Monday, August 20, 2007

Tips and Tricks - Week Three

TIP: Avoid BLTs at all cost! And by BLT, I mean Bites, Licks and Tastes. When did eating begin to follow the same logic of “When a tree falls in the woods…” by coming up with its own version: If a snack (or an itsy bitsy nibble of a cookie, or just one Hershey’s kiss) flies into my mouth and no one is around to see it, did it really enter my mouth? Will it really turn into calories and derail my program? Keep it real, kiddies! If you eat anything, write it down… and if you run out of points faster than if you didn’t write it down and/or you gain at the end of the week, at least you will KNOW why. I can tell you from experience, it is very discouraging to look through your journal at the end of a week that you felt you did everything perfectly, and not lose weight. But reality may have been that a case of the BLTs sabotaged your plan, but you forgot about them because you never wrote them down. Remember, if a snack flies into your mouth and no one’s around to see it, it still counts!

TRICK: Cut the carb.....onation! Either cut back or cut out your carbonated beverage intake to help you with your diet. Sure, we all know that pop has a large number of calories, but many of us solve that problem by drinking diet pop instead. However, calories aren’t the only problem. An unpleasant side effect of this kind of carb is, naturally, gas. But a great deal of that gas doesn’t escape the body immediately, and causes the stomach to expand. The empty feeling makes you hungrier! You are more likely to eat unnecessary food when you are also imbibing in some fizzy fun, and even if you are able to conquer those cravings, the misery of hunger doesn’t seem worth it… at least not to me. Other random things that carbonation does to the system: breaks down calcium in the body and contributes to bone/tooth decay and osteoporosis, increases the absorption of alcohol in the body, and irritates the esophagus. Good things? It’s tickly and it kills bacteria that may cause infection… drink up when you’re traveling out of country.

RECIPE: Today I’m writing during some surprisingly cold August rain, which has inspired me to introduce a couple cool-weather recipes. Sure, it’ll probably be 90 next week, but one doesn’t have to wait for snow to eat some good soup or au gratin potatoes.
For 8 can soup, you’ll need one regular (14-16oz.) can of each of the following ingredients: green beans, corn, sliced potatoes, crushed tomatoes, turkey chili with beans, chili without beans, mixed vegetables (Veg-All), Campbell's Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup. First, drain the can of beans, then mix contents of all cans together. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 20 minutes. The whole pot should be 30 points! I’ve also seen the chili replaced with a can of chicken, the vegetable soup for chicken broth, and the tomatoes for peas for a chicken version worth even fewer points. Just count the points on the cans for accuracy.I love my crockpot because I can start something cooking in the morning, and it will be waiting for me when I get home… no “cooking” work on my part. I also love ham and potatoes au gratin. Ingredients: 2 cups extra-lean ham (sliced, diced, your choice), 4 cups sliced or diced fresh potatoes, 1 cup chopped onion, ¾ cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (I’ve tried the FF, it just doesn’t melt well), 1 10¾oz can reduced fat cream of chicken soup, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp yellow mustard. To make, first spray the crock pot with butter flavored cooking spray (or canola spray); combine ham, potatoes and onion; sprinkle cheese evenly over the top; combine soup, pepper, parsley, and mustard in a small bowl, then add the bowl to the crock pot; mix everything well to combine; cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Makes six 1 cup servings for 3 points a cup!

6 comments:

Kristen Covelle said...

According to our last poll, we all seem to view eating as more important than working out when it comes to our individual programs. Asserting oneself is critical, too, because when you live with other people who are not on a waist watching plan, their influence can be toxic. The only way around that problem is to both shop for and prepare the food yourself, that way you can control all factors. At my last week’s meeting, a man asked everyone for help with that very problem: “My wife doesn’t like cooking, but we can’t afford to keep eating at restaurants.” My mental eyes rolled and I blurted out, “Do you cook?” Rather than receive the snappy retort my intentional attitude deserved, the man just sighed at me and said, “I know. You’re right. I just didn’t want to have to hear that.” Doing the shopping and the cooking might add an extra challenge to your world when losing weight is one of the biggest challenges already, but up your success level, tell the ones you love that they’re just going to have to deal with it (and who doesn’t like someone else cooking for them?), and just do it. Take control. It’s worth it.

April said...

Potatoes au gratin is, of course, my favorite, so I am excited about that recipe Kristen!! As for the first recipe, how many points does that usually come to for a cup? I will definitely be drinking soup when I come off my Lemonade Diet, so any and all soup recipes will be welcome!!

The carbonated beverage info was interesting!

April said...

Kristen, I was wondering if you have a book of these recipes you have posted, or if they are recipes you've gathered from here and there. I was about to print out this page, but thought I'd ask first. Thanks! I've never really followed recipes much since I first learned to cook because I've often made the same things over and over (common for most people, I've read), but I'm thinking that NOW I need to start my own, new collection....

Kristen Covelle said...

Trick: You don't have to feel like a ship tossed at sea, lost in an ocean of high fat foods and comfy couches. Create an "anchor" for yourself. If you need strength, keep an item on you to remind you of a time when you were strong (a tattoo?) and then touch that item to get a mental "burst" of power to help you overcome your challenge. Need to remember a time when you were capable of commitment? Touch that wedding band or photo of a child. Need to remember a time when you were healthier? Carry a photo of bygone days or other memento of significance. Sometimes all you need is a little reminder that YOU CAN DO IT... an anchor to pull you back to that time and let you know that you've never really lost that power after all.

Anonymous said...

I don't know what you all do for your activity points, but I use a workout video. I was getting bored with my old one, so I was thinking about getting a new one when and infomercial came on at about 3am. It was for Hip Hop Abs. It looked really fun, so I ordered it. It is basically dancing. So, I'm really excited about it, and I'll let you all know how it is when I try it out!

Kristen Covelle said...

Hip Hop Abs sounds like a blast! Right up your alley, Linds. For activity, I do a lot of that traditional stuff... biking, jogging, tennis, weight lifting. I also pick some points up with hiking and mowing the lawn. My brother Will really loved some work-out video called Zumba. Maybe you should look into it, Mom, and tell me what you think. Will thought it was great... it was a dance work-out so it would probably be fun.