November Diet Thread - Christmas Challenge IT'S ON!

[yasmindiab]

Dang it, I forgot to finish my thought.

I am feeling very discouraged. I had a terrible weekend. All I did was EAT. I did ok, but I ate so much...I really went over my points this week...I don't have any flex points left, and I don't start my new week until Wednesday.

I'm going to California in two weeks for a workshop, and I really wanted to be a little lighter by then...but at the rate I'm going these last couple of days...I don't know...

what do you all do when you just have hungry days? I'm sure my mood is assisting in my appetite increase, (I've been pretty bummed out the last couple of weeks) plus it is just about that time of the months, so I start craving chocolate and carbs...

I need to buy some more hummus for my carrots. (Much healthier than gobs of ranch dressing, right?)

*sigh* I can do this...I can. I'm making progress...its just a bump in the road. I'll get myself back on track, starting today. I WILL lose this bloody weight!!!!!

[acmcgraw]

Hey Yasmin

I have found, from the advice here, that drinking green tea really does stave off the snackies for me. Celestial Seasonings has a "to go" powder that I really like (with stevia so maybe no WW points needed?)

Though not much helps with the pre-cycle cravings for me. Hummus sounds great for the carrots.

Hang in there, you've been doing great!

[yasmindiab]

Originally Posted by acmcgraw

Hey Yasmin

I have found, from the advice here, that drinking green tea really does stave off the snackies for me. Celestial Seasonings has a "to go" powder that I really like (with stevia so maybe no WW points needed?)

Though not much helps with the pre-cycle cravings for me. Hummus sounds great for the carrots.

Hang in there, you've been doing great!

I'll try that...I really like green tea a lot. :) We've got a great one here at work. :)

I'm all done wallowing. Everybody falls off the wagon every now and again...honestly, I don't think I've fallen completely off yet...maybe just a misstep. :) What I need to do is make healthier choices, and eat more veggies. (free, and they fill me up!!!!!) :)

So. what are you ladies doing for Thanksgiving dinners? Just smaller portions? More veggies?
My whole family is on Weight Watchers, but it seems like everyone else wants to forget that they're on it for the day...NOT ME!!!

[Lauren_]

Originally Posted by Souzan

Okay, I am not imagining it. Got out the tape measure. I've lost inches from underbust, full bust, arms, thighs. But my waist and hip measurements are larger. And I am losing weight. WTF???!!!!

Souzan

I can't remember, Souzan, are you doing any kind of strength training? I had a similar situation several months ago, and posted on Bhuz in frustration. Someone pointed out that by dieting and doing cardio without strength training, I could be losing lean body mass. I finally (reluctantly) made myself do the weight machines at the gym and that did the trick.

Also, I've found that I have to keep my carbs to a minimum or I pack weight into the belly. Sugars & starches go straight to my waist.

It's a different kind of fat tissue that forms inside the belly rather than under the skin, and it seems to respond well to low-carb eating (not Atkins style, I still keep my overall fat & calories down) and strength training.

[Lauren_]

Originally Posted by yasmindiab

I'll try that...I really like green tea a lot. :) We've got a great one here at work. :)

I'm all done wallowing. Everybody falls off the wagon every now and again...honestly, I don't think I've fallen completely off yet...maybe just a misstep. :) What I need to do is make healthier choices, and eat more veggies. (free, and they fill me up!!!!!) :)

So. what are you ladies doing for Thanksgiving dinners? Just smaller portions? More veggies?
My whole family is on Weight Watchers, but it seems like everyone else wants to forget that they're on it for the day...NOT ME!!!

I'm planning to fill up on veggies and nice lean turkey breast (no skin) and just have a little dressing and/or potatos for a treat, and a small sliver of pumpkin pie. If you bank points over the rest of the week, you can easily fit that in and not go over!

[Souzan]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I can't remember, Souzan, are you doing any kind of strength training? I had a similar situation several months ago, and posted on Bhuz in frustration. Someone pointed out that by dieting and doing cardio without strength training, I could be losing lean body mass. I finally (reluctantly) made myself do the weight machines at the gym and that did the trick.

Also, I've found that I have to keep my carbs to a minimum or I pack weight into the belly. Sugars & starches go straight to my waist.

It's a different kind of fat tissue that forms inside the belly rather than under the skin, and it seems to respond well to low-carb eating (not Atkins style, I still keep my overall fat & calories down) and strength training.

Lauren,

I suspect that some of what you mentioned could be the case. The nutritionist I am seeing has been pressing eat more complex carbohydrates, but being insulin resistent, I have found that carbs (even the complex ones) seem to be my undoing. I am struggling to add more veggies and a little less grains.

Been a big time strength trainer for many, many years. But over the past two months I have been concentrating on lower weights and more reps for upper body and heavier leg work. Plus more cardio and flexibility training. So I do think I may have lost some muscle mass in the arms and shoulders. But I needed to. My body shape in women is a characteristic of higher androgen levels. I had PCOS and endrometriosis before having a hysterectomy. I love upper body strength work and can really lay the muscle on. But that is where I need to slim down. Yeah, I know women aren't supposed to bulk up, but some women can bulk up. So long story short, I think my change in weight training for upper body has resulted in some lost muscle. But I know the fat rolls on the back are also quite a bit smaller too.

Don't need to keep losing in legs though. I am still over 200 lbs and wear size medium yoga or jazz pants. Picture sort of a female Jim Boz kinda shape.

Souzan

[Souzan]

Originally Posted by yasmindiab

I'll try that...I really like green tea a lot. :) We've got a great one here at work. :)

I'm all done wallowing. Everybody falls off the wagon every now and again...honestly, I don't think I've fallen completely off yet...maybe just a misstep. :) What I need to do is make healthier choices, and eat more veggies. (free, and they fill me up!!!!!) :)

So. what are you ladies doing for Thanksgiving dinners? Just smaller portions? More veggies?
My whole family is on Weight Watchers, but it seems like everyone else wants to forget that they're on it for the day...NOT ME!!!

You might try doing a smoked turkey breast instead of the entire turkey. The white meat has less fat and since the breast is smoked, you don't need to cook it --just warm. Make a stuffing on the side with lots of veggies in it. Or cous cous with some nuts, celery, herbs, mushrooms and some low fat chicken or turkey broth. You could also do pumpkin cheese cake instead of pie. The crust can be made from crushed pecans or slivered almonds. Use Splenda instead of sugar and low fat ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese. Three bean salad would be good too and butternut squash soup seasoned with curry.

Want me to go on?

Souzan

[yasmindiab]

Originally Posted by Souzan

You might try doing a smoked turkey breast instead of the entire turkey. The white meat has less fat and since the breast is smoked, you don't need to cook it --just warm. Make a stuffing on the side with lots of veggies in it. Or cous cous with some nuts, celery, herbs, mushrooms and some low fat chicken or turkey broth. You could also do pumpkin cheese cake instead of pie. The crust can be made from crushed pecans or slivered almonds. Use Splenda instead of sugar and low fat ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese. Three bean salad would be good too and butternut squash soup seasoned with curry.

Want me to go on?

Souzan

nooooooo stop! I just had lunch and you're making me hungry again!! ;)

It all sounds good though, and I can present some of these ideas to the family! YAY for new ideas!!! ;)

[straightleftknee]

I've recommitted to making better food selections, cutting down on coffee.

I'm not approaching this as a diet as they're doomed and impossible to sustain (IMO) so I'm following the paul mckenna theory, eat ONLY when I'm hungry, eat what I want to eat, eat consiously (no snacking watching the tv) chew 20 times and stop eating when I'm satisfied.

[gwyncara]

Well, I went slightly off track today. It's my 14th wedding anniversary and we went out for dinner. I did bring half of my main course home, but I also enjoyed a glass of Pinot Grigio and a snack size Baby Ruth for dessert. No stress though. I'll just work it off tomorrow with a cardio workout in addition to my weight training.

[danidance]

I was bad today - I arrived in Las Vegas and I have to say, things worked out great! I got to my hotel - I decided to stay at the Golden Nugget which is off the beaten path and fairly newly renovated and cheap. Well, they stuck me in a smoking room which I hated. I complained and got upgraded to a two-story suite with a sauna, jacuzzi tub, crazy assed amenities and well, way too much room for one person.

I treated myself to dinner and had a caprese salad (not too bad) with bread (bad!) and Italian Wedding Soup. I love that soup. it may be my favorite and it's relatively healthy. but I also had 3 drinks! I'll have to be extremely rigid when I get home in a couple days to make up for this little excursion.

[straightleftknee]

ladies (gents) please don't think of yourselves or food as bad. For some this can lead to unhealthy attitudes to food and ourselves. You know how it goes, some food= bad, you eat it= you're weak= you're bad=guilt=comfort eating the bad food.

[annwyn]

Well im in, started the morning with eggs this morning followed by hummus and carrots and for dinner eggs and sweet potato fries (baked not fried) YUM!

[yasmindiab]

Originally Posted by danidance

I was bad today - I arrived in Las Vegas and I have to say, things worked out great! I got to my hotel - I decided to stay at the Golden Nugget which is off the beaten path and fairly newly renovated and cheap. Well, they stuck me in a smoking room which I hated. I complained and got upgraded to a two-story suite with a sauna, jacuzzi tub, crazy assed amenities and well, way too much room for one person.

I treated myself to dinner and had a caprese salad (not too bad) with bread (bad!) and Italian Wedding Soup. I love that soup. it may be my favorite and it's relatively healthy. but I also had 3 drinks! I'll have to be extremely rigid when I get home in a couple days to make up for this little excursion.

You're in VEGAS? How long? We should totally meet up somewhere or another while you're here!!!

[weese17]

Gah -- I'm feeling kind of discouraged right now, thanks to my break-down body.

I've been working out for about eight weeks and feeling really good and pumped about it, but my musculo-skeletal system apparently does not like it as much as I do. I've developed bursitis in my right hip, both knees are popping and sore, AND I've re-inflamed the capsulitis in my right and left feet. I just got a cortisone shot for my right foot yesterday, but the left one may not be far behind.

My podiatrist has forbidden me to run, jog, walk on any surface other than a treadmill or dirt, or do squats or lunges. I'm meeting with the sports medicine doctor this afternoon to figure out what to do about the bursitis and my knees.

The fun part is that I've been limping since yesterday morning thanks to the shot, and now my piriformis muscle seems to be getting irritated again thanks to my irregular weight-bearing/walk.

Why can't my body cooperate with me????

Sigh.

[bintbeled]

Ladies, I need to develop better habits! Can you help? I teach twice a week, 5 hours one night and 4 hours the other. By the time I get home (last class ends at 10), I'm exhausted, but too pumped up to go to bed, and starving. I usually have a late lunch on teaching days, and a granola/energy bar or something similar during the evening, and plenty of water. But my late-night eating can get out of hand! Last night I had great intentions, and fixed a small bowl of grapes to snack on while catching up on Bhuz... but also ended up eating some really dreadful leftover halloween candy that one of my troupies left here that morning.

So... my new plan is to think up a specific snack that will be satisfying but not too damaging -- maybe something like an apple with some peanut butter. But I would love some suggestions from my fellow Bhuzzers.

I wish I could just come home and go to bed -- but too much adrenalin jumpin' through my system for that! Especially after last night, when my folkloric class started learning Tunisian. It's so exciting!

[yasmindiab]

Originally Posted by bintbeled

So... my new plan is to think up a specific snack that will be satisfying but not too damaging -- maybe something like an apple with some peanut butter. But I would love some suggestions from my fellow Bhuzzers.

Hummus and baby carrots. :)

Its best if you can find a Middle Eastern cafe/restaurant that makes their hummus fresh every day. You can substitute the carrots for any other veggie, too. (I prefer carrots though)

I weigh in today...I'm very nervous. I did NOT do well this week. It was a hungry week!!
Oh well. I'll let you all know how it goes after my meeting.

[Souzan]

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Ladies, I need to develop better habits! Can you help? I teach twice a week, 5 hours one night and 4 hours the other. By the time I get home (last class ends at 10), I'm exhausted, but too pumped up to go to bed, and starving. I usually have a late lunch on teaching days, and a granola/energy bar or something similar during the evening, and plenty of water. But my late-night eating can get out of hand! Last night I had great intentions, and fixed a small bowl of grapes to snack on while catching up on Bhuz... but also ended up eating some really dreadful leftover halloween candy that one of my troupies left here that morning.

So... my new plan is to think up a specific snack that will be satisfying but not too damaging -- maybe something like an apple with some peanut butter. But I would love some suggestions from my fellow Bhuzzers.

I wish I could just come home and go to bed -- but too much adrenalin jumpin' through my system for that! Especially after last night, when my folkloric class started learning Tunisian. It's so exciting!

On the days that I have a class in the evening or know I will be going to the gym after work, I split my lunch into lunch 1 and lunch 2. Lunch 2 being around 4 p.m. Then after getting back from class I eat a salad with some protein (like green salad with some broiled chicken) or if it is really late I have a smoothie from fat free yogurt, protein powder, and some frozen blueberries.

That has seemed to curb the late night eating for me.

Souzan

[yasmindiab]

Just super quick...I weighed in less than I thought I would. I thought I'd put about 2 pounds back on, but it was only 4 ounces. Woo hoo!

Next week though, I'll have LOST weight. This makes it a total of 8 pounds that I'm down in 7 weeks. Can I lose 11 more by Christmas, and reach my 10% goal?


You bet I can. :)