Bikini Body - How To Lose 15 Pounds in Less Than 2 Weeks!

Going on a beach vacation? Do you need to lose 10-20 pounds to fit into your favorite bikini in as little as 2 weeks? Here are some guidelines that will help you achieve that goal:
1. Change what/where you eat. Firstly, you must stop eating at fast food restaurants. Refrain from snacking between meals. Avoid snacks like potato chips, crackers with dips and related products. Avoid candy bars,

Vegetarian West African Soup

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onions
  
  


• 2 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
  
  


• ⅓ cup peanut butter
  
  


• 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• 1 tbsp ground cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ tsp pepper
  
  


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  


• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, undrained
  
  


• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium vegetable broth
  
  


• 1 (28 oz.) can diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large-size saucepan and sauté onions until lightly browned.
  
  


• Stir in the butter, potatoes, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, beans, broth, and tomatoes then raise heat to bring to a boil.
  
  


• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are softened (about 45 minutes).
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (446 g)): 386 Calories, 16 g Protein, 61 g carbohydrates, 11 g Dietary Fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 391 mg sodium

Checking in

I haven't posted anything since Sunday because my job is consuming me lately. I'm slightly stressed at work. I still love where I work and love my job, but sometimes I get myself in situations with deadlines. There's always a deadline looming up ahead, and I'm always trying to meet it. I have one next week that I'm struggling to meet. I guess that's just life.

I'm doing okay, managing to get to the gym every day, although I took today off because I couldn't remember the last time I missed a day at the gym.

Sometimes I'm getting in a lunch hour walk with a friend at work that practically race walks, I almost can't keep up with her. I think it would be easier if we just ran. Of course we only walk when it's not raining in the third most miserable city in the nation. At least that's according to this article in the Wall Street Journal, although they say it has nothing to do with the weather (really?).

It's funny because my niece was here a couple weeks ago (from Fairbanks, Alaska) and she couldn't get over the deep green of everything, from he grass to the trees. She kept saying how beautiful it looked. She's right, at least when the sun shines here I think this area must be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. If only the sun would shine a little more.

My eating hasn't been perfect, but I'm tracking my food which is big improvement. My food choices have been excellent, but sometimes my portions are too large (four ounces of chicken breast just doesn't do it for me). I've also managed to avoid eating added sugar for the last two weeks, which is huge for me.

When my weight got up to 187 a couple weeks ago I had bought some cookies and other sweets which I consumed over a two-day period. I didn't write about it because I was pretty freaked out. I feel like I have that under control again.

I also stopped buying and eating the Weight Watcher frozen treats. The only "treat" in my freezer are the sugar-free fudge bars that Dawn convinced me to try, and they're not that bad. However, they're not that good either so there's no chance I'd eat a whole box.

Lately my evening snack has been a cup of Greek yogurt with a cup of frozen fruit, and some Stevia. It's more calories than one of the Weight Watcher ice cream bars (about 200 for the yogurt & fruit), but it's the same PointsPlus (3). It's a lot more filling than the bars and sort of like ice cream, and I never go back for seconds (or thirds like I did with the ice cream bars) because it's a lot of food.

I tried the Simply Filling a few days this week and then switched back to PointsPlus on Weight Watchers. You're not suppose to switch mid-week, but I still can't trust myself with the "eating until satisfied" idea.

This is a pretty boring post, but I just can't think of anything interesting to say. I guess all work and no play makes Diana a very dull girl.

Off to work now!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups cooked chicken breast, shredded into bite-sized pieces
  
  


• 4 cups torn fresh spinach leaves, thawed and drained
  
  


• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
  
  


• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  
  


• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  
  


• 1 (8oz.) carton of non-fat sour cream
  
  


• ¼ cup plain, non-fat yogurt
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ cup 1% milk
  
  


• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
  

Preparation:

• Cook fresh spinach with a small amount of water in a medium saucepan, covered for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
  
  


• Combine cooked chicken, green onions and spinach in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  
  


• Make the sauce: Combine sour cream, flour, yogurt, cumin and salt in a medium bowl. Add jalapeño pepper and milk and mix well.
  
  


• Pour half the sauce into the chicken and spinach mixture and mix well. Divide the filling among the tortillas. Fold opposite ends of a tortilla up about 1-inch over filling then fold the left and right sides over the folded end, overlapping.
  
  


• Place filled tortillas, seam sides down on an ungreased rectangular baking dish.
  
  


• Spoon remaining sauce over the tortillas and bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven until heated through (about 20 minutes.)
  
  


• Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and let stand for 5 minutes.
  
  


• Top with salsa and chopped green onions as desired.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes AmountPer Serving(1 enchilada (196 g)): 248 Calories, 20 g Protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 384 mg sodium

Vegetarian Chili

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
  
  


• 4 minced cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 2 finely chopped carrots
  
  


• 2 chopped tomatoes
  
  


• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
  
  


• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili seasoning mix
  
  


• 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
  
  


• Salt and black pepper, to taste (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan, sauté onions and garlic. Add carrots, tomatoes, black beans, herbs and spices.
  
  


• Cook over medium heat until the carrots are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (226 g)): 236 Calories, 13 g Protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 14 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 348 mg sodium

Dr. Kevin Patterson on Western Diets and Health

A few readers have pointed me to an interesting NPR interview with the Canadian physician Kevin Patterson (link). He describes his medical work in Afghanistan and the Canadian arctic treating cultures with various degrees of industrialization. He discusses the "epidemiological transition", the idea that cultures experience predictable changes in their health as they go from hunter-gatherer, to agricultural, to industrial. I think he has an uncommonly good perspective on the effects of industrialization on human health, which tends to be true of people who have witnessed the effects of the industrial diet and lifestyle on diverse cultures.

A central concept behind my thinking is that it's possible to benefit simultaneously from both:

• The sanitation, medical technology, safety technology, law enforcement and lower warfare-related mortality that have increased our life expectancy dramatically relative to our distant ancestors.


• The very low incidence of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and other non-infectious chronic diseases afforded by a diet and lifestyle roughly consistent with our non-industrial heritage.

But it requires discipline, because going with the flow means becoming unhealthy.

New Writing Blog

In case you haven't noticed, there is a new tab at the top of this blog labeled, writing.  Yes, I started a new blog specific for my writing journey: http://karenmariehansen.blogspot.com/  :)