bstevens1021

Minus the salsa, IA with every word. I usually mix in a tablespoon of dill relish and then add some Adobo or other seasoning.

This sounds like a great challenge for me! I do the elliptical 3-4 days a week at work, but maybe this will get me out of my house on the weekends with the kiddo. :) Can I count the miles I did Monday and Wednesday this week, or do I have to start with today?

Beans/lentils/etc. You can get great big bags of dried beans and lentils for just a few bucks. Soak 'em overnight and then cook them the next day. You can add them into things as supplements, or you can just eat them by themselves. Granted, I love them both and can eat them all the time without problem, while some people…

Restricting yourself so stringently is one of the biggest reasons why "diets" fail. Don't completely eliminate things you want to eat, just eat a smaller portion of them. If you'd eaten half a croissant when you wanted it, you might not have eaten two later when your desire for them had become obsessive. Not saying that to…

My biggest suggestion would be, don't try so hard to go low-fat. Low-fat is usually pumped full of chemicals which are absolutely unhealthy, and unsaturated fats are actually highly necessary to your daily diet. Just make sure that you're not eating stuff full of saturated or trans fats. If you're eating unsaturated fats…

Yep, me too! I used to have a horrid sugar habit, I had no willpower or self-control, and I craved sugar CONSTANTLY! Except instead of eating an Oreo or two and being satisfied, I would eat an entire row of Oreos. Then an hour or two later, I would go back and eat another half to a full row. Then I'd be out of cookies and…

Congrats on such an incredible accomplishment! Best wishes to you as you go through surgery and recovery!

Thanks for the tips! I don't know why I keep forgetting about eggs, but it would be super easy to make a fried egg sandwich with whole grain bread for a snack, and that will add a couple hundred calories right there. I do try to add some nuts here and there, like almonds, but it's hard for me to just sit and snack on solid…

I don't have a scale, but I did/do use measuring cups/spoons for things that weren't pre-packaged with the nutritional info clearly labeled. I know that I can increase my caloric intake by adding back some of the things I've eliminated, but most of what I've eliminated are carbs/white sugar- and flour-based. I mentioned…

Why in the world would this be a joke? What's wrong with wanting to cut out processed sugar?

Today is my day 1 of no sugar. I went to the doctor yesterday and had some blood work done, worked out a diet and exercise plan with her, and was prescribed a medication to help me (since I'm considered "morbidly obese", although I definitely don't think I look it, I qualify for this medication). Starting today, for a…

I agree. My whole weight problem resides with my sugar addiction. I would crave something sugary, go to the store and buy a pack of Oreos, and they would be gone within 24 hours. I would eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting. I couldn't make myself stop once I started eating something sweet, and I wanted…

I'm not able to read all 11 pages of this thread, so I apologize if this has been brought up already, but I'm going to talk about the view point of the child. My dad is agnostic, my mom is Christian, I am Christian. My dad did not interfere with my mom taking me to church, and he didn't interfere with her teaching me about…

I am a full-time single mother to a 2 1/2 year old boy, I work 40+ hours a week, and I am taking 4 classes as a graduate student. Trust me, I understand what you mean when you say "busy day"! I am fortunate enough to have a small workout facility (couple weight machines, some free weights, couple ellipticals and…

Aww, I kind of know how you feel. I only lost 15 lbs the first time around, and gained back 9-10, but it's so incredibly tough when you've done so well and then lose all your progress. And starting the second time is almost harder than the first! Good luck with your journey, and feel free to add me if you want a friend who…

Would anyone tell a football player who is 250 pounds and muscular that he is fat because he is over 200 pounds? No, so why should you automatically assume that anyone who is 200 pounds (or 180, or 160, whatever), is too fat? Just because it's not right for you doesn't mean it's not right for another individual. And no,…

I do it 3-4 times a week, I see nothing wrong with it. It's low impact and cardio is something that can be done every day. It's not like weight training where you might be straining/damaging your muscles if you do it too much. Go for it!

When I encounter that situation, I just try to approximate the size of each ingredient (1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup chicken, etc) and just add each ingredient individually. It's not completely accurate, but it's the closest I've been able to get when it's not already programmed in.

I got a pair at Wal-mart as well that has deep pockets, not zippered though. I'm pretty sure the brand name is Danskin.

Search for something close, and at the bottom it will say something like, "Can't find what you're searching for?" and there will be a button you can click to add your own food. Then you have to put in the food info as far as calories/fat/protein/carbs, etc.

Good luck! I love junk food, too, and fast food, and sweets. Luckily I've not had as hard a time as I thought I would cutting out (most of) the fast food and (most of) the sweets, but I still eat way too much junk food! (Which is why I don't share my food diary. LOL)

I take my dad's advice a lot... Although he wouldn't tell you that if you asked him! LOL He thinks I never take his advice. I agree, though, I think a lot of people aren't asking for advice so much, they just want affirmation that what they were thinking in the beginning is the way to go. I don't think it's a bad thing to…

Have you tried talking to him about "It's not you, it's me?" Remind him that this is *your* weight loss, for *you*, to make *you* look and feel better. It's not about him and what he's not doing or giving you so that you need to find someone else. It's about *you* being tired of what you see in the mirror or being scared…

I'm like Steph-although kind of the opposite. I don't have hundreds of fat pictures, I have almost none because everytime I see myself in one, it's a revolting shock at how bad I look. (I don't ever see that much fat when I look in the mirror, but when I see a picture I am stunned.) So I decided I want to take Christmas…

While I understand and sympathize that the meals aren't as much to his liking, he needs to understand that your health is more important. "He doesn't cook"-well, if he wants something else, he better learn! You shouldn't start making crap foods that he likes and make your health and weight loss goals suffer. Try adding…

If you're going to go over something, protein is the best. Your body works harder to use protein than it does to burn simple carbs, for example, so you burn more calories metabolizing protein.

Thanks, this looks really yummy! :)

I had a very weird-shaped stomach, it looked like a baseball sitting in the middle with handles of flab low on each side, and really deep indentations high on each side. My stomach is slowly shrinking with my weight loss and it is evening out very nicely, I no longer have those deep indentations. Good luck!

Not in Alaska, but I used to be... and totally miss it!

Right now my goal is moderate (45 lbs), but my long-term goal is to lose 80 lbs. Good luck, I know it's daunting to lose that much weight but I've seen from a lot of tickers here that it's definitely possible!