Keeping it cool in the HOT HOT summer

It is downright unbearable in the great state of Mississippi right now! With the heat index reaching well into the 110’s, I find it harder and harder to drag myself to the gym where I will just sweat some more. And as I desperately try to ignore the snow cone stands, frozen custard storefronts, and ice cream trucks that call to me in this insufferable heat, I need an icy sweet retreat that won’t undo my entire week of diligent Point counting.

So today’s post is about finding comfortable exercise and delicious chilly treats to keep you cool all summer long:

Early risers beat the heat
While it is a lot easier to sleep in and get your exercise in after work, late-day outside workouts are simply NOT an alternative during the dog days of summer. If you are training outside for running or bike riding, an outdoor workout is a necessary evil. While you can supplement with a treadmill or stationary bike workout once or twice a week, it is important to continue your conditioning on real terrain—especially if you have an outdoor race coming up…and unfortunately a lot of races are scheduled throughout the summer.

So hitting the pavement early is key to conquering these ridiculous temperatures. Starting out at 5:00- 6:00 a.m. will save your body enduring as much as 20 more degrees of heat than if you started your routine after work at 5:00 p.m. I hit the road as late as 6:15 a.m., and it was 76 degrees—it got up to 110 heat index that afternoon. The residual heat from the day will stick around until well after dark, so skip the snooze and make it an early workout.

I treat myself to an extra long cup of coffee, a more time-consuming breakfast (like a fully-loaded veggie omelet instead of cereal and a banana), and a long bout of morning news after an early morning workout. I’m up early anyway, so why not reward myself for a job well done!? It makes me look forward to an enjoyable morning with myself instead of dreading the 5:00 a.m. alarm.

Dive in
Swimming is an amazing workout that engages all the major muscle groups (shoulders, back, abdominals, legs, hips, and glutes), but most importantly—you are immersed in water the entire time! The summer is a great time to take a few days off from your normal hot and sweaty routine and hit the pool. Don’t be afraid to swap your usual strength training workout for a cool dip, because swimming offers 12 times the resistance as air in every direction in addition to its incredible cardiovascular benefits.

But like every new exercise routine, it takes time to build your swimming endurance. Most physicians recommend starting with 10 minute intervals, build up to a 30-minute workout three to five times a week. It is important to include a warm-up and a cool-down, and challenge yourself in between by working on endurance, stroke efficiency, or speed.

Get to know H2O
Staying hydrated is more important in the summer months than any other time of year. If you are exercising more than 40 minutes, the rule of thumb is 8 ounces of water every 20 minutes. After your workout, replace the fluids you lost. Weigh yourself right before your workout and right after and drink eight ounces of water or sports drink for every pound lost.

Another good rule of thumb is to finish of a 20 ounce water bottle in a 45 minute workout. So before the cool down begins, you should have already downed the last drop of Dasani!

Enjoy cool treats to combat the heat
A low-calorie frozen treat makes for a cool, cool summer! Here are some great recipes to combat the inferno:
Margarita Pie
Strawberry-Buttermilk Gelato
Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Pie
Frozen Blackberry-Lemon Chiffon Pie
Watermelon Pops

Enjoy the summer and keep it cool!!

Marketing Masters of the Universe Strike Again!

As a marketing communications practitioner myself, I am hypersensitive to being “sold” something based on lingo, hype, or buzz words, and there is enough jargon in the weight loss and nutrition market to make a girl dizzy. It is so easy to fall victim to marketing scams, but this post is all about demystifying these marketing terms—separating fact from fiction so you can make the most informed decision about what you are putting in your body.

Let’s start with the most important rule of thumb!

Everything is relative.
When you read low fat, reduced fat, low sugar, light (or my favorite—lite—marketers misspell this one because they know it isn’t actually light), or reduced calorie it is easy to assume that the item you are about to consume is good for you. When something says it has “half the fat” or “1/3 less sugar,” it probably means the original had WAY too much fat or sugar to begin with. Here are some good examples:

Peanut Butter: Those two little tablespoons per serving have 190 calories and 12 grams of fat. The full fat version has…get this…the SAME number of calories and only 4 more grams of fat. While I am on a pro-peanut butter platform in one-tablespoon increments smeared on a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack, I am NOT fooled by the reduced fat label.

Syrups and Jellies: While sugar-free pancake syrup has very few calories, the lite syrup still has a whopping 100 calories in ¼ cup and 24 grams of sugar! Low sugar jellies and jams typically have about 25 calories per tablespoon, while sugar free ones have about 10. Low, Light or lite does not mean free, so be very careful when you are choosing your syrups, jellies, and jams.

Milk: While 2% reduced fat milk is a heck of a lot better for you than whole milk, it still has more than half the saturated fat of whole milk. Whole milk has 150 calories, 8 grams of fat , and 5 grams saturated fat. Reduced-fat (2%) has 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat. The clear winner is Skim (nonfat) milk, which has 80 calories and ZERO grams of fat…period! I find that shelling out for organic skim milk helps with the “this tastes like water” feeling skim milk has the potential to give off. I have no idea why, but even my picky fat-free-phobic chef husband will drink it.

Don’t forget that low-fat typically indicates much higher sugar content, while sugar free can still be loaded with fat. I love to read on sugary candy packages: “A naturally fat-free food”—really?! I can’t believe this package of congealed high fructose corn syrup has the nerve to associate itself with any health benefit, especially “natural” or “fat-free.” That sugar will turn into fat quicker than you can say Twizzler! Low-fat yogurt, granola, muffins, and pastries are still not necessarily low in calorie and are typically loaded with sugar.

Light can also mean color!!! Scary but true, there are oils (primarily olive oil) out there that call themselves light that have exactly the same nutritional content as their original versions. They are just lighter in color. TRICKSY HOBITS! Why does this remind me of cigarette companies making “light” cigarettes?

Understand terminology.
Just because something is cage free, free range, organic, locally grown, or all natural DOES NOT mean it is good for you. Most of this terminology has more to do with ethical treatment and environmental impact than actual health benefits (although I’ll take a hormone-free chicken over a steroid pumped bird any day!) Let’s take EGGS for example first:
Cage free—although there is NO legal definition of this phrase (which, HELLO, should probably tell you not to put a lot of stock in this label as a standalone), this simply means that the hens are not kept in cages, though there are no regulations to govern care beyond that.
Free range—chickens are (according to voluntary regulations) supposed to have "access to the outdoors."
Organic—nutritionally probably the most worthwhile to shell out a little extra change for, this term means the chickens must be fed organic feed (grown without commercial fertilizers or pesticides), and not given hormones or antibiotics. The ethical treatment isn’t taken into consideration though.

The same legal rules apply for anything certified ORGANIC, but that certification must appear on the label for the stringent rules to apply. But organic in no way, shape, or form means low-calorie.

Multi-grain means exactly that—more than one grain. It is a label that gets slapped on SO many items these days as fiber content is moving to the forefront of the nutrition-conscious consumer's mind. But don’t let the label fool you. Not all multi-grains are created equal! A lot of multi-grain items are still first and foremost made of nutritionally devoid white flour, so check the label. 100% whole grains should come first on the list of ingredients. And always check the sugar content!

So what is the skinny on Low-sodium? The right amount of sodium maintains our body's fluid balance and keeps our muscles and nerves at optimum performance. But most of us consume WAY more that the 1 teaspoon (or less than 2,400 mg of sodium) a day our bodies actually need, and most of that salt is in many of the foods we buy and not the shaker on the table. Here is a guide to understanding the sodium jargon landscape:
• Sodium-free: Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
• Very low-sodium: 35 mg or less per serving
• Low-sodium: Less than 140 mg per serving
• Reduced sodium: Sodium level reduced by 25%
• Unsalted, no salt added, or without added salt: Made without the salt that's normally used, but still contains the sodium that's a natural part of the food itself.

Avoiding processed foods, frozen dinners, canned vegetables or vegetable drinks, full sodium canned soup, pre-packaged meals, and pre-fab marinades and sauces will curb a lot of unwanted salt from your day. If you must have these types of items, look for the low-sodium versions. Eating less sodium can lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.

So don’t let the pretty pictures and words fool you. Read and compare labels, because you are what you eat!

Size Matters: Getting more for your caloric buck

Over my AMAZING vacation, my best friend and I were discussing my blog and what it’s missing. And the answer was quite simple: more food. Not more recipes, but more actual instructions on how to eat MORE food and weigh LESS…hence the name of this entire endeavor. So far I’ve focused on slimming down recipes and exercising, so now it is time to EAT MORE!

One of the funniest anecdotes my friend relayed over the weekend was about how she will go to the break room and fill up a giant bowl with a bag of salad mix and vegetables for lunch. She has a co-worker who will come in and look at her giant bowl of salad (which has somewhere between 50-75 calories in the entire thing and 1 WW point) and say, “Oh my God! That is so much food! How can you possible eat all of that?” This from the true nutritional expert in the office who only eats things that are orange—think Spaghetti-O’s, Cheez-its, and Cheetos for example.

So this post is dedicated to Jenna and Marjorie. It is all about making BIGGER choices without sacrificing calories or Points—an eat this, not that tribute that celebrates eating more quantity (and quality quite frankly) for your caloric buck.

1) Salad-ify: Turning a typical higher calorie entrée or sandwich into a delicious salad boosts the fiber content and reduces the excess carbohydrates and fat. Use as many greens as you want as the base to fill you up and top it as you would your favorite dish. It is very easy to do!

One of my favorite high calorie pasta dishes is a recipe called Rasta Pasta. It consists of cooked chicken or shrimp that was marinated in Jamaican Jerk seasoning with touch of olive oil tossed with cooked pasta, cream sauce, tri-color peppers, red onion, and parmesan cheese. Even the reduced-fat version of this dish has 12 Points. When I ditched the pasta, milk, and cheese for the sauce, it brought this down to a 6 Point meal (using the chicken…shrimp brings this down even more). The excess marinade on the chicken tossed with the veggies, 2 cups of Romaine and a teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese make the most filling entrée salad you can imagine.

Here are some great entrées and sandwiches to Salad-ify (Start with an enormous bowls of mixed greens and/or spinach):
Club sandwich—ditch the bread (why is it okay to use three pieces of bread in one sandwich anyway?) and toss with 1 Tbsp low-fat honey mustard, 2 pieces crumbled extra crispy lean bacon or turkey bacon, 1 ounce of deli turkey, chopped tomatoes, one ounce of deli ham, a few low-sugar sweet pickles and ¼ cup 2% cheese.
Fajitas—loose the tortilla and sour cream and top your taco-seasoned grilled meat and/or veggies with extra salsa and Pico di Gallo instead of dressing.
Philly cheese steak—grill 3 ounces of lean flank steak, peppers, and onions. Toss with ¼ cup shredded 2% cheese of your choice and a touch of horseradish.
Chicken pot pie—spray with Pam and roast a few diced small new potatoes and pearl onions at 400 for about 10 minutes. Thaw frozen peas by simply running warm water over them. Toss salad mix, roasted veggies, thawed peas, fresh mushrooms, and matchstick carrots with 1 Tbsp light buttermilk ranch dressing (homemade is best). Top with ¼ cup fat free croutons.
Stir Fry—skip the rice or noodles and put all of your veggies (raw or steamed) and sautéed meat or tofu on a bed of spinach and bean sprouts. Top with a splash of soy and teaspoon of peanut oil.

2) Shove it in a pita—halving a Western Bagel pita allows you to actually have TWO sandwiches for the caloric price of one. I halve my cheese portion and melt in the bottom of each half. I then fill the bottom with sprouts or greens and top it with my protein. This works great for tuna or chicken salad, but it also works with any deli meat, too.

3) Vegetables as fillers—any time I make pasta of any kind I use 2 ounces of dry pasta. It yields about 2/3 to ¾ cup cooked pasta, which feels like a sad amount of food for an entrée. So regardless of the sauce, I always bulk it up with a ton of fresh peppers and onions and usually fresh spinach wilted in at the very end before serving. Some other additions that are great for bulking up your pasta without taking over the flavor are zucchini, squash, cannellini beans, and mushrooms. Try the same method with your favorite casserole. Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Spaghetti could do with less chicken and more vegetables. Fill your tortilla with less meat and double the grilled peppers and onions (as long as you cooked them and you have controlled the oil). Cut the amount of meat in half and double your veggies. You will get a BIGGER serving size for less Points and calories every time!!!

4) Soup or salad before the meal—I’ve mentioned before that I try to eat soup or a small salad before a meal as meal as often as possible. There are so many zero-Point soups that are super simple to make (hello food processor, you just cut my prep time in half!) or just waiting for you on the supermarket shelf to fill you up before you eat your main course…allowing you to eat more of what isn’t weighing you down and less of your higher calorie entrée. Or start with two cups of greens with a handful of raw veggies, a drizzle of good balsamic, some fresh cracked pepper and sea salt, and a teaspoon of parmesan (1 Point). Eight totally separate, clinically-proven diet plans confirm this idea, and my belly agrees!

5) Fruit salad after the meal—Give into dessert, but make sure that dessert is a bunch of berries and fruits full of antioxidants and WATER. The water makes you feel so full that any desire for sweets you had left after you soup, salad, and entrée will be more than satiated. Great low-calorie, high-water content fruits are: cantaloupe, mango, strawberries, blueberries, okay any berry, and papaya. A huge fruit salad for dessert (like 1-2 cups) will have about 100-150 calories or 1-2 Points.

Size does matter. When your brain sees a massive amount of food, it thinks it is eating a massive amount of food. So let that massive amount of food be an entire bag of salad instead of a bowl of Spaghetti-O's, and you will be the champion!

VACATION all I ever wanted…but I didn’t want to come home 5 pounds heavier!

I am headed out tomorrow morning for an extended weekend of music, fun, fancy, and FOOD. I am going to spend the weekend with some of my dearest friends with whom I love to practice extreme levels of decadence—eating delicious, homemade food straight out of their garden and drinking copious amounts of wine. We are even making a cameo in New Orleans for a day! So how do I plan on coming back from my excursion guilt free? By following some very simple steps:

1) Bump up the workouts the week before. Weight Watchers teaches you that life is all about balance, and the program gives you a full week to find that balance. You get daily points to spend each day, but you get additional weekly Points to spend when you need a little extra treat. You also earn activity points from exercise to use when your weeklies are gone. Even when you are working toward weight loss (and not just maintenance), it makes good sense that you should take in more calories if you are burning more calories (as long as you don’t go overboard). Yes, I will be running 10K tomorrow morning to counteract that delicious hurricane waiting for me a Pat O’Brien’s. My handy dandy calorie burner tool at the bottom of this blog (you can use it, too!) tells me I will burn 576 calories during my hour-long run. There are about 500 calories in one of these fruity bad boys, so it is a good thing I’m hitting the pavement early!

2) Get some exercise in when you can. Take a long walk after a big lunch or the morning after an evening of indulgent imbibing. Headed for the beach? Go for a morning swim. Throw the Frisbee around, shoot some hoops, opt for a tennis match—take your pick! You will be surprised how quickly your activity points add up and help curb the damage you are doing to your Point or calorie count.

4) Drink LOTS of water. Staying hydrated is important when you are making the most out of your holiday. You will feel more energy to get a little exercise in when you can. You will simultaneously flush out the toxins and salt destined to make you retain excess water weight.

3) Don’t abandon all semblance of portion control. Just because you don’t always have a kitchen scale, calorie counter, or measuring cups, you can still estimate proper portion sizes:

4) Make good choices when you can. Fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains at every opportunity—breakfast and lunch are typically primo opportunities (there is more to a breakfast buffet than eggs and bacon, people! Opt for oatmeal and strawberries instead of biscuits and gravy). Can’t miss the vacation hot-spot with the best burger in town? Get a side salad with it instead of fries. Split your entrée with a friend. Skip whatever useless carbohydrate the restaurant forces on you before you order—you wouldn’t eat that garlic bread at home! Opt for fresh fish instead of the porterhouse and steamed veggies instead of a butter-drenched baked potato. Choose the Pinot over the Port (see May’s slimming down cocktails entry).

5) Snack healthy. If you know you will be surrounded by bad choices, pack your own! Pack fresh fruits (e.g. apples or bananas—check out this awesome banana bunker for safe banana travel to prevent bruising), low-fat granola bars, or pre-portioned bags of healthy nuts (e.g. almonds or pistachios). Steer clear of empty calories that won’t stick with you throughout your afternoon play.

This is your vacation, so enjoy it! And understand that you can indulge a little without completely throwing your good habits out the window. Plan ahead, make good choices, control portions, and get in a little exercise when you can.

BTW for dedicated readers: I won’t be back until Tuesday night, so my next entry will be Wednesday. I’ll fill you in on all the good VACAY dirt then!!!

You SPIN me right round baby right round!

Other than running, spin is my absolute favorite cardio activity! And while the first time someone told me they went to spin class, I pictured them with hands stretched wide, wildly twirling circles in the middle of their gym floor, I have come to know and love this exercise routine dearly.

Here is an example of a spin class:

What makes spin so spectacular is the number of calories you burn in a very short workout. You can burn about 450 calories in 45 minutes—talk about bang for your buck! Because it is less weight bearing, it is also great for cross-training with running by toning your quadriceps (front thigh muscles) and outer thigh muscles. And it is all set to a fantastic medley of motivating music!

It is important to know the basics before beginning a spin regimen. Proper seat and handlebar height and depth is vital, so you won’t hurt your knees or back.

This is a great video that explains proper seating and positions:

Riding in different positions helps tone your core and strengthen your back as well:

Position 1: Hands placed in the center of the handles. You can place the hands one on top of the other in this position. This is a good spot when warming up, cooling down, or recovering from a sprint interval.
Position 2: Hands are just inside the upward curve on the handle bars. This is where your hands will most likely be for most of the class.
Position 3: Hands hold on to the top of the handles. This position should really only be used when standing for a climb or riding in a tucked position with your bum as far back over the seat as possible.

The intensity of your workout depends on three different elements:
• rate at which you are pedaling
• resistance of the bike's flywheel, which can be continually adjusted throughout the class to make pedaling easier or more difficult
• your body position (pedaling from a seated position or up from the saddle in either standing jog/sprint or tucked jog/sprint)

Things to know about a spin class:
1) For goodness sake don’t forget your water! You will sweat through at least one towel, and it is so important to stay hydrated throughout the class. Make sure you drink plenty of water before and after as well.
2) I mentioned the sweat (which is my favorite part of this class—I find it so cathartic and rejuvenating to sweat through two towels in 45 minutes), so don’t forget to grab a towel for your face. An extra towel to drape over the bike handles is a good idea, too, because your sweaty mitts will cause slippage.
3) Get there early to get set up. Follow the instructions in the video above to learn how to set up your bike. Lots of other people ride your bike, so you will likely have to reposition it every time you ride. You also want to get there early to warm your legs up a bit with zero resistance on the bike.
4) Challenge yourself with resistance. If you have an instructor who gives you an option to turn up your resistance by one or two turns, don’t take one when you KNOW you can comfortably take two. While the flight of the bumblebee your legs are doing during sprints burn a lot of calories, riding with increasing resistance burns even more.

And although it hasn’t made it to the great state of Mississippi, look out for a Karaoke spin class near you!!! Can you believe it?! Just when you thought spinning couldn’t get any better, they went and added America’s favorite self-indulgent pastime to it. It could be because a lot of people who spin sing along with the music anyway, so some smart gym marketing executive decided to make it a selling point. Karaoke spin is huge on the West coast and is slowly making its way across the rest of the country:

1+1=3? Making sense of WW Points

I get e-mails periodically from friends and family asking me about recipes and WW Points values. Here is my friend's conundrum that sparked today's post:

"Ok, so I made some chili like stuff—the only things with points in it were corn and pinto beans. I used a cup of each. Figuring if I divide into 4 servings, it would be .5 point for each element—1 point per serving.

BUT...When I plug these into the recipe builder with other free veggies like
spinach-it comes out to 2 pts a serving instead of 1.

It seems like Weight Watchers thinks that once beans and corn are mixed with spinach they gain calories?”

So here is the skinny on plugging your entries into your daily Points calculator versus building recipes in the online Weight Watchers tool:

Think about the entire recipe's formula that the Point system takes into consideration (e.g. overall calories, calories from fiber, and calories from fat). Sometimes food that is just on the edge of only being 1 WW Point is compounded by another food that is almost 2 WW Points. When put with another food on the verge of being another point higher, the single item's fraction of a point that allowed WW to round down to 1 point must be rounded up instead. Stick with me, I'll give you an example:

1.4 could be rounded down to 1, if you are rounding to a whole number. When you add 1.4 and 1.4, you get 2.8, which then must be rounded to 3 instead of 2 to the nearest whole number.

And here is the other weird thing—if you put "recipes" (like even a turkey sandwich) in your daily points counter as separate components instead of in your recipe builder as a compound, you would miss a lot of fractions of points over time.

Is it enough to matter? Probably not going to make a huge difference if you don't go overboard. I counted points the other way through my daily points counter for almost a year before I realized I was kind of cheating the system. I've managed to lose weight successfully anyway.

I discovered it when I was putting a curry together in my daily points counter and then wanted to save it as a recipe with some instructions instead of a "meal." It went from a 2 point "meal" to a 4 point "recipe." It was just a ton of fibrous veggies and legumes, but their fractions added up to a noticeable difference.

I would warn of consistently doing this over time, as it may keep you from losing weight at an optimal rate.

My sister mentioned to me once she felt she hit a plateau because she was eating too many zero-Point foods. Two servings of zero-Point soup has 2 WW points...not zero. It is easy to get in WW mode and forget that calories add up no matter how you spin it. 1/4 cup of many types of fruits and most vegetables is zero Points, but it is worth it to add them up in the recipe builder for sure when you make an enormous salad out of them. And when you decide on a zero-Point snack, just stick to one or two per day, and space them out throughout the day.

Your math lesson for today: 1+1 might equal 3!

And the card attached would say, "Thank you for being a friend."

Rue McClanahan was an American icon. Her “Golden Girls” character, Blanche Devereaux, taught women everywhere to love deeply and passionately and to love one’s self with equal reckless abandon. No matter how many zingers Sophia threw her way she never batted an eyelash, because after all, enduring her insults was just another consequence of the curse of every devastatingly beautiful woman.

I thank television role models like Blanche for teaching me at a very young age to work toward holding my head a little higher every day, to move through life each day with a little more grace and poise, to ignore anyone who might hold me back from success, and to sincerely value friends who support me in all of my endeavors.

This humble post is in honor of a great woman and an amazing character with whom any one of us would be unbelievably lucky to sit down on the lanai over a cup of coffee and piece of cheesecake.

Unfortunately, we all don’t have the genetic fortitude to eat cheesecake every night without our butts expanding exponentially, so here is the way I lighten up every gal’s favorite comfort food:

My doctored Cooking Light go-to for the base of every reduced calorie cheesecake has a mere 4 WW points per decadent serving (versus your standard full-fat 10 WW point cheesecake), and it is worth every savory bite:

Ingredients
1/2 cup reduced-fat graham cracker crumbs (about 6 cookie squares)
Cooking spray
1 (32-ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute

Preparation
Firmly press crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

Place a colander in a 2-quart glass measure or a medium bowl. Line the colander with four layers of cheesecloth, allowing cheesecloth to extend over outside edges of the bowl. Spoon yogurt into the colander. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 12 hours. Spoon yogurt “cheese” into a bowl, and discard the liquid.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine drained yogurt, flour, and the next 5 ingredients (flour through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until blended. Slowly add egg substitute, and beat until combined. Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust. Place in a large shallow baking pan, and add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove sides from pan, and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. This serves 12.

And since our darling diva, Rue, was NEVER afraid to mix things up a bit, here are some delicious, low-calorie variations on the classic:

• Mix in 1/2 cup of Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa and 1 heaping tablespoon of Taster’s Choice instant coffee to the dry ingredients and cream cheese to make a mocha masterpiece. Don’t forget to drizzle Sugar-free Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup on your plates before serving.
• Generously top with a Splenda-sweetened sliced strawberry/blueberry combo and a flourish of fat-free Cool Whip for a patriotic culinary conquest—perfect for the Fourth of July.
• Gently cook low-sugar or sugar-free cherry (or other tart fruit) preserves over low heat until liquefied. Add 1 cup pitted and halved fresh cherries. Let mixture cool and distribute evenly over cooled caked for a gooey, fruity tour de force.

Enjoy your delicious works of art with your nearest and dearest.

And if she were standing here in front of me today, I would proudly offer her a piece of cheesecake and say to our departed Rue, “Thank you for being a friend.”

That cheeseburger is STRESSING you out!

I am particularly stressed today, and I can't help but wonder if there are any nutritional solutions that would prevent me from pulling my hair out...outside of washing down an an entire German Chocolate Cake with a bottle of wine in a stress-eating frenzy.

According to my research, there are two important routes to nutritonal stress relief:

1) Avoiding food and beverage that aggravate stress

2) Increasing your consumption of food and beverage that reduce stress through vitamin and mineral content

And while I simultaneously finish reading the 10th research article in which soda and coffee top the list of major nutritional sources of stress while finishing off my morning Diet Coke and stirring Splenda into my first cup of coffee, this day isn't looking any better. Come to find out, the caffeine in my reliable morning heroes cause the release of adrenaline, thus increasing my level of stress. Note to self: Drink water at lunch and decaffeinated hot tea this afternoon!

On a particularly stressful day, in addition to avoiding my beloved Diet Coke and coffee, here are some other tension-building beverage and nosh it would behoove you to do without:

1) High-fat food: Aside from the obvious toll it takes on your waistline, high-fat food supresses your immune system. Since stress already wreaks havoc on your immune system, you are shredding any semblance of chance you have to fight off illness or heal from injury with every greasy bite.

2) Too much meat: Another reason to often opt for a vegetarian version...high-protein foods elevate brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are associated with higher levels of anxiety and stress. Try to limit your meat intake to once a day during very stressful times (or all together, because it is way healthier and you get to eat a lot more).

3) Alchohol: While relaxing with a bottle of your favorite bubbly may seem like a perfectly good stress reliever, make sure you exercise extreme moderation (can you be extremely moderate?) when you drink during high stress situations. When the body produces excess stress hormones AND you are drinking, your liver is too busy filtering the alcohol you are drinking to filter out these excess hormones. These toxins (excess hormones) continue circulating through the body, which can result in pretty serious damage over time.

4) Salt: While controlling your sodium intake is always important, moderating the amount of salt you ingest during stressful times is even more important. Too much salt in one day depletes the adrenal glands, increases blood pressure, and causes mood instability.

Now on to the good news! There are foods that can actually help stress, too, by:

1) boosting levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical;

2) reducing levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that in excess take a toll on the body over time;

3) and counteracting the impact of stress by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure.

A bowl of warm oatmeal boosts seratonin giving you that much needed calming sensation. Complex carbohydrates, like those found in oatmeal and other whole grain cereals and breads, keeps your blood sugar stable and helps you feel more balanced. Increasing your intake of vegetables in general will also help boost seratonin levels.

Foods high in Vitamin C strengthen the immune system and reduce levels of stress hormones. Vitamin C superstars include oranges, broccoli, papaya, mango, tomatoes, bell peppers (red and yellow are best), and kiwi. Even potatoes have vitamin C (25 mg per small baked potato). Just don't slice and deep fry them!

Fresh spinach is riddled with magnesium that helps regulate cortisol levels. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. Hate spinach? Look to whole grain ready-to-eat or cooked cereals, cooked soybeans, black beans, tofu, scallops, or salmon.

Need another reason to eat sushi? Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (like tuna and salmon) help maintain proper adrenaline and cortisol levels. Three ounces of this type of fish twice a week is the recommended amount to help prevent heart disease to maintain a consistent supply of omega-3s.

Awww nuts! A handful of pistachios every day can help lower blood pressure elevated by stress, while a quarter cup of almonds boosts the immune system that can be hampered by bouts of repeated stress.

Milk does a body good. Drinking a glass of low-fat or skim milk not only gives you an adorable mustache, it can reduce muscle spasms, relieve tension, and ease anxiety and mood swings. BTW-Remind me to stock up on milk before my next raging case of PMS.

Go bananas...well, eat them anyway. Or just eat half of an avacado to get the potassium proven to help lower blood pressure.

So walk away from the cake, booze, chips, and steak when you are at your wits end. Enjoy some teriaki glazed salmon with a huge spinach salad sprinkled with mandarin orange slices and almonds. Have a hot bubble bath and a glass of milk before bed, and call me in the morning.

Eat More Weigh Less Please Commandments

While the good Lord is afforded 10 (I mean come on...who can argue with the big guy?), I only need three commandments by which to live a nutritious, delicious life.

Thou shall not sacrifice taste and texture in the name of fewer calories.

There are too many delicious options out there that get the job done without taking a toll on the waistline. Some of the most revolting products on the market right now could take a hint from their modestly higher calorie but far more delicious counterparts:

Shirataki Tofu Noodles—Okay, so you get 16 ounces of angel hair noodles (although eating a pound of any noodle should scare you) for 1 WW point, but do you really enjoy chewing on rubber bands? Why not spend 3 WW points on 2 ounces of dry Smart Taste pasta? Toss it with a teaspoon of olive oil and grated parmesan, sautéed garlic, and a ton of fresh veggies for a delicious primavera for a 5 WW point feast. Or try it with fresh tomatoes and basil for a 4 WW point frenzy.
All fat-free cheeses…PERIOD—None of these are okay! 1 ounce of fat free mozzarella has 1 WW point. 1 ounce of 2% Kraft Mozzarella has 1.5 WW point. A ½ WW point difference IS NOT worth the textural nightmare of fat-free cheese. Not to mention that it melts into a plastic disk instead of a gooey pile of delicious. Go for the 2%, and thank me later!
Fat-free mayonnaise—Do you like flavor? I thought so! Then run far and fast away from this stuff. While you can have 4 tablespoons of this glop for 1 WW point, MORE doesn’t mean TASTY. The only reason I could see using this stuff is in conjunction with a light or olive-oil-based mayonnaise in a pasta salad or tuna salad. And it that case, I would rather use Fage Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt. Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise has 1 WW point per tablespoon, which I find to be an appropriate amount for a sandwich anyway. BTW-Fat free mayonnaise is the base of fat-free ranch dressing…also disgusting. Opt for Light Hidden Valley Ranch.

Thou shall not settle for a pea-sized portion.

For the same reason I am not a huge fan of frozen reduced calorie entrées (e.g. the 200 Calorie DiGiorno Pizza Portions that are 5 WW points—they are SUPER small, so you want both pieces in the box…I would opt for a much larger and filling pita pizza), I resent a lot of 100 calorie packs—there just isn’t enough substance. There are some (e.g. Hostess 100 Calorie Snack Cakes in strawberry, chocolate, carrot cake and lemon—there are three to a pack @ 1 WW point, thank you!) that are worth it, but many of them leave me wondering why I wasted 2 whole WW points on 5 miniature cookies. Just like the frozen dinner, the incredibly high amount of processed sugar in these bump up the calorie count per ounce, so you can only have a very small portion.

And while I endorse most things “Weight Watchers,” I do not endorse their candies. First of all, they are too small for me to care. Secondly, I could savor a WW Giant Latte or Giant Fudge ice cream bar or an enormous bowl of fresh berries with a dollop of fat free Cool Whip (worth it!) for the same number of WW points—more bang for your caloric buck! Also, they are the SAME EXACT number of points as any other brand of tiny candy (e.g. Snickers, Milky Way, and Reese’s).

One of my favorite things to read on a frozen entrée box is its serving suggestions: Serve in a bowl or on a plate to feel more like you’ve had a meal. If I want to feel like I have had a meal, I will eat more than three noodles and a piece of mechanically separated chicken covered in the salty garbage they call sauce. Guys, it seriously takes such little time to make a much more nutritious and filling version of what they are offering. Even if you throw ½ cup of low-calorie (and preferably lower sodium) pre-fab sauce and a generous cup of steamed vegetables (they even come in a steamer bag now, people) onto some boiled Smart Taste noodles, you are making a better choice in not a tremendous amount of time. And if portability is the reason for opting into frozen entrées, I have one word for you…Gladware.

Thou shall not eat something just because it is labeled high fiber, reduced fat, low-fat, or sugar free.

Reduced fat or Low fat is a lot of marketers’ way of saying High Sugar (and therefore high in calorie). Muffins, cookies, and pastries are typically the most outrageous offenders, both store-bought and restaurant type:

Muffins
Atlanta Breads Lowfat Apple Muffins have 5 WW points.
Au Bon Pain Low Fat Triple Berry Muffins have 6 WW points.
Starbucks Low Fat Red Raspberry Muffins have 7 WW points.
Otis Spunkmeyer Delicious Essentials (really?) Reduced Fat Banana and Wild Blueberry muffins have 7 WW points.
Here is the ultimate: Dunkin Donuts (we should have known) Reduced Fat Blueberry Muffins have 9 WW points!!!

If you must have a muffin and you refuse to bake your own (egg beaters instead of egg and canned pumpkin or applesauce instead of oil will take down your points value substantially-check out the Ooey Gooey GIANT Chocolate Muffin recipe for 2 WW points from my May posts), Weight Watchers brand (3 points) and Vitalicious (1 Point) are your best bet.

Toaster Pastries
While your typical toaster pastry has 5 WW points, the low-fat version still has 4 WW points. Even the toaster pastries made with whole grain have 3 WW points. And you only get the one pastry! It begs the age old question, why do they put two pastries in one package when the serving size is one???

Cookies and Pastries
While any sugar-free store bought cake has about 5 WW points per serving, here are a few other sweet treats to be leery of...

Starbucks Reduced Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake and Reduced Fat Very Berry Coffee Cake have 7 WW points, and their Banana Chocolate Chip coffee Cake has 8 WW points.
Otis Spunkmeyer Sweet Discovery Reduced Fat Oatmeal Cookies has 3 WW points per cookie.
Keebler Cookies Sandies Reduced Fat Pecan Shortbread has 3 WW per 2 cookies.
Smart Ones Brownie Al A Mode has 4 WW points per tiny portion

Thus sayeth the calorie-conscious diva...AMEN!

Summertime...and the cooking is easy

Have I mentioned I absolutely ADORE the summer? Like most of you, I work year round, but I always find time to make the most out of the precious summer months on the weekends and after work—safely soaking up a little sun, taking dips in the pool, and spending leisurely Sundays making magic out of the amazing seasonal produce bursting from local and regional gardens and farmer’s markets.

June and July are harvest months for some of my favorite herbs, fruits, and vegetables. They are never more luscious in texture and intense in flavor, so I like to make them the star of the show in my summer mealtime offerings. I’ve taken the liberty of featuring the summertime superstar produce you love in delicious, figure-friendly recipes:

Fruits
Blackberries: Layered Berry Custard Crostata
Blueberries: Blueberry-Orange Bread
Cherries: Grilled Chicken with Cherry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
Nectarines: Nectarine, Prosciutto, and Arugula Bundles
Peaches: Cobble Cobble Peach Cobbler
Plums: Shrimp & Plum Kebabs
Raspberries: Grilled Salmon Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Watermelon: Watermelon Frojito and Fire and Ice Salsa
Strawberries: Chicken and Strawberry Salad and Strawberry, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Vegetables
Zucchini: Parmesan Zucchini Sticks with Smoky Roasted Romesco Sauce
Tomatoes: Mississippi Caviar
Summer Squash: Athenian Pasta Primavera
Green Beans: Faux Fried Green Beans with Wasabi Ranch Dip
Eggplant: Low-Cal Ratatouille
Cucumber: Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Cucumbers
Corn: Sautéed Escarole, Corn, and White Bean Salad
Broccoli: Broccoli Rabe & Orzo Salad
Beets: Beet and Fennel Soup

Herbs
Basil: Slimmed-down Basil Pesto
Parsley: Roasted Tilapia with Orange-Parsley Salsa
Oregano: Orange, Radicchio, and Oregano Salad
Sage: Oven Fries with Crisp Sage Leaves
Rosemary: Garlic-Rosemary Mushrooms

Having trouble finding a farmer's market near you? Local Harvest is an amazing resource for locating farmer's markets, community gardens, and farm-to-table restaurants near you.

Is your job making you FAT? Part Two: Your office saboteur

We’re not going to have time to get out of here for lunch, so let’s order in Chinese. How many eggrolls do you want?

We’re going to Happy Hour after work for two-for-one margaritas—we can count on you to be there, right? You can skip the gym just one day!

I have a case of the Mondays that only cheese fries can cure! How about you?

I didn’t sleep well at all last night. Come with me to get a mocha at the coffee shop so I can wake up.

I brought a box of doughnuts for everyone!

Does any of this sound familiar? What can be an innocent invitation to lunch/dinner/happy hour/coffee break can easily be a dirty slight courtesy of your own personal office saboteur. You know them. You often love them. And they are making you FAT.

Although rarely executed with any sort of conscious malice, these colleagues exploit your weaknesses by linking the social side of your workplace with consumption, and they offer up high calorie comfort food and drinks disguised as well-deserved stress relief. The old adage that misery loves company could not be more applicable as these saboteurs search for validation from others to justify their bad decision making.

Once you have identified the repeat offenders, it is time to confront them. The first step to keeping these bad habit bandits at bay is verbally establishing your health and nutrition goals with them. Let them know you have made a conscious decision to eat healthier and that giant sandwiches and General Tsao chicken are not included in your plan. Be consistent with your new healthy eating habits, and they will learn quickly that you do not want to go in on pizza, split a hoagie, or drink penny pitchers with them anymore. While at first they might seem hurt or offended by your repeated opting out of their invitations to high-calorie hotspots, they will (if they are good friends with your best interest in mind) eventually start asking you to go places that have menu options conducive to your healthy lifestyle.

When your colleagues see the positive results of your healthy choices (e.g. your butt looks smaller, you have more energy, and you seem to always be in a good mood), they will begin to rethink their own decisions and share these decisions with you. One of my favorite things about being the office calorie Nazi and gym rat is that people share their stories with me. If someone ran 3 miles, I know about it. If someone said “No” to cake, I will have a memo on my desk by 3:00 p.m. about it. Just like they used to share their French fries with me, they now share their strides toward a healthy lifestyle. Trendsetting is not sanctioned only to entertainment and fashion, believe me. I’d like to think I started a workout trend in my office…or at least encouraged a few folks to dust off their old running shoes.

Invite your co-workers to make healthy decisions with you and give them the tools they need to make those good decisions WITH you:

1) Invite everyone to brownbag it and picnic in the park for lunch one day. Lead them in a walk afterwards.
2) If your gym allows you to bring a guest for free, offer to take a different co-worker each week.

3) Bring healthy alternatives to office get-togethers (see Part One: The Office Party for recipes).
4) Offer suggestions for restaurants with calorie-conscious options and be the first one in line to order. I guarantee your co-workers will order at least 100 fewer calories by hearing the healthier precedent you set.
5) Ask your office buddies to join you for a walk or jog after work.
6) Keep fresh fruit or 100 calorie packs in your office or cubicle for anyone who needs something to get them through the afternoon without a trip to the vending machine for a candy bar.
7) Be available for advice about healthy eating and exercise. While you don’t want to be the “pusher,” you can be a reliable shoulder to cry on for anyone in your office beginning this journey toward a healthy lifestyle. You can share your experience and sympathize with their struggles.

8) Offer to "Hungry Girl" people's favorite recipes. In other words, come up with a lower calorie version of your favorite co-workers' favorite dishes, and bring it to the next office party.

9) Don’t be someone else’s saboteur. Wait! What?!?

That’s right. Whether you know it or not, you could easily be someone else’s saboteur. Your favorite sushi place where you typically order a veggie roll with brown rice could be the SAME place your colleague can’t say no to the pork fried rice and cream cheese stuffed wontons. Be sensitive to others’ triggers. Food can be as addictive and comforting as other more obviously harmful addictions like cigarettes or alcohol. I’ll admit it. I can’t eat pizza from a box—it is a trigger food for me. If I eat one slice, I need three. I can’t have one cookie. If I have one, I need ten. So I just stay away from my trigger foods, and I’m okay. It is important to be sensitive to your co-workers' trigger foods and drinks, so you are not setting them up for failure either. Creating an open dialogue about trigger food is a great way to find out people’s weaknesses to AVOID putting them in situations in which they find it impossible to make a healthy decision (like putting a box of pizza or bag of cookies in front of me).

Your co-workers will thank you in the long run, and you can feel good about the positive influence you bring to their lives.