Writing WILL Help You Lose Weight

Many diet programs and doctors agree that the key to losing weight is writing down everything you eat in a day. (Yes, EVERY SINGLE THING YOU CONSUME.)

I agree entirely. However, I believe that it would benefit you to not only to write down everything you eat (oh, and the first day you might look at it and be thoroughly disgusted), but to be honest with yourself when you write as well. It's really important not to cheat yourself.

Writing down what you eat? - I'd go even further than that.
Once you're in a food-logging routine:
*Write down all of the activity you did during the day.
&
*Write down all of the water you've consumed that day.

Sometimes I'm shocked as to how little water I've consumed in a day! It's really such an integral part of your daily diet. Yeah, you can be consuming all that fiber you're supposed to in a day... but without water it is not being broken down and therefore is not effective in your diet.

Also, remember... any activity counts! Maybe you didn't make it to the gym or you were too busy to make it to your pick-up game, but nonetheless take note as to how much you walked or ran for the bus or whatever. These add up, and make you feel better at the end of the day as well.

Good luck on your healthy-eating adventures!

New recipes coming up later this week! Check back for updates.

Back to School, Back to EAT

EAT took a hiatus for the summer (since Foodie also took a health-food-hiatus this summer)...

STAY TUNED for new posts to come, just in time for the new school year!

XO

Wingin' it

In our attempts to hit food nirvana, we make a huge effort to think before putting food in our mouths, wary as to how good or bad it is for us. But sometimes, we have cravings.

I love chicken wings. I'd be lying if I said I haven't been craving them for months.
But weighing in at 100 calories a wing, (and therefore making a 10 pack from Buffalo Bills 1000 calories before the fries and the blue cheese dip...), it is no longer a viable option.

But when I start to think about it... Am I really craving the wing? Or are am I really craving the sauce?

Here's a recipe to solve those cravings without the waistline woes:
Buffalo Chicken Salad
What you need:
*Your choice of Lettuce (I'd hit up romaine for this one)
*Shredded Carrots
*Celery, Julienned
*1/3 cup of crumbled blue cheese
*2 chicken breasts
*1 cup of BBQ sauce
*1 tbsp of Olive Oil
*Lime Juice (fresh preferably)

How to do it:
1) a couple hours before cooking, marinate the chicken breasts in 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
2) assemble the veggies and cheese into a salad
3) grill chicken (preferably on the BBQ) for until the inside is white and the juices run clear
4) just about when the chicken is done, brush some more BBQ sauce onto the chicken.
5) dress your salad with the olive oil and lime juice (tip: for more of a kick add Tabasco to the dressing!)
6) slice the chicken and top your salad with it!

Enjoy in front of the big game, or any night of the week! You'll be glad you didn't rely of Buffalo Bill.

Tired of Salad? Me too.

Don't get me wrong, I love salad. It is maybe one of my all-time favorite foods. BUT.
Sometimes we get tired of eating like a rabbit, so replace it with...
Gazpacho!
A Spanish-Inspired soup, that you're supposed to eat cold!
AND, you can totally make it without spending hours dicing!
You can make it in MINUTES in a BLENDER!
And you'll probably use less oil than you would in a salad!

What you need:
*Tomato Juice, or V8 - about 2 cups (more or less to suit your desired consistency)
*Fresh Tomatoes - about a cup of grape tomatoes, or 2-3 large ones
*Celery - 1/2 cup
*Cucumber - 1/2 cup
*Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup (I usually use a contrasting color, to make it pretty)
*Red Onion - 3/4 cup (or to taste, and use any kind of onion, i just like red because it's not that sharp in comparison)
*Garlic - one or two cloves (up to you!)
*Salt and Pepper (a pinch? Remember, you can add more to your serving later)
*Olive Oil - one tbsp (for a whole batch of gazpacho, that's very little, and it helps to get your mixture soup smooth)

Optionals:
*Herbs (any really, and as much as you like! I even put in dill the other day, and it was amazing!)
*Avocado (for garnish, and some essential fats - if you're in the mood)
*Balsamic Vinegar or Glaze (also could be used for garnish)
*Hot Sauce (I like mine spicy!)
*Lime
*Crusty Bread

Directions:
1) Roughly chop your veggies (and herbs if you wish) and pop them in the blender
2) Add the tomato juice
3) Blend to desired consistency
4) Serve with any garnishes you desire (about 3/4 cup a serving!)

Yeah, it's that simple. Enjoy your salad substitute!

Things Aren't As Good For You As You Think - Guest Blog

Howdy! My name is Hungry and I'm going to be a part time contributor to EAT (hopefully) and this is going to be my first blog! As someone how has lost nearly eighty pounds since I began my lifestyle change (I refuse to call it a diet. Because diets end and weight is re-gained and health is re-compromised. This is a lifestyle change that I hope to upkeep for the rest of my life.) I feel that I'm at least somewhat qualified to give a couple of tips here and there whenever the situation calls for it. And over the past week I've had a couple of things dawn on me that I felt the need to share with the general populace. The general theme of these things that have dawned on me is that some things are nowhere near as good for us as we think they are.

Let's start with the saccarine substitute known as splenda. First and foremost, splenda is fake. Plain and simple. It's not REAL sugar. While it is MADE from real sugar, it's so synthesized that it isn't as healthy for you as people think. In fact, splenda was originally created when scientists were trying to come up with a new form of insecticide. And we put this stuff in our Coffee? Yeuch. As far as health, splenda can definitely be viewed as a real detriment. In terms of weight and caloric content, splenda isn't as devoid of calories as you think. According to one website, “One cup of Splenda contains 96 calories and 32 grams of carbohydrates, which is substantial for people with diabetes but unnoticed due to the label claiming that it's a no calorie sweetener.” Government regulations allow for anything containing less then five calories per gram to be advertised as zero calories. Splenda has 3.3 calories per gram, a not insignificant amount. Besides these two facts, there is also the issue of blood sugar levels. Your body processes real sugar along with insulin in order to regulate your blood sugar levels. Without real sugar, your insulin levels are going to be thrown out of whack because your body reacts to the splenda without processing it as real sugar. For these three reasons, I would suggest that if you're going to have a coffee, drink it black.

Also, Subway is perhaps one of the most misleading foods on the market. Yeah, sure, Jarrad lost 430984350934850439502974392874 pounds on the “subway” diet, but he did it eating six inch veggie subs with no cheese or sauce three times a day. Your double stuffed turkey with southwest sauce isn't healthy for you just because it's on whole wheat bread! In fact, wholewheat bread is only better for you if you live an active lifestyle, because it's a slower burn and you have more opportunities to work it off. It in fact has a higher caloric content then whitebread. A six inch whole wheat bread from subway has approx 190 calories. Multiply that times two, plus the sauce, plus the meat, and your twelve inch subway sandwich is bordering on 1,000 calories. Yeesh. Next time you go for fastfood, try and find somewhere that offers a salad alternative (go light on the dressing!) or better yet, bring a lunch from home. The second the preparation of your meals is out of your hands, the higher the likelihood your lunch isn't going to be so friendly to your waistline.

Last but not least, at least from my perspective, is meat balls. My mother is a HUGE fan of making meatballs (i'm sure this isn't the case in all homes, but bare with me, this is going somewhere) and over the course of the years those heavy beef meat balls were starting to take their toll on my waistline (i'm now a size 32, but when i started I was a 44). A huge change that anyone can make to their lifestyle is the following: any meal you formerly had with ground beef (meatballs, chilli, meatsauce, slooop joe's, hamburgers, etc) should be swapped out with ground turkey! It's leaner, cleaner and meaner! But seriously, turkey has way less fat, calories and is just as tasty! (Not all turkey is a better sub for it's counterparts though! Turkey Bacon is downright awful for you, laden with salts and chemicals!) I highly recommend the turkey swap for anyone looking to cut a few calories here and there.

That's it for now! Hope you found my tips helpful! - Hungry

Recipe of the Day: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Warning: You might be addicted to this easy recipe.
Well, why wouldn't you be? It's delicious and way more filling than a 100 calorie pack. Yeah, that's right, these will only knock off 100 calories off your day! How? Oh... there's no butter!

What you'll need:
- 4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled [Tip: Smash them with the flat of your knife to peel off the skins easily]
- 1/3 cup of skim milk (or more, if you like really thin mashed potatoes)
- 1/3 cup of non-fat sour cream
- Salt & pepper (to taste)

The Recipe:
1. Boil the potatoes and the garlic in a pot for approximately 16-20 minutes, until tender
2. Drain, let sit for a moment
3. Add milk to the pot while its still warm
4. Add the potato/garlic mixture back into the pot
5. Add sour cream into the pot
6. Take your potato masher, and get all that stress out. Mash them up to whatever texture you like.
7. Season your potatoes the way you like them. (I usually put a ton of pepper, and no salt)

This recipe should make about 4 servings. I sometimes eat them without anything on top, or sometimes with ketchup, but...

Can't eat mashed potatoes without gravy? Try this:
1. Spray pan with cooking spray
2. Add 1 small onion (diced) and 1/2 cup of mushrooms (chopped) to the pan, cook until tender, pour into a bowl, and leave aside.
3. Add 1 & 1/2 tbsp of flour to the pan with 1 tbsp of non-fat sour cream, and stir until thick-ish
4. Add 1/2 cup of red wine, and 1 cup of vegetable broth, stir
5. Add 1/2 a cube of vegetable bouillon (or if you're not making this vegetarian, you can use poultry seasoning), and a small can of low-fat cream of mushroom soup into the pan, and whisk together until completely homogenous
6. Add the onion and mushroom mixture to the pan and let simmer until thickened

You'll have plenty of gravy, but if you divide it into 4, it's also only 100 calories a serving!
Personally, I'd probably just eat the potatoes as a meal alone...
But add 3 oz of chicken or turkey to create a delicious meal for about 350 calories!

It almost like having the holidays all year round!

Tip of the Day: Low-Fat Brownies

Craving carbs and chocolate, and watching what you eat? Here's your solution!

We all use cake mix out of convenience. Sometimes you have spontaneous guests, or you're just in the mood for a good brownie - but you don't want to go through the hassle of actually making stuff from scratch. Besides, if Giada can spruce up cake mix, so can we!

What you'll need:
- Egg Whites
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Brownie or Cake Mix (whatever you're in the mood for)
- Honey/Jam/Marshmallows/Chocolate Chips (optional)*

Why it works:
Applesauce is a great substitution for oil when you bake. a) it makes things taste sweeter. b) you're hardcore cutting down on the fat. c) it will be softer and fluffier.
There is a lot of nutrition in eggs, and its good to have one once a day. With eggs, and their yolks, being hidden in a lot of things - we eat a lot more of them than we should. If you eliminate the yolks, you're helping your body by cutting a little more bad cholesterol from your diet, as well as fat... YAY!

How you do it:
- For the exact amount of oil the box tells you to use, substitute applesauce (eg: 1/4 cup of oil -> 1/4 cup applesauce)
- Add one more egg white than the amount of whole eggs the box says to add. (eg: 3 whole eggs -> 4 egg whites)

Icing: also not so great for you, but there are alternatives!
1. You could drizzle honey on top, or spread jam on it. BUT...
2. You could also take a cup of marshmallows and a 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and add them to the end of cooking time to let it melt and ooze all over.
* Rather than 200 calories worth of icing on top of your piece of cake, this will only cost you 50 calories and your whole brownie would be cost you less than 200 calories! It's delicious, and I promise, you WILL NOT miss the icing.
3. Or you could always just serve your cake or brownies plain-jane, with nothing at all on top!

Extra tip: if you have those mini cupcake tins, that would be a great way to make your own version of two-bite brownies - but better for you than the brand name! And, you can treat yourself to a couple! You'll feel like you've indulged EVEN more.

That's it! Other than those substitutions, follow the instructions that the cake mix tells you. Because of the applesauce and egg whites, your baked goods may not last as long as they normally do. I'm pretty sure baked goods don't last that long anywhere though, so it's pretty much a non-issue. Enjoy these next time you get a craving!