Posts by opanci

Everything you say is spot on!  It really all comes down to eat less, move more...but, of course it's not that simple.  Nothing worth doing well ever is.  The quick fix that everyone seems to be searching for just doesn't work for the complex organism that is your body.  Like you say, the evidence surrounds us that fads and extremes are not the answer.  Thanks for your comment!

Check in:  Thankfully, it's a new week and it seems to be going a bit better than last week.  Still not 100%, and I have a minor procedure in two days that will set me back for another few days, but at least the ball is rolling again, so that's something.  The calm and warm late fall weather certainly doesn't hurt anything, either!

Well, this recipe exploration was kind of fun and I could probably spend too much time there grazing.  I rarely use recipes, as I just cook whatever is on hand and/or coming out of the garden and it's rarely the same thing twice, but it's still nice to know what is available.  I do use recipes for new cuisines and for most of my baking.  I'm always open to new suggestions and ideas, so after browsing awhile online and in a few of my favorite cookbooks, I made up this one for you all: New Mexican Vegetarian Chili.  Let me know what you think.  I have fond memories of the years I lived in Northern NM and the fabulous food there.

Oh, and congratulations and the best of luck to the new Moms!

And, Vera, I can so sympathize with your situation.  My daughter (and her dad) are/were bipolar and I never thought those years of hell would ever end...It's important to be part some sort of support group, even if, as previously mentioned, you only have a journal to pour out all your hurts into.  Best of wishes to you.

Thanks, Sara, for the two month pat on the back!

Terry

Check in:

Doing much better with the logging, still not 100%, but improving.  Maintenance 100% with the good weather.  Surprise weight loss was a great way to start out the week!  Was thinking last week that clothes weren't quite so snug, but it wasn't showing on the scale, until today.  Time will tell if it's for real.  I have been trying most days to stay at a deficit.

Weightlifting:  I am one of those people who can bulk up easily, but it's more important for me to know that my joints and organs are properly supported while participating fully in life than to try and fit someone's expectations of what I should look like.  The bonus for me is knowing that increased muscle mass also means increased fat burning 24/7, which for me translates into being able to enjoy more of the foods I like.  That said, I haven't been doing any lifting at all for over six months, because of health issues, so I am am looking forward to starting again.  Finances have also been holding me back from getting into a gym. 

As for enjoying it, I wish I did, but for me it's more like brushing my teeth, something I just have to do to stay healthy.

Are there any malls where you live?  Or any other large indoor places where you can walk in all weather?  What do you do during your lunch?  Find something you enjoy listening to: music, books on tape, radio programs (many of which you can check out at the library) then your daily walk (or however you get moving) will fly by before you know it.  The key is to get and keep moving.  Our bodies get sick when they don't move enough - a 26 year old should not be tired, unless you have something else wrong. 

BTW, I don't believe most on the site are athletes, just people wanting to feel better and learning better ways to take care of the only body we will ever have.

Maybe try parking as far away from your building as possible, as well as any shopping you do.  Wear appropriate clothes and shoes - walking briskly will warm you up no matter how cold.  Our big hurdle here in the winter is rain, but as an elderly German friend once told me, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing"!  My friend is still walking everyday and is now 85.

New Goal: By December 12th, I will be accurately logging all my intake 6 of 7 days.

Maintenance: Get outside 6 of 7 days.  I am not physically able currently to commit to an exercise plan, but getting outside, away from the electrical appliances, even if just to putter around, gets me into a better perspective - and helps to control emotional eating!

Congratulations to everyone for the hard work of making positive changes in your lives.  Even if you didn't reach your stated goal, I think the journey is more important than the destination!

For myself, I have been sidelined with back pain issues, which has resulted in a growing sense of futility.  Two months out, I'm still battling for any kind of diagnostics to find out what is wrong and seem to be running into walls. Normally I would be walking everyday and doing yoga 3 days of the week, but all this contributes to my problems and so not having that outlet has been very frustrating.

I'm thinking my goal for this next 12 week challenge will be to do something I have been moderately successful with these past few months, and that is to log my foods 6 of 7 days, while trying to keep an average of 1500 or less per day.  Would that be two goals?  The eating is the one thing I have control over at the moment.  If I can keep up the logging, then I can work on a daily deficit on the next go-round.  The holidays have always been a challenge to me as I love to cook, especially baking, and if I know I will have to log it all, I will hopefully think twice about that second pastry.  It doesn't work for me to not bake or cook, so I generally give most of it away.

Keep up the good work all and Thanks for your input.

Terry

Oops!

Thanks for the reminders!  I'm expecting things will lighten up here soon; don't think I have even been online at all for over a week.  Health is bad and the prospect of finding anyone to diagnose, let alone help, seems to be receding.  While I was up in Portland to see another Doc, my Mom got in a car accident (some major bumps but nothing broken, so she's OK, but the car's totaled), then my sister-in-law, who is due to have her baby in a week, got sick.  Were it not for so many family members needing my help (I'm a nurse), I'm sure I would have given up long ago.

It's too warm here for kale worth eating until we get some frost to sweeten it up, so I have come to associate kale with winter dishes, like soups/stews, same goes for brussels sprouts.  What I'm eating now is chard and broccoli, just steamed, especially like the broccoli stalks when peeled.  I like your recipe for spinach, Kyashiis.  Too hot now for spinach though, so will have to wait a few months.  Does basil count as a dark green?  I can never get enough basil this time of year, especially paired in any way with tomatoes.

Will try a weekly goal of posting my food again in my journal.  This seems to help in avoiding just stuffing anything in sight!

Terry

Hello all,

My name finally came up!   I'm looking forward to meeting you all & reading about your trials and tribulations. 

A bit on me:  I had started with weightloss for the umpteenth time along about March, then ran into a series of physical challenges.  But even in this state, while I wait for a specialist who will accept me and for the insurance to OK the MRI, there are bound to be goals I can set and hopefully, with a little help, can keep up the motivation.

Terry

What got me to be serious about regaining my health was seeing a photo of me...I already knew my clothes didn't fit and I felt bad, but seeing what everyone else was already seeing was my wake-up..  Now I keep that photo up where I see it daily for motivation.  You are lucky to have such a compassionate friend!

I concur with other posters that you will be more successful if you go slower and make a series of small changes you can keep for the rest of your life.    I heard this many times, but only just took it to heart.  Your body will thank you for it!  It's not such an all-consuming struggle for me this time and since I am more relaxed about the whole thing, the pounds, while coming off slower, ARE coming off, and easier, too.  Of course, I exercise every day by walking at least 30 minutes, also weights 2x week.  I just made it an obligation I had to keep, like doing the laundry or brushing my teeth.  Now I look forward to MY time everyday. 

The skinny bitch "cookbook" (if one could even call it that) does NOT have nutritional info and is surprisingly full of processed food.  Some people apparently buy the book for the entertainment.  It's more a rant against meat production with mostly meat-based recipes with vegan ingredients substituted for the meat.  Don't waste your money, especially for only 150 recipes.  Do you really need a recipe to tell you how to make a vegan burger, by replacing the meat with a vegan patty?  Honestly, that's one of the "recipes"!

I do the same as gijane in looking up individual ingredients in CC then saving the lot in the database.  You would have to do that anyway if you wanted to tweak recipes in any cookbook to suit your needs. 

I have cooked professionally and am rated a "good cook" by friends and family; the best vegetarian cookbook I have ever used is Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone".  There are useful and informative ideas for any whole food you can think of as well as basic info & variations on how to cook each thing and is for anyone who eats, whether a newbie or more experienced cook.  Another good one is "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant"; some of the recipes are more involved, but still easy to follow and I especially like the different ethnic food chapters with whole suggested menus (and all the recipes) for special meals.  Another one I am just beginning to use and am loving it more and more is Mollie Katzen's "Vegetable Heaven".  It's a slim volume, but the dishes are the kind that people clamor for the recipe when you take the dish to a party!  I have a whole bookshelf of cookbooks, but these are the ones I turn to angain and again.  Disclaimer: I am not compensated in any way by recommending these books, neither am I related in any way to the publishers/authors/etc.

Look for dried egg white &/or whey concentrate to make your own shake, then you can control carb content.  Can you eat yogurt?  Greek style yogurt (strained to remove some of the whey) is a good source of protein, so is quinoa, the only grain I know of that is a complete protein.  How are you sensitive to legumes?  All legumes?  If it's gas, try Beano.

I used to do what you are planning to do, but even if it didn't change the scale, I felt bad - physically & mentally.  Just me, maybe, but for the first time last night I went to a potluck/dance, controlled my portions, didn't obssess or plan & now feel great!  I would always compensate before and/or after; what freedom now just to get on my healthy life!

Definitely not enough calories, as previous posters have said!!!  You can lose weight while breatfeeding, but only if you eat enough calories!  And if you don't lose for awhile,  keep in mind that you are doing the right thing by breastfeeding your baby, who is totally dependant on you!  The needs of your baby should come before the weight loss.  My Grandson is allergic to many things, including cow's milk, so his mom had to cut out many things.  She gets her calcium from supplements and fortified rice milk.  Consider making a large batch of soup, vegi sticks/ low cal dressing for dip, pasta, whatever & have stuff in the fridge ready to heat & eat.  Having healthy stuff ready will help avoid stuffing anything in reach.

Generally, 1/2 C of cooked rice = 100 cal, for round figuring.  Nutrients will be different, of course for brown, white , or "wild" rice.  White rice doubles in volume, brown rice can swell 2 - 21/2 x, while wild rice can swell 2 - 3x.  Hope this helps.

Just about any grain will "cook" with less cost if you have the time to wait for it to absorb the liquids...Just bring it to a boil, then turn it off and leave it covered until liquids are gone.  This is common practice in parts of the world where fuel may be in short supply, like India.  I learned this when using my solar cooker on days that turned into heavy overcast/cool.  The temp only got to boiling before the sun went away, but I was called away & came back later to fully cooked rice; tempurature was below 100.  I have since tried this on stove & it works with brown rice, millet, split pea & teff.  Quinoa is a good soup thickener.