Hi All

I am overweight and really wanting to lose it without paying several hundred dollars to eat prepackeaged foods. I need help in how to find healthy recipes that my husband nad I will actually eat and stick too!!! Please help. 

Are you looking for just diet or exercise as well? It will be hard with just diet, well it will be hard either way but harder with just diet.

Here is a website that shows women that have lost a lot of weight, they usually say what they did to accomplish it. Scroll through the list, there are hundreds.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_f.htm

Make sure your husband wants to change his eating habits as well. It will be extra hard if he isn't willing to change his lifestyle.

I think one of the easiest things to do is stick to whole foods and as few packaged/processed foods as possible. 

Example: dinner of grilled or broiled meat, 2 veg like broccoli and carrots - steamed with a spritz of olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan, a bit of whole grain something...rice, bread, other grain you like - experiment! 

Above is not very time consuming...watch portion sizes especially of the rice-bread-grain.

Split a fruit for dessert.

Soups and stews are good ways to incorporate whole foods and leftovers into a filling meal.  If you start with a good broth and add a bit of meat, beans, corn, peas, whatever leftover veg...whatever sounds good! - light on noodles and milk/cream.  I puree beans and a bit of red potato to add to the broth to make it "creamy".

Eat breakfast! - there are lots of breakfast ideas in posts on this site and breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast food.

The idea is to eat healthy-balanced meals and snacks regularly through the day. 

Keep a food journal - here or just write it down - helps you be aware of what you are eating and for me, makes me think twice about whether I'm really hungry or just craving something.  I did not cut out anything I loved - just moderated quantity.  It has got to be a lifestyle change to stick... and a slow transition i.e. baby steps works better for me than trying to change everything drastically at once.

As the above poster says - you also need to up activity a bit if you are not regularly active.

i heartily agree with sticking to whole foods and as few packaged ones as possible.  this means looking for wheat pastas and breads, veggies from the produce section or frozen in bags if you must (watch the sodium), and stay away from foods with high fructose corn syrup.   if you don't watch out for this already, you will be amazed what it is found in - pasta sauces, canned goods, crackers, breads (even "whole wheat" ones).  also less red meat and more soy, turkey (lean) and chicken.  and get a cheap kitchen scale and start measuring amounts of food. 

another good way to get ideas as you go forward is to count calories on this site.   i'd also recommend going to realage.com, honestly answer their realage test, print out their suggestions for better health, and get their email newsletter.  good, good stuff in it.  i've always considered myself on top of health issues, and continue to take pointers from them every week.  plus the calorie count on this site has so opened my eyes.

hopefully your husband is willing to help.  my husband and i signed up for calorie count together and have honestly had fun figuring meals out together every day. 

a workout tool i would recommend for the home is tony little's gazelle (google it).  my sister is a personal trainer and gym manager and she recommended it for our home use.  it's great for those just beginning to work out and all fitness levels can use it.  the basic one is $100 and is easy to put together and folds up nicely.  you can gazelle in front of the tube.  it keeps track of distance, calories burned, and time elapsed.  up the intensity simply by moving your body differently.

now, if you can offer me tips for quitting smoking - i've gone 24 hours - i'd be most grateful! 

laurar23

Original Post by laurar23:

now, if you can offer me tips for quitting smoking - i've gone 24 hours - i'd be most grateful! 

laurar23

 If you've made it 24 hours, you are doing well.  I used Chantix (perscription med) to help me quit.  It was expensive because my insurance didn't cover it (some do); cost about $150/month and I needed 3 months worth, but it's the only thing that worked for me so it was worth every penny.  If you are looking for ways to fend off the cravings, my MIL used pretzel rods to give her mouth and hand something to do.  They are low fat and apparently help.  I've heard of other people using lollipops, carrot stick, etc.  None of that worked for me though.  You could try the patch, but when I tried it all I did was take off the patch and smoke.  You might have better results though if you've already made it for 24 hours.  Good Luck!

Original Post by caverlady:

Original Post by laurar23:

now, if you can offer me tips for quitting smoking - i've gone 24 hours - i'd be most grateful! 

laurar23

 If you've made it 24 hours, you are doing well.  I used Chantix (perscription med) to help me quit.  It was expensive because my insurance didn't cover it (some do); cost about $150/month and I needed 3 months worth, but it's the only thing that worked for me so it was worth every penny.  If you are looking for ways to fend off the cravings, my MIL used pretzel rods to give her mouth and hand something to do.  They are low fat and apparently help.  I've heard of other people using lollipops, carrot stick, etc.  None of that worked for me though.  You could try the patch, but when I tried it all I did was take off the patch and smoke.  You might have better results though if you've already made it for 24 hours.  Good Luck!

Yep...I used Chantix, too.  One other thing that helps--get one of those kids bubble/bubble wand things.  You know...the bottle of soaply liquid that has the wand you dip into it and blow bubbles with?  That way you have something to play with in your hand (the wand instead of the cigarette) and you get to inhale/exhale when you blow bubbles. 

There are several people on CC+ that quit smoking.  Hang in there and let us know how you do.

the thing to remember about pre-packaged weight loss plans, is that they are really calorie-counters in disguise.

you can do all of it yourself. it's all about portion control. you can replace high-fat, high salt ingredients very easily.  the more you cook from scratch, the better the quality of the food, the more control you have over the final result.

would highly recommend really exploring this site. lot's of great recipes, lot's of great tools.

Good luck on your journey. :)

• ceasar dressing
• cesar dressing
• Cheddar Turkey Burgers
• cheddar turkey burgers
• cheese-vegetable spread
• chicken satay
• chickpea salad
• chili
• chocolate covered bananas
• chocolate muffins
• crust for quiche
• cucumber sesame salad
• curry peanut soup
• flat bread
• foccatia
• from scratch lasagna
• Garlicky White Beans with Spinach and Red Onion
• ginger pork stirfry
• gingered bananas
• glazed chicken with onions

A small portion of the foods i have entered into CC. All are really yummy and good for you... plus one or 2 that are a bit higher in Cal's, just dont make em too much.