Hello Newsletter Friends!

If this newsletter looks a little different its because I decided to try a new layout. I hope it reads a bit better. Let me know what you think.

Today I overheard a friend encouraging other friends to simply ignore the scale this time of year, and just be as good as you can be, given the holidays. She said she planned to bake cookies with her kids and drink lots of wine. In other words, just stop worrying and enjoy the party.

A part of me says yes to this, as it is a wonderful time of year and we want to celebrate and enjoy what the season has to offer. And the person who was saying this is healthy and incredibly fit, so whatever indulgences she is likely to have will be offset by her rigorous and hale lifestyle. I would say she is right: she should just relax and enjoy.

But I worry about this mindset for some of us, and think there has to be a way to enjoy without backsliding and gaining back what you worked hard losing during the summer and fall. If a scale is the tool you use to tell you whether you're over-doing then ignoring it is not the greatest idea.

The scale: An evil weapon in the world of weight strugglers  everywhere, or useful tool for giving us a range and a comparison? My guess is however you're feeling about your body and your weight, and your willingness or unwillingness to work on it, will determine how you feel about the scale. If you are working on losing or maintaining, and really taking action, you look forward to stepping on that puppy. On the other hand, if you've fallen off that proverbial wagon you are not so enthused, but may do it reluctantly. Some of us get furious or depressed when it gives us a number we do not expect and so we stay away from it. And if you have simply given up somewhere along the way or decided its not about the numbers, the scale is just an annoyance others obsess over, and its their problem, not yours.

I don't think there is one right answer here. I think each of us has a relationship with this inanimate object which is just as unique to us as our overall journey is. But I do want to encourage those of you who have been working to lose or maintain and have been using a scale as part of that effort, to continue stepping on it each morning (or whenever you do...). For those who do rely on it to give you the solid truth, not stepping on it religiously could signal a lax attitude, which often morphs into a lax attitude about what goes in our mouths. And you know where that leads. 

I step on the scale every morning, and then if I go to the gym I step on the one there as well. Obsessive? Maybe a little. But hey, I have maintained my loss for a long time, and plan to keep it that way. The scale is my guide. Tonight I baked persimmon bread and between my boyfriend and I we consumed almost the entire loaf (he ate 2/3 of it, I am relieved to say...but see, even I do these things from time to time). Will I get on the scale tomorrow? Absolutely. Will I get on the scale on December 26th? Yup. As you can see by the above, I still indulge, but the scale will always keep me coming back to my core behaviors.

My brothers and some friends tease me and say I am a party pooper: always telling people not to eat too much or to change a recipe, etc. And here is yet another example of my party-pooping ways. But if being a spoilsport means keeping my body healthy and lean, and encouraging others to do the same then I have no intention of changing my "evil" ways. And is my brother any less evil for texting me a photo of the 5 sticks of butter he was melting for the stuffing on Thanksgiving morning? I think not...

So if you have been thinking about letting the scale ritual slide until January may I just insert a slight nudge towards a shift in that mindset. Make a commitment to yourself this season to stay solid on your journey towards a better, healthier, happier you. 

 

  BLACK BEAN SWEET POTATO ENCHILADAS  

 

INGREDIENTS:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Tbl olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 small fresh hot chilis, minced
11/2 cup cooked or 1 can black beans
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbl chili powder
2 cups of your favorite salsa
8 lg low carb burrito sized tortillas (see product recommendation below)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with oil and roast until tender (about 20 minutes).

Reduce oven temp to 350. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med heat. Add garlic and chili and cook until fragrant: about 30 seconds. Add beans, tomatoes, chili powder and salt & pepper to taste. Stir in sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Individually spoon sweet potato mixture into tortillas and roll up, and place in a baking dish: rolled side down. Top with remaining filling and salsa and sprinkle with onion. Cover and bake until bubbly: about 20 minutes.

Serves 8.  Calories: 193  Carbs: 38  Fat: 5  Protein: 12  Fiber: 16

 

1 tablespoon butter or light butter (see product suggestion below)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups almond or fat-free milk
2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper  

 

 

La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carbohydrate Tortillas

As mentioned in the recipe above, these are delicious and much lighter than their full fat counterparts. Look for them at most grocery stores.

Balade Light Butter

Trader Joes carries this and it is half the calories and fat of regular butter. Normally I use so little butter I do not worry about it, but this time of year when we might be baking more it is a good thing to know about.

  Jim from Sonoma sent these fantastic nature images.

Posted on Facebook, these were billed as high school student's bad analogies. Bad? I think they're brilliant! Especially if the writer is trying to get the reader to laugh...

1) Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2) From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation and Jeopardy comes on at 7 instead of 7:30.

3) She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like the sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

4) The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

5) Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

6) She grew on him like she was a colony of e-coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

7) The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly free ATM.

Check out this great video for a workout all of us could do...and many would enjoy!

Unlike the workout above, which pretty much anyone who likes to move and dance could do, this is something I suspect no one else could quite match...incredible!

This kinda says it all...

I have no idea what Hilary Chaplain, a fantastic performer, will do now that Hostess is closing its doors. This would be the only reason I could see for them staying open...enjoy..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B7CF8pmKYg&feature=plcp