Either the Weight Goes or I Go :(

welcome!!!
great job on joining

I think seeing examples of what your friends are eating a long with seeing them log workouts will be SUPER motivating - I know it is for me!!!

Feel free to add me as a friend if you like

Well, you're doing the right thing by asking for help. You must not know how to cook :-) Eating out, and esp. fast foods, will do you so much damage, but the good news is, it's reversible. Start eating fresh fruit, anything in season, or even frozen berries, they are as good as fresh. Veggies, lean meat, chicken w/o the skin. You might have to browse the recipe section of the boards, or even google Weight Watcher's recipes, or buy some cookbooks, Hungry Girl and WW are good, although I've found the WW recipes to sometimes contain ingredients that are kind of "unusual". Frozen dinners like Lean Cuisine and WW are low in calories, but just loaded with sodium, and that sounds like an issue with you.

You'll do okay if you stick to it, this is a great site with lots of helpful people. Best wishes and good luck.

Jackie

Your friend Shelley is smart!

- Don't used prepackaged rice (a la Rice a Roni) because it's super high in sodium. This is also true for a lot of other things, like soups. Throw vegetables (fresh bell peppers and tomatoes, frozen okra) in your regular dishes (soups, sandwiches, salads, salsa) to add flavor and vitamins.

- Use bags of brown rice. It's surprisingly easy to make -- just use 2:1 water:rice, bring to a boil and then simmer (low heat) for about 40 minutes. (The package will say if you need to cook it differently, but long-cook rice is healthier than minute rice.) Throw in some frozen veggies with a little water about 5 or 6 minutes before it's supposed to be ready.

- Advice: Mrs. Dash does not have salt. Cinnamon is also good.

- A spoonful of peanut butter is a good way to fill you up and give you protein.

- Honey is a good way to satisfy a sweet tooth craving. Use a little honey or a banana on corn flakes instead of buying sweetened cereal.

- Make substitutions. Dip carrots and celery into salsa to replace salty snack foods.

- Can't get more bachelor than this tip: You can cook corn on the cob in the microwave, as long as you leave the husk on to keep it moist.

HI welcome. Remember that it doesn't have to be routine. Some people log every time they eat others enter everything the night before, still others at the end of the day. Changing up your exercise keeps things from being to boring and routine too. Look online for recipes for one or easy recipies. There are a number of Diabetic Cooking magazines at the grocery store that have great, easy, low carb, low fat recipies and at least half are simple to make. Have fun with it! The message boards often have recipes too.

On my really lazy days I microwave a Boca spicy chikn veggie patty and eat with 100-calorie sandwich bun thins, mustard and/or ketchup. Doesn't get easier than that!

I totally do easy!!!

2 corn tostada (130-160 calories depending on brand)
1 can black beans mashed with a little water and salt for consistency (make it like refried beans).....use 1 total serving per the can for the 2 tostadas
Brown up ground turkey and add taco seasoning and follow directions. Use 1 serving and divide between the tostadas
Top with shredded lettuce (or cut up) and a couple teaspoons or tablespoons (to taste, just count calories) of salsa

Depending on brands and your choice of servings this totals to around 500 calories.


Defrost chicken breast, put into baking dish, cover with salsa and bake in pre-heated oven of 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until no longer pink in the center.

If you have a crockpot (get one!!!!) slice up 2-3 onions, put on bottom. Put 2 lbs of pork boneless country ribs on top. Cover with whole bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (find one you like and watch calories). Cook on low for about 7 1/2 hours. Makes
4 servings and reheats well.

www.allrecipes.com Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf I leave out the hot sauce so my kids will eat it and make in a 12 section muffin tin. on 375 for 30 minutes.

Check my diary and if you need recipes let me know.

Hi! I'm new too -- but I do probably have a bit more experience cooking for myself at home than you do (it sounds like). The key to not being intimidated by it -- and to making it an easy option when you're tempted to eat out is 1) to plan ahead and 2) to get a few simple "things" down that you can do without having to think too much about it.
Planning ahead is the #1 lifestyle change I'm focusing on right now besides staying inside my calorie allowance -- #2 is getting some kind of exercise 5 days a week -- and my goal is to get the planning down to about 1/2 hour on one weekend day (not including shopping but including writing the shopping list). It takes me a little over an hour now, but I'm (relatively) new at it. It just really makes all the difference when you have a plan in mind -- lots of times our greatest trip-up is making automatic decisions (the ones that got us where we are today!) But the more you do it, the shorter the amount of time it takes, which is where 2) comes in.
If you have a repertoire of items you can make without too much trouble, and the elements of them are kept around the house, that is a great help. Even just getting good at grilling a couple of kinds of meat and preparing a few vegetable dishes can be great, because one meat and one veggie is basically dinner. Also, we singles have it a little easier because we're only planning for us, and so only a handful of dishes need to be prepared for the entire week.
Good luck! Friend me if you like. :-)

I totally do easy!!!

2 corn tostada (130-160 calories depending on brand)
1 can black beans mashed with a little water and salt for consistency (make it like refried beans).....use 1 total serving per the can for the 2 tostadas
Brown up ground turkey and add taco seasoning and follow directions. Use 1 serving and divide between the tostadas
Top with shredded lettuce (or cut up) and a couple teaspoons or tablespoons (to taste, just count calories) of salsa

Depending on brands and your choice of servings this totals to around 500 calories.


Defrost chicken breast, put into baking dish, cover with salsa and bake in pre-heated oven of 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until no longer pink in the center.

If you have a crockpot (get one!!!!) slice up 2-3 onions, put on bottom. Put 2 lbs of pork boneless country ribs on top. Cover with whole bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (find one you like and watch calories). Cook on low for about 7 1/2 hours. Makes
4 servings and reheats well.

www.allrecipes.com Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf I leave out the hot sauce so my kids will eat it and make in a 12 section muffin tin. on 375 for 30 minutes.

Check my diary and if you need recipes let me know.

The tostada thing sounds really good, and I love quinoa... but boneless ribs? Cook it right, and the meat should just fall off the bone after cooking it anyway.

My favorite places for easy yummy healthy recipes are eatingwell.com and eatbetteramerica.com

Get a cockpot and look on the recipes blog. I just got throwen back into signal life two months ago after 22 years of marriage. You can do it. I don't eat anything speical I just watch what I eat now.

Hi and welcome!
This is not an impossible task
Set up goals that are easy for u to reach (yes REALY) until u feel more motivated. U don't have to lose 10 pounds a week to be successful, how about setting ur goal to 1/2 pound just to get u started? The best way to lose motivation is to set goals so high that u fail after two days...
So, start with 1/2 per week.

There's so many good and yummy things u can eat and that's easy to make!
How about throwing 1-2 chicken breasts/filets into the oven (no skin) with some zuccini in cubes, tomato in halves and a potato in boats, sprinkle with oregano, pepper and a pinch of salt - bake for 20 mins on 200 degrees. TADA!! Dinner's done!

This is also a good site with many low-cal recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/healthy-recipes/low-calorie/main.aspx

GOOD LUCK!! And feel free to add me, and we'll do this journey together!! :happy: