Posts by rachelrae26

I have a friend who is completely addicted to diet soda. I've seen her go through a few 12 packs a week and I'm worried about her health. I've tried to show her info about how detrimental the diet soda is to her dieting, not to mention her overall health, but she refuses to listen. She gets offensive too... like I'm going to take away her crack...

I remember that when I was younger, my friends and I would be hauled to the store by someones parents and we'd all get in line and buy the limit of the Diet Coke 12 packs that were on sale. I used to wonder why the heck it was such a big deal. I've always thought it was repulsive. (I do love ginger ale though! Just not diet...)

I do let myself have some diet cranberry on occasion which is sweetened with splenda. I'm not a huge fan of the taste, I think it's overly sweet, but I think it's amazing when mixed with flavored (but unsweetened) carbonated water. A little cranberry juice mixed with some Mixed Berry soda water... yum! One cup, half and half of each is only 2.5 calories.

I'm not a vegetarian by any means but there are days where if I think about the fact that I'm eating meat, I can't eat it. So, I wanted to find a substitute for those days where I want a burger (or turkey burger) but I can't eat one.

I tried Boca burgers and they weren't awful. I then tried Garden Burgers and they rock! I love the original ones too. You can keep them in the freezer and cook them up in just a few minutes. For a real burger-y taste, I pop the frozen patty in the microwave for about 15 seconds while I "fire up" my foreman grill. I then season each side of the patty with low sodium soy and worchestire sauce and some salt-free steak seasoning. I take a bun and pop it in the toaster. I add a slice of cheese, some ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce, tomato and pickles! It is absolutely delish! All for under 260 calories! (100 calorie bun, 90 calorie "burger", 30 calorie slice of cheese..)

"Hey! Lip. My. Stocking! Lip them!"

My biggest problem is balancing numbers with nutrition. I have a strong liking for 100 calorie sweets. I can manage to just eat one... and not feel guilty about it because it's only 100 cal, although I know there's not much of a benefit in consuming it (other than satisfying my sugar craving). But I'm also trying to get my Carbs, Protein and Fat ratios in check and it just seems like a lot of work!

No problem!! I'm excited about it too! I'm sure I did a little *yippee!* dance when I found it.

I'm a workout video girl too. I do a few different ones, some are just cardio and some are cardio and strength training. I log them all as "General Aerobics". One if them makes me sweat like whoa but the other not so much. I know I work harder on one than the other. I figure if I just go with General it should balance it out for now...Until I can get a heart rate monitor anyway.

Make sure your lotion doesn't have petroleum in it!! It's nearly as bad as putting vaseline on your new tatttoo. I used Lubriderm unscented/un dyed. The stuff for sensitive skin works great.

You basically have an open wound and you don't want to put many chemicals, dyes and scents on it so it will heal properly.

Just a funny side note.. back in September I got two tattoos, star on the inside of each wrist. I scab really bad regardless of where my tattoo is, so for the first day or two I apply lotion and keep a bandage on for a bit to help my scab from getting too hard. Anyhoo... I had just started a new office job and had to walk around my first few days looking like Ms. Failed-Suicide-Attempt. 

I don't have a scale and I don't plan on getting one anytime soon. I'll be at the store and see one on sale and I'll come very close to buying it but so far I've been able to hold off.

I am feeling fantastic lately. I'm fitting into clothes that were way too tight just weeks ago. Physically I feel more toned. I'm scared that I'll no longer be proud of myself by stepping on a scale and letting it trick me into thinking my hard work is for nothing.

If you're just maintaining, I don't see a need for you to use your scale constantly. Maybe once a month or so. Between weigh-ins,  go by how your clothes fit and how you feel for the rest of the time.

I munch on pickles a lot. Hamburger dills... they kick my salty craving!

I haven't quite made it to dinner yet but..

Breakfast: Weight Control Brown Maple Sugar Oatmeal, a few almonds, whole wheat bread with tbsp reduced fat peanut butter. I love p-butter on bread!

Snack: A mix of pinneapple, strawberries, grapes and canteloupe.

Lunch: Half of a grilled lemon pepper chicken breast with some fat free refried beans, sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese. All with some hot salsa on top.

And my afternoon snack will be a Clif Kid's strawberry twisted fruit thing. So yummy!

I'm still trying to work on trying new meals and maintain some variety in my foods. The chicken beans and salsa was really awesome and low-cal too. Reading this is giving me some great ideas!