The Power of Progress Planning

Midnight SALSA!

Secret Recipe!

One of the ways I manage my Night Eating Syndrome at its worst without losing control of my weight is to have plenty of healthy, low calorie density things prepared so that I don't unconsciously revert to poundage packing choices while I am asleep.

I use this salsa as a dip for veggies and as a salad dressing. I also add it to soups and use it as a starter for all sorts of cool stuff. The point I am trying to make is that it is NOT just for midnight snacking!
 Simple Salsa

• 2 cans petite diced tomatoes – drained - this is a Red-Pac product - or you can cut and remove the seeds from 8 tomatoes yourself.
  
• 1 large onion- finely chopped
• 1 green pepper- finely chopped
• 2 Tbs lime juice
• 1 Tbs chopped garlic (or more if you DARE!)
• 2 Tbs cilantro- or more to taste - 
• (You can substitute parsley or lemon basil - because for some people cilantro tastes like soap!)
• Sweeten to taste- optional  and I usually don't (Agave, Stevia)
  
• Toss ingredients in a bowl and you got SALSA!

Here is one way that you can use your simple salsa as a starter for something even better! 
2 cups of your salsa
1 can Black Beans
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
1/2 cup white wine


1. Drain and rinse Black Beans

2. Heat Wine Medium Brassier or Sauce Pan

4. Warm salsa in Wine until the onions are translucent

5. Add Beans, Corn and Zucchini

6. Cover and allow to simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes

7. Add a little more Cilantro if you want toward the end of the simmer

8. Can be served over rice or quinoa and you can even poach fish on top of it -

Cooking Tips for Whole Grains

Secret Recipe!

Whole Grains: Cooking Tips Cooked whole grains - served individually or in combination with one another - not only make a wonderful, filling, highly textured hot cereal for breakfast but you can also add them to salads, soups, as a bedding for meat dishes and even as a crust for pies and quiche. BUYING: If you are up for some adventure, visit the bulk bins at your natural food store and take a chance on buying something you've never heard of! Very often the store will post cooking recommendation.s The internet is packed with great recipes. Don't be afraid to experiment!  Be Creative! Buy small amounts of several kinds of grains and get cooking! PREPARATION:  The preparation for ALL whole grains is about as basic as it gets: If you can boil water, you can cook whole grains. In fact, boiling water is all you need to do. After that, the grains basically cook themselves.  The Secret Formula is 2:1.  One part grain to 2 parts water. That's it, 2:1. You can cook them on a stove, in a rice cooker, in a steamer or an electric skillet. TIP:  I travel with my electric skillet and I use it to cook my grains and roast my veggies! Some grains need to cook longer than others, and different types absorb varying amounts of water. Like pasta, you can adjust the "crunchiness" of grains based on the amount of water you use, the cooking time and whether you decide to "fluff" the grains after you cook them. 1. Rinse: Just prior to cooking, rinse whole grains thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear.  Then strain them to remove any dirt or debris. TIP:  This is especially true for quinoa. Quinoa seeds are covered with saponin, which is a bitter substance that is part of the plant's defense mechanism. It is extremely bitter and forms a soapy solution in water. In order to make the seed taste less bitter, the saponin must be removed, traditionally done by hand-scrubbing and adequate rinsing in a fine mesh sieve.  Confession: I have cooked and eaten unwashed, packaged quinoa without rinsing it first and it not only tasted fine to me but it did not kill me. 2. Cook: As a general rule, you can cook whole grains by simply boiling the water, then adding the grain, return water to a boil, then simmer, covered, until tender . Cooking Hint: Change what you cook grains IN to add MORE flavor! Don't stick to cooking grains in only water, try cooking your grains in one of these ... Broth: Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, Mushroom Broth - Try enhancing broth with cooking wine, or vinegar.  Or try a broth made with spices! Juice: Apple, Pomegranate, Cranberry, Grape Tea: Green, Herb, Pumpkin Spice Thinned Tomato sauce:  for Spanish Rice 3. Test: Just like pasta, always test whole grains for doneness before taking them off of the heat; most whole grains should be slightly chewy when cooked. 4. Fluff: For a fluffy result, lightly comb through the cooked grains with a fork to let the steam escape. If you like the grains to be more like porridge, keep the pot covered after removing it from the heat, and let it sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes before serving. Interesting Fact:  Some grains are not really grains at all. Pseudo-grains are broadleaf plants (non-grasses) that are used in much the same way as cereals (true cereals are grasses). Their seed can be ground into flour and otherwise used as cereals. Examples of pseudo-grains are amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat.

Jim's Success Story

 

This week, I had the pleasure of receiving this email from my friend Jim. I thought it would be nice to share because it shows how powerful, and possible, a lifestyle shift can be.

Jim writes: "I have embraced better health and exercise as a permanent part of life in many ways like yourself. I have yo-yo-ed in weight a half-dozen times in the last twenty-six.

"Each time I have lost the weight it was mainly through dieting - but not in the healthiest of ways. We all know that the weight comes right back as soon as the temporary measures expire.

 

"This last time, though," Jim continues, "I 'think' I have found the right balance. It has been over two years since my own program of proper diet, exercise and mindset have got me into the state of health that I currently enjoy. I have finally been able to let go of some deep childhood inhibitions about trying new foods. That has been the significant difference this go-round. I never ate vegetables as a kid or an adult until just a couple of years ago. In 2008 I tried this revolutionary thing called a salad!. I also learned how to read - and care - about the ingredients labels on many foods. I detest partially hydrogenated oil and basically won't consume anything with it as an ingredient. At dinner, I eat only one of my wife's cheeseburgers instead of two. You get the idea - I am finally learning the big picture about food - and that generally speaking, if it is man-made, then it probably isn't all that good for you.

"And then there's the Red Road Rocket...

"I have always loved cycling. As a kid, I tore all over my neighborhood in Purchase where the streets were wide and lightly traveled by car. Later in high school, I would ride up to the Westchester Airport and then across the Kensico Dam on my black Motebecane Super Mirage. In college, up in Brockport, the rides would be up to and along the shores of Lake Ontario. Then I moved to Long Island, fell in love, and got fat.

"My brother-in-law is an avid cyclist and we discovered a mutual interest in it a few years ago. He began to buy me gift certificates to Country Time Cycles for Christmas and my birthday. In a couple of years' time I had a significant down payment saved, and bought my Race Red Cannondale R500. Now, he and I ride 68+ miles each year in the North Fork Century at the end of August. I ride to work over the summer whenever I can. I take the back roads to make it longer and more interesting. I love getting up at 6:00 AM and riding to the Orient State Park and back before my family wakes up. I wish I could cycle every day, but my work and family schedules prohibit that - for now. My goal is to be able to ride whenever I want, wherever I want - after I retire from work some 20-25 years from now. Well, that is one of them, at least. But the bottom line is between that and the proper nutrition, I feel better now than ever. At 47 I take no prescription medication and have no health issues. I haven't called in sick to work once in over six and a half years! As Clapton once sang - '...I don't want to lose this feeling...'"

I'm with ya, Jim - keep on moving!

 

Recommended Reading

The Volumetrics Eating Plan

by Barbara Rolls

Developed by a nutritionist who has worked with the National Institutes of Health, the Volumetrics plan focuses on foods that are low in "energy density."

In other words, fruits, vegetables, and soups - all high in water content - are low in energy density, and therefore allowed in greater quantities. These foods tend to be more filling, so you eat less - and that's how easy weight loss can result from actually eating MORE food!

WALKING on HILLS as GOOD as RUNNING for WEIGHT LOSS!

Some experts (myself included) note that walking (briskly) is actually better than running for losing weight. One reason is because just about ANYBODY can walk and walking is much less stressful on the body than running. For those looking to boost the amount of weight lost from walking, I recommend finding some hills. Walking hills increases heart rate which radically increases your calorie burn. I once saw a study that said a brisk walk up a hill had the SAME cardiovascular benefit as running on level ground! Besides, hill walking does a lot to tone your backside, legs and calf muscles. By toning muscles and working them out, you increase your metabolic ability to drop pounds. And you will look damn fine too!

Be a Highly Successful Loser! (Loser of Weight, of course!)

Hey, do you want to be a loser all your life? I do! I know it sounds crass and rude of me to start off my newsletter like that but, I think you will cut me some slack when I explain that "a loser" is someone who has achieved weight loss success. Actually, I hate to use the word "lose" or "loser" because it is so negative. The truth is that the only reason that I embrace the term at all is that the phrase "weight loss" gets people's attention. So, I figured if I HAD to use the word loser, I would make it a real attention getter. We both know that losing weight is tough. It takes self-honesty, courage and sacrifice. Clearly, the attributes of a winner and NOT a loser. Simply opening this email makes you a winner to me.

Secret of the Week!  10 Secrets of Highly Successful Losers Using information from the largest study on record for successful weight loss, my own experience and my work helping people lose weight for good, I have compiled a list of the ten most valuable secrets or habits of successful weight losers. Each one of these secrets represents a specific kind of thinking. Now you don't have to be born thinking this way. In fact, you weren't born thinking anything. All of the thoughts and habits that are keeping you from losing weight are things you learned young and have been practicing ever since. It is an absolute fact that you can retrain your brain to think AND act like a person who never has to diet again. Now I want you to take a minute and repeat that to yourself, "I am a person who NEVER, NEVER, NEVER has to diet again!" How does that feel? From now on, I will highlight a lesson from one of the 10 secrets in each issue of this newsletter. Since this is the very first Lose Weight for Good! issue, I thought I would just list the 10 secrets and let YOU think about them. Have a Compelling Vision & Solid Purpose for losing weight and keeping it off. Be Aware of Your Thoughts, Actions, Influences and Surroundings Don't Take it Too Lightly or Yourself Too Seriously Be Accountable Under Promise and Over Deliver - With Absolute Consistency Eat Well and Often Move Well and Often Explore Life Outside Your Comfort Zone Make it Bigger than YOU & Don't go it Alone! Constantly re-define yourself!  And . . . I do a FREE "10 Secrets" intro teleclass every 3 months. Be sure not to miss this golden opportunity - look for the announcement email in December! Secret Mission! Focus on WINNING! In this section I will always ask you to do something. I want you to actually DO IT and when you do, email me the results. Even if you are not a client, I want to hear how these missions help (or don't help) you. When you think about it, the term "lose weight" is kinda silly. When you lose your keys, you go looking for them - right? When you lose your glasses, your kitty, your car in a large parking lot, the only thing you really want is to get it back. Besides, making a real effort to LOSE anything seems kinda weird. Could you imagine putting this much effort into losing a basketball game or even a game of cards? No matter how you look at it, losing is defeating and most of the time we avoid it like the plague. Maybe that is one small reason that losing weight is so darned difficult! Our mind is trying to avoid losing! While that may sound silly, it's not. Experts in the field of psychology are now finding that the way we think about difficult tasks has an effect on the outcome. It might just be likely that thinking about losing all the time may not be helping you. Try this. When you think about losing weight, try focusing on what you GAIN. HERE IS THE MISSION: Write down as many things as you can that you will GAIN by losing weight. Post the list where you can see it every day.  Use pictures to illustrate your gains if you want! Read the list everyday for a week, AND Try to remember at least one thing from the list when you are faced with a difficult eating situation. Email me with any insights that you gain from this exercise. Remember, your excess weight is not at all like your keys, glasses, kitty or car. When you finally do exile (not lose) it, you NEVER want it back! I am sure you want to Lose Weight for Good! (shameless plug) and I am here to help you do just that.

Sincerely, Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu Lose Weight for Good!