Liquids and your diet

Over the years, I’ve been on a large number of diets. I’ve lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of weight back. Over the past few months, I’ve been slowly losing. Naturally there have been a few bumps along the way, weeks where I gained instead of losing, but I have a plan to lose the weight and keep it off.

An important component of that plan is controlling what liquids I drink. Here are some tips that have helped me and may help you fight and win the Battle of the Bulge.

1. Drink water. Lots of water. Most diets recommend that you drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. This has been shown to function as an appetite suppressant.

Most people discover this is harder to do than they think it would be. I find putting a teaspoon of lemon juice or orange juice in 24 ounces of water (a sports bottle) helps me drink enough water. Cool water is naturally easier to drink.

When you eat out, try to drink a full glass of water before your meal arrives. Drink at least one glass of water at every meal.

Besides being good for your waistline, drinking enough water has also been found to combat blood clots in the legs as well as aiding people with liver and bladder problems.

2. Avoid caffeine. Caffeine does increase your metabolic rate, which leads to increased calorie burning. However, it also increases your appetite as well as interfering with sleep patterns. Several studies have shown that people who regularly drink diet sodas have more problems with bingeing and craving than those drinking water alone. Coffee and black tea have been found to increase appetites.

3. Avoid drinking more than a cup of fruit juices a day. Supermarket orange and grape juices, while containing the important Vitamin C, are loaded with sugar. If you must drink orange juice, look for fiber added with no sugar added or juice your own. When purchasing grape juice, look for the unsweetened brands.

4. Avoid sports drinks. Most sports drinks are loaded with sugar and other quick energy boosters that increase appetite. They are formulated for athletes working at their peak. Unless you’re in a major workout, stick with water.

5. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Studies have found that artificial sweeteners increase the craving for sweets. Other hotly contested studies have linked artificial sweeteners to various cancers, Crohn’s disease, nervous disorders, bladder and liver diseases, arthritis, migraines and irritable bowel disease.

6. Switch from whole milk to 1 percent. You might have to slowly work your way down to it by mixing it with whole milk at first, but eventually you will adjust. Just by doing this, you will shave pounds off your weight over a year’s time.

I hope these tips help you like they’ve helped me.

Just when you thought it was safe ... WWIN 7

It's a quiet, small-town neighborhood. Kids playing in the yards, dads grilling outdoors, mothers yelling for them all to come in because it's 30 freaking degrees below zero. We see one lone man walking down the street but not street walking.

Ominous music starts. Dumdum ...... dumdum .....

The man, whom we'll call Tech because that's his name, saunters on, whistling until the cold wind freezes his spit.

Dumdum .... dumdum ...

He looks around. His face shows shock and fear. He begins to run, but he's slow, hampered by the fact that his fat has glued his thighs together.

DUMDUM .. DUMDUM ..

He looks back. He yells for help.

DUMDUMDUMDUMDUMDUM

But too late! The fat shark has got him!

He struggles to no avail. He disappears, one hand holding up a Twinkie as he sinks beneath the waves of rolling fat.

***

I'm up 1.8 pounds, but down from last week when I was up 3.4 pounds. Yeah, I've been swimming with the fat sharks. How you been doin'?

Also, I've lost track of the total weight lost so when you give your WWIN this time, please give your total weight lost so that I can update the sidebar. Thanks!

Got Hobby?

I've realized that this "lifestyle change" has become a hobby. Not such a bad thing, me thinks.

I just returned some cookbooks to the library. I found some good ideas for things that I've been looking for, so into a binder they'll go. I guess I can't expect this info to just pour into my brain, so making a hobby out of it is working out nicely. I've been trying new recipes and become more aware of what works and what pitfalls to avoid.

Of course, it's not perfect, but, hey, this is the longest I've stuck with something health-related.

This recipe is another from my WW meeting. It's good enough to be a comfort food. :)

CROCKPOT CHICKEN LASAGNA
8 servings, 7 points each

2 cans reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach (thawed, drained, squeezed dry)
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
9 uncooked lasagna noodles

Mix ingredients together except mozzarella cheese and noodles.

Spray 5-quart crock pot with Pam. Place 3 noodles in bottom. Spread with 1/3 of the mixture, sprinkle with 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat 2 times.

Cook on high 1 hour, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 hours.

What I did: I only had a 16-oz pkg of spinach so I added the whole pkg. It was wonderful. I used canned chicken breast broken up with a fork. I used frozen chopped onions just because I had them. I broke the noodles to cover the layers--worked fine.

Yum!

Snowed in is not good...

Hey this will have to be short. But I was snowed in for 3 days.
It is not good, to be at home with 2 children, and husband. All
I did was cook, EAT, and wash dishes. Bread in the bread maker,
chili, and a cake. To which I consumed about 1/3 of by myself..

Of course when I got on the scales this morning. It showed what
I had done. I need to find a way to be motivated for more than
a week at a time. I am barely breaking even. I need my mouth
wired shut. Of course malts have lots of calories.

Please help me. I am in the currents and drifting toward the falls!

Fountain of...

So, I have been a reading a bit on the benefits of water. How it helps with weight loss and what it truly contributes. My Dr. had some words of wisdom, and ultimately I figured, considering my own bodies needs and difficulties, it would be good for me. But that isn't to say it is helpful to all, and some really need to weigh the pros and cons of consuming extra water.

So here are some articles I found of interest. They seem to provide a good balance of information. I thought it would be best to read on your own and take your own needs into account.

Drinking Water and Weight Loss

This is basicaly what my Dr. told me

USA Weekend

The possible dangers of...

Water Benefits?

And now if you'll excuse me, I have to visit the ladies room. Again. (Ya know, I think they should count the extra calories you burn just running to the bathroom more.)

Not what it should be

Good morning, everyone.
My weigh in this morning was not what I was expecting.
I had gained so much a couple of weeks ago that it has
taken me a while to get going again.
My loss this week is 1.2 lbs. I was hoping for more but
I will take it. My total now is 3.2 lbs.

Go Team Go..What did you do?

Found it

I finally got my new scales for home. I have been weighing with the ladies from my church. But it was getting confusing. All of you weigh on Wed.

I wanted to weigh with you and be able to keep a true number. My new scales are with the ones from church. So I will be posting my LOSS...With you all tomorrow.

I think I finally found what works for me. This will sound pretty silly to you, but it works for me. I eat oatmeal for breakfast, raisin brand for a snack 2 hours later, then oatmeal for lunch, popcorn for my after noon snack. (I have never been so regular) Then I eat pretty much within reason what ever I want for supper. I have finally caught back up to where I started last week.

I am looking forward to going past my 2 lb loss since we started.

Go team Go....You can do it...

Seven Little Secrets to Losing Weight

I first heard about these 7 "secrets" on TV and while they're not exactly big news, I thought they might be worth discussing on this blog. What I found interesting, too, is that even though I've known about these forever, I'm probably only following about one or two of them. I'm curious to know how many of them you're following. Here they are:

The 7 Secrets To Permanent Weight Loss are:

1. Abandon the thought of being on a diet and make a permanent change to the way you eat instead. (This is one that I'm trying to consciously follow. I've been on every diet from Atkins to the Zone and I'm living proof those diets only work for as long as you're on them. I can't live on them forever and as soon as I go off of them the weight comes back.)

2. Cut out so-called “Diet foods” and “Diet Drinks”. (I still find myself looking for the 100 calorie cookie or baked-instead-of-fried chips, which only fools me into eating more than I should.)

3. Incorporate all the foods you enjoy into your eating plan. (Well, this is the other one that I do, although, probably not in the appropriate amounts!)

4. Eat freely from a list of foods that help you lose weight. (Okay...now, if I just had that list...)

5. Change your attitude towards your body and food. (I love food, hate my body. I should love my body and hate food?)

6. Increase your intake of water. (No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get even 4 cups of water down a day.)

7. Introduce gentle exercise into your daily regime. (I know I have to work on this. There's no getting around it.)

Oh, and the other secret I would add to this is that it is a proven fact almost all successful dieters fail before they succeed. You just have to brush the crumbs off your shirt and keep trying until you find what works. And then share what works with us on this blog! :)

Back online

Hi everyone,

I'm back online! Yay! It's amazing how dependent I've become on a home computer.

California is a huge, lovely state that I can't wait to explore while I'm here. My son and I have done a little exploring already. I'm ready to see a little more than the desert now, though. Something greener, perhaps. :) He's been snowboarding, too, and not doing to badly at it. I think the most important thing he learned during his first lesson was to wear gloves next time. Manufactured snow is just as cold as the real thing.

Okay, okay...I know I haven't been weighing in. Who's idea was this weighing in every week anyway? I blame Tech. I suppose I could have given the information to Tech and let him post it for me...but you gotta understand. I spent a week driving out here and through the whole state to get my license in Sacramento. I didn't have a fridge or a stove and you just can't eat a salad while you're driving in the car. And..and...well, I ended up eating my way across the US. So, my total for this year is minus 3 pounds. I'm going to do better though. I'm in my regular place now, where I'll be for the next 11 weeks, for sure, so maybe it will go a little faster now.

It's good to be back, though. :)

Egg on My Face

I have to say I love Michelle's spanish potato omelet. :)

I took her idea and used potatoes o'brien (what could be easier?) and I added the olives back in, but mine were black. (Hate green!) I had to bake it a lot longer, I assume because the potatoes were still frozen. (Michelle?) I also used fat-free egg substitute, which cut the points down a lot. I'll try freezing a piece to see how it turns out--I'll let you know.

I'm going back to my food journal. I quit writing everything down because I was kind of keeping it in my head--I don't recommend that. If you work the program, the program works, and I need to get back to the real work.

Now I think I'll go lick my plate--yum! :)

WWIN 5

Sorry. No funny post today. I gained ... sigh ... GAINED 1.3 pounds. SIGH. Of course, I know what's wrong. I've been worried about my niece, depressed, sitting in front of the mindless TV, eating pretty much anything that sits still long enough to for me to eat. I tell you right now, ottermans are not as tasty as you might think.

I've always been an emotional eater. Depression, worry, etc., and I head for the comfort food. It's a shame that comfort food is loaded with fat, sugar and calories, but it is. I've yet to meet anyone who could take comfort from a rice cake.

So I hope you had a better week. I've pushed our total weight loss down, but I will try to do better next week. A diet is never a failure as long we pick it up again.

Another knotch

Yet another potato recipe. Can you tell I love potatoes?

Oven-Baked Spanish Potato Omelete

5 Eggs

2 cups potatoes - Cooked

1 onion - Finely chopped

1 green pepper - minced

12 green Olives - sliced

4 ounces lean ham - cubed (think the size of a pea)

Preheat oven to 350. Peal and cube cooked potatoes. Beat eggs until fluffy, fold in remaining ingredients. Spray a round nonstick cake pan with cooking spray. Spoon in omelete mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until eggs are set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Serving size: 4 (total)

Points each: 5

This is a pretty healthy serving. It looks like two helpings of pie and ya know...size does matter when it comes to weight loss. I made some variations myself. I removed the olives, since I don't care for them, which lowered the serving size point value by .5. I also used the frozen Potatoes O'Brien (peppers and onions are already in there) to save prep time. It didn't change the points and tasted, I am sure, just as yummy. I had myself an English Muffin (1 point) with 1/2 tablespoon of Brummel and Brown yogurt spread (serving size is a whole tablespoon at 1 point but a 1/2 is plenty for me) My total for breakfast is 6 WW points. Not Bad!

I don't remember which site I got this recipe from. I feel bad for not giving credit where credit is due. But thanks just the same. At least, I didn't take it myself. ;)

WWIN 4: The Wrath of Fat

"Captain, captain! The Fatoids are advancing!"

Captain Tech of the TGSD Starship Blackbird glanced at his weapons officer Willa Wong. "Raise diet shields, W.W.!"

"It's no good, captain!" Wong said. "They've fired a round of soft drinks with two fast food burgers!"

Tech paled. "Reverse course! Fire exercise torpedoes!"

"Captain, they've placed chocolate chip cookie mines," observed Science Officer Spooky. "We cannot retreat."

"Twinkies!" the captain swore. "Divert auxiliary power to the shields! Hold position! All hands brace for impact!"

The soft drinks and burgers hit the ship. Warning lights went off. The ship lurched.

****

A few hours later, after the Fatoids had retreated, the captain asked for a status report.

"Captain, we haven't lost ground," Spooky said. "But we haven't advanced any, either."

"Well, that's something," the captain said, frowning, the light outlining his chiseled good looks. "But we must do better next week!"

****

And if you haven't figured it out from our adventure, my weight stayed the same this week. I hope all of you do better.

It's WWIN-sday

I'm up one pound this week. I blame it on Frenzied's son's birthday (hope you don't mind too much, FF!)

Nah, I've been too indulgent and I know it. But I am doing much better when it comes to eating slow food rather than fast food. This is important to me. I think humans are too valuable to feed fast food to. I just need to make wiser choices about the slow food I prepare for myself.

I had a great salad last night with an older friend (see my blog to read about this couple. The husband is nearing death.) It had bean sprouts, grape tomatoes, squash and avocado. (There may have been more veggies. These are what I remember. She did say she changes things sometimes.) The dressing was made with pear-infused balsamic vinegar and oil with seasonings -- Mrs. Dash, pepper, and some other things. I didn't see everything she put in. She makes a mixture of the seasonings and then just shakes them over the salad as she tosses it.

It was yummy, and she said everything in it is "free" as far as calories, carbs or whatever you might be watching. I'll be picking up some of that pear-infused balsamic vinegar. It was heavenly!