My Mom

Thought I would share this, since it is the holidays!

THE RIGHT CHOICE: MY MOM

In the last week of January of 2010, I was in the second month of my journey and feeling much better.  I had planned a big family trip to the mall, because I had received my income tax return and wanted to let my kids buy some stuff that they had been wanting for a while.  I took my Mom with me and was surprised at how out of shape she had become.  

My mom had always been very active.  She walked sometimes with a group of ladies and stayed in shape.  She worked over 27 years in the same job and missed maybe less than a dozen days her whole tenure.  She always had a “get up and go” attitude.

She had been retired for over 4 years and it seemed to have taken its toll on her.  She was experiencing some high blood pressure and she had gained some weight.  Since retirement, she had sat, watched lots of TV, and eaten junk food. She also had a part time job, but she didn’t do much physical work. 

Well, during the walk in the mall, I noticed that she was not keeping up with us like she usually did.  She and my middle daughter, Karly, were stopping and resting a lot.  I have talked about Karly’s journey [Day 65] and she continues to have problems with her appetite.  My mom, though…she had NEVER had to stop while walking in the mall.  So, I said, “Why don’t you get on the program?”, which is one of my favorite things to say to my family and friends about trying the 599DIETMAN plan. 

She did and she continues on it today.  My mom has lost over 30 lbs.  She can walk 2 to 3 miles at a time.  She even has a 20 minute workout that she does every morning.  The dosage on her blood pressure medication has been cut in half.  She is much healthier and cooks much healthier.  She continues to be able to go on these little family trips and enjoy her grandchildren first hand.   She recently completed my 100 Miles In 60 Days Challenge. 

As I have said, as you are sweating and pushing hard, remind yourself you are not only doing this for you – but everyone around you!  Your reward will not be simply a thinner body, but also a healthier one that will allow you to enjoy your life!

Holidays!!

I want to apologize for the format of this post.  It was in my first book and I have not been able to copy & paste it without it looking like this. 

HOLIDAYS


Diet blogger tbarbrick3643 has a good suggestion for planning a party or gathering

without food, but that is not always going to be easy around the holidays. So what do

you do??

Stay away from all the sweets!! Stay away from stuff that is bad for you.

You know what you can and cannot eat. If you have time to plan, then take something

healthy to the party for yourself. Make sure to take enough to share and you might be

surprised at how many people like it! I took a fat-free sugar free pie to the 4th of July

party this year and it was a huge hit!

How do you typically celebrate birthdays, graduations, and other occasions with your

family and friends? Let me guess — by going out to eat or throwing a party, right?

Turns out, people usually eat a lot more when they're in a group and surrounded by

delicious food! Think about the last big gathering you had — with all the laughter

and chatter and good-natured teasing, did anyone pay any attention to how fast the

nachos or garlic bread disappeared? The longer you sit around the table, the more

you eat, and the more the people around you are eating, the more you eat, too! So the

truth is, the more often you socialize at restaurants and parties, the harder it may be

to maintain a healthy weight.

Starting right now, plan social events that are fun, active, and do not involve food.

You might find you really enjoy these outings — maybe even more than going for

dinner or drinks! So how about inviting the gang out to play miniature golf or take a

weekend hike in a pretty area nearby? Doesn't that sound like fun? You can all sign

up for a dance class or a sports team together to make it a regular event, like your

weekend dinners. If you don't want to do something super active, that's okay, but you

should still try to think of ideas that don't involve food — like playing cards together,

for example! It's relaxing and fun, and because your hands are occupied, you can't

keep throwing chips in your mouth!

4TH OF JULY


I have covered eating at Holidays in another section of the book, but the 4th of

July is a special holiday for me. I consider it something I have to plan for,

much like eating out anywhere else.


I have shared the 4th of July with my friend Ronnie Forbus for as long as I can

remember. When we were kids, I would go over to eat at his parents’ house.

As we got older, Ron decided to make it a yearly tradition at his home with his

wife and family. It always brings us together with our friends and family from

high school – Richie and Loyd – and we all EAT. I do not drink, but there is

usually enough beer and food to feed an army.


I was the usual person, stuffing my face and belly so full I could barely walk. I

remember my first 4th of July after I had started my journey. Ronnie and his

wife, Lee Ann, were receptive and made sure that they helped make healthy

choices for me and my family who were following the plan. So, what can you

or your hosts do to prepare for something like this??


-Someone supply a big vegetable plate. This will keep you from snacking on

chips.

-Eat chicken and pork [lean cuts] from the grill.

-Bring a pack of turkey hot dogs along with some Healthy Life buns and ask

your host to throw them on the grill.

-Eat small portions of stuff like baked beans, potato salad, and macaroni salad.

-Bring along a huge dish of green beans or asparagus!

-Bring one of the sugar-free fat-free pies! [Day 31]

And finally, if you want to eat more than usual, you can always use this as a

DOUBLE DAY for that 90-day period.

Recipe: Chicken and Rice!!

Recipe: Chicken & Rice

Here are two of my new favorite ways to fix chicken. First, I fix myself a cup of brown rice. I then cut up anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces of boneless chicken. Spray the pan with nonstick spray or use just a tiny amount of vegetable oil. I cut it up in small chunks – more bites you will get chicken in. I then put just a bit of salt and pepper on it and throw it in the skillet. Cook chicken for a few minutes until it is turning brown on the outside and then add your sauce of choice.

Now let me let you in on a couple of secrets. You can get teriyaki and Hot Wing sauce made by Louisiana Supreme and they are only $1. You can buy them at smaller grocery stores like Hays or Piggly Wiggly. Another secret – I never count the sauce. I know...I am cheating...but ...the only condiments that I count are mayo or any salad dressing.

For teriyaki, follow the basic recipe above, and then add it along with some soy sauce. Let the chicken get done and then throw in the rice. You might have to add a little more sauce, but just mix it up real well and you should be good to go. You can also add any kind of vegetables you enjoy like onion, green peppers and mushrooms.

Do not add soy sauce with the Hot Wing sauce. Pour it in and let the chicken cook until done. The sauce is hot, so it gives you a good kick. I then throw in the rice with a little more sauce and it is ready in just minutes. This usually takes less than 30 mins to cook. If you double the recipe, you can get two meals out of it.


8 ounce serving of chicken with one cup of rice
415 calories, 3g fat, 44g carbs, 49g protein
12 ounce serving of chicken with one cup of rice
515 calories 3.5g fat, 44g carbs, 66g of protein

ADVICE: "It's Too Hard!"

ADVICE: "It's Too Hard!" I hear too many people tell me that they “started” a certain exercise program and it was too hard or they had to do it too many days. I heard that complaint many times from Insanity and P90X buyers, who start out real hard and fast. They then get so sore they can barely walk. The programs are asking them to do too much and they just quit.

First, don’t quit. Insanity and P90X are two of my favorite programs. You can do those programs along with my workbook doing 90-day cycles. If you bought those two programs and bought the 599DIETMAN kit, then it is time to decide how to work the programs so they benefit you best.

Do not start anything that you feel is too hard. I designed my website and my workbook to help people on their journey. Start slow first. My DVDs have three exercises that will push you to the next level – one right after the other. If you feel after two months that Exercise #3 is too easy for you, then I sit down with my clients and their Insanity and P90X discs to work out a new workout schedule that will push them.

When they finish the first 90-day cycle and feel it is time for the next step, then I advise them to continue on my website and I will consult them about a 5-day exercise program of either exercise along with continuing the 599DIETMAN eating plan for your next 90-day cycle.

As I said in the book, Beachbody is a great company and I sell their product, but if you go at it too quick – you are either going to be so frustrated that you quit, or injure yourself pushing too hard.

www.599dietman.com

FOOD: HONEY

FOOD: HONEY

So you are just dying for something really sweet, but don’t want to kill your calorie intake?? I have recently started to become really fond of honey. The sweet flower nectar that created by those busy ultra smart bees.

It is not a super low calorie treat, but it is also tastes very sweet and might keep you free eating a big piece of pie.

Here is the lowdown on the calorie count

1 tablespoon – 64 calories, 0 fat, 17 carbs, 1g protein.

Honey is 80% natural sugar, which makes it a bit sweeter than table sugar. The vitamins present in honey are B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and certain amino acids.

Honey is considered as a complex carb or good carb as I discussed in my workbook. It will take much longer to digest than plain sugar, so it has a slow burn instead of instant crash.

Just like everything else though, too much honey is not a good thing. If you ate 4 tablespoons, then that is a 200 calorie snack.

My favorite thing to do is to eat it with one of my fruits – a banana! One tablespoon of honey and one of freebie bananas for the day and that is only counting 64 calories against my calories in that period. It is also good to eat with FAGE yogurt. I almost thing these two things were MADE for each other!! Add the tablespoon and you got your 200 calorie snack!!

I am a big supporter of local Farmers’ Markets or local vendors for honey. Take a moment to see if someone in your area makes this sweet treat and support them. It might cost a bit more than you would buy in the grocery store, but is fresh and made my bees and your local community!

THE RIGHT CHOICE: HEY PIZZA MAN!!

THE RIGHT CHOICE: HEY PIZZA MAN!!

For seven years of my life, I ran pizza restaurants. I was the owner of a small place in my hometown along with working for Pizza Hut and Papa Johns. No matter what city I worked in, I would slowly hear “Hey, Pizza Man!” when I was at the local grocery store or mall. I would also know people by what kind of pizza they ordered. I had one guy called, “Pepperoni thin crust with mom.” I actually ran into him and his mom a few weeks back.

That “Hey Pizza Man!” would be fun to hear. It would sort of give me pride in my product, especially when it was my own pizza. I was happy to make other people happy, even though at the time I was feeding them unhealthy food along with being close to 280 lbs myself.

I was recently at the grocery store and as one of my friends, Casey Greene, passed by, he said, “Hey Dietman!” and shook his head when he saw what I had at the checkout counter. Casey, whom I have tried to get on the program more than once, took a look at my yogurts, bananas and nuts. He got a big smile on his face and named everything I was buying.

Yes!! I was happy and couldn't wait to tell Misty about it!! I was finally the DIETMAN, instead of the Pizza Man, and was proud of how many people I have helped so far. And Casey is reminded every time he sees me – even though it might be at the grocery store or wherever – that I am the Dietman and follow my program every day of the week. It also will be in the back of his mind – that I could help him whenever he is ready.

This is my life. I made the choice to change it just like you. Whether you are called the “oddball” or “the one on the diet” or “599dietman”, keep your head up high and be happy you are on the right path.