AARP Rewards Healthy Plate Contest, Week 2 May 10-16

I don't subscribe to fad diets. I will look at the logic behind them and pick and choose. What I want is a healthy diet I can stick with, not limiting any of the things we commonly consider to be healthy, with minor indulgences in the less healthy. I feel like I'm more likely to stick with it if I just limit the not so healthy stuff. I used to eat a half gallon of ice cream a week and polish off 2 2 liter bottles of Dr Pepper. Went too many months not looking at the scale and those 2 things alone caused me to gain 35 lbs. At first I limited both ice cream and soda to the weekends. Continued weight gain caused me to eliminate the ice cream completely. While I'm down to one 2 liter bottle of Dr Pepper per weekend, I'm considering reducing it to one 16 oz bottle on a Saturday. Might eventually eliminate that too. Both are for very rare indulgences, away from my regular diet. But I find that if I evaluate what's happening with my body and adjust my diet as I feel that I may still be over indulging, then I make the change gradually and stick with it better. This site has been immensely helpful in showing me what I need more of and what I should cut back on. I'm also working on my cheese intake. I'm a sucker for cheese LOL The addition of exercise has also helped immensely in my weight control efforts. However, getting hit by a car has put a temporary damper on my workout efforts. So I expect to gain some weight in the next 5 weeks. I'll gradually work back up to working out once my body has healed. But I won't be a pedestrian again so long as I live in the city 😉

Do NOT worry about the sugar in fruit, there is fiber content that will control it. You need to avoid processed foods, NOT fresh from the farm anything!

I have eaten well and exercised regularly over the past 4-5 years but my cholesterol was still high.  I was able to decrease it significantly over the past 2 years or so by adding more fiber to my diet...specifically steel cut oats in my overnight oats every morning! 

I have eaten well and exercised regularly over the past 4-5 years but my cholesterol was still high.  I was able to decrease it significantly over the past 2 years or so by adding more fiber to my diet...specifically steel cut oats in my overnight oats every morning! 

High cholesterol. Switched from butter to smart butter. No full fat milk or cheese, no egg yolks, no red meat meat or pork for awhile. Switched to brown bread, rice and pasta. Nothing out of a box. Fresh vegetables and fruits. No sweets. Should have done this a long time ago. My grandkids will benefit as well.

I've stopped buying chocolate candy of all kinds.  No more after breakfast 'treats', or after lunch or after anything.  Instead I have a piece of a banana or apple to satisfy my sweet teeth (yes, all of them like chocolate candy).  

I have slowly been replacing "regular" foods in my house with "Better" foods: For example, enriched or veggie pasta, Omega 3 eggs, whole grain breads, and more fresh foods. It's been practically painless!

AARPTerri:

For me to eliminate food out of my diet would be like removing the saliva from Pavlov's dog training stuff from way back there.

I've eliminated Walmart donuts, have not had a Birthday cake made for me in the past couple years, not much on that "processed food" (yuk!)...

I do not know much about "low carb", "low calorie", sugar for my coffee, & definitely "Natural" no fructose corn syrup, less additives & junk to the best of my ability in reading such big words for garbage in a can of Campbell's Chicken Soup. I do miss my Sprouts for my Trail Mix & Rolled Oats have not been there since everything is pre-packaged due to virus.

Stay Healthy!!!

My diet focuses on calories.  Eat fewer calories means greater weight lose.  Of course the more movement the more calories I can eat without gaining weight.  The trick for me is water.

My husband and I haven't eaten any fried foods for about 15 years. We stopped eating beef about 6 years ago and eat salmon, tuna and chicken as well as lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I prepare at least 2 vegetarian meals every week. We are in our 80's and walk about 40-45 minutes 6 days a week, plus lift weights 3 times a week and do yoga once a week.