Posts by broaster07

Two of my favorites are bean stew and tuna puffs.

Bean Stew -- A quick meal Anytime:

Microwave 1 or 2 red potatoes; about 6 minutes or until soft.  Don't forget to poke holes in the potatoes and wrap in a paper towel to get them steamed.

In a large pot or wok, add 1 cup of chopped broccoli and 1 cup of water or low sodium stock,and put on to boil.

As the water heats up, add 1/2 cup of cooked or canned beans (I use pintos, garbanzos, or lentils made from dry 1/2 bag at a time).

Add a teaspoon or so of chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder, or whatever spices you like.

When the potatoes are done, dice them up and add them to the stew, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of flour into 1/2 cup of water

Bring the heat back up on the stew, and when starting to boil, stir in flour and water to thicken the stew.  I also add some white pepper for added flavor.

Reduce heat, simmer and serve.

You can also put in a Cali blend or spinach, or kale instead of the broccoli.

This meal takes about 15 minutes to make from scratch, so it is good for lunch or dinner.  You can also make more portions at the same time, by multiplying the recipe; stew always tastes better after a night in the fridge.

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Tuna Puffs: Another quick recipe for one or two.

Microwave two small red potatoes or one large, about 6 minutes

Dice potatoes and put into a large bowl or food processor.

Add one can of tuna, one egg, and two tablespoons of flour.

Season to taste and mix until well blended.

I use a GT Express oven to bake the mixture

In a toaster or conventional oven, preheat to 350F

Grease a small multi-compartment baking pan (like a muffin pan) and add the mixture

Bake until it passes the "toothpick test" about 15 minutes.

This recipe makes two servings.

You could dice up the cooked chicken breast as well, and then measure out one  cup; that is 231 calories according to Calorie Counter for 4.9 ounces/ 140 grams.  Cut the portion accordingly to how many calories you want to have.

Look into beans as an alternate source of protein.  I like to half-half meat and beans (garbanzos or pintos) in a chilli like blend.

Original Post by peebeegee:

We've all been there.

....A boy, my friend I will name John, was getting picked on... again. This time it was from cousins. That's right, his family. (small towns means a lot of family goes to school with you). They picked on him relentlessly, like usual. They threw food at him, and it hit him in the face. Now there was a group of people (I don't remember the number, but above 10). laughing. His face turned red. He slipped out a knife from his pocket. Very small, triangular blade, and lunged. He cut the oldest cousins neck (more than a scratch, stiches required). Me and the guy sitting next to me (Both of us fit at the time) Pulled John off the boy, grabbed the knife, and by the time we had the knife the principal was already there. We spent the next 3 weeks with psychologists and police to get the truth.

 

Yikes.

So what are your t houghts on bullying?

 

Bullies usually come from dysfunctional, abusive familes.

My neighbor was a bully; I couldn't win a fight with him and his mother's opinion was "boys will be boys."  Meanwhile, she was a high standing member of the church.

That's why victims take guns or knives into school: to extract the rough justice that the school, parents, and police fail to provide.

In Newark, NJ a boy was knocked down and pounded by a dozen other boys.  No doubt he has fantasies about bringing a Glock into school and getting revenge.

Not only should the child be charged, but the parents as well.  If you didn't know what your child was doing, then you're not doing your job.

Original Post by emmykate88:

Hey.  I was just curious if any of those in-progress people out there have any...hesitations about what might await them in their thinner life.  Here are some of mine:

1. I'm afraid I'm going to turn into one of those people who judges overweight people for not losing the weight

2. On some deep level, I feel like I'm proving right all those people that made fun of me when I was little.

3.  I've never had a serious relationship.  I'm afraid that, if I do meet someone AFTER I've gone through this journey, I'll always be wondering, "But where were you when I was fat?"

Those are the big 3.  I'm sure there are more.  What about you?

My answers to your three concerns as they apply to me:

1) Winston Churchil came out of a bar quite drunk.  A London dowager stopped him and said "Sir Winston, you're drunk!"  Churchil responded "And you, Madame are ugly, but in the morning I will be sober." 

How you feel about people doesn't change overnight.  If you had an inner dislike of overweight people, it was probably been there all along.

2) Worrying about what people think has been part of the hive mentality that has plagued this country for years.  Are you losing weight for them or for yourself?  If it is the former, the means justify the end and you will probably not keep the weight off. 

If you are losing weight because you want to, and feel better with the pounds off, than dismiss those "I told you so" people as hurtful.  I didn't loose a pound until I decided I was ready.  People who say to me "Don't you feel so much better now?"  get my answer of "No.  I feel like I always do."  

Loosing weight has meant changing my eating habits, having to find the money to get clothes that fit,  and I have lost a MAJOR coping mechanism--being able to stuff myself with comfort food.  I accept that, so to me it's a push in the feel better department.

3) People who judge you by your looks are best to be avoided; however, that cannot always be the case--such as when you interview for a job. 

The main thing, though, is how you feel about you.  I've always been comfortable in my own skin--no matter how much there was of it.

I've had friends for all the years I put on weight.  One said nothing, one gained weight along with me, and one gently suggested I loose the weight but wasn't critical about it.

My fat was my insulation against the cruelties of the world that I first experienced in Jr. High School and continued to experience into my twenties. 

I had two fiances leave me for people they could sponge off of while I was going to school, so I gave up the social scene.

Food became my friend.  I ate and drank to excess and stuffed myself with doughnuts and coffee to combat the stress in the office.

I hit rock bottom this past March, and started to loose weight for me.  I've lost 77 pounds and there has been no earth shattering revelations; just as there were none as I gained weight. 

I may "fit in" a little more now as I reduce towards "normal" size, but that's only appearances.  One of the worst times of my life was when I was textbook size: 6 foot one inch and 190 pounds; some of the best time has been when I was 275 pounds.

It's all a matter of perception and attitude.

Liz, you may want to see a health professional eventually, but in the meanwhile, it will take time for your body to adjust to accepting calories and you will need time to adjust to eating more and being accepting of it.

My suggestion is to eat less more often: I would look at liquid meals to boost nutrients.  As a funny aside, a friend of mine drank a Slim "shake" after his breakfast and was complaining about gaining weight! 

Liquid supplements would be the easiest way for you to boost nutrients.

Just remember, it will take time for you to see results.  Don't look for big changes in a week or even a month.  Weigh yourself weekly, and exercise lightly to stay toned.

Finally, love yourself and accept your process as a journey. Record your thoughts  about your progress; add pictures of healthy people in clothes you like and picture yourself looking as beautiful as can be.

You can also keep a journal about it--writing stuff down (even if no one but you sees it; even erase it or throw away the paper after) can help.  See if there are any peer groups you can go to to share your recovery.

Best of luck, and keep up the good work.

No matter how you slice it, each serving of alcohol will be 100 to 150 calories plus the mixer (and the food).

The only saving grace will be all the extra activities you will be doing--swimming, hiking, dancing or other outdoor activities. 

If there is a gym or workout area, see if you can do a Zumba class, or go dancing, or jogging.  A 30 minute workout should burn off a moderate amount of alcohol calories.

Enjoy.

Original Post by zara911:

cornflakes with banana breakfast cookie as snack sandwich and crisps for lunch yoghurt and apple snack bread and soup for dinner i think its gone fine until this happens:

slice of banana bread, 1 piece chocolate cake.

2 petit pain and bread muffin with jam.

2 chocolate bars.

1 snack chocolate cake, 1 piece of bread, 2 petit pains.

1.5 litres of water.

i want to stop and want to lose weight.. :(

I believe you should be eating more healthy food as well.  The breakfast is OK (about 350 calories), the sandwich might be ok, depending what's on it (about 300 cals for a typical sandwich), but the bread and soup aren't fully balance (about 200 calories), although the apple and yogurt (200 calories) help.  It looks like you're consuming about 1200 to 1500 calories a day.

Crisps are mostly fat and salt and they're about 150 calories.

If you're logging your food, see if you're meeting at least 90% of your RDA for nutrients.  I would add in a multivitamin and maybe fish oil.

Again without your weight and height it's only guessing, but schedule 75% of recommended caloric intake for meals and 20% more for snacks.

In my case, I started at 6'0", 345 pounds.  CC told me I burned about 2900 calories daily, and could eat 2100.  I kept my caloric intake to 1950 calories, sometimes as low as 1800; however, I ate lower calorie, filling foods: I am down to 295 pounds after 5 months, and am continuing to loose weight.

My main filling foods are plain baked potatoes (great for potassium and fiber) beans--pintos and garbanzos work best for me, broccoli,  bananas, dried apricots, dried prunes, and apples.

My breakfasts vary between oat meal w/ banana to egg beaters w/ wheat toast.

Lunch can be some kind of beans, meat or fish plus potatoes, vegetables and maybe some dried fruit.

Dinner is again beans, or maybe meat or fish, vegetables and potatoes, or rice. 

Sometimes I have a Lean Cuisine meal, or even a single serve pizza.

The main thing is I keep my foods balanced, avoid fried foods, fast foods, soda, and almost all ice cream. 

I have yogurt with my apples a few nights a week, and when I make room for it, I even treat myself to a small piece of cake (reduced fat devil dog).

Green tea--the real brewed stuff, not the fake canned junk with corn syrup sweeteners--is also good.  It helps curb your appetite.  Make it strong and drink it hot or cold.

I was an emotional eater, so I've been confronting demons as well.  When I'm stressed out, I also want to eat, but I've gotten that habit mostly under control.

I either eat an apple or I have a jar of sauerkraut on hand and make myself eat a few tablespoons of that to kill my appetite.

Hope these thoughts help.

If fresh, I wash, then blanch my collards. From frozen, I just wash them.

Dice up some onion (1/2 an onion should do) and crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.

I then heat my wok, add some oil, and "season" it with the diced onion and crushed garlic.

While the pan is heating, I cut my collards into strips that are manageable on a fork.  A few zips with a chef's knife will do this task.

When the onion is soft, I add in the collard, tossing it until softened, then I reduce the heat, add 1/4 cup of water to the blend, give it a few more tosses, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

On an electric range, you could just shut off the element, and let it cook in the residual heat.

Seasoning is up to you.  I use some chilli powder, or you can try some mustard.  These can be added to portions after cooking, so feel free to experiment.  Duck sauce can offer a sweet contrast to the slightly bitter collard. 

You can also crumble some bacon on top, post cooking, for that "down home" flavor.

Original Post by stargazer1:
<snip>

Ok so which is worse... the plastic cheese sandwich or the canned tomato soup?

Oh Gawd.  Even to my low brow tastes, the tomato soup can stay in the can.  But this is worthy of another tread.

Original Post by bagga:

I think sammich is a real word in Wisconsin.

That was my aunt's welcome into the home: "have sammich"  From good old Perth Amboy, NJ circa 1970-80?