2011 Workout Plan

2011 Workout Goal

lose weight tips – A basic Approach to lose Weight

lose weight

Lose weight tips will help all a lot in weight loss journey. When you think to lose weight, you should make commitment to lose weight tips and go into it with a positive aim.

you know that losing weight in a healthy way can be a challenge and for some of us is impossible. losing weight takes time, practices of losing weight tips and support from all surrounding people and family members and friends to change lifetime habits to better.

Make up your Mind

There is a process you should learn so that you success. For healthy losing weight, you alone has a power. All the time think like a winner not a loser as remember that emotions are like muscles and once you use they most grow strongest.

Do not think like a loser

If you always look at negative side of things, you’ll become a loser, pessimistic person and downbeat. Don't even allow to a slightest negative thought as you have a greater impression on you and last longer than powerful positive thoughts.

Think Positively

Negative thoughts don’t do you any good but indeed you just hold you back from accomplishing things you want to do. Remember yourself that you are somebody when a negative creeps in your mind. You have self-worth and you possess unique strengths and talents.

Lose weight Tips

Contemplate what lies ahead of you. Losing weight using weight loss tips is about a whole new you and possibility of creating a new life for yourself but not just about diets. Investigate weight loss tips that provide to you the feel will teach you behavioral skills you need to stick with throughout weight-loss journey.

Support from Family and Friends

First and foremost you must see to it that you have support of your family and friends for working out with weight loss tips. It can be an enormous help to discuss obstacles and share skills with them on same path.

You might look for this support from you know who are in weight loss tips program and you can seek guidance from someone you know who has lost weight using weight loss tips and kept it off.

Diet and lose weight Tips Programs

Diets and weight loss tips programs are more flexible now than you once were and are many prepared foods already portioned out; se diet can be made attractive and can even be prepared in a matter of minutes.

see diets contain low fat and low-calorie foods are on shelves everywhere. are success stories on weight loss tips across country today, in newspaper, magazines and on television and tabloids about people who have miraculously lost untold pounds and kept it off.

In all instances people who have used weight loss tips for losing weight, y say it mental attitude as well as in outlook on life has totally changed.

You will need to learn new, wiser eating skills. You will want a weight loss tips that give you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system. Go for that kind of weight loss tips which offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose one that is best suits you.

weight loss video

Exercises

Weight loss tips program you are going for, will most likely include some physical exercises. Look at exercising aspect of your weight loss tips program as a recreation and fun but not as a form of punishing and sweaty work.

In fact exercise is linked and cannot be separated from all personal effectiveness in every field. Anyone who is willing to take few simple steps that lie between m and fitness will shortly begins to feel better, and improvement will reflect itself in very facet of it existence.

Walking

Doctors say that walking, as a weight loss tip is best exercise. Walking helps in total circulation of blood throughout body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health.

Discuss options with your doctor and take his advice in planning your exercise and weight loss tips program. re are things such as aerobics, jogging, swimming and many or exercises, which will benefit a weight loss tips program.

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article source www.healthyweightlossfacts.com/

Take Two

 

I just finished doing my 2011 goal vlog and I look like this (minus the cleavage).

You think I'm kidding? I'm tempted to put a screen shot, but I won't. I've always had a wrinkly forehead, it's in the genes, but the lighting was just perfect for a Klingon effect. I'll just spare you, okay?

So I will attempt to do it again tomorrow with better lighting. It's ALWAYS about lighting, isn't it?

Are you ready for 2011? Do you have some goals? In the past, I got to a point in my life where I stopped making goals for the New Year. Why? Because I thought it was a joke. After years, and years of making goals only to sabotage them before the week's end, I was done.

It wasn't until 2009 something clicked.  I was pretty ticked with how I felt and I made a crazy goal I honestly didn't think I could do. I guess I was mocking myself and the whole New Years Resolution idea. But the joke was on me.

During the year, I learned there is power in January 1st when you make a goal for 365 days. At any point during the year, I was able to find out what day I was on because it was the same as the day of the year! For instance, the 214th day of 2009 I did my 214th workout. Simple math. The numbers worked well with my OCD. I couldn't miss a day because the numbers would be off, and that would have driven me nuts. There was just enough incentive not to miss a day because I knew if I did, the whole goal would have been over, and I was kind of enjoying watching the numbers add up. I'm compulsive like that.

I've learned that I need to workout daily to keep in shape and to stay healthy because I'm full of excuses. One missed day turns into two turns into a week....  There is ALWAYS a reason not to workout. Always. Making such a goal kills the lame excuses I come up with and really, isn't it always an excuse that keeps us from our goals?

Getting ready for 2011

I'm getting ready for 2011.  I have some ideas and goals I want to share with you.  I will have a vlog up tomorrow with my thoughts and plan of action. :)

GOOEY JALAPEŇO POPPERS

A truly healthy munchie

Think you can’t eat cheesy, crunchy treats when you’re trying to slim down? Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito has the perfect solution!

Jalapeňo poppers are one of the most popular starters at chain restaurants, but they tend to be among the least diet-friendly—and no wonder, considering they’re deep-fried and stuffed with cheese. But chef Rocco DiSpirito has found a way to lighten them up without compromising one bit on the crispiness or rich flavor. First, he coated the peppers in whole-wheat panko bread crumbs to add fiber, then he used a technique he calls “faux frying” to get them brown and crunchy. “All that means is baking the peppers at high heat,” he says. “Jalapeňos bake so nicely, I wonder why poppers were ever deep-fried in the first place!” Another taste-preserving step was finding the right lowfat cheddar. “I tried different brands—Cabot 75% Reduced Fat melted and tasted the best,” he says. Sample these and you’ll never crave the original again!

GOOEY JALAPEŇO POPPERS

Before 447 calories 36 grams of fat

After 144 calories 5 grams of fat

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredient:

• 6 Jalapeňo, halved, seeds and ribs removed
  
  


• ½ cup shredded 75% reduced-fat cheddar, such as Cabot
  
  


• ¼ cup reduced-fat whipped cream cheese, such as Weight Watchers
  
  


• 4 scallions, finely chopped, divided
  
  


• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
  
  


• 1½ cups whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
  
  


• 4 large egg whites
  
  


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• Cooking spray
  
  


• ½ cup fat-free sour cream, such as Breakstone’s
  
  

Preparing:

• Preheat broiler on high. Place a wire baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place Jalapeňo on wire rack; broil for about 2 minutes or until they start to char. Cool completely.
  
  


• Preheat oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, mix chedder, cream cheese, and half the scallions. Using a teaspoon, fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture, packing tightly.
  
  


• Put flour and panko in separate shallow dishes. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy but not quite holding peaks. Working in batches, dredge Jalapeňo in flour (shake off excess), then add to egg whites and coat, being careful not to let the filling come out. Add a few at a time to panko and coat.
  
  


• Lay Jalapeňo on wire rack and season with salt and pepper. Coat lightly with cooking spray. Bake for about 20 minutes or until breading is golden and cheese has melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir remaining scallions into sour cream. Season with salt. Serve with hot poppers.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(2 pepper halves, 1⅓ tbsp. sour cream):

144 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 16 g carbs, 10 g protein, 3 g fiber, 102 mg calcium, <1 mg iron, 239 mg sodium

GOOEY JALAPEŇO POPPERS

A truly healthy munchie

Think you can’t eat cheesy, crunchy treats when you’re trying to slim down? Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito has the perfect solution!

Jalapeňo poppers are one of the most popular starters at chain restaurants, but they tend to be among the least diet-friendly—and no wonder, considering they’re deep-fried and stuffed with cheese. But chef Rocco DiSpirito has found a way to lighten them up without compromising one bit on the crispiness or rich flavor. First, he coated the peppers in whole-wheat panko bread crumbs to add fiber, then he used a technique he calls “faux frying” to get them brown and crunchy. “All that means is baking the peppers at high heat,” he says. “Jalapeňos bake so nicely, I wonder why poppers were ever deep-fried in the first place!” Another taste-preserving step was finding the right lowfat cheddar. “I tried different brands—Cabot 75% Reduced Fat melted and tasted the best,” he says. Sample these and you’ll never crave the original again!

GOOEY JALAPEŇO POPPERS

Before 447 calories 36 grams of fat

After 144 calories 5 grams of fat

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredient:

• 6 Jalapeňo, halved, seeds and ribs removed
  
  


• ½ cup shredded 75% reduced-fat cheddar, such as Cabot
  
  


• ¼ cup reduced-fat whipped cream cheese, such as Weight Watchers
  
  


• 4 scallions, finely chopped, divided
  
  


• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
  
  


• 1½ cups whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
  
  


• 4 large egg whites
  
  


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• Cooking spray
  
  


• ½ cup fat-free sour cream, such as Breakstone’s
  
  

Preparing:

• Preheat broiler on high. Place a wire baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place Jalapeňo on wire rack; broil for about 2 minutes or until they start to char. Cool completely.
  
  


• Preheat oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, mix chedder, cream cheese, and half the scallions. Using a teaspoon, fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture, packing tightly.
  
  


• Put flour and panko in separate shallow dishes. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy but not quite holding peaks. Working in batches, dredge Jalapeňo in flour (shake off excess), then add to egg whites and coat, being careful not to let the filling come out. Add a few at a time to panko and coat.
  
  


• Lay Jalapeňo on wire rack and season with salt and pepper. Coat lightly with cooking spray. Bake for about 20 minutes or until breading is golden and cheese has melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir remaining scallions into sour cream. Season with salt. Serve with hot poppers.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(2 pepper halves, 1⅓ tbsp. sour cream):

144 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 16 g carbs, 10 g protein, 3 g fiber, 102 mg calcium, <1 mg iron, 239 mg sodium

Vegetable and Barley Stew

Tip: For the best-tasting crushed tomatoes, pick a brand that lists tomatoes—not purée—as the first ingredient.

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredient:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• 1 bay leaf
  
  


• ½ tsp dried thyme
  
  


• ½ tsp cinnamon
  
  


• 2 cups low-sodium canned crushed tomatoes
  
  


• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  
  


• ¼ cup pearled barley
  
  


• 1 cup cauliflower florets
  
  


• 1 cup cubed butternut squash
  
  


• 2 parsnips, cut into bite-size chunks
  
  


• 1 small sweet potato, cut into bite-size chunks
  
  

Preparing:

• In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium and add onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, cinnamon, tomatoes, and vegetable broth.


• Bring broth to a boil and stir in barley. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.


• Add vegetables to pot and return broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with whole-grain bread, if desired.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(1 cup): 224 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 44 g carbs, 5 g protein, 8 g fiber, 132 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 485 mg sodium

Vegetable and Barley Stew

Tip: For the best-tasting crushed tomatoes, pick a brand that lists tomatoes—not purée—as the first ingredient.

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredient:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• 1 bay leaf
  
  


• ½ tsp dried thyme
  
  


• ½ tsp cinnamon
  
  


• 2 cups low-sodium canned crushed tomatoes
  
  


• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  
  


• ¼ cup pearled barley
  
  


• 1 cup cauliflower florets
  
  


• 1 cup cubed butternut squash
  
  


• 2 parsnips, cut into bite-size chunks
  
  


• 1 small sweet potato, cut into bite-size chunks
  
  

Preparing:

• In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium and add onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, cinnamon, tomatoes, and vegetable broth.


• Bring broth to a boil and stir in barley. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.


• Add vegetables to pot and return broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with whole-grain bread, if desired.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(1 cup): 224 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 44 g carbs, 5 g protein, 8 g fiber, 132 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 485 mg sodium

A Christmas Wish

As I was standing in a very long, slow-moving line at at Macy's this morning (one LAST gift for hubby), I started thinking about this blog. I realized it's the thing that has basically kept me accountable for the last three years. It's the one thing that has made a huge difference in my weight loss and in my life.

Even though I'm not at goal yet (2011 will be MY year), I didn't gain anything this year. That alone is a small miracle. I've been blogging for three years and this is the first time in my entire life that I've consistently attempted to lose weight for that long of a period AND stuck to a regular exercise routine. My follow through on most things in life is usually poor, especially weight loss and exercise.

Then I realized I wouldn't be posting anything until next year since I'll be in Fairbanks all next week. I don't usually post or read blogs when I'm with my family. This was my last chance to say anything in 2010.

So, to anyone that reads this, first of all, I really appreciate you. If you've ever left me a comment or sent me an email, I appreciate you even more, and if you're a blogger, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've learned so much from all of you that I can't even begin to express my gratitude. Without all of you I would have given up a long time ago.

The other thing is my Christmas wish for everyone. If I could grant one wish to everyone it would be good health. That's it. Not wealth or possessions or world peace. Just good health. Because if you have good health, you have everything. All that other stuff doesn't mean a thing without it.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Christmas Eve Day ramblings

Failure
I failed miserably last night with the late night eating. It was all healthy foods, grapes, chicken breasts, persimmons. Even though these foods are healthy and good for me, they still contain calories and put me way over on my limits for Points and calories (about 500 calories).

I mentioned yesterday how I felt really hungry. Dawn left a kind comment that she never felt hungry while losing her 160 pounds. If she was hungry, she ate something. When she speaks, I listen. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find my off switch yesterday. Sometimes I don't know if it's really hunger or boredom. I wish I could tell the difference. Lately, I'm very out of tune with my body signals. I'm working on it, but it's definitely a challenge.

FedEx and other Christmas adventures
Yesterday was a very late day to the gym because I was waiting most of the day for a FedEx delivery of Christmas present (and one I didn't want to leave sitting outside all day). I knew it was suppose to be delivered after 11:30am (per their website it was on the truck for delivery). I waited until 3pm, still no package. I finally went back online and it was delivered at 1:30pm. But it wasn't delivered! My husband told me I'd better call FedEx. That idea didn't appeal to me. Calling FedEx two days before Christmas to tell them a package they said they delivered wasn't actually delivered sounded like being tortured.

Instead, I started walking down our street of houses to look for my package. I thought it must have been delivered to the wrong house. I was right. There it sat by our neighbor's front door. They weren't home so I just walked up, picked it up, looked at it with my name and address on it, and brought it home.

My husband told me to call FedEx and let them know about the driver's mistake. I decided that the poor delivery guy had probably delivered hundreds of packages this past week, so he made a little mistake on mine. He was probably working massive hours and was exhausted. I found the package and no harm was done (other than a tiny bit of anxiety on my part). I didn't call. Merry Christmas FedEx guy.

Then a trip to Costco for last minute Christmas dinner food. Prime rib for the husband - I won't be touching it, including cooking it. It's his deal. Scallops for both of us, but mainly me! I love scallops.

While I was shopping for the scallops, someone absconded with my shopping cart, half full of food and a few more Christmas gifts, including fake UGG boots for me since I can't find my boots for my Fairbanks trip (I think I gave them to Goodwill - they were almost new but I hated the style). You don't travel to a place where it's 50 degrees below zero without warm boots. I finally found my shopping cart over by the dairy, I hadn't made it to the dairy section yet but the person that took my cart needed some milk.

Today it's back to Costco to return some slippers I bought. Wrong size! Then I need warm gloves for the Fairbanks trip because I can't find those either. I know I had them a few months ago but they seem to have disappeared.

Then the gym...all before noon for sure.

Challenge for today
Since the hunger thing was so out of control yesterday, I'm going to take Dawn and Ron's advice. Eat when hungry, but make sure I'm really hungry and not bored. Ron's advice was to spread out the Points. According to our Weight Watcher leader (and the Getting Started Book for PointsPlus) the perfect day for someone on 29 Points is the following:

Breakfast 5
Lunch 8
Dinner 11
Snack 3
Snack 2

I get another 45 Weeklies and usually at least 10 Activity Points a day, but I'm really trying not to eat those these days.

My other challenge...drink enough water. My personal goal is four 24-ounce bottles, or 96 ounces total. I failed on that yesterday too.

Damnit...that Sarah McLaughlan ASPCSA commercial is one and it gets me every time. Breaks my heart. Where's the remote when I need it?

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

ps - just checked the Fairbanks weather. It's only -31 degrees (below zero), which means at my sister's house about 30 miles from Fairbanks is -41 (it's always 10 degrees colder out by North Pole). Yes, I definitely need warm boots and gloves for Sunday. :)

What is this feeling in the pit of my stomach....hunger?

The last two days I've really cut back on my food intake. It's not like I'm starving myself. I'm just eating smaller portions, and I cut out all the fake ice cream (again!). Fake ice cream being Weight Watchers ice cream bars, sugar-free crap and of course, Skinny Cows (and there's nothing "skinny" about those things for me since I can't eat just one).

With the rush of the holiday, it's been easy to skip meals. It's also been stupid and not really on purpose. It just happened that I missed lunch two days in a row these last two days, and I didn't make up for it with late night eating. I know, that's a real shocker.

As a result of actually feeling hungry, I tossed and turned most of last night, but I refused to give in to getting up for a snack at 2 a.m. I'm trying to break that habit (again!) to stop eating in the middle of the night. One innocent snack can turned into a five-course meal with dessert, and totally ruin a perfect day of eating and exercising.

When I finally got up at 6 a.m. today, I was famished. I made my breakfast. It was a little different than what I usually have:  one egg, 1/4 cup 2% cheese, 1/3 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, and 4 ounces of shrimp (we're out of Canadian bacon), and two Tablespoons of cocktail sauce (not something I ever have with breakfast). I heated this up and then put the mixture on a sandwich thin (because we're out of real bread). It was surprisingly very tasty and filling.

The problem, I put it in the Weight Watchers eTools online...it's a freaking 11 Points! Holy crap! 406 calories, about 100 more than what I usually have with the Canadian bacon breakfast, and five Points higher than my normal six point breakfast. Lesson learned:  put my food in eTools before I eat it. I probably would have had something different if I had done this, and definitely lower in Points.

By 11 a.m. I was starving again. I just had a banana and 4 oz. Activia fat-free vanilla yogurt, along with a cup of my new favorite tea (Good Earth Original, a yummy naturally sweet cinnamon tea). 160 calories or 2 Weight Watcher Points. I feel okay now, still a little hungry but I can live with it. I'm trying to suck down as much water as possible to keep the hunger pains away. It's not working as well as it usually does.

Calorie count so far today: 566
Points: 13

It's only 1 p.m. I'm not sure why this seems a lot tougher today than I remember. Maybe because I'm really focusing and doing what it takes to ignore these hunger pains. Is it real hunger I wonder, or is it all in my head? Either way, I don't like it but I can live through it.

Plans for the day, next up is the gym. My husband wants to go with me (he's off work toay). There's always the debate of taking two cars since he will only do one hour, that's his personal limit for the gym. I prefer one and half hours when I have time. We'll see.

Then it's home to wrap presents and make a chicken barley soup recipe I found in one of my old Jane Brody cookbooks. It's a cookbook I bought about 15 years ago during my vegetarian, organic, health food phase (1995-1997). I remember I bought it because it had a lot of vegetarian recipes in it.

I never made the soup but it sounds really good. About five years ago I gave away most of my cookbooks. I use to be a cookbook fanatic. I had about 50 of them. I decided to downsize and only kept five of my favorite cookbooks since I get most of my recipes online (of course, I've been adding Weight Watcher cookbooks, which I rarely use...most recipes I get from eTools).

Jane Brody was the top of the list as a keeper cookbook. Funny thing, I weighed 127 pounds when I was cooking from this cookbook and there isn't any nutritional information. They're very healthy, low-fat and delicious. I'm going to put all the ingredients into the WW recipe builder but I suspect it'll be about six or seven Points a serving. Of course, my estimates are off on everything these days with the new WW plan so we'll see how off I am on this one.

I hope everyone is enjoying their day. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I can't believe how time is flying. 2011 is right around the corner. If nothing else, I'm going to be under my January 1, 2010 weight of 177 by January 1, 2011.  Whatever it takes, I have to at least to that for myself.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Preparation + cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 1.2 kg desire potatoes, peeled
  
  


• 150 g leg ham, chopped finely
  
  


• 300 ml pouring cream
  
  


• ¾ cup (180 ml) milk
  
  


• ¾ cup (90 g) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
  
  

Preparing:

• Preheat oven to 180 C/160 C fan-forced and oil a 1.5litre (6-cup) baking dish.
  
  


• Using a sharp knife, mandoline or V-slicer, slice potatoes into 2 mm slices and pat dry with absorbent paper. Layer a quarter of the potato in baking dish and top with a third of the ham. Continue layering the remaining potato and ham, finishing with potato.
  
  


• Heat cream and milk in small saucepan until almost boiling and pour over potato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 minutes.


• Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stand 10 minutes before
  
  

serving.

SERVES 6

Nutritional information per serving:

Energy 1,864 kJ (about 445) ; total fat 29.5 g (sat fat 18.8 g); carbohydrate 29.1 g; protein 15.2 g; fiber 3.2 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Preparation + cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 1.2 kg desire potatoes, peeled
  
  


• 150 g leg ham, chopped finely
  
  


• 300 ml pouring cream
  
  


• ¾ cup (180 ml) milk
  
  


• ¾ cup (90 g) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
  
  

Preparing:

• Preheat oven to 180 C/160 C fan-forced and oil a 1.5litre (6-cup) baking dish.
  
  


• Using a sharp knife, mandoline or V-slicer, slice potatoes into 2 mm slices and pat dry with absorbent paper. Layer a quarter of the potato in baking dish and top with a third of the ham. Continue layering the remaining potato and ham, finishing with potato.
  
  


• Heat cream and milk in small saucepan until almost boiling and pour over potato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 minutes.


• Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stand 10 minutes before
  
  

serving.

SERVES 6

Nutritional information per serving:

Energy 1,864 kJ (about 445) ; total fat 29.5 g (sat fat 18.8 g); carbohydrate 29.1 g; protein 15.2 g; fiber 3.2 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

God watches out for fools

My girlfriend says this a lot, that God watches out for fools, referring to herself when she does something really stupid. Today, I was a fool.

I did something so stupid I hesitated to even write about it. I didn't even tell my husband (and I'm not going to). It did wake me up and make me realize I really need to pay more attention to my actions.

I had one last trip to the mall today, for two gifts I didn't get on Tuesday (because the crowds were making me insane). My plan for the day was the gym this morning, then home and a shower before heading off to the mall for shopping and home before 2 p.m.

I had to call my niece this morning to let her know what time I'll be arriving in Fairbanks on Sunday. I love my niece. She's funny, witty, and loves to talk. As I sat in my car in the gym parking lot for an hour talking to her, I realized it was 9:30 a.m. I thought it best to head off to the mall and go to the gym later (and I did make it there this afternoon). Otherwise I'd get caught up in the early afternoon shopping madness.

Off I went, bluetooth stuck in my ear, listening to my niece talk about the challenges of raising three boys. I don't normally drive and talk on the phone. I personally don't think it's safe, at least not for me. It's very distracting and after a few near accidents I rarely do it anymore, but my niece really wanted to talk.

When I pulled into the mall parking garage my niece was still chatting. I love her to pieces but she does like to talk. I sat in my car for another 15 minutes, my headlights turned off, talking and laughing with her over the antics of her boys. Finally we said goodbye, and I headed into the mall.

After two hours (part of it spent trying to find the second Sephora in the mall--there are two of them on the opposite ends of the mall), I headed back to my car. I knew the general vicinity of where I parked but I didn't see my car at first. So I pulled out my key fob (which contains the key that I never use) and hit the unlock button so I could hear the location of my car. Nothing but silence.

When I'd pulled into the garage at about 10 a.m. the garage was partly empty. It was totally full at noon. Then I spotted my car. Practically right in front of me. I wondered why it didn't beep when I hit the unlock button on the key fob. I tried it again while looking at it. Silence. No lights. Weird.

As I got closer to my car I hit the trunk unlock button. Nothing. Dang! The battery must be dead on the key fob. That had never happened before but the car is almost two years old. I'd never stuck the key fob in the charger on the dash so maybe it was time.

As I got next to my car I pushed the button on the door handle to open it. It's a Nissan with a button start on the ignition and a button on the handle to unlock it. I usually don't even use the key fob except to open the trunk (or find it in a parking lot if I'm lost). As long as I have the key fob on me (usually in my purse), it opens with the press of the button on the door. The door didn't make it's normal beep-beep noise when it unlocks. It opened easily meaning I hadn't locked my car. No big deal, there wasn't anything in it. Even though I always lock it. Guess I was distracted talking on the phone when I got out of my car.

Then I got in my car. It felt like it was 100 degrees inside. This is Seattle, about 45 degrees today and it was an unheated garage. Then I realized what I'd done. I had left my car running, the heater going full blast, unlocked, in a crowded mall parking garage for two hours, three days before Christmas. Oh.My.God.

That is just about one of the stupidest stunts I've ever pulled. It's a miracle my car wasn't stolen. People steal locked cars that aren't running. I was horrified I could do something so incredibly irresponsible. I know nothing happened. The car was safe, I was safe (no one hiding in the back seat), so no harm no foul, right?

What does this long, stupid story have to do with weight loss?

To be honest, this incident sort of scared me silly. As I was driving home, I started thinking about how I'm so easily distracted by life. Look Diana, shiny object!

I do the same thing with my weight loss. For months I've been floating along, watching others achieve success with their weight loss goals, while I drift along, up a few pounds down a few, then up a few more, until I managed to end up in the high 170's (177.6 this morning). I don't like this at all, and I'm not happy with myself.

After all these years of me gaining/losing/gaining weight you would think I could have this figured out by now. There is one thing I do know, I have to focus on my weight loss 100%. Yes, I have to work at a sometimes stressful job. I love to use that as an excuse, but seriously, it's just an excuse, and a pretty sorry one at that. Everyone has to work and everyone has stress in their life, yet a lot of you still manage to lose weight.

Then I was sick. Then it was Christmas week. I wonder what's next, a vacation to visit family in Alaska? It's always something with me, some distraction that I let pull me away from what I really need to be doing, focusing on losing weight. It requires 100% of my focus. No more shiny objects.

It's time to end the excuses for not losing weight. If I really want this (and I do) I need to move forward. I have to work at it because weight loss doesn't just happen to me while I'm doing other stuff. I need to totally focus on it. Eye on the prize.  I need to stop being a fool.

A Gluten-free January

Are You Gluten Sensitive?

Many people are totally unaware of the fact that they react poorly to gluten. Because they've been eating wheat, barley and/or rye products every day for virtually their entire lives, they don't know what their bodies feel like without gluten. In susceptible people, eating gluten is linked to a dizzying array of health problems that stem from an immune reaction to gliadins and other proteins in gluten (1). Are you a susceptible person? How do you know?

The gold standard way to detect a gluten sensitivity is to do a gluten "challenge" after a period of avoidance and see how you feel. People who react poorly to gluten may feel better after a period of avoidance. After a gluten challenge, symptoms can range from digestive upset, to skin symptoms, to fatigue or irritability within minutes to days of the gluten challenge.

With 2011 approaching, why not make your new year's resolution to go gluten-free for a month? A man named Matt Lentzner e-mailed me this week to ask if I would help with his (non-commercial) project, "A Gluten-free January". I said I'd be delighted. Although I don't typically eat much gluten, this January I'm going 100% gluten-free. Are you on board? Read on.

A Message from Matt Lentzner

Hi There.

My name is Matt Lentzner. I'm just some guy who lifts weights on his patio and tries to eat healthy. That's not important, but I have an idea that just might be.

I am trying to get as many people as possible to go gluten-free for one month - this January 2011.

I've considered this whole ancestral diet thing and I've come to a conclusion. If you could only do just one thing to improve your health then not eating gluten would be it. This is not to say that avoiding other nasty things like fructose or industrial vegetable oil is not important. They are, but you'd get the most bang for your buck from not eating gluten.

"Eat No Gluten" is simple and easy to remember. I think that sometimes the rules get so complicated and overwhelming and people just give up on it. We're keeping it simple here. Even at this simplified level I see that it's difficult for a lot of folks. I think people, Americans especially, tend not to pay much attention to what they're eating - what it is, where it came from, etc.

Getting people to get out of their eating ruts and think a little about what goes into their mouths is a valuable exercise. It sets the stage for better choices in the future. I hope that some success with the simple step will encourage people to further improve their diets.

I have a website at www.glutenfreejan.com. If you want to sign up just send an email with your first name, last initial, and town of residence to glutenfreejan@gmail.com. If you are on Facebook there's a community you can 'Like' called: Gluten Free January. So far I have over 120 people all over the world signed up. If you are already gluten-free then I still want you to sign up - the more the merrier. You can also use this opportunity to spread the word and sign up your family and friends.

Merry Christmas - Looking forward to a gluten-free New Year.

Matt

A Gluten-free January

Are You Gluten Sensitive?

Many people are totally unaware of the fact that they react poorly to gluten. Because they've been eating wheat, barley and/or rye products every day for virtually their entire lives, they don't know what their bodies feel like without gluten. In susceptible people, eating gluten is linked to a dizzying array of health problems that stem from an immune reaction to gliadins and other proteins in gluten (1). Are you a susceptible person? How do you know?

The gold standard way to detect a gluten sensitivity is to do a gluten "challenge" after a period of avoidance and see how you feel. People who react poorly to gluten may feel better after a period of avoidance. After a gluten challenge, symptoms can range from digestive upset, to skin symptoms, to fatigue or irritability within minutes to days of the gluten challenge.

With 2011 approaching, why not make your new year's resolution to go gluten-free for a month? A man named Matt Lentzner e-mailed me this week to ask if I would help with his (non-commercial) project, "A Gluten-free January". I said I'd be delighted. Although I don't typically eat much gluten, this January I'm going 100% gluten-free. Are you on board? Read on.

A Message from Matt Lentzner

Hi There.

My name is Matt Lentzner. I'm just some guy who lifts weights on his patio and tries to eat healthy. That's not important, but I have an idea that just might be.

I am trying to get as many people as possible to go gluten-free for one month - this January 2011.

I've considered this whole ancestral diet thing and I've come to a conclusion. If you could only do just one thing to improve your health then not eating gluten would be it. This is not to say that avoiding other nasty things like fructose or industrial vegetable oil is not important. They are, but you'd get the most bang for your buck from not eating gluten.

"Eat No Gluten" is simple and easy to remember. I think that sometimes the rules get so complicated and overwhelming and people just give up on it. We're keeping it simple here. Even at this simplified level I see that it's difficult for a lot of folks. I think people, Americans especially, tend not to pay much attention to what they're eating - what it is, where it came from, etc.

Getting people to get out of their eating ruts and think a little about what goes into their mouths is a valuable exercise. It sets the stage for better choices in the future. I hope that some success with the simple step will encourage people to further improve their diets.

I have a website at www.glutenfreejan.com. If you want to sign up just send an email with your first name, last initial, and town of residence to glutenfreejan@gmail.com. If you are on Facebook there's a community you can 'Like' called: Gluten Free January. So far I have over 120 people all over the world signed up. If you are already gluten-free then I still want you to sign up - the more the merrier. You can also use this opportunity to spread the word and sign up your family and friends.

Merry Christmas - Looking forward to a gluten-free New Year.

Matt

POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

Preparation + cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 200 g Sebago potatoes, peeled
  
  


• ¾ cup (110 g) self-raising flour
  
  


• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
  


• 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  
  


• ¾ cup (180 ml) milk
  
  


• 1 egg
  
  


• 100 g butter, melted
  
  

SALSA CHUDA

• ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
  
  


• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  


• 2 medium tomatoes (380 g), seeded, chopped finely
  
  


• ½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
  


• 1 small red onion (100 g), chopped finely
  
  


• 1 small avocado (200 g), chopped finely
  
  


• 1 tbsp rinsed, drained baby capers
  
  

HORSERADISH TOPPING

• 1 tsp horseradish cream
  
  


• ½ cup (80 g) sour cream
  
  


• ¼ tsp sweet paprika
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potatoes until tender, and drain. Mash the potatoes in large bowl and stir in sifted flour and soda.
  
  


• Make a well in the centre of potato mixture and pour in combined rind, milk and egg, stirring, until batter is smooth. Cover and stand for 10 minutes.
  
  


• Make salsa cruda. Combine ingredients in medium bowl.
  
  


• Make horseradish topping. Combine ingredients in small bowl.
  
  


• Heat large frying pan and brush lightly with a little of the butter. Cook tbsp of the batter, in five batches, until browned both sides, brushing pan with butter between batches. Transfer blini to wire rack to cool.
  
  


• To serve, top blini with salsa cruda and horseradish topping.
  
  

MAKES 25

Nutritional information per blini:

Energy 435 kJ (about 103) ; total fat 8.6 g (sat fat 3.9 g); carbohydrate 5.1g; protein 1.5 g; fibre 0.5g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

Preparation + cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 200 g Sebago potatoes, peeled
  
  


• ¾ cup (110 g) self-raising flour
  
  


• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
  


• 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  
  


• ¾ cup (180 ml) milk
  
  


• 1 egg
  
  


• 100 g butter, melted
  
  

SALSA CHUDA

• ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
  
  


• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  


• 2 medium tomatoes (380 g), seeded, chopped finely
  
  


• ½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
  


• 1 small red onion (100 g), chopped finely
  
  


• 1 small avocado (200 g), chopped finely
  
  


• 1 tbsp rinsed, drained baby capers
  
  

HORSERADISH TOPPING

• 1 tsp horseradish cream
  
  


• ½ cup (80 g) sour cream
  
  


• ¼ tsp sweet paprika
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potatoes until tender, and drain. Mash the potatoes in large bowl and stir in sifted flour and soda.
  
  


• Make a well in the centre of potato mixture and pour in combined rind, milk and egg, stirring, until batter is smooth. Cover and stand for 10 minutes.
  
  


• Make salsa cruda. Combine ingredients in medium bowl.
  
  


• Make horseradish topping. Combine ingredients in small bowl.
  
  


• Heat large frying pan and brush lightly with a little of the butter. Cook tbsp of the batter, in five batches, until browned both sides, brushing pan with butter between batches. Transfer blini to wire rack to cool.
  
  


• To serve, top blini with salsa cruda and horseradish topping.
  
  

MAKES 25

Nutritional information per blini:

Energy 435 kJ (about 103) ; total fat 8.6 g (sat fat 3.9 g); carbohydrate 5.1g; protein 1.5 g; fibre 0.5g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

So much happier today!

Yesterday was not my best day. I'm normally a pretty happy person. Even if I get down and depressed, I usually get over it pretty fast. Yesterday was not normal.

Today I woke up in a happy mood. Even after finding the still undecorated tree, with the exception of lights and the angel topper, laying on it's side on the floor. The angel was pulled off the top and being used as a kitten chew toy. Have I mentioned we have two six-month old kittens and the world is their oyster? If it's not nailed down (well, even it it is), it's their play thing. One of them even had some of the feathers from the angel's wings stuck in her whiskers. I couldn't help but laugh. This certainly isn't a Martha Stewart home.

I'm also thrilled I got my hair back to it's original state today. After three hours with my colorist and hair stylist, I look normal again. In the downer post that I deleted yesterday I mentioned I went to my best friend's niece, a hair stylist, to get a very cheap color and cut (huge mistake). It turned out to be the worst color and cut of my life. 

I'm just not a totally bleached blond kind of gal. Every time I looked in the mirror I was horrified by my hair. The color was so bright and so blond that I felt like I needed sunglasses to even look at it. That was in front, the back was even a worse mess with white blond streaks against my natural dark blond hair.

After a lot of "corrective" coloring work which included low-lights, high-lights and some all over color, I don't look like a bleached blond bimbo anymore. My stylist took off an inch of length and it feels so much healthier. The layers, well,  there wasn't much she could do about them other than trim them up, but at least they look like the layers were professionally added and I didn't take the scissors to my hair myself. My bangs are back to normal too.

I'm so much happier with my hair now. It's a little sad that so much of my identity is wrapped up in my hair. It seems rather shallow. I can't help it, that's just how I am about my hair. I sort of wish I had this same sort of obsession about my body. Maybe I'd be thin and totally in shape if I did (and even more shallow than I am now).

**********

The gym
I also attribute my much happier mood today to the gym. I didn't go yesterday until 8pm, then when I got there my iPod was dead so I didn't even stay. When I got home and told my husband, his response was, well, you could have worked out anyway, without the iPod. Ummm, no, I can't. I've tried that before when the iPod was dead and it was pure torture without my music.

This morning was a great workout with an hour of hard cardio. 25 minutes of it was on the treadmill, with an incline of 15 at 4mph, or an incline 15 at 5mph. 35 minutes on the crossramp. It set my mood for the entire day...happy!

**********

The food

I was actually too busy to eat today until about 6 p.m. Even after my workout this morning I only had a banana, then I had to rush to my hair appointment, then I shopped until I dropped (I'm almost done!). I know this isn't healthy, and it's not my normal.

Dinner was a piece of flank steak and a big green salad with some yummy low-cal yogurt dressing I discovered. It's Marie's Yogurt Dressing, in the cooler by the produce, half the fat and half the calories of regular dressing. I bought the blue cheese (although there weren't any blue cheese chunks in it...of course not). It was actually really good for store bought dressing.

Tomorrow is an early Weight Watchers meeting. My normal day is Saturday, but that's Christmas, so I'm going to my regular leader tomorrow for my weighin and meeting. Then more shopping.

**********

Oh my gosh...on Dr. Phil they just said that a one-pound box of candy is about 10,000 calories. I use to eat a one-pound box of Sees candy at Christmas, when I was on my binges (and yes, in one day!). Dr. Phil has a couple on the show that always gains about 35-50 pounds each, each year during the holidays. Dr. Phil is pushing a book, something about losing 15 pounds in 17 days (17daydiet.com). And no, I'm not buying the book. :)

Oh - you'll love this - they (Dr. Phil and the author of the 17 day diet book) both just said that new scientific evidence proves that taking off weight fast doesn't mean you'll regain the weight fast. It's contrary to what everyone has thought all these years. Interesting.

POTATO PUFFS

Preparation + cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredient:

• 600 g coliban potatoes, peeled, chopped coarsely
  
  


• 50 g butter, softened
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  


• 3 rindless bacon slices (195 g), chopped finely
  
  


• ½ cup (75 g) self-raising flour
  
  


• 1 egg, beaten lightly
  
  


• 2 green onions, chopped finely
  
  


• ¾ cup (90 g) finely grated gruyere cheese vegetables oil, for deep frying
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potato until tender and drain.


• Mash potato with butter and garlic until smooth and cool.
  
  


• Meanwhile, cook bacon in oiled, small frying pan until crisp and drain on absorbent paper. Add bacon, flour, egg, onion and cheese to potato mixture and stir until combined.
  
  


• Heat oil in large deep frying pan and deep-fry level tbsp of the potato mixture, in batches, until browned. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with sour cream, if you like.
  
  

MAKES 30

Nutritional information per puff:

Energy 318 kJ (about 76 Caloriess) ; total fat 5 g (sat fat 2 g); carbohydrate 4.5 g; protein 3 g; fiber 0.4 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

POTATO PUFFS

Preparation + cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredient:

• 600 g coliban potatoes, peeled, chopped coarsely
  
  


• 50 g butter, softened
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  


• 3 rindless bacon slices (195 g), chopped finely
  
  


• ½ cup (75 g) self-raising flour
  
  


• 1 egg, beaten lightly
  
  


• 2 green onions, chopped finely
  
  


• ¾ cup (90 g) finely grated gruyere cheese vegetables oil, for deep frying
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potato until tender and drain.


• Mash potato with butter and garlic until smooth and cool.
  
  


• Meanwhile, cook bacon in oiled, small frying pan until crisp and drain on absorbent paper. Add bacon, flour, egg, onion and cheese to potato mixture and stir until combined.
  
  


• Heat oil in large deep frying pan and deep-fry level tbsp of the potato mixture, in batches, until browned. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with sour cream, if you like.
  
  

MAKES 30

Nutritional information per puff:

Energy 318 kJ (about 76 Caloriess) ; total fat 5 g (sat fat 2 g); carbohydrate 4.5 g; protein 3 g; fiber 0.4 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

Pondering goals for 2011

I worked out every single day in 2009.  Yep, 365 workouts in a row.  I dropped 40 pounds and had an awesome habit formed.  At the end of the year, I was very pleased with my loss and happy with my health status.  My BMI was in the healthy range and I was wearing clothes I hadn't seen in a while.  All WIN, right? Right.

One thing held me back from utter bliss though.  I needed to loose another 10-20 pounds to have a comfortable distance from the line that separates "Healthy" and "Overweight" on the BMI chart. I was at a healthy weight, but a few pounds gained would put me into Unhealthy Land.  Too close for comfort.

In 2010 I started to write.  With all the excitement, I cut out exercise so I could have more time for writing.  MISTAKE!! I've gone flabby and can see how missed daily exercise makes a huge difference with my body. I'm only up a few pounds on the scale, but what difference it makes when you aren't as toned. 

Thus, I'm thinking about making another 365 day workout goal that I'll blog and vlog about along the way. 

Found it!

Found the joy!

First, I'm really sorry about that awful post I wrote earlier today. I'm not sure where that came from or why I was so angry. I just re-read it and deleted it. Hopefully not too many people read it.

After I put up the Christmas tree, sans decorations (my husband will help with that tonight), I decided to go Christmas shopping. After visiting the mall and two other stores, I came home empty handed. The stores are packed with shoppers. The lines were incredibly long, so I gave up, not one single gift was purchased. I had a few in my hands but when I saw the lines, I knew it could wait.

As I was driving home, listening to Silent Night being sung by Bing Crosby on the radio it occurred to me, what is all the fuss about? Why am I all stressed out? I'm not Martha Stewart, and I'm not going to have the perfectly decorated tree. The relatives in other states aren't going to get their gifts on time and they probably aren't going to get the perfect gift from us either (at the rate I'm going, they'll be lucky to get a card).

When I pulled into our driveway I could see the tree in the front winter. I left the lights on it turned on and it looked so pretty. Festive and happy. It made me smile.

It's Christmas. I'm going to relax, stop stressing about stupid stuff, and just enjoy my time off.

Merry Christmas!   <---said without sarcasm. :)

Dairy Fat and Diabetes

Introduction

Having access to embargoed news from the Annals of Internal Medicine is really fun. I get to report on important studies at the same time as the news media. But this week, I got my hands on a study that I'm not sure will be widely reported (Mozaffarian et al. Trans-palmitoleic Acid, Metabolic Risk Factors, and New-Onset Diabetes in US Adults. Ann Internal Med. 2010). Why? Because it suggests that dairy fat may protect against diabetes.

The lead author is Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, whose meta-analysis of diet-heart controlled trials I recently criticized (1). I think this is a good opportunity for me to acknowledge that Dr. Mozaffarian and his colleagues have published some brave papers in the past that challenged conventional wisdom. For example, in a 2005 study, they found that postmenopausal women who ate the most saturated fat had the slowest rate of narrowing of their coronary arteries over time (2). It wasn't a popular finding but he has defended it. His colleague Dr. Walter Willett thinks dietary fat is fine (although he favors corn oil), whole eggs can be part of a healthy diet, and there are worse things than eating coconut from time to time. Dr. Willett is also a strong advocate of unrefined foods and home cooking, which I believe are two of the main pillars of healthy eating.

Let's hit the data

Investigators collected two measures of dairy fat intake in 3,736 Americans:

1. 24 hour dietary recall questionnaires, six times. This records volunteers' food intake at the beginning of the study.
2. Blood (plasma phospholipid) content of trans-palmitoleate. Dairy fat and red meat fat are virtually the only sources of this fatty acid, so it reflects the intake of these foods. Most of the trans-palmitoleate came from dairy in this study, although red meat was also a significant source.

After adjustment for confounding factors, trans-palmitoleate levels were associated with a smaller waist circumference, higher HDL cholesterol, lower serum triglycerides, lower C-reactive protein, lower fasting insulin and lower calculated insulin resistance. Furthermore, people with the highest trans-palmitoleate levels had 1/3 the risk of developing diabetes over the three years volunteers were followed. Keep in mind, however, that this is an observational study and does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes.

Even though certain blood fatty acids partially represent food intake, they can also represent metabolic conditions. For example, people on their way to type II diabetes tend to have more saturated blood lipids, independent of diet (3, 4)*. So it's reassuring to see that dietary trans-palmitoleate intake was closely related to the serum level. The investigators also noted that "greater whole-fat dairy consumption was associated with lower risk for diabetes," which increases my confidence that serum trans-palmitoleate is actually measuring dairy fat intake to some degree. However, in the end, I think the striking association they observed was partially due to dairy fat intake, but mostly due to metabolic factors that had nothing to do with dairy fat**.

Here's a nice quote:

Our findings support potential metabolic benefits of dairy consumption and suggest that trans-palmitoleate may mediate these effects***. They also suggest that efforts to promote exclusive consumption of low-fat and nonfat dairy products, which would lower population exposure to trans-palmitoleate, may be premature until the mediators of the health effects of dairy consumption are better established.

Never thought I'd see the day! Not bad, but I can do better:

Our findings support eating as much butter as possible****. Don't waste your money on low-fat cream, either (half-n-half). We're sorry that public health authorities have spent 30 years telling you to eat low-fat dairy when most studies are actually more consistent with the idea that dairy fat reduces the risk obesity and chronic disease.

What are these studies suggesting that dairy fat may be protective, you ask? That will be the topic of another post, my friends.


*Probably due to uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis because of insulin resistance. Many studies find that serum saturated fatty acids are higher in those with metabolic dysfunction, independent of diet. They sometimes interpret that as showing that people are lying about their diet, rather than that serum saturated fatty acids don't reflect diet very well. For example, in one study I cited, investigators found no relationship between dietary saturated fat and diabetes risk, but they did find a relationship between serum saturated fatty acids and diabetes risk (5). They then proceeded to refer to the serum measurements as "objective measurements" that can tease apart "important associations with diabetes incidence that may be missed when assessed by [food questionnaires]." They go on to say that serum fatty acids are "useful as biomarkers for fatty acid intake," which is true for some fatty acids but not remotely for most of the saturated ones, according to their own study. Basically, they try to insinuate that dietary saturated fat is the culprit, and the only reason they couldn't measure that association directly is that people who went on to develop diabetes inaccurately reported their diets! A more likely explanation is that elevated serum saturated fatty acids are simply a marker of insulin resistance (and thus uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis), and had nothing to do with diet.

**Why do I say that? Because mathematically adjusting for dairy and meat fat intake did not substantially weaken the association between phospholipid trans-palmitoleate and reduced diabetes risk (Table 4). In other words, if you believe their math, dairy/meat fat intake only accounted for a small part of the protective association. That implies that healthy people maintain a higher serum phospholipid trans-palmitoleate level than unhealthy people, even if both groups eat the same amount of trans-palmitoleate. If they hadn't mentioned that full-fat dairy fat intake was directly associated with a lower risk of diabetes, I would not find the study very interesting because I'd have my doubts that it was relevant to diet.

***I find it highly doubtful that trans-palmitoleate entirely mediates the positive health outcomes associated with dairy fat intake. I think it's more likely to simply be a marker of milk fat, which contains a number of potentially protective substances such as CLA, vitamin K2, butyric acid, and the natural trans fats including trans-palmitoleate. In addition, dairy fat is low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat. I find it unlikely that their fancy math was able to tease those factors apart, because those substances all travel together in dairy fat. trans-palmitoleate pills are not going to replace butter.

****That's a joke. I think butter can be part of healthy diet, but that doesn't mean gorging on it is a good idea. This study does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes, it simply suggests that it may.

Dairy Fat and Diabetes

Introduction

Having access to embargoed news from the Annals of Internal Medicine is really fun. I get to report on important studies at the same time as the news media. But this week, I got my hands on a study that I'm not sure will be widely reported (Mozaffarian et al. Trans-palmitoleic Acid, Metabolic Risk Factors, and New-Onset Diabetes in US Adults. Ann Internal Med. 2010). Why? Because it suggests that dairy fat may protect against diabetes.

The lead author is Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, whose meta-analysis of diet-heart controlled trials I recently criticized (1). I think this is a good opportunity for me to acknowledge that Dr. Mozaffarian and his colleagues have published some brave papers in the past that challenged conventional wisdom. For example, in a 2005 study, they found that postmenopausal women who ate the most saturated fat had the slowest rate of narrowing of their coronary arteries over time (2). It wasn't a popular finding but he has defended it. His colleague Dr. Walter Willett thinks dietary fat is fine (although he favors corn oil), whole eggs can be part of a healthy diet, and there are worse things than eating coconut from time to time. Dr. Willett is also a strong advocate of unrefined foods and home cooking, which I believe are two of the main pillars of healthy eating.

Let's hit the data

Investigators collected two measures of dairy fat intake in 3,736 Americans:

1. 24 hour dietary recall questionnaires, six times. This records volunteers' food intake at the beginning of the study.
2. Blood (plasma phospholipid) content of trans-palmitoleate. Dairy fat and red meat fat are virtually the only sources of this fatty acid, so it reflects the intake of these foods. Most of the trans-palmitoleate came from dairy in this study, although red meat was also a significant source.

After adjustment for confounding factors, trans-palmitoleate levels were associated with a smaller waist circumference, higher HDL cholesterol, lower serum triglycerides, lower C-reactive protein, lower fasting insulin and lower calculated insulin resistance. Furthermore, people with the highest trans-palmitoleate levels had 1/3 the risk of developing diabetes over the three years volunteers were followed. Keep in mind, however, that this is an observational study and does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes.

Even though certain blood fatty acids partially represent food intake, they can also represent metabolic conditions. For example, people on their way to type II diabetes tend to have more saturated blood lipids, independent of diet (3, 4)*. So it's reassuring to see that dietary trans-palmitoleate intake was closely related to the serum level. The investigators also noted that "greater whole-fat dairy consumption was associated with lower risk for diabetes," which increases my confidence that serum trans-palmitoleate is actually measuring dairy fat intake to some degree. However, in the end, I think the striking association they observed was partially due to dairy fat intake, but mostly due to metabolic factors that had nothing to do with dairy fat**.

Here's a nice quote:

Our findings support potential metabolic benefits of dairy consumption and suggest that trans-palmitoleate may mediate these effects***. They also suggest that efforts to promote exclusive consumption of low-fat and nonfat dairy products, which would lower population exposure to trans-palmitoleate, may be premature until the mediators of the health effects of dairy consumption are better established.

Never thought I'd see the day! Not bad, but I can do better:

Our findings support eating as much butter as possible****. Don't waste your money on low-fat cream, either (half-n-half). We're sorry that public health authorities have spent 30 years telling you to eat low-fat dairy when most studies are actually more consistent with the idea that dairy fat reduces the risk obesity and chronic disease.

What are these studies suggesting that dairy fat may be protective, you ask? That will be the topic of another post, my friends.


*Probably due to uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis because of insulin resistance. Many studies find that serum saturated fatty acids are higher in those with metabolic dysfunction, independent of diet. They sometimes interpret that as showing that people are lying about their diet, rather than that serum saturated fatty acids don't reflect diet very well. For example, in one study I cited, investigators found no relationship between dietary saturated fat and diabetes risk, but they did find a relationship between serum saturated fatty acids and diabetes risk (5). They then proceeded to refer to the serum measurements as "objective measurements" that can tease apart "important associations with diabetes incidence that may be missed when assessed by [food questionnaires]." They go on to say that serum fatty acids are "useful as biomarkers for fatty acid intake," which is true for some fatty acids but not remotely for most of the saturated ones, according to their own study. Basically, they try to insinuate that dietary saturated fat is the culprit, and the only reason they couldn't measure that association directly is that people who went on to develop diabetes inaccurately reported their diets! A more likely explanation is that elevated serum saturated fatty acids are simply a marker of insulin resistance (and thus uncontrolled de novo lipogenesis), and had nothing to do with diet.

**Why do I say that? Because mathematically adjusting for dairy and meat fat intake did not substantially weaken the association between phospholipid trans-palmitoleate and reduced diabetes risk (Table 4). In other words, if you believe their math, dairy/meat fat intake only accounted for a small part of the protective association. That implies that healthy people maintain a higher serum phospholipid trans-palmitoleate level than unhealthy people, even if both groups eat the same amount of trans-palmitoleate. If they hadn't mentioned that full-fat dairy fat intake was directly associated with a lower risk of diabetes, I would not find the study very interesting because I'd have my doubts that it was relevant to diet.

***I find it highly doubtful that trans-palmitoleate entirely mediates the positive health outcomes associated with dairy fat intake. I think it's more likely to simply be a marker of milk fat, which contains a number of potentially protective substances such as CLA, vitamin K2, butyric acid, and the natural trans fats including trans-palmitoleate. In addition, dairy fat is low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat. I find it unlikely that their fancy math was able to tease those factors apart, because those substances all travel together in dairy fat. trans-palmitoleate pills are not going to replace butter.

****That's a joke. I think butter can be part of healthy diet, but that doesn't mean gorging on it is a good idea. This study does not prove that dairy fat prevents diabetes, it simply suggests that it may.

LYONNAISE POTATOES

Preparation + cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 900 g desire potatoes, peeled, chopped coarsely
  
  


• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 2 medium red onion (340 g), sliced thinly
  
  


• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  
  


• 6 rindless bacon slices (390 g), chopped coarsely
  
  


• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potato until just tender and drain.
  
  


• Meanwhile, heat half the oil in large frying pan and cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Remove from pan.
  
  


• Cook bacon in the same pan, stirring, until crisp. Then drain on absorbent paper.
  
  


• Heat remaining oil in the same pan and cook potato, stirring, about 5 minutes or until browned lightly.
  
  


• Return onion mixture and bacon to pan and stir gently to combine with potato.
  
  


• Remove from heat and stir in mint.
  
  

Serves 4

Nutritional information per serving:

Energy 1630 kJ(about 239 calories); total fat 14.2 g (sat fat 4.1 g); carbohydrate 34.7 g; protein 28.1 g; fiber 5.1 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

LYONNAISE POTATOES

Preparation + cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredient:

• 900 g desire potatoes, peeled, chopped coarsely
  
  


• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 2 medium red onion (340 g), sliced thinly
  
  


• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  
  


• 6 rindless bacon slices (390 g), chopped coarsely
  
  


• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
  
  

Preparing:

• Boil, steam or microwave potato until just tender and drain.
  
  


• Meanwhile, heat half the oil in large frying pan and cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Remove from pan.
  
  


• Cook bacon in the same pan, stirring, until crisp. Then drain on absorbent paper.
  
  


• Heat remaining oil in the same pan and cook potato, stirring, about 5 minutes or until browned lightly.
  
  


• Return onion mixture and bacon to pan and stir gently to combine with potato.
  
  


• Remove from heat and stir in mint.
  
  

Serves 4

Nutritional information per serving:

Energy 1630 kJ(about 239 calories); total fat 14.2 g (sat fat 4.1 g); carbohydrate 34.7 g; protein 28.1 g; fiber 5.1 g

Related Articles:

Potato Power

Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS

Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES

Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA

Returning to the land of the living

The past week
It was a very bad week. My cold that started on Monday knocked me flat for almost six days. I basically became a bed person. I was living on NyQuil, and totally not paying attention to what I was eating.

Of course, I didn't see the inside of the gym or any form of exercise the entire time. Six days of no exercise. That's the longest I've gone in almost three years without getting some form of exercise.

I also had major issues with drinking water. My throat was so sore that swallowing was extremely painful. The only beverage I could drink without discomfort was hot tea.

A new week
This morning I woke up and was able to breathe, my sinus headache was gone, and my sore throat is only sore from coughing, a huge improvement. And when I cough, it doesn't feel like chunks of my lungs are being ripped out. I feel human and normal and alive. It is a wonderful feeling.

The damage from six days of not paying attention to what I was eating:  a five-pound gain. From 177 to 182. Yikes!

Today I'm back on the straight and narrow. I've eaten very healthy today, but I'm under my Points. I've had 24 Points and should have had 29 (and only two fruits). For some bizarre reason I'm just not hungry. Perhaps stuffing my face for six days has something to do with it. I don't believe in eating when you're not hungry. As someone who is always hungry, I'll take advantage of this while I can. I'm sure it won't last.

I made it to they gym this afternoon. I was really anxious to get back. It was difficult with a lot of burning in my lungs, but I managed 15 minutes on the crosstrainer for my warmup, 30 minutes on the StairMaster (which just about killed me!), and a good upper body strength workout for 40 minutes. It was hard, and it hurt, especially my lungs, but it felt great to be exercising again.

What I learned
I learned something about myself this week. For several years I've said that I could easily become one of the super obese, weighing in excess of 500 pounds and becoming a bed person. I was almost halfway there at 240 pounds.

I have major food issues, and I thought my compulsion with food could overtake me at any time. I would be one of those people that would never leave my home. I'd be in the news when I died and they had to cut down the walls of my home to get me out.

I realize these are horrible thoughts and no one in their right mind would think this could really happen to them. Whether or not I'm in my right mind is always up for debate, but I really did believe this about myself. I knew if I let my guard down, that is exactly how I'd wind up.

Today, while I was on the StairMaster and my lungs felt like they were on fire, I thought that it's probably unlikely that I will let myself get totally out of control with food for any length of time. I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I am saying that if it's within my power, I won't let it happen. I like feeling alive.