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Originally Posted by ~lookin for lean~
I finished griping about how I can't lose weight..maybe you can tell me what I should be doing (or not be doing)
IMO - not enough 'healthy' food, too many refined foods w/sugar....
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BF: Kellogs smart start w skim milk
You don't say what your portion size is (I know cold cereal is defnitely a 'red light' food for me because I can sit down and eat nearly an entire box if I wanted to - it goes down very easily). According to Kelloggs' website, there is a BUTTLOAD of sugar in that (not so) 'smart' cereal:
Ingredients:
Oat bran, sugar, oat clusters (sugar, toasted oat [rolled oats, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, molasses, honey], wheat flakes, crisp rice [rice, sugar, malt, salt], corn syrup, polydextrose, honey, cinnamon, BHT for freshness, artificial vanilla flavor), rice, high fructose corn syrup, malt flavoring, salt, potassium chloride, baking soda, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), niacinamide, zinc oxide, reduced iron, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), BHT (preservative), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D.
And just a CUP of this cereal contains 200 calories - BEFORE the milk. As far as protein - even the 'soy protein' doesn't have all that much protein in it - 10 grams of what I suspect is fairly low-grade soy concentrate. And how satisfied does a bowl of cold cereal get you?
Here's some alternatives you might think about
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If you *MUST* have cold cereal - there are plenty of other (healthier) options that actually taste pretty darn good-my favorite being Quaker Corn Bran (tastes great AND has lots of fiber).
Of course IMO oatmeal is the king of healthy breakfast cereal - hot oatmeal out of the microwave. I usually add a few frozen blueberries before nuking. What I eat with it (for protein) is an omelette made with 1 whole egg and 4 or 5 eggwhites - I don't usually put anything in the middle though, sometimes a bit of low-fat or fat-free cheese if I have any (maybe a tablespoon just as a condiment). That keeps me going for awhile.
Around 10:00 I'll have a piece of fruit (right now it's peaches as they are in season and at their peak at this point).
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lunch: salad with a little bit of dressing and a tiny piece of chicken or sometimes the amount of chicken you get in a wendys salad. ANd if I can get ranch dressing I will use about 3 tablespoons.
What do you mean by 'a tiny piece of chicken'? It's been awhile since I've been to Wendy's so I really don't know how much chicken they put on their salads. Generally a 'woman's' serving should be around 3.5 oz, preferably of white breast meat. You don't mention if that dressing is regular or reduced calorie - if it's regular that can really pack a whallop. I have a salad almost every day - one I assemble myself at the salad bar. What's in your salad - I hope not just some iceberg lettuce with carrot shavings and a 'tiny piece of chicken'. A salad can be a great, filling, healthy meal but I'd reduce the amount of dressing (and use reduced-calorie type - also try a different type of dressing - rather than a thick creamy dressing, try one a little more liquidy - one that will cover a large amount of salad ingredients while using less. (I add my own dressing when I get home from the store - put the lid back on the container and Sh sh shake it until the dressing is well blended).
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snack: cup of yogury, low fat
There are a lot of "lowfat" yogurts on the market that are pretty high in calories - good national brands to use are Dannon Light & Fit and Yoplait Light. The thing about yogurt (at least for me) is that by itself it is JUST not that satisfying - it runs in and out of the stomach in no time flat - plus it's pretty low in protein (I keep harping about protein - not that I'm an Atkins or low-carb advocate but if you're trying to lose weight, protein is really great at filling you up and keeping you satisfied for a longer period of time). The solution to that? Add COTTAGE CHEESE to your yogurt - just mix them together and chill (better yet - get a hand blender (like a Braun) and blend it into a smooth mixture - then put it in the fridge (you might want to add a drop or two of vanilla and maybe a little Splenda). It is SO filling and tasty!
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dinner: about 6oz meat or less and a steamed or boiled vegatable like brocoli or string beans. If its string beans I might put a little shed spread on it
snack: skinny cow
sometimes a second snack, bag of 110 pop corn or a bannana or a sugar free jello
First off - ace the skinny cow. Instead - have a healthy complex carb with your dinner. Not just meat and veg. (I know a lot of people trying to lose weight will tell you to cut out all carbs except for green veggies at night but that's not me). A bit of sweet potato (like 1/2 cup mashed) would be perfect IMO. Or have a piece of fruit after your meal. (Watermelon sounds good right now!). The SF Jello isn't a big deal, what is it, five calories?
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I have to loose over 100 pounds... Haven't been able to loose one yet.
I exercise too, not a ton and not as much as I would like to. I get so discouraged and quit.. usually because when I exercise every day I gain weight.. and not just 6 pounds the scale just keeps going up.
Exactly WHAT kind of exercise are you doing? What is your intensity level - is your heartbeat increased, are you breaking a sweat? I'm sure that most of the regular exercisers would agree with me in this - you have to be dedicated and CONTINUE on to see results, while exercising effectively.
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IF this looks right and my body is just exteemly hesitant to let the pounds go, I will keep eating this.. but please tell me if I am doing something wrong. All this suffering should lead to something good. I would rather suffer more and actually loose something
The thing is...even with whatever I (or anyone else) says here - we aren't THERE with you. We can't gauge by watching you eat or exercise what you're doing wrong, all we can do is guess by what you've written.
My best guess for areas that you might need to work on are:
Motivational - getting your motivation up
Portion control - not knowing 'exactly how much' you are eating (even a 'healthy' (or so-called 'healthy') food can make you fat if you eat too much of it).
Lack of essential nutrients (too many simple carbs, not enough protein or complex carbs)
Exercise - consistency and quality (find something YOU enjoy doing and KEEP doing it - adding in new stuff as you go along).
Whew...someone else can add their two cents.