FR Diet, Exercise, and Fitness Thread

[retrokitten]

NO VERBAL ATTACKS! NO NAME CALLING! NO BASHING! THE OVERWEIGHT! NO NASTY PICTURES! NO OFFENSIVE KEYWORDS! They will only be deleted anyway. This will be a thread about getting healthy and no attacks will be tolerated.

Todays theme is HEALTHY RECIPES! Please share your favorite! Here are a few I found...

Spinach, Grapefruit and Almond Salad

This recipe serves: 6

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1/3 cup olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 cups spinach, cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

Cooking Instructions
For the vinaigrette:
1. Place all the ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well.
2. Add the salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
3. Place the spinach in a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.
4. Transfer the dressed spinach leaves to a serving plate. Arrange the grapefruit sections on top and sprinkle with the almonds.
To roast whole, slivered, chopped or sliced almonds: Spread in an ungreased baking pan. Place in a 350°F oven and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant; stir once or twice to ensure even browning. Note that almonds will continue to roast slightly after removing from oven.

Veggie City Dip

This recipe makes: 8 servings

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1/3 cup finely chopped green or red bell peppers
1/3 cup finely chopped zucchini
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup peeled and finely chopped eggplant
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh basil (dried is fine)
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/3 teaspoon sugar

Cooking Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, celery and eggplant. Cook 2 minutes more.
3. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer about 20 minutes, uncovered. Let cool.
4. Add the vinegar and sugar. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve cold as a dip with pita bread, crackers or tortilla chips.

Atkins Broiled Orange-Chili Chicken Breasts

Servings: 4

Prep time: 0:10:00
Bake/Cook time: 0:15:00
Calories: 402
Fat: 22 grams
Protein: 47 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Fiber: 0 grams
Net Carbs: 1 grams

1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granular sugar substitute
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
4 boneless chicken breast halves, with skin (about 2 pounds)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large resealable plastic bag, mix orange juice, garlic, oil, chili powder, sugar substitute, orange rind and cayenne pepper. Add chicken breasts; toss to coat. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight Heat broiler. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Position broiler rack 6 inches from heat source and broil chicken 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time, just until cooked through.

Atkins Mascarpone Parfait

Servings: 4
Prep time: 0:15:00
Bake/Cook time: 0:00:00
Calories: 458
Fat: 48 grams
Protein: 5 grams
Carbohydrates: 3 grams
Fiber: 0 grams
Net Carbs: 3 grams

1 cup heavy cream
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone, slightly softened
1 tablespoon granular sugar substitute
4 small mint sprigs and strips of lemon peel, for garnish

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat heavy cream on medium-high to soft peaks. Reduce speed to medium; add mascarpone and sugar substitute, beating just until smooth, 15 to 30 seconds. Divide and spoon the cream mixture into four parfait cups. Garnish with mint sprigs and lemon peel, if desired.

Weight Watchers Recipes

Atkins Recipes

South Beach Recipes

Body For Life Recipes

General Low Carb recipes

Food Fit.com's guide to summer vegetables

[mainepatsfan]

I keep trying to tell that to women I know but they're reluctant because they're afraid they'll "bulk up".

[StrictTime]

...it's the vegetables I have to work at getting in to my menu.

Retro, I have an easy way to get veggies. Do you like soup? Even just the canned varieties? Add a frozen veggie mix (I use Asparagus Stir Fry Blend from WalMart) to a can of clear brothed soup (I use Progresso Southwest Chicken). Even if you eat a whole can (2 servings), it's only about 250 calories, it really fills you up, plus you get all those vitamins!

[StrictTime]

Oh, I forgot. I cut the soup with a half can of water, because I like a thinner soup (esp. with all those veggies).

[retrokitten]

The greasy bun is the best part! LOL!!

[Spiff]

Have you gotten a good scale . . .one that shows body fat? That is what got me motivated to lose as I hadn't realized how big I had gotten and how much fat I was actually carrying. Then I was 181 pounds. And by the time I found fitday I was down to 171 just eating better. But eating better wasn't all of it. A good night's rest, Eating Breakfast and not Chocolate cake and a glass of Milk (My hubbie teased me about this for years). As a kid in my house it wasn't uncommon to each a piece of peach pie for breakfast . . Got the fruit for the day right :) My mom planned meals around the Dessert. So therefore I LOVE Sweets. I also found that Sugar Substitutes are Great as long as you know how to use them. Sometime a little sugar is needed to make it taste sweet. Great for reducing the calorie content.

I found that sometimes you don't see the pounds melt off. But you can see the Fat % change on a good scale. And I found at times I actually gain weight when I may lose even 1 % of Body Fat. Muscle weighs more than fat and so you may actually see a weight gain. Watch that you are working Better not Harder.

And how do you feel about the inches lost? This may be a better motivator and barometer to how well you are doing.

I exercise about 30 minutes a day on my treadmill at an incline of about 5.5 - 6.5 and burn about 200 calories (Mon - Sat) Sunday is God's day and I rest in this aspect.

We watch Tv, Read a book, My hubbie surfs the Internet . .(I'm not that coordinated I'd fly off the end of the treadmill), or just listen to mildly loud but energetic music while singing along and the time flies usually :) ---- Spiff's Wife :)

[retrokitten]

Tell them a pound of muscle takes up a whole lot less space then a pound of fat. They may weigh the same, but they will look a whole heck of a lot better in their jeans!

[retrokitten]

That is such a great idea! One of those, "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas. LOL! We are going grocery shopping tonight and I am going to pick the stuff up to try that out.

[mainepatsfan]

I know that for a fact. I got down to 185 last October then spent the winter bulking up. I'm back up to 213 now but my waist size is smaller than it was the last time I weighed that much.

[Spiff]

I know that for a fact. I got down to 185 last October then spent the winter bulking up. I'm back up to 213 now but my waist size is smaller than it was the last time I weighed that much.

That is a key observation, one that many should learn. It doesn't matter how many pounds are on the scale. What is your body fat percentage and are the inches coming off? Muscle weighs far more than fat. If you're building up muscle and taking off fat, you should see your body measurements change, your fat percentage drop, but may even see a weight increase. The most important thing is how fit you're getting, not the numbers on the scale.

[Xenalyte]

I don't weigh myself. I just go by what clothes fit, and nothing fits.

[mainepatsfan]

Yup. How your jeans fit is a very good indicator.

[Spiff]

I remember getting upset with my kids because they had washed a Dry Clean Only Shirt in the washer and dried it too. It shrunk!! I was so upset.

Now i wear that same shirt and it has never fit better. Guess it wasn't the the kids. It was the body under the shirt.

----Spiff's Wife

[najida]

They're running some trials with good results using brewers yeast in treating IBS.

However, if you have celiac sprue, I don't know if it will help or not :(

[retrokitten]

Oh yes. I blamed Old Navy for making their clothes smaller for quite some time, too. :-D

[najida]

I've often said that if some VERY smart designer wants to make a fortune, all they need to do is up their sizes.

VOILA! Suddenly a size 16 is a size 14! Happy happy customers.

[retrokitten]

LOL!! Exactly.

I actually have a skirt like that. It's FOUR sizes smaller then the rest of my clothes! I don't know if it was mislabeled or what, but I love having a skirt in my closet with that tiny little # on the label.

[dittomom]

Spiff's Wife! Ditto to the good scale. I got a brand new Tanita scale (Innerscan Model BC-533) and it is really fun. This one does Body Fat%, Body Water%, Visceral Fat Rating, Muscle Mass and Physique Rating, Bone Mass, Daily Calorie Intake (# of cals I can eat to maintain current weight) and Metabolic Age. I think this is so motivating to watch the numbers improve. Also it helps women understand all the fluctuations their bodies go through anyway.

Challenge for me right now is getting my hubby to join me in getting healthier. He doesn't sabotage me (much), but since he isn't concerned about getting healthier, he pretty much sees this as "my thing." My hope is that he will get inspired as I have more success. At least he is making some better choices now and every little bit helps.

ANYWAY, I applaud you for all you are doing to get you and your family healthier. Conservatives gotta stay strong for all the battles to come!!

[HOTTIEBOY]

OK My tounge is hurting now.

[mpackard]

That felt pretty good since I only need to lose 60!!! : )

[mpackard]

Steve, I went to a doctor last week that told me the same thing about eating low-fat instead of fat free becasue the low fat tells your brain that you're full faster. Hmmmm some good ideas on that list, thanks!