QOTD May 7

Happy Monday Morning Everyone! I've been quiet on the board this past week - you know the basic speed of life things..it is awesome how people have kept the conversation going!! Speaking of the speed of life - that is where my question comes in. What strategies do you use to keep in control of your eating when life seems to get so busy? At our house it turns into dinners of cheerios, takeout, or a restaurant ---- all not very good choices on a regular basis for a week. Last week included Culvers, Applebees, Taco John's, Papa John's, and cereal night. Not good for any of us! Lori

Well, since he put me on the Atkins diet, I have cooked up lots of chicken and some pork chops and broccoli that are in the fridge for during the week so I can just grab them and heat them up in the microwave when ready to eat. Before this, we were a house just like yours.....always eating out. It's going to save me a ton, not eating out all the time. Just remember if you have to eat out, there are things that you can get that aren't too bad for you. Take care and have a GREAT day! Pam

Hi Lori, I am far from an expert since I just had lap-band surgery on 4/20/07 but we all get very busy in our lives and have to make choices. Just remember to always make the "best" food choice for you or wait until you get home to eat. I think most of the places that you listed all have salads or a grilled chicken sandwich. I am not at a point to being able to go out but my husband and I have talked about this a lot and have decided that we will most likely just order one dinner and an extra plate for me. Good Luck, have a great week. I have my 2 1/2 week post op tomorrow, hopefully I will be moving onto a soft diet soon. Rose M.

Yes, life can be crazy. I always say we pack a whole year of outdoor fun into our summers here. With it being so short, its a ru****hink when it comes to eating, I find it works best to plan ahead. I always have a few Lean Cuisine dinners in the freezer, a few single serving chunky soups in the cupboard, a stash of protein bars and lots of flavored water in the frig. I can live on those if I have to. Eating out works too. I'll usually have soup or a salad. Most places sell one or the other or both. I just have to be careful with the salad dressings. Not everyone sells vinegarette and that's about the only kind that doesn't make me dump.

I'm the take out/fast food queen - and know this will be one of my biggest challenges with WLS. Right now in my refrigerator I have leftover takeout Chinese, some ketchup, moldy cheese and skim milk. Sad! I'm glad I have the summer to get into a scheduled eating pattern. Hopefully, I'll then be able to carry it into the school year!

I always have a supply of protein bars in my purse . I tend to worry about my family's eating more than my own these days. I make sure they are fed before we leave the houe unless we are going to a bbq. Or I make ham and cheese sanwiches on wheat bread. We dont go out to eat much. When we do though its a nice treat. Something differant. Post op though , salads are not he best choice cuz there is no nutriional value in lettuce ad salads are too large. But most sit down restraunts have grilled chicken , cottage cheese , eggs, and other items that have an ok amount of protein in it. Fast food I try to avoid all together. Them places bother me . From the smell (grease) . To just thinking how them foods helped me get obese , and I dont want my kids going through what I went through. I have been there 1 time since surgery (7 months ago )and I ordered the chicken nuggets and pealed the nasty outer layer off. I should have just ordered a chicken sandwich....

As some of you may have read I am not anywhere near WLS (still praying for a miracle though), however I totally know what has worked for me with weight loss in the past. As Pam said having meals prepared saves both money and time and prepared food's easy access leaves no reason for you to have to go out. I do know that sometimes cravings can get the best of us and that's when, like another member said, you have to pick "friendly" meals from the menu. I will be starting back up on the "Fatsmash Diet" by Dr. Ian this spring/summer to hopefully get some pounds off before my miracle comes around. The first 9 days is the "detox" phase and it includes vegetables, fruit, beans, and plenty of water. Although it was quite hard, I felt great after dropping nearly 20 pounds in the nine days. I am sure most of the weight was water weight, but I'll take it how I can get it..lol. Well Ladies, I don't want to bore you...keep up all the good work, have a great evening and a wonderful tomorrow!!!

Hi Lori, I find that my life is also very busy with a 17 year old daughter in sports and then I have two little ones 7 yrs old and almost 5 yrs old. 7 yr old is also in sports for the summer. I find that I use the South beach high protein bars. They taste good and they are good in a pinch. I compared these to the other protein bars and did not find many that tasted good with the amount of calories, carbs, sugar and protein that the South Beach protein bars had. I have yogurt always in my refrig with a supply of plastic spoons near by and then I can grab a yogurt and spoon as I am running out the door to make the games. Great question !! Shelly