yes, the light chocolate chunk is fabulous! just make sure you measure it out.
so a girl named monica asked me to tell her my big secret to going from 240 to 170. i wrote her a long email and thought some of the newbies might be interested. here's my big secret, which is hardly a secret at all.
dear monica,
i saw the message you left me on my before and after pics at weight-loss-forum. i'll do my best to help. the bottom line about (healthy) weight loss comes down to healthy eating and exercise.
no one likes to hear it, but it is so true. i was 240 pounds and i would often try to start a diet, and give up after a few weeks, telling myself that i was just made like that and that losing weight would be impossible. finally, one day i got serious and made a real commitment to losing all the weight.
i started by throwing away everything in my fridge and cabinets and doing a big fresh grocery shop. i spent $109 that day, and i stocked up on all kinds of fruits (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon, oranges, apples, mangoes, grapes, and peaches,) on vegetables (lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions, peppers, mushrooms,) soy protein products (i'm a vegetarian, so i got tofu, morningstar and boca products, and peanut butter, but lean chicken and fish could work for you if you don't want to go veg) and on low/fat free dairy (light yogurt, egg beaters, skim milk, low fat cheese.) i very strictly stuck to a 1,200 a day diet and i exercised-at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. i quit drinking regular soda and switched to diet, started having tropicana light orange juice in the morning, and tons of water. it was a lifestyle change, and that is all it was. unlike most book diets, i only made a few rules-
*have breakfast everyday. i think having a big breakfast is my biggest secret. my favorite breakfast is cheese and chive egg beaters, 2 slices of veggie bacon, and a cup of tropicana light orange juice.
*have snacks! an apple, a cup of grapes, a piece of string cheese, a serving of pretzels, a fat free pudding with some berries, an orange. there are plenty of choices.
*have dessert every day! i always always always have something sweet in my day. weight watchers makes great desserts, and breyers and edys both have light versions of their ice cream. just make sure you only have one serving and count your calories.
the most important thing is to keep yourself filled up and busy. keeping filled up is about water and protein. you can get water by drinking it, but also by eating lots of fruits. they're packed with water. protein is available from dairy and peanut butter. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter on an apple is a great way to eat a snack and tide yourself over before dinner or before bed.
don't get discouraged. you will make mistakes. you will cheat. it happens. beating yourself up will not help. just move on. make a better choice next time.
when you start to lose the weight and people start to notice its better than any handful of chips or piece of cake could ever be. keep that in mind.
and lastly, write it all down! the only way you'll be honest is if you write down every single thing you eat, for other people to see. keeping a food diary on weight-loss-forum was my number one key to losing nearly 70 pounds.
i hope this helps!