Hmm...not sure about that one....but homemade Cesar dressing would be healthier

I think what you're doing by putting the dressing on the side, any dressing, is WAY better than dressing your salad. If you want to take that even further, dip your fork in the dressing, then take fork your salad. When you dip your fork, dip the tines straight in, so the tines of the fork is straight up and down. That put a coating of dressing that is 'the right amount' for a bite of salad. You'd be surprised as to how little dressing you'd use!

I don't like the fat-free salad dressings either...but I do like flavored balsamic vinegar with olive oil as salad dressing.

'Hard cheese' is better than soft cheese....goat and sheep milk cheese are better than cow cheese....

...and believe it or not, regular bacon is better than turkey bacon! (because of the salt content...and if you bake the bacon on a rack, the fat drains off while it cooks instead of frying the bacon in its own fat!).

Val, i'm a big ranch person too. I love it. Just this morning I had some on my scrambled eggs but it was just a little bit because I peeked at the nutrition label and YIKES. lol And before you all gag it was delicious, especially with a little bit of hot sauce I think my whole breakfast this morning was under 300 calories which is good, for me anyway... lol

But as for salads and such I can't stand it on salads. I like simple stuff like just olive oil and lemon juice. Sometimes italian.

I would think Caesar dressing is "better"

My ex-roommate used to eat cheddar cheese cubes with ranch dressing...and of course, she ate pizza with ranch dressing....!

Ok, gotta admit that pizza with ranch is delicious!

From what I understand, you should eat a good chunk of your calories for breakfast, then a little less for lunch. then limit dinner calories. this way you can use sleep as the fat burning amazing awesomeness that it is! (on a fairly empty stomach). that's why they recommend eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed. vinaigrettes are the healthiest salad option out there. i personally also love edamame beans on my salads. YUM

snrose wrote:

i personally also love edamame beans on my salads. YUM

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE edamame!

Have you had edamame hummus? It's the BEST EVER! I think I like it better than regular hummus!

Weigh in this morning: 177.2 lbs

So that's a loss of 3.6lbs! And while that's a little more than the suggested 2lbs a week, i've been eating enough during the day but i've been working outside more so I guess that has something to do with it. It's been a while since i've gotten on a scale and not been annoyed so yay!

Woohooo, you go girl! I on the other hand gained 2lbs just over the weekend from stuffing my face!

Way to go!

Wow- you ladies are awesome (and welcome back Kristina!)

I don't have a big weight problem, but my family does. All the women in my family are severely overweight (same with John-- we're both Italian). So John and I have made a promise to each other and to our future children to try and keep our weights under control. I'm 5'3.5" and have never weighed more than 137, but that was last year. I lost about 20 lbs (love handles and some boob weight). I'm good now, but it's almost a constant struggle to keep it low.

Because I'm small, I don't eat a lot and I sit at my computer at home all day with no commute. And Kristina, I'm TOTALLY the guilty binge eater! I just did that yesterday A whole box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, but it's so good! (I know- that's like, my entire caloric intake for the day right there). I fluctuate SO easily though, so it really is an every day thing.

So... I keep this mantra in my head "I'm young and there are many more days left in my life where I can enjoy every food I love.... so limit my portions now. I can always have more another day."

I'm 5' 3.5" tall also...but I weigh 146.6 lbs. and am a size 8 (or medium). I've always been 'stocky' - it's just how I'm built. The last time I was 137 lbs, I was in high school. I'm also turning 44 years old this year. I'd like to lose a few more pounds but I'll never be 137 lbs again. It's just too hard to maintain that weight for me. As long as people keep telling me I look smaller and younger than I really am, I think I'm doing OK.

I definitely have a smaller frame. My ONE grandma on my father's side is a small/pettite woman and I inherited her build (thankfully! Because the other options were dreadful). But it's work to keep myself small.

It's not the numbers that bother me so much as how I FEEL when I get over 125lbs. It's just not a healthy weight for me.

I feel bad saying all this. I don't mean to sound shallow or super weight conscious when I know I'm at a healthy weight.... I know I have a lot to be thankful for in terms of my size and that I've never let it get TOO bad, but I'm also honestly petrified of being like my family, or John's. I am the tallest woman in my family and John is the tallest person in his family PERIOD at 5'9". We're not large people, yet we have at least 2, possibly 3 women in our families over 400 lbs and many more that are still overweight and unhealthy. With the way our families eat when we get together, it truly is a constant struggle to maintain healthy eating habits and controlling our portion size.

Koda wrote:

It's not the numbers that bother me so much as how I FEEL when I get over 125lbs. It's just not a healthy weight for me.

I feel bad saying all this. I don't mean to sound shallow or super weight conscious when I know I'm at a healthy weight.... I know I have a lot to be thankful for in terms of my size and that I've never let it get TOO bad, but I'm also honestly petrified of being like my family

I'm with you Tori! I'm 5'1 and the most i've ever weighed is 126lbs a few years ago that i let myself slip. I realized it a few months in and got back on track. Most of my family has the typical Cuban body (huge butt's and thighs and on the chunkier side). Luckily my mom didn't inherit that body type (why? I have no idea! but thank god for me).

I've always been petite and into working out. Thing is that I LOVE FOOD!!! Like seriously...LOVE FOOD! I hate complaining about my "weight" or that I gained "3lbs" because people look at me like I'm nuts. Especially friends that I have that have bigger builds than me. They just don't get it that those 3lbs on ME ARE A BIG DIFFERENCE =\

The ideal weight for me is 110lbs since i'm so short. I'm in between 112lbs-114lbs right now, but I feel those extra 3lbs on me =(

MelissaI wrote:

Koda wrote:

It's not the numbers that bother me so much as how I FEEL when I get over 125lbs. It's just not a healthy weight for me.

I feel bad saying all this. I don't mean to sound shallow or super weight conscious when I know I'm at a healthy weight.... I know I have a lot to be thankful for in terms of my size and that I've never let it get TOO bad, but I'm also honestly petrified of being like my family

I'm with you Tori! I'm 5'1 and the most i've ever weighed is 126lbs a few years ago that i let myself slip. I realized it a few months in and got back on track. Most of my family has the typical Cuban body (huge butt's and thighs and on the chunkier side). Luckily my mom didn't inherit that body type (why? I have no idea! but thank god for me).

I've always been petite and into working out. Thing is that I LOVE FOOD!!! Like seriously...LOVE FOOD! I hate complaining about my "weight" or that I gained "3lbs" because people look at me like I'm nuts. Especially friends that I have that have bigger builds than me. They just don't get it that those 3lbs on ME ARE A BIG DIFFERENCE =\

The ideal weight for me is 110lbs since i'm so short. I'm in between 112lbs-114lbs right now, but I feel those extra 3lbs on me =(

Oh Phew! I'm glad I'm not alone then! That makes me feel better! And yep... I feel just a couple of pounds A LOT. I think my ideal is between 115-120lbs. When I lost all the weight I got down to 116 and I really felt great there, so that's my goal But if I'm maintaining anything under 120, I'm happy. Vacation definitely put me over the edge... but I suppose travel and lots of alcohol does that

You're not alone Tori!
I feel good between 140-145 lbs. It's easy to maintain.

Anything under 140, I feel like I'm starving, or I feel like I'm constantly working out of having to find something to do to maintain the weight. That can be frustrating and stressful which can lead to binge eating for me.

Anything over 145, I don't feel as good, a little sluggish sometimes, not as energetic.

Like Melissa, I LOVE food. However, for me, everything in moderation is good. For the most part, I cook pretty healthy at home. So when we do go out to eat, it's a nice treat.

Also, I was once told that for every 10 years you get older, you add 5 lbs. If this is correct, for me, I was 135 lb in high school. Today, I'm 146 lbs and turning 44 years old...so I think I'm doing pretty good

2 summers ago, I was 158 lbs. Whoa. And I felt it ALOT! 5 years of 100% travel for work will slowly pack on the pounds - eating out 5 days out of the week on an expense account...sitting all day...yep, that'll do it.

Nice job, Kristina! Keep it up. That's one thing I LOVE about working outside is it doesn't "feel" like exercise but it really helps drop the weight without feeling like it at all. That's part of the reason I don't want to stop planting and gardening as the warmer months roll in. Being stuck in the house is not going to help at all.

I love love love to eat...why does food have to taste so good?! And why do the things that are not good for you so much tastier?! I had a bagel for breakfast and a banana for lunch and I'm starving! Trying hard not to break out the bag of chips and salsa or the peanut butter cups.

Huskyluv wrote:

I had a bagel for breakfast and a banana for lunch and I'm starving!

At what time did you eat the bagel? I think if I had that a a banana for lunch I would be starving too Val. I just finished eating lunch (4 extra thin corn tortillas with 4oz of tilapia) and I'm still hungry! UGHHHHH! Maybe it's because I ran 3miles on the treadmill during lunch and it opened up my appetite, but I ate enough to be full! Now i want something sweet! =\

I ate my bagel at 7:30 am, went shopping for a few hours this morning, came home and had a banana at noon. Still quite hungry!

LOL- of course you're hungry! I think anyone would be.

Girl, eat something else! I would be STARVVVVVVINNGGGG!!!!!!! lol

I ended up drinking a bunch of water to make my tummy feel like there was something in there. That should tide me over till dinner. I will confess I did eat a Reese's PB cup though.

Val you NEED to pair fruit with a protein! Get greek yogurt its great for you.

Great job Kristina!

jbealer wrote:

Val you NEED to pair fruit with a protein! Get greek yogurt its great for you.

Here's the thing, *whispers* I don't like yogurt.

That leads me ask, why do I need to pair it with protein? I think you mentioned that I needed to add a protein to salad, didn't you? What's with the need for protein?

protein is what keeps your muscles! you dont want those deteriorating as you lose weight that's BAD! you definitely need your protein!!!!! and sheesh girl you need to eat more than a bagel and a banana! that's one thing i've been trying to drill into my own head: eating small amounts, more often. DONT starve yourself! if you feel hungry eat! just choose wisely (sorry, no PB cups )