I absolutely love steamed broccoli. When I was little, it was my favorite food.

I really don't care what the scale says. My (relative) measure of health is the size of my waist. Is this a guy thing? I'm not sure.

So, um.

Christmas is a time for forgiveness, right? Ehhehheh. Yeah.

I simply could not resist the cookies and pie and fudge and soda. I fail.

Starting back up tomorrow, since the free gym trial kicks in. And I'm going to really get going on this again, I swear. Just need to... y'know... not have sugar or pasta or bread in the house. Eliminate temptation. Yep.

*packs up Hydroxycut Max, bra, and pants*

The thing you need to remember about healthy living is that what you do on one day typically has almost no impact. What matters are your HABITS. So if you let yourself go on one day, or even two, that's really no big deal. If you routinely let yourself go, that's where trouble comes from. Actually, financial management is the same way. Fundamentally, it has to do with the nature of discipline. If you have a habit of discipline, that doesn't go away from one or two lapses, and if you have a habit of being careless, that doesn't go away if you remain disciplined once or twice. The trend is all that matters.

YES. EXACTLY.

Caps lock aside, it's really true. I now prefer skim milk and reduced-fat cheese, yogurt, et cetera. (most people think I'm nuts for this) Really you learn to like what you're used to, but common sense dictates Gio's disclaimer of if you eat the same thing every day, you'll get sick of it.

And as for the French... France is not the fattest country in Europe. That dubious honor goes to the UK. (If I recall, Germany is the runner-up.) Why is this? Yes, they eat rich foods, but they understand the concept of portion control.

Ultimately the only thing that dictates weight gain or loss is calories consumed relative to calories expended. There's a lot more to it than that if you want to look at health, but health and body composition aside that's all there is to it if you want to shrink. Really, I think it's healthier to be heavier and active than to be a thin couch potato. I read something in the newspaper that said basically that, but of course I didn't save it and now I don't even remember when it was published.

The breakfast thing has always confused me, since it always makes me sick eating early.
I still always manage to get in plenty of meals though.

I love breakfast. Why does it hate me so?



I also think that if at all possible, you should take a gym buddy/spotter/hostage.
Makes things more fun.
Of course that isn't possible for alot of people.
...Like me, who almost never goes to the gym because of it...

Persephone: HEE! Thank you so much! *pulls the Scale of Dios from Anthy* FOR THE POWER OF LIFE REVOLUTION!

Allegorist: I would, but for a month, it costs $40 a person, so I dubowt that my friend Birdy could afford coming with me. I only have my grandmaw and grandpaw. ;o;

As for breakfast, it does the same to me, generally. I'd try eating one egg white at first, then, and drink a cooling, soothing tea for digestion. Fennel works wonders for me.

I have a recipe to recommend.  I got it from Gillian McKeith's website (woman who does the BBC show "You Are What You Eat"), and it's really delicious.  I just made it for lunch, and it was quite a surprising treat.

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Marinated Baked Salmon Weight Loss Recipe

Ingredients:
2 salmon steaks (high in Omega - 3 fatty acids which help lower cholesterol)
2 cloves garlic - minced (high in the compound 'alicin' which enhances immune system and fights infections)
1 tbsp grated ginger (cleanses blood, liver and kidneys)
½ lemon (high in vitamin C)
Fresh raw spinach (high in anti-oxidants which fight free radicals in the body cell tissues)
2 fresh raw leeks (detoxes the liver)
Fresh coriander.

Method:
Cut the leeks into approximately 12 chunks.
Steam or boil leeks for about 5 minutes to gently soften.
Rinse and dry the salmon. Place a liberal amount of fresh raw spinach in a shallow oven pan.
Place the softened leeks on top of the spinach. Then place the salmon on top of the leeks.
Mix the olive oil, minced garlic and grated ginger together; then brush it over the fish.
Keep extra amounts of the olive oil mixture on hand to brush the fish throughout the cooking process. Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the fish and spinach.
Place into pre-heated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for approximately 25 minutes. While cooking, brush the olive oil mixture onto the salmon every 10 minutes. If desired, squeeze over more lemon juice too.
If you are feeling bold and adventurous, I recommend that you serve the salmon with Avocado Algae Cream Sauce. Decorate the plate with coriander leaves. If desired, squeeze lemon juice too.

---

The leeks smell pretty bad when they're cooking (I was really getting worried while it cooked), but taste really quite good.  I personally skipped the coriander leaves as I think I'm allergic to them, but did everything else.  The only problem with the recipe is that it doesn't say how much olive oil to use.  I used a bit too much and the fish was just a bit too oily, so I would suggest using just enough to make the mixture into a sort of paste.

Very delicious, and apparently very nutritious.  Plus, it only takes maybe 45 minutes to make, including bake and prep time.

Last edited by Cerise (02-09-2008 10:20:08 AM)

I'm joining this. I need to be happy in my body, and I'm just not right now.

Good luck to everyone else who's taking this challenge.

Indeed I am, dahrlink. I can't have anything from the onion family. ;o;

As for my quest for health, I've hit a bump in the road. Or something. I can't seem to keep anything down, when it comes to solid food, so I'm only able to eat jello and pudding and broth, and have been doing so for the last week. No notable weight-loss, and I don't really want to lose weight that way.

Does anybody know of any nutritional food that won't make my stomach rebel? ;_______;

If you can stomach broth, you may be able to have soup as well. It'll help with your vegetable servings,  and as long as you go for the low-sodium stuff it's great to help lose weight.

Plus, I read somewhere that fluids are great when you're not feeling well. I hope you feel better soon, though.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY LADY NIL YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!




That's awesome, I'm so glad to hear it's working for you. :hugs: The initial weight loss will always be the easiest though. It will get a lot harder, but don't be discouraged. :hugs:

Hee! My mother made up this diet, and it's very healthy. She lost 60-some pounds in two months before, when I was eleven. Basically, it's eating a lot of salad, a lot of meat, and a lot of cheese, and a lot of other various veggies. No fruit other than ONE strawberry [which makes me saaad], no grain [saaad], no taters [saaad], no sugar [saaad], and no dairy other than cheese [saaad]. But! It's working spectacularly. And sugarfree gum is my friend, so is diet Coke with lime, and so diet Vernors. And water. And cuuucumber. And powdered veggies that I put in my water. Yummm, Jade Greenzymes.