diet vs edit...regardless it equals education

I get asked all the time, “What diet are you on?” or “What diet are you following?” I hate the word “diet.” Any words that starts with “die” can’t really be good can they??? Plus the word “diet” gets so much negative press. Diet food, diet pills, diet soda, fad-diets, mad diets, BAD DIETS!!!!! The word just naturally carries a negative connotation, unless you are in Germany or Japan where it refers to imperial assemblies or legislature and even then may not be seen as a good thing. Still I keep on my continued quest to improve my “diet” or my relationship with food and be a healthier person - that won’t EVER stop. I heard a Women of Faith Speaker say once, Luci Swindoll I believe it was, that she loved to play scrabble and so when her Dr. told her to “diet” she decided that she would NOT diet, but rather “edit” her eating. Sounds a lot nicer doesn’t it. Regardless of whether you edit or diet, changing your eating habits is a challenge. Or at least that has been my personal experience and I believe the experience of most anyone who is trying to lose weight.

Studies show that it takes approximately 21 days or 30 – 40 repetitions for most people to break or create a habit. My husband has been on a weight loss journey for a little over 2 years now and myself for the last 15 months. While a lot of my habits have changed for the better, I still find myself daily challenged by old habits. It’s amazing to look over your history and see where your eating habits come from and decipher why we do the things we do. Think about it – eating habits are learned behaviors and for most of us these behaviors are associated with a feeling or a memory. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals. On weekends when I have enough time I LOVE to make a big breakfast of biscuits, sausage gravy, sausage and eggs. Delicious! This reminds me so much of my mom. She loved to cook and on weekends, usually every Sunday, she would make biscuits and gravy for us. As we got older it was the one day of the week we were guaranteed to sit down and eat a meal together and after Jamie and I moved out was always a special time or treat to sit down and eat breakfast together. While I don’t indulge in sausage gravy much anymore I try to find healthier alternatives to the foods I love so that I don’t feel so deprived. Unfortunately I have not found a healthy alternative to biscuits and gravy. ;o) Another great breakfast memory I have is breakfast burritos. Sometimes Mom would make them for us before she left for work and would wrap them in paper towels for us to warm up and eat on our way to school. No one could wrap a burrito like that woman. It never fails, when I try to make a burrito like her the tortilla is too full or it breaks or all my filling simply falls out...not matter what I try, it’s just not the same. And while I love Mom’s breakfast burritos and they are easy and handy to make, I just can’t allow myself to eat this way unless I find a healthy alternative. These challenges are good and I’m experimenting and finding new ways to enjoy my favorite foods without any of the guilt or sacrificing taste. I am able to enjoy the things I love, use portion control and not miss out on any of the yummy goodness by breaking the recipes down and cooking as much from scratch using wholesome foods as I possibly can. It takes planning and time, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it and really getting some very happy results. For example: Mom’s breakfast burritos usually included full fat crumbled sausage, scrambled eggs, a Kraft single or some shredded cheese tucked neatly into a fluffy flour tortilla – delicious, but today I make mine with reduced fat sausage or chicken sausage, organic brown eggs scrambled with organic skim milk, shredded cheese made from 2% milk and small corn tortillas. Mine are really more of a taco than a burrito, but I get that same yummy goodness that my mom fixed us and by making better choices they are half the calories and made of more whole foods that my body can breakdown and use more easily. Same yummy taste – better for me = WIN WIN!!

I am on a constant search for new information of how to better arm myself against temptation and to understand how my body works and metabolizes food. I really truly believe that educating yourself is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your health. I wish I knew 5, 10, even 15 years ago what I know today about diet and exercise. Back when my Mom and my Aunt Shirley were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes all dr.’s pretty much told you was, “loose weight, eat ‘sugar free’ and take your meds.” Well…they had the losing weight right even though they didn’t really give them any goods ways or information on how to do that, but they were all wrong about the “sugar free” stuff – that junk is poison…literally. It is sooooo not good for your body and if you consume too much of it can actually make symptoms worse or cause problems of their own. The dr.’s also made it seem like taking meds was your only option. You just had to learn to live with type 2 diabetes. Today there are millions of resources out there to better educate you and proof that type 2 diabetes is reversible. And actually there’s living proof right in my own family – My Aunt Dee has managed to stabilize her blood sugar and keep it in a healthy range for almost 2 years. She has reversed her diabetes with diet and exercise and educating herself on how different foods affect your body. It’s not magic and it isn’t an easy overnight fix. It’s a life long journey that she will be on, but because she was took matters in her own hands with diet and exercise she doesn’t have to take any medications or insulin. Praise God.

I’m currently reading a Reader’s Digest book I picked up at Costco called “Reverse Diabetes Your Total Guide To Blood Sugar Control.” Like I said I’m on a constant journey to educate myself and while I don’t have diabetes my family history puts me a great risk for it, therefore I want to do everything in my power to prevent it! I want to be proactive now so that I won’t have to suffer like my parents had/have to. According to the research in the book there are currently 24+ million Americans with diabetes and 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes. 70% of Americans are overweight or obese and spend an average of 15 hours daily sitting down with little to no exercise. On average a person will consume 142 pounds of sugar per year. These sugars have been added to processed foods and drinks at the factory. We’re being bombarded with extra calories and sugar before we even eat or drink our food. 60% of people with diabetes will have at least one complication and spend a minimum of $6000 per year in out of pocket cost. Pretty bad statics huh? No wonder their calling it a “diabesity” epidemic. But don’t fret my friends there is a glimmer of hope. Losing just 7% of your body fat (approximately 14 lbs if you are around 200 lbs) and exercising a half hour 3 – 4 days a week will drop your risk of diabetes by 58%. Improve your diet and eat “smart carbs” (whole grains, colorful, fiber packed fruits and vegetables) or a low-glycemic diets full of produce, whole grains and lean protein) and you’ll drop your risk of metabolic syndrome by 28% and drop your risk of diabetes by 70%.

Ok, ok…I’ll get off my little soap box for now. But can you see why I have such a passion for this and want to share my information with you? Be good to yourself, take care of yourself – you only get this one body to live in while here on earth.

And if you’re still wondering what “diet” I’m on…it’s simple. Calories in – Calories out. I use portion control and eat lots of colorful vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins and low fat dairy. I use olive oil and occasionally canola, but for the most part try not to use excess oil and butter in my diet. I eat organic when I can and I try to make a lot of my food myself – the less processed something is the better for your body it is. I am committed to improving my overall health and losing these last 70 lbs. It doesn’t have a name; I’m just exercising and making better choices. I'm consciously making life style changes to improve my health and my life. :o)

yummy recipes!

Here are a couple of some of my recent recipes that Michael and I really enjoy, I hope you enjoy them too.

Chipotle Beef (adapted from Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels)

2 1/2 - 3 lb chuck roast
kosher salt
pepper
garlic
onion
15 oz can low sodium beef stock or broth
7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo

season the roast with salt, pepper and garlic to taste, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and sear both side of the roast. quarter the onion and put half in the bottom of the crockpot with half the beef broth/stock (I like to add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic to the bottom layer too). lay the roast on top and put the other half of the onion on top and around the roast. pour chipotle peppers in adobo over the roast and onions and cover with the rest of the broth/stock. Cook on low over night through out your work day. YUM!!! Serve over mixed greens for an awesome salad that needs no dressing. Serve over rice or with baked sweet potato fries - mmmmm. Or fill 1/2 a pita with lettuce, beef and onion for a savory sandwich. WE LOVE THIS AND IT'S SOOOO EASY TO MAKE!!!!! Enjoy!!!


Green Chili Enchiladas

10 corn tortillas
1/2 rotisserie chicken or 2 - 3 fajita marinated chicken breasts
8 oz low fat cream cheese
4.5 oz chopped green chillies
10 oz mild green chili enchilada sauce
1/2 red onion diced
1 packed of sliced fresh mushrooms
shredded colby jack cheese

If using a rotisserie chicken skin and debone and shread the meat if using chicken breasts grill or saute in a skillet then shred or dice. Saute onions and mushrooms in a skillet until onions are translucent and the mushrooms have cooked down. Stir in cream cheese, chillies and chicken until well mixed. warm tortillas and fill them with 2 heaping tablespoons of cream cheese filling, roll and place in an 8x8 pan until pan is full. cover with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with shredded cheese. bake in the over on 400 until heated through and cheese has melted - approx 30 minutes. Very yummy!!! double the recipe to make a 9x13 pan.

ENJOY!!! Hope these recipes give you HT!!! (HT = HAPPY TUMMY)