I Have Smart Readers

I got some really great advice from you guys. Maggie asked if I would post the advice I received and frankly, I thought this was an excellent idea.

Noble Pig says this:

You have to eat very close to the earth. Not a lot of processed quick foods, they leave you too hungry. Most importantly start the day right. Eat a good portion of your calories for breakfast with protein, carbs and some fat.Take your weight and multiply it by twelve. That will maintain your current weight. Eat 500 calories less than that number a day to lose 1 lb per week. For breakfast eat 500-600 calories. 2 slices of of bread like Roman Meal Whole grain (it's very low cal), 2 packages of Light String Cheese, 2.5-3 ounces turkey lunch meat, 1 oz of dark chocolate and 8 oz nonfat milk. If you eat this it's about 500-600 calories...I swear you will be full until after lunch and it will stave off cravings. (you must get a kitchen scale that weighs in ounces). Lots of apples with nonfat vanilla yogurt, but the trick is roasted veggies...especially red bell peppers, cauliflower and asparagus. No oil, just some salt. They are so filling and almost calories free. You can eat so many and be stuffed. Okay you probably know all this but I wish you well. I guess you can't do it unless you really want it. I do think calorie counting is the best way and keeping track on spark people is awesome.

There is a lot of wisdom here, just what you'd expect from a prominent food blogger. America's love affair with highly processed foods and it's climbing obesity rates can't be a coincidence. I don't believe our bodies are designed to process these foods efficiently. I've been slowly moving my family towards foods in their natural state. At this point, the most common processed foods we have in the house are pastas, sandwich rolls and buns, breakfast cereals and the beloved blue box Mac & Cheese.

Eating a higher percentage of your calories for breakfast is also smart, especially if you snack a lot in the late morning, early afternoon. This isn't my particular pattern. I tend to snack late in the afternoon and at night. I always eat breakfast, but I keep mine pretty light and have a large lunch. This helps me not snack in the afternoon. Evenings, I just have to say no. Not eating after 7:00 is a habit I'm trying to adopt. Of course, last night's buttered popcorn and M&Ms fly in the face of this. I should have been making more baby presents.

And Spark People IS awesome. A free way to track you food intake online, menu suggestions, fitness plans and exercise tracking; it is the perfect tool for me.

Marnie says:

If we were closer I'd make your ass (pun intended) go walking with me. We could jabber jabber about nothing and lose together.

If Marnie and I lived closer, we'd be pretty damned dangerous, me thinks. An exercise buddy is a fantastic thing. Mr. Clairol and I are resurrecting our evening walks, much to the Beast's delight. There's an element of accountability in walking with a friend that keeps you both moving, even when you don't want to. And the iPod doesn't count.


From frogponder:

Eat better. I love this book - In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen. It makes sense. We need to get back to basic, nutritious food and away from the crap we are marketed to these days.

Frogponder is the second person to recommend this book to me. I have requested it from the library and can't wait to see what wisdom lies within.

The ever lovely Miss Ginger Grant weighs in with:

I just started Nutrisystem- today! It seems pretty brainless. And you're even allowed to add portions of grocery store food, so I made a rule for myself. When I get it home I measure it into portion sizes before it even goes into the fridge. So I can grab a days worth of food an go. Hope it works! Good luck, honey!

First off, I'm sorry for the pun, Miss Ginger. The idea of portioning out food when you get home is brilliant. I should be doing this with everything, now that my children are independent enough to find their own snacks. By not having to think about how much you can have, you make it easier to maintain portion size. The only catch? You can't let yourself snack while portioning it out!

Anne tells me:

Oh Girl, I'm so with you! I started working out two weeks ago on my friend's walking machine or some such thing - 20 minutes a day. I've done it 12 out of 14 days. I just got tired of bitching about my weight and decided to shut up and do something. But note how convenient it is to have said machine. It has helped my outlook enough that I'm trying to cut back on sodas and sweets. I learned how to walk my dog on a leash yesterday so that we can have for real walks with me in charge instead of him, and that will help us both. Its just hard work when it all comes down to it and I don't want to do it most of the time.When I was at Weight Watchers I found this little saying to be true and I need to get back to it:"Nothing tastes as good as how feeling thin feels." And its true, if I could just get back to the motivation thing.

My mother often recites that little gem to me. Since she was heavy most of my life, before shedding about 100 pounds and becoming a gorgeous, slender 40 year old, I tend to believe her. Exercise helps more than you body. It truly changes your outlook on things. It boosts your mood and makes it easier to make smart choices when eating.

Kim says:

I've been seeing a nutritionist and these are her food suggestions:
1) Eat two cups of veggies a day
2) Eat breakfast
3) Increase fiber, each piece of bread should have more than 3g/slice
4) Cut alcohol in half

I wish I could afford a nutritionist. My new mini goal is to get two cups of veggies every day. I'm applying Miss Ginger's advice here and prepping the veggies when I get home from the store. That way it's easy to grab and go. Two cups is less than you might think. For me, it winds up to be a 1/2 cup of mini carrots and spinach salad every day. Noble Pig's roasted veggies are delicious and quick for the days I don't feel like salad.

The breakfast and fiber are under control. The beauty of homemade bread is it's fiber content. My every day bread has 3 grams of fiber. I boosted it from 2.5, by adding extra flax meal and wheat bran. And since I can't drink with the Welbutrin, cutting my alcohol intake is a done deal.

Right now, I'm trying to stay motivated. Motivation seems to be pretty ephemeral for me. It's very easy for me to say, "Aw, screw it," and eat whatever is calling to me. But I wonder if the trick is to keep going after that happens. Because it does happen. To everyone. And when it does, you have a choice. Either ride the wave until it plays itself out, or get over the feeling of failure and get back on track. With a surgery behind me and my 37th birthday approaching in a matter of hours, I feel like it's now or never time. I don't want to be fat and forty.

In order to keep this from becoming a weight-loss blog, I'm resurrecting The Quest For Skinny Pants (again). I'll also post occasional updates and rants here. Thank you all for your advice, support and love. It is much easier to do this in a community.