out of town last week, and Lo and Behold there was really nothing I could eat at the hotel,or let's say wanted to eat, but down the block was McDonald's, so bought a real nice salad called Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and it was good and served the purpose. I did not use the dressing. I always have Diet Direct packaged fat free dressings with me and they are real good. It is great to be able to talk to someone who is on stabilization/maintenance and hear their eating stories... Have a great Sunday. Beautiful here in the South. Patzi |
Patzi-this morning I was still at 151.5-my lowest of my maintenance weight (I was actually up to 152.5 on Friday pre-RedLobster and so had been being really strict that day...ate metabalance yesterday, metabalance today). So I"m happy with that. I do know there you can ask them to go light on the seasoning (or on the skewers eliminate the butter and seasoning). I think their seasoning has a lot of sodium...so if you are sensitive to that. Luckily for my weight we really rarely eat out...1-2x per month max unless we are traveling (end of May will be killer...weddings, travel to see my family, etc.).
|
Quote:
I had my nephew for the day a few weeks ago and he really really really wanted McDonald's, so I went and had that same salad. I was very pleasantly surprised--the veggies and lettuce was really fresh, and the chicken wasn't all weird and processed. It was also a pretty generous size--even though it was about twice as expensive as a value meal, grrrr. I did eat some of the dressing, but I just squeezed it into the lid off to the side and gently dipped my salad in it as necessary. Hardly used any that way, and it really wasn't a "bad for you" dressing, as it was Newman's Own. Ugh. Heads-up, all--Village Inn isn't very maintenance-friendly, and what they do have is kinda gross. We went there after church this morning. I got the veggie omelet, which came with fresh fruit and wheat toast--though I asked for no ranchero sauce. The omelet is made with "low-cholesterol egg substitute," and was supposed to come with a low-fat mozzarella on top. Ben got the greek omelet (made with egg whites), which came with fruit and toast. Unfortunately, I think the toast was the best part of the whole meal (it was really good, whole-grain bread). :( My omelet was rubbery and tasteless, and the cheese on top was rubbery and stringy. The whole thing also came with some liquid on the plate that I couldn't decide if it was grease, moisture from the veggies, or something else. The melon I got in my fruit cup was hard as a rock and underripe. My husband's omelet came with avocado on top (on a Greek omelet?? Weird!), and was sitting in even more liquid. His was also rubbery and tasteless, but at least it looked better than my egg-substitute omelet. Next time I'll just get a salad--it was just so disappointing, because we were both craving breakfast food. :s |
teacherlady-like most foods...they really are better at home:) Quality ingredients, control over prep. Frustrating to pay for something like that.
I did a McD's salad last week...it was pretty good considering "fast food" salads. I still prefer Subway since i can get a spinach salad. But I don't think I'll ever go back to burgers and fries at mcd's...if I really want a burger and fries I can make soemthing yummier and healthier at home. The honey mustard grilled chicken wrap I've had as well and not too terribly bad. |
Hi ladies:)
Well, I think I am back to "under control." Wow...my weight definitely fluctuates during PMS...and it scares me because I never know if it is a true gain, or due to symptoms. This weeks WI should be back to normal. I am still loving my Kashi bars I get at Wal-mart...I have them for a snack later afternoon...unless I choose a 40 calorie Fudgebar. Those are probably my favorite snacks. I still choose a creamy HNS in the evening....and look forward to that. I am starting to expand menu options for my dinners...making sure that I have a large helping of salad or veggies regardless just like I have learned. Tonight is Tacos...I will have (1) with a big salad on the side. Has anyone tried the new cereal out called "Kellogs Krave?" YUMMY Anyway, I will have a bowl of Fiber One cereal and sprinkle a few of those into the mix...very good:) I found some spaghetti sauce that is very low in sodium, but it tastes lame:( I need to find one that is a happy medium...still use MRC Tomato Basil for my stuffed peppers...because I like it. Eating lots of hardboiled eggs from Easter still...those can get old! LOL Well, looks like we are all hanging in there... Jen? I think your weight may be falling off now because you have changed up your diet a bit. Just like tricking our bodies with exercise routines, I think this helps! Congrats!! |
By the way..has anyone found a good multi-vitamin similar to MRC's for women? Just curious.
|
Quote:
i've tried low sodium tomato soup and it was soooooo bad! i'm guessing the sodium makes it :-) wonder if you could add sea salt to make it taste better and then just drink tons of water to counteract the sodium if you experience water retention? |
WI today and there's a full explanation on the April Thread. In a nutshell, maintained since last week. :)
Had issues with late night hunger over the weekend. I love my counselor and had a great talk with her. Late getting back to work, but worth it in my opinion. Monday through Friday, all seems to be fine with no issues. Work all day (desk job mostly), so not much activity unless I run. By the time I get home, get the family dinner, play with the munckin, and get her to bed and everything ready for the next day, I'm ready to hit the sack. I'm thinking about sleep, not food. The weekends are a different story: more activity, work not preoccupying me, and staying up later at night. I told her last night was my worst fear realized. That I would get to stabilization and be hungry at night. So now we're going to change things up and wait until evening to have both HNS drinks/gelatins/whatever and that should keep me full. Natalie - Men crack me up! You have to trick them into thinking things were their idea for them to be receptive to them. So cool to see that you've been a good influence on him though. You should be proud! :) As for Village Inn, I used to love going there...until I started MRC. It is the one restaurant where I've been to multiple locations and they all look at me like I have 3 heads when I want to modify one of their entrees. How dare I! They do not like making changes whatsoever. Great pie though. :drool: Gina - I decided after reading your advice to chill out about making sure what I ate was completely "legal" and perfect. I'm using my 1% milk as my guide. If I keep whatever dairy I have within the nutrition value of the 1% milk, I figure that must be ok, right? Patzi - Thanks for the new suggestion for McD's. I'll remember that next time I'm stuck in a similar situation. Tami - I've always used the One-A-Day multivitamin for women. Also, my mom was funny about the weight coming off faster now. She was like, "Duh! It's because you're eating more and it's increasing your metabolism." LOL She's a nurse. What do you expect?! ;) BigDog - Wish I could do Fiber One, but it tears my stomach up. It's not a pleasant thing. :o |
that's fantastic, Jen! thanks so much for sharing. i love the advice you, Patzi, Gina and everyone else gives on these boards. i've been successful so many times losing weight back in the day but always seem to gain it back and then starting over again. i am determined (with everyone's help) to keep it off and even lose some more.
i do know when i go off plan, i don't feel very good so that is real motivation to stay on plan! i haven't had Fiber One since i started this diet in August 2011 since i don't eat cereal anymore. used to eat it every am w/ fruit and skim milk and it really does keep you regular!, for sure. i have an old box in my pantry..) it's 25 G. carbs - don't know if i should mix in my smoothies for fiber or not.... When i was on WW, it counted as zero points awhile ago..now my sister said the program has changed and they count it now. used to melt peanut butter, chocolate chips and mix w/ fiber one to make high fiber, low cal. cookies that counted as one point.... the MRC plan works much better and i do much better eliminating carbs and all that sugar... |
I haven't tried fiber one in quite a while. I used to eat their bars like crazy, then they started causing severe stomach pain. I did try Kashi Go Lean this weekend and it was good, although not overly filling. We always do "cereal Sunday night" here so it is easy prep & clean up. While OP for MRC I would do my own meal of tuna, chicken, whatever...but the past 2 weeks I've tried a healthy cereal each time with no problems. They don't satisfy greatly so I'm not doing cereal at breakfast, but glad I can engage in cereal Sunday night again. It makes life easy:) But won't be joining the kids in lucky charms (it's the one time I let them have sugar cereal).
Tomorrow night I have a "salad supper". Basically a big salad potluck. I made a fresh fruit salad and I think there will be a couple of spinach/lettuce ones...but I know there will be unhealthy ones too. Plan on loading my plate with the healthy ones first and after I'm full I may chose one that looks really good. For 5 months I've totally avoided such gatherings...now I think I'm ready. |
Quote:
Here's the recipe I use: http://www.food.com/recipe/healthy-marinara-sauce-5415 I like my marinara sauce kind of chunky, so I don't puree the tomatoes, though I do kind of mash them up in the pot after they've been cooking for a while. I will also add chopped mushrooms, and sometimes add zucchini or summer squash. I also tend to use dried parsley (amount adjusted accordingly) because I rarely have fresh parsley around. It makes quite a bit, but it freezes really well, too. :) |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tamikl I found some spaghetti sauce that is very low in sodium, but it tastes lame I need to find one that is a happy medium...still use MRC Tomato Basil for my stuffed peppers...because I like it. Tami.. I make my own sauce.. Most of the time, I do it in the crockpout, and put in some turkey meatballs or turkey sausage I have made. It freezes very well. I cannot have salt,as I am off HBP meds, but do use no salt. Patzi |
Sounds like I may have to get adventerous and make my own sauce. Never made it before, but there's a first time for everything.
|
I will certainly check out the recipe...I am not real great in the kitchen, so I may be better off having regular spaghetti sauce on a very rare occation and flushing the salt with water consumption!! LOL
|
Hey all! Had my first potluck experience since maintenance. Salad supper. All salads...most of them not healthy. So my plan was to fill 3/4 of my plate with healthy fruit and veggie salads, allow myself 1/4 of plate of goodies...which I did. And if I wouldn't have went back for this amazing shrimp pasta salad and a cookie (first cookie in 6 months) it would have been fully successful. Before it started 2 of the gals said "you made it look so easy losing the weight...it must have been easy." I said "it was saying no to a LOT of food through Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, potlucks..." and they're like "oh, I don't want to do that." Afterwards one was saying how badly she wants to lose, but doesn't want to give up unhealthy foods. Well, there are no magic pills so we all have a choice, right?
Another said she could lose but could never maintain. I told her I had basically been stabilizing/maintaining for 2 months and my plan has been to have specific meals planned for breakfast...my two meal options for b/f, lunch, and snacks and just varying my supper. They looked at me like I had 3 heads:) And when I said I was happy where I was weight wise they also kinda looked at my strange, you often don't hear a woman say that. Sure, what I see I'm not 100% happy with, but I'm not going to chase skinny forever. I've seen too many of my athletes go down the eating disorder path. |
I met my Waterloo last night...I think I've said before that I knew animal crackers (of all stupid things) would send me out of control. I bought them for my daughter's preschool...then ended up taking something else. So here sat animal cookies. We opened them yesterday...ends up kids don't really like them and mom loves them...so much that I got up in the middle of the night and ate some:( I haven't done something like that for a long, long time. Thought about throwing them away, so instead send them with DH to work. They could not stay here. And they cannot come back. I can easily say no to fast food, cake & cookies (there was amazing chocolate cake & cookies yesterday at work and it didn't eve tempt me)...but I can't say no to animal cookies???? Geesh.
But today's a new day. Back on track. And I have a long walk and strength training workout at the park planned. |
Good morning ladies:)
Oh Gina..you are so funny! I can relate...My weakness aren't animal crackers..but we all have weakness where food is concerned, don't we?! You are maintaining the right attitude...get back up and keep on keeping on! I had my Maintenance WI yesterday and stayed the same...actually a lb lost from last week...but last week was TOM, so made sense. I guess this means that what I am doing is working at the moment! I praise God for that!! That book..."Made to Crave" is awesome. I refer back to it often. We are planning a trip for around Thanksgiving time...and I am worried. I seem to do just fine at home, even with a few eating outs each week, but being away for a whole week, off routine, is scary for me. In Mexico I ended up gaining 2 lbs in a week..and that was after a few days being back at home when the several pounds up (water retention...etc) settled down to 2 total. I have never taken those 2lbs off...because I hit Maintenance right away after coming back and stayed the same weight since then...so for about almost 3 months now. So...my point is...when I get closer to my trip in November, should I try to lose a few before I go or wait and face the music when I return? What would you all do? |
Tami, as crazy as this may sound, I actually find it easier sometimes when I'm not home to stay on plan because I don't have a big fridge of food or pantry of goodies staring back at me.
I had to travel several times last fall and I had a routine/habit that I would always follow. I guess you could say I'd go on auto-pilot. Since I didn't want to be tempted by breakfast items in the hotel, I'd stop at a local convenience store, grocery store, Wal-Mart, whatever, and get sharp cheddar cheese sticks. Enough to last the duration of the trip (2 oz. per day). Also, I'd get some fruit and then I'd be set for my breakfasts. Lunch and dinner were usually at a restaurant and I'd know what I was getting before I walked in the door, usually a grilled chicken salad or grilled chicken with veggies. I wouldn't even look at the menu. If I looked at the menu, I'd be tempted so my thought was, let's not even go there. It took a change in mindset for me to realize that just because I wasn't home, it didn't mean I'd have to be off my routine. If I didn't eat on plan while I was away, for me, it was because I didn't want to eat on plan, not because there weren't choices. Given that you have so much time before the trip, you could start conditioning yourself and build up habits when you eat out so that's it's not so hard when the time comes. You can do this! :) |
Tami-I"m contemplating the same thing...we have a trip the end of May. We'll be spending part of the time at "the lake" which generally means alcohol and food (snacks & eating out). We'll also have a wedding and going out to eat at my favorite Mexican place. So here is what i plan on doing:
1. Back to metabalance for May to get a buffer (I still have a pound to hit my goal, so want to get there anyhow...) 2. Plan, plan, plan. Plan the meals I know I will have control over...planning what we'll eat on the road (10+ hours of travel each way), breakfasts, healthy snacks for munching times (having my grocery list ready before we even get there), lots of water, and PLANNING the meals that will be treats. I mentioned the Mexican restaurant and a piece of cookie cake for my sister's bday. Beyond that I'll probably have one other meal that will be a "treat" (either pizza or another mexican restaurant:)). 3. Get my little booty moving while we're there. The lake is a great place to run and walk, so just moving, moving, moving so I'm not sitting around eating, eating, eating and drinking, drinking, drinking:) 4. Get right back on track once we leave, beginning with the drive home. Will probably eat on the green menu during travel. On any given trip back home I gain 5 lbs (no lie), generally sodium weight that comes off within a week if I'm intentional about water and my choices. 5. Give myself grace to enjoy myself. I've sacrificed to get here so I'm not going to start living in a way that will put the weight back on, but I'm also going to have a few times a year when I know that my calorie choices will be higher. This will be one of them. |
My trip home might happen even sooner. My gpa is in the hospital with...well, they aren't sure what all...infection in his spine, cellulitis in his legs, something with his lungs...I'm trying to decide if I should go home to see him...which is a 600 mile trip. There are actually on a few things i'd have to clear from my schedule to make it happen. I don't want to regret not going (they haven't determined the source of the infection so they don't know if it is life threatening, etc.)...and that family has had a lot of old crap come up from the past in recent months so that's why I think I should go. There's a lot of wounded relationships. I know I can't fix them, but I can be there for my gpa and gma even though most of their kids are very mad at them. That's why I hate living this far away...
|
Still struggling with weekends. My issue is starches (carbs) are my triggers and given that I'm home on weekends, that makes them more accessible than when I'm at work. Cereal, bread, etc. They're gonna have to stay out of the house for now.
Anyone else feel like they've been given too much freedom? |
Yes Jen...I went through that. I was so overwhelmed at one point that I looked at Weight Watchers point system thinking that might help me stay focused at each meal...goal not to go over my daily points. But, I shared that with my counselor, and she says..."do you really want to have to count points forever, or would you rather just learn how to eat so as not to gain?" Well, that spoke volumes...I absolutely don't want to count points, calories, or anything else...I just felt like I wanted that magic maintenance menu that I could follow daily...sorta like I had been doing for months and that worked!!! LOL Well, there isn't one:( But you will figure this out...I am slowly getting into a routine, while trying a variety and it appears to be working at the moment...slow, easy, baby steps:) The freedom really is wonderful when you think of going back to the strictness of "green menus." It is then that you appreciate the freedom we have now.
|
Well gals, I made it back. It was a long weekend of sitting at the hospital. I got protein bars and fruit for most of my meals then would eat out with the fam in the evening. I did mostly okay...and just going to move on from the few bad choices I did make.
Jen & Tami (and all)...yes, I struggle with having too many choices. I started by using MFP and having some basic meals. It worked basically well, but 1) I spent way too much time on my computer with the tracking and when just counting calories I can make some bad choices and develop bad habits and 2) I don't want to enter that way the rest of my life. I know I'll need to track for accountability. So today I started using my fitbook...basically a paper journal where you can track food and exercise and set goals. I also made a rough outline of the types of foods I should have each meal. And I"m cutting out the little chocolate I was letting myself have until I hit 150. My basic outline looks like this: breakfast: a starch, a protein, a dairy am snack: a protein and a starch or fruit lunch: starch, protein, fruit, veggies pm snack: same supper: protein, starch, veggies I'll stick with that basic outline until I hit 150, then start trying some new combos again. A basic outline similar to being OP, but with a bit more freedom and flexibility (and a bit more food). It's actually been hard today...I wanted my dark chocolate to reward myself from finishing a huge grading thing, instead I got on here:) I need to check in over at the April board, maybe that will be my reward when I finish all the grading. |
Thanks, Ladies! I didn't plan my menu this past weekend and that's what did me in. So I'm sitting down today and planning as much as I can for the next week. Today starts week 5 of stabilization. My first reaction when I saw the sheet..."That's a lot of food!!!"
ETA: Was setting up my menu for the week and just realized I brought everything but a veggie with me today for lunch. Ding Dong me! Running at lunch so I won't have enough time to run to the store. I guess I'll eat a little extra at dinner time unless anyone has a different suggestion. |
I love lurking here on this "maintainers" page ~ reading about all your success give me hope. I'm also learning a lot of great information for when I hit maintenance. Thanks everyone for sharing ;0) Kim
|
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:11 AM. |
Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.