Are you ready
for summer? Well, ready or not, it’s
arriving. In this issue of The Step-Power Weigh, your “introduction
to summer” (better known as Memorial Day) menu has
just arrived, so there is no reason to go off your healthy
eating plan on the holiday. In fact, you will be looking
forward to this eating plan. You will be so surprised how
you can still stick to your healthful eating plan and enjoy
the holiday party festivities without deprivation. Several
of the recipes included in the menu come from The
Phytopia Cookbook, by Barbara Gollman, R.D., and Kim Pierce. When
you purchase this great book from HealthSteps Rx, receive
an electronic copy of “Top Ten Smart Foods to Grace
Your Kitchen,” plus other great specials. And when
you get a chance, visit Phytopia.com to learn more about
this exciting method of meal preparation from my good and
talented friend, Barbara Gollman, R.D.
Do you use “special event” triggers to sabotage
your “W” loss goals? Also in this issue, find
out just what “special event” triggers are and
how to deal with them. There are five main types of food
triggers, but in this newsletter, I will only discuss one.
To learn about other triggers and many other important health
tips and guidelines, join one of HealthSteps
Rx Wellness Programs and receive valuable information in a one-year subscription
every week that helps you reach your wellness goals. You
can even review two complimentary copies of sample weekly
lessons. And if you purchase The Phytopia Cookbook, discussed
above, I will even throw in the complete “Dealing with
Triggers,” lesson, in addition to the other offers.
There’s a slight change in the frequency you will
receive this comprehensive newsletter. Due to the intensive
nature of providing you with all this valuable information,
I am finding it necessary to go to a “quarterly” publication.
I will continue, however, to provide “simple” guidance
or important announcements in-between these comprehensive
publications. Thanks for your understanding.
Here's
to a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, the gift of our
forefathers, who gave their lives so we could enjoy the
amazing freedoms we now know of today---and to their
families, as well, who have also given up so much. God
Bless the many service men, women, and their families
who now continue to protect what America stands for.
You are loved and appreciated on this Memorial Day and
everyday.
Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy summer!
Cheryl
| I.
Wellness Topic: |
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Special
Event Tiggers: Vacations, parties and
holidays
Do you believe that a vacation is an invitation for overindulgence? Do you
feel that someone’s birthday would not be complete without sharing cake
and ice cream? Do you feel that attending a party is equivalent to overeating?
Have you accepted that the holiday season begins at Halloween and ends on New
Year’s Day and that you know you will gain ten pounds, but this will
be followed by a New Year’s resolution, so it’s alright? If you
answered yes to any of these situations, then you most likely suffer from what
I call is the “special event trigger,” syndrome. First of all,
you are not alone, and second of all, there is a cure for this syndrome. Don’t
be hard on yourself in resolving this issue that can sabotage your “W” loss
goals. If you take it one step at a time, you will beat it.
Here are some solutions:
For
examples: |
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| 1.
Modify, question, disprove and correct your thinking. |
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a) |
|
“A
vacation is not about overeating. This is a time
to slow down, relax and enjoy time with my family.
I can overeat at home, so why do I want to spend
dollars to do something that harms me and that I
no longer enjoy? Eating mostly healthy foods with
higher calorie foods in appropriate amounts will
be much more satisfying and guilt-free.” |
| |
|
|
b) |
|
“I’ve
eaten cake and ice-cream all of my life. In fact,
I don’t even like birthday cake. All it is,
is a mound of lard and sugar held together with some
flour. I will share my friend’s birthday without
sharing his cake. He will not notice anyway.” |
| |
|
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c) |
|
“The
average, non-restrained eater only gains one pound
between Halloween and New Year’s Day. Why do
I think I need to gain more? By holding on to this
belief, I have created a negative self-fulfilling
prophecy.” |
| |
|
|
| 2. Bring
healthy food items to a party, so you know that
you will have something nutritious to eat
that
fits your new, healthy lifestyle. Become the health-conscious
person that others count on to bring something nutritious
and delicious to every occasion. |
| |
|
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| 3. Eat
a healthy snack before attending. Make the interaction
with friends your main focus, not the food. |
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|
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| 4. Position
yourself away from the food, keeping a calorie-free
beverage in your hand at all times. |
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|
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| In
addition to the “special event trigger” syndrome,
there are other common “trigger” syndromes
that people may be influenced by. Most people are
more influenced by certain triggers than others.
These include: sensory triggers, emotional triggers,
people triggers, and activity triggers. A trigger
is simply a cue that tells us to behave in a certain
way. Often, these “triggers” can promote
a healthy, appropriate response, but at other times,
they supply a green light for unhealthy, inappropriate
behavior. We want to allow positive triggers into
our life that can strengthen our healthy resolve
and push the negative ones away in order to keep
all of our hard work intact. The first step is learning
to identify a negative trigger and then learning
how to defeat it. The second step is learning to
create new triggers that promote physical and emotional
health. |
| |
|
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| What
are your plans to deal with the negative “special
event trigger” syndrome? With the Memorial
Day Holiday upon us, be thinking of your plan. The
Step-Power Weigh is helping you get started with
a delicious and healthy holiday meal plan, without
deprivation. |
| |
| HealthSteps
Rx can help you improve your nutritional and fitness
lifestyle, and help you sort through any health or
medical conditions. There are many services available
at www.HealthStepsRx.com, with various price options
to fit your budget. Medicare benefits accepted for
some conditions and some medical plans are accepted. |
|
| II. Food Focus |
|
|
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| III. Recipe
Rescue |
|
Among the many recipes provided in this issue’s
meal plan (see below), you will find a recipe for “Quick
Marinade for Vegetables or Meat.” This recipe
is simply an adjustment in ingredient amounts on the
directions of “Good Seasons” Italian Salad
Dressing Mix. (So, this recipe can be used for marinades
or salad dressing.)
By adjusting the amount of oil called for on
the directions, the calorie level can be
reduced from 70 calories per
serving to 43. The total fat content can
be reduced by half. Saving 27 calories per
1 T serving may
not sound like a lot, but it adds up, especially
if you
use 2, or 3, or even 4 T at a time.
If you would like to see your “modified for health” recipe
in this section, remember to ask your friends and family
to sign up for The Step-Power Weigh
ezine, then send
me their names. When two people sign up that you have
referred, you are eligible to be placed in a drawing
to have your recipe modified. You can choose to be
anonymous, or provide your name. In addition, you will
be sent a copy of the recipe to add to your family
recipe book. Don’t you want to start passing
down your delicious and healthy recipes to the next
generations?
If your recipe is not chosen and you would
still like a “healthy
modification” for your recipe,
HealthSteps Rx offers this service at a very reasonable
fee, but this service is also provided complimentary,
when you sign up for one of HealthSteps
Rx Wellness Programs.
If
you would like more great recipe ideas, you will
find plenty here: http://www.healthstepsrx.com/shops/books.htm
|
|
| IV: Meal Plan |
Meal
Plan Feature:
1800
Calorie Meal Plan from the “Convenient
Breakfast, Easy Recipe Lunch, Multiple Recipes
Dinner HOLIDAY
Collection
Keep in mind that all meal plans are not suitable
for everyone. I offer you a sample meal plan in
this newsletter
because it is the number one request from my clients,
but it is my goal to provide you the “tools” for
you to be able to eventually design your own meal plans.
What’s the old saying? “Give a man a fish
and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime.” Well, that
too, is my philosophy and plan for you!
In
addition, it is obvious that the calorie levels
of these meal plans will not be suitable for everyone,
so I encourage you to learn how many calories a
day you need to promote a healthy lifestyle by
setting up an individualized
nutrition consultation with me. You wouldn’t try to balance your
checkbook without first knowing exactly what your
deposits and expenditures are, so why attempt to
balance your "W" without knowing exactly
how many calories your body needs? Thanks to technology,
I can also easily assess your unique and personalized
metabolic rate.
You
will have temporary complimentary access to this
meal plan for one month, and then it
will
only be available
to all HealthSteps Rx Wellness Program clients
via password. Keep your eye out for next e-zine
for another
great meal plan in a different calorie level. |
|
| V. Diabetes
Corner |
Diabetes
Corner Lesson:
Are you getting adequate Z’s?
It was recently reported in the April 25, 2005
issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine that
sleeping
for less than six hours or for more than nine hours
each night is associated with an increased risk
of diabetes and impaired blood sugar tolerance
by 2 ½-fold.
Wow, that is significant!
Adequate sleep is also hugely important for improving
your metabolism, which also will ultimately improve
your blood glucose control. Do you know what
your metabolic rate is? If not, find
out.
Whether or not you have diabetes, or know of
someone with this disease, learn why it is
essential to
become aware and educated about diabetes in
Diabetes
Overview: A Society Dilemma.
|
|
| VI: Take the
Challenge |
What
can you do this week that gets you closer to your
goal? Taking
the “first step” in trying new things or
eliminating others, is always the most difficult. But,
I promise you, once you are successful at this first
step, all the other steps are that much easier. And
before you know it, you’ll be wondering what
took you so long. :-)
Challenge:
Plan ahead for the upcoming holiday
weekend by making wise food choices earlier
during the week.
Rationale:
No one is asking you to deprive yourself
completely during special events, but if you
can just cut in half the amount of regular
soda you
usually drink, or reduce or eliminate the margarine
or butter
you put on your toast every morning, you can
better balance the inevitable high risk party
foods you
may
encounter this holiday. You just may start to
realize that you don’t even need those unhealthy condiments,
after all.
|
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| VII. To Leave
The Step-Power Weigh |
It’s
quite understandable if you need to unsubscribe to The Step-Power Weigh, for whatever reason. One
thing is always for sure: life is always changing,
so our
needs often change with it.
If someone has thought enough about you to share
this issue of The Step-Power Weigh with you
and you are
not currently on The Step-Power Weigh list, please
join.
For those who choose to continue to receive The
Step-Power Weigh, be assured that I will not
share or sell your
name or email address.
Here’s
to Your Health!
Cheryl Winter, M.S., R.D., R.N.
HealthSteps Rx
info@HealthStepsRx.com
www.HealthStepsRx.com
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