I am not a foodie. I go to restaurants for the ambience, not the food. I find pictures of food on Facebook cringe worthy. So I am sorry that this post and future ones will contain pictures of food. My food. The food I actually eat.
I despise any apology that comes with an excuse so I beg your pardon once again. I am posting real food that I have cooked (a bit of literary license here) and consume myself because there remains a desperate need for healthy eating education and I believe through my recipes (hyperbole here) I may be able to help just a bit one meal at a time.
Many overweight women in my clinical practice complain that they cannot lose weight and have low sexual desire largely because of body image amongst other issues. They ALL say they eat healthily and exercise but instead of losing weight, they gain or stay the same. How can this be?
Some women have no idea what a healthy diet consists of, eat on the run or skip meals and/or describe a diet high in sugar. Sugar is found in sodas, juices (yes even orange and apple juice) alcohol and fruit albeit at different levels. Just think of the caramel machiattos and other fancy coffee drinks consumed in our mile-high coffee cups as we race around! Sugar baby! And calories. 228 to be exact. The same as one slice of pizza which also contains…you guessed it! Sugar baby.
I get it. (Pun intended, can’t help myself). I love sugar and anything sweet. Many sugary foods are on my favorite foods list; cupcakes, brownies, milk duds, crème caramel, muffins and more. If I could eat sweets for breakfast, lunch and dinner and desert, I certainly would, but I would be the size of Manhattan. So I don’t.
Sugar is as addictive as nicotine, alcohol, sex, gambling and shopping. So you lose a few things like years of life, reputation and money with these addictions. But with a sugar addiction, you gain! Weight that is. The damage to your body from the consumption of sugar may be far worse than the damage done due to loss of your home (you shouldn’t have gone to bed with that cigarette), your marriage or money. Sugar consumption leads to inflammation of blood vessels, organs and joints. That can kill your sex life!
Sugar converts in the body, stored as fat and then is secreted into the blood vessels. Some common complaints for heavy set women are sore joints, low energy, headaches, low sexual desire, difficulty experiencing orgasm (Yes! Yes! Yes!). Many heavy set have high cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure) Few attribute these issues to their diet.
The 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, found 29% of Canadians 18 and older were obese and 41% more were overweight (as determined by body mass index or BMI). The healthy range for BMI is 20-25.
To combat my love for anything sweet and prevent that sugar addiction from stealing everything from my productivity to my sexual self esteem, I adhere to a low glycemic index (sugar) high protein, low carb diet.
I use the BMI as a guide for maintaining my own healthy weight. At 5’7” tall, a weight of 135 puts me at a BMI of 21.3 which is on the lower end of the scale. So I watch what I eat along with my BMI. If I gain 5 or 10 lbs because I munched on some milk duds (that’s all it takes), I am still within the healthy BMI range of 20-25 but the trend upward serves as a warning.
Many patients ask me what they should eat and find meal ideas helpful. If that sounds like something that may benefit you, then these healthy meals just might be for you. So first things first, measure your height and jump on the scale (not to worry, it’s only a number). Figure out your BMI and face the number of pounds you need to lose to get into that healthy BMI range of 20-25.
To calculate your BMI, go here: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
So here it is my first foodie picture ever posted on this blog because guess what? I am back at it. Why? My BMI went up. Bon appetite.
Mom’s Mushroom and Cheese Egg White Omelet
Pam Spray Cooking Oil
¾ cup of sliced mushrooms
5 egg whites
1 slice Tofu Cheese
Spray pan with light coverage of Pam cooking spray
Turn pan up to med/hot heat
Saute mushrooms
Add 5 egg whites and cook til firm
Add mushrooms to egg whites
Add 1 slice of Tofu Cheese on top and melt
This meal is a great start to the day. It will keep you satiated for hours, stabilize your blood sugars and help you to begin your weight loss journey. Stay tuned for my Presidential Parfait.
Disclaimer: The pictures may not be pretty but they are real and easy enough to prepare if you are busy like me. That said, they are effective in helping you trim down and get your sexy back!
