TIP  — Start your meal with soup, salad or fruit.

Eating three cups of green salad with fat-free dressing cut the number of calories people consumed at a meal by 12 percent. This was the finding in a study from Penn State University at University Park.

My favorite low-fat dressings are Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger or Ken’s Steakhouse Raspberry Vinaigrette. Lately, however, I’ve been squeezing a thick slice of lime and tossing the juice with a teaspoon of honey and a dash of red wine vinegar.

Dieters in another Penn State study who used two 10-½-ounce servings of broth-based soup per day for a year lost 50 percent more weight than those who consumed the same number of calories from low fat snacks.

Do you think this means that what they say about “a calorie is a calorie” as far as weight gain or loss, no matter what the source of that calorie is false? I suspect that it means that you eat more calories when you consume artificial food like “low fat snacks” that when you consume real food that has real fiber in it.

Not to mention the craving that are set off  by consuming processed food and carbs.

So, yes, likely a calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight gain or loss — on the surface — but not when it comes to satisfaction /satiation, which is where our issue most often is.

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When my clients are just starting out on the path of “reasonable dieting,” they often feel overwhelmed. After all, I don’t exactly cut a clear path for them. My mission is to help you create your own path, so you can learn how to make the decisions and feel empowered to do so… learning eventually that you can trust yourself with food and diet decisions.
But when I don’t tell clients exactly what to do – they can feel overwhelmed. That is when I ask them to just take a week and simply eat with the intention of losing weight. It is not that complicated. How can you cut out a few more calories in intake or burn a few more in output.

Perhaps this should be your goal for the week: Eat with the intention of losing weight. If so… here is an affirmation for you. Start your day by writing it or speaking it out loud – preferably both. Then use the affirmation cards (stuck on your mirror, in your car, on your computer, etc.) to remind yourself of your intention throughout the day.

I eat with the intention of losing weight.

I easily move toward a healthy, happy weight.

I am happy with my intention. I am satisfied with each choice I make.

Decisions I face are easily resolved when I remember that it is in my own best interest to eat with this intention.

I am eating with the intention of losing weight

Click here if you would like six-to-a-page business card size affirmation cards to print out. My free gift to you!

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An absolutely delicious way to use those summer tomatoes. Suggestion: serve with grilled goat cheese sandwiches.

2 lbs. Roma or other very firm tomatoes, quartered and stemmed
1 large red pepper, seeded, stemmed, quartered
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic from a jar (or 4 cloves)
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh basil, packed
1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Toss the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and oil.
3) Place mixture on baking tray or roasting pan with tomatoes cut side up.
4) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for one hour.
5) Dump the entire contents of the pan into a food processor. Add at least one cup of stock, vinegar, sugar, and basil. Blend until smooth.
6) On stove top, heat to bubbling with remaining stock. Serve either hot or cold.

Servings: 4, Yield: 4 cups

Nutrition Facts Nutrition (per serving): 136.1 calories; 48% calories from fat; 7.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 841.0mg sodium; 697.3mg potassium; 16.6g carbohydrates; 3.9g fiber; 9.5g sugar; 12.8g net carbs; 3.5g protein; 4.1 points.

Tips – If increasing this recipe, be sure to use more than one roasting pan, if necessary, in order to allow tomatoes to be in a single layer and not stacked on top of each other.

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Which podcasts do you listen to?

Let’s use this post to collect our favorite ones –

Diet Strategy

If you find podcasts that you love  –  save the new episodes to listen to while you are exercising… it can provide great incentive to get moving!

Here are my current favorites:

American Public Media: Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippet, A very opened-minded exploration of religion, spirituality and ethics.

American Public Media: Garrison Keillor, The Writer’s Almanac – My favorite thing about this podcast is that after you’ve listened to him highlight the life of a famous author everyday for a while, you realize there is not one model for success. Some didn’t start writing until they were 60, some when they were practically babies, some got up every morning with discipline, some wrote whenever the mood struck them, and on and on. I also love Garrison’s voice as I go to sleep.  Just love him.

Ted Talks I wish they relied less on video -  But this is so inspiring and informational.  TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.  It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. All talks are 18 minutes or less… basically tell us an idea that could change the world – in 18 minutes or less.

David Allen Company – David Allen is the organizational guru and author of Getting Things Done, a book that has changed (and is changing) my life. There are so many parallels between the GTD way of doing things and Reasonable Dieting. I’m planning on a teleconference talk on it later in the year. Get the book if you don’t already have it.

You can order the book here:  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

The Moth Podcast - True stories told in front of a live audience without notes. Highly entertaining.

The New Yorker Fiction Podcast – a short story writer picks another writer’s story from the archive and reads it and the editor and writer have a conversation about it. Like this very much.

and on a similar note:

PRI: Selected Shorts It’s story time for adults with PRI’s award-winning series of short fiction read by the stars of stage and screen. Recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in NYC and on tour.

Susan Gregg’s Food for the Soul –Note this in not about food. She totally believes that everything on this earth is manifest by our own thoughts. She is a student of Don Miguel Ruiz, whom I treasure. He wrote The Four Agreements. You can check out that book at Amazon. I’m giving a talk on it as a part of this fall’s telecourse too. She can occasionally get on my nerves with her single minded way of seeing things that at times is less than loving. But I still get something out of it.

Tara Brach - A leading western teacher of Buddhist meditation, emotional healing and spiritual awakening. You have to love her. She is so smart, funny, spiritual, inspiring. Nothing but love here.

Theater of the Mind with Kelly Howell. This podcast might blow your mind.  Kelly explores all kind of edgy spiritual/scientific topics from extraterrestrials to the Mayan calendar to brain syncing. I really like her.

This American Life. Although recently they had an episode on “Summer Camp” which was boring, that is not usually the case. Usually they can make any subject interesting. If you want to understand the banking/financial crisis, go back and listen to those episodes.

and

Reasonable Diet’s Six Minutes of Sanity (of course)

Add your recommendations as a comment below! Thanks for sharing.

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We eat for many reasons rather than because we are hungry. One of them is to reward ourselves for a job well done.

Rewards for a job well done

Preplanned short term rewards that you decide in advance to help keep you on track with your goals.

EXAMPLES:

$10 on makeup
new pens or crayon
journal or sketch pad
magazine
Saturday afternoon reading fiction
sleeping in
$10 on a coffee card at Starbucks
a playdate with a friend
flowers for your desk

Preplanned long term rewards that you decide in advance to help keep you on track with your goals.

EXAMPLES:
If I am at my goal weight and have  a book written by September, I’ve got a wonderful week-long staycation planned for myself.

What longer term goals and rewards would you like to set in place?

Want to make yourself a visual reminder to hang on your refrigerator?
Here is a fun program  called Wordle to use to do it.

Spontaneous rewards

These too are for a job well done: you finished your work week; you weeded the garden; you wrote the report and suddenly you want a milkshake, or some munchies, or just to be taken out to eat.

Okay, great. The first thing is to tell yourself, “YES! I do deserve the reward.” Don’t try to argue yourself out of the pat on the back in order to convince yourself not to blow your diet. Give yourself the pat on the back. Big time. It is not easy to manage to get things done in the fast past speeded up world in which we live. We all need pats on the back all the time. Every day. We don’t however want to blow our calories out of the water while do it.

Sometimes this pat on the back that you give yourself will be enough. Other times, you might ask for a pat on the back from someone else. Kevin knows that I really love to be thanked and praised for what I do. So when I get done with something I tell him that I did it and he reciprocates. We used to have this misunderstanding were he would get defensive and think it was because I was trying to guilt him, or suggest it was something that he should have been doing. Not so. (Usually). I’ll also call or text my sister or my Mom for the same purpose. Even if they don’t gush all over me, it feels good to have expressed my own appreciation for my awesomeness.

Next step  is to remind yourself with the word “and” that you are also wanting to achieve certain goals. “Yes, I am awesome and do deserve a milkshake AND I am also trying to lose a pound this week so that I can stay on track for that weeks vacation. ” Then what will it be..

…a nap
…a walk
…a glass of iced iced tea with a magazine you’ve been waiting to read
…an evening with your girls
… a ride with the top down/onyour bike

If you are going to use food as a reward try the good/ better/ best strategy

So tell us….

What are some short term reward ideas?

What are some of your longer term goals and rewards?

What do you think of the ideas for spontaneously rewarding yourself? Would just patting yourself on the back work for you? When do you usually find yourself wanting reward? Could you plan for them?

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Some favorite quotes I’ve been enjoying lately:

 On getting started:

He who is outside his door has the hardest part of the journey behind him.
~~ Dutch proverb

On overcoming obstacles:

“Fall seven times, get up eight.” 
~~ Japanese Proverb

 ”One does not drown by falling in the river. One drowns by staying in the river.”
~~ Hungarian Proverb

It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. 
~~Albert Einstein

And another favorite from Albert Eisnstein

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

What has been inspiring you?

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Olive oil can be used for sautéing at moderate temperatures. However, most types of olive oil aren’t suited for cooking at high temperatures, such as stir-frying, because they have a low smoke point. Experts say that Canola oil, peanut oil and safflower oil are better choices for high-heat cooking methods such as stir-frying, grilling and roasting. Besides the smoke point factor, heat destroys the flavor of olive oils and their healthful antioxidants too. (I’m still not convinced it destroys the flavor. I roast vegetables at 450 degrees with olive oil, and I don’t think the flavor can be beat.)

Olive oil should be stored in a closed container, away from heat or light. Correctly stored, good oil has a shelf life of 12 to 18 months. Do not store oil in the refrigerator.

Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. It should be consumed within its first year before it loses all its sensory qualities. To be sure of its freshness, check the harvest year, which may be printed on the label. (This is not required in the U.S.)

The Washington Post did a blind taste test, and most higher quality oils correlated with higher price. However one brand, Goya, was moderately priced and well rated. It is available in many grocery stores.

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Original recipe from All You magazine.

• 1.5 pounds carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or other oil
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1 2-inch piece chopped or grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar, honey or other sweetner

1. Slice carrots diagonally, about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add salt and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook until almost tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse carrots under cold running water.
5. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped garlic clove and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add 1 chopped 2 inch piece fresh ginger and cook 2 minutes longer.
7. Add carrots and 1 teaspoon water.
8. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 126.2 calories; 42% calories from fat; 6.2g total fat; 15.3mg cholesterol; 409.0mg sodium; 551.2mg potassium; 17.7g carbohydrates; 4.8g fiber; 8.8g sugar; 1.7g protein.

TIP
Make it a meal: Stir in a can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed and serve with brown rice.

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We are eating primarily vegetarian at our house this summer. Last year I bought a new grill and I definitely want to put it to good use, even if meat isn’t on the menu. My strategy is fire it up and fill it. I love having leftovers.

clockwise from upper left
portebello mushrooms; red potatoes, polenta, corn on the cob,veggie burgers, onions.

Here was my strategy. I prepared the vegetables and fired up the grill and threw on the small red potatoes cut in half. I basted them with olive oil and sprinkled them with chipolte pepper. Closed the lid and let the grill get to about 400 and let the poatoes cook for about 10 minutes.

Next? My favorite summer vegetable:  Corn on the cob. Basted with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Then I add sliced store bought polenta. Again basted with oil. This I sprinkled with “tandoori seasoning”. An Indian seasoning that I buy this at the local international food store.

Next I added the veggie burgers and portobello mushrooms, basted with a combination soy sauce and Worcheshire sauce and a touch of sesame oil.

I then shuffled the potatoes up to the warming shelf to make room for the onions.

This supplied the two of us with at least five meals — including some amazing portobello sandwiches garnished with sundried tomato spread; Veggie burgers reheated and made into “patty melts” and polenta served with a dollop of bean dip on top.

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