rayfromtx

I am thrilled with where I am right now and I never will be without some self criticism. I really like what I see in the mirror as a sign of progress and evidence of hard work. I still see little problem areas that need work and I'm not sure I would ever work hard enough for that to not be the case. It's a tough question.…

I believe there are a few lies being "fed" to us by the food factories. One is the notion that margarine is healthy. It is not. Use butter sparingly or switch to olive oil when appropriate. The other one is that butter flavored sprays have no calories. They are allowed to claim 0 calories if there is less than 5 in a…

I'm down 2 lbs for a total of 10 lbs so far. 2 a week like clockwork. This next one will be the week where I hope to just maintain through the holiday. All part of the plan. 7 more to go for my final goal of 180 lbs. Good luck everybody. We can do this.

This is just for me but I try to keep the sugars down to a minimum while eating good food. Sugar seems to make me hungry sooner while proteins and complex carbs last a long time. Oatmeal works well for me but cheerios don't. If I go over on sugars it is because of fruit. If I eat a lot of fruit, I combine it with complex…

I lost two pounds this week but didn't end up on the list again. I've lost eight pounds so far. Yay!

Their bread is awesome. I had a loaf when I was in CO on vacation but can't find it here in central TX.

Fresh ground black pepper. A little salt. sorry. a pinch of chipotle chili powder. one egg yolk to five whites. fresh ripe tomato with the pulp removed. sauteed ancho or pimento pepper. garlic powder this is what has worked for me.

I just found another one. My Dr. wanted to put me on blood pressure medicine. My blood pressure is now down to 115 over 72 without medication.

This morning the scale said 189.8! This week I bought 19 pairs of 34 inch flat front pants. My new wardrobe is on it's way. I am buying all large size trim fit shirts. I have a closet full of almost new 38 inch pleated front pants and xl shirts. I will find a young professional starting out to work a deal with. I'm not…

current weight 189 this weeks loss 2 lbs total loss for xmas challenge to date 8 lbs Still on track. Goodbye 190s Hello 180s

I just went to myrecipes.com as msbanana suggested and found a herb rubbed steak that prpares in 10 minutes and looks just fabulous. Similar to what I said about the lamb chops but with more herbs and less than 200 calories, loaded with nutrients and just put a couple of veggies beside for a gourmet meal. I would add a…

That's why msbanana is my friend. I think cooking is very important to making this lifestyle easy and enjoyable. That being said, it takes years to become a great cook and you have to eat your mistakes for a while. Get to know seasonings one or two at a time until you eventually understand them. Start with a fun one like…

I use 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup of skim milk. I cover and put in the microwave for 1 minute and 50 seconds. Let stand for a minute and use 1/2 cup of fruit and a tsp of truvia. It is great and I never liked it before. Not sure how much faster "instant" could possibly be. I think it's all marketing and packaging to take more…

I try to avoid sugars and instead use protein and fiber to get me through the day. These foods take longer to digest and the energy is longer lived. They also help with blood sugar levels. I eat a bowl of oatmeal and maybe an egg white for extra protein or I have a breakfast taco. For lunch, I have a taco with lots of…

look at my diary. I am not hungry as I eat lots of good food that I prepare. You probably can't cook right now but it can give you an idea of what fills me up and I'm a big guy. Cooking makes all this easier though. I save lots of calories for the evening so I'm not hungry during my sitting around time.

My weight loss is all about the food I eat. If you want to know what works for me, then look at my diary. This only works for me because I eat lots of food. I can only eat lots of food if I make the right choices. My meals are all delicious. I eat small at bfast and lunch during the week and a large awesome home cooked…

That may be a thread killer. Or maybe they are still on the floor laughing.

No more joint pain. Easy to squat down for long periods and get up without my knees killing me. I don't get the hiccups. I can bend over and tie my shoes after eating without the discomfort of my beach belly being in the way. Pride feels so much better than shame. The only real down side that I can tell is that I now…

truvia has 4 calories per serving but they are allowed to round down to zero if it is less than 5 per serving. They call a serving 3/4 of a tsp because a tsp would put them over the "ok to lie" limit. If it has carbs, it has calories. I use it and love it but I know when I don't log it, I'm "cheating" oh well. Still losing…

My happy weight shows to be in the low 170s. I'm 6'3" tall. My goal is 180 and right now I'm at 190. People, including my wife have been telling me to stop since I got to 200. This ideal weight calculator is in agreement with most of the others out there. I have measured my bones and those measurements show me to be just a…

Down 2 lbs this week that's a total of 6.

I will reduce to 1.5 lbs per week. I'm almost in the 34" pants now. Thanks Banks

I stay under 300 calories for breakfast and try to get lots of protein at the same time. Typical breakfasts for me would be one of the following. 1 beef fajita taco 2 chicken fajita taco with beans 3 sausage and egg taco 4 1/2 cup dried bob's red mill old fashioned oatmeal with 1 cup skim milk. cover and microwave on high…

Had a great week. I lost 2 lbs. That is 4 lbs total since starting the challenge. My weigh in was on Sunday but was able to move it up to Friday and still meet the 2 lbs a week pace. Usually mid week hurts me and it takes the weekend to get back on track but this week I had fewer social obligations and was able to eat at…

Hey Banks- I'm 14 lbs from my goal and none of my clothes fit. I will comfortably fit into 34 inch pants when I reach my goal. Right now they pull just a little so I'm waiting to buy them until I get a little smaller. I'm wearing ill fitting 38s right now and don't want to waste money on a bunch of 36s or tailoring. I am…

Cut a butternut squash into 3/4" cubes. Put 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 1-2 Tbsp of garlic in a skillet. Start to brown the garlic and then add the squash and 1/3 cup of broth in and cover on medium heat. Shake it a few times while cooking for 8 minutes or so. When it is half cooked, remove the lid and turn up the heat to high…

I was down 2 but didn't make the list. Maybe next week.

195 lbs. That is 2 lbs lost. Had a setback in the middle of the week with lots of eating out at parties but played catch up and got the water weight etc. back off.

I'm in sort of. My goal has been 180 by Christmas since I started this. I'm 17 lbs away as of this morning so I'll stop there. It's not technically 20, but it'll have to do. Sorry for getting a head start. C'mon y'all. We got some big time shrinking to do. See you at the finish line and watch out for turkey day. That…

Excellent posts y'all. Thanks for your insights. This is a great site with a lot of fine people working hard to get better. That's my favorite kind of folks. Good luck to all. I did some searching yesterday and based on measurements of my frame, my ideal weight is right around 165 to 170. I won't go there. 180 seems about…