Ginger Garlic Beef

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces lean top round steak
  
  


• ½ cup reduced sodium beef broth
  
  


• 3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  
  


• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
  
  


• 2½ tsp cornstarch
  
  


• 4 green onions, sliced in 1” pieces
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
  
  


• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, smashed
  
  


• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  
  


• 1 tsp sugar
  
  


• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  

Preparation:

• Wrap steak in plastic wrap then place in a freezer for about 30 minutes to partially freeze to make it easier to slice.
  
  


• Trim off any excess fat then thinly slice beef into small pieces.
  
  


• Whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, sugar, cornstarch and garlic in a small bowl, set aside.
  
  


• Spray a large-sized skillet with low-fat cooking spray then heat to medium-high heat. Add broccoli, mushrooms and green onions, stir-fry until broccoli is crisp-tender (about 4 minutes). Remove vegetables from skillet and set aside.
  
  


• Add beef to skillet and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until browned on both sides. Stir in the soy sauce mixture then cook until thickened and bubbling. Add vegetables into skillet and stir together until heated through then serve warm.
  
  

Tip: Serve over cooked rice or Asian noodles.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (194 g)): 153 Calories, 17 g Protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 32 mg cholesterol, 513 mg sodium

Garlic Shrimp with Noodles

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
  
  


• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  
  


• 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  
  


• ⅔ cup shredded carrot
  
  


• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  
  


• 16 oz. egg noodles
  
  


• Pepper and Salt to taste
  
  

Preparation:

• Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain, set aside.
  
  


• In a medium skillet, heat oil to medium-high heat.
  
  


• Add garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute then add shrimp and stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes.
  
  


• Add shredded carrot and stir-fry until shrimp is pink (about 2-3 minutes) and cooked through.
  
  


• Stir in cilantro, add pepper and salt to taste then serve over cooked noodles.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (137 g)): 162 Calories, 2 g Protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 172 mg cholesterol, 175 mg sodium

Learning from my past

Reading some of my old posts from when I started Weight Watchers in 2008 made me realize just how obsessed I was back then on getting to goal. There was no stopping me (so what the hell has happened?).

In five short months I lost 60 pounds. On February 19, 2008 I weighed 239 and on July 7, 2008 I weighed 179. I was down 60 pounds. By February of 2009 I had lost a total of 84 pounds and weighed 154.6. I wasn't obese or even overweight, I had a normal BMI. For about five minutes as my weight starting bouncing up and down for the next two years.

After reading some of my old posts from that first year I saw some huge differences in what I was doing then versus what I'm doing now.

  Tracking what I eat.

Then:  I was fanatical about tracking my food. I weighed and measure EVERYTHING and used the online eTools to keep track.

Now:  I often start out the day with the best intentions to track every bite, but usually by late afternoon I quit tracking. I often don't tack anything after lunch ad get very sloppy about weighing and measuring my food. I guess on portion sizes, which is a huge mistake.

Exercise

Then:  I was a crazy woman about exercise.

Now:  I'm still pretty crazy about exercise. Although reading about my workouts in 2008 versus my workouts now, I was really into trying different routines, new exercises. At the moment I'm in a bit of a rut. I work out on most days, but it's basically always the same routine.

Meetings

Then:  I rarely missed a Weight Watcher meeting.

Now: I seem to continually come up with excuses to skip meetings. I wasn't going to go yesterday (Saturday), but my husband asked me point blank, "why do you keep paying $40 a month and you hardly ever go to a meeting?". I went to the meeting, and I was one of the best meetings I've ever been too.

Blogging

Then:  I read a lot of blogs back then and left comments on those other logs. I had a lot more readers that left comments.. I remember how much so many people there helped me along my path. People were always encouraging and kind.

I posted on my own blog almost every day.

Now:  I have a few faithful folks out there that leave comments, but I haven't been returning the favor like I did in the past. I know how much I appreciate comments, so I'm pretty sure the rest of the bloggers feel the same way. In the blogging world what goes around comes around.

I think about blogging every day, but I often go days without posting anything.

 Enthusiasm

Then:  I had really high hopes for getting to my goal weight. I was excited, and I just knew I'd make it.

Now:  Lately I've been overridden with guilt for gaining weight, and fear that I won't be able to stop the weight gain. My enthusiasm has dwindled to almost nothing.

Goal Setting

Then: I was always setting mini goals for myself and even though I didn't always make them, at least I tried.

Now: I don't set goals, or if I do, I don't even try.

Health Eating Guidelines

Then:  I really paid attention to Weight Watchers Healthy Eating guidelines. I took them seriously.

Now:  I try halfheartedly, but since I don't keep track of my food, I'm obviously not keeping track of the healthy eating guidelines foods (ex. 2 teaspoons of healthy oil, three dairies etc). 

Posting my weekly weighins

Then:  I posted my weight every week.

Now: I almost can't remember the last time I posted an official Weight Watcher weighin.

My self-assessment of where I am now

The last several months I haven't really been trying to lose weight. I feel like I've barely been hanging on.

I know what to do and how to do it. I have a proven track record that shows I'm capable of losing weight. I say I want to lose weight, but I don't make the effort it takes to get there. I know that losing weight takes hard work. Just like most good things in life, you have to work for it. It doesn't just happen.

Basically, I have a lot of work to do. I need to address every one of the items above. Those are the things that worked for me in the past and they can work for me again.

Garden Frittata

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
  
  


• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  
  


• 2 tomatoes, sliced
  
  


• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
  
  


• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  
  


• ¼ tsp black pepper
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  
  

Preparation:

• Saute onion, tomatoes and garlic in oil until tender.
  
  


• Add Italian seasoning, black pepper and salt to the eggs and add to onion mixture.
  
  


• Stir in spinach and cheese.
  
  


• Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to low.
  
  


• Cook for 15 minutes and check for firmness.
  
  


• Cut into wedges with spatula and serve warm.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(164 g): 152 Calories, 10 g Protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 10 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 197 mg cholesterol, 347 mg sodium

Obesity and the Fluid-in, Fluid-out Therapy for Edema

I recently attended a lecture by Dr. Arya M. Sharma here at the University of Washington. Dr. Sharma is a Canadian clinician who specializes in the treatment of obesity. He gave the UW Science in Medicine lecture, which is a prestigious invited lecture.

He spent a little bit of time pointing out the fallacy behind conventional obesity treatment. He used the analogy of edema, which is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the body.

Since we know that the amount of fluid contained in the body depends on the amount of fluid entering the body and the amount of fluid leaving the body, the treatment for edema is obvious: drink less, pee more.

Of course, this makes no sense. It doesn't address the underlying cause of edema and it will not help the patient. Yet we apply that exact same logic to fat loss. Since the amount of energy contained in the body (in the form of fat) depends on the amount entering and the amount leaving, the solution is easy: eat less, move more. Well, yes, if you can stick to that program it will cause fat loss. But that's equivalent to telling someone with edema to drink less water. It will cause a loss of fluid, but it won't correct the underlying problem that caused excessive fluid retention in the first place.

For example, if you have edema because your heart isn't pumping effectively (cardiac insufficiency), the heart is the problem that must be addressed. Any other treatment is purely symptomatic and is not a cure.

The same applies to obesity. If you don't correct the alteration in the system that causes an obese person to 'defend' his elevated fat mass against changes*, anything you do is symptomatic treatment and is unlikely to be very effective in the long term. My goal is to develop a method that goes beyond symptomatic treatment and allows the body to naturally return to a lower fat mass. I've been doing a lot of reading and I have a simple new idea that I feel confident in. It also neatly explains the results of a variety of weight loss diets. I've dropped a few hints here and there, but I'll be formally unveiling it in the next couple of months. Stay tuned.


* The body fat homeostasis system. The core element appears to be a negative feedback loop between body fat (via leptin, and insulin to a lesser degree) and the brain (primarily the hypothalamus, but other regions are involved). There are many other elements in the system, but that one seems to set the 'gain' on all the others and guides long-term fat mass homeostasis. The brain is the gatekeeper of both energy intake and energy expenditure, and unconscious processes strongly suggest appropriate levels for both factors according to the brain's perceived homeostatic needs. Those suggestions can be overridden consciously, but it requires a perpetual high degree of discipline, whereas someone who has been lean all her life doesn't require discipline to remain lean because her brain is suggesting behaviors that naturally defend leanness. I know what I'm saying here may seem controversial to some people reading this, because it's contrary to what they've read on the internet or in the popular press, but it's not particularly controversial in my field. In fact, you'll find most of this stuff in general neuroscience textbooks dating back more than 10 years (e.g., Eric Kandel and colleagues, Principles of Neuroscience).

Fried Rice

(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked brown or white rice
  
  


• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
  


• 2 cups fresh vegetables, chopped
  
  


• 1 small onion, minced
  
  


• 2 tsp vegetable oil
  
  


• 1 cup cooked poultry, fish, or meat (optional)
  
  


• 3 tsp soy sauce
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large-sized pan. Add onion and rice. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft.
  
  


• Reduce heat to medium and add vegetables and meat to rice mixture.
  
  


• Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes.
  
  


• Spread the mixture out to the sides of the pan, leaving space in the middle for the eggs.
  
  


• Add the eggs, and scramble until cooked firm.
  
  


• Mix the eggs with the rice and vegetables then sprinkle with soy sauce.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (195 g)): 231 Calories, 1 g Protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 82 mg cholesterol, 284 mg sodium

Curried Beef and Rice

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. flank steak, trimmed of excess fat
  
  


• ½ cup green onions, chopped
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
  


• 2 tbsp curry powder
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  
  


• 2 cups hot cooked rice
  
  


• ¼ tsp turmeric
  
  


• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  

Preparation:

• Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices.
  
  


• In a large-sized skillet, spray low-fat cooking and heat to medium-high. Add green onions, garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes then add curry powder, turmeric, salt and sauté for about 1 minute.
  
  


• Add steak and sauté until done (about 6 to 7 minutes).
  
  


• Stir in tomatoes and reduce heat to low.
  
  


• Cook until heated through (about 3 minutes) and serve over cooked rice.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (268 g)): 295 Calories, 26 g Protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 382 mg sodium