Wow, thanks guys for all the warm welcomes! :) I'm just home now and it's near 1 a.m. I must get to sleep but just wanted to say thanks and report in another day of sugar-free living! I even sat there at the bar with chocolate-covered sticks (waferlike things) staring me in the eye. The barkeep even turned the holder around to face me so they were more inviting, all very polite and everything but I stared them in the eye and LAUGHED! :rofl: YO!

... later! :wave:

Hey, Darlene! What's your favorite Lebanese dish? I worked in a Lebanese restaurant for 17 or 18 years and still LOVE the food. I do find, in most cases, that I can substitute whole wheat for white almost anywhere it appears and that it works fine. Some things aren't quite the same (say, maybe, croissants and pastries) but are usually quite good anyway. Lamentably, I have to limit whole wheat flour too, but that's my sad story. Most people are okay with it...

My favorite Lebanese food is something called "men-oo-shee" or "men-ai-eesh." There are Arabic bakeries here that make it and nothing else (I live in the Detroit area). I don't know how to describe the dough--it's kind of a cross between a pizza crust and pita bread, definitely made with white flour. It's topped with either 1) a mixture of thyme, toasted sesame seeds and olive oil, 2) cheese, or 3) ground lamb and olive oil, and cooked in a special oven. Because it's made in the special oven, I don't know how I could approximate it at home, but I'd love to try. If you have any ideas, let me know!

We eat it once every weekend, so I'll really suffer if I give it up entirely.

Darlene, that sounds like something I know as "fatayer" (not sure of the spelling), but it's exactly like that. Sometimes they stuff it, I think... But I'm most familiar with the one with zathar (not sure of that spelling either, but it's got thyme and sesame seeds and other stuff in it). I bet cooking it on a pizza stone would work great, and that even just on a pan would work fine. You're right -- it's GOOD!

OK -- just had a look and I think fatayer is similar but a stuffed version. I think maybe I just never knew the name for the one you're talking about. I'll keep an eye out for a recipe...

The dough is probably the same, Arabella. I'll ask my SIL tonight if she knows how to make it, and maybe y'all can help me make appropriate substitutions.

What a lively thread!
 

Welcome, Ali! :D I think we were posting at the same time this AM.

Jana, thanks for the pizza recipe. Looks great. I love those tortilla crusts!

Great to see you Arabella! :) And Darlene, I agree with Arabella about using the pizza stone for the bread. Really makes a big difference. I've had that before too--I love zahtar, that mixture of herbs.

I'm feeling bummed because my weight is up. For you newcomers I was concerned that my current program [Radiant Recovery] allowed too much fat, so I pulled away from it and in a month I've gained almost 5 pounds. So of course I'm going back on the program that served me so well. I feel like I blew it--I was doing so well.... :o

Eydie, when you talk about "Radiant Recovery" is this something you have devised or is this a diet program out there commerically or in a book somewhere?

Morning here, barely awake. I see a lot of you talk about sweeteners. I want to stay off them as well as refined sugar. Besides that a lot of them are supposed to not be too healthy themselves or questionable, I just want to get away from that unnatural sweetness. That's just my idea though so don't anyone think I'm criticizing anyone for using sweeteners. In fact, I'm still just doing this for Lent and would like to eventually devise a way to be sugar-free MOST of the time with but ocassional sweets like for special holidays. I'm thinking the only way I might be able to do that is to use some natural sweeteners sometimes, like Stevia. That's used over here more often but you can't get it in the stores. I'm going to have to get some next time I'm in the States.

How many of you are going the whole way, no sweeteners, no dried fruit? What do you think about things with sweetened fruit juice, like the all-fruit jams? I think you're all quite a mixed bunch with your goals and reasons for quitting sugar, am I right? Some are going low-glycemic, some to lose the effects of refined sugar. Those of you wanting to stay away from white bread, is this because of the high-glycemic rating?

Eydie, you have NOT blown it!!!! Weight fluctuates and also it's good to experiment, but so glad you have found a program that works so well for you.

That's kind of the way I feel about Sugar Busters. I'm stickin' to it like glue (and actually going it one better because it's really a lot more lenient than I'm being about some things, especially the sweeteners).

For the record, I just looked at Equal and it also has DEXTROSE in it!!!! Aaaack!

Red Balloon, I am not drinking fruit juice ... too high glycemic, ditto raisins (forbidden on SB), had some dried apricots that are "legal" on SB but they seemed to spike insulin. I guess ya could say I'm going all the way ... I desire to eat NO sugar (or white flour or anything else not legal on SB) except naturally occurring sugar in fruit and dairy ... and pretty much have done so for 38 days. Dunno if I'll ease up at any time in the future as if I do, I know I'll be back in the convenience store within the hour with cupcakes in me hand!!!!!

Re white bread, for me, yes, it's a glycemic issue ... and just an overall lifestyle and health issue.

Well, I have to go do a meeting now. Later, sugar-free gators!

RedBalloon, you can find my plan at radiantrecovery.com. Interesting reading, lots of info. :) The best book is "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Plan". I could kick myself for deviating from the plan, because it worked for me. Oh well, this is me, crawling back.... :D So all's well.
This is Day 157 of being sugar-free. RedBalloon, I do use natural sweeteners like concentrated fruit juices, date sugar, rice syrup, maple syrup--but only occasionally. These sweeteners don't seem to have the same effect as sugar for me.
When I was eating sugar, I was eating up to 5 sweets per day, but justified it in my head because I chose low-fat things! :dizzy: Feels sooo good to be free of that! I'm staying away from sugar because of I am, frankly, addicted to it. Once I start I can't stop.

Amarantha, Thanks for saying I didn't completely blow it! I needed that. :)

Had some strawberries tonight that were extraordinarily sweet! :love: Who needs sugar?

Hi Eydie, thanks for that explo. I think I'm going to get that book eventually. I think I know WHAT to do but I like rereading things just for the renewed inspiration it gives. Heh, I'm with Amaranth, just forgot to say so. You certainly didn't "blow" anything Eyd. This is not just a weight thing, right? It's about health and energy and feeling good. Remember that! I was sugar-free for a year but because I concentrated on that I ate a lot and didn't lose but that was OK with me because my priority was being sugar-free. Then I thought I better lose the fat and I still wanted something, some reward, some food reward for my efforts and so I started eating sugar again and well, that snowballed, as it does with a drug like refined sugar! So, now, I'm back off it and feeling great. My skin looks great! The puffiness is gone and at 45 I need all the help I can get. So, anyhow, I haven't looked at your program yet but whatever the change was, maybe it was good for you to experiment with it. I'm assuming it was still healthy. I could kick myself for having gone off sugar because I think back now to the sugar-free year and I had tons of energy, my skin was beautiful and I was calm and empowered feeling. I looked and felt vibrant. And then I go back to this drugged out sugar slumming lifestyle but NO, I'm not kicking myself because it was going back to the sugar that has added resolve to my decision to get off the sugar. It makes it so much easier. Now, I think I will be at the point where I can have a bit ocassionally and then really stay away from it because I WANT to stay away from it. And this will surely carry over into other aspects of my eating and my life in general, the way I deal with people or let them deal with me, my goals, my projects, everything, so yeah, anyhow, you go Eydie! Nothing is blown, everything is A-OK!! :sunny:

Eydie,

I went to the radiantrecovery.com and I read we have to eat a nightly potatoe? Is that right? Welcome Redballon!

MP

BTW I forgot to ask, Did anybody watched Oprah yesterday? I did and if that show didn't motivate me to get out of the couch and work out, nothing will. It was about how to look 10 years younger and there were women of all ages. A 41 y/o last year was 30 lbs overweight and decided like me (jaja) to lose the 30 lbs she needed and started to work out with weights and cardio, now she is solid as a rock, with abs like never stretched beyond recognition when pregnant. She also competed in a fitness & muscle competition. Another 50 y/o looked like a 25 y/o. Those women made me feel I can do it! I also joined yesterday the Self challenge from Self magazine. Well, I just wanted to share, I am heading for the treadmill to get my *** in motion......

Ice Cream
 

Wow - I am out of town for the day and so many posts!

Welcome Red balloon and Ali! I just started on this thread on Sunday.

Darlene - Do you mind sharing the lentil/rice recipe? I hope you find a way to substitute in WW for your favorite foods. You would have to really want to give up white flour as that would mean giving up your favs. That's hard! I really do not have many foods made with white flour that I love (most are desserts which go with sugar so that's out) so it was easier for me.

Jana -Thanks for all the recipes! The ice cream sounds so yummy that I may have to find a veggie way to make it down the road.

Red Balloon - I do not eat any sugar (artifical or real). I do plan to slowly add back in fruit sweetners (mostly in my jam for Pn'Js) or in soy milk. I do however eat fresh fruit and fresh-squeezed (no sugar added) juices but no dried fruit (again, maybe down the road). I do think we all vary a little on this but as Amarantha says "NO REFINED SUGAR" :devil:

MP - Congratulations on joining the Self Challenge! Every year, I have thought about doing it but never have - good for you! I wish I had seen Oprah - I am one of those peole that is really motivated by others successes.

Eydie - You did not blow it! 157 days!!!!!! Look at you - that is awesome! You are my inspriation. Our bodies naturally fluctuate as do scales! Don't panic, just go back to what you know has worked and in a couple of weeks - poof, it will be gone.

Amarantha - sounds like you are doing great - no refined sugars and hitting the gym! You sound like me (if I read your post correctly), I have trouble with moderation. If I let my guard down (or my mouth open :D ) I will go full-force with the desserts. It is easier to stick to the rules.

Well, I have made it through Day 3, No refined sugar or white bread. Today, I did not have any bread during the day and that actually worked better. 1) I then did not continue to gorge on bread all-day long and felt better 2) I did not fell guilty having WW bread with dinner. I may try that plan again tomorrow.