DeLarla

I got the best electric shake maker thingy from Walmart for $13.88 (by Hamilton Beach.) It's got measuring lines and a sippy-cup cap. The cup goes right on the base, so you make your shake, pull it off the base, stick in a straw and take it on the road. I could never hand-blend a shake. Any blender, Magic Bullet, etc. will do, and I've tried them all. But this little Hamilton Beach guy is the best, easiest, takes up little counter space, tiny little thing that's awesome!

No more Big Belly, Kelly! Simply amazing. I wish I'd have kept a pair of my fat pants... I could put my dog in them and nobody would know she's at work with me :rofl: Good job!

I never cared much for numbers, but the lowest I ever was in life was 175, which had me in size 13. I just want my belly rolls and side boobs gone! I'm not thrilled with the bag of bones look, either. My husband says having sex with a skinny woman is like screwing a bag of antlers. Thanks everyone for your suggestions, help & compliments. Even though numbers aren't important, I need to know approximately how much more I need to lose before I can go on maintenance. 1200 calories ain't always cutting it.

Geeze, now I gotta start a whole new thread. Fo-git-aboud-it! I started this thread so I'll just hijack! Penni, I can see how you get 60-70 gm of Protein since your food is premeasured, but (this question is for everyone) how do I get 60-70 gm of protein while weighing and measuring my own food? I'm currently eating: B: 4 oz cottage chz L: 4 oz chicken or fish veggies tblspn olive oil D: 4 oz chicken or fish steamed veggies tblspn olive oil 1 cup pudding made w/ 1% milk I don't think this is anywhere near my required protein, but I can't afford to spare the calories!

I'm all alone in my office laughing my ass off over, "Because we are built really weird, being circus folk and all, we have different molecular structures." Okay, I have a goal! I want to weigh 229. I haven't weighed in the 220s in 220 years. That's only 10 pounds away. I'll make a new goal from there. But I like the 175 suggestion. Damn, my husband WOULD have to tie me down! He's already implanted DeLarla with a homing device. Thanks everyone. I know we shouldn't care what the scale says, but how am I gonna catch a star if I can't see one?

How many calories in my Cotton Candy Lipgloss? All kidding aside, I did once read that women who wear lipstick ingest about 61 calories a year. Could be hokus pokus, but this goop is pretty kissable!

"a brisk walk for me will burn 335 calories every half hour" Without doing math or research, I'll buy this statement. However, when has a good cheat of mine ever been anywhere near 335 calories? When I cheat, I make it worth my loaded nachos. I mean I make it worth my while. How long & hard to work off 3300 worth of nachos? That's my point!

Keri, I'm only human, and I break under pressure! Those prizes are just as good as yours as mine! We just have to worry about Big Paul! But I'm not done standing on my soap box as far as caloric value of Protein vs. other foods is. Science has NEVER argued that a pound is equal to 3500 calories. Nobody has ever waivered and said a 3500 calories worth of macaroni and cheese equals a pound while 2000 calories of protein equals the same pound. A calorie is a calorie, no matter what way you grill it!

P.S. Heather, my co-worker gave me the best gift, which is the best calorie book I've ever seen. I left it at home, but I have all the calories, fat grams, Protein, carbs, etc. It even has brand names and fast foods. I started a calorie thread so ask questions there and I'll try to post caloric values when I can. Good luck to all! By the way, I just overate even when I kept my calories below what I'm allowed to have. I was pleasantly full but couldn't resist my marinated cucumbers. I didn't need an extra cucumber, so I'm still binging on a low cal diet. What will you people do with me????

Keri, you're one of my biggest competitors in DeLarla's challenge thread because I'm doing exactly what you do - sticking to counting calories and no eating after 7 p.m. I've done it all. I gained weight and ended up with a stomach disorder after Atkins. I've done WW, Jenny Craig, Richard Simmons, the Beverly Hills Diet and the Schick Center (electric zapping.) The only ones that ever worked were the ones where you weigh and measure and stay under a certain amount of food - in other words, stay under a certain amount of calories and the weight comes off. Easy peasy Japaneeezy.

First, I'm basing this on my personal experience and from monitoring everyone I personally know that has ever dieted. I'm not talking about someone that only needs to lose 25 pounds, either. And I'm not diabetic, nor do I have any medical conditions that alter the way my food is processed. Nikki, you're typical Atkins menu is 1500 calories, which is perfect for losing weight. You'll lose steady at 1500 calories, but I firmly believe you'd lose the same weight at the same rate by eating 1500 calories of ANY type of food. I know tons of people who think "Protein diet" means they can eat as much as they want, but the fine print in Atkins' books says you need to measure your portions, which is the same as counting your calories. Nikki's list of foods even shows measured amounts, so you can't eat as much as you want. I personally believe Atkin's to be unhealthy. Fruits and vegetables are packed with Fiber, Vitamins, antioxidants and a list of health benefits so long that I can't list them. They grow naturally, out of the Earth, off of trees. In my opinion, any diet that tells you to avoid fruits and vegetables should be banned from the system but that's just one person's opinion. At my current weight, I could lose weight on 2000 calories a day, whether it's from protein or jelly Beans. I'm not basing this on what I read or what I see, but from a lifetime of trying every diet on Earth, including my own junkfood diet. I've lost weight on the Ben & Jerry's diet by living on Diet Coke and a pint of ice cream. I refuse to believe anyone can eat 2000 calories of one kind of food and have it digested and processed by the body any different than 2000 calories of any other food. Someone that's 300 pounds can have more calories than someone 180 and lose weight. It's been scientifically proven for decades that a pound of fat equals 3500 calories. 3500 calories in meat, cheese, fruit, crap. It's all the same IMHO. Kare, you're exactly right that one has to maintain a stringent and grueling exercise routine. I've done aerobics twice a day for over a year (in my anorexic youth) but still always had 30 pounds to lose because you simply can't exercise off binges. My current routine has my heart satisfied by walking 45 minutes, doing 100 sit ups and lifting moderate weights several times a week.

I have access to all sorts of weight charts, but none show me what a girl that's 5' 10" with a huge bone structure should weigh. Mind you, my wrists and hands are bigger than any woman I know. I can't wear women's watches, I wear a size 11 shoe, and I have an extra large bone structure. I need a goal weight. Can anyone help me figure it out?

The calories DO matter doing low carb. Most Proteins (especially lean ones) are much lower in calories than carbs. Nikki, you are losing because you are avoiding fattening carbs that are loaded with calories. Most carbs are the high calorie foods that add up too quickly when you're counting calories. Low calorie foods are vegetables (not corn, potato or peas though.) chicken and fish are lower in calories than beef, but you have to limit the amount of ounces you eat and trim the fat off. Butter, dressings and sauces are very high in calories, but vinegar and lemon juice barely have calories. I challenge anyone doing a low-carb diet to list their daily intake here for us to show you how many calories you eat.

Celest, I look like a bad Carol Burnett skit in that sausage outfit. You really want me to post a picture? I'll have to take one and see what it looks like first. I'll think about it.

Shelly - another perfect example, though I wish you'd eat more than 900 calories because you'll need extra engery for your HONEY MOON!

Another Bravo for Chris. Even though WW is based on a point system, WW has done all the calorie counting for you and has converted calories to points. So when she stays under his points, he stays under his allotted calories. I was banded because I wasn't able to stick to a diet. My band did what statistics said it would do - it helped me take off 1/2 of my excess weight. But I still weigh 240 pounds, and even with the band I stopped losing. Now I'm using the tools I learned with the band, along with a good support system, to actually diet. I just want to wear that sexy outfit in March! Penni, I should post a picture of what that outfit looks like on me now! It's cute on the hanger, but I look like a fat sausage with quadruple panty lines with my butt trying to burst out of it!

Bravo, Diane. Another great program that works for one person. The think I like about Diane's plan is that she's not eating carbs for breakfast or lunch. Michelle has trained me (and I swear, it works) that if avoid carbs in the morning, your blood sugar doesn't crash and burn so you stay full without all the nasty cravings.

Take Penni for example. She chose Nutrisystem, which limits her calories to 1200 - 1400 calories a day. She gets fancy packaged foods that make her life very easy! No counting, just pick the right package and eat. It's the same principal that I'm following, only I'm buying prepackaged cottage cheese so I don't have to weigh and measure. I keep a tablespoon at work to measure my dressing, and I have a scale at home to weigh my protein. All my puddings come in pre-packaged servings, as does my cheese and salmon. The easier you make it, the easier it is to stick.

I don't regret being banded. I take my bad luck as it comes to me. Body for Life is just another fad diet that works if you follow the rules. But if you count the calories in the food you eat on Body for Life, it will still be few enough calories to lose weight. All diets work: The South Beach Diet, the "Eat 2 bowls of Cereal a day," Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Richard Simmons... they ALL work if you follow them, and they all restrict calories in the end. You just have to pick a program that works for you.

Heather, it's all about lean Proteins and lots of raw, steamed & broiled vegetables. 1200 calories divided by 3 meals is only 400 calories per each meal. I've been eating 4oz lowfat cottage cheese for Breakfast so I can save a couple hundred for dinner. I simply can't survive on a 400 calorie dinner, so I borrow breakfast and lunch calories. People printed a chart of what each person eats. Below is an approximate average daily meal plan for someone serious about losing weight: Breakfast: 4 oz cottage cheese Tea or coffee with 1/2 cup skim milk Lunch: 3.5 ounces chicken or fish or 1 oz cheese and 2.5 oz lean meat Raw veggie salad with 1 tablespoon olive oil/vinegar dressing Dinner: 3.5 ounces fish or chicken Steamed vegetables 1/2 small baked tater, 1/2 cup Pasta or rice 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking Dessert: 1 cup pudding made with skim milk Like Penni said, getting enough Protein in is very important, but it's hard to do on such limited calories, which is why I add milk. As you can see, this isn't much food at all. But to lose weight, we have to change our way of thinking. We can't look forward to our favorite restaurants like we used to. There's no reason even looking at the menu cause your choice will always be vegetables and grilled or steamed lean protein. Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig and Medifast are all similar programs that do the counting for you. It's expensive, but it takes the thinking out of dieting. In addition to their stringent dietary intake, they are all on stringent exericise routines. I'm not talking walking with heavy hand weights, I'm talking an hour on the treadmill going uphill for an hour and sweating bullets 6 times a week.

Kashi is naughty. Is it supposed to be healthy, cause it's yummy! Like goodies to me Thanks, Shelli. Now I gotta think about goo balls all day! That's okay, I'll just have a tub of delicious Water instead. Ug.

I read about that too, and it's very simple. If you count the calories in the cereal and milk plus a small meal, you're caloric intake is pretty low. It's all about calories. Any diet works if you stick to it. It's the sticking to it that's killing me! Damn, now I want a bowl of cereal with berries!

Has anyone else read the personal stories of all the people that lost hundreds of pounds in People Magazine? Truth is, they all counted calories one way or another. Some did pre-packaged/pre-counted meals (lNutrisystem or Medifast.) Others did Weight Watchers or measured portions. They all stayed around 1200 calories a day, which is what I'm currently trying. It ain't easy. I've gone over by 200 calories a few times, which will make losing weight slower. I've read about turtles & rabbits & seen too many unhappy people that wish they could lose faster. I can only eat 3 tiny meals a day if I want to be thin. If you want to lose a chunk this year, you must restrict your caloric intake drastically. I'm currently debating with my lawyer friend who thinks he's smarter than me. He's 30 pounds overweight for the first time in his 40 year old life, and he's decided to read a diet book that uses food combinations so you can eat as much as you want. I explained to him that "a calorie is a calorie." It doesn't matter if you mix prunes with guava nectar or brown rice with string Beans. If you eat 3000 calories worth of anything, you won't lose weight unless you exercise enough to burn a couple thousand - good luck. I've been allowing myself 5 ounces of Protein at lunche & dinner - what a pig! NOT. Five ounces leaves me satisfied, but 4 ounces will get me into the tight, sexy outfit that I bought for my March vacation. 1200 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week. Do I really want to struggle on 1500 calories just for 4-5 pounds a month? Hell no. I'd rather stick to 1200 and try for 8-10 pounds. TO LOSE WEIGHT YOU HAVE TO EAT VERY LITTLE. I'm yelling at myself because it's too simple to register. And I'm hungry.

Make sure to discuss your reflux with your doctor so you can get it under control. So far all surgeons I know allow over-the-counter Prevacid once daily. I had problems with acid reflux, and now I have Barrett's Esophagitis, which are pre-cancerous cells that look like spots on my esophagus. Research indicates that it doesn't mean I'll get cancer, it just means I have to be careful and have another endoscopy in a year to keep an eye on it. I'm on Prevacid once a day. I don't know if my condition can reverse, but I can hope.

That's the best, isn't it? Simple things in life like being able to use buttons to actually button stuff instead of just some decorations. Good job!