Welcome to the 2006 first comprehensive edition of The STEP-POWER™ Weigh ezine. As you know, this version of The STEP-POWER™ Weigh is brought to you quarterly so as not to overwhelm you with too much of a good thing every month. I hope you will browse the entire newsletter and save the areas that interest you the most. Be sure to chẹck out the meal plan this quarter that also comes with a money-saving coupon for a delicious and time-saving meal at Nick-N-Willy’s Take and Bake Pizza Restaurant. Who says you can’t eat pizza on a healthy meal plan? And chẹck out the HealthSteps Rx special immediately below, designed to get you started on a healthy lifestyle. You won’t want to miss the new article, To Weigh or Not to Weigh, and definitely head to the Diabetes Corner, to find out what the buzz is in the diabetes community. People with diabetes (and others, too) will want to also chẹck out the Food Focus feature.
THIS MONTH’S SPECIAL: As I mentioned above, it is possible to eat restaurant-style pizza, and still stick with your wẹight management goals. However, eating out in restaurants is usually a big challenge, and if you fail to plan ahead for restaurant meals by not keeping track of what you have already eaten during the day, eating out can be disastrous. To help you with this challenge, until February 18th, when you purchase the book Dining Lean AND BalanceLog (a computer program to help you keep track of your calories and expenditures), I will rẹfund you all shipping charges, plus sweeten the deal with six weeks worth of HealthSteps Rx weekly emails on the health topic of the week, usually only available to HealthSteps Rx Wellness Programs members. Or if you become a three-month member (via phone/email or in-person) before February 18th, I’ll throw in the BalanceLog for absolutely nothing. Nôw, how sweet is that? For immediate satisfaction, however, of your sweet tooth, hẹre is my Valentine’s gift to you. Pass this newsletter along to your friends and encourage them to also sign up so they can take advantage of this and other offers.
Thank you for reading The STEP-POWER™ Weigh!
In Health,
Cheryl
I. Wellness Topic
Back in the Oct 2005 newsletter, I asked What Are You Doing to Fight Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass that is often speeded up by one’s lack of activity and poor diet. What I didn’t mention in this newsletter was how one determines just how much muscle mass they have gained or lost over the years. Most of us are consumed with knowing “how much do I weigh,” when the better question to ask ourselves is “how much do my muscles weigh? If you know how much your muscles weigh, you will also then know your percent body fat, another number we should also be concerned with due potential health risks, (instead of being concerned with the “number of pounds” displayed on a scale). If you have time, I hope you will read my new article, To Weigh or Not to Weigh, to find out why the scale won’t answer these very important quẹstions about percent body fat and muscle mass.
Instead of the scale, a Body Composition Analysis is the true testament of whether or not what we are doing nutritionally and physically to our body on a daily basis is working, or if we need to “step-it- up” a notch or two. A Body Composition Analysis is a great tool to assess our individual body composition changes, not necessarily to categorize us as lean, average, overweight or obese. Those categorizations are nice to know, but what is really important is to assess the changes that are occurring within YOUR body. It puts into perspective how what we do each day really does make a difference in whether or not we preserve or deplete our muscle mass. If we can see the results in black and white, as this analysis shows us, we then know that what we do and learn about the importance of exercise and healthy eating is not a bunch of nonsense, or something that only someone else needs to worry about. With the information from a Body Composition Analysis we can literally see whether or not our lifestyles are helping mother-nature along, or helping “turn back the clock on aging.” For those of you in the local area of HealthSteps Rx, a Body Composition Analysis is complimentary with all 2-part Initial Consultations, and with all follow-ups.
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
III. Recipe Rescue
- Recipe Rescue Feature: Healthy Beef and Vegetable Chili found in this month's meal plan
Now, I seldom cook with beef (despite being a Texan), but beef does have its nutritional benefits. If the cut of beef and amount are chosen wisely, it can fit into a healthy balanced meal. My inspiration for including this delicious chili recipe in this month’s meal plan was a request I received from a STEP-POWER™ Weigh ezine reader (one of our Canadian friends), who wrote: “It is -12 degrees hẹre today and at this time of year we all lean toward comfort food---hearty soups and stick-to-your rib type meals—it’s hard eating healthy with these conditions----any suggestions?---a lonely Canadian.”
Well, my heart and coat goes out to this lonely Canadian, and I hope you find this recipe that I love, helpful and comforting. It’s definitely significantly more nutritious and quite lower in calories and fat compared to full-meat chili’s.
Calories and Fat for one serving (1 ½ cups) of Full-meat chili ( from Wendy’s):
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330 calories and 9 grams fat |
Calories and Fat for one serving (1 ½ cups) Healthy Beef and Vegetable Chili:
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220 calories and 3 grams fat |
Remember: a 100 calorie a day savings (deficit), everyday, will lead to a 10-pound wẹight loss in one year!
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 of the Month
- Meal Plan Feature: 1600 Calorie Meal Plan
Check out the cost-saving coupons and recommended food products , as well as the great ideas!
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 quarterly ezine for another great meal plan in a different calorie level.
V. Diabetes Corner
Diabetes Corner Lesson: Chances are you have already heard of the big news in the “diabetes world” that was just announced on January 27, 2006 . The first inhalable version of insulin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and in Europe . The inhalable insulin will be marketed by Pfizer Inc., under the name “Exubera.” This is pretty ground-breaking news, as it is the first new way of delivering insulin since the “discovery of insulin” in the 1920’s. It is hoped that “Exubera” will offer people with diabetes more options to better control their blood sugars, however, people with diabetes need to know that the use of “Exubera” does not mean that a person who requires insulin can completely toss out their needles, pens or pumps, and that they will still be required to test their blood sugars.
Dr. Richard K. Berstein, a diabetes specialists, reports having mixed opinions about inhalable insulin. “ It might be of benefit for type 2’s who are making a lot of their own insulin and help them with their meal time blood sugars or if they need a small dose for the dawn phenomenon. It will not be of benefit for those with Type 1 diabetes, because it will not allow them to get precise control. You will not be able to use it for Type 1 or Type 2’s who are on large doses of insulin."
"When inhaling insulin the unpredictability will be a major negative factor in using it."
"Small doses of injected insulin is very predictable and any doses of inhaled insulin is far less predictable in its effects upon blood sugar due to the changes in the mucosa. If you have cold or the flu, or congestion, it will effect the absorption."
"The current studies with inhaled insulin have showed some unpredictability in absorption. So for those with Type 1 diabetes, it could be very dangerous because of its unpredictability."
Exubera presents an oppôrtunity for better treatment and prevention of the complications from diabetes, but just as it can help in the treatment of diabetes, it can also bring huge problems if one is not properly educated on its use and on diabetes, in general. Be sure to seek education from a diabetes specialist!
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: Begin keeping track of what you eat everyday, by logging your intake in a food journal or in an easy computer program, such as BalanceLog. Start out with just one day a week, than gradually increase it.
- Rationale: Countless studies have proven that when we keep records of our intake, we eat significantly less. Successful candidates of the National Wẹight Control Registry, who lost wẹight and kept it off, were partially successful due to this one new habit. You wouldn’t try to balance your checkbook without first entering your debits and credits-----the same is true for balancing your intake and expenditures! You can do it.
HealthSteps Rx provides you an easy and simple method of keeping track of your daily intake and expenditures, when you have a 2-part Initial Consultation (via phone/email or in-office). Or, take advantage of this month’s special mentioned above when purchasing BalanceLog, or a three-month Wellness Program.
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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