I'm on a diet!!!

[drjeff]

Mmmmmmmmm.... blueberry cake donut.. haven't had one of those in sooooooo looooooong.... drooooooooooool.... mmmmmmmmmmm.....

Yah, let's just say that the amount of effort it took to get me to start chowing down on that doughnut wasn't too much

 

[Marc]

Tip- bring your own lunch to work, so you know what you're eating.

Another tip- buy an avacado, take it home, scoop it into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and a little chili powder if you like, mash it up and use it on sandwiches instead of mayo.

 

[Marc]

Also, non starch vegetables are generally more conducive to weight loss than fruits.

 

[Paul]

Tip- bring your own lunch to work, so you know what you're eating.

Another tip- buy an avacado, take it home, scoop it into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and a little chili powder if you like, mash it up and use it on sandwiches instead of mayo.

Also, non starch vegetables are generally more conducive to weight loss than fruits.

All very good points, except that yukky avacado thing. Wasabi mustard FTW!!!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Luckily I don't eat Mayo..it's gross to me..I'm a mustard mo-fo. I like buying lunch because it gets me out of the office for a half hour.

Todays lunch..Manhatten Clam chowder..two packs of crackers..BLT wrap with mustard..diet coke..I need energy for skiing in a few hours.

Dinner...1/2 pound of jumbo shrimp from Wegmans with cocktail sauce..some sort of salad..probably a couple beers..

Then exercise a little bit after dinner..

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

you can still bring your lunch and still get out of the office, i do it all the time...there is always somewhere to sit and have your lunch....

 

[Marc]

Pssht... avacado is like nature's perfect food. I wish they were hardier, I'd grow them around here.

Also if you have the time, space and inclination... grow a vegetable garden. I grew enough tomatoes that I'm set with frozen tomato sauce all year, and it's all natural, I know exactly what went into it... and obviously for the less active, you don't only have to use it on pasta.

Also the onions, peppers, black beans and squash are keeping very well. The potatoes too, lots of those, but starches I guess aren't particularly conducive to weight loss... once you're down to your target weight and doing a lot of cardio, you'll begin to love them though!

 

[danny p]

Pssht... avacado is like nature's perfect food. I wish they were hardier, I'd grow them around here.

ditto! avacado is the filet mignon of veggies! As for the above mayo substitute recipe, wouldn't it need some lemon juice to preserve the avacado? Usually once they are scooped, they don't last long. I have made the mistake of putting avacado slices on sandwiches the night before and by lunchtime the next day they are brown and nasty.

 

[Grassi21]

ditto! avacado is the filet mignon of veggies! As for the above mayo substitute recipe, wouldn't it need some lemon juice to preserve the avacado? Usually once they are scooped, they don't last long. I have made the mistake of putting avacado slices on sandwiches the night before and by lunchtime the next day they are brown and nasty.

i agree with you on this one. you need a little acid to keep the avocado from turning black/brown. besides lemon or lime juice another good thing to help preserve the color or your guac is sour cream.

 

[severine]

but starches I guess aren't particularly conducive to weight loss... once you're down to your target weight and doing a lot of cardio, you'll begin to love them though!

You don't buy into that, do you?

Balance your carbs with protein. Keep it within a healthy range. There are no "forbidden" foods in a healthy lifestyle.

 

[Marc]

ditto! avacado is the filet mignon of veggies! As for the above mayo substitute recipe, wouldn't it need some lemon juice to preserve the avacado? Usually once they are scooped, they don't last long. I have made the mistake of putting avacado slices on sandwiches the night before and by lunchtime the next day they are brown and nasty.

If you keep it in small air tight container, acid isn't necessary to keep it from oxidizing. If it does it will just be the outer layer and doesn't affect the taste at all.

 

[BeanoNYC]

If you keep it in small air tight container, acid isn't necessary to keep it from oxidizing. If it does it will just be the outer layer and doesn't affect the taste at all.

I actually just bring the whole avacado with me. I Cut it open when I'm ready, sprinkle a little salt and eat it with a spoon right out of the skin.

 

[Marc]

You don't buy into that, do you?

Balance your carbs with protein. Keep it within a healthy range. There are no "forbidden" foods in a healthy lifestyle.

Well, I really don't know, because I've never had to lose weight. It's just that potatoes are easy to grow and easy to eat in large quantities... in proportions that can dwarf other types of calories, trust me, I do it all the time.

Actually the less active I am, the more I expand my % calories from protein. If I'm less active I shoot for like 15% fat, 35% protein, 50% carb... if I'm riding or touring a lot I go towards 10% fat, 25% protein, 65% carb.

 

[Grassi21]

If you keep it in small air tight container, acid isn't necessary to keep it from oxidizing. If it does it will just be the outer layer and doesn't affect the taste at all.

What also helps is placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture. Less air leads to less oxidation.

Now Marc will break down the process and find a loop hole in my suggestion. ;-)

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Pssht... avacado is like nature's perfect food. I wish they were hardier, I'd grow them around here.

Also if you have the time, space and inclination... grow a vegetable garden. I grew enough tomatoes that I'm set with frozen tomato sauce all year, and it's all natural, I know exactly what went into it... and obviously for the less active, you don't only have to use it on pasta.

Also the onions, peppers, black beans and squash are keeping very well. The potatoes too, lots of those, but starches I guess aren't particularly conducive to weight loss... once you're down to your target weight and doing a lot of cardio, you'll begin to love them though!

It's easier to get vegetables at the grocery store and I live in an apartment so I don't have any land to grow vegetables. It just seems like alot of work. The only thing I'd want to grow would be a different kind of vegetable but I'd be too paranoid..:lol:

 

[severine]

There are a lot of myths out there from fad diets. And while I am not the picture of health at the moment, I can tell you that that was courtesy of too much fast food and highly processed food, not potatoes and pasta.

I am not a dietitian. But I can tell you from personal experience that you don't have to "give up" potatoes and pasta... starches in general. Make wiser choices (like whole grains versus white). Control portions. Baked potato w/a little light sour cream instead of potato skins loaded with cheese and bacon. You know, that sort of stuff. Will go a lot further than eliminating food groups that our bodies were designed to utilize. (And since we're on the topic of potatoes, they're actually a very nutritious veg - high in Vit C and potassium, as well as fiber.)

Again, I'm no expert. But the 40 lbs I lost (and still have off in spite of 2 pregnancies) plus the 60? 70? that Brian lost, were done while eating potatoes and pasta. We just controlled our portions. And made smarter choices in preparation.

(As an aside, this link is from a traditional foods website... I know it's a bit extreme for most people, but I figured it was worth adding to see another opinion on lowfat/low carb diets.....you'll have to scroll a bit, though...
http://www.westonaprice.org/men/menshealthmag.html )

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

The highly processed foods are what are toughest to give up because they've been a part of my diet my entire life.

I really enjoy combos, pringles, cheeze doodles, cheeze-itz and other empty calorie foods with zero nutritional value.

One of my favorite sandwiches is turkey, bacon, cheddar, and guacamole..mmmmm

 

[severine]

The highly processed foods are what are toughest to give up because they've been a part of my diet my entire life.

I really enjoy combos, pringles, cheeze doodles, cheeze-itz and other empty calorie foods with zero nutritional value.

One of my favorite sandwiches is turkey, bacon, cheddar, and guacamole..mmmmm

Yeah, the processed stuff is the hardest. I compromise. Less of it and "better" stuff. Like if I want chips, I have baked. 100 Calorie packs for portion control. Try to eat with fruit or veg.

Your sandwich isn't absolutely terrible though - especially in comparison to some of the other things you typically dine on. If you control the portions and maybe try turkey bacon and light cheddar, that would help. Fats are important, too. They satiate. And they help with cell production and a healthy brain. Most recommend no more than 30% of your calories come from fat. Let's say you had that sandwich for lunch... then you'd just want to lighter through the rest of the day to balance.

 

[Paul]

The highly processed foods are what are toughest to give up because they've been a part of my diet my entire life.

I really enjoy combos, pringles, cheeze doodles, cheeze-itz and other empty calorie foods with zero nutritional value.

One of my favorite sandwiches is turkey, bacon, cheddar, and guacamole..mmmmm

 

[Grassi21]

Yeah, the processed stuff is the hardest. I compromise. Less of it and "better" stuff. Like if I want chips, I have baked. 100 Calorie packs for portion control. Try to eat with fruit or veg.

Your sandwich isn't absolutely terrible though - especially in comparison to some of the other things you typically dine on. If you control the portions and maybe try turkey bacon and light cheddar, that would help. Fats are important, too. They satiate. And they help with cell production and a healthy brain. Most recommend no more than 30% of your calories come from fat. Let's say you had that sandwich for lunch... then you'd just want to lighter through the rest of the day to balance.

I stuffed some turkey pepperoni in the calzones I made last night. Good stuff!