I've submitted several recipes since I joined months ago & none are approved yet, so I don't know that answer. As for the "serving " question, I put the actual amount in parentheses or after a comma. For example: "3 1/2 servings low-sodium black beans (one 14.5 oz can)", or " 7 servings shredded reduced fat cheddar (1 3/4 cups)".

I do eat breakfast, though often just a nonfat Greek yogurt. The other day I went to Zumba after only having a latte made with 1 cup of nonfat milk; my performance was off & I felt shaky after class. Cottage cheese & a fresh peach will really start my day off right. Much more than that and I'll feel nauseous when exercising hard. On my day of rest, I like starting off with oatmeal with fresh ground almond butter in it, or whole grain pancakes with bananas or blueberries & possibly some chopped walnuts or almonds. A veggie omelet is good, too. I went back & read the article; now I can say I agree with it. My partner doesn't understand why I don't want to go running around without breakfast; think I'll share this article. :o)

Yes, definately! My Cookbook on FS is full of recipes I've adapted, I discovered I enjoy things like fat free cottage cheese with local pear-Basil salsa (or any good salsa) in it; love sauteing an assortment of fresh veggies, adding fresh Basil and some asiago cheese; Yum! Another creation; process a piece of my home made whole wheat flax into crumbs, finely grate a small zucchini; combine in a bowl with 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1 oz crumbled goat cheese, fresh snipped basil, mix well. Cook on medium in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray; 4 pancakes (sort of like egg foo young with a twist). For a real treat I spread some edamame hummus on them. I make a great whole grain Basil tomato pasta salad with savory baked tofu. I love getting creative with smoothies made with Greek yogurt, adding ground flax meal and fresh ground natural almond butter & frozen dark sweet cherries, for instance. I used to bake all the time; loved cookies & baked donuts made with whole wheat pastry flour. The last time I baked cookies was for a great neighbor who was moving away & I didn't even taste one (though my partner told me they were heavenly). I recently made a lightened version of a fruit crisp with fresh peaches, blueberries, and cherries. I did enjoy a small serving of it a couple times, fitting it into my diet without going over or sacrificing nutrition to fit it in. I'm just as happy with a small carton of pineapple Greek frozen yogurt for 'dessert'.

Wow! I would like to print that out & post it on my fridge. I just read it out loud to my partner & found my voice catching & a few tears escaping. We both love it. Thank you!

Ha! I feel your pain! There IS something positive about getting closer to the Change; Aunt Flow only visits two or three times a year. Unfortunately, she usually drops in unannounced; just drops in at the most inopportune times. Like on my trip to Vegas, Valentine's Day, etc.

Google BMI calculator; the CDC has a good, user-friendly one. Mine is 27.7; it sure felt good to go from obese to overweight! I'm looking forward to reaching normal weight; I set my goal one pound under normal's top weight for my height, lol.

I used to take cucumber slices or zucchini slices to Mexican restaurants with me in a ziploc bag. I'm not a low carb person, but those worked for me. Good luck!

One thing that helped me was listening to The Self Compassion Diet CDs on my ipod; good meditation & such. My roommate wants to lose weight & get fit, but she works too much at a job laden with problems, has problems with her family, etc. I feel like she's jealous of my dedication and success(as slow as it is). She bought me a bunch of chocolate for Easter, which I've eaten little of, but totally enjoyed what I did. I think she's frustrated when she see's me entering food on my android when we're at a MLS game or wherever. I love being connected with FS, and am enjoying reading threads like this! Thanks, everyone, for being here for each other.

I like fresh ground almond butter; in oatmeal,on whole wheat flax toast, on slices of apples; it's satisfying with both protein and healthy fat.