Thanksgiving/Holiday Tips

Wow! Can you believe the holidays are here already? No one is a surprised as we are here at Real Life Fitness & Health. Wondering where we’ve been? Busy! And, we are definitely not complaining. It is awesome so many people want to kick start their lifestyle change with us. (Have you seen our results page? They're real clients who have stayed with us!)

But, now that we are on our little hiatus until the New Year, this gives Adam and the rest of us to regroup, reevaluate, tweak, etc., so that we begin January off with a bang!

We hope that those of you who are past clients are staying the course and continuing your mission to a healthier you. Part of that change includes holidays, which can be daunting to many. In fact, holidays can often send us back into a tailspin of bad habits. Don’t let that be you! Remember to put you first, remember how fabulous you are, and think back to where you began the first time you walked hesitantly in the front door compared to when you left, and … now!

For those of you who haven’t visited us (yet) and are on your own path toward change, or are thinking about getting started…this post is relevant for you, as well!

First, one major holiday at a time. Thanksgiving.

Now, remember it is one meal on one day. Don't let one meal won't overturn all weight loss goals. Having said that…be mindful as you give thanks. And, if you splurge a little, be sure that your indulgences don’t continue through New Years. That will negate all your past efforts. And for what? Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food, anyway! It's about family, community, church, and…oh yeah…giving thanks!! Those are the important things, not who gets the leg, or who took the last scoop of sweet potato casserole.

Still need assistance? Easier said than done? We know. How about some/all of these?

Being realistic is important. Don't set yourself up to fail. How do you do that? Modify your goal from weight loss to weight maintenance during the holidays.

Eat breakfast! That way, you won’t go to Thanksgiving dinner famished. Thinking you want to “bank” calories for the big moment of gluttony? A small, yet satisfying breakfast will help you manage over your hunger.

Be mindful of your portions and be choosy! Thanksgiving tables are filled with a copious amount of family favorites. But the front door doesn’t have a neon light shining “all you can eat buffet”.

• Appraise the food table and make your mind up about what you're going to eat before you fill your plate.
• Select reasonable-sized portions of favorite foods you don’t have year ‘round. Why waste your calories on foods that you eat all the time?
• Think vegetables. Fill ½ your dish with veggies, ¼ quarter with a lean meat, and the last ¼ with one of the starches you enjoy.
• Eat slowly and drink water throughout the meal. These both help control your appetite. You will feel fuller faster and (hopefully) will axe the feeling to reach for seconds. Remember, it takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to realize your tummy has had enough.
• Have a pushy relative or host? Be polite and simply say, "No thanks."

Other meal suggestions –

• Leave the skin (from the bird) behind to lower the amount of fat and cholesterol you’re consuming.
• Ration high fat items (cheese-filled casseroles mashed potatoes green bean casseroles, sweet potato casserole)
• Faced with hor d'oeurves ? Walk away! If you can eat it without a knife and fork, chances are it that item knows which express train to take to your trouble area.
• Use a smaller plate. Bring one if you have to. C’mon. It’s like Zumba class. No one is concerned with what you’re doing. It’s all about them! No? Use the inner rim/indentation as your boundary. Picture it…a stomach is like the size of two fists. When the food is over flowing on the plate, look at your fists. An alarm should go off in your head…don't eat it.
• And….(don’t yell at your computer screen….) Watch the alcohol!

Are you cooking? How about the following substitutions to help?

• 2 egg whites instead of 1 whole egg
• Low fat plain yogurt or low fat sour cream instead of regular sour cream
• Skim/fat fee or 1% milk instead of whole milk
• Frozen yogurt instead of ice cream
• Chilled evaporated skim instead of heavy cream (not for whipping)
• Butter instead of light butter
• Cream of mushroom instead of fat-free cream of mushroom
• Watch the amount of white sugar. Reduce half of the sugar with honey, brown sugar, molasses, or dried fruit
• Use fat-free chicken broth to baste the turkey and make gravy.
• Reduce oil and butter…Do you really need to sauté with it?
• Season with herbs and spices. Add garlic or onions to add taste to the dish without adding a ton of salt. Mrs. Dash is your friend!

Some last words of advise? Avoid the tryptophan coma after dinner. Take a walk, head out for a hike, play Wii instead of becoming a couch potato. Hey, you never know when a tradition will begin!

Whatever you end up doing to celebrate, we here at RLF&H wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season.

Delicious and Healthy Eating + Lower Cholesterol = Great 2 for 1 deal!

Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness recently posted an article on 5 Foods That Fight Cholesterol. Interestingly enough, they are also fabulous for a life change eating. And, they are foods we eat often at RLF&H!

Delicious and healthy eating + lower cholesterol = Great 2 for 1 deal!

Don’t you think?

Speaking of cholesterol, according to the American Dietetic Association, we need to have a goal of a “total cholesterol under 200, with LDL (the bad one) under 110 and HDL (the good one) greater than 35”.

Now, for the foods…to restate what on 5 Foods That Fight Cholesterol posted…well....4. Since we are an alcohol and tobacco free facility, we omitted one of the 5.

Almonds: “According to dietitian Leslie Bonci, who is also the director of sports nutrition at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. ‘Eating nuts, especially almonds, which are high in good-for-you monounsaturated fat, is better than simply eating a low-fat snack like pretzels,’ says Bonci. Of course, they can also be high in calories, so stick with a small serving and choose almonds that are dry roasted without oil.”

Oatmeal: The key is soluble fiber. “ ‘The soluble fiber binds to the bile acids that are the precursor to the development of cholesterol and help flush it out,’ explains Bonci. It doesn’t matter how you get your oats—those instant, just-add-water packets are just as good for you as traditional, slow-cooked versions.” (Just make sure you don’t add any no-so-good

Fish: “Omega-3 fatty acids are widely considered to be the best of the “good” fats, and the best place to find them is in fish—especially fatty fishes like salmon, halibut and tuna.”

Soy: “Soybeans, soy nuts and edamame, plus any products made from soy (like tofu, soymilk, etc.) can help to reduce the production of new cholesterol. A little can go a long way—aim for about 25 grams of soy protein a day (the amount in a cup of edamame).”

Looking for some great edamame recipes? Check out Kalyn’s blog, from right here in Salt Lake. She has a ton of great recipes to offer, edamame and more!

Are you ready?

Our last client to weigh in lost 24 lbs in just 7 days!

Are you ready for a total life transformation?

Mediterranean Halibut

Last year, I took a class in New York City called Super Fast Weeknights, a class with which home cooks learn tips on how to put a nutritious and tasty dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. The instructor was the very personable and extremely funny Marge Perry (author of Dinner Tonight: Deliciously Simple Weekday Meals You Can Get to the Table in No Time, a contributing editor for Cooking Light and syndicated columnist for Newsday, and contributor to Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, Self, Prevention, More, Coastal Living, and Relish...oh! And a BU Alumni - Go Terriers!).

Now that the cooking for RLF&H is up and going, with Julie cooking lunch and dinner during the week and me cooking breakfast and weekends, we are always looking for wonderful and tasty recipes our residents can do at home. So, I decided to take Mediterranean Roasted Red Snapper we make in class and use Halibut.

Why Halibut? First, it’s a less “fishier” fish. Second, it has a delicious, almost sweet flavor, is very white in color and firm, and cooks into a very flaky meat. A great source of protein, it is also high in minerals, low in sodium, fat, and calories. Halibut’s versatility leads to it being perfect for almost any style of cooking. I always bake or broil it, but Halibut is also great for pan-frying, deep-frying, poaching or grilling. However you cook it, beware of calories and adding a lot of fat (like with frying)!

All that being said, it also doesn’t include a large number of bones. That’s what I call hassle-free cooking!

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Halibut
Slightly tweaked Marge Perry recipe from her ICE class

1 ½ pounds Halibut fillets
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat the bottom of a broiler pan or baking sheet (with low sides) with cooking spray. Lay the fillets on the pan. Brush the tops of the fillets with the oil, then sprinkle evenly with salt, thyme, and oregano. Sprinkle lemon juice and zest over the fish, place in the center of the oven, and roast for 13 minutes, or until the center of the fish pulls apart with little resistance.

Notes: (1) I lined my baking sheet with foil before spraying with cooking spray. (2) I mixed the salt, thyme, and oregano together before sprinkling on the fish.

*served with Green Beans cooked in garlic and tomatoes

Spicing up your Food...and a Recipe

Even though there are different spins on Asian cooking, one thing a definite...deliciously distinct and balanced flavors. Depending on the country, other variations will be present. For instance, you may find a lot of corn, bean sprouts, and shitake mushrooms in China, fish sauces, lemon grass, and spices like turmeric and garlic in countries like Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and vegetarian dishes in Indian food, although some dishes will include chicken, lamb, and fish. Indian cuisine also utilizes spices like coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, fennel, turmeric. As far as vegetables, there are several vegetables that are worth checking out in Asian markets, like Mustard greens, kale or cabbage, snow peas, bok choy, and eggplant

Some other staples include rice (steamed, rice paper, and noodles), tofu, and sauces (like soy, oyster, black bean, and fish), and tea.

Here are a couple of other quick notes I found –

Thai Spices
Mint: Very similar to the mint used in mint sauces in England. Used in Thai cooking as a fresh vegetable and as a flavoring for prawns, as well as in fresh spring rolls.
Basil: There are several kinds of Thai basils—horapa (sweet, similar to the kind used in Italian pesto); ga-prow (used in fish, beef and chicken dishes); manglug (somewhat peppery taste, also known as lemon-scented basil, combines well with fish, salads, chili sauces and prawns).
Chili: More than ten types of chili are used in Thai cooking. Combined with beef, pork, chicken, lamb, prawns and fish.
Garlic: Thailand is literally overflowing with garlic plants. Whole cloves, smashed garlic, chopped garlic, and garlic oil are used in almost every Thai dish.
Lemongrass: Similar in appearance to coarse grass, this refreshing herb is used many dishes, the most famous being Tom Yum, a hot and sour shrimp soup. The upper part of the leaves are used for tea.
Spring onions: A standard long-stemmed, green-and-white onion used as a garnish for soups, salads and vegetables.
Bay Leaf: Used in curries, often with nutmeg and mace.
Cloves: These dried flower buds are used in a special Thai curry called Masaman curry (a rich, coconut milk dishes, influenced by Indian flavours), along with mace and nutmeg.
Cinnamon: Made from the bark of a native tree, cinnamon is used in meat dishes and curries.
Pandanus Leaf: These long narrow green leaves must be withered to create their nutty, haylike flavour. They are used to season rice and to wrap up steamed dishes.
Cumin: Also used in curries.
Ginger: Young ginger is used for a condiment with chicken or beef dishes. A special, larger-sized ginger, known as Galangal or Siamese, is used to make curry pastes.
Lime: The peel is used in variety of main dishes. The whole fruit is used mainly for desserts. The leaves of the Kaffir Lime (a knobby, darker green version) are an essential ingredient in green curries, fish dishes and soups.
Mandarin Orange: Used for desserts. Citron, a green orange, is also used as a bitter-tasting complement.
Jasmine: This flower, picked in the evening before it opens is used as aromatic flavor in drinking water, tea and desserts.

Vietnamese Spices
Cilantro: This intense herb is a member of the buckwheat family and has smooth, oval leaves with a less pungent, more lemony aroma than North American cilantro. The herb, which is always used fresh, gives Vietnamese food its unique flavor. Look for it especially in soups and noodle dishes.
Chili: Often thinly sliced and sprinkled on dishes and sweet dipping sauces.
Mint: This clean, zippy flavor has two varieties: spicy and regular. Usually used as part of a hot soup. Tear the leaves off and toss them into the soup just before eating.
Vietnamese Balm: Imparts a lemony flavor and is typically added to grilled meat.
Lemongrass: A definite must-have in most Vietnamese cooking. You can freeze the lemongrass stalk in an air-tight bag for months.

Spicy Thai Beef Wrap
Adapted from Nourish

1-2 lbs roast beef, sliced thinly
2 ½ c julienned snap peas and onions mix
6 10-inch whole wheat tortillas

Dressing
¼ c lime juice
1 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. low-sodium tamari sauce
4 “splashes” Tabasco sauce
3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. rice vinegar

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Toss the snap peas and onions with the dressing and allow the flavors to “marry” for about 10-15 minutes. Place tortillas on a flat surface. Place about 3 oz. of roast beef on each tortilla, along with veggies (that have been divided out equally among the tortillas). Roll up burrito style. Serves 6

Big Losses = Big Confidence Gains!

Choose it all! We did!
...and saw the results...

Congratulations to our Real Life Fitness clients this week. Twelve residents weighed in Saturday. Their combined weight loss?

64.5 pounds!

What an exceptional week! Way to go, everyone! Keep up the hard work.

Soaring High Point of the Mountain Paragliding

The guests who arrive at RLF&H work extremely hard during the week. Participating in 5-8 hours of exercise a day can be...well...exhausting. So, we like to offer fun alternatives on the weekends, outings that might not be attempted outside of this particular retreat, outside comfort zones.

Recently, we went Paragliding. Paragliding! We flew with Point of the Mountain Paragliding. Patrick Johnson enlisted the assistance of fellow paraglider, Chris, and our group flew Tandem. Many of us never thought we would complete such a task. Fear of heights, fear of size, or just plain fear of the unknown, most of us all approached this particular outing with a bit of trepidation. But, by the end? We all want to go back. And, most of us want to learn how to fly solo! But, be rest assured that when we do? We are calling Patrick, for sure! He explained the directions and expectations so clearly and made each one of us comfortable. Don't believe me? Check these pictures out!