Need a diet that REALLY works. (stomach, carbs, working out, running)

[newtoli]

Originally Posted by Tinabean

Hey Lola.
My grandpa and mom gave me that nickname as a kid and I've never heard it anywhere else Cool.

I did well for dinner tonight......I haven't learned exactly how to measure the ounces yet (I guess I have to buy a kitchen scale) but I had a few slices of beef with sauteed spinach, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. It was very filling. I seem to crave something sweet so I had some 100% natural apple juice. This is where I get confused....I don't know if I can have fruit and some fruit juice (the juice is calorie dense so I am being careful with only a little). Some folks say yes and some say no.
I'm clear about NOOOO white bread, NOOOOOO sugar and I've been off of sodas for quite some time but gee I thought the weight would just fall off after I quite drinking cokes but not yet. I'm drinking maybe 4 glasses of iced Lipton tea with splenda only. Do you think Splenda is OK? Most of what I've read seems to recommend splenda and it has sure helped me since my fav thing is iced tea since I can't have coke. Thanks for the sprouts idea....I remember liking them on the salad bar so that will be an easy addition to my salads. I'm getting on board with exercise, too. I've just got to figure out how to calculate my caloric intake. Someone earlier gave me a website which I"m going to explore tonight which will help me with the calorie info.

BTW, my husband just had a piece of beef and broccoli tonight. He is really hanging in there on this. He is the only family I have left and I've been terribly worried about his weight so this is a real blessing. I'm trying to use each and every piece of advice so that we can be successful. Thank y'all.

Splenda is OK, but even better is the natural sweetener Stevia. You can find it at some supermarkets, and most health food stores. I make Stevia lemonade and drink that (Stevia, water, lemon juice).

If you want juice, try watering it down. That's what I do, 1/2 juice 1/2 water.

What are you using to sautée the spinach?

[NCN]

I am going to list two websites that give a lot of diet information.

1200-Calorie Diabetic Diet ; Seattle Washington WA

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cal...ulator/NU00598

This calculator will tell you how many calories it takes to maintain your present weight. To lose weight you can go 500 or 1000 calories per day below these maintenance calories to lose either one or two pounds per week. If you cut your calories too much you will just get listless and lose nothing. I suggest cutting them about 500 calories per day. That would lose one pound per week and extra activity might lose another pound. One should never lose more than 2 or three pounds per week because it is not healthy.

You mentioned that you had trouble counting calories. That is why I included the first website. Most women can lose eating 1200 calories per day. There is a chart on the first website that tells you what to eat and how many servings to eat. No calorie counting necessary, just follow the servings on the chart.

If you will click on Daily Journals under Health and Wellness you can join us on the food journal. We try to encourage each other to stay on the diet and keep going. We are very forgiving too. No fussing at anybody. We each list what we are eating for that day and you can get some good ideas from some on this thread. Jeannie216 is the original poster, but we help her out sometimes.

[Tinabean]

Neat! And guess what.....I weighed in this morning at 1 1/2 lbs lighter for the week!!!!!! I haven't see the scale budge in the longest time so I am really FIRED UP! My husband said that he feels much less bloated after 4 days.

I will try both of the websites you mentioned....thank you soooo much. You guys have been so encouraging so I will find a website where I can continue the exchange and hopefully help someone else once my husband and I reach our goals. This day is starting out wonderfully!

[Tinabean]

Thanks Lola. I've heard of stevia but I've never used it. I plan to hit Whole Foods this week so I'll get some. Lemonade is one of my fav drinks so that will work great.
I sautee things in a non-stick pan with Pam Olive Oil spray or olive oil. I also have been using pure BUTTER this week (with the fish) because someone told me that butter was better for you than margarine and the fish needs some flavor.

[gentlearts]

ALL of them work if you follow them correctly. I've been on Jenny Craig, Neutra System, Diet Center, Weight Watchers, Physicians Weight Loss, and Adkins.
If you don't lose on them then you are cheating. If you're going to cheat, why bother.
Once you have lost the weight by eating prepackaged portions, you will most likely gain all of the weight back. And you will have spent hundreds of dollars.

My advice is to cut out all sugar and white flour. Forever. In other words, all simple carbohydrates. No one needs to eat these and they are the biggest culprit in weight gain. Trust me, it is the secret to losing weight and keeping it off.

[Tinabean]

Yes, that is exactly why I brought my request for help to this forum.
I read enough in advance to know that there has to be a significant lifestyle shift, not just a reliance on packaged meals. I had investigated nutrisystem first (due to the commercials I saw on TV) but it was very expensive for both of us....$600 per month!!! I also figured out that if I didn't learn how to do this in a way that we could sustain then we would gain the weight plus more back. It's been 4 days and we both have seen changes already. My cravings for carbs is diminishing......I never smoked or had any addiction in life but now I recognize that my body is addicted to sugar. That is already beginning to lessen. Yesterday when the desire was so powerful I had a glass of 100% apple juice.
I'm going to work on portions, understanding calorie counts, finding menus I can easily prepare that TASTE good and increasing activity EVERY DAY. I miss potatoes the most....I ate them every day before. But I believe you and others when you say that Sugar and White Flour have to go. For us this week it has been lean protein, vegetables some whole grain rice and bread, some cheese and splenda tea. My "cheat" was a piece of whole grain bread with SMart Balance peanut butter and NO SUGAR (splenda) strawberry preserves. Thanks for sharing what works.....

[newtoli]

Originally Posted by Tinabean

Thanks Lola. I've heard of stevia but I've never used it. I plan to hit Whole Foods this week so I'll get some. Lemonade is one of my fav drinks so that will work great.
I sautee things in a non-stick pan with Pam Olive Oil spray or olive oil. I also have been using pure BUTTER this week (with the fish) because someone told me that butter was better for you than margarine and the fish needs some flavor.

Butter is better for you than margarine, but not on a diet.

Use PAM Butter flavored spray or 1 tsp olive oil.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Tinabean

Yes, that is exactly why I brought my request for help to this forum.
I read enough in advance to know that there has to be a significant lifestyle shift, not just a reliance on packaged meals. I had investigated nutrisystem first (due to the commercials I saw on TV) but it was very expensive for both of us....$600 per month!!! I also figured out that if I didn't learn how to do this in a way that we could sustain then we would gain the weight plus more back. It's been 4 days and we both have seen changes already. My cravings for carbs is diminishing......I never smoked or had any addiction in life but now I recognize that my body is addicted to sugar. That is already beginning to lessen. Yesterday when the desire was so powerful I had a glass of 100% apple juice.
I'm going to work on portions, understanding calorie counts, finding menus I can easily prepare that TASTE good and increasing activity EVERY DAY. I miss potatoes the most....I ate them every day before. But I believe you and others when you say that Sugar and White Flour have to go. For us this week it has been lean protein, vegetables some whole grain rice and bread, some cheese and splenda tea. My "cheat" was a piece of whole grain bread with SMart Balance peanut butter and NO SUGAR (splenda) strawberry preserves. Thanks for sharing what works.....

There is nothing wrong with eating either potatoes or whole wheat bread (try a type of flourless bread called Ezekial Bread, I think it's good). Both are nutritious foods. A baked potato with one of the "squirt butters" is delicious and guilt free (not one of those huge potatoes, but a small/medium). Also, you can make mashed potatoes using fat free broth or skim or 1% milk.
Say yes to olive oil. It is not low cal, but good for you, and sometimes you simply must have the fat to cook certain things. I would not hesitate to fry a chicken breast, for example, in a few t. of EVOO. To me, PAM and such products are good in many situations, but not all.
Also, if you make your own Italian or French type oil and vinegar salad dressing (use Equal instead of sugar) you can substitute 1/2 the oil for chicken or beef broth and it tastes just as good.

[lola8822]

Originally Posted by Tinabean

Hey Lola.
My grandpa and mom gave me that nickname as a kid and I've never heard it anywhere else Cool.

I did well for dinner tonight......I haven't learned exactly how to measure the ounces yet (I guess I have to buy a kitchen scale) but I had a few slices of beef with sauteed spinach, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. It was very filling. I seem to crave something sweet so I had some 100% natural apple juice. This is where I get confused....I don't know if I can have fruit and some fruit juice (the juice is calorie dense so I am being careful with only a little). Some folks say yes and some say no.
I'm clear about NOOOO white bread, NOOOOOO sugar and I've been off of sodas for quite some time but gee I thought the weight would just fall off after I quite drinking cokes but not yet. I'm drinking maybe 4 glasses of iced Lipton tea with splenda only. Do you think Splenda is OK? Most of what I've read seems to recommend splenda and it has sure helped me since my fav thing is iced tea since I can't have coke. Thanks for the sprouts idea....I remember liking them on the salad bar so that will be an easy addition to my salads. I'm getting on board with exercise, too. I've just got to figure out how to calculate my caloric intake. Someone earlier gave me a website which I"m going to explore tonight which will help me with the calorie info.

BTW, my husband just had a piece of beef and broccoli tonight. He is really hanging in there on this. He is the only family I have left and I've been terribly worried about his weight so this is a real blessing. I'm trying to use each and every piece of advice so that we can be successful. Thank y'all.

Sounds like you are doing really well! Congrats!!! I've learned the calorie count on the foods I typically eat so I don't really "count calories" anymore.....I did at first but once you learn about the foods you commonly eat it's a piece of cake and it comes natural. Don't cut out anything that you absolutely can't live without....this is important as if you do that it makes sticking to your lifestyle change really tough and quite frankly impossible. Moderation is your friend.....

here's a great calorie counting site....I used this site a lot and still do sometimes......Calories in Kellogg, Co. - KELLOGG'S RAISIN BRAN

[moionfire]

Tinabean,

1. Eat lots of whole fruits and vegetables.

2. Learn how to cook from scratch.

3. Don't frequent restaurants-even "healthy" ones

4. Eat less meat

5. Don't buy processed foods. Stay away from lean cuisines and pre-packaged meals. They are filled with salt- even the "healthy" ones...

Cut your portions by 1/3. To supress hunger, drink lots of water and soup.

6. Eat REAL bread/cheese.

Basically, cook almost all your meals(favoring plants over meat) and practice portion control. You will be happier than trying a quack of a diet....