Easy Omelet - Low Fat, High Protein

Do you like to sleep in on the weekends then get up and make a hot, tasty breakfast? Maybe you read the paper or watch This Old House while leisurely enjoying your breakfast and a cup of steaming coffee.

Here’s a great omelet that’s easy to make, is low in fat, and has the protein and veggies you need to get your day started right. You can even toss on a side of turkey bacon or turkey sausage since this omelet is only 155 calories!

5 egg whites or Egg Beaters (75 cal.)
1 slice smoked turkey (20 cal.)
1 cup frozen broccoli florets (20 cal.)
1/8 cup shredded Italian cheese (40 cal.)

Wisk the egg whites with a fork and add your favorite seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, black or red pepper). Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Pour in egg whites. Microwave broccoli for 90 seconds. After you flip your omelet, turn the heat to low. Top with turkey, broccoli and cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Is There a Cure for Food Obsession?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to NOT obsess about food? What it would be like to not have cravings or to spend so much time thinking about food and what you will eat and when you will eat it? Or never be tempted to overeat? Or what it would be like to not struggle and fight all day against eating too much or eating bad foods?

I’ve thought about it.

I have thin friends who don’t obsess over food. They don’t track their calories or keep a food log. They eat only when they’re hungry (which doesn’t seem very often), eat very small portions, and stop as soon as they’re full. My one friend told me she actually has to remind herself to eat. I have to remind myself not to eat.

What makes the difference? Why is one person so consumed with food while the other person only thinks of food when her belly growls?

I don’t have the answer. (Wish I did.) I do know that those of us who struggle with food must continue to fight every day or food will win the battle.

House Poor

I recently picked my boys up from a play date at their friend’s house. The house was big and beautiful, in a very nice neighborhood.

But when I stepped inside, I was shocked. The rooms were nearly empty with bare walls and just a few pieces of furniture scattered about.

It reminded me of when we bought our first house. Our realtor warned us to be careful that we didn’t buy a house with such a high price tag we couldn’t live comfortably (even though we qualified for the financing). She told us that many people ended up with such high mortgages they couldn’t buy furniture to put in their houses. They could barely buy the groceries and toiletries they needed each month. She called them “house poor.”

I know many people whose lives are maxed out with work and commitments. They have little or no time and effort left to care for their health. Instead of paying attention to their bodies, they pop pills and take medicine. Though they have nice homes and cars and clothes, inside, their bodies are empty of what really matters--good health. They are health poor.

We all have goals we want to achieve. We have to work hard to achieve them. But what good is it to gain our goals and lose our health?

In all your striving to get more, don’t neglect good health.

Happiness Linked to Health

If you were asked what causes poor health, you’d probably say things like eating “bad” foods, being overweight, not exercising, smoking, etc. You would also know that conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar can cut your life short.

What you may not think of as a malady is being unhappy.

According to research, happiness plays a key role in good health. If someone is unhappy in their job or socioeconomic status, it could cut seven years off their life. If they are happy, they could live longer and have a greater chance of avoiding disease.

Happy people also have stronger resistance to colds and flu, and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Those with anxiety suffer more chronic physical illness and worse symptoms.

Though good nutrition and regular exercise are the backbone to a healthy body, your mental attitude plays a huge role in your health. I’ve also noticed that people who are positive are better equipped to make lasting, lifestyle changes.

If you’re not happy, examine why. Is there something you can do about your situation? Can your outlook be changed to inspire more gratefulness?

As Martha Washington said, “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go.”

Trip Ups Are Normal

“I totally blew it this weekend,” my client confessed. She felt really bad for eating off plan – pasta, garlic bread, cookies. She’d been doing fantastic for weeks with her food, exercise, and weight loss. This was a huge disappointment to her. Emotionally, she was angry at herself. Physically, she felt miserable and ill from all the fatty, heavy food.

I encouraged her, “This will happen sometimes. Just get right back up and keep going.”

If only we could always be perfect. But this is not the case. There are times when we trip up and make bad food choices, overeat, skip exercise, etc. Then we look back over the day and feel disappointed, sad, and angry with our behavior. This is normal.

What we can NOT do is let a slip up keep us down. The faster we get back on track, the easier and the better.

Here are simple steps to get back on track:

1. Remove all temptation foods from your environment.
2. Plan out your food and exercise for each day.
3. Write everything you eat in a daily food journal.
4. Add some extra cardio workouts into your week.
5. Keep perspective – a pound is worth 3500 calories.
6. Get rid of negative thinking (believe in yourself).

If you truly follow all these steps, you will have a pretty sure guarantee for success.

Do Diet Drinks Help the Diet?

Some surprising studies show that people who drink diet sodas don’t lose weight. They actually gain weight. There is a higher risk of being overweight with every diet soda a person drinks than with regular soda.

Is it an ingredient in the soda? Or is it psychological?

We’ve all heard people order a super-sized fast food meal with a diet drink. They could be reasoning that the calories “saved” by drinking a diet soda affords them extra calories to consume elsewhere. Gee, makes a lot of sense considering a 12-ounce diet soda saves 150 calories, but a fast food meal is over 1000 calories.

Other studies suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite. The body ends up craving more food and more calories, instead of feeling satisfied. This could lead to overeating, especially of high-calorie foods.

When it comes to diet drinks, limit how many you drink. Try to stay with two servings a day. If for no other reason than good health, make water your main staple. (Did you ever read the ingredient list on those diet drinks?)

Pure water should make up most of your fluid intake. You can add some fresh lemon juice or peppermint oil for flavor. Herbal teas and decaf coffee can also be enjoyed throughout the day in addition to the water.

Don’t be fooled by diet drinks. They may not be as helpful to your diet as what you’ve believed.