<p>Calmom, your story is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your tips.</p>
<p>calmom, I’m going to try the black bean brownies. I can’t wait to see how my family will react to it (I won’t tell them!)</p>
<p>Sabaray - thanks for the gentle bonk on the head!</p>
<p>This thread is about giving support to one another. As I have mentioned earlier - my primary exercise is race walking. I started several years ago when I could no longer run and I have found it to be a very time efficient way to stay fit. I augment my program with free weights and Pilates. Unfortunately, three years ago I fell on black ice and broke my leg/ankle in three places. I have a rod, a plate and lots of screws in my leg. I finished physical therapy, but it was so discouraging when I resumed racewalking. I started with a program designed to get a newbie ready for a 5K. </p>
<p>There are a lot of sites that offer a training program for a 5K. Even if you have no interest in ever running a race, you can modify the principles to walking and really see cardio improvement. No need to actually racewalk, just walk briskly. </p>
<p>For me, it is important to have a goal. I walk regularly, but I really train and exercise much harder when I have a goal that is a couple of months away. I am very pleased to say, that I could be a poster child for my surgeon as I was third overall and first in my age group at the National Senior Games in the 5K and second overall and first in my age group for the 1500m. </p>
<p>Now, I just need to find a great race in about May or June to get me into high gear!</p>
<p>Calmom - my DH will love the brownies! We are not afraid of beans of any sort!</p>
<p>Thanks calmom for sharing. Analyst, D is doing the Couch to 5k plan and she really likes it. CF, I have been using the Bionaturae pasta as well and really enjoy it. Have to say I still prefer gnocchi- maybe that will be the vice I never give up. :)</p>
<p>I will give your brownies a try. Years ago, I had a recipe for a cake made with pinto beans. It was very moist and delicious, as I recall. Definitely not a low calory food - it had homemade buttercream frosting 
I will have to look through my punch card collection of recipes if I could find it!</p>
<p>I looked for the Bionature pasta at my regular store and they didn’t carry it. Is it only at Natural food stores???</p>
<p>I got the Bionaturae pasta at my regular grocery store. Maybe you could ask yours to order it?</p>
<p>Don’t know about those black bean brownies. </p>
<p>Will look for the Bionaturae pasta though…have not been pleased with the grainy heavy texture of whole wheat pasta. </p>
<p>I loved grilled or roasted veggies. So when I’m looking to avoid meat, I make a mess roasted veggies (bell peppers, zucchini, portabellas, onions), mix them with some good tomato sauce and serve it over brown rice or pasta, with some feta cheese sprinkled over it (optional!). Yum. </p>
<p>I’ve also been getting dark chocolate (70%) baby-size chips (sold at Whole Foods) and I take a very small amount when I get a sweet attack.</p>
<p>My bloat is gone this week and I’m back to my pre-holiday weight. Time to tackle the next 20…I plan to go slowly.</p>
<p>Congrats, everyone on the continuing weight loss and healthy changes in your lives!</p>
<p>I must say that I will use smaller amounts of “real” butter and “real” mayo. Don’t enjoy the other stuff. And that is okay.</p>
<p>I have been eating whole grain bread, and I can certainly live with that change in my life.</p>
<p>Will never make black bean brownies.</p>
<p>Lost 10 pounds so far.</p>
<p>Tried marinated tuna steaks on the George Foreman grill last night. Grilled them for 4 minutes, and it was too long. I will try 3 minutes next time. And they were a bit dry - from overcooking, I suppose. Anyway, I also grilled fresh pineapple slices, and they were delicious with the tuna.</p>
<p>Congrats eddiedessa!!! Must be motivated about the trip to Spain! ;)</p>
<p>toneranger…yum to grilled veggies! Love them in tomato sauce! Congrats on losing the “bloat” !</p>
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<p>I want to clarify – when I lost the big chunk of weight at first, I did count and restrict calories. No black bean brownies back then – the only way to take off a lot is to eat very little – I probably ate around 1400 calories daily. So no brownies, with or without beans in them. I satisfied my chocolate cravings the first year or so with chocolate flavored foods made for dieters – for example, I was making protein shakes with powder I got from Curves, and I would buy the chocolate and vanilla flavors. </p>
<p>But the more important thing is that I realized that once the weight came off, I would have to have a diet I could live with, for life – something to avoid gaining weight back. Over time some things crept back into my diet – for example, I decided that I really liked cheese and wanted it back. (Donuts have not returned as a staple, however). </p>
<p>Taking off a whole lot of weight and taking off a little and/or keeping it off are two different things, unfortunately.</p>
<p>The problem is that when a person is obese, the fat cells in the body need energy too, so the person needs to eat a lot more to feel satisfied. In other words, a good chunk of what you are eating is going to feed the fat – so the process of taking off all that extra weight can be very difficult. </p>
<p>So difficult, in fact, that I really don’t want to repeat it. Which is why, even though I don’t need an intense diet any more, I keep all sorts of “rules” in place to keep me on track. A whole lot of it is portion control – example, I tell myself I can have ONE oatmeal cookie for desert (not 6!) and then I make myself a cup of herbal tea to savor my cookie with, and munch it slowly. I make myself a meal that has a small fish fillet and a big serving of vegetables. (One of my “rules” is that there is no limit on how many veggies I can eat). </p>
<p>Again – I have invented the rules I can live with. Its also easier because I live alone now – my daughter knows that when she comes back to visit, that if she wants chips or other fattening foods, they have to be kept in her room or hidden away someplace in the kitchen where I won’t see them. I do not have the willpower to resist snacking on food that is front of me, in easy reach – so I don’t buy the fattening stuff. I do think it would be a lot harder if I had uncooperative family members at home – I’m sure I gained all that weight in the first place because of the constant food temptations that go along with raising kids and teenagers. (My mom warned me years ago that if I fell in the habit of finishing off what the kids didn’t eat, I would be doomed … and she was right)</p>
<p>wow… eddieodessa… you’re the bomb!</p>
<p>We went out to eat tonight for the first time since the holidays. I was REALLY hungry, but also NOT wanting to be tempted by too much bad restaurant food. We went to a bbq place - fresh pulled pork, ribs - that kind of thing. I thought I didn’t do too bad and came out really satisfied.</p>
<p>I ordered the North Carolina bbq (no thick sauce, just the lean meat and vinegar stuff they put on top) naked (no bread) with a scoop of coleslaw vinagarette on top. Side of baked beans and a side of green beans. No fries. No bread. No biscuits/honey (though they looked GOOD). I ate slowly, drank lots of water and ate about 1/2 of everything - the rest will be a lunch to look forward to tomorrow.</p>
<p>I felt decent about that dinner out. I felt I got a treat, but didn’t overindulge. Plus I did a 40 minute walk outside today and ate a little lighter during the day knowing I was going out. Not too shabby!</p>
<p>For those folks looking for Bionaturae- look in the “organic” or “natural foods” section of your grocery store. </p>
<p>I have found that the calorie counting is working well for me. I think I calculated (or MyPlate calculated) about 1700 calories to lose two pounds per week. I have found that logging what I’m eating is making me more conscious of calories and I also realize I eat a lot of the same things, over and over. </p>
<p>We have some great Thai restaurants in our town- I think that will be where I’m dining when I’m dining out. For now, though, think it’s probably best to stick to controlled portions.</p>
<p>Calmom, I think I’ll adopt your rule for junk food kept in the kid’s rooms. When they are home so are Ben and Jerry. DH can’t stand it, it starts with just one spoonful and then I hear him sneaking into the freezer at one AM…</p>
<p>Of course we all have different goals and different amounts of willingness in terms of time spent, sacrifices, etc. If you’re happy with how you look and feel, stop weighing yourself. </p>
<p>Weight and fitness are perhaps the most complex things I can think of. You look at people like Oprah and Kirstie Alley–they are totally educated about nutrition, have made huge sacrifices to lose the weight, are smart women with every kind of help at their disposal, yet the weight came back. All of us have our own complex relationships with food and exercise and no one is immune to failure here. But there’s also no such thing as a person who can’t achieve much of what they want to with dedication.</p>
<p>I’ll admit that vanity is a key motivation for me in addition to health. Everyone needs to find their own motivation and determine what they will put in. I have colleagues who eat 800 calories per day and go under the knife annually. I’m not willing to do either of those. 1200 calories and injectables I can handle.</p>
<p>Congrats Calmom, that’s amazing weight loss. And Missypie, the pumpkin chocolate cake tastes incredibly good when you’ve been off sweets for awhile. DH also wouldn’t eat at first, now begs DD to make the stuff and send him care packages!</p>
<p>According to the body mass index, I am obese.</p>
<p>There, I said it.</p>
<p>But I am also changing it.</p>
<p>Thank you for the encouragement. I need it.</p>
<p>eddieodessa - I remember many years ago when Oprah had just finished one of her major weight losses and had a show about it, she had the number of pounds she had lost, in raw hamburger meat, rolled out in a wagon. While you may be obese, take a look at 10 pounds in the meat section the next time you’re in the grocery store and see how much it is, and give yourself a pat on the back.</p>
<p>D2’s favorite restaurant is The Melting Pot, and we went there last night because she’s leaving to go back to school on Saturday. I did indulge in the cheese fondue, but had a salad and skipped the entree. Did have some dessert. But I also know this is about a three-time-a-year occurence, so I’m not feeling so guilty.</p>
<p>However, I did pour my last bowl of Frost Mini Wheats today, and the thought of it sent me into withdrawl. I have the unsweetened shredded wheat and stevia in the house, but faced with an 11-hour drive on Saturday, I didn’t want to introduce anything that might upset my stomach, and have postponed the new morning regimen until after I get back next week. Picked up a small box of the Frosted Mini Wheats in the meantime… couldn’t give it up yet. </p>
<p>However, some of the things I’ve keeping around to munch on are: dried apple rings, hard-boiled eggs, pecans, carob-covered raisins (for my chocolate fix, but only eat a few at a time, a couple times a day). I also fixed a dinner from the Clean Eating magazine tonight (Shepherd’s Pie, which turned out to be very good) for H’s birthday. While I probably ate an equivalent of almost two servings, each serving is only 220 calories. Not bad for a tasty, filling dinner!</p>
<p>Oh, I found the recipe online: here it is:
<a href=“http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=856302[/url]”>http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=856302</a></p>
<p>I have a friend who has looked great for years. Her rule is that she doesn’t eat anything white.</p>
<p>I lost 40 pounds with a few rules.</p>
<p>Diet on weekdays, but relax within reason on weekends. (Waffles on Sunday and wine with meals and a dessert.)</p>
<p>Chocolate every day - but only one Hershey’s kiss or a few chocolate chips or one candy from the Valentine’s selection.</p>
<p>Eat more fruits and vegetables. Substitute fruit for English muffins for breakfast. Eat salad and vegetable at lunch and dinner. Snack on fruit. Spend money buying easy to eat fruit - cut up pinapples for example or raspberries.</p>
<p>Don’t buy cookies - unlike chocolate, I can’t eat just one.</p>
<p>teriwtt, if your worst food vice is Frosted Mini Wheats, I say just have your bowl and be happy. Life is hard, if something so simple can give you a little happy moment, what’s the harm? On the practical side, it’s not so bad – it probably has less sugar than most, even “natural” cereals, and zero fat, if I’m not mistaken. Shredded wheat cereals and crackers are made of one thing: wheat (and of course, the sugar, if you’re eating the frosted variety). You can’t say that about any other cereal.</p>