YOU on a Diet .....

[Sassay]

This looks like you have to think too much. does it really work?

[jezzie]

Sassay

Sure. I weigh once a month.

As of July 9th I had lost 17 pounds in four months

Not as fast as I had lost on Atkins ..... that's for sure.
But I am so much happier on this plan.
I figure my peace of mind is more important than being in a hurry.

[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Originally Posted by Sassay

This looks like you have to think too much. does it really work?

No, you don't have to think to much! YOU is a very easy plan to follow..and very healthy!!!

Menu for today:

PB-coffee
Kashi snack bar

B- cottage cheese w/ fresh strawberries

S- Red River cereal w/ skim milk

L- Turkey sandwich on WW bread w/ LF Mayo, mustard, purple onion, lettuce and Italian dressing
fresh fruit (grapes)

S- handful of Trail mix

D- Weight watchers frozen Lasagna
salad
fruit

Exercise: Walked 2 miles, did weight machines. WIll do Pilates later.

TGIF all!!! Wishing you all a great YOU weekend!
Hugs, Rita

[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Originally Posted by Sassay

This looks like you have to think too much. does it really work?

And YES, it works!!!!!

[jezzie]

Restock Your Fridge

The first step to getting on the path to better eating is to take stock of your pantry! Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen say there are five ingredients that should be banned from your diet forever.

The first ingredient to avoid is hydrogenated oil, which often masquerades as partially hydrogenated oil.

Dr. Roizen says we should also eliminate sugar and high fructose corn syrup from our foods. "We eat 63 pounds of [high fructose corn syrup] a year, which puts 33 pounds on the typical American," he says.

Enriched flour is the fourth ingredient to avoid. "[Enriched] means they took all the good stuff out and put a little back," Dr. Roizen says. In 1960, Americans didn't use enriched flour, but today we consume 63 pounds a year, he says.

The fifth offenders are white foods — including bleached flour. The only white items you should have in your fridge are egg whites, cauliflower and fish, Dr. Roizen says.

Finished clearing your kitchen of bad fats, sugars, and carbs? Start shopping for the good-for-your-waist foods that make it easy (and automatic!) to eat right.

Include fire-extinguisher munchies -- good foods that will put out three-alarm starvation fires. Pick up ready-to-eat snacks for those times you're likely to reach for waist-killing chips or sweets.

Our list includes almonds, peanuts, or walnuts; bags of prechopped fruits and veggies;
dried fruit (apricots, cranberries); and edamame (soybeans -- look for microwavable bags in the frozen-food section).

Plus, snacking on edamame will boost your bone health, and munching on a handful of nuts will promote heart health.
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[jezzie]

Food Shopping

Whole grains (bread, cereal, rice, pasta) provide the foundation of a healthful diet.

You should consume 6 to 11 servings a day from this food group.

Not only are whole grains nutrient-packed but they are also high in fiber that aids in the prevention of colon cancer and other digestive disorders.

Overall, the trick to navigating through grocery store aisles is to look for less . . . on the label. Generally, fewer ingredients equal better foods.

For instance, natural foods that come from the ground usually don't require labels. That's why any produce is basically OK for you.

One caveat: Make sure it has a great feel, a healthy smell, and has not been waxed.

Also, we believe in working from the inside of the store out, so that heat and bacteria have less time to sap nutrients from your produce before you get home.
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[jezzie]

What Should You Eat?

As you choose from the five major food groups, focus on foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients. Eating this way helps you get the necessary vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fats without getting more calories than you need to maintain your weight.

After you've kicked out nutritional felons like simple sugars and trans fats, stock your fridge, freezer, and pantry with these items:

Fruits and veggies: Aim for four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables daily. A serving fits in the palm of your hand.

High-fiber fruits and veggies like broccoli, apples, and raspberries will help satisfy your hunger longer than low-fiber produce. Are you getting enough fruits and veggies?

Whole grains: Whole-grain breads, cereals, rice, and pasta are high in fiber and B vitamins. They slow digestion and help keep blood-sugar levels steady.

Low-fat or nonfat dairy: Yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk provide calcium for strong bones.

Lean meats: If you eat meat, choose skinless chicken and turkey for lean protein options. Fish is another wise choice because it's a great source of heart-healthy fats. Check out the top five low-mercury, heart-healthy fish.

Nuts: Crunchy, satisfying, and full of healthful fats, an ounce of nuts per day makes the perfect snack for people managing their waists. Read why.

The best diet meets your nutritional needs and provides just enough calories to fuel your day. So if you're satisfied with your current weight, balance your daily calorie intake with your physical activity level.

If you're trying to shed a few pounds, making the kitchen switches outlined above is a great first step in getting more of the healthy-but-still-fills-you-up foods into your diet.


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[jezzie]

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal (dry measure) w/cinnamon, sf syrup
orange

Snack:
8 oz. soy milk
banana

Lunch:
chili
salad or green vegetable

Snack:
6 oz. 100% concord grape/cranberry juice

Dinner:
2 grilled cheese sandwiches on 7 grain w/flax bread
apple
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[jezzie]

•The Pick of the Patch

If you see red at your local cabbage patch, grab a few heads.

Fresh and pickled red cabbage appears to be highest in flavonoids compared to other cabbage varieties. Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds that fight cancer and aging. Use red cabbage in sandwiches, salads, and tacos -- instead of iceberg lettuce -- for extra nutrition and a splash of color.

Prepare your cabbage with care; cooking it removes about half of its nutrients. However, raw and pickled red cabbage appears to be particularly high in flavonoids, compounds that neutralize free radicals that contribute to aging and chronic diseases such as cancer.

Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family that includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and kale. Studies show that flavonoids in cruciferous vegetables arrest the growth of tumor cells and can reduce your risk of prostate and bladder cancer. Cabbage also is a good source of vitamin C and fiber.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

•Super News About Soup

If you choose soup when hunger strikes, you could be placing yourself on the path to weight loss.

In a year long study of overweight people on a reduced-calorie diet, snacking on soup each day led to more weight loss than noshing on a calorie-equivalent amount of energy-dense snack foods.

The key difference: even though the soup and the high-energy snack had the same number of calories, the soup took up more space in people's bellies. Thus, the soup eaters felt less hungry later and ate less over the course of the day.

Snacking on foods that have a low ratio of calories to mass -- such as air-popped popcorn, vegetable broth-based soups, and fresh produce -- may help you eat fewer calories overall and aid weight loss efforts. When incorporating soup into your weight-reduction plan, steer clear of cream-based varieties, which are high in fat and calories.

Instead, choose soups with a base of chicken broth or vegetable broth and those loaded with vegetables, kidney beans, lentils, or brown rice to keep you satisfied and help you trim down.

In a study of overweight and obese people, those who ate two servings of low-energy dense soup per day as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost an average of almost 16 pounds over the yearlong study period. The people who ate two servings of high-energy dense snack foods per day lost an average of just over 10.5 pounds -- 35 percent less than the soup-snacking group.

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
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[kbetz0419]

I think it s great that you can find something that works for you. I am working on my own WOE program where I can basically set it and forget it. Slow and steady would be fine as long as its steady.
Keep up the great work

[jezzie]

Thanks ... and good luck with your own plan.

[jezzie]

.
Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal (dry measure) w/cinnamon, SF syrup
apple

Snack:
Dan Active smoothie
banana

Lunch:
PB & J sandwich on Rudy's organic 7 grain w/flax bread
cucumber and red bell pepper w/spritz french dressing

Snack:
deviled egg w/LF mayo
4 oz. 100% cranberry/pomegranate juice

Dinner:
brown rice, beans, mushrooms
broccoli sauteed in garlic and oil
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[jezzie]

•Can't Live Without Chocolate?

No problem. Scientists may one day claim you need the stuff to be at your healthiest.

It's a theory growing from a study of the diets of a small Indian tribe in the Panamanian islands. High blood pressure is virtually unheard of within the group. And tribe members drink three or four 10-ounce servings of cocoa per day. Coincidence?

Killer Compounds

The Panamanian tribe doesn't drink run-of-the-mill cocoa. Because of the gentle way they process their cocoa beans, their cocoa is chock-full of epicatechin, a flavonoid that helps widen and relax blood vessels.

If the tribe's lack of high blood pressure (as well as other diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer) does turn out to be because of epicatechin, researchers speculate that the flavonoid could one day be given vitamin status.

But before you buy stock in Hershey's, there's still research to be done.

The tribe members also eat lots of fish and fruit, and their diet or their lifestyle -- or both -- may be part of the lack-of-disease equation. So far, researchers have ruled out genetics.

Bottom Line

What remains true: Flavonoids are good for your heart; lots of research points to this. But dark chocolate is just about your only hope for chocolate that hasn't had its flavonoids completely destroyed by processing. And if you need to cut calories to lose weight, a little bit of chocolate goes a long way.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 31 milligrams of flavonoids -- cocoa beans are naturally rich in them -- a day can make your RealAge 3.2 years younger.
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[Patlaf]

Jezzie, you are like a ray of sunshine on a Monday morning.

Pat

[jezzie]

Thanks ... and you just made my morning.

[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Good morning ladies!!

Jezzie- I love your avatar picture! It's always fun to put a face to someone online! And as always, I love all the info you post! Thanks for doing it!

Menu for today:

PB- coffee
Kashi snack bar

B- strawberries w/ cottage cheese, topped with cinnamon and trail mix

S- SF natural peanut butter on WW toast

L- Turkey sandwich w/ LF mayo, LF cheese, mustard, lettuce
fruit

S- handful of almonds

D- Taco salad
fruit

Exercise- Walked 2 miles, did weight machines, will do pilates later.

Have a great YOU day!

[jezzie]

B- strawberries w/ cottage cheese, topped with cinnamon and trail mix

I'll be snagging that idea sometime this week. Thanks.

[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Originally Posted by jezzie

I'll be snagging that idea sometime this week. Thanks.

You are quite welcome!! It's one of my favorite snacks!

I just got some coconut oil today...do you know of any good recipes that call for it? Many health benefits to Coconut oil. 2-4 tbsp a day. Now I just have to find recipes! Oh, and it's a great hand cream!!!

[Patlaf]

Sweeter, coconut oil is where the good Dr. Oz and I agree to disagree. I think it is wonderful. My favorite breakfast (after whole wheat toast with peanut butter) is the one minute choco flax almond muffin:

in small bowl mix 1 T coconut oil
1 egg
1 T water

in separate bowl 4 T flaxmeal (or 2 T flaxmeal and 2 T almond meal)
1 T unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
sweetener of choice (I use stevia with bit of Splenda)

Mix dry ingredients well, mix wet ingredients and add to dry

Cook in microwave for about 1 min 30 seconds

When I use half flax and half almond flour, I put in 1/8 tsp almond flavoring

With a little bit of sweetened cream cheese, this is very filling.

Make sure to drink plenty of liquids to help the flaxmeal.

[jezzie]

Sorry Sweeter
I don't ever use coconut oil ..... but there are lots more recipes here:

Coconut Oil Recipes and ideas...


It's apparently replaced Macadamia as the current favorite oil of choice.

[jezzie]

•Tube Got You Down?

You might tune into a brighter mood if you turn off the tube for a bit.

Watching too much television was associated with higher rates of depression in women in a recent study; however, the results were not the same for men.

Regardless of your gender, spending less time engaging in sedentary behaviors such as TV viewing and more time engaging in physical activity is a great prescription for boosting your mood.

Exercise is a natural mood booster. It helps release endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals the body produces naturally. The average American watches more than 4 hours of television per day and approximately 1 in 3 Americans report no leisure time physical activity.

Most people would probably experience a boost in both physical and mental health by cutting down on sedentary activities, such as television viewing, and replacing those sedentary activities with some extra sessions of exercise, be it walks in the park, bike rides with the family, or house or yard work.

If you'd like to cut down on TV, try gradually decreasing the amount of time you spend viewing until you're logging no more than 2 hours per day. You also could use commercial breaks to do something active, such as jumping jacks, sit-ups, or arm curls with small dumbbells.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.
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[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Originally Posted by Patlaf

Sweeter, coconut oil is where the good Dr. Oz and I agree to disagree. I think it is wonderful. My favorite breakfast (after whole wheat toast with peanut butter) is the one minute choco flax almond muffin:

in small bowl mix 1 T coconut oil
1 egg
1 T water

in separate bowl 4 T flaxmeal (or 2 T flaxmeal and 2 T almond meal)
1 T unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
sweetener of choice (I use stevia with bit of Splenda)

Mix dry ingredients well, mix wet ingredients and add to dry

Cook in microwave for about 1 min 30 seconds

When I use half flax and half almond flour, I put in 1/8 tsp almond flavoring

With a little bit of sweetened cream cheese, this is very filling.

Make sure to drink plenty of liquids to help the flaxmeal.

Wow, thanks Pat for the recipe! I can't wait to try it!! Now do I cook it in a bowl? Does it just make one BIG muffin? I'm a bit confused on what to do with it after I mix it up. I have all the ingredients too!
I guess I didn't see where Dr. Oz said anything about coconut oil. Did he say it was bad? I'll have to dig out my YOU book and find out! I've just been hearing so many good things about it lately and wanted to try it! Thanks again!

Jezzie- thanks for the link to the coconut oil recipes too! I love my low carb friends!! They always come to the rescue!