Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Oh, I adore polenta. But I don't use a tomato gravy on it. I grate Grana Padano over the top and eat it like porridge. Whenever I feel the need for something comforting, out comes the polenta!

My very first Ruben sandwich at a restaurant in North Hollywood when I was 16. It was on pumpernickle rye, and was dripping with corned beef,
Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island Dressing. I am sure the restuarant no longer exists, but that sandwhich has been living in my head for 45 years and I haven't found one to match it yet. And I have tried!

Sounds like you were trying to eat what you had, but didn't add any veggies and fruit into the mix. And fresh fruit and veggies are best. Dried are good, but one has to measure them out accordingly. Same with nuts.
Go with the smaller 'handful' and see what happens. A slice of bread isn't going to kill you, but watch out for what is between it.

I have almost become a vegetarian since I started losing weight. I have a little chicken or fish during the week, but I seem to have far more vegetables than I used to eat. Blueberries mixed with a couple of tablespoons of yogurt and oatmeal and a banana already. Chicken vegetable soup is going to be lunch. A pear is dessert. Write down what you are eating as it will help you see what you are actually putting in your mouth.

Hang in there. You will begin to lose. I dropped another 1.5 pounds and so I am through the roof happy! Maybe I will make my second goal weight before summer.

When I lived in LA back in the 1960's we would go to Yee Hung Guey's
in Chinatown. Food was fine, but the name always bothered me.

Here in Raleigh we have Dickey's BBQ, Big Cheese Pizza, Hard Wok Cafe, Wiener Works, tons and tons of Wang's. Yawsir and my favorite: Ali Baba Cafe & Hookah Bar!

Well, at least you didn't gain!

I have gotten to the first goal weight and was amazed. I am eating smart (more fruit & veggies), moving more (walking and taking the stairs) to weigh less. But I have built in a day where I can have a meal with something that I normally wouldn't have. That keeps me from feeling like I am being deprived. And chew that food! Studies show that if you chew 40 times each bite that you will eat less food. And you will actually TASTE what you are eating. Be mindful of what you are eating. You will be amazed at how little you will eat and still enjoy what you ate.

I was an overnight soaker for years. Then I had a child! That got me to be a boil it and wait an hour soaker. And if I am cooking black eyed peas or lentils, who soaks those? Not me. I like my beans to be tender but not falling apart. I want to know what kind of bean I am eating. I have never done them in a slow cooker even though I own one. And if you buy really good brands of canned beans, they aren't all that mushy. Just rinse and drain well and continue on with your recipe.

I have never seen Ella before and I was laughing so hard! After eating just one bite, I would have a sugar rush for hours! I want to know where in the USA we can get Chocolate Lucky Charms!

Well the average was 41% and I got 45% which is a bit above average in my book. And yes, I guessed on some of mine as well. And as for potatoes and beets with mayo: yummy as long as it has been well chilled.

I ate at a restaurant owned by a friend. There was me and my son, my girlfriend and her two children. The service was atrocious! We were treated like the help and finally I asked to speak to the owner. When he came out and greeted me warmly, I could see the waitstaff get this look on their faces. And yes, no tip was left. Next time I was there the service was excellent. But I knew that it was because of the previous time I was there. Most times, if the service stinks, I never go back. No matter how many stars or what great reviews the place gets. Oh, and I tell everyone I know what a crappy place I went to.

Gee Ed, sometimes it takes a doctor to tell us we really DO need to lose those extra pounds! I am struggling on my 'diet' plan as well, but I am closer to your goal than I am to my own goal. But I got a compliment this morning from one of my co-workers on how much weight I have lost.

Get back on the horse now that you have fallen off. And don't be SO hard on yourself when you make a mistake. I tend to be that way,too. Ooops,
I gained a pound, lets eat the entire loaf of bread with real Irish butter!

I am going to have to go back to my vegetarian life style again and cut down on the bread, meat and fats. And I guess I really do have to track what I eat. Bummer.

Keep up the good work and you WILL get to your goal and beyond!

I have learned some things from reading cookbooks and then apply that to my cooking. I actually READ the cookbook before I ever try any of the recipes. I know strange concept. But it allows me to see what is available as far as ingredients and what the author is trying to convey in style of cooking. I try to adhere to the recipe given, but not always.

Oh, I'm with you Ed. NO one sees how much I weigh except the cat and she doesn't speak English! My son, on the other hand has to have me see what he weighs because it baffles him how he can weigh so much and not be fat (he thinks!!). I actually weigh once a week with my new
program, but the scale is descretely off to the side so no one can see the weight. It is a digital scale so the read-out is not on the scale. I guess going to the doctor doesn't count because every nurse in the medical group knows how much I weigh and I can live with that.

Back in the '50's I was forced to finish my plate for the starving children in India. My mother cooked way too much food and I was a chubby child. When I grew up, I learned that I didn't have to eat everything on my plate at the restaurants and I could take it home for another meal. At home, I eat off a salad plate. That way I am controlling my portions. I am also learning how to be mindful of what I eat: taste it, chew it, savor it. I was amazed that three salt and vinegar chips satisfied me rather than eating the whole bag, which used to be my habit.