Denise's Daily Dozen (39 page)

BREAKFAST

Blueberry-Banana Smoothie(3 fruit + ½ protein)

Men add:
1 hard-boiled egg (1 protein)

MORNING SNACK

1 red bell pepper, sliced (1 veggie)

¼ cup almonds (2 healthy fat)

1 part-skim mozzarella string cheese (1 protein)

Blueberry-Banana Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries (or strawberries)

1 banana

½ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

4 fluid ounces orange juice

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, continue to add water to the desired consistency.

LUNCH

1 baked Idaho potato (microwave for 5 minutes or until tender) (1 veggie)

2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheese (1 protein)

1 cup steamed broccoli (1 veggie)

2 tablespoons salsa

AFTERNOON SNACK

1 granola bar (1 grain)

Men add:
1 medium apple (1 fruit)

DINNER

5 ounces grilled salmon served over 2 cups baby spinach (1½ protein + 2 veggie)

1 cup cooked quinoa (1 grain)

READY, SET, SQUEEZE!

Whether you're working the backs of your thighs, butt, or hips, make sure to squeeze the area at the top of the contraction. Pretend the muscle that you are targeting is a sponge and you're trying to squeeze every last drop of effort out of it. You can do it! And you'll make each exercise more effective!

A Dozen Tips from Denise: Twelve Ways to Add Flavor to Food

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elieve it or not, it is possible to add flavor to your food without adding fat. I’ve spent years experimenting in the kitchen, and now I have many dishes that are tasty and fresh without fat. They’re so good that my husband and daughters eat them and don’t really know they’re healthy. So skip the margarine and season foods with some of my favorites! These include:

1.
Basil

2.
Dill

3.
Cilantro

4.
Oregano

5.
Tarragon

6.
Ginger

7.
Thyme

8.
Chopped garlic

9.
White wine

10.
Balsamic vinegar

11.
Fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice

12.
Just a teaspoon or two of strongly flavored fats like sesame and olive oils

TWELVE THINGS TO DO WHEN A CRAVING CALLS

Even the most disciplined dieters sometimes can’t shake the thought of a certain food. Those stubborn cravings we all get can be more than just annoying. They can derail your hard work and effort! You can get past them, though, without bingeing or racing off track. Here’s how!

1.
Don’t automatically reach for food. Instead, ask yourself if you’re really hungry. If you haven’t eaten in a while and your energy is low, maybe your body is telling you to eat! In that case, have a healthy snack.

2.
One of the best ways to beat cravings is to distract yourself. Take a walk or get up from your desk and move. Sometimes just changing your surroundings can change the way you feel!

3.
Do something manual like knitting, typing an e-mail, or giving yourself a manicure. When your hands are busy, it’s hard to snack.

4.
Thirst can also feel like hunger! Drink a refreshing glass of water and then see how you feel.

5.
Sip some tea. With so many great flavors, you can calm any craving. Want something fruity? Try ginger peach. For something spicy, look for vanilla licorice.

6.
Call a friend. One who understands what it’s like to trim down may be your best bet, but anyone who can help you take your mind off what you’re longing for is great.

7.
Do your Daily Dozen workout. Again, this will distract you and replace something detrimental, like a potential pig-out, with something healthy.

8.
Write in a journal. Cravings can often be more emotional than physical.

9.
Take a nap. Sometimes fatigue makes us reach for something unhealthy.

10.
Eat one serving of something that calms your craving but isn’t full of fat and calories. Crave chocolate? Try a sugar-free fudge pop. Have a sweet tooth? Satisfy it with the delicious and healthy baked apple, which counts as 1 fruit on the Daily Dozen Plan. I’ve included the recipe on the next page.

11.
Pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Sometimes the act of chewing is enough to get your mind off that pesky craving.

12.
Go for it. Yes, eat what you crave. But try to have only three bites of it. Savor every bite. Often all you need is a little taste of what you’re longing for.

Baked Cinnamon Apple

1 medium apple, cored

Cinnamon, to taste

Cinnamon stick

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the apple. Cut out the center core. Place the apple in a small baking dish and add just enough water to cover ¼ inch of the apple’s bottom. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and add the cinnamon stick to the cored center. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the apple can be pierced with a sharp knife.

Rosemary Wilhite,

25, sales, Schaumburg, Illinois

POUNDS LOST: 51

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s a child, I was thin, active, and actually loved fruits and veggies! I first started to gain weight in college when I was about twenty and in a bad relationship that made me feel bad about myself. I wasn’t taking proper care of myself. I would eat very unhealthy foods and I even developed insomnia. I felt really terrible, tired, and a bit depressed all the time. I stopped working out and soon I stopped going out with my friends because I was embarrassed about not taking more control of my life, health, and well-being. By age twenty-three I had gained more than fifty pounds and I didn’t feel like I could ever be happy with myself again. That year, I went to a wedding and afterward saw a picture of myself. What really hurt the most was how unhappy I looked in the photo. I was only twenty-three years old, wearing a size fourteen and weighing 171 pounds. I did not want to be this unhappy forever. I’d finally had it!