WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY A FROZEN DINNER?

I PURCHASE A FROZEN DINNER OCCASIONALLY TO GIVE MY READERS WHO DO NOT LIKE TO COOK SOME OPTIONS. THE ONE I HEATED LAST NIGHT COULD HAVE RUINED  MY MARRIAGE.  

I will not name the brand as I might end up with a lawsuit.  The package read that it contained TENDER BEEF In a sauce with green beans and roasted potatoes.  When I opened the box, it looked like a large amount of food for one serving so I decided to serve a large salad as a first course and I planned to eat a third of the frozen food. 

Seriously: the meat was so tough that I would still be sitting here chewing that first piece of tasteless beef. JUST FOR YOUR SUFFERING THROUGH THIS SAD MISSIVE; I AM SENDING  YOU THE 'BEST OF THE BEST' BRISKET RECIPES'. This recipe takes seconds to assemble.

     OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE BRISKET
       (Everyone Asks For This Recipe)

2         (2-2/2) pound first cut briskets of beef
1         package dried onion soup mix
1         can condensed cream of mushroom soup
                                                 1- 1/4  cups water


Place briskets fat side down in roasting pan. Rub onion soup into the meat. 
Spoon the mushroom soup over the onion soup.  Pour water around edges
of pan.  Cover tightly with heavy duty foil. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.  Check meat for tenderness
and remove from the pan.  Cut fat from bottom of roast and discard.  Skim
fat from gravy.  If gravy needs to be thicker add a few tablespoons of cornstarch
which has been mixed with a little cold water and mix over high heat until it 
thickens.  Slice meat against the grain. 

A  4 ounce serving plus 1/3 of a cup of gravy is about 250 calories.

Variation:  Substitute 1/2 of a small jar of chili sauce for the creamed soup.

Variation:  Add carrots, potatoes,and onions the last two hours of cooking.

Hint:  Refrigerate gravy for about 8 hours if possible.  The fat will separate

           on top.

Hint:  Make large amounts of this recipe and freeze 4 ounce servings of the 

           beef.  Also freeze half cup servings of the gravy-THE BEST!!!! 

Hint:  When choosing briskets, look them over carefully.  Choose the one                      that has fat only on the top.  If it has a thin line of fat near the top, it becomes            thick when you cook it and you will have a great deal of waste.

DIETING MISTAKES THAT WE OFTEN MAKE

MANY OF US HAVE DEVELOPED WAYS TO SABOTAGE OURSELVES WHEN WE ARE DIETING.  SEE IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS PERTAIN TO YOU:

1. Many of us practically starve ourselves before we are going to a restaurant.  This is not a smart move, as we usually tend to be led into temptation and eat hundreds of extra calories.

2.  Eat foods that you enjoy that are right for you. NOT JUST WHAT YOU CRAVE.  The 'greedy stomach makes demands'.  It might start coercing you to  consume one cookie after another before your noon meal. It also may talk you into eating 3 hot fresh biscuits before your dinner at Red Lobster.

3.  When is the right time to start a diet?  Before Mother's Day..After a vacation...After your birthday..Because you are invited to a family wedding..Because the doctor warns you about poor health...My answer is:'none of the previous reasons.'

Now is the right time.  You will learn how to happily lose weight when you read the myriad of posts on my blog.  YOU'll ALSO LEARN HOW TO KEEP IT OFF WITH FOODS THAT YOU ENJOY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. 

Take my hand and march with me to 'the LAND OF SLIMNESS!!!!

 

FOUR WAYS TO RESIST TEMPTATION

TEMPTATION 'SNEAKS' UP ON US WHEN WE LEAST SUSPECT IT TO.  YOU MAY RECOGNIZE  SOME OF YOUR PROBLEMS WITH OVEREATING WHEN YOU READ THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL AND IT SHOULD HELP YOU.

1.  Don't listen to hunger pangs. We are often not even hungry when we get an 'edgy, I want something to eat' feeling. How long does it last?  Usually about 7 minutes.  The following scenario gives an example:  The phone rings and all of a sudden you forget about food, especially if you are listening to some interesting gossip.

2.  If you eat very little for lunch because you are going to a dinner party that night, try having a filling low calorie snack.  One or two Wassa Bread with a Laughing  Cow cheese might fill the bill. Arriving at a party hungry is like an accident waiting to happen.

3.  If you want a second portion at dinner, settle for one portion of something low in calories similar to extra vegetables or half of a roasted chicken breast without skin.

4.  Don't overwhelm yourself with restrictions or unrealistic goals like the following examples.

a.  I won't buy bread that is over 40 calories a slice..
b.  I will put only one thin slice of turkey in my sandwiches with lettuce and a teaspoon of fat free mayonnaise.
c.   I will lose at least 20 pounds the first month. .

A REQUEST FOR SOME MORE POEMS

ONE OF MY READERS SENT THE FOLLOWING NOTE

Hi Diet Lady,

I see my short comings in many of your poems and they help me get back to the straight and  narrow.  Do you have the time to send a poem and make my day?

Nancy L.



                                  NEVER DID LIKE GERT MUCH ANYWAY

Dear Aunty May in Topeka
I'm writing this letter to say,
That I won't be out soon for that visit,
Cause I really fell by the way.

I tumbled off of my diet,
Tho' I struggled with all of my might. 
I wanted to go to Gert's wedding,
Looking my best; looking right.

I haven't missed one of her weddings,
I was there for one, two, three and four.
But I just can't face all of the family,
Cause I don't look as slim as before.

So, I won't be out there next Tuesday,
But tell Cousin Gert I'll arrive,
Minus the pounds that I've put on,
By the time she sheds number five.

SEVERAL WAYS TO SABOTAGE YOUR DIET

MANY OF MY READERS SABOTAGE THEIR DIETS AND DO NOT REALIZE THE MISTAKES THAT THEY MAKE.  THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL MAY BE AN 'EYE OPENER'.

                                           WAYS TO SABOTAGE YOUR DIET

1.  Saying to yourself: "I will lose weight faster if I skip breakfast."

My Advice:  Most people who skip breakfast usually overeat all day long.  My suggestion would be that they combine their breakfast calories with their lunch. 
 On the other hand, if they tend to eat normal amounts early in the day but start gobbling food after dinner, they could make a fourth meal that contains the same 250 calories that the average breakfast would  have been and eat it slowly

2.  Keeping boxes and bags of snack food around the house that you nibble on all day long.

My Advice:  Buying individual serving sizes are your best bet as a rule, but in some cases if there are six bags of snack food in a box they eat them all in the course on a day. Calorie Cost:600.

KEEP FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE THAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL.

3.  If you have half gallons of ice cream in the freezer and visit it several times a day with a spoon in hand this can hinder all of your good deeds.Total calories for half of a container:800. 

My Advice:  Make a smoothie in your blender with 1 cup of skim milk and 3/4 of a cup of frozen fruit with a package of sweetener.  You can sip the whole thing at once or eat it with a spoon or you can freeze it into 3 one cup servings. Total calories: about 150.

4.  Sometimes you get discouraged and want to give up if it takes you 3 months to lose 12 pounds.

My Advice:  You will have lost 48 pounds in one year if you continue at that pace.  Try lifting 10 packages of 5 pounds of sugar.  That represents the weight youwill have lost from your body.

ORIENTAL CHOPPED BEEF AND RICE RECIPE

I TAUGHT LOW CALORIE ORIENTAL COOKING FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE EASIEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL  RECIPES TO PREPARE

                                         ORIENTAL CHOPPED BEEF AND RICE

          (A Meal In Minutes)

1                        pound lean ground beef
1                        medium onion, chopped
1-1/2                 cups cooked, sliced mushrooms
2                        cups cooked rice
                          soy sauce to taste

Saute' meat and onions in large skillet or wok until meat is cooked and onions are tender.  Drain fat.  Add mushrooms and cook about 3 minutes.  Add rice and mix well.  Gently sprinkle with soy sauce. 

Serves 4, about 300 calories per serving.

Variations:  Add fresh bean sprouts, par-cooked chopped broccoli, carrots, red peppers and any low calorie vegetables to make this a larger portion on a hungry day.

Variation:  Choose your favorite type of rice.  I find that a combination of white and brown rice work well in this recipe.

Variation:  You might enjoy substituting thinly sliced pork or diced chicken sauteed in Pam.

Hint:  I find it to be easier to par- cook the chopped onions in the microwave with a tablespoon of water before I add it to the cooked, well drained ground beef. You may save 100 more calories with this version.

I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE I WROTE 350 POSTS!!!!

WHEN I BEGAN WRITING POSTS IN JANUARY, 2012,  I DECIDED TO WRITE 375 IN ONE YEAR

I just checked today and I have close to 360 posts written and only 9 months have passed.  Keep in mind that none of these posts are one liners.  It has been a very enjoyable way to spend my time since I have semi retired. 

In the over 40 years that I taught Diet Masters meetings I touched thousands of people's  lives and I hope that this site gets a large following and that my blog will help many people to happily lose weight and learn how to keep it off.

This is not a commercial site...There is no advertising.  

WORDS OF WISDOM:  Every time you are tempted to overeat you have 2 choices..Visualize that there is a fork in the road...THE RIGHT CHOICE WHICH IS THE ROAD TO THINNESS..NOT THIS ATTITUDE.."I might as well eat it: I owe it to myself."

DIETING SHOULD BE FUN AND GAMES

DIETING MAY SEEM LIKE A NEVER ENDING CHORE THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO FACE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AT THIS POINT.

On the other hand: if you decide that you are going to read my posts and follow my advice, dieting will no longer be a chore.  You experience the joy of looking trimmer and watching the numbers on the scale going down week after week.

You make losing weight a game by following my easy menu plans which includes foods that you enjoy and are easy to prepare.

Warning:  If you have a romance with food similar to the way I did, you often regain the pounds faster than you lost them. Make up your mind that if Louise could have done it and kept the excess weight off for over 41 years, so can you.  

You have my email address.  Contact me and I will help you keep those pounds off.  

SOME EXCERPTS FROM VARIOUS MEETINGS

I HAVE SAVED THE WRITTEN MATERIAL FROM PAST DIET MASTER'S  MEETINGS.  THE FOLLOWING POST WILL OPEN YOUR EYES AND AMUSE AND EVEN AMAZE YOU.

1. I was speaking with a member recently who said that that she did not lose weight that week and that she had been careful except for giving into 'small temptations' a few times during that period. In this case, it erased seven days of hard work.  I told her if she had written everything down that she ate each day that she would  less apt to cheat.

2.  One of my favorite breakfasts is a scrambles egg with one slice of ham and 1 piece of Borden's  fat free American cheese in a half of a pita bread browned in a small George Forman  grill. I enjoy it with a small portion of fruit.  The calories for the sandwich alone is only about 160.  This sandwich would make a perfect lunch with a large smoothie or a fresh fruit medley. 

3.  If you think that you need a 'little something' between meals and a piece of fruit is not what will satisfy you; make a list of mini meals that are about 100 calorie or even less.

                                           100 CALORIE MINI MEALS 


a.  Two Melba Toast,one Laughing Cow Lite Wedge, and two 15  calorie sugar free Popsicles.

b.  A 100 calorie bag of popcorn. (Do not eat them by the handful: just one piece at a time.

c.  One cup of cooked vegetables added to one package of Cream-a-Chicken cup of soup.

GLORIA: A TRUE SUCCESS STORY

WHEN A REPORTER WANTED TO WRITE AN ARTICLE ABOUT DIET MASTERS  IN 2007 SHE  REQUESTED THAT I FURNISH HER WITH  THE NAMES OF A FEW MEMBERS THAT  SHE COULD CONTACT WHO HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN LOSING WEIGHT.

The following letter was written by Gloria R. who lived in Boynton Beach, Florida in a community called  Coral Lakes.  I came across a letter she sent to the reporter, Loretta Grantham.

Dear Loretta,

One day in 2000 I went to my eye doctor to get some surgery done.  His nurse had a picture of herself on her desk.  It was taken when she was very overweight.  I asked this slender woman how she had lost all of that weight.  She mentioned that she had attended classes at a Group called Diet Masters. The nurse gave me a card from Diet Masters and the owner and lecturer Louise Lawhon answered the phone when I called. She seemed to take a personal interest in me.

I joined Diet Masters the next week and found the diet  to be very easy to follow because it included foods that I enjoyed and I was was never really hungry while I was on it.  It took me 6 months to lose 46 pounds.

The biggest problem I have always had on the various diets that I  tried was keeping the weight off once I reached my goal. This time it was different.  I formed some really good habits.  It's a way of life now. 

Sincerely,

Gloria R., age 67

Note from Louise:  What prompted me to choose this material to post today is that a picture of Gloria was in my local paper looking trim and very pretty with a group of equally attractive ladies who plan and participate in shows at their community.  This is  5 years since the news story appeared.  There was one change in her appearance:  she became a blond.  I called her and we had a great chat, reminiscing.

SOME NEW HINTS TO LOSE WEIGHT BY (AND MY COMMENTS)

THESE POEMS ARE MY WAY OF MAKING LIGHT OF A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT I HAD AND MANY PEOPLE STILL SUFFER FROM.

                                                                 REMEMBERING

I try and try to look so svelte
And work to make the fat just melt.
Unfortunately, I really can't recall
If I was ever thin at all.
Perhaps someday I'll look and see
There's really a lot less of me--
But always, ever I'll recall
How long it took for this overhaul!

Note from Louise: It took me 23 years of losing and gaining  a total of about 500 pounds before I finally found way to stay slim day after day and year after year.  I have been trim without dieting for over 41 years and have helped thousands of people lose weight. If you are asking yourself if all of these people have kept their weight off my answer is: " ALL IS BIG WORD....BUT I DO KNOW OF MANY THEM WHO HAVE SUCCEEDED IN KEEPING IT OFF."

                                                                    EXCUSES 
It isn't your glands
Nor a family trait
It's only your hands
Overfilling your plate.

Note from Louise,  My take on this is that "The more you eat today, the more you will want to eat tomorrow."  It  does not happen overnight but if you practice moderation  while you are eating well balanced meals that you enjoy, your chances of losing weight and staying trim are excellent.

                                                           EAT YOUR WORDS

Learn to say "FAT" 
'Stead of  "PLEASINGLY PLUMP."
It'll help you get rid of
The bump on your rump.

Note from Louise:  No comment.

                                                                     
      

                                                         

                                                           

YESTERDAY: FIRST TIME I DID NOT WRITE A POST SINCE JAN.1, 2012

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY AND I HAD WONDERFUL TIME  WITH MY FAMILY. I HAVE  TWO CHILDREN, BUT MY SON HAS SEVEN...MY DAUGHTER BROUGHT HER BEAUTIFUL MALTESE DOG WHO WAS WEARING A FESTIVE PINK BOW. THAT MADE A TOTAL OF 14, INCLUDING SPOUSES.

Enough about my day...This post is how to handle food on a birthday.  The menu consisted of 3 kinds of pizza, a great salad, and a huge chocolate cake with about 7 frosted layers and thin slivers of chocolate candy covering the circumference. Along with that was premium ice cream at 270 calories a half cup.

I am known as 'the diet lady' and I lived up to my image. They arrived with the food about 5:00 pm, and I had eaten a sandwich at noon.  We ate around 6 o'clock.  I ate a nice sized dish of salad and one medium slice of cheese pizza. The cake and ice cream were served later in the evening. 

                           HERE IS WHEN THE DIET LADY LIVES UP TO HER NAME

My daughter-in-law was cutting the cake and I had her make me a small one- inch slice.  That rich cake could have easily been about 800 calories for that one inch piece if I had eaten it. I took about 10 minutes cutting  the frosting away from the cake. The frosting, which is about 75 calories a tablespoon, must have been 650 calories. The ice cream was delicious and was about 300 calories for the medium scoop.  KEEP IN MIND THAT I AM NOT ON A DIET TO LOSE WEIGHT. I MUST HAVE EATEN  700 TO 800 CALORIES THAT EVENING.  

THE CALORIES THAT I ATE FOR THE DAY, INCLUDING MY USUAL BREAKFAST AT ABOUT 250 CALORIES AND THE SANDWICH WITH A SMALL PEAR FOR LUNCH AT 330: TOTAL FOR THE FESTIVE DAY WAS ABOUT 1600. 

P.S. The scale smiled upon me today...No gain!!! 

MORE IDEAS OF HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND STAY TRIM

ONCE YOU LOSE YOUR EXCESS WEIGHT CONSIDER THAT YOU HAVE WON HALF OF THE BATTLE.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO WORK AT KEEPING IT OFF.

                                HINTS ON HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND LOVE IT

1. Do not pour oil into a a fry pan when sauteing food.  Use Pam and if you like the flavor of oil or melted butter or margarine; measure one tablespoon and use a Silver stone pan. I prefer to use diet margarine or lite butter.

2.  Never give up when you have a bad week or month while dieting.  If you were content to be overweight, you would not be reading this post on my blog or going to diet meetings. Every week is a new beginning. BEST ADVICE FOREVERMORE:  WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN THAT YOU EAT.

3.  If you are hungry when it isn't mealtime a good idea might be to have a cold or hot drink that does not contain calories such as tea, coffee, diet soda or even sip a cup of hot water.  This may not  be the answer to appease your hunger.  Another option is to eat part of you next meal or prepare a large fruit smoothie that is under 150 very filling calories.

4.  Important skills that will help you lose weight: Knowledge, Common Sense, Will Power and Won't Power.

5.  EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY...OR...EAT DRINK AND BE SORRY...THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

VISUALIZE YOURSELF MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS WHILE DIETING

MANY OF US ENTER A RESTAURANT AND SEE SOMETHING APPEALING AND ORDER IT.  TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO STUDY THE MENU AND CHOOSE A MEAL THAT WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSE TO 100%  ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS DIET AND YET BE ENJOYABLE TO YOU

                                                       A FEW TIPS FOR DINING OUT

1.  Being famished when you dine out is rather dangerous.  You tend to order the wrong items and can gobble down rolls or taco chips before the meal is served.

2.  Don't order something that you really do not enjoy just because it is low in calories and start feeling sorry for yourself.

3.  Remember some of the ideas that I stress in my posts.  Example: Always request
 the dressing on the side when you order salads; you can save hundreds of calories.  Desserts can be deadly for someone with a very weak will power. Promise yourself a nice fruit smoothie when you arrive home.  They are easy to prepare and under 150 calories for a large one.

                                                       WORDS OF WISDOM

If you belong to a dieting group, keep in mind that you will not lose weight automatically because the other people in your class are losing. 

YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT AND FOR IT.

Note:  Take it from a pro:  it is worth every effort....Lose weight:  YOU WILL LOVE IT.

AN EMAIL REQUESTING THAT I GIVE MORE WEIGHT LOSS HINTS

Dear Diet Lady, 

Please continue just what you have been doing for the next several days.  I think that losing weight and learning how to keep it off is a problem that many of us need to focus on. 
Thanks, 
 
Ida May

There was a student of mine who was not losing weight for a whole month.  She said that she was following  the menu plan.  I asked her to write everything  down that she ate for a full week.  When she came to class the next time she had lost 3 pounds. 

It is amazing how much and how often people eat and are not aware of what they are devouring.

                                                     WORDS OF WISDOM

1.  Every post is not just a lesson on losing weight.  It is a lesson  on losing weight and keeping it off....HOW LONG????.....FOREVER.

2.  Looking at food won't add pounds.  Being in the same room with fattening foods will not add pounds.  Taking one 'very tiny taste' will not cause you to add pounds.  When tasting becomes devouring food it can become the beginning of going off of a successful diet. 

                      BE KIND TO YOUR BODY:  DON'T OVERLOAD IT. 

EVERY POST IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

I OFTEN SPEAK ABOUT THE YEARS THAT I SPENT OVEREATING BUT MOST OF THE POSTS ARE HINTS ON HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL REQUEST TO  ADDRESS CERTAIN SUBJECTS.

1. When my son Robert was a teenager in 1981 he was eating an after school snack and asked me to join him. The following, was  our dialogue:  "Mom, have some peanut butter and crackers." Me:
"No thanks", Robert:  "Some candy?" Me:"No, I am not hungry." Robert:  "You don't have to be hungry to eat."

We can attest that most of the time when we eat or overeat we are not really hungry.

                                      POSITIVE THOUGHTS WHEN DIETING

1.When you eat a meal it takes about 15 minutes for the food to digest and reach your stomach. Many people just continue to eat until they get that "full feeling."

2.  Don't fill your kitchen cabinets with all sorts of cookies, crackers and potato chips and your freezer with ice cream.

3.  Eat your food slowly...Don't devour it.

4.  When going to a favorite restaurant:  Know what you will eat in advance. "I won't order those fatty prime ribs again, I will have their great blackened fish or the chicken Marsala and bring home part of the order, I ate 3 rolls and butter the last time, I will just eat 1 roll and no potatoes."
                                                                
                                                   WORDS OF WISDOM

With all of the weight loss programs you have been on; don't you agree that  Diet Masters is one of the easiest to follow and makes the most sense?
                                                           

LESSONS FOR LOSING WEIGHT AND STAYING SLIM AND MUCH MORE

I HAD BEEN READING SOME PREVIOUS MEETINGS AND MUCH OF THE MATERIAL EXPLAINS HOW TO RESIST TEMPTATION AND HOW TO BE AWARE OF CALORIES.

1.Don't eat food during commercials.  The best way to do this is to march in place until the program begins instead of walking back and forth to the refrigerator.You will not only save calories; you will also be exercising.  You might also enjoy using a stationary bike while you are watching television.  This would be considered the opposite of a 'couch potato'.

2.One of the most fattening cereals is Grape Nuts.  One- fourth of a cup is 110 calories. You would think that very sweet cereals would be the highest. Check out granola cereals before you purchase any of them.  They are often especially  high in calories even though they have such a healthy name.

3.If you do not like skim or 1% milk in your coffee and only have 1 cup a day, treat yourself to one tablespoon of half and half cream and artificial sweetener. If you are a heavy coffee drinker try Skim Plus.  It is only 110 calories a cup but has almost the same color and consistency as half and half cream. Be aware that if you do not use sweetener and want to use sugar; most people spoon in 2 heaping teaspoons.  The calorie count would tally about 50.

4.Since I am addressing coffee, I want to forewarn you of the specialty coffee drinks at places like Starbucks, Wendy's and similar stores. Most are over 400 calories and there are many at twice that.

  Practice willpower or won't power.  Food can't walk or talk and has no heart or brain.

                        DO NOT LET IT RULE YOUR WEIGHT OR LIFE.

SUNSHINE DESSERT-A NICE BREAKFAST FOR COMPANY OR FOR US

                                                        SUNSHINE DESSERT

                                                                ( recipe for 1)


1 slice fresh or juice packed pineapple
5 slices peaches, fresh or juice packed canned
1 tablespoon whipped topping
1 strawberry

For each serving, place a slice of pineapple on a flat 6- inch plate.On each slice of pineapple, place 5 slices of peaches, petal fashion.  Place whipped topping in the center  with strawberry just before ready to serve.

Serves 1, about 85 calories per serving.

MY YOUNG GRANDCHILDREN FELT VERY SPECIAL WHEN THEY WERE SERVED THIS VERY COLORFUL, TASTY DESSERT.

STARVING ISN'T THE ANSWER TO STAYING TRIM

THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL WAS AUTHORED BY ME IN A NEWSPAPER COLUMN THAT I USED TO WRITE CALLED "THE DIET LADY". 

Gone are the days when Lillian Russell's curvaceous heavy figure was considered a work of art.  Overweight is often considered a faux  pas.  I believe that some women carry this thinness regime a little beyond the bounds of sanity.

The other day I was at a luncheon and seated next to me was a painfully thin young lady who had successfully fought the battle of the bulge two years before..  She now lives in constant fear that  each bite may damage her figure.  She didn't touch her soup and crackers; she ate only part of her shrimp creole and she left her peas, along with most of her salad and did not touch her pie.  She confided in me that she usually has a poached egg and a half slice of dry toast for breakfast: a small scoop of cottage cheese and a small portion of fruit for lunch.  Dinner consisted of a very small portion of meat or fish with a salad or cooked vegetables.

This can't be living!  It must be existing.  If this girl could be satisfied to be a normal weight instead of being a "super sick slim,"she would enjoy her food instead of being afraid of it.

At that luncheon I ate everything that was served to me except my roll and butter and the crust from my pie.  By doing so; I left about 400 calories on my plate.

  

MANY WAYS TO HAPPILY STAY ON YOUR DIET AND ' THINK LIGHT '

LOSING WEIGHT CAN BE A DELIGHTFUL CHALLENGE AND AN EDUCATION IN LEARNING HOW TO KEEP THOSE EXCESS POUNDS OFF FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. THE FOLLOWING HINTS WILL HELP YOU STAY FOCUSED:

1.  Eat foods that you enjoy that are also right for you.  They must be those that will not coax you to overeat. Stop equating losing weight with hard work.  Start thinking .."A new way of life; a healthy happy way of eating."

2.  If you do not care for salads, try to make it a rule for you to eat cooked or raw vegetables almost every day.  They are so  very healthy for you.  Roasted vegetables are one of my favorites and are very easy to prepare.

3.  Fifty percent of the population is overweight.  If that figure sounds exaggerated, visualize your neighbors, people walking down the street, your relatives, etc. Many others do not appear to be overweight, but they are not satisfied with those extra 10 pounds.

                                                      WORDS OF WISDOM

Don't waste any more days and years wishing and hoping to lose weight.  Keep food out of your house that you cannot control.  Follow a reducing regime that includes foods that you enjoy in the proper portions.  

ONCE YOU REACH YOUR GOAL WEIGHT, THE SCALE CAN BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND IF YOU  'LISTEN TO LOUISE'.

                                

IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO HAPPILY LOSE WEIGHT AND MUCH MORE

THERE IS AN IDEA IN THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL THAT WILL EDUCATE YOU ON HOW SOME NATIONAL COMPANIES PRINT MISLEADING INFORMATION ON THEIR WRAPPERS.  I ALSO ADVISE YOU TO READ MANY OF MY PREVIOUS POSTS WHILE YOU ARE READING THIS ONE.

1.  The big print on this box of food is misleading. It was on a container of Health Valley Crackers With Vegetables.  A nutrition newsletter found that the amount of vegetables in 1 serving which was 5 crackers was only one teaspoon.

2.  Someone who stayed on the original Atkins diet had an LDL cholesterol count of 250, which is considered to be on the high side.  Within 4 weeks of being on the diet it jumped to a very dangerous 740.  This is a diet that allows you NO starches and almost no fruits and vegetables.  They are allowed  lots of fatty meats and cheeses.

3.  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT:  How are those words related to dieting?  Overeating is the crime and gaining weight is the punishment.

              WILL YOU EVER BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF?  

                                                          IT ALL STARTS HERE

Permanent weight loss doesn't happen overnight.  Most of us need a new way to manage food.  When you read  and reread the first few hundred of posts on my blog you will realize that it is like being in Skinny School. 

You will get hints and recipes and learn how to avoid temptation . You will also learn how to order in restaurants among other things. Come with me, to the land of thin, the door is open, I WILL HELP YOU IN.

                

THREE SHORT POEMS THAT TELL A STORY

                                               TAKE ONE OUNCE OF DISCIPLINE

Forget about tomorrow.
Today is what's the matter, 
Those extra little snackeroos,
Are villains that make us fatter.
If we could dine on discipline,
Instead of eating yummies,
We'd find ourselves admiring,
Our ever flattening tummies.

                                                            TALKING TURKEY

                                            (No, this is not a Thanksgiving poem)

I said to the mirror on my wall,
"Who's skinniest one of all?"
The mirror answered scornfully,
"There's no-one skinny that I can see."
"Mirror, mirror, tell me why,
I can't slim down, although I try."
The mirror said, "Hey, Buttercup,
You can't slim down by living it up."

                            WHO DOES HE STARE AT ON BIKINI BEACH?

"I'm amply built," I've heard you say.
"My husband prefers that I look this way."
Just who are you fooling?
Say - tell me, who?
You're fooling no-one
Not even YOU.

A POEM: YOU CAN HAVE HER, I DON'T WANT HER

YOU MIGHT WONDER HOW A POEM ABOUT DIETING COULD HAVE SUCH AN UNUSUAL TITLE. CHRIS, A VERY TALENTED FRIEND OF MINE BROUGHT THIS TO CLASS ONE DAY

                  YOU CAN HAVE HER, I DON'T WANT HER

One day a princess, fat and fair
Was combing down her golden hair.
And listening to her nurse's tale
Of how a prince in shining mail
Was turned into a frog one day
By a wicked witch--oh, lack-a-day.

"You'll stay a frog," said she with a hiss
"Till you're changed again, by a maiden's kiss."
"Oh," said the princess, " It's like a dream.
I'll have another chocolate cream
And a small cream-puff and a cookie or two
And think about what I would do
If the prince and I did chance to meet.
I hope, like me, he likes to eat."

Years of dreams and years of schemes,
And years and years of chocolate creams
Made the princesses rather round.
And then, one lovely day she found
Sitting quietly on a log
A slender, green and waiting frog.

"Oh prince," she cried, "At last you're here.
Come kiss me quick, my love, my dear."
The froggish prince looked once, looked twice
And softly croaked, "Oh no!  No dice!
The song and I, alas, agree--
This princess is too fat for me."

PROGRESSO CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP: GOOD OR BAD? GREAT!!!!!

CAROLE JO, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE QUEEN OF LEAN", SENT ME AN EMAIL ABOUT THIS SOUP WITH RAVE NOTICES.  WE DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME TASTE BUDS, BUT IN THIS CASE I HAD TO AGREE WITH HER 100%. 

I was having a private consultation at my home with Janice S. and heated us each a very small amount..The soup is very low in saturated fat.  The calories are 140 for each full sized serving.  I do not have the stats for the soup with me now because I offered to wrap the rest of the soup up for her to take home for dinner.If you add several varieties of cooked vegetables to the soup, it will be even look and taste better.

Just think:  Many of the smallish frozen chicken pot pies in the supermarkets are over 1,000 calories and are very high in fat.

A RECIPE FOR 'HEALTH BRAN SQUARE TOASTIES'

MANY PEOPLE LOVE MUFFINS; ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING AS THEIR BREAKFAST WITH A PORTION OF FRUIT.  THEY DO NOT REALIZE THAT THEY  MAY BE AS HIGH AS 1,000 CALORIES EACH AND EATING THEM ON A DAILY BASIS CAN EASILY CAUSE WEIGHT GAINS.

.One tiny 1- ounce muffin (2 small bites) is about 100 calories

. A very large 9- ounce muffin is about 900 to 1,000 calories

. A 3 ounce muffin (usually found in the supermarket) is between 210 and 320 calories.

                                         HEALTH BRAN SQUARE TOASTIES

11/2  cups skim milk

11/4  all bran cereal

1       cup unsweetened applesauce

1       cup white flour

1       cup whole wheat flour

1/2    teaspoon cinnamon

2       teaspoons baking powder

1/4    teaspoon salt

1/3    cup sugar

1/2    cup raisins, plumped*

1/2    teaspoon vanilla

2       eggs, well beaten
                                              THE QUICK PREPARATION VERSION

To plump the raisins, place them in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Leave for 5 minutes and drain.To save time; put all of the ingredients except the raisins into a food processor.  Mix briefly and fold in the raisins.

Cover a 10X15 inch jelly roll pan with spray coated heavy foil.  Spread mixture evenly and bake at 400 degrees about  20 minutes or until a toothpick tests dry.  Cool for about 6 minutes and cut into 16 rectangles.

Serves 16, about 120 calories per serving.  

Hint:  Slice, wrap, and store the toasties in your refrigerator for as long as 3 weeks.  For a better taste, toast them before serving.  They may also be frozen.

                                          THE LONG PREPARATION VERSION

Combine milk, bran, eggs, plumped raisins, vanilla and applesauce in a small bowl.   Mix remaining ingredients  with a large sized spoon in a big bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.; add the first six items at once.  Stir only until particles are moist..Follow directions above for spreading mixture on foil covered pan.

SOME MATERIAL THAT I DISCUSSED AT DIET MASTERS MEETINGS

  THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE UNRELATED BUT THEY ARE EXCERPTS FROM

ONE MEETING

1. There was a diet doctor in our area who put everyone on the same regime regardless of age or health. We'll call him doctor V.  He was not known for his kindness or understanding and left many of his patients in a state of tears. His menu plans were worse than his disposition and they were required to eat the same thing every day.

                  
                  HIS MENU PLAN 

 

Breakfast:  1 slice of diet bread, under 50 calories
                    1 tablespoon sugar free jam
                    1 small piece of fruit
                     coffee or tea without sugar or cream

Lunch:          2 thin slices of diet bread
                     1 wafer thin slice of turkey
                      lettuce and fat free mayonnaise 
                     1 small piece of fruit

Dinner:         1 frozen dinner under 280 calories
                     1 cup of low calorie vegetables

The complete daily menu totals under 650 calories but he did SELL you something else..Lots and lots of expensive diet pills. Some people who desperately wanted to lose weight fast stayed on this diet and many of them became ill.  Most of his 'victims' went off this torturous regime within 2 weeks. 

WARNING:  Do not go on this diet: even for 3 days.
*************************************************************************************************************
                                                    DEFINITION OF STREAM EATING

It is walking back and forth to the refrigerator and /or cabinets and nibbling. You eat 2 cookies and then have 4 more.  After that you take out the container of ice cream and a spoon and start eating around the edges and don't stop until you have consumed over a pint. From there you find some spaghetti and meat sauce left over from the night before and eat half of the cold pasta while standing up.

Some of you may relate to this post. I was guilty of devouring food this way for many years.  It is an unhealthy and unhappy way to overeat.