I like this theory and this is what I've learned among other healthy options over the year! We enjoy going to Golden Coral buffet and I've learned if I want something I'll get it and just enjoy one - three bites as you suggest to satisfy the craving. If it just doesn't taste as I thought It would then I go for one bite and say, "ehhhh, that wasn't as good as I thought it would be." . and I push it away. LOL

WOW! I posted this at the beginning of November and my goal was in OCT. to lose 10 lbs by the end of this year. I'm happy to say I've made it! I'm at my goal. Now for a plan for the new year!

Merry Christmas Healthy friends. Everybody enjoy the holidays with friends and family! :)

i have one goal today: moderation. less butter on popcorn while watching holiday movies, and less dip and more veg. when i attack the veg tray.

Fell off the wagon in a major way this week!

After 9-10 months with no sweets, my daughter had a party last Saturday and someone brought a whipped cream and chocolate cake confection. I said: "can I have one bite?" to my daughter. Like I can ever eat one bite of a sweet anything.

I then ate a whole one myself. Not a whole cake! I must clarify that.

It was in a cupcake kind of wrapper but I wouldn't put it past me to eat a whole cake, if given half a chance.

Have obsessed about it all week and gained three pounds on top of it all.

(I followed up the cake-thing with three pieces of Sees candy as a chaser).

Back on the wagon I go.

I figure I will stop thinking about it in two weeks if my past record holds true.

I am enjoying myself today, and then heading back to the gym tomorrow.

Tomorrow commences Operation LGN: Look Good Naked.

It's not a diet; it's a butt and gutt reduction plan.

I need this thread!
 

HELLO HEALTHIES!
 

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My plan for the new year is health. . I will be doing doctor visits for health, dental, and vision. I actually did a vision one last year but I need contacts and I have benefits again at work so I'll take advantage of that. The other two, it's been some good years for checks so I'll get a full doctor check and dental cleaning and check. I'll continue to make wise eating choices without limiting myself and hell maybe another 10 lbs lost is not so bad a goal.

*cheers* to 2013 everybody!

I enjoyed a bowl of oatmeal this morning - apple and cinnamon and some toast with real butter and black coffee.

Good morning BFP and 2013!!! I made it to the gym, had a great chest and back workout.
Tomorrow I start the diet....

Okay, so this is more like the anti-healthy weight loss article.

History's weirdest fad diets

While it is both humorous and not for the faint of heart, it is a good reminder that while consistent behaviors with a focus on healthy habits may be boring to some, the alternative is never a good idea.

Happy Healthy New Year to all the Healthy peeps!

A few weeks ago I committed to cutting out sweets and breads, and for the new year I am committing to stretching EVERY day. It only takes 15 minutes, and I've found that full-body stretching very often is a gateway (for me) to start moving more.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!! I hope 2013 is a significant year for you!

Hey Healthies

This is an article I ran across today and thought was pretty good common sense stuff to bear in mind.
The thing that I do differently is on the whole grains, I find the easiest way to determine if it is 'whole' is to only eat it that way, e.g. not ground up into a flour. I also just plain stay away from most grains for my own plan, but everybody is different.

Diet Smarter in 2013 – By Consensus
JANUARY 3, 2013 BY MARK BOSMA

If you are like one of nearly 45 million other Americans, you plan to go on a diet sometime this year. Some statistics show that up to 50% of American women and 25% of American men consider themselves to be “on a diet” at any given time. The struggle to loose weight is continual for many as they bounce from one diet plan to the next.

With so many diet strategies available, how do you know which one is right? Aren’t they all different? Don’t they conflict?

To avoid these questions and diet smarter in 2013, stop comparing differences in diet strategies and start comparing similarities.

Diet by consensus
For this approach, examine the diet plans that you are considering. Base your meals around the foods generally agreed upon as “Safe” and avoid the foods generally agreed upon as “Bad.” This alone will determine about 80% of your food choices. The remaining details then become much simpler to sort out.
As an example, I compared 14 popular diet plans & diet strategies (see below), resulting in the following lists.

Safe:

Fruits
Vegetables
Lean meats (except vegan/vegetarian)
“Healthy” plant oils: olive, coconut and others high in monounsaturated fats
Whole grains

Avoid:

White refined sugar (table sugar)
High fructose corn syrup
Processed grains (white flour, white rice, etc)
Processed grain products (white breads, pastas, etc)
Processed food (cheese spreads from a can, snack cakes, etc)
Processed meats (pre-packaged lunch meats, pepperoni and the like)
Saturated fats
Trans Fats
Additional sodium (table salt)

You may be asking “That’s it? Where is the earth-shaking insight?” There are not any – not in the sense of surprise items, that is.
Instead of surprise, the insight is that many commonly touted “health foods” are the basis for many popular diet strategies and diet plans. These “diets” may differ in calorie counts and food proportions, but their shopping lists are largely based on the above.

Where to go from here
Using this information, you can begin to answer much simpler questions. Instead of asking “Which diet plan is best?”, you can ask more specific questions like “Should I limit my dairy intake?” or “Should I include eggs?”
These simple questions will be easier to research and – more importantly – easier to “trial-and-erorr” on your own.

Advice by Consensus:
While putting together the list of foods for these 14 “diets”, a list of general tips also arose.

Track Your Nutrients: When starting out, track your basic nutrients and calorie intake. This will help ensure you are on track for both nutrition and weight loss. As your eating habits change, you will be a better judge of proper intake and can track your food less often.

Use organic when possible: When possible, look for organic foods. This can help avoid the risk of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in your food.

The less processed, the better: When in doubt, go with the foods that seem to be less processed. Processed foods often contain less nutritional value than their “whole food” counterparts. Processed foods also tend to contain more of the undesirable ingredients listed above.

“Whole” grain varies: When in doubt, go with a visual – can you see grains or pieces of grain? If so, good. Some “whole wheat” breads, on the contrary, are essentially just white breads with a little brown flour thrown in.
Look up the Glycemic Index: Research the glycemic index to gain understanding about what it is and how common foods rate on its scale. This will help explain why high-sugar fruits, sugar, and processed flours should be limited or avoided in your new diet.

Conclusion
People diet for many reasons, including weight loss, medical concerns and a desire to have more energy. Some people require a support structure and others happily go it alone. Regardless of your particular needs, the strategy of “diet by consensus” should alleviate the uncertainty you feel about diet choices.
The food lists and advice given here are a start for many of us, but please consider your personal needs and adjust as necessary. Keep in mind that I am neither your doctor nor dietitian: this is advice, not a prescription!

Link to article with referenced diets

*The only bone I have to pick with this is the reference to coconut oil as 'high in monounsaturated fats'. Umm, not so much. The pluses and minuses of this particular oil are hotly debated, so, I'm not going there other than to say I do cook with it in small amounts myself. YMMV.

Hit the gym this morning. Had a killer shoulder and calve workout.
Got to go grocery shopping later. Gonna be eatin clean and mean!! LoL

In spite of the fact I have been dealing with an abundance of stress and travel, limiting access to the gym (at least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it), I have been able to maintain my previous weight loss. My fit bit indicates I am also maintaining my normal, if not enough, daily steps.

I have set a new goal of a five pound weight loss before my next scheduled out of state travel at the end of the month.

Gym bag packed..... check
Veggie snacks......check
Fit bit on.......check
Healthy thoughts.....check
Attitude of gratitude....check

I think I am ready for today.

Interesting tip:

Look for a 10-to-1 Carb-to-Fiber Ratio to Find Actually Healthy Whole-Grain Foods
Melanie Pinola

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It seems like almost everything is labeled with the healthy eating buzzphrase "whole grain" these days. But those whole-grain claims can be misleading when we're looking for healthy food. Harvard researchers offer this rule of thumb for choosing good whole-grain foods: look for a 10:1 ratio of carbohydrates to fiber.
When you look at the nutrition panel on a product, make sure that for every 10 grams of total carbohydrates there's at least one gram of fiber. As the Harvard Health blog points out, this is about the ratio of carbohydrates and fiber that's in unprocessed wheat, a genuine whole grain.

The recommendation comes from a study done by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. They evaluated 545 grain products and tallied up their nutritional components. Foods that met the 10:1 ratio "tended to have less sugar, sodium, and trans fats than those that didn't."

This is an easier method than reading a long ingredient list looking for the word "whole" before every grain (a recommendation from the USDA). It might also be more reliable than looking at the order of ingredients or seeing a Whole Grain stamp on packaging, since foods labeled "whole grain" are often unhealthy (Fruit Loops, anyone?).

Link to original source article: Harvard Medical School