The Food Critic*

This post is all about the food, glorious food! If there is one thing that I have learned in the past year, is that food is more important than anything when it comes to loosing weight. And I am not talking about dieting and missing meals. I am talking about choices. The difference between eating one dish and another will be the difference between fulfilling, satisfying meals AND weight loss or deprivation and eventual binging. Here are two examples:

Meal #1:

• 2 slices of white toast w/no butter or

• 1 egg +1 egg white omelet with 1/2 cup mushrooms, a slice of fat-free cheese and a 1 1/2 cups of strawberries

Which sounds better to you? And which do you think will keep you full longer and provide better nutrients? In fact, these two meal choices are similar when it comes to calories and fat. Shocked? Add the protein and fiber that is packed into the second choice and it is obvious which one is the winner.

Meal #2:

• PB&J sandwich on reduced-calorie white bread w/1 tbsp peanut butter & 1 tbsp jelly and 14 potato chips or
• 1 cup black bean soup, 1/2 cup whole wheat spiral pasta with grape tomatoes and 10 small black olives. 1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, basil leaves, and olive oil to top the pasta AND 1 cup grapes on the side.
  

Once again each choice option provides the similar amounts of fat and calories, but the second option is packed with protein and fiber leaving you feeling fuller longer and healthier. And not to mention making you feel a little more grown up than the PB&J.

So if you are completely intrigued, let me leave you with "10 Super Foods" that are considered nutritional all-stars that you should include in your diet to help you shed those pounds and bridge you from one meal to the next.

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Whole-grain breads
3. Broccoli
4. Strawberries
5. Beans
6. Cantaloupe
7. Spinach & Kale
8. Oranges
9. Oatmeal
10. 1% or Skim Milk

Adjusting to a new diet is hard work, keep trying and you will find some new favorites will emerge in your "must-haves". And BTW, the recipes features in earlier posts are fantastic! Thanks for sharing them Dallin!

Happy Eating!

*Food information provided by Weight Watcher's Momentum Plan

Why isn't this easier?

Thanks Noodle. I only have lost one pound since the last entry...not real motivating. My back has been bugging me again so I have not exercised this whole week. Boy, that doesn't help this losing situation! Thanks for the articles. I just wish I could say no to the sweet carbs and quick bites off of my kids plates. Some days are better than others. Keep up the motivation Denise!

For Your Reference

I came upon a couple of excellent sites about fitness, health management and dieting. Check them out and see if any of them can help you in your quest for weight loss and a more healthy life.

http://www.choosefitness.com/
http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/

And this little article I found on www.traineo.com (under blog) that I thought was very insightful.

Are your goals S.M.A.R.T.?

I've often had trouble meeting the goals I set for myself. I start with a bang, but my motivation and energy quickly fizzle as the days and weeks go by. A couple years ago I came across the "SMART" principle of setting goals and it has really helped me out. The acronym stands for:

• Specific - Is this something that you can physically do? For example, "get fit" is more of a vision than a goal. You can't get up, do some magical action and then say, "OK, I'm fit". On the other hand, you can commit to physically go to the gym at 9am every morning and work out for 30 minutes. You can commit to eating only one dessert a week, on Saturday. The more specific your goal is, the easier it is to follow-through on.
• Measurable - How will you know when you've met your goal? On traineo we have measurable weight goals to help you see if you're actually reaching your target.
• Attainable - You might want to visit Mars tomorrow, but if you make this a goal you're setting yourself up for failure. It can be energizing to set an ambitious goal for yourself and push your limits. On the other hand, setting an unrealistic goal can sap your motivation and make you feel like a failure.
• Relevant - Does it matter to you? Why? The practice of writing down the reasons why you want to achieve your goal will help you commit to it and give you the motivation to follow through.
• Time-boxed - Give yourself a deadline. Otherwise, your goal will be pushed aside as your life inevitably fills with other concerns. It also helps to set frequent, small goals. Meeting these will boost your confidence and give you momentum.

Happy Loosing!

Praline Chicken
*Preparation Time: 15 minutes, serves 6, Serving size: 1/2 breast*

-6 chicken breasts, skinned and boneless
-2 tsp salt and pepper combined
-1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-1/3 cup water
-1/3 cup chopped pecans

*Season the chicken with the salt and pepper combination. Heat the oil in a hot skillet. Brown the chicken on both sides until done. Remove from heat and place on platter. Pour the syrup and brown sugar into the skillet with drippings. Mix well. Add water and pecans, and stir until heated. Let sauce reduce untl thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve hot

I liked this recipe, it is sweet but goes well with rice or whatever else you might like to serve it with. Hopefully this will give you a different idea but I imagine that most of you have so many recipes that this would just be another one you won't have time to try.

Nutrition:
Calories 254
Total Fat 11 g
Cholesterol 66 mg
Sodium 254 mg
Carbohydrates 14 g
Protein 25 g

Fellow Losers!

Hi fellow Losers!
I am telling you my weight loss goals so that I am accountable. That hopefully will help me in being successful at this "healthy living" goal.
Goal: Loose 30 pounds by June 1, 2008 (Denise, you are my hero!)
How: The good ol' fashioned way! Exercising and counting calories. My goal is to burn between 300-400 calories each workout. I am trying to limit my calorie intake to 1400 calories per day.
(not easy!) I have a heart rate monitor that counts calories burned. It is the best thing I have ever done with my workouts! I know when I need to push myself harder according to my heart rate and I can feel success at the end of my workout when I check how many calories I have burned. I highly suggest it. Bought it @Walmart...pretty cheap considereing how much weight loss pills, books, food, cost. Thanks for the recipe, Dal. I am in search of low cal, healthy things to eat!
Report: I gained 3 pounds over the holidays....dang it! But I could not say no to all of the carbs delivered to my door and served everywhere I looked. My own fault! Yesterday, I consumed about 1600 calories. Not so hot, but working on it.
Accoutability: I will try to let you all know how I am doing on a weekly basis. Not that you really care, but again...if I have to be accountable to you, then maybe I can stick to it better.
Workout: (Darin: give me some suggestions, Mr. Trainer!)
Monday: 30 minutes Ellyptical, 20 minutes Treadmill, abs and streching
Tuesday: 45 minutes RPM (indoor cycling)
Wednesday: 20 minutes Ellyptical, 55 minutes Body Pump (total body, weight lifting class)
Thursday: 20 minutes Ellyptical, Body Flow (mix of Pilates and Yoga)
Friday: 20 minutes Ellyptical, 55 minutes Body Pump

WE CAN DO IT.....
Love ya!
Cherilyn

Recipe of the Week!!!!

Honey-Mustard Turkey w/ Snap Peas!

Ingredients:

-1 lb uncooked turkey(chicken works too) approximately 2-3 breasts

-1/2 cup Honey-mustard

-1 cup bab-cut carrots, cut lenthwise in half

-2 cups frozen snap

Instruction:

1. Place turkey(chicken) in shallow glass or plastic dish. Pour marinade over turkey (chicken); turn pieces to coat evenly. Cover dish and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Drain most of the marinade from the turkey. Cook turkey in skilletabout 5 minutes, trning once until golden brown.

3. Add carrots, lifting turkey to place corrots on bottom of skillet. Top turkey with pea pods. Cover and simmer about 7 minutes or until carrots are tender and turkey is no longer pink in the center.

4. Serve and enjoy a healthy meal

Nutrition: 1 Serving

Calories: 150

Fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 75 mg

Sodium: 65 mg

Carbohydrates: 9g (3 g dietary fiber)

Protein: 29g

Dietary Enchanges: 3 very lean meat, 2 vegetable

This website is great for nutritional informaiton! On the site it contain podcasts, video podcasts regarding nutrition and health. Enjoy it because it is a great resource if you're looking for one.

http://mypyramid.gov/

For the kids there is a game where they have to plan their meals, snacks and exercisefor a trip to the moon. I've played it and it isn't as easy as it looks.

http://mypyramid.gov/kids/kids_game.html