"The Skinny"
on Weight Loss!

August 2009

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• I am so excited about the Mediterranean diet! Whether your goal is weight loss or just good health, this style of eating is rapidly being recognized as the healthiest way to live and promote wellness! Eat an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, and extra virgin olive oil! Who couldn't love that?

• Processed foods are now being demonized as the single greatest contributor of poor health. Choose to eat foods that are as natural as possible. Read labels and pay special attention to the ingredients. Words that you can't pronounce or don't know what they are should be considered "bad news." Ask yourself, "Would my great-grandmother recognize this as food?" If the answer is no, then steer clear!

• Make a special effort to eat slowly and enjoy your food. Chew each bite well. Make your meal a production, even if it's only you eating. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat. If you're no longer hungry, then it's time to stop.

• Red meat is allowed on the Mediterranean diet, but only rarely and in small amounts. Learn to eat all meat as a side dish instead of the main dish.

• Enjoy the ten "power foods" of the Mediterranean: almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, olive oil, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and whole grains.

Check out these Mediterranean cookbooks!

Study the Mediterranean diet food pyramid.

This Mediterranean Diet website covers a variety of related topics and offers many delicious recipes.

Learn about the link between the Mediterranean diet and the risk for Alzheimer's!

By now many of you have heard about the article that is featured on the cover of the August 17, 2009 Time Magazine, entitled "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin." As more and more Americans jump on the exercise bandwagon, the rate of obesity continues to rise in this country. Officially, one-third of Americans are obese--not overweight, but obese! How is it possible for people to be burning so many calories but also gaining so much weight?

In a nutshell, the problem seems to be that while exercise does burn calories, it also stimulates hunger.

As recently as 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommended that to lose weight, one would need to exercise for 60-90 minutes most days of the week. More recent studies are blowing that theory out of the water!

Interestingly studies are also showing that leading an active lifestyle (the way humans did for thousands of years) is much more beneficial than just spurts of daily exercise routines.

Don't misunderstand the point of the article, all seem to agree that exercise is essential for good heart health, but for weight loss, the jury is still out...

You can read the Time Magazine article here!

My new commitment to avoid processed foods whenever possible has been a challenge because I don't like to cook. I'm not without some skills in the kitchen but I don't really enjoy cooking. I'm trying to get better. I'm hoping that if I cook more, I'll not only eat healthier and lose weight, but also reduce my monthly grocery bill.

For those of you that love to cook, the Mediterranean diet will be a dream. There are amazing recipes available on almost every site. Just google "Mediterranean diet recipes" and go crazy!

Below I'll include some easy things I've made since starting the "diet" two weeks ago. I used quotations around the word diet because I don't feel like I'm dieting. I'm eating plenty of delicious, healthy meals that taste like comfort food. I've never been on a diet that encourages the use of fat (in this case, extra virgin olive oil-EVOO as Rachel Ray likes to call it) and it makes a huge difference in being satisfied! In case you're wondering, I've lost 6 pounds in two weeks, and I haven't felt deprived even once!

Stuffed Red Peppers
Cut a large red bell pepper in half and clean out the seeds. Place sliced garlic and sliced Greek olives in the bottom of each half. Place cut tomato wedges in each until full (I used cherry tomatoes cut in half). Drizzle one teaspoon of EVOO over each. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. For those of you good with herbs, you could really have fun here. I'm afraid that I don't have that skill...

These peppers were so delicious even my husband liked them, and he doesn't care for anything labeled "healthy." I made them again and instead of the tomatoes I stuffed them with chunks of onions, yellow squash, and zucchini. (I still used the garlic and olives for flavoring.) I sprinkled a little feta cheese over them when served. Yummy! I think next, I'm going to stuff them with mushrooms!

I've never purchased ground turkey breast before, but I bought some and made patties. I covered both sides with whole wheat bread crumbs and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I then browned them in one tablespoon of EVOO on medium heat, for about 5 min. each side. When the pan dried out, I splashed in a little chicken broth, but wine would be good too. The turkey patties were really good! It made me think that putting some things in them would be good too, such as diced veggies or jalapenos. Maybe I'll try that next time.

Click here to see my favorite recipe for Greek Salmon. It's healthy, easy, fast, and impressive enough for company! Any kind of fish, shrimp, scallops, or even chicken can be substituted for the salmon.

My new favorite "side salad" is made in a small bowl with a few cherry tomatoes cut in half, a few thin slices of onion, a few thin slices of avocado, a few Greek olives sliced, and a teaspoon of EVOO and red wine vinegar. (I put salt, pepper, and garlic powder on everything so if I forget to mention it, know that it's there!)

I've been keeping a bowl of sliced cucumbers in my fridge for those times when I feel like I need a bite or two of something good. I've been using English cucumbers but you can use regular ones if you scrape the seeds out first. I first peel the cucumber and use the side of an old metal grater to slice them nice and thin. I also slice up about a half of an onion in them too. I then add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, along with one tablespoon of EVOO and about 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The longer it sits, the better it is.

I purchased and made quinoa for the first time yesterday. I used chicken broth instead of water. After it was finished, I added sauteed onions and mushrooms. It was wonderful! If you've never tried it, give it a chance! Learn more about quinoa here!

I cooked some asparagus in a pan with a tablespoon of EVOO and a little water for about 6-7 minutes and then splashed it with the juice of a whole lemon before serving. It was wonderful! (Again, salt, pepper, garlic powder)

I love to make up a large cookie sheet of roasted vegetables. Just cut your favorites into bite-sized chunks and roast for 20 min. at 450 degrees. I've done them dry and with olive oil. They're delicious both ways. Balsamic vinegar is good to splash on prior to roasting too. This works especially well for onions, mushrooms, squash of any kind, zucchini, and bell peppers.

Because whole grains are encouraged and I don't eat cereals, I purchased a substantial whole grain bread that has 6 grams of fiber in each slice naturally--not with additives. I sometimes toast a slice and cover it with a thin layer of peanut butter and then a sprinkle of crushed almonds. This will stick to your ribs and is a very satisfying breakfast or snack. I'm so used to diet bread that I was shocked at how filling one slice could be!

I've been eating delicious salads with EVOO and vinegar or lemon juice as the dressing. Sometimes I'll add beans, almonds or walnuts for protein. I have both bleu cheese and feta cheese crumbles in the fridge and I've been adding them to salads too. Use them sparingly due to calories, but also a little flavor goes a long way!

I'll eat fruit but I'm not a "fruit lover." I prefer my fruit cold, so I keep a bowl in the fridge with grapes, oranges, and apples. Smoothies are a great way to enjoy plenty of fruits, especially blueberries and strawberries, two of the Mediterranean power foods! Click here for some delicious smoothie recipes!

There, if you're challenged like I am, I hope that will help you get started with the Mediterranean way of eating...

Weight Loss 101: Fast, Healthy Options to Curb Hunger!

Yes, it's me...no one else shared, so I will. For those of you not familiar with my website, you can read about my weight loss journey by clicking here. Unfortunately, it's ongoing. Suffice it to say, I've gained and lost large amounts of weight my whole life. I continue to yo-yo and I suppose I always will. If I were going to get it right, I imagine it would have happened already.

I'm sure you can tell I'm excited about this Mediterranean diet! Right now, I'm not being very careful about the amount of food I eat and I'm losing fairly quickly. I know that won't last and I firmly believe that no matter what eating plan I follow, portion control is the key to lasting weight loss.

It's difficult to describe, but when I eat "comfort foods" such as mac and cheese, fried chicken, or french fries, I get this feeling of satisfaction in my mouth that is very appealing. The Mediterranean eating plan gives me that same satisfaction. I imagine it's the EVOO, since I've never before been on a diet that encourages the consumption of fat--in this case, heart-healthy fats.

As I mentioned earlier, I've lost 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks, since changing my way of eating. I'll keep you posted on my progress. If anyone wants to join me that would be great. You can contact me using the link in the paragraph below. Wish me luck!

I would love to include a "Subscriber's Success Story" each month. If you would like to be featured here or if you know someone who would, please reply to this email or use my contact page. Pictures aren't imperative, but they sure are inspiring!

• You can enjoy wine on the Mediterranean diet! Women should stick to one glass per day and men should limit their intake to 2 glasses.
  
  
• Residents of Greece and Southern Italy eat diets rich in heart-healthy oils, which make up about 40% of their total calories. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the main oil used.
  
  
• Harvard School of Public Health estimates that trans fats, found mostly in processed foods as partially hydrogenated oils and other additives, cause 50,000 premature heart attack deaths annually in the US alone!
  
  
• The British Journal of Cancer reports that you can reduce your cancer risk by 27 percent if you follow the Mediterranean diet.
  
  
• One of the very best diet motivators is to track your food and exercise. Keeping a food and exercise journal may actually double the number of pounds that a dieter loses according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. If writing down every calorie you eat is too labor-intensive, don't despair! Recording your food and the approximate amounts is just as effective as long as you record everything you eat. It's no surprise that those tastes and bites add up! For a convenient way to record this information, see our Easy Weight Loss Tips' 30-Day Food & Exercise Log!

Thank you for subscribing, and I hope you enjoyed this issue of "The Skinny" on Weight Loss! Please join us again next month for more weight loss fun!

Remember, if you have comments, ideas for future issues, or any kind of feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think! You can also reach me through my contact page.

For comprehensive information about weight loss and wellness, please visit, Easy Weight Loss Tips!