Hi, Anon. You ask great questions, and you have a great attitude!! I just want to congratulate you for having the smart point of view that you do. You are right: Calling ourselves anything negative doesn't serve any purpose (except to make us feel even worse!). But wanting to do something about extra pounds that you don't want to carry around any longer is wonderful.
Portion control is probably the most important thing you can do on your own, especially if you're not in charge of the weekly shopping list! We get a really oversize view of what portions should be when we eat out, and that can set us up for extra pounds. Fast-food meals are supersized at the drive-thru windows; plates of pasta at restaurants have about four actual portions to one order; and the biggest soda drinks at convenience stores have gone from 32 to 44 to 64 ounces. The overall effect is to make us feel like even a Medium is a good choice -- when truly, it still carries way too many calories.
Weight Watchers' online site has tons of recipes that you can use without belonging to the site or paying anything. You can search on anything -- sandwiches, lunch, wraps, for instance -- and recipes will come up for you:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/index.aspx
You can also click on their "Eating Out" link for tips when you're away from home:
Cooking Light also has a lot of recipes (and they often make over traditional versions of recipes so they are more healthful and less fattening):
http://www.cookinglight.com/
One of the important things about losing weight is the environment you're in. It's hard to eat veggies and a salad if everyone in the family wants a cheesy casserole, for example. Or to have a grilled chicken sandwich when your friends are having cheeseburgers and fries. So realize going in that you have to plan for those times when something is trying to throw you off track. You can throw low-fat granola bars in your backpack for when you need a snack, and double up on things like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, yogurt or low-cal pudding. Pretzels or animal crackers are good for the munchies -- buy them in single-serving bags so you will find it easier to just finish one. Low-cal popsicles or ice-cream bars are perfect treats, and they keep you from feeling deprived. (Feeling deprived is often what makes a weight-loss plan fail.)
Here are some Shape readers' favorite low-cal snacks:
Think about smoothies (easy for the morning, you can get some protein and some fruit all at once), wraps (a turkey wrap with mustard, low-fat cheese and lots of veggies can be really satisfying), and vegetarian options (a veggie burger has many fewer calories than a regular burger, and can be just as satisfying). And find a couple of filling things (maybe bananas, for instance, or soup-to-go) that you know give you an edge on a busy school day.
Will any of this work for your lifestyle? Does it sound possible for you?
Comment Reply
Hi, Anon. You ask great questions, and you have a great attitude!! I just want to congratulate you for having the smart point of view that you do. You are right: Calling ourselves anything negative doesn't serve any purpose (except to make us feel even worse!). But wanting to do something about extra pounds that you don't want to carry around any longer is wonderful.
Portion control is probably the most important thing you can do on your own, especially if you're not in charge of the weekly shopping list! We get a really oversize view of what portions should be when we eat out, and that can set us up for extra pounds. Fast-food meals are supersized at the drive-thru windows; plates of pasta at restaurants have about four actual portions to one order; and the biggest soda drinks at convenience stores have gone from 32 to 44 to 64 ounces. The overall effect is to make us feel like even a Medium is a good choice -- when truly, it still carries way too many calories.
Weight Watchers' online site has tons of recipes that you can use without belonging to the site or paying anything. You can search on anything -- sandwiches, lunch, wraps, for instance -- and recipes will come up for you:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/index.aspx
You can also click on their "Eating Out" link for tips when you're away from home:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rst/index.aspx?tabnum=3
Cooking Light also has a lot of recipes (and they often make over traditional versions of recipes so they are more healthful and less fattening):
http://www.cookinglight.com/
One of the important things about losing weight is the environment you're in. It's hard to eat veggies and a salad if everyone in the family wants a cheesy casserole, for example. Or to have a grilled chicken sandwich when your friends are having cheeseburgers and fries. So realize going in that you have to plan for those times when something is trying to throw you off track. You can throw low-fat granola bars in your backpack for when you need a snack, and double up on things like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, yogurt or low-cal pudding. Pretzels or animal crackers are good for the munchies -- buy them in single-serving bags so you will find it easier to just finish one. Low-cal popsicles or ice-cream bars are perfect treats, and they keep you from feeling deprived. (Feeling deprived is often what makes a weight-loss plan fail.)
Here are some Shape readers' favorite low-cal snacks:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0846/is_6_24/ai_n9482010/
Think about smoothies (easy for the morning, you can get some protein and some fruit all at once), wraps (a turkey wrap with mustard, low-fat cheese and lots of veggies can be really satisfying), and vegetarian options (a veggie burger has many fewer calories than a regular burger, and can be just as satisfying). And find a couple of filling things (maybe bananas, for instance, or soup-to-go) that you know give you an edge on a busy school day.
Will any of this work for your lifestyle? Does it sound possible for you?
April 22, 2009 - 9:57amThis Comment
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