WHAT you eat

Most post on here talk about how many calories you're eating vs burning. It matters just as much what you eat (generally speaking). I see posts encouraging people to keep up the good work when they are posting their food log as including mayo, sour cream, pecans, marshmallos and the likes all in the same day. Encouraging is good - turning a blind eye to nutrition is not!

People come here who don't know what they should be eating, so let's give them some examples of what a great healthy day would look like ....

What are your healthy foods that you eat every day?

Some of my basic daily staples are: cottage cheese, yogurt, whole cereal/oats, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, veggie burger on whole wheat (skip the condiments)

Original Post by johnnypenso:

Mars, where there's a will there's a way!!! I refuse to believe that everyone doesn't have the time.  I don't know anyone that doesn't have the time, but I know lots of people that do have the time and don't use it wisely.   If eating healthy is a priority you make the time, just like you make the time to do everything else in your life that's important to you. 

Of course moving towards healthy eating is a wonderful goal, but maybe it's just me, but I'm not willing to settle for a half victory.  Losing weight was never my goal, getting healthier was, the weight loss just happened as a natural result of that.   I don't always have time to cook either, I sometimes work long hours, I'm sometimes dead tired when I get home, but I already know that ahead of time, so when I have the time, like a Sunday afternoon while watching football with my buddies, I'll can up 7 litres of chili I put in the slow cooker the previous afternoon (15 minutes using a food processor to cut up stuff) in about 15 minutes.   7 litres is 14 meals for most people, my chili is very thick, so that's 14 meals in 25 minutes or 2 minutes per meal.   Yes, they all used to laugh at me, but no one laughs when the chili is being served...lol.   So when I'm too busy to cook, I go down into the cold room, pull out a jar of my favourite and in 2 minutes in the microwave or 5 minutes on the stove, voila, instant, healthy, delcious food.  

My son doesn't live with me, but up until last year when he started working, he spent most of his summers here with me.  He ate what I ate, he had no choice.  He never complained and in fact, he used to complain to his mother that he wanted more food like he got at Dad's.  I think there's a misconception that eating healthy is all broccoli and brown rice and it tastes like crap...lol.  I used to think the same thing.   It's just not true.  When you cut out the sugar, unnecessarily high salt content, the processed foods, your taste buds adjust and you can enjoy natural foods much more than if you still include processed foods in your diet.  I think that's why people say they can't do without chocolate cake or ice cream because if you always have it around as an option, if you believe you "have to have it" or "it's ok to indulge", then your taste buds will always be poisoned in a sense that cake=sweet as opposed to what is natural which is fruit=sweet, because worldwide, fruit is about the sweetest thing you can eat regularly.

Any progess one makes towards healthier eating is good and should be congratulated.  But I will never believe that anyone is so busy that they can't cut out all processed food, if it's important to them.  Most of my friends think that way too, and most of them have a lot more free time than I do.  It's just more important to me than it is to them.

Hi, johnnypenso, I think I'm one of those people that this forum was created for. It's not that I don't have the time or am unwilling to put forth effort, I just don't know how to get all unprocessed foods out of my life. I don't eat out, I've cut that out completely. So, I cook all meals at home. I consider myself a pretty good cook and I'm constantly looking for new healthy recipes online. But I just don't know how to make my own italian dressings or can my own food. I don't own a canner and don't have the first clue on where to get one, which one is best, what all I'd need, what food you can and can't can, let alone recipes for canning. I've seen some canning recipes just by chance happenings looking for other recipes and it sounds Greek to me, I don't understand it at all. I need more education on that and with more research, one day that may happen. But for now I'm eating as healthy as I can with the resources I have.

Ashlyn

Original Post by jessicasbc:

Original Post by jessrene:

Original Post by sybil878:

Original Post by jenny91638:

Original Post by sybil878:

There is nothing wrong with mayo, sour cream or especially pecans.. Marshmallows Yes that's junk food.   Maybe it's time we all learned what healthy foods really are.  

 

 

Perhaps you can educate me then on the health benefits of sour cream? Or mayo? What % of your daily nutrients are you getting from these fat bombs?

 

 some people prefer to use full fat foods because the low fat version have more sugars.  also, full fat foods are more satisfying, which helps to prevent overeating.  there is nothing wrong with eating full fat foods in moderation, and it seems that the only time i ever get full enough to actually eat in moderation, is when i eat real foods vs. the low fat versions.

 Refer to post #39 where I already stated that light versions often have more sugar than the original. That's why I prefer not to eat either one at all - they bring nothing nutritionally to the table. If the full fat foods you're referring to are things like olive oil, flax or salmon then yes, they are good in moderation. In fact the good oils in olive oil have a lot chemically to do with feeling satisfied and full - so that's a scientifically proven fact. If the full fat foods you're referring to are sour cream or mayo then they aren't really good for you (at least it wouldn't be a recommended source of nutrients ... unless you can point me to a study concluding that everyone should eat more sour cream) - they are just adding flavor and fat. Empty, saturated fat in full fat ... sugar in low fat ... pick your poison.

Johnny, I totally agree that not having the time is really code for not having the desire. Anyone who says they don't have time should evaluate how much TV they watch in a day or how much time they spend on here. Cooking brown rice might take an hour of cook time, but it takes about 30 seconds of prep time. I cook a lot on the weekends too and if I ever get caught without having prepared ahead and have no lunch it's easy to stay on track and hit subway for a veggie sub on whole wheat (without sauses) or grab an apple out of the fridge for a snack. Planning ahead is important.

i believe saturated fat is better than sugar.  but i already know that that opinion isnt very popular on this website. 

i am a firm believer that WHAT you eat matters.  I believe in eating whole foods and eating as naturally as possible, but after many years of diet failures, i also know better than to get on my high horse and lecture people for not being 100% perfect.   If eating a little of something bad helps a person from eating a lot of something else thats bad, then you cant fault them for that. 

Plus, how many people actually have the time to sit down for a half an hour and calculate exact percentages of their daily nutrients and what not, and prepare meals based on how many nutrients they still need for the day.   Maybe some people do, but thats not realistic for everyone either.

Oh, I'm all for cutting out processed foods completely, I'm just not there yet lol. I noticed how much better I felt when I found natural thing to replace the "crap" I used to eat, so I know I will feel even better. The first thing I ever did was stop eating those refridgerated lunches- I forget what they are called... Then I stopped sprinkling sugar on my cereal, now fruit tastes so sweet to me. And so on. Most recent change- switching to steel-cut and rolled oats. It's definitely one of my goals though and hopefully I will meet it in the near future. Right now I have other health matters to deal with. 

Original Post by jessicasbc:

but after many years of diet failures, i also know better than to get on my high horse and lecture people for not being 100% perfect.  

Plus, how many people actually have the time to sit down for a half an hour and calculate exact percentages of their daily nutrients and what not, and prepare meals based on how many nutrients they still need for the day.   Maybe some people do, but thats not realistic for everyone either.

Holy cow - how many times do I need to say in one thread - no one is saying anyone is perfect 100% of the time. We are talking about suggesting healthy choices to people who post that they've derailed from their diet or are asking where improvments can be made. Obviously there is a lagre continuium of what people describe as healthy.

It doesn't take half an hour to plan out a good meal plan for the day ... especially once you know the nutritional values of what you're eating ... do I know exactly how many grams of sodium I have in my diet? No. Do I know that it's less than the daily recomended value - yes. Do I know exactly how much fat I'm eating every day - no. But after using the tools here I know what it averages around and that it's at the level I want - yes. Do I know exactly how many grams of fiber I eat - no. Do I know that it's at least the daily recomended minimum - yep. I do a quick test that everything's on track every few days and make smart choices. I have regular foods that I know the stats on and that they are good choices and so long as I stick to those good choices I'm good.

I think it's a shame that some people on CC seem to look down on others for their food choices. No one is 100 percent perfect all the time. A little mayo or sour cream is not going to make or break your diet ("diet" being the foods you eat every day). I'd say I eat a pretty clean, healthy diet but there's not a single food I consider off-limits. Some like to demonize saturated fat - but it's not an all-or-nothing sort of thing. The majority of my fats are "good" fats from olive oil, nuts, avocados, salmon etc but I eat eggs and sometimes have full-fat cheese. It just tastes better to me. The other day was my mother-in-law's birthday and she had an ice cream cake. I had a piece of that and didn't feel badly about it at all. Some may say that I put "inferior" ingredients into my body, refined sugar, saturated fat, all that. You know what? I don't care. My cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure are all excellent and I am at a perfectly healthy, if not ideal, weight for me. Even if I wasn't, I think it's in poor taste to look down your nose at those who dare to eat foods you wouldn't touch. You're "disappointed"? Really? Come on. Why don't you worry about yourself and stop trying to evangelize.

Original Post by sybil878:

Original Post by jessicasbc:

but after many years of diet failures, i also know better than to get on my high horse and lecture people for not being 100% perfect.  

Plus, how many people actually have the time to sit down for a half an hour and calculate exact percentages of their daily nutrients and what not, and prepare meals based on how many nutrients they still need for the day.   Maybe some people do, but thats not realistic for everyone either.

Holy cow - how many times do I need to say in one thread - no one is saying anyone is perfect 100% of the time. We are talking about suggesting healthy choices to people who post that they've derailed from their diet or are asking where improvments can be made. Obviously there is a lagre continuium of what people describe as healthy.

 Somewhere along the way it turned into being snobby about other people's choices.   Didnt you suggest that people stop watching tv and spend more time preparing healthy foods in one of your recent posts?

A lot of people on this site recommend healthy choices and manage to not come off as condescending....

It has been interesting sitting back most of the day reading the comments as they come up and I will not critisize anyone for their comments or decisions.  I will however congradulate everyone for wanting to do better! No matter what your challanges are if you can improve your health by just a little then good on you! I too am a very busy business owner and fly across the country on business every week.  14 days ago while in the air I had a heart attack and thanks to the airline, the medical student on board, the EMS at the airport and the doctors and nurses at the hospital I survived.  I have always been too busy to take the time to count calories but have always worked out expecting everything to be fine. As I was lying on the table in the operating room (awake and aware) while they were inserting a stint into my heart to allow the flow of blood back I thought to myself my time has just run out.  Being under the age of 50 and finding out that partly because of the foods I have been eating (cholesterol & Sodium) I will now have to be on medication for the rest of my life was not easy. They discovered that in addition to the blockage that caused my heart attack I have an additional 7 partial blockages in my heart that could act up at any time.  It has been 14 days now since I have had a burger, Fries, Pizza, ice cream or any other fast food.  The fattest thing that I have had is Becel and I sure am enjoying it and have already lost 11 lbs. I have always had that invinsible attitude thinking if I can run a few miles a day I am healthy as a horse. So celibrate your successes, self endulde if that is what you want to do, loose weight or get healthy but remember you only have one body so look after it. I just got back from my doctors office and he told me that I was luck to have survived and I am going to smell the roses that are on my kitchen table and go for a walk because he told me that I can!!!  By the way here is what I ate so far today.

Breakfast - one peice Rye toast, one gals skim milk, 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/2 grapefruit.

Lunch - Chicken noodle soup, tomato sandwich on non flower bread and cauliflower.

Snack - one apple

Supper will be fish, wild rice, salad, broccoli, snap peas, carrots and skim milk.

Desert will be No fat yogurt and straberries!!

All of this is just under 1600 calories and under 200 mg cholesterol and less than 1500 mg sodium!

Original Post by jessicasbc:

Somewhere along the way it turned into being snobby about other people's choices.   Didnt you suggest that people stop watching tv and spend more time preparing healthy foods in one of your recent posts?

A lot of people on this site recommend healthy choices and manage to not come off as condescending....

Actually what I suggested is that if people say they are too busy to prepare healthy foods then they should evaluate how much TV they watch ... in other words use that time to take care of preparing healthy food. I both workout and make meals while watching TV. As Johnny said, he makes chili while watching football. It's about finding the time, everyone in the developed world can say they are too busy - we are all busy. If no one steps forward and says it is possible, I do it,  then people won't think it's possible.  Somebody has to say that it can be done. That doesn't mean that I pass judgement on anyone who doesn't, it just means that it can be done.

All I was trying to do with this post was suggest foods people can go to for easy, good for you foods. Go back and read the original post - it was on encouraging healthy alternatives and helping others learn about other options people are using to meet their goals. It was about people posting for help and not receiving feedback on good alternatives. It was about educating people here on good foods - when they've asked. I don't pass judgement on anyone who wants to eat any specific foods, I'm only suggesting that when people ask for help and are disappointed with what they've eaten that we step up and give them some alternatives and tips for improving what they've eaten.

Original Post by lpginc:

It has been interesting sitting back most of the day reading the comments as they come up and I will not critisize anyone for their comments or decisions.  I will however congradulate everyone for wanting to do better! No matter what your challanges are if you can improve your health by just a little then good on you! I too am a very busy business owner and fly across the country on business every week.  14 days ago while in the air I had a heart attack and thanks to the airline, the medical student on board, the EMS at the airport and the doctors and nurses at the hospital I survived.  I have always been too busy to take the time to count calories but have always worked out expecting everything to be fine. As I was lying on the table in the operating room (awake and aware) while they were inserting a stint into my heart to allow the flow of blood back I thought to myself my time has just run out.  Being under the age of 50 and finding out that partly because of the foods I have been eating (cholesterol & Sodium) I will now have to be on medication for the rest of my life was not easy. They discovered that in addition to the blockage that caused my heart attack I have an additional 7 partial blockages in my heart that could act up at any time.  It has been 14 days now since I have had a burger, Fries, Pizza, ice cream or any other fast food.  The fattest thing that I have had is Becel and I sure am enjoying it and have already lost 11 lbs. I have always had that invinsible attitude thinking if I can run a few miles a day I am healthy as a horse. So celibrate your successes, self endulde if that is what you want to do, loose weight or get healthy but remember you only have one body so look after it. I just got back from my doctors office and he told me that I was luck to have survived and I am going to smell the roses that are on my kitchen table and go for a walk because he told me that I can!!!  By the way here is what I ate so far today.

Breakfast - one peice Rye toast, one gals skim milk, 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/2 grapefruit.

Lunch - Chicken noodle soup, tomato sandwich on non flower bread and cauliflower.

Snack - one apple

Supper will be fish, wild rice, salad, broccoli, snap peas, carrots and skim milk.

Desert will be No fat yogurt and straberries!!

All of this is just under 1600 calories and under 200 mg cholesterol and less than 1500 mg sodium!

 

I'm glad you shared this with us lpginc, this is after all what's it's all about. Taking care of our bodies. Glad you're still with us. I know so many people who have similar stories as you but were not so lucky (probably because they didn't run or exercise along with eating foods that contributed to heart problems, etc)

I watch my father every day get more and more depressed at his poor health and immobility ... and at 72, it's too late for him to make any significant change to his health, his systems are just going to fail one by one and he will die a slow painful death. You just don't see many 300 pound 80 year olds - and there's a reason for it.   

Original Post by allnaturalgirl02:

I think it's a shame that some people on CC seem to look down on others for their food choices. No one is 100 percent perfect all the time.

 Ok, am I speaking a different language here or what. Haven't I said about a thousand times in this thread that we are not talking about being perfect 100% of the time. I feel like a broken record.

I stand corrected, but I absolutely stand by everything else that I said.

And good for you for stand up.  No one should feel looked down on for speaking their mind.  OK I am really going for my walk now!  Have a great eveing everyone!

Rick

Original Post by sybil878:

Original Post by lpginc:

It has been interesting sitting back most of the day reading the comments as they come up and I will not critisize anyone for their comments or decisions.  I will however congradulate everyone for wanting to do better! No matter what your challanges are if you can improve your health by just a little then good on you! I too am a very busy business owner and fly across the country on business every week.  14 days ago while in the air I had a heart attack and thanks to the airline, the medical student on board, the EMS at the airport and the doctors and nurses at the hospital I survived.  I have always been too busy to take the time to count calories but have always worked out expecting everything to be fine. As I was lying on the table in the operating room (awake and aware) while they were inserting a stint into my heart to allow the flow of blood back I thought to myself my time has just run out.  Being under the age of 50 and finding out that partly because of the foods I have been eating (cholesterol & Sodium) I will now have to be on medication for the rest of my life was not easy. They discovered that in addition to the blockage that caused my heart attack I have an additional 7 partial blockages in my heart that could act up at any time.  It has been 14 days now since I have had a burger, Fries, Pizza, ice cream or any other fast food.  The fattest thing that I have had is Becel and I sure am enjoying it and have already lost 11 lbs. I have always had that invinsible attitude thinking if I can run a few miles a day I am healthy as a horse. So celibrate your successes, self endulde if that is what you want to do, loose weight or get healthy but remember you only have one body so look after it. I just got back from my doctors office and he told me that I was luck to have survived and I am going to smell the roses that are on my kitchen table and go for a walk because he told me that I can!!!  By the way here is what I ate so far today.

Breakfast - one peice Rye toast, one gals skim milk, 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/2 grapefruit.

Lunch - Chicken noodle soup, tomato sandwich on non flower bread and cauliflower.

Snack - one apple

Supper will be fish, wild rice, salad, broccoli, snap peas, carrots and skim milk.

Desert will be No fat yogurt and straberries!!

All of this is just under 1600 calories and under 200 mg cholesterol and less than 1500 mg sodium!

 

I'm glad you shared this with us lpginc, this is after all what's it's all about. Taking care of our bodies. Glad you're still with us. I know so many people who have similar stories as you but were not so lucky (probably because they didn't run or exercise along with eating foods that contributed to heart problems, etc)

I watch my father every day get more and more depressed at his poor health and immobility ... and at 72, it's too late for him to make any significant change to his health, his systems are just going to fail one by one and he will die a slow painful death. You just don't see many 300 pound 80 year olds - and there's a reason for it.   

Wow!! That post was just really depressing for me!! I know that this is not what this forum is all about but I've watched my grandpa go to a wheelchair and loose all hope in the last year. He's 77 years old and around 300 lbs. and I've told him you can get healthy, you can have a better quality of life, you can!!! You're never too old to help yourslef live a healthier life. DON'T GIVE UP ON HIM!!! My granpa is slowly gaining back his strength. His emotions seem more stable since getting adequate nutrition and physical care(he takes physical therapy 5 days a week). His physical therapy gives him renewed confidence and boosts his self-esteem cuz he doesn't feel so helpless anymore. He's doing really well and is loosing weight faster than I am. Please, it's never too late!!!!

Ashlyn

Boy, this has turned into a very interesting thread full of good debate!  So many valid points and great advice.  As to who is right or wrong, I'm not sure there is a right answer here.  As lpginc so simply just informed us after nearly losing his life through excess and bad choices, "celebrate your successes, lose weight or get healthy, but remember you only have one body so look after it."

Since kindal has already shared that she was the 'chicken salad' person, I hope she doesn't mind that I do a quick followup.  I'm going to step forward and confess to being one of the people who gave kindalkudos for a job well done on the now infamous 'chicken salad' post that started this.    Following is what I posted.  Keep in mind that this was on the Motivation site and the topic was "Motivation/Support Needed please help."

My response to her post was:

Isn't it absolutely amazing how fast calories add up even when you are eating pretty good.  Stop and think a minute..... if this is how many calories I've consumed when trying to be good, how many did I consume when I wasn't counting or paying attention?  YIKES!!!

Is it any wonder some of us ended up on the heavy side!!! 

Having a bit of breakfast would have been ideal, but I know what you mean about not being hungry due to cramps.  The chicken salad sounds great except for the sour cream and the raisin bread, which tends to be high in calories.  And those darn marshmallows!  I use to 'nibble' on them as a no-fat sweet, but I often ended up eating more then I thought.

The fact is, kindal, you ARE counting calories and watching portions, so you get big kudos for that!  Keep it up and you'll soon learn more about what to exchange for things such as that sour cream, and you'll start noticing when you are or aren't eating your fruits and veggies.  It takes patience.

Keep going.  You'll be okay.  And don't forget that water!

Where was I coming from?  I started this journey at 400 pounds.  I was lucky to have one of those 'lightbulb' moments one day and traded in all the junk food and processed foods for whole foods.  This came after years of people telling me 'don't put that in your mouth' or 'why don't you ask for the salad instead.'  I KNEW I was making bad choices, but at the time I didn't need people telling me what to eat or not to eat.  The food made me feel good and filled an emotional void.  It took me taking a good long look at myself and what it was that I really wanted and needed to make the turnaround.

Now that I've been eating healthy for three years, I appreciate the advice about good food choices that at one time I hated hearing because it made me feel like a failure.

So when I see posts like kindal's, I stop and ponder what kind of advice or motivation the person is seeking.  I'm the first person to admit that I am in no way a fitness or nutrition expert, but I am one of the lucky ones who is winning the weight loss battle (check out my profile pics) through good nutrition and exercise.  And, thanks to this journey, I was able to detect that I had the early stages of kidney cancer.  Hence my desire to help motivate people whenever I feel comfortable doing so.

Wow!  Sorry for babbling on!  Can you tell I'm passionate about this? 

sybil878, thank you for starting this thread.  I'm sure it turned into a bit more then you expected, but the responses have been enlightening.  I hope that in spite of some of the comments that sound a bit confrontational, people realize that you care about good nutrition and spreading the news.  Eating whole foods is such an easy concept, so....... 

I could ramble on even more and share with everyone how I make quick and easy meals of steamed veggies, lean protein, etc., but that would take up another entire page!  LOL

Original Post by ashmommyof2:

Wow!! That post was just really depressing for me!! I know that this is not what this forum is all about but I've watched my grandpa go to a wheelchair and loose all hope in the last year. He's 77 years old and around 300 lbs. and I've told him you can get healthy, you can have a better quality of life, you can!!! You're never too old to help yourslef live a healthier life. DON'T GIVE UP ON HIM!!! My granpa is slowly gaining back his strength. His emotions seem more stable since getting adequate nutrition and physical care(he takes physical therapy 5 days a week). His physical therapy gives him renewed confidence and boosts his self-esteem cuz he doesn't feel so helpless anymore. He's doing really well and is loosing weight faster than I am. Please, it's never too late!!!!

Ashlyn

Thanks for the kind words Ashlyn - you're right, he could make improvements if he drastically changed his habits, but unfortunately he's also done a lot of permanent damage to his nervous system and liver that will not likely get better even if he did lose weight. I know he could have a better quality of life if he adopted a healthy lifestyle, but sadly he's got himself convinced that all his problems are because he's old and not because he's unhealthy and overweight. Denial is hard to overcome and it just isn't worth making him feel bad about himself at this point. I've tried to get both my parents to adopt a healthier lifestyle my entire life ... to no avail.

That's awesome that you're grandpa is doing so well - it's especially important to be mentally engaged in life and it sounds like he's totally on board and getting better! I hope he continues to improve :)

Quick segue on the original topic.....  Hearing what sybil and ashmommy are doing to help their relatives is so refreshing.   They obviously love these people and want to help them however they can.

I'm sure we've all watched those programs showing morbidly obese people who are so big they can't leave their beds.  When I think of their enablers who provide them with tons of food, it makes me want to scream!  Now THERE is something I just don't understand.

kaufmkk, you are truly inspirational.

sybil, no hard feelings.  i know your intentions are good and you are just trying to help people be healthy.  i just know that getting healthy is a very personal process so i dont like it when people start making generalizations about what is right, better, or easy to do.  everyone moves at a different pace and sometimes on a different path.

edit:  kaufmkk, i just looked at your profile and im going to have to say it again:  you are truly inspirational!  its amazing to see the progress that you've made.  its makes me feel hopeful.  you are awesome and congratulations!!!!!

Sybil878, You're very welcome and thank you.

Hugs, Ashlyn

Original Post by kaufmkk:

Since kindal has already shared that she was the 'chicken salad' person, I hope she doesn't mind that I do a quick followup.  I'm going to step forward and confess to being one of the people who gave kindalkudos for a job well done on the now infamous 'chicken salad' post that started this.    Following is what I posted.  Keep in mind that this was on the Motivation site and the topic was "Motivation/Support Needed please help."

My response to her post was:

Isn't it absolutely amazing how fast calories add up even when you are eating pretty good.  Stop and think a minute..... if this is how many calories I've consumed when trying to be good, how many did I consume when I wasn't counting or paying attention?  YIKES!!!

Is it any wonder some of us ended up on the heavy side!!! 

Having a bit of breakfast would have been ideal, but I know what you mean about not being hungry due to cramps.  The chicken salad sounds great except for the sour cream and the raisin bread, which tends to be high in calories.  And those darn marshmallows!  I use to 'nibble' on them as a no-fat sweet, but I often ended up eating more then I thought.

The fact is, kindal, you ARE counting calories and watching portions, so you get big kudos for that!  Keep it up and you'll soon learn more about what to exchange for things such as that sour cream, and you'll start noticing when you are or aren't eating your fruits and veggies.  It takes patience.

Keep going.  You'll be okay.  And don't forget that water!

 Thank you for this Kaufmkk - I totally appreciate where you are coming from and what you mean about the type of motivation/support that someone is looking for. You're right, some times people just need emotional support. I think we can give both emotional support and good health advice at the same time.

The ironic thing is that I wasn't referring to your post - lol. Your post was good, suggesting breakfast and giving kudos for what she was doing right. I had no issues with what you had said. It was the next poster said:

"It sounds like you are making pretty good choices, and you are obviously aware of your intake - so I'd say you are doing great!"

That response didn't address the fact that she was starving because she had eaten all of her calories in high fat foods that didn't keep her full and didn't suggest any alternatives for good foods. Although the good intent could be implyied in the response, someone who doesn't know about foods or is just starting to learn might think that this is good and they should try to follow that menu.

Congratulations on losing so much weight kaufmkk, that's no small task. And you're right - this turned into more than I had intended for - lol. And thanks again for the understanding that my intent was to give positive examples to help people, not to pass judgement on anyone.