Personally, I LOVE chocolate chip cookies! 
I’ll never cut sweets out completely but now that I’ve cut back, they are a real treat. As for oatmeal, I’ve heard over and over again that its a healthy breakfast choice. Why does it make me feel bloated?
I cannot imagine adding anything but salt and butter to my milk-based, steel-cut oatmeal! Yumm. 
Dark chocolate is to be enjoyed on its own.
lilmom, what kind of oatmeal do you eat? I have never had issues with steel cut oats, but some instant kinds make me feel bloated. It is probably because of higher carbs content and maybe extra salt. The body retains water with carbs, and it shows in the belly!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/309135-can-a-high-carb-diet-cause-you-to-retain-water/#page=1
^^^That’s my breakfast of choices too! Plain, steel-cut oats with whole milk, nothing else added - I love the taste! When cherries are in seasons, I will put some cherries in 
Agree about instant oatmeal - I used to eat it, but now I feel it’s pretty junky - so much added sugar and pretty processed.
In my oatmeal: butter, milk a tad of salt and then some dried fruit - often cherries and some chopped nuts. MAYBE a dash of maple syrup. Steel cut oats for me too.
How do you all cook your steel cut oats - stovetop? Does anyone do the crockpot overnight method?
Trader Joe’s has quick-cook steel cut oats that can be microwaved
I too am interested in how to cook the steel cut oats.
I usually cook a pot on the stovetop Sunday night and then reheat in the microwave with a little almond milk to thin it.
I pretty much do what sabaray does. Cool mine with water, store in the fridge, add milk to reheat, and serve with butter and optionally berries.
I made yummy banana muffins last night using oatmeal (ground down to powder in food processor), bananas, baking powder,almond milk,eggs, vanilla, flavoring and coconut sugar. DH really likes them too!
I meant “cook”!
Packmom do you just use the ground oatmeal instead of flour?
Unfortunately my post menopausal ability to produce fat through respiration (see page one of this thread) combined with a year or so of not paying attention resulted in some creeping weight gain. Really frustrated because I lost about 20 pounds in 2012 by cutting some calories and walking 5 miles most days. This past year I’ve been walking with a couple of neighbors, but it has been more like a three mile leisurely stroll with sniffy dogs, not a serious exercise type walk.
My oldest is getting married next spring. Yay! Also, yikes!
So I am back to a more studied method of weight control/loss:
- Cut out all wine, beer, gin and tonics, etc.... Essentially banished all happiness. Ha ha. Occasional drink once a week, but that's all.
- Started Zumba at the gym twice a week. I used to do it, love it and look forward to it.
- On the other 5 days a week I'm biking furiously (dripping sweat speed) on an old bike (that's in the garage, up on a stand that turns it into a stationary bike) for 45 minutes.
I’ve lost 7 pounds so far, but I’m paying more attention to my measurements, because I find that I have more tummy fat than I used to have, even compared to three years ago.
I’m biking because I think it’s easier on my joints and feet than running, and I can do it at home. And I continue to walk with friends, but I’m finished trying to urge them to go a little faster and farther.
@eastcoastcrazy, I’ve started listening to my local NPR station or podcasts or whatever during my walks. It makes it go faster and I go faster without being bored to death. But no running for me!
Steel cut oats can be made in the rice cooker too. I like them chewy, and use 1 part steel cut oats to 2 parts water. Dash of salt. Takes about 25 minutes to cook, and then I turn the rice cooker off and let them sit a bit longer. Easy. I stir in a little cinnamon, and then top with warmed milk, crumbled dates, sliced almonds, sprinkle of brown sugar.
Working late tonight and that is when I really feel like I want to snack. Yes, it could celery or similar but something like M&Ms or gummy bears really hits the spot. At any rate, I have neither, so I’ll just work and be hungry.
I don’t eat my steel cut oats daily and I mostly eat them in the winter, but I just do them stovetop and make enough for two days.
Another yummy way to eat them - blueberries and almonds.
Eastcoastcrazy, if ONLY I could get rid of the alcohol! That is probably why I have these extra pounds hanging like a tire above my middle.
bunsenburner, I eat oatmeal called “Coaches Oats” from Costco. I do have steel cut oats in the pantry from when D was home this summer. I’ll try that.
I have found that my body tends to get used to my diet and exercise routine if I stick with it too long. That’s when my weight loss slows. Changing my food and also my exercise routine seems to help keep my body guessing.