*sigh* Well, just talked to a girlfriend of mine, and we're going to a Mexican restaurant for dinner....... my goal is 1) select something with plenty of veggies, 2) have wine or something other than margarita -- who am i kidding??

HELP GIRLS!!

Well...how was dinner? Mexican is one of my favorites. I like to make different things at home though. I made a great chicken recipe last week.

We had blackened chicken for dinner with a salad and mandarin oranges. I only ate about half my salad as the girls devoured the rest and had some of dh's. They are such scavengers lately. I am trying to drink more water too. My downfall has been chocolate lately. Not quite sure why...maybe it has to do with the easter candy grandma got the girls. Not too much left of it though. Some I threw away because it was gross!

Tricia ~ Thanks for the info. I figured I could do most of the stuff with the free version. It seems to have all the things that I need for now. I am trying hard to put in everything I eat. Do you find that it really helps keep you on track?

Well, Shawn, how did it go? I hope you were able to make the choices you had planned on. But, if not, tomorrow is another day!

Kellie, logging my food absolutely keeps me on track. It isn't so much to keep up with the majority of my calories anymore. Most of the foods I eat have been in rotation long enough now that I pretty well know where I stand for the day. Where it keeps me in line are the little extras here and there as they can add up fast. If I don't log them I don't hold myself accountable for them and pretty soon they add up to weight gain. I am also really meticulous when it comes to entering my foods. If I eat 1 dorito I figure up the calories for it and add it in. I know that sounds obsessive but, for me, there is no such thing a 1 of anything. So I need to be able to see how those things are affecting my overall eating. Otherwise, I underestimate what I've had. I measure and weigh everything to make sure I'm counting all of my calories. I've never been able to eyeball portions.

I don't know, I guess it all boils down to feeling in control of what I eat. And logging my food really, really, gives me that feeling.

I hear you about the extras!! Chocolate chips are the death of me! I take a few here and there and it adds up quickly. I would have done really great if it was not for that today! I have to have more will power!!

Well ladies - the night started out decent... I had a mojito to drink instead of a margarita (lighter and I'm assuming less calories). We decided to split an entree of beef tenderloins wrapped in beef (3 in the entree), shrimps stuffed with something (again, only 3), some fancy potatoes and some fattening and yummy spinach stuff. (yes, this IS a Mexican restaurant, albeit a fancy one!). We had TOO MUCH chips and queso, and I ate 2 of 3 of the shrimp & beef (she was still devouring chips/queso, so gave that to me). Then I had a mango margarita. THEN, at her house, she had all these Cadbury easter eggs..... *sigh* And I stopped & got DH McDonalds on the way home, and ate a few of his fries as I drove.

So I didn't do good at all! :frown:

1. Logging my food just seems so tedious! I can't get the oTHER things I need to do each day done -- so it just stresses me out to add more! Comments?
2. IF I was to log my food, do you carry a journal in your purse or something?

We looked thru alot of her old pics (of when SHE was skinnier, too), and I just don't understand how we got from there to here...... what changed? Just age? I just don't understand why I have no willpower!

Sorry to hear about your night Shawn. But today is a new day! I hear you about will power. I think that is part of the reason I decided to try to fitday food log. It makes me accountable for what I eat. It gives me a true look into the food. Not just a "well it's only one". As I said earlier, I realized how much those darn chocolate chips are killing me.

I wish I knew what changed. Although, I have never been a skinny person, I would like to be smaller than what I am.

I will be thinking of you today! :)

I think keeping a written journal would be tedious, but a lot of people swear by it. Fitday is the only type of food logging that has ever worked for me - and there are plenty of similar options online. I'd say it takes me less than 10 mintues each day to put everything in. I enter everything as I eat it. If we eat out, it is the first thing I do once we get home.

I gave up on willpower a long time ago. I don't think it is necessary. More importantly than staying away from certain foods is just using common sense and moderation. Kellie, I said it before, I know just what you mean about the chocolate chips. But I finally figured out that the reason I over did it on that type of thing was because I wanted them, coudn't have them, and felt like sneaking one or two on the sly wouldn't really count. We all know it does count though. And, besides, the little taste always just made me want more and I'd go downhill from there. So, now if I want something like that I get it, enjoy it, and then I'm done with it. Depending on what kind of food it is, I start with maybe a quarter or half serving. I log it in and get an idea of the adjustments I'll have to make for the rest of the day if I have any more. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't. Also, that is what I like about staggering my calories throughout the week - it is so much easier to have a planned splurge. I don't do it every week. But I like that I can do it often enough not to feel deprived.

Shawn, I completely understand what you mean about it all being a pain in the rear. But, unfortunately, it comes with the territory. It all boils down to burning more calories than you eat and there is no way to know if you are doing that unless you keep up with it as you go. It doesn't have to be journaling. It may be that planning what you eat in advance is a better option for you. But, the bottom line is that losing weight isn't a passive activity. It is going to take some time, effort, and planning - at least at first. Then, at some point it just becomes second nature. So, it really is just a matter of choosing what you want - to be overweight or to lose weight. For, me that is a decision I have to make DAILY.

Now, please don't think I'm being preachy. I'm typing that all out as much as a confimation for myself as anything.


As for the time factor, I think we are all in the same boat. But, the way I look at it is that I'm not going to get everything I need to do done in a day ANYWAY. With three children, especially twins, and all that goes with that it just isn't going to happen. So, i try not to worry about what doesn't get done. I spare myself the few minutes I need to log my food, and the 1-2 hours I need to exercise. Overall, it really doesn't have that big of an impact on my to-do list. I mean, I am not going to go to bed a night with a sparkling clean house and an empty clothes hamper. That would be the case if I took this time for myself or not because there is ALWAYS SOMETHING. And the older my kids get the harder it is. Once they started school, karate, soccer, swimming, etc. I had to balance their time even more with mine. I don't mind doing it at all but it does take a little extra planning and thought. I just try to apply the same organization to losing weight as I do to everything else. Some days are better than others. I take it all in stride as much as I can.

You know what is so funny? When I decided to quit work it was because I thought I would have more time to get things done. I swear, I got more done when I worked. First of all, I could do more errands on a lunch hour than I can all day having the kids with me. And the house was SO muc cleaner because we weren't here all day to mess it up. Don't get me wrong, I love being at home. I just look back and see how unrealistic my expectations were. I thought we'd be a picture right out of Southern Living. Ha, ha, was that joke on me!

Speaking of busy, I am being called by dishwasher that needs to be unloaded, a puppy that needs to be walked, children that want to be pushed on the swing, and a load of laundry or two - and there isn't a made bed in the house. Ahhh, it never ends!

oooOOOOooohhh! I went to FitWatch.com -- I likey!! We'll see if this motivates me to do better! I'm excited about this!

Now I have to start measuring everything before I eat it, I guess..... what I put in for breakfast this a.m. was just estimates. Do you guys measure everything?

I measure and weigh everything. I can't eyeball portions - my eyes are ALWAYS bigger than my stomach. That wouldn't be a problem if I stopped eating when my stomach was full but if it is on my plate, I am gonna eat it! My husband laughs at me because a keep a Tablespoon in my purse. If we stop and eat out I like to be able to measure my salad dressing, etc. - how psycotic is that!?! I think of it the same way I do your toothpicks - if it works, it works - and it happens to work for me.

Fitwatch.com --- when it gives you goal calories for the day, is that cal. needed to MAINTAIN? or to LOSE? Just wondering if I need to plan on less than what it's showing!

I am not sure about that. I know my calorie amount on that is HIGH for what I think I should have. I have been using the fitday and like it. (it has only been 2 days, but I like it so far!) ;)

Tricia...one question....what is NFS on some of the foods listed? Is it No Fat & Salt?

Kellie, i think it stands for "not further specified." I don't remember in what context I saw it, but it is for something like "Jello" in general if a flavor isn't specified. In the description of the food it will actually use the phrase, "cooked without fat" (or salt).

I'm not sure about the calorie count on fitwatch, Shawn. I did put my stats in and the calculation it gave me was for maintainence but it was waaaaay too low. I may have put something in wrong, but I double checked it and still got the same number.

The formula I always use is my weight multiplied by 13. That tells me the number of calories I need to maintain so I subtract between 500 to 1000 from that (early on I used 1000, but if I did that at this point I'd be starving so I've just increased my exercise to make up the difference. Right now I'm subtracting about 750 from my maintainence total).

A lot of people will say that this isn't an accurate enough formula - and there are plenty of calculators that I am certain are more precise. But, I've lost 50 lbs. going my this so I don't see any reason to go through anything more complicated.

I've done really well today. I had an egg white omlette (2 egg whites, sauteed onion and peppers, 1 T Tostitos con queso cheese dip), 1 morning star veggie sausage, and 3/4 cup of OJ for breakfast, Lunch was a Boca Burger and Fat Free Pringles, 1/2 ounce of almonds for a snack. For dinner I had 3 ounces of lemon chicken, 1 cup bow tie pasta with lemon sauce, sauteed spinach, and 1 T parmesan. I'm only at 1078 calories so I may even indulge in a strawberry shortcake after the kids go to bed (I wouldn't want to have to share it!). I did not make it to the gym, though. So, boo for me there. I'll have to do some jumping jacks or something before bed, I guess.

Well, if I did not go to McD's today with my girlfriend and my girls and her girl, I would have done great. I did not do bad, but not as well as I could have. I should not have gotten the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, but I did. I had a few fries, but not many. This morning I had yogurt, turkey bacon & a piece of toast. Then for dinner I made a Spanish Rice with Chicken that was yummy!! And I had some kiwi with it.

Thanks for the info Tricia. I guess I have seen some of the things that say cooked without fat or salt. I really like that site. It is quite helpful. Do you use the activities calculator too?

What are your calorie & fat goals? According to Fitwatch, mine are 2101 cal and 70 fat grams. Does that sound about right?

Today I had 1826 cal & 88 fat grams. Carson got sick tonight with 102.4 fever, so we ordered Pizza Hut -- but I was proud of myself. Before I ordered, I got online to check out the nutrition info, and found out they have CarbTracker indiv. pizzas, so I got that, so I wouldn't be tempted to eat more than I should. It was like 500 cal, and I got a side salad to go with it. So think I did pretty well!

I think FitWatch is really going to help me! I like that it shows you charts of your % for the day, so you can adjust what you eat as you need to.

Thanks ladies, for the tip! Day one down! The rest of my life to go!

also, I just had DH take my measurements, which I'm going to track in Excel -- talk about embarrassing! LOL -- poor guy! Thank God he's such a sweetie and made absolutely no comments!