Healthy Weight Loss

[Wryly]

Dinner went pretty well last night: we had yellow rice and oven baked pork chops with this awesome spicy & sweet pineapple chutney that we found in a Weight Watchers cookbook. It had pineapple, apple, raisins, cinnamon, orange marmalade, ginger, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, ground cloves and some other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head. We were going to have asparagus but ended up not having any vegetable at all.
the best part? We were full - not stuffed. And we didn't do that mindless snacking while watching tv. My sister did talk about a snack around 11pm but just had a tea and then went to bed. This morning she said that last night she was "sort of" hungry but not really. I think it was because her son usually snacks on sandwiches or microwavable stuff (pizza, etc) at about that time so we are sort of used to eating then, even if we're not really hungry.
When she tested her blood this morning it had dropped to under 12 (mine was 6.3).
She didn't like when I was preparing the sauce - the ginger made her nose run. Imagine me - I was the one cooking the stuff! We put a couple slices of it in a cup of hot water for her, sort of like a tea. She said it tasted like hot ginger ale.

She's looking thru the cookbooks now for dinner. And maybe a low-cal snack for the evening.

[sylvie]

soooo...
i broke down.. and bought an elliptical!
I AM SO EXCITED.. now i have something that i know i can do at home..
its suuuch a beautiful machine haha..
this is totally encouraging me to keep up with the exercise on my days i work long shifts.. to do something in the comfort of my own home..

this along with the DVD i just bought, and the other exercise equipment i have.. im going to sit and figure out a nice workout routine.. on my days off i will definitely do the gym, because i can use the treadmill, the weight machines, and do the classes etc there too.. but now having the elliptical here at home, i'm just YAY'ing cuz its the machine i have the hardest time with, it works muscles im obviously not used to working, its a great workout for me..

*happy dancing*

anyway it just arrived, on a Sunday at that, wheeeeeee!

[Zimmeh]

There is one food that I keep in my pantry for the days when I won't be able to eat lunch until after 1pm. I love, Luna Bars, "Caramel Nut Brownie". It has:

Calories: 180 for 1 bar
Calories from fat: 50
Total fat: 6g
Sat fat: 2.5g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 110mg
Potassium: 180mg
Total Carbs:
Dietary fiber: 3g
Insoluable fiber: 1g
Sugars: 12g
Other carbs: 12g
Protein: 8g

They are a meal bar, so you can have them in place of a meal if you are like me, and really busy at school.

When I talked to Jo Jo lastnight, I was telling her about the new pyramid tracker that my Nutrition professor gave us. It allows you to track how much you eat and it gives you a report of where you stand for the daily amounts of vitamins and other nutrients that we need.

I am including a link to the page:

http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

Zimmy

[nycfem]

Congrats! What brand did you buy? Do you have to set it up yourself?

BB and I would like to buy a recumbent exercise bike.

Originally Posted by sylvie

soooo...
i broke down.. and bought an elliptical!
I AM SO EXCITED.. now i have something that i know i can do at home..
its suuuch a beautiful machine haha..
this is totally encouraging me to keep up with the exercise on my days i work long shifts.. to do something in the comfort of my own home..

this along with the DVD i just bought, and the other exercise equipment i have.. im going to sit and figure out a nice workout routine.. on my days off i will definitely do the gym, because i can use the treadmill, the weight machines, and do the classes etc there too.. but now having the elliptical here at home, i'm just YAY'ing cuz its the machine i have the hardest time with, it works muscles im obviously not used to working, its a great workout for me..

*happy dancing*

anyway it just arrived, on a Sunday at that, wheeeeeee!

[girl_dee]

Just out of curiosity have any of you ever been to Dotties Weight Loss Zone...?


http://www.dwlz.com/

It follow Weight Watchers ...

[Zimmeh]

Here is a link that a classmate of mine posted. It is about how Wal-Mart is pushing for healthier ingredients in their store brand products.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michae..._b_811647.html

[Miss Scarlett]

Back in October 2008 I decided to do something about my weight. Went to a doctor here in Charlotte who specializes in weight loss without surgery. He did the usual physical with bloodwork adding a few additional tests, i.e. Vitamin D, and an extensive interview covering family history, personal history and food habits.

Based on all of that he put me on a low glycemic index eating plan maxing my calories out at 800/day. Over the summer we renegotiated this calorie level and I can go up to 1,000 every few days but he still wants me to remain at 800 as much as possible. I know it's low but when I stick to the plan I really do get adequate nutrition and am not hungry. Sometimes I have to make myself eat and it's an event when I actually eat everything on my plate. Because of that some folks don't believe I didn't have the surgery.

As a result I have lost over 130lbs (50 left to go) and, according to my doctor, have decreased my chances of developing Type II Diabetes by 40%. In addition he diagnosed and corrected the really bad Vitamin D deficiency that had been causing me tremendous pain.

His recommended exercise is walking and he gave me a pedometer (it hates me) with the dreaded command of 10,000 steps/day.

As far as my eating plan, here's the short version of what he gave me:

Calories:
*800 per day;
*Don't drink them - NO sodas, alcohol, juices, cream/sugar, energy/protein shakes;
*Weigh/measure everything; and
*Write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

Meals:
*NEVER skip breakfast (ideal breakfast: protein, healthy fat, veggie or fruit, i.e. Fage 0% Greek yogurt plain with fruit and almonds avg. 305 cal. );
*Breakfast LARGER than dinner; and
*Breakfast - NO processed carbs (no cereal, waffles, toast, oatmeal)

Good Ingredients:
*Choose grilled/baked fish. chicken breast, pork tenderloin - serving is 3oz;
*Eat vegetables or fruit with each meal;
*Choose skim milk, fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream (calcium burns fat); and
*If it looks like God made it, it's probably a good choice.

Bad Ingredients:
*AVOID high fructose corn syrup;
*Avoid deep-fried foods (home stir-fry is OK);
*Cut out breads, potatoes, corn, rice, bananas; and
*Avoid salad dressings and mayonnaise.

General good choices:
*Trout, tuna, seabass, salmon, mackerel, clams, cod, crab, flounder, lobster, mussels, oysters. scallops, shrimp;
*Chicken, turkey breast, filet mignon, pork tenderloin;
*Yogurt, cottage cheese - fat free dairy;
*Almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts;
*Barley, chickpeas, beans, lentils, olives, coconut, soba noodles, salsa;
*Apples, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cherries, pears, pomegranate;
*Arugula, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, green beans, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, greens, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, endive, escarole, mushrooms, onions, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, yellow squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini; and
*Green tea, white tea, black tea, water, black coffee - NO diet sodas or artificial sweeteners period.

[Kelt]

This looks like an outstanding plan, and one that could easily be maintained for life. Congratulations on your accomplishments to date and the rest that are sure to follow. Whole foods, no gimmicks, and using glycemic index to curb appetite and control insulin/leptin levels couldn't be a more sound approach. Clearly you found a physician who "gets it" and you obviously have what it takes to stick with it.

Again, congratulations.

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

Back in October 2008 I decided to do something about my weight. Went to a doctor here in Charlotte who specializes in weight loss without surgery. He did the usual physical with bloodwork adding a few additional tests, i.e. Vitamin D, and an extensive interview covering family history, personal history and food habits.

Based on all of that he put me on a low glycemic index eating plan maxing my calories out at 800/day. Over the summer we renegotiated this calorie level and I can go up to 1,000 every few days but he still wants me to remain at 800 as much as possible. I know it's low but when I stick to the plan I really do get adequate nutrition and am not hungry. Sometimes I have to make myself eat and it's an event when I actually eat everything on my plate. Because of that some folks don't believe I didn't have the surgery.

As a result I have lost over 130lbs (50 left to go) and, according to my doctor, have decreased my chances of developing Type II Diabetes by 40%. In addition he diagnosed and corrected the really bad Vitamin D deficiency that had been causing me tremendous pain.

His recommended exercise is walking and he gave me a pedometer (it hates me) with the dreaded command of 10,000 steps/day.

As far as my eating plan, here's the short version of what he gave me:

Calories:
*800 per day;
*Don't drink them - NO sodas, alcohol, juices, cream/sugar, energy/protein shakes;
*Weigh/measure everything; and
*Write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

Meals:
*NEVER skip breakfast (ideal breakfast: protein, healthy fat, veggie or fruit, i.e. Fage 0% Greek yogurt plain with fruit and almonds avg. 305 cal. );
*Breakfast LARGER than dinner; and
*Breakfast - NO processed carbs (no cereal, waffles, toast, oatmeal)

Good Ingredients:
*Choose grilled/baked fish. chicken breast, pork tenderloin - serving is 3oz;
*Eat vegetables or fruit with each meal;
*Choose skim milk, fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream (calcium burns fat); and
*If it looks like God made it, it's probably a good choice.

Bad Ingredients:
*AVOID high fructose corn syrup;
*Avoid deep-fried foods (home stir-fry is OK);
*Cut out breads, potatoes, corn, rice, bananas; and
*Avoid salad dressings and mayonnaise.

General good choices:
*Trout, tuna, seabass, salmon, mackerel, clams, cod, crab, flounder, lobster, mussels, oysters. scallops, shrimp;
*Chicken, turkey breast, filet mignon, pork tenderloin;
*Yogurt, cottage cheese - fat free dairy;
*Almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts;
*Barley, chickpeas, beans, lentils, olives, coconut, soba noodles, salsa;
*Apples, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cherries, pears, pomegranate;
*Arugula, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, green beans, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, greens, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, endive, escarole, mushrooms, onions, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, yellow squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini; and
*Green tea, white tea, black tea, water, black coffee - NO diet sodas or artificial sweeteners period.

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by Kelt

This looks like an outstanding plan, and one that could easily be maintained for life. Congratulations on your accomplishments to date and the rest that are sure to follow. Whole foods, no gimmicks, and using glycemic index to curb appetite and control insulin/leptin levels couldn't be a more sound approach. Clearly you found a physician who "gets it" and you obviously have what it takes to stick with it.

Again, congratulations.

Thanks Kelt. It is a very easy plan to follow. I forgot to note that he wants me to select food with a glycemic index of 45 or below.

My doctor definitely gets it on may levels. He's had his own food addiction and weight struggles. And that makes him very easy to talk to about things.
He finally convinced me to go to counseling to address the underlying issues that led to my advanced weight. He also put me on Metformin for borderline insulin resistance and PCOS. When he learned I was taking glucosamine/chrondroitin for my joints he told me to stop because of the insulin resistance. I really didn't need it anyway because when my Vitamin D levels stablised 95% of my joint pain disappeared.

[DomnNC]

I just saw on the news where Walmart is reducing the price of their fruits, vegetables and healthier foods. It seems they want to see America get slimmer. Imagine that.

[Zimmeh]

Good Morning Domn,

I love shopping at Publix grocery stores. The Wal-Mart by my house is dirty and their fruit is always rotten. They also have birds in there.

Thanks for the heads up!

Zimmy

Originally Posted by DomnNC

I just saw on the news where Walmart is reducing the price of their fruits, vegetables and healthier foods. It seems they want to see America get slimmer. Imagine that.

[DomnNC]

Originally Posted by ZimmygLrL

Good Morning Domn,

I love shopping at Publix grocery stores. The Wal-Mart by my house is dirty and their fruit is always rotten. They also have birds in there.

Thanks for the heads up!

Zimmy

Laughs, we don't have those stores here, thank God. I remember when my wife and I went on vacation in Florida one year I saw one of them, she wanted to stop and go in. I couldn't help but think of pubic hair the whole time we were in there. So from there on out I can't step foot in one of those stores, lol.

[Zimmeh]

Hehe,

I never thought of that! I'm glad I gave you a good chuckle!

How are you doing?

Night to all of you,

Zimmy

Originally Posted by DomnNC

Laughs, we don't have those stores here, thank God. I remember when my wife and I went on vacation in Florida one year I saw one of them, she wanted to stop and go in. I couldn't help but think of pubic hair the whole time we were in there. So from there on out I can't step foot in one of those stores, lol.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by DomnNC

Laughs, we don't have those stores here, thank God. I remember when my wife and I went on vacation in Florida one year I saw one of them, she wanted to stop and go in. I couldn't help but think of pubic hair the whole time we were in there. So from there on out I can't step foot in one of those stores, lol.

Their aqua and salmon pink colored uniforms don't help the image either.

I'm eating a ginormous salad for dinner. That's about as healthy as I'll get today.

[Zimmeh]

I had the pick two at panera today. I had half of a bowl of vegetarian black bean soup with a Greek salad, minus the dressing. It was delicious!

Zimmy

Originally Posted by Gemme

Their aqua and salmon pink colored uniforms don't help the image either.

I'm eating a ginormous salad for dinner. That's about as healthy as I'll get today.

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Congrats! What brand did you buy? Do you have to set it up yourself?

BB and I would like to buy a recumbent exercise bike.

Ion Fitness e300 Elliptical -
and yes it had to be assembled, which i had absolutely nothing to do with, thank goodness my stepfather stepped up to the task LOL!

i'm really grooving it, i used it yesterday & today.. it's so nice to do it from the comfort of my own home, when i can grab some time.. i just turn the television to something i want to watch and go at it, and time soo flies.. i didn't buy it brand new, i bought it from my aunt , so the price was very reduced for me thank goodness, but it was never once used, still in the box LOL

i also did an ab workout, finally..(thanks to Gemme's help) YAY.. i found that really hard to, so needless to say i am hurting in various places today between the elliptical and the the ab workout lolol!

i would love to get an exercise bike too!

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

Back in October 2008 I decided to do something about my weight. Went to a doctor here in Charlotte who specializes in weight loss without surgery. He did the usual physical with bloodwork adding a few additional tests, i.e. Vitamin D, and an extensive interview covering family history, personal history and food habits.

Based on all of that he put me on a low glycemic index eating plan maxing my calories out at 800/day. Over the summer we renegotiated this calorie level and I can go up to 1,000 every few days but he still wants me to remain at 800 as much as possible. I know it's low but when I stick to the plan I really do get adequate nutrition and am not hungry. Sometimes I have to make myself eat and it's an event when I actually eat everything on my plate. Because of that some folks don't believe I didn't have the surgery.

As a result I have lost over 130lbs (50 left to go) and, according to my doctor, have decreased my chances of developing Type II Diabetes by 40%. In addition he diagnosed and corrected the really bad Vitamin D deficiency that had been causing me tremendous pain.

His recommended exercise is walking and he gave me a pedometer (it hates me) with the dreaded command of 10,000 steps/day.

As far as my eating plan, here's the short version of what he gave me:

Calories:
*800 per day;
*Don't drink them - NO sodas, alcohol, juices, cream/sugar, energy/protein shakes;
*Weigh/measure everything; and
*Write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

Meals:
*NEVER skip breakfast (ideal breakfast: protein, healthy fat, veggie or fruit, i.e. Fage 0% Greek yogurt plain with fruit and almonds avg. 305 cal. );
*Breakfast LARGER than dinner; and
*Breakfast - NO processed carbs (no cereal, waffles, toast, oatmeal)

Good Ingredients:
*Choose grilled/baked fish. chicken breast, pork tenderloin - serving is 3oz;
*Eat vegetables or fruit with each meal;
*Choose skim milk, fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream (calcium burns fat); and
*If it looks like God made it, it's probably a good choice.

Bad Ingredients:
*AVOID high fructose corn syrup;
*Avoid deep-fried foods (home stir-fry is OK);
*Cut out breads, potatoes, corn, rice, bananas; and
*Avoid salad dressings and mayonnaise.

General good choices:
*Trout, tuna, seabass, salmon, mackerel, clams, cod, crab, flounder, lobster, mussels, oysters. scallops, shrimp;
*Chicken, turkey breast, filet mignon, pork tenderloin;
*Yogurt, cottage cheese - fat free dairy;
*Almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts;
*Barley, chickpeas, beans, lentils, olives, coconut, soba noodles, salsa;
*Apples, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cherries, pears, pomegranate;
*Arugula, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, green beans, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, greens, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, endive, escarole, mushrooms, onions, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, yellow squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini; and
*Green tea, white tea, black tea, water, black coffee - NO diet sodas or artificial sweeteners period.

wow, on the weight loss, congratulations - that's an amazing success story.. and so inspiring..and thank you so very much for all the tips as well..so very appreciated!! sincerely! ♥

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by sylvie

wow, on the weight loss, congratulations - that's an amazing success story.. and so inspiring..and thank you so very much for all the tips as well..so very appreciated!! sincerely! ♥

Thanks and you are most welcome. Not going to say it wasn't hard work but the food plan did make it easier.

[sylvie]

i can imagine it was hard work!
i started my healthy weight journey not long ago, and already feel a sense of accomplishment, just with the little steps ive taken - and it's not even being completely serious with myself about it yet.. i don't feel healthy, or i didn't... but now, i feel SO much better already and still a long ways to go..

the difference in energy really blows me away, as does the difference in attitude, the way i look at myself, and the way i am so much more at peace with the people and the situations in my life.. my stress level has lowered, my ability to deal with things and my perspective on everything has changed immensely..

all this with the small changes i've made, so i can imagine how you must feel after such an accomplishment.. so this passed week i've been putting all my ducks in a row, meaning getting myself on some sort of even flow, the healthy eating, the exercise, the changes in lifestyle i am making.. i need to work it all in together and not be doing just this or that.. then, i'll see results..

so these last couple of days off, ive been doing exactly that.. i want a success like yours.. =)

[sylvie]

just curious.. i know salad dressings aren't good, but what do ya's use to give flavor to a salad ? lemon juice ? something else?

salad dressing is a downfall i've mine i need to cut out, i cant use a very lil with a salad because i cant seem to stretch it for the whole salad lol!

so was looking for ideas =)