Also, we're heading out of winter. I know they do various things to get chickens to lay year round, but I think egg production still probably slumps a bit in winter.

It's the Avian Flu that's keeping egg prices high. Last I read it really has taken it's toll and there's no end in sight. True or not, I don't know. I have one lonely egg in the frig for baking emergencies. I should pick up another dozen but since I restrict egg consumption they'd go bad before I used them. I do like hard cooked eggs though. Another thing that staves off the hungries. I also get low fat part skim Mozzarella sticks and have 2 of them mid morning with an apple. I love dried fruit but it's so high in sugar I restrict that as well. I don't count calories just the cholesterol and saturated fats plus added sugars. This seems to work for me. I try to stay under the recommended percentage of saturated fats -16g and under the 200g of cholesterol per day. My dr said my cholesterol was high and he wanted to put me on a stain drug to which I said "nope". I watched what I ate and wrote it all down and got my cholesterol down to 141 from 240
and lost weight in the process. At my heaviest I was tipping the scales at 185. Too much for a 5ft 4" woman. That was 50 years ago. I dropped white sugar from my diet completely and lost 75lbs. Right now I hover between125-130 depending on my level of activity. Went from a size 18 to a size 10.

Wow! Good for you, Brenda! I am 5'7 and was at 182 pounds. I am now at 145, the lowest I've ever been except at a young, young age. I was hoping to get down to 135, but other family members told me I would look emaciated. So 140 it is then.

Good for both of you!

Funny how different people have different things that it works to watch. Keeping fats low is one for me, too. Counting total calories is as easy as counting fat grams with the fitbit app, so I switched to that --after this many years of keeping fat intake low, I pretty much know those do's and don'ts.

I love dried fruit and could easily scarf down a couple of handfuls of it. I have to remind myself of its equivalent in fresh fruit, and then I know what a "serving" should look like.

Fruit and cheese is a great combo for regulating blood sugar... the fructose is released more slowly into the bloodstream than sucrose would be, and the protein and fat (even low fat mozzarella has a little fat in it) in the cheese slow down the sugar release further yet... so instead of the spike that you'd get if you ate the same calories in, say, hard candy (or even the sugar spike from eating an apple on its own), you get more of a low-lying hill shape on the graph, a gradual increase and decrease in blood sugar. Whether you're diabetic or dealing with another metabolic condition or not, avoiding sugar spikes is a good thing!

I told you about eating 1300 calories. All that did was make me gain weight, made my brain obsessed with food like it has never been obsessed with anything, and I couldn't keep myself warm even with two shirts, a blanket and a comforter, something over my head, and the furnace blowing over me. I thought I was just mentally weak. I did some looking around and found that my basal metabolic rate is 1700 calories. That is what I need to perform my bodily functions while completely still. So yes, I really wasn't eating enough to keep warm. Today I ate more and I'm wearing just two shirts and no blankets over me, and I feel comfortable. I'm also thinking about things besides my next meal. I will probably skip the afternoon snack. I'm still stuffed from lunch, which was 500-some calories and not some gorge fest, but what I needed. I am so tired of diets, though.

Hope you can find a good middle ground, Kelli, where you are getting enough of what your body needs and still able to lose a little weight. If I'm losing even a pound or two a month, I'm happy.

The doctor's office scale hit a number I didn't think I'd be seeing again, but DH consoled me by pointing out I was probably wearing 6 pounds of clothing plus my 2 pound brace. Still, I'm sure not being able to do my quick-step walking with Josie has caused me to gain a couple of pounds. Those will take a while to lose again, but right now I'm focusing on finding a balance between the shingles pain and the meds I was taking for it that were causing out of control side effects.

I'm sure I've been on my soapbox already -- but if you're putting off getting the shingles vaccine for no particular reason, GET IT. You don't want any part of this misery if you can help it. Kicking myself, am I? Oh yes indeed.

Currently in Vancouver and getting a lot of walking in. Hopefully, that will offset any additional food. But food at daughter's house hasn't been too much. We met a friend for coffee this morning and then went for a late breakfast lunch - smoked salmon bennies. Checked out the wonderful Italian bakery in the neighbourhood and decided nothing was calling our names.

Happy first day of spring, at least it is LATER today.
Since we are still on page one of this thread, I do NOT plan to start a new one. Unfortunately, I'm unable to change the NAME of the thread w/o help from Dave. So please pretend it says Spring or just 2023.

Ok! Happy first day of spring the birds seemed to realize that it's spring because they were crazy today. Also have two crows that keep visiting the bird feeder for the bigger birds.

There were also a pair of nuthatches going in and out of a birdhouse. I'm hoping they may have a family there!

Spring has Sprung!!

I agree about not starting a new thread -- also makes it easier to search for things I halfway recall being on this thread, just by using ctrl-F

My exercise the past two weeks has been going through old files and shredding them. Amazing the stuff you keep and just forget about it for 20 or 30 years.

Haha Margaret!

We used chickpea pasta for dinner. It looks to have more protein and fiber than wheat pasta. Texture is different, sort of chewier. Would be a good way to have a decent protein meal with veggies and no meat.

We've experimented with the legume flour pastas. You have to be VERY careful not to overcook them - a minute past "done" can be "gummy mush." Barilla makes a "Protein Plus" line that's half wheat flour and half chickpea flour, making for a more "normal" texture. The chickpea flour ones seem more neutral in flavor, even those that are 100% pea flour. Some of the other legumes are colorful but also have a stronger flavor (not bad, just different, although Jim doesn't like any of them).

Here's the funny part. Mark bought it, not realizing the names Chickpea Rotini meant it was... Wait for it.. rotini made from chickpeas.
And this man is an engineering professional.
Then again, that may explain it.

I've tried one of the bean-based pastas and didn't like it. Maybe it would work better with something other than spaghetti sauce. My husband thought it was o.k., but I've gotten uber picky as my sense of taste decreases.

I tried a few of the different pastas but I didn't care for any of them, I just love the normal pasta.😋

Sally!

Margaret, I agree 100%. When I eat pasta, I eat it because I like it. And if I'm going to eat pasta, I'm going to eat the 'unhealthy' version.

Who knew that Chickpea Rotini would have actual chickpeas in it? Just sounds like a cute name to me. I'm with Mark.