A Simple Diet
Basically, you will have one meal a day. This is a common diet for people who are in great shape and wish a very low percentage of body fat. I follow my own model though.
I want to emphasize as I do elsewhere, that I am not an
expert on diet, but I do read, and I come from a family
that has the tendency to be rather barrel shaped as we age. I seem to have kept myself at a reasonable weight if I try and I am now over 65 and see my activity declining.
Now, this low body fat is the result of a fair amount of exercise, as diet alone will result in losing muscle mass long before you start losing fat. However, it may also get you to a goal weight with moderate exercise. You must do Something!..For those who have little opportunity or are unable to exercise, you will have to find something. Simple movement is good. Move in your bed. Get up an down. Roll around...anything, but move your muscles.
Leslie Sansone has a regimen on DVD and on TV that you can follow. Her program is low impact and has movements that many can use even if other forms of exercise are not possible. I have been around people who simply cannot exercise who have just moved easily with the program who have quickly improved to the point that they are able to join the full programs in the simplest forms. There are also simple chair exercises that you can find on line. You Tube might be a good source for this or ask a physical therapist.
People who fail at diets often do something so drastic that they cannot keep up the program. You are always craving something that is forbidden to you. Well, in this diet, nothing is forbidden to you. However, YOU should take responsibility for making good choices, and reading labels on food. Of course you must always avoid Saturated fats, Hydrogenated oils and fats, and anything that is artificial. High Fructose Corn Syrup is not going to kill you in small amounts, but you really should limit the intake. Sugar should be kept to a minimum along with most ARTIFICIAL sweeteners. Again, sugar consumption will not kill you, but it should be kept to a minimum. With me, I can cut out sugar completely for a time, but all I need is one little dose, and the floodgates open up and I cannot stop.
You have to eat anything you want in order to keep from terrible cravings. Remember that one meal that is not on your diet is not going to spoil the weight loss, as long as you return to your regimen immediately.
So, here is what you should try. Buy a small set of plates. The huge Dinner Plates are too big for normal meals. The bread and butter and salad plates are too small and are discouraging. The size between is a luncheon plate. Just the right size. Don't buy a small plate and load it up till it is dripping off the sides of the plate either.
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A word about portion size. Mounds of vegetables and a cup or so of starch...potato, pasta, rice... As for meat, if you need it or want it, about three ounces is all you need for the entire day. That is about the size of a deck of cards.(If you want no meat in your diet, replace with legumes and whole grain for the protein) I figure it out by either weighing out the portions into little bags for the freezer or if I buy a one pound package of hamburger(as an example) I divide the package into five equal portions.
With our very "American" idea of portion size, it is harder these days to buy chicken breasts. I buy one of the economy packages of breasts and find that they are the size of Pterodactyl breasts. Just where are they getting these Jules Verne chickens?! Anyway, they often have lots of rib meat, unappetizing bits and a bit of fat on them. I trim the breasts of the rib meat etc. and simmer them to make chicken broth and use my fingers to separate the meat from the trimmings and broth. I just scoop a handful of frozen or fresh veggies, celery and onion into the broth, cook them and add a bit of rice, potato or pasta precooked into it at the end.
The breasts are cut into two or three pieces and bagged separately depending on their size. I can bake one or two at a time.[for two days or slice one for a chicken sandwich or chicken salad] I can pound one flat and fry or make Parmesan from one.
[Pound flat between waxed paper squares, dip in flour, dip in egg [salted and peppered], dip in Parmesan, into egg again, then in home made bread crumbs and set on a wire rack to dry. Fry in a bit of oil or butter(Yes, you need a tablespoon of fat every day for good brain function but that means good fats.) top with Mozzarella and bake for a while till the temperature is 165F. top with sauce and serve with pasta.[just a bit of pasta because of the breading and one of these suckers can be the size of your luncheon plate.] You can also just squeeze a wedge of lemon(and capers) over the fried cutlet and eat with a bit of rice(that is with or without Parmesan). Sauteed mushrooms are good with this and a mound of peas or broccoli.]
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Think of your day as one meal. You will have an appetizer in the late morning, a good lunch late in the day, and your healthy dessert in the evening.
Of course you are not getting up in the morning and having a plate of potato skins or Mozzarella sticks. Many people have a light fruit offering as an appetizer or did when we were not so gluttonous as we are today. Try a little Greek yogurt or cottage cheese in the morning. Add a topping of fresh fruit, or a fruit compote with Splenda or with no sweetener.(I buy the big bags of frozen berries and thaw out a cup each day when I do not have fresh fruit in the pantry.) I like to make plain baked apples, a whole tray at a time and put them in the refrigerator to take out one by one. Add a few raisins, a couple of chopped dates(no sugar added) or a chopped fresh fig. After baking, sprinkle a little Stevia on it. Nestle an apple in a little mound of cottage cheese or yogurt....look at the yogurt label...no sugar please!
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Baked Apples:
You can do traditional baked apples. Butter, cream, brown sugar, dried fruit, candied fruit. cinnamon, walnuts. But I am afraid that is not on your diet! First, it is always better if you leave the skin on any fruit that you consume, as long as the skin is clean and unblemished for the most part. However, it is much easier to eat if you peel them.
So, I peel half a dozen apples and cut them in half vertically. Core the apple and lay them core side up in a baking pan.(a melon-baller works well) Drizzle a little apple juice, cider or water over the apples and into the pan. Sprinkle them with cinnamon, or any blend of spices that you like. cover with foil or a pan cover. Sprinkle them with a small amount of Stevia and bake at 400 F till they are tender. I like to uncover them and leave them in the oven till the edges brown a bit.
You can also add raisins soaked to hydrate for an hour, chopped dried fruit or a cherry about half way through the baking time.
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Otherwise try a single slice of whole grain bread toasted with fruit on it for variety once or twice a week. Try baking a banana and using it as a spread or topping. Broil some pineapple and top with a few cherries...no syrup from the can please! You can buy dark cherries in jars from the dollar store.
About 2 PM, have your lunch. Have a real lunch. Have anything you want...but be realistic. If you want french fries, just have a few and drain them thoroughly with very little salt. Better to have baked fries if available.(I love to put a little salsa in the baked potato instead of more fattening options, even better if you make your own salsa.) Today I made Chicken Parmesan, home made, only a tiny amount of pasta, But I had some. Keep the cheese to a minimum in this as with all meals.
A note here...good choices...having anything you want does not mean chili or grilled cheese every day.
Have realistic meals with a vegetable, a minimal amount of starch and only the absolute minimum of Butter and other fats. Use your head. The object is to not feel deprived, not wallowing in the worst possible choices every day.
I like some soups at lunch...try to do your own if you can, but have what you want. I will have a hamburger with bread and a big mound of vegetables.. If I need cheese, I use something with tons of flavor. Aged Cheddar, Aged Provolone, Pepper cheese. Something with tons of flavor means you just need a sliver to be satisfied...AND DON'T DO IT EVERY DAY!
Have nice flavored herb teas or water all day and change flavors frequently. Stevia only please, and avoid that if you can.
You need, on average, about two liters of water a day. Tea and coffee do not count. Your urine should be a light yellow like lemonade. If it is colorless...too much water...if darker, not enough water.
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When weight lifters diet, they try to have the longest possible time from your last meal of the day till breakfast. You burn a lot of fat in that time period. Have the last meal early and the first late.)
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At a late supper time, have a big piece of fruit. An apple or three tangerines, a grapefruit etc. This is also the time to get a big mound of veggies and go to town.(a tiny amount of salt and pepper or cayenne instead of butter) Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini or eggplant. you can also do them in balsamic vinegar and plenty of herbs and spices. Look up Caponata on line, but watch out for oil and sugar in them. Instead of sugar, roast the vegetables so you only get the natural sugars in the food. Mounds of green beans. Use canned veggies if you like, but NO ADDED SALT and do as much fresh as possible.
In fact you should restrict salt at all times. I cannot live without salt on a hamburger, but I rarely add it to anything else, especially canned food.
I have pizza quite often, but I do not do nearly as much cheese as I used to. I do a whole recipe of pizza dough, then I freeze 3/4 of it in small portions in zip lock bags. I also love pepperoni, but I slice it so thin that I can see through it. Fatty meats can be precooked in the oven and drained on paper towels before they go on the pizza. Chicken is good on pizza, especially with sliced mushrooms and broccoli or peas. Remember to dab off as much fat as possible before eating it.
Have all you want of fruit or veggies in the evening, just avoid sweeteners and syrups in the fruit. I find that one of those huge Granny Smith apples are fun to slice and eat slowly while I read or watch TV.
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Here is a good trick. Buy a muffin at the market. Your favorite. slice it up and lay it on a tray in the oven. Toast it slightly then turn the oven to warm and let it dry completely. Crush the dried muffin up like very large bread crumbs and sprinkle on your yogurt and fruit in the AM. Put it in a container to stay dry and spread it over the whole week.
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Another cheat is to put a cup of REAL rice in a pan. Add four cups of skim or low fat milk and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat and cook till the rice is nearly mushy. Add Stevia and dried or chopped fresh fruit at some point to cook into it. Chill and reheat or eat cold...a half a cup is more than enough. Top with cinnamon. Have this in the morning especially with fruit...BUT NOT EVERY MORNING?
Friday, January 25, 2019
Monday, August 21, 2017
Posture Matters
You can actually lose weight and still look quite unfit.
It is sometimes hard to guage how well you are doing in your weight loss regimen if you do not stand up properly. Good posture will make people look at you and see your progress.
Standing very erect, with shoulders down and neck held very long, like you are being suspended from the ceiling makes an enormous difference in your appearance. This is hard to do and hard to maintain. It is good to tell the people that you see regularly to remind you when you are starting to slouch.
Also it is a good habit to stand with your navel drawn as far toward your spine as you can manage without actually holding your breath all the time. Doing this will train your abdominal muscles almost as well as a few crunches each day. Holding your internal organs in place inside your body cavity will bring you a whole new feeling and appearance. You will slouch unconsciously if your intestines etc. are hanging out and forward inside you. Again, it is difficult to maintain this unless you are always conscious of this and keep it up all the time.
Another health benefit comes from deep breathing that expands your lungs from the diaphragm instead of your upper chest. Help with this will come from elementary exercises in Yoga. Practicing Yoga, too, will help you immensely. You do not have to believe in the entire philosophy of Yoga, just do what you can with the exercises, which can keep you much more fit in general than any other discipline.
A word of warning in all this. Do not adopt a military posture. Stand tall and erect, but not exaggerated like at attention in the army. Your back can be so distorted that you will not be able to get deep breaths, and those are essential for respiratory health.
If you are a shallow or mouth breather...CUT IT OUT...every breath should expand the chest and use the diaphragm to its fullest extent. You can increase your probability of pneumonia and other congestive problems if you do not do this and deep breathing helps to oxygenate your blood, organs and muscles more fully.
It is sometimes hard to guage how well you are doing in your weight loss regimen if you do not stand up properly. Good posture will make people look at you and see your progress.
Standing very erect, with shoulders down and neck held very long, like you are being suspended from the ceiling makes an enormous difference in your appearance. This is hard to do and hard to maintain. It is good to tell the people that you see regularly to remind you when you are starting to slouch.
Also it is a good habit to stand with your navel drawn as far toward your spine as you can manage without actually holding your breath all the time. Doing this will train your abdominal muscles almost as well as a few crunches each day. Holding your internal organs in place inside your body cavity will bring you a whole new feeling and appearance. You will slouch unconsciously if your intestines etc. are hanging out and forward inside you. Again, it is difficult to maintain this unless you are always conscious of this and keep it up all the time.
Another health benefit comes from deep breathing that expands your lungs from the diaphragm instead of your upper chest. Help with this will come from elementary exercises in Yoga. Practicing Yoga, too, will help you immensely. You do not have to believe in the entire philosophy of Yoga, just do what you can with the exercises, which can keep you much more fit in general than any other discipline.
A word of warning in all this. Do not adopt a military posture. Stand tall and erect, but not exaggerated like at attention in the army. Your back can be so distorted that you will not be able to get deep breaths, and those are essential for respiratory health.
If you are a shallow or mouth breather...CUT IT OUT...every breath should expand the chest and use the diaphragm to its fullest extent. You can increase your probability of pneumonia and other congestive problems if you do not do this and deep breathing helps to oxygenate your blood, organs and muscles more fully.
It is dangerous to over-do crunches. Very often you see men who are absolutely addicted to abdominal development. They have a very odd stance, their shoulders hunched over and a compacted belly. You must do as much in developing the back muscles as you do in crunches to help draw you into a more upright stance.
Remember that the abdominals are always there. You need to tighten them up to keep your organs in their place, but it is not necessary to have them become enormous in order to show up. Instead, they will show up well if you lower your percentage of body fat. This is best done with high energy exercise rather than crunches. You should especially avoid crunches with weights.
Also, watch out for heavy loads and backpacks that are heavier than 20 pounds. Constant work on computers will also alter your posture, and if you must use one, you must be aware of the need to correct the damage every day, standing erect, back exercises, stretches etc..
Saturday, June 24, 2017
What is Normal ?
Just a little story to begin with..
I was dishing out a salad with my cousin...she was good enough to cook....
Now, I love balsamic vinegar on salad. I like to thin down Pesto with water or juice, and I love salad dressings. Of course we all know that salad dressings out of the bottle or salad dressing packets or mixed from scratch are over the top in calories and just ruin the healthy salad for us. But I dumped a bit of the salad dressing on my salad. Then I stopped....why the hell didn't I ask for the balsamic vinegar that was just three yards away instead of the salad dressing?!?!
So what is normal?
Normal includes eating anything your family and peers eat, but in the process, making good choices.
If you maintain a reasonable weight all your life, your body and your mind are obviously working well together to make good choices for you.
I really do not believe that dieting is the answer to permanent weight loss.
Normal to me is eating anything you want, but making good choices in the process. If you have starved yourself for some reason... Maybe you have been busy...you have been poor...you have been sick...then it is entirely reasonable to eat a big plate of your grandmother's recipe Lasagna.
The choices have to be daily, hourly and weekly....moment to moment.
You know what is good for you, so eat a reasonable amount of those things, but do not avoid all the foods you love. Just make good choices when the plate of your very favorite "heavy hips" in white sauce is put on the table. Fill up on salad, green beans or anything else that you know is low in calories, then take a reasonable portion of the "heavy hips"!
I cannot see building your life around daily deprivation....who can possibly do that forever. Instead, you must make good choices over the course of the week of food intake.
Eat the damned Chocolate Cookies to Die For, in my recipe blog....but for God's sake don't eat a dozen and eat fruit for dessert the rest of the week.
The other side of the coin is to make good choices in lifestyle. You will be energized and beat depression if you choose to do something active over that long afternoon nap! You will also be less hungry later in the day and burn calories.
The bottom line, as I have said elsewhere, is to eat a healthy number of calories in a day and be active enough to burn them off.
I just love frozen fruit bars! My favorites are : creamy coconut, and tangerine.
The coconut is about 120 calories and the tangerine is 60. I buy both. I eat a coconut bar the first time, and give the rest away. The tangerine bars become the go to choice...it is just natural to do that.
I was dishing out a salad with my cousin...she was good enough to cook....
Now, I love balsamic vinegar on salad. I like to thin down Pesto with water or juice, and I love salad dressings. Of course we all know that salad dressings out of the bottle or salad dressing packets or mixed from scratch are over the top in calories and just ruin the healthy salad for us. But I dumped a bit of the salad dressing on my salad. Then I stopped....why the hell didn't I ask for the balsamic vinegar that was just three yards away instead of the salad dressing?!?!
So what is normal?
Normal includes eating anything your family and peers eat, but in the process, making good choices.
If you maintain a reasonable weight all your life, your body and your mind are obviously working well together to make good choices for you.
I really do not believe that dieting is the answer to permanent weight loss.
Normal to me is eating anything you want, but making good choices in the process. If you have starved yourself for some reason... Maybe you have been busy...you have been poor...you have been sick...then it is entirely reasonable to eat a big plate of your grandmother's recipe Lasagna.
The choices have to be daily, hourly and weekly....moment to moment.
You know what is good for you, so eat a reasonable amount of those things, but do not avoid all the foods you love. Just make good choices when the plate of your very favorite "heavy hips" in white sauce is put on the table. Fill up on salad, green beans or anything else that you know is low in calories, then take a reasonable portion of the "heavy hips"!
I cannot see building your life around daily deprivation....who can possibly do that forever. Instead, you must make good choices over the course of the week of food intake.
Eat the damned Chocolate Cookies to Die For, in my recipe blog....but for God's sake don't eat a dozen and eat fruit for dessert the rest of the week.
The other side of the coin is to make good choices in lifestyle. You will be energized and beat depression if you choose to do something active over that long afternoon nap! You will also be less hungry later in the day and burn calories.
The bottom line, as I have said elsewhere, is to eat a healthy number of calories in a day and be active enough to burn them off.
I just love frozen fruit bars! My favorites are : creamy coconut, and tangerine.
The coconut is about 120 calories and the tangerine is 60. I buy both. I eat a coconut bar the first time, and give the rest away. The tangerine bars become the go to choice...it is just natural to do that.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Fat Family
There are some people who will never be Barbie or Ken, no matter what they do. Spend 6 months on lemon water and they will always be heavy.
Some people come from families that tend toward weight. Grandma was a walking barrel, Mom was a walking barrel and I am a walking barrel.
Just like blond hair or big ears, you are at least partially victims of heredity.
You can fight these gifts though. Dieting will get rid of some weight, but it may require more aggressive dieting than someone who does not have the propensity. However there is another part to this gift from your ancestors. We all get food habits in our upbringing. Ethnic foods will vary in their ability to put fat on you, the family loves bread in any form, sausage, pepperoni and salami is the norm at meals, we love cheese. This is harder to fix because you think it is so normal to eat that way.
You have to set up a normal diet, and reserve the family specialties for Sunday cheat days.
The big thing about this whole issue is that you cannot feel bad about yourself because of it. These are issues that you have no real control over so it is just up to you to plug along fixing the diet choices and working on the best form that your heredity allows you. Self blame does nothing to help you in your quest.
Some people come from families that tend toward weight. Grandma was a walking barrel, Mom was a walking barrel and I am a walking barrel.
Just like blond hair or big ears, you are at least partially victims of heredity.
You can fight these gifts though. Dieting will get rid of some weight, but it may require more aggressive dieting than someone who does not have the propensity. However there is another part to this gift from your ancestors. We all get food habits in our upbringing. Ethnic foods will vary in their ability to put fat on you, the family loves bread in any form, sausage, pepperoni and salami is the norm at meals, we love cheese. This is harder to fix because you think it is so normal to eat that way.
You have to set up a normal diet, and reserve the family specialties for Sunday cheat days.
The big thing about this whole issue is that you cannot feel bad about yourself because of it. These are issues that you have no real control over so it is just up to you to plug along fixing the diet choices and working on the best form that your heredity allows you. Self blame does nothing to help you in your quest.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Spring is Here
Well, winter is over. We have no excuses now!
We do have a tendency to put on weight in winter. It is our body saying, food could be scarce till new food comes up and ripens in the garden. It really is only natural.
Now that June is just around the corner....and those in the south have been able to work outside for months, we should be making some effort to burn calories. Digging in the garden is a great activity. Planting tons of vegetables will mean that next winter we will constantly be saying, "We have to eat more of those vegetables."
Unfortunately, we will lose some weight this way, but it is not really the best way to get rid of stubborn fat. We have to raise our heart rate for 20 to 40 minutes a day....more is better. As we age, we find that exercise is harder, so swimming is a good choice...no weight in the water and no wear and tear on the knees...or we can just walk... I am not talking about a gentle saunter, but a vigorous walk that gets our heart pumping. You do not have to kill yourself, but you will be surprised at how easy it is to raise your heart rate.
Hikers going out on mountain trails often burn thousands of calories a day! I live in an area that is dominated by hills and nearby mountains. There are plenty of lakes nearby that are suitable for a swim or for hiking around or just TO. Yoga is good for toning muscles and overall health, and that is wonderful to do outside in the morning before it gets too hot. Early is the key here, as you can do it before breakfast, extending the time since your evening meal and accelerating weight loss.
It is remarkable too, that you often do not need a big meal after exercise. You do not feel like eating so much when you get used to it. Filling your time with useful and healthy activity fills up all those times when you cannot think of anything to do but to nibble.
We do have a tendency to put on weight in winter. It is our body saying, food could be scarce till new food comes up and ripens in the garden. It really is only natural.
Now that June is just around the corner....and those in the south have been able to work outside for months, we should be making some effort to burn calories. Digging in the garden is a great activity. Planting tons of vegetables will mean that next winter we will constantly be saying, "We have to eat more of those vegetables."
Unfortunately, we will lose some weight this way, but it is not really the best way to get rid of stubborn fat. We have to raise our heart rate for 20 to 40 minutes a day....more is better. As we age, we find that exercise is harder, so swimming is a good choice...no weight in the water and no wear and tear on the knees...or we can just walk... I am not talking about a gentle saunter, but a vigorous walk that gets our heart pumping. You do not have to kill yourself, but you will be surprised at how easy it is to raise your heart rate.
Hikers going out on mountain trails often burn thousands of calories a day! I live in an area that is dominated by hills and nearby mountains. There are plenty of lakes nearby that are suitable for a swim or for hiking around or just TO. Yoga is good for toning muscles and overall health, and that is wonderful to do outside in the morning before it gets too hot. Early is the key here, as you can do it before breakfast, extending the time since your evening meal and accelerating weight loss.
It is remarkable too, that you often do not need a big meal after exercise. You do not feel like eating so much when you get used to it. Filling your time with useful and healthy activity fills up all those times when you cannot think of anything to do but to nibble.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
How Much is too Much?
It is strange while traveling all over the world, as I have, to see what familiar types of food morph into in other countries. I make it a point to go to Burger King in Istanbul and Kentucky Fried in Cairo. What really amazes me about food as I travel(besides how different Chinese food is in other countries) is how many more vegetables there are in other diets and the size of the portions. Tourist places do huge portions no matter where, just so the tourists feel they are getting their money's worth. But in private homes and in restaurants that cater to locals, the portions are very small compared to American portions.
We are all about the bigger steak, or large portions of chicken, or a bigger and better buffet with as many return trips as possible.
Most places however, despite the four hours it takes to finish a meal in Italy, have much more modest food consumption. WE AUGHT TO TRY IT !
If you clench your hand into a fist, you will be looking at a couple of interesting things about your own body.
First, your fist is the approximate size of your heart.
Second, you are looking at the approximate capacity of your stomach!
In this county, we have a terrible habit of cramming our stomachs full of food and then continuing, no on just one occasion, but as a habit, till our stomachs are stretched to ever greater capacities in order to get that super-sized meal with the two quarter pounders in at lunch time.
I have a terrible habit, as I have no resistance to candy or to Pizza, to cram a half pizza....and I made rather large pizzas....in before I can stop...and even then, I feel like I am cheating myself, because I know I can eat the other half!
You cannot fool me....I know I will eat just as much whether I drink a glass of water before the meal as not.
You have to discipline yourself, and there is no getting around that!
Yes...fill up on vegetables and have less of the higher calorie meats, dairy and starches, but in general, it is best to just eat less!
Just as an experiment, take a two cup measure and fill it at least half to two thirds full with green beans or cauliflower. On top of that put in half a cup of potato...hopefully a low fat choice of preparation....and top it off with no more than 2 ounces of meat...again, make it a low fat preparation and remove every molecule of fat that you can.
Now...if you cannot stand to eat it in such a crammed fashion, deconstruct your meal onto a plate and eat it...slowly...talk, joke, drink water or seltzer....then stop! After a few days of that, which may seem like a great deprivation at first, you will find that your stomach will fill up a lot sooner than it did before. Just doing that will make you lose weight as long as you are not cramming the measure with French Fries!
When you live in Italy, the meal does take forever. Italians tend to congregate together, families are still close in many places, and there is a lot of joking, laughter and gossip going on.
Before the meal comes an aperitivo...a little digestive drink to get you going. an amarro, a sherry, Malvasia di Lipari, if you are from my family's islands, or a Vin Santo.
The first food course will be an appetizer, an antipasto. Often you will get a couple of little scraps of fabulous meat products, a grilled vegetable plate, a few olives or spiced olives, a bean paste with garlic and olive oil perhaps with a couple of small slices of grilled bread.....but just a taste!
For a Primo, there will be pasta. Not a great whopping pile of it, but a little salad plate full or a huge beautiful plate with a little pile in the center, soaked in the meat juices from the main course, a nice tomato sauce, tossed with Caponata(see my recipe blog) or fried eggplant. Sometimes it will just be plain with oil and salt and pepper, or a bit of Parmesan...just a few flakes on top, or basil or other type of pesto(look them up as well, they can vary a great deal) or with flakes of hot pepper and oil.
Next will be the meat course, a Secondo, a thin lightly grilled steak rubbed with garlic, or a few thin slices of a rare T-bone or Porterhouse(Chianina Beef being famous and incomparable), or chicken with mushrooms or truffles scattered on top. You may have had a chicken broth with tiny pastas as an appetizer, and the table will share the plain poached chicken that the broth was made from as a secondo. Perhaps it will be dressed up somehow. Alternatively, your pasta course may have had the sauce from the preparation of the main dish while the meat is served that came out of the sauce for the secondo. Again, these come on a separate plate...and they are small portions in the middle of a beautiful plate with a nice garnish.
Next, or on the side of the main dish, will be a Contorno. This may be a few fried potatoes, a vegetable with balsamic, or with a grating of Parmesan, sweet and sour....but simple in any case.
Next will come Dolci,(sweets) but more often fruit with a beautiful silver knife to peel your peach or pear. Perhaps you will have a poached pear in wine or something...you may also have a salad, fruit and nuts or a selection of all of these at a family meal.
In all these stages of the meal, the portions will be small...You will spread the whole experience out over an entire evening with lots of time between each, and each installment will be high in quality and served beautifully.
We often eat a big meal in half an hour, then we look for a snack late at night to top it off. They solve this problem by spreading the meal out over the entire evening.
We are all about the bigger steak, or large portions of chicken, or a bigger and better buffet with as many return trips as possible.
Most places however, despite the four hours it takes to finish a meal in Italy, have much more modest food consumption. WE AUGHT TO TRY IT !
If you clench your hand into a fist, you will be looking at a couple of interesting things about your own body.
First, your fist is the approximate size of your heart.
Second, you are looking at the approximate capacity of your stomach!
In this county, we have a terrible habit of cramming our stomachs full of food and then continuing, no on just one occasion, but as a habit, till our stomachs are stretched to ever greater capacities in order to get that super-sized meal with the two quarter pounders in at lunch time.
I have a terrible habit, as I have no resistance to candy or to Pizza, to cram a half pizza....and I made rather large pizzas....in before I can stop...and even then, I feel like I am cheating myself, because I know I can eat the other half!
You cannot fool me....I know I will eat just as much whether I drink a glass of water before the meal as not.
You have to discipline yourself, and there is no getting around that!
Yes...fill up on vegetables and have less of the higher calorie meats, dairy and starches, but in general, it is best to just eat less!
Just as an experiment, take a two cup measure and fill it at least half to two thirds full with green beans or cauliflower. On top of that put in half a cup of potato...hopefully a low fat choice of preparation....and top it off with no more than 2 ounces of meat...again, make it a low fat preparation and remove every molecule of fat that you can.
Now...if you cannot stand to eat it in such a crammed fashion, deconstruct your meal onto a plate and eat it...slowly...talk, joke, drink water or seltzer....then stop! After a few days of that, which may seem like a great deprivation at first, you will find that your stomach will fill up a lot sooner than it did before. Just doing that will make you lose weight as long as you are not cramming the measure with French Fries!
When you live in Italy, the meal does take forever. Italians tend to congregate together, families are still close in many places, and there is a lot of joking, laughter and gossip going on.
Before the meal comes an aperitivo...a little digestive drink to get you going. an amarro, a sherry, Malvasia di Lipari, if you are from my family's islands, or a Vin Santo.
The first food course will be an appetizer, an antipasto. Often you will get a couple of little scraps of fabulous meat products, a grilled vegetable plate, a few olives or spiced olives, a bean paste with garlic and olive oil perhaps with a couple of small slices of grilled bread.....but just a taste!
For a Primo, there will be pasta. Not a great whopping pile of it, but a little salad plate full or a huge beautiful plate with a little pile in the center, soaked in the meat juices from the main course, a nice tomato sauce, tossed with Caponata(see my recipe blog) or fried eggplant. Sometimes it will just be plain with oil and salt and pepper, or a bit of Parmesan...just a few flakes on top, or basil or other type of pesto(look them up as well, they can vary a great deal) or with flakes of hot pepper and oil.
Next will be the meat course, a Secondo, a thin lightly grilled steak rubbed with garlic, or a few thin slices of a rare T-bone or Porterhouse(Chianina Beef being famous and incomparable), or chicken with mushrooms or truffles scattered on top. You may have had a chicken broth with tiny pastas as an appetizer, and the table will share the plain poached chicken that the broth was made from as a secondo. Perhaps it will be dressed up somehow. Alternatively, your pasta course may have had the sauce from the preparation of the main dish while the meat is served that came out of the sauce for the secondo. Again, these come on a separate plate...and they are small portions in the middle of a beautiful plate with a nice garnish.
Next, or on the side of the main dish, will be a Contorno. This may be a few fried potatoes, a vegetable with balsamic, or with a grating of Parmesan, sweet and sour....but simple in any case.
Next will come Dolci,(sweets) but more often fruit with a beautiful silver knife to peel your peach or pear. Perhaps you will have a poached pear in wine or something...you may also have a salad, fruit and nuts or a selection of all of these at a family meal.
In all these stages of the meal, the portions will be small...You will spread the whole experience out over an entire evening with lots of time between each, and each installment will be high in quality and served beautifully.
We often eat a big meal in half an hour, then we look for a snack late at night to top it off. They solve this problem by spreading the meal out over the entire evening.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Ashamed
I am heartily ashamed of myself for letting myself go!
When I was in my middle forties, I had gained a great deal of weight. My family genetics was a mixed bag. One group of family members were built like the potato barrels of my youth with short legs pasted on the bottom. Another branch was tall and willowy even as they aged. Some were stout but not awfully heavy. I suppose we were like any family with a long heritage of a bit of everything.
I had accepted in my heart that I was going to be that barrel type, and that is just the direction that I was heading. When it became difficult to tie my shoes I had enough.
I joined my local community health center. I taught myself to swim, being resistant to instruction by someone who thought it was easy and embarrassed both at my size and inability at that age.
Pretty soon I was swimming easily...if not well, and I had begun to lose the weight.
I went from 228 pounds at 5' 10" to 165 before I stopped and decided that was just too thin for good health. I went up to 175 without a lot of effort, and there I stayed for years and years.
Now, after the death of my spouse and a bout of depression, I resolved to do it again, having gone pretty near to where I was before at my worst.
At 64, there are limitations that I have to face, but I am confident that even if I cannot get back to my good weight, I can at least make a good effort at coming close, and at feeling better in general, and feeling better about my weight.
I DO NOT PLAN TO BE ON THE COVER OF A HEALTH MAGAZINE. THIS IS SILLY IN GENERAL AND AS DANGEROUS AS A WOMAN TRYING TO LOOK LIKE BARBIE! BUT HAVING A GOAL OF GOOD MODERATE WEIGHT AND THE CORRESPONDING GOOD HEALTH THAT I ENJOYED WHILE I WAS THERE IS A GOOD AND REACHABLE GOAL!
So I will try to share with you ways to do this. This is a VERY simple thing to do, and this blog may not be a long one as a result!
When I was in my middle forties, I had gained a great deal of weight. My family genetics was a mixed bag. One group of family members were built like the potato barrels of my youth with short legs pasted on the bottom. Another branch was tall and willowy even as they aged. Some were stout but not awfully heavy. I suppose we were like any family with a long heritage of a bit of everything.
I had accepted in my heart that I was going to be that barrel type, and that is just the direction that I was heading. When it became difficult to tie my shoes I had enough.
I joined my local community health center. I taught myself to swim, being resistant to instruction by someone who thought it was easy and embarrassed both at my size and inability at that age.
Pretty soon I was swimming easily...if not well, and I had begun to lose the weight.
I went from 228 pounds at 5' 10" to 165 before I stopped and decided that was just too thin for good health. I went up to 175 without a lot of effort, and there I stayed for years and years.
Now, after the death of my spouse and a bout of depression, I resolved to do it again, having gone pretty near to where I was before at my worst.
At 64, there are limitations that I have to face, but I am confident that even if I cannot get back to my good weight, I can at least make a good effort at coming close, and at feeling better in general, and feeling better about my weight.
I DO NOT PLAN TO BE ON THE COVER OF A HEALTH MAGAZINE. THIS IS SILLY IN GENERAL AND AS DANGEROUS AS A WOMAN TRYING TO LOOK LIKE BARBIE! BUT HAVING A GOAL OF GOOD MODERATE WEIGHT AND THE CORRESPONDING GOOD HEALTH THAT I ENJOYED WHILE I WAS THERE IS A GOOD AND REACHABLE GOAL!
So I will try to share with you ways to do this. This is a VERY simple thing to do, and this blog may not be a long one as a result!
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