Rule #18

“In the physical realm, you know what happens when you haven’t eaten: your stomach feels empty, maybe a little achy, in need of comfort.  You crave carbs.  And yes, carbs can make you feel better in the short term.  But as you now know, that benefit soon turns into a hunger-producing monster.  In the psychological realm, overweight people are often lonely and anxious; eating before bed is nerve settling, comforting.

You will burn fat like crazy if you do it.  The absence of carbs in your bloodstram will let your body produce the hormones it needs for better sleep.  And with good sleep comes other benefits-muscle repair, brain-chemical balancing, and increased energy during the day.

HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF COMPLY

Don’t eat three hours before going to bed.  Don’t eat after 8pm.  Don’t eat anything after dinner.  You decide.  Your body will respond: denied fuel for more than five hours, your body will start burning its own fat and sugar.  That means that, if your dinner was at 8p.m., you’re burning fat by 1a.m."

I don't STRUGGLE with this rule necessarily.  The kids and I RARELY eat after dinner.  Mostly because dinner is so late anyway because of our schedules.  However, I'm not sure why sometimes I reach for something out of the cupboard some nights....I've been doing well lately with this though so yay me!

My menu is EXACTLY the same as yesterday, however the egg muffins and banana were scarfed in the car because I was sure I was going to late for work, so that wasn't exactly an ideal situation!  LOL.  Oh well, the weekend is upon us and I'm determined to do well this weekend.  Tomorrow evening I'll be making homemade chicken soup for some of favorite peeps.  We've all been feeling a little under the weather so it's time for good old fashioned down home cooking.

Have a happy and healthy weekend all!

Rule #17

“You can figure out part of the answer.  Vegetables have a huge amount of fiber, which, shall we say, makes the trains run on ti me.  They consist principally of water.  They have few sugars and few calories.

Mainly interested in childhood obesity, Penn State’s Barbara Rolls, has long understood the complexity of eating choices and weight management.  With the benefit of experience, she’s learned something that might sound strange: you’ve got to trick the body into eating less, and veggies may be the most powerful way to do this.

As Rolls puts it in her no-nonsense style: ‘When soup was consumed [15 minutes before the main meal], subjects reduced meal energy intake by 20%’

Rolls has found the same effect with raw veggies, leafy veggies, and veggie purees.

The first is Kale.  You see kale, a long overlooked green, on all the healthy-eating lists lately.  And for good reason.  It’s loaded with vitamins C and K, calcium, and fiber.  Along with broccoli, a sister crop.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins single out kale and broccoli for their high quantities of a chemical called sulforaphane, which may someday be used to reduce the toxic effects of smog on the respiratory system.

It’s easy to prepare – and like spinach and any number of green leafies, the frozen version retains all of it’s nutritional benefits.  You can stir-fry it, steam it, put it in soups.  Perhaps just as important: it tastes great.

Broccoli, in all its forms, is my other super-weight-loss vegetable.

First, go to your supermarket and look for broccoli rabe-the tangy Itelian green often sold as rapini-or Broccolini, a fairly new hybrid that usually comes in small spears ready to cook…..Now go home, boil a big pot of water, and plunge in one of these alternative broccolis…..take it out in two minutes, drain, and add some lemon juice mixed with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Eat.  Enjoy.

THE POWER OF SOUP

There was a time when soup occupied a much more central role in the America diet.  It was inexpensive, filling, full of nutrients-and easy to make.  But it too a little time, both to make (chop chop chop) and to eat.  You could not eat soup out of one hand on the freeway.  But for the weight loser like yourself, soup remains a key tool for good nutrition and feeling full.  Over and over, scholars who examine eating patterns find the same thing: people who consume soups regularly tend to feel fuller longer, and thus tend to eat less.  And, really, how hard are they to make, especially these days, when low- and no-salt broths are on the shelves of supermarkets everywhere?  I’ve got a few basic recipes in Part III.  If you do yourself a favor and start making soup by my Skinny Rules, you’re going to come up with gobs of recipes on your own.”

I can say I love vegetables and I'm good at getting plenty in each day, however, I also love chocolate and sweets, so therein lies my battle....some would say dark chocolate covered veggies would be the answer....um NO! (Yes I know there IS such a thing, and still...NO!)  I find that I'm getting better and better at balancing the two though, which is HUGE progress for me that I'm actually very proud of.  So anyway, on to today's menu.....

Breakfast - 2 mini omelets (1 jalapeno, 1 salsa)

Snack - Celery Sticks and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Lunch - Quinoa stuffed Bell Pepper, Apple

Snack - Apple & Peanut Butter

Dinner - To be determined.

One more day....I think I can, I think I can.....Have a great Thursday all!!

Rule #16 and a recipe

“For the overweight and obese, salt commands attention for two reasons.  The first is health.  Too much salt and you will upset your body’s exquisite mechanism for maintaining proper levels of fluid.  That causes increased blood volume, which makes your heart work harder to move blood through arteries, which increases blood pressure.  Like anything under too much pressure, some thing’s going to blow.  When it does, we call it stroke or heart disease.  It is a leading cause of premature death in the general population.  It is the leading cause of premature death among women.

There are less grave but nonetheless important consequences as well; swollen “Cabbage Patch doll” ankles, dry skin, and puffy bags under the eyes.  Fluid retention also can slow weight loss and cause you to get discouraged.  You don’t need that.”

Here’s how Bob manages his salt intake:

“Don’t use salt at the table.  Don’t even put it on the table; having it there will make it too easy to add to your food without thinking.  If you really think something needs salt, you’ll have to get up to get the shaker.  That’s a disincentive right there.

When you check a label for salt content, always check portion size as well.

Use lemons and lemon juice to enhance flavors.

If something you’re cooking calls for a teaspoon of salt, start with a half or a third instead.  You can always add more later.  You can’t take it out.”

I'm happy to say I follow this rule and a lot of the same things Bob does as well!  We NEVER have salt out and available.  It's put away up in the cupboard and normally only gets added to baking dishes that call for it.  Once in a while I will add it to veggies I am roasting, but in that case I always use sea salt.  Another little tid bit I wish Bob would've included.  If you use Sea Salt, you tend to use less because the salt "flavor" is stronger with Sea Salt than regular iodized table salt.

I actually feel very in tune with my salt levels in my body.  I can tell by how I feel whether I've taken in too much sodium and I can also tell when my sodium levels are where they should be.  It's those days I report I'm "feeling skinnier" lol.  The fluid retention is a key indicator as well and obviously the sodium levels skyrocket when you eat out.  My thirst levels change as well obviously, which is another good indicator.

So anyway, that's that.  Here's the recipe I promised:

Mini Omelets (makes 24 "omelets")

24 eggs
"Fillings" - bacon, mushrooms, jalapenos, salsa, cheese, green onions, ham...whatever you like in your omelet.


Preheat oven to 400 F

Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray (I use olive oil in an ionizer)

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs to scramble.  Some may choose to add a splash of milk or sprinkle of S&P at this point...I chose not to.

Fill each muffin cup approximately half way full with the egg mixture.  Top with your fillings and bake for approx 20 mins.

I made 6 omelets with just bacon and cheese, 6 with veggies and ham, 6 with homemade candied jalapeno, and 6 with homemade mild salsa.

THEY WERE SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!

On to today's menu (sorry this is getting so long!)

Breakfast: 2 mini omelets, 1 banana
Snack: nothing (yeah yeah yeah I know!)
Lunch: Quinoa stuffed bell pepper, Apple
Snack: Carrots and Hummus

Happy hump day all!

Rule # 15 Piece of cake!

PSYCH!  No cake for you!!  LOL BUT...this rule is a piece of cake for me!  I love to cook and the kids and I rarely eat out.  Maybe once or twice every two weeks or so. 

Bob goes on and on about this one in his book, but again, I'm really only highlighting the items I felt would be useful to me and other that I know read my blog....so here's the jist....

"WHY - REALLY - THE FRENCH AREN'T FAT

We can take some guidance fromt hat fashionably slender people on the other side of the Atlantis: the French.  It was the French, back in the arly part of the twentieth century, who created the moderm way of table dining.  And I am not talking about sitting aorund for a four-hour meal.  Rather, I mean the daily meal rules:

- Do not put large platters of food on the table.  When you put second portions in front of you, you're more likely to eat like it's Thanksgiving rather than, say, Gandhi's birthday.

- If possible, do not eat alone.  Eat as a couple, or as a family.

- Do not eat away from the table.  The table is where you eat.  Even when you snack.  The couch is where you watch TV, read this book, or meditate.

- Set the table - even if this means the most rudimentary plate, napkin, fork, and glass on a placemat.  After all, the table is where you eat, not feed.

- Allow no distractions at the table.  Especially no TV."

I have to take a moment and say how proud I am that a lot of the rules above are pretty stirct ones in my house.  It's a RARE occasion that ANY type of food is taken out of the kitchen and away from the table and we do NOT have the TV on when we eat.  We focus on the food and each other, not gazing past both to stare at a blinking screen.  My kids know the rules and as soon as I say "let's eat" the tv goes off and they start calling out their reserved spot at the table and who's turn it is to sit by mommy.  Ok on to the remainder of Bob's rule....

"CHANGES WHEN SHOPPING

Your first real change will be when you go shopping.  The basics are intuitive.  In the spirit of planning ahead, make a shopping list.  Put question marks next to the items you don't know enough about - salt content, organic or no, and so forth.  Take a pen to check things off or make notes.  If there is a meat counter or butcher, as about special cuts of meats or fish and purchase only the amount you need (those precut shrink-wrapped meats are often for families of four, so aboid them unless you need that much).  Burchers are so used to being ignored they'll love the attention.  This is your life - make your own food world or be at the mercy of others.

Check your shopping pattern: are most of the items coming from the periphery, where you find produce, proteins, and fiber, or along the walls or the store!  This may be the single most important piece of advice from the person I consider to be the nation's best food writer, Michael Pollan.  By doing so, you'll not only but the right foods, but you'll also send a signal to the store manager to pay more attention to whole, healthy, unprocessed products.

CHANGES AT HOME

Do yourself this favor: put the least caloric and most rule-abiding things at eye level in the fridge and pantry....buy a bunch of resealable plastic bags and containers of differen sizes so you can pre-portion-control meals and snacks.

What about your dry pantry?  Stock up on all your basic spices and dried herbs....throw away that dusty old tin of dried garlic flakes and buy fresh garlic bulbs.  You should have olive oil, tuna, canned tomatoes, garbanzo beans, hummus, and low salt chicken stock.  Order a box of single-portion peanut butter and guacamole packets.  Get some high bran crackers like GG Bran Crispbread.

A few things should always be in your refrigerator: plain greek yogurt in single serving containers, apples, berries, string cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese, grated parmesan cheese, Ezekiel bread, a half pound of cheddar or swiss cheese, a quart of low or no fat milk, and some fresh green beans and cucumbers for snacking.  And some lemons, since a squirt of their juice can help you kick your salt habit.  Lemon brings out the flavor in all kinds of foods."

Some notes on what works in MY house....I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have greek yogurt (not plain) in my fridge, all kinds of fresh veggies, a bowl of fruit on the counter top is always over flowing with apples and oranges, I ALWAYS have fresh garlic on hand as well as skim milk, olive oil, cucumbers, carrots, and different varieties of hummus depending on our mood....yes, I said OUR!  I get asked all the time if my kids eat the same things as I do and yes, YES they do and they love it!  I'm always having people tell me how surprised they are that my kids will eat veggies and hummus or black beans and quinoa.  It's a good thing.  They get their treats too, but they are just that....TREATS....not everyday fare.

So last night I wanted to whip up some stuffed peppers with the leftover filling from last week's recipe.  I had 5 peppers on hand thanks to some given to me fresh from a friend's garden by my mom and I knew the stuffing I had left was not going to go that far and I was also given quite a few fresh tomatoes that needed to get used up, so I added three chopped tomatoes to the mix and a handful of fresh shredded parmesan and mixed it in with the leftover black beans, quinoa, onions, etc from last week and it perfectly stuffed my 5 green peppers.  The kids couldn't wait for dinner (it took longer to cook this time) so they downed LOTS of pears and some homemade banana bread from Grandma as well.  So the pepper's will be tonight's dinner and as I type I am enjoying one to the dismay of the coworkers that call my concoctions "child abuse"....LOL!  It's all in good fun!  I love that my kids eat the way I do at 3 and 5 years old!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Cup, Banana
Snack: Carrots and Hummus
Lunch: Stuffed Pepper & Apple
Snack: Apple and Peanut Butter
Dinner: Stuffed Pepper

Happy Tuesday!!  My immune system is currently being "conditioned" but I'm in high spirits and enjoying life.  I hope you are taking the opportunity to do the same! :)

Thanks for reading!

Rule #14

As I blog today I am enjoying pizza....yes! PIZZA! for lunch.  HOWEVER, the "crust" is made of cauliflower and it is GOOD! (recipe to follow tomorrow)

So Bob's thoughts on breakfast....here we go....

"From the journal Peadiatrics: 'Breakfast eaters often had a higher daily caloric intake and yet also a lower BMI thatn their breakfast-skipping peers...[but there were[ inverse associations between breakfast frequency and BMI."  Translation: the more often you skip breakfast, the more likely you are to be overweight.

When should I eat breakfast? I prefer that you eat it within an hour of waking and, of course, after a large glass of water.

OATMEAL: Oatmeal, along with all of it's heart-healthy attributes, also helps you lose weight - it's one fo those Nurses' Health Study foods we talked about.  When you compare eating calorie-0matched oatmeal versus others cereals, you're more likely to reduce your waistline.

EGGS: The nutritional bad boy of the 80s and 90s, eggs have emergesy as a prized element of a healthy, weight conscious diet.  They're low in calories, high in protein, and have zero carbs; in the case of egg whites there is no fat and only 20 calories a piece.

GREEK YOGURT: This is the closest thing I have to a magic ingredient.  Now available under many brand names, gets my applause for a bunch of reasons.  Guess which is first?  That's right.  It's tastes good.  It can be used for just about anything, from dessert (with fruit, nuts, etc) to breakfast (with berries, or as a warm up to your eggs, as explained above), for dinner (add hebrs or spices or mustard and you've got a sauce for some fish and meats), or for a midday snack.  Greek yogrurt is thicket than regualr yogurt; it gives you that great ice cream mouthfeel.  It's got lots of healthy bacteria.  But your reason for eating a lot of it is simple: it increases your feeling of satisfaction after a meal.

In a side box:

WAKE UP AND DO THESE THINGS:

Be prepared: if you know your morning will be rushed, make sure you've got lots of individualized proteins (yogurt cups or hard boild eggs), a grain (an oatmeal packet), and some berries in a plastic container.  You don't get a pass from the rules just because you're busy.

Prep your fiber fruit: cut up the apple the night before and put the slices in an airtight container or a sealed plastic bag.

Protein Protein Protein: get up and eat your eggs or yogurt.

Oatmeal Oatmeal Oatmeal: get up and pop that packet into the microwave.

Water Water Water: fill the glass and put it on your bedside table the night before.  Not kidding.  Do it."




Today's Menu (yes I've been slacking on this, sorry!)

Breakfast: leftover banana choco chip pancakes
Snack: An Orange (I know I missed a protein)
Lunch: Leftover cauliflower crust sausage and mushroom pizza and an apple
Snack: Greek Yogurt (yes!  They have it at Aldi too!) and an orange

Now to fill my 32 oz water cup (I've had 3 already today) and get back to work!  Thinking of doing another cleanse again...wanna try something new this time....stay tuned :)

Rule #13

"Even standing inside a fast food restaurant reinforces the problem.  Your powerful sense of smell gets hijacked by all those high-fat molecules filling up the air around you.  You also lose control of your sense of taste.  Soon, anything that is not hypersweet or salty falls short of your desire and just doesn’t do it for you.  You’re a prisoner of fast food.  Not an addict.  A prisoner.

Let’s start with what happens when it goes into your mouth.  Here we begin the long and expensive and ugly slide to a mouth full of cavities and various tooth diseases.  Concentrated fats and sugars also stimulate strong inflammatory reactions by your body’s immune system.  Often that reaction begins in the esophagus.  There is actually an emergency medical condition called “steak house syndrome” in which the huge shot of bad fats into the bloodstream that occurs after ingestion of high-fat meats results in cardiac distress.

But let’s say you avoided the ER and now the fries and burger are in your gut.  For starters, there’s a good chance you’ll be tasting it all day and maybe all night; fried foods can cause heartburn and esophageal reflux.  In your bloodstream, bad cholesterol soars.

Heart attacks and strokes soar within the first two to three hours of such meals.  The connection is so strong that, when the University of Michigan studied neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast food restaurant.

Let us now come to your pancreas and live.  Chronic eating of concentrated sugar and bad fats tells the organs to make more insulin and more blood fat, as your muscles become resistant to the insulin.  This is called type 2 diabetes.  It’s not benign.  Too much insulin floats around your bloodstream and destroys nerves."

I've been struggling lately....not horribly but just not perfect choices.  I REALLY need to go grocery shopping and plan better and things would go much more smoothly.  Time to get on top of that!

Rule # 12

I'll start off by saying I REALLY struggle with this one!  I like my animal proteins way too much!

Anyway, here goes....

While speaking about beans Bob says "They're high in protein-the tiny green lentil, for example, gets one-fourth of it's calories from protein - as well as low in fat and high in fiber.  A single cooked half-cup serving gives you 9 grams of fiber; subtract that from 20 grams of carbs and you've got a tasty 11-carb, 110-calorie dish that has one of the highest concentrations of plant protein you can get.  And almost no fat.  that's a combination that will leave you satisfied and, eventually, slimmer.  No wonder Men's Health magazine named lentiles as one of the five healthiest foods to be had."

And nuts.....oh I love nuts....get your mind out of the gutter people!!!! LOL
"Nuts are also tree fruits, and they have been critical parts of the human diet since recoded history.  Nuts-almonds, walnuts, and pistachios - are pretty much ideal foods so long as you eat them raw or dry-roasted (stay away from salted or honey roasted and those salty "mixed nut" jars!)  They are high in protei, fiber, good fats, and those beneficial phytochemicals we discussed in Rule 6"

"A recent experiment by UCLA's Center on Human Nutrition looked as a group of obese people with BMIs of 31, just over the definint cutoff point of 30 for obesity.  Both groups were put on the same diet, with on difference.  One group ate 240 calories of pretzels while the other ate 240 caloris of pistachios.  Both groups lost weight, but the pistachio effect was so strong as to drive BMI down to 28-no longer obese.  The pretzel group lost almost no body mass.  How can that be?

The first is the one we already know about- fat causes satiety, and that makes you eat less.  But there is also another toolin nuts' weight loss arsenal.  Eating them seems to briefly-but significantly - raise your resting energy expenditure, or REE"

REE are the calories burned while at rest for those of you that weren't aware of that.

So that's Bob's 2 cents on that and I agree....so that's my goal....one week from today I will be able to say I had one entire day that was completely meatless!  Stay tuned! :)

Today's Menu:

Breakfast - Blueberry muffin, no not a healthy one :( and an apple

Snack - Trail Mix, carrots, and hummus

Lunch - Leftover Quiona stuffed green pepper and an orange

Snack - Apple and Peanut Butter

Dinner - To be determined....I've been a horrible planner this week :(

Rule # 11 and a yummy recipe

It's just that simple.  Bob and I have both went over the down falls of "bad carbs"...potatoes are no different.  IF I use potatoes, I tend to go for sweet potatoes.  In this short little chapter, Bob outlines the best ways to prepare sweet potatoes, rare potato varieties, and other root vegetables (parsnips, etc).  He says that all potatoes no matter what form should be used sparingly and not at all in the first month of a new regimen, but IF you choose to indulge....here's what to do:

"RAPID ROASTING: The best chefs in the world use this technique, as do some of the best home cooks I've ever met.  Cut your sweet potatoes, turnips, or parsnips into one-inch cubes and sprat them olive or canola oil.  Preheat the over to 450 F, put them on a baking sheet, and roast for about 15 minutes.  Take them out and sprinkle with pepper, minced garlic, lemon, or your favorite herb.  You can cook a bunch of these on Sunday night, let them cool, and place in the fridge.  They will last all week, and you can use them in anything - soups, salads, even sandwiches, or as an accompaniment to your new repertoire of fish dishes.

FAKE FRYING: Fiber and taste are largely lost from root vegetables when you deep fry them.  Keep the shape that reminds you of the deep fried version, but "fake fry" those root vegetables and you'll retain the fiber and the taste, and you'll forego the fat calories.  This cooking technique is much like rapid roasting: take, say, some parsnips - those long carrot looking things next to the carrots at the market - and slice them lengthwise into fries.  Toss them with some pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Get the over up to 450F, put the 'fries' on a baking sheet and let roast until they begin to brown.

WHOLE MASHING: You can kind of predict what this entails.  You roast the root veggies (in addition to those described above, butternut squash and Jerusalem artichokes) with the skin on until they start to carmelize, let them cool, and then...mash (not blend).  Because mashing concentrates calories, this is a perfect dish for your splurge meal (Rule 20), when you really want that mashed potato and gravy dish from back in the day."

The recipe I have today is from dinner last night.  I found some inspiration on Pinterest and ran with it!



Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Quinoa
Olive Oil
1 can of black beans
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
Garlic
1 bundle of green onions, chopped
3 green peppers - tops and seeds removed
Sprinkle of cheese

Prepare Quinoa as directed on the box/bag.
Place the clean green peppers in a glass baking dish.
Mix all ingredients except pepper together in a separate bowl. (quinoa, tomatoes, onions, garlic, beans).  Spoon in to peppers, drizzle with olive oil and bake for approx 30-35 minutes at 350F
Remove and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

mmmmmmmmmmmm

I have a LOT of filling leftover, so I think I'm going to hunt the grocery store for more veggies to stuff....maybe zucchini or other on sale squash.  I bet an acorn squash would add a nice sweetness to the dish.  Stay tuned!



Rule #10

“How critical is this step in terms of weight loss?  After all, sugar is only 4 calories a gram; fat, which I have not eliminated altogether, is 9 calories.  What’s up with that?

In short, the 4 calories of sugar may have a more powerfulweight0gain effect once they’re in your body.  By now I think you know you shouldn’t go hog wild with high-fat cheeses, meats, or bacon.  You should learn to think of sugar the same way-as a luxury.  This represents a big change in thinking about sugar calories by the medical and nutritional big shots.  For years, The American Heart Association fought the “sugar is just as destructive as fat” theory tooth and nail.  The believed –and advocated along with the government- the low-fat gospel.

That changed with the obesity epidemic.  Sixty percent of the population is now overweight, 30 percent of whom are obese.  With that came the skyrocketing rates of type 2 diabetes.  Health authorities and some controversial journalists began asking: if we have been on a low fat diet binge for so long, why are we getting so porky?”

Well there's Bob's 2 cents for today.  I've been told my blogs are being missed lately, and I'm so sorry.  I've had a lot going on at home and at work and just haven't budgeted the time to keep up.  Hopefully that can change in the coming weeks.

I'm not going to lie I've been struggling lately as well.  Not horrible and not binging, but KNOWING I should've made better choices.  Emotional eating is still a HUGE downfall for me and all I'm going to say is it's not near as bad as it used to be so I consider that progress.

Tonight for dinner, I plan to cook.  Last night I made tater tot hotdish because it was fast and easy, but I know it wasn't super nutricious.  I have some green bell peppers that need to be used up so I think tonight will be Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers (black beans, quinoa, tomatoes, onions, etc). 

OH!  I have to share with you something I'm so so so proud of!  Last night we enjoyed some chocolate pound cake (healthy substitutions in place: yogurt vs. butter) for my daughter's birthday and my son decided he would rather eat more carrots and hummus than the chocolate cake.  I'm normally very proud of my children's eating habits/decisions, but I was BEAMING last night!  They always make sure they tell me when they are making a healthy choice and I always congratulate them for making a smart/healthy decision.  It was even music to my ears the one day Izabella came home with her sandwich I'd packed her lunch untouched and said "Mommy I don't like 'bread-y' lunches, can you stop giving me sandwiches".  Today we all took the same things for lunch....leftover tater tot hotdish, an orange, and the kids had a half a piece of chocolate cake (mommy opted out on that one).

Anyway, it's Tuesday and life is getting better than last week! Happy TUESDAY!

NEW DISCOVERY

As I was waiting for my prescription yesterday at Walgreens, I walked by a small display close to an end cap that had these bold black bags with bright colored accents boasting "UNREAL - Candy Unjunked" So natrually I HAD to check them out.  Here's what I found:

NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS
NO HYDROGENATED OILS
NO CORN SYRUP
NO PRESERVATIVES
NO GMOS

I HAD to try a bag.  I chose peanut butter cups (there were also m&m imposters including the peanut variety, one with nougat and a couple others) and here's the nutrition information and ingredients:

Serving size: 1 cup
Servings per container: 12

Calories: 75 Calories from Fat: 45
Total Fat:5g
Cholesterol 2mg
Sodium: 48 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 8g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars 5g
Proten 2g

Naturally I was FLOORED!  They aren't even THAT bad for you....but there HAS to be something in the ingredients....right?!?!?!

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (cane sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk powder, organic blue agave inulin, skim milk powder, soy lechithin, vanilla extract), peanut butter (dry roasted peanuts, icing sugar, palm fruit oil, salt), cane sugar, organic palm fruit oil, peanut flour, organic blue agave inulin, whey protein isolate, salt, soy lechithin.

WHAT?!?!?!  I know they say "When something is too good to be true, it probably is"  But I can't find ANYTHING about this that sounds bad!  Well except maybe the tendency to binge, but that's a personal thing that needs to be conquered.

In other news: I caved and order pizza Saturday night after my daughter's birthday party and was disappointed in myself, but we're back on track as of yesterday, so all is well.  Definitely retaining some water weight though...lots of fluids for me today!

If you want to check out the website for my candy discovery.  It is: GETUNREAL.COM

ENJOY!  AND PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!!

Rule #9

Bob tells a story of a study they did where a little girl’s idea of a “serving” of chips was an entire full size bags of potato chips.  As messed up as that sounds, I don’t know if I’ve ever really taught my kids (granted mine are only 3 & 5) what a “portion” or “serving” is.  Makes me think a little….

Anyway, on to Bob’s thoughts…  He says there are two different techniques for portion control and here they are and what he has to say about each:

Technique #1: FORCED PORTION CONTROL

If “forced portion control” sounds kind of bulimic to you, don’t worry!  It’s most certainly not.  By forced portion control, I mean buying, making, and being sure you’ve always got food that is ready to eat in the right amounts. (See my list of healthy portion controlled foods below).  No more “Oh I slipped because I was famished by midafternoon and had only a quart of ice cream in the fridge.”  By the time you are done with this book, you’ll always have a stash of delicious, fresh, and low calorie foods in appropriate portions.  Stuff you like.  Sizes that makes sense.

The bottom line: stock your kitchen with foods in portions you are sure about and/or portion it out into baggies or serving containers ahead of time so that when you’re hungry, you find the right-sized offering.

My favorite forced portion controlled foods

                Plain Greek Yogurt in 6 oz containers

                Individual Low Fat Cheese Sticks

                “Wholly Guacamole” individual servings of….guacamole

                2 oz bags of raw almonds

                Pretty much every kind of fresh fruit, except a whole darn watermelon

One Tbsp premeasured peanut butter packets

                One Hard Boiled Egg

TECHNIQUE #2: HARPERSIZING

                The second tool is what some have called “Harpersizing”.  It means that we take advantage of high-fiber, low-calorie foods that fill you up.  We totally rethink their portion size.  In fact, when it coes to vegetables and most fruits, you can forget portion size altogether.  Eat what you want!  I’ve been accused of going so far as to suggest that your Harpersized dinner could include a whole platter of broccoli.

Maybe that’s an exaggeration for even the most broccoli-loving among us.  But consider this: if you ate half a pound of fish with a huge serving of broccoli, along with a half a cup of brown rce and an apple in green yogurt, you’d be eating about 590 calories, with lots of fiber, tons of protein, and no added fat or sugars.  And you’d be full – that’s a lot of food!

Well my car accident on Wednesday helped me to emotionally eat some not so wise choices, including Nutella and some other random bad carbs, but I'm definitely back on track and this morning at the dr was down another lb from last time I weighed myself at home, so as long as I'm not gaining, I'm good.  I heard a great quote the other day.

"Even some of the best trains derail once in a while, but getting back on the track is the most challenging and the most important"

Rule #8

I'm not going through each category of the food labels, because this has been beat in to our heads for years, so I just highlighted the items I found particularly helpful, so here goes....

FAT: "The label will also tell you the percentage of fat calories per serving; if it is over 20%, walk away.  Also remember that not all fats are equal.  Look at the ingredients section to find out what kind of fat it is.  If it is a saturated fat - lard, butter, oil, suet - it will be listed.  Don't buy that product.  Look for monounsaturated fats made from plants - olive oil, canola oil."

"TRANS FATS: The demon spawn of industrial food, trans fats are essentially highly saturated, inflammatory molecules used for convenience items likes cakes, donuts, cookies, and other baked items.  Trans fats help keep vending machine items fresh - for years.  Do you really want that in your body?  Unfortunately, trans fats do not have to be listed on the label if they weigh less than half a gram.  That hidden trans fat can add up if you eat a lot of processed foods.  Which is another good reason to stay away from processed foods and go to the ingredient source!"

CARBS: "Check the ingredient list to see where the carbs come from.  'Wheat flour?' No. '100% whole-wheat flour?' Yes.  'Potato Starch' Uh-uh.  Cornmeal, no-not if it's in the first five ingredients.  Farro or barley? Yes."

FIBER: "Paying attention to this number will really tell you something about how processed this item is.  It will also give you a sense of how long this food will hang around in your guy.  Also look in the ingredients section to where this fiber comes from - whether it is added (OK in principle, as in the case of apple fiber or bran) or comes from industrial sources (not OK)."

THE INGREDIENTS LIST: One rule of thumb: the more items in this section, the less positively you should view this food.  Why?  For one, if it's got that many ingredients, it's probably incredibly processed - dense in chemicals that Mother Nature never intended you to eat.  Two, it is dense in calories and low in fiber.  In short: if a sweetener - any sweetener - or any refined flour (remember, it must say whole-wheat flour-appears within the first five ingredients, then just keep on pushing that grocery cart"

CHEMICALS: "We live in a world of things like stabilizers, preservatives, and dyes, and escaping them entirely is unrealistic (Unless you are wealthy, eccentric, or wealthy and eccentric)  But there are a few notorious ones, often found in diet and "lite" foods and you can avoid them if you know how to spot them."

FOOD DYES: "Uncertainty about their health effects still reigns, but their prominence on the label tell s you how fake the product in your hand is Phone food - no!"

ASPARTAME: The just is still out about the connection between artificial sweeteners and various neurological conditions.  I don't like the stuff - especially if is is in the top five ingredients.  Why?  Because aspartame, like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or lots of salt, keeps you in the appetite-twisting world of 'hyperflavors,' which have conditioned you to crave sugar, fat, and bad carbs.

POLYSORBATE 60: Pro-technology Wired magazine described polysorbate's main uses this way: 'detergent, an emulsifier, or , in the case of polysorbate 60, a major ingredient in some sexual lubricants."  There you go.  Try not to eat it.

OLESTRA: Olestra products have labels.  The labels say: 'Olesra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools. Olestra inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients.  Vitamins A, D, E, and K have been added."  It can also cause diarrhea and anal leakage.  Yay, Olestra!

MSG: A.k.a. Monosodium Glutamate, the stuff we know is in a lot of Chinese food.  But packed foods often come stuffed with it, the better to jack up our salt-craving taste buds.  Many people are allergic to it: headaches, wheezing, nausea, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest.  Fun.  If you are pregnant, do not eat anything with MSG in it.

Note: It is sometimes hard to spot MSFG on the label because it has so many aliases.  Among them are free glutamate, hydrolyzed proteins (any type), autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, caseinate, and "natural or artificial flavors."

Also Note: MSG is also used for making 'chewing fum, drinks, over-the-counter medications (especially children's), as a binder and filler for nutritional supplements, in prescription drugs, IV fluids given in hospitals, and in the chicken pox vaccine."  As with Olestra, why would you want to eat this stuff?

That's about it for today, sorry for the lack of posts.  I'm doing well and staying on track and have started another challenge.  Hopefully I'll time to get to more personal stuff tomorrow.  Happy Tuesday!

Rule #7

"Carbs are forms of sugar, and sugar cues the pancreas to make more insulin, which in turn triggers appetite.  The later in the day that you consumer sugar, the more likely it is that you will get food cravings late at night.  Late-night cravings are not a good thing!

It turns out that the number of times during the day that you signal your pancreas to make insulin is just as important as how much sugar you eat.  Each "excursion" is like a hammer delivering blow after blow to your cells.  No wonder today's diabetes experts want you to limit the number of times you eat carbs, especially in the evening.  Add to this the fact that insulin cues hunger hormones in the guy, and you've got one incredibly powerful physiological response.

But you can strategically manage that war to your own weight loss benefits.  I'll give you two guiding principles.

1. Snack on fiber, protein, vegetables, and fresh fruits (not dried fruits)
2. Eat lean and green at night."

It's that simple....Rule #7 was literally 2 pages long.  No carbs after lunch, enough said! :)  Another great chapter.  The first paragraph at the top of this entry explains why I'm a carb freak.  I'm not saying don't eat them ever, I'm saying "choose different sources".  That's all.

Anyway....We started another challenge with the wonderful Stephanie Winters yesterday, HOWEVER she hasn't made it to our office to do pinch tests etc, so it's not QUITE official yet.  If anyone wants to join the challenge, let me know!  I'd love to have some of my followers on board!



Rule # 6 and recap of my weekend

"The nutrition scholar Barbara Rolls - perhaps the preeminent expert on how humans process bulky and fibrous foods - had exactly this question in mind when, a few years ago, she came up with an experiment.  For five weeks, she gave 58 patients one of three meal "prelaods," each containing 125 calories.  One group got whole apples, one got applesauce, and one got apple just with "fiber added." (A control group got no preload.)  15 minutes after, the subjects were alloed to eat as much as they wanted.

The results were surprising: the subjects who ate the whole apple consistently ate 15% less than the subjects in all the other groups.  They also stayed fuller longer.  All of this leds Rolls to conclude something I have been haranguing people about for some time.  But let her teill it in her spare, clinical prose: "Overall, whole apple increased satiety more than applesauce of apple juice.  Adding naturally occurring levels of fiber to juice did not enhave satiety.  These results suggest that solid fruit affects satiety more than pureed fruit or juice, and that eating fruit at the start of a meal can reduce energy intake' (emphasis mine)."

Bob also highlighted which fruits and veggies are better organic and which it really doesn't matter.  Nearly everyone has heard about "The Dirty Dozen" which is those foods MUCH BETTER purchased organic.  Below I've listed what Bob suggests:

Worth It Organics
Apples
Asparagus
Celery
Cherries
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Spinach
Strawberries
Sweet Bell Peppers
Tomatoes

Not Worth It Organics
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cabbage
Frozen Peas
Kiwi Fruit
Mangos
Onions
Papayas
Pineapple

So that's Rule 6....pretty simple if you ask me!  On to my Labor Day weekend....

It was AWESOME!  I confided to Jordan I was nervous about the food I knew was going to be there including (but not limited to): Gooey Butter Cake (yes it's as good as it sounds), chocolate frosted brownies, homemade carrot cake, honey walnut filled coffee cake, french toast bake, etc etc etc.  And BELIEVE me when I say there was plenty of all of that including chips and other blood sugar spiking goodies, HOWEVER he was there and can attest that I did GREAT!  My plan was to indulge in ONE smore when they were made and that I did.  I also had a few chips with my mom's buffalo chicken dip and lastly I enjoyed the egg bake that had a thin crescent roll crust on the bottom.  Otherwise I ate like a champ, with plenty protein and lots of veggies.  Not a single unplanned sweet was consumed the the few chips and crust on the egg bake did not trigger any cravings at all.  It was MUCH easier than I thought....HOWEVER an over abundance of malt beverages and not near enough water has me feeling a tad bloated today and super thirsty to say the least.  I've been upping my water intake and watching the food intake today, so hopefully I'll flush some of that out the next few days.

I even discovered a new form of exercise I've fallen in love with thanks to Jordan talking me into giving it a try.  For the longest time I've been scared of canoes, but go in them, but never ONCE considered a kayak.  I figured they were easier to tip and just plain scary, but he got me out in a kayak and I didn't want to come back to the dock.  I could've sat out there all day.  Not granted we floated most of the time and just chatted, but I can see how it could really be a good workout if you kept steadily pattling.  What a blast!  EXCEPT....now I want one! LOL maybe next summer, since this one is nearly over, HOWEVER it would probably be a good time to buy such an item as I would guess they will be going on sale shortly....we'll see.

Today's menu is a bunch of random leftovers from the weekend....grilled kabobs (off the stick) veggies, cherries, fresh mixed fruit, etc.  Same for dinner.

Hope everyone else's weekend was as great as mine!