"Ophelia" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:I am just starting after a long time. Does anyone have any good words and
advice for me please?🙂
Ophelia
Scotland
Well since we're just 3 months (almost) into our weight loss effort (30lbs
off for me and 15lbs off the Mrs. to date) we're far from experts but what
has worked for us so far includes.
1. Replace most rice, potatoes, pasta & grains with veggies....after over a
month of no bread I now make a loaf every week or two and just have a small
slice probably daily or less.
2. Avoid drinking calories
3. Sugar free Jell-O and fat free whipped topping makes a very low cal
treat...sugar free puddings as well makes a nice dessert, riccota splenda
and a flavoring makes a nice treat. Chocolate dipped strawberies makes a
good company/special occaision dessert without busting the calorie budget.
4. Use sharp flavored cheeses like parmesan, feta etc....perks up the bland
and a little goes a long ways.
5. Use sharp flavored sausages like pepperoni etc.....perks up the bland and
a little goes a long ways.
6. If a snacker (my wife more so than me) have ample raw veggies, low fat
cheese sticks available...I find a tablespoon of homemade peanut butter
(ground peanuts, touch of oil and sweetened slightly with splenda)
satisfying but I have to leave the jar in the kitchen<g>......I keep
leftover cooked veggies in the fridge as well for snacking....very hard to
get fat on broccoli even sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
7. Indulge occasionally...pre planned and limited amount..... every couple
of weeks I nibble on some dark chocolate...the wife occasionally uses sugar
free choc....I believe she has set a nibble record for how long one piece
can last.
8. Holidays or celebrations are given a free pass although we found by
choice we still didn't go all that hog wild ..... nobody ever got fat from a
single day nor does anybody get skinny from any other single day.
9. As a X smoker sugar free hard candies or peppermints are a daily staple.
10. Weigh or measure the food you eat at least long enough to understand or
recognize portion size...Count calories at least long enough to make
intelligent decisions on meal planning....The few calorie counts I've done
put some days around 1500 some I'm sure some are more and few a bit
less.....The idea is to insure a calorie deficit...it is not a race, in fact
slow and steady will build long term habits much better than a crash I gotta
do it yesterday diet.
11. I found it great fun to make eggplant pizza, zucchini lasagna or
hamburgers with everything but the bun...replacing high calorie items with
low cal equiv.. can be entertaining at the least....I make yogurt by the gal
for both cooking, desserts and cheese......I'm currently making sauerkraut
....one could never eat enough cabbage to get fat<G>.....roasted veggies
drizzled in balsamic vinegar can even be good......anyway energies spent on
prep or cooking creativity are energies not spent thinking about ice-cream.
12.Most dinners include a large lettuce/greens salad, lots of cukes,
tomatoes as well as maybe a mixed bean salad, cottage cheese, taboui and/or
hummus.....when the plate is full of greens it is hard to squeeze too many
calorie dense foods on as well<G>.......a full plate also fools the eye and
stomach....eating slow helps the stomach catch up with your mouth as well..
13. Figure out what are your appetite trigger foods (avoid or limit
available quantities) ...avoiding carbs at some level helps greatly with
appetite control, foods that digest slower seem to keep you comfortable
longer. Vinegar, plain yogurt or acids seem to dull the appetite or make us
feel full longer...great on salads, spinach etc....
14. We approached it as a year long project...we tried to avoid the "going
on a diet thing".....I don't think obsessing over a scale is worthwhile but
once a week usually works for me and daily for the Mrs......we both tend to
hold steady for a bit then drop a few lbs. suddenly so the scale is either a
great friend or lousy foe depending on the day.....the first month or so did
require a major shift in meal planning, ingredients or thinking.....now it
is nearly a habit. I'm still amazed at how much of the grocery store I
ignore...we buy a lot of fresh stuff (we're blessed with a fairly cheap
local produce market) but some frozen veggies are considerably less hassle
(won't spoil etc.) and sometimes much cheaper depending on the market
price.....well enough blather or is it wisdom<g>......but try to keep it fun
and a adventure...Rod
