<br>
<br>
<p>Their stock is up 500% in the last 2.5 years.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the food there though I haven’t been there in many years. I actually prefer a little local pizza place that has a small grill and I love their steak tip salad. They also make the most wonderful gyros. It’s the type of place where it is easy to control portion sizes.</p>
<p>The Cheesecake Factory here is always full, with hordes of people waiting. I know because it’s right next to the Whole Foods market that I sometimes use. The wait was always about 90 mins when we went there, another reason (besides the calories) that I don’t like to go there any more. I’d forgotten about the wine - I always had a glass there, and restaurant wine servings are huge. So I was consuming over 1000 calories (leaving the obviously fattening items on the plate) from what I considered a light dinner. </p>
<p>I never ate the cheesecake. The sizes and extras (mounds of whipped cream) are so over-the-top that they didn’t appeal to me, even when I wasn’t trying to lose weight. We have friends who live near a wonderful cheesecake place, and they sometimes bring over dessert. An entire cheesecake from there is not much bigger than one serving at CF. They’re about 1/3 as high, for one thing, and only about 8" in diameter. A small piece of one of those is exquisite. </p>
<p>Before I started ordering the Thai appetizer, I used to order a salad with the dressing on the side, and ask for a carry-out container to be brought with the meal. Their salads are served in mixing bowls, they can feed 3-4 people. I would pack up over half of it before I started eating.</p>
<p>Wish I’d bought stock.</p>
<p>I’ve never been able to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. They put sugar in EVERYTHING. If I wanted candy I’d order chocolate, not chicken.</p>
<p>I’ll raise my hand and say I LOVE Cheesecake Factory, but probably only go there once, maybe twice a year. When we go there, (and some other places) and we know that we DO want some cheesecake, what we usually do is for 4 people we order 2 or 3 meals and then 1 or 2 pieces of cheesecake - we split it all. Gives us a chance to sample more than one entree, still have our cheesecake (though through sharing) and we save $$$$. </p>
<p>I’m all about sharing at restaurants to save $$ and calories. Plus, like I said, then I get to have some of more than one thing!</p>
<p><em>shhhhh</em> Dh made a MyPlate account. Said it was illuminating. Doctor this morning told him he should lose 18 pounds as a minimum and the outside range is 38. He balked at the high end but is willing to try to drop the 18 to stay off the blood pressure meds, which are freaking me out.</p>
<p>Another blog resource. Jules does very simple recipes, and I see she’s now doing Slow Carb, i.e. no grains, fruit, sugar. [7</a> delicious ways to slow-carb your favourite meals](<a href=“http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2011/06/7-delicious-ways-to-slow-carb-your-favourite-meals/]7”>7 delicious ways to slow-carb your favourite meals | Stonesoup)</p>
<p>
You clearly don’t go to the right restaurants! At upscale restaurants they are tiny! 
(In Germany OTOH they are always exactly .25l it says so right on the glass!)</p>
<p>Sorry to intrude. I have not followed up on this thread at all. So, what I may add here may have been discussed already.</p>
<p>I am a stage 4 cancer patient, and I did a lot of research on the role of nutrition for cancer management so that I can increase my odds for a better prognosis. what struck me most is how all the things I must do is exactly what one would do to lose weight. Regular exercise. Lots of fruits &vegetables, minimum sugar, minimum processed carbs, minimum packaged foods, low in animal fat etc, etc. This kind of diet is highly chemo-preventive (a jargon meaning, reducing the cancer risk). So, keep up the good work: your effort will not just make you look better, but it may just save your life down the road (OK, I may be a bit melodramatic here). </p>
<p>As for me, I have already eaten relatively healthy and exercised. I have always been thin. Still, I got a very aggressive cancer. Some might say that all these good habits were not helpful after all. I beg to differ. I think my healthy life style gave me a very strong body, and that’s what allowed me to breeze through a very aggressive and intense chemo treatment without any side effect, put me in remission against heavy odds, and will give me a better prognosis going forward.</p>
<p>One word of caution: I hope folks don’t rely on Atkins style diet. Diet heavy on animal fat and animal protein is a big no no for cancer prevention and management. </p>
<p>PS: I eat a lot of garlic because it has loads of cancer fighting properties. When I was doing research on garlic, I also saw a research report that says garlic facilitates weight loss.</p>
<p>Good luck to you all!</p>
<p>thank you for your generous post. </p>
<p>I absolutely agree that your diet has probably made a difference in how you reacted to chemo and also the quality of your life from this time forward. Had you been less healthy, you may not have survived your treatments. Bless you, and I hope that you are able to cherish each day and have the support of those you love.</p>
<p>Good luck to you, sunrise.</p>
<p>I finally am playing around with MyPlate. Is there a way to customize the percentages to what you want? For instance, 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat. And, btw, what DO I want my percentages to be?</p>
<p>sunrise, thank you for contributing here. I was aware that some well-respected cancer biologists (including the president of Memorial Sloan Kettering) have completely eliminated sugar from their diets because of accumulating, but not yet conclusive, evidence that it promotes cancer. I am sure that your exemplary health habits made all the difference to your beating the odds until now, and I am also sure that they will continue to give you an edge going forward. Thank you for the tip about garlic.</p>
<p>I don’t know how to customize the MyPlate goals, Youdon’tsay, although someone here posted that it was possible. I am also in the dark about what the goals should be, although I do know that the default MyPlate values are too carb-heavy. </p>
<p>mathmom, somehow I’m not surprised that the Germans mark the wine volume right on the glass! </p>
<p>Alumother, I love the Slow Carb site. Thanks!</p>
<p>Sunrise, those are some very insightful words! Thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>Welcome Sunrise! Good to have you here with us “Dummies”. </p>
<p>Ironically, I ATE AT THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY TONIGHT! My Dad passed away in April and my Mom is, of course very lonely. I have been taking her out at least once a week and today she had a dr. appt. We decided to go to Cheesecake F. after it. I had Edamame for an appetizer and fish tacos with black beans. I subbed spinach for the rice. No dessert. And wine. Oops. Grieving is fattening and expensive. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.</p>
<p>I started Weight Watchers (the old version) 4 weeks ago after having about 6 false starts of dieting over the past 9 months. What made me more committed this time was that I started getting hot all the time and needed to see if it was the extra weight on me or am I actually starting menopause. Four weeks later, 5 pounds lighter (very significant since I am only 5"1) I am realizing it is indeed, the beginnings of the change.
I limit myself to 21 points a day (the old WW plan)
A typical breakfast for me is a cup of coffee with some half and half, and a bowl with a mix of half a cup of fiber one cereal mixed with a yoplait fat free yogurt (they are 100/110 calories). This breakfast is 3 points total. </p>
<p>Lunch is a sandwich (two slices weight watcher or other 40 calorie/slice bread and 2 oz. Ham or turkey, slice of lettuce, tomato and one teasp. horseradish sauce or light mayo) and a piece of fruit. Lunch is 4 points. </p>
<p>This leaves me 14 points for supper.
Supper varies and I weigh all my protein. I have the old weight watchers counters so I can look up point values.
I do eat out every weekend with no problem. I get white wine spritzers instead of a glass of wine … 2 points
I order shellfish, which is two for one…(4 oz = 2 pts.). I get veggies instead of starches.
It is restrictive but not impossible. Last week we ate Italian out. I got shrimp marinara over steamed spinach instead of pasta and a glass of red wine (4 pts) and didn’t gain any weight. The goal is to not gain weight when we eat out, although I rarely lose weight those nights. </p>
<p>I honestly have always felt the only diet that I could stay on and feel not deprived on is weight watchers. I eat ice cream every night…a 2 point skinny cow dessert. </p>
<p>I have two more weeks until we go to the beach and I am hoping for 2 more pounds off by then. I am a big fan of WW.</p>
<p>I agree about staying away from animal fat but for years I never cooked bacons for my family. Only recent do I eat bacons when I travel because I have no choice.</p>
<p>There are many on the other fitness thread who would gladly help you customize Myplate or offer advice on daily percentages. It would be too lengthy to post directions on this thread and I don’t want to violate any rules here. Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>Seiclan,
Good for you! I tried WW last year. It had worked for me before but for some reason it didn’t that time. I think it was because my life is more complicated now than it was when i did it before. Working full time, going to grad school, aging parents and teenagers. Not a lot of time to calculate points, let alone go to meetings. I’m glad it seems to be working for you. I am 5’1" as well and know first hand how quickly the weight gain (and Loss!) shows. Congratulations on the 5 lbs!</p>
<p>Bumping up to help keep us all on task!</p>
<p>Anyone thinking ahead to the holiday weekend and any/all food temptations?</p>
<p>I know I am hosting a family bbque on Sunday - it will be mid-day so I guess the food will count for lunch-dinner together. Hoping to make some of my favorite vegetable dishes so that there are plenty of good choices - and so I can leave a little room for dessert - a strawberry tiramisu my sister inlaw is making!</p>
<p>I’m dreading spending more than a week with family starting Friday. My parents’ house is where I developed all the bad habits! I’m not sure what I’ll eat there.</p>
<p>One funny success: I made a Mexican dish this week and had flour tortillas, a family staple. There were AWFUL – just pasty and tasteless. Unfortunately, my mom’s homemade ones are much better and that’s what we’re having Friday.</p>
<p>I think it’s ok to go off my regulard diet occasionally. Yesterday, I had a day long meeting and had to eat whatever was ordered. I had donut, mashed potatoes and rice with chicken. Luckily I piled on the salad for crunch. But I still feel hungry after eating lunch.</p>