Well I already don't eat pastries or many sweets. I love carbs, and carbs hate me, that's my problem. We still don't have enough money for me to do the low carb/south beach type diet that worked so well for me in the past. Meat is expensive, esp lean healthy protein. I'm trying to eat more salads since its summer, and more sushi.

I don't know if I could resist and just eat a salad if we go out, but I need to do something. My metabolism has slowed to a complete stop since hitting middle-age. AAGHHHH!!!

I wonder if I could do good all week and then have a cheat night when we go out. Do you think that would work?

I don't know if I could part w carbs either?? Ok, it doesn't sound good, huh? I know, must get rid of this belly!!

That was what I used to do. I'd be good all week then on sunday I ate whatever I wanted. But its really changing your entire eating habits. After being used to eating good and knowing what good or bad for you, that free for all day doesn't even mess you up too bad. You'll have a bite or two of something naughty and that will be it.

The thing I've found that really helps is eating on tiny plates!

I had 2 Hershey's nuggets and coffee with the hazelnute coffeemate...yummm!

Oh I also wanted to add that the reason I changed my eating habits from good to bad was the bad economy. We simply couldn't afford to eat healthy stuff which of course costs more. We turned to $1 fast food drive thru burgers from about 2008 and finally now we are eating a bit healthier. 15+ lbs later. :(

Lot of stores have those frozen skinless chicken breasts on sale all the time. I even like the "chicken tenders" better, you can cook them frozen, and I saute them with some veggies. They stay moist, and are they tender. The vegetables cost way more than the chicken. I only like frozen vegetables for some reason, oh except brussel spouts, thanks to Ann, I now love brussel spouts!

Well current living situation I don't have a full kitchen, just a convection and a microwave, no stove. MIL will cook for us sometimes. But yeah I do like the chicken tenders better, bc I normally don't even like white meat. I get the tenders for Uni. :D That's why most of the time we get take out. And there are a lot of hidden calories in restaurant food. :(

I lost down to underweight by just eating less. Cut most of my portions to 1/2 or even less and just stop eating when my portion is gone. Sometimes I am still quite hungry feeling but I have learned that that is a false sense of hunger and that the food is in there and soon my brain will acknowledge I have eaten plenty and register I really am full, not stuffed. After about 20-30 minuites, viola, I feel completely full and quite satisfied. I used to have a lot of hearburn but eating small portions just about completely stopped that problem, I lost weight and now my stomach has shrunken so that it gets quite full on so much less food. I don't know when we Americans got the idea we need bales of food and feeling stuffed to be happy with mealtime. If you think about it, over history, mankind as a whole has not had access to much food on a regular basis until the 20th century in most cases and only toward the end of that did we think scarfing down a whole huge burger, an order of fries and a huge drink was what it took to get full. I remember when I was growing up, my mom served rather modest portions of food, we ate it and that was it. Somewhere I got away from that but now that I've gotten back to eating smaller portions, I can have occasional really bad things but I usually don't have much(forget the entire large DQ malt I had this week!) at one time and so I don't gain. It is getting your brain to recognize that it doesn't have to feel full for you to stop eating that is the biggest trick. Once you achieve that and know you can eat less and feel full in a half hour, you can start to take in a lot less calories. I used to have to take a good deal of BP meds and now, I take BP meds only some days a week and no cholesterol Rx or anything like that. I was pretty bad in what I ate in July due to having to face some medical tests, etc., but I had good results with those and still didn't gain any weight because I just ate small portions of the bad. I can now get into sizes I wore in high school. Now, it is time to go find something to eat! I do so love food! :)
Am only underweight by 2 1/2 lbs. so don't worry - am not wasting away!

Haha! That's what I meant. I'd have salad at home and "save" all my calories for when we went out.

Great advice! I have lost 17 pounds this summer (and am only 5'4"), and have realized that portion size huge! You really don't need as much food as you think. I still eat my treats, but just have smaller portions and watch my caloric intake for the day. Sparkpeople.com has been my savior and has helped me figure out how much I should eat daily.

What I just ate- a Diet Pepsi. I'm headed to Subway for dinner! Yum...

hehehe. When I know I am going to eat out, I eat less caloric things at home, too, saving up for the good stuff!

Oh, Lord, I love Subway!!!

It's so worth it! A big burger from an Irish pub in downtown Fullerton, a few Malibu and pineapples, and then go dancing! What calories? :p

^^^^Really??? :eek:

ETA: too slow! I meant that as a reaction to Subway.