GolfHos

Enough is enough, Darla and I are going to lose weight. We are starting off with eating better. No longer are we doing the pre-made stuff for lunch, eating out so much, heavy mexican & italian dishes we always have.

We are getting smarter about our meals and snacks. More fruit and veggies.

So for ideas what are your good recipes you have for these kind of meals? I don't have a problem pre cooking them on the weekend and freezing for lunch.

Grill a boneless/skinless chicken breast marinated with salt and pepper. Slice it, and throw it on top of a some greens for a substantial salad.

But my favorite is Thai Beef Salad (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Thai-Beef-Salad/Detail.aspx). If you use lean flank steak, it's very low in fat since the dressing uses no oil.

In my experience, the issue isn't the fat content nearly as much as the caloric intake.

Many fatty foods can be very calorie dense and unfullfilling, while also offering high glycemic index.

From my experience I agree. When I got serious two years ago and got back into running I didn't change my diet too much. Added more fruit and cut out regular soda and a couple other minor adjustments.

Lost 20 pounds. I am a BIG proponent of eating in moderation and exercise.

And drink more water. Most people don't drink enough.

I'm a proponent of BIG eating and moderation in exercise.

Echo Clive and Fuzzy. It's a simple math equation of expending more than you bring in. One of the things that helped me was (and 9 out of 10 dentist agree) keeping a daily log of what I ate and when I ate it, a lot of us don't realize how much in between eating we do. You also have to be a diligent label reader at the store, the food industry doesn't want us to eat healthy, you'll find a lot of hidden sugars, high fructose, sucrose etc. Don't be tricked by the low fat signs either, as they are usually high in calories.

And walk, best thing you can do if you can do it.

Having said all that, I'm the one who gained 25 pounds after the lay off. But it was not exercising and too much caloric intake versus calorie burnage, my portion control is terrible. But I'm getting better, down 5 since I started on the island, I walk a lot.

So, Spanky, sorry I can't give you any specific recipes.  My wife cooks pretty healthy dinners, but we're not militant about "NO FAT!" or anything like that.  We believe, for example, that butter is healthier for us than margarine, so we don't feel guilty when we spread some butter on a slice of bread.  But we don't slather it on, and we don't have five slices with dinner, either.

I tried to "loose" some weight in early 2006, and again in 2008.  As Fuzzy said, just adding some fruit and veggie snacks/sides (e.g. spring the $0.55 extra for the fruit cup instead of waffle potatoes at Chik-Fil-A) and portion control was very effective.

Although attention to food content is good, I don't think it's worth going overboard.  Limiting your HFCS intake isn't a diet thing, it's an overall health thing.  Most non-diet sources say fat, in and of itself, isn't evil and that you should have 10%-20% of your calories coming from fat.  Don't go nuts trying to cut fat from your diet -- eating less and moving your body more will be significantly more effective than food-type juggling.

Again, IMFO.

I have started with no more Dr. Peppers, considering I was drinking the non diet variety. I can't stand the aspartane after taste, I will drop weight just from eliminating that from diet. Now Spanky needs to do the same!

 [sm_thumbsup2]

I don't drink a lot of soda anymore but when I do I like diet Mountain Dew for some reason. I quit the regular stuff 2 years ago.

One thing to consider about diet sodas is that there are studies that indicate artificial sweeteners confuse body causing it to release insulin the same as it would had you consumed actual sugar. This can make the body feel like it's been calorie deprived, making you crave additional calorie-heavy foods. I have all but cut diet soda from my diet, in favor of unsweetened ice tea. I find myself feeling less "snacky" as a result. Perhaps it's just mental.

I wish you had posted this before I bought the buy 2 get 3 free 12 packs of Coke Zero deal at Safeway.

lol

What does one do with 60 cans of Coke Zero??

Can you drop Mentos in it and watch it erupt?

Just a few suggestions that I like.

I started this years ago, along with exercise, and got into good shape.  Then I started traveling with my job again and my habits all went to chit.  I just started the routine again.  Its low carb like Atkins, but also low fat (unlike Atkins) - mostly like The Zone diet. 

My habit changes were in breakfast - I never used to eat it.  You should.  Eating smaller, more frequent meals can better train the body to use fat rather than store it (not knowing how long it will be until the next meal).  By not eating breakfast I was not keeping my metabolism working very well.

First - eliminate soft drinks, all of them.  Drink water, perhaps tea on occasion.

My breakfasts are usually one of two things - both of them quick and cheap.  1)  a cup and a half of low fat cottage cheese with a cup of fruit.  2)  a cup and a half of low fat plain yogurt with a cup of fruit.

Lunch is difficult for me, as I like to get out of the office.  Eating at my desk makes me sad.  I will find something healthy on the menu, order veggies or fruit instead of fries, and/or remove as much excess bread from sandwiches as I can.

Dinner - lots of veggies, a bit of meat, maybe a little fruit or nuts.  I love veggies so this has always been easy for me (except for reducing/eliminating the butter and cheese).  The quick rule I read was no piece of meat larger than the palm of your hand, thinly sliced (relatively).

I will steam the fresh veggies and boil the frozen ones on the stove top - both are good, so don't feel like you have to get fresh veggies.  Season the meat without using high sugar, or fat, marinades.  I usually rotate fish, chicken, and pork - with beef occasionally (I get most of that during lunches though).

Just a few single serving recipes.


Broiled Salmon
6 oz. salmon fillet
rosemary (to taste)
tarragon (to taste)
dill (to taste)
lemon (optional)
1 1/3 teaspoons olive oil

Rub the fillet with herbs then brush with olive oil.  Broil for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, turning and basting once.  Garnish with lemon if desired.




Pork Medallions with Apples
4 oz. pork medallions, or thinly sliced chops
1 sliced apple
rosemary (to taste)
dijon mustard (to taste)
1 tablespoon white wine
1/4 cup water

Put pork into baking dish in a single layer.  Top with apple slices, rosemary, and mustard.  Pour wine and water around the pork.  Bake at 450* for 15 minutes.  Baste the pork with pan juices, reduce heat to 350*, continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until pork is white, not pink, inside.


Pick a good vegetable, or mix, and perhaps a spinach leaf salad (oil and vinegar dressing, nothing fatty) to go with these.

I found these web sites to be quite helpful, gives me lots of different choices.

http://www.mealsmatter.org/
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/over-100-quick-and-easy-healthy-foods.html
http://www.makehealthymeals.com/
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=nPEeoStdY5QC&dq=healthy+meals&printsec=frontcover&source=bll&ots=LreDlwMudL&sig=9MB5m4VTihez76RuRjc_L3QB06Q&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=11&ct=result#PPA64,M1
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections/healthy_chicken_recipes.html

Give yourself the luxury once in awhile to have a Dr. Pepper if you want one, or a beer (generally speaking our brains don't like "cold turkey" quits), if you go out to a restaurant order a single meal and have them bring it on two plates, restaurants want your business and more times than not they'll be glad to accommodate. Can't overemphasize enough portion control, a restaurants portion control is usually about 3 x what it "should" be. I'm gonna try with you guys, it's hard to get regain that momentum once you lose it.  :sad3:

If you are married and have "been down to the corner store" more than a few times, a good weight loss inducement is to copulate regularly with the lights on.