Quit eating salads. Boom, problem solved (somebody had to do it).

On the weight loss side, boost your metabolism through exercise and you'll be able to eat more of want you want while still losing the fat.

I've been in a constant battle to bring my 190 down to 175 forever. I lost the 15 that got me down to 190 a long time ago, and recently just resolved to get back down under 180. For me what works and what worked before is a combination of weight watchers and as hardcore a weightlifting program as I can take. I think the hidden valley FF is as good as it gets, which isn't good, I tend to preer Caines FF Ceaser, which is really very good.

Fat-free salad dressings are not actually that wonderful. Many of the ingredients in common salads are already fat-free, but without at least a little fat present, certain nutrients in those raw vegetables, like lycopene and beta-carotene, are actually impossible for our bodies to absorb. With a fat-free dressing (and no fatty salad ingredients like cheese, avocados or nuts), you're essentially just eating salad for the taste and not the nutrition - and who wants to do that?

The best way to do this is to stick to a low-fat or full-fat dressing (or by adding salad ingredients with good kinds of fats: olives, nuts, avocados, and some cheeses). Olive oil based dressings are full of heart healthy fats, and are also good for your skin and hair. But if you really want ranch styles, stick to the versions with the least amount of ingredients on the label, or the most amount of ingredients on the label that you recognize as actual food. Newman's Own makes excellent dressings, and I heartily recommend their low-fat ranch.

Another tip: whatever dressing you choose, put it on the side of your salad, not on top. Then dip your fork into it as you eat, and then into the salad. That gives you the flavor of the dressing, but you're not eating as much of it (since full-fat dressings can sometimes be hundreds and hundreds of empty calories). Plus, it doesn't wilt your salad, which is why I do it. Nothing worse than soggy lettuce. Ew.

Man was also not made to eat things like vegetables when meat was available. Now get out there and hunt yourself an elf. Ohh no no no, that gun stays HERE buddy, get your pocket knife.

If Warlock's anything like me, the ranch dressing is for just about everything *but* salads. Well, salads too. Pizza crust, sandwich spread, on cereal, over ice cream... ok, I made those last two up. But the diversity of ranch's deliciousness is what makes it dangerous. Do not bother trying to use fat-free varieties; as others have said they often jack up the sugar content in "fat free" foods in a lame attempt to recoup flavor. Instead, just be honest with yourself and have the full-fat version. Fat is good, fat fills you up and curbs your appetite. Now, if it's healthy fats like those found in olive oil and nuts, all the better. I'm no poster-boy for physical prowess (see: me bursting out of coconut bra) but I'm relatively healthy because I just try to limit my portions and eat healthy when given the choice. Have an orange with your lunch instead a bag of doritos. Have a banana for breakfast instead of a sausage mcmuffin with ranch.

Lose weight = eat healthier + exercise

It's really that simple.

Oh, and pick up smoking! Really kills that appetite

Make sure to pan fry the Cheerios in a half stick of butter, and sprinkle liberally with garlic salt before consuming!

Why not try a brand of frozen yogurt or sorbet? Fat-free ice cream is a crime against humanity. Plus, if you factor in all the additives and preservatives, it's even worse for you than the regular kind. Better to just eat less of the full-fat stuff, or switch to a frozen yogurt/sorbet, than to eat crappy ice cream.

Also, there's a National Ranch Council? Knowing this makes me want to cry.

Yum. Sorbet and frozen yogurt are good. Still have to watch that sugar. Like someone else said, inevitably it comes down to diet and exericse. i.e. More apples, less sugar. More exercise, less couch gaming. It's the unfortunate reality of losing weight. You have to actually change your lifestyle some.

I'm at about 230. I need to try to get down to 180. Exercise is the tough part with the arthritis, so I gotta work on that.

But the eating part, well, that's more iffy. I've maintained for a while now; haven't gained much weight in the past two years fortunately except for a bit last winter (about ten pounds).

DS, what bread do you recommend? That's probably the worst part for me, since I love me some sammiches. Fortunately when I do salad, I prefer Italian dressings over ranch, which is a bit better. I actually have to worry more about my sodium intake than anything else though, with the history of heart disease / blood pressure on my dad's side of the family.

I need to figure out what exercise I can do that isn't high-impact but is at least fun enough (or something like that) and doable indoors (long winters in Iowa) for me to stick with.

Okay. From my flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30367835@N00/

Before...

After...

Thanks for the recommendation Tyrian. I'm happy to try a few varieties, find something I really dig.

I eat a couple different kinds of bread. I always look for sprouted wheat bread and cracked wheat when that's not available. It's much less processed. The companies I buy are NatureBake (a Portland company) and Nature's Path. The latter isn't great for sandwhiches. But often what I'll do is just eat 2 or 3 turkey slices by hand and then eat the bread by itself. The bread is almost like cake, it's so good, yet the ingredients are like follows.

"Sprouted Organic Whole Wheat Kernels, Filtered Water, Organic Dates (may contain pits), Organic Cinnamon and Organic Oatmeal"

Doesn't get much more simple than that.

http://www.naturespath.com/products/breads