January/February weight loss thread

[Susan Otcenas]

I too would not feel very well on the limited amount that Susan eats. Please, don't take offense Susan as I do not mean anything against you at all. And if it works for you that is totally awesome and great. Congrats on your weight loss.

Oh my goodness, I don't take offense at all!! We're all so different. What works for one might never work for another. I love all the give and take here - ideas, feedback, etc. It's so wonderful to hear what works, even if I personally couldn't see myself go down the same path.

Just last night I used something in my dinner that I read about in a previous post. It wouldn't have occurred to me to do it otherwise, and it turned out perfectly. How cool is that??

[tulip]

Solo, do you like yogurt or peanut butter (or almond butter given the PB scares of late) on toast? I like oatmeal okay, but I have to put alot of brown sugar on it, which is probably not so good. But it fills me up and makes me feel good. I don't like nuts or nutbutters. I wish I did. If you do, try toast with nut butter and banana.

I like yogurt with fruit. Frozen berries in the winter, and fresh fruit in the summer. You can cut up the fruit the night before. I also really like FlaxPlus toaster waffles with yogurt and fruit.

I love egg sandwiches, too, but for that early in the morning, I'd be more apt to go with something I didn't have to cook.

[Triskeliongirl]

I didn't mean to offend either, and I don't think Susan took it that way. I agree it is really interesting to see how different we are. Obviously Susan is doing great (look at her fantastic weight loss!) so what is key I think is that we all listen to our bodies. Eat food based on how it makes us *feel*.

If I ate the carbs Susan eats I'd be in a hyperglycemic coma. I find protein and fat so satiating, its easy to keep the quantities down, *for me*. I too love food, but if the food agrees with me it doesn't take a lot to satisfy me. I think the biggest mistake people make is to have a one diet suits all mentality. We all have very different genetic makeups, and its key to learn what fuels we feel best and perform best on.

I am also really enjoying this exchange. I know folks were just posting their 'numbers' here, but I find sharing this kind of info. much more interesting.

Thanks again Susan for creating this great community, and for your terrrific participation. Its always such an inspiration to see someone achieving their goals.

[Susan Otcenas]

I like oatmeal okay, but I have to put alot of brown sugar on it, which is probably not so good. But it fills me up and makes me feel good.

Here's something to try in place of the brown sugar.

If you like dried fruit, try cooking some oatmeal with the dried fruit right in the pot. Sometimes I dice up 2-3 dried apricots and toss them right in the pot with the oatmeal & water. As the oatmeal cooks, the dried fruit softens up and imparts its sweet flavor to the whole pot of oatmeal. YUMMY! I like nuts, so I might toss a few toasted almonds on top too.

[solobiker]

Trisk, I agree with you. For me it is fun and interesting to read other posts and have learned a lot and have gotten a lot of great ideas. From my past experience I know my body works better with more protien then carbs. There were several times where my husband and I would have a carb heavy meal (noodles with sauce) then about 2 hours later I would try to go for a run and I would feel so weak and bogged down. If I had a protien heavy meal, no problem with the run. Looks like I may have to start cooking 2 different dinners. Oh well.

[solobiker]

Solo, do you like yogurt or peanut butter (or almond butter given the PB scares of late) on toast? I like oatmeal okay, but I have to put alot of brown sugar on it, which is probably not so good. But it fills me up and makes me feel good. I don't like nuts or nutbutters. I wish I did. If you do, try toast with nut butter and banana.

I like yogurt with fruit. Frozen berries in the winter, and fresh fruit in the summer. You can cut up the fruit the night before. I also really like FlaxPlus toaster waffles with yogurt and fruit.

I love egg sandwiches, too, but for that early in the morning, I'd be more apt to go with something I didn't have to cook.

I will eat yogurt occasionally and have mixed PB in it, not too bad tasting. I used to love oatmeal and it used to keep me full but lately about 1.5-2hours later I am hungery again.

[Triskeliongirl]

Trisk, I agree with you. For me it is fun and interesting to read other posts and have learned a lot and have gotten a lot of great ideas. From my past experience I know my body works better with more protien then carbs. There were several times where my husband and I would have a carb heavy meal (noodles with sauce) then about 2 hours later I would try to go for a run and I would feel so weak and bogged down. If I had a protien heavy meal, no problem with the run. Looks like I may have to start cooking 2 different dinners. Oh well.

Maybe not. Since my husband isn't glucose intolerant, we'll eat the same basic meal, i.e. protein and non-starchy veggie, but then if he feels like it he supplements with fruit and bread. He uses restaurant meals to get his pasta and pizza fix.

[Crankin]

Solo, I eat an egg white omelette several times a week. I buy the stuff that comes in a carton, so I only use my real eggs for times when i am well, eating the whole egg. You could scramble some up ahead of time and make a sandwich on whole wheat bread.
I second the turkey sausages, turkey bacon, and plain yogurt. I put fresh fruit in the plain yogurt and often eat it with a slice of thin whole wheat bread and soy nut butter.
Sometimes I eat tuna for breakfast, in a cooked whole red pepper. I try to load up on the protein at breakfast, and it stops me from the voracious hunger that I get if I don't do this. I don't think I have the same issue as Trisk, but I do tend to one who needs more protein and i need to eat frequently. I lived on a high carb/low fat diet for years. It was fine in my 30s, when I was teaching 7 aerobic classes a week. As I got older and and decreased my exercise a bit, I gained. Then I started cycling and lost the weight, but it's a struggle for me to maintain, even though I am thin. Eating more protein has helped a lot. I stopped eating "bad carbs" i.e high glycemic about 5 years ago. No more white potatoes in this house.
I do tend to be one that likes to eat a lot when I ride. Maybe I should try the almonds? I was using Accelerade, because of the protein, but it's got the most calories. Then I went to pure electrolytes, using food for the energy (Luna Bars, etc., some real food). I don't know, when I am in the middle of a long ride, all I want is a whole wheat bagel!

[GLC1968]

Solobiker - try putting that PB in your oatmeal! It sweetens it a little and it definitely gives it good 'staying power'. And I used to really enjoy cold chicken sandwiches or just chicken with fruit for breakfast. Or, you can scramble eggs ahead of time and then just reheat in the morning in just seconds in the microwave. Throw it on some toast with a slice of tomato and you are good to go!

I used to live on calories like Susan's - in fact, when I was thin, that was the only way I could get there! And to be honest, when I was eating that little in terms of calories, the VOLUME of food was enormous. Seriously, my H used to give me a hard time because I was *always* eating. It's extremely difficult to eat 1000 calories of predominantly veggies!

In fact, if I had a good local source for massive veggie volume this winter, I'd be doing that right now! ;-)

[solobiker]

Thanks for all of your great replies. I do love PB, I will try it with oatmeal. Sounds great. I definately need to eat more veggies. That will be my focus as the only ones I eat are: carrots, celery, and peppers. I am not a fan of cooked veggies. What kind of yogurt do you all like?

[Susan Otcenas]

Possegal, I'm going to be out of town for 4 days, with no access to a scale. Today was my WW weigh-in day, so please use it for my weight for the challenge for this week. 145.0

The next 4 days are going to be very challenging. I'm taking Jeff to Bend for a long weekend. Saturday is his birthday, so we decided to get out of Dodge. I'm bringing my running shoes so that I don't miss my scheduled Friday and Sunday morning runs. I also have us booked on a snowshoe trip on Saturday, and we'll likely do a day hike on Friday. Nonetheless, 3.5 days of eating out is going to be challenging!! I'll need to stick to my eating plan very carefully, and try to order the lightest thing on the menu. It's so hard to stay focused with a menu full of yummy items staring back at me!!

Susan

[GLC1968]

Good luck, Susan...and have a GREAT time!

My birthday is next Tuesday and I told my H that I want a birthday cake (or, at the very least, a piece for us to share) but other than that, I'm sticking to my plan!

[Susan Otcenas]

Happy Birthday!! Do you have anything special planned?

I'm making Jeff this cake for his birthday:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sara-Ja...ke/Detail.aspx

I'm pretty sure I've made this recipe before. He loved it. My strategy will be to eat a very small piece at lunch (we always celebrate birthdays in the office with cake). We're leaving the office directly after cake, and I'll leave it here for the staff to polish off. That way, I don't have to worry about having more than one piece!

""I told my H that I want a birthday cake (or, at the very least, a piece for us to share) ""

That's a very good plan. We did that for my birthday in the fall. Jeff took me out to PF Changs. We took a slice to go (They have an amazing chocolate cake there). I ate just a little bit, and he finished it off. Worked like a charm!

[solobiker]

Have a great time Susan and enjoy yourself. GLC Happy Birthday to you. Mine is at the end of the month. I usually don't ask for or get a cake. That is the last thing I need

[Over50Newbie]

140.0

Sooo close to sneaking into a new decade. Next week for sure!

Lynette