SoWell on SoWal 2008

[Ocean Lover]

Muscle weighs more than fat, so don't just use the scale as a gauge. You can be losing inches and still weigh "the same" if you are replacing fat w/ muscle.

Okay, I know you're right. I have lost an inch so that should be good enough.



In my email from WW today...Dining Out Tips

Dining Do's and Dont's

1. Set a budget.
Determine how much you're willing to eat before looking at the menu. You can give yourself some leeway by scheduling some exercise on or near days you plan to eat out. Putting in gym time or going for a brisk walk will help offset a little extra eating. And remember, be flexible. You can loosen up a bit on special occasions, as long as you eat carefully most of the time. (Just don't let every day become a special occasion.)
2. Put on your game face.
Decide on some guidelines before you go to a restaurant, and stick to them. For instance:

• Skip the all-inclusive menu and opt for ? la carte selections. Doing so might not be as economical, but you'll probably eat less.
• Take one piece of bread, then ask your server to remove the breadbasket from the table.

3. Make special requests.
You're paying good money for that meal, so you're entitled to make special requests or slight modifications. Why not say:

• Can I get that without butter? Grilled? With the sauce on the side?
• I'd like mixed greens instead of fries with my sandwich.

4. Practice portion control.
Some restaurant portions can be two, three, even four times the "normal" size?especially super-sized fast food meals. Keep your portions in check by:

• Ordering a salad as a starter and then splitting a main entr?e with a friend.
• Creating your own scaled-down meal from a couple of appetizers and/or side dishes.

5. Break down (language) barriers.
If you don't know what a preparation term means, ask. In general, though, the following words translate into high-fat, high-calorie dishes:

• Au gratin, scalloped, hollandaise.
• Parmigiana, scampi, Bolognese.

6. Downsize the super-size.
Super-sized fast food meal options can be loaded with calories. Either:

• Order something small, like a basic burger. After all, the first bite tastes the same as the last.
• Order yourself a children's meal.

7. Watch out for extras.
The average burger with ketchup, lettuce and tomato isn't so bad. But one with "the works" is usually a caloric nightmare. Skip:

• Bacon, cheese and mayonnaise.
• Double-burger patties and extra pieces of bread.

8. Don't go top heavy.
Salad bars and garden salads grace menus across the country. But those extra toppings can sabotage your seemingly diet-conscious choices:

• Go light on croutons, grated cheese and bacon.
• Opt for small amounts of low-fat or nonfat dressings on the side.

9. Don't drink away your progress.
A drink with dinner is fine, but too many margaritas may wreak havoc on your dieting resolve. Keep your appetite under control by:

• Alternating alcoholic beverages with noncaloric sodas or sparkling water.
• Not drinking alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach.

10. Resign from the "clean plate club."
You paid for it so you have to eat it, right? Wrong. Just think of the health and emotional costs of those extra calories on your body. Downsize by:

• Eating half the meal and doggie-bagging the rest.
• Pushing your plate away when you're full.
• And remember to eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your body to recognize that it's full.

 

[Jdarg]

Don't weigh. Go by how your clothes fit (or don't fit, in my case). I can be 2 sizes different at the same weight- it all depends on if I have been exercising or not.

I have a stack of clothes that I love and can't wear right now- but once every 2 weeks I will be pulling them out to see if I am getting any closer to wearing them again!

 

[Ocean Lover]

Don't weigh. Go by how your clothes fit (or don't fit, in my case). I can be 2 sizes different at the same weight- it all depends on if I have been exercising or not.

I have a stack of clothes that I love and can't wear right now- but once every 2 weeks I will be pulling them out to see if I am getting any closer to wearing them again!

I know this is good advice but when I'm so many lbs heavier than I know I should be it's hard not to want to look and see a difference there.

Okay, I'll shut up and and throw out the scale.(hide it in the basement) I'm keeping the tape measure out though.

 

[Jdarg]

I know this is good advice but when I'm so many lbs heavier than I know I should be it's hard not to want to look and see a difference there.

Okay, I'll shut up and and throw out the scale.(hide it in the basement) I'm keeping the tape measure out though.

Tape measure = good

Scale = bad

This is the one I have a hard time with:

Water = good

Wine = bad

Pick out something that you have wanted to wear for awhile, put it aside for 2 weeks, go about your diet and exercise business, then try it on. THEN, if you really want to, weigh!

 

[scooterbug44]

Couple tips so you can eat more of what you like:

1) Portion control - the standard restaurant appetizer is actually a full dinner portion (or more). Split the apps, entrees, desserts, etc. You probably can't finish the entire portion by yourself anyway.

2) Most restaurants will let you substitute/special order so you can avoid the temptation of bad stuff on your plate - my mother always opts for no toast at breakfast, extra veggies or brown rice instead of the pasta or potato side, getting the fish/crab cake sandwich etc. on a bed of greens instead of a bun. This doesn't mean ordering stuff that isn't on the menu, just choosing well from the featured options.

3) You will eat approx. HALF as much of the fattening sauce, gravy, or dressing if you order it on the side and add it yourself.

4) The nicer the restaurant and the fresher the ingredients, the healthier it is for you.

5) Alternate alcoholic drinks w/ a glass of water. Often you are drinking more because you are thirsty, not because you want more of a buzz.

The alcoholic beverages and eating too late are my big diet oopsies.

 

[Ocean Lover]

Good stuff gulls. I have a pair of shorts that I tried on last week and I had to pull them together to get them to button...this is the pair I'll set aside. It really bummed me out too b/c they are my fat clothes size. :0 Oh the horror.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Good stuff gulls. I have a pair of shorts that I tried on last week and I had to pull them together to get them to button...this is the pair I'll set aside. It really bummed me out too b/c they are my fat clothes size. :0 Oh the horror.

...I thought you were saying...fat clothes size 0!!!! Y'all gave good advice for OL...don't be a slave to a scale!!

 

[Ocean Lover]

...I thought you were saying...fat clothes size 0!!!! Y'all gave good advice for OL...don't be a slave to a scale!!

NEVER been a size 0. Thin for me is a size 8.( haven't been that since BC. (before children) 10 is where I'd like to be.

 

[Miss Kitty]

NEVER been a size 0. Thin for me is a size 8.( haven't been that since BC. (before children) 10 is where I'd like to be.

...not even in the womb? I applaud you and your efforts!!! I have felt like I have a little gainage from all the good food and drink the last two weeks. Luckily, that will end soon.:lie:

 

[Ocean Lover]

...not even in the womb? I applaud you and your efforts!!! I have felt like I have a little gainage from all the good food and drink the last two weeks. Luckily, that will end soon.:lie:

But that's only temporary and when you're in Paradise you should enjoy it! You are still exercising and that's grayt. I always said if I lived at the beach I'd never have to worry about my weight because I walk so much. I know it's probably not true but I would still like to think so.