georgia girl

Hello all! I am working towards eating a cleaner diet and my next goal is to cut out artificial sweeteners (or at least cut WAY back on them). I have been using artificial sweeteners my entire life so this is going to be difficult for me. I love my morning coffee and sadly I like it to taste sweet. I usually use Splenda in it, but I really want to cut those out if possible. I don't want to use sugar either and I do not like the taste of stevia. I thought about honey, but it just doesn't sound all that appealing in coffee. Surely there has to be more options... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions to add sweetness to coffee...in a natural way that doesn't add a ton of calories?

I tried Stevia a while back and didn't like it (I can't remember what brand it was). I thought I'd give it another try, so I bought some Stevia in the raw yesterday and tried it in my coffee this morning.....it wasn't that bad. I think I can definitely get used to it.

Today: B'fast~ coffee, banana pumpkin smoothie Lunch~ 6" sweet onion teriyaki chicken (Subway) Dinner~ 6" sweek onion teriyaki chicken (Subway) Calories~ 1,206

I have been using Agave in my morning smoothies and I like it. I have never been diagnosed with diabetes, but it runs in my immediate family. My blood sugar has been on the higher side of normal, so I try to be careful with it. I agree with you about the artificial sweeteners. I just wish I had realized it years ago...

Pure Via comes from the stevia plant, right? I have tried stevia and I don't like it at all. So unless pure via tastes a whole lot different than stevia, I don't think I'll like it.

I tried the maple syrup in my coffee this morning and it was pretty good. I had to use a whole tablespoon to get it even close enough to being sweet for my taste though. Maybe I can start there and try gradually backing down to a teaspoon. I only drink one cup a day (most of the time), so I don't think one tablespoon of syrup per day is all that bad.

That is good to know. Thanks!

I have never heard of muscavado brown sugar. I will have to check that out. I think I will try the maple syrup tomorrow and see how I like it. Thanks for the tips

Thanks, Cazzy! I never thought of maple syrup. I have pumpkin spice coffee, so the maple syrup might compliment it well. I wish I could drink it without anything....I have tried before and I just can't. Who knows though. I know of people that have kept trying and grown to like it...

Clean Eating Pumpkin Smoothie (Makes 1 serving) Ingredients 1 cup Greek yogurt 1/2 cup pumpkin (I used canned and organic) 1 tbsp. agave 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (no sugar added) 2 tbsp. whey protein powder Just blend everything together. I wasn't quite satisfied with this recipe....it was a little too tangy for my taste. I think next time I will add a sliced frozen banana and see if that helps with the tanginess. It wasn't bad or anything, just needs a little tweaking for my taste.

I have had much success in the past with low carb. I did low carb for a LONG time and now....the thought of only eating meat and green veggies makes me cringe. If I was going to eat nothing but meat and green veggies, I could have done that without a band and lost weight. It's just not realistic for me as a lifestyle. Meat is my least favorite food and I don't think a diet that mainly consists of meat is all that healthy. I still eat meat, just not as much as I used to. I do think Protein is important, but I like finding other ways to get it in. Greek yogurt, Beans, cottage cheese, eggs....all good sources of protein. I now try to follow a balanced diet. It took a couple of health scares to prompt me to examine what I was putting in my body. I am trying to make small steps towards eating a cleaner diet. It's a big adjustment and will take some time to get there completely. Best of luck to you!

Today: B'fast~ coffee, then pumpkin banana smoothie Lunch~ bowl of pumpkin chili Snack~ 1 oz. almonds, 1 ritz crackerful Dinner~ homemade chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat bread Calories~ 1,072

I agree! I think about what I eat WAY more now that I am logging and everyone can see my food diary. Seeing everyone's exercise updates has really inspired me to get moving too!

Today: B'fast~ coffe, then cinnamon apple smoothie Lunch~ mushroom and cheese stuffed chicken breast, 1/2 c. edamame Dinner~ bowl of pumpkin chili Snack~ fruit smoothie Calories~ 1,074

Today: B'fast~ Pumpkin protein smoothie Snack~ banana Lunch~ Half of a Healthy Choice garlic herb shrimp steamer (I DO NOT recommend this one...ugh. The sauce was like garlic water.), 1 Ritz Crackerful Snack~ 1 oz. almonds Dinner~ Tomato sandwich on light whole wheat bread Snack~ Fruit smoothie Calories~ 1.098

Feel free to add me.....georgiagirl1980

Today: B'fast~ peanut butter cheerios with light vanilla soymilk (OMG....I freakin' love these cheerios!) Lunch~ protein shake, 1/2 c. sliced strawberries, 1 oz. almonds Dinner~ mushroom spaghetti (with spaghetti squash instead of noodles) Snack~ fruit smoothie (1&1/2 c. fresh fruit, 1/2 c. greek yogurt, splash of soymilk)

I weigh-in once a week, on Monday morning. I like doing it on Mondays because the weekend is when I have a tendency to slack off. So now when the weekend comes, it is in the back of my mind that I have to weigh in on Monday morning and it helps keep me on track. I used to weigh everyday, and I would get so frustrated if the number wasn't lower or if it stayed the same. That did nothing but discourage me, so I now I only weigh once a week.

This is one of my favorite chili recipes. It may sound a little strange....but it's delicious!! pumpkin CHILI 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 clove garlic 20 oz. fresh ground turkey (at least 93/7 lean) 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, mild 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 1 (15 oz.) can 100% pure pumpkin ( I only use 1 cup, but the whole can is fine too) 1 (15 oz). can dark red kidney Beans 1/2 cup whole kernal corn, canned or fresh 1 & 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 2 Tbsp. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or regular brown sugar) few pinches of cinnamon Brown turkey in olive oil for a few minutes, then add onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook until completely browned and drain. In the crockpot, add all other ingredients and stir until combined well. Add in ground turkey mixture and stir. Cook on low for 5 hours. It's even better the next day!

Today: B'fast~ Coffee Lunch~ Black forest ham salad with FF italian dressing (Subway) Snack~ Ritz Crackerful Dinner~ will be a Healthy Choice frozen entree (bbq steak) Snack~ if I have one....a fruit smoothie

Yesterday: B'fast~ protein shake Lunch~ 1 cup crab linguini alfredo Dinner~ slice of pot roast, 1/4 c mashed potatoes, 1/4 c cooked carrots, 1/4 c cooked mushrooms

I am home bound today because of all the bad weather and I found this while perusing on Pinterest.com and thought I'd share. For those who love to make smoothies, this would be a great time saver. I am not much of a Breakfast eater, so I usually have shakes or smoothies for breakfast. 1. Freeze greek yogurt (great source of protein!) in muffin tins. 2. Slice up a bunch of your favorite fruits. A few suggestions.....strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, etc. Whatever you like best. 3. In freezer bags, add 2-3 frozen yogurt pucks and 1&1/2 cups fresh fruit and store them in the freezer. 4. When ready to make a smoothie, just blend contents of bag with a splash of juice and voila....breakfast is served. I am definitely going to do this!

You're welcome! I am totally addicted to Pinterest. Great ideas on that website!

He never said he couldn't change. That's why he's here. He's looking for advice and tips from people who have struggled with the same thing. I don't think anyone chooses to have surgery knowing that they can't change. I think we all hope that we can make the necessary changes and hope that we can use the band as a tool to help us acheive our goals. I do, however, think that people sometimes don't realize how hard it's actually going to be and some lose their way. It's like I said in my earlier post, not many people can change all their bad habits overnight. It's a process. And for some, it takes a little longer to reach those goals and work through the damage that has been years in the making.

I can definitely relate. My problem has always been sweets. I am not exaggerating when I say this....it's like a drug to me. I've struggled with it my whole life and I still do. I would mainly eat them late at night. One would lead to another, then another, then another....you get my drift. I had a cupcake at my son's birthday party the other night and that one little cupcake triggered my cravings. That is why I am now doing a liquid detox for a couple of days. I find it best to stay away from them altogether! A couple of suggestions: 1. Go to bed earlier if you are a night time eater. I have found that if I go to bed when my husband does, I don't have a problem. I do, however, have trouble falling asleep so I bring my iPad to bed with me and doodle on that until I get sleepy. I find that getting away from the kitchen at night is a huge help! 2. Go get a fill if you are not tight enough. BUT, a fill will not solve your problem if you are just going to break the rules and eat around the band. All the fills in the world won't help the head hunger. 3. Try adding more lean Protein into your diet. It will keep you satisfied longer. 4. Try to find a hobby that will keep you busy so you don't have a lot of down time. I love to do crafts, so I try to work on my projects while I watch tv, so I don't give in to snacking. Eating while watching TV is one of the worst things we can do. We focus more on the tv and pay less attention to how much we eat. 5. You can still have your burger and fries. Make it yourself. Use lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Make baked sweet potato fries instead of driving through a fast food restaurant. There are ton's of healthy recipe substitutes out there for typical junk food. The main thing to remember is....You can do this! Yes, there will be set backs. Pick yourself back up and keep going! It's not easy, but you can do it. None of us got fat overnight, so why would anyone think that we can undo all the damage overnight. Success is a journey, not a destination. Focus on the process! Best of luck to you!