Help me balance my diet, please!

I've been (and still am, and will be for life) on Weight Watchers.
I've reached my goal weight and have sucessfully remained here for
about 10 months so far. However, I'm finding it harder to maintain my
weight and it's veeeeerry slooooowly creeping up.

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce the carbs a bit.
WW is very focussed on the carbs, so I thought I'd come here for a
wider range of opinions. Here's a standard daily menu for your
contemplation:

B: 2 Weetbix biscuits, low fat milk (2%), 2 tsp brown sugar, cranberry
juice. Occasionally baked beans on toast or boiled eggs on toast, but
these are usually on the weekends when I have more time.

L: Home-made soup with lentils or beans and veges (about 1 cup),
cheese sandwich on multigrain bread. The soup is replaced with salad
in summer, and sometimes the sandwich is ham instead of cheese.

D: Lean red meat, vegies (including a small potato). Also
occasionally pasta, stir fries, burritos, but usually the same basic
pattern.

Snacks: Fruit (apples, mandarins, stone fruit when it's in season),
dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), nuts (almonds), peanut butter on
corn crackers, swiss miss type non-fat hot chocolate drink,
marshmallows, low fat choc chip cookies, occasional dark chocolate and
alcohol (wine), tea twice a day with a scant teaspoon of sugar in each
cup.

Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great. Also, I'm Australian, so please only
suggest real food, not packaged stuff, unless you live here too! And
yes, I like sugar. I'm not about to give it up as there's no way I
could maintain that for any length of time.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Julie.

93.5/72.5/74 kg
205.7/159.5/168.2 lb

"JulieB" wrote in message ...
Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

I'm no expert on maintaining, but if you like what you're eating how
about upping the exercise a bit?

45 minutes & 1.5 times the distance. Put out a little more sweat on
your walks, and the extra 100-200kcal output will add up to maybe a
kilogram over a month.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great.

carbs are fine if they don't take the place of more filling fare.

"JulieB" wrote in message ...
Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

I'm no expert on maintaining, but if you like what you're eating how
about upping the exercise a bit?

45 minutes & 1.5 times the distance. Put out a little more sweat on
your walks, and the extra 100-200kcal output will add up to maybe a
kilogram over a month.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great.

carbs are fine if they don't take the place of more filling fare.

"Ignoramus19922" wrote in message
...
Extreme low fat dieting is known to produce the effect that you are
observing.

What helps many people, and is likely to help you, is

1) replace junk carbs that you eat (crackers, bread etc), with good
healthy fats. Try drinking full fat milk, eating fat and untrimmed
meat, fatty fish like salmon or catfish, etc. Do not be afraid of
saturated fat too much. A good balance of fats that includes saturated
fats is healthy.

Says you.

Experts (as in people who aren't self proclaimed ignorant) still recommend
cutting back on *saturated* fat, but definitely fats from fish, vegetable
sources, seeds, and nuts are healthy and a necessary part of a healthy diet.
Otherwise you're looking at gall stones and other fun problems not to
mention possible heart disease.

It was one thing when you were just spouting this crap for yourself, but now
you're pushing it on others.

2) Eat enough low calorie vegetables. You will find ones that you
like. The more the merrier.

3) Exercise daily, such as walk. I am sure that you are aware of the
need for exercise, but it must be said.

4) Sugar. To me it is incarnation of evil and, without sugar, my life
is much easier. I no longer crave it because I basically forgot how it
tastes. If you could get to this point, you may find it easier to
maintain. If not, then, tough for you. It all comes doen to
priorities.

4) Eat enough protein to supply you, which is about .1-0.8 g/lb of
body weight.

Sugar also typically implies eating bad stuff like cookies, trans
fats, etc. No one eats sugar by the spoon.

No one eats raw bacon or drinks uncooked egg beaters, except you.

Generally speaking, if your current diet is not working, it is time to
make adjustments, so, I applaud you looking for alternatives to your
current eating.

i

Jenn

"Ignoramus19922" wrote in message
...
Extreme low fat dieting is known to produce the effect that you are
observing.

What helps many people, and is likely to help you, is

1) replace junk carbs that you eat (crackers, bread etc), with good
healthy fats. Try drinking full fat milk, eating fat and untrimmed
meat, fatty fish like salmon or catfish, etc. Do not be afraid of
saturated fat too much. A good balance of fats that includes saturated
fats is healthy.

Says you.

Experts (as in people who aren't self proclaimed ignorant) still recommend
cutting back on *saturated* fat, but definitely fats from fish, vegetable
sources, seeds, and nuts are healthy and a necessary part of a healthy diet.
Otherwise you're looking at gall stones and other fun problems not to
mention possible heart disease.

It was one thing when you were just spouting this crap for yourself, but now
you're pushing it on others.

2) Eat enough low calorie vegetables. You will find ones that you
like. The more the merrier.

3) Exercise daily, such as walk. I am sure that you are aware of the
need for exercise, but it must be said.

4) Sugar. To me it is incarnation of evil and, without sugar, my life
is much easier. I no longer crave it because I basically forgot how it
tastes. If you could get to this point, you may find it easier to
maintain. If not, then, tough for you. It all comes doen to
priorities.

4) Eat enough protein to supply you, which is about .1-0.8 g/lb of
body weight.

Sugar also typically implies eating bad stuff like cookies, trans
fats, etc. No one eats sugar by the spoon.

No one eats raw bacon or drinks uncooked egg beaters, except you.

Generally speaking, if your current diet is not working, it is time to
make adjustments, so, I applaud you looking for alternatives to your
current eating.

i

Jenn

"JulieB" wrote in message
...
I've been (and still am, and will be for life) on Weight Watchers.
I've reached my goal weight and have sucessfully remained here for
about 10 months so far. However, I'm finding it harder to maintain my
weight and it's veeeeerry slooooowly creeping up.

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce the carbs a bit.
WW is very focussed on the carbs, so I thought I'd come here for a
wider range of opinions. Here's a standard daily menu for your
contemplation:

B: 2 Weetbix biscuits, low fat milk (2%), 2 tsp brown sugar, cranberry
juice. Occasionally baked beans on toast or boiled eggs on toast, but
these are usually on the weekends when I have more time.

There are a few ways I make sure I can get my protien in the morning and
others here use the same methods:
- a scoop of protein powder in oatmeal or yogurt
- make your eggs in advance and heat them up each morning (SBD has a
mini-quiche recipe that's really tasty)
- make a smoothie with tofu and fruit in a blender/food processor (fast and
simple)

L: Home-made soup with lentils or beans and veges (about 1 cup),
cheese sandwich on multigrain bread. The soup is replaced with salad
in summer, and sometimes the sandwich is ham instead of cheese.

If you're looking to up your protein, I'd continue to include a little ham
or turkey or else have some without the bread and with your soup. I make a
nice spread with lowfat cream cheese and herbs and spread a thin layer on
the ham or turkey slice and roll it up, or else I roll it up with hummus
and/or cheese.

D: Lean red meat, vegies (including a small potato). Also
occasionally pasta, stir fries, burritos, but usually the same basic
pattern.

Dinner looks fine if you make sure you get plenty of veggies and some
protein with your pasta.

Snacks: Fruit (apples, mandarins, stone fruit when it's in season),
dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), nuts (almonds), peanut butter on
corn crackers, swiss miss type non-fat hot chocolate drink,
marshmallows, low fat choc chip cookies, occasional dark chocolate and
alcohol (wine), tea twice a day with a scant teaspoon of sugar in each
cup.

Try peanut butter on an apple. Another good snack is some low fat cottage
cheese with splenda and cinnamon - if you like cottage cheese.

Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

There are a million ways to add strength training and you don't always need
weights. Here's a great reference http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
There is also a section on food that is an excellent nutrition resource.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great. Also, I'm Australian, so please only
suggest real food, not packaged stuff, unless you live here too! And
yes, I like sugar. I'm not about to give it up as there's no way I
could maintain that for any length of time.

While giving up sugar can be helpful, it's not mandatory, especially if you
used it while losing weight. Just keep it in moderation and all is well.
Some people have to give it up because it can be addictive-like.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Julie.

93.5/72.5/74 kg
205.7/159.5/168.2 lb

Wow, you did great and the fact that you're getting on top of things before
they get out of hand is really a positive thing. Most WW people I know will
just go back to their points for a few weeks to get back down if they
regain, but I totally agree with you that you need to find a WOE for
maintenance. Give it time and it will come, don't expect things to happen
overnight.

Jenn

"JulieB" wrote in message
...
I've been (and still am, and will be for life) on Weight Watchers.
I've reached my goal weight and have sucessfully remained here for
about 10 months so far. However, I'm finding it harder to maintain my
weight and it's veeeeerry slooooowly creeping up.

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce the carbs a bit.
WW is very focussed on the carbs, so I thought I'd come here for a
wider range of opinions. Here's a standard daily menu for your
contemplation:

B: 2 Weetbix biscuits, low fat milk (2%), 2 tsp brown sugar, cranberry
juice. Occasionally baked beans on toast or boiled eggs on toast, but
these are usually on the weekends when I have more time.

There are a few ways I make sure I can get my protien in the morning and
others here use the same methods:
- a scoop of protein powder in oatmeal or yogurt
- make your eggs in advance and heat them up each morning (SBD has a
mini-quiche recipe that's really tasty)
- make a smoothie with tofu and fruit in a blender/food processor (fast and
simple)

L: Home-made soup with lentils or beans and veges (about 1 cup),
cheese sandwich on multigrain bread. The soup is replaced with salad
in summer, and sometimes the sandwich is ham instead of cheese.

If you're looking to up your protein, I'd continue to include a little ham
or turkey or else have some without the bread and with your soup. I make a
nice spread with lowfat cream cheese and herbs and spread a thin layer on
the ham or turkey slice and roll it up, or else I roll it up with hummus
and/or cheese.

D: Lean red meat, vegies (including a small potato). Also
occasionally pasta, stir fries, burritos, but usually the same basic
pattern.

Dinner looks fine if you make sure you get plenty of veggies and some
protein with your pasta.

Snacks: Fruit (apples, mandarins, stone fruit when it's in season),
dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), nuts (almonds), peanut butter on
corn crackers, swiss miss type non-fat hot chocolate drink,
marshmallows, low fat choc chip cookies, occasional dark chocolate and
alcohol (wine), tea twice a day with a scant teaspoon of sugar in each
cup.

Try peanut butter on an apple. Another good snack is some low fat cottage
cheese with splenda and cinnamon - if you like cottage cheese.

Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

There are a million ways to add strength training and you don't always need
weights. Here's a great reference http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
There is also a section on food that is an excellent nutrition resource.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great. Also, I'm Australian, so please only
suggest real food, not packaged stuff, unless you live here too! And
yes, I like sugar. I'm not about to give it up as there's no way I
could maintain that for any length of time.

While giving up sugar can be helpful, it's not mandatory, especially if you
used it while losing weight. Just keep it in moderation and all is well.
Some people have to give it up because it can be addictive-like.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Julie.

93.5/72.5/74 kg
205.7/159.5/168.2 lb

Wow, you did great and the fact that you're getting on top of things before
they get out of hand is really a positive thing. Most WW people I know will
just go back to their points for a few weeks to get back down if they
regain, but I totally agree with you that you need to find a WOE for
maintenance. Give it time and it will come, don't expect things to happen
overnight.

Jenn

"JMA" wrote in message
...

"JulieB" wrote in message
...
I've been (and still am, and will be for life) on Weight Watchers.
I've reached my goal weight and have sucessfully remained here for
about 10 months so far. However, I'm finding it harder to maintain my
weight and it's veeeeerry slooooowly creeping up.

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce the carbs a bit.
WW is very focussed on the carbs, so I thought I'd come here for a
wider range of opinions. Here's a standard daily menu for your
contemplation:

B: 2 Weetbix biscuits, low fat milk (2%), 2 tsp brown sugar, cranberry
juice. Occasionally baked beans on toast or boiled eggs on toast, but
these are usually on the weekends when I have more time.

There are a few ways I make sure I can get my protien in the morning and
others here use the same methods:
- a scoop of protein powder in oatmeal or yogurt
- make your eggs in advance and heat them up each morning (SBD has a
mini-quiche recipe that's really tasty)
- make a smoothie with tofu and fruit in a blender/food processor (fast
and
simple)


These are great suggestions. I love the SBD mini-quiche recipe. It can be
frozen and popped in the microwave for a quick and healthy breakfast.

If you're a lifetime member you might want to check out the Core Plan
recently introduced by WW. It has much less emphasis on carbs.

Beverly




L: Home-made soup with lentils or beans and veges (about 1 cup),
cheese sandwich on multigrain bread. The soup is replaced with salad
in summer, and sometimes the sandwich is ham instead of cheese.

If you're looking to up your protein, I'd continue to include a little ham
or turkey or else have some without the bread and with your soup. I make
a
nice spread with lowfat cream cheese and herbs and spread a thin layer on
the ham or turkey slice and roll it up, or else I roll it up with hummus
and/or cheese.

D: Lean red meat, vegies (including a small potato). Also
occasionally pasta, stir fries, burritos, but usually the same basic
pattern.

Dinner looks fine if you make sure you get plenty of veggies and some
protein with your pasta.

Snacks: Fruit (apples, mandarins, stone fruit when it's in season),
dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), nuts (almonds), peanut butter on
corn crackers, swiss miss type non-fat hot chocolate drink,
marshmallows, low fat choc chip cookies, occasional dark chocolate and
alcohol (wine), tea twice a day with a scant teaspoon of sugar in each
cup.

Try peanut butter on an apple. Another good snack is some low fat cottage
cheese with splenda and cinnamon - if you like cottage cheese.

Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

There are a million ways to add strength training and you don't always
need
weights. Here's a great reference http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
There is also a section on food that is an excellent nutrition resource.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great. Also, I'm Australian, so please only
suggest real food, not packaged stuff, unless you live here too! And
yes, I like sugar. I'm not about to give it up as there's no way I
could maintain that for any length of time.

While giving up sugar can be helpful, it's not mandatory, especially if
you
used it while losing weight. Just keep it in moderation and all is well.
Some people have to give it up because it can be addictive-like.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Julie.

93.5/72.5/74 kg
205.7/159.5/168.2 lb

Wow, you did great and the fact that you're getting on top of things
before
they get out of hand is really a positive thing. Most WW people I know
will
just go back to their points for a few weeks to get back down if they
regain, but I totally agree with you that you need to find a WOE for
maintenance. Give it time and it will come, don't expect things to happen
overnight.

Jenn

"JMA" wrote in message
...

"JulieB" wrote in message
...
I've been (and still am, and will be for life) on Weight Watchers.
I've reached my goal weight and have sucessfully remained here for
about 10 months so far. However, I'm finding it harder to maintain my
weight and it's veeeeerry slooooowly creeping up.

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce the carbs a bit.
WW is very focussed on the carbs, so I thought I'd come here for a
wider range of opinions. Here's a standard daily menu for your
contemplation:

B: 2 Weetbix biscuits, low fat milk (2%), 2 tsp brown sugar, cranberry
juice. Occasionally baked beans on toast or boiled eggs on toast, but
these are usually on the weekends when I have more time.

There are a few ways I make sure I can get my protien in the morning and
others here use the same methods:
- a scoop of protein powder in oatmeal or yogurt
- make your eggs in advance and heat them up each morning (SBD has a
mini-quiche recipe that's really tasty)
- make a smoothie with tofu and fruit in a blender/food processor (fast
and
simple)


These are great suggestions. I love the SBD mini-quiche recipe. It can be
frozen and popped in the microwave for a quick and healthy breakfast.

If you're a lifetime member you might want to check out the Core Plan
recently introduced by WW. It has much less emphasis on carbs.

Beverly




L: Home-made soup with lentils or beans and veges (about 1 cup),
cheese sandwich on multigrain bread. The soup is replaced with salad
in summer, and sometimes the sandwich is ham instead of cheese.

If you're looking to up your protein, I'd continue to include a little ham
or turkey or else have some without the bread and with your soup. I make
a
nice spread with lowfat cream cheese and herbs and spread a thin layer on
the ham or turkey slice and roll it up, or else I roll it up with hummus
and/or cheese.

D: Lean red meat, vegies (including a small potato). Also
occasionally pasta, stir fries, burritos, but usually the same basic
pattern.

Dinner looks fine if you make sure you get plenty of veggies and some
protein with your pasta.

Snacks: Fruit (apples, mandarins, stone fruit when it's in season),
dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), nuts (almonds), peanut butter on
corn crackers, swiss miss type non-fat hot chocolate drink,
marshmallows, low fat choc chip cookies, occasional dark chocolate and
alcohol (wine), tea twice a day with a scant teaspoon of sugar in each
cup.

Try peanut butter on an apple. Another good snack is some low fat cottage
cheese with splenda and cinnamon - if you like cottage cheese.

Exercise: 30 minute walk 5 times a week before breakfast. I've tried
weights too, but can't seem to keep it up. I'll have to try working it
into my routine some other way.

There are a million ways to add strength training and you don't always
need
weights. Here's a great reference http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html
There is also a section on food that is an excellent nutrition resource.

I can see that my breakfast is the main carb-fest here. Any other
suggestions would be great. Also, I'm Australian, so please only
suggest real food, not packaged stuff, unless you live here too! And
yes, I like sugar. I'm not about to give it up as there's no way I
could maintain that for any length of time.

While giving up sugar can be helpful, it's not mandatory, especially if
you
used it while losing weight. Just keep it in moderation and all is well.
Some people have to give it up because it can be addictive-like.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Julie.

93.5/72.5/74 kg
205.7/159.5/168.2 lb

Wow, you did great and the fact that you're getting on top of things
before
they get out of hand is really a positive thing. Most WW people I know
will
just go back to their points for a few weeks to get back down if they
regain, but I totally agree with you that you need to find a WOE for
maintenance. Give it time and it will come, don't expect things to happen
overnight.

Jenn

In article ,
"JulieB" wrote:

I plugged my regular daily intake into Fitday and got a
breakdown of
55% carb/25% protein/20% fat. I'd really like to get
that a bit more
balanced, or at least get some more protein and reduce
the carbs a bit.

snippage

Hi Julie!

I lost 45 pounds doing WW point system, and lost the
last eight (for a total of 53) by eating balanced and
exercising (which I didn't do on WW). I've maintained
115 for the last year.

I use Fitday.com to track my calorie intake, carbs,
protein, fat, and fiber. A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: Apple, small, dipped in Peanut butter, 1 tbs
Snack: Cheddar cheese, 1 oz; Trail mix, 1/4 cup
Lunch: Big tossed salad with assorted vegetables,
Croutons; Fat Free Ranch Dressing, 2 tbs
Snack: Tuna, water pack, 6.5 oz can (just S&P)
Water: 120 oz
Dinner: Pork steak or cutlet, broiled, 5 oz; 1 ear
corn; 1 Whole tomato; Green beans, steamed, 2 cups;
Butter, 1 Tbs
Totals: 1223 cals 52g fat 101g carb 98g protein
which ended up being 39% fat, 28% carb, 33% protein
I also had 18 grams of fiber.

It took me a while to convince myself to eat more fat,
but I find that I'm more satisfied than when I ate
carrots and broccoli all day long because they were
"free" foods.

Good luck!

Amy