Calorie Count
ElizabethTrying for a healthier lifestyle

Posts by elmfraser


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Forum Topic Date Replies
Vegetarian vegetarien pasta recipes Sep 07 2006
22:37 (UTC)
1
Easiest pasta ever: Dice up a bunch of garlic very finely, and saute in a little olive oil until it's just browning. Add in diced onions, saute until slightly caramelized, then add a bunch of diced peppers. Saute until the peppers are soft, then add some spinach. Wilt the spinach very lightly, then toss your pasta right into the pan, stir it all around for a couple of minutes so that the pasta soaks up the juices from the oil and the veggies, and plate. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese (or not, if you're vegan). So tasty, and full of veggies!
Recipes interesting salads? Sep 06 2006
02:12 (UTC)
35
Here are a couple I'm liking right now:

Finely diced cucumber, tomato, fresh mint and fresh parsley with a little olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and you could add some mild cheese if you wanted to.

Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, bell peppers, cucumber, pineapple, blueberries, and nuts.

Roasted veggies (I use zucchini, yellow summersquash, carrots, and red onion, roasted in the oven with just a drizzle of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar) on a bed of baby spinach.
Weight Loss Scar reduction... Aug 31 2006
13:34 (UTC)
1
Whether you're using Vitamin E oil, grapeseed oil, emu oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, or a commercial product that's specifically designed to help reduce scars (and I have used or know people who have used all of these with success), from what I understand, the key to getting rid of them is how much time you spend massaging the oil in. The massage helps break up the scar tissue so that the body can reabsorb it. That's really what gets rid of scarring, apparently. So slather on the oil but massage it in really well if you want to get best results.
Fitness What do you do when you HATE excercise? Aug 01 2006
02:25 (UTC)
12
I hate it too. I don't know if this will work for you, but I just...do it. I run three times a week for about half an hour. I hate it for that half hour. Every time, I wake up and think to myself, "do I really have to do this?" and I say, "yes, I do," and get my behind out of bed, lace up my sneakers, and get out and pound the pavement. I just remove NOT doing it from the list of acceptable options. And, much as I hate running, I DO like the feeling of being FINISHED running! So there's something, at least.
Vegetarian In dire need of new recipes Jul 24 2006
03:20 (UTC)
15
Lentils! Cook 'em in vegetable broth and whatever herbs/spices you like best, and throw in cut-up veggies of whatever variety you DO enjoy (I use carrots usually, plus maybe some apple diced small, or some nice crunchy radish, or really any vegetable that stands up pretty well to a warm environment) once they're just about done. You can also put in nuts, dried fruits, or seeds to make it a heartier meal. It fills you up, it's full of fibre and protein, and the vegetables aren't overpowering because there are so many other flavours and textures.
Weight Loss Pear shape question Jul 24 2006
03:17 (UTC)
5
Since you're pretty close to your goal, how about eating at your maintenance calories and just maintaining an active lifestyle? Those last couple of pounds should come off then, and you can tone up as you go so that your shape will balance out.
Foods Apples, apples... Everywhere... Jul 24 2006
00:43 (UTC)
5
The grading system is kind of messed up. Apples are good for you. Don't worry! OK, they're a little high in sugars, but it's natural fruit sugar. Eat them to your heart's content.
Foods Fat free pringles?? Jul 23 2006
23:48 (UTC)
10
Oh, I heard about that in the States a couple years ago...I thought they pulled it from the markets because it wasn't safe or something? (Well, obviously not, if it's in Pringles!) I know it's not approved for consumption here in the frozen north, though.
Foods Fat free pringles?? Jul 23 2006
14:40 (UTC)
18
OK, at the risk of sounding stupid...how the heck can Pringles be fat-free? I've never heard of this! (Maybe we don't have them in Canada?) Pringles are basically just potato and fat and flavouring, so...what do you get when you take out the fat?
Foods Kind of grodey.. Jul 23 2006
14:39 (UTC)
7
B vitamins! If you've just started taking the multivitamins, my moneys on the B vitamins for the Plutonium Pee, as I like to call it.
Vegetarian What my dad told me... Jul 23 2006
03:14 (UTC)
19
Your dad sounds like a considerate guy, and a wise one. YES--I do think vegetarians should be "discreet" about their eating habits, just like I think omnivores should be. That is, I don't want an omnivore telling me I should eat meat, or why THEY eat meat, or how good meat is, or how much healthier they feel since they started eating meat, or how good and nutrient-rich meat is, or any of those obnoxious things well-meaning vegetarians tell omnivores. I think it's irritating. Should you be able to communicate your values without being scrutinized by others? Heck yes! Should you do so without being asked? Heck no! I see no reason why anyone should volunteer their social, moral, ethical, health, or any other reasons for making what is essentially a completely personal and private decision to others without being directly asked--it's none of their business unless they and you want to make it so. Be proud all you want--proud (as I have learned, as a practitioner of numerous alternative lifestyles) doesn't always have to mean loud.
Maintaining Uh-oh... Jul 21 2006
18:30 (UTC)
2
The doctor was a hematologist, so he was only really concerned with my blood. I didn't ask about the weight thing at all. I never manage to eat 1800-2000...I usually hover around 1500. My maintenance level is 1700, but I jog for 20-25 minutes 3x a week, plus walk to work 5-6 days a week, plus I don't have a deskjob, so usually my calories are anywhere from 1800-2000, but I'm generally not eating all of them. I'm a little worried because (boys, cover your eyes) it's been 69 days as of today since I've had my period, and I know a girl who was anorexic and that's what happened to her. So I'm just a little worried.
Weight Loss Anorexic or drama queen? Jul 21 2006
16:42 (UTC)
1
Whether or not you're anorexic, if you're unhappy enough that you would be acting out in order to get attention, that's a problem, too! (I worry all the time about whether or not I'm trying to stir up drama, too, if that makes you feel better!) I would see a doctor about your mental AND physical health.

Be well.
Weight Loss Is It Rude?? Jul 21 2006
15:50 (UTC)
11
Well, I'm a little late, since you've already eaten it! But here are my $0.02 for anyone who's in this situation in the future--yes, it is rude. That doesn't mean you can't do it. You have to decide which is more important to you--being polite, or not eating the cake. If it were me, I'd just work it into my calories for the day, have half a slice, and leave it at that, but if you've decided that there is NO WAY you can work ANY cake into your diet (which is perfectly acceptable...there are some foods that I have a lot of trouble eating "just a little" of, so I don't touch them) then refuse. It's rude, because they have gone to the trouble of getting a cake FOR YOU, and to refuse a gift outright in such circumstances is pretty gauche, but we all have choices to make, and sometimes politeness is collateral damage.

P.S. Way to go on only having the half-piece, and happy birthday!!
Vegetarian Gained weight since going vegetarian - help! Jul 21 2006
15:38 (UTC)
11
Fibre, fibre, fibre! I find I'm LESS hungry as a veatarian, because I eat so many more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, as well as legumes, which have ltos of fibre AND high volume for the calories you eat, so they fill you right up. If you are eating a HEALTHY vegetarian diet, you should be full. Here's a vegan recipe I LOVE to make (not sure if you eat dairy and eggs?), which fills me right up and is very good for you.

1/4 cup dry red lentils
2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1/2 tsp of vegetable bouillon powder
10 almonds, chopped
(Squeeze of lemon juice, whatever herbs and spices I feel like...usually I use lemon juice and powdered ginger)

Rinse the lentils until water runs clear. Place in medium saucepan and add 1/2 cup cold water and bouillon powder on top (you could sub this for vegetable broth if you want, but I like to control the level of flavour). Bring to a boil. Add garlic. Reduce to medium heat and let cook unti liquid has been absorbed. After cooking is finished, add carrot and almonds (sometimes I'll put in 1/4 cup of chopped apple, as well), cover, and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot or refrigerate. (I take it cold for my lunch at work!)

You can eat this on its own, though it's pretty low in calories for a meal, or else you can serve it with tofu, either prepared separately in your favourite style, or else added to the recipe during cooking.

Here is the nutritional breakdown (bear in mind this includes the bouillo I use, Knorr, so your mileage may vary):

274 calories
Fat - 21.5% (7 grams)
Protein - 23.2% (16 grams)
Carbohydrates - 55.3% (39 grams)
Sodium - 270 mg
Fibre - 18 grams (more than half of what you need for the whole day!)

All the fats in it are good fats, so you'll feel satsified but it's still healthy, you get 16 g of protein from the lentils and the nuts (more, if you add tofu!) and since almost half of those carbs are fibre, you'll stay full much longer. Plus, it's delicious. You can add apple to it, which will slightly change the flavour and texture (and the ratios, obviously) or raisins, or substitute sunflower seeds for almonds--it's infinitely flexible. The only downside to it is that it's a bit high in sodium from the bouillon.
Vegetarian Lack of a nutrient? Jul 21 2006
15:23 (UTC)
7
I actually just saw a hematologist two days ago, for a separate issue, and I asked him what my B12 was like, because I was sure vegetarians are always deficient in it. Much to my surprise, he told me that my B12 AND my iron were fine. I do eat eggs and cheese quite frequently, so maybe that's why.
Vegetarian hurtful - mama doesn't take me seriously! Jul 20 2006
13:20 (UTC)
1
She probably just didn't think of it. If you're not living at home, your new habits aren't part of her day-to-day life, so she probably just forgot not to send meat products. I'm sure it doesn't meant that she's not supportive of your lifestyle, just that it's really easy for ALL of us to forget the details of other people's lives when they're not part of our own on an intimate, daily basis.

Or maybe what she sent was partly for your boyfriend, too--maybe she packed some meat things in there for him?

I can almost guarantee you that (unless your mother is a horrible witch) it was just inattention, not malice. Whenever we send a gift, we do the best we can to please the recipient, but unfortunately none of us can get it right all the time. My dad sent me sausage when I was living in a dorm. He knows I don't eat meat. He's also forgetful and loves sausage. He figued that, since dorm food was awful, he'd send me something tasty, and to him tasty = meat, so he sent it. He doesn't disapprove of my vegetarianism, he doesn't think it's silly, he doesn't refuse to support me, he just forgot that I haven't eaten meat for the past year, because I've been away and it hasn't necessitated any changes in his day-to-day habits. That's all. Don't worry.
Vegetarian Lack of a nutrient? Jul 20 2006
13:13 (UTC)
10
Before you start adding supplements, make a quick trip to your doctor to see if s/he can help you explain the bruising. I was just reading an article yesterday (in a hospital waiting room!) about how we are taking too many vitamins, which can end up having adverse effects on our health. If you're not sure you need them, as with any medication, don't take them. See your doctor first.
Foods Food suggestions for tomorrow.....?? Jul 20 2006
13:04 (UTC)
8
Change one of the pudding snacks for something a bit more substantial. How about an apple and a little piece of cheese? Maybe add a salad to dinner as well...if you put denser veggies like carrots in, that should help.
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