Good morning all

New thread for April....

Thursday, April 1

1 cup of oatmeal
1 coffee
1 bran muffin
Julienne salad
celery with laughing cow cheese
blackberry jello
steak
green beans
fresca

Thursday

1 PBJ Sandwich on Whole Wheat
1 Dannon Light & Fit Creamy Banana Yogurt
1 Glass Milk

1 Small Serving of Hamburger/Noodles Dish
Green Beans

Snacks:
Sunflower Seeds
10 Dried Cherry Essence Prunes
1 Diet Dr. Pepper
4 Quarts Water
__________________

Friday

Soup
Water
1 Piece Pizza
(sick)

Saturday
2 Dannon Light & Fit Smoothies
1 Banana
1 Donut
1 Piece Pizza
1 Orange
½ Grilled Chicken Breast
Small Serving Brown Rice
Green Beans
2 Biscuits
1 ½ Gallons Water

Friday, April 2

1 egg
2 slices of turkey bacon
1 coffee
Julienne salad
celery with laughing cow cheese
blackberry jello
chicken parmesan
some gummy candies at the movies

Saturday, April 3

1 egg, 2 slices of Canadian Bacon
1 coffee
cheese and crackers
pasta with salmon and shrimp, red peppers and baby bok choi
1 Italian beer
2 martinis

Sunday, April 4
1 bowl special K cereal with 2% milk
1 coffee
1 roast beef sandwich on dark rye bread
1 cup tea
2 oatmeal cookies
2 slices of meatloaf
baby redskin potatoes
green beans

I keep a food/exercise/etc. journal at fitday, if y'all are ever interested here's the link:
http://fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJourn...r=hannah%5Fphi

Monday
1 bowl oatmeal
1 coffee
Julienne salad
carrots with hummous dip
2 slices of meatloaf
baby redskin potatoes
green beans
1 French vanilla coffee
1 honey dip doughnut- post WW treat

I think I'm going to publish my Fitday.com journal, otherwise I type out the stuff 3 times: once in my paper journal, once in Fitday, and once here. Although I really enjoy seeing how the other half eats, as it were!

Oh my gosh, this is a doozy, since I eat a lot on this plan!

Breakfast:
1 cup All-Bran Extra Fiber
8 oz. skim milk
20 oz. water

Snack:
2 oz. turkey breast (no skin)
1 small container Light and Lively low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup green beans
20 oz. water

Lunch:
2 filets (about 4 oz.) tilapia w/cayenne pepper and garlic
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup strawberries
20 oz. water


Snack:
2 oz. turkey breast (no skin)
1 low-fat, low-carb yogurt, flavored
1 apple
20 oz. water

Dinner:
4 oz. chicken breast (no skin)
4 tbsp. salsa
1 tbsp. low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup raw spinach w/1 cup tomatoes and basil and
1/2 tbsp. olive oil and generous balsamic vinegar
20 oz. water

Snack:
1 low-fat, low-carb yogurt, flavored
1/2 cup mixed berries

YUM!!! I can't believe I'm losing weight eating this much! But I guess it just goes to show, it's not the size (of the meal) that counts---- it's what you do with it that counts! *nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean?*

That looks like a great diet, Sarah, very well balanced! Is that the Glycemic Index diet, or something else?

It is, sort of! What gave me away? I'm doing a 1400-1500 calorie, 20-25/35-45/35-45 Fat/Protein/Low-GI carb ratio, with low sodium, low saturated fat, and little or no cholesterol. My goal is to, for the rest of my life, take care of all of my health, not just lose weight...so I'm tracking all of my nutrients with some really great software, I'm making conscious choices to avoid processed foods and chemicals, and I'm viewing food really as fuel, rather than simply a vehicle for pleasure.

So your observation of my diet being "balanced" is truly well-timed music to my ears.....because I'm working really hard to make the right choices and create great habits.....and sometimes it's really tough to consistently hold myself accountable for maintaining such high standards. Obviously it's not quite macrobiotic, but it's close, and that involves a bit of work and time management! It's paying off, though, and I'm not only losing weight -- I'm feeling great....and I have the peace of knowing that I'll be ok with this way of eating going forward.

I'm sorry to talk your ear off, but this is such a huge focus in my life now, I'm just jumping on any chance to talk about it with someone who can relate or shows any interest in my plan or efforts!! What about you? What's your experience with low-GI? I love it, I really do. I swear by it, and hope to God it helps me keep Diabetes II at bay......not to mention heart disease. Well, all we can do is all we can do, right? I'm reclaiming control now, and that's all I have control over.

I can't say I'm a big diet expert, in fact I know very little about them, but I did read something about the GI diet, which makes a point of not excluding any food groups. One of the things that got me started was losing my hair-- that's how poor my diet was. So I feel I need to get as many micronutrients as possible, by eating a lot of different things.

At the same time, there is a lot of diabetes in my family, and I'm hypoglycemic, so I must eat a low-sugar diet that keeps my blood sugar steady. High-fiber cereals and vegetables seem to help a lot. I eat mostly low-GI, I would say, except I eat potatoes at meals and some of the high-sugar fruits like bananas and grapes. They don't seem to bother me, but then I always eat them at meals, almost never by themselves.

And I really thrive on pasta, that fuels my exercise better than any other carbohydrate. I eat whole wheat bread, the "grittier" the better. I don't eat any sugar, soda, cakes, pies, etc. at all, honey only twice in the last 3 months. It's pretty easy for me to stay away from sweets, as they generally give me a raging migraine.

My cravings run more to fat and salt anyway, as in nachos, pizza, cashews, burger and fries, etc. In fact, I probably eat more fat than most GI diets have in them, and I'd be willing to consider eating less fat. OTOH a really low-fat day makes me crave it, so better a little at a steady rate than a lot in one big salted cashew chomp, lol! I think calories still count, whether it's low-GI, Atkins, etc.

Right now my ratio is 25% protein, 25% fat, 50% carbohydrates, at about 1400 - 1600 calories per day. I don't plan my meals, I journal what I eat, keeping basic principles in mind. My basic naughty splurge is alcohol-- I do treat myself to microbrews and wine. But that can really mess up your blood sugar, as you know, so I try not to get too crazy there. Mostly-- lol!

Best of luck in your plan, please share anything you may learn with us!

Tuesday, April 6

1 egg
2 slices Canadian bacon
1 coffee
1 LF yogourt
1 coffee
Ham sandwich on rye bread with lettuce and mustard
LF cheese with grapes
1 blood orange
Won ton soup
2 springrolls