My new lifestyle

[TelephoneAngel]

I've been taking these few weeks I haven't been working as a chance to change my lifestyle.Thanks to everyone here who has given recipes and diet advice I've taken this on board and been motivated to read up more about different diets.

I say diet but its not really a diet its an attempt to eat more healthily not count calories.

Anyway I weighed myself for the first time in a few weeks today.I didn't want to start the weigh yourself every day routine, but today i wondered if i had lost any weight.

I thought i must have done because i am wearing clothes that didnt fit me a while ago and i can see in the mirror that i look a bit trimmer in places.

And guess what! I have lost over 14 pounds! I can't remember when I began this new eating regime but thats in a few months! If I can do it anyone can.

I'm just a tiny bit worried that we are coming up to the holiday season with all the nice holiday food and i don't really want to undo what i've just achieved.

Anyone got any tips on how to eat healthily during the festivities when surrounded by candy and stuff?

[telecom_goddess]

I could use this advice too....so far the obvious is not a lot of sugar/carbs. I found out crab meat has no carbs i it...

I have to cut out sugar and calories and stuff from my diet too. I was told chicken is good, not a lot of fruit but more veggies...how that can fit in holiday food though I'm not sure myself.

[TelephoneAngel]

Hi Telecom godess

I won't say it was easy to begin with it seemed there was a lot to learn and a lot of bad eating habits to overcome but the more you do it it does really become easier.The hardest part has been what I'm drinking (soda and milk products and some juices really up the calories) I've been trying to drink more tea.

That and sometimes I would make something to eat and think i was being really healthy and then discover a bit later that part of what i had eaten was not as healthy as i thought it was (for example avacado in a salad, i discovered it has a lot of fat apparently)

Anyway look back over the healthy eating threads thats where i started and the advice there is really useful.My own advice would be don't be afriad to try new foods different fruits and vegetables and having a crock pot and a blender is very useful as well.

[Cookie]

A lot of people will agree that treating any certain foods as "fordbidden" just makes them hard to avoid. However, the idea is that they are treats. As such, smaller amounts and low frequency is key. I've found that if I have a smaller portion of something (like a quarter of what I used to have) and eat it slower, it's just as satisfying. Plus, the lowered frequency has lowered my tolerance of fatty or sugary foods. I literally can't stand a meal with more than one fried item in it any more! I grew up where if it ain't fried, it ain't food. I think you're on the right track, but think of the holiday goodies you're surrounded with as treats to be enjoyed sparingly. A small cube of fudge, for example, can be savored over at least 5 minutes which leaves you feeling like you just ate a ton of sugary food since you tasted it for so long.

I hope this is helpful! Great job with the progress you've made! I know it's hard!

[telecom_goddess]

I do have a crock pot and did print out some of those crock pot recipies from a while back....and it's something I use quite a bit. Damn speaking of which I forgot I got stew meat and was planning to make stew in it arrgggh.

But if you have more ideas for the crock pot I'll take 'em. No blender but I do have a food processor.

[ArcticChicken]

I've been doing Weight Watchers and I've lost 23 pounds so far. I love it. It really encourages me to eat well, without preventing me from having the foods I want. They just switched over to a new system which I love, even though I've only been doing it for a few days. For dinner last night I had beef burgundy and I had brownies for dessert, and it was well within my diet, though I obviously couldn't do it every day.

[TelephoneAngel]

I've been doing Weight Watchers and I've lost 23 pounds so far. I love it. It really encourages me to eat well, without preventing me from having the foods I want. They just switched over to a new system which I love, even though I've only been doing it for a few days. For dinner last night I had beef burgundy and I had brownies for dessert, and it was well within my diet, though I obviously couldn't do it every day.

Well done! I still have quite some way to go to get down to an acceptable weight.I'm not obese but I don't like how much weight I've put on, and my health was beginning to suffer.I think it is true that the more you see results the more you want to keep going thats why the beginning is difficult when it doesnt seem like any weight is coming off.

[kpzra]

One thing that helped us was buying smaller dinner plates, we went from 12 inch to 10 inch ones. There isn't as much room for food and by the time you're done it makes you think if you want to go into the kitchen for more.

[TelephoneAngel]

One thing that helped us was buying smaller dinner plates, we went from 12 inch to 10 inch ones. There isn't as much room for food and by the time you're done it makes you think if you want to go into the kitchen for more.

Good idea.

There are also lots of "psychological" tips for eating online if you look i haven't tried any yet, they are things like "if you eat a meal where everything is the same colour you want to eat less" or "if you chew everything ten times you eat less"

[ArcticChicken]

I still have quite some way to go to get down to an acceptable weight.

I've got about another 140 pounds to go. Terrifying when I think of it that way. Instead I set smaller goals for myself. First it was 5 pounds, then 10, then 5% (16 pounds), my next goal is 25 pounds, then 10%. I'm also giving myself a reward every time I reach a new goal. Mostly brand new books, since I don't buy many these days.

[Trishlovesdolphins]

If you like your sweets and miss them, I have a really good (I've been told, I didn't even get a piece!) recipe for diabetic pumpkin cheesecake. I made it at Thanksgiving. It does have some sugar in it, but it's mostly made up of low/no fat items. Let me know if you're interested and I'll PM it to you. I didn't think it came out very pretty, but I think with a little tweaking the way it's mixed it could be prettier.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Save your indulgences for the special occasions and only eat the stuff you really love that you don't get any other time of year. Aunt Jane's famous Christmas cookies - sure, have a few. Random chocolate chip cookies you can have anytime, skip it.

[Seshat]

Alternate family punch recipes with water. Alternate Aunt June's Christmas Cookies with a bit of good cheese or a nice healthy salad.

You still get your treats, but your stomach-bulk becomes mostly good healthy stuff.

[Food Lady]

avocado in a salad....has a lot of fat

Don't worry about how much fat, but what kind. Limit saturated fat to 20 grams a day or less; it triggers your body to produce bad cholesterol. Avocadoes are almost all monounsaturated fat, which is the best and will keep you full, which cuts down on overeating. My advice is seek out foods with a lot of fiber and/or monounsaturated fats. Try to cut down on sugar. I use a half/half mixture of sugar/stevia in coffee, baking (unless it's a problem for texture). If you want holiday treats, make them; then you know what goes in them. I use Smart Balance instead of butter and it works perfectly.

[telecom_goddess]

My daughter has been using Baummel and Brown spread for a while, it's not pure margarine (gag) but part yogurt and part butter I think with pretty decent butter flavor. I tried it on toast and it was ok.

I'm using Stevia now instead of sugar...not that I used that much to begine with