<p>TheAnalyst just recommended a site called fitday.com that logs meals and counts calories. Might fit your needs.</p>
<p>[Calorie</a> Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate](<a href=“http://www.thedailyplate.com/]Calorie”>http://www.thedailyplate.com/)</p>
<p>Interesting site, abasket! It says I have to eat 2,150 calories to maintain my current weight. Hmmm… I’ve never done any calorie counting, but I estimate that I eat around 2,000, so may be that’s why the ^&#@ pants are falling off again!</p>
<p>That’s a great site, abasket.</p>
<p>I read Melsmom’s attachment and then looked at my FitDay calcs. I don’t think FitDay tracks sugar. Although I strive for zero so may be that is why it isn’t showing up. I may need to test that with a fake input. The suggested carb limit on that one attachment, however, looks really tough for me to meet. I get almost an entire daily allowance in my standard oatmeal and apple breakfast. Perhaps that is why my waist is so thick. Can somebody else confirm what a healthy daily allowance of carbs should be, assuming they are “healthy carbs” like fruit and whole grains?</p>
<p>Well, my usual breakfast is a soy banana smoothie. I chop and freeze a ripe banana each nite in a plastic container. In the morning, I put the frozen banana, 1 cup vanilla soy milk (I use lowfat Westsoy), and two teaspoons of cocoa in the blender. I know it is a little carb heavy, but I get my cup of soy and a kick of cocoa to start my day. I love it. I am considering moving my smoothie to mid afternoon so when I hit the 4 o’clock slump, I have something to look forward to. </p>
<p>Lunch - one of my favorite lunches is sardine and caper pate. I drain sardines packed in oil with a tablespoon of smart balance mayo, a shot of lemon juice, parsley, and capers. I eat this on crackers.</p>
<p>I like a strawberry smoothie as an afternoon snack. I keep frozen strawberries in the frig and do one cup of frozen strawberries (has lots of air pockets) and one cup of fat-free milk. It is very filling and satisfying. You can add a sweetener if you want but I stopped doing that. The cocoa sounds like it might be good in that.</p>
<p>The frozen banana is great - as long as it is ripe, the smoothie is very sweet without adding sugar</p>
<p>worknprogress, that’s my favorite lunch too, except with dijon mustard.</p>
<p>When I did my experiment back in the fall where I cut back on carbs drastically --which by the way I lasted all of one week on-- I lost 5 pounds, all in my belly, without counting a single calorie. it really didn’t start to come back on, even though I started to eat more normally, until this holiday season when it all went out the window. Granted, I don’t have weight issues but I do have belly fat.</p>
<p>I also have high cholesterol. I’m having trouble staying on a “heart healthy” diet. Anyone have any tips/advice for eating more healthily in general, not just for losing weight?</p>
<p>I’ve used Daily Plate on and off for a couple of years. It helped me lose about 15 lbs two years ago and I’ve been able to keep at least 10 of that off - it just really helped to see in detail and nutritionally what I was eating. Sometimes even when you think you are eating pretty well, you can see that you are actually overloading on carbs, or protein or whatever.</p>
<p>Also like that you can keep track of how many glasses of water you are drinking each day. Water is so important to weight management.</p>
<p>Fourteen years ago my DH had a heart attack and bypass surgery, despite following the AHA guidelines for a heart healthy diet. He has hypercholesterolemia as does his mother and our younger daughter. After the surgery, he was pretty discouraged until he inadvertently discovered Dean Ornish’s book, Reversing Heart Disease. We know that by following the diet and taking a small dose of lipitor, his cholesterol has remained in check, and more importantly, his arteries are clearer now than they were 14 year ago. </p>
<p>The diet is drastic, but when you have always been a runner, swimmer, biker and have been eating very healthy and STILL have a heart attack, you are forced to go drastic.</p>
<p>I highly recommend the book for someone fighting persistently high cholesterol. You may not follow the plan in its entirety, but Ornish has a lot to say about stress, happiness and how to keep your heart healthy. There are subsequent books, but Reversing Heart Disease is the best.</p>
<p>Once we got the book I just resolved to change our diet. Our younger daughter was only in first grade and I was willing to do anything to keep DH around! </p>
<p>If you send your email via PM, I will send you recipes as documents.</p>
<p>What does it say about me that I’m growing to hate this thread. Y’all are sweet, wonderful, helpful people, but the thought of soy milk or sardines or running in 10 degree weather is depressing as all get out. I guess I’ll die young and fat.</p>
<p>missypie, LOL! The thoughts of sardines for lunch and soy milk are depressing, but running in 10 degree weather - this I can live with !</p>
<p>Analyst, with carbs, it depends on how active you are. If you’re working out or just a busy person on your feet all day you can consume lots of carbs.</p>
<p>From all the research I’ve read, and that’s a lot–the NYT has the Well Section which has constant articles on these issues–the bottom line for weight loss is calories. You will lose weight if you limit the calories not matter what form you eat them in. </p>
<p>For all the sugar addicts, be careful with the dried fruit. It will make you crave more sugar. To start a successful low calorie diet, most people need to lay off the sugar and eat more protein and fiber. You will stay full and the sugar cravings will stop.</p>
<p>missypie, take the suggestions you like and skip the rest. Soy milk, running (in any weather)-- not for me! But I went out and got some almonds and some oatmeal. I’ll try oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow. Unlike soy milk, that doesn’t sound like horrible torture.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of eating food that tastes good. I may have to restrict calories, but what I do eat better be delicious. If it tastes like garbage, it’s not for me (I’m talking to YOU, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (Because I Had My Tastebuds Shot Off In the War)).</p>
<p>I’m also in favor of finding some way to be active that you like. Not that you will be springing out the door with joy every time you go to do your exercise, but I think you should if possible find a pleasant way to get exercise, whatever that might be. If there is absolutely no way to be active that you like, well, that’s a pity, but I think most people can find something they like.</p>
<p>I’m against torture.</p>
<p>Speaking of torthure. Today was my first official day back on Weight Watchers. I signed up before Thanskgiving and lost several pounds before bouncing back up via the cookies, candies, gravy, and other hallmarks of the season. I counted my points today and so far I’m not feeling too deprived. The thing that I like about weight watchers is that you can truly eat anything you want as long as you plan for it. In this way it’s a realistic approach to living healthy. At the same time I have decided to give up sugar and sugar substitutes (I have been having an issue with Diet Rootbeer) so that I can stop craving the sweets. Now if only I could get motivated to exercise.</p>
<p>I’m not really a fan of soymilk, but the onset of lactose intolerance at the age of 40 (!) sent me down that path. Light vanilla is really very good in smoothies and things like that. I never drink it straight, but I can make hot chocolate, chai lattes, smoothies, etc.</p>
<p>I am not a huge milk drinker but honestly never think about the soy milk. I really like that Daily Plate site- so far I have learned that I ate too much sugar, cholesterol and sodium today. Not surprising- I love hard boiled eggs (really eggs of any kind) and eating two today probably pushed me over the edge.</p>
<p>Missypie - I think you would be surprised at how good that soy smoothie is - not a hardship, really! In fact, I can be really tired but if DH makes me a smoothie and brings it to me in bed I am a very happy girl. It is all in the ripe frozen banana. My hair stylist used to make tease me until I made her one and she went out the next day and bought one of those magic bullet gizmos!</p>
<p>And - if you didn’t know there were sardines in the spread on the crackers, you might even like those. Then again, maybe not!!</p>