Onwards & Downwards May 2016

[AB Editor]

Hello!

At the end of last month, a lot of us were down, and only a couple on the naughty step.

I bought a new toy this month, a Polar M400 - which is an activity watch - and a matching set of scales. The scales sync with the watch, and all gets recorded alongside the activity tracking. It then guesses whether you've been eating too many cream cakes (spoiler: yes). It also lets you set a weight goal, and sets your activity requirements based on that.

Maybe it's a bit pointless, but I'm enjoying the novelty so far!

I think it might have some value in the way that you can sometimes forget the sweets or snacks you've snuck in, this might remind me of the activity that I haven't done.

Anyone got a salad to share?

I had a kind of "Thrifty Ceviche" - based on this recipie here - last night. http://www.skinnytaste.com/canned-tuna-ceviche/ - it's thrifty because it uses canned tuna. I dropped the avocado and olive oil, and added separate baby leaf salad.

Also been making a warm mixed garlicky greens and smoked salmon thing. This is white-peppered broccoli, green beans, and spinach, steamed in a wok by adding a little water over and over. Once softened, add finely sliced garlic and roughly chopped spring onion. Add a tiny bit of butter to make it richer if you want, (or when you're off the diet!). Tear smoked salmon on top and serve!

Your turn!

[xstitcher]

An avacado is 90% fat so there are other more healthy options to get that type of fat....salmon is the only one I can think of off the cuff but I'm sure our friends can contribute here. Another thing about an avacado is that they are so mild that to bring out their taste you have to top them off with something naughty. I do enjoy one but the key words here are "eat sparsely"

[xstitcher]

You are right Pasta Freak about our bodies needing fat but when you are trying to loose weight you can reduce your fat intake as you reduce the size of portions, carbs, etc etc etc. There are a lot of good lo fat products out their today to help us on our way.

[wendilla]

Yes xstither it is all to do with size of portions .we all need a percentage of fat and carbs but this can be done with smaller portions and not eating what I call,crap in between . I try to keep,away from very high fat meals eg. Pork but I do have a pork chop occasionally for a treat .it can be boring if you stick to the same things .and this is when you can go off the rails if you don't have a treat ..

[pastafreak]

Unfortunately,many if not most low fat products have other things added...particularly sugar in all its various forms,along with chemicals,fillers,etc.
We've been told for 30-40 years that low fat is good...yet that was based on incorrectly used research and politics...which I won't go into. Plenty of info available on the web.
Wendilla...what you say about treating pork as a treat reminds me so much of where I was a few years ago. Diet and lifestyle shouldn't be that way. A modern approach to weight reduction allows all unprocessed food...all meats,full fat dairy,good fats like avocados and lots of leafy green veg. Avoid carbs,as it is them-combined with the body's insulin response-that causes weight gain. It's science. Eat to satiety. That's until comfortably full. Not necessarily smaller portions. I speak from experience. Now I eat belly pork regularly...not as a treat.
I won't go on,as I suspect that most who want to lose weight are too stuck in the low fat is best mindset.

[pastafreak]

This site has lots of info...and if you scroll down to section 5,there's a good( scientific) explanation about fats,carbs,and how our bodies use them.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

[pastafreak]

100g avocado has 15g fat. 2.1g saturated.

[Old_Geezer]

Surprising how different folks' sense of taste works. Whilst I wouldn't call avocado strong tasting, I don't find it particularly mild either. It's unpleasant, but just bearable if in a masochistic mood. I recall once getting through a half of one until I finally asked myself, why was I doing this unpleasant thing, and stopped eating. Guacamole is more bearable; has to be the added ingredients disguising the avocado, almost.

Fat = taste.
Carbs = feeling no more hunger pangs.

The only thing that works for me is as much moderation as I can cope with without ending up with something I won't stick to.

[wendilla]

OG I agree with you . Everyone is different and it is up to the individual to find what suits them best . What makes one person put weight on doesn't affect another .

[xstitcher]

How true Wendilla. The hubby is trying so hard to put on weight and can't and I put it on just by handling his food. :-))

[AB Editor]

Pasta, you're right about the replacing of fat in low/0 fat products with sugar - and how that works for your body...

... which is why you wouldn't catch me with a low-fat anything, unless it was born that way of course :)

[xstitcher]

Good morning all.

Finally I moved downwards to the tune of 1 kilo (2 lbs) which has cheered me up immensely. I really thought that I had lost the plot.
I miss hearing from our friends who have reached their goal. It would be nice if they could pop in now and then. You are role models for the rest of us so a word or two would really be nice.
This also applies to those who have fallen by the wayside. We're here for support and remember there is no place for judgement here and we promise to keep things simple just as we've always done. Our core hasn't changed. xx

[Old_Geezer]

Yay !
:-)

[wendilla]

Good morning xstitcher and OG yes I agree with everything you say . You and I started this posts must be coming up for over 3 years . We have had good results and ideas . Yes we would like to hear how you are all doing . Your ideas have been most welcome . We have had the odd person come on and go all technical of how to diet .but they do not join us . We are a healthy eating club to support ourselves and others .thank you xstitcher for bring this up .

[wendilla]

And well,done on your loss .. I have lost 1ib

[Old_Geezer]

And yay again !
:-)

[Old_Geezer]

Another rise over the last 24 hours. That's getting to be a habit. But over the week it's still down, a mere 0.4 lbs. But that's still in the right direction.

[xstitcher]

Yup OG you're on the right track. I just remembered the other day that I'm still 10 kilos down from what I started with so that is rather a nice thought.
When I was young I was a stick insect, not because I wanted to be but because I couldn't put on weight. It began slowly going the other way in my 50's and if I'd been smart I'd have put a stop to it then but I didn't know how to. I was very unhappy about being skinny as was teased about it in school. How times change eh!

[Old_Geezer]

The only time I was normal weight (apart from maybe during and immediately after my birth) was a short period as an adolescent. I don't know, must've been the hormones or something, but I went upwards but not outwards during that time. I think it all changed after leaving school for work. I'm unsure exactly why but generous and high calorie canteen meals was probably part of the issue. Possibly along with no compulsory PE lessons a few times a week ;-) That said, I was still fairly active at the time, so maybe it was the high calorie food after all.

[xstitcher]

We certainly didn't have the choices that we have today and the controls of what was in the food was next to nonexistent. Having said that we didn't see such large numbers of overweight people then as we do today. What with fast foods, deep fryers and microwaves unhealthy food is at our finger tips and only seconds away. I remember being agog at the easiness of doing a jacket potato in my new microwave. That was the beginning of the end of the stick insect me.

[Old_Geezer]

Down a mere 0.2 lbs. (Well it was a rather heavy long weekend.)