DLAndrews's Journal, 30 Oct 08

MMMMmmm.... Oh GOOD FOR YOU in getting it OUT of the house!! Yea! The next step is to find the right type of snacks, that work for YOU and your diet! I have taken time to make recipes of things that I love, into things that love me back. Make it, but make it healthy and tasty. :) Let us know if you need ideas, there are many great ideas and great cooks out here with tons of ideas! :) 

I cannot stand to snack on raw vegetables, like all the diets suggest. I don't eat much raw fruit either! My bad. My main problem is eating lunch! Old habits die hard, when I worked we were always going to pick something up and bring it back to eat. 

Let me tell you what so many docs said, and when I finally succumbed and started to try it out, I really started to lose. "Calories in, and calories out." Now, that being said, I may burn 3000 some odd calories, but that doesn't mean diddly! Do NOT be fooled by some of the sites that say you can lose by eating 2300 calories. It's NOT going to happen. For me, I have to stay between the recommended 1200-1400 calories per day, or simply will NOT lose a pound. Now, that being said, it's not just "calories". I have to look at having 20-25 gms of fiber a day, good lean proteins, healthy carbs from veggies and fruits,... each and every bite should be or be accompanied by "protein"! This is critical for anyone with ANY kind of sugar intolerances or possibilities of such. Protein will help keep the spiking of blood sugars with bad carbs and or sugars. I have to pretty much eliminate sugar and refined carbs or I will not lose. Salt is critical. I have never been a huge one to cook w/a lot of salt and prefer seasonings, however, if I use salt, I use a sea salt that actually has less sodium... a 'healthier salt', if you will. Water, is key too. I have the dangedest lol time trying to get all of my water in. This is where flavored teas come in handy for me. I try to go for green flavored teas, but this year, they're not my "cup o tea", LOL. Sorry, being funny all over your journal! =D I LOVE the new Pumpkin spice tea, by Bigelow... yes, CF... droppin brand names again! I put 3 tsps of my coveted Xylitol (natural sugar substitute, with an extremely low glycemic index of like 9, compared to sugars' 100) and a splash of milk. This is YUMMY and I like it. It's the "creaminess" w/the sweet that I crave and this is so very satisfying. Now, that all being said, one other important key to losing, for me... (as we are all different), is to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Emphasis on small. Eat before you get "starved" and encouraged by your stomach to over eat. Something that I found very difficult to learn, was to stop eating..... When you're NO LONGER HUNGRY. =O This was soooo hard for me. It still is. Especially the way I cook, for good food, for FLAVOR!! I make it to taste good and it's hard to stop at a healthy portion, even if it's "healthy". Okay, so it isn't McDonalds, but still.... over 1400 cals and I will NOT lose. So.... quite a lil response I left ya, now, isn't it! lol Sorry, must have felt the need to spread my thoughts and lucky you, got picked. ;) So... thought on raw fruit, have a granny smith w/some natural p. butter, or a fresh pear/peach/necterine w/some cottage cheese, or whole grain (double fiber) english muffin with some lite cream cheese. Remember, the dairy will count as the protein, too. Keep them boiled eggs on hand for a quick snack and lite cheese sticks. Well... I should stop. :) Have a great night/... er mornin' prolly more like it when you get this chapter! lol xoxo ~bully 

Thanks for all the ideas, Bully. Some of them, I would have never thought of. I know about the eating more than one portion, even if I'm full, if it tastes good, I want to keep eating!!!!