Monday, September 26, 2011

Being a Winner and Losing It!

Okay! Things have been crazy to say the least around here for the last two months! But, I refuse to let anything or anyone get in the way of my 17 Day Diet Plan. And guess what? It's working! I have lost 44 pounds now and am aiming for another 20 to 25 by Christmas.

Sometimes it is easy to get in a rut and feel sorry for yourself and give in to temptations. I will confess to having a few rough days, but in spite of a few "slips" I have stayed true to the plan. If you do have a day where things just get really off course, don't beat yourself up about it. Get Back On Track. One day does not a failure make. The thing to remember is that no DIET ever really works for the long term. You must make the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain the weight loss.

One tip which works for a lot of people is to have a NOW picture of when you start the course....
like this one 44 pounds ago...yikes, and a picture of perhaps your former "skinny self" if you have one! But be sure to keep taking progress pictures, because rewarding your progress is important.

Also, please don't reward yourself with FOOD! That is the problem. We need to learn to eat to live and not live to eat! I really understand this, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook, and enjoy watching people enjoy my "food art". You can still enjoy your food, and still enjoy your favorite "treats". Sometimes it is just a matter of adjusting the "amount" of a favorite food. You can also modify a lot of your recipes to make them delicious but much lighter. I will give you a "light" recipe today. Although I am not currently on the Weight Watchers Program, I have used many of their recipes. They do have some great cookbooks. My only problem with Weight Watchers is all that points counting and tracking. I have found that the 17 Day Diet is a much simpler plan which will make the lifestyle change toward healthy weight easier to maintain.

My eye surgery has slowed my progress a little because I haven't been able to attend my water aerobics class. Very soon I will be back in the water, and the pounds will begin to fall off more quickly again. Like it or not people, exercise is important not only in weight loss, but in maintaining a totally healthy lifestyle, lowering your blood pressure, maintaining bone strength and just feeling better about life. Those endorphins are great things! So MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT! Let me know how you are doing.

LIGHT RECIPE OF THE DAY
This is a recipe even the kids will love!
You may use "grounds" (soy protein or seiten) in this recipe to cut even more calories and fat...and it will still be great!

SERVES 6

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (or other tubular type pasta of your choice)
Cooking spray
1 pound ground sirloin (or turkey, "grounds" or chicken)
1 TBSP olive oil (yes, it's good for you!)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced (it is also very good for you)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 TBSP all-purpose flour
2 cups fat free milk or soy milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 (3 ounce) package fat free cream cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (you can use Fresh Basil also)

1. Preheat Broiler
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt or fat. Drain
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ground meat to pan; saute 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. (For "Grounds" this step will be much shorter). Remove meat from pan; drain. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add onion; saute 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add garlic, saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef back to pan and sprinkle with salt. Add flour; cook 1 minute stirring frequently. Stir in milk, tomatoes, and cream cheeses stirring until smooth; bring to a simmer. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pasta.
4. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9 inch broiler safe baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella (and you may add a bit of Parmesan if you like) evenly over the top. BROIL about 4 minutes or until golden...sprinkle with parsley.

Calories: 431 per serving.

Serve with a Garden Salad for the perfect Fall meal....it is delicious!

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