Diario de writingwyo, 20 may. 22

WWyo, the calories are also something I've been trying to work out! Lately, I've been adding the dry oatmeal, as you have here, and have found I don't feel hungry or even think about food for atleast 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours. Is this the same for you? 

Sadly not for me. I do still enjoy the occasional smoothie, but they don't keep me full for as long as I like. They're a good way to use up bananas that are too ripe for my tastes and the hemp seed I bought that I don't particularly care for. Glad they work for you! 

Adding Protein powder and more oats was the key. Kind of a balancing act. Also, I never try something new if I can't adjust easily during the day. Difficult to concentrate in a meeting if hunger strikes! Have a great day :-) 

I just can't bring myself to use protein powder, although I know a lot of people use it to good effect. It's too processed for my tastes. I have my compromises on processed foods, but that's not one I'm willing to do. Sometimes I'll blend tofu into the smoothie or have a piece of seitan on the side, but not this morning  

Tofu? Yes, thank you, totally forgot about tofu! I really love this site and the positive interaction we have. Great sharing a universe with you WWyo!!! 

Thanks, LivinBreezy! I really enjoy interacting with you and everyone else as well. It keeps me motivated and on track 😊 

YetAnother, post a pic of your new dishes! I like seeing new patterns styles. Let me know, I'll look for it :-) 

YetAnotherAccount -- presentation DOES make a big difference! Good for you! 👍😁 

YetAnother, I'm not a fan of washing dishes or wasting water using dishwasher. I've become a master of having little to no dishes but what we eat off of to clean up! You're lucky, by 25 I had 3 sets of china! Different times!!! :-) 

Yes, smoothies and shakes are classics for people who want to gain weight (usually to put on muscle) and are already on high calories and can't fathom eating more. Throw in a banana or two, a fatty milk or alternative like coconut milk, get liberal with the nut butter, throw in powdered oats and you can easily drink a thousand or more calories. 

Oats_the_whey -- I can totally see that. I've also seen recipes for smoothie bowls that have shocked me with how much food is in them. Maybe they're fine if you're young and working out hard, but as a 50-something, only moderately active woman trying to nudge her weight downward, I don't get that many calories to play with. I'm not super low-cal -- I give myself 1700 to play with -- but some of those bowls would be 1/2 to 2/3 of my calories for the day 

Erq -- I like beets as well. Does anyone know if you can stick half a banana in the fridge for later? I'd prefer only a half, but I don't want to waste  

You can buy old bananas and freeze them broken up. It makes it even colder that way. And older bananas are dirt cheap. 

If you’re going to use the other half of the banana relatively soon, like the next day, you can cut through the banana before you peel it, use half and save the other half. It may brown where the cut is, but you can slice that bit off. Alternatively, you can slice bananas and freeze them, or buy a bag of frozen sliced bananas. Then it’s easy to just throw a few slices into your smoothies and nothings wasted. 

I’m learning a lot from all of you! Thanks for the helpful tips! 

If I want half a banana I just leave the other half in the fruit bowl. Cut a thin slice off the cut edge the next day. 

FlowerMantis, I left a comment on your post. 

Good to know on the bananas. Thanks all! 

regular meals keep me on my plan 

Langele -- yep, I'm way into the regular meals thing!