Love this Time of Year

Love this time of year.

The holidays feature some of the best food groups of the entire year. You know, the pie group, cookie group and pastry group.

Love those groupings.

Not supposed to eat those groupings.

Neither are you...

Our youngest boy is making fudge right now (he's pretty good at it). What's even more laughable is that the only other thing he does on the stove is make Ramon Noodles. Our daughter made her famous chocolate chip cookies on Sunday - and gratefully they're already gone (the boys inhaled them).

Nope, neither fudge or cookies are on my diet right now. I'm just hoping that there is something sugary availible on Christmas as I'm taking a day off...all the while as my willpower is presently screaming, "All in moderation."

It's just too hard to lose the weight after the holidays. The key is to not gain it in the first place. Guys like me can't be silly about what we eat.

But if you blow it and eat it anyway, DON'T eat it ALL!

This discussion reminds me of cruise food. My worst weight gain was my first cruise - fourteen pounds (count 'em!). I want to say that I loved every ounce, but that wouldn't be true. I was miserable but was trying to get my money's worth. In the end it just wasn't worth it. I was so full all the time that I didn't enjoy it (you know, sitting, standing, breathing). I also had to wear a pair of sweats on the way home, just to have something that fit. My least was on the last trip - four pounds. I love being on cruises and eating all the food that I don't normally get to eat at home. But instead of EATING EVERYTHING the key is to TASTE EVERYTHING. Let someone else put on those 14+ pounds. Not me, anymore or ever again. This has been my practice the last three trips and it has worked beautifully. I think the reason why I gained any weight those last three trips were the sugary snacks between meals, and their frequency. Can you say, "dessert buffet?" They just did me in.


Fortunately, I don't, er, won't be eating like that at my house these holidays. Hopefully you won't be going overboard either. Besides, sweats just aren't that fashionable...

Why do I love this time of year? Because I get to SMELL EVERYTHING. Yes, I CAN do that without eating it. Smelling doesn't cost anything.

Let me let you in on a little secret. The key to my 100+ pound weight loss wasn't just a terrific program. The truth is, there are a lot of great programs out there that you can lose weight on; the one that I used did allow me to drop the weight quicker and more safely than most. But that isn't the secret. The thing that you need to know is that I asked the Lord to help me with my weight loss.

It made all the difference.

And because of that tidbit I can safely say, "Love this time of year."

Yummy...Belgian Waffles

After being on Medifast for a while (maybe a just a day or two), you miss some things. Our family will occasionally have breakfast for dinner and the kids' favorite is Belgian waffles and bacon. So far we have just skipped this family favorite, but our health coach, Ted Hasse, just recently shared a recipe for Belgian waffles using Medifast food. We thought we would share it with you.

Belgian Waffles

3 packets of Oatmeal (any flavor you want)
2 tsp. of baking powder (condiment)
1 packet scrambled eggs
Water
1 tsp. vanilla
A splash of oil.

Grind the oatmeal and baking powder, and eggs together in a magic bullet
in a separate bowl mix in vanilla and oil, add water to a medium consistency - not too runny, not to thick - dump it into a hot Belgian Waffle iron. Cook to a crisp edge to be sure the center cooks all the way. Top with butter spray and some sugar free pancake syrup.
Makes 4 medium size waffles (1 waffle = 1 meal)
Refrigerate any leftover batter for later or make all of it and put leftovers in the freezer, then toast them in the toaster when ready to eat.

Now we can enjoy our family favorite and stay on our 5/1 plan as well! Enjoy!!

Change...permanent or temporary?

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. Warm days, cool nights, colors changing and for the men in our family football season. It is a time of change.

Why do you want to change? To most of us, the answer is I'm overweight, I have health issues, I'm tired, I have no energy, or I hate how I look in the mirror. So the obvious answer to get rid of or avoid an unwanted situation. In The Habits of Health, Dr. Anderson puts it, "This type of motivation almost never leads to lasting change. Usually what happens is that you will make some changes at first but then you will eventually fall back into your old ways of behaving.” These actions aren't motivated by what you want, the outcome you desire, so they lead to a predictable cycle.

1. The emotional conflict leads you to take action.

2. Because you've acted, now you feel better, even if the situation hasn't changed much.

3. Feeling better takes off the pressure and lessens the emotional conflict.

4. Less emotional conflict means less reason to continue doing the things that reduced the conflict in the first place. Since you feel better, you no longer feel a pressing need to follow through on your actions.

5. Finally, the original behavior returns.

So to sum it up, intense emotional conflict causes you to act and then the action leads to less emotional conflict which in return results in less action. Guess what this leads to? The yo-yo pattern! Conflict-driven motivation is one of the major reasons people yo-yo.

How do I change? Great news!!! You are now going to motivate yourself by focusing on what you WANT and not by what you don't want!!! So shift your focus to creating health (an outcome orientation) from thinking about how you can fix your bad health or avoiding potential health problems (a problem orientation).

What is your picture of health? Not just a number on a scale (that is only the beginning). Imagine how your life will look once you've created optimal health for yourself. You may see yourself playing basketball with your children, hiking in beautiful Central Oregon, skiing in the winter or running a 5K. Everyone’s picture is different. Take a snapshot of this picture (or write it down on a 3x5 card and put it in a place you can get to several times a day), revisit it often throughout the day. This is your new motivating factor for becoming healthy.

Be a daydreamer today.

Weekly Check In

Hello Friends and Family,

We hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! Here's the latest, sans promotional attachments from our e-mail list:

RECIPE OF THE WEEK (from Mike & Tami's Health Coach, Ted Haase)
FRIED CHICKEN!
Ingredients
1 package of chicken tenders (no, not the frozen/breaded kind in the freezer aisle, but the strips of uncooked lean chicken meat with the poultry)
1 package of MF' Parmesan cheese puffs (or nacho. whatever, I'm easy)
1 package of MF' snack crackers (optional, in case it doesn't make enough breadcrumb to coat all your chicken)
2 large egg whites or egg substitute
Your favorite chicken spices!

Instructions
1. Step one--weigh out about 8 ounces of chicken before hand. Do 8 because 6 oz is the cooked weight and American chicken is actually plumped full of water to make it look more appealing--it will shrink. You really want to measure it, because it's going to look like a TON of chicken. I had about 7 seven strips when all was said and done. Mmm, chicken.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Separate your egg whites into a bowl and put aside.

3. DON'T OPEN YOUR MF FOOD PACKETS. Keep them closed and lightly (I mean lightly, you don't want to explode the bag!) pound on them with something flat to break it into fine pieces. Pour them into a bowl together and put it next to your egg whites.

4. Get an oven pan out, and if you have a cookie drying rack put it on top. The chicken will cook more evenly and be easier to remove when it's done.

5: FUN PART. Dip each tender into the egg white, coating on both sides and then transfer to the bowl of crumbs, rolling it until it's coated. Place the tender on the cooking sheet. Do this with all your chicken, and try not to run out of crumbs!

6. When they're all on the rack, wash your hands and grab your spices. I kind of mix it up--there's enough tenders to give you multiple options so like on one I did some dill, on another salt and pepper, on another some spicy paprika...mm. It's all good.

7. Pop them into the oven for 15 minutes. Pull them out and cut open the biggest one to make sure it's white all the way through. If you haven't used your fat serving, enjoy with a serving of light ranch dressing. or better yet use Walden farms ranch dressing!

We used the Parmesan cheese puffs and similar recipe for pork chops the other day..awesome!

From Mike: How are you doing on your COUNTDOWN? Have you started back on the path to reaching your goals? After enjoying my summer "too much," I'm back on the program full-force and have already dropped seven pounds in two days (I know ladies, the guys just lose faster). The product works...and continues to work! I'll be be at my goal weight shortly and then moving into a weight lifting program. This is going to sound vain but I have an "appearance" goal for a Johnson Family Vacation in January. Actually it's a bet between my brother and I about who will have the best "two pack" on our stomachs (remember, we're getting old!). Look ahead to some funny (and sore) posts as I begin paying the price for this painful - but friendly wager!

From Tami: We will be trying to contact each of you in the next week to find out what your goals are and how we can help you achieve them. Thank you to those who checked in last week and sent us your goals; shoot us an email with an update!

If you have any questions, always feel free to contact us.

Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!

Mike & Tami Johnson
Take Shape for Life
Health Advisor #23546401
541-330-6593
www.thebiggestwinner.tsfl.com

Rhythm: Motivational Thought of the Week

We're having 5,000 pounds of rock delivered to our home tomorrow for a project we're doing in the backyard. I'm really kind of looking forward to it. I'm thinking about the exercise component and about the end result of the manual labor - a seating area complete with one of those trendy-above-the-ground fire pits.

It's going to be great!

Now if Medifast could invent the perfect marshmallow - one without calories! But I digress...

We'll, actually I don't. Really, I don't even like marshmallows that much unless they are in hot chocolate. And Medifast has already figured that one out so I can enjoy it through the winter months. We all struggle in our own ways with food that our bodies crave. The key in weight loss, transition and maintenance is to stay away from those foods that made us unhealthy in the first place (I know, this isn't rocket science...but why does it feel like a a Saturn Five - think NASA/Apollo program - when you hold a Twinkie in your hand?).

Everyday can be an adventure when it comes to food. What makes a huge difference for so many is a change in mindset in how we approach it. You've got to find your rhythm. Nope, not talking about music or anything else on your Ipod. I'm talking about finding your daily food rhythm. What helps me get past cravings for sugar (besides staying away from it in the first place!) is to have water handy. Everyday when I come into the office the first thing I do is fix my mid-morning meal and a 64 ounce pitcher of water. Yes I use zero calorie flavor infusers! I've created an environment between my ears that my flavored water has become my "comfort food."

It's a good thing too because I consume a lot of it!

It's my rhythm and it works for me. What works for you? Find it, embrace it and LIVE IT! You can do it!

By the way - I've been doing this long enough now that I know I'm going to drop five this week...and that's why I really don't mind this kind of yard work because the end result is doubly sweet...

Count Down...to Health

We have had a busy summer! Our boys both play baseball and one played summer ball. We had ball games from March until mid-July (about 100 games). Our youngest son decided not to play baseball and tried golf until the end of July. Off for a week of vacation (Mike's 30th class reunion) and then into the midst of football.

If you are like us, you had a busy summer too! Family reunions, class reunions, days at the lake, vacation, BBQs, sports, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes in the midst of our busyness, we lose sight of our goal...HEALTH. As many of you know, we started Take Shape for Life last June. By Christmas, Mike has lost 100 pounds and I had lost 80! We were so excited! But in the midst of our busyness this spring, we began to slip into some old habits. Funny thing about habits, when they are ingrained in for a long time, even though you have it under control for a while, when you let your guard down, it creeps back up.

Our count down has begun. What is that you ask? It is our countdown to HEALTH. Every day making the right choices (even when we are busy), staying focused on the goal, being healthy in our body, soul and spirit. Each day we succeed is a day counted to a life of health. Eventually, those habits will be so far removed that they will stop rearing their ugly heads as we continue on our journey toward health, but this will take some time; and it is a journey with its ups and downs.

So, what are you counting down? The days until you start back on your Take Shape for Life plan? Are you counting your days of right choices being completely successfully? Whatever it is, today is the day to start! There is no better time than the present.

Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!

Here is how healthy feels: Turkey Bowl 2008. Mike was able to go play flag football with the guys/boys from church, run, have a great time and not die from lack of oxygen! Turkey Bowl 2007 was only enjoyed from the sideline. At nearly 100 pounds heavier in 2007 than in 2008, the body just couldn't endure the game.

Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels! Start your counting today!

Staying on Course While You Travel

Have a vacation coming up? How are you going to stay on your diet plan while you travel? Sometimes we look at vacationing as a time to go off our new eating plan because of all those tempting goodies, fast food, new dessert, amusement park treats, etc. But with a little pre-planning, you can still lose weight while on vacation!

Decide before you leave what your goals are
Before you go on vacation, think through what your goals are going to be. Are you going to allow yourself to have one "treat" while you are gone? or are you going to have one "not on the plan" meal? or are you going to try to stick to the plan 100%? With a little thought ahead of time, you can set yourself up for complete success!

Pack portable healthy food
The great think about the plan we did, Take Shape for Life featuring Medifast, is that the food is so portable. And now with the new pretzels and puffs, you can literally take all your food with you with no mixing required. For others not on Take Shape for Life, pack things like low sugar/low fat bars (granola/protein bars), carrots, celery, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. for hungry times or when you need that extra boost of energy.

Eating out
Most restaurants today have a wide selection of healthy, low calorie, low fat food choices that taste great! Choose grilled meat instead of fried, salads with the dressings on the side versus a burger, grilled fish instead of steak, etc. and you will be well on your way to enjoying your dining experience on vacation while eating healthy at the same time. These meals can fit right in on your 5 and 1 plan on Take Shape for Life too.

Vacations are fun and we all need them, but it does not mean you have to sacrifice you new healthy eating lifestyle. Go! Have fun! And come home lighter!