"My Skinny Summer" Weight Loss Journey

[quirky]

I am not doing well with weight loss Actually I am doing terribly! But thought it'd be good to check in. I think I need to write down the reasons I want to lose weight and maybe put up pics of nice bodies or smth.

[sharky988]

Thank you Glad to be part of this group! This time the soup was canned but usually it will be something homemade.

 

I had a bit of a stress eat at work this morning...had a Dixie cup of rice cracker mix when I wasn't truly hungry.

 

Forgive yourself! A Dixie cup full of ANYTHING can't be that bad.

[sharky988]

I am not doing well with weight loss Actually I am doing terribly! But thought it'd be good to check in. I think I need to write down the reasons I want to lose weight and maybe put up pics of nice bodies or smth.

 

Keep trying, you'll get it!

 

Posting what I eat everyday helps to keep me on track and accountable. Maybe it would help you too?

[sharky988]

Yesterday's check in: the 2 smoothie plan went well, but I don't think I ate less because of it.

 

Breakfast was spicy chocolate smoothie... lunch was big salad w vegan ranch dressing.... mid-day was lentil soup..... dinner was DELISH strawberry smoothie w cashews, strawberries and frozen bananas, tasted just like a milkshake!

 

But I was really stuffed and think I ate more than usual. I think this week I'll change out lentil soup for cabbage soup, which is lighter and super low-cal.

 

Hope everyone's doing well!

[Tanzi]

Thank you Glad to be part of this group! This time the soup was canned but usually it will be something homemade.

 

I had a bit of a stress eat at work this morning...had a Dixie cup of rice cracker mix when I wasn't truly hungry.

 

Glad to have you on board!

 

Yes try to avoid processed foods. I have made the mistake of eating healthy option ready cooked meals or prepared foods and it has never really helped.

 

I'm opting for a good old low fat, low carb diet, filling up with lots of fruit and veg (mainly veg).

[Tanzi]

I am not doing well with weight loss Actually I am doing terribly! But thought it'd be good to check in. I think I need to write down the reasons I want to lose weight and maybe put up pics of nice bodies or smth.

 

It will happen. Now that I feel "established" on this diet, I am actually really enjoying it. I love trying out new healthy recipes and the tips, ideas and recipes that have been shared on here have really helped.

 

Also, the fact that I am weighing in on this thread is helping to push me! I am aiming to lose 3lbs next week. There I said! Now I HAVE to do it.

[Tanzi]

Well 2lbs is 2lbs and at least it is in the right direction!

 

You are going to have to give me the recipe for your curry if it's helping you to lose weight?

 

I made a huge super berry smoothie for breakfast and lunch yesterday ... but I have to admit I was absolutely starving by late afternoon. I ate out with friends again in the evening and ended up having something more "substantial" than the salmon salad I had last time, though it was still a low cal option - sweet chilli noodles to be precise.

 

I'm not sure I can do the smoothie diet for too long to be honest. Maybe you're right though - maybe it will get easier.

[redrose85]

I was a bad girl last night but it felt so right. 3 slices of mediterranean pizza.. pesto, artichokes, chicken, red pepper, spinach. and two rum and cokes. I haven’t had a drink in quite awhile, so they hit me hard. Regretting the calories from that today, but c’est la vie!

 

One thing I’ve found to be really helpful is to have a big pot of rice cooked and at the ready for meals.

[redrose85]

Try supplementing your smoothies with green tea, or (low sodium organic) vegetable broth. You end up not feeling hungry at all until mealtimes.

[sharky988]

Try supplementing your smoothies with green tea, or (low sodium organic) vegetable broth. You end up not feeling hungry at all until mealtimes.

 

Thanks -- I'll definitely try the green tea!! What a great idea. I'll start with my morning smoothie and let you know how it works! I make my own vegetable stock though and save that for soups.

 

If you have a crockpot and eat a lot of soups, it's super easy to make your own stock, btw. Just save your fruit and veg scraps, throw them in the crockpot with water and seasonings (bay leaves, unpeeled garlic cloves, etc.) and cook on low for 10-12 hours. Strain and voila! Quarts of fresh and delicious stock, cheap and healthy and ready to use or freeze. I usually throw an onion in there, a few carrots and celery stalks, an apple and garlic, along with whatever random scraps I've saved.

[sharky988]

Just to check in: a better day on smoothies yesterday. It went like this: 1 quart orange/grapefruit juice followed by 1-1/2 quarts spicy chocolate green smoothie..... for lunch a GREAT smoothie of blueberries, pineapple, banana, cucumber, baby kale..... dinner was just a snack, roasted chickpeas and lemon water.

 

Today I'll have cabbage soup and smoothies. If it works I'll continue for the week ahead.

[sharky988]

Well 2lbs is 2lbs and at least it is in the right direction!

 

You are going to have to give me the recipe for your curry if it's helping you to lose weight?

 

Hello: two pounds + three pounds is FIVE FREAKIN POUNDS, which is AWESOME! You should be very proud.

 

Anyhow, here's how I made the curry, based on what I had around. I apologize for not having a real recipe! I have it over brown basmati rice and top it with LOTS of Srirachi sauce.

 

First thing is to dice (and peel if you want) what comes to about 4 cups of cubed red potatoes. Steam them until tender and set them aside.

 

Next in a big pot, heat up whatever Indian spices you have in a few tablespoons olive oil over low heat. I used:

 

1 Tablespoon mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala (any curry powder works fine)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt

 

When the seeds start to sizzle and pop, add:

 

1 diced onion

4-6 cloves chopped garlic

1-2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I use a lot because I love ginger, you can use half that amount)

 

Saute the onion in the oil and spices until they soften, 5 minutes or so. Then add:

 

1 10 oz. container white mushrooms, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can garbanzos, drained and rinsed

Your steamed diced red potatoes

2-3 cups vegetable broth

Cayenne pepper to taste, if you want it to be spicy

Coconut milk: you can use canned low-fat (I usually use half a can), or you can add your own homemade (a cup or so) or canned coconut cream (I usually use just a few tablespoons of this). What I had on hand was a squeeze bottle of Coco Lopez cream of coconut (intended for pina coladas!), which is high in fat and calories, so I just used several squirts of it to taste -- just a bit for flavor because it's so rich.

 

Then, that's it! Stir and cover and let it simmer until the veggies are tender, about 25-35 minutes. Add water, veggie broth and/or tomato sauce if it looks too dry.

[redrose85]

My husband and I watched a documentary on healthy eating, and we are so on board. Raw, crisp veggies, possibly juicing, NOTHING processed. In fact, he just said to me that we should throw out everything in the fridge and start over. Our bodies are definitely hanging on to toxins that need to be eliminated if we are ever going to lose any real weight.

[Tanzi]

Thank you for the recipe Sharky!

 

Hello: two pounds + three pounds is FIVE FREAKIN POUNDS, which is AWESOME! You should be very proud.

 

Well, when you put it like that …… ;-)

 

That said, I went out for a Chinese meal on saturday night for a friends birthday and had a total blow out. I thought I could get away with it if I was careful beforehand and the next day. However I still feel so bloated from just that one meal and although I maybe shouldn't have done it, I got on the scales this morning to … umm … assess the damage to find that I have gained 3lbs …… 3lbs!!!! So even if I do reach my target of losing 3lbs this week I am only going to be where I was last week. Oh well, we live and learn. I should have been more careful and just stuck to some noodles and sweet chilli chicken.

[Tanzi]

My husband and I watched a documentary on healthy eating, and we are so on board. Raw, crisp veggies, possibly juicing, NOTHING processed. In fact, he just said to me that we should throw out everything in the fridge and start over. Our bodies are definitely hanging on to toxins that need to be eliminated if we are ever going to lose any real weight.

 

Good to hear! I felt exactly the same re the toxins. I took what I thought was the easy option last time I was on a diet by eating pre-prepared diet meals. I was also still drinking alcohol. I did lose weight but at an extremely very slow rate.

 

I drank too much on Friday and I ate too much crap on Saturday and, boy, do I feel bloated and sluggish this morning. Not good! I feel so much better when I have eaten healthier.

[sharky988]

Thank you for the recipe Sharky!

 

 

 

Well, when you put it like that …… ;-)

 

That said, I went out for a Chinese meal on saturday night for a friends birthday and had a total blow out. I thought I could get away with it if I was careful beforehand and the next day. However I still feel so bloated from just that one meal and although I maybe shouldn't have done it, I got on the scales this morning to … umm … assess the damage to find that I have gained 3lbs …… 3lbs!!!! So even if I do reach my target of losing 3lbs this week I am only going to be where I was last week. Oh well, we live and learn. I should have been more careful and just stuck to some noodles and sweet chilli chicken.

 

Gahhhhhh!

 

Hahahhaa!! Oh well -- you can totally make up for it this week by being a maniac with diet and exercise.

 

I meanwhile was able to get my taped-up toe inside some sneakers yesterday for a workout on the ski machine woo hooooo! So I am BACK. I feel thinner from the smoothie regimen, but I know exercise really speeds things up and I'd like to get back into my old jeans already.

 

Yesterday went well: breakfast was 1 quart orange/grapefruit juice followed by 1 quart smoothie..... then a few bowls of cabbage soup during the day..... then 2 quarts blueberry-cucumber smoothie for dinner.

 

I actually really like the addition of cabbage soup, but I'm missing having a salad every day. It feels like TOO MANY SMOOTHIES to me. But I'm willing to give it this week to see if I can adjust.

 

And you're welcome re the recipe! Here's a link to the cabbage soup recipe I've been using. I love it! I also add zucchini and frozen corn to the other veggies: link removed

[sharky988]

My husband and I watched a documentary on healthy eating, and we are so on board. Raw, crisp veggies, possibly juicing, NOTHING processed. In fact, he just said to me that we should throw out everything in the fridge and start over. Our bodies are definitely hanging on to toxins that need to be eliminated if we are ever going to lose any real weight.

 

This sounds great!! Can't wait to hear your updates.

 

And yesterday I started adding green tea to my smoothies. I have no idea whether it helps me stay full longer or not, but I've been looking for a way to incorporate green tea into my life because to be honest, I can't stand the taste. So thanks again!

[Tanzi]

Thank you again!!

 

Well done with the smoothie diet. It's smoothies all the way for me this week! (I might give the cabbage soup a go though!)

 

Glad to hear the toe is better!!

[redrose85]

Okay so tonight after work we bought a juicer and got enough produce for about 6 glasses of juice (it goes fast!) we had our juice for dinner (I am STILL stuffed) and watched fat,sick, and nearly dead. Even more inspirational than the last one was! I munched on fresh veggies today and drank water instead of coffee, and it kind of upset my digestive system (gas and bloating) so I think juicing is a much better option for me. It just feels so much gentler on my stomach. my husband made a big pitcher of green juice for tomorrow and I made myself some chia pudding for breakfast. It’s not even just about weight loss for us, it’s about finally tackling these digestion problems. He has had a bad gut since childhood and we are both so tired of it interfering with our lives. We can’t eat a meal out where he doesn’t spend a good 15-20 minutes in the bathroom immediately afterward. So, here goes nothing!

 

*feeling optimistic*

 

Oh and as for green tea, try green tea with strawberries or goji berries. Make sure you’re getting good quality green tea. The bagged stuff just isn’t real green tea.

[sharky988]

I love "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead"!!! I also highly recommend "Forks Over Knives", which is on Netflix for streaming.

 

I'm a huge fan of juicing as well. I made it to 28 days on a juice fast two years ago and really LOVED the whole experience -- although I'm in no hurry to do another one hahahaaaa! It DOES go through a lot of produce, though. But it's great for clearing out your system. Now I've got a Vitamix blender so I'm all about the green smoothie.

 

Speaking of which, had another good weight loss day yesterday: breakfast was a big ginger-blueberry-strawberry-kale-cucumber smoothie..... then once again had a few bowls of cabbage soup throughout the day.... then for dinner had a strawberry-banana-spinach-cashew shake, YUM.

 

My son had a terrible day at school yesterday, so I surprised him with a Shamrock shake from McDonald's. I wasn't even tempted, but this morning this arrived in my inbox and I thought I'd share it here, for anyone who's interested. It's a healthy smoothie version! link removed

 

I will look for a better quality of green tea! I've been lazy. I like the powdered matcha green tea, too -- maybe I'll order some of that online.

 

Ah well -- onward and downward!

[redrose85]

My husband is still feeling good, and I am feeling gross. I am going to skip the gym today and go Weds-Saturday instead. A walk at lunchtime will have to suffice. Plus, it will get me away from all the office food.

I didn't want much for breakfast...I had about a 1/2 cup of chia pudding (not loving it-- any tips?) and some green tea.

[sharky988]

What are you adding to the chia? You can use almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, agave to make it like rice pudding flavored. You can also add raw cacao to make it chocolatey.

[Tearsbegone]

What are you adding to the chia? You can use almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, agave to make it like rice pudding flavored. You can also add raw cacao to make it chocolatey.

 

Great idea !

[Tearsbegone]

Just to check in: a better day on smoothies yesterday. It went like this: 1 quart orange/grapefruit juice followed by 1-1/2 quarts spicy chocolate green smoothie..... for lunch a GREAT smoothie of blueberries, pineapple, banana, cucumber, baby kale..... dinner was just a snack, roasted chickpeas and lemon water.

 

Today I'll have cabbage soup and smoothies. If it works I'll continue for the week ahead.

 

Awesome !!! I want the cabbage soup recipe!

[Tearsbegone]

It will happen. Now that I feel "established" on this diet, I am actually really enjoying it. I love trying out new healthy recipes and the tips, ideas and recipes that have been shared on here have really helped.

 

Also, the fact that I am weighing in on this thread is helping to push me! I am aiming to lose 3lbs next week. There I said! Now I HAVE to do it.

 

Great attitude!