I just need to eat eggs & sausage and stop with the cheap pancakes so much. I'm working on that.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Yesterday was a good day. I ate three sensible, health-promoting meals and my only snack was some dried apricots. This morning though, I failed and ate a giant doughnut for breakfast. Long story... all Eric's fault... Ok, ok, I'll own it. Nobody force fed me a doughnut. I am weak.

After the doughnut slip-up, I went to the Farmer's Market. I easily passed by the kettle corn stand without stopping, but it took incredible strength to pass up the homemade ice cream stand. Still, riding on residual doughnut guilt, I managed to come home from the market today only with fresh fruits and vegetables and some fresh ocean fish to cook for dinner tonight.

When I got home I cut up some strawberries for me and Ol Pookers to snack on. Eric wanted a scoop of vanilla custard on his strawberries so I scooped some for him. I licked the serving spoon, just to make sure the custard was good (yeah... right... that's it... wouldn't want to serve bad custard!!!), but I resisted putting a scoop of custard on my berries.

The old me would have eaten the doughnut, the ice cream and the custard. Baby steps...

The old me would have eaten the doughnut, the ice cream and the custard. Baby steps...

That's right... baby steps. Changing eating habits is hard, and I think people are setting themselves up for stress and failure when they try to plunge head first into a crash diet.

I really do love doughnuts. There's a place called Krispy Kreme here that has to die for frosted yeast doughnuts that literally melt in your mouth. A box of a dozen can disappear faster than a magician can say hocus-pocus! ;~}

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I know how hard it is going past those doughnuts. Today I had a cheese sandwich for lunch. I decided to walk to the supermarket and get ingredients for chicken and vegetable soup instead take away fish and chips. Made a big pot of soup/stew with onions, green capsicum (bell pepper) sliced button mushrooms, celery, bean shoots and sliced chicken breast. I usually put in 2 minute noodles as well but I forgot them, instead i threw in a sweet potato I had lying around. The soup broth is flavoured with Vegetta gourmet stock powder a splash of soy sauce some sea salt and about 2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce. YUm. Had a bowl and 2 slices of buttered bread for dinner. I used a standard size soup bowl instead of the giant bowl like the Vietnamese restaurants use for their soup. 6 hours later at 2am I had another bowl. I made a pressure cooker nearly full of it so I will be eating this for a couple of days.

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After the doughnut slip-up, I went to the Farmer's Market. I easily passed by the kettle corn stand without stopping, but it took incredible strength to pass up the homemade ice cream stand.

Two things that I like, though I haven't had a donut in at least 6 months, I can't say the same for ice cream, at Staters they sell ice cream in 1.5qt and 5qt sizes, the 5qt size is only $5.99 while the other is $3.49, plus I can get vanilla with strawberries in the 5qt size, My favorite. I sometimes will buy cookies or corn chips, though never potato chips. Most of My food is low calorie and low to no fat, though pb at 180 calories a serving is as low as pb gets, I find if I omit just pb I start losing it(weight), but to really lose weight I have to go without Krusteaz pancakes and ValueTime/HungryJack maple syrup and I like pancakes. Both syrups taste about the same, VT just costs less.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I think people are setting themselves up for stress and failure when they try to plunge head first into a crash diet.

That is correct, it's the same with giving up smoking. Going cold turkey on day 1 is going to lead to failure. Weaning off things gently is the name of the game.

That's how I got My Brother to quit smoking, though He also wanted to do so and now I know why. sigh.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I don't think any of us are going on crash diets. My goal is is to change to a lower calorie healthier eating style and exercise a bit more. I think the others are doing the same.

After 35 years of smoking I quit cold turkey in April 2009 and haven't smoked since.

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...I decided to walk to the supermarket and get ingredients for chicken and vegetable soup instead take away fish and chips...

Yay Monday!!! Cooking real food instead of take-out is a good way to control calories, fat, sugar and salt. Way to go, friend!

I don't think any of us are going on crash diets. My goal is is to change to a lower calorie healthier eating style and exercise a bit more. I think the others are doing the same.

Yes, I would like to drop my 30 pounds across a 9 to 12 month period.

After 35 years of smoking I quit cold turkey in April 2009 and haven't smoked since.

Best health move of your life!

...I decided to walk to the supermarket and get ingredients for chicken and vegetable soup instead take away fish and chips...

Yay Monday!!! Cooking real food instead of take-out is a good way to control calories, fat, sugar and salt. Way to go, friend!

Of course reading the label at the market helps, finding the food with the least calories per serving works, I eat foods that I like and that satisfy Me, plus I drink fruit punch(Crystal Light) and when I have decaf coffee, My sweetener is not sugar, though there is some in My powdered creamer, but the creamer is 10 calories per serving and 5 of that is from fat.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Here's something to get a laugh...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Worked for me , I'm laughing. Good find Vic.
Just got back from a 1 hour walk.

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Here's another one, a cookie for your thoughts as it were...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Here's something to get a laugh...

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two for two, Vic.

How many calories does a good belly laugh burn?

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

According to this website http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/laughing-burns-calories.htm fifteen minute laughing burns between 10 and 40 calories.
Not as good as walking, but far better than just sitting in the arm chair snoozing.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

On a more serious note.
Get a pedometer and wear it. Keep track of your daily step count. Use the first week to set your baseline count, and then aim to increase the count by a small amount every successive week, setting yourself a sensible target for your increase. Several things happen, one is you loose a bit more weight, your general level of fitness improves, heart condition is improved.
Silly, simple, things like parking one place further from the store door than normal mean you take extra steps....
I've been using one for about three weeks and have shifted nearly an inch off my belly, and I'm feel less kn****d in the evening.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

On a more serious note.
Get a pedometer and wear it. Keep track of your daily step count. Use the first week to set your baseline count, and then aim to increase the count by a small amount every successive week, setting yourself a sensible target for your increase. Several things happen, one is you loose a bit more weight, your general level of fitness improves, heart condition is improved.
Silly, simple, things like parking one place further from the store door than normal mean you take extra steps....
I've been using one for about three weeks and have shifted nearly an inch off my belly, and I'm feel less kn****d in the evening.

I'm going to buy one of those things. I think it would be interesting if we all get one, and report our number of daily steps.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I'm going to buy one of those things. I think it would be interesting if we all get one, and report our number of daily steps.

Had one for over a year now.

I decided that after I "semi-retired" I was not getting any regular exercise, now never having been of a "sporty" disposition I was wondering what I could do. So I started walking round my local park.

Started slowly with one circuit, built it up to 3 circuits daily now about 4 miles total, I try for the magic "10,000" steps per day but even I don't often manage that.

In the first 12 months I had the pedometer I did;

STEPS - 3,230,795
AEROBIC - 2,496,313
Mins - 22,437
Miles - 1,983

"Aerobic" steps are when walking at more than 60 steps per minute for 10 minutes you have to work up to them!!

Over the 52 weeks that was a daily average of

Steps - 9205
AEROBIC - 7112
Mins - 64 (of aerobic walking)
Miles - 5.65 (Total not just aerobic)

I try to walk every day but that is not necessary to keep fit, half an hour of "aerobic" walking three times a week will definitely help you keep fit.

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I'm going to buy one of those things. I think it would be interesting if we all get one, and report our number of daily steps.

Had one for over a year now.

Any recommendations on brand and model?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place