Weight loss peas?

I'm at my heaviest, too. Tied to a computer screen all day plus stress led to extra pounds I now have to deal with.

When I'm really watching what I'm eating, I will make salads with grilled chicken for a few days at a time and put them in containers (or the Pampered Chef salad "jars") so I can grab and go. Other good grab/quick meals are tortilla wraps with turkey & cheese and some spinach and veggie sticks. Easy to prep in advance a few days at a time. Or a couple of hard boiled eggs and fresh veggies, plus a few cheese cubes, a handful of nuts. They're boring lunches, but I have to view them as fuel and not fun. 

I’ve lost weight by eating only when I’m hungry (physical hunger, not emotional hunger-had to learn the difference) and stopping when satisfied (again, had to learn what my body feels like with this). WHAT I ate mattered less than these two things. I naturally gravitate towards healthier food options now but nothing is off limits.

Is Intermittent Fasting something you would be interested in trying?

I think it was Patter who first mentioned Gin Stephens Fast Feast Repeat which I found really helpful to make a few changes after both DH & I lost weight a few years ago following Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code.

Most days my lunch is about a third of a Trader Joe's Healthy 8 Chopped Vegetable Mix* topped with seeds, nuts, half an avocado and an apple. I might eat leftovers every now and then for lunch but probably eat this 5 times a week and still look forward to it every day. Dinner is usually something new, but obviously I don't mind a lunch repeat. 

Walking and yoga are the best exercise options IMHO. Yoga with Adriene is a great starting point. I'll never be super flexible but I am more flexible than a year ago.

*It is chopped red cabbage, green cabbage, radishes, peppers, carrots, broccoli, jicama and celery. I could make my own, but it is easy to buy, so I do that instead.

As many of you know I lost 60 pounds in 2014 by going on a whole foods, plant based diet, got to my goal weight, and have kept it off for a number of years. This past year I slipped up and started eating dairy again and have gained back 20 pounds through a combination of eating dairy and stress eating. It's been such a difficult year. I know 20 pounds doesn't sound like a lot but I'm only 5 foot, 3 inches so it does show up a lot on my small frame and I'm so tired of it. 

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I'm committed to getting it off and getting back 100% to a whole foods, plant based diet. I'm planning on starting by re-watching the documentaries "Forks Over Knives", "What the Health" and a couple of others and then setting a date and beginning this diet and sticking to it 100%. If anyone would like to join me we could do it together. I know this diet (it's not actually a diet that you do for a short while, but a life long eating plan change) works because I've seen it work for me for a number of years, and read a numerous number or testimonials on forksoverknives.com  If you'd like to read the testimonials for yourself once you get to the website look for the Newsfeed section across the top, click on that and then click on Success Stories. A whole foods, plant based diet, for those that don't know, is a diet that doesn't include any animal products (no meat or diary) and no oil. It mostly consists of fresh produce, and a little processed food that has as little ingredients as possible-trying to eat as healthy as possible. Bread, spaghetti noodles, things like that. 

If you think this might be worth trying out please send me a PM. I will say that for me this was the easiest diet I've ever tried. I love the food and I am able to each as much as I like until I am full. There is no measuring of food or limiting of food. There is no fasting. There is no additional cost. In fact, my grocery bill actually went down so much I am now able to buy all of my groceries at Whole Foods. I'm on a strict budget and know how much I spend on groceries and this is absolutely true. Since so much of my groceries are now produce I prefer to shop at Whole Foods because their produce tastes so much better. Yes, you will be cooking more-there is no getting around that-but not all of the recipes take a ton of time and you can do batch cooking on the weekends. 

I'd been overweight for 25 years before I tried this diet, and I'd tried many diets before. Jenny Craig, counting calories, portion control, diet pills including Phen-fen and more. I'd lose the weight but then I'd gain it back and then some. It was an endless and depressing cycle. And each time I blamed myself and my self esteem took a harder and harder hit. This diet worked for me and it can work for you. Oh, I forgot about the health benefits! That is the best part.  Before I started the diet back in 2014 I weighed 189 pounds and my cholesterol was 220. I wasn't taking any medication for it yet. My blood pressure has always been normal. I also had asthma. With this diet my cholesterol fell to 165 (without medication!) and my asthma completely disappeared!  My doctor was so shocked when he did the asthma test (blowing out the candles on the screen) and I had plenty of breath to not only blow out the candles but even had some left. He couldn't believe it and insisted on repeated the test. He declared my asthma to be cured and asked me what I'd been doing. I happily told him. 

Also, my Integrative Medicine doctor does my annual blood work and does a test called HS CRP. It's a Cardiovascular Risk test. Heart Disease is one of the highest causes for death in the USA. 1.0 to 3.0 is average relative cardiovascular risk. 3.1-10.0 is higher cardiovascular risk. At 58 years of age after 4 years on this diet my results came back at 0.2 and they listed it as out of range. Out of range because it was so low! I was thrilled with this result and it made me believe 100% in this diet. Once you watch "Forks Over Knives" you will understand why. This diet helps to keep your arteries clearer than the typical American standard diet. 

I'm sorry this dragged on so much. I love to help people so I get excited over this. I promise not to be demanding or pushy if anyone decides to join me in this. Freecharlie-I hear you. I too have hypothyroid and it's so frustrating. I attended my son's college graduation when I was about 2/3 of the way to my goal weight and it felt so darn good. Especially since my ex was there. 

I cook 2 to 3 meals on sunday and portion it out for the week. Lunch and supper done. Sometimes breakfast...im not opposed to eating whatever for meals.

^^^ This

I actually find lunch easier. Maybe it's b/c I leave my choices to either a salad or a lean cuisine/healthy choices meal. Between those two I can mix it up enough without getting bored and I'm only worried about myself. It's dinner that I find challenging b/c what I can/should eat for dinner others don't like or don't find it filling enough and if I'm making pasta/potatoes/basically carbs in any form I want to eat them....and lots of them I already warned dh that we're dieting starting with tomorrow's grocery run, we'll see how long it lasts before someone complains....I give it 2 dinners.

I’m right there with you sister.
I meal plan for the week for dinner and breakfast.

Breakfast is half pre-made for the week. I make a dozen egg cups in a muffin tin. I take two thin slices of turkey lunch meat and press them into the muffin cup, put a tablespoon of shredded cheese, crack and egg and then top with everything bagel seasoning. Bake at 400 for 15 min if you like soft yokes. Add 3
Minutes if you like hard yokes. So I’ll take two of these with a piece of fruit and a belvita or granola bar or a cup of Greek yogurt.

My lunches aren’t quite as planned. But I do put them together the night before. Sometimes it is left overs from dinner the night before. Another typical lunch is soup ad sandwich/wrap and some fruit. My main go to is a charcuterie lunch. That would be some lunch meats, like turkey or salami, cheeses, fruit, nuts, olives, cucumber, carrots, and crackers. I always have a selection of those things on hand so it’s easy to throw together.

For me, I am most successful at losing weight when I track every thing I put in my mouth.

I originally used the MyFitnessPal app, but then when I went on Weight Watchers, I used their app. A year ago my weight had crept up, so I just paid for the app - no meetings - and got it all back off in 2.5 months. Just in time for COVID. 😜

I’m about to start tracking everything again. For me, it is very easy to underestimate how much I truly am consuming. Tracking keeps me honest. A handful of crackers here and a piece of cheese there all adds up quickly.

My weight has crept up since spring and I’m ready to shed those pounds. I’m not at my heaviest but I know if I don’t take action now I very well could be.
In the past I was most successful with counting calories on My Fitness Pal. I walk for an hour 4-5 days a week and I’d like to get back into weight training again.
Breakfast and lunch have never been a problem for me. I can always keep those in check. Dinner is always the challenge. I need to work on a menu plan that includes meals that are easier to track on MFP.

If you're stuck for meal plans, how about signing up for a weight loss meal kit service for about a month. Then replicate their menus yourself. A one month plan means you won't be eating the same thing over and over. Bonus is the calories are already worked out and you will know how much food is a "portion".

weight loss meal kit service???  Does anybody have any recommendations for this?  I would be interested in checking them out as a quick start.  Thanks.

My lunch this week is red beans and rice made with chicken andouille sausage.

I also make chili with lean beef for lunch.

Chicken enchilada bake with light cheese.

I get tired of salads but a big salad with chicken, veggies, and tasty dressing is good sometimes.

Can of soup and half a sandwich.

Leftovers in an individual container!

I work and need something ready to take with me in the mornings that doesn’t take any real effort so I prep on Sunday and Wednesday nights.

After a pre-diabetes diagnosis in May 2019, my Dr sent me to a weight management class that was run by the clinic she is a part of, a community funded clinic, all in one type of clinic.

This weight management class was run by the Dr's from the clinic and incorporated a dietician, a behavioral specialist, an excercise person, support staff and was 3 months long. You had to attend every class and if you missed just one they kicked you out. There was a waiting list to get in.

They taught us not to deprive ourselves. To eat healthy, fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats and fish, the right kinds of carbs, including breads and pasta, and the science behind it. They also taught us it was ok to have tacos once in a while and a cookie or 2. Not 5-6 like we used to. Basically nothing was off limits, it was about making better choices, moderation, and eating for a lifetime.

I lost 75lbs in 10 months. I've kept off all but 10 since this damn pandemic started! And I've not made good choices, but its been in moderation, nothing like I used too.

Anyways, to answer you question, for lunch if it's not leftovers from dinner, I will have a sandwich made from multigrain sandwich thins, a few slices of ham, lots of spinach, and either honey mustard or a little light mayo, and either a side of baby carrots or pretzel thins. Or light greek vanilla yogurt with sliced strawberries and some granola sprinkled over it. I also like hummus with pretzel thins and a side of fresh fruit. And if I'm in a rush a Lean Cuisine!! If I'm out and about it will be a grilled chicken sandwich from wherever. I try to make the best choice possible. And I track my food in My fitness pal. But it's to the point where I already know what a day of eating should look like.

And I did bring my A1C down to normal non pre-diabetic levels!!!

Good luck and remember one day at a time.😊