If you are looking for a great recipe to help you lose weight over the holidays, here’s a really yummy and healthy one make with spaghetti squash.
May says, “This recipe is super easy, and can withstand quite a bit of substitution. If you aren’t into cabbage, carrots, or peas, just use any old veggie that you ARE fond of instead. Brocolli, bok choy, water chestnuts, baby corn, you get the picture. Anything goes. The same is true for the seasoning. Feel free to add a little less or a little more of any seasoning mentioned. This dish is perfect for customizing”
Ingredients
- 2 cups spaghetti squash, roasted, shredded, and cooled (Click Here for Recipe)
- 1/8 cup broth (veggie, chicken, dashi, whatever your pleasure)
- 2 leaves Chinese cabbage, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 scallion, sliced
- 1/4 cup peas, steamed
- 2 – 4 tablespoons tamari
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon siracha sauce (optional, hot!)
- salt & pepper to taste
Note: you can substitute the tamari with soy sauce
Start by sauteing your cabbage and carrots until they soften a little, and start to get a nice color. Next, add the scallions. Saute for just a minute or so, then add the squash and peas. Toss to heat the squash through. Meanwhile, mix the tamari, broth, garlic, ginger, and siracha in a small bowl. When the squash and peas are nice and hot, pour the sauce over the stir fry and mix everything together. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. You may also want to adjust other sauce ingredients to your liking.
If you want to add a protein, cook/heat it separately, and toss it into the mix just before adding the sauce.
I got this recipe from Mary at Mary Makes Dinner. Thanks Mary!
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Here’s another great holiday recipe that everyone loves!
Juliet’s Low Calorie Egg Nog (makes *two* 83 calorie 1 cup servings)
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (vanilla flavor) — can use blue diamond almond breeze or pacific almond milk (either way should be 40 calories per cup)
1/3 cup of egg beaters (I buy cage free redieggs at Whole Foods, which I’ll blog specifically about at some point)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
nutmeg to taste
(Optional)1 tablespoon of low calorie whipped topping
Instructions:
- Put almond milk into sauce pan and cook on low heat
- Combine egg beaters, sugar, and brown sugar and cook in a separate pan on low heat stirring constantly (if you stir quickly it will get a bit thicker which is nice)
- Once both mixtures are warm (I try to get them as hot as possible without actually cooking the eggs), pour the egg mixture slowly into the almond milk pan, stirring frequently
- Cook combined mixture together on low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly
- Add vanilla (if desired, the almond milk is already vanilla flavored)
- Pour into two glasses and refrigerate for half a day
- Add nutmeg to taste and enjoy!
- (Optional) Add a 1 tablespoon of low calorie whipped topping (adds 15 calories)
Very easy to make and each serving (a full cup) comes out to 83 calories with 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber (so only 2 weight watchers points).
By the way, if you like really “eggy” eggnog, you can increase your egg to almond milk ratio (for instance 1 cup of almond milk with a quarter of a cup of egg beaters). I made a batch this way at one point, but I found it a bit strong for my personal taste. Luckily adding a bit more egg doesn’t add too many calories. I love this holiday recipe!
Compliments of http://www.yummydietfood.com
Please let me know what you think of this recipe and share your own favorite holiday recipe below!
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Here's another easy weight loss tip for you
Watch your portion sizes. If fried chicken is your favorite, you might start out with 2 or 3 pieces on your plate. Try grabbing one small piece instead, and filling up on salad or green veggies to replace those missing pieces of chicken. Try to keep a portion of food about the size of your fist. Those mashed potatoes that you don’t want to give up? Still eat them, but stop after one small portion, instead of piling a mountain on your plate.
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Here's another easy weight loss tip for you
Eat slowly. This is one of the oldest and most popular tips on losing weight. Have you ever watched a speed-eating contest? Imagine someone eating the same amount of food as the winner, but imagine them eating it slowly. The champion may have scarfed down 20 pies in very little time. Could you actually sit down with a fork and slowly eat 20 pies? It’s not likely.
The speed eater ate so fast, his body didn’t even have time to scream, “STOP, I’M FULL!” And if it had, he was only focused on putting more and more food in, just as we are when we’re “starving” and we gulp down our food. Eat slowly and you’ll reach a pleasant feeling of fullness rather than the one that means you’ve eaten too much too fast.
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Stress can cause over eating and weight gain.
Pattie shares How she distresses and calms herself when she feels overwhelmed. I Have no time and I am stressed out! A quick easy tip of what to do you when you have days like this.
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Things to Consider Before Joining a Weight Loss Program this Holiday Season
Weight loss is the inevitable solution for those who are fed up of hearing taunts regarding their protruding tummies and flabby arms and saddle bag thighs. And the taunts are usually coming from you! If only you could lose weight, you would be able to get all the respect you deserve from society, your family and yourself. Unfortunately, weight loss is not as easy as it seems to be! You start looking for a weight loss program that can help you onwards on your weight loss journey. Do you ever start looking before the holidays? “No way!” You may say. I don’t want to start worry about my weight prior to the gluttony of the festive season. Perhaps this year can be different. Get a jump start on it and feel fabulous going into the holiday season. So there is now the start of looking for looking for a good weight loss program. Oh! There are so many to choose from! There are some really good programs and then there are also some pretty pathetic ones. If you are looking to look great over the holidays and feel even better come January 2 there are a few things you need to look for.
Joining a real weight loss program this holiday season would help you shed pounds while with a fake one; you will only be wasting your money. Obviously then, you should know better before joining a weight loss program. In this article I will tell you how to tell a genuine weight loss program from a fake one.
1. Does it promise quick weight loss: As a matter of fact, most of the real weight loss programs will never promise you quick or rapid weight loss, because they know that such a thing is not possible The only promise that they may offer you is that of helping you lose as much fat as possible. So if you find a program that claims to help people lose all fat within a few weeks or months, run, don't walk!
2. Does it recommend the use of supplements: If yes, then what kind of supplements? A real weight loss program will seldom recommend supplements; they would instead mostly stress on dieting and exercising. Occasionally of course, they would recommend you a natural weight loss supplement. Natural weight loss supplements are okay since they don't come with any side effects. But make sure to stay away from the prescription drugs!
3. Are you mentally fit to lose weight!? See, weight loss requires a lot of self-discipline on your part. The right program for you will aide you in the whole mindset area. You can do it; perhaps all you need is the right mind tools and some behaviour modification techniques.
There you have it. With the right weight loss program this holiday season you can be successful even at this festive time of year. Go into the New Year feeling and looking Skinny and Fabulous! http://fastholidayweightloss.com
Don’t beat yourself up at the end of this year. Leave room for a new goal on that New Year’s Resolution list! Happy Holidays!
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Give yourself a really wonderful gift of holiday weight loss before the holiday season comes. The gift of self love; The gift of extreme self care. What is extreme self care? Extreme self care is doing things for yourself that brings joy into your life. Extreme self care is doing things for yourself that revitalizes your spirit. Extreme self care is giving yourself what you need so that you can feel the best your possibly can. Extreme self care can pop the top of the best and it can actually make you feel better than you ever have. It gets you outside your emotional box and stretches the walls so that you are even better than you were and then that becomes your new normal. It is like an emotional rubber band. Once you have experienced a new level of love for yourself you can never go back. You can try, but your life won’t be the same. You will feel discord and unsettledness, like something is missing. You will need to get back to the wonderful way you felt when you were doing well for yourself.
Think about how you treat your family. OK, I’ll preface that…when you love them and don’t want to straggle them J Think about how you treat your son, daughter or spouse when they feel overwhelmed, sick or depressed. We treat them with kindness and lots of love. If you treat them well, even when they don’t ‘outwardly’ need it, you will have greater peace within your home. If you treat them with yelling, contempt and criticism, your home can become more contentious, full of anxiety, despair and disruptive behaviors; therefore so much more negative feelings and problems on a regular basis.
This is the same for you. When you treat yourself poorly: full of contention, despair and criticism, even when you don’t consciously need it, you will be more anxious, have great negative thoughts and emotions and fell hopelessness. If you continue to neglect yourself you will find yourself with a mass array of sadness, anger and frustration and not liking your life very much. How can you avoid this negative part for yourself? Give yourself the love and attention you need in order to feel balance, love and inner peace. There are many ways that you can gain inner peace and great self love. One most important way is to make sure you have some holiday weight loss under your belt (no pun intended). It is one of the best extreme self care gifts you can give yourself and others. When you lose weight you feel better about yourself and in turn treat others with more love and compassion. Give yourself the gift of self love by losing weight this joyous holiday season.
With the right weight loss program this holiday season you can be successful even at this festive time of year. Go into the New Year feeling and looking Skinny and Fabulous! http://fastholidayweightloss.com
Don’t beat yourself up at the end of this year. Leave room for a new goal on that New Year’s Resolution list! Happy Holidays!
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You are Skinny and Fabulous!
What's your skinny?
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Every week I run intervals. This consists of approx 400m full out sprint run followed by a 30-40 second rest times this by 4. I warm up with a 4-5 minute walk to warm up first followed by a walk/light run to make up 30 minutes. Each 400m takes me 2’10”. I run some of my intervals at the high football field. Most of the time it seems to be a the local indoor track – this track is 220m so twice around gives me over 400m of sprinting. Intervals increase your speed. This will help you run overall faster. It is a totally different way of thinking. Although it is a relatively short period of time it really is an amazing cardio workout, burning lots of calories plus gets your speed up.
I had a hard time of ingesting this when I first learned of this. I immediately implemented it because I trust Dr X (short for Dr Exercise) who taught me this concept. A marathon runner herself, I have to believe her. She’s way ahead in the game than I am. Why would I not? Why would I keep on doing the same ole, same ole, that got me no where? Although, I didn’t totally understand it, that was okay too. I implemented it immediately and that made all the difference. Slowly, I have learned more about interval training. I love the concept. I love the theory. I love the way it makes me feel. Not during the training, it is really hard work. But afterwards, it feels so great to have a really heavy workout where your lungs hurt and you just know you worked hard for some great effects on your cardiovascular system. Now I know that it has Definitely made me a faster runner.
I am like a sponge. I am always talking to other people who have done what I want and aspire to do and pick their brains. They have the experience; knowledge and success so why not use it. Don’t invent the wheel. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask lots and lots of questions to whoever may have the answer. Be afraid of that little voice in your head that says “Don’t bother them. They don’t want to help. They may think I’m sill and stupid.” Plus “I know that. I have a better way. I can do it on my own – my way”. Be afraid of that. Be very afraid! Your mind wants to keep you safe. It is like an overprotective mother always looking out for your well being. Part of that is meaning that it does not want to let us get out of our comfort zone. Heaven forbid, don’t do something that is a little uncomfortable!
Remember, people love to help. Humans are innately built this way. Plus we love to talk about ourselves. Especially in the area of what we have expertise and success in. If you have a problem of asking questions and digging for answers from people, think that you are helping them feel better about themselves, lifting their self esteem, helping them have a better, brighter day.
I am sure you have known people that you really like. They are always letting you talk about yourself, asking questions about you and your life. It feels good – real good. Do that for someone else. Make their day. And let them think how nice you are!
Each week I also run what is called a tempo run. This is a run that consists of a run that helps you get your pace. It is 40-50% of the race distance that you are training for. Since I was training for a 10k then I ran 4-5 k. even 6 k is so much. Keep it low. Keep it to the pace you naturally will run the race.
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Exercise
Yesterday I ran my first 10 km running race. I wasn’t very concerned about it. After the sprint triathlon last week, 10 k seemed like a piece of cake. Plus the fact that I run 8-15k every week I felt like I was well prepared for it. I always have a goal for my races. Since this was my first race, I thought under an hour would by great. As I was coming down the home stretch to the finish line, I could hear the announcer say, “If you are in the sound of my voice you can make it under an hour. That gave me the push I needed. I made it in 58’50”. I was so pleased. As I crossed the finish line I had a smile on my face. I learned that from a seminar on sports psychology that I had attended the night before. You should Always be happy to finish, to cross the finish line. No matter what your time or finishing spot.
Later, Russell, my 15 year old, who ran the race with me, went to the official times posted. I should clarify…Russell and I started the race together in the VERY end. We were 10 – 20 seconds or so behind the next ‘end’ people. Why? We had put our race numbers on our front and needed to switch them over to the back. So on we went. The ‘end’ people were walking. I actually thought they were spectators. They did seem in to big of a hurry! Part way through the race, Russell left me in the dust. Understandable. He later told me he was getting board and needed to speed up. I’m okay with that 
Anyways, back to the posted times. There I was 134/420 participants (walkers included!) I was 14/68 females in 40-49 years. 53/278 overall women.
Now, look at my actual time:
This is the actual posting from the website:
Gun Net KM
AG OA Bib Age Group Name Time Time Pace
14 134 1384 Female 40-49 Pattie Pilling 58:50 57:06 5:43
134 53/278 F 14/68 Female 40-49 1384 58:50 57:06 5:43 Pattie Pilling
Yes, it is true! 57:06. When I saw that I was so pumped! I was was so pleased. My met and superseded my goal – my secret goal was 55’. I often will have a goal and a ‘secret’ goal – a goal that would be super wonderful. Hitting my original goal is pretty wonderful in itself.
Tomorrow, I will show you how I trained for this race.
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Posted in
Exercise
