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<p>No shame in that! It’s all about the journey.</p>
<p>Bromfield, it is a publically traded company - a chain of restaurants mostly found on the West Coast</p>
<p>I wasn’t going to ask, but I didn’t know what it was either- and I live across the street from Bunsenburner.
([however, my side of the street includes the non mobile version of this pizza place](<a href=“Pizza Recipes”>Pizza Recipes; ) )</p>
<p>My two oldest kids are home. I am not obsessing over what I eat and my weight. I hope to come out of the week at the same weight or up only a pd or 2. I did notice last night that I started dinner by eating my green beans and salad first. By the time I cut my steak I was already feeling satisfied and only had a few bites. Still getting my walking in.</p>
<p>mom60, I’m trying not to obsess over food or weight, either. But this weekend, everyone was out of town and I was alone in the house and between catch up house chores, I pretty much sat around and constantly thought about EATING! Boy, did I prove to myself that being bored really does activate the hunger pangs. I decided to get off the couch. So, when my husband called to see how I was doing, I told him I had washed the curtains and was ironing them. He laughed - when was the last time I ever did that?</p>
<p>…so now my next question. Has anyone tried the “shape up” shoes by Skechers? I’ve seen a couple of women wearing them (you can’t miss them) and wonder how effective they are in toning up the core.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info–didn’t even think of California Pizza Kitchen. We do have them in my area. D2 liked the pizza there because she’s a huge fan of chicken.</p>
<p>lilmom, I genuinely can’t believe that wearing a certain pair of shoes is going to tighten your tummy. No way.</p>
<p>I tried on the MBT which are similar I think, and they are curved, so I suppose you use your intrinsic muscles more to stabilize your balance- however- I have hyperextended knees so it just made my legs go backwards 
to increase balance you also can stand on one foot while waiting in line or you can use a wobble board like the one I have.
[url=<a href=“http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Items/WB.aspx]Wobble”>Professional Balance Boards | Training & Conditioning Equipment - USA Fitterfirst]Wobble</a> Boards from Fitterfirst<a href=“theoretically-%20I%20was%20preparing%20my%20self%20to%20go%20surfing”>/url</a></p>
<p>Our oldest is home on spring break and turned 21 yesterday. So we’ve been out to dinner, had birthday cake and today there was an art opening. Definitely too many calories this weekend! I’ll try to get eat less and exercise more - tomorrow!</p>
<p>H and I are having a little Oscars watching party with wine, fruit and cheeses. We’ll see how hard we’ll have to work out next week to get rid of the extra calories we’ve consumed this weekend. :)</p>
<p>hi, interesting thread. What I have found as the secret to weight loss is portion control as mentioned by others. I do not eat (or really limit) “fake foods” like highly processed white carbs, fake sweetener, low fat yogurt, processed soy foods, corn syrup. I try to eat moderate amounts of real food (like grass fed beef, wild salmon, whole yogurt, real butter, nuts, berries, salad) and enjoy small amounts of dessert type foods that are not gigantic portions (like I will eat half a fresh donut from a farmers market, good chocolate, that kind of thing). </p>
<p>I work out (walking, weights, yoga, elliptical, gardening) almost every day; but the portion control and the limiting of those fake foods has REALLY helped. The working out is more to tone up and feel good; the portion control has just got me used to eating moderate amounts. American portions served in restaurants are ENORMOUS, except for really high end restaurants that I can’t afford anyways… They are literally enough to feed 3 people. I cook at home way more than I used to. </p>
<p>For a fascinating perspective on nutrition, check out the Weston A Price foundation website. He was a dentist in the early part of the century who went around the world and discovered that the indigenous peoples eating a traditional diet were much healther than those “modern” societies who ate new fangled type foods (like corn oils, sweeteners, etc). As soon as the traditional diets went out the window, so did the health of the people. It is fascinating reading. I try to apply those principles as much as possible!</p>
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<p>I try to avoid the same things, especially processed foods. If it comes out of a box, I try not to eat it. I have a question about low-fat yogurt. Plain, non-fat yogurt, like the Greek-style Fage brand, is skim milk and active yogurt cultures. Curious as to why you put it in the list of “bad/don’t eat” foods?</p>
<p>Well, my winter 7 pounds are all on me, just like all other winters as far as I can remember. Thanks goodness, not much of winter left any more. Pool is open in May, less time/erroft is needed to exercise with hopefully usual 7 pounds loss by August. …and I can start rollerblading in few days if it continues to be in 50s. </p>
<p>Good job to everybody accomplishing your goals! Just do not push yourself too hard, stay positive, have your chocolate. By the way I have proven to myself many times now, that one cup of coffee in a morning makes huge positive diff. in my weight lifting/walking in afternoon. Unfortuanately, my sensitivity to cofeine allows me to have it only every other day. If not sensitive, strongly recommend. I wish I knew it when my D. was in competitive sport.</p>
<p>My morning caffeine just gets me to baseline function. Sigh… I wish I had better sleep hygiene.</p>
<p>There are recent studies showing that fruit is very, very good for you in terms of overall health and mortality (I will see if I can track it down). All the studies seem to indicate that a diet composed primarily of fruit, green leafy veg, nuts, seeds, and fish are the key to health. If only I had the discipline to try that for even a month!</p>
<p>I hear ya, mousegray. I have a hard time putting my intellectual knowledge about good nutrition to good use. I still find myself drawn to very hearty foods that are usually full of fat and calories. So, for now, I’m working on smaller portions and adding fruit/veggies. I also have to remind myself to drink water. I always do much better when the weather gets warmer!</p>
<p>Hi Bromfield - I don’t eat low fat yogurt or skim milk or anything with the fat artifically removed. Fats are important in traditional diets and humans have been consuming them for millenia (i am NOT talking about the fats in “factory” produced meat or milk products, but I try to eat the saturated fats of grass fed/pastured cows, eggs, milk products that kind of thing. (much higher in Omegas and less “fatty” than cows raised on corn instead of their natural diet of grasses) I am not a fanatic (for instance some people are really into raw milk but I don’t go seeking raw milk, I buy pasteurized but not homogenized.)</p>
<p>I am pretty adamant about not eating factory farmed foods. Again, no big deal if I eat some white flour or regularly produced milk or whatever, these are just the general principles I try to go by (especially the ethics behind free roaming animals versus factory farmed). That’s why I eat mostly at home more; I will pay more for grass fed meat, pasteured eggs and whole milk, but I dont eat out much (but again, will for social occasions, family stuff, etc). I don’t believe really in totally restricting anything cause that causes its own problems of putting foods into “forbidden” categories; I just don’t eat them much. I do try to eat locally produced stuff. </p>
<p>For an interesting perspective on whole milk, yogurt, and really all the above: [Principles</a> of Healthy Diets](<a href=“http://www.westonaprice.org/Principles-of-Healthy-Diets.html]Principles”>http://www.westonaprice.org/Principles-of-Healthy-Diets.html)</p>
<p>See what you think! I believe fats are good for you! </p>
<p>P.S. I will NEVER give up coffee, lol.</p>
<p>plum, the process of removing fat from milk is as natural as it gets and goes back centuries. Fat simply gets mechanically skimmed off the top. There are no chemicals of any kind used in the process. Speaking of natural, consumption of milk and milk fats is unnatural for mammals over a certain age :)</p>
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<p>I HATE milk and have always justified it with this reason so my mom wouldn’t make me drink it :)</p>
<p>Can I join the weight loss fun? I may not be a parent (ok, ok, I’m only 19), but I’m sure I have more to lose than plenty of you. I’ve always eaten relatively healthy (I’d prefer to snack on tomatoes, cucumbers or carrots over potato chips any day), but I have absolutely no motivation to get off my butt and just exercise. It’s boring to me! I’ve recently discovered something I love though-gymnastics. For anyone else bored of regular exercise classes/lack motivation for it like me, see if somewhere local offers beginning adult gymnastics. I’ve been going for about two months now and it’s great, and I’m definitely feeling stronger, more flexible, and more healthy. Not sure that I’m warranted to offer advice though to you guys, you’ve all made such impressive progress! (I’ve been following this thread). You guys are an inspiration.</p>
<p>adult gymnastics - Yikes! I doubt that any gym’s insurance company would allow anyone my age on a balance beam!</p>
<p>yes bunsen you are right, I misspoke; I guess I mean more that I like my foods tampered with as little as possible, I like the fat that is in milk, and the products that come from it. I would rather have a little full fat milk or ice cream than a gallon of skim watery stuff. It’s also true some people can’t digest it well.</p>
<p>I also don’t like products “ultra pasteurized” to extend shelf life, with animals being fed questionable hormones. I would like in an ideal world, a return to eating from small sustainable local farms, where animals are allowed to live like normal animals, treated decently, roaming around, and appreciated when their lives are taken for our sustenance.</p>