Worried About Gaining Weight Over the Holidays? Relax!

It's that time of year...food, food and more food. They claim that you can gain five to seven pounds during the holiday season and that most of us never lose all of that weight. Not good.

A typical Thanksgiving dinner can have up to 4000 calories. That's probably about two day's worth of caloric intake for most of us. And to burn that off, you'd have to run for seven hours, do 20 hours of yoga or lift weights for 10 hours. Probably not gonna happen.


The thing to remember is that we need to be able to enjoy this festive time of year and eat all the foods we love without:

1. Gaining all the extra weight
2. Feeling guilty about every mouthful

As with everything, the key is moderation. On Thanksgiving, go ahead and eat all the food, no matter how fattening or unhealthy it may be. This is one of life's little pleasures, so enjoy it.

When it comes time to grab seconds, stop and think about it. Are you really still hungry, or does your mouth just want more? If in fact you do get seconds, go for small portions. You will no doubt be having pie for dessert, so don't overeat now.

Likewise on the leftovers. Go large on the turkey and small on the dressing and mashed potatoes. Slivers of pie instead of slices. Skip the skin, go light on the gravy and opt for pumpkin pie with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Then get back to working out and ramp up your exercise sessions...add five minutes to your cardio...add an extra set to your lifting routine...walk around the block two times instead of one.

Then get ready to do it all over again...Christmas is just around the corner!

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

In order to get all the protein we need, we eat chicken at our house three to four times a week. As a result, I am always trying to find new and different ways to make it so everyone doesn't get bored and opt for a sandwich instead of a healthy, home-cooked meal.

This is a delicious recipe that found recently and have modified from the original to be lower in fat but still overly abundant in taste. It's a one-skillet meal that simmers for 45 minutes so you can get a few things done while it's cooking.

Serve with a crisp side salad and some crusty whole grain bread and you have a hearty, healthy meal that that is sure to become a classic at your house.


Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Serves Four

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenderloins
1 red onion, sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas in the pod
1 tablespoon minced ginger or dried ginger powder
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil
Shredded coconut, optional

Directions

Lightly season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a cast iron skillet or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, sear the chicken in hot oil. Cook until golden brown, repeat for the other side. Remove chicken to a plate. Saute the onions, potatoes, ginger and curry powder in the same skillet, adding a dash of oil if necessary. Add  the pea pods, coconut milk and water. Place chicken back in the skillet and stir lightly. Bring to a simmer and cook chicken through, about 45 minutes. Serve over a bed of brown or white rice. Sprinkle with coconut if desired.

Sorry Oceanspray!

Every year of my life I have had Oceanspray Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving. Every single year. You know, the jellied kind. I like it. My family likes it. My dog even likes it. So why change?

Well, yesterday my 18-year-old son said, "Mom, have you ever thought about making homemade cranberry sauce? I saw a recipe that looks interesting."  (I have to say "thank goodness" for my son...he loves to cook with me. My daughter, well, not so much. Husband - never. So it's nice to have someone to spend time with in the kitchen).

Next thing I know we're planning a test batch of homemade cranberry sauce. It's really quite easy and very  rewarding to know you made something fresh and delicious! And this recipe is lower in sugar than the canned type. It may seem trivial, but at Thanksgiving we tend to over-indulge so much that I personally will take any break I can get when it comes to sugar, fat or calories. Just don't expect me to scrimp on the taste!

If you too are a little tired of Oceanspray, give this a whirl. I think you'll like it. Not sure about your dog though  ;)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce


Ingredients

3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (one 12-ounce bag if buying frozen)
3/4 cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
zest and juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons grated ginger, peeled or use ground ginger if you like
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

Directions

Combine cranberries, cherries, vinegar, orange zest and juice, ginger, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until cranberries pop.

Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries release their juices, about 15 minutes. If the cranberry sauce becomes too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Note: If you want a really smooth sauce, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times prior to cooking. It's a personal choice!

Makes 3 cups.

So What is Thin Anyway?

So, What is Thin, Anyway?


- It is being your ideal weight

- It is not feeling like you are "fat"

- It is being happy with your body

- It is having a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index)

-It is about liking the way you look in your clothes

It is NOT About:

- Being so thin you are waif-like

- Having no muscletone

- Living life on a "diet"

- Being able to wear skinny jeans

- Trying to achieve a bodytype that is not your own

If you are happy in your body and are a healthy weight, then you can consider yourself  "thin."  Obesity is growing by leaps and bounds in this country (and worldwide). Don't become part of the statistic.

If you are not happy with your weight and your body, do something about it. Start today. Start now. Get "thin." You will feel 200% better. I guarantee it!

More Tips for Losing Weight

Not long ago I made an entry with some tips for being more active throughout the day to help with weightloss. Today I found this video from the Mayo Clinic that offers a few ideas I hadn't thought of. Check it out:

Try putting some of these tips to work in your everyday life. You will be surprised at the difference they can make, and they are easy to boot!

Yet Another Reason to Lose Weight

As if we don't already know that being obese is a health hazard that can ultimately kill you and that nearly 30 percent of the adult population is considered obese, new research  by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has found that fat collection in various body locations, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver can cause a decrease in cardio-pumping function.

In the past, studies have shown that fat accumulation in the liver and around the heart are linked to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

According to James Hamilton, PhD, senior author and project leader, and a professor of biophysics, physiology and biomedical engineering at BUSM, the study "Found that fat collection around the heart, the aorta and within the liver is clearly associated with decreased heart functions and that an MRI can quickly and noninvasively measure fat volume in these areas. Our study also found that looking at BMI of the individual does not reliably predict the amount of undesired fat in and around organs."

It's no wonder you get out of breath just walking from the car to the front door or loading groceries in the trunk of your car. Your poor heart is working much too hard to pump blood to your extremities and through miles of extra body mass.

"Our study found that fat collection around the heart, the aorta and within the liver is clearly associated with decreased heart functions and that an MRI can quickly and noninvasively measure fat volume in these areas. Our study also found that looking at BMI of the individual does not reliably predict the amount of undesired fat in and around organs," said Hamilton.

If you needed another reason to motivate you to get off the sofa and start moving--and losing weight--hopefully this is it. Life is too short to go through it overweight and miserable. Being fit puts you on top of your game, and on top of the world.

Don't wait. Get started on your healthy lifestyle today!

Diets Gone Wrong

Okay, so there are a boatload of diets out there that people try out of desperation to lose weight. Any that involve excessive restriction of calories or taking stimulants to amp up metabolism are --- read my lips--BAD FOR YOU. Losing body fat without catabolizing muscles is the key and to do this you must limit your intake of food while performing some type of physical activity (yep, I mean exercise) to cause your body to burn fat for fuel.

But this post isn't necessarily about losing weight the right way. It is about a segment that was on the Tyra Banks show which explained how a tapeworm cyst from a cow could help you lose weight. Clearly the wrong way to lose weight!

The show featured two young women who wish to lose weight and claim they would let a 15 foot long tapeworm flourish in their gut to accomplish it. Now remember, a tapeworm is a parasite. They plague our dogs -- that's why we have them wormed. And they are the same parasite found in meat that is undercooked and also in some seafood. And yes, they can make you very, very sick.

As explained by a doctor on the Tyra show, here is how the tapeworm diet works: People eat a tapeworm cyst from a cow (some come from pigs and fish too, but those are considered more dangerous). The tapeworm then grows inside the digestive track and absorbs calories for you. This can result in weight loss of one to two pounds per week. Then, when you feel you have lost enough weight, you take an antibiotic to kill the tapeworm and it will then be expelled from your body during a trip to the bathroom (lovely thought, isn't it?)

Apparently this was fairly common back in the late 1800's. There were ads featuring a woman promoting the "easy to swallow, sanitized" tapeworms in order to lose weight without diet or exercise. Not surprising when you recall all the snake oil hawkers that sold potions claiming to cure everything from gout to consumption.

In case you're wondering what the risks are with the Tapeworm Diet, keep in mind that the tapeworm, along with calories, consumes a lot of the nutrients that you normally would digest. This can lead to anemia and vitamin deficiencies.

Here is the United States tapeworm sales are banned. Abdominal pain, bloating, digestive disturbances and intestinal obstruction are also common side effects, according to Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University. Blake also notes that tapeworms can grow to a length of 50 feet and some can even be deadly. Her take on the Tapeworm Diet? "Purposefully consuming tapeworms is not healthy."

I couldn't agree more. If you are desperate to lose weight, don't resort to dangerous trendy diets. You can easily and safely lose a pound or two a week by simply changing your eating habits (eating green, clean and lean foods) and exercising for a minimum of thirty minutes three or more times per week.

I don't know about you, but just the thoughts of a 15 foot long worm wiggling around in my stomach makes me lose my appetite!