<p>I think watermelon is a good food. It is sweet, satisfying and healthy. A ten letter word ending in “p”, as we used to say in elementary school.</p>
<p>When she was a baby and toddler, D1 was cared for in day care by a kindly Iranian woman who was a huge believer in the medicinal benefits of watermelons. Whenever the baby had any sort of digestive upset or mild fever she always solemnly admonished us to give the baby watermelon juice. I later asked another Iranian about that and she said yes, watermelon juice is widely regarded a folk medicine cure-all among many Persian women.</p>
<p>And it is a GREAT source of vitamin A. </p>
<p>I realize everyone is different, but I don’t think any of us would have ever gained weight if we stuck with fresh fruits as our snacks. </p>
<p>RE: Good fats - Monounsaturated fats are the good fats - So olive oil, nuts (walnuts and almonds are great), fish, etc. as NYMom mentioned. Fats are high in calories, but they do make you feel “full” especially if you eat slowly. </p>
<p>I was walking through our mega-grocery store the other day and realized how many aisles and facings there were of chips, cookies, ice cream, etc. YIKES!!!</p>
<p>Has anyone ever used Avocado oil to cook? Saw some in Whole Foods yesterday and was tempted to get it but wasn’t sure what to do with it.</p>
<p>Congrats on all the good news!</p>
<p>Heading to my parents’ house in a few hours. Told my mom two days ago that we’re all trying to eat healthier so imagine my surprise (not!) when I talked to her this morning and she said that she’d made a pie and a cake. :rolleyes: Lord, help me. I’ve calculated my food intake today to accomodate, cake, ice cream, carne guisada and two tortillas. They have no internet so no tracking of food on MyPlate. Will try really hard not to go nuts, but mom also told me this a.m. that the doctors found a cyst on her pancreas. Stress eating, anyone?</p>
<p>Packmom, you have a “younger” shape. Weight around the mid-section is associated with health risks, weight on the lower body is less so. (Not that I’m discouraging you from joining us here!)</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, if they called it a “cyst”, then they probably know that it is fluid-filled and unlikely to be a tumor. Good luck with eating in a hostile environment this weekend! Maybe you could pack a few nuts and hard-boiled eggs for emergencies? </p>
<p>As everyone says, most of us have quite a few foods to eliminate or reduce before we have to consider worrying about fruit! Interesting about watermelon having medicinal properties. I can’t imagine a picnic without it.</p>
<p>Speaking of foods to be eliminated, Coke down to 4.5 oz today…</p>
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<p>I consider that a major victory considering how addictive it is.</p>
<p>I used to drink three or four cans a day (sometimes alternating with Mountain Dew).</p>
<p>NYMom - I am SO proud of you.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, “cyst” usually means a sack filled with fluid. No reason to panic yet. Fingers crossed.</p>
<p>Healthy eating tip of the day (from WebMD; unfortunately, it is embedded in a slideshow, so no link):</p>
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<p>Yup, that’s what I’ve been doing, and IT WORKS.</p>
<p>NYMom @ 1026, congrats on the Coke reduction!!! I know you have been trying hard. I am so-o-o thankful that I don’t have soda monkey on my back – just caffeine addiction. (I realized after we returned from our spring break college tour that it was partly a blur because I was drinking watery coffee vs. the high octane stuff I make for myself.)</p>
<p>One of those web sites divided fruit carbs as low (berries), medium (most other fruits, incl. peaches) and high. Not surprisingly, it included bananas, but also had grapes, cherries, oranges, and nectarines. I would not have guessed. I think melons were medium. No doubt they are all better than ice cream! I love this fruit friendly time of year!</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words, BCEagle, worknprogress, and CCsiteObsessed! It has been a major addiction for me for over 30 years, and I have ingested huge quantities. The only way for me to get off it is gradually. I go to a new low level and stay for a while, then suddenly I don’t want to finish my daily portion. I pour the leftovers into a measuring cup, and set my new level. </p>
<p>I have NOT gotten off caffeine. I’m running out to Dunkin Donuts every morning for a huge unsweetened iced tea (on sale these days for 99 cents). But I can’t stand even a trace of sugar in iced tea, for some reason, so I consider this a great improvement, and probably not even a problem at all. I am thinking of getting the nice iced tea maker that someone posted about a few days ago on this thread, so that I don’t have to go out, and to try new varieties.</p>
<p>Speaking of watermelon and melons… They are great sources of nutrients, and cantaloupe especially rivals bananas when it comes to potassium content:</p>
<p>[Melons:</a> Natural Weight-Loss Food](<a href=“http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/natural-foods/natural-weight-loss-food-melons-ga.htm]Melons:”>Melons: Natural Weight-Loss Food | HowStuffWorks)</p>
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<p>NYMom</p>
<p>I found this at Marshalls for $20 - I should have posted as good buy of the day. In fact I like it so much I want to stop back and buy another one. </p>
<p>[BIASCA</a> | Ice green tea jug, 1.2 l, 40 oz Black | Bodum Online Shop](<a href=“Bodum”>Bodum)</p>
<p>I like it because it is glass. We have a Teavana near us and I splurge on some really good tea.</p>
<p>I prefer glass, too, worknprogress. Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to check out Marshalls!</p>
<p>My Friday morning check in - down 4.6 pounds from the start on June 14; extremely pleased with this beginning! </p>
<p>I haven’t measured my waist but know that my favorite skort fits a tiny bit more comfortably. My “temperature dress” is a long way from fitting, but I can now pull it down to my hips (not over my hips, at least without tearing, but I can tell I’m closer!).</p>
<p>Probably my biggest surprise (after actually losing weight) is how easy it was to switch to only water until dinner (except for my 4 oz of OJ to start my day). I’m amazed at how much water I’m actually drinking (fortunately am at home near the bathroom all day) and how little I miss diet Coke, and how less good it now tastes.</p>
<p>Per abasket’s questions a couple of days ago: I believe this is a lifestyle change I can keep up, at least for the summer - not sure what difference winter will make. I eat part of my meal first to see if I continue to be hungry before eating more. I’m not missing anything terribly because I haven’t actually cut anything out; just eating smaller and/or less frequent portions. I decided to be strict during the week and a bit less cautious (although still careful) on the weekends. The only new food I added was AmyLu chicken sausages (local grocery and Whole Foods) - not a healthy food per se but something filling to substitute for carbs. No one particular meal or time of day has caused me trouble; I think my appetite is a little less demanding. Late afternoon and late evening have always been my problem times.</p>
<p>I’m going to stay on my plan:</p>
<p>-Drink a lot more water, and only drink water until dinner, at which time I can have my Diet Coke or Lite Lemonade.</p>
<p>-Eat protein and dairy first at lunch; I’m not really doing low carb but I am trying for correct carbs .</p>
<p>-Snack on something besides carbs first, then wait, then proper carbs if still hungry.</p>
<p>-Don’t kid myself that I’m going to radically change with new foods - just isn’t going to happen.</p>
<p>-Try for a little exercise most days.</p>
<p>I’m very grateful for this thread - I may not be using many of the tips, but just knowing it’s here helps keep me focused through the day. I am very eager to go back down through the clothes that I went up through and to revisit old favorites - knew there was a reason I didn’t clean out the closet per that other thread! So thanks for starting this one and keeping it going!</p>
<p>Very good progress there on the many changes.</p>
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<p>I wore a very old pair of jeans to the office today. I believe that I bought these either in the 1980s or the 1990s. The waist size is 34. My waist size was 46 a few years ago. I took out my collection of belts this morning to try to find something small enough and I did but it’s in really bad shape. It was looking at all of the different lengths of belts that I have. I think that I’m going to toss a bunch of them as they’re in pretty poor shape.</p>
<p>Weighed and measured today. No loss of inches, but have lost some pounds. Thanks to whoever suggested MyPlate–the mere act of having to input my meals into the website and their little “this is how many calories you have left for the day” box motivate me to quit snacking on those empty carbs and bad fats.</p>
<p>I don’t care if Lance drugged himself during his bicycle racing career or not, the livestrong website is great.</p>
<p>I still fit what I wore to my niece’s bat mitvah (she’s 16 now) but not my nephew’s bar mitzvah (he’s 19) and certainly not my son’s bar mitzvah (he’s 23). I’ve never been big on belts because I’m (a) short waisted and (b) well, zaftig - so haven’t ever been one for tucking in, even back when I was cute and curvy. I’m trying to fit a dress that I wore when my son was about 7. I think I’ll never fit into the clothes from before he was born but do have a couple of nostalgia garments just in case!</p>
<p>BCEagle - I already got rid of all the old clothes that were not in good shape or I knew I would never wear even if I did fit them. TJ Maxx has tons of belts for women; not sure about men.</p>
<p>I may end up on MyPlate but am pretty good at being aware of what I’ve been eating (especially since I’m home all day) so may get to it yet but will see how I do without it. I forgot to say that I do start the day with a couple of cups of coffee with Splenda; maybe I’ll try cutting that down gradually.</p>
<p>The scales at the Y had gotten so wonky I stopped believing them, so I went and got me a nice new scale at Target this morning with a $10 off certificate. It had me weighing a full 2 pounds less than I thought I did. Yay!</p>
<p>Marilyn, my eating plan is similar. Pretty strict during the week, much looser on the weekend, but I try to be sensible. Parties are my downfall, I’m fine if we just stay home. Next party is for Bastille Day and I know there will be all sorts of wonderful food there - including what we traditionally bring - les escargots. (Which are really just a vehicle for garlic butter.) I eat lots of fruit, especially berries. Cookies have to stay out of the house.</p>
<p>I know my rib cage got permanently stretched by kids, not so sure if hips did the same, but I can’t fit into most of my pre-kid clothes.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be back to the weight before kids at least not quicly. That would be a size 2 or 4. I’m glad that my face is looking a little full now. It was haggard a few weeks back because I must have lost weight quickly. I don’t weigh myself just went by the waistline.</p>