July 26, 2008

Want power not Will power

I was thinking about this today. I’ve been doing really well for the last 3 months on my healthy eating plan and I’ve noticed some subtle changes that I think are helping me stay on track. Usually I will do good for a couple of weeks, write everything down, count my points, exercise etc… and then after that, if I don’t see enough results, or I am faced with a situation where poor food choices can be made I say to myself, “I don’t care” and I then proceed to fall off my healthy eating plan until who knows when and then the cycle continues. Then I would get a great idea of maybe trying a different diet, so I would research other plans, and until I was ready to “start” that plan, I would secretly give myself permission to eat whatever I wanted because I hadn’t started another diet yet. The weird thing that is happening this time is that I want to lose weight more than I used to. So I am finding when huge muffins/coffee cakes/donuts etc… are at my office, for example, I don’t want to eat them because I want to lose weight more, and if I give in to every temptation it will take forever to lose this weight. We eat pizza every Friday night at my house, its been a tradition for 15 years. We call it “party pizza Friday”, and in the past I would eat as much as I wanted to. Maybe 4-5 big slices. The worst was the next day, I would usually have leftover pizza for breakfast too! The last few months, I still have the pizza, but two slices is definitely enough, because I know I am going to have pizza the next week, and I feel a sense of accomplishment because I have the power to stop at only two slices. And instead of starting my weekend with leftover pizza, I am making scrambled eggs or muffins, or smoothies. Its helping me do better on the weekends, because I am taking more time to make things healthier. So the question is, when you are faced with different choices, its not will power that will get you through, but how much do you really want it???___________________________________________________________ I love finding new recipes, and healthier ways to make the things I love without feeling like I am on a diet. There are so many great cook books out there, I wish I had more time to read them. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I got The Biggest Loser Cookbook from the library and I have to say I am loving it! Every recipe has the nutritional information, so if you are watching calories, or counting points, it is so easy to keep track. I’ve made several recipes from it, one of which I am going to share now. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are by far my favorite muffin in the world. The one I used to get a bakery by my house was huge and when it was on a napkin at work, the fat from the bottom would seep through the napkin. Maybe that was an indication that it was maybe not so healthy! These muffins are made in a mini muffin tin, so if you want something just a little sweet after lunch or dinner, this will fill the bill.Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
3 large egg whites
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract (or fresh lemon juice)
1 TB grated lemon peel
2 tsp. poppy seeds

Coat 20 cups of a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift the mixture twice. (I didn’t actually do that part and it was still okay). In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, egg whites, honey, vanilla and lemon extract and mix until well blended (by hand or a mixer). Stir in the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the lemon peel and poppy seeds. Bake 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees.