New Pants

Erik Bates | February 5, 2006
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Amy Austin | February 5, 2006
Hahaha... congratulations, Erik -- I know that feeling, too (though not from *recent* experience!), and I LOVE it! ;-D

Lori Lancaster | February 6, 2006
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Jackie Mason | February 7, 2006
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Steve Dunn | February 7, 2006
Hey, good for you, Erik.

I am also trying to shed some lbs. I was frustrated for a long time because it seemed like no matter what I did, my weight stayed exactly the same. I was beginning to think I might as well eat whatever I want, since it didn't seem to make any difference.

Lately people have been commenting to me that I look like I've lost some weight. I weighed myself this morning, lo and behold, it looks as though I've lost 10 pounds.

I think the key is to eat several small meals per day. I have a bad habit of eating NOTHING for hours on end, then consuming a giant meal. The much better approach, they say, is to fire up the metabolism in the morning with a small meal (banana and yogurt for me) and keep it running all day with small, healthy meals. This keeps your body from going into "starvation mode." When the body thinks it is starving, it slows down to prevent weight loss. You gotta keep it humming along.

I also think it's important to find a few foods that are low calorie, yet satisfying to eat. I make a mean tuna melt that can serve as lunch or dinner anytime.

Anyway, I am happy for you, Erik.

Michael Paul Cote | February 7, 2006
Congrats to all!
One suggestion that I have for a quick boost if you have access to a microwave is to take the tortillas or wraps, add salsa and shredded cheese, fold over, nuke for about 30-45 seconds and you have a meximelt that puts taco bell to shame. Great for snacks, low cal, high energy, my kids love em. You can also add chicken or fix it however you like it.

Lori Lancaster | February 7, 2006
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Denise Sawicki | February 7, 2006
I like cooking quesadillas on a frying pan so the tortilla gets all crunchy. But I like them with *lots* of cheese so I doubt mine are that healthy...

Amy Austin | February 8, 2006
I'm not fitting into "new pants", per se, but the ones I do wear are a bit baggier. This is the first holiday season -- perhaps ever! -- for which I can say that I lost, rather than gained, weight (the upside of stress?). I've shed about 5-10 lbs, too. Just enough to feel good about... not enough to change a size.

I'm pretty sure that this is not due to eating quesadillas -- a favorite of mine and E's as well (we do them up the same way you do, Mike... although there has been the occasional Denise pan-crisped variety, too) -- because we tend to do more than one, and we like lots of cheese, too... ;-)

I also have the same bad habit as Steve... starving for hours (usually without intent or notice), and then gorging myself on a big meal. I know full well that this is not the ideal and that many little meals to "keep it humming along" is best... but lately, I've just been doing more of the former and less of the latter (as in, I still unintentionally starve myself, but then I don't follow up with anything big, either) -- I think that this, combined with the little bit of activity provided by my physical therapy, is the real reason I'm needing to wear a belt these days. Although I'd like to think that I will compensate with more exercise when Ed returns, I bet I plump up when we start cooking "real meals" and eating out again!

Jackie Mason | February 8, 2006
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Amy Austin | February 8, 2006
Yes, Jackie, I think that eating out is definitely a culprit! Fortunately, I've never been big on doing it alone, so... aside from a few pick-ups from Taco Bell and Andy's (the local burger joint/chain), I stay in and eat a lot of soup, sandwiches, and salads (all the good stuff, right?!) -- we'll see if this holds out for a little while...

Erik Bates | February 9, 2006
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Lori Lancaster | February 9, 2006
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Jackie Mason | February 10, 2006
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