Sally Squires

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The Lean Plate Club
With Sally Squires
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001; 1 p.m. EST

Welcome to The Lean Plate Club, hosted by Washington Post health and nutrition writer Sally Squires. On Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET, Sally leads a discussion for people who want to eat healthier, move around more and otherwise get better but not bigger. We're not about fad diets or crash weight-loss plans; we're about eating wisely and living healthy for the long haul.

We want to hear from you -- your tips, strategies, meal plans, successes, warnings, setbacks and more. Of course Sally will be happy to answer questions, and turn others over to the Club. None of this, of course, is a substitute for medical advice.

Health section editor Craig Stoltz will join Sally sometimes. He has none of Sally's impressive credentials but labors under a decade-long medical directive to control his weight and eat wisely, takes a statin to lower his blood cholesterol and keeps track of everything he eats on a Palm handheld computer, a fact most of his acquaintances no longer find interesting.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Sally Squires: Welcome to the Lean Plate Club. Today, the Holiday Challenge begins. Dare to make this holiday different, and no that doesn't mean dieting, but rather vowing to hold your weight steady until Jan. 1 despite holiday parties, crazy schedules and 21st century stresses that few of us could have imagined two months ago.

Look in today's Health section for a weight chart that will enable you to track your weight as you hold the course steady this holiday season. You'll also find tips from experts on how to make it through the holidays and check in with our discussion bulletin board to tell us how your'e doing. Watch upcoming Health sections for weekly tips and strategies and send me an e-mail with your name and address if you're willing to share your experiences in an upcoming Health section. (E-mail me at squiress@washpost.com and please put LPC Holiday Challenge in the subject line.)

We've already got some questions--and some fiery comments--about the Holiday Challenge. Health Editor Craig Stoltz is also likely to join the chat today too. So let's roll.

Maryland: Maintaining over the holidays sounds like a great, and do-able, idea. It is so easy to unthinkingly gain weight. I gained two pounds over Halloween! The candy was right there, easy to snack on, easy to lose track of how much I snacked. Thanksgiving and Christmas are worse in terms of food temptations. This sounds like a good plan.

Sally Squires: Thanks Maryland. You've got the idea. The goal is to enjoy this holiday season responsibly. Have some of that Buche Noel, or a potato latke or two. Sip a little egg nog. Just don't do it all. Be selective and keep up the exercise, which will help with holiday stresses and appetite. Consider checking in on the message board to relay your progress. We're also looking for a few folks to feature in an upcoming Health section as they take the holiday challenge. Info for messaging me is included above.

Alexandria, Va.: Sally,

You printed today that 300,000 Americans die from obesity annually, costing the U.S. $100 billion in healthcare annually. Can this be right? That ought to be enough for a national call to arms to encourage obese people put the fork down! I'm not suggesting this is a license to persecute these "horizontally challenged" folks, but haven't we been handling the situation with kid gloves for too long?

In this day and age, we know more about healthy lifestyles. It seems to me there are just no good excuses to be fat.

Sally Squires: Yes, Alexandria, sad to say, it is true.Judith Stern, professor of nutrition and internal medicine at the University of California at Davis, says "We would have declared an emergency years ago if this was an infectious disease. The deaths are like two jumbo jets crashing every day and it is getting worse."

What's more, obesity and overweight is known to trigger or be related to over a dozen diseases and conditions,
including kidney failure, limb loss, impotence, dozens of ailments of the circulatory system,
joint disintegration, back problems, sleep apnea, constipation, depression and some of the
leading cancers. At any given time, its effects are responsible for filling over half the
hospital beds in the United States. So yes, this is quite a serious problem. And it's part of why we launched the Lean Plate Club and the current holiday challenge.

Alexandria, Va.: Sally, I must respectfully disagree with the advice you dispensed today in your piece urging people to strive to avoid weight gain, rather than attempt to shed pounds. This country is in the midst of an epidemic of obesity! More than half of Americans are overweight, causing medical problems from heart disease to diabetes -- and for which every American ends up paying. In your role as nutrition writer for The Post, you have a moral obligation to encourage people to SLIM DOWN! If everyone follows your advice, half of your readers will still be obese after the holidays! How can you?!

Sally Squires: Ah, but Alexandria, you missed the point. We're not disputing the obesity epidemic. We're just noting that holidays are a notoriously bad time to try to lose weight. Most research suggests that people fail. They wind up feeling doubly miserable because they tried to deprive themselves and didn't succeed. What an awful way to the start the New Year!

What we're challenging people to do this year is simply stay the course through the holidays. In other words, don't gain any weight. Use moderation this year. Give yourself license to eat some things--but not to gorge. Stay the same weight until the holidays are over. Then plunge in and lose weight as needed.

You should also know that since most people gradually accrue weight--a pound or two per year--public health experts have also issued a gauntlet on various occassion for folks to hold steady and not gain any more weight. If they simply did that, they'd be ahead of the curve. But yes, there are many people who need to trim unwanted pounds. We're just suggesting that they do that after the holidays. (And avoid the up to 6 pounds that are often added during the holidays. In fact, Jack Yanovski at the National institutes of Health, found that on average people gain about 0.8 of a pound during the holidays. But the heaviest people--those with BMI of 30 or more--gain the most weight, about 6 pounds. So if they could simply avoid that weight gain this year, they'd be doing themselves a big favor.)

Washington, D.C.: A friend of mine has been on-again off-again on the Atkins diet. I told her about the story you did on it a few weeks ago, but neither of us can find it. Could you post the link? Any other thoughts on the diet? Thank you.

washingtonpost.com: Can't find that particular article. Sorry!

Sally Squires: Washington: It ran on October 9, 2001. Bottom line: The American Heart Association reviewed the diets and called the high protein plans, such as the Atkins diet, unproven and risky. The US Department of Agriculture also looked at the diets a year or two ago and came to much the same conclusion. Can you lose weight on the Atkins diet. Yes, but studies suggest that most of that weight is water weight and there is no evidence that the weight loss lasts.

Fairfax County, Va.: Your advice on weight control was way off base. As Dr. Stephen Gullo writes in his book "Thin Tastes Better:" "A scale is not the instrument to use when checking your level of food control. After all, every fat person owns a scale!" Clothes size is still the best way to measure weight loss, because water weight, TOM, and other factors can cause 1-4 pounds of fluctuation daily.

Sally Squires: Guess I'm going to have to also respectfully disagree, Fairfax, although I understand your point. Yes, there can be significant fluctuations in weight. And yes, some people do get too attached to the scale, so that if it drops, they figure that gives them a reason to celebrate and eat and if it goes up, they feel depressed all day because their efforts didn't pay off. But,...you have to also know that numerous studies, including the National Weight Loss Registry--a group of more than 3,000 successful losers--shows that monitoring weight by getting on yes, that dreaded scale, is one of the crucial ingredients that is linked to long-term success.

Okay, so why did we suggest weigh-ins? And how can you cope with those weight fluctuations (to which women are particularly prone because of hormonal shifts during the month)? Thomas Wadden at the University of Pennsylvania suggests monitoring your weight very closely for about 48 hours. In other words, get on that scale throughout the day and track how your weight shifts. If you really want to know, that will give you a sense of your natural fluctuation. George Blackburn at Harvard also notes that the body resets weight about every 48 hours, so you might want to keep that in mind too.

Bottom line: we're suggesting that you check the scale weekly. But if you absolutely cannot bear to do that, then we also noted that you could use an article of clothing--a belt, a pair of pants, a skirt, to get a sense of whether your weight is remaining stable. The point is to eat moderately and exercise regularly and the weight should take care of itself.

By the way: other books worth looking at:
Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher
The Seven Secrets of Slim People by Vikki Hanssen and Shawn Goodman
The Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People and How to Make Them Part of Your Life, by Jill H. Podjasek

Carbondale, Pa.: Do you know if there is a way to follow the Weight Watchers, etc., plans without actually going to the meetings? Would using a cookbook from one of these groups be good enough? I was particularly interested in this "point system" thing but don't relish the thought of vocalizing my eating troubles in a group. Thanks!
--Shy, but trying to eat right!

Sally Squires: Yes, Carbondale, there are ways to follow Weight Watchers without going to a meeting. You can now get handheld personal devices that have WW points so you can track your progress yourself. Of course, you'll miss the interaction of the meetings. WW publishes a magazine and maybe best for you is that you can also do WW online. Go to:www.weightwatchers.com

Washington, D.C.: Do you ever have David Broder or Gene Weingarten or other Posties coming to you for nutrition advice?

Sally Squires: No one that I can name publicly.

Peace Valley, W.Va.: Hello all, ma'am,
OK, me and my lovebug roomate are getting closer and closer to beeing full blown vegetarians. We love vegtables and not eating meat but still do maybe once or twice a week. What are some good protein sorses besides meat? We consume beans almost daily, we love them so much but have heard it's not good to eat beans everyday. Our experiments in tofu have been gross to say the least and are not yet up for trying it again. Broccoli is yummy but messes up my roomates belly. Any suggestions will be rewarded by cheers, praise and the thanks of happy people.

Sally Squires: There are all kinds of good things that you can choose. Question here is do you want to be vegetarian (where you might eat some poultry, fish or eggs) or vegan (no animal products whatsoever.) Only you can answer that. And be aware that vegetarians and vegans need to be sure to get enough vitamin B12.

I really like boca burgers and gardenburgers. You can also find a wide array of other meat substitutes. The Seventh Day Adventists are experts at this. Look for their cookbooks and you'll find some meatless products in grocery stores and whole food stores. Also check out Vegetarian Resource Group. (They've got a new cookbook that's made just for you called Vegan Meals for One or Two.)

Diet for A Small Planet is worth reading if you're really serious about this. The author, Frances Moore Lappe also has a new book coming out. (I've seen galleys but have not yet read it.) Be sure to take a look at Deborah Madison's books on cooking vegetarian as well as Dean Ornish's. And remember that a lot of cultures, from Asian to Italian, use very little meat. You can have some great meals.

Arlington, Va.: How do I win the contest?

Sally Squires: By participating, of course. Actually it's a challenge, not a real contest. But we do have in mind a few freebies in upcoming weeks. Besides, think how good you're going to feel in January if you haven't put on those unwanted pounds. Isn't that enough?

Arlington, Va.: Sally, I'm eating edemame for lunch! mmmmm, with soy sauce. Yum!

Sally Squires: Hi Arlington--Craig Stoltz here, Sally's occasional online companion and lightning rod for Clubsters' ire. Thanks to the beating we've been taking over our ignorance about/displeasure with edamame, we've decided to conduct a placebo-controlled, double-blind, prospective study here in the Health section of this healthy Asian delicacy. Our research question: Do they taste good enough to replace our current sorta-healthy office snack, Pirate's Booty Cheese Flavor crunchies? We'll be happy to begin the protocol using leftovers from your lunch today, if you'd be kind enough to bring them by. We're here until 5:30 or so.

Chicago, Ill.: Dear Sally,

I had my cholesteral checked for the first time last week (I'm 28) and it came back a little high (200). I guess I shouldn't be so surprised given that my mom has high cholesteral and is on medication. The only action my doctor has recommended I take is lowering my intake of saturated fats. I'm a healthy weight, exercise regularly and try to eat healthily, but for me that means making sure I get lots of fruits and veggies, enough protein (but not much red meat) and calcium. I have not really worried about fat intake before though. So, what are saturated fats? What specifically should I be cutting out? Will I have to say goodbye to peanut butter sandwiches and my beloved cheese?

Sally Squires: Meat and poultry can have a lot of saturated fat. So do the obviously high fat foods, such as fried chicken, french fries, etc. Potato chips and other fried snack foods are right up there too. And even the great tasting vegetable chips--Terra chips come to mind--contain 7 grams of fat per serving.

Baked goods, particularly crackers, can be deceptively high in fat. Odds are that they often contain saturated fat and trans fatty acids, which are equally detrimental in terms of heart disease. Here's the tough part: food labels don't have to tell you how much trans fatty acid a product contains. You can get a ballpark estimate, however, by checking the total fat and subtracting the saturated fat and other fat grams. What's left over is the trans fatty acids.

Go to www.nih.nhlbi.gov and look at the cholesterol information contained there. It's really good and will answer a lot of your questions. You can also take a quiz that will help estimate your risks.

Yes, you can have peanut butter and some cheese, but you're right, both are high in fat and you'll need to have them in moderation. Consider trying Benecol or Take Control. Both are margarine like spreads that can help lower cholesterol by as much as 6 percent. And be sure to eat lots of whole grains. Oatmeal is a really good choice. It can help to lower cholesterol too.

Falls Church, Va.:
Hey Sally,

Just wanted to write and say thanks for the article this morning, I am going to print it out and keep it close during this holiday season! I found the information very helpful and informative (although I was a little confused about the weigh-in every day part, but you cleared that up earlier), and I am definitely up for the challenge! I lost 20+ lbs over the past year, and I don't want the holidays to derail my efforts!

Sally Squires: Go for it Falls Church. Let us know how you do. You can check in at the bulletin board that's been set up specially for this holiday challenge. And if you're interested in sharing your efforts in more detail, e-mail me at the address above. Include your name and contact info. We're looking for a few folks to feature as they go through the Holiday Challenge.

Re Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers really works -- and you don't have to be a group person to get a lot out of it. However, I'd suggest going to the group at least 1 or 2 times -- to understand the program and listen to others. If you don't like the group, you can just go, weigh in each week, get the materials for the week, and leave. That's what I do -- but I've found that the structure of going there weekly helps keep me honest during the week.

Sally Squires: Yes, good advice. Another option is TOPS. It costs just $20 for the year. Find locations at www.tops.org

Silver Spring, Md.: Several weeks ago you had a short article about pedometers as a tool for exercise and weight loss. Any suggestions on brand names, models? Thanks.

Sally Squires: There are a whole bunch of these devices out there. I happen to have a Digiwalker, which I found on-line through another discussion group. It works well. But there are many great brands. Anybody else have suggestions?

Sally Squires: Stoltz here again. I'd just like to add to Sally's spirited defense of the stay-the-course Holiday Challenge by pointing out that, if you accept the goal, you really can enjoy yourself more over the holidays than you could if you're always torturing yourself over every indulgence. By allowing yourself up to 2,000 calories a day--enough to satisfy even a short, square-shaped, fairly active carbo hound like me--you can plan your indulgences and enjoy them without guilt. Save up half your daily calories for dinner, and you can put away 1,000 in that meal and dessert. That leaves a surprising amount of room for cookies, a big second helping of mashed potatoes, another piece of pumpkin pie, etc. As I've confessed previously in this space, I use Vivonic software for the Palm to make keeping a running total of my calories, both for the day-so-far and the week-so-far, very easy. It's much better, by my tastes, than writing the foods down and looking them up. And less accommodating to "cheating." In any event, some way of approximating calorie counts during each day is really useful to meeting The Challenge.

Fairfax, Va.: Hi,

I heard different opinions on the daily meals: one is to stick with 3 regular meals at the same time everyday; the other is to eat several small meals throughout the day.
Which one is the right one to maintain a healthy lifestyle ? (assuming a well-balance food intake for both approaches).

Sally Squires: Fairfax: There's no one way. The most important thing is to find out what works for you. Some people find that eating between meals just makes them keep eating. Others find that several smaller, well-planned meals spread throughout the day staves off hunger and mindless overeating. Only you can tell for sure.

My suggestion: try it both ways. Take 2,000 calories. Divide it into three meals. Try eating that for two to three days and see how you feel. Then take those same 2,000 calories and divide them into for or five meals. Try that for a few days. Important thing is to keep the calories and the foods roughly the same. Just see what seems to work best for you. (And don't forget activity. In other words, if you run three miles one of those days, better do it also when you try the other eating regimen.)

Crofton, Md.: My most successful holiday weight maintenance has come in the years when I had something else to do for Thanksgiving than have a big feast. One year the family went to Colorado to ski. Thanksgiving dinner was turkey sanwhiches jammed in our parka pockets. Another year we spent the day volunteering at a shelter cooking for others and dishing it up. I think cooking the traditional T'giving feast (and having all the leftovers) is a signal to our bodies to go wild, and whenever my body has missed that signal I have not gained anything at all. This year we are going to a restaurant for a normal meal. No feast, no leftovers, no signal to begin the gluttony!

Sally Squires: Great ideas, Crofton. We've also done local outings on Thanksgiving. One year after dinner, we went down to the Mall and watched a new 3-D Imax film on the Galapagos. It got us all out of the house and moving around. This year, we're going to Louisiana where we are going to have---brace yourselves---deep fried turkey, a Louisiana specialty. But I plan to enjoy it for that day only. (And I assure you, in moderation!)

New Haven, Conn.: Hi Sally,

I'm in the process of losing weight. Even though I eat the same number of calories and exercise the same amount per day, my weight loss often occurs in spurts -- nothing for a week to ten days, then a drop of 2-3 pounds in one to two days. Can you please explain what's going on? thanks!

Sally Squires: What you're experiencing is perfectly normal. One thought is that fat cells retain water as they lose fat--hence the no weight loss for a few weeks then the sudden drop.

But you should also know that weight loss is not an exact science. It takes the body a while to equilibrate. Everybody's a little different. And you don't give your sex, but women can experience quite signficant weight shifts with monthly cycles.

Annapolis, Md.: Hi!
My boyfriend has just been diagnosed with high cholesterol (259). He is 33. What changes can we make in our regular eating habits that will help him bring this down without medicine? He has three months to try to do it with diet, and then come the meds. Is pork still acceptable? How about Sushi? Are there certain fish types that are better or worse for cholesterol? Is all beef out? He normally doesn't eat breakfast - would eating oatmeal or grape nuts or something else in the morning help him? He also is not a big veggie fan - are there some that are better than others for cholesterol level, that he should definitely eat? I know about the exercise components of getting healthy, and we eat very little junk food - we snack on hard pretzels occasionally, use very little processed foods, and are generally healthy eaters, with the exception of his veggie dislike, which has actually gotten much better recently - it's primarily a "no lettuce/tomato on the sandwich" deal now, he will try most everything else.
I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks!

Sally Squires: You can make lots of changes, Annapolis and a level of 259 is definitely worth attending to.You might have him also log onto the following website and calculate his risk for heart disease. (http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/atpiii/calculator.asp)

Is he overweight? If so, losing weight can definitely help lower cholesterol. Is he active? Physical activity can also help.

Be sure to focus on more of a plant based diet, low in fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Yes, oatmeal is a good choice and breakfast would be good for starting the day, but he could eat it at other times too. Is all beef, pork and other meat out? Depends on how well your boyfriend responds to diet and other lifestyle changes. Check out books by Ron Goor, Peter Kwiterovitch (of Johns Hopkins) and the American Heart Association. Dean Ornish also has a whole list that will be helpful. Good luck and keep at it. You're doing the right thing.

Washington, D.C.: Re: Fairfax calling you "way off base"... Just had to put my dos centavos in on this thread. We can argue 'til the cows come home whether a scale is appropriate to monitor weight loss or if clothes that fit better should be the barometer.

Bottom line: everyone is different and everyone has different motivations (as well as triggers). So each person must get to know their bodies inside and out, and what works best for them. Period.

The one to four pound fluctuations on a scale can easily show up in tighter pants. People in weight loss programs must understand that there will always be highs and lows, learn from mistakes, not get frustrated and persevere. Consistency and lifestyle change are what will determine long-term success. In the end, everything we use to measure will reflect this very clearly: the scale, the clothes, the mirror, the lungs, the heart, the disposition.

Sally Squires: All good points Washington. And you're right, there are a wide range of markers to remind us how well we're doing. I think one of the points that research shows, however, is that you can't fool the bathroom scale. If it's consistency going up, it's not a good thing. Another option is to get one of the bioimpedence devices that measures percent body fat. Thanks for participating.

Bethesda, Md.: Hi Sally,

I've recently been making a lot of cajun/creole style dishes. Most of the recipies call for heavy cream. While I do enjoy the taste, I do realize the high fat content cooking with heavy cream brings. Most of the recipies I've been making entail adding the cream and allowing it to reduce by 1/3 to 1/2. What are the taste/texture implications for substituting light cream or even milk (2 percent or Skim) in the recipe? Thanks!

Sally Squires: Well, normally I would say that you can easily substitute lowfat for nonfat. But I had a bad experience Sunday night, trying to make "fettucine Alfredo" with nonfat milk. No one in my house was very happy with the result. So you may have to play with this a bit and find just the right mix. Bonnie Liebman at Center for Science in the Public Interest told me about canned nonfat milk, which is a pretty good substitute. You might try it. Anyone else out there find anything interesting to substitute?

Definition of Vegetarian: Sorry, Sally, but vegetarians do NOT eat poultry or fish! I know a lot of people like to call themselves vegetarian when they stop eating red meat but this is an inaccurate use of the term, especially when many vegetarians are working to stop animal abuses which occur in order to provide people with poultry and fish to eat.

There are these classifications of vegetarians:
lacto-ovo vegetarians: eat dairy and eggs
vegans: eat no animal products whatsoever

Remember, gelatin is a "hidden" animal product that many of us don't think about but it is in a lot of foods, namely light yogurt.

Thanks for posting this correction.

Sally Squires: I stand corrected. When vegetarian diets were included in the Dietary Guidelines about 10 years ago, one of the points made was that many people claimed to be vegetarian, but actually ate poultry and fish.

Arlington, Va.: It is so hard, though, to lose weight at the holidays. People make you feel bad for refusing food!

Sally Squires: True, Arlington, which is why we're not suggesting that you lose weight. Eat in moderation. Taste as much as you want, but just don't have full servings of everything. Plan ahead, and be sure to stay as active as possible. That's what the challenge is all about.

Washington, D.C.: Hi Sally,
I've read a bit about different body types (endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph) and how they relate to weight and exercise. What are your feelings about dividing people into types, and does that ever impact your recommendations with regard to weight loss, nutrition, and exercise?

Sally Squires: These three body types were once part of the foundation of nutrition and weight loss. But they're certainly not discussed nearly as often as they once were. I've seen the body type books that you're talking about--some use blood type as a way to differentiate. We've also written in the Health section about people who have been on so many diets that they have changed their metabolism. So yes, there do seem to be some varying body types. But most experts, I think would say that only accounts for a small percentage of the current obesity epidemic. It's kind of like the old thinking that said overweight was due to "glands" or big bones.

RE: Vegetarianism: Sally, you said that vegetarians sometimes eat poultry, fish or eggs, while vegans abstain from all animal products. The latter part of the answer is true, but the former is not. Vegetarians eat no poultry or fish, though some may eat eggs, dairy and honey. Last time I checked, chicken was not a vegetable.

Sally Squires: See my mea culpa above.

Rockville, Md.: Jeez...what's with the chip on Alexandria's shoulder about overweight/obese people?

How about a little compassion for people dealing with one of the few medical DISEASES that have very public social and emotional consequences?

The causes for obesity are seldom simply overeating. Do you think obese people want to be that way? I can assure you we do not. And for what its worth, we're often the experts at losing weight -- often losing a hudnred pounds or more over a lifetime -- we just struggle with maintenance, like everyone else.

Sally Squires: Well, you've hit the nail on the head, Rockville. As weight loss experts like to say, losing weight is easy, it's keeping it off that is tough.

Re: Arlington, Va.: Other people can't make you feel bad for refusing food. Only you can do that to yourself, so don't and stay strong.

Sally Squires: Good point, Arlington. Thanks.

Arlington, Va.: Carbondale -- you don't have to actively participate in the Weight Watcher's meetings. Most of the meetings I went to were spent listening to a Weight Watchers representative talk on different topics.

Also, I just found a great way to stay motivated to go to the gym. A gorgeous new gym just opened, and it's so nice, with so many machines (you never ever have to wait) that I find myself looking forward to getting up at 5:45 a.m., just to go there! So far, in 10 days, I've lost 3 pounds. Just 67 to go!

Sally Squires: Good suggestions Arlington. Thanks for passing along the information.

Washington, D.C.: Sally, what I've found works for me and weight loss is not to obsess on it so much. I used to weigh myself daily and get upset. Now I just think about what I've eaten and whether I need to cut back a bit. You know that occassionally you're going to pig out. Fine, deal with it by eating a salad, homemade soup. Don't butter the bread for a while. Stop eating when you're full. I usually weigh myself once a month now and I feel much better about myself (I have also lost 10 pounds since the summer).

Sally Squires: Congratulations on the weight loss, Washington. That's impressive. What you've just described is what we're hoping folks who take the Lean Plate Club Holiday Challenge will do during the upcoming weeks. Thanks.

Arlington, Va.: When I reach a plateau while trying to lose weight, I have to keep reminding myself -- "If I wasn't exercising and watching what I ate, imagine how much weight I would be GAINING right now."

Sally Squires: Great thought, Arlington. Another important to remember: few people gain weight overnight. It takes years. It also takes a long time to get back to a normal, healthy weight. Look at the long term.

Richmond, Va.: RE: cream substitute

I've found Land o Lakes fat-free half and half to work well in sauces and creamy soups. It's not calorie-free but still better than cream and has good texture.

Sally Squires: Thanks Richmond. I've also tried fat free sour cream, which is really quite good.

Sally Squires: Thanks everybody for participating. We're out of time, but don't forget that you can check in this week at the Lean Plate Club Holiday Challenge bulletin board. Link is featured above and also on the home page at www.washingtonpost.com

E-mail me if you want to share some of your experiences with a wider audience during the Lean Plate Club Holiday Challenge. Next week, Craig Stoltz will be hosting while I go to Louisiana. But I'll be checking into the bulletin board throughout the week. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

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