sodas leech nutrients from your body and often contain substances that can be/are toxic (like aspartame). it's a good idea to avoid sodas--diet or otherwise.

drink water, herbal tea (you can ice herbal tea and it's quite nice).

sodas leech nutrients from your body and often contain substances that can be/are toxic (like aspartame). it's a good idea to avoid sodas--diet or otherwise.

drink water, herbal tea (you can ice herbal tea and it's quite nice).

Wow. Do Sodas really do that? I mean really? Does medical science back this up?

I agree that water and herbal tea are better for you... But Soda, diet soda specifically, robs your body of healthiness???

REALLY? :stinkeye:

sodas leech nutrients from your body and often contain substances that can be/are toxic (like aspartame). it's a good idea to avoid sodas--diet or otherwise.

drink water, herbal tea (you can ice herbal tea and it's quite nice).

I can't remember what it is exactly, but there are chemicals in diet sodas that act as appetite stimulants. A friend of mine fought hard for years to lose weight without much progress, it wasn't until he gave up the diet soda that he managed to shed weight like crazy.
There is medical evidence to back it up, I just haven't looked at any of it in a couple of years, it'll take me a bit to find it.

Iced peppermint tea makes me do dances of joy. :bobo:

yes.

didn't i already say that you need to do your research?

the caffine, the acids in the drinks, even the carbonation itself leeches nutrients out of your body--even out of what you eat while you're drinking it. THe process of neutralizing and digesting these compounds uses elements that the body could use for other purposes.

second, here are some "quick cooking" tips:

1) another thing about trader joe's - they have frozen brown rice that cooks in three minutes. it's a godsend. their frozen veggies are awesome, and they also have a good amount of sauces (not just pasta) in a jar that you can easily throw on top of some cooked veggies/tofu.

2) don't know what to do with those veggies that you're afraid will spoil in the fridge? throw a stirfry together! some ingredients that you might want to stock incase you don't have them already are: soy sauce, black bean sauce, toasted sesame oil (trader joe's makes a really good one), etc. feel free to experiment. you can also throw in tofu/tempeh for more protein.

3) find time on the weekend to make a large batch of something that will last you all (or most of) the week. this way you don't have to scramble for food. lasagna, stew, casseroles, soup are all good choices. you can even freeze the food if you don't want to eat it right away.

4) i know people have already mentioned this, but cookbooks are a good idea, especially since you are just starting out. they will give you ideas you maybe wouldn't be able to come up with on your own.

My doctor has me on the 100 grams per day diet. Since the new lifestyle started (the beginning of the weight loss) he has preached that my body needs 100 grams per day and even forces me to drink protien shakes :(

The coffee for me is a treat that has 200 calories, no fat, and 20 grams protien... I'm not sure why its so bad for me.

Also - what is the advantage to switch from FAT FREE 200 calorie skim milk to 350 calorie 16 grams of fat SOY MILK?

You really need to forget that advice for a moment, and google up a protien calc., there is a "regular" for you to eat at about 46 grams or so, but it varies by person depending on their weight, height, age and gender. So PLEASE do a quick search or call a vegetarian nutritionist, if you call a non-veg nutritionist they may discourage your diet change because they do not understand it.

For the coffee, I don't drink it that often, so I can't offer much; but if your drinking it with caffeen, that can defently mess with your body, not to mention disrupting your sleeping habits. Next time you go to Starbucks, I recommend trying to find a caffeen free version of what you usually order. As for it otherwise, I honostly have no clue as to why it is unhealthy to drink coffee, but whach out for the flavorings and whipped cream and all of that, which they may top the drink with or mix in it.