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At this time of year when the leaves are mostly on the ground, the cold is setting in and we feel happy when the temperature reaches highs above 15°C, we all know what is coming. For Canadians, the month of October is marked by Thanksgiving celebrations and for many, it is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for.
I was reading an article lately and it really made me think about gratitude and the art of positive thinking. Some people start the day with a prayer of thanks, others end the day with one, but for many, we show an attitude of gratitude throughout the day whenever the inspiration grabs us. Please understand that gratitude has nothing to do with religion. Whether you are thanking God, the Universe or people around you, this includes you.
Now, let me show you a different twist to this attitude of gratitude. Have you ever started the day on the wrong foot? You know what I mean… you get up, step into a mess that the cat left for you during the night, get to the kitchen only to realize the fridge stopped working and the smell is starting to invade the house. You get into the shower and realize there is no soap, get into your car and get all the red lights on the way to work and finally arrive 15 minutes late! Sound familiar?
In my family, I am known for my ability to think positively and although I do practice this habitually, the article I read lately took it one step further as it had to do with being thankful for all the things that didn’t happen! Even with my positive attitude and my non-stop expression of gratitude, I had never thought of that! Let’s rerun the above scenario:
You get up and step into a mess that the cat left for you during the night and you are thankful that she is not seriously sick; get to the kitchen only to realize the fridge stopped working and the smell is starting to invade the house but you think how thankful you are that you weren’t gone on holidays when this happened because with only a few hours of outage, the food is still salvageable. You get into the shower and realize there is no soap but thankfully, you bought some recently when you did groceries so all you have to do is stretch to the vanity and grab a bar; get into your car and get all the red lights and think that with all that has happened this morning if you get into work a few minutes late, you are still doing well. You are thankful for the time to decompress at each red light before starting your day. If it weren’t for all these lights, you might drive too fast and increase your possibility of getting into a serious accident… Wow, what a difference!
More than just part of positive thinking, scientists’ research shows that “Downward Counterfactual Thinking” (psych talk for this way of thinking) has a real and prompt effect on our level of happiness. It can help improve your mood in the moment, so why couldn’t it help with long-term happiness, maybe even prepare us to deal with major challenges! “As a paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology points out, small daily boosts of positive emotion improved life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms over time.”
Can you see how this can help you stay on track when trying to reduce the effects of stress on your eating habits? People report to me that their number one reason for eating off plan is stress! The biggest issue that people have is stress and not surprisingly, that is also the top thing that people seem to have the least solutions for! You can’t go on holidays every week; you can’t take time off work every time something stressful happens, but you can always think of how fortunate you are that it wasn’t worse! Try it for yourself and see how effective this is!
Have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Lise and the coaching staff at Food-Wise Weight Loss
Give me a meal that you can make in less time than it takes to take a run to the drive-thru, and you’ve got my attention! In this world of busy beyond belief, of schedules butting against other schedules, of taxi-moms & dads, we need simple, good meals that can be on the table in less time than it takes to make a go at the store to buy something ready made! Our chefs, Marie and Michel, thought today’s recipe fit that bill completely… and really tasty to boot! Enjoy!
Honey Mustard Burger with Asparagus (P 166)
Ideal Protein and Walden Farms products required:
Walden Farms Honey Dijon Dressing
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 Minutes
Comments:
An oh-so-simple recipe, making hamburger patties… But what a burger! The spices and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette give this burger an exquisite taste.
This dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and all is ready in 15 minutes, a perfect recipe for a week day when time is of the essence.
M & M
Temps de préparation: 5 Minutes
Temps de cuisson: 10 Minutes
Commentaires:
Une recette des plus simple, faire des boulettes de viande hachée! Mais que de bons burgers. Les épices et la vinaigrette à la moutarde de Dijon donnent un goût exquis à ce burger.
Ce plat prend 5 minutes à préparer et le tout est prêt en 15 minutes, recette parfaite pour un soir de semaine quand on est pressé.
M & M
If you have tried this recipe before, please tell us about your impressions!
We’ll see you tomorrow!
Coach Lise, Food-Wise Weight Loss- www.foodwisewl.ca
This blog is intended for those of you around the world doing the Ideal Protein protocol and looking for new ideas of what to eat. If you have not done so, purchase Chef Verati’s cookbook called My Ideal Protein and then follow this blog. Every day, we will comment on one of the recipes until will have gone through the entire book!
So, crack open your books and get ready for 250 days of pure cooking joy! This is the first of many days where you can join this forum and see what our “chefs” have cooked up from the “My Ideal Recipes” cookbook. If you’re like me, you have several cookbooks from previous weight loss programs, from which you have looked at the images, made a few of the recipes and left the rest untouched! We are hoping that this blog will incite you to join us in cooking these recipes… and add your comments to ours!
Now a few housekeeping things before we get started: each recipe is calibrated and calculated to provide 4 portions of both the evening protein and the mandatory 2 cups of vegetables. I know that sometimes this may seem a little out of whack but trust us on this one! The purpose was to make things very easy whether you are cooking for one, for two or for four! If you have more mouths to feed, simply double the recipe.
We will start each comment with the following to help you decide when to make this recipe:
1) the list of Ideal Protein packets and the Walden Farms products if any are required
2) the preparation time and the cooking time. This will help you decide if this is something you can do during the week or if you should wait until the weekend.
So here we go!
Cajun Style Chicken Nuggets (p. 71 My Ideal Recipes)
The mere mention of the word nugget and I bet you can’t help yourself thinking of the kids meal at the golden arches! Am I right? Well let me tell you that this recipe is the furthest thing from anything you might imagine! Full of taste because it is rich with spices, this will no doubt become a family favourite! But what do our chefs have to say:
Ideal Protein and Walden Farms products required:
Ideal Protein BBQ Ridges
___________________________________________________________
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes
Comments:
A perfect recipe for those hectic work days, these Chicken Nuggets are excellent, one of our favourite recipes so far.
A little piece of advice, when preparing the dry ingredients for the coating, I would double the quantities, since we found that there wasn’t enough to equally cover all the pieces of the chicken. (only double the spices, not the ridges, to avoid adding protein or carbs)
And, for people on phase 3 or 4, leftovers, if any, would make for a great portion of protein for tomorrows lunch
This dish was enjoyed by our entire family, even those not following the program!
M & M
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Temps de préparation: 10 Minutes
Temps de cuisson: 15 Minutes
Commentaires:
Une recette parfaite pour les jours de semaine quand on est pressé. Ces « Chicken Nuggets » sont excellents, une de nos recettes préférées à date.
Un conseil, doubler la quantité des ingrédients secs utiliser pour la panure, car il n’en a pas assez pour couvrir toutes les croquettes uniformément. (doublez seulement les épices, pas les croustilles, pour ne pas nuire aux calculs de protéine et glucides)
Et, pour les gens en phase 3 ou 4, les restants feront une bonne portion de protéine pour le lunch du lendemain.
Ce plat a été adoré par tous les membres de notre famille, même ceux qui ne suivent pas le régime.
M & M
If you have tried this recipe before, please let us know what you thought!
We’ll see you tomorrow!
Coach Lise, Food-Wise Weight Loss – www.foodwisewl.ca
Who doesn’t like a good love story that ends well… give me the red ribbon ending and I’m happy every time! Well, here’s a story that has all of the elements for a great love affair but that is doomed to fail, right from the start.
I’m talking of course about the love story between people and food. First of all, there is a physical attraction that cannot be denied. Food looks good, it’s as simple as that! A lot of us actually refuse to eat the stuff that looks bad. I for one, never use to eat anything GREEN. I was convinced that it could not taste good, a notion that came undoubtedly from my childhood memory of the taste and smell of green beans coming out of a can! Yuk! So we like foods that look good… ever notice that bakers make the best looking foods? You can pile those bright coloured veggies in a beautiful, symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing display… it can’t compete with a cake even if the icing is not fancy!
Second, there is the rush. Not just the sugar rush… people who like pasta and bread and chips get the rush too! It’s a lot like the way you feel when you first fall in love! Remember after a first date that really went well, that carried all the hope of a “forever after”? You can’t wait to talk to or see the person again… Are you starting the get the picture?
Finally, the one that sucker punches us every time… is the notion of bad! How attractive is that! You know what I mean, we have all been attracted to someone in our lives that we knew were the bad boys or girls! When we were with them, we felt like we were living on the edge, we even looked better and got noticed more in their company. There is also something irresistible about the thought that with us, they would not be bad, that love would conquer all and they would see themselves in a new light and become good. Heck, millions of dollars in movies and book sales have created that notion for us and those are the best stories! But this is where the story turns sour.
Yes my friends, I am sorry to say that this love affair doesn’t have the same ending as in the book, which in fact is where a lot of problems stem from. Our story evolves like this… we love these foods and give them an almost life like persona, then when the doctor gives us the “reality-check” or we tip the “Toledos” at a new record high, we feel as though we have to take a “break” from the relationship. But after a few months of being away, we feel bad for having abandoned our love and we pay them a “visit”… and then, if we are not careful, we fall in love all over again! They haven’t changed and the attraction is still there. We sometimes even try to make up for our time away by giving more attention than we use to.
The reality is that food will not change. The bad will stay bad and the good will stay good. What we have to do is change the perception that we have that the bad food is somehow more attractive.
There is another kind of love story that I really like… it’s the story of the ugly duckling, the story of the ordinary looking becoming stunningly beautiful… the story of the goodie-two-shoes Sandy in “Grease” who becomes the hot and sexy, curly haired goddess at the end of the movie! Can you imagine your ordinary good food changing into the most amazing stuff you have ever eaten? Can you imagine not being able to stay away from it? Can you imagine giving into such foods without guilt or restraint? I can! Start Google’ing my friends, there is an entire world of fancy, sexy, tasty, looks-bad-but-it’s-good foods out there and it’s waiting for us to dig right in. Here are a few web site and recipes to get you started…
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/main.aspx (diet section – low glycemic impact)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Garlic-Lemon-Broccoli/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-with-roasted-red-peppers/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-in-roast-chicken-drippings/detail.aspx
http://www.cookingnook.com/ ( Diet & Lifestyle section for healthy recipies)
http://www.cookingnook.com/cauliflower-salad.html (substitute White-Wine vinegar and honey)
http://www.cookingnook.com/mushroom-recipe.html
Thinking of you as always!
Lise
www.foodwisewl.ca
There are more varieties of weight-loss
program than we can possibly imagine. I
did a quick search to see what is out there and I was bowled over by the number
of possibilities – all, more or less, contradicting the other! As anybody knows, finding the right one for
you is not something you want to take lightly and knowing what to look for is
probably a great starting place.
Here are 10 things to consider when
evaluating a weight-loss program!
These things are offered to you in no
particular order because what matters to you may not be the same as what
matters to me.
–
Is it sustainable financially? –There
are programs out there that are so expensive that a few weeks into it, you
can’t see yourself continuing. The
stress/emotions that this single aspect puts on you and your family can easily
become one more reason for you to want to snack or down‑right binge! Some programs know this all too well so they
get you to prepay for the entire program in advance creating an obligation for
you to continue… Really, shouldn’t you be free to continue for the right
reasons? Be sure you don’t fall prey at a time when your emotions are at skin
surface which they most assuredly are when the urgency of losing weight is at a
peak!
–
Is it sustainable physically? – In other
words, are you going to be hungry! This
is one of the most important things to consider. I don’t care whether you have 10 lbs or 100
lbs to loose, you can’t make it through to the end while fighting hunger every
day. Consider that, on certain programs,
1,200 calories aren’t enough to keep hunger away while, on other programs, you
can feel energized and never hungry with only 850 calories. Ever wonder why? That’s because calories are not all the same.
Calories that come from carbohydrates
are not going to sustain you while calories that come from protein will nourish
your muscles and help rebuild your metabolism.
When asking how many calories, don’t be afraid to ask what they are
from!
–
Is it sustainable emotionally? – I bet
you never considered this aspect. What
do I mean? A great many people who seek to lose weight attest to being
emotional eaters. What gets eaten during
those episodes? Anything and
everything! You want your program to
have answers and solutions for that… Usually your weight-loss coach is your
best resource which means that your relationship with your coach has to be
solid. A good coach will be able to find
adapted solutions for you!
–
Is it sustainable socially? – Have you
ever noticed that the minute you start a diet, your social calendar fills
up? Doing a weight-loss program from
Monday to Friday and then kicking it as an old habit on Saturday promising to
start again on Monday is NOT the way to do it!
To be successful, you want a program that will carry you through the
whole journey so that you can be done with it!
What is often missing is a knowledgeable coach that can give you good
suggestions and sound advice to get you through those social events. The best part is that those are the very
moments that you will feel the most proud, which in turn will fuel your desire
to be even more successful!
–
Is the suggested food list something you can work with? – There are two sides to this coin.
Number one, if you don’t like very many vegetables, you may be stuck
regardless of the program you chose, you can’t lose weight eating potatoes and
corn! On the flip side, if you don’t
like most of the food on the program, you are going to be miserable. The one thing to remember is that during the weight-loss
period, your goal is to increase your knowledge and appreciation of the things
that are good for you. Start with the
things you already know and like, then gradually add foods you don’t know and even
some you don’t like. You would be amazed
to find that cooking something you don’t like in a different manner can turn it
into a new favourite just like that! Adding new foods to your favourite list
will avoid you going back to all the foods you used to eat, which were likely
responsible for the weight you put on.
–
Is the environment one where you feel comfortable? – Some like to be in a crowd, others are very private. If you are of the first kind, doing a group
program is likely for you. The downside
of this is that the “subject of the week” may not really apply to you. If this happens to fall on a week where you
have a personal challenge, you may leave the meeting feeling empty with still
more questions than answers. Having a
personal coach who meets with you one-on-one every week is usually more
beneficial. Think of any learning
process; private lessons are always more effective than classroom… and it
doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.
Seek the programs where the coaching is included! If you are at the right place, they will
understand the importance of building a trusting relationship with your coach
so they will assign you one coach for the duration of your journey!
–
Is there an educational component to the program? – In my 22 years of yoyo dieting, this is the aspect that was
almost always absent! Ever heard the
catch phrase “knowledge is power”?
Learning more about how the body metabolises food and how the body
stores fat… and how it releases it is so important and that’s just the
beginning. What about the role of
protein in your body, and carbs and fat?
There is so much to learn! Think
of the generations to come that will benefit from you learning this. If you are third generation dieter in your
family, isn’t it time you learned all this so that your kids don’t have to be
stuck in the same cycle.
–
Is the maintenance phase part of the program? – If you have dieted before you know that most programs end when
you reach your goal weight… But wait;
who will tell you if you are doing well or not on maintenance? Who will guide you so that you don’t go back
to old habits? Who will be in your camp so you don’t start feeling guilty if
you put on a pound or two. So be sure that your coach is going to continue to
see you after you reach your goal. This
is, in fact, the most important part of your journey!
–
Is your centre accessible? – We all work
with someone – especially at this time of year – who seems to be very
successful on a particular diet. In
fact, it is often how we decide which program to do… If they have a coach worth
travelling for, then go for it! We have
had people travel as far as 45 minutes to an hour and a half just to be mentored
by one of our elite coaches. But that’s
not for everyone! Be sure that the
process is sustainable. See if your
clinic has a “sister” location closer to where you work or live!
–
What about conserving your muscle mass? –
When you lose 3 lbs according to a set of scales, have you ever wondered what
the 3 lbs is made of? Well most of the time,
it will be made of fat, muscle and water.
Although a great number to see on the scales, what you want to lose is
fat, NOT muscle, and NOT water. So how
do you conserve muscle and stay hydrated?
Well that’s part of another article but let’s just say that some diets
aim specifically at conserving muscle which is really important because muscle
is what boosts your metabolism and burns the calories you eat. You don’t want to waste any of your muscle
even for the sake of seeing the number on the scales go down! Know what you are
burning, the best programs will be able to tell you!
Everyone’s
priorities are different! You might want
to build an evaluation grid and score the programs you are currently looking at
to get the big picture. Attribute a
value of 1 to 5 to each element and see what you get. Don’t leave anything out!
On a final note,
one of the reliable ways to test an organization you are considering is by
asking what they are willing to share before you make your decision. If all you get is a price, then you may be at
the wrong place! If you get actual,
usable, information, well, think of it this way, it’s like watching a movie
preview, it will help you get a glimpse of what they are really made of!
Lise Hamilton-Carrière
Owner/Certified Weight Coach
Food-Wise Weight Loss
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