jlefton1212 Member

I am a little confused by the question...are you looking for side dishes that are an alternative to carbs, or to veggies? I feel like most side dishes are either one or the other! :smile: If you've been looking for more complex carbs, and an alternative to white rice, white pasta, and white potatoes, then I highly…

I try to not eat too many frozen entrees, but I know it can be difficult to make full meals each day. For myself, I know that frozen entrees sometimes save me from having to use our cafeteria at work, which hardly has any healthy options at all. I LOVE Amy's frozen meals (the frozen burritos, and the black bean veggie…

cherie -- did you up your exercise plan? I know that when I work out really hard, my appetite increases the next day. This helps me to choose foods that are full of fiber, water, and protein because that's what helps me get full and stays with me the longest. I think it is a good idea to add a morning snack to your…

I love a filet mingon....it's a super-tender piece of meat and it is a perfect portion size.

I had a similar issue a couple years ago with a pain in my lower back, and my doctor told me that I had a pinched nerve. I had to take it easy for two weeks and take an anti-inflammatory, and it cleared up.

I enjoy iced tea whenever I can get it as a substitute for soda. There's a bit of caffeine in it. I've been trying to cut soda out entirely, but when I do need one, I just do a small portion of regular soda. I haven't had diet soda in over a month and I feel great. I figure that I can work off extra calories, but there…

I found that for myself, if I was trying to avoid something in a social situation, I would make my goals known and it was much easier to stick with it. As an example, last Thursday I was at happy hour for work and I ordered a water. Someone commented about me not drinking, and I simply said "I'm trying to be healthier, so…

I find that protein and veggies are more desirable the more I weight train. It's like I hear my body calling out for fuel and not empty calories! And your description of the pulled pork has me drooling at my desk! :laugh:

Congratulations!!! That is fantastic. I am so glad that you are donating the clothes instead of tossing them in the trash. And I know exactly what you mean about avoiding shopping....I've been wanting to hit the malls lately, but I keep telling myself that I should wait and celebrate with some new outfits when I reach my…

Thank you everyone for answering my questions! Very helpful. :smile: It is great to start the weekend with so much inspiration!

I guess my question wasn't just for Neeterskeeter, but for all those who have successfully transition to a clean eating lifestyle. Was it a gradual process? I feel like I am taking baby steps (no artificial sweetener anymore, and no more white pasta, rice, or bread). Would it be better to just clear out the pantry and make…

Thank you so much for this post...it is very inspiring! I am at the part of my journey where I know what I need to be eating/doing, the hard part is actually putting it in to practice. It's nice to see others that are living the lifestyle I hope to attain! Neeterskeeter -- did you make the switch to clean eating gradually…

Congratulations!!!! Thanks for sharing your weight loss victory -- it is very inspiring!

As you get older your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) will naturally slow down -- don't help it along! :smile: Also, if you don't consume enough calories it can make a person tired and sluggish. I know when I was in high school I would be starving by 4th period (math class) and would basically put my head…

I think this is kind of a broad question, because everyone on this site does things a little differently. There are some folks that would say stay away from carbs, or meat, or dairy, or fat...and then there are others that recommend eating lots of those things! It really depends on what works for you. I recommend reading…

Thank you for this post! I've been trying to get rid of all of the chemical sweeteners in my diet, and I am officially off of diet soda. However, I have been substituting regular refined sugar in some cases, which is not good for my calories and weight management. Stevia seems like the healthiest option. My overall goal is…

There are people that overeat after exercise...but there are also people that make even better choices after exercising because they don't want to undo the work that they have done. I think that those who would work out and use it as an excuse to eat a Big Mac are the same people that probably would have had that Big Mac…

I totally agree with you. I believe that most people naturally eat more than they need to maintain or even to lose, and that with regular exercise it is easier for folks to create a deficit.

I recently purchased a Lunch On the Go set from Fit & Fresh. http://www.fit-fresh.com/products/transportation/lunchonthego.php I don't know if it is exactly what you are looking for, but I love it because it can be used a lot of different ways. I like to build my lunches at work (example: today I had a wrap, and I like to…

I like to marinate it in some low sodium soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic powder. I just let it marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, and then grill it. It's very tasty!

I used to live in California and my husband and I would go hiking all the time...Yosemite, Angeles National Forest, Sequioa National Park, the Santa Monica mountains, etc. I really miss our camping trips in the backcountry. We would always try to push ourselves and make a new goal for each trip. The best thing about hiking…

I am really enjoying this thread, and have learned a lot! Thanks for this post. :happy:

I find that if I work in protein early in the day, I eat better throughout the day. I used just eat cereal and carbs before noon (because that was what sounded good) but then I was just hungry all the time, and would gorge at lunch and then I would eat sugar in the afternoon to recover from that. Once I started focusing on…

Keep in mind that with your base calories (1200, for example) you are already operating at a calorie deficit even if you don't exercise at all! The means that if you burn additional calories by exercising and you don't eat them, you run the risk of slowing down your metabolism. Yes, in the short term you might drop a…

You CAN overhydrate. This tends to happen most frequently to people that run marathons or do large amounts of cardio. It has something to do with your electrolyte balance and a person's sodium levels. I believe that salt and sugar are recommended to keep things in check. (I am by no means an expert, I've just done a lot of…

20 carrots -- it isn't as simple as "calories in versus calories out", unfortunately. There are some very interesting threads on this site that will explain it very clearly, but basically if you don't consume enough calories your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) will slow down drastically. If you go on a…

Also, if you want to start doing resistance training at home, a simple set of a couple hand weights and a bench can be very helpful. Resistance bands help too. I agree that using a trainer can be a really helpful way to get started, so that you know you are doing the moves correctly in a way that will prevent injury and…

If you have access to great weight training at the gym, take advantage of it! It always makes me sad to see what a "boys club" the weight room is. In my ups and downs of fitness, I have found that the time I spend in the gym weight training is usually much more effective than the time I spend doing cardio. It is important…

I just bought "The New American Plate" cookbook from the American Institute for Cancer Research, after going to their site for a long time. You can sign up for Email Recipes if you want to test some of them out. Here is a blurb about the book: Behind the Recipes Before you dive in, we'd like to let you in on a little…

I like the Recipe Corner at the website for the American Institute for Cancer Research. Their approach emphasizes the need to choose mostly plant foods, limit red meat and avoid processed meat. It's not that they are all vegetarian recipes, but they do a good job of creating recipes (like jambalaya, stews, stirfrys, and…