"The Skinny"
on Weight Loss!

February: Be Thin in 2010!

Editor's Notes:

Welcome to our "Be Thin in 2010," February issue of "The Skinny"! Our goal is to provide you with tips, tricks, and techniques you can use to help you achieve your wellness goals!

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend (and me) a big favor and share! If a friend did forward this to you, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

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.

In This Issue:

• Top Tips of the Month
• Featured Product
• Featured Website
• Featured Recipe
• Featured Article
• Share Your Success!
• Did you know?

Top Tips of the Month:

• Valentine's Day can be particularly challenging with so many sweets around. You can't walk into a drugstore, supermarket, or mall without being bombarded by sugar! Remember that sugar is not your friend! If you can't resist, make a limit for yourself and stick to it. If you receive sweets as a gift, enjoy no more than 2 before taking the rest to work to share.

• January was just a few days ago. Don't give up on all those grand ideas you had to improve your health and fitness. Now is the time to renew that commitment that you made so recently. If you have already fallen off your "health wagon", then it is time to jump back on! The next few months are going to pass regardless of whether you take care of yourself or not. The only unknown is how you will look and feel at the end of that time frame. Make this time count so that you will be able to look back and know that you put your health first! Let's make 2010 the year of no regrets!

• If you'd like to lose a significant amount of weight this year and you're tired of going on a diet every Monday, just to go off of it by Wednesday, consider trying a meal replacement diet. Many overweight people lose control when confronted with constant food choices. Choose a diet that eliminates choices, thus removing the constant temptation.

• To encourage healthy eating and proper portions, visualize your dinner plate (7-9 inches max.) divided into four sections. One section is for lean protein, one section is whole-grains, and 2 sections are for vegetables and fruits. Some people find it helpful to draw an actual line on their plate using a condiment such as mustard.

• Recognize that the urge to eat, may be satisfied by something else. When you're tempted to overindulge, take a minute to examine why. Are you sad, bored, angry? If so, deal with the feelings first, before reaching for food. If it isn't about feelings, try drinking a tall glass of cold water first (or tea or another low-caloric beverage). Wait about 10 minutes and see if the urge has disappeared. Sometimes when we're tempted to eat (without being truly hungry), it's because we need a flavor in our mouths. Sugar-free gum, a quick rinse with mouthwash or toothpaste, or a Listerine Breath Strip can take care of the desire for flavor without the calories!

Featured Weight Loss Product:

If you’ve heard of “whole body vibration” (WBV), then you are ahead of the curve when it comes to fitness machines! I first saw this machine while looking at a recent Brookstone catalog. My curiosity was peaked so I did some online research and discovered that “whole body vibration” builds muscle mass 1 ½ to 2 times faster than conventional weight workouts. Advertised to accelerate weight loss, as well as massage, relax, strengthen, and tone the body, this machine also affects circulation, range of motion, and reportedly reduces visible cellulite and combats osteoporosis, while working all the important muscle groups of the body!

Power Plate is a particular type of WBV machine designed to prevent age-related muscle loss, bone density loss, and skin wrinkles. If research is to be believed, amazing benefits can be had with only three sessions each week of 15 minutes each.

If this sounds like the machine for you, be prepared to pay for this newest technology. Costs seem to run between $3,000-$5,000!

You have to know that this reminds me of the old, belted, vibration machines from the 50s and 60s that our mothers and grandmothers used for weight loss. We spent years laughing at that concept. Who’s laughing now?

Read more about the Whole Body Vibration concept of weight loss.

Featured Websites:

Recipe of the Month:

28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small eggplant (3/4 pound), peeled and cut into sticks 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 small zucchini, cut into sticks like the eggplant
8 ounces whole-grain bow tie pasta
6-ounce can water-packed chunk light tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Drain tomatoes, reserving 1 cup of the juice. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet over high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and eggplant and saute until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini, tomatoes, and juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water. Drain and transfer to large serving bowl.

Stir in tuna, olives, parsley and capers into the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring until heated through. Gently stir in the feta. Spoon the mixture over the pasta.

Editor's Note:

"Love is the greatest refreshment in life." (Picasso)

Featured Article:

Weight Loss-vs-Weight Maintenance: Get the Results You Want!

Subscribers Share Success Stories!

I promised I'd take this opportunity to share my success on Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet. I started the diet 4 weeks ago and have lost 18.2 pounds so far!! My success has far exceeded my expectations and it's the second fastest weight loss I've ever experienced, second only to the 5-4-3-2-1 diet. I lost 20 pounds in one month the first time I followed that plan.

I feel like the Cookie Diet was designed with me in mind. You eat six cookies a day, as needed for hunger, and that is all. There are no other decisions to be made during the day. You don't have to eat breakfast on the run or pack a lunch for work. It's incredibly easy and in a way, "freeing." My mind is no longer consumed by food. For dinner, you have lean protein and non-starchy vegetables. Could it be any simpler? It's basically a low-calorie, high-protein diet. As you know, protein is what curbs hunger. Dr. Siegal has been helping his patients lose weight in Miami for 50 years, and the good doctor knows what he's talking about. His philosophy is that if he can keep his patients from being hungry and help them lose weight quickly, then they will stick to their diets and get the weight off.

I have created a page on my website to record what I hope will be my continued success. If you are interested, you can follow my progress on the Cookie Diet. I will update it each weekend, as Saturday is my official "weigh-in" day.

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!

Did you know?

• About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in the US each year.
  
  
• Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.
  
  
• In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
  
  
• In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future husband.
  
  

Our Valentine's Day facts are courtesy of St. Valentine's Day. Org.

Editor's Notes:

Thank you for subscribing, and I hope you enjoyed this special "Thin in 2010" 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!

Check out Tweet What You Eat, a cool website that allows you to keep an online food dairy! Hey, speaking of Twitter...follow me at Ezw8losstips. You'll get page updates and weight loss tips!

Have you ever considered working with a personal diet coach? To learn more, visit www.mycoachlaurie.com