10 Foods That Are Helping Me Lose Weight

When my last baby was born just over two years ago, I decided to be unconventional and gain a bunch of weight after she was born. By the time she reached age 20 months, I was 30 pounds over my "happy weight." And, boy, was I pissed off.

Since then, I have worshipped at the altar of Dr. Oz and, while I haven't cut out as many calories as I probably should to reach my goal, I have lost 13 pounds. Now I am just slightly annoyed.

I realize 13 pounds in seven months isn't earth-shattering, but I'm working on incremental changes. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

After two years of stuffing my gullet with all the white flour, sugar and grease I could find, I've realized that other many other American consumers must have been doing the opposite and putting pressure on the food manufacturers to step up. Because, hello, Chips Ahoy! with the words "Whole grains" on the package? I feel like Rumpelstiltskin.

The grocery store has been full of happy surprises. Here are, in no particular order, the top 10 foods that have made losing weight a little more pleasant for me (and no I didn't receive any of these to review):

1. Celestial Seasonings Zingers To Go. Since I've been betrayed by my "harmless" caffeine-free diet cola, which recent studies show is the equivilent of drinking battery acid, and since beer makes you fat and stupid, I've had to find a new evening drink. These little packets of fruity goodness have no calories, no dyes, and no artificial sweeteners. No, they're not made of air. They get their yummy flavor from herbs, fruit extracts and stevia, a natural sweetener. Once in a while I put one in my boys' water bottles, and I'm an instant rock star. (Yes, they are THAT deprived.)

2. Newman's Own Spelt Pretzels. I found these on sale at Amazon and I'm so glad I like them because I had to buy 50 bags to get the deal. I am so sick of the "whole grain" pretzels sold in stores that have white flour listed as the first ingredient and zero grams of fiber per serving. These pretzels taste entirely normal and have 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein per serving. Protein! I'm in love, with pretzels! I can also feel good about giving these to my kids.

3. Stacy's Baked Soy Crisps. I am new to the soy crisp, but due to another Amazon sale and a box crushed in delivery, I am the proud owner of 144 snack-size bags of them. After sampling both the Sweet BBQ and the Sticky Bun varieties, my boys deemed them "so disgusting." Because that, my friends, is murphy's law. However, I like them, as do my mom and husband, so from now on my boys aren't ALLOWED to have them. They are for the ADULTS. The kids can have pretzels. And water. At 390 mg of sodium per serving, they are a bit salty. However, each serving has 3 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein and just 2 grams of sugar and 16 total carbs. Not bad for munching with beer, and much better than the nachos and cheese I was eating before.

4. Lean Cuisine Spa entrees. I thought I was hallucinating when I noticed these Lean Cuisines, which use brown rice or 100% whole grain pastas and pack double the usual amount of vegetables. This ain't your mama's Lean Cuisine. And with a little extra pasta or rice thrown in, they're downright filling. (Yeah, I know I should supplement it with a salad or something. Who do you think I am, Nicole Richie?)

5. Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice, Frozen. Speaking of adding brown rice to my Lean Cuisine, Trader Joe's now sells boxes of frozen brown rice. Each bag has about two cups in it, and you can just zap it in the microwave for three minutes and, voila! Peasant food! I also use it when we order Chinese food. That way I don't have to feel so guilty about the egg rolls and the General Gau's chicken. It all evens out. Sort of.

6. Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Vegetables. Now, I know this is the third item in a row that entails microwaving things in plastic. I'm not big on microwaving in plastic. But I figure, once a week or so won't hurt me too much. And I try to use them just for me, not the kids. Anyway, it's nice to be able to nuke some veggies when hunger strikes and that veggie burger just isn't cutting it. I'm just saying.

7. Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins. It used to be, if I wanted whole wheat English muffins, they cost $5 a package and had the texture of a hockey puck. But now, Thomas' has decided to join the 21st century. Whoo! These are surprisingly good around a veggie burger with some spaghetti sauce and lettuce (a suggestion from Dr. Oz). It somehow makes the burger more substantial and filling than a regular whole wheat roll does. Whole grain breads, in general, are more readily available and affordable now than ever before. If Thomas' would just start making whole wheat RAISIN English muffins, my world would be complete. Well, that and if Iran's leader would, um, die for Allah. That would be great, too.

8. Smart Balance Spreads. This company saved me from soy butter when nursing my last baby, who was lactose intolerant. They have a great line of spreads which are, I believe, all dairy free: a soft spread for muffins and rolls, spreads containing flax and omega-3 oils, and melty spreads for cooking and baking and slathering over pasta. (You're beginning to see why my weight loss has been slow, aren't you.)

9. Morningstar Farms. I know I've mentioned this company before, but it bears mentioning again because, dude, I can make a healthy sausage egg and cheese at home, using MF's sausage patties. And every time I do this, it saves me about 3,987 calories and 14,947 mg of sodium over McDonald's version. I like the "chicken" pucks too, which are WAY healthier than the usual versions, and my kids can't tell the difference.

10. Coffee and Dark Chocolate. Dark chocolate? Good for you? I can't really talk about that because I might start to weep. But did you notice Hershey's now makes dark chocolate chips? Sweet. And, in case you missed the news, coffee is now good for you, too. Here I was feeling all guilty for drinking caffeinated coffee. What a waste of guilt that was. I just wish I could drink coffee in the afternoon, but if I do, I end up staring at the ceiling at 3 am, worrying about how I'll pay three college tuitions and what my face will look like in 20 years. Maybe as I grow old and so ... very ... tired ..., a mid-afternoon coffee won't keep me awake at night. Now, that's something to look forward to.

For more brilliant tips, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer, host of Works of Me Wednesday.

Tags: [works for me wednesday], [dieting], [weight loss], [Dr. Oz]