Good Things - 10/26/09

Splenda with Fiber.

Studies indicate that most adults need between 20 and 25 grams of fiber each day.

Trust me, that can be harder to achieve than it sounds. Especially if you don't just want to each a fiber bar two or three times a day.

Each packet of Splenda with fiber contains one gram of fiber.

It just got a little easier to work towards your goal, depending of course on your use of sweetener.

I use 4 packets each morning in my big coffee mugs.

I get 20% of my daily recommendation without really even trying.

Which is good since the other 80% can be a challenge.

Now, the downside: some people have experienced a little gastrointestinal upset if you try to get all 20 grams just from the Splenda right off the bat. Might want to ease into it.

Achieving a healthy lifestyle isn't always easy. This is one just little tip to make the journey a little simpler.

Got Whipped!

OK, to everyone out there who thinks the Wii is just a game, I have one word for you -

WRONG!

I got my tail whipped last night on the cycling game with the Wii Fit Plus. I kid you not - I had to take a shower when I was finally finished.

You step up and down on the balance board like you are pedaling a bike and ride around collecting flags.

I couldn't find some of the flags.

I pedaled and pedaled and pedaled.

The game kept asking me if I wanted to quit.

HECK NO!

I just kept pushing and pushing.

I did two new levels and it gave me some step to miles equivalent -

almost 25 miles between the two.

I was exhausted, dripping with sweat.

Beat to a nub as we say at my house.

But I sure had a lot of fun doing it!

Can't wait to go again tonight!

Good Things - 10/19/09

V8 Fusion Fruit Juices.

That is my plug for this week.

You get a full serving of fruits and vegetables in an eight ounce glass.

Here is why I love it. I'm not a huge vegetable eater. You can only eat so many green beans. And I get physically ill at the mere smell of tomato juice - including and especially v8 Juice.

I can't stand that smell.

I don't know what it is exactly. I don't have the same reaction to tomato sauce, just the juice.

But the V8 Fusion tastes like fruit juice. It is delicious! And good for me. So I am enjoying doing something good for me.

The positives: there are probably 7 or 8 different flavor combinations and I like most all of them; one 8 ounce glass equals one serving each of fruits and vegetables; and each glass has between 100 and 120 calories. There is also a light version that has half the calories.

The downside: one glass has 20 to 25 grams of sugar - but it isn't added sugar it is natural sugars which your body processes differently. But that still isn't a great number. So, I usually save the juice for the weekend when I'm probably going to get more exercise to offset it and I'm probably not going to eat as well so getting at least some fruit and vegetable nutrition is a bonus.

It's a good thing.

I'm SO Excited!

I am an overgrown kid.

I admit it.

I'm not even ashamed of it.

I got the new Wii Fit Plus today and it is so much fun!

This basically takes the Wii Fit and adds to. All I had to do was put the disk in and all my information transferred over. Took less than a minute.

You also get to add pets and babies. There is now a Mii for Frankie and I know that she weighs roughly 68 pounds. Since I have to pick the dogs up to register them I can promise you that at least 3 won't make the game. Too big, not an option.

The Plus also counts calories for you, has 15 new activities - mostly for coordination and balance - and a few new yoga and strength exercises. It also has the added benefit of preset and customized workouts. I only briefly I investigated those tonight.

So I'm motivated again. I like new toys! And I believe that once I get really back into a good rhythm again (this rainy, blah weather lately has truly dampened my desire to workout) I'll see some positive changes.

Next week I'll be on the road so we'll see how I do. The hotel has a fitness center and I'll have no family duties so there really won't be much of an excuse to not work out at least once, if not twice, every day.

I'm looking forward to the weekend and seeing what all I can do and then hitting it good next week. I'd like to get my good habits in full swing before the holidays.

And yes, the holidays are not that far away.

No time to waste!

Good Things - 10/12/09

OK, I'm borrowing a little from Martha Stewart.

I am the World's Pickiest Eater. It isn't a title I'm proud of, but hey, someone has to bear it.

So, when I find foods that I like I want to share them. Thus, I'm starting a new segment - Good Things. I hope to post this once a week. (And feel free to send your ideas as well. Remember, this blog is supposed to be a group effort.)

For the inaugural:

Yoplait Delights.

This is some of the best lowfat yogurt that will ever hit your tongue! It is thick and rich and tastes/feels more like a pudding dessert than a yogurt.

It comes in four flavors - Lemon Torte, Chocolate Raspberry, Creme' Caramel and Triple Berry Creme'. I have tried all but the last one. Billy hasn't been able to locate it for me yet. He even ate the Lemon Torte while at his mom's house last week and loved it.

So, the positives: tastes great, lowfat, only 100 calories, and still packs 15% of the recommended allowance for calcium.

The downside: it does have about 12 grams of sugar.

It makes a nice midmorning or midafternoon snack if you aren't into a sweet breakfast.

Try it, you'll like it (also borrowed but I can't remember from whom right now)!

Bliss

I guess when the New Age Gurus tell you to "follow your bliss" they aren't talking about the Hershey candies.

Man those things are good!

Everything in moderation.

Breakfast!

Sausage and Cheese Scones

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole-grain pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
4 turkey breakfast sausage links, crumbled and browned
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup reduced-fat buttermilk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, mustard, and pepper. Add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter or two knives until the dough is crumbly. Add the sausage and cheese; toss to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead for about 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a circle, approximately 8 inches across and 1 inch thick.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg white mixture. Cut into 10 equal wedges. Pull the wedges apart to separate slightly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned. Cool slightly and serve, or cool completely, wrap individually in air-tight covering, and freeze for future use.

Makes 10 scones

Per scone: 156 calories, 16 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 7 g total fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber, 388 mg sodium

If You Bite It, Write It!

This was the title of an article in my diabetes newsletter. I didn't actually read the article, but it reminded me of probably the single most effective tool when I was losing weight.

Write down everything you eat. Every bite, every lick. Everything.

I didn't start keeping a food log to make it into a food diary. I didn't want information about WHY I was eating as much as WHAT I was eating. Maybe it is just my nature but I wanted to see evidence that I could analyze.

I needed to see what I was really eating in a day. What food choices were costing me the most calories? Where could I make some positive changes?

I think keeping the log does more, though, than just give information. It keeps you conscious, engaged in the process. You start to really think about everything you consume. The hard part is all the little stuff. Maybe you lick the beaters when making a cake for your family. Or take little bites of cookie dough. Or grab a Hershey's kiss.

It isn't that these things are bad in and of themselves, but they do have calories and they do add up.

And they are sometimes hard to quantify.

For me, after a while of tracking everything I found that I would really stop to think - if I eat that I'll have to drag out my log and write it down, do I want it that bad? Answer became No a lot of times. Whatever that food was just simply lost its appeal at that point.

Helps those small calories go away.

It also started to show me where I was making smart choices. I wouldn't get upset if I was over on my calorie goal if it was due to a good thing - an extra serving of a high fiber cereal, or a glass of V8 Fusion, something that was positive for my health.

Unfortunately, it was also the second thing I stopped doing and probably need to start back up. The first thing was actually measuring servings. You get to where you think you are eyeballing it pretty well. Truth be told your "eyeball" starts to get a little bigger each time and pretty soon you're eating more than you intend.

Both of these slights on my part are easily remedied and will be resumed.

As I've said before, maintenance is tougher than losing. But the lessons learned are the same and it just has to be habits - like everything we do in life.

Thought for Today

From Denise Austin's Newsletter, but it echoes what I keep saying!


Your great choices today are your rewards tomorrow. Plan ahead!
- Denise