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The other day, I looked at a picture of myself with my family that was taken about 7 years ago. I was slender and looked very healthy. Now, at 53 years of age, I am going through the change of life, and in 7 years time, I have packed on the pounds. I don’t know exactly how much I weigh and will not get on a scale to find out, but I can tell you it’s a lot more than I weighed back then, having gone from Size 8 denim jeans to Size 16 jeans that fit snugly. Of course, I am not exercising as I did in the past because of professional and personal time constraints and that certainly contributes to the problem. I also have found that foods that didn’t cause a weight problem for me before, now do. Recently, I have been changing my dietary habits, trying to eat more protein, fruits, and vegetables, and less breads, pastas, potatoes, etc. I am a bread and pasta fiend, so initially this was difficult for me. I refuse to cut them 100% from my diet, but for now, it’s better to resist until my body adjusts to the new food regime. When I do eat breads, pastas, and potatoes though, I restrict myself to whole grain products. The one thing grains I am eating on this new food plan are Kashi 7-grain products. Also, if I crave potatoes, I will eat a sweet potato high in Vitamin A rather than a regular spud. However, I am limiting myself here, too. Something else I totally cut from my diet is Diet Soda. While I was consuming low sodium diet sodas, I was truly addicted to them, and I was bloating and swelling quite a bit in my midriff area and in my ankles and wrists. I was drinking Diet Coke and Pepsi almost around the clock. Since eliminating diet soft drinks, much of the bloating has subsided. I know with soft drinks, I can never go back to them, not even just a little because drinking even a little will put me right back into the addictive cycle. They and breads and pastas are my Achilles heel. As I am approaching my mid-50s, I am determined to make some permanent life_style_ and dietary changes. My dad died at 57 from cardiac arrest and my mom was 61 when she died from breast cancer. I am hoping that the journey that I began 3 weeks ago to eat better will continue. I know I already feel so much better from the small dietary changes I’ve made; the foods I am eating are tasty and satisfying; now to add some exercise into the mix. I will not judge my progress by a scale but by how well my clothes fit me. My goal is to get back into Size 10 jeans by November. At Size 10, I will be somewhere between 135-150 pounds. In November, my husband and I will be going on a guided tour to Machu Pichu, Peru, where we will be walking and climbing a lot with a small group of 16 people. I want to drop the weight by the time the trip arrives and also get myself into shape with some exercise. My feet have been hurting because of a painful condition known as Plantar Fasciitis, and I also experience low back pain when I walk too long. I keep thinking that both conditions are exaggerated by the excess weight I am carrying, and I hope that by dropping some pounds, these problems will be less severe. I would love to hear from others who are going through the same bodily and dietary changes that I am going through. What challenges are you facing? What dietary and life_style_ changes have you made? Maybe we can help each other and keep each other motivated in the process. I had thought of joining a program like Jenny Craig, Physician’s Weight Loss, etc. But I firmly believe that I am capable of doing this on my own without having to spend a lot of money during these tough economic times. Here is a list of some of my favorite foods and beverages that are keeping me healthy and satisfied. Beverages Water flavored with sliced cucumbers: I was introduced to water flavored with cucumber slices a few years ago at a Thai restaurant in Atlanta; how flavorful and refreshing this is; for someone who is repulsed by the idea of sipping on plain old water throughout the day, this is an easy way for me to add flavor without adding calories or artificial sweeteners. Water flavored with lemon or lime juice: I will order this in restaurants instead of iced tea or soft drinks. But sometimes I will also order unsweetened tea; this is a staple beverage here in the Deep South where I live and restaurants give you free refills. Crystal Light or Ocean Spray flavor packets: Yes, they have artificial sweeteners in them, but if you are like me and struggle to drink plain old water, this is the way to go; I have no problem drinking water that has been artificially sweetened and actually look forward to it not because of the sweetness but because of the flavor; look for the ones that give you 100% of your Vitamin C daily requirement. Dunkin Donuts coffee flavored with Silk’s French Vanilla Soy Creamer: I am a DD fanatic; I used to stop everyday at a store en route to work; now I go to the store and stock up on their ground coffee; the store I go to will sell you four bags of their ground coffee for $20, a big savings over buying it in the supermarket; so now, I try to get up a tad earlier to make it at home, so I don’t have to spend the money daily at the store; I always would buy the extra large ($2.30 per day); now I can indulge at home for much less; as for the soy milk creamer, I am not a big fan of soy milk; however, I believe like anything else, I will get used to the taste over time and I know it’s better for me than whole milk. Fuze Slenderize Drinks: Drink the ones with about 10 calories per serving and that give you the daily requirement of Vitamin C; these drinks also contain Super Citrimax, Chromium, and L-Carnitine. Quick Entrees Kashi frozen entrees: Many of the Kashi entrees give you between 16-22 grams of protein; they are delicious and satisfying, but as with any other frozen entrées, be careful with sodium content, especially if you have a blood pressure problem, like me, and tend to swell. The Kashi website provides full nutritional information on all of their products; Kashi also makes the Heart Smart and GoLean products— cereals and snack bars) Other Protein Sources Skim milk mozzarella string cheese: Limit yourself to a couple of sticks a day; otherwise, you will pack on the calories. Egg Beaters (egg whites only): You can eat egg whites to your heart’s desire with no worries about cholesterol; egg whites are a source of pure protein, and they are super low in calories; I will make fried egg whites for breakfast using a little bit of Oliva spread or a little bit of extra vrigin olive oil. I often add the egg whites from hard boiled eggs into my salads. I just squeeze out the yolks; I’ve never liked egg yolks anyhow, so I don’t feel I am missing out on anything by removing them from the hard boiled eggs; I’ve actually started a trend at work; if you go to the salad bar towards the end of the lunch hour, the tray with the hard boiled eggs is filled with left behind egg yolks! Oiko Greek-_style_ yogurt: Once you experience Oiko, you will not want to go back to the other brands; Oiko is very thick, creamy, and tasty; it comes in three flavors: vanilla, honey, blueberry; they are all good; honey, however, is my favorite; this yogurt also is great if you add some dried fruit, for example, craisins; again, if you go overboard on anything, it ceases to be a good and healthy thing; so use dried fruit sparingly, or you will pack on the calories and the pounds; there are other Greek-_style_ yogurts that I’ve heard are also good, but I haven’t tried them yet. Almonds: Eat a handful a day, especially when you feel hungry; they will appease the urge to munch, and they are good for you, as long as you do not go overboard with them. Chicken (white meat only): Sometimes I will just buy the Boar’s Head or supermarket brand sliced chicken or turkey and munch on that when I am hungry, perhaps with a stick of cheese. Turkey (white meat only): See comments above re: chicken. Fish (all types): My favorites are shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster, grouper, haddock, tilapia, salmon; some shelled fish is high in cholesterol; so be careful; salmon is wonderful steamed in the microwave; I use a Tupperware steamer; you can steam veggies or even couscous in the bottom section and the fish in the top section; season with your favorite spices; no need to add oil because of the Omega 3 oils in the salmon itself. Black beans: Add brown rice and you have a complete protein meal. Hummus (ground chick pea spread): There are so many flavors available; be careful with calorie content; hummus is great with veggie sticks or spread on a slice of whole grain bread. Fruits You can get your daily fruit allowance through fruit juices; however, fruit juices will leave you feeling hungry; whole fruits will satisfy your sweet tooth and also give you lots of fiber leaving you with a full feeling, so you will be less inclined to munch. I tend to eat whatever is in season; some of my favorite fruits include: Mini-bananas: They are sweeter than the full-sized ones; also, they give you just the right amount of calories and are a good source of potassium; with my blood pressures meds, I tend to be more prone to muscle cramps in my hands and have found that foods with potassium reduce the occurrence of this problem. Strawberries Blueberries Raspberries Blackberries Cantalope Watermelon (seedless) Grapes (seedless) Clementine oranges (just the right size for a fruit fix that’s low in calories)Tangerines Navel oranges Cherries (Bing and white cherries): The white cherries don’t look as appealing as the Bings do, but they are super sweet; appearances can be deceiving sometimes; try them; I’m sure you’ll be hooked on them if you like cherries as I do. Apples: Apples are a good fiber source; they fill you up; also, they make your mouth feel super clean between brushings. Mangoes: Be careful though, as some people develop severe allergic reactions similar to poison ivy or poison oak when they come into contact with the skin and even with the fruit. Veggies Salad is always a good choice provided that you don’t go overboard with salad dressings; I have switched from using low fat or fat-free salad dressings to simply using balsamic vinegar or lemon juice; they are just a s satisfying and sometimes more so because they add flavor without drowning the natural flavor of the veggies themselves. I am not a big lettuce eater; I like to eat veggies like grape tomatoes, freshly sliced mushrooms (interestingly, I absolutely hate cooked mushrooms of any variety), cucumber slices, radishes, green- yellow-red bell pepper strips, celery, sugar beets, carrots, chick peas, cauliflower florets; I also mix fruit in with the veggies
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