LuanaBean Member

twice a month for me

I get up about 5:30. I'm a high-energy morning person. I like to start my day reading and meditating and drinking coffee and thinking. Then I work out before going to work. I'm usually asleep by 11:00 at night. (I go to bed about 10 or 10:30 and read before lights out). As I get older, I need less sleep about five or six…

You can make your own breakfast in minutes. Scrambled eggs, yogurt and fruit, toast and peanut butter, smoothies. Even pancakes. Doesn't take long at all.

I am losing on 1600 a day. Also watching carbs, though, because I have pre-diabetes. I reached my goal of losing 22 pounds in four months (I lost it in three).

Logging what you eat gives you an idea of where you are. Yes, you must weigh and measure your food and count calories at first. You calories should be realistic for your age and activity level. Do not starve yourself, that will lead to other problems. Educate yourself about healthy foods. Learn to cook and prepare your own…

Go for a nice long walk in the morning for energy and to clear my head. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite.

I agree with accessing your goals for why you want to lose weight and to make small changes. Look at this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. Take time to see what works and what doesn't. Do count your calories ( nutrients (carbs? sugar? protein? if necessary). Do not weigh every day. Listen to your body. I would suggest…

Maybe looking at veggies as "medicine" - it's good for you and will make you feel better and have energy. Surprisingly, when I went clean, I was not a fan of salads. But now I love them and eat them every day. There are so many things you can add to them to make them tasty and unique. I would also suggest using fresh herbs…

Maybe you can slowly introduce more clean foods into their diets. Use organic whole wheat bread, non gmo foods, less processed overall. If you like to cook, you are ahead of the game because there are lots of clean recipes you can try.

Thanks for the tips. Looking forward to trying it.

I said no to the kettle corn that they were selling at the fair so I could say yes to a delicious fudgesicle later.

Low fat labelled foods are more highly processed than full fat. That's why I eat full fat versions. For me, I eat some dairy (cheese and yogurt), but I use almond milk for smoothies, oatmeal and for cooking.

The chemicals mostly. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512,00.html

Good advice here from everyone. I would also suggest trying to minimize processed food and fast foods. Not to say you will never eat them, but cut back on them and cook and prepare your own food as much as possible. It's a habit that takes getting used to at first, but gets easier the more you do. I agree with portion…

I haven't done Whole 30, but I've read about it. It looks like a really healthy plan. I was going to do it but found out I have pre-diabetes and I need to closely monitor my carbs, proteins and calories.

That's great! I love fresh garden veggies. My tomatoes are doing great this year. I've also planted some sweet peppers, herbs and strawberries.

One of the best things about clean eating is experimenting with foods I'd never tried before and finding new ways to prepare food. I enjoy cooking so for me every day is an adventure in my kitchen science lab.

You may be at a plateau. Sometimes a plateau can last for months, but then the weight starts coming off again. Don't give up. Keep doing what you're doing.

I would also add that clean eating involves as few processed foods as possible. Of course "diet" foods (- low fat, lite, etc.) are extremely processed and not considered clean. I recommend Michael Pollan's book "Food Rules." It's a very small book that explains exactly what clean eating is.

Great ideas, you guys! I appreciate your input. The mozzarella and marinara eggplant recipe sounds good. I love those food combinations. How do you make your homemade marinara sauce?

Have fun with salads. Try different food combinations. Dark greens with strawberries, walnuts, other nuts, chopped zucchini, tomato, peppers, radishes, onions, blue berries, quinoa, beans, just about anything. Try different dressings that you can make yourself.

Yay! Congrats!

Thanks, These all look delicious.

For the record, I think many clean foods take some getting used to. There are things I'm eating now that I did not grow up eating and that I love: quinoa, couscous, natural peanut butter. I do not really like avocados (except in home made guacamole) and vinaigrette dressings (unless they are sweet).

Welcome to the group! I was really excited to find this group on MFP.

Thanks for posting this and I'm sorry you were duped. Lesson learned. As for me, I eat peanut butter everyday and I prefer the organic natural peanut butter - ingredients peanuts and salt. Whey is not good for me because it's dairy and I have trouble digesting dairy.

what are overnight oats? and what are steel cut oats? That sounds really good.

You have support here. I'm pretty new to MFP. Started about three weeks ago. I was diagnosed pre-diabetic in March and had no idea what to do. A friend of mine, who is also pre-diabetic, told me about this site and also gave me pointers on what to eat, etc. I've never been one to diet, just ate what I wanted and exercised…

Stay away from transfats (hydrogenated oils). Read labels. It depends on how much you are using and what you are using it for. I use real butter (organic preferably), coconut oil and olive oil all for cooking. (I use olive oil for my homemade salad dressings).

Also mini bell peppers