For fiber... I happen to really love Oat Bran, which I learned about from exploring the Dukan Diet, which is not a bad diet, per se. I like to make the oat bran as a hot drink in the morning, I like my cereals savory, versus sweet, so I add some Real Salt and lots of boiling purified water. I suppose it is like a gruel, but I like it. In fact I love the taste, which surprised the heck out of me. I thought I would hate it, as I do not like mushy oatmeal one darned bit. Though I have forced myself to consume it on more than one occasion. Though I agree with the Steel Cuts oats suggestion from Cajun Dee, you could also make it savory with other additions, or go the sweet route, or basic plain. You are only limited by your imagination and taste buds. Oprah's chef enjoys his oatmeal made like risotto, with parmesean cheese. Why not, if there can be cheesy grits... Obviously you could create a oatmeal cookie or some such, a home made granola that is helpful, not full of refined anything.
I like to remember my mantra, I have never met a veggie I did not like. And it is true. I try to find new ones and explore tastes, ways to consume them, cooked or raw. One smart idea is to add pureed veggies in unexpected places. All veggies have a significant amount of fiber and little fat, and what fat it is, is good fat. From pumpkin, to califlower, the list is endless. Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote a book how she snuck in veggies to pretty much everything, which greatly increased not only fiber but other nutrients into her family's diet. Smart woman.
Anyhows, just know there are basically two kinds of fiber. Soluble and Insoluble. Both are good and can really help you in many ways. That apple a day is chock full of some lovely fiber, and satiates, fills one up. The Belly Fat Cure I think is the one that suggests an apple a half hour before your lunch, not just to fill your stomach up but for some of the other goodies it gives. I also happen to love dried fruits, especially prunes. I know they have a bad rap, but they are lower on the glycemic index than many others. I dry them out to make them super chewy. The harder the better. Though my grandparents used to stew them and make them soft and keep them in the fridge. They are also good to cook and puree and use instead of butter/sugar say in a brownie. Prunes... My grandpa was wise - Once you have had a bowel obstruction, you too might make them part of your daily diet, lol.
Back to fiber though, when you eat say rice, make it a brown rice which keeps the fiber intact. There are some wonderful ones now on the market, like Jasmine Brown Rice. Very fragrant and lovely.
Whole wheat, versus white refined wheat. The point is you have to read the ingredient list. The least refined, and hence the highest fiber products often times have a single ingredient list or not ingredient list at all, like carrots. Or say beans. Pinto Beans. lol... Love your veggies, they all have fiber. Some more than others. Leave the skin on for an extra punch of fiber and nutrients.
Some of the Swedish flat breads are 100% whole grain and very crispy, no sugars or additives at all. Those Swedes are smart. Like Rye Crisps, there 100's of choices, keep trying em til you find one or two you like. Whole grain crackers are a good choice with say an unrefined nut butter. Or cheese if you like it, a protein topper of some sort, like hummus. Beans btw, have the soluble fiber and are very good nutritionally. And I concur, the Flax Seed is one of the best, you can add it to all sorts of things. They pop if you eat them whole, makes you have to chew them to get any benefit, which is a good thing, as we tend to not chew long enough... most of us. Chia seeds too, hemp seeds... the list goes on.
Good to see some folks discussing Spark People, besides me! The fellow that started this website is beyond awe inspiring. He is simply amazing. His book, The Spark: The 28 Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life, which I keep referring to can change your life, seriously. I believe in spreading the Spark. Passing it along. Because it works to develop a community that is on the same path as you are.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Spark-Breakthrough-Getting-Transforming/dp/1401926460/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335923210&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life (9781401926465): Chris Downie: Books[/ame]
***and yes, by getting the book, you get to add to your points! Reading it is a wonderful investment in you though, a gift that will keep on giving***
Chris Downie has so much insight to his own journey on this path less traveled. I love his examples from his own life, from his vision board to his real life examples that are doable long term for the rest of your life. I mean who can't do some activity for 10 min? Anything over 10 min he says is extra credit for him, for the way he thinks and frames things. I love that concept, because it allows you to be successful and consistent, rather than beating our selves up for not being perfect and pushing ourselves to the limits each and everyday. We really can move for 10 min a day, even if you are laid up with a total knee replacement, as I am right now.
He is all about lifestyle changes that are sustainable. Permanent change. Tools that can be used by anyone, adapted to whatever you may be doing. Though if you use the suggested diet based on your own stats, you will succeed. Like WW, there is no illegal food, per se. That diet is just not for me, because I know what sugar does to me and I know what it does to us all on a cellular level. I am extremely carb sensitive and I know it. But there is room for all kinds here, there is no judgement.
I also respect and absolutely love anyone that willingly offers up 5 million of his own hard earned dollars to give this gift to us all. He has created something very very special. And the experts that have jumped on board to help with this site are amazing. The motivational expert, a shrink that has been very educational for me. The coach, Nicole. Wow, her suggestions and video work outs are easy to follow and do right there in your own home. I have learned a lot from the videos there about things such as correct form in lifting weights, to Pliates.
I love that it is free. It is about being accountable to one's own self and developing support system for whatever you may be centering on. There are even a lot of WW folks there. Tons of different teams you can join. Feel free to friend me there, I am dianegloria there. And please come on over to the Butch Femme group over at Spark People that Dressy Femme started a while back. We need more active folks. Me included. I know I need to get back into the Spark People saddle. They make it so dang easy and you can do as little or as much as you want. But I found that wanting to get the points for the bonus spin was sort of fun. The gamer in me enjoyed the challenge. And the whole point is suiting up and showing up. Tracking the food, the nutrition is a dang good start and wake up call for any of us. Then the exercise tracking, very informative. Reality wake up call, I call it.
One of my friends there posted this in their blog post, after she first described how her husband who is 130 pounds for the last 20 years, went on a cruise with her. And ate plate after plate, piled as high as he could. Ate constantly the whole 8 days, and did not gain an oz. She however who ate sensibly gained 2 lbs. Metabolism plays a part, genetics. Nature vs nuture, both count. But some of us have a much harder road to hoe.
http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ple-arent-fat/
I loved the debate it ignited afterward. In my opinion, not all calories are created equal! But dang some people are stubborn as all get out!!!
Then I was aghast at this insanity about a blogger in trouble from the dieticians in NC
http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ter-a-blogger/
People really do not understand Paleo and love to attack what they do not understand. Even though, it is commonly understood in medical circles that some high fat diets can actually cure some diseases, there is an epic case study about a hospital dietician who utilized a very high fat diet in a child who had uncontrollable seizures, I think was the disease process. I know it was neurological, having to do directly with myelin sheathes, which are comprised mostly of fats. When the myelin sheath is upset or break down, all sorts of bad things can occur.
anyhows, those links have on the side bar a ton of links to many sites that help explain Paleo and why low carb works on many levels. I know too many folks that have essentially cured their diabetes by eating like their ancestors did centuries ago, when sugar was a rare commodity that only the rich enjoyed regularly.
I like to think of what a caveman was able to eat, what he could pick, what he could kill. It was obviously all organic, grass fed. Nothing was processed or refined. And for those that say the cavemen died at around 30 years old, it was not from diet. Anyhows, I know it is not for everyone. But it works for me.
Now to get back into the habit of checking in, getting those silly points. I like goals, that is something I realize when I was going for the Dr. Oz Transformation Challenge, which I succeeded at, btw. Today I started with a summer challenge over on Spark People, and the competitive part of me wants to kick some ass.
Sorry to meander and babble on, blame it on the narcotics, which I am sooooo not used to taking. But they are better than the pain!