Best Of
Re: Suggestion: Only Gold or Pro users allowed links in forum signature
We have identified a pattern to some of the spam that's coming in and have updated our auto-ban rules.
Thanks for being proactive marking them as spam, your help maintaining and growing the forums leads to a better cronometer experience for us all.
We'll be keeping a close eye to see if these updates help.
Brian
Re: Little bit of a public 'happy dance'
90 pounds lost! I didn't post over the summer, but thought I'd update...20 pounds since June 7 is not too bad if I do say so myself...and I had A LOT of work travel over the summer so was eating in hotels and on the road a lot and still kept it going. I'm going to start a new thread when I hit 100 pounds lost.
I decided to add exercise this week...yes I lost 90 pounds without an organized (or any exercise program)...it's all math - build a deficit and you will lose...but with the weight loss, my BMR calorie allocation is going down and I don't always hit the deficit goal so I'm adding exercise...I'm lucky enough to have a home gym with a gym quality Precor Elliptical 546 and Precor stretching chair - my hubby has a bowflex in there too, but seems overly complicated so I'm going to go back to yoga...I was never as strong as I was when I did power yoga and with the gym equipment out of the way I think my kids can join me so it can be a family activity.
Hopefully be back with you in a month or so with the 100 pound update!
Re: B12 - still confused
Hello!
There is an RDA for B12 and for healthy adults, it's 2.4 mcg per day. This level of B12 was set to maintain blood values and normal functioning. B12 does not have a current upper limit, as no adverse reactions have been seen with higher levels of intake.
Some vitamin B12 is lost by the body through bile, stool, urine, etc. but a lot is recycled, which is why requirements aren't very high. However, if you a plant-based diet and aren't replenishing stores, you can run out of vitamin B12.
In general, the higher the dose of vitamin B12 you take, the less often you need to take it. If you wanted to supplement daily, taking a smaller dose like 50 mcg should be sufficient. If you wanted to supplement weekly, you would only need to take ~1000 mcg 1-2 x per week.
Regular bloodwork (every 6-12 months) is important to ensure that you are taking the correct dose of B12. Some people lack stomach acid or something called intrinsic factor, which is needed to absorb B12 well. In this case, monthly B12 injections, which bypass the gut, are used.
Hope this helps!
Re: What do you use Cronometer for?
This is probably not the best place to post this, but since its been mentioned....
The issue with smoking is more mental than physical. Once you quit smoking completely, the nicotine leaves your system after about 72 hours. But, like most smokers, you've developed the habit over time, and the mind is trained for that habit. In addition, there's the addiction side of things to deal with. Generally with addiction, there's a reason why we smoke instead of dealing with whatever pushed us down that avenue to begin with.
When I finally quit, I quit cold turkey and I spent a ton of time working through urges and cravings and retraining myself to no longer be a smoker. Like any addiction, probably the most important tool is a support structure.
I too enjoyed smoking, or so I used to tell myself. It took awhile for me to get in the mental state of being "ready" to quit. Once I was there, there was no turning back. I did a lot of what I would consider sub-par attempts.
I dont want to clutter this thread any longer, but this is certainly a good topic to discuss.
Re: What integration would you like to see next?
I just discovered cronometer this week and am looking at it with a fresh set of eyes. I love the nutrition info offered - far more detailed than fitnesspal however I hesitate to switch because adding new foods and recipes is cumbersome. I want the ability to paste a URL and import a recipe or type in a simple list and have cronometer match foods and build the recipe for me, lastly it would be very helpful to be able to take a pic of a barcode and have all of the nutrient info populated. thank you!
Vegan Ketosis
Has anyone tried it?
I did it for 2 months and it went amazing. I lost 7.3lbs of pure body fat. Verified by using a colleges bodpod to test BF during the 2 months.
It would not have been possible without cronometer.
I was able to narrow down everything right where it should be.
Re: The Plant-Based Eating Interview is Live!
The wonderful thing about being human is that we are able to eat a very diverse diet, including one that is completely plant-based, if we so choose. 
While we certainly have adapted to be able to eat a variety of animal products, it doesn't appear that these are essential to health.
Kind regards,
Re: Cronometer Saves the Day
@Hilary, sorry it took me so long to reply! Here is our favorite cheese "sauce" recipe. What I love about this recipe is that everyone, even non-adventuresome SAD-eaters, love it (I've only made it with cashews).
This is a very "forgiving" sauce:
- Don't worry of you don't follow the ingredient amounts exactly. The only "must" is to add enough starch to thicken it because you can thin it out later but once "cooked" you can't re-thicken it.
- If you don't have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or BlendTec, make the substitutions marked with an asterisk (*) so you still get a smooth product.
- It stores and freezes well (see Hints below).
- If you don't have a blender that can run "hot" enough to make the starch thicken, just blend everything but the potato starch, then put it in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until it thickens.
"Not-So-Cheese Sauce," adapted from Vitamix's cookbook
Makes about 6-7 cups of "cheese" sauce. You can make a half-recipe first to see if you like it. However, do not try to double this recipe because it won't fall fit in a Vitamix!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh if possible, it really does make a difference).
1/4 cup canned pimentos, drained, OR 1/2 to 1 roasted red pepper, rinsed & drained (if using roasted red pepper paste, use about 2 Tbsp or the manufacturer's equivalent measure to 1/2-1 whole pepper)
2/3 cup whole, _raw _cashews* or almonds* (NOT roasted or salted!)
1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more or less to taste)
1.5 to 2 teaspoons salt (if used to packaged foods & dairy cheese, use 2 tsp. Can reduce or omit for low-salt diet).
1 1/2 cups _boiling _water (have simmering water at the ready, or microwave to boiling just before using)
4 Tablespoons (i.e.1/4 cup) potato starch mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup cold water (use just enough water to be able to soften/suspend the starch so that you can pour/scrape it into the blender).
DIRECTIONS
- Place all ingredients into the high-powered blender container in the order listed and secure lid.
- Blend at lowest speed for a few seconds, until ingredients are fully mixed (on Vitamix: Select Variable 1.)
- Slowly increase speed until you reach maximum (for Vitamix: slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then flip switch to High.)
- Blend on highest speed for 6-7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid. (While it blends, you can prepare the boiling water and the potato starch paste.)
- Reduce speed to medium-high (on Vitamix: Select Variable 7) and remove the lid plug. Pour the 1.5 cups boiling water and then the potato starch mix into the opening while blender is running.
- Continue to blend about 1 minute, until mixture thickens.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR NON-HIGH-POWERED BLENDERS (OR NOT HAVING AN INGREDIENT)
*Substitutes for the pimentos or roasted red peppers:
- Use roasted red pepper paste (available in a tube in most groceries' canned tomatoes or Italian foods section).
- Though it won't taste the same, you also can substitute about 1/2-1 tsp of tomato paste plus a few drops of "smoke" flavoring , or 1/2 to 1 tsp smoked paprika (or chipotle pepper if you want spicy-hot).
*Substitutes for the cashews or almonds:
- Use cashew butter or almond butter. Make sure it doesn't have Palm or Coconut or other hydrogenated oil in it. Just the nuts (and some salt is ok). Use _raw _cashew/almond butter if possible; the roasted varieties will make the sauce taste too much like the nuts.
HINTS:
- For an even smoother sauce, soak the nuts in water (at least 30 mins for hot water; at least 90 minutes for room-temp water). Can soak a whole day ahead if you put them in fridge. Drain before using.
- For a "nacho" style sauce, add 1/2 to 1 cup **drained **salsa after Step 6, and continue blending till smooth. (I usually pour off 1/2 the recipe to keep as standard sauce, then add the salsa to the rest so I have some of both on hand!)
- The sauce thickens as it cools. If it's too thick, whisk in some milk (dairy or non-dairy) or room-temp water. You can up to half the potato starch in the recipe next time if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezes well (both regular and "nacho" style). Thaw at room temp, overnight in refrig, or slowly over a low heat (do not microwave to thaw). You may need to stir it and add a bit of "milk" or water.
- To reheat, warm slowly over a medium-low stove. If using in a baked recipe, you can use it cold and let the baking process heat it up.
- For a lower-fat version, substitute up to half the cashews with white beans (rinsed & drained well) or cooked-till-soft cauliflower (drained well).
IDEAS ON HOW TO USE THIS SAUCE:
- This vegan, gluten-free "cheese" sauce is perfect as a nacho dip or served hot over anything you would use melted Velveeta(R) on: cooked macaroni, baked potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, etc.
- This sauce bakes beautifully. Thickens and gets a browned "crust" much like dairy cheese!
- Can substitute 1:1 with any recipe that would use cheese, such as baked macaroni, baked scalloped potatoes, etc. Does not have to be reheated first, just pour it in and bake.
- An easy dinner is a bag of frozen hash browns, a small bag of your favorite frozen veggie medley, a can of white beans, and 2 cups of this sauce. Stir it all up and bake in a large oiled baking pan or casserole dish at 400F for 45-60 minutes.
I've been tracking my food intake and weight changes for 100 days and here's what it looks like
Here's a link to the reports
I am happy to say I have been recording my food intake and weight changes consistently since January 8th. I have only missed two days of tracking when I needed a weekend off to regroup mentally. Today marks 100 days of tracking, so I thought I would give a brief update of my progress. My goals are to hit most of my nutrient goals consistently and lose about 0.5 pounds per week until I hit my goal weight.
I've lost 8.4 pounds total over the last 100 days which is roughly 0.5 pounds per week. You can see from the weight report that March was very difficult for me, but I am finally back on track and have been consistently weighing in less than I did when my weight started going up.
I hit most of my nutrient goals consistently. Potassium is always the most difficult goal to meet, but adding more vegetables than normal to all of my meals helps me meet that goal most of the time. I generally meet my fiber goal, but frequently eat low fiber and low nutrient density foods on the weekends, so fiber is just under my goal on average over those 100 days. My alcohol intake is more than I would like. The bulk of that came from March.
I just thought I would share in case it helps anyone going through a rough patch (like I did in March). Keep pushing through to your goals!
Re: Any non US users having issues finding basic stuff?
I have trouble finding basic stuff all the time (for example, my car keys which I usually find in the freezer)
