"As God Is Mah Witness, Ah'll Always Be Hungry Again!"

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

OK, I have got to lose 25 pounds. Minimum.

I know, I know: “Exercise. Eat less.” Well, I already get as much exercise as I am bloody well apt to, considering I have no time or energy to join a gym.

It’s the “eat less” I am having trouble with, and I need some tips. Mind you, not necessarily healthy tips. I can’t afford to live more than another ten years, and I do not intent to live them as a stout dowager (“old” I don’t mind, it’s the “stout” I never saw coming).

So, I could really use some diet tips: are there things I can fill up on that will not put on weight? Lots of tiny meals? Other tips, like “gin” “wildly unhealthy pills” or “brushing your teeth when you get hungry” or “look at photos of Shelley Winters” or anything else that’s worked for you?

Thanks!

2

Oh, yes, I am up for any psychological tricks you know, too, like chanting “No food tastes as good as being thin feels” or “Hunger is my friend.”

Of course, I always wind up chanting, “I must have that pizza or I will die.” I fear I have all the will power of Lucy Ricardo in a hat shoppe.

3

I once lost a lot by just adding 5 pieces of fruit a day to my diet. Nothing else had to change, I just had to fit in the fruit. It could be any fruit, I ate lots of mangos and pears.

It was surprisingly effective, I just didn’t want a lot of my usual foods and I was never hungry.

I found myself unable to keep up with the shopping one heatwave (I only have a tiny fridge so couldn’t keep a lot on hand) and let it slide. I will be starting again soon, it is the only form of dieting that hasn’t felt like cruel torture.

4

If you’re watching a movie at home, instead of the typical movie snacks eat a pomagranite, kernel-by-kernel.

The only beverage in your fridge should be water. Well, ok, the only non-alcoholic beverage.

5

I like red grapes. They’re mildly sweet, enough to placate my sweet tooth, and satisfyingly squishy. Drink lots of water. When you want to snack, have a drink and wait.

6

Hmmm, that’s good, and there is a great farmer’s market across the street from my office.

Everyone has boxes of candy piled up on their desks this time of year, and I work with a horde of 23-year-olds who have metabolisms like hummingbirds on crack.

Bitches. Wait another 25 years, they’ll find out . . .

7

I printed out photos of me at my chubbiest–from the recent Doper graveyard tours–and pinned them up next to photos of Kay Kendall, who weighed all of 30 lbs. at her healthiest.

(Hell, I could spring for a nose job and lose at least 25 pounds . . .)

8

Whenever I feel that my eating is getting out of hand with my diabetes, I write down everything that I eat, even the stuff that doesn’t add up to enough to deserve an insulin injection. This makes me realize what I can cut out of my diet and what I can’t. I also go back to eating more healthily because I hatehatehate stupid little tasks like writing down that for breakfast I had “1 1/2 C. Cheerios w/ 3/4 C. milk = 30 carb. + granola bar = 36 carbs + 1/2 C. orange juice = 18 carb. 8.5 units insulin.”

9

Whenever you get a plate of food. Leave exactly half the food on the plate when you’re done. Three weeks…you’ll be down to 25lbs. (Obviously, watch what you eat as well, and excersize regularly. Try drinking lots of fluids as well.)

10

Whenever I’ve gone on a diet before, I too, have had to write down everything. If I don’t, I really have no clue what I’m doing. I like this site.

Good luck Eve!

11

plain popcorn…no butter…no cheddar…plain plain plain

12

I’ve heard that spicy foods speed up one’s metabolism. Try Baked Tostitos (which are surprisingly good-crispy and not as greasy) with lots of salsa.

I’m a nibbler. I tend to have to snack all day, 'round the clock. Maybe just like you said, eat lots of little things.

13

Okay, here’s what I do. I basically do a modified Atkins; that is, heavy on the meat and fat and salads, few or no carbs (under 30 grams of carbs per day). It can be done, and you really won’t be too hungry once you get used to it.

I eat mostly any kind of meat (steak, roasts, ham, chicken), cheese, and Breyer’s CarbSmart ice cream (it comes in chocolate and vanilla, and it’s quite good). I also eat canned tuna: Bumblebee Solid White Albacore in water. Drain the water and add a tablespoonful of good mayonnaise. A whole small can of that or half a large can with about 3 oz. of cheese, five baby carrots, and as much celery as you want is actually a pretty filling, easy meal.

Salad is good as well. It fills you up and looks nice on your plate. Cucumbers, onions and some carrots in the salad are cool. Raw yellow squash is also good. Tomatoes, too. Keep to oil and vinegar dressing. I’d suggest light olive oil and red wine vinegar. Along the lines of salads, those McDonald’s premium salads are good, but stick to the Grilled California Cobb with your own oil and vinegar dressing. No croutons!!

And speaking of fast food, if you have to have it, get either the McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger or Quarter Pounder with Cheese and just eat the meat and cheese part. Honestly, it’s not bad that way!

Try to keep your caloric intake at about 1500 calories a day if possible, especially if you’re not working out. It doesn’t sound like much, and I suppose it isn’t, but you said you wanted to lose weight, and this should do it.

Now… you’ll pretty much have to kiss bread, pasta, rice and desserts goodbye if you do this like I do it; but, oh, I think it is SO worth it!! (I have some wine every so often, but regular boozing is pretty much out, too.) As they like to say around here, you mileage may vary.

This is how I eat. I am 5’9" and weigh 121 pounds, and I manage to stay that way. (To be fair, though, I have to mention that I also work out 30 minutes a day five days a week, which does allow me to cheat every once in awhile.)

Good luck and let us know how you do. Believe me, I know how much of a challenge weight loss —and modifying one’s eating habits— can be.

14

I lost weight (not really intentionally) when Sniffs_Markers and I just had time to eat healthy. I tended to eat a LOT of melon throughout the day, so I wasn’t really hungry, had no cravings.

Then we also had very satifying meals that were heqlthy and very satifying (broiled fish and veggies). So we were never really hungry, nor did we feel like we were denying ourselves decent meals.

15

So, Eve, do you want some Mexican fat burners?

No?

Thought I’d ask.

:smiley:

16

Protein at breakfast!!! Eggs, cheese, meat, peanut butter - whatever.

Also, I think it’s all about the combinations. Have some protein with your starch, some milk with your fruit. That way your blood sugar stays more even. If you eat about the same amount at the same time each day, that helps keep your blood sugar even as well.

And when you work out, you have to really raise a sweat. For example, slapping one of those 23-yr-old nits upside the head would only burn about 5 calories, while a both-hands-around-the-neck full throttle, well that’d have to be good for 100 or so.

17

I feel for ya, Eve. I’ve been overweight my entire adult life (and many years before that). I’ve tried cutting back (even though I honestly never ate that much to begin with), and I’ve tried the low-fat thing. That worked so well that until a few months ago, I was a size 18. A tight size 18.

Anyway, I’m with Creaky on this one. I’m a low-carb convert. It’s easy and healthy, and you don’t have to be hungry all the time. (You do tend to eat less because your blood sugar stays very stable on this diet.) AND if you’re a dessert person, you don’t have to kiss desserts goodbye completely; there are a lot of great options available. I, for instance, will be making a butterscotch pecan cheesecake later this evening.

Now for the tip: whatever you do, drink at least two quarts of ice water a day. (I put lemon or lime in it so that I’ll drink more without thinking about it.) Your body needs it to flush the fat away. I know that sounds like a cheesy infomercial pseudoscience statement, but it’s true.

18

Well, that sounds like a plan! What are their names, and when can they be here?

Now, how do all these “carb” diets fit in with the all-fruit and veg ideas? I haaaaate salads, but I do try to choke down come carrots, celery and cucumbers for snacks. I do like that “leave half the food on your plate” idea, as Marie Antoinette as it sounds.

Great tips, folks, thanks! I “only” have about 25 pounds to lose, though 30 would be nicer. You’d think with all the horrible things going on in my life right now, I would pine and waste away–no not I . . .

19

Eve, if you don’t like salads, just eat the raw veggies for snacks. Veggie dip will help kill the taste of the vegetables if need be. Remember, you can go for a full-on fat ranch or french onion dip or something because on a low-carb diet, you’re not worrying as much about fat intake.

There’s a psychology to this, too… at least for me. The old “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels” (as you mentioned) serves me well. Also, my mantra is, “I am the only one who controls what goes into my mouth. I, alone, can choose to give in to hunger and/or habit or get used to a new way of eating.”

Remember: you can do this. You can be thin. You can be beautiful. Look at movie and fashion mags for encouragement. Don’t get discouraged. It’s all about control, really, I think: controllling your desire to eat, and ultimately controlling your body. Hope that helps!

20

Something else you may want to look at: Are you eating because you’re actually hungry or is it just habit?

I’ve found when school is in, I tend to eat a breakfast of some kind, just because god knows when I’ll eat again. So those calories add up.