Posts by grapeshot

I used to be like this with fruit.  I finally figured out that the real problem is that most fruit at a typical supermarket is picked before it is properly ripened, and then ripens in warehouses and in transport.  This makes for bland (and in some cases mealy) fruit.  I used to particularly hate apples, which is too bad as they're the perfect diet food: filling and full of fiber.

Then I discovered about eating locally grown produce!  I bet there are apple orchards in practically every part of this country, and there's truly nothing like an apple grown from a real tree.  (Sorry, Washington, but your apples are pretty awful -- at least the ones that get shipped to Wisconsin!)  I've discovered how wonderful apples really taste.  I've also discovered wonderful varieties, each with their own compelling taste.  No more bland red delicious for me! Or too sour Granny Smiths!

I've also discovered how flavorful berries can be when they're grown locally, and picked in season.  Same with pears, and with plums.  Oh, and MELONS!! I once bought some Asian Pears in Oregon from a roadside stand that were absolutely TO DIE FOR!  I had never before known how good they could be!

Unfortunately, winters are long where I live.  However, even at the supermarket, fruit that is "in season" is better than the stuff that looks good but is out of season.  Thus, oranges and pineapples are slightly better when they're in season, than at any other time.  (Plus, I think Florida oranges taste better than California ones, even if they do have seeds!)  I stock up on apples from a local orchard, and under proper storage conditions, they last a long time.

A few items I've had to give up on entirely.  Peaches, for example.  Peaches do not ripen after being picked, and when they are ripe, they don't travel well at all.  Any that you may find at your local supermarket are completely tasteless, and often are soft and mealy.  Blech!  I buy the bottled Del Monte ones instead.  (The canned ones are hardly any better than the so-called "fresh" ones.)  I've also used frozen fruit, but find that their texture doesn't survive very well, so usually the frozen stuff gets used in sauces and shakes. 

About the only fruit at the local supermarket that's reliably any good are the blue berries.  They cannot be grown in California, so they'll come successively from South Carolina, New Jersey, and then Michigan.  (At least, that's where they come from where I live.)  Note that in each case, they are coming from their native habitat, and only when they're IN SEASON.  Fortunately, they're in season somewhere in the States practically the whole summer.

I've also taken to canning and making my own jams.  On that rare occasion, for example, when I visit southwest Michigan right during peach season, I buy a peck or two and then can them for winter.  I've started doing the same for the tomatoes I get at the local farmers' market.  It's time consuming, but during the long, dark, winter days, I'm oh so thankful that I took the trouble!

My advice is to take a look around at what may be grown right in your own region.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.  I am even seriously considering joining some food cooperatives.  If locally grown fruit can be so tasty, maybe the same would hold true for locally grown vegetables.

Wow, I'm seriously impressed!  Isn't it marvelous when the fruits of your efforts hit you out of the blue like that!  I find myself to be so dead focused on the daily calorie intake that despite all my charting and graphing, I lose sight of the real meaning of my weight loss.

I had a minor victory this past week, too.  I had a job interview -- in another city, no less, which required me to fly there and back again, all in one day.  Needless to say, this was going to be one very long day of flying, hanging around in airports, and then being fresh and alert to "sell" myself throughout the interview.  I was very worried about finding an outfit to wear that would survive the rigors of an airplane trip on a hot and humid summer day, and which would allow me to stay comfortable, yet look professional and business like. 

I went shopping for an outfit, and was positively floored to discover that I could again fit into a size 3 at Chico's, AND into an XL at the department stores!  (Before I started on this diet, I was pushing a 2 in the Womens' department!  Wait.  It's not a "diet", but a newer, healthier lifestyle!)  What a pleasure it was to not have to wrack my brains out trying to find something that was somehow both chic and could magically hide my weight, or to not have to drive all over heck and at the end of it all get enormously depressed about not finding anything suitable in my size.  

Then I had an even bigger realization.  I probably could fit into some of the outfits that I used to wear on past business trips!  Sure enough, when I returned home, I found the perfect outfit already in my closet!  I was able to return that expensive jacket I bought at Chico's, and saved myself a fair bit of money.  (Heh.  Chico's has nice stuff for women "of a certain age", but even on sale it's quite expensive.)  Oh, and the outfit worked out perfectly.  It held up during the flights there and back, and I arrived feeling fresh, unfussed, and without the added pressure of being conscious that my outfit is not quite right.  I was pleased with how the day went, and with myself for sticking with my weight loss efforts, and regardless of whether the interview leads to a new job or not, the experience proved to be rewarding in and of itself.

Like kkiss10 (#19 above) I quit mostly due to health problems related to smoking.  I found that I couldn't stand to breathe in the smoke anymore, so it became an easy choice: either quit smoking, or quit breathing!  I smoked about half a pack a day, for about 28 years, and finally quit on March 6, 2006. 

At the time I was also trying to lose weight, and that effort fell by the wayside.  Naturally, I gained back whatever I lost and then some, but it seems to me that was more due to giving up my weight loss efforts than because of quitting smoking.  Even prior to quitting, I had gradually been gaining weight -- about 10 lbs a year -- so quitting smoking did not seem to increase that rate of weight gain. 

I had quit once before, about 15 years ago, which lasted about 2 years.  One thing I found at that time was that I had to stop hanging out with friends who smoked.  It wasn't because they were unsupportive, but because everytime I saw someone light up, I badly wanted to light one up myself, and it was too easy to bum a cigarette off them.  No, it wasn't their job to be my cigarette police, and I didn't feel that they should've watched out for me!  It was my job to quit, and I kept failing at it.  I also figured out that I had to stay away from situations which would trigger a craving -- such as visiting bars.  (And really, who needs the hangovers anyway?)  Even seeing someone light up a smoke in a movie was enough to make me also want to light up!

The other thing I learned was that each time I tried to quit and then failed, I learned something from it.  If I troubled myself to examine what went wrong after each failed attempt, I could usually arrive at what the obstacle was, and then I could plan how to overcome that.  It was, I believe, a case where practice makes perfect.  And if at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

I think everyone's path to quitting is different.  Some people, like myself, need to quit cold turkey, and can do so without all the horrible side effects: headaches, various achey feelings, irritability, etc.  Others, especially those who suffer physical withdrawal symptoms which make it especially hard to get through the initial shock, need to ween themselves, either by reducing their daily intake gradually, or using nicotine patches.  It is definitely an addiction, and I can say that even now I get a pang whenever I see someone else light up.  But I breathe so much easier now, and I can taste and smell everything better.  My house and my car smells nicer, I was able to finally whiten my teeth, and I don't have to worry about get wrinklier skin.  (In my twenties and thirties, those things seemed to be extremely remote possibilities, but in my forties they became a surprisingly big concern to me!) 

Because my weight is something that I've always struggled with, I don't feel that quitting has made my struggles any more difficult than they would otherwise have been.  Quitting has also lightened my pocketbook, and I'm no longer hostage to politicians who decide to balance budgets by increasing cigarette taxes; they can do what they will in that regard, it won't affect me. 

Please please please keep your determination to quit foremost, and never give up trying.  The best thing about quitting is the realization that nicotine no longer rules your life.  Good luck, and don't forget that we're also here to give you words of encouragement if you feel you need to hash things out, or unburden yourself.

It kind of sounds like you may be eating just out of boredom. (Or frustration maybe, if you deal with anyone "difficult".) Since you can't NOT do your job when you're seated at your desk, and your supervisor might frown on you doing something other than what you're paid to do, it can get kind of tricky to get your mind off of food. If no one minds, by all means bring in a book to read or start a knitting project. Or take up origami. Or even do soduku or other puzzles.

However, the least conspicuous thing to do would be to write.

Write what, you say??

• Write a letter to an old friend. (Getting a letter out of the blue will be a pleasant surprise for them -- even if they don't live far away.)
  
• Write your memoirs. Or write down everything you remember about your grandparents and your aunts and uncles. Your older self will thank you.
  
• Write a screenplay (it's Script Frenzy month!)
• Start a blog and write something in it every day.
• Write songs. (Use an existing tune and write new words.)
  
• Try writing haiku (here's a little haiku how-to)

Of course, not everyone wants to try their hand at writing. If you can't come up with a way to distract your mind from food, then at least bring in lots and lots of veggies to snack on. Or try making a formal afternoon tea at your desk, including fancy cloth napkins and a china tea cup, little finger sandwiches, and fancy canapes. The ritualization of eating may also limit how much of it you do.

It's only been about 5 weeks since Jan 1, so you're averaging about 1 lb a week.  I think that's a perfectly reasonable rate of weight loss. 

I plugged your statistics into the BMI index and the Burn Tool, describing your daily exercise as moderate.  If you did nothing at all, you'd be burning 1900 calories per day.  The suggestion is to eat about 500 calories less than what you burn.  I'd say that you're eating slightly less than you should, and your body is probably slowing its burn rate way down thinking that it's being starved.  The guidelines suggest that you should not eat less than 1200 calories per day, otherwise you're starving yourself.

Having a week go by with only 1/4 lb weight loss is pretty normal, too.  Sometimes you hit a plateau where nothing seems to be happening.  But your body is adjusting itself.  Be patient.  Keep up the effort.  You didn't gain this weight overnight, so it'll take you a while to lose it. 

I did WW a couple times and it really helped me lose a lot of weight. But then I fell away from it, stopped following the program, and gained it all back. Now I have a job that doesn't allow me to go regularly to the meetings, so I have to figure out something that will work for my current lifestyle.

As everybody has said, WW is similar to CC, except you count points rather than calories. However, they let you eat whatever you want, so it's not a "diet" per se. (I mean a "diet" as in here are your meal plans, and here are your allowable foods, etc.)

What I really LOVED about WW is:

• I learned how to track what I put in my mouth
• I learned how to do portion control
• I learned how to plan my meals, and they gave me the tools that I needed to make it easy.
• I learned how to plan ahead for problem situations, where I will be tempted to overeat.
• I got fantastic group support. Not only was the instructor encouraging, but so was everyone else. And the little ribbons and stuff that you earn for every major milestones proved to be surprisingly motivating.

I learned an awful lot from WW that I use every day in my weight loss efforts. This is especially true of the loads and loads of practical advice they gave me. Like the time the instructor bought in a 10 lb bag of potatoes, and explained that when we lose 10 lbs, that's what we're no longer carrying around on our skeleton. Or how shopping the perimeter of a grocery store is better than shopping on the aisles because the healthier foods are generally along the outer walls. You could hang out here every day and still not get as much valuable and helpful information as you would from going there for a couple of months.

I still even use the tools that I bought from them, such as my food scale, and their cookbooks. But...remember, if you do go, you don't have to buy any of their other products. Their program will still work without them.

Having said all this, I'd like to add that I understand when people say you don't need to go.  You don't need to pay for a program that you can figure out for your ownself for free.  That's certainly true.  But I have no regrets in having paid to go.  What I learned from them was priceless, and I learned it without wasting time on trial and error efforts.  WW also proved to me that I CAN lose weight, and that I'm not a hopeless case.  

The best thing is to plan ahead. YOU pick the place, and if it's a national chain, go on-line and check their nutrition guide. (Even places like Macaroni Grill or Boston Market have some surprisingly high calorie menu selections, so research it out ahead of time.)

If it's not a national chain, then there are some general rules of thumb:

Don't get anything with a cream sauce. If it's pasta that you're getting, get it with plain tomato sauce (or better yet, marinara sauce, which is supposed to be made from fresh tomatoes).

Don't eat everything on your plate. Especially if you get a cut of meat, just eat half of it. Then, before you get tempted to eat the rest, throw your napkin on your plate.

Like other people said, stick with baked if you can. Baked potato, baked fish, baked chicken (but remove the skin).

Get the dressing for your salad on the side. That way you control how much you put on your salad.

Skip the bread. And also the crackers.

Consider making a meal out of an appetizer, adding some salad and/or soup. Shrimp cocktail, for example, is a pretty low calorie dish, and usually comes in just the right amount for a meal. However, don't get any fried appetizer, or the nacho chips w/guacamole!!

On the other hand, because it's a special occasion, you may be really tempted by a desert. You don't have to deprive yourself, and if you do, you'll only binge on something sweet later. Instead share it with your boyfriend, and just take a spoonful or two. But use your judgment. You know yourself best. For some people, sweets can be a trigger, and then they can't stop eating. In that case, it's best to just avoid it. Have an after dinner coffee instead. (You can even imagine that you're a sophisticated Italiano signorina having uno demitazza 'spresso, and look pityingly at the vulgar Americano next to you pigging out on that morbidly sweet fudge brownie cake thingy. Roll your eyes, raise your eyebrows expressively, and give a world weary sigh.)

You could also "bank" some calories. That is, eat a little less in the days ahead, and save those calories for the event. Then you'll be able to indulge a little without feeling guilty, or having it show up on the weighing scale.

Drink some water and eat some fruit before you leave the house. This should help you feel more full, so you'll be less tempted to order everything in sight.

The best tip I learned in Weight Watchers was to PLAN AHEAD. Even if it's not a chain restaurant, and you can't go on-line to check nutrition guides, you probably will have a pretty good idea of what's on the menu. If you visualize yourself ordering sensible items, or ordering baked fish, or only eating part of a serving, you'll be far more likely to actually follow through. You can think about what you might get, how many calories each item might have, and think about if you can afford to spare calories for a glass of wine, or if you'll just stick with water.

(By the way, this works for holiday meals with the family, too.)

1 stone = 14 lbs. Doing the math says you're slightly underweight, and that's by ANY measure (not just "some" measures).

You really need to work on your self-image if you suppose that you're "overweight". If you are only eating 1100 calories per day, then you have exceeded the guidelines of this site. At any rate, no one here can help you with the imaginary weight that you feel you need to lose.

You have NOT overcome your anorexia.  Indeed, anorexia, like alcoholism, is not something that you just "get" and then "get over it".  It's not like the flu, or something.  Please please please seek psychiatric help or counseling.  At the very least, READ up on anorexia.

I travel a fair bit - although I'm not driving a truck all day! It takes ingenuity to eat healthily while on the road. Here's a few things I've learned:

Those George Foreman grills rock. I know a service tech who is constantly being sent all over the country and he travels with a George Foreman grill. Of course, he stays in hotels, and he always makes sure he gets one with a little mini-fridge. But I'm sure this idea could be adopted for OTR driving. (It would be like tail-gating every night, eh?)

Subway is your friend. When you're tired from working long hours you just want to get some food inside you and fast. There's a Subway practically everywhere, and if you stick with the basic beef/turkey/ham subs, and avoid the cheese, and the mayo or oil dressings, you know you'll be eating a reasonably healthy meal. (I rely on the juices from pickles and tomatoes to moisten my sub, and I always skip the bag o' chips that they want to sell you.) Actually, you could probably do likewise at any subway store.

Supermarkets. Getting enough fruit and vegetables is a real challenge on the road. Thankfully, many supermarkets -- even the ones in small towns -- now have pre-cut and sliced veggie trays. Some of them even have salad bars. I collect those plastic forks with napkins in a packet that some fast food joints give out, and always have a stash of them in my suitcase. This way I don't have the excuse of not having a fork with me as a reason not to get a salad. I've also discovered that getting a small tray of shrimp cocktail, while a little pricey, makes a nice meal and a good change from the usual

Laptop, hand-held PC, or PDA. You can get all three with WiFi capabilities, and I think more and more truck stops are offering WiFi. Certainly, many Starbucks have WiFi, and I noticed the other day that a McDonalds near me also offers it! (Just exactly why beats me.) I have a Palm Pilot and use it to track my daily eating and to chart my weight. (There's a wonderful FREE weight tracking software at Hacker's Diet - and you can get it in either MS Excel format or for the Palm. There's even a description of how to use plain ol' paper and pen to create the trend graphs.) I've discovered that most fast food joints publish their nutritional guidelines as PDF files. I store the nutrition files from fast food places on my laptop, so if I find myself stuck in an airport or rushing to my meeting in the morning, I can at least make reasonably wise choices at fast-food joints. You could also travel with a folder of them printed out, too. Yes, you can do a lot of your tracking with notebooks and paper and pen, but these electronic gadgets are also useful for so many other things, that I finally dumped my old Day Planner and joined the electronic world. The net result is that I carry less things with me on the road. (My brother is a truck driver, and he's planning on getting a laptop as soon as he can, figuring it'll be pretty useful -- and he's not even dieting.)

Note: You need to be careful about WiFi on the road. It's not always free. For example, at Starbucks you have to pay for it. But if you travel a lot, it might be worth it to set up a plan with Boingo or T-Mobile (Starbuck's provider). You can help justify the cost by using the internet to make your phone calls via something like Skype. Then again, who needs another monthly bill? Plenty of places offer free and open access. The only problem is finding them. My travel involves a lot of flying, and I have a rule that if I'm stuck in an airport for more than three hours, then it's worth it to me to pay the daily charge for WiFi. I use that time to check my email correspondence and to chat with my family on-line via AIM. (There's always someone on-line to chat with.) I don't travel often enough to set up a monthly account with a national WiFi provider, so that usually works out to be reasonably cost effective. It's amazing how it brightens up my day to chat with members of my family on-line.

Maybe not all of these ideas are practical for OTR driving, but maybe these'll spark some other ideas. Like I said, watching your weight on the road is challenging and requires ingenuity.

Sigh...this isn't only a problem for college students!!

Try packing dried fruits to bring with you. Dried raisins, dates, cranberries, apricots, figs, etc. Buy them at a grocery store, and also buy some zip-lock bags. (They even make them in a snack size.) Then when you get back to your dorm room, package them up in individual bags. They can last forever in your backpack, plus it'll help keep more money in your pocket book.

Still...you'll eventually find yourself standing in front of a vending machine wondering what might be the least evil of all the choices. I usually go for the plain pretzels, or just peanuts, or if it must be something sweet, twizzlers.

The other day at work, I didn't have time to pack a lunch and forgot that our cafeteria was closed for the holidays. So there I stood, at the vending machines, wondering what they might possibly have that would fit within my calorie intake limits. I discovered that a single serving of Hormels chilli (beef and bean, 7.5 ounces) was reasonably tasty (considering it came from a can) and had only 200 calories. It proved to be surprisingly filling and satisfying, too. I'll have to remember this for next time.

I'm confused. What's so bad about being able to walk only 6 miles at a time?? Can you do that like twice a day? Or is it just 6 miles, period? Yeah, I know that you're going to have to work up to it all over again, but it seems like the important thing is to just start moving again, even if it's just a little bit at a time.

It sounds like you might have to figure out something else you maybe could do for exercise, that might not involve so much walking, or stress on your feet. Get creative. Try using a hula hoop for five minutes, and then getting on your elliptical thingy for five minutes, and alternating like that for about 20 minutes or so. When I get bored and wanna mix it up a little, I put a rock concert DVD in my player, crank up the sound to, like, 11, and shake my booty for a while. (I recommend Springsteen, or The Who, but I'm "old school". You can suit yourself.  Just as long as it's loud and lively.) Can you maybe take up bicycling? Or swimming? (I can't stand swimming, but my sister absolutely loves it.) Or sign up for a water aerobics class at your local Y or community pool. How about roller skating? There's probably a rink near you somewhere, right?

Here's a no-nonsense approach to dealing with acne: Acne.org

I've been troubled by mild acne all my adult life, and I found that website to be the most helpful for dealing with it.

If you don't feel like preparing something right at the end of the day, and depending on what your daily calorie intake allows, you could try the South Beach Diet bar. You can buy the individual bars at some places, but they're huge, and have over 300 calories (but they're high in protein and low in carbs). Instead, I recommend buying a box of these. The bars are slightly smaller, and are around 200 calories each. They come in several flavors, but the only one I buy is the chocolate one.

I've found that unlike most bars, these really are higher in protein than in carbs, relatively low fat, and best of all, a THOUSAND times more delicious than any other "health" bar that I've tried. I usually eat one of these when I have a craving for something sweet, but don't have the time or inclination to prepare anything. I've also used these when traveling on business; they're a vast improvement over airport food, and certainly better all around than what they give you on an airplane as a "snack".