Ive noticed there are several different "diets" that people follow out there. Right now (past year) I have been an avid calorie counter. I love it, but I need something more disciplined. Not switching to low-carb or anything like that, just curious what you other 100 pound club ladies do.

What are some of your favorite recipes? I want to make a list of NEW things to cook, just to change things up a bit!

I use Weight Watchers PointsPlus to keep me accountable for my food. I use the online program, and my phone which has an app available for me to always keep track of my food intake (no excuses). There are also meetings available for that in person support that I know a lot of people need weekly.

I hear you about recipes. Every once in a while trying a new food, or adding in a completely new recipe is fun.

One of my favorites that I first heard about through WW was Salsa Chicken.

The old recipe was this:

Jar of Salsa
2 Chicken Breasts
Slow cooker - Heat until chicken is cooked

That was it! I added my own take on it... I cubed the chicken, added a can of diced tomatoes, chopped up green peppers, extra onions and garlic and a tiny pinch of cinnamon.

I make it every once in a while and I can add beans and use it like a chili, or put it on a bun kind of like sloppy joes, or mix in some cheese.

It's so versatile I can add or subtract depending on what I have on hand at the time.

I count calories and carbs, but I also use intermittent fasting to manage calories. I eat during an eating window, between 3 and 9 pm, and do a 24-hour fast once a week. I don't count calories spent on exercise, but I do exercise six days a week.

For other health reasons, I also don't eat processed food and keep to a mostly Paleolithic diet. It just makes me feel so much better. I eat a lot of vegetables, a few fruits, nuts and seeds, and lean protein from wild caught or grass fed sources. I don't feel restricted at all because I like how I'm eating.

I get variety from cooking a broad range of ethnic recipes. It's fun to try new foods and new flavor combinations. I'm a bit fearless when it comes to trying new things. I have a lot of cookbooks and keep my pantry, refrigerator and freezer stocked with a lot of different things and cook as I'm inspired. I don't like planning meals, but I keep my kitchen stocked so I can stick to my eating method.

I'm a calorie counter too. I don't go to crazy restriction-wise, nothing is forbidden (that gets me into a lot of trouble lol) I thought for the longest time I had an actual physical addiction to food/sugar, but that was just my security blanket and a "get out of responsibility-jail free card" So I learned to deal with food and got out of my own way.

I still like a good return on my food bucks, so I don't eat much crap. I don't eat a lot of processed junk (junky lean cuisine type stuff, 100 calorie packs, etc., have no room in my cupboards). If i want a cookie, I'll have a homemade one. Basically, I eat a lot of veg, some fruits, nice lean meat and chicken, soups, grains. Nothing super exciting, but it works LOL and I don't sweat the small stuff. I didn't scrutinize every single pound on the way UP so I cut myself some slack on the way DOWN

My 2 fav things these days are:

tin foil packets in the oven! what the?! chicken breast, scoops of salsa, some corn, it's so good! on the reynolds wrap website!

quinoa stuffed peppers! shut up! i quick boil the hollowed out pepper just briefly. cook the quinoa in some chicken stock, lemon juice & lemon zest tossed in... saute some onions, mushrooms, and ground italian sausage (just a bit) and toss in whatever else you like, mix it with the quinoa and stuff the peppers and bake 'em up! sooo goooood!

I'm just a good old fashioned calorie counter, and focus on trying to eat a balanced diet of mostly whole foods, watching it on grains and dairy (both of which I have allergic sensitivities to).

I don't use any recipes in particular - my qualifications are that it must be tasty, healthy, and inexpensive, so I use a lot if frugal cookbooks and large family/homesteading classics. Right now I am loving "Love in the Kitchen" by Wendy Jeub. Great little cookbook

I do a mix of calorie counting and low carb. The carbs is a big one since I have PCOS, but I also keep my cals within a certain range.

This cookbook! http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Essent...8836949&sr=8-1

I have made several of their recipes and my SIL has made most of them... they're fantastic! And, as an awesome help, the nutrition data is right there in the book. They're pretty much all under 45 minutes, too. Love it!

I'm one of those crazy low carbers!

one thing I like to do is replace starches with veggies. So instead of having egg noodles in my chicken soup, I have broccoli. Instead of pasta, I have spaghetti squash or zucchini ribbons, or more broccoli (works really well with white clam sauce and other non-tomato sauces).

even if you aren't trying to eliminate grains and starches, it's still good for calorie counting because you get to eat a LOT more food for the same amount of calories!

Oh yes! I have to second CookingLight cookbooks! I am in LOVE with the fact that the nutritional information is right there. I realize they do that because they're trying to cater to people who are looking to watch their weight, but when I bemoaned to my husband the fact that a cookbook I was looking at didn't have nutritional information, he said "Most don't!" ... and I got sad realizing it was true... But, yes. CookingLight cookbooks are great for that, and most of the time their recipes are downright delicious!

I calorie count too and log my food on the Daily Plate so that I can see if I am eating a balanced diet. There are several good recipe threads here at 3FC.

I recommend
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/100-...thy-posts.html
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/livi...e-recipes.html

and

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/food...lous-finds-17/

I calorie count and try to eat as naturally as possible.

I limit carbs (I'm a "moderate carber", with a limit of 100/day).

My overall framework is the Insulin Resistance Diet, which basically has three "rules":

• LINK: Never eat starch or sugar (carbs) alone. Always LINK it with protein.
• BALANCE: For every small serving (15 grams) of carb, BALANCE it with at least 7 grams of protein. You can eat more protein if you're still hungry, but not more carb.
• LIMIT: Do not eat more than two servings (30 grams) of carby food in any one meal. LIMIT your carbs.

THis allows me great flexibility, which I need for my eat-out-a-lot lifestyle. I eat a lot of veggies and some fruits (mostly berries and melons), and lots of healthy meats and fats. And the occasional slice of bread or bowl of beans or apple or onion rings.

I also have begun incorporating Intermittent Fasting most days, to help me limit calories. I don't eat until noon or so, and then stop eating after six or seven.