[James Romeyn]

Since retiring two years ago I lost 65 lbs, work out 6x/week, now bench pressing close to 300 lbs, etc.  This became my regular morning feast.  In the bowl go:
1/2 banana mashed
Splash of organic real extract vanilla (no sweetener of any kind)
Cinnamon lots
4 measured tsp coffee-ground flax seed
Tbsp rasins Paul Newman 'cause their so darn plump & good
Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
3-4 Tbsp slow oats
Splash of Malto Meal

Cover w/ boiling water & mix
Nuke high 1min
Mix
Nuke low 1 min

One slice toast Jack Sprat 80 cal covered w/ Smucker's pure fruit spread
Tea
Read the paper & solve the world's problems.
MMMMmmmmm.

[Bob in St. Louis]

One slice toast Jack Sprat 80 cal covered w/ Smucker's pure fruit spread

Homemade apple butter instead of the store bought stuff.  aa 

Interesting concoction you've got there. I'd give it a try given the opportunity, but not sure I'm willing to spend the $50 to buy all the ingredients I lack. 

Bob

[TheChairGuy]

Crap Jim - I saw you last maybe 3 years ago and I didn't know you were hiding anywhere near 65 extra pounds on ya' (Jim's a big tall fella', but I still didn't see 65 extra lbs there)

Way to go

Oh, and thanks for taking the time to solve the world's problems....I have so little time to now, so it's glad someone else took up the slack in retirement

John

[BradJudy]

I've been playing with various combinations of oatmeal for the few months.  My basic formula is water (usually 1 cup), oats (usually 1/3 cup), a dash of salt and some dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped peaches, whatever I have around).  Nuke it until done (depends on the type of oats ~4 min).  Add some local honey and 1% milk. 

I tried Bob's Red Mill oats, bulk steel cut and rolled oats, and Coaches Oats.  I think my next will be trying a mix of Red Mill and Coaches for a texture combination.  Coaches is tasty, but a very different texture - much like grits. 

I'll have to try adding mashed banana, that sounds good. 

[James Romeyn]

Actually, gained about 8-9 lbs back in the past year, but waistline hovering 'bout the same so hopefully most is muscle/bone mass.  Was on two HBP meds, now none & in the 120/70 range.  Wife keeps telling me the caboose is looking good but she is paid a handsome monthly stipend for such quips.

Amazingly, in efforting to eliminate corn syrup & suger from one's diet, one may find it in the most amazing places, such as added to what is strangely & apparently falsely labeled "100% pure vanilla extract"...upon searching ingredients one finds corn syrup (one gets the feeling this would be an industrial waste if they weren't feeding it to us) &/or sugar.  But continued searching leads to the more expensive "organic" stuff w/o only alcohol added.

The wife says her understanding is that corn syrup is a major contributor to diabetes, in that the body spikes insulin & can not properly digest the stuff.  This is NOT a political statement, but one wonders about the weight (no pun intended) given to the threat of danger from terrorists vs. the fact that in a recent ten-year period the number of clinically diagnosed cases of diabetes in the USA doubled.  Also children now being diagnosed w/ type 1 & 2.

On a related note, did you guys hear the European medical analyst (an MD) who did a loooong & apparently accurate study on the financial effects of obesity?  It was strange in this conclusion: yes indeed obesity costs the public much money form increased medical costs.  But the fact the obese die earlier than the non-obese is a net GAIN in finances, because the older one gets the higher the rate of medical costs increase.  In other words, the overall financial effect on the public for medical costs is a negative influence. 

Obviously one's quality of life is better the healthier one is.  I'll post pics later taken from my favorite mtn bike trail (incredible snow-capped vistas).  There were three strangers encountered on it last year.  One young lass in her 30s, a gentleman even older than me (yes, such exist...when I state my year of birth I first state the last two digits, then qualify w/ "That's nineteen-" blankety-blank..."not eighteen-" blankety-blank).  The lass & older gentleman were about 1/4 mile ahead of me while a younger guy apparently partnered w/ the lass was another 1/4 m ahead of them.  I caught & passed the lass & older guy & closed on the younger guy.  But upon seeing this huge old fart closing he stepped it up.  I kept the same distance but no longer closed till Providence Canyon appeared signaling the end of the chase.  'twas fun anyway. 

 

 

 

[BradJudy]

While I haven't tried it yet, I recently met someone who told me to just make my own vanilla extract at home.  Just get vanilla beans, slit them down the middle and stick them in a jar with vodka (or your choice of high-alcohol source).  Let it sit until it starts turning brown, then use.  Once the liquid is gone, just add more to the same beans.  She said it takes longer to get dark upon re-use, but that the beans last a long time.  I was eating one of her recipes that used the vanilla at the time, so I know it works well enough.

[TF1216]

I choose to buy rolled oats and blend until a fine flour.  I prefer to prepare a bowl of oatmeal on the stove top by heating water for 30 seconds on high.  I then add the oatmeal and stir on medium until the desired thickness is obtained.  At this point I have added protein powders, chicken, fruit, peanut butter, cinnamon and whatever else your little heart desires. 

Give it a try fellas'.