Hi Everyone!

A few months ago I decided it was time for to stop eating food I knew was hurting me, and start eating healthy.

Since then, I have tried my best to keep buying food that is good for me. I just went shopping today, and I felt really good when I was unloading the food. As I reached into the last bag, I pulled out my Oreo cookies, 50% less fat!

At that moment I knew that I was doing better than ever before with eating healthy. I probably shouldn't eat those cookies to begin with, but fat free oreo's is a huge step for me.

I am still trying to improve every time I shop. I don't really understand what things are good and what are bad. I do understand the basic things, but when it comes to trans fatty acids and the like, I don't get it.

Are there certain things I should look out for when shopping? Any tips you could offer would be great!

Thanks for your help everybody!

JGMotiv
http://www.motivation123.com

Hey, Girl...congrats on the Reduced Fat Oreos! I know that must have been a big step for you.

If you're like me and you like sweets, I think WW would be a good plan for you to follow. That way, you can eat what you want, but moderation. But I'm not out to advertise WW!

I think as far as tips, you should watch out for stuff like the Reduced Fat Oreos. Many times, products with reduced fat, no sugar, etc. will have more calories than the ones with the full fat! When I lost this first little bit of weight on my own, I was basically not letting myself have those little treats, and I knew after a while I would crave them and probably end up binging on something sweet because I was eating mostly vegetables and soy, without the 'good' stuff. That's why I decided to get back with WW - that way, I could still have the sweets and moderate.

But I wish you luck! I know you can do it...we all can..many, many, many already have, and we're just following them!

Gotta watch out with those reduced-fat goodies - I'm certain that I am not the only one who got tripped up by them in the '90s!

I was with all the other women who were hunting down Snackwells Devils Food Cookie Cakes (remember them?) because we were told that we 'could eat all we want and lose weight'. This wasn't helped by diet gurus such as Susan Powter who stated that if you avoid fat "you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want it, and however much of it you want".

Michael Fumento's book "The Fat of the Land" has a whole chapter devoted to "The Low Fat Myth" that is at once educational and hilarious!

He has a few examples in his book where fat-free means little in calorie reduction:

Cracker Jack = Full fat version- 120 calories in 28 grams
Reduced fat version - 110 calories in 28 grams

Oreo cookies: full fat - 160 calories in 32 grams
Reduced fat: 140 calories in 33 grams

Skippy peanut butter: Full fat: 190 calories in 32 grams
Reduced fat: 180 calories in 35 grams

If you normally eat that kind of stuff, MAYBE substituting lower fat versions for the regular versions would make a difference - but studies have shown (and I know this from personal experience) that many people who would not normally eat those kind of foods started purchasing and eating the lower-fat ones - many women I knew would eat an entire box of Snackwells or Fat-Free Fig Newtons thinking that they could do this without gaining weight - or perhaps looking for satisfaction?

Laura Fraser's book "Losing It" also goes into great detail about the low-fat food phenom. Chapter 4 - "No Satisfaction: Fat-Free and Fake Foods" opens with:

"It was mid-afternoon, my energy was lagging, and I wanted something sweet. Browsing at the corner store...I noticed two women in the cookie aisle...They had SnackWell's Devil's Food Cookie Cakes in hand.

Guiltily, as if I were buying pornography, I picked up a box. At home alone, I bit into a cookie. It was chocolately smooth and sweet, then suddenly - it was gone...somehow, I hadn't gotten what I'd been after. I had another, then another. Usually I stop after one or two cookies. But not now. I kept wanting satisfaction, thinking I might find it in the next row. They're fat-free, said the devil on my shoulder. Go ahead.

I had eaten the whole box. I felt miserable...at 600 Calories per box...I could have had a real meal with dessert instead. And still I didn't feel satisfied."

The chapter goes into the science of fake foods, and ends with Laura wanting something sweet after a healthy lunch:

"I went to the corner store and found a fresh, unpackaged brownie, made with real vanilla, butter, and Belgian chocolate.

One bite and I knew the rich, smooth, creamy brownie...was exactly what I'd desired. Three bites and I was satisfied. It was enough; I put the rest away for another time."

Both great books - check 'em out!

Mrs Jim, while I see you like these books, I came across one that was interesting. I recently did a presentation about advertising, persuasion, and how they are linked to image/weight/obesity issues in America. I came across this book:

Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must
Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising
by Jean Kilbourne

It is very interesting, about how advertising and media form images in the minds of women, including about how they look.

Just thought you might be interested!

Girlie

Girlie -

I'll have to look into that one - "Losing It" is kind of the same genre - but exclusively focused on weight loss (the subtitle is "False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry").

I've recommended this book in the past - it doesn't really offer a solution (or "diet") but it IS interesting to read - what surprises me is that the Fat Acceptance movement has hailed it as sort of a manifesto for their cause - actually the author never says that you SHOULDN'T try to lose weight.

If you've never read Laura Fraser's book, or any of her writings (she was/is an editor for Health Magazine) you are really in for a treat! (Do try to find the updated paperback version though!)

But...I'll definitely have to look into that other one - Brand is really big for the company I work for! Take care!

Congrats on the lifestyle change!

Sure you have to be careful and realize just because something is fat free you can't go crazy....but it is all about choices and making the better choice. Realistically if you enjoy oreos you can't cut them out of your diet forever, so you have made a better choice while still enjoying them.

Way to go and keep it up. It's the small steps that get you to the top of the mountain.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the tips. I am going to look much farther than just the fat-free label from now on.

JGMotiv
http://www.motivation123.com