some new observaions... deja vu for some

I've been adjusting to my new WOE for several months now. There are alot of
things I'm still learning, and for me, it has been a slow progress. I'm sure
alot of you have gone through this already, so maybe you can enjoy my
musings. (however long lol)

I picked up some stevia last night- and was looking very forward to using it
in my tea and plain, no sugar yogurt this morning. Maybe it's the brand and
type I picked up, but it left such an aftertaste. The actual taste is
delicious, but ugh... the aftertaste. Maybe I'll have to find another brand-
anyone else experience this?

I've been slowly changing some of my foods over- things like; I don't buy
the average store bought yogurt anymore, but I get the plain suger free one,
which I mix all kinds of things into! I enjoy this quite a bit, and makes
for a very satisfying breakfast. I even went ahead and bought some granola
(sugar free) to throw in- the bulk place down the street has a wonderful
selection of goodies. I bought some steel cut oatmeal and finished off the
little sugar-filled packages for good. I made a banana smoothie last night
that I think I slurped up in 5 minutes, lol! (One frozen banana, half cup of
low fat milk, some oatmeal and threw in some whole flax seed for good
measure- now blend until smoooooth.)

I cook alot better now. I've made some wonderful vegetarian soups- I make a
tomato and spinach soup that I just love. I've almost eliminated butter from
my diet, and replaced it with olive oil when I absolutely have to. I've
found that I love having just balsamic vinegar on my salads, without any
oil. Trying new recipes had been rather intimidating at first because I
didn't know where to start, but every now and then I find one that I really
like- and the BF likes too. Next on my list is to find some nice whole grain
rice, and a decent bread that I can have some nice tuna fish on.

Eating smart takes alot more time. Shopping smart takes alot more time too.
I scanned the yellow pages last night to find a health food store close to
my place, and I found a Nutrition House that advertised groceries. Very,
very much to my disappointment they had mostly pills and such, and the
groceries they did have was some soy drinks. I'm still on the lookout for a
good health food store, but I'm sure I'll find one. Funny, there was one a
bit of a ways away that I never went to and had closed down almost 2 years
ago- now I really wish it was open!

Eating healthy is alot more expensive, too. Admittedly, I'm buying things
that I'll use for a long time, like the bag of flax, but I'm still finding a
small selection of goods at a considerably higher markup. I've found I need
to keep out of the 'Organic' sections of the local supermarkets- those
prices are HIGH. But a little at a time seems to be working for me.

I've hit my first plateau. For two weeks now I've leveled off at 140, and
I've noticed no significant change in the way my clothes fit. This is very
disheartening. I need to pull out those pictures of me at nearly 160 and get
out my old jeans to remind me of how far I've come. So if there's an advice
I can offer you folks who are lurking and just starting out- take pictures!
They will come in handy for times like this!

Anyway, these are all things I've been through over the last few months.
It's more than a diet. It's more than cutting back for a few months to fit
into a size smaller. I was so tired of putting crap into my mouth and
overeating to the point of hurting. So tired of being fat. I'm so glad I
found this little place on Usenet.

Cooper aka Kim
(I'm 5'4" btw... ok 5'3 1/2)

"cooper" wrote in message
...

I cook alot better now. I've made some wonderful vegetarian soups- I make
a
tomato and spinach soup that I just love.

Would you share the recipe? It sounds like you're doing so well, Kim!
Teri


Cooper aka Kim
(I'm 5'4" btw... ok 5'3 1/2)

"cooper" wrote in message
...
I've been adjusting to my new WOE for several months now. There are alot
of
things I'm still learning, and for me, it has been a slow progress. I'm
sure
alot of you have gone through this already, so maybe you can enjoy my
musings. (however long lol)

I picked up some stevia last night- and was looking very forward to using
it
in my tea and plain, no sugar yogurt this morning. Maybe it's the brand
and
type I picked up, but it left such an aftertaste. The actual taste is
delicious, but ugh... the aftertaste. Maybe I'll have to find another
brand-
anyone else experience this?

I've been slowly changing some of my foods over- things like; I don't buy
the average store bought yogurt anymore, but I get the plain suger free
one,
which I mix all kinds of things into! I enjoy this quite a bit, and makes
for a very satisfying breakfast. I even went ahead and bought some granola
(sugar free) to throw in- the bulk place down the street has a wonderful
selection of goodies. I bought some steel cut oatmeal and finished off the
little sugar-filled packages for good. I made a banana smoothie last night
that I think I slurped up in 5 minutes, lol! (One frozen banana, half cup
of
low fat milk, some oatmeal and threw in some whole flax seed for good
measure- now blend until smoooooth.)

I cook alot better now. I've made some wonderful vegetarian soups- I make
a
tomato and spinach soup that I just love. I've almost eliminated butter
from
my diet, and replaced it with olive oil when I absolutely have to. I've
found that I love having just balsamic vinegar on my salads, without any
oil. Trying new recipes had been rather intimidating at first because I
didn't know where to start, but every now and then I find one that I
really
like- and the BF likes too. Next on my list is to find some nice whole
grain
rice, and a decent bread that I can have some nice tuna fish on.

Eating smart takes alot more time. Shopping smart takes alot more time
too.
I scanned the yellow pages last night to find a health food store close to
my place, and I found a Nutrition House that advertised groceries. Very,
very much to my disappointment they had mostly pills and such, and the
groceries they did have was some soy drinks. I'm still on the lookout for
a
good health food store, but I'm sure I'll find one. Funny, there was one a
bit of a ways away that I never went to and had closed down almost 2 years
ago- now I really wish it was open!

Eating healthy is alot more expensive, too. Admittedly, I'm buying things
that I'll use for a long time, like the bag of flax, but I'm still finding
a
small selection of goods at a considerably higher markup. I've found I
need
to keep out of the 'Organic' sections of the local supermarkets- those
prices are HIGH. But a little at a time seems to be working for me.

I've hit my first plateau. For two weeks now I've leveled off at 140, and
I've noticed no significant change in the way my clothes fit. This is very
disheartening. I need to pull out those pictures of me at nearly 160 and
get
out my old jeans to remind me of how far I've come. So if there's an
advice
I can offer you folks who are lurking and just starting out- take
pictures!
They will come in handy for times like this!

Anyway, these are all things I've been through over the last few months.
It's more than a diet. It's more than cutting back for a few months to fit
into a size smaller. I was so tired of putting crap into my mouth and
overeating to the point of hurting. So tired of being fat. I'm so glad I
found this little place on Usenet.

Cooper aka Kim
(I'm 5'4" btw... ok 5'3 1/2)



I would be surprised if you didn't have at least one grocery chain nearby
that had brown rice. That's about as whole grain as rice gets.

BTW - I'm still trying to place you from being here before. Any
*hints* you can drop that might jog my memory, after all, I've been
around this group for 5 yrs now.



Place me? I've only posted a few times here and there, and have only been
coming here daily for around 4 or 5 months. Not sure what to tell you other
than that. I tend to keep to myself, but learn alot through lurking.

Coop

"cooper" wrote:

(One frozen banana, half cup of
low fat milk, some oatmeal and threw in some whole flax seed for good
measure- now blend until smoooooth.)

You may want to grind the flaxseeds first - your body can't digest them
whole. A little coffee grinder is perfect for this. I got one for a
buck at a yardsale.

You're doing great Kim! Keep it up. (and post more!)

--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

"cooper" wrote:

(One frozen banana, half cup of
low fat milk, some oatmeal and threw in some whole flax seed for good
measure- now blend until smoooooth.)

You may want to grind the flaxseeds first - your body can't digest them
whole. A little coffee grinder is perfect for this. I got one for a
buck at a yardsale.

You're doing great Kim! Keep it up. (and post more!)

--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

cooper wrote:

I picked up some stevia last night- and was looking very forward to using it
in my tea and plain, no sugar yogurt this morning. Maybe it's the brand and
type I picked up, but it left such an aftertaste. The actual taste is
delicious, but ugh... the aftertaste. Maybe I'll have to find another brand-
anyone else experience this?

Stevia - Some folks love it, some folks hate it. Looks like your
reaction is less than the some-folks-hate-it end. Fairly common.

I don't buy
the average store bought yogurt anymore, but I get the plain suger free one,
which I mix all kinds of things into! I enjoy this quite a bit, and makes
for a very satisfying breakfast.

Absolutely. Especially fresh berries, yum.

Eating healthy is alot more expensive, too.

This is more a skills issue than a permanent reality. You're still
used to buying the way you used to so you haven't had time to learn
the pricing structure of your new staples. Give it time and learn
to pay more attention to the new stuff and less attention to the
old stuff. Your shopping habits will settle in and in the process
the price you pay will settle down as well. Slow but sure wins the
race.

I've hit my first plateau. For two weeks now I've leveled off at 140, and
I've noticed no significant change in the way my clothes fit. This is very
disheartening.

Do not do this to yourself. You *must* view the time scale for loss
to be month to month not week to week. Not even people dying of
cancer see a new low each and every week, so never expect that you
in your good health will. You have done great and you continue to
do great. Further, consider that amount to lose determines loss
rate. More to lose, faster to lose. Less to lose, slower to lose.
It's like excess fat has some sort of presusre to go away. Actually
the body in general has a drive to stay where it is and the closer
you get to your ideal weight the more that drive works.

I need to pull out those pictures of me at nearly 160 and get
out my old jeans to remind me of how far I've come. (I'm 5'4" btw...
ok 5'3 1/2)

Exactly how did you select your goal weight? Insurace tables tend
to run 10 too low for example. If you select a goal below your
objective ideal, you set yourself up for an eternal struggle to
keep your calories low, while if you pick a goal at your objective
ideal your body becomes your ally not your enemy in keeping that
weight.

I can offer you folks who are lurking and just starting out- take pictures!

Tape measure and pictures beat the scale for everyone who is not
medically driven to their diet. Because of water retention swing
the scale reading can have many pounds of uncertainty. As much
as 5+ pounds on the scale can mean no change at all (my swing is
6 pounds). But a pant size or an inch, that is real.

cooper wrote:

I picked up some stevia last night- and was looking very forward to using it
in my tea and plain, no sugar yogurt this morning. Maybe it's the brand and
type I picked up, but it left such an aftertaste. The actual taste is
delicious, but ugh... the aftertaste. Maybe I'll have to find another brand-
anyone else experience this?

Stevia - Some folks love it, some folks hate it. Looks like your
reaction is less than the some-folks-hate-it end. Fairly common.

I don't buy
the average store bought yogurt anymore, but I get the plain suger free one,
which I mix all kinds of things into! I enjoy this quite a bit, and makes
for a very satisfying breakfast.

Absolutely. Especially fresh berries, yum.

Eating healthy is alot more expensive, too.

This is more a skills issue than a permanent reality. You're still
used to buying the way you used to so you haven't had time to learn
the pricing structure of your new staples. Give it time and learn
to pay more attention to the new stuff and less attention to the
old stuff. Your shopping habits will settle in and in the process
the price you pay will settle down as well. Slow but sure wins the
race.

I've hit my first plateau. For two weeks now I've leveled off at 140, and
I've noticed no significant change in the way my clothes fit. This is very
disheartening.

Do not do this to yourself. You *must* view the time scale for loss
to be month to month not week to week. Not even people dying of
cancer see a new low each and every week, so never expect that you
in your good health will. You have done great and you continue to
do great. Further, consider that amount to lose determines loss
rate. More to lose, faster to lose. Less to lose, slower to lose.
It's like excess fat has some sort of presusre to go away. Actually
the body in general has a drive to stay where it is and the closer
you get to your ideal weight the more that drive works.

I need to pull out those pictures of me at nearly 160 and get
out my old jeans to remind me of how far I've come. (I'm 5'4" btw...
ok 5'3 1/2)

Exactly how did you select your goal weight? Insurace tables tend
to run 10 too low for example. If you select a goal below your
objective ideal, you set yourself up for an eternal struggle to
keep your calories low, while if you pick a goal at your objective
ideal your body becomes your ally not your enemy in keeping that
weight.

I can offer you folks who are lurking and just starting out- take pictures!

Tape measure and pictures beat the scale for everyone who is not
medically driven to their diet. Because of water retention swing
the scale reading can have many pounds of uncertainty. As much
as 5+ pounds on the scale can mean no change at all (my swing is
6 pounds). But a pant size or an inch, that is real.

"Doug Freyburger" wrote in message
om...
cooper wrote:

snip

I chose my goal weight by what I was comfortable with before- I had been as
low as 120, but that was in high school, so that 's pretty unrealistic. At
130- 135 I was pretty comfy; I'm fairly athletic and yes, I am big boned. My
hands and writs are huge, lol! So I didn't go by any chart or anything, just
picked a range where I'm happy at, and where I didn't have to struggle to
much to stay there. Only the last few years really (ok, more than a few)
have I really let my eating habits go and let the weight slip on.

I'm finding I like stevia alot in my yogurt, but definitely not in my tea,
so I'll have to see what else I can use it in.


Thanks for a great post.

You may want to grind the flaxseeds first - your body can't digest them
whole. A little coffee grinder is perfect for this. I got one for a
buck at a yardsale.

You're doing great Kim! Keep it up. (and post more!)


Hmm, yeah, I'll have to grind them, never knew that.

Thanks!