Discipline is Better Than Potatoes

Posted on April 20, 2013 by therapysoup

Discipline quotes:

“Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons.” ~Author Unknown

“Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” ~Jim Rohn

“Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. “ ~Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Insecurity of Freedom: Essays on Human Existence, 1967

One of the hardest parts about dieting is getting over past eating styles, styles which got you into the shape you are in right now. You have to come to realize that you ate crap, didn’t exercise enough and learned BAD habits. It might have been no fault of your own, but it happened. You are a grown person, so you have to deal with it.

You have to learn to eat a different way, but like with anything, if you learn how to do it in a way that you don’t find boring, you find things that you like to eat that are better for you and you do it all long enough, it is a lifestyle change and not a diet.

Do you want to be skinny? Do you want to stop feeling bad that you say you want to do it or you will start tomorrow and never do it? Then just start.

Go shopping and find all of the necessary ingredients. Read my past blogs and find out what you can do to make it happen. Ex: 6 proteins a day (I write all about lists of them), only 50-100 g of carbs per day, 4 small servings of veggies, 2 small servings of fruits (each has different carbs, research…berries and citrus are the lowest), and two small salads a day. Eat every 3-4 hours and don’t let yourself get too hungry or thirsty. Drink your non-sugar beverages. Look at labels. Count carbs.

Stop procrastinating. How much do you want to do it? Do it and stop whining. It is not hard. I will answer any questions that you might have, but start it. Realize that you have the discipline to say “no.” When I go out to eat and I order my protein meal (meat and salad, eggs and bacon, etc.), I ask for grilled veggies or tomatoes instead of potatoes and I ask for fruit instead of toast or bread. It is habit now. I always turn free bread away before they put it on my table. You have to learn to do it or to just have one. Don’t let them bring the never-ending bowls of carbs to your table. JUST SAY NO!

I spent years wondering why I was overweight. I was overweight because I ate those bread baskets, and ate the fries, hash browns or the chips that came with a meal. I don’t allow those in my life anymore. There is a Russian lady who makes my salads and I told her that I noticed that everyone that came in who was overweight ate a healthy sandwich or salad and had a bag of chips with their meal. She said, “American’s love potato chips.” That is true, and there is also a correlation with the potato lovers and that our society is so obese right now. You want a fry? Have one or two. You can’t be thin and eat a serving of potato chips, hash browns, baked potatoes or fries. I don’t do potatoes, rice and my wheat is limited (no bread or cereal–although, once in a while, I have Western Bagel’s Perfect 10 bagel at 10g net carbs and a low-carb burrito tortilla at about 7 g net carbs–ONCE in AWHILE.).

At first, this all seemed like a sacrifice, but it was actually not so bad after a few weeks. Now, I feel very disciplined and good that I watched about 40 pounds fall off of me and I will be damned to put them back on. So, I still follow all of those rules. My husband backs me and when anyone tries to sabotage me with trying to get me to order something against my rules, I tell them quite frankly, “No, I don’t do sugar or wheat.” I am proud of it and it makes me feel even better about my self-esteem. Losing weight and being able to say no are very empowering. If no one else likes it, too bad. This is my health, my life and my body.

Now, it is your turn to feel this way! JUST SAY NO. You won’t die with low carbs and no potatoes in your life.

REPLACEMENTS OF POTATOES:

There are tons of cauliflower recipes out there where you can make faux pizza crusts, faux mashed potatoes, etc and they taste great–instead of potatoes. You can make baked Kale chips instead of eating potato chips.

So learn NEW ways to make things, enjoy them and they will become part of your new skinny lifestyle. Or you will start to look like a potato.

Chocolate Heaven and Still Stay Skinny

Posted on April 18, 2013 by therapysoup

How would you like a protein snack/meal to die for? Something made up of Belgium chocolate, it tastes great, has 10g of protein and only 8g of carbs, 1 g of fiber–making it 7g of net carbs?

Too good to be true? Not if it is made by my favorite protein bar maker, Power Crunch.

Power Crunch Choklat. The company says this about it, “Real chocolate meets real nutrition in Choklat Crunch® – 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in world class Belgian chocolate.
Made with exotic Belgian chocolate and fortified with 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in each bar, Choklat Crunch® is truly a unique offering. With only 100 calories per serving, Choklat Crunch® is an indulgence to feel good about. Made without the use of sugar alcohols, a known cause of gastric distress, Choklat Crunch® is truly a gold standard in both nutrition and taste!”

It comes in dark and milk chocolate. I just ordered boxes of both and I will report on it as soon as I try it. Best deal I have found so far, Vitacost.com. $16.99 for a box of 12. Free shipping on orders over $49. I bought 3 boxes. I don’t mess around. It is chocolate low-carb heaven. My sister-in-law told about it, loved it, and that is good enough for me. I know I already love their regular chocolate and their peanut butter favors.

I am excited. Forget fattening, non-nutritious candy bars. You can have this and stay skinny, be healthy.

Sweet Temptation

Posted on April 11, 2013 by therapysoup

A great proverb: ““Good habits result from resisting temptation”

I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you are on a diet and someone (who KNOWS you are on a diet) offers you something NOT on your diet.

It happens all of the time. Temptation. Sabotage. Whatever you want to call it. It is annoying and it is real.

What can you do to prevent temptation? 10 Ways To Reduce Temptation:

1. Never go anywhere hungry. My father was thin and he used to go to dinner after eating a piece of chicken breast at home. I always wondered why he did such a weird thing. Eat before going out? I get it now. He was a reformed chubby kid and as an adult, he learned how to stay thin. I didn’t figure it out until after he passed away and I lost my weight. So, eat some protein before you go out to a dinner with other people. You will find it easier to pass up the rolls and ordering food based on hunger vs. nutritional need. Once you get good at doing it, it will become a normal routine or habit.

2. If you do go out, tell the server to not bring rolls and you will NOT be ordering dessert.

3. Don’t go shopping hungry and go with a list of items that you need, items that are nutritious and part of your diet.

4. Don’t keep bread in the house, if at all possible.

5. Always have protein in the house. Meat, cheese,eggs, Greek Yogurt, nuts, seeds, protein bars. If you are hungry, have a protein drink or some cheese/meat slices to kill off the hunger.

6. Eat protein every 3-4 hours and don’t go longer or you will be more likely to cheat. You are weaker in your strength of saying “NO” when you are hungry.

7. Warn people who have invited you over or out that you are on a special diet and just let them know that you need cheese, meat, nuts, eggs and you cannot eat grains like rice or bread and no beans. If they ask why, tell them it is for something medical or you need to be low sugar and those things convert to sugar. It is really no one’s business anyway.

8. Drink plenty of water or some form of sugar free beverage and keep full and hydrated on it.

9. If someone keeps asking you to try something that is NOT on your diet, don’t be afraid to say something to them. Don’t cave in. What they are doing is WRONG. You can say, “You know, I know you are trying to be nice, but that what they are asking you to eat is not good for your health. You don’t have to mention weight, just say “health” and they are more likely to back down. I, personally, have no trouble saying, “Hey, stop trying to sabotage my diet or my health.”

10. Remember that just because it is a holiday, or someone’s birthday, or the weekend or whatever the excuse–doesn’t meant that you have to eat something that will set you back for days after weeks or months of working so hard. I never really understood why we have to eat things like cake or ice cream when it is your birthday anyway. Who came up with that idea?

BONUS ANSWER: Get sugar free/low carb/gluten-free replacements of items that are sweet. There are bakeries now that make these things and you can Google and have all kinds of replacements mailed to you. So look into it and don’t just eat whatever crap comes your way. You don’t have to do it. Be strong for YOURSELF!

Cut Cravings: Eat Protein Rich Breakfasts

Posted on April 8, 2013 by therapysoup

If you want to get and stay skinny, you have to get your brain to help you in the quest to feel full and not overeat. As you have heard before, breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. You will also have MORE energy to do things throughout the day.

There has been a study. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326151127.htm

“The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or “satiety” along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed,” according to Assistant Professor, Heather Leidy.

“Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks,” Leidy said. “These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods.

Examples of Protein Rich Breakfasts:

Poached organic eggs with smoked salmon, avocado and salad
Boiled organic eggs with cold cuts of meat and salad
Lightly scrambled eggs with organic bacon and salad
Leftover dinner
Meat and nuts
Protein smoothies (see the protein power example in this article)
Full fat organic yogurt with fruit and nuts
Canadian bacon, or any other bacon.
two tablespoons of a nut butter

Cereal and wheats/grains are NOT a protein rich breakfast, so you will be triggered to eat more later. Lindora.com sells high protein pancakes, if you are so inclined once in awhile!

Costco brought back my favorite yogurt! Dannon Greek Light and Fit!

Posted on April 7, 2013 by therapysoup

I just came back from Costco and I am so happy. Less than $10 for a box of 12. Only 8g of carbs per container. Only 80 calories and 12g of protein (more than double than that of just regular yogurt) and half the carbs! A win-win!

The price is great, the protein content is great and the carbs are excellent. What a great breakfast, snack, lunch or dessert. Put a few strawberries or blueberries in it and it is a true filling, delish dessert. It is so creamy and tangy compared to plain boring ole yogurt.

MIDDAY SLUMP: You Have To Eat A Snack Between Lunch and Dinner

Posted on April 6, 2013 by therapysoup

Ever catch yourself nodding off about an hour or two after lunch? “If you started your day with nothing more than a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal, you’re bound to feel your energy start to drop sooner in the day.” Protein six times a day helps this from happening.

And if your lunch mainly consisted of carbs, then after a meal later on, there is a huge drop in blood sugar. However, after any meal, your blood sugar rises for about two hours—and then it drops off. Your lunch has to contain enough protein and fiber, and if not, then your blood sugar can rise and drop even more quickly, causing you to feel groggy.

Even if you eat a substantial breakfast and a lunch that combines carbs and protein, you might still have the midday slump. Eating raises your body’s core temperature as the body works to digest and metabolize your food. After you eat a meal, a few hours later, your core body temperature drops, signaling your brain to release melatonin, which causes you to feel tired.

One thing that can help is to exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to provide more energy throughout the day. If you aren’t able to get in an early-morning or lunchtime workout, try a 15-minute power walk around the time you usually start your slump. Snacking helps to control blood-sugar levels. The ideal snack is around 200 to 300 calories and contains a balance of carbohydrates and protein.

If you want to lose weight and keep your metabolism going AND you want to stay awake during the day and be productive, you need to eat your midday snack.

8 suggestions for a snack:

1. A piece of fruit and two tablespoons of peanut butter (or another nut butter).

2. One ounce of almonds and a handful of grapes or a piece of fruit.

3. One ounce of cheese with a few whole-wheat crackers. Watch the carbs in the crackers. Look at the box.

4. Two ounces (a moderate handful) of trail mix.

5. Six ounces of greek yogurt with fruit.

6. A low carb protein bar

7. A hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit.

8. A couple of slices of meat, cheese and a piece of fruit.

I Made The Low Carb Lasagna and it Was Delish

Posted on March 26, 2013 by therapysoup

I wrote a couple of days ago about a recipe for low carb zucchini-based lasagna (instead of high carb noodles). So, I made it and had it for dinner. My husband a d I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend it because low carb should not have to be boring. It was Italian, delicious and had vegetables!

I recommend that you bake it high up near the heat to get the cheese crispy and to bake it for an hour. The recipe says half an hour, and that is just not enough cooking time. I purchased the ingredients at Trader Joes and I bought a mandolin slicer (my first use of one, ever) at Target. I have pictures from start to finish. I hope you try it. It took me about 30 to 45 minutes, but it could go faster each time I do it.

Skinny Italiany

Posted on March 25, 2013 by therapysoup

Every now and then, I miss pasta. So, I have been working hard to get back down a few pounds to my goal weight. Today is day two of two hours of exercise (Pilates and Elliptical). I should get to goal soon enough, so I ordered some low-carb lasagna noodles. I am going to attempt to make a low-carb lasagna with these noodles. I ordered them from FiberGourmet.com. 2 ounces of the noodles is 42g of carbs, but the fiber is 18g, making the net total to be 24g of carbs.

However, in the meantime, my caulflower-based pizza was so delish (haven’t done the delish zuccini-based one yet), I am going to attempt to make a low-carb zuccini (replacement of pasta) lasagna this week, since I am taking some time off to do things for the holiday week.

Here is the recipe that I found. If anyone does it first, let me know how it came out.

This low-carb lasagna uses zucchini “noodles” instead of lasagna noodles. The trick to making this work is to take some of the water out of the zucchini first by salting the “noodles”. Then they firm up and are more noodle-like, instead of mushy. This recipe can be made with or without meat.

The picture is what I am HOPING for!

Ingredients:

1¼ – 1½ pounds of zucchini
salt – enough to lightly salt the zucchini – between ¼ and ½ teaspoon
1 lb. ground beef (can be made without the meat)
1 lb. ricotta cheese – whole milk preferred
2 eggs
½ cup chopped fresh basil or 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups jarred pasta sauce (any variety with no added sugars)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (not dried/powdered)

Preparation:

1. Slice the zucchini into strips, length-wise. The strips should be about 1/8 inch thick. I find the best way to do this is with a mandoline. See a vegetable being sliced with a mandoline and find out more about them. Discard any pieces that are mostly peel.2. Put the zucchini strips into a colander and sprinkle the salt on them. Toss to coat. Put the colander over a bowl to catch the juice. After 10-15 minutes, toss the strips again so that the brine will more-or-less evenly coat the strips. Drain for at least an hour.

3. While the zucchini is dripping, cook the meat. Then, combine the ricotta, eggs, and basil or parsley.

4. Spread the zucchini strips on paper toweling or a cotton tea towel to take away most of the surface liquid.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Put ½ cup of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan, and combine the meat with the rest of the sauce.

2. Begin layering by covering the sauce with a layer of zucchini. Then cover the zucchini with about one third of the ricotta mixture, one third of the sauce, and one third of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, only arrange the zucchini strips in the other direction, e.g. if in the first layer the strips are lined up along the length of the pan, for the next layer line them up across the width of the pan. Alternate again for the third layer. After the third layer, finish with the Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Note, if you refrigerate the lasagna before baking, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove the foil and cook an additional 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.)

Makes 8 Servings.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber (10 grams total carbohydrate), 25 grams protein, and 408 calories.

For Meatless Version: Each serving has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber (10 grams total carbohydrate), 17 grams protein, and 242 calories.

LOW CARB is a LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET!

Posted on March 23, 2013 by therapysoup

Handy chart to help you remember what is low-carb. Cut it out and hang it on your fridge.

Non-Starchy Vegetables vs. Starchy Vegetables

Posted on March 22, 2013 by therapysoup

When wanting to lose weight and maintain your weight, you need to be conscious of how many carbs you get into your diet daily. YES, you want vegetables, but many people mistakenly think of potatoes of any kind as an innocent vegetable. You need to get 4 small servings of vegetables a day (about half a cup of each serving), but if it is a STARCHY vegetable, not so much. You need to cut down the serving by half if it is carrots and you have to be aware that I gave up starchy vegetables altogether. Now, you can have them if you like, especially in maintenance, but be aware of what they do to your body.

First, the good they do. Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C and potassium and a good source of folate, vitamin B6, and manganese. They also contain a fairly high concentration of antioxidant phytonutrients.

The problem with potatoes is that they are high on the glycemic index.

Estimated Glycemic Load of Potatoes

½ cup diced raw potato: 6
1 medium potato (2½ to 3½ inches in diameter; about 7.5 oz):17
1 large potato (3 to 4½ inches in diameter; about 13 oz): 29
½ cup mashed potato made with milk (no butter): 8
½ cup mashed potato made from dehydrated (instant) potatoes with milk: 7
The glycemic index gives us an idea of which foods raise our blood glucose fastest and highest.
BY COMPARISON: one serving of broccoli is 8, one serving of cauliflower is 1 , and spinach is 0.
Why is this important?

Many people have problems processing large increases in blood glucose. Having blood glucose that is too high, is on the road to diabetes and the way to correct this is to cut carbs and eat foods lower in glycemic index numbers.

Eating pure glucose is given a ranking of 100 — all other foods are in relation to this. So a food with a glycemic index of 95 raises blood sugar almost as much as pure glucose, but a food with a glycemic index of 20 doesn’t raise blood sugar much at all. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that the glycemic index does not take portion size into account. The actual amount any food raises blood sugar has to do both with how glycemic it is, and how much of it you eat. The glycemic load attempts to combine these concepts, and some diets are using the glycemic load for this reason.

Vegetables LOW in carbs:

Sprouts, alfalfa and other small seeds (sprouted legumes have more carb)
Greens – lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.
Hearty Greens – collards, mustard greens, kale, etc.
Radicchio and endive count as greens
Herbs – parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
Bok Choy
Bamboo Shoots
Celery
Radishes
Sea Vegetables (Nori, etc)
Mushrooms
Cabbage(or sauerkraut)
Jicama
Avocado
Asparagus
Okra
Cucumbers (or pickles without added sugars)
Green Beans
Fennel
Cauliflower
Brocolli
Peppers
Zuchinni
Summer Squash

So, eat your VEGGIES and choose wisely.

P.S. The carb content of the above mentioned items per serving:

cauliflower, brocoli 1-3g of carbs, spinach is 0-1 g of carbs and a potato is 35g for a medium potato. See the difference? If you want to stay skinny, you can’t have more than 50-100g of carbs a day. 35g is a lot for ONE item for the day.

Skinny-Rules