<p>One more thing, while I’m on a roll. I found Oprah’s recent admission of hitting 200 to be distressing. Not because she hit 200 but because she’s “still talking about the weight” as she put it. I’d rather see her make peace with it. She looks pretty good from what I can tell. I’m not suggesting she should just pile on more weight but obviously it’s hard for her to maintain 160. I think it’s more important that she exercise and eat well and that she feel good about herself. I’m not saying I wouldn’t feel terrible if I hit a certain number, but she’s Oprah – she’s a huge success, she’s a powerful woman, she does a lot of good, she’s attractive and she’s in a relationship (I think). It sends a powerful message if all of that is overshadowed by how how much she weighs.</p>
<p>I do not know if she was very honest about it. She looks more than 200.</p>
<p>I’m moving back to properly portioned meals. One of the easiest ways for me to do this is with a bento box lunch. With a 3:2:1 ratio of grain (rice, usually) to protein (lean meat or appropriate vegetarian substitutes) to vegetables and fruit. </p>
<p>The best part is that if you make smart choices about what you put in it, it’s really hard to have more calories than you have ml of space. A typical adult female bento would be ~500-600ml, and with the above ratio the box would contain ~500-600 calories! Plus in that ratio they contain a good nutritional value for a midday meal. They can also be made cute. :)</p>
<p>A lot of the portions can be pre-made as well – the onigiri (rice balls, sometimes with filling stuffed inside), gyoza, egg rolls, fruits and vegetables! Most take about 15-20 minutes to assemble in the morning at most, and they’re perfect by midday.</p>
<p>The hardest thing for me is getting to the gym regularly. I’m a morning exerciser but I also very much enjoy my sleep. Alas, it is also has the biggest impact on losing weight healthily and replacing it with the right things.</p>
<p>[Kate</a> Harding excerpt from “Feed Me!” | Salon Life](<a href=“http://www.salon.com/mwt/excerpt/2009/01/24/kate_harding/index.html?source=rss&aim=/mwt/excerpt]Kate”>http://www.salon.com/mwt/excerpt/2009/01/24/kate_harding/index.html?source=rss&aim=/mwt/excerpt)</p>
<p>Wow such great suggestions, thank you. I am relatively organized…I think writing down everything I eat is crucial and will be an eye opener to me. </p>
<p>I’m not too bad till Thanksgiving when all **** breaks loose. A ton of candy, baked goods, you name it flow through my office. Like a drug addict or an alcoholic, I can’t control myself and want MORE. It’s hard for me to believe there’s not yet a safe pill that can trick the brain into thinking you’re full.</p>
<p>morrismm yes I think referring to it as a “diet” is self defeating since it implies sacrifice and deprivation. I actually pray for the strength to get going in the right direction, but I know I can do it. </p>
<p>I don’t think Oprah is ready to make peace with her weight. Personally I think she’s pretty big, and that’s fine if she’s fine with it, but evidently she’s not. Dr. Oz (whom I really like) is probably her most frequent guest. He’s talking about belly fat, how seriously it affects organs like the liver…she’s got to be thinking uh oh, that’s me.</p>
<p>Do you walk much, 2331clk? I have been on a walking program for 7 months and it has helped my weight, general health, stamina and mood so much. I walk first thing in the AM, uphill and then around a nice neighborhood and then back downhill to home. I have lost 28.5 pounds in 28 weeks! </p>
<p>I just eat in a healthy way, small portions, no sweets or baked goods, no junk. I don’t eat meat. I try not to eat anything after dinner, but if I am really hungry I eat an apple or two of those tiny Gouda cheeses. That is enough to tide me over till morning.</p>
<p>I only have dessert on holidays and try not to have other treat items except on special occasions. I did not eat most treats over the holidays. I am trying to only have one latte per week and one bagel per month.</p>
<p>I was starting to have health problems due to weight and my German shepherd really needs a lot of exercise. That’s what did it for me! If you could walk first thing in the AM, it will help your metabolism all day.</p>
<p>I refer to the time between Halloween and New Year’s as ‘the Snacking Season’. Everybody’s got food everywhere all the time and it is oh so difficult to say ‘no’ and keep on saying ‘no, no, no…’ You feel like a party-pooper esp. when there is so much cultural meaning surrounding the sharing of food at the holidays. And all those suggestions to ‘go for a walk’ instead of meeting a friend over a meal is fine if you live in Southern CA or some place. Not so practical when it’s 20 out with a stiff wind…</p>
<p>How about meeting at a mall & walking before you sit down for coffee or tea & a shared light healthy snack? It would get you out of the wind but keep down the calories. Another option is to share the meal (or just have appetizers or salads & a healthy broth soup) & load up on water–with or without the lemon.</p>
<p>abasket–my father invariably eats a bowl of oatmeal with soy milk for breakfast! Even when we visit & offer to make something else. But it does take the guesswork out of that meal.</p>
<p>novelisto–I have an overweight, diabetic friend who tells his doctor it’s the “eating season” and he’ll be ok in January. Trouble is, he never loses the weight he puts on between Thanksgiving & New Year’s.</p>
<p>Me, I try not to put the weight on in the first place. If I do eat too much at the occasional holiday meal, I really cut back at other meals that day or the next. </p>
<p>But I understand about foods at the office–hard to turn down because they’re there! And human nature is to eat like they won’t be there ever again.</p>
<p>And walks are difficult to keep up in the winter here. The mall is a good idea, as is a walking partner. The Scandanavians say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, but we still have inertia to overcome!</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, the other reason I was able to lose weight and keep it off was because I quit my job in February 2008, so have plenty of time to exercise as well as plan and cook healthy meals. While I know it should have been theoretically possible to work and exercise, my job left me so drained I just couldn’t ever summon the mental energy to do it. As I got older, I felt like a heart attack waiting to happen. Now, I’m in better shape than I have ever been, even when playing soccer in my 20’s, so it’s probably as much about the exercise and absence of stress as the diet changes. </p>
<p>Due to this market meltdown, we are feeling more financial pressure from my decision to retired early than we expected, so I am going to experiment with doing contract work part-time and see if I can still maintain my health. If not, we can just move into a trailer park in West Virginia if that is what it takes to live on our savings. I’m not willing to put my health at risk again.</p>
<p>Theanalyst–work definitely makes it harder to motivate to exercise, and eat healthfully, for me, too. I was maintaining okay when i worked as an adjunct only–still a lot of work, but flexible time and more time for other stuff. But for the last eight years I have worked a full time job and adjuncted on top of it–my exercise routine went to heck, and I don’t eat nearly as mindfully. Can’t afford to quit the full-time job, yet, but I am somewhat reluctantly giving up the adjuncting. I love teaching, but this way, I come home at a reasonable time every day, and am much less tired, and can plan the rest of my life better. Am hoping to reverse this in the future–adjunct only again, but I can’t swing it yet.</p>
<p>I^^Would you please explain how you put together a bento box in the morning? Are the items prepared/frozen? It sounds like a good idea. TIA</p>
<p>I find it difficult to exercise on my work days, too. I work 3 days a week and have to be at work at 6 a.m., so exercising before work is a no-go. I get home around 3 but I’m tired (probably because I didn’t get a full 8 hours’ sleep the night before). My intentions to exercise are good, but most of the time it doesn’t happen. I wish my health club had a class I could go to at 3 or 3:30. By the time I get home and settled, I don’t want to go out again at 6 p.m. to attend a class. I could go straight to the club after work and do the elliptical and some weights… that’s probably what I should do.</p>
<p>On good days I get home around 4, when I stop the second job, it will always be 4. So what I should do is jump on the Nordictrak as soon as I get home–or in good weather, go for a nice four mile walk. yup, that’s what I should do…</p>
<p>Luckily, I walk to work, so that’s at least some exercise every day.</p>
<p>I start every single day with a bowl of home-made oatmeal with raisins. (not the ready-packets that are so yummy & filled with sugar)</p>
<p>Lunch is always a different salad everyday with chicken breast or tuna thrown in. And chopped apples, grapes & then the usual. I make sure to sprinkle dry salad seasoning on the salad and then a few squirts from the fantastic varieties of squirt flavors, 1 cal. per squirt.</p>
<p>Dinner is early, and often involves rice, lentils, chicken, broccoli or spinach.</p>
<p>The toughie is the workplace, which has 21 women, and every darn day is a food fest. My office is closest to the kitchen, and whenever I walk by, I just imagine maggots crawling around on the food, haha. When it is irresistable, I will pick up a piece of the item, take a small bite and throw out the rest.</p>
<p>I lost 30 lbs. last year</p>
<p>silvervestersmom: Sent you a PM. :)</p>
<p>In general, Google will lead you to a lot of lovely sites. Bento boxes have become a sort of “thing” lately, so there are a ton of English-language guides to what a bento box is and how to make it.</p>
<p>I like to make ahead the pieces I’ll be using and freeze them so that in the morning all I need to do is reheat and place in my box. Taki onigiri (fried rice balls), gyoza (Asian-style dumplings with an infinite variety of fillings), 1/2 cup of frozen veggies, a small container of frozen fruit (it acts like an ice pack) – super easy, takes about 5 minutes to put together in the morning. </p>
<p>Alternatively, a PB&J sandwich cut to fit, a Babybell cheese round and a mixed salad with some low-fat dressing is pretty nice. </p>
<p>Options are endless and integrating last night’s leftovers is half the fun. 
A bento is all about forced portion control, but of course choosing high-fat or fried foods is going to misbalance things, so go for colorful fruits and veggies and minimally prepared lean proteins. And don’t forget the healthy carbs!</p>
<p>I’ve been on Jenny Craig, though I confess I really haven’t had my head inthe game . If I want an extra yourk peppermint patty, I eat it. We’ve had a lot of company and have been eating out, so it is hard to follow it. However, id does make me mindful of what I eat, and for the mostpart I ttry to eat low fat, with more protein and calcium if I can (cheese usually- I am not a big yogurt fan). So far, since mid Dec, I’ve lost about 7 of the 15 lbs I want to lose. I am off to the gym now – exercise has been good too, though I am inconsistent.</p>
<p>Well, I did a little math (not my forte) and figured that if I can cut/exercise away 145 calories a day then I can lose this 20 lbs fat-belt in about 8 weeks. Now to see whether the math and the real-life match up! </p>
<p>Jym626 – Actually, a Peppermint Patty is about the best candy…if there is such a thing…you can have. Very low fat and dark choc. Also, because the taste is strong, nothing else tastes good afterwards…kind of like brushing your teeth with a strong tasting toothpaste. So if that’s your indulgence, go for it!</p>
<p>
Mmm, it’s my very favorite!</p>
<p>Small meals two hours apart with 2-3 servings of green vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, and limiting my dairy intake to 2 servings a day. 1 hr of high intensity weight lifting, 3 days a week. (only wait 30 secs between sets and 1 min between exercises). No sweets/dessert.</p>
<p>That seemed to get the 15 lbs I gained over the break were gone 3 weeks.</p>
<p>As far as losing more weight…a few years ago I lost 50 lbs in 3 months by simply running every night after work. Started out running 1 mile, then 2, then 3…got up to 5-6 miles about 4 nights a week. Best part about running was I was able to eat whatever I wanted and still shed lbs :)</p>