I knew I liked you guys! This is our approach, as well. I even have a recipe for a great peanut butter glazed chicken breast if you're interested.

But it appears we have differing notions as to what constitutes an acceptable peanut butter. By my rules, the two inches of standing oil disqualifies the Smuckers. I actually used to make my own peanut butter. But that seemed dangerously close to something domestic. I'd hate to raise Flash's expectations.

:)

Do you ever use peanut butter as an ice cream topping, like hot fudge? Mmm mmm. All you do is heat some in a saucepan with a little milk stirred in, which changes the consistency just enough to prevent it from solidifying when hitting the cold surface.

I actually like it when it solidifies. Hard peanut butter shell with soft ice cream inside. yum!

I'm not much of a chef, but I used to make a mean brownie peanut butter hot fudge sundae. One of the many things that went by the wayside when I gave up sugar. sniff.

When I get really snacky/snarfy and feel like I have to eat something I usually go with popcorn. Popcorn doesn't have that many calories for its volume so it acts as a good "filler". The salt makes you retain water but I actually don't mind that so much because the salt makes me thirsty, I drink more water, and then am full. At this point in the game I would rather have too much salt than too many calories.

Easiest answer to your question: Body for Life.

6 smaller meals per day
weight training (they have an excellent workout) approx. 45 min 3 times week.
cardio approx. 20 minutes 3 times a week

one day a week is a free day where you can have a veritable food orgy. I've done this program a couple of times. You'll lose 2 pounds a week like clockwork and it really minimizes muscle loss. Check out the book in any bookstore or go to

bodyforlife.com

It's as easy as it gets.

When I participated in a fitness challenge two years ago, I would eat one of those 300 calorie protein bars for breakfast and couple that with one of those one a day weight loss vitamins. I figured that if I was going to go to the trouble of swallowing a horse pill sized vitamin, I might as well have it help me lose weight.

During that 10 week challenge, I lost 40 pounds. I've sadly put it back on and am participating in the CB biggest loser contest, so I'm hoping I can get some of it back off.

You'll be most successful keeping the weight off if you make a permanent lifestyle change (which I'm sure I didn't actually need to tell you), so unless you're planning ong eating protein bars and vitamins you probably better start looking at smaller portion sizes, more fruits and vegetables, no soda, cut the sugar, limit the meat, and you should make sure to drink milk.

There was an article in National Geo a while back about an enzyme that is found in cow's milk that helps your body break down fat. It's apparently only found in milk, not other dairy products...or maybe milk was just the best source, can't remember. Either way, point is that drinking at least skim milk will help.

I think that you're right. One of the biggest problems that people that diet have is that once they get the weight off, they change their eating habits to reflect the new loss (somehow one feels better about eating fast food if he or she is excercising).

For a specified period of time, the protein bars aren't bad, but you're right, for the long term, lifestyle and menu changes are important...the vitamins should be a constant.

The best and simplest thing I have done for weight control is regular weight-lifting. I lift three times a week for about 20 minutes or so (in addition to jogging every morning - racquetball a couple times a week). The lifting has increased my muscle mass and density and I have noticed a big difference in my metabolism. It is quite a bit easier to maintain my weight now.

You are consuming more than half of your daily calories at dinnertime, but I've been told it is much better to do so at lunch, and then have a light dinner, that way your body has calories to burn during the day.

Eliminate white bread or white flour? For example, are white breads, flour tortillas, and normal pastas bad for you, but wheat bread, corn tortillas, and spinach pastas are okay?