Archive for January, 2008

I thought I should pass on this interesting article I saw on MSN's website, Health & Fitness section that rates the sugar substitutes, the good, the bad and the so-called unacceptable. Written by Sylvia Geiger, M.S.,R.D., Eatingwell.com

In my opinion this article is not only a review of sugar substitues but a reassuring bit of information that helps to enlighten the public as to their options when it comes to FDA approved sweetners. A quote that appears in the article by Manfred Kroger, Ph.D., professor emeritus of food science at Penn State says it all for me. "The public should feel confident that any approved sweetener is truly safe and has been closely scrutinized." And it's not just me, most food scientists agree with that statement. That's comforting news for those of us who have been subjected to the cancer scares of aspertame - even though most are aware that you would have to consume buckets of this stuff daily to maybe get the big C. The sugar industry does what it can to mis-direct and mis-inform us about other sweetners that challenge their markets but from the looks of all the low fat foods out there that depend on sugar for taste I dont think sugar has much to worry about. But when I see some of the big guns out there like Coke and RC with labels that proclaim "sweetened with Splenda," it does my heart good.

Ms. Geiger goes on to talk about the fact that sales of "diet-friendly" sugar substitutes have gone through the roof, up a factor of 50% from 2000 to 2006 primarily because health experts are now recommending the use of them to their overweight and diabetic patients. A staggerting 66% of Americans are overweight and 20.8 million have diabetes. She mentions that according to a recent survey, seven out of 10 adults say they want to reduce or avoid added sugars. And in order to do this they are forsaking regular sugar for sweeteners that deliver zero or minimal calories. 

For me Splenda is the only choice for sweetning beverages both hot and cold, especially coffee. I am a sweet freak that has to have sweet in his life and Splenda does it for me. I have to use 10 times the amount of sugar to get the same sweetness and that is just unacceptable. Bottom line is it just depends on what you get used to and what you believe the experts like Sylvia Geiger have to say. I started using Splenda when I read about it in Dr. Atkins book, The New Diet Revolution. He recommended those sweetners like sucralose, not because he thought aspertame caused cancer but because it seemed to derail his patients efforts at the Induction phase of his low carb plan. They were not able to lose as much weight as quickly. Bottom line, read the article and decide what is best for you.

If you have been away from low carb for a while or maybe even never bought into it in the first place I have good news! There are thousands of people out there that believe, like I do, that the controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach is the best way to lose weight. There are so many resources for great tasting food products out there that offer more variety, are better tasting and a heck of a lot better for you. Weight loss is about substitution, not about depriving yourself of the things you love like bread, pasta and, Heaven help me, sweets, my personal nemesis. Sugar was a staple in my life until I was able to find things that tasted just as good without it. And when I do need something sweet for my decaf coffee or low carb drink I reach for the Splenda!

The typical American diet is what makes you fat, especially if you buy into the low-fat lifestyle. The only way they can make low-fat food palatable is to add sugar. I am all for cutting out fat when I can but not by adding a ton of sugar to food. The best way to cut out fat on a low carb diet is to watch your portions, have two slices of bacon instead of four, 8 oz of meat instead of 12 or mix low-fat mayo with regular mayo for your salad dressings and dips.

If you don't believe me just take a cruise through your nearest health food store or even grocery store. Look at some of the low-fat products and read the Nutritional Facts on the back of the product label paying particular attention to the carbohydrate content. Prepare yourself for sugar shock because 99% of a products carbs are added sugar. Shoot, even a lousy one-cup serving of low-fat 2% milk has 13 grams of carbs and 12 of those grams are added sugar. If you are trying to watch your carbs this one cup of 2% low-fat milk will derail you. You are better off drinking cream!

I don't know about you but when I tried living the low-fat way all it did for me was make me tired, irritable and caused me to lose sleep. I also wondered why I was hungry all the time and why I couldn't resist eating even more sugar-laced "low-fat" products. Well, if you are a sugar slave like I was you don't need me to tell you that sugar begets sugar, meaning, the more you eat, the more you crave. 

Now I am able to eat sugar-free chocolate and actually enjoy it! Malitol, Sorbitol, Splenda and even Stevia have weaned me away from sugar and now I don't miss it at all. Don't believe it? Just visit Netrition.com, try a few things and you will be surprised. I lost 115 lbs doing this and, more importantly, have been able to keep it off. Stay tuned to this site for more ways to overcome those things that made you fail in the past. I am loving life right now every time I put my clothes on and I want you to feel this way too.

You may remember that low- carb dieting became a fad not too long ago and a bunch of us Americans jumped on the bandwagon, thinking this was another quick fix. In restaurants around the country it became trendy to order a hamburger without the bun or to ask for Splenda for your coffee. You might have tried low -carb yourself with some success but went back to your bad habits after losing a few pounds, possibly ending up with a few extra for good measure. This "fad" fizzled because most of us just don't have the staying power and because the low-fat crowd twisted the solid research behind this plan and convinced us that it was "unhealthy." Bullcarb!

I'm here to tell you that the Low-Carb movement is alive and well and is just as active as ever in trying to convert us Americans (who get fatter every day) to a more nutritional approach to eating and losing weight. I personally believe that a combination of the Atkins Low Carbohydrate Nutritional approach combined with aspects of the South Beach Diet AND a low-fat approach are the way to go. If this sounds like an oxymoron bear with me. I know what you THINK you have heard about fat not being a consideration with either Atkins or The South Beach folks - you know those people who just can't let go of their bad habits and start the Atkins diet with a pound of bacon a day!? This is simply a mis-conception and spin from the low-fat folks who support the sugar industry. Just go into any supposedly health food store and look at the low fat stuff. Its all LOADED with sugar. And to us metabolically challenged, processed sugar is our number one enemy! NO ONE, especially Atkins, advocates eating unlimited quantities of fat-loaded foods. PLEASE, if you are going to do this, READ THE BOOKS first, then get with your doctor and see if this approach is something that is safe for you.

If, like me, you can look back at the many diet plans you tried over the years you may recall how you felt when you found a plan where you actually started losing weight and your clothes started fitting better. There was this feeling of. WOW, I'm actually doing this and it's working. Remember that feeling of re-gaining your self esteem - feeling more in CONTROL? But, then after losing a few pounds and feeling cocky about it you gradually started re-introducing those very things that made you fat - and pretty soon, boom!, back to square one - or worse. This forum is about sustainable weight loss and how to achieve it. I want you to have that feeling of control and I want you to like yourself ALL the time. Don't accept that you are overweight and there is nothing you can do about it. Don't utter those awful words to yourself that kill any chance of a better life "well, I'm fat and that's what I am." Bullcarb!

You may have noticed that the first words to appear on this site are Low -Carb when it would appear by looking at the images that mosaic, particularly a how-to approach to practical mosaic, is the focus. The simple truth is that I found myself gaining a lot of weight and I started to hide behind my craft as an excuse to stay home and be more comfortable in my triple X hobby sweats. You would be amazed at the excuses I could come up with to stay in my cave. I still don't know if spandex is a blessing or a curse but even elastic has it's limits! At a paltry 5', 8" and carrying around almost 400 pounds I was putting unnecessary strain on my heart, I had become borderline diabetic and was totally ashamed of myself. I am a former- Marine for crying out loud! I am fairly certain I know the cause of my weight gain because I discovered that crafting causes knoshing, not that I am Jewish but it's such a perfect word, snacking doesn't carry the same weight, excuse the pun.

You may be house-bound for one reason or another and took up a craft to keep you occupied or you may just be someone like me who likes to keep busy and try new things but has a metabolic problem. My metabolic challenge is that I can't process refined sugar or flour. You know those lucky ones who can eat anything and never gain an ounce? (I hate them!) They are no different than you or I but they do have a metabolic advantage over us. I would be willing to bet that if we ate the same foods in the same quantities, at the same time of day, after a year I will have gained a ton and they will look the same. It just doesn't seem fair but that's life.

After reading about the Low Carb focus of my site you may want to hit the escape button and head to the refrigerator but before you do please allow me to tell my story. It's about how I lost 115 lbs and how I hope to lose even more. You will be glad you stuck around because I am going to show you how you can make these beautiful mosaics and lose weight at the same time!

Since my craft of choice is mosaic you are going to see a lot of things on this site that have to do with that medium and which were made to be enjoyed, sometimes admired (I hope) and, more importantly, used around the house. The things that you can make with the complete mosaic instruction that I offer will not sit forgotten on a shelf, I can guarantee you. If you have even the remotest flair for the dramatic and love color, if you think you possess what it takes to brave the territory beyond the bun, if you want to get started on a craft that will give back more than you give - just step inside. It's fun, very gratifying and totally doable for not a lot of money or time - what more could you want in a craft?

Inspired by a desire to find something productive to do with my spare time, I took a class in mosaic design. The class was a bit on the expensive side and I had to drive a ways to get there but it did serve to awaken an interest in mosaic that had laid dormant in me for a long time. I had run the craft gauntlet from macramé to wasting perfectly good canvas with what resembled kindergarten finger painting! But whenever I saw a mosaic piece I was envious and would wonder; how do they do that? I was admiring beautiful tile and glass pieces that had the appearance of having taken years to complete. I don't know about you but I don't have that kind of patience, nor do I feel particularly blessed with creativity, so I had to wonder, could I do that? Never one to shy away from a challenge I decided to experiment with things I  found just laying around the house, plain things that could use a good make-over and that I could use once I was finished. Something I could put a plant or candle in that would look great on the patio table. I had no other expectations (I don't work well under pressure), just a desire to see what I could do. 

I was not about to invest a bunch of my hard earned money on special tools and expensive materials, especially since I already had a fair amount of cash invested in the mosaic class I took. So I decided to go my own way and try to develop a simpler style. Then, if later on, I wanted to get fancy I would have the confidence to take on something more complicated. You have to learn how to walk before you can run. (A tired cliche but so true!) After much experimentation (over a five-year period) I developed a foolproof and easy way to master the basics of mosaic. I refer to this method for beginners as Practical Mosaic and invite you to take my course (coming soon!) and find out for yourself how rewarding this craft can be. It's FREE!

"Go not where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We all know someone creative, a friend or a relative that has the ability to visualize each stage of a project from beginning to end. They seem to know instinctively how to use color, texture and space to their utmost advantage. The revolting thing about it is it seems to come naturally! Why sit on the sidelines while your creative sister takes center stage? It doesn't have to be that way and that's what this site is all about. With my instruction, supplied at no charge I might add,  I can show you where to find the raw materials that are gathering dust in your basement or are practically being given away, things that you can transform almost overnight into a wonderful accent for your home. You could be on your way to discovering a craft for life - I did!

I keep washed and fresh celery in foil in the fridge to use as dipping scoops for this recipe or I use those terrific parmesan cheese wafers which satisfy the crunchy urge that seems to come over me frequently. This is a filling salad that can be inserted in a scooped-out tomato, set atop a bed of lettuce or eaten by itself.

Two large cans of Chicken of the Sea Albacore Tuna - drained

One can of Maria's quartered artichoke hearts - chopped

Five stalks of fresh celery - chopped or sliced to suit

Enough Mayo to suit your desired texture - remember Mayo is just about carb free and if you can stand the taste use low-fat Mayo

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dash of curry - less than quarter teaspoon

Teaspoon of Dill weed

Three hard boiled eggs - chopped

Finely shredded mozzarella cheese - about 1 cup

1/2 cup Macadamia nut pieces if desired

Mix all ingredients in a serving bowl that has a tight lid or a tupperware container so that you can munch on this later. If kept cold it will keep for 3-4 days without getting soggy or stale. If it has been sitting for a while stir with a fork to mix. Serving size is an ice cream scoop full containing less than 4 net carbs.