Focus on filling foods. Stay satisfied...show HUNGRY who's boss!!!

Tuuuuesssday…..Ahhhhffternoooonnnnn….

Okay, feeble attempt at the Moody Blues, but it’s almost Tuesday afternoon, and so far it’s been a good week.  I showed a .8 loss last week, which, according to the stick-of-butter methodology is over 3 sticks gone this week! Use visuals! They help! 

This week, I have my mom here with me, from Orlando.  Turned out that the weather here is about the same as it is there recently….COLD!!!!  We turned this week into soup week at Chez Ducar.  We made the butternut squash soup over the weekend, followed that up with a pot of Hot & Sour soup (recipe was published in a newsletter a few months back) and last night my mom made a soup from a split pea soup mix, fat free chicken broth, whatever veggies we had in the fridge and some soup bones for depth of flavor.  We were definitely loving the cold weather more with the soup to keep us warm.

I don’t see my mom and dad as often as I’d like, due to the distance between us.  They try to make it out here about once every 8 weeks or so, and we try to get to Florida when we can. Next trip for us is in March.  Looking forward to it because we want to take the kids to Cocoa Beach and let them run around in the sand. Morgan has been to the beach before, but Adam (the feisty 2 ½ year old) has not.   Should be fun!  In any case, since I don’t see my mom on a daily basis, she tends to notice the losses and smaller body more than I do.  When she saw me at the airport, she told me that I Iooked fantastic.  Ok..that made my week!

Dwayne changed my workout again this week. Today’s torture…er…workout…was for thirty minutes of which twenty were spent on the stationary bike.  He had me at a pretty respectable workload on the bike and while biking, he had me do bicep curls for a minute, followed by shoulder presses for a minute, and resting for a minute with no weights, just pedaling.  We did that for three sets. He then had me rest for three minutes with no weights and then switched to hammer curls alternating with side raises.  We did 5 lb weights for bicep curls, hammer curls and shoulder presses and for the side raises we used 2 ½ pound weights.  My heart rate definitely got up there, and I worked up quite a sweat. 

 Was that it you ask? No way.  After the bike sweat session, he had me go over to the mats for ab exercises.  I began to get scared.  We had three sets of whatever torture was planned.  For the first set, we did the following:

1. Lay down on mat on back.  Coach Dwayne was standing behind my head and had me grab his ankles and put my feet in the air…He grabbed my feet and threw my legs toward the mat. The exercise here was to NOT let your legs hit the mat.  Each set was 12 reps.  This is NOT as easy as you may think.
2. The second exercise was to hold a 9 lb body bar up in the air and hold your legs up. The object here was to keep your shoulders off the mat and pulse up while contracting your abs to try and get the body bar up to your feet.  This was done for 30 reps.
3. The final ab exercise in the set was a Pilates move modified from one called 100’s and he turned it into 50’s. You can google this one.

This was repeated two other times.  OUCH.  Long story short, I am going to be SORE either tomorrow or Thursday!!!!

The topic of this week’s meeting dealt with staying satisfied while following the plan.  A very common theme among members who go to meetings for awhile then quit is that they are feeling either hungry or deprived.  I attached an article that addresses how to stay satisfied and keep HUNGRY away.  Don’t you just LOVE this little guy?????

You really don’t have to be hungry, and you won’t, if you focus on the filling foods:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean protein
• Fat free dairy products

These foods have a low energy density but provide satiety so that they stay with you longer.  More calorie bang for the buck, if you will. These are called filling foods because they are higher in water content, fiber, and air.  These fill up your stomach and will stay with you longer (compare a raisin to a grape for a visual!)

Please make sure to journal or track and stay accountable to yourself.  In the end, it’s YOU that has to make the decision to get healthy, to lose weight or to exercise.  You can’t do it for anyone else.  It won’t work. Trust me, I know what I speak of.  I have been there.

Our challenge for this week was to choose one of the following:

1. Choose 10 meals this week and make them entirely out of the filling foods
2. Incorporate filling foods into each of your meals this week.

"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable."

-  Moliere

ATTACHMENTS

The attachments this week:

1. Get the Most Out of What You Eat – as mentioned above, this deals with staying satisfied and strategies for doing so.
2. Butternut Squash – 5 Ways – This one I threw in because butternut squash is now my favorite veggie.  Here are a few ways to use it!

 

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RECIPES

Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Whole-wheat noodles add nutrients and flavor to this satisfying dish. Toss in shredded carrots for texture and color.

Yield: 6 (1 cup) servings at a POINTS® Value of 4 per serving

Preparation time: 12 minutes|Cooking Time: 10 minutes|Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  8 oz uncooked whole-wheat spaghetti, or whole-wheat udon    

  1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), green parts only, chopped    

  8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into thin strips    

 3 Tbsp rice vinegar    

 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce    

 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce    

 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil    

 2 tsp chili sauce, with garlic    

 1 1/2 tsp honey    

 1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped    

 2 tsp sesame seeds    

Instructions:

Cook noodles according to package directions. Remove 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water; drain and rinse.  In a large bowl, combine noodles, scallions and chicken; toss gently but well.

In a cup, combine reserved cooking water, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oil, chili sauce and honey; stir well.  Pour vinegar mixture over noodles; toss gently but well to coat noodles. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds; serve.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Okay, okay...I had to post this recipe. I had this dip for the first time in when visiting NC and was at a friend of my hubbie’s.  The original version was a bit higher in calories and fat, as it called for full-fat versions of the cream cheese and dressing.  I asked the person who brought it where she found this little slice of heaven, and she pointed me to the Frank's Hot Sauce website. This dip is my new addiction!!!!!

Yield: This recipe yields between 3 ½ and 4 cups of dip.  If you follow the guidelines on the website for calorie information, it’s 1 POINT® for 2 tablespoons of the dip, but for a ¼ cup serving? It’s only 2.  I say indulge. SO worth it, and if you use veggie dippers, it’s even a better option for you!

Ingredients:

 8 oz Kraft Philadelphia Free Fat-Free Cream Cheese    

 1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie blue cheese dressing    

 1/2 cup(s) hot pepper sauce (Frank’s RedHot, Crystal, Tabasco…whatever you like)

 1/2 cup(s) blue cheese, crumbled    

  2 cup(s) roasted skinless chicken, chopped or diced (or in a pinch, used canned!)

Instructions:

HEAT oven to 350F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.

BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

TIPS:

Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.

Slow Cooker Method: Combine ingredients as directed above. Place mixture into small slow cooker. Cover pot. Heat on HIGH setting for 1 1/2 hours until hot and bubbly or on LOW setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir.

Tailgating Tip: Prepare dip ahead and place in heavy disposable foil pan. Place pan on grill and heat dip until hot and bubbly.

Nutritional Values per Serving (2 tablespoons dip): Calories 65, Total Fat 5g, Sodium 260mg, Total Carbohydrate 1g, Protein 3g. 

Start the New Year Off on TRACK!

Happy New Year! Come to think of it, I probably mentioned that in my last newsletter. Oh well…such is life.  Considering that this week has been both month end and year end close, things went pretty well....and it’s also the reason for the tardiness of the newsletter.  The good news is that all required reporting is done, and all required deliverables, well…. have been delivered! 

I am not sure if I mentioned it last week, but in addition to taking the southern route home (via I-20), I also managed to lose my voice somewhere in Alabama.  For someone who really enjoys talking, this was hard.  The kids enjoyed it though, because I couldn’t shout at anyone and they ended up getting a 3 day reprieve.  Luckily this cold or allergy attack or whatever it was…never went into bronchitis, but it did get me coughing a slight bit.  Thinking back, this was really the first time I had gotten sick in the last year or so since I started my efforts to get healthy.  I really do think that eating right and exercise has a lot to do with boosting your immune system.

However, I was a bit concerned about what this week would mean in terms of my workouts this week. I told Coach Dwayne that I still wanted to work out this week, but wasn’t sure about the strength training due to the cold that I got.  We ended up doing a 30 minute cardio session, which I think by far was one of the best workouts.  We ended up doing a 30 minute interval training session on the treadmill.  He had me at a steady pace of 3.8 mph and started out with a warm-up at a zero incline.  After the warm-up, he had me walk at a 5% incline.  After each 2 minutes he increased the incline 2 degrees, so that after 15 minutes I was at a 10% incline. My heart rate got up to 155+ and I was feeling pretty good, if a bit out of breath.  I got a recovery period of 2 minutes back down to a flat grade, and we repeated the process.  With the cool down at the end, I ended up doing a little over 2 miles in 30 minutes.  Not bad!  We decided to change things up a bit during the week by incorporating a cardio component into the workouts.  Kind of looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

This week was interesting for those of us in North Texas, largely due to this arctic blast of cold air that filtered its way in.  Monday and Tuesday were cold, but Tuesday night got interesting.  We dropped into the 20’s but with the wind chill, it felt like the teens.  My daughter’s school was closed on Thursday, and things here were still a bit slippy-slidy today, so I took the day from home.  Don’t like driving in icy weather.  Texas drivers are scary enough without throwing bad weather into the mix!

Most of you all have been with me during the course of my weight loss journey that started in August 2008.  I think I may have told you that I have been following Weight Watchers for quite some time (I was a member since 1993, on and off).  This last time I have been on plan for over a year and a half and managed to lose many pounds, even more inches, and many sizes (started out at a 22 and am into a 14 so far!)  I really think that the major part of my success this time around is due to the dynamic of our meeting.  I would venture to say that there is no better meeting anywhere around.  There is something about this group of people that makes you want to keep going. The leader, receptionists and members are incredible.

Awhile back, Sara, one of my meeting buddies, suggested awhile back that we start a clothing circle, in which members bring in items of clothing that no longer fit (too BIG of course…) and share with others that may be in that size range.  I have been able to benefit from this! Sara brought me the dress that I am modeling in the picture below.  I am totally in love with the dress. Never really had a little black dress before, and now I am wearing one…and it looks GOOD! 

I have been able to return the favor of ‘new clothing’ to another friend as well.  Thanks to one simple idea, we have been able to increase our wardrobes while losing weight, and without breaking the bank.  Did I mention that the dress is a size 14?!?!?!

I maintained this week at the meeting, but overall am showing a 2.4 pound loss over the course of the holidays.  Not too bad.  I am glad to have lost anything at a time when many would have thrown in the towel during this time of the year.  The meeting this week focused on planning and tracking, once again, and their benefits.

Focusing on the tracking side: did you know that the average person recalls only half of what they eat? Though you may remember what you had for breakfast, what about the extra nibbles you had while watching TV, snacking on the phone or picking off your kids' plates?

A food diary puts a stop to this lack of accountability. In fact, studies show that people who keep food journals lose more weight and keep more weight off in the long run.

The National Weight Control Registry (an ongoing research project that tracks successful weight loss habits) found that keeping a food journal is the one of the strategies used by most successful dieters.  A recent study found that dieters who tracked their food intake lost twice as much weight as those who didn't track their food.

Your food diary

Whether you put pen to paper or choose a program from the Internet, a good food diary will typically track:

• Calories of all food and drinks
• Time of day
• Portion size
• Emotions or feelings

Keeping a food diary will help you confront the truth about how much, when and why you eat. Then, you can start making the required changes. In addition, journaling can help to:

1.         Control binge eating. You are less likely to go for that second helping if you know you have to write it down.

2.         Track progress. A food diary can serve as evidence of how far you have come in your journey. It also feels great to look back and see you are eating better today than you did weeks or months ago.

3.         Encourage conscious eating. Unconscious eating occurs when we eat without paying attention. You are more likely to avoid eating for unconscious reasons if you are writing it down.

4          Connect eating to emotions. Many people include a column for "observations" or "emotions" in their diaries. In this way, journals can be used to examine certain feelings that may trigger overeating. Only once you identify the causes can you start to do something about them.

5.         Point out nutrition imbalances. As you jot down your meals and snacks, you may notice you lack fruits and vegetables on most days, or that you never eat a protein source until dinner. A food diary can give you clues, in black and white, as to what foods you have been neglecting and need to include in your diet.

6.         Monitor eating patterns. Until you keep a food journal, you may not realize that you have a seven-hour gap between your 11:30 lunch and your 6:30 dinner. Perhaps this is why you're at the vending machine every afternoon at 3 p.m., downing a bag or two of chips or cookies. Solution? Plan to bring or store a healthy snack for the mid-afternoon to ward off poor eating choices.

7.         Monitor calories. Journaling usually requires you to track your calorie intake - which can be eye-opening. Perhaps you were not aware your afternoon soda had 150 calories, or your "innocent" morning latte had 250. By forcing yourself to track portions and calories, you can begin to make adjustments.

8.         Create a tool for your nutritionist or doctor. A food diary is a clear source of information as to what, where and how much you eat. This ready-made tool can be viewed by a health professional, who can provide insight into what you can do to tweak and/or improve your habits.

9.         Show commitment. The effort and time it takes to keep a food journal is proof that you are committed to your health, and have a desire to take a proactive role in your weight loss.

Don't underestimate the power of tracking what you eat. This "bite it and write it" approach can be effective on your own or in conjunction with a weight loss support group. Ask your doctor to recommend a good support group in your community or online. You may even want to swap your food diary once a week with a friend.

ATTACHMENTS

The attachments this week:

1. Your track to success talks about starting off your new year on track by planning and tracking meals.
2. The second attachment this week, WW Online Meal Ideas came to me courtesy of Celeste, one of my readers and a member of the meeting I attend.  For those of you who use e-Tools online, this is a quick pictorial tutorial of how to use the ‘meal ideas’ section of the site to plan meals out utilizing the POINTS® that you are allotted during the day.

Below is a simple mantra to help you start off your year on the right foot. This was posted on the meeting room board, and it’s so appropriate!

WW Online Meal Ideas.doc
 

If you bite it, write it

If you snack it, track it

If you nibble it, scribble it.

If you drink it, ink it

If you steal it, reveal it.

If you sneak it, leak it.

If you grab it, blab it.

If you indulge it, divulge it.

If you lick it, bic it.

If you hog it, log it.

If you ingest it….you guessed it!

Grab your pencil before your utensil!

Only journal on the days you want to lose weight!

Butternut Squash Soup

This past Sunday, we went out for breakfast and then did our usual Sunday running around. We ended up at one of the local Asian markets here in town. I think that one of my New Year's resolutions is to buy all of my produce there. Besides wonderful veggies, I found lobster for $7.99 per pound, shrimp for $3.99 per pound, boneless chicken breast for $1.69 per pound...and in the middle of all this? A beautiful butternut squash. I knew you guys were wondering where I was going with this rambling!

Ok...I was looking for an easy recipe to use for the soup, and the Cooking Light geniuses came through for me again! Enjoy!

Yield: 8 servings at a POINTS® Value of 3 per serving

Ingredients:

* 8 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)

* 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

* 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

* Cooking spray

* 4 cups warm 2% reduced-fat milk, divided

* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided

* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine squash, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Place half of squash, half of milk, and half of broth in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash, milk, and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not bring to a boil). Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons nuts.

Nutritional Information (including the walnuts)

Calories: 204 (26% from fat); Fat: 5.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.7g,poly 2.1g)

Protein: 7.5g; Carbohydrate: 34.7g; Fiber: 5.3g; Cholesterol: 9mg

Iron:2mg; Sodium: 370mg; Calcium: 271mg

Elissa’s Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes

This is a good standby recipe that I go to quite often.  I use these tomatoes as a quick pasta sauce starter and it’s also a great base for tomato basil soup or even a gazpacho, for when the weather is warmer outside.  When you find wonderful Roma or plum tomatoes, buy extra to make this one.

Yield: for an entire pound of roasted tomatoes roasted with a 1 Tbsp drizzle of olive oil, the entire point count is 4 1/2.  If you use less olive oil, the points go down in proportion.   The pound of tomatoes is 1 POINT®, and a teaspoon of olive oil is 1 POINT® and a tablespoon of olive oil is 3 ½.

Ingredients:

Plum tomatoes (I used a pound or two at a time!), sliced in half, lengthwise

1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and slice tomatoes, lengthwise and place on a baking sheet that has been covered with heavy duty aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Give the tomatoes a good sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes. Bake in a 450 degree oven until they start to brown and look a bit charred.

These can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also whiz them up with a stick blender and save for a sauce or soup! Combine with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil and heat up for a nice quick sauce. Love this recipe!

Happy New Year! Set goals for yourself!

We made it home.  I was a much better passenger this time around.  We didn’t even attempt to go home via I-40. To make it less stressful on the mommy, we took the southern route, otherwise known as I-85 to Altanta, I-285 W from there to  I-20 and on west to Texas.  I did MUCH better on the ride home than on the way out.  We stopped halfway, which put us in Vicksburg, MS, and we made it home to Denton by 3:30 on the 29^th.  We got home just in time for a snow shower.  Luckily nothing stuck and it was uneventful.  Why is it that whenever you come home from vacation, no matter how long or short the time away, it always seems like you’ve been gone for a month?

For New Year’s Eve, I ended up making the recipe in the newsletter. It was yummy, comforting, and hearty.  This was a nice dinner that came in at a respectable POINTS® Value!  When served with a nice mixed salad, it’s a pretty filling meal.  I budgeted enough POINTS® to enjoy a glass of champagne…well Asti Spumante anyway… Apparently, one glass was quite enough.  Got a buzz, and felt REALLY sleepy afterward.  I think I made it until 11:01 CST before I passed out. 

I hope that each of you has a wonderful 2010. I hope you all reach your ultimate goals that you set for yourselves, whether weight-related or otherwise.  The topic of the meeting this week was goal setting.  Goals, whether big or small, can help you stay the course of your weight loss journey.  They provide a roadmap so that you have an idea where you are going, and with a map? You will always know when you get there!  A goal should be stated in the positive, be specific and in order to be sustainable, it should be a good fit with your life.  I attached the “Winning Outcomes” tool for living so that you can refer back to it if needed.

For 2010, I intend to keep publishing, as long as you all keep on reading.  If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please let me know and you will be removed immediately.   Also, if you know anyone that may benefit from receiving this newsletter, let me know that as well! I welcome additional readership!

Take care, and have a great 2010!

Lots of love,

-E

GLUTEN FREE CORNER;

Paul Prudhomme’s line of ‘Magic’ seasonings are all gluten free! This is a great way to spice up your meals without adding a bunch of calories.  The link to the website is http://www.chefpaul.com/site339.php

RECIPES

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

 

Publish Post

I was looking for an easy casserole-style dish to make for our New Year's dinner tonight. It was just going to be the four of us, but I wanted to make something easy, yet delicious and healthy. I had picked up a copy of the Better Homes & Gardens "Ultimate Casseroles" Special Interest Publication. These are magazine-style cookbooks found by the grocery checkout counters. I like these publications because they provide nutritional information along with easy directions.

Of course, I made this Weight Watchers friendly. Simply substitute 2% cheese for the full fat variety. Also, you can cut the amount used in the recipe. I used what was called for, but used the 2% variety. I also used the meat off of a small rotisserie chicken (my new BFF...) for the chicken component. The rotisserie chicken is the easiest way to save time in cooking, especially where casseroles are concerned. Know them! Love them!

In addition, where the soft breadcrumbs were called for, I used a couple of small slices of a whole grain loaf bought earlier in the week and whizzed it up in the food processor to make the crumbs. A little improvisation never hurt anyone :)

Yield: 8 GENEROUS servings at a POINTS® Value of 8 per serving. Can cut back the portion size a bit and shave a point or two off of this one!

Prep: 25 Min| Cook: 30 Min

Ingredients:

8  oz. dried bow tie pasta (we used Barilla Plus® Whole Grain Farfalle)

1  small onion, chopped

1  Tbsp. butter (I used olive oil instead)

2  eggs (can use egg beaters if desired)

1-1/4  cups milk (use 1% or fat free)

1  tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1/4  to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

2  cups chopped cooked chicken

2  cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.) [reduced fat works well, and feel free to cut down the portion size]

1  14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1  10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2  cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2  cup soft bread crumbs

1/2  tsp. paprika

1  Tbsp. butter, melted (we used Smart Balance Butter Blend Sticks)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole.

3. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 367; Calories from Fat: 146; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Polyunsaturated: 2g; Monounsaturated: 5g; Cholesterol: 99mg; Sodium: 559 mg; Carb: 32g; Fiber: 6g; Protein: 25g; Vitamin A: 95%; Vitamin C: 33%; Calcium: 43%; Iron 20%;