The Thrifty Dieter's Blog, lose weight, save money

Just a funny

2008-11-13T05:06:00.000-08:00

Even lolcats diet!

more animals

Stone age sickies?

2008-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

So I encountered my first major head-scratcher with the Paleolithic lifestyle.

I managed to get the gastrointestinal virus from hell on Friday and by that night I was hanging over the toilet, puking my guts out. Yuck! It lingered on first with just ocassional yarking, and then just the queasies. All of this was accompanied by diarreah, too. w00t.

On Sunday, the first day I felt like eating again, I was confuzzled by what, exactly, to eat.

I mean, everything you think of as mild, bland, and non-stomach-offending is starchy and carb-laden: soda crackers, dry toast, plain potatoes, pasta without sauce. The powers-that-be even recommend the BRAT diet after illness (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast). But both the banana and the applesauce have almost 30g of carbs and I try to keep under 35 carbs per day.

The thought of my normal snack foods - pork rinds, beef jerky, nuts, etc - seemed too salty to me. String cheese was an option but the thought made me queasy. I considered some soft-cooked veg faves like broccoli or cauliflower, but the smell got to me (don't know why, I normally love the smell of veg cooking - even cabbage!) Fruit was out as the sweet taste made me nauseated.

So what does a Paleo with a dicey tum eat?

I finally settled on turkey. Roasted turkey breast is mild and not at all fatty. I cut it into bite-sized chunks and ate it cold, sipping diet ginger ale along with it. Much success!

So now I know what to have on hand if I'm ill: tissue, trash can, wooley socks, old episodes of Heroes, turkey!

Thrifty dieting tips - salads

2008-10-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

First of all, go to the thrift store and get yourself two or three cute salads plates.

Now, I don't mean to eat just salads on - I mean eat everything on them - every meal.

Pick out some fun designs that make you happy and choose real salad plates that are no more than 8in in diameter.

Now, before you say: "Hey, Ms ThriftyDietMom, I already have a set of perfectly good dinner plates!", bear with me. There's method in my madness.

Most standard modern dinner plates are ridiculously huge. Were the plates you mum had in your childhood 10 or 12 inches in diameter? Probably not. The ones in restaurants can be insane!

Buy some 8in salad plates. Get 'em in hearts or flowers or skulls or Star Wars or something that makes you smile.

Now, let's say you eat what I just had for dinner: salmon steak and salad.

Salad tip #1: water down your dressing. I get the regular WalMart GV ranch (110 calories and 2 grams carbs) and as soon as I get home I tip about 1/4 out into a container and fill the bottle back up with water. So 1/4 water, 3/4 dressing (or so. Don't kill yourself over this. It just cuts the calories down a bit).

I promise you, once you get used to your dressing not having so much body that it rivals Brad Pitt in Troy and barely pours, you won't notice a thing. The taste is identical. Srsly.

Salad tip #2: measure everything. Actually get out your measuring spoons and measure 2tbs. If you're adding meat or cheese or bacon bits or whatever, actually measure them. The phrase "oh, that's about a tablespoon" has derailed many a diet.

Salad tip #3: here's where our 'diet plates' come in. Eat every meal on your new, small plates. Force yourself to eat only what fits on your diet plate. No fair carrying things in the other hand (not counting your beverage and cutlery, lol). Remember that your salmon (or whatever) has to fit on this plate, too, so go easy on the lettuce. If you make a bed of lettuce like you're standing at the salad bar in the Ryan's then you will feel compelled to load up said wodge of greenery with enough toppings to cover it, right?

No. Just break off a chunk about as big as your closed fist. If you're actually at a salad bar then only use half the plate. Or go over to the dessert bar (which you'll not be visiting anyway, right?) and grab a wee dessert plate.

Salad tip#4: cut your lettuce. With a knife. This tip is from one of my fave diet books Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World by Lisa Lillien - it's fun, funny and practical. ANYway, when you cut your lettuce instead of breaking it into chunks, the dressing can actually get onto all the lettuce and you use less and taste more.

Salad tip#5: choose the 2 or 3 toppings that you really love. Don't do the Ryan's thing. If you want to add carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, ham, turkey, olives, and mushrooms (and who doesn't?!), take a deep breath and pick your three faves this time. Next time pick 3 different ones.

There they are! Have fun and go eat some salads! Do any of you have any good, thrifty, easy, salad diet tips you'd like to share?

Update on my Paleo Lifestyle

2008-10-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pop in and say, specifically, how successful the Paleolithic Lifestyle has been for me.

Remember, Paleo is a lifestyle change, like vegetarianism, NOT a quick-fix diet to lose weight. Obviously you CAN lose weight on it (I have been) but you're gonna have to exercise and count calories just like with any other successful diet on the planet.

To recap, the Paleolithic diet (Paleo diet, stone age diet, caveman diet) simply reasons that homo sapien had been eating a certain way for millions of years, then, suddenly (in the grand scheme of things) and quite recently, he discovered fire, learned to cook, and, most importantly learned to farm.

So Paleo Guy spent great huge wodges (for him) of evolutionary time eating what he could find that did NOT require cooking: meat, fish, eggs, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, insects.

He did NOT eat starchy veg that must be cooked (no potatoes, corn didn't even exist), grains (no rice, no bread), lentils (no beans or peanuts), or dairy (asking a passing mammoth to hang on while he milked her was not an option).

Then, suddenly, he developed the means to cook his food and began settling down and farming. Rice, potatoes, grains, milk, cheese, and bread are very very recent additions to our diet and the Paleo theory is simply that our bodies haven't had time to evolve and adjust and properly cope with these foods.

The Paleolithic diet lifestyle is all about simplicity, not just about "cutting out certain foods".

Simple, simple, simple. Eat your veggies raw, eat your meat without sugary sauces or carb-laden breading. Try to stay away from processed anything (sauces, condiments, gravies). Cut sugar out of your life ruthlessly.

Some of the nastiest and worst-for-you foods are the last thing a Paleo would eat, but are America's faves: white bread, chips of any sort, sugary soft drinks, candy, snack foods. All highly processed and filled with empty carbs and sugar.

So, how's the whole Paleo thing working out for me? Aren't I suffering horribly not eating french fries, bagels, and corn-on-the cob?

Actually no. I've not missed the grains at all. I thought I'd have serious cravings, because I'm a crunchy, salty, snacky, crusty bread/crackers type person, but I had none. I'd have to watch myself to keep from popping a crisp or a cheese cracker that my kids had left behind into my mouth, but other than that, nothing.

I will tell you what I do miss: peanut butter and beans. Huh. The only real craving I've gotten since I went Paleo was for a big pot of pinto beans that I was boiling for chili (for my family)! Beans and peanuts are both lentils.

When I reach my goal weight, I'm seriously considering adding lentils back into my diet (so then what will I be? A Lacto-Lentil-Paleo? ROTFL!) No-sugar-added peanut butter and beans are a superb source of protein and fibre, too.

I still have 5lbs to lose so I have a short while to think about it.

Inspirational diet article

2008-10-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

GREAT article here!

I don't know who Jillian Michaels is and I deduce the the Biggest Loser is a telly show (don't watch telly) but the article, my Margarita Bertsos is FAB amd Ms Michaeles's tips are FAB. Love the empowerment.

"1.) DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR SELF-PRESERVATION.

I told Jillian that some of my habits--flushing rice down the toilet so I won't eat it, bringing my own high-fiber bread to brunch--stirred some controversy on the blog. "Why?" she asked. "Why should we apologize for the practices that help us manage the symptoms while we deal with the real reasons we eat? I pour candle wax on my food at restaurants," Jillian admitted. "Not wanting to 'waste food' is a poor excuse for ending up far worse off later on, dealing with all the health problems that come with obesity."

2.) RUN.

I asked Jillian if running really is the best form of cardio for weight loss. "Absolutely," she said. "There are lots of great ways to get your heart rate up, but if you want to see the pounds melt off, running is the fastest way. But I get that not everyone is built for it--knee problems, tight IT bands, heel spurs; I get it." Whatever you do, she said, "Don't forget the weights! The more muscle you build, the faster your metabolism will run."(What's better running outdoors or on a treadmill?)

3.) THE BIGGEST LOSER IS NOT REALITY.

"You don't watch the Olympics and think, Hmm, I should swim for 6 hours a day like Michael Phelps, do you? But you might think about joining a pool and swimming a few times a week," she said. That's what Jillian wants people watching TBL to think, too: "If these people can lose ten pounds in two weeks, maybe I can lose ten pounds in a couple of months." She adds: "I want people to realize their own potential; I meet people all the time who never thought of themselves as athletic, but now? They truly are athletes."

4.) FORGET WILLPOWER.

"Losing weight is not about willpower--it's about moments of bravado, like the moment when you ask your waiter to take the bread away from the table right away."

5.) JUST SAY THANK YOU.

When I told Jillian how much weight I've lost, she congratulated me. And then (as I always do), I added, "But I still have a long way to go." "Stop," she said. "What does that do," she said, "apart from negate everything you've already accomplished? You're being self-deprecating and disempowering, and that doesn't serve anyone-and especially not you. Be proud of what you've done for yourself.""

I especially loved 4 and 5. Life is tough as it is and a lot of us are working jobs, caring for children, taking care of our homes and partners, etc, etc. EVERYTHING is about FlyLady's wonderful 'baby steps'. You pick your battles with your teenagers, let your bathroom go one more day dirty so you can read to your toddler, take your own trash to the dump to save money, and you should be proud of yourself that you turned down Barbara's birthday cupcakes in the breakroom and instead walked around the block.

You might not be 5lbs thinner tomorrow from that, but you did well, and it will show.

Praising grazing?

2008-10-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

Via Janelle from the Evil Genius Woman Forums, an interesting article here. It's aimed at developing your abs but a lot of it is basic good sense.

I was intrigued at the recommendations of Nancy Clark, re: meals.

"For the next month, work your abs according to the following steps and try this eating tip from Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook: "I make two peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches every day; I eat one for lunch at 11 and one for my second lunch at 3," Clark says. Notice that the 3 o'clock feeding is a "second lunch," not an "afternoon snack." Too many men equate snack time with, well, snacks—junk food. You'll eat smarter (whole grains and muscle-building protein) and not need as big a dinner if you allow for a second lunch. Plus, you'll have more energy for a better workout in the afternoon or evening."

I have used this method of eating every time I dieted, raised my children like this, and now eat this way full time. The only difference is that, being an Anglophile, I call my meals Breakfast (6:30am), Elevenses (between 10 and 11), Tea (between 3 and 4), and Supper (6:30pm).

(Since I'm pretty anti-sugar, none of these is 'snacktime'. Each is a meal. Obviously peanut butter and honey on bread is out for me, but it's one of my kids FAVE meals!)

Eating multiple times a day really makes sense given the Paleo lifestyle, too. I mean think about it. Paleolothic man spent all day searching for food. If a stone age caveman managed find a huge clutch of eggs or bring down an injured antelope, then the clan stuffed themselves to bursting. But that wasn't a typical day at work for Paleo guy. Normally he bagged v. small game and supplimented with roots, veg, fruit, seeds, and insects that stone age woman gathered.

Caveman probably 'grazed' all day. I mean, what else would one do? It's not like they could check their email. ROTFL!

Another diet tip and a progress report

2008-09-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Diet tip: buy yourself some measuring cups and spoons.

Srsly.

You can get both at the dollar store for, well, a dollar. Get a set of measuring spoons and the long-handled measuring cups in individual sizes (1/4 cup, 1/3 cup) JUST for dieting purposes. Look for ones that are smooth and will be easy to get sticky foods out of.

Now use them.

I was eyeballing stuff - I bake and cook, so I just assumed I could accurately judge. WRONG! I was stunned at how much I was overestimating tablespoons and divisions of cups!

-----

I'm pleased to report that I am now only 10lbs away from my goal weight (of 170lbs)!

I began dieting in mid March (2007) about 10 days after my last child was born and I've lost 132lbs total so far. I've lost 19lbs of that since I've been following the Lacto-Paleo lifestyle (about a month and a half).

Fascinating article on dieting

2008-09-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

I came across this article that moves me to blog on two blogs (this one and the ThriftyMom Blog).

What an interesting thing:

"When it comes to dieting, Americans put on a good show, buying millions of diet books, watching TV programs about weight loss, obsessing over celebrities and their baby weight. But in the end, that may be all it is: a show. The number of people on a diet - 26 percent of all women in the United States and 16 percent of men for the year ending February 2008 - is the lowest it's been in more than two decades, according to a soon-to-be-released survey.

"Our interest in losing weight is waning," says Harry Balzer, lead food and beverage industry analyst for The NPD Group, a market research firm, and author of the survey, the Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America.

The report, which asks 5,000 Americans to keep a daily journal for two weeks about their eating habits, also found that despite high levels of obesity nationwide, a declining percentage of people want to slim down or, for that matter, consider excess weight unattractive. In 1985, 55 percent of those surveyed "completely agreed" with the statement, "People who are not overweight look a lot more attractive." Today, only 25 percent completely agree with it.

Dieting was once practically a national pastime. In 1990, the same report found that 39 percent of women and 29 percent of men were on a diet.

(snip)

Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University ... says that diets are "notoriously ineffective," and posits that many overweight people may have simply given up."

Marge McMillan, 60, is one who says she's given up on diets, if not on slimming down. A veterinarian who lives in Medford, McMillan tried the low-carb Atkins diet and Weight Watchers but threw in the towel on both. Now, she's just trying to eat healthily. "Diets don't work," she said. "You lose the weight but regain more."

NOT true. Diets DO work if you are willing to actually DO IT. If you want to diet, lose weight, then turn around and sit on your backside and eat whatever you want, well, then, yeah, your 'diet' didn't work. You must want it badly enough to be disciplined and change your lifestyle to a healthier one ... permanently.

As a person who has lost a HUGE amount of weight, I am saddened that some Americans are so lazy and overindulged as to really think that a simple diet - getting healthy for your loved ones and yourself - is SO tough.

We are in control of our own selves. We are responsible for our own actions. If we overindulge and gain weight to the point of ill health, we have the ability to change our habits and lose the weight (barring a medical condition). Simply DO IT. Put forth the effort.

Folks want something for nothing. They want a magic pill. They want to be able to eat whatever they want, sit in front of the telly all day, and still look fabulous.

How many times have you heard someone say, of a diet: "I felt so deprived!"

Well, duh, honey. It's a DIET.

Yes, dieting is hard. It bloody sucks. But it's do-able.

The key word here is "DO". What did Yoda say? "Do or do not. There is no try."

Cool tool

2008-09-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most helpful tips I can share about dieting for weight loss is to write down what you eat.

And I mean EVERYthing. Write down that stick of gum, the creamer in your morning coffee, that glass of water, everything that goes in your mouth. It REALLY helps.

A cool way to track what you're eating and how healthy it is, via Rebecca's excellent new diet blog, and Barb on our own Evil Genius Woman Forums.

Personally, I keep a log in Excell with a few funtions thrown in to calculate number of calories and carbs per day and I use Calorie King to look up nutrition info.

However you do it, it really pays to track your food intake.

Food allergies and the Paleo way

2008-09-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.

I just noticed that of the 8 most common childhood allergies, half of them are things not eaten with the Paleo Diet Lifestyle: milk, wheat, peanuts, and soy.

Of course the other four are: eggs, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

I could argue that Paleolithic man came across these four things rarely and so we are not yet evolved completely to deal with them. I mean, being serious, man in the stone age would have had plenty of access to fruit, veg, roots, seeds, insects, and meat in various quantities.

Eggs would have been hard to get to, mostly being up in trees; nut trees would not be common; fish and shellfish, hard to catch/collect and much less available to non-coastal groups.

Makes sense to me. What do you think?

There's such a thing as too little!

2008-09-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

I think I'm now UNDER carbing.

Sheesh!

When you eat no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, peanuts, or corn and virtually no sugar, cutting calories means your carbs hit rock bottom!

Srsly. This whole thing is just too easy. I have no cravings and I'm not hungry. Cutting calories has been a cinch but my carbs have dropped below 20g per day several times this past week. That's TOO low. I'm not feeling bad or seeing any side effects, but it's bound to happen.

So I've resolved to up my veggie consumption to compensate. I just boiled down some collards fresh out of my garden yesterday. Those should help a LOT!

Mmmmmm, collards.

Confessions of a 100 calorie addict

2008-09-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

Great article here.

"Two new marketing studies found that some people tend to consume more calories when junk food portions and packages are smaller. For some, it's because they perceive small packages to be ... get this ... diet food.

[snip]

Manufacturers are releasing more and more products in smaller packages. And in recent years, several brand-name products, from chips to cookies to candy, have been released in smaller packages promoted as having just 100 calories. In terms of sales, the tactic has proven successful, past research shows.
The strategy might seem counterintuitive, because in many past studies, people tended to consume more when given more. In a 2005 test, for example, people who were offered 12-inch sandwiches ate more than those given shorter sandwiches.

But one of the new studies, led by Rita Coelho do Vale at the Technical University of Lisbon, found people believe smaller packages help them "regulate hedonic, tempting consumption," but in fact their consumption can actually increase. Large packages, on the other hand, trigger concern about overeating.

The participants watched episodes of "Friends" and were told the study was about evaluating ads. Bags of potato chips - of differing sizes, of course - were slipped into the test.

The result: Smaller packages are more likely to fuel temptation. "Because they are considered to be innocent pleasures ..."

I have to agree wholeheartedly!

I, myself, became addicted to those 100 calorie packs of Cheetos and Doritos. I shamefully spent huge amounts of money, cringing every time, for these 'treats' that were only to 'help me lose weight'.

I'd eat my tiny bit of starchy, carb-heavy foods and feel hungry again an hour later, so I'd grab one of those packets of crisps. Hey, it's only 100 calories, right?

Then an hour or two later: hungry again. Rinse and repeat.

While I do believe that eating all through the day in several small meals is natural for us and so helps us regulate our hunger and blood sugar, I DON'T think that those wee, carby, overprocessed snacks are the answer!

Veggie tips for Paleo dieters

2008-09-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

If you're not a big veg person but want to go Paleo, here are some tips:

If you're doing Lacto-Paleo (not giving up milk), like me, then dips are wonderful. You can usually find the store brand spinach, ranch, and onion dip seasoning packets (I plan to experiment with the italian dressing seasoning, too) for a low price. I grab the store brand neufchatel cheese (same carbs, fewer calories), soften and mix. Very inexpensive, easy-to-make, low cal and low carb!

I thin my dips down (you can use water, milk, or sour cream for a tangy taste) even more to save calories. Dip doesn't have to be thick like brick morter, despite what the big-name dip people tell you! They make them so thick so that you'll get enormous globs on each tablespoon-sized chip and thus run through the dip faster whilst adding more flab to your backside!

Anyway, once thinned, you have a creamy dip for raw cucumbers, broccoli, celery, and zucchini. Yum!

I even thin this same 'recipe' down until it's easily spoonable, and substitute it for dressing over spinach or iceberg lettuce salads.

Dieting for weight loss now

2008-08-31T03:33:00.000-07:00

I want to stress again that the Paleo 'diet' is actually a diet lifestyle, like vegetarianism. You change the way you eat for life (presumably) because you think it's better for you.

If you want to lose 20lbs to fit into your wedding dress or bathing suit, but then go right back to your coconut creme frappacinos and your chicken and bacon ranch subs, then try Atkins.

All of this said, I dropped 10lbs immediately after starting Paleo (over the course of 2 weeks), then leveled off. It wasn't water weight, because it never came back, so I'm assuming it was just my body adjusting to the new lifestyle and the sharp drop in calories that happens when you give up grains and lentils.

After a week of no dieting, no watching anything, and my weight staying steady (this was week 3) I decided to start watching calories. I've been limiting myself to 1550 cal per day. Carb counts have been a no-brainer. I intended the limit to be 30g per day but, since I started watching my calories, my carbs have stayed about 27g/day.

Of course, I've also just gotten Heroes, season 2, so perhaps just looking at Sylar with lust in ones heart burns way more calories than we realise! LOL!

Calling an audible

2008-08-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

Definition: (football) Changing a play at the line of scrimmage.

Yep, we're totally reworking this blog.

The reason? New diet! Happy dance!

It's called the Paleolithic Diet and it's actually a diet lifestyle. Here's the synopsis I posted on the 11th on the diet board in our new forums. (Feel free to join us over on the forums, BTW!)

I offically "went Paleo" on the 9th of August. I weighed 199lbs (I'm 43, 5' 8 1/2"), this morning (18 days later) I weighed 186lbs.

I've made no attempt to limit my calories, just cut out all grains (rice, corn, wheat), breads, starchy veg (potatoes, corn), and lentils (beans, peanuts). The diet also calls for the elemination of dairy and alcohol. I have NOT dropped these. Alcohol is my personal indulgence, and, like my Evil Genius Husband, I just love cheese TOO much, lol!

It's been surprisingly easy and certainly MUCH more thrifty!

Best of all, I have NOT been hungry, I have NOT had any cravings or weird side effects, nothing.

I could (and plan to) totally eat like this the rest of my life.

Great vid

2008-06-29T04:34:00.000-07:00

Great video about three folks who have lost v. large amounts of weight.

I especially liked the bit about feeling discouraged over 'only' losing 10lbs and being told to go to the store and pick up two 5lb backs of potatoes (two sacks of sugar would also work well) and realise that you were carrying that amount of fat all the time before you lost it!

Interesting comparison

2008-06-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

Just for giggles, I took a pic of my DH, Bodog's, and my meal last night for comparison / contrast and so he could blog it on The Chi of Cheese (his food reveiw blog).

Well, as I was resizing the pics, I began thinking about the calorie differences, etc, and thought it deserved a blog post. I'm dieting and he's not - otherwise our meals would have been more alike - so it's a good example of just how many calories you can save while getting a similar meal.

Here the buns await burgerage. Any differences leap out at ya, LOL? can you guess which plate is mine? That bowl next to his plate contains about 1/4c of hotdog chili, BTW:

Here're the finished products:

Here's the breakdown:

Bodog:

Great Value buns 100cal each (2)
Great Value frozen hb patties 280cal ea (2)
Sam's american cheese slices 50cal ea (2)
Great Value mayo 100cal / tablespoon (4 tblsp)(!)
GV chili sauce 15cal / tablespoon (4 tblsp)

>>1320 calories<<

Blue

Merita light wheat buns 80cal each (2)
Boca meatless burgers 100cal ea (2)
Kraft 2% sharp cheddar slices 50cal (1)(half slice each burger)
Kraft fat free mayo 10cal (half tablespoon each burger)
lettuce/tomato/mustard

>>420 calories<<

Holy cow!

Notice how, in order to save calories I had to spend money. Almost everything on my ingredient list is an expensive brand name (*big sad face*). In order to duplicate real hamburgers you have to make that choice. This is my "special reward meal" that I allow myself. Obviously buying brand names and/or dropping loads of money is not something I do very much!

The thrifty version of this meal would be no mayo or cheese (at all) and the soyburger in a low fat pita. Still delicious ... but not a burger.

Here's Bodog's specific post, with comments, on the Chi of Cheese. Hilarious!

2008-01-18T06:10:00.001-08:00

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