Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
The Three Month Challenge
I've been watching Diet Tribe lately, along with Biggest Loser and about every diet show I can find on TV. Like another famous person (okay, so I'm NOT famous, but it helps me to feel like I'm in good company when Oprah breaks down and says she's just like you and me), I've fallen off the weight wagon. It was the mac-and-cheese, I tell ya. It loaded down my booty wagon, and broke the damned wheels.
Anyway, the premise behind Diet Tribe is five friends losing 30 pounds in 90 days, which is 10 pounds a month, a much more realistic plan than the Biggest Loser one.
Biggest Loser's weight loss is amazing, don't get me wrong, but it's totally not doable for the average person. For one, none of us get to live on the cool ranch. For another, the chances of Jillian or Bob moving in and providing motivation are...zero.
So I figure Diet Tribe's 30 pounds in three months is more my speed. And about what I need to lose, too, to get to a weight I figure will do me good for the rest of my life. So far, it's a little after 10 in the morning and I've done good. A fat-free English muffin for breakfast, and fat-free cream in my coffee. But now it's lunch time and guess what's in the fridge, calling my name?
Leftover mac-and-cheese.
Argh.
I had good intentions of walking the dogs today, too, but there's a blizzard moving in (no kidding) and the little dog hid her leash (honest!) so it looks like my exercise for the day will be shoveling. Oh, joy. Hey, at least that's something. Now, if I can just avoid the mac-and-cheese...
Shirley
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You ARE Famous. ;)
Maybe not Oprah famous, but then, really, who wants that? I wouldn't want the world watching me that closely, ever.
And the thing about The Biggest Loser that put me off once was one of the guys who lost a lot of weight, they had him going around talking about it, but OMG, when he took his shirt off there was this huge flap of loose skin flapping over, and it gicks me out just thinking about it. He didn't have time to tone and lose slow, and so he probably ended up having to have plastic surgery, I bet, to fix that.
I am not a fan of diets in general, but slow diets that don't ask you to make huge changes are better if you have to go that way. I think 10 lbs a month is still really fast -- 2.5 a week is a lot -- so just do what's right for you and be happy even if you only lose 4-5 a month. And, Moosewood Low-Fat cookbook has an *awesome* mac and cheese that's good enough for regular meals, so maybe grab that? It's a great cookbook, lots of healthy, interesting food.
Sam
No way I'd be doing that...
Stripping down to my sports bra and standing on a scale in front of a national TV audience thing :-) I'll have to look for that cookbook.
For now, I'm pleased I had a salad for lunch, even if I did have a teensy weensy piece of chocolate after ;-)
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Easy and delicious recipes at: www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com
www.shirleyjump.com
Agreed
I don't know how or why they do it, to be honest. But, to each their own.
My opinion, not that anyone asked, *G* would be that you should have 1/2 cup or 1 cup of that mac and cheese with your salad and then go shovel. Your body needs fat, protein, carbs, energy and calories, to function, and you won't lose if you eat too little -- your metabolism will actually slow down to conserve, not burn. Crazy, but true. You need to eat, then you need to burn it off, and you will lose, if slowly. Also, you will stop driving yourself crazy thinking about it in the fridge -- denial never works, but self-control can feel pretty good. ;) Good for you, having a bite of chocolate. There is nothing wrong with that.
We're not in for more snow, I don't think, but we are freakin' cold here today! Six when we woke up, up to sixteen now, so I'm getting our dogs out because I need the walk (they won't argue! LOL), and tomorrow it's supposed to be even colder. Already in the negs up north, but supposed to be back to more or less normal 20s or so by the weekend.
Sam
Books
I love Moosewood cookbooks, they are kind of a Central New York institution, but the food is so good!
Also, I love Eat This, Not That -- that little book and the philosophy behind it, with exercise, has allowed me to drop 20 lbs in 18 months, and it's staying off because I'm not dieting, I have made permanent food changes. He has a new one out for grocery shopping, and he has one for kids, too. Amazing little concept once you incorporate it into your life.
Plan to drop another 10 in 2009. :) I don't sacrifice much, I just make smart trades and exercise. It's the one area of my life where I actually have patience!!! LOL
Sam
Sam, we're a vegetarian
Sam, we're a vegetarian family, so the Moosewood cookbooks are staples in our house. I haven't made a recipe yet that I haven't loved! And my 6th grader turned me onto Eat This, Not That. She has the kids version and loves it, and I enjoyed it so much, that I bought the original version.
Eat This Not That...
I have that one on my shelf. It's a great one -- DH has made a lot of new food choices based on that. Some of my favorite things are in the "not" column. LOL
Shirley
LOL
My husband calls me a David Zinczenko groupie (kind of - he's cute). But he also makes sense. What's always amazing to me is the stuff we THINK is healthy, and then in the book you find better alternatives... I was at my inlaws and while they think they are eating healthy, they actually had a lot of the things in the NOT column, too, but it's because labeling and such is very tricky these days...
Sam
It is!
Sometimes what looks good isn't. You really have to read the fine print like portion sizes. And then there's the expense -- as food prices have risen, the whole healthy/organic eating is a lot pricier than ever. Here in the Midwest, it's really hard to find some of the organic and "exotic" ingredients (I say that tongue in cheek) like...shallots. And butter lettuce. And hazelnuts. Oh, I know, I ask too much ;-)
Shirley
Losing Weight
Against my better judgment, I am still watching the Biggest Loser. I watched Larry King Monday night and he had on the crew and some of the past winners. He had on Eric who had gained half of his weight back.
My heart was broke when the sent 9 home on the first show. Being a Super Morbidly Obese woman myself, I totally understand the challenges of losing weight and keeping it off. My grandfather used to say work horses don't give birth to race horses, they give birth to work horses. With many of my nephews in the 400-500 range, and most of my relatives living into their 90's, I sometimes think he is right.
But I have the desires to ride a roller coaster, sit in a plane seat, etc., but that may or may not ever become a reality.
So my advise is, Shirley, don't worry, be happy. Life is entirely too short to worry. I started this year weighing less than 350 and when I turn 50 this summer, I hope I weigh less that 300. Ultimately - 250 is a nice round number.
Hugs!
It's all about health, really
My mom died at 58, a close friend just died a couple weeks ago at 62 and my grandma died last week. I figured I didn't need any more wake up and get healthy signs than that. So for me, it's not really a number, more a state of being, KWIM?
Good luck with your own challenge this summer!
Shirley
I'm not exactly dieting. I'm
I'm not exactly dieting. I'm trying to eat healthier and hope I lose about 15 lbs.
Good luck, Estella!
I mentioned in the post above this one that my real motivation is health, too. Had too many people close to me die recently and I really want to have a long, healthy life. Can't see doing that if I stay on the sofa.
Shirley
Diet Tribe
I haven't seen the Diet Tribe and I don't watch "The Biggest Loser, but I have been catching Oprah's Best Life series. You learn how to take better care of yourself and Oprah will discuss her ongoing battle with her weight.
I've been watching that, too
Learned a lot of great stuff. Have a couple episodes yet on the DVR to catch up with. I also got this month's O magazine, which had some nice recipes in it, too.
Shirley
A Kindred Spirit
Oh, Shirley, good luck! I've watched my weight creep up for the past few years, but haven't really done anything about it...and I love mac'n cheese, so I'm not sure I can give that up. I have this amazing recipe from Rachel Ray that is the best. Even my husband loves it, and he's not a huge mac'n cheese fan...of course, it could be the pound of cheddar that I add, LOL!
But tonight I saw an ad for this program called 50millionpounds.com. I think it's being promoted by an insurance company. But the ad was great, and although I haven't checked out the website yet, I intend to. But I have been good for the past two weeks; fruit and fiber cereal for breakfast, a WW entree for lunch, and a small portion for dinner of whatever the family is having. And no eating after 6:30 pm. So...we'll see! I'll be rooting for you!
To diet or not to diet...
Good luck with the diet. I wish you well.
I only dieted once in my life: Atkins. Remember that diet? Ugh. I lost fifteen pounds in two weeks. Two awful, flu-like weeks of misery. I ate so much tuna fish in those two weeks. Now, we know the absurd levels of mercury in tuna fish make it the kind of thing you really shouldn't eat so much of. I gained the weight back in two months. The poisons of the excess fish will always be in my body.
That's why I just strive for balance. So, I'm a little overweight (ahem...)? I'll take that over fad eating anyday.
(How's that for excellent rationalization? Now, where's the chocolate?)
I'm with you, Diana
I think, in many ways, the worst thing for losing weight or being healthy is a diet.
Though back in my dieting days, I did lose 48 lbs with Atkins (over about 6 months, and I didn't eat too much tuna, LOL), and did keep about 30 of that off. After trying a slew of other diets, I gave up and just try to make moderation and thinking about nutrition and energy, not losing weight as a goal.
I think we have an incorrect association between thin and healthy -- all thin people are not necessarily more healthy. It's something that's just starting to become recognized in the general mindset. Of course, being way overweight is not healthy either.
I figure, I eat normally, but as healthily as possible (Bfast today: sliced bananas and raspberries in a bowl, grainy toast with no-sugar peanut butter and home-canned blueberry jam...but lunch today will probably be Kraft mac and cheese, LOL. Tallgrass beef burger and veg for dinner. Two mile walk with the dogs and some other light exercise, and yes, not a day passes without some dark chocolate.) But this is pretty much normal eating for me, and doesn't at all bar Mike picking up a pizza on the way home once a week or so.
Almost without trying, I have lost weight. I'll keep doing what I'm doing, and if I stop losing weight, then I'll assume my body has found a weight it's happy with, and I'll be happy with that, too, even though by some measures I could stand to lose about 50lbs. If I lost another 20, that would be nice, but we'll see. I'm eating for health and letting my body decide its weight.
Sam
I saw that!
Is that the one at the drive-thru with the diet police? That was HILARIOUS. I need those people in my fridge, LOL. Yesterday I was good until I had that last piece of pecan pie for dessert but hey, the pecan pie is all gone now and I tossed the leftover apple pie :-).
If it EVER warms up here I'll be out walking again with the dogs. It's predicted to reach the oh-so-balmy temp of five again today. With a wind chill of minus-gazillion.
Shirley