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Read any magazine, watch any television channel, listen to any radio network and you are bound to come across some advertisement claiming that there is some magic diet, some magic pill, some magic WAY to lose weight... Atkins, Sugar Busters, Ornish, The Zone, Fat Busters, Metabolife, all these things and more bombarding you and telling you that with their plan you can finally lose weight.

Dream on...

Before you give up your life savings for that book, before you fall for the same old line they give you every single time (only to leave you broke and still overweight) face the facts... A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. There isn't a magic combination that makes people NOT gain weight if they eat a certain way, there isn't a magic soup you can eat that will melt the pounds off of you... The trick - THE MAGIC is that each and every thing we stuff into our mouths has calories in it. Those calories - no matter if they are from junk food, from raw fruits and vegetables, or from pasta all add up to bring us to our present weight. 3500 calories make up one pound of us - eat 3500 calories LESS and you will 'magically' lose a pound, eat 3500 calories MORE and you will unfortunately gain a pound. It doesn't matter a fig whether you have filled your calories with protein (except for adding a great strain on your kidneys) and it doesn't matter if you have had the all you can eat pasta bar - you are going to GAIN a pound if you eat 3500 calories over what you normally eat. The only thing that makes a difference in the calories that we eat is exercise - I mean it, that is the ONLY thing! What you decide to eat, how you decide to fill those calories is of course up to you, but remember it's not fat that makes you fat, it's not carbohydrates that make you fat - it's you and how much you put into your mouth that makes you fat or thin.

If you are going to count calories, if you are going to limit yourself so that you can drop those excess pounds, then I do recommend that you fill your daily calories with food that is going to fill your belly, food that is going to nourish your body, and food that is going to help you make it through the day... Whole grain foods, wheat bread, fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meats, and things that are going to keep your calories low while keeping your body energy high. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you eat high fat/high sugar junk food your body isn't going to run very efficiently. You are what you eat - and that's not a pretty picture! If you fill your body with food that has a high nutritional value instead of junk, you are going to find that it 'runs' more efficiently... You wouldn't run your car into the ground without taking care of it - putting in good quality gasoline, checking the fluid levels, filling the radiator with clean water. Isn't it time you do the same for that body of yours? ;-)

I do have to make one clarification... Dr. Dean Ornish's program of a low fat vegetarian diet has been proven to greatly reduce and actually reverse heart disease. However, when dealing with weight loss issues it still is clear, a calorie is a calorie and you will gain weight if you eat TOO much! Be it burgers or brussel sprouts - it's the calories that count.

I mentioned that the ONLY thing that can make a difference in the calories that we eat is exercise. Exercise can make your metabolism and your body function to it's fullest. It can turn your body into a fat burning factory!

A lot of people get disappointed with exercise. They work out, they push it to the limit and sweat and then jump on the scale and get discouraged when they don't see a significant loss. What people don't understand is that the benefits of exercise are mostly 'unseen' and yet ALL IMPORTANT! Exercise forces your metabolism to work - a metabolism that is working, muscle that is growing - means that even when you are asleep, your body is burning fat. It's working and eating all those stored calories.

How exercise makes a difference in the calories that we eat is simple... If you are eating 2000 calories a day and not exercising yet maintaining your weight - with added exercise you would LOSE weight. The higher metabolism allows you to eat MORE without gaining. For example, a 200 pound sedentary person needs 2600 calories to maintain their weight, while a moderately active 200 pound person need 3000 calories to stay the same weight. Increase your activity level to very active and you suddenly need 3400 calories to maintain your weight! Just think, increasing your activity level to include some aerobic exercise each day and you could shed 1/2 a pound a week!

That's it - I'm getting my walking shoes out!!! ;-)

Sad but true fact, only 10% of people who diet without exercising are going to lose weight... 90% of the people who diet AND exercise lose weight - does that tell you something? Get out there, walk, run, jog, do an exercise video, but GET MOVING!!!! Why waste time dieting if the odds are against you? Why not make things work for you instead!!!

So what is the best exercise for you? You want to burn off about 875 calories per week by exercising, and about the same amount cut from your diet to lose roughly 1/2 pound a week, the more you weight the more you burn... So... Here are a few of your options, the chart is for 30 minutes of activity.

What can 100 calories get you? Here is a list of things that are 100 calories or less!

1/2 cup acorn squash, 3 cups air-popped popcorn, 12 almonds, 1/2 cup Basmati rice, 1 cup blueberries, 1 ounce blue cheese, 20 sweet cherries, 2 ounces chicken, 1 chicken hot dog, 2 tablespoons cream cheese, 2 cucumbers, 8 dill pickles, 1 1/2 sheets graham crackers, 1 grapefruit, 25 grapes, 12 jelly beans, 2 kiwis, 6 pieces of melba toast, 1 mini pita bread, 2 Oreos, 1 Popsicle, 1/2 baked potato, 2 Bavarian pretzels, 1 cup skim milk, 3 ounces smoked salmon, 3 slices smoked turkey, 3 tomatoes, 1 flour tortilla, 8 baked tortilla chips, 1 slice angel food cake, 7 animal crackers, 1 medium apple, 5 medium apricots, 1 artichoke, 1 small banana, 3/4 cup bran flakes, 1 slice of bread, 2 spears of broccoli, 1/2 cantaloupe, 25 stalks asparagus, 3 carrots, 3.5 ounces champagne, 2 cups chicken noodle soup, 1/2 cup clam chowder, 1/2 English muffin, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1 ear of corn, 2 1/2 cups green beans, 1 egg, 4 1/2 cups eggplant, 2 fig cookies, 1 cup gazpacho, 1 fat free chocolate sorbet bar, 2 Parker house rolls, 12 large shrimp, 3 ounces scallops, 4 ounces tofu, 3 ounces lobster, 2 large peaches, 1 small papaya, 1 medium pancake, 1 pound spinach, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 small sweet potato, 2 medium tangerines, 1 cup salsa, 2 slices salami, 3 sticks licorice, 1 head of lettuce, 6 ounces lemonade, 1 pear, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1/2 cup pasta, 2 plums, 4 marshmallows, 2 slices luncheon meat (ham), 5 sweet red peppers, 1 cup raspberries, 12 lifesavers candies, 1/2 cup frozen non-fat yogurt, 3 ounces haddock or halibut (baked), 3/4 cup green peas, 1 cup egg beaters, 1 hot dog bun, 1 ounce matzo cracker, 1 pound raw spinach (you can cook it after you weigh it!), 5 Triscuit crackers, 3 ounces water packed tuna, 12 ounces V-8 juice, 6 ounces Chardonnay, 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt, 1 blueberry waffle, 15 steamed clams...

Still wondering what to eat? :-)

According to the American Dietetic Association, dieting can have some side effects. Nothing you can't deal with, but this is even more evidence that you need to indulge yourself in a healthy balanced diet, to make sure you get everything your body needs to survive.

Constant fatigue - Skipping meals often lowers the blood sugar and drains your energy... What are you missing? Complex carbohydrates (those lovely whole grain breads, beans, rice, potatoes.) Make sure you get in your 6 to 11 servings of bread, pasta, rice, grains and beans!

Dry, dull skin; brittle nails - You aren't getting enough of those nutrients that help transport the blood's oxygen, such as protein, iron, B6, B12, and folic acid. Make sure to get in enough leafy green veggies, orange juice and lean meats.

Changes in the way you taste or smell - A deficiency in zinc caused from not getting enough meat or seafood can effect much more then these things, it can lead to delayed healing of wounds, infertility, and a host of other things. You only need a small amount of zinc, but not getting it can cause havoc.

Bad Breath - That's one of all dieter's foes. It's almost impossible to diet and not find yourself with a bit of bad breath, what's missing? Not enough liquids, especially water... Liquids help your mouth flush away the odor producing bacteria.

Cuts and bruises that don't heal - You've heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Well it's true. Not getting enough fruits and vegetables can leave you low in vitamins C, and E and all those lovely beta carotene things (also know as antioxidants.) Get those 5 servings of fruits and veggies in every single day!

I found an easy way to make low fat sugar cookies this past weekend! I bought a package of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix in the little pouch, then added Lighter Bake (you can use prune puree or prune baby food) to the mix instead of the butter and substituted egg whites for whole eggs. They came out great! I used the dough as a base for a fruit pizza. After baking the cookie crust, I 'frosted' it with sweetened non-fat cream cheese, arranged sliced fresh fruits on top, and then drizzled a little bit of orange marmalade that had been boiled with a tiny bit of water (just enough to make it thin enough _to_ drizzle! *lol*) Refrigerate and it is WONDERFUL! Only right around 200 calories per 3x3-inch piece too!

You've seen the infomercials, you've heard the ads on the radio, someone you know has a copy of... Tae Bo! Billy Banks - this very buff looking muscular bald man has put together this highly popular, cross between boxing and marshal arts aerobics video. My mother ordered the videos when she saw them on television - convinced that this she could do... THIS she would do... Now _I_ have the tapes! *lol*

The set of tapes includes three workouts, I looked at the instructional first one, and worked the week on the second regular workout. The third tape I have not looked at but I have been told that it is a quick 15 minute work out - fast moving and more for the intermediate Tae Bo-ist. I can't decide if I was afraid to try that tape, or if I was just too lazy - I'll just say I am saving the last for another time. :-) The price (about 2 years ago - I don't know what the going price of this thing is now...) was $80 - a little steep for me, but later on as they became more main stream you could find them at Wal-Mart for $30. I have heard that there is a new set of video's out now, a new routine for Tae Bo fans, I really don't think I'll be looking into that one...

On the whole, I thought that the video was fairly easy to follow, the first day and second day I felt a little awkward and uncoordinated, but after that I found it easy to keep up with and pretty lively. I was a little inspired that the people in the back ground did not all have perfect bodies like the people in the foreground, but I was also a little un-inspired that there were no larger people. When I look at these videos I want to know that _I_ can do them, I want to see other large people keeping up and doing it! All in all the routine goes pretty fast, there were only a few spots when I was thinking - PLEASE FINISH!!!!! The movements are done in sets and it does get you working up a sweat. I never noticed any muscle soreness, never felt like I had been pushed 'too far', and the workout only lasts about 25 minutes - including the cool down! I started on Sunday with the introduction and then Monday started the actual workout, which I ended Saturday morning. I didn't notice any weight loss, no real feeling that my week of work had gotten me anywhere...

On the whole - I'm giving Billy THREE POUNDS! Now five pounds is the highest rating, and one pound is pretty darned bad. I think that the videos are great to work out with, but I would like to have just a tiny bit more muscle work going on... I want to 'feel' it and KNOW that I am working hard... I don't think it really pushed me as far as I could go, I think it could have been a bit more intense and still been a really great workout. Maybe I did need that last tape - I don't know... But I know I'm not in that great shape and I could do this. It was fun, but I really didn't see a huge difference, not on the scale and not really in the way that I look or feel. If you want to give it a try I suggest going to the library and seeing if you can check it out, or borrowing a friends copy before plunking down the buckaroos for it.

Julie's Journey will return next week, my sister has a very sick little boy at home and she hasn't been on the computer at all. I think in this case, I'd be lucky to stick to my diet at all - I'm a major stress eater! Take care Julie, and give Charles a kiss from his Aunt Kim. :-)

See you next week!

Low-Fat Shredded Pork

1 large onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno, minced

2 pounds pork loin, cut in 2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Pinch cinnamon

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro

Cook onion and jalapeno in water soft. Add pork and stir until brown. Mix in chili powder and next 5 ingredients and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 3 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and simmer until pork is tender and shreds easily, about 1 hour. Remove pork from liquid using slotted spoon. Increase heat to medium and boil cooking liquid until reduced to 1/2 cups, about 35 minutes. Shred pork and mix in sauce.

Makes 10 servings

154.22 Cal (33.50% from Fat, 59.70% from Protein, 6.85% from Carb); 22.51 g Protein; 5.61 g Tot Fat; 1.87 g Sat Fat; 2.49 g Mono Fat; 0.71 g Poly Fat; 2.58 g Carb; 0.64 g Fiber; 25.55 mg Calcium; 1.71 mg Iron; 568.54 mg Sodium; 435.71 IU Vit A; 5.00 mg Vit C; 55.84 mg Cholesterol

 DISCLAIMER: The opinions and statements in Slim Pickin's Weekly are not intended as medical advice. Its intent is solely for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you are interested in pursuing or trying any of the dietary changes, or following up any of the advice in this newsletter then it is suggested that you contact a health professional before doing so..

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