Awesome job on the 18 pounds!!!! Feels great doesn't it?

I too sometimes suffer with the "burned-out-on-salads" feeling. However, I love and I mean LOVE taco salad. So when I get blahed out with the "garden" salad which is a little better for me, I make a monster taco salad, and when I say "MONSTER", it's usually so big I have to box some of it up for later.

Other things I like for lunch are wrap sandwiches. I'm on a low carb plan too, but allow myself 1-2 servings of carbs/day. I found some whole grain tortillas that are 60 calories each. They make a great wrap sandwich and an even better quesadilla. You can put whatever you want on them, well whatever within reason. I've found cold cuts that are 70 calories/serving and any sort of fresh veggie. Another good lunch idea is soup, either homemade or canned. I want to say the "Healthy Request" soups aren't too high in calories, fat or carbs, but you have to read the labels. Generally I make my own soup, so can't say for sure on the canned variety. Other things I like at lunch time are Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, fresh cut veggies with homemade dip or low-cal salad dressing, tuna, deviled eggs and fresh fruit. Oh and I almost forgot, leftovers make a great lunch too, and I don't mean cold pizza. So when you cook, make extra. If you're not the sort of person who can eat the same meal 2x in a row, throw it in the freezer and get it out next week.

morning...just checking in before i head to aquafit...im off this week and so decided to try out two daytime classes and they are great! wish i could do them regularly. After reading the morning posts I now want a cheeseburger with pizza and top it all off with cheesecake!! :p:p:p
Lost half the weight I gained last weekend...looking so much better for my weigh in friday!
Welcome to all the newcomers!!
have to scoot..have a great day everyone

Been a good week!
 

Hi Everybody,

It's been awhile since I've posted - I was off work for 4 days and that was not good for staying on a good eating schedule. I didn't keep track and was very relaxed with my eating. Well when I got on the scale yesterday I was down another 10 pounds from last time I weighed in! So I'm now down at total of 28 pounds! Monday I got back on track and am recording everything that goes in my mouth!

The weather has been very raining here in Iowa - so getting outside has been a little difficult. I started weights last night - and goodness my arms feel it today! :eek:

It sounds like everyone is doing well. I love reading your posts!

amylee32--I was using the left over 'pie crust' to make the CocoClouds so let me whip up a batch later today and I'll write it all out & get the exact calories and carb count for us. Or you can log onto a recipe website and probably just substitute the sugar with artificial sweetener (dont use nutrasweet this way since heating it causes it to change into a toxic chemical) but be sure to use something to fix the egg whites if you don't use sugar so they don't collapse. I use cream of tarter (rule of thumb there is at least 1/4 tsp per egg white). A slow oven btw is just a way of saying to keep it lower than 300 F, I'll write it all out later for you.
I'm getting ready to get my hair cut & styled today! It's been ages since I've been to a good salon and this feels so wonderful. If they do a good job I want to incorporate this into part of my lifestyle change. I haven't even gone yet and I feel good LOL

Almeeker - I LOVE taco salads, too. I make my own salsa & lately I've been mixing a TBS into some Greek Yogurt or lowfat cottage cheese to make a creamy taco salad sauce. I've given up avocados for a while, even though it's good fat, I just about fainted when I saw how many calories & fat grams one avocado packs. :eek: Also I've been keeping salads interesting by mixing it up with various veggies & herbs. Favs are Greek & Italian salads, and just as you would imagine I load it up with fresh herbs & veggies according to the taste theme. My health food store occasionally carries a locally made very low fat Feta (like around 3g fat per ounce)...OMG it's so good in a Greek salad with a few imported Kalamari olives, fresh Greek oregano (no basil yet), sliced tomatoes and a bed of Romaine & if I need more protein that day I'll add some beans. Awesome lunch!

I make my burgers & sandwiches like you Pattialbert. It's the only way that I like head lettuce, but I swear their outer leaves make the best sandwiches ever. Lately I've gotten into adding No Sugar Added Bread & Butter pickles (they use Splenda) and with lowfat cheese, mayo, onions & tomatoes, these burgers taste just like Carl Jr's original burgers! My addiction burger....seriously I could have mainlined them or inhaled them until I saw how many calories were in each one. They must use very fatty meat there. Have fun at Aquafit today and don't think about those foods or you might start obsessing. LOL

It's freezing & windy again today and I haven't been able to get out to play in the garden for waaay too long. We're having a late Spring & I have so many plants all hardened off & ready for the garden with no place to go. Poor babies. When I go out today I'll also pick up new herb seeds to replace the ones that I've lost due to outside early planting during March's warm spell...it sure felt like Spring then.

The best surprise, I weighed myself this morning wondering if the dreaded stall (the curse) was really broken or if I'd bounced back up to 195 again - and was so very, very happy to see I'd lost another half pound.

Awesome! I bet that your way of eating has become a lifestyle and you didn't even notice the fewer calories or carbs or fat. Cuz 10 pounds is a big loss, girlfriend! Way to go! 28 down and counting - you're doing great!!! Hang in there with your weight training.

Hello everyone! New to the post...need the support!
 

Hello guys!! I'm hoping to find some support here from somebody who is going through similar struggles! I was 147 in June 2009 when I was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis, DDD, Arthritis and Sciatica! March 2 I was at an all-time high of 245! My goal is 150 and I'm hoping to be at least to 175-180 by December. Although I cannot exercise, I did find something I can do.... Swimming! I love it and so far from March 2 to April 7 I went from 245 down to 235! Hoping to keep it up. The bad thing is...I'm in the Air Force and my back problems have caused pain AND weight gain! So now I'm going through a medical discharge and will have to start ALL OVER again once I'm out (maybe around June/July) I have a husband who is very much supportive but he works two jobs and cant really "work out" with me! He's like 5-8 140 pounds, can eat ANYTHING (and does!) and never gains weight! I used to be like that until my injury. I've been eating good and keeping my cal down to under 1600 a day. I've been to nutritionalist and dietitions and heard everything there is about "how to diet" and all that. I've been doing good...but I would really appreciate some support. I'm new to "losing weight" and dealing with pain and all so I'm hoping to find somebody that I can motivate and they can motivate me! I'm so glad something like this is hear! Thanks in advance guys and keep on losing that weight.

RECIPE FOR BLACK BEAN & CABAGE SOUP

Ingredients:
Cabbage, fresh, 2 cup, chopped
Carrots, raw, 0.50 cup, chopped
Celery, raw, 0.50 cup, diced
Okra, frozen, cooked, 2 cup slices
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Green Peppers (bell peppers), 1 cup, strips
Zucchini, 1 cup, sliced
Vegetable Juice Cocktail (V8), 5.75 cup
Beans, black, 2 cup
Beans, red kidney, 2 cup
Macaroni, dry, enriched, 1 cup elbow shaped
Turkey, Ground turkey, 93% lean, 16 oz
Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil, 1 tbsp
Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes, 3.60 cup
6 cups water - add more if boils down too much


I saute the onion, celery, carrots, green pepper in oil - remove from pan/ then brown ground turkey in pan and drain any excess fat- stir in water, rest of veggies, tomatoes, drain and rinsed beans, v8 & water bring to a boil and reduce heat. simmer for 1 hour- add pasta and simmer for 15 minutes longer. you can add any no-salt type seasoning salt or pepper, parsley, garlic or basil if you like

this should make approx 10 - 2 cup servings
each serving is approx 285 calories with 5.4 fat and 19.3 protein and 41 carbs

I think you're headed in the right direction diet and exercise-wise, all that advise from the experts will come in handy, although it sounds like it bored you to death having to listen to it. I made the big HEALTH leap myself in January after realizing that I just couldn't keep up with my kids - at all.

I can relate to being overweight and living in constant pain, but unlike you I'm not new to either one. I think I've been overweight since birth and living with constant knee pain since I was 9 (which was a very long time ago). That being said, I think the best thing you can do when pain is "normal" is to learn to accept that some days are going to be bad and not let it get you down overall. The other thing I can't stress enough is that you have to move those muscles, especially when you don't want to. Often the only way for me to get my pain back under control is to work the muscles, often it's painful enough I have to grit my teeth through every step. I also would recommend talking to your doctor about a drug/treatment protocol for the bad days. It's good to have some hope for a better tomorrow, and a plan of action. Good luck honey.

Grrr
 

I ate 1300 calories today :eek:. I'm mad about it. This cheese has got to go... reduced fat my butt! :mad:

Wanted to post that recipe I promised and I would appreciate the receipe for Alton Brown's cabbage soup - it is a real help to me to have a low-cal and filling meal already prepared for dinner. All the veggies really help me to stay full and for those doing the low-carb you could leave out the macaroni. It has a lot of fiber and potassium, which I'm finding I seem to be real low in. I looked for a supplement, but potassium pills at the drug store only have about 2% of the RDA. I'm not taking that many pills- rather get it naturally. I'm trying to eat raisins as a snack- 100 calorie pack and spinach as well.

Anyone else have any sugggestions- I don't really like banannas