onsugarhill Member

Sounds delicious!

hummus & veggies/pita chips to dip?

I'll be measuring and logging everything as usual, because I'm doing a small Thanksgiving with my sister and a friend and I'll be cooking everything. I'm planning to eat as much as I usually do, but I want to at least know how far over I've gone. It's also important to me to calculate the nutrition of the various foods I'm…

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Your diary isn't open, so I can't see what you're eating, but one thing that really helps me to stay on track is to plan ahead. Most days, I log everything I plan to eat in advance (usually the night before) to make sure I'm within both my calorie and my macro goals. That way I can adjust my plans if I realize what I'm…

If you cooked the whole box, and now you're just wondering how to measure out a portion, I would weigh the total amount you have and divide it by the number of servings in the box. I do that when I cook anything that absorbs water.

If you're not draining off the marinade, but instead cooking it down so it evaporates, you're still getting all the calories. Only the water in it is evaporating. I'd add the full amount to the recipe calculation.

That's a very good point about dried beans! I've started using exclusively low sodium canned beans, but I don't have time on weeknights to make dried beans. I am planning on getting a pressure cooker soon and hope to switch to using all dried beans. :-) If you're watching sodium, you can also reduce the amount of salt you…

I do tend to eat more the week before as well - I'm just hungry all the time. My understanding is that your body does burn extra calories during ovulation and menstruation, though I have no idea how many. I just make an effort to eat under or at my maintenance level and keep an eye on my macros. My weight loss is…

I was on vacation in Puerto Rico earlier this month, and what I did was eat just about whatever I wanted but log it as accurately as I could. I didn't want to restrict myself on vacation, but I wanted to be honest. I tried to pick healthy options sometimes, but if I wanted a quesito (cream cheese-filled pastry) for…

Thanks for the tips! I've been using belts so far, but like ms_leanne said, I'm starting to get the "potato sack" look on a few pairs of pants even with the belt. I'll look for consignments stores. Great idea on dresses, juliekins64! Now that dress weather is finally starting back up, I have a lot of work dresses that I'd…

My first time posting a picture here - hope it works! This week's lunch: homemade vegetable beef & barley soup with a few pieces of bread

I can't decide between two: - Bringing lunch to work at least 3 days per week instead of getting takeout every day. This has helped my budget & my calorie count! - Planning the next day or two in advance. It's a great feeling to know I can hit my calorie and macro goals by just following my plan, and I give myself an…

I don't have a Vitamix, but I just bought protein powder last week for the first time and I've discovered two protein shakes I love! I've been trying to come up with combinations like the ones I used to make with just fruit, juice, and yogurt. Strawberry Shake (303 calories, 31g carbs, 1g fat, 43g protein with my…

I always drink a glass of water right before I go to bed. It helps me not to feel hungry if I'm going to bed later than I should (and way too long since dinner), and it helps me not to feel dehydrated in the morning.

- Chicken Curry (added green beans and peas to my mom's potato-heavy recipe, along with extra onions and tomatoes for 2 servings of veggies in each serving) - Light Brown Rice (added a few chopped tomatoes) - Whole Wheat Naan (I earned the carbs at lunch!) & for dessert - two Ghirardelli squares :o)

I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted to congratulate you on 65 pounds lost! That's a wonderful accomplishment. I hope you can figure this out and meet the rest of your goal.

Your macros look good, but you are consistently way under your calorie goals. Do you feel hungry or tired? Your body may not be getting enough fuel. You may want to try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Beans and legumes would help, too - they provide fiber and protein. Nuts and seeds are high-calorie and provide good…

First, I'd recommend adjusting your macro targets. While overall calories in/calories out is the biggest contributor to weight loss, 60% carbs is quite high. I'm currently at 40 carb/30 fat/30 protein, and while it's not the easiest thing in the world, it's not too hard either. This will help you stay full and still have…

What are the specific numbers? If they're not too far apart, it's probably not a big deal which number you pick. If I were you, I'd start with the higher number (BMR).

I know how you feel! I just started watching sodium myself, right after I cooked a pot of soup to eat for dinner all week that has over half of my sodium for the day in one serving. :o) I second everyone else's suggestions about fruits and vegetables. Something else you might want to have is unsalted nuts - fiber, protein,…

Do you have a food scale? That's the only way to measure shredded/chopped things accurately.

You may want to look into strength training, which will help you to replace some of that fat with muscle without necessarily losing more weight. Do you know your body fat %? I carry most of my fat in my thighs as well, and I know the only way I'm going to be able to get rid of it is to reduce my overall body fat %. Even…

- lose 4 pounds - strength training 3 times a week - cardio 2 times a week - body fat under 26.5% - eat more veggies (& find at least 2 new ones that I like) - hit my protein target at least 4 times a week

If your BMR is about 2300, you need to net that many calories just to keep your body working. For a realistic, healthy, and sustainable goal, try for TDEE minus 20%. For you, that would be 3,000 calories. I know that seems high, but you are really active. You need to give your body the fuel it needs or your metabolism will…

I bought the Ozeri Touch scale on Amazon a few weeks ago. I tested it with some household items (5 lb bag of flour, etc.), and it was accurate. It measures body fat %, hydration, muscle, and bone mass, and it saves your information in a profile. I was hesitant to believe that bathroom scale could accurately measure body…

Thanks again, guys! After thinking about it, I'll take both of your suggestions. I'll skim the fat that congeals at the top after the soup is cool, and I'll take the weight of the ham I put in the soup and add a few grams to the recipe calculation to account for whatever comes out of the bone other than fat. jgrode, if…

Thanks for the reply! My thought is that what the bone will add to the soup is mostly fat, which is very high in calories per gram, so I want to make sure it's accounted for. I'm adding my recipes as I go and have been trying to stay as accurate as possible - only skipping some spices if I use less than 1/4 teaspoon.

Thanks so much for the suggestions, guys! I have a lot of new ideas. I'm sorry for the late response - I posted just before I left the office on a Friday (dumb) and didn't check back in until now. I'm really excited to make some egg muffins - I've been eating Greek yogurt a little too often for breakfast lately and I don't…

Thank you for the suggestions! I'll look into both of those options. I haven't seen any weight change yet, but I'm telling myself not to worry about it for one more week. If there's still no change, I'll need to do a lot more research to figure out why. I'm feeling satisfied but not over-full at the 1600 calorie level…