It's A New Day! to be Fit and Trim

[Sandy F.]

My DH was laid up for several months after his foot surgery (it didn't heal well due to his osteoporosis), and I did all the shopping. I only bought stuff with no sugar added. He lost 12 pounds, and was very pleased. He was a bit grumpy that I wouldn't buy his usual sugar-laden stuff, but now has stayed with it, and is doing the shopping again. He likes having his clothes fit more loosely, LOL. I've had the very great pleasure of giving away size 3X clothes, then 2X clothes, most of the 1X ones are gone now, and I can wear a L in tops and a M in bottoms. I've never been able to buy outfits--my top has always been a size larger than my bottom.

Pat in Rockport, TX

[Sandy F.]

I'll have to check out the Kashi protein bars. I guess I lumped them in with the breakfast bars that had so much sugar and calories.

[Sandy F.]

The dietitian reminded me to read labels; she wanted me on a low-carb diet, higher in fiber and some protein. I Just need to be reasonable about th protein, so I don't particularly measure it out - just picture a deck of cards (or 1 egg). She recommended 2-3 "carbs" (30-35 carbs, for counting) for meals and 1 carb (of 10-15 total carbs) for a snack. I look for labels to read around 6-8 grams of sugar. Small meals through out the day, basically. It's hard to keep to that because I like to drink milk with a meal, and 1/2 glass (skim) is a carb in itself! So if I have a sandwich with regular bread, with 1/2 c. milk, that's basically all the carbs for that meal. No fruit, cheese, careful on the mayo - so I often will have just 1/2 sandwich. Mashed potatoes and rice turn to sugar quickly, so I have to have small portions, balanced with lots of fiber and protein. It's been really hard, with all our travels and staying with family. So I think that's why I gained some weight back. But at least my diabetes is under control with just diet. It's great to have support and understanding here; great thread, Sandy! If I get real brave, I should probably post weight loss and exercise, like you do. I know exercise is a big bug-a-boo for me. About the only thing I will do is walking, and I have a million excuses not to do it. (for one, no treadmill)

[Eileen K.]

Sandy,
Have you looked at the South Beach cereal bars? They're great! Mike eats the Kashi bars, but he doesn't have any health problems. He just likes them.
eileenkny

[Eileen K.]

I'm starting over. I'm writing down everything I eat and drink. When Mike and Keri ride their bikes, I'm going to walk.
eileenkny

[Sandy F.]

Way to go Eileen. It has really help me. I was writing down calories at first but I'm just writing food now.

Doesn’t Valarie Bertinelli look great on the Jenny Craig ads on television? I remember her from One Day at a Time. I saw her last year on a Hallmark movie before she lost weight and the difference since then is amazing. I think the ad says she has lost 40 pounds so I was curious how long it took her. I looked at her blog which is on the Jenny Craig website and it took her 38 weeks to lose 40 pounds (which was her goal). At week 12 she had lost 22 pounds which compares to the 21 pounds I had lost at week 12. I am very pleased that my own life style changes have worked as well as Valarie’s Jenny Craig Plan.

I wonder how difficult it is to go from a diet plan that provides your food to trying to maintain it on your own. Without being in charge of food planning, buying, preparation, portion control, etc. during the loss process have you changed your life style enough so you can maintain what your have lost? That is why I am trying to do it on my own with support from you all.

[Sandy F.]

I have been lurking on this thread since it started, and I am impressed by the work you all have done. I just have a question really. I am trying to make healthier choices for myself and my family but I have a rather unique problem here. My dh RJ is allergic to pretty much all artificial sweetners. Saccrin (Sweet n' Low) and Nutrasweet both give him horrific migrane headaches, and Splenda causes his blood pressure and heart rate to skyrocket - he gets very flushed in the face and dizzy. I had wondered whether it was all in his head, but ruled that out when I tried a teaspoon of each in his tea without telling him and he had the reactions anyway. This weekend he got the worst headache, and eventually we traced it down when I saw him take a sip of the kid's flavored water pouch - he never realized it had nutrasweet in it and had been taking the first sip of each pouch he opened to prevent spilling :lol:

Anyway my question is how do I reduce my family's sugar intake without resorting to artificial sweetners and diet drinks??

[Sandy F.]

I have been lurking on this thread since it started, and I am impressed by the work you all have done. I just have a question really. I am trying to make healthier choices for myself and my family but I have a rather unique problem here. My dh RJ is allergic to pretty much all artificial sweetners. Saccrin (Sweet n' Low) and Nutrasweet both give him horrific migrane headaches, and Splenda causes his blood pressure and heart rate to skyrocket - he gets very flushed in the face and dizzy. I had wondered whether it was all in his head, but ruled that out when I tried a teaspoon of each in his tea without telling him and he had the reactions anyway. This weekend he got the worst headache, and eventually we traced it down when I saw him take a sip of the kid's flavored water pouch - he never realized it had nutrasweet in it and had been taking the first sip of each pouch he opened to prevent spilling :lol: Anyway my question is how do I reduce my family's sugar intake without resorting to artificial sweetners and diet drinks??

Whew! that's a tough one, alright. I remember my MIL used to cut the sugar on most of her recipes, and no one seemed to mind. I think if you did that gradually, it might not be so noticeable. I have a DD who is hypoglycemic, and I found I could leave out sugar in a few things, like pancakes (I made them from scratch), and the rest of the family didn't notice. Particularly when they piled on the sweetened berries or syrup, lol! Another thought is to try using honey in your diet; it has some real health benefits, according to what I've read, and it's sweeter than sugar so you wouldn't use as much. My family enjoyed honey on their breakfast cereal for years and actually preferred it to sugar. We didn't buy the pre-sweetened stuff. I guess if you do it gradually, they might be satisfied with the natural sweetness found in fruits, as well. Of course, dealing with DH can be a lot different than with kids!

[karen f.]

Hey Mandy, A while ago I saw a naturopathic Dr. or practitioner whatever he would be called and of course he wanted me to eat healthier which meant nothing I was eating. Anyway he suggested Xylitol instead of sugar. I get it at Whole Foods grocery store. He said they use it in a lot of gum and candies in Europe because it is not only not bad for you but also it good for your teeth. I really don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners and this I don't mind. I don't know about baking or cooking it would probably be too expensive if it even worked but for your husband's tea I think it may work for him too.
Karen

[karen f.]

Mandy - Watch out for foods that say 'no sugar added' it usually means that substiture sweetners ARE added. Splenda is the only substiture sweetner I can handle. The others give me a terrible tummy ache. Fruit juices are mostly sugar, use whole fruit instead. Applesauce is supposed to be a good sweetner in cakes, etc. I have discovered that soy milk has less callories, carbs and fat than 2% milk. I thought I would never use it but DH uses it because of a lactose intolerance. I am finally using it when I need milk in other foods.

Sandy - losing one (!) pound a week is great!! And I think it is even better to do it on your own then on a diet plan. My Doctors have said to never loose more than that. It is not good for your health and your body thinks you are starving and makes it even harder to loose weight.

At the present time I am not loosing, just staying the same. I am happy though, I am not gaining and my diabetes is under good control. I know that I need to exercise more and that it would probably help. I have back issues so getting good excercise can be difficult. Maybe when this crazy Oregon weather gets normal I will be able to do some walking. Treadmills don't work for me.

[karen f.]

Oh goodie, a subject right up my alley I've been on a 20+ year quest to improve health (was very sick due to chemicals being a hairdresser). I'm an AVID reader/studier. My hesitance at "suggesting" anything to anyone is that I might become seen as negative or health police. I look at it this way....information is power. That being said, information changes as new insights come along.
Nutrasweet (aspartame): google it...they've known it is poison for years....many syptoms of MS, fibro, Parkinsons, etc., related to such...along with brain tumors, etc. It turns to formaldehyde in your body. Yech.
Splenda is made by adding the chlorine molecule to sugar - the same way they make pesticdes!!! Mandy, no wonder your son reacts! Even if one doesn't have immediate reactions, the poison/toxins build up in your body. I believe it prudent to avoid all toxins that we can. Of course there are some inevitable ones via the environment. Don't give up in fear or frustration; become knowlegable and make changes - even baby steps - one at a time. It was a looong journey for me, and I almost gave up many times. There were no wonderful Whole Foods-type places when I began. Now, I enjoy shopping and experimenting with new, fun ingredients.
As for sugar replacements, Mandy....that IS difficult. Xylitol is good for many people, but sugar alcohols CAN be problematic (GAS) for many. LOL. I didn't have success cooking with it. As suggested, just begin reducing the amount of sugar. I've used date sugar as a partial replacement in some recipies......brown rice syrup is another one. I just made some awesome "bars" with brown rice syrup, some sugar, etc., peanut butter, different nuts (toasted), millet/rice cereal (organic, of course ), choc chips, oatmeal. YUMMY and lots of protein. Stay away from most commercial cereals. As the old addage goes...you're better off eating the box. :? The preservative BHT is in the majority of them!
Also, avoid the plastic containers. Cooling bottled water was mentioned somewhere else - this has been shown to release the BPA's, which are toxic. Xenoestrogens are another fascinating subject.....toxins that act as estrogen in our bodies. Many of us have an overdose.
I'd love to share whatever I know. I don't claim to be a doctor, but as we know, experience, time and research are the best teachers. I have an MD brother.....we have been known to have some pretty interesting "discussions" :lol: Doctors are not trained in nutrition - it is not mandatory in most states. Many will tell you that their education comes from drug reps. Hmmm
Anyway, take all of my information in a positive and loving light, please. I care about all beings 8)
Jan in Spokane, where we had SNOW yesterday.....really!

[karen f.]

I never had the bad reactions to Nutrasweet or Splenda that others have had but didn't like the idea that it more or less turns to formaldehyde in your brain...I need to hang on to as many brain cells as I can for as long as I can. I have switched over to using Stevia which is a plant byproduct. I have my daughter buy it for me at Whole Foods Market (none in our area). It comes both as a powder in packets or a liquid in a dropper bottle. The liquid is the way to go if you are wanting to sweeten cold drinks. The powder seems to clump in cold liquids. Everybody keep up the great work!!

[Joyce D.]

I am interested in this topic, also. I have been overweight for most of my adult life. I'm short, so the extra 40 pounds really is a problem for me.

I tried Curves, but that did not work out. I tried an online support group, but really wasn't committed.

I've made some changes in our eating habits over the years because my husband has high cholestorol. I am borderline high cholestorol and bordeline high sugar.

I've been having trouble with my right knee for some time and more recently it is worse. This has prevented me from wanting to do any walking for exercise.

The only time in my adult life that I really lost weight was when I was on the Weighdown Workshop program. I did not stick with it and gained back the weight. Although I remember some of the principles and try to go by those.

I'll be checking back on this topic. I can use all the support and encouragement I can get!

Joyce

[Gloria H.]

Someone asked about my use of the treadmill. I have a small TV at eye level and I watch HGTV at about max volume. I am in the basement and so far no one has complained . I could never do it without the TV. I'm going to start keeping a food diary. I think (know) I have a tendency to forget the nibble of this and the bite of that. Gloria

[Frances L.]

I've been reading this thread since the beginning, and following Sandy's updates since I started looking at this site in March. I'd like to lose 40-50 pounds, lost a few last week courtesy of a bout with the flu. I lost weight years ago with nutrisystem and slowly gained it all back. I don't really want to use a system that gives me the food, I didn't like it back then. Managed to lose some with Weight Watchers and like the idea of losing weight while making my own food. I really want to be more active but I'm still having problems with my ankle. Finally asked the Dr for a referral to PT only to find out that my PT is not on my insurance anymore (not her choice). I really can't do a lot of walking, I want to get out into the pool. But I have hip problems too and don't want to aggrevate that. So now I am looking for a new PT person. It's easy to just get depressed and go have a bag of chips or something. What I really need to do is the food diary. Frances in Austin where it was over 100 again