my mother in law gave me a gift card to dress barn for christmas...just got back.... what deals!!!! I bought every thing at half off!
They are so helpful there, like your own personal shopper.
love to shop there!
bizi

Oh I love Dressbarn too. My immediate "problem" is trying to find summer slacks for the cruise....no one has them out this time of year and I look like I am wearing someone elses clothes!

Dr.Phil was touting 17 day diet again yesterday...guess I'll go have some green tea, now that the sour dough bread is finally gone.

I bought a pair of light kacki pants there....those are summery.
they have a petite section since you are short you probably would shop on that side.
they also have left over summer clothes from last year on the super clearance racks if you can stomach going thru all of the clothes.
bizi

Quote:
I just ordered this cook book and the guide to acne free skin.
Jeff can attest that I have been dealing with acne and hope that this diet will clear things up for me.
It is about correcting the acid base balance and decreasing the inflamation process.
HOpe they will arrive in a week or 2.
I hate my skin!!!!
If this doesn't work then I am going to a dermatologist!
bizi

I calorie count every day. It's a huge reason, I think, for my success in losing weight. I use the SparkPeople website. It's free, has a Food Tracker, and lots of other useful things.

I think that, in the past, I was actually eating too little, rather than too much. It seems most natural for me to eat in the 1000-1300 calorie range.

About how to cook. I'm not much of a recipe person. The changes I've made in cooking include:
- Although I cook carbs for my husband sometimes, I avoid simple carbs for myself (the "whites", such as white flour, white bread, pasta/macaroni, white rice, potatoes, sugar, baked goods; also corn). I do start most mornings with oatmeal and blueberries though.
- I mostly cook fairly much the same as before, so my husband doesn't have to change his eating. I just eat differently.

• As I said, when I cook simple carbs, I don't eat them. (I don't consider my diet to be extremely low-carb. Not anything like Atkins! But, because I avoid the simple carbs, my overall carb consumption does tend to be lower.)
• And, I eat larger servings of vegetables than before (and tend to concentrate on cruciferous vegetables a lot: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.). Green beans are low in calories.
• I also cook a lot of low-fat protein (chicken breasts, pork loin, lean ham, lean ground beef, salmon), but, that's always the way I cooked. I eat a fairly high-protein diet, since my carbs are somewhat lower. Although my meats are often low-fat (because many meats have saturated fat in them), I intentionally add in some good fats (olive oil, nuts--especially almonds, etc.); I believe you have to eat fat to lose fat. It's more important to be careful about carbs, IMO.
• I use mozzarella cheese in a lot of things, or, just snack on the string cheese.
• I stir-fry a lot of dishes with egg whites, or make omelets. I try to limit my egg yolks to 2-3 per week, since my choloesterol is high. I'd eat more, if not for that, because I believe the fat in them is good for us. Sometimes, though, this is more for meals I cook for just myself, when my husband is at work.

~ Faith

hi faith
thanks for posting what has worked for you.
I lost weight when I counted calories...I was eating just like you...then the holidays came and my sweet tooth reappeared!
oh the cookies and chocolates.....and I put on a few pounds....I recieved the cook book on the diet.
It is very restrictive.
I didnot realize it was no dairy! I don't know if I can do that, no grains, no legumes either. not even green beans or peanuts! no soy too.
this is a very restrictive diet.
shakes head....
bizi

What diet, Bizi, did you get the book for?

I'm not actually following any diet, exactly. Using some SOUTH BEACH diet concepts, some IsaLean meal replacement shakes, and, doing some calorie cycling.

~ Faith

the paleo diet.
cavemans diet.
no dairy, grains, legumes, soy...
only lean meats, mostly vegatables, fruits, nuts and seeds and olive oil.
I don't think I can follow that diet
bizi
this diet is supposed to help clear up my acne.

I eat a lot that way. But, yeah. I don't think I'd be willing to give up dairy and grains altogether either. I eat cheese and oatmeal at least 3-4x a week; sometimes daily. And, use other dairy and grain products too.

Pretty restrictive diet.

~ Faith

I'm reading the book "Carb Lovers Diet" and it's really eye-opening! It makes perfect sense and isn't restrictive at all. In fact, it's the most balanced eating plan I've seen. It talks about resistant starch and how it can help you weight and keep it off. Here's a link:
http://www.carblovers.com/health/carblovers/index.jsp

I lost weight eating low-carb but it's hard to eat that way all the time. This diet (I hate the word "diet".....I try to use "eating plan") doesn't tell you to go wild and eat all the carbs you want. It includes whole grains, fat, fruit (bananas are magic), veggies, nuts, and dairy. The only thing it doesn't include is refined sugar and artificial sweetners. There's menus and recipes and even a list of prepared foods that are diet-friendly and don't have alot of sodium and fat.

If you can find this book at your library it's well worth taking a look at. I put it on my home-delivery list and I have it for 45 days. I'll probably read it twice!