Shift Weekly: Bite it Once, Shame on You—Bite it Twice, Shame on Me

I am going to start this week by repeating myself.  Yes, that’s right –here goes—“weight management is 80% stimulus control”.  For those of you that have been reading my weekly emails for a while, forgive me, but I honestly feel I could say this every day for the rest of my life and I would not be saying it enough.  I may even have to have it as my epitaph when they finally lay me to rest in my final Shift place.  “Here lays Rita Black and she would just like you to know that 80% of weight loss and weight management is stimulus control!”

When we Shift and begin to practice the winning skills of long term weight management, this skill STIMULOUS CONTROL, keeping tempting and trigger foods out of your daily environments, stands out as one of the most effective and yet challenging of the 9 Skills.  Why?  Because, when it comes to keeping our world gak-free, we are not always in total control of our environments.

For example, as a mother of two children and someone who has been maintaining a weight loss for 15 years, I keep my home relatively free of gak.  No that doesn’t mean you will only find tofu and kale in my refrigerator and jars of sprouted grains in my cupboard, but it means that the foods that I bring into my home, for the most part, support me in reaching for foods that nourish me and my family, but also allow me to feel like a I am living a full and tasty life of my dreams. 

However, every week I open one cupboard in my house and I find some “thing” there that my husband has bought on a whim and I have to “deal” with it.  You see, my husband gets carried away by free samples.  Every week he takes our kids to piano lessons and next to the music center is a small gourmet shop with samples.  He eats the sample, his eyes roll back in his head in a gourmet food induced trance, and he buys the thing that is on sale.  He may not even really like it, but he buys it because that is what his brain is programmed to do (I think he is not alone).  He then comes home and puts the free sample thing in this cupboard in our kitchen.  Like clockwork, I find the purchase and say “why did you buy this gak?” and he will say “it was on sale and I thought it could be a treat for the kids”.  I sigh because I know 90% of what he buys the kids won’t touch and neither will my husband once he has bought it—he has moved on to more free samples out there in the world and I am stuck at the cupboard with the thing he has bought. 

Generally the “thing” stays unopened and will eventually get thrown away by me.  Stimulus control rule #1:  an unopened container is a lot less tempting than an opened one.  Rule #2:  get it out of sight.  Occasionally the “thing” gets opened and if it turns out to be a trigger food for me I have to deal with it.

What are trigger foods??

Trigger foods are those foods that call our name.  We know a food has an addictive hold on us if we eat one and won’t stop until the bag, the box, the whole thing is gone.  Sometimes our attachment is emotional, sometimes addictive—mostly both.  What matters the most is not the why but the how.  How do I create a new shifted relationship with this food?  For example, frosting is definitely a trigger food of mine.  How I Shifted my relationship to frosting is I figured out if I limited my intake of frosting to very specific times of the year with clear serving sizes—then I could have the frosting that those designated times but be clear with myself that at any other time FROSTING IS NOT AN OPTION.  Therefore, with frosting , I have created the LOVING BOUNDARY of allowing myself  frosting on cake on the birthdays of everyone in my immediate family—otherwise, like I mentioned above, frosting for me is not an option.   I go to a lot of birthday parties but it is easy for me to pass up frosted cake because in my mind frosting is not an option—for me this is a miracle given that in my “unShifted" past I would go back in the cake line at most weddings at least 5 times—pretending to get cake for other people and then eating it all myself!

Mastery Rule 1: Keep your trigger foods (or drink) out of your house.

Mastery Rule 2: Define times and places that consuming your trigger foods is safe.  I call this creating a loving boundary. Example: If your trigger food is ice cream, (you can’t stop eating the ice cream till the carton is done) well, this habit probably isn’t going to serve your long term permanent weight release so maybe you can create a new habit with ice cream with a loving boundary:

Loving ice cream boundary:  Once a week I can have a scoop of my favorite at the ice cream parlor.

Maybe you go as far to look up the ice cream calories online and see that one scoop of rocky road is 250 calories and you make it work calorically for you on that day—so that you can have ice cream but still remain within your calorie budget for weight release. 

This week:  Think of a trigger food that is an environment that you live in (home, work car etc.) that is taking your power away from you.  Get that food out of that environment and now redefine a loving boundary around that food.  Put it out of reach, out of sight, in the trash, in the freezer, in your kid’s smelly sock bin, or back at the store.  Now sit back and ponder what is the new relationship going to be?  You may have to try on a few ideas—but eventually you will create something that works for you and takes that trigger food out of the “bad food” file in your head and put’s it into the “manageable” file—giving you your power back and putting you a few steps further down the road on your journey to long-term permanent weight release.

Have a great week!

Oxox

Rita

Shift Weekly - "Little Portions on the Prairie"

What is something the wild, wild west and wild, wild, weight management have in common?  The fear of no food of course!

Last year I read the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" series with my then 7-year old daughter at night. If you are unfamiliar with the books or the TV spin off, the “Little House on the Prairie” series deals with a pioneer family who move West, told through the eyes of a little girl--Laura.  Throughout the entire series of books, Laura describes--often in great detail--some of the meals that they were eating in pioneer days.  Obviously there was no Vons, Trader Joes or even Whole Foods in Indian territory, and often the family made due with very little to eat.  Fear of starving to death on the vast plains happened on more than one occasion for this brave pioneering brood.  What amazes me is that Pa (the father of the group) is able to haul logs, split them, build a house, plow the virgin prairie, build wells and put out fires all with about 1000-1200 calories a day worth of food in his belly.

I remember growing up as an overweight teenager and my mother telling me, as I heaped a third helping of mashed potatoes and gravy onto my plate, that I ate more as a lazy kid than the hard working ranch hands during cattle round up season at her grandfather’s ranch in the Badlands of Montana.  As a former nutritionist, my mother knew calories inside out and she had helped my  great, grandmother dole out portions during lean times in the 40’s. She said that those hard working men ate somewhere between 1300-1800 calories during a grueling 15 hour work day—and they were fine, lean, healthy men—they weren’t dropping over dead from starvation.  Uh, thanks mom.  I get the point.  What’s for dessert?

In modern American culture we have gotten so used to a lifestyle that embraces big portions that it is hard to believe that the human body can and does function on very little food. Not that you would be looking around for seconds if your choice was leftover squirrel stew and moldy biscuits, as it was in Little House days, but just the same, perception is everything and habit runs a close second.

The unconscious mind resists change.  Often this resistance feels like fear.  I often see the fear in my client’s eyes at the thought of eating fewer calories in order to lose weight.  I can sympathize.  Eating 500 calories less per day in order to release one pound of fat per week can seem downright intimidating to our primitive brain, which is programmed to have us move less, eat as many dense calories as possible so that we can store fat in anticipation of the next famine.

So how can we Shift our perception of what is enough?  We can slowly begin to eat less dense calories and replace the bulk with lighter, more nutritious calories.  That is how we trick the reptilian brain into thinking we are eating as much, but at the same time, proving to ourselves that our body can actually operate on less calories.  Research shows that people who have long term permanent weight loss typically eat about 7-11 serving of fruits and vegetables a day.  This may seem like a lot, but a serving could be a few slices of tomato on your sandwich.  A large salad would be about 4 servings of vegetables.  When you focus your Inner Coach on this strategy of eating more fruits and vegetables, the servings add up fast, add bulk, and allow you to feel satisfied with fewer calories and actually make you feel better and crave healthier food.

I remember this was my revelation when I was making my own Shift.  My limiting belief was that no amount of food was enough--that my stomach was a voracious, empty void and that no amount of food would satisfy me.  So the thought of eating less was a bit frightening at first but I was also determined to Shift my relationship—not only to food—but to myself.  I wanted to change my limiting belief that I needed a lot in order to be satisfied.  I started slowly adding more vegetables and salad to my plate and making my dense calorie food portions less.  I took the hunk of grilled chicken from 8 ounces down to 6.  I was frightened at first making the portions smaller, but my Inner Coach said, “Hey if it’s not enough and you are hungry, you can always have more later.”  To my surprise, I was not hungry—I actually felt fine…downright good, in both in my stomach and in my soul.  Wow! I could really eat less and still feel satisfied.  This was a big Shift indeed.

To this day I still enjoy eating a big meal once a day.  Making vegetables and fruits a large portion of that meal is my go to strategy to feeling full and maintaining my weight.  Eating this way allows me to get full but not feel bloated and gross after eating like I used to.  Instead, I feel light, connected to myself, and nourished.  Shifted!

I invite you to take on a portion challenge and shift your perception of yourself in a positive way this week. If you are struggling with Shifting into fewer calories in order to release weight, try adding a few more servings of fruits and vegetables and a few more servings of the voice of your Inner Coach helping you Shift your own perception of what is enough.  Be patient, be curious, and see yourself as a brave pioneer on your own journey to long-term permanent weight release. Here’s to a week of feeling full of health!

Happy Trails!

oxox Rita

If you are struggle with portions, I offer a Portion Control Hypnosis CD called “Mastering your Relationship with Portions”

Shift Weekly - "Beware Little Buts"

There's still time to join in on the March 26^th Shift—just a few spaces left.

Register by calling 877-221-7251 or email.

http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/  for full information

Dear Shifters,

We are heading into spring and lots of gakky, sugary-laden holidays so, buyer beware--check out this week's coaching session below:

Listen to your CD's - Stay strong!

Get out in the longer days and exercise.

Call a friend and coach them on something you are having trouble with.

As I was shopping 2 weekends ago, I was approached by a zealous Girl Scout and her 3 friends, “Want to buy Girl Scout Cookies?"  "Sorry—not today" I replied—ducking and dashing to get in the store “But they’re Girl Scout cookies—only once a year! Don’t pass them up!”

Though I wholly admired the kid’s entrepreneurial spirit—I passed on her plea. But it got me thinking about all the little buts out there just waiting to keep us from our weight mastery.  Let’s look at the year of little buts shall we?

But it’s New Years Day...
But it’s President’s Day weekend
But it’s the PTA meeting
But it’s the inauguration
But it’s Super Bowl Sunday
But it’s Valentine’s Day
But it’s a birthday party
But it’s Martin Luther King’s Birthday
But it’s girls night out
But it’s a snow day
But it’s Girl Scout Cookies
But it’s a birthday party
But it’s our dog’s birthday
But it’s Mardi Gras
But it’s Passover
But is pizza night
But it’s Easter
But it’s raining
But it’s 2 for one on sale
But it’s our anniversary
But there’s the coupon at the restaurant
But the waiter said the dessert was on the house
But it’s rude not to eat what everyone else is eating
But it’s her birthday cake
But I made them for you
But you look so skinny
But it’s only one 100 calorie pack—okay 2—okay 3
But it’s spring break!
But he brought in donuts
But it’s almost the end of spring break
But I’ve had a hard day
But my mom expects me to eat it
But there’s only a little left—we have to finish it
But it’s Mother’s Day
But it’s Memorial Day weekend
But it’s the big fundraiser
But it’s the weekend
But it’s graduation
But it's bagel day
But it’s Father’s Day
But it’s Summer Solstice
But it’s a BBQ
But everyone else is drinking
But s'mores are camping food and were camping and so..
But it’s homemade ice cream
But it’s the 4th of July
But it’s Boy Scouts Pancake Breakfast we have to support…
But we're on vacation
But the drive thru is faster
But he’s buying lunch
But it’s only this once
But we’ll burn it off later
But it’s a beach day
But it’s Labor Day Weekend
But it’s Yom Kippur
But it’s Halloween
But it’s Thanksgiving
But it’s a Christmas party
But it’s a holiday party
But it’s another Christmas Party
But I’ll be good starting New Year…

"But it" never ends...except it ends up in one big butt!

Coaching for the week: Since our environment, culture, and lifestyle create a food laden world of little, but booby traps, we, as masters of Long Term Permanent Weight Release, must be conscious of the "buts" and use our inner coach to navigate this world in a such a way where we can still enjoy it but stay within our energy needs (gas tank).

One technique –quiet questioning—allows us to get clear what we truly need within a situation. When you feel a little "but" coming on—notice it—be amused by your rebel’s attempt to side track you, and then engage the coach in questioning yourself as to what you truly want and need to feel taken care of.

How many Girl Scout cookies do I need in order to feel like I enjoyed them this year? Do I need them? Will they sit on my counter and call to me? Will I be better off donating money to the Girl Scouts since they only make 10% profit off of the stuff anyways?

How can I stay within my “food gas tank” and go on vacation this year? How will I navigate the fudge shops? Do I need to go in? Do I need to eat fudge in order to feel like I went on vacation?

Quietly questioning before hand engages your imagination in envisioning what you really want to occur—honoring all parts of yourself--changing the habit map in your brain and setting you up to successfully avoid the little but trap. 

Try it out the next time you feel a little "but" coming on and avoid the big butt in the end.

Lose the “buts” and lose the butt.

Have a great week Shifters!

xoxo Rita

Shift Weekly: Girl Scout Cookies Pt. 1 PLUS Shift Radio: Fatland with author Greg Critser

Click here to listen to our show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/shifttalkradio1

Shift Intensive Seminar - March 26 - Los Angeles 

Only 2 Re-Shift spaces left.  We still have a few Shift spaces left.
Register now.  www. Shift Weight Mastery.com or 877-221-7251

Dear Shifters,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Did you notice the sweet little Girl Scouts are out selling their sweet little cookies?  Many clients have written in and given suggestions as to how to deal with this annual guilt-induced purchase that can end up in a sugar-induced diabetic coma.  Here are some ideas:

1)  Don’t buy the cookies but donate money instead.

2)  Buy a brand you don’t like and then put in a cupboard and 6 months from now throw away.

3)  Walk the other way.

4)  Buy your favorite brand and work out how many cookies a day works for you and enjoy.

5)  Write to the Girl Scouts and suggest that they offer alternative things to sell and tell them that you are on to the fact that there are trans fats in their cookies just not enough to register on the  “per serving” on the nutritional label.>

I will discuss this a bit more next week but am now excited to introduce another  SHIFT RADIO SHOW—featuring an interview with Fatland author Greg Critser.

Greg Critser is an award-winning writer about medicine, science, food and health. His work has appeared in periodicals ranging from the New York Times to the Times of London, and from Harper's to the New Yorker. He is the author of the best seller Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World (Houghton Mifflin 2003), and the award-winning Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Minds, Lives and Bodies (Houghton 2005). His new book, Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging, was published by Random House in January 2010. He has lectured widely at universities and medical schools, and his blog can be found at Scientificblogging.com.

 Back in 2003 I bought the book Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World.  I was immediately hooked by the compelling history of how we had gotten tragically obese as a nation put forward in a witty, insightful way.  This was the first book that I ever read that laid out the impact of high fructose corn syrup on the human body for the layman (only had read in scientific journals before).

I recently had the opportunity to interview Greg Critser about his book Fatland, which was inspired by his own weight release.  In this interview we discuss the American cultural SHIFT in attitudes about food, portion sizes and how super-sizing came about. We also discuss the impact of high fructose corn syrup and how it impacts the body differently than regular sugar.  Mr. Critser gives his take on what we can do as a community —particularly how parents can begin to make a SHIFT with the food companies and their own kids that can begin to turn things around.

Click here to listen to our show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/shifttalkradio1

If you get a chance—please take an opportunity to read Mr. Critser’s book Fatland—it is informative, shocking, and a fun read that will Shift your thinking about the proliferation of calorically dense foods in this country and alarming impact it is having on us and our children.  Links to Mr. Critser's books are on my blog.  Click here.

Have a great and Shifted week,

 oxox Rita

Ask Rita: Why can't I lose weight??

Don't forget:  You can Shift or Re-Shift on March 26!  There's still time to register and get an early registration discount.  www.ShiftWeightMastery.com

Hi Shifters,

It’s hard to believe another month has passed so quickly.  This week I wanted to focus on some common questions that I get asked by Shifters.

Q: I exercise a lot but can’t release weight—why??

Rita: When you exercise but eat more calories than your body burns per day (including the exercise calories)--you gain weight.  That’s why there are a lot of frustrated people at the gym.  You maybe burning calories working out but you can eat back those calories in 5 minutes if you are not aware of your calorie output and intake. The idea that you’re exercising your butt off may be true--but then you go and eat your butt right back on after the gym!!  The calories in a protein shake or even some protein bars and equal the calories burned working out on the treadmill for an hour!  You still need to honor the laws of physics (calories in and calories out)—exercise is not—I repeat not a free pass to eat more. Sorry—harsh but true.  Don’t get mad at me—I didn’t invent physics—I am just passing on the information.  Try tracking your exercise calories over a week and see how many you actually burn and be clear exactly how many calories you are taking in. This will probably enlighten you as to why you aren’t releasing as quickly as you should.  Try going for lighter snacks before and after workouts.  Those smoothies and muffins at the gym may look healthy but are often fairly empty calories waiting to hop back into your body to fill the void you just created by exercise. 

Q: What if my body can’t seem to lose weight?

My guess is that your body can release weight once you are super clear on how many calories you burn per day and exactly how many calories you take in.  People who struggle with weight tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat by 50-100%--many clients who were sure they were weight loss resistant released weight easily once they got their numbers straightened out and their portions aligned with reality.  It’s not our metabolism that needs to be fixed –it’s our eyes and expectations of what is really possible.

 Dr. Stephen Heimsfeld  of St Luke’s hospital in NYC conducted a study where he took supposedly “weight –loss resistant” people from all over the country.  People who seemed not to be able to lose weight—no matter hard they tried.  He put them all on a monitored caloric restricted diet and guess what?  They all released weight as per the laws of physics!

It’s easy to want to blame our body or our diet but 9 times out of 10 we are underestimating our caloric intake.  Try for one week to weigh and measure what you eat to readjust your eyeballs.  Keep super clear record of what you eat.  My guess is you will begin releasing weight or at least discover the real reason why you have not been able to.  It may seem daunting but it’s such a relief to have the answers in front of you in black and white—then your brain can begin to problem solve how you can begin to eat less and release weight in a way that honors you, your taste preferences and your lifestyle.

Q:  How do I not feel guilty for wanting to put myself and my weight release goals as a priority over the needs of my family? 

Rita:  Oh yes—guilt—I sometimes think that guilt is the most fattening and useless emotion.  Most people who struggle with weight feel a lot of guilt and guilt usually starts as a limiting belief or overwhelming expectation. 

Let’s look at a mom who wants to exercise but she also has her whole family to take care of.  She feels too guilty to exercise because it would take away time form her taking care of her family.  So if we looked at her expectations it maybe that she has to be a good mom and a good mom is selfless and should not put her needs first.  She may be even think that her kids will not do as well in life because she was not there for them for the 45 minutes a day she might have been exercising.  The quilt is being caused by the expectation that I need to be a perfect mom and that means my need come after my kids as well as the limiting belief—my children’s needs are more important than my health. So how could she break this scenario down and reintroduce it to her brain in a different way to remove the guilt caused by the expectation and limiting belief? 

She could take a breath and remind herself that 45 minutes a day is a reasonable amount of time to focus on making oneself healthier.  Kids watch their parents—and by modeling healthy behavior for her kids, by taking the time 45minutes to walk, she is showing them she cares about herself and her body.  She could tell her kids that mommy is taking some “exercise time” in order to be a better mommy. This will make a hugely positive impression on her kids.  I know as a mother self care is one of the most important legacies I choose pass on to my children  I watched my mother put her needs last and watched her gain weight and hate herself—feeling unattractive and out of control.  As a child watching her, I me feel helpless and sad for her–it did not make me feel “Gee, I have the best mom she always puts me first”. By communicating her needs to her kids she can connect with them and herself—lightening the burden of her guilt.

 If we don’t have self care we don’t function at 100% and therefore we cannot be of service to ourselves our children or to the community.  The mom can separate out of the unrealistic expectation “there is no time to exercise” and Shift into the idea that “there is always time for what you make a priority and that self care is a priority because I wants to be healthy for my kids and model good self care for them” then she immediately moves out of guilt and into action.  Guilt is often a feeling that masks an action that we are unwilling to take on some level.  Get rid of the guilt—it’s useless and it’s fattening.

Please send me your questions.  I hope you all have a great week.

Keep on Shifting,

xoxo Rita

Shift goes to Trader Joes

For those lucky Shifters who live in a locale served by Trader Joes market:  
I am a big fan of the Joe’s because they have affordable products and a lot of them are master mindset friendly.  TJ’s leaves a lot to be desired with his parking lots though!  Here is a list of some things we found during a Shift field trip.   If you don't have one in your area, many of these items are now available in other nationwide markets.  Have fun!

The big lesson with any store is that you have to read labels!  Otherwise, seemingly innocent ”health food”-- that actually is really caloric-- ends up undoing you because you think you are eating light, but you are not.  Case in point—we looked at the sushi section; the seemingly low cal “rolls” average about 600 calories per package!!! Yikes!

Almond Breeze’s unsweetened Almond Milk—back me up Joesters—we were practically misty-eyed singing the praises of this slightly almondy beverage that doesn’t come from a mammal or throw your hormones into a funk.  40 calories a cup and it’s rich and creamy to boot.  Substitute for cream in soups or drink it for a pick me up.....

Yogurt rave:   Fage 0% Greek yogurt-plain and Trader Joe’s 0% Greek version of the same.  High in protein and calcium, low-calorie!  This is strained yogurt so  it's thicker, without thickeners.  It be eaten as yogurt or used instead of sour cream-thick,creamy and mild, great for breakfast and snacks –topped with fruit or plain, stirred into savory dips.  I use it to top stewed apples , bananas, and other fruit desserts. 

Pasturized egg whites: (Near the egg beaters) I love these things because you can spray a casserole dish, pour some whites in, nuke 'em, and you can keep em for a couple of days.  I sometimes make a breakfast from a tortilla, Canadian bacon slice-1 slice, one slice tofu cheese, and a bit of egg whites.  It’s like an Egg Mc Muffin but it’s only 180 calories and low in fat and it takes seconds to make when the egg whites are prepped ahead of time. They are great for cooking, baking and omlettes obviously.

Zen muffins and Fiber cakes; These little fruit juice sweetened baked goods are the fiber child of The Zen Bakery.  The fibercakes are 80 calories and 15 grams of fiber wow going in cause they taste great—and double wow going out—if you get my drift!  The Zen muffins are a bit more zaftig—weighing in at 250 cals but with fiber.   Low fat and the same size as those big Starbucks muffins, but only a third of the calories.  These go off fast so store them in he freezer and take out as needed.  Great for breakfast or snacking or dessert broken up over some of the above-mentioned yogurt.

Eggplant hummus: the lowest calorie hummus in the case. At 35 cal a tablespoon is a good thing-as Martha would say—spread on w/w toast or the low carb tortilla (I am going to be buried in a low carb tortilla I mention them so much), or as a dip for those sexy veggies that you all love to chomp on at snack time.

Guacamole:  Low cal?  We think not!  However, there are ways to take this healthy, yet calorie dense, dip and make it user friendly--blenderize it with peas or cooked asparagus—it adds minimal flavor to the dip but cuts the cals way down. Or eat it as is, but just be aware of how much you are using.  Ricardo gave us another idea—lettuce.  Sometimes Mexican restaurants will blenderize the lettuce in the guacamole just to fill it out to save money—we like the idea because it saves calories!

Egg white salad with chives and egg white salad ranchero:  These bad boys come in the same type of container as the hummus.  I love this stuff, it tastes great, packs a ton of protein to keep hunger at bay and a whole container is 100 caloires!  Put it on salads, over steamed veggies (this is actually awesome) on w/w toast or the low carb tortilla.  I like the Ranchero best because it’s spicy and is reminiscent of a chili relleno when you put salsa over it.

Just Chicken, Just salmon, Just beef:  For the carnivore in us, these are packages of freshly poached and chunked meats and fishes that are prepped with nothing added and have  all the fatty bits removed!  These products would be great over a salad, tossed in a stir-fry, or just kept in the office fridge for a protein packed snack.  Great for those of us who like to eat meat but don’t like cooking it.

TJs salads:  these are the prepped ones that I have already mentioned but worth repeating because they are so convenient, tasty, fresh and low cal—

California spa-nicoise

Low Fat Southwestern

Low Fat Greek

Garden with Tomato basil dressing

Sesame tofu

Low fat Chinese chicken

Low fat Shrimp Louis

I buy the organic garden salad,  toss out the 300 cal dressing packet (TJ’s what are you thinking!) and put ½ the egg white salad over the top with some salsa on top.  It’s really good and filling and for 120 calories TOTAL! gets you through to afternoon snack time without a tummy rumble.

Pete put in a good rave about TJs fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette and it was so low in calories you could bathe in it.  25 for 2 Tablespoons.

Spicy Spinach pizza (located on the top shelf above salads—in this TJs at least) these are thin things that are more like pizza sandwiches.  Amy from our group has been enjoying them.  They have about 120 calories each and look good.  Amy any comments???

Chevre Lite at 35 calories an ounce it’s a great tangy topping to a salad, toast, apple slices—or dare I say it –a low carb tortilla, spread with a tiny bit of jam or a savory salty olive tapenade (just to impart a flavor).

Any cheese that is preportioned and packaged like the Bon Belle or Laughing Cow or cheese sticks are a help because then your rebel isn’t tempted into having you continue slicing away at the bigger piece of cheese “Go on—even up that edge—you know you want to.”

Hebrew national franks 97% fat free—A good tasting hot dog that weighs in at 45 calories.

Canadian bacon-Surprisingly this Canuck breakfast meat is super low in fat and calories—Oh Canada! 20 calories a slice.

TJs is great because they package up prepped veggies so it makes cooking them a cinch.  I buy the bag of Southern greens (kale, collard) and sauté those all of the time.  Liz puts cumin and Paprika on them and says it gives them that smoky southern thing without the ham hock. 

Bags of sugar snap peas have about 100 calories and are a favorite of Alicia’s—my hypno-associate.  You can munch for hours for little calories but a lot of nutrition!

Apples: we discussed slicing up apples, putting them in a microwave dish, adding cinnamon, a slice of ginger some vanilla and them microwaving for 5 minutes.  The result is a comforting bowl of what tastes like apple pie.  I will serve this as dessert to company with yogurt on top—always a big hit and great for breakfast too.

Freezer Section:

The freezer is your LTPWR friend. Not only is it a great place to put the gakky foods that you don’t want calling out your name, but it is also a wonderful hideout for all those healthy veggies and prepared dinners at your office and home for those days and nights that you just can’t put energy into cooking.  The microwave and freezer together can be your answer to the take out or fast food drive thru.

Tjs freezer section has a lot of dinners but you do have to check labels.  Here are some lower cal items for snacks, meals and desserts.

Chicken, Beef, or Black bean Taquitos.  100 calories per Taquito.  Great for a snack attack—one is pretty big and can hold your hunger off.  Or have a couple with a salad or veggies for din din.

Thai frozen Veggie Gyoza: 50 calories each—not bad and decadent feeling.  Keep on top of the number you eat though.

Pizza fromaggio:  These baby pizzas are very high quality and taste great—they have been the subject of my personal 3-bite rule many a time.  Now they aren’t what I would call a healthy dinner but if you have to eat pizza, these are small and only 250 calories each.

Roasted Veggie pizza: W/W crust, no cheese and lots of cool veggies, 1/3 of the pizza is 260 calories and another idea for a pizza jonzing attack.

Just Grilled Chicken:  Slices of grilled chicken breast frozen and put in a reseal able package. Need I say more—I see salads, stir fries, and romaine roll-ups in your future.

Asian veggie Mixes:  TJs is your hub for frozen Asian veggie mixes.  Just look on the back first.  Some have a ton of calories and some are down right low cal.  Another way to cut cals is to stir-fry one of these bags with another bag of just veggies.

Morning Star Farms:  You either love the fake meat and soy burgers or you don’t and then sometimes you think you hate them but find a product that actually works.  Here is a list of the MSF products that TJs carries that us Joesters were fans of:

Tomato basil burger 120 calories AND AWESOME

BBQ riblets: 230 cals a serving and hits the BBQ spot.
Veggie bacon-the best I’ve had
Veggie breakfast patties- 80 calories each good Jimmy Dean feeling and Wilbur gets to live.
Also:
Dr. Praegers veggie burgers 100 calories each
Veggie Masala: Indian spiced veggie burgers-I love these-no protein though
Lime cilantro chicken patties: 100 calories.
Chicken skewers: Phyllis put in a good work for these and 120 cals each we listened!

The frozen broccoli, green bean, and spinach are all great ways to cut time and get green into your diet.  Take the bag from your freezer, put it in your microwave and hit 6 minutes—it will come out nicely steamed and ready to eat. Sometime I will put out a bowl of salsa and dip the broccoli spears in for a snack or as I’m fixing dinner for the kids.

The frozen fruit is a must for the freezer for smoothies, sorbets, or eating out of the bag frozen—the cherries and mangos are great for this—they slow down you eating and it satisfies that late night sweet tooth.  Another idea is to thaw and top cottage cheese, yogurt etc.  I will put frozen fruit in a cup  and let it thaw on my desk at work and then eat it.

Dry goods Aisle:

Here are some items from the always crowded pasta aisle.
Tj’s Tuscana Marinara sauce, no sugar low cal.

Sesame oil-high in calories, but imparts tons of flavor so a little goes a long way in sauces(soy sauce+sesame oil+rice vinegar+ plus some sweetener and ginger if you want) and dressings or toss a ¼ t. in a stir fry.

Tapenades:  Another higher calorie item but, as mentioned before, you can spread a bit on some goat cheese on some toast or tortilla for a great lunch or snack.  Ideas: pesto, black olive, artichoke, red pepper and green olive, Indian relish.

Masala Simmer sauce, red enchilada sauce, red thai sauce, all come in glass jars and are great sauces that are low cal to transform humble proteins and veggies or beans into an amazing feast of the senses. 

Indian and Thai boxed pouches:  A lot of these have 160 calories or less for ½ a pouch and are great tossed into a bowl of broccoli instead of the way more caloric rice.  Green Thai Tuna is my fave and the eggplant Indian one is also full of flavor.

Canned organic pumkin: I love making crustless pumkin pie and eating it for dinner.  Take a can of pumkin (150 calories)  add ½ c. egg whites, some sweetener (agave, stevia, applesauce splenda etc.), pumpkin pie spices, 1 cup almond milk put in a pie dish and bake at 300 for about an hour (depends—check).  The whole dish is only about 350 calories if you get carried away and eat the whole thing. (Calories depend on how you sweeten it)

Okay one of the last stops-Breads
Love the Sonora low carb tortillas (really Rita?—that’s a surprise) 60 calories
Ricardo loves the Ezekial tortillas, bigger, more grainy and good for tortilla salads and strips (Blog Ricardo for the recipe)
Look Pa Bread:  whole grain, no flour 90 calories but as whole grain as you can get.
Check out other breads—check labels a slice of bread can range from 40 to 160 calories a slice.

That’s it for now!  Please add any other new items or items we didn't find--we're always looking for more ideas for our food adventures.