georgia girl

Hello all! I am working towards eating a cleaner diet and my next goal is to cut out artificial sweeteners (or at least cut WAY back on them). I have been using artificial sweeteners my entire life so this is going to be difficult for me. I love my morning coffee and sadly I like it to taste sweet. I usually use Splenda in it, but I really want to cut those out if possible. I don't want to use sugar either and I do not like the taste of stevia. I thought about honey, but it just doesn't sound all that appealing in coffee. Surely there has to be more options... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions to add sweetness to coffee...in a natural way that doesn't add a ton of calories?

I have had much success in the past with low carb. I did low carb for a LONG time and now....the thought of only eating meat and green veggies makes me cringe. If I was going to eat nothing but meat and green veggies, I could have done that without a band and lost weight. It's just not realistic for me as a lifestyle. Meat is my least favorite food and I don't think a diet that mainly consists of meat is all that healthy. I still eat meat, just not as much as I used to. I do think Protein is important, but I like finding other ways to get it in. Greek yogurt, Beans, cottage cheese, eggs....all good sources of protein. I now try to follow a balanced diet. It took a couple of health scares to prompt me to examine what I was putting in my body. I am trying to make small steps towards eating a cleaner diet. It's a big adjustment and will take some time to get there completely. Best of luck to you!

I weigh-in once a week, on Monday morning. I like doing it on Mondays because the weekend is when I have a tendency to slack off. So now when the weekend comes, it is in the back of my mind that I have to weigh in on Monday morning and it helps keep me on track. I used to weigh everyday, and I would get so frustrated if the number wasn't lower or if it stayed the same. That did nothing but discourage me, so I now I only weigh once a week.

You're welcome! I am totally addicted to Pinterest. Great ideas on that website!

I am home bound today because of all the bad weather and I found this while perusing on Pinterest.com and thought I'd share. For those who love to make smoothies, this would be a great time saver. I am not much of a Breakfast eater, so I usually have shakes or smoothies for breakfast. 1. Freeze greek yogurt (great source of protein!) in muffin tins. 2. Slice up a bunch of your favorite fruits. A few suggestions.....strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, etc. Whatever you like best. 3. In freezer bags, add 2-3 frozen yogurt pucks and 1&1/2 cups fresh fruit and store them in the freezer. 4. When ready to make a smoothie, just blend contents of bag with a splash of juice and voila....breakfast is served. I am definitely going to do this!

He never said he couldn't change. That's why he's here. He's looking for advice and tips from people who have struggled with the same thing. I don't think anyone chooses to have surgery knowing that they can't change. I think we all hope that we can make the necessary changes and hope that we can use the band as a tool to help us acheive our goals. I do, however, think that people sometimes don't realize how hard it's actually going to be and some lose their way. It's like I said in my earlier post, not many people can change all their bad habits overnight. It's a process. And for some, it takes a little longer to reach those goals and work through the damage that has been years in the making.

I can definitely relate. My problem has always been sweets. I am not exaggerating when I say this....it's like a drug to me. I've struggled with it my whole life and I still do. I would mainly eat them late at night. One would lead to another, then another, then another....you get my drift. I had a cupcake at my son's birthday party the other night and that one little cupcake triggered my cravings. That is why I am now doing a liquid detox for a couple of days. I find it best to stay away from them altogether! A couple of suggestions: 1. Go to bed earlier if you are a night time eater. I have found that if I go to bed when my husband does, I don't have a problem. I do, however, have trouble falling asleep so I bring my iPad to bed with me and doodle on that until I get sleepy. I find that getting away from the kitchen at night is a huge help! 2. Go get a fill if you are not tight enough. BUT, a fill will not solve your problem if you are just going to break the rules and eat around the band. All the fills in the world won't help the head hunger. 3. Try adding more lean Protein into your diet. It will keep you satisfied longer. 4. Try to find a hobby that will keep you busy so you don't have a lot of down time. I love to do crafts, so I try to work on my projects while I watch tv, so I don't give in to snacking. Eating while watching TV is one of the worst things we can do. We focus more on the tv and pay less attention to how much we eat. 5. You can still have your burger and fries. Make it yourself. Use lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Make baked sweet potato fries instead of driving through a fast food restaurant. There are ton's of healthy recipe substitutes out there for typical junk food. The main thing to remember is....You can do this! Yes, there will be set backs. Pick yourself back up and keep going! It's not easy, but you can do it. None of us got fat overnight, so why would anyone think that we can undo all the damage overnight. Success is a journey, not a destination. Focus on the process! Best of luck to you!

I never cook fish because my DH and DS do not eat it. However, I found Starkist Seasation in the frozen section of my grocery store and I really like those. They have several different flavors and they are very bold in flavor. Only 90 cal per fillet too!

If you want to keep an eye on sugar, it's best just to make real oatmeal. I make my own and like to add peanut butter and honey. You could add a little smashed banana, or cinnamon and raisins. I have even cooked down diced apples and added that with a little cinnamon in my oatmeal. The possibilies are endless.

That is a very clever idea! I like the idea of doing the cupcake lined cupcake pans, too. That would even be good for chili....just heat up a couple of them and voila, lunch. I will definitely be doing this.

I made the Alfredo sauce last night and it was good. I used the garlic herb cheese instead of Swiss and omitted the garlic powder. Definitely a keeper!

I am glad you are feeling better. Best of luck to you!

I am also in the process of breaking some old bad habits. I have been doing really good and have recommitted to getting back on track and following the rules. I've had my band for 4 yrs 5 months. Best of luck to you!

That's a great idea! I am all for rewarding....except when it comes to food treats. I learned first hand that it's not a good idea to reward yourself with food for meeting a mini goal. I like your idea. I used to sometimes treat myself to spa days, a new outfit, etc.....things like that.

Are you exercising? What kind of foods are you eating?

Plateaus are perfectly normal, it happens to most everyone. But going by the information in your post, I think you need to increase your calorie intake AND start exercising. 600 calories a day isn't enough. I would try bumping it up to 1000 calories a day. I think if you do that AND start exercising, it will help. If you can't get in more calories, then maybe you are a bit too tight and need a slight unfill. I'm not sure what you're eating, but if you are having trouble getting calories in, maybe try adding in some foods that are easy to eat and high in Protein. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are pretty high in protein. Best of luck! Hope your plateau ends soons!

I have had my band for 4 years and 3 months. It's been a roller coaster for me. Lost a ton of weight the first year, then started having cluster headaches and got put on high dose steroid for 2 months and gained 30 lbs! In 2 months! Crazy. Anyway, never really could get back on track after that. Got depressed and it went downhill from there. Anyway, trying to start over again. The only "problem" I have had is losing some Fluid. After about a year or so after banding, I noticed I was able to eat a lot more and my fills weren't "staying" as long. They started measuring fluid every time I went in and I would lose anywhere from 1/4cc to 3/4 cc, depending on the amount of time in between checks. Then they started having me go in every 2 weeeks to measure and get a fill. Got sick of it and just quit going all together. My doctor said I wasn't losing "enough" fluid to prove there was actually a leak. Needless to say, I am looking for another doctor. My band is still working, just not like it used to. I had also been breaking some rules, so I am pretty much re-training myself to get out of those bad habits. I definitely can't blame all of this on my band. Most of it is me, and I take responsibility for that. I miss all the "old timers" too! I keep up with quite a few of them on Facebook, but it's just not the same here anymore.

I made these today, and they are delish! I altered the recipe a little. I used 1/4 tsp of the following: paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Very tasty!!

Not sure if you like cottage cheese, but it's pretty high in protein. I sometimes mix cottage cheese with yogurt for breakfast. The kind I buy has 11 grams of protein per 1/2 cup.

I was hoping I would hear from someone that could compare the two! Thanks for the info. The main reason I didn't like the bodybugg is because it had to be worn on the arm all the time. I got tired of people always asking me what it was, lol. I like how compact and small the fitbit is and the fact that it be worn in the pocket or bra.

Thanks Cindy. Are they still crunchy after keeping them in the refrigerator?

Wow....that's not very long. I'm glad you told me that! Thanks

Haha! I've never heard that about the dogs, lol. I don't eat asparagus, but I imagine it would be harder to get down. I love avocado! It's pretty soft, so I can't imagine it getting stuck easily. Maybe you were told not to eat it because it's fattening? They are higher in fat, but it's a good fat.

Good to know. I found it online, but I was hoping to get an opinion before I made it....so thanks! I will be making this tomorrow.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil