Author Topic: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread (check first post)  (Read 698480 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #90 on: January 06, 2010, 03:28:52 pm »
I think those actual "energy bars," like they sell in health-food stores or the vitamin aisle, are high fat. So are granola bars. But fiber/nut/fruit-type bars -- the ones in the cereal or cookie aisle -- vary widely, and some are pretty low fat and/or high fiber.

As I mentioned somewhere else around here, I brought home some boxes of WW snack bars over the holidays, and they're delicious. Only one point apiece. Then again, I could eat four of them. But I credit them for minimizing my consumption of Halloween candy, Christmas cookies, etc., since October. My son likes the red velvet ones; I'm partial to the chocolate caramel.

But I'm quitting them in the new year. Same as I eventually had to quit getting low-fat and/or low-sugar ice-cream bars in the summer, and low-fat chocolate pudding, and ... For me, it's better to avoid sweets entirely, except fruit. (I feel the same way about pasta and bread, BTW, though I consume whole-grain versions of those, I do best if I limit even whole grains to one or two servings a day.)

I'll have to look around for those WW bars just to check them out, although I have to say I think anybody is better off not snacking at all between meals.

I seem to have "inherited" my mother's weakness for "baked goods," specifically bread and cookies, cake somewhat less. I've never been much of a pie eater. I didn't like the taste of pie crust when I was a kid. But in general over the last year I have made an effort to reduce my carb intake, not so much in an effort to lose weight as to control what I'm beginning to see as an inexorable gain as I age.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #91 on: January 06, 2010, 04:11:05 pm »
I'll have to look around for those WW bars just to check them out, although I have to say I think anybody is better off not snacking at all between meals.

Some WW products, possibly including the bars, are only available at WW locations. That's where I buy mine. But of course the supermarket carries lots of WW frozen desserts, muffins and other items.

As for snacking, that's back to the old "three squares" versus "more, smaller meals" dilemma. Some experts recommend five or six meals, but each somewhere in size between a regular snack and a regular meal. To me, that requires too much work and planning. Three times a day is enough for me. In between, I might eat fruit -- bananas and prunes make particularly good snacks -- or whatever.

This time of year, I tend to really crave carbs. I'm best off avoiding them as much as possible.


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #92 on: January 06, 2010, 04:23:31 pm »
Seriously, I think it's natural to crave carbs this time of year. Once upon a time our ancestors needed them to survive the winter.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #93 on: January 06, 2010, 05:06:45 pm »
Oh, I thought it was fat. At least, that's what my chickens crave. Although come to think of it, maybe fat IS carbs.
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #94 on: January 06, 2010, 05:11:27 pm »
Seriously, I think it's natural to crave carbs this time of year. Once upon a time our ancestors needed them to survive the winter.

I often think, around this time of year, when some days the temperature here doesn't climb above zero, what an intimidating prospect winter must have been for my cold-climate ancestors. Running short of food and not surviving until spring was a reasonable possibility.

That's where wheat berries would come in handy, to take the conversation full circle!


Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #95 on: January 06, 2010, 05:23:02 pm »
My favorite source is Atlantic Spice Company in Truro, on Cape Cod.  They're an amazing source for all kinds of spices, and they ship to the lower 48:   http://www.atlanticspice.com
I like theirs, because it's fresh, and very spicy.  It comes in cubes, but I like the discs. 
Also, Trader Joe's has their own brand.  Whole Foods sells it also. 
I found out that candied ginger is easy to make, once you get the ginger peeled. And I recently learned a trick for peeling it too. Just use a teaspoon turned bowl side up and run it over the peel. It gets into the little crevices very well! I save the peelings to make ginger tea.

Along the same lines, I have several Altoids tins that I fill with a mixture of fennel seeds and sugar crystals. I like it much better than mints, it's healthier (Indians and Italians love it), and it costs a lot less.
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Sason

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #96 on: January 06, 2010, 06:44:24 pm »
--candied ginger.  I keep a jar in my office.  When the hunger hits, I take one piece.  It's spicy and has a soothing effect on the stomach. 

I love candied ginger! In fact, I love everything ginger.....  ;D
But be careful, there's lots of sugar in them.


About the being-too-hungry-to-cook-when-I-get-home thing.

I always have a snack at work around 3 or so. A fruit and/or a sandwich brought from home and kept in the fridge at work during the day. I also have some low fat cheese there, and some "knäckebröd" (crisp bread that keeps forever), for those days when I forget the sandwich.
Even so, I'm really hungry and must have food at once when I get home. I solve that problem by always cooking in advance, and have something ready to just heat up.

I cook e g a large pot of veggie soup, or oven roasted veggies or sumptin to fill half my plate. I have individually small portions of leftover pasta and rice in the freezer, and see to it the day before that there is some kind of fish or meat to go with it. That way I just have to heat everything up and be able to eat more or less immediately when I get home.

I have a hard time keeping off the chocolate that I tend to indulge myself in in the evenings, after dinner. Even though I have a fruit for dessert, it's hard to leave the sweets be.  One solution is to simply not having them in the house. Another is to brush my teeth immediately after dinner, then I don't get tempted to snack, cos I won't bother brushing them again!  ;D

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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #97 on: January 06, 2010, 07:21:34 pm »
Seriously, I think it's natural to crave carbs this time of year. Once upon a time our ancestors needed them to survive the winter.

Oh, I thought it was fat. At least, that's what my chickens crave. Although come to think of it, maybe fat IS carbs.

I expect we crave both.

Do carbs that don't get "burned off" turn into fat?
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Sason

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #98 on: January 06, 2010, 07:23:19 pm »

Do carbs that don't get "burned off" turn into fat?

Yes, they do. It's the body's way of preserving unburned energy for later use.

Same for protein and fat.

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Offline Berit

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Re: I Wish I Knew How to LOSE You--The Weight Loss Thread
« Reply #99 on: January 06, 2010, 07:31:09 pm »
I wish I would crave carots......
Ennis.....always Ennis.....