sweetnlow30 Member

Nothing secret about my tips but here are some things that have helped me: Prelog my day each morning I eat the same thing for lunch every day with slight variations. It is easier for me to plan and I am not sick of it yet! I never drink my calories besides one coffee a day. If I decide to have something like a smoothie, I…

I weigh the whole batch as well. Although I admit I haven't been as diligent lately. If its a dish I can cut, I cut it by eyeballing my 6-8 pieces and log my piece as 1.3 servings to cover any error. It's harder for liquid meals. I guess if I stop losing I will go back to being more careful. After four years of calorie…

This is my problem area as well. I get comments to stop losing but I hate that damn gut! I suspect it's partly from loose skin since my stomach has a wrinkled look to it. Some strength training might help.

I make mine this way because pasta bothers my stomach. I make a pan of ground turkey with half a can of tomato sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, celery, garlic, mushrooms and Italian spices and let that simmer for a bit. Then I do a layer of zuchini, one layer of light ricotta mixed with a egg, more zuchini, half the sauce,…

This has been tough for me too. I keep going five pounds at a time. My problem is I lost some muscle and I am "skinny fat" especially my stomach. I also have lots of loose skin to deal with. It all contributes to a stomach that is no where near smooth. I plan to lose five more pounds which will put me at 125, (I'm 5' 3.5")…

I'm 5'3" and when I hit 125 I will be maintaining on about 1800 according to the rate I am losing at now. I plan to ease into maintenance after I lose about 3-5 more pounds.

I was just talking to a friend about this last night . I plan to have one free day a week, probably Saturday. I will offset this by eating lower on Friday and Sunday. I think it's good to have a break to be less mindful. It will make maintenance sem like less of a chore for me ;)

I strongly suggest eating back only half of your exercise calories if you are going by the calories burned according to exercise machines. Investing in a heart rate monitor with chest strap is a great idea if you want a more accurate idea of your actual burn. Until then, eat back half and try to be as accurate as possible…

Any more suggestions?

Thanks I will check that out ;)

Wendy's apple pecan chicken salad with Asian sesame dressing. I get cheddar rather than blue cheese. It's my favorite fast food! Subway 6" club on wheat bread with no cheese and sweet onion dressing, lots of veggies. Sometimes I get soup with it. Burger king grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad McDonald's salads…

Me too. The red pepper Alfredo is really good. I eat them when the rest of the family is having a junk food night like nuggets and fries since that doesn't really appeal to me. I usually make a salad with a frozen meal because I don't find them that filling on their own.

When I froze the peppers from my garden last year I chopped some into strips for tacos and I diced some along with celery and onions so I had a mix for chili and spaghetti. You don't have to blanch (quick boil) peppers onions or celery which makes it way more convenient to freeze them. I defrost mine in the microwave for…

I was vitamin D deficient with symptoms that mimicked hypothyroidism. I was always cold, tired and my hair was falling out by the handfuls. The thyroid specialists was referred to was quick to check me for vitamin D deficiency. I now take 4000 iu and my hair is growing back. I am so thankful for that!

The last bit of weight is frustrating because you have a smaller margin of error since your deficit is smaller. I agree with eating back 50% of your exercise calories. That gives you some room if you are not 100% accurate on your logging. At 1200 calories you should be eating at least some back or your deficit will be too…

I have nothing against using sweeteners. I use Splenda in my coffee every day. I do find carbonated drinks with aspartame give me stomach aches. It was so bad that I was tested for gallbladder problems before I pinpointed the issue. Crystal Light does this to me as well. I also get headaches and just an overall feeling of…

Thanks for the ideas!

This is all making me hungry :laugh: I will check out both recipes. I make apple crisp all the time. I could throw some rhubarb in and use less sugar.

Thanks, I will check that out. I should have enough to make two things. The kids are wanting cake, mommy too lol.

I actually don't snack very often because I like having room for bigger meals, especially dinner. When I just can't make it through I usually have BBQ crispy mini rice cakes, a piece of fruit or sometimes a small Tim hortons fruit smoothie. Before bed I like cottage cheese.

This is very sound advice! I am glad to see you are taking it to heart by slightly lowering your calories.

This is recommended reading for everyone! I really enjoyed the article. Thanks for posting.

Amazing job!! I also went from a size 24 to an Old Navy 2 (which I find is equivilant to a 4/5 in other stores) It's a great feeling. :flowerforyou:

Congrats! You look great. I would love to have a tummy as flat as yours but I have a lot of loose skin. We are the same height. I am aiming for 130 but 125 might be more appropriate for me too.

I am 5' 3.5" and my goal is currently 130 but I may want to drop to 125. My starting weight was 250 and I am currently 135. I have been overweight my entire life so this is really new for me! I think my loose skin is masking a potential flatter tummy because there is no skin tension to hold my bit of fat so I have a roll.…

You probably can't make it at work but I like a big egg white scramble with onions mushrooms peppers ham or real bacon bits and some light feta cheese. It's really filling and low calorie.

I got a realistic large blue morpho butterfly on my back shoulder last month to symbolize the changes I have made in my life. I plan to add two more butterfiles to it for my children. I also recently highlighted my hair with blonde streaks. I think rewarding ourselves is a very motivating idea.

I am 5' 3 1/2" . My starting weight was 250 and my ultimate goal was to be 145 pounds since I haven't been that weight since I was 11 years old! When I got there I realized it was still too heavy for me. I have been up and down from 160 back to 145 over the last three years. In January I decided to take the rest off and I…

I eat one big meal and 1-2 small snack size meals. It hasn't hurt me one bit. I prefer to save my calories for a satisfying dinner. It comes down to your hunger levels and what works for your schedule.

I weigh once every week or two when I feel like I have lost some weight. Not seeing a loss really used to get me down so I decided to put the scale away for awhile. Now I am used to doing it every so often when I don't feel bloated in the morning. I do take my measurements at least once a week. That seems more important to…