cicadagirl

Not at all! Yes, I definitely lost some weight in the boob area...which my husband mourns more than I, ha! I can actually wear shirts that button down the front now! I was a 36DD in the before pic; I'm a 36C now.

Thanks, everyone! It feels good to feel good, ha!

You can always eat something that packs a large number of calories into a relatively small space...nuts or peanut butter, maybe. You can get 200 calories out of just 2 tablespoons of PB!

This is the one I use: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/simple-and-spectacular-homemade-hummus/

Hummus! It really is so easy to make...10 minutes! And you can customize your ingredients and flavors. So simple, and so much better than storebought.

I had turkey burgers just last night! I mixed the ground turkey with some Italian seasoning spices, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and some bread crumbs, and just cooked 'em up on my George Foreman grill!

Yay! Definitely a good thing! I've noticed that, too, and even a step farther...if I DO eat junk food, my stomach gets upset and I definitely regret it, ha!

If there's a problem with the water itself...a rusty taste or a mineral taste, maybe?...I'd actually recommend getting a water bottle with an internal filter. I have a great one made by Camelbak, and I know other brands make 'em, too. The water gets filtered as you drink it, removing any impurities...which should also help…

Sounds great!

Oh, man...I bought a bottle of the 21 Seasoning Salute after reading this thread....THANK YOU for recommending it! So tasty! I've been sprinkling that stuff into everything! Chicken, brown rice, even my scrambled eggs!

Hi back!! *grin* Thanks for the recommendation; those look great and really easy, too!!

Thanks, everyone! I really like the idea of the breakfast burritos. I may try smoothies, but I always feel like solid food keeps me full longer. Could just be psychological, though, ha!

OMG, I do the same thing! Short answer....yes. Long answer....OMG YES.

Feeling in control means feeling confident, and feeling confident means you glow! It's a lovely feeling. Good luck!

5'3" over here. Lost 5 pounds already; aiming at 20 to 25 more! But really, what I'm aiming at is being healthier and happier. It's so easy to think only in terms of pounds lost or sizes dropped. But that's not my main goal. Might be a nice benefit, sure. :tongue: But I just want to feel good about myself! And I've noticed…

My usual list of staples: baby spinach tofu (I buy regular firm tofu AND a teriyaki-flavored one, mmm!) whole wheat tortillas multi-grain bread English muffins Persian cucumbers (smaller, fewer seeds) carrots (not the pre-cut babies...full carrots. Better bang for your buck if you don't buy pre-cut-up veggies!) red and…

I actually like the coffee taste more than the really sweet drinks, luckily for me! My drink of choice is a grande cappuccino. Only 120 calories with 2% milk and 80 calories with nonfat. When it's hot out, I usually get a Green Tea Lemonade...45 calories! But if you like the sweet flavored hot drinks best, just order what…

Sounds great!!

Haha...after having just downed 4 cups of water in as many hours, I can tell you one more benefit...it makes you actually get up and move 'cause you have to pee so much more often! And where I work, the bathroom is down one flight of stairs from my desk. Score! Extra calories burned for my sedentary tushie! :laugh:

Mmm, does sound good! Thanks!

Try to find a copy of "Glorious One-Pot Meals" by Elizabeth Yarnell. Pretty useful book, and some nice simple recipes, too.

It's all about the leftovers, baby! Cook just like you'd always cook, but it'll last you longer! Ha!

Whole wheat tortilla with one tablespoon of hummus, about an ounce of sliced grilled chicken, and about one quarter of a red bell pepper cut into strips. Simple, but flavorful!

I used to track sugar, but when throwing 1/4 cup of organic all-natural dried fruit (no sugar added!) into my salad threw me over my sugar allowance in one meal, I stopped. Most of the sugar in my diet comes from natural sources like fruit, which I don't consider to be unhealthy regardless of what MFP's sugar numbers…

Leftover grilled chicken diced up small, spinach, maybe some sausage or bacon if I don't have the chicken, not just cheese but FETA cheese (mmmm!), black olives....

Dice it up into a chicken salad! It's also good dipped into miso paste...which has a lot of sodium, so you have to watch that and not use too much. But you can't beat the crunchy + salty effect for a really satisfying snack!

I only eat vegetarian sushi ('cause I hate fish, not 'cause I'm a vegetarian!) so my choices tend to be particularly simple, ha. I love kappa maki (just cucumber, rice, and the nori wrapper!), tamago (sweetened egg), inari (rice wrapped in sweet tofu), ume maki (not common...sour plum paste with rice and the nori wrapper),…

HA! My husband made a similar comment to me last night after watching me eat a popsicle! (Though, to be fair, it was an 80 calorie Fruit Floe from Trader Joe's, so it really only FELT decadent, ha!)

A restaurant near me does a great spinach salad which is really easy to recreate at home. Basically, baby spinach as the base, with mandarin orange slices, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, chopped up bacon (this can be omitted for sodium reduction!), crumbled feta, diced red bell pepper, and a honey-mustard dressing.…

I either: Use it as a dip with raw veggies or pita chips, or spread it into a pita and add cucumbers and sprouts for a healthy sandwich.