Disgusted and need creative ideas

[Melman]

I'm at this stage in life where my body wants to control itself. I cannot lose an ounce...have been like this for months!! I'm 43 and have a suspicion I'm getting reading to head into those pre-menopausal years and my body isn't willing to give up an ounce. I've been trying to keep track of what I'm eating by using the WeightWatcher points system. I do GREAT during most weeks...but then lose all will-power on the weekends. As I posted earlier, I do work out quite often.....kickboxing, precor, weights, machines, etc.

Yesterday, while trying to get things ready for the week, I was trying to come up with something HEALTHY to do with the wonderful selection I have in my refrigerator. I looked through CL Complete...looked through some CL magazines...looked through the BB at the grains, beans, veggies, etc. topics. I felt brain-dead!!! Nothing hit me as what I should do.

Help!! I know there's something obvious that I can do with these ingredients but my defeatist attitude kept getting in the way. What suggestions are out there that can be made with any of these veggies: zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, green beans (as well as left-over grilled ones from an idea posted near the end of last week), black olives, Vidalia onions, garlic....or any of the variety of grains in my cabinet, or all kinds of beans (HA! I read this bb too often!!) I also have a great variety of fruit (canteloupe, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, kiwi, who knows what else.) Nope..that's not my whole cabinet and refrigerator...just the things I kept looking at yesterday with a blank look!!!

I need ideas!! Thanks to anyone who can kick the brain into gear that feels like it's entered the la-la land of discontent!!

[pmmahan]

Hmmmm....

Cl's Vidalia Onion Risotto
CL Complete (Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Melons)
tomatoes - bruschetta, salad with basil and mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce for pasta
Spinach - Mostaccioli Spinach Bake, Spinach Salad above
there were lots of recipes for beans and tomatoes in the June CL
olives - Chicken with Two Olive topping (CL June 01), Pasta Puttanesca (use for your tomatoes, too)
cucumber- on the FOod & Wine magazine site there is a yummy looking Cold Cucumber soup recipe - I could post it if you want.

I wish I had your fridge right now!!

[JulieM]

Melman, I know what you mean when you go through that stage where your body won't budge with the weight and you feel blah about food. I have found that a brief break in the routine will sometimes change all of that. You might try some sort of fasting for a couple of days, such as a fruit fast.

As for the stuff in your frig, all the veggies sound like good soup fixin's to me! CL has had a lot of yummy sandwich ideas and soup and sandwich makes a nice dinner in the summertime, with fruit for dessert.

[Jewel]

Melman, I can sympathize, but keep one thing in mind: If you're exercising quite a bit, you're probably building muscle which weighs more than fat. Try to focus on how your clothes feel rather than the numbers on the scale. Scales scare the heck out of me most of the time, and I actually wince when I get near one. If I feel depressed about not losing, I tend to overeat. If I stay away from the scale and focus on the fact that I can wear my pants without seeing a dent in my waist when I take them off, then I know I'm OK! It took many years, but I finally realized that my life cannot be ruled by that dang number. I still stress, but not as much as I used to.

As for your fridge, you've got the makings for some wonderful summer salads! For your bean supply, I heartily recommend Gertdog's Smoked Gouda Soup ! Beans are the best for filling you up on very little calories or fat! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[hka]

I just wanted to say that I can also relate to you Melman. I've been trying and trying to lose a little extra weight and can't seem to. I'm exercising everyday and I do weights 2 to 3 times a week. I have to agree with what others are saying about going on how your clothes feel. It's just so tempting to check that darn scale! No matter how many times I tell myself to NOT do it, I do and then am disappointed. Then I have to have a conversation with myself that it doesn't matter what the number reads. I'm still doing all the right things. It's a vicious cycle. Emilycat is right in that scales are EVIL. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I'm sorry, I know that doesn't address your question. I just wanted you to know that I most definitely sympathize! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Melman]

These are some wonderful ideas. I'll print out some of these recipes and look up some of the other ones from the magazines. And, for what it's worth, I have already made some of the ones suggested and LOVED them (Vidalia Onion Risotto!! WOW!! Awesome).

As far as the scale is concerned, I haven't been near one in months and months. I think that's part of the problem though. My annual exam is NEXT WEEK! OHMYGOSH! I'll have to stand on a scale and I'm afraid to go near it. My clothes still fit....but they're definitely not getting looser!! I just hate to see what it says next week. Maybe that's part of the disgusted comments I wrote above. Every time I finally succeed losing weight, it's like trying to sneak a weight-loss program past my body. It's too smart!! I don't do any of the "trendy diets"...that's just not smart. I've been conscience of what I'm eating for so long that cutting back is REALLY cutting back!! It's hard to know what to try next.

These new ideas will hopefully help!! I almost have to distract myself with new and fun menus to get me past boredom of the same things I've tried in the past. Thanks for the encouragement though!! I'm glad I'm not alone!!!!

[KarenNC]

Melman-
When trying to maintain or lose weight-- try keeping a food diary each day. You log what you eat and total calories at end of day. 3 meals and 2 snacks keep the metabolism going.

A new book, Business Plan for the Body, advocates the above method combined with weight training. Check out the website www.businessplanforthebody.com (http://www.businessplanforthebody.com) and print an example of a food diary page. Also, you can calculate the recommended calories for your weight, height, age and activity level. The author is Diane Sawyer's personal trainer and she looks great on Good Morning America.
Hope this helps...it has for me.

[emilycat]

Wow, your refrigerator sounds like mine.... and I looked at all the crap in it with the same kind of look yesterday -- I had no creative inspiration, no desire whatsoever to follow a recipe, but I picked my brain and came up with a squash-carrot risotto with thyme and fontina. It actually turned out really well.
Anyway, how rude of me to ignore your question. Let's see... how about these?
Gazpacho
Pasta toss with tomatoes, wilted spinach, white beans, garlic and feta
Panzanella
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
CL's Spinach, Rice and Feta Pie

Also, on the thread I started called "Lunch Salads for Kim" there are hoards of really delicious recipes that you have the ingredients for.

Oh, and one more thing I'd like to add to Jewel's numbers warning: Don't get sucked into the scale! Save yourself! It's EVIL! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 06-25-2001).]