Sunday, June 26, 2011

Shed those extra pounds!!



Hey guys...

If you're like me you've got an extra 5...10...15...OKAY!!!! 40 pounds to shed. If you're even more like me, you hate dieting, and you hate working out even more. If you're my twin, then you're over 35 and you need to face reality!!! LOL...we have GOT to work out. There is no way that you are going to be able to:

a. lose weight, or
b. get toned

without working out. So, I've purchased several videos that I plan to use at home and give you some updates on. I have Tony Horton's 10 minute trainer which is kick-a** on a dvd. It is killer!!! But that lets you know it will work; I've got Core Rhythms which is cool, and starts off slow, but you totally feel it the next day...again, it works; and lastly, I've been taking advantage of my Comcast/Xfinity on Demand feature which also offers a work out channel on my terms. So look for that in the future.

So, right now, let's talk about eating healthy...NOT dieting. When you think of dieting, you automatically thing uuuuuhhh....nothing that I can enjoy, lettuce three times a day, and water. It doesn't have to be that ,way. There are lots of alternatives. Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien,(looove heeerr!!) offers great alternatives to those high fat, yummy goodies that we love like burgers and fries, and sundaes!!! Her philosophy is keeping all meals under 300 calories. She's got a show on the Cooking channel now too!!! Also, the 17 day diet is awesome for me at least. I've been doing it off and on for several weeks. Not as diligently as I should have, but enough that I've lost 25lbs.

The bottom line to getting those pounds off is focus, determination, keeping yourself full, and not doing a lot of mindless eating. Everything should be conscious. Eventually, it will become second nature. Again though, if you're like me, you have to STAY focused at least until you reach your goal weight. Once I eat something naughty, I have a hard time refocusing.

So, for you my loves, I offer a couple of Lisa's Hungry Girl alternative recipes, and a list of 17 day diet "authorized" foods.



Hungry Girl recipes (from the June 17th Woman's World Mag):

Buffalo Chicken Wing Macaroni & Cheese

4.5 oz uncooked elbow macaroni with at least 2g of fiber per 2 oz serving
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped, 8oz cooked skinless chicken breast, shredded
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 C Frank's RedHot sauce
1/2 C fat free sour cream
2 wedges The Laughing Cow light creamy swiss cheese
2 tsp yellow mustard
1.5 Tbs reduced fat Parmesan style grated topping
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley


-Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta to al dente, drain; reserve
-Mist nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat add celery, carrots and onion; stir occasionally until veggies soften, 5 minutes. Add chicken, garlic and 3 Tbs. hot sauce. Mix well.
-In microwave-safe bowl, mix sour cream, cheese wedges, mustard and 1 Tbs hot sauce. Microwave 30 seconds.
-Mist 8"x8" baking pan with nonstick spray' add half of pasta. Top with layers of chicken mixture, remaining pasta and sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with grated topping and parsley. Bake until bubbly, 30 minutes

SERVES 4
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Strawberry Cheesecake Minis

CHEESE-CAKES
8 low fat honey graham crackers (2 sheets)
1 3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
16 oz fat free cream cheese softened
1/4 cup fat free egg substitute
1/4 cup lite vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup Splenda
2 tsp Coffee-mate fat free french vanilla powder creamer, dissolved in 1 Tbs warm water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
TOPPING
1/2 C sugar free strawberry preserves
1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Crush graham crackers into crumbs. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups; distribute crumbs. Shake pan so crumbs settle. Bake 5 minutes, then remove.
-Dissolve gelatin in 1/4 cup boiling water. Stir vigorously until smooth, Reserve.
-Place cream cheese in mixing bowl. In separate bowl, combine all other ingredients, including gelatin. With mixer on low, blend into cream cheese. With mixer on medium-high, beat until free of lumps. Spoon into baking cups; bake 15 minutes (until tops begin to crack).
-Combine topping ingredients; stir well. Once cheesecakes are done, remove from oven. Distribute topping among cheesecakes. Return pan to oven, 5 minutes.
-Allow pan to cool, 20 minutes; refrigerate until chilled (at least 3 hours). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve
Servings: 4
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17 Day Diet:



The overall concept is for the first 17 days to eat veggies, some fresh fruits, lean meats, drink lots of water and green tea. Stay away from sugars, starches, etc. Hard, yes, but it's only for 17 days. The next 17 days, you will incorporate some starches slowly back into your diet, and alternate those days with the original 17 days. There is a third set of 17 days, but your girl hasn't made it that far...LOL...check out the info on The Doctor's page (loooove them!!!).

Start with the first 17 days...the Accelerate step.

Eat unlimited amounts of green veggies (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, etc) along with other veggies...onions, mushrooms, etc. No starches like potatoes!!
Two servings of fruits (low sugar fruits like red grapes, grapefruit, berries, and apples) can be eaten daily prior to 2pm as the body does not metabolize the sugars well after that time (since we are normally mostly at rest then).
Two servings of probiotics should be eaten daily. My choice is fat free or low fat probiotic yogurt, preferably Greek (Chobani is the BOMB!!!)
Again, unlimited amounts of lean meats including egg whites, ground turkey, fish and chicken breast.

Happy healthfulness!!!
XOXOX - Dyna