By: Betsy Banks

There's no getting around it.  No matter how good of a handle I think I've gotten on eating and exercise, I need to track these things daily.  Journaling is, quite simply, critical to my success.  In fact, it may be the one thing that makes the most difference.  A scant sixty seconds three times a day is a pretty small price to pay for steady weight loss (and maintenance of that loss).  It helps me maintain a mindfulness that motivates good decision-making.

This revelation comes at the end of a long plateau.  Well, not a plateau, if I'm being honest.  By definition, a weight loss plateau occurs when loss stalls even though you're taking all of the appropriate actions for weight loss.  During a plateau, the body takes a breather, recalibrates, and works to ready itself for further loss.

So, I didn't really plateau.  Rather, I slacked.  I allowed myself to get complacent, to be derailed by recent turmoil in my life.  I back-burnered my rather single-minded attention to eating well and exercising.  Thinking I was in the clear, I made a critical mistake:  I slacked on journaling.

This change coincided, not surprisingly, with another huge change in my life.  My husband of 24 years was unfaithful and moved out.  Perhaps understandably, my focus shifted from dietary diligence to merely staying emotionally afloat.  Food became the enemy in a different way than I'd ever experienced:  eating enough became a challenge.  If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have continued journaling, and used what I learned to guide my choices.  Instead, I struggled to stay sufficiently glued together to carry out the routine tasks of day-to-day life.

In retrospect, I handled the challenge pretty well.  I did not return to old habits.  I clung to the eating habits I'd worked hard to establish.  I did not gain weight, or comfort myself with food.  But I neglected the one tool that has consistently worked to my benefit, journaling.

Enough is enough.  Fitday is my friend, and I am nurturing my relationship with it again.  As I complete each day of journaling, I am reminded of the motivational tip shared by Jerry Seinfeld.  When describing what motivates him to write good jokes, he noted that he's most apt to write good jokes when he writes a lot of jokes.  And that means writing every single day, even when he's not motivated to do so.

Think about it.  Think about all the things you do each day that you don't really want to do.  No one gets excited about, say, tooth-brushing.  Yet most of us willingly brush our teeth.  Most of us don't find doing the laundry, or dishes, or taxes to be stimulating and fun.  And yet, we do all of these things-and hundreds more. 

Being motivated to do things that are inherently mind-numbingly un-motivating is a challenge.  But Seinfeld has a trick.  He recommends placing a large calendar in a prominent place.  He uses one that shows a whole year at a time, but a monthly calendar would work, too.  Each day that he writes jokes, he places a red X through the day on the calendar.  He explains, "After a few days you'll have a chain.  Just keep at it, and the chain will grow longer every day.  You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you have a few weeks under your belt.  Your only job next is not to break the chain.  Don't break the chain."

Why am I writing about this?  My long, long chain has been broken.  So I'm picking up the end of the chain, and adding a new link every day.  Other than the silicone band encircling my stomach, this chain is the most valuable "jewelry" I own.  You deserve a priceless chain, as well.  A huge part of chain-building is planning:  planning meals, planning how to stock the kitchen, planning for exercise.  (You know what they say:  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.) To help you plan-to build your chain-I am sharing my meal plan and recipes for the coming two weeks.

The menu is arranged calendar-style, but as you already know, menus give me hives.  So, I mix and match, depending on whim.  The items in italics are those I serve my family and guests, but omit for my own low-carb eating.  You can tailor it however works best for you.  Some of the recipes follow this; others will follow next week.

Will you work with me to build a chain?  Will you make the commitment to the positive, success-promoting habit of journaling?  You, too, can accumulate a sparking gem of weight loss success each day, building priceless emotional jewelry.  Don't break the chain.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings:  4 • Serving Size: 2 drumsticks
Calories:  213 • Fat:  4.7 g • Protein:  27.5 g • Carb:  12.7 g • Fiber:  0.4 g

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• Pam spray oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil.  Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes.  Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally.  (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top.  Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings:  4 Serving Size:  1.5 cups
Calories:  138.1 • Fat:  3.2 g • Protein:  3.3 g • Carb:  21.0 g • Fiber:  3.3 g  

• 4 large red bell peppers, roasted seeds removed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp herbs de provence
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp fat free sour cream
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

To roast red peppers on the grill, place clean fresh red peppers directly on the grill top.  You can also put them directly over the flame on your stove.  Turn your peppers frequently, as needed until the skin has turned completely black and starts to blister.  When the entire pepper skin has turned black, remove the peppers from the grill and place them into a bowl.

Cover the bowl with a lid or a dish to make it airtight to build up steam.  Let the peppers rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.  Uncover, remove from the bowl and the skin will slide off easily.  Cut the pepper in half to core and remove seeds.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the broth, roasted bell peppers, potato and wine.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Decrease the heat to medium-low and cover, simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

With an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot with the sour cream until it is smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the grated parmesan and ladle into bowls.

Oven-Fried Chicken with Almonds
South Beach Diet Cookbook
Makes 6 servings
Nutritional information per serving:  383 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated), 41 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 91 mg cholesterol, 730 mg sodium

• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• ¼ cup (1 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 " thickness and cut into 12 pieces
• Parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400° F. 

In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, almonds, parsley, garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Place the oil in a shallow dish.  Dip the chicken first in the oil, then in the almond mixture.  Place the chicken in a shallow baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the chicken registers 170° F and the juices run clear.  (Do not turn the chicken during cooking.) Garnish with the parsley.

Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings:  about 10 • Serving Size:  3 oz • Old Points:  4.5 pts • Points+:  5 pts
Calories:  202.5 • Fat:  6.3 g • Protein:  26.2 g • Carb:  11.5 g • Fiber: 0.6 g

Adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

• 2.5 lbs pork loin roast, all fat trimmed
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
• 6 oz Coke zero
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
• 1/4 cup water

Step 2

• 8 oz Coke zero
• 6 oz can sliced green chilies
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder (to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (unpacked)

Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in the crock pot.  Add 6 oz of coke and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  Marinate refrigerated for a few hours or overnight turning meat at least once while marinating.

Remove crock from refrigerator, add water, and cook on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily).  Remove pork from crock pot and discard any liquid left in the pot.  Shred pork with two forks.

Step two:  In the crock pot, combine 8 oz coke, green chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and remaining brown sugar.

Put shredded pork back in the crock pot and combine with sauce.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook on high 1-1/2 hours more.

 
Betsy Banks

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