As some of you may or may not know.I have a weight problem.All my life i have been very big.I weighed over 10 lbs at birth.
I have replaced hamburger meat with ground turkey
I eat NO PORK
I eat NO fried foods-bummer
I have cut way down on drinks-i drink alot of water now-AN some DT Pepsi
I use NO salt.I eat other seasoning like miss dash , garlic ,etc
I am walking everyday too

my goal is to lose 200 lbs-please pray for me
also the main reason i started this post was for good recipes
I get tired of the same thing.
all recipes are very welcomed-low fat and healthy

THANK U AND GOD BLESS

God Bless you Raleigh I am praying for you. All of us and the Lord are in your corner fighting and praying for your effort.

I was gaining weight last two years just a little more than I have been comfortable with. I have done much the same things you are doing along with praying and got myself down 25Lbs which has done wonders for my overall and everyday health.

For anyone wanting to be more healthy I always suggest the Doctor Corners videos they are the most comprehensive covering of being healthy from Gods word from a practicing doctor and student of the Shepherds Chapel.

Here is a couple tips.

I like sweet drinks also so I get a glass filled with crushed ice and then fill it with Simply Orange with Mango or black concord grape juice it lasts a long time eating the ice and sipping the fruit juice and its healthy for you to. Eating Ice in a sweet fruit drink gives you the sense of eating without much calorie gain.

A lot of times when I would eat I would sit down to a good meal something I really like and end up eating to much. I stopped eating only when my stomach was saying Dang I am totally full. Now I eat till I feel satisfied not till my stomach feels stuffed. Some meals I have eaten in one sitting only to make my stomach hurt I now I split into two meals or three small meals a day. If I have cravings I use grapes, carrots, fruits, to carry me between meals. Sometimes a small bag of low fat popcorn really can fill some eating time without adding a lot of calories. Dried fruit at my computer desk like Dried mangos really carry me between meals also with adding something natural and healthy.

A lot of the foods I was eating was not actually bad for me but I love toppings like cheese, sour cream, ketchup, BBQ sauce, with extra of all the aforementioned so I have cut back big time on adding those toppings or additions that really only add a lot of fat and salt into my diet.

Lastly I have worked at moving away from processed foods. I used to eat snacks like wheat thins, triscuits, and such but a lot of those are just reconstituted food stuffs made from extracted ingredients not good for you. If you can read a label on it man created it. If it doesn't have a label God created it. I try and keep some fruit and veggies around for when I feel snackey.

Me and a friend have taken up hiking and mountain biking so much fun if you can have someone with you to explore and get exercise at the same time.

Two things overall I find are most helpful.

1) Watching how much food I intake just enough for daily energy needs. Watching the types of food I intake.

2) Adding regular exercise and making it fun so I look forward to it almost every day.

Beyond that I try and make small adjustments to my daily schedule. Like walking down an escalator instead of standing on it and letting it do the work I should be doing. Taking the stairs up 7 stories to my car in the parking garage instead of the elevator. Making a conscious effort to plan my exercise so its fun like hiking all around town trying different places to keep the scenery fresh. You would be amazed how many beautiful places you drive by every day but never explored.

Most importantly praying to the Lord for help. Thanking him for every meal. Asking him to bless my efforts. He is the one who created these bodies we have and he gave us the instrunction set we just have to read it and do it then we receve his rich Blessings.

God Bless you Raliegh. I believe in you and I know you can do it.

THANK YOU Johnny.GREAT tips.and thank you for your prayers.GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH.
everyone keep these's good tips coming i need them.
thanks raleigh

Prayer sent that you reach your weight-loss goal raleigh,




Thanks for the helpful tips Johnny

I'm the same way dude, we are in the same boat, exactly. My moms idea of baby formula was whole milk and Karo Corn Syrup, talk about a fat cell producer. I had somebody tell me if it was not food 100 years ago, its not food now. My problem is the big expense in having stuff for me and then for everybody else; plus I can't eat rabbit food, I ain't a rabbit. Healthy food is not cheap, bad food is...but you pay for it later with doctors bills; if you live.

I was also told to eat nothing white; I asked the nutritionist if I could borrow their gun, they declined, saying they had just redecorated again and no longer loaned out firearms. I have tried all of these bright ideas the skinny people suggest; all they do is turn me into a body weight yo-yo. And yes, I have asked for help and confessed my shortcomings more times than I care to remember.

I've been loosing about a pound a week for the last month or so, and am almost 25 pounds below my all time high, but still have a long way to go. I add fish to my diet every week, tuna and salmon mostly, but Orange Roughy and Tilapia are favorites also. These I grill with just a light olive oil rub and some seasoning like garlic pepper. Don't over cook your fish, especially tuna and salmon; leave them a little underdone (between medium rare and sushi for me), serve them with whole wheat pasta tossed with veggies. A healthy pasta flavoring can be made with EVOO (find one you really like). Just saute fresh crushed garlic until it just barely begins to very lightly brown (use a whisk and keep it moving in the pan) in the olive oil, and add fresh broccoli, asparagus, or spinach for the last minute or so of heating (just let it wilt and no more) toss cooked pasta with this mixture; its just like heaven. Don't use to much EVOO, a little goes a long way.

I also like to buy skinless boneless chicken thighs (I love that darker meat), and bake these or even slow fry them in a good "No-Stick" skillet with just a spritz of olive oil spray to aid in the final color; season to taste, serve with brown rice seasoned with some Knorr Chicken bullion. Get rid of your old school kitchen salt, and only use sea salt or kosher salt; its better for you in many ways.

Keep as active as you can, do so early in life (and the day) and avoid trying to do this when you are my age and everything hurts and your on your last leg. You have to want to do this, and motivation is tough when you are fighting a lifetime of bad habits. Try and make life changes rather than temporary changes; or you'll be back at this in a year or so, that I know to a moral certainty.

Water good, any soda bad, but you also have to enjoy life to some point (diet Snapple peach tea dude!). Arizona Brand makes a wonderful product; its called Arizona Pomegranate Green Tea, iced tea mix, its sugar free, zero calories and a real blessing in the taste department. You can get it in bottles to try out, but I now buy it in tubes of six tubs (12 quarts), each tub makes two quarts and I drink one bottle of this per day, minimum. The fruit juice and crushed ice idea sounds good too; I may have to give her a try.

Also, try and drink a glass or two (nice wine glass size) of a good red wine with dinner, this helps kick your metabolism a little and helps in digestion (I find a good Cabernet Sauvingon is to my liking, as is a good Chianti with pasta's and garlic).

Good luck buddy...

Snack ideas...

Plain air popped popcorn.
It's a good substitute for things like potato chips.
It's cheap and you can eat a ton of it
without it affecting your weight.

Also, I like carrot sticks and hummus.

Honey Nut Cheerios with low fat milk and a banana, a great way to start your day out right.

Hummus is good. I like the garlic flavor. Those chick peas can give your flagellates Anything that comes out of the garden either raw or steamed is good for you. Honey instead of sugar.

If I loss weight all I have to do is look behind me and I will find it

Honey gives me fire-squirts (TMI, sorry).

Raleigh, my brother, I've successfully lost weight and kept it off but need to go more. You can do it!

For me, starch is the biggest maintainer of weight. As John said, the white stuff but while in active weight-loss mode, any breads/pastas/potatoes.

The single largest factor for ME in losing weight is changing my metabolism. Ditch meals as you know them. Make up a large bag of raw nuts (almonds are good) mixed with an assortment of dried fruit, about a half-n-half ratio. Take a sandwich baggie of this EVERYWHERE you go!

Whenever you get hungry, eat a handful. Keep regular meals with the family but decrease your portion size.

Something else that really helped me at the start...fast for two or three days to shrink your stomach. Lots of water helps, juice is good if you need more nutrients.

A slight increase in activity will work wonders for this. Even walking a few hundred yards to start. As you advance, switch it up...our bodies like routine and adapt to the same thing over and over and over. After a month of walking, ride the bike. After a month of that, switch to stairs somewhere (highschool bleachers are good). After a month...you get the idea.

John also has it nailed on fish! The good things are ssoooo simple!

In Christ,

Jonathan

Isaac, you are funny, LOL

Raleigh, praying for you my brother as I am doing the same thing...we women seem to hold on to our weight much harder then men, I love those commercials where the man and wife are dieting by drinking water and he loses lots of pounds and she loses, well she loses her figure so to speak, LOL!

This time of year is great because there are lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available so I attempt to add or replace one meal with just those. Crunching on fresh vegetables instead of processed foods does wonders. Also if you like potato chips, try making your own version without the oil...slice russets thinly and grill them and sprinkle with a little sea/kosher salt or any lowfat seasoning blend, Ms Dash etc. Also, everything in moderation. Try eating several small portion healthy meals instead of two-three full course regular meals. I like to grill winter/summer doesn't matter to me and grilled vegetables are just plane good and large vegetables like overgrown zucchini or large eggplants can replace meat and/or stretch your ground beef/turkey in a lot of dishes.

Be careful also if you are taking any medications because in some cases changing/limiting your food intake/type can affect how your medications work/react? You don't want to trade a minor problem for a much more serious problem.

You know what gives me a lot of joy in my effort to exercise is just walking/playing with my daughter, makes me sweat and she enjoys the attention...we like to wrestle, I even let her pin me sometimes, LOL. We take long walks along a walk/bicycle path next to our Columbia River, it's very sceanic, it takes us by our major airport so we get to see planes landing and taking off, also lots of different types of birds and wildlife just going about their day.

I had to change the way I think about myself as well, can't just be so I can be more attractive because I found I could always find something wrong with me even if it wasn't weight so I now take on the attitude that it is so that I can be healthy and therefore better able to be of use to our Father.

God bless you Raleigh in your effort and I know with our Father you will be successful.

Kandy

Good advice everyone!

I am praying for you Raleigh. I am a big guy myself. I was a little fat kid all my life. I kind of yoyo'ed due to poverty, but most of my life I was. When I was 17, I lost about a 100 pounds through diet and exercise. I went from over 200 pounds to 175 pounds. After I lost my job and got sick, I gained a lot of that back. I stopped exercising and eating right ... I am losing that weight again. A good thing to do, if you are a 3 XL guy (how come nobody makes cool shirts in our size? discrimination! lol) is to buy a nice 2 XL shirt and promise yourself to be to fit in that shirt. Now I am trying to get down to 1 XL shirts again. I have shrunk out of some sweat pants, but I don't know how much weight I have lost because I need to buy a scale.

Your diet is the biggest part of losing weight. Must dietitians recommend 1500 to 1200 calories a day for weight loss. If I only ate 1200 calories a day, I would defiantly take a multivitamin . I think people get most of their calories from pop, liquid candy. I cut pop out. I drink tea with lemon juice sweetened with Stevia. Stevia is a natural no-calorie sweetener. Drink lots of water. A dirty trick I used when I lost all that weight before was drinking a huge glass of water when I was hungry (and had just ate an hour before). I ate every four hours, about three times a day. I ate lean meat, skinless baked chicken, wheat bread, vegetables (eat as much greens such as lettuce as you want; practically no calories, just a filler), replaced all dairy (milk and cheese) products with soy. I even ate baked potatoes, though not drenched in sour cream or butter (plain). Use only olive oil in your cooking. I cheated the end of the week. I usually bought a hamburger and fries somewhere every Saturday, but I never drank pop.

Eat your meals slowly. Never eat while you are watching TV. I have cut down the time I spend watching TV to around one to two hours. A recent study found most children spend less calories watching TV than they do sleeping! Most importantly, eat mostly fruit and vegetables (as opposed to meats and dairy).

Exercise. Walking is the best exercise there is. The human body is designed to walk and walking does not put stress on the joints such as higher impact exercise does. Get a comfortable pair of tennis shoes at the least. If your shoes are too big, they will cause blisters on your feet that are painful to walk on. If you get blisters, let them be. The skin underneath them is healing. Get a pedometer that counts steps and distance walked. The calorie counters on most pedometers are not very accurate, so only use them as a rough guide. The more you weigh, the more calories you burn walking. Start out walking 30 minutes a day. Eventually, you want to be walking at least 3 miles a day, five to six days a week, or about an hour at a moderate pace. Do a few minutes of stretching beforehand . Get a little radio or mp3 player if you find yourself getting bored. Put lot of baby powder on areas that are prone to uh ... creating too much friction.

I also lift weights. I do curls with weights, alternating arms every night. If you don't have weights, fill a jug up with water or sand. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn just sitting around doing nothing.

My favorite meals are 1) Baked chicken thighs with steamed vegetables. 2) Roast beef with low-fat or soy cheese on wheat bread with vegetables and jalapenos on the side. 3) To start my day out - big bowl of cornflakes with soy-milk and bananas.

You should definitely watch the Doctor's Corner videos. You will learn a lot.

Prayers said for everyone working hard to lose weight.

This may sound odd because I have been slim most all my life; except when i was very young as a boy and they had to scoot the table out for my belly.
But I later had a problem of eating until I was past full, so i ate one burger or sandwich instead of two. I always had a driven notion of finishing what i started and to clean my plate. I began to put on less food and stop at one, what happened was within minutes (after stopping at less) I stopped feeling hungry and it became such a habit that I did it without thinking.I believe my stomach also shrank because it took less to fill me up Maybe that's why I am still skinny and Maybe not ; but for what it is worth that' my story and any additions to why I am slim today came much later and probably do not apply to earlier on.
P.S. In school I used to finish my plate clean because I would think of those across the ocean that had little or none , feeling it would be wasteful not to eat it all. But then School didn't give seconds anyhow.
Y.B.I.C.
P.H.

I'm pulling for you guys to get to your physical goals. It's just good all around health and 100% discipline!

Weight loss can be over simplified. (Calories in - Calories out) / Metabolism = Energy stored. Without exercise, nothing happens and there is no substitute for good exercise. Sorry we gotta sweat. Controlling your metabolism is also key!

Strength training is great for this. Your muscles turn into 24 hour batteries that even burn while you sleep, as long as you keep them fatigued to a point. Cardio workouts (running etc) is great for the cardio system and burns energy while your doing it, but it may not necessarily keep your body burning (unless you have an amazing metabolism, which this post wouldn't exist if that was the case).

Get your metabolism started early in the morning with a nice run or something like that. Before food intake, it will burn fat to start it's day. Then eat some good protein and some simple carbs to replenish. Small meals through out the day keeps the metabolism going. A large meal or 2 per day keeps your body in storage mode since it doesn't get meals that often and doesn't know what to do. Gorging on protein is ok, but a tub of pasta might be an issue. Complex carbs are better than simple, they break down easier. For example, sweet potatoes are a world better than normal starch potatoes.

Do some strength training (don't kill yourself) to keep the muscles burning all the time and get that metabolism started early. If you don't want to bulk up the muscles, then do high repititions with your weights (at least 20 repititions per set of exercise). Sore is good, but don't damage anything and make sure you're in condition for it. If there are doubts, start with light cardio and ramp up over a couple weeks. Your body will adapt. Then start light weight training and ramp up. Soreness will start to go away as your muscles get conditioned. Plus you'll sleep like a baby.

I go to the gym 3 times a week for only about 1.5 hours each time and I maintain very easily. I only run a couple miles before each workout (15-20 minutes) to get the body warmed up, then hit some weights. That's not that much considering. I do Mon / Wed / Fri and then I'm usually active on the weekend, plus I walk constantly being in the city. I can help with any workouts plans if anybody needs. Push Monday, pull Wed, legs Friday works great. Plenty of down time for each muscle group and doesn't over train them...

Fats in our diet are required by our bodies to asborb nutrients and other nerve transmissions, just make them good fats and don't overdo them. Good ones = Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated. Bad ones = Saturated and Trans. If the fat is already saturated, what good is it to you? Olive oil is a wonder drug. High in good fats as are nuts, avocado etc.

Bottom line, our bodies were built to work and work hard. They've since gone through a major cultural change which minimizes this. When our people work, we don't have half the problems we have today. If you're on the go and moving that body, you don't have time to drive yourself nuts with thoughts as you try to sleep. You got done dinner, had some family time and then you were out like a light for 7-8 hours. Those days were the good ole days.

Now, we hear this genetics bull. I don't want to hear it, just excuses. Take a 300lb line backer in the NFL. He is in amazing shape. Can run longer, faster and is much stronger than a skinny guy that looks healthy. Plus he can lift a truck.

If you follow these simple rules you will lose and lose super fast and the best part is you'll feel great and prolong your life doing it and stress will cease to be a problem.

God Bless,

-Nate

thanks guys and gals for all the great advice and tips-there are alot of great ones here
and thank you for all your prayers.i know i should not envy,but i do envy those who can eat anything and not gain a pound.
well thats alright .YHVH made us all different.i just need to get healthly.i'm tired of feeling bad all the time.
love in christ raleigh

i need to do alot of this

This is a great thread Thanks for starting it Raleigh You are off to a really good start.

I only need to lose about 30-35 pounds. Due to the fact I am 5'0" it is quite alot. The frustrating part is I lose some weight which takes weeks.....yet I can gain it all back within a few days. Ugghhhhh. Though I am short, I have a stocky/athletic curvy build. I am not petite, so it is very easy for me to suddenly become FAT. Yeah....I have curves alright.....right in the stomach

I eat well, pretty much no fatty fried foods, I am not a big eater anyhow. I drink water. I need EXERCISE if anything. It is soooo hot out here right now that I want to stay inside. I do love nature and like walks and bike rides etc. Maybe I will do better after August passes by.

I hear things like "Oh Faithy, you are just still so cute" or " Faithy , you just have a Polish belly like Mom and Grandma"

That doesn't help. For one reason.....I feel like CRAP ! Too much weight on my bones. I will be 39 this year. Time to get myself straightened out or it will only get worse.

As far as diet I found that non-fat plain yogurt can replace sour cream and mayo in recipes. I too love hummus ! Oh and there is the Laughing Cow cheese triangles....yummy ! I put it on celery in place of cream cheese. We use the grill alot which is healthier. Grill the veggies alongside the meat. Zucchini spears brushed with Italian dressing is good. You can make chicken packets. Put a skinless boneless breast in the foil with some veggies like green pepper, onion and olives with some dressing. Spinkle with a bit of the low fat feta cheese. Very good.

BBQ sauce isn't too bad either. Look at the labels and don't buy any using the high fructose corn syrup.

Pasta ? Use whole wheat. Switch regular potatoes with sweet potatoes....much healthier.

I treadmill three days a week for forty five minutes. Been doing it about five years but no weight loss. I am thinking about going back to the out door bike. We have a nice 10 mile bike trail that runs down the edge of the river and ends at our neighbor hood. Thinking about buying a bike. Could come in handy one day to get around when that one world funny money comes out. I love the wind in my hair. Sometimes have to pick bugs out of my teeth. Weather contingent which means in the winter time no way back to the treadmill.

Prayer sent for you hon, that you may achieve your goal.


Hugs,
Margie

Congratulations on your 15 pound loss, raleigh. That sounds like a great start. I will keep you and all of us struggling with weight loss issues in my prayers for Father's guidance and love along the way.

Thanks for all these great tips, brothers and sisters!

God bless you.
Love, ysiY,
Gina

You're welcome Raleigh, like Faith, I thank you for starting this thread.

Remember being healthy isn't just about how much you weigh...I like Nate's analogy regarding the 300lb linebacker. Also, just remember these are just our flesh bodies and Father gives us instructions how best to be happy in them, our real bodies are perfect which is something to look forward to. Also, being able to eat anything isn't that good either, LOL.

Keeping you in prayer brother, please do the same for me.

God bless,

Kandy

Raleigh, don't be too jealous, the "Beautiful People" are the first to starve when bad things happen over big areas of society.

My prayers are with you Raleigh.

I'm with Gina, congratulations on losing the 15 pounds!

Not weighing yourself could be helpful. Sometimes
the fat loss is not seen in the actual weight.

YHVH bless,
MarysLove

Yes, congrats on the loss!

For me, weighing myself everyday, after the constitutional and before the shower, then counting calories helped. For me, between 1500 and 2000 calories a day and I lose weight.

Several feeding sessions, remember.

In Christ,

Jonathan

Umm I'm confused... did you mean flatulate? Because if chickpeas give you flagellates then I want no part in those beans!

Also, I recommend the Doctor's Corner video series. Amazing stuff.

Raleigh, don't be too jealous, the "Beautiful People" are the first to starve when bad things happen over big areas of society

thanks john1:1-that comment made me roll-i needed a good laugh.

thanks again everyone for the very good suggestions and advice and most of all the prayers.
15lb down-185lb more to go.
GOD BLESS each an everyone of you

Prayer sent, I don't have much suggestions, I'd eat anything to survive if the time need be, but at the moment, my stomach seems to be filled ok. Congratulations on the 15!

Usually when I work out, I eat right after and gain the pounds I lost right back. Heh.

Good stuff! Day by day my friend. Count the small accomplishments. They grow larger...

Congratulations Raliegh on the weight you'd lost so far. My husband is large 275 lbs. He recently had sinus surgery (doing great now) and since then has lost a little over 10 pounds. I think its because he can't smell right now. So I am trying to figure out a way to keep him on track with that as well. He has reduced the amount of food he puts on his plate so if I can keep that going for him I'm hoping he can lose another 40 to 50 pounds. He can't exercise hard because he has copd but he can do water aerobics in the pool and thats about it. Or maybe I could invent something that prevents him from smelling at all and he would continue to lose weight. Men tend to lose weight faster than women. So good luck, you'll do fine and don't try to lose too much too fast. Just take it slow, one day at a time. And try to weigh yourself on the same day each week, not every day to start out with. Good luck.

Congratulations Raleigh on your 15lb weightloss. You can do it. I lost 60lbs once, and gained 20 back. So I am working on that right now. All of the peoples suggestions above are great ones, and I did the same things as them to lose the 60lbs. My biggest deal is teaching my body that food is for nourishment and that man cannot live on bread alone but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
I will be praying for your continued weightloss!!!!

Love in Christ,
Heather

Raleigh, you have my prayers and my empathy. Food is my temtation, as well. Good job on the 15 lb, you're on the right track!

Blessings,
Julie

p.s. My youngest daughter is on the cute but chubby side, and Kaiser told me only let her drink 'Crystal Lite' or water, absolutely no caffeine or sugar drinks. Smaller portions, and concentrate on a protein diet.

I walked at least five miles each day last week. I bought a pedometer and a radio and walked 10,000 steps a day ... I weighed myself last Sunday night, and since last week I have lost four pounds! I didn't think it was possible LOL.

Keep up the good work Raleigh

Way to go cayce,


Keep up the good work.

Awesome! Walking is so cool. You see so much more of God's nature, (might even meet some people and chat), than we do when we are in our car bubbles. I am looking forward to the days we will be able to walk everywhere safely again.

God bless you.
Love, ysiY,
Gina

Yay Cayce!
Way to go!

I have you both in prayer! Anyone else
working on this as well.

YHVH bless,
MarysLove

Raleigh God bless you for trying to lose weight. Here is program I personally know works. Lose 9lbs every 11 days. One fee for $39 or less with discount, but trust me it works if followed. Go to www.FatLoss4Idiots.com/50-Off/ .

Don't let the name offend you. It really does work without gimmicks.

My prayers are with all of you trying to loose weight and may God's Will be that you accomplish your goals.

I had surgery some years back and an elderly nurse told me not to drink cold beverages and put a peeled potato in beans and other garden items that may cause the aformentioned problem. It was imperative that I produce as little flatulence as possible. This did work for me and I pray it works for you.

I know you guys suffer becasue of being overweight, I have been there when my thyroid quit working. After the death of my Mother last month, I found myself so stressed out that I couldn't eat, sleep or anything normal. I lost over 20 lbs in about 10 days. I wasn't trying to loose weight, seems like my whole family eats less when under stresss. To me, having to gain weight is as difficult as having to loose it. I'm somewhat stable at 123 lbs. I would love to be able to gain a good 15 - 20 lbs. I got called "Olive Oil" in school, being 5' 7" and thin anyway didn't help.

Don't feel bad, Krigs...

As a skinny, gawky teenage boy in highschool I got called Olive Oyl too.

In Christ,

Jonathan

Being short in school wasn't fun either. I was called oompa, smurfette, etc.

Ohhhhh......and always picked last in gym class. I hated gym class, especially when it came to dodgeball !

It is harder to gain weight for many people. My sister tried eating peanut butter sandwiches and milkshakes. Sounds good to me !

Those "flagellates" are really amazingly beautiful...look:

I was in Weight Watchers for 6-months and lost 30-lbs and went down a pants size & shirt size. Three weeks out of weight watchers, I gained the 30-lbs back and went back to X-large, to me its all in what you intake compared to how much you expend. Not having anyone at home who needed to eat like me made it real hard for me to stay on track. Going to start trying again to lose, got to let the flesh know who the boss is, and determine that you are going to do it. I have lots of recipies I learned at Weight watchers will post some later. God Bless and Gook Luck!!

EXACTLY!!!

Most of my best friends throughtout my life were so called "over-weight".

The kindest best hearted people I've ever known.


Now I'am "over-weight".

Aside from my self loathing, I cannot argue that I'am quiet happy and content.
My hubby seems to love me anyway as he too has struggled with his weight his entire life.


Other then his high blood pressure, I love him just the way that he is.

He told me one time "If I was unable to buy or sell for 5 months, and could not afford any food, I would probably survive anyway". (hehe)


Love ya'll, God bless , prisca

Hi Raleigh,
Well brother...I envy YOU! You are in Kershaw S.C. the "Bible Belt of all good food." I too was born and raised in S.C. and I know good food when I can get my "fat little fingers on it." LOL. Although I was raised in the south.....the LORD has me here firmly planted in the high desert of NV. Not much temptation here...the food is terrible. Southern food is a real connection for me to home and family now passed on, so I decided a few years ago to try and take those southern foods and make them healthy.

Seriously, here a a few of my suggestions:

Sweet potatoes are always better than white.
Collard Greens, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Kale...any really dark, dark greens ARE YOUR FRIENDS!
Chicken, Talipia, Salmon, Beef Brisket...lean red meats.
Watermelon...brother...watermelon, catalope, all melons...are basically full of water, but what most don't realize...they satisfy that ole "sweet tooth." Eat instead of sugar or snack foods.
Lots of natural grain like, Wheatberry, farro, tabouli. These are very good for you whole grains and make excellent summer salads.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cook with and also as a salad dressing, with "red wine vinegar."
Kosher Salt or Sea Salt ONLY. If you are using "table salt," throw it OUT. By using Kosher or Sea Salt. It will cause you to use far less salt, as it way more healthy and it doesn't take nearly as much to season your food.

Raliegh, I will post recipes for you in another post later on today....just give me a chance to assemble the recipes.

GOD's SPEED brother...."you'll do just fine!

YSIC
Shannon

Good thoughts, Shannon. Good advice on foods. I love my southern foods, too. I especially love a good high carb, high calorie tex-mex enchilada, rice and beans! I try to go for the chicken fajita meat with a few corn (vs. flour) tortillas and no refried beans or rice. If I could just lay down the chips and hot sauce!

LOL Kristen,

The chips and hot sauce is the "the most nutrious!" Salsa is mostly vegetables, and the "heat" in the sauce is generated by capsaisan (sp?) which is naturally occuring in hot pepers of all kinds. Also, very good for your immune system and helps burn calories. Or at least that is what I've been told. Just do a search on "benefits of hot pepers," on goggle and check it out.

So the "hotter the better," O'le!!!!!

YSIC
Shannon

I haven't read all the comments, but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Please stay away from diet drinks. Aside from the health hazards, they have been shown to cause weight gain. I don't pretend to understand any of it, but here is a link I found.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/dr...ain-more-weight

God Bless you,

Bettie

Bettie; that is very good advice. I'm type 1 diabetic since I was a child - and - I loved diet sodas, still do. Not only the carbonation (of any soda diet or otherwise) but the type of non-sugar additives in diet sodas is really bad and worrisome. Splenda is better than aspertamine, but they still are not good for you. I usually just drink WATER now and sometimes add a small pack of Crystal Light, the lemonade flavor is really good. I tend to drink my iced tea just straight up - no sugar, no sugar substitute.