kristingjertsen Member

Their chocolate is wonderful. My favorites are the 75% and 85% dark chocolate. I treat myself to 1/2 of those little bars once or twice a week. I also love the dark chocolate marzipan bars Aldi carries during the holidays. Good thing Aldi only carries them once a year--I splurge and eat the entire bar.

Some people just want to ignore reality. "Being morbidly obese is no big deal." "Eating lots of red meat is good for you." "Vegetables are gross." "You are listening to diet nuts and vegetarian freaks and that makes you a nut, too." "Doctors don't know what they are talking about." "Nutritionists don't know what they are…

I use olive, sunflower, and sesame oil for cooking and eating, but small amounts. I will drizzle 1/2 tsp. on hummus and avocado, 1/2 tbsp. on a sheet pan of veggies, or use 1/2 tbsp. to brown onions, garlic, carrots, celery when I am making soup, or cook eggs in 1 tsp of olive oil. I also use it in homemade salad dressings…

20 years out from my first C-section (I had two) and I still have the pouch. I do sit-ups, v ups, pilates 100s, and Nautilus abdominal machines so the muscles are strong and toned, but I still have a little belly. Oh well--two healthy sons were well worth the sacrifice of my 6 pack. If this makes you feel any better, every…

Definitely look into dietary and lifestyle changes that can help reduce your pain level. They are not a miracle cure (the only thing that truly eases my pain is heavy duty prescription pain meds, but I don't want to deal with the side effects ( anti-inflammatories like naproxen raise your heart disease risk and can cause…

I live with chronic pain from spinal stenosis and a spinal cord injury. It does impact your weight loss and you have to find the right pathway to achieve your goals without aggravating pain. I have learned that a low carb diet and too much exercise aggravates my pain level. So now I eat smaller portions of healthy foods…

I am in! Thanks for the challenge. Start Weight: 172.5 Goal weight: 145

After I lost 56 lbs, I did have some loose skin (mainly stomach but I had 2 pregnancies and 2 C-section babies so that might also have been the cause). Putting on more muscle made my arms and legs fill out again and disguised the loose skin. My biggest changes were on my face and chin--crepey skin under my chin and a drawn…

Wonderful! Any tips for those of us struggling to lose weight?

Weight training makes a huge difference in your appearance and overall strength. Keep walking and swimming--exercise does wonders for your skin and gives you a glow. Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fat. Don't use 20 somethings as your role models--that can be depressing.…

13 is too young for a diet, but definitely the right age to learn healthy eating habits and the importance of portion control and exercise. My spouse and I had a big discussion about this when our youngest was 8 and weighed 150 lbs. I found a nutritionist who works with kids only and thought this was a great idea. My…

Try 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 1/2 tbsp flaxseed, 1 tablespoon mixed nuts (I use almonds, pecans, walnuts), 1/2 tsp earth balance or butter, 1/2 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon and ginger, and fruit (I mix it up--1/4 banana sliced, or 1/3 cup mixed berries, or 1/3 cup melon, a cut up apple, or a small date…

I have been adding whole grains and beans to my diet. A bag of farro and a bag of red lentils makes a lot of meals. I also eat eggs for the protein. I am focusing on in season veggies and less expensive veggies like carrots, squash, zucchini, green peppers, and the dollar sale rack at the grocery store. Right now I am…

The "sneaky" calories in the standard American diet are a big part of the problem. I have no problem keeping my calories/exercise ratio balanced when I cook at home and know exactly what I am putting in my mouth. Lots of sugar and extra fat calories added to restaurant food to enhance flavor along with supersized portions…

Fast food is designed to be tasty--lots of fat, carbohydrates, sugar, even flavor additives to maximize taste (my husband did consulting work for a company that made these additives, a different flavor every day, and he would come home smelling like chocolate cake, sugar cookies, the perfect steak, caramel, you name it).…

When I crave something sweet, I eat fruit and no sugar added yogurt with stevia. I try to focus on savory flavors instead of sweet in my cooking. I make my own salad dressings without adding sugar (again, focusing on savory). I use a 1/2 tsp of maple syrup on oatmeal (also 1 tsp earth balance, cinnamon, ginger and a tbsp…

I eat between 1300 and 1400 calories per day. I don't restrict my eating (although I do eat a lot of veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains, fish, eggs, olive oil). Instead, I restrict my portion sizes to half of what I used to eat before (logic is that if what I was eating before made me overweight, I was overeating and…

It depends. If I am hungry, I will have a small snack (100 calories or less). If I am thirsty, water or herbal tea. Nothing sweet because I have had the experience of waking up with hypoglycemia due to late night snacking 3 times in my life and it feels awful.

Our insurance company has a $500 surcharge per adult family member if we fail to get an annual wellness assessment (waist circumference, weight, cholesterol level). Company offers incentives to encourage wellness--online health information, nurse practitioner may call to discuss support services for chronic conditions like…

Cooking at home and eating at home seems to be the best defense against overindulgence. You have control over the cooking so you know exactly what you are putting into dish. You have control over portion size as well (helpful to those of us charter members of the clean plate club). I have started using "half portions" to…

This is definitely a sensitive topic. No, you cannot police your spouse's weight gain or loss, no matter how much you might want to. I try to stick to showing my husband support when he is trying to make healthier choices. I try not to put barriers in his path because ultimately it is his body and his decision how to take…

Would your doctor write you a prescription to meet with a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes? Have you been able to work with a diabetes educator? There is so much they can teach you to help you learn to cook, eat, and exercise in ways that will help you get diabetes under better control. You are really learning for…

Yes, but overall health is also an issue to consider. Ideally, she will be living in her body for many years too come. Why rush the process? Getting there more slowly is still means that she can reach her goal without starving herself, overdoing her exercise, and ending up quitting in frustration.

Congratulations! Keep moving ahead!

Kite Hill is very good. The vegan cream cheeses overall are most like the real stuff. I use daiya mozzarella on pizza (small amount just to get a cheesy flavor). The daiya cheddar makes a pretty good grilled cheese and ham sandwich. I have a dairy allergy, so I can't have the real stuff anymore. 10 years in, I rarely eat…

Welcome to the forums. So proud of your decision to get healthier. Taking it slowly and gradually making changes is the best way to go.

I struggle with sugar issues too. I live with chronic pain from back surgery, avoid using pain meds, and find that eating sugary foods gives me a serotonin "hit" that eases my pain for a few minutes. But this is a vicious cycle, because as soon as my blood sugar levels drop I find myself craving more sugar. I have put on…

So fantastic! Congratulations and keep moving ahead.

Give your feet time to heal. A month will pass pretty quickly. Do what you can, but be safe in how you do it. I know we were raised to push through the pain and keep moving, I just read a book called Just Move: A New Approach to Fitness After 50" which has made me re-evaluate the way I exercise. James Owen's suggests that…

Put it in your Food log and move on. It is one cupcake, not a bing. There is no slippery slope here, unless you create one. Don't feel guilty--cupcake is gone for good. Think in the long term, not the short term and you will realize this is not worth feeling guilty about.