Curb Mindless Eating Pt. 5

To curb nighttime grazing:

·                                 Try a cup of hot tea; the warm liquid in your stomach can help you feel satiated.

Shrimp and Asparagus Salad

Serves 4 (serving size is 1 3/4 cups)

If you cannot find white asparagus, you can use regular asparagus in this recipe.

 

1  cups (1 -inch) sliced asparagus (about 1/2 pound)

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1  teaspoon vegetable oil

2  cups torn spinach

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1  tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

 

 

1.      Steam asparagus, covered, 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2.  Sprinkle shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté 4 minutes. Remove from pan; place in a large bowl. Add asparagus, spinach, and beans to shrimp; toss well.

3.      Place onion and garlic in skillet on medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add remaining pepper, broth, and the re­maining ingredients. Drizzle the dressing over the salad; toss to coat. Serve im­mediately.

 

NUTRITION PER SERVING

CALORIES 205      FAT 2.8 g      PROTEIN 21.5 g     SODIUM 278 mg      FIBER 5.5g      CARBOHYDRATE 19.1 g

Curb Mindless Eating Pt. 4

To curb nighttime grazing:

·                                 Brush your teeth. Food never seems quite as appealing when you have that fresh, minty toothpaste taste in your mouth.

Curb Mindless Eating Pt. 3

To curb nighttime grazing:

·                                 Why do most people graze at night? Because they're bored. If you've been thinking about taking up knitting, crossword puzzles, Ping-Pong, or some other hobby that will keep your brain busy in the evening, now is the time to do it.

Curb Mindless Eating Pt. 2

To curb daytime grazing:

·                                 Don't skip meals. I mean it. You might think you're saving yourself calories, but it will only leave you famished and more likely to consume extra calories later on to feel full.

Curb Mindless Eating

Grazing throughout the day instead of or in addition to eating regular meals especially when you're focused on another task, such as talking on the phone or watching TV is the downfall of many a committed dieter, but it doesn't have to be.

If you're piling on pounds because you eat when you're distracted or bored, rather than when you're actually hungry, try the following tactic to break the habit.

To curb daytime grazing:

·                                 Don't eat while you're standing up, in the car, or on the go or when you don't have time for a full, proper meal. If you sit down at mealtime and pay attention to every bite, you will be more relaxed, you'll notice when you're satisfied so that you won't overeat. And you might actually enjoy your food.

Light and Easy

Here is a treat for an easy laid back weekend. Get out there and burn off some of those extra calories we had during the week. And don't forget we have fun t-shirts for sale, we have a limited supply so you will have to be quick. Happy Friday!


Low-Fat Low-Carb Turkey Wrap
Serves 1

1    large leaf green lettuce
1/4 teaspoon mustard
2    slices low-sodium oven-roasted turkey breast
2 slices tomato
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lay the lettuce leaf flat, and evenly spread mustard on it. Lay down the turkey and tomato. Season with pepper to taste. Tightly roll up the lettuce leaf and enjoy.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 32       FAT 1 g        PROTEIN 6.2g       SODIUM 103 mg       FIBER .4g       CARBOHYDRATE 2.8 g

Get Back Into Your Skinny Clothes

Are you holding on to clothes that haven't fit in months or even years? Well, hold on to them just a little bit longer. Use them as motivation. If the scale is unmotivating, rather than focus on that number, decide to drop clothing sizes as your goal. When you go down a size, buy yourself an item of clothing. Then you really have to work to get an article of clothing, but it was worth it. Replace the food rewards with something even better…a new and improved YOU!

You vs. Your Thoughts

It's important to record the emotions that trigger your appetite, and it's important to do it quickly. If you wait even a half day to record them, you may forget exactly what was bothering you in the moment you wanted that chocolate bar. Or worse yet, you might fool yourself into thinking whatever was bugging you really isn't that big of a deal after all. Finally, writing down your emotions immediately means that you can't push them to the back of your mind. They are there in print, waiting for you to deal with them right then.

Anesthetic

Using food as an anesthetic is easy. Looking problems in the eye is difficult. Once you begin to look beneath your behavior and analyze your feelings, it gets easier and easier.

Putting On the Brakes

You need to learn how to deal with your emotions, without using food. You want to break the self-destructive cycle of emotional eating. First, let's revisit the exercise from last week. I gave you two questions to ask yourself before you ate anything: Are you hungry? And are you depressed or anxious? For the next week, continue to answer these same questions, and add the following question: Can you find a way to address whatever emotions you've uncovered in appropriate ways rather than by suppressing the emotions?

If you are feeling anxious about a work- or school-related deadline, can you break down the work into manageable pieces, so each time you finish one you'll feel more on top of it? If you can rectify the issue in the moment by acting on it directly and positively, seize the opportunity to do so. 

Friday the 13TH

Happy Friday the 13Th, and Have a good V-day! Not too many chocolates please, and if you do indulge, walk it off please.

Grilled Tilapia Tacos
Serves 6

1 tablespoon ground chipotle seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1    teaspoon grated lime zest
2    tablespoons fresh lime juice
cooking spray
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cole slaw mix (purchase from any supermarket)
papaya-mango salsa (store-bought)
fresh lime wedges

1.    Combine chipotle seasoning and cumin. Rub mixture evenly over fillets.
2.    Stir together olive oil, lime zest, and lime juice; rub over fillets.
3.    Arrange fillets on a grill coated with cooking spray. Grill over medium-high
heat (350° F to 400° F) 3 minutes on each side or until fish just begins to flake
with a fork.
4.    Cool slightly. Shred fish. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons fish into each tortiIla, and
top with slaw and papaya-mango salsa. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 338       FAT 8 g       PROTEIN 44 g       SODIUM 86 mg       FIBER 3.2 g       CARBOHYDRATE 23 g

Be Proud of Any Success

There's no such thing as mindless weight loss. You can't sleep off the pounds or take a miracle pill that burns fat. Losing weight is about making the right choices, every single day, in a variety of different situations. But even if you see the pounds coming off slowly, that doesn't mean you should throw in the towel. This journey may be slow going sometimes, but every milestone counts.

Trigger Pt. 2

2. Are you depressed or anxious?
Did you just get into a fight? Are you anxious about a work-related deadline? Whatever it might be, write down what you're feeling and why you think you're feeling it. Getting in touch with your emotions here is critical. If you can't, you're going to have an incredibly difficult time reaching your weight loss goals. Dig deep, and get it in writing.

Trigger

I'm going to start showing you how to break the cycle of emotional eating. Below are two questions. For a week, before you eat anything, whether it's dinner or a small snack, I want you to answer these two questions in your journal. By doing this, you'll begin to distinguish between real hunger and emotional triggers.

1. Are you hungry?
Are you experiencing any physiological conditions that are signaling to you that you are hungry? Is your stomach growling? Do you feel weak or tired? Has it been longer than three or four hours since you last ate? It will become easier to determine whether you are genuinely, physically hungry or whether you are eating for a different reason. If you've determined that you are hungry, then it's time to eat. If not, tomorrow I will have the next question.

Be Positive

I know it's hard to stay on top of your workouts and your eating every day, I know that no one's perfect. We all fall off the wagon, the important thing is that we recover as quickly as we can and are committed to not letting the slipups get the best of us. Once you figure out what you need to do to get back on track quickly and completely after a slipup, write it down. If you capture what works and what doesn't in a fitness diary, you will have your own little survival guide to refer to if it happens again.

Eat Well

Eat will and be active. Have a great weekend.

Baked Eggplant in Roasted Tomato Sauce

Serves 6

8 plum tomatoes (about 1 pound)

cooking spray (olive or canola oil preferred)

1 1/2 cups diced onion, divided

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sliced onion

1/2 cup dry white wine

20 garlic cloves, peeled (about 2 large heads)

1  cup canned low-sodium vegetable broth

18 (1/2-inch-thick) slices eggplant (about 2 medium)

2  (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
4 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

oregano sprigs (optional)

1.      Preheat oven to 425° F.

2.  Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for
30 minutes. Set aside.

3.      Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup diced onion; sauté

3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, red wine, oregano, and black pepper; bring to a
boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a blender;
process until smooth. Set aside; keep warm.

4.  Place a saucepan coated with cooking spray over high heat. Add sliced onion;
sauté 5 minutes. Add white wine and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Stir
in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Place garlic mixture
in a blender; process until smooth. Set aside; keep warm.

5.      Place half of eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking
spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure
with remaining eggplant; set aside.

6.     Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
Add 1/2 cup diced onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 10 minutes, stir­
ring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

7.  Preheat oven to 425°F.

8.  Arrange 6 eggplant slices, 2 to 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Spread 2 1/2
tablespoons spinach mixture over each slice. Stack each with another eggplant slice, an additional 2 1/2 tablespoons spinach mixture, and remaining slices. Bake for 15 minutes. Arrange 1 eggplant stack on each of 6 plates; spoon 1/3 cup tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons garlic sauce on each plate. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

CALORIES 138      FAT 4.1 g      PROTEIN  8.7g      SODIUM  62mg      FIBER 6.8g      IRON  3.6mg      CARBOHYDRATE 23.8 g

Let Go

To change the present, you have to let go of your past. Forget about the times when you binged because you were upset, hurt, angry, or depressed. The past does not define you; the present does. Having a crystal clear vision of the future affects your behavior now. Let your daily actions be governed by your game plan for a new you. Keep that game plan in the forefront of your mind by writing about it and letting it become real. There's no deadline. Just commit to the process and take it day by day.