Alright! So here it is. My big announcement. I weighed in Monday morning and behold! I finally hit the big 25! That’s twenty-five pounds! Gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Elvis has left the building! Or at least 25 pounds of Elvis. =) I waited until today to tell you because I wanted to make sure I would maintain the loss, which I have, all week. I’m actually down 28 pounds as of this morning. But who’s counting? Ahhhh, I am!!!

I guess the big question is “How did you do it?” I started my weight loss discussion with the post “Next Stop 25 Pounds“. But I wanted to wait until I had some real progress to share with you what I have been doing. And I guess there is no arguing that 25 pounds is “real” progress. So Here goes.

If you having been paying attention, you probably know that I cook most of the meals in our family. Further, if you have seen my recipes, you know that I mostly cook healthy meals. Or at least try to! I believe that diet, more than anything else is responsible for my weight loss results. So I will try to document what I am doing. Please note that I have tried all kinds of diets over the years, read many diet books and have talked to many other people about dieting. What I am doing is a cumulative result of my past experiences and is not a completely documented “diet”. So, here are my “diet” guidelines.

1. I have decided that this is permanent, not a “diet”
2. I eat breakfast every morning.
3. I have a 10:00 AM snack
4. I eat a healthy lunch
5. I have a 3:00 PM snack
6. I eat a healthy dinner
7. I restrict meat to 4 oz portions
8. I have reduced all of my portion sizes
9. I never eat after 8:00 PM
10. If I’m bad one day, I make it up the next
11. I try to substitute chicken for beef and pork
12. I try to always have a veggie with dinner
13. I restrict my fat grams to 19 per meal
14. I try to eat low calorie meals
15. I have researched what I can eat at different restaurants
16. I try to avoid fast food
17. I try to avoid deserts
18. I try to avoid bleached, processed white flour
19. I use wheat flour and whole grains whenever possible
20. I substitute whole wheat pasta for regular pasta
21. I cook brown rice instead of white
22. I drink a large glass of water 1/2 hour before a meal
23. I substitute ground turkey for ground beef
24. I try to eat at least one meatless dinner a week
25. I try to avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup
26. I try to avoid anything with partially hydrogenated oil

Breakfast
I usually eat oatmeal and fruit

Snacks
I snack on fruit, veggies, pretzels, 100 calorie snack packs & yogurt

Lunch
Veggie or turkey subs, salad, homemade sandwich, soup, veggies, fruit
I watch fat and calories

Dinner
One of my recipes, anything with chicken, whole wheat spagehtti, veggies
I watch fat and calories

I started walking regularly in November 2007 which you can read about in 5 Reasons To Start Walking Today! My dog and I take a 1/2 an hour walk every morning and most nights. Additionally, I started out with a vigorous workout last November which included the stationary bike, treadmill, push ups, crunches and Hindu Squats. I think this helped kick start my metabolism, which seemed almost non-existent at the time. =) My problem with this routine lately is a severe lack of time. I hope to return to this routine sometime in the future. Until then, I will keep walking. Here are some ways I try to maximize my walking time:

1. I park as far away from my destination as possible and walk

2. I try to get up and personally visit co-workers, instead of calling on phone

3. I park at work and then walk around building to get to the entrance

4. I am trying to walk during my lunch at work

5. I bring my mail to work and walk to the corner post box

I started doing the above because of my time shortage, I figure it can’t hurt.

My wife and I started using Alli in January. Alli is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved diet pill available without a prescription. It is a watered down version of the prescription diet pill, Xenical (orlistat). It is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

How it Works
Alli comes in a pill form and is taken with each meal. Alli blocks fat from being absorbed into the body. It is said to block 25% of your fat intake allowing it to pass through your digestive system and out of your body.

My Personal Take
I believe, based on my past experiences, that we have lost more weight while taking Alli, than if we did not take the diet aide. Having said that, I am not recommending you try Alli. It is hard to tell how effective it has been because we started our new eating habits and exercising at the same time. But, I do believe it is worth checking out. If you decide to try it, you can purchase it here at a good price.

A Word of Caution
I don’t really want to go into great detail here, but some people have reported “side effects” while taking Alli. Neither my wife or I have had any side effects while taking it. I recommend you visit the company website and decide for yourself. As always, before taking anything or starting any diet or exercise program, please consult your physician.

So there you have it. Diet, Exercise and Alli. That’s what’s working for me. Have any weight loss suggestions? Please leave a comment and get the discussion started!

When I first began kicking around the idea of starting a blog, I came up with the theme of Family, Fitness & Finances. Sort of like food, folks and fun; only different! =) My premise was that these three key elements in peoples lives are interconnected. A recent comment to one of my posts “I love the idea of putting physical health and finance together. What’s the sense of having money if you can’t live healthy and long enough to enjoy it. :-))” just about sums it up. Right on, Ms. Cheapy! My thoughts exactly.

Armed with this idea I began blogging about life, family and getting fit; both physically and financially. As Web Goodies 411 put it, “Its a great mix of low fat recipes, health ideas, financial tips and devotion to family.” This is what I’m striving for. I try to pass on useful information, demonstrated through some personal experiences. And I aim to provide entertaining commentary about things that matter in our everyday lives. In exchange, I just ask for some of your time. =)

So here are my 3 Steps To A Healthier You.

I covered this one fairly thoroughly in Plan Your Next Family Get Together Now! and I covered the importance of family meals in A Family That Eats Together, Stays Together . The point here is to strengthen family relationships through planned activities and random get togethers. Your family will inevitably become closer and you will all get to know each other much better. Because our family practices this, my children got to know their great grandparents. That’s priceless.

This is an area that I am personally struggling with as we speak. As I have mentioned previously, I have been struggling with my weight since I quit smoking some eleven years ago. I think this one is really important. If you are unhealthy, you may not be around to enjoy your family or any money you saved over your lifetime. So, I am working on my weight through diet and exercise. I have covered exercising in Hindu Squats: Rock Your Body! and 5 Reasons To Start Walking Today! . This is a work in progress, I’ll keep you up to date from time to time.

3. Get Your Personal Finances In Order

I covered Paying off debt, cutting unnecessary spending, and starting a savings plan in 8 Steps To Recession Proof Your Finances and in 5 Steps To Cut Your Grocery Bill Today! Doing any or all of these things will do a lot to reduce your stress levels, thus contributing to your good health.  And finally, I wrote about how to help ensure that you keep your income stream alive in 5 Ways To Recession Proof Your Job. I think this last one is pretty important. Without any income, everything else becomes that much more difficult!

I hope you will take some time and go through this material. I wrote some of these posts shortly after starting out and many, I believe, have not been read by most of you. As always, I encourage you to post your thoughts and comments. Looking forward to some good discussions! And last but not least, I would like to thank everyone for your support and most of all taking the time to read and join our discussion!

Today’s post is more of a healthy snack than a recipe. On my journey to loose weight I have replaced most of my snacks with healthy alternatives. Vegetables are at the top of my new menu! I eat alot of raw vegetables with low-fat dips, which I will share in a minute.

Raw veggies are packed full of vitamins and minerals. Additionally, they are very low in calories and fat. A perfect combination. You will also find they are high in dietary fiber and low in salt. This will help you feel full faster, thus you should consume less. The low sodium content will keep you from retaining excess water. The high vitamin content will increase your energy level. All of these factors together will work in your favor when it comes to losing weight. Ah, dieters Nirvana!

You can pretty much choose just about any vegetable and then chop it up!

Here are some of my favorites:
Cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, yellow squash,
zucchini & radishes

DIP INGREDIENTS 
1 Package of Ranch, Fiesta Ranch or the like (usually found in the salad dressing aisle)
1 16 oz carton of low-fat sour cream

Mix, following package instructions and enjoy!

I cooked my first stir fry back when I was thirteen years old. My mom bought one of those hand-hammered woks that used to be hawked on TV back in the eighties. Remember that? Thanks mom! Anyway, stir fry’s are one of my favorite dishes.

There are many ways to do a stir fry, you can basically add anything you like. I chose this particular recipe, for it’s low-calorie and low-fat content. It is a basic chicken and vegetable dish with stir fried rice on the side or underneath if you prefer!

Notice that I omitted oil from the ingredients. All oils are very high in fat, even olive oil has 14 grams of fat per table spoon! Add it if you like, I just thought you should be aware of the fat content. Also, you can add or omit anything you like! Any way you do it, cook it up and enjoy!

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Breast Halves
1/2 cup low-salt Soy Sauce
1 cup low-salt Teriyaki Sauce, divided in 2
1 ts Chinese Five Spice Powder
Pinch of cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup diagonal sliced carrots
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup fresh snow pea pods
1 cup chopped onion, divide in half
4 cups of cooked brown rice

TIP: I like to cook the rice the night before and refrigerate. It handles better and tends to not stick and clump as much.

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Pour Soy Sauce, 1/2 of garlic, pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of onions into Wok or large skillet. Heat on high, stirring for one minute, stir in rice. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly. Add a little water or more Teriyaki Sauce if needed. Set aside in a covered dish.
2. Slice chicken breast into strips. Pour 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce and balance of garlic into Wok or large skillet. Heat on high stirring for one minute. Add chicken strips, cook for several minutes on med-high until cooked. Set aside in covered dish.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of Teriyaki Sauce, balance of onions, celery, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and pea pods into Wok or large skillet. Sprinkle with Five Spice Powder. Cook on med-high stirring frequently until veggies are near desired consistency, usually no more than 10 minutes. Add a little water or more Teriyaki Sauce if needed. Add chicken and continue to cook for several minutes until done.
4. Place a small portion of rice on a plate. You can either cover rice with the veggie-chicken mixture or place it next to the rice. Top with low-salt Soy Sauce, if desired.

And there you have it. It usually takes me no more than 50 minutes to prepare this dish, not including the brown rice which takes 45 minutes to cook by itself. You can always substitute white rice which will cook much faster, all be it not as healthy - Enjoy!

Now before you get upset, I’m not telling you to stuff the pie hole. I’m talking about bag it as in a brown bag or a cute little lunch box. Doesn’t matter, take your pick. Start packing little Johnny’s lunch today! His health depends on it!

Have you visited your child’s school cafeteria lately? It’s not exactly bursting with nutritional value! One thing my wife and I have noticed over the years is the total lack of variety. Not that there aren’t choices, but the choices are all about the same from a health perspective. In other words:

Monday Menu

• Cheeseburger
• Fried chicken sandwich
• Pizza
• French Fries
• Tater Tots

Tuesday Menu

• Barbecue Sandwich
• Hotdog
• Spaghetti
• French Fries
• Tater Tots

And so on and so forth. In all fairness, the schools seem to have tried to add some healthy choices. But the bruised fruit and wilted salads don’t look to appealing to me! I think kids would make better eating choices if presented with better options. Fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Real salads. Homemade sandwiches. Ya, I guess I’m dreaming!

Something New

In our area the new high schools all have mall-like food courts complete with Mr. Taco King, Greasy Burger Queen and Pizza Delight. Names have been changed to protect the guilty. This at a time when nearly 1 in 5 children are considered obese. Add to that the soda machines lining the hallways and you have a recipe for disaster.

“But Dad, everybody else buys their lunch”

Taking all of this into consideration, I think packing your child’s lunch is a VERY reasonable thing to do. Admittedly, not popular. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “But Dad, everybody else buys their lunch”. However, while sitting at the lunch table we always see plenty of other kids with packed lunches.

In our house, buying a school lunch is the exception, not the rule. AND my parents always packed my lunch. I wasn’t very fond of it at the time, but I feel that I have healthier eating habits as an adult, because of it.

One day our kids will thank us, right?

When packing a lunch, we try to switch things up. Variety is the spice of life! Packing the same thing every day will surly lead to an uneaten lunch. So, here are some ideas for packing a tasty, healthy lunch:

Main Meal
Soup
Fresh Sandwich
Pita sandwich
Chicken wrap
Gourmet Salad
Favorite leftovers

Snacks
Any kind of Fruit
Celery w/ salsa
Celery w/ peanut butter
Carrots w/ ranch dip
Crackers
Pretzels
Granola Bars
Baked Chips
Yogurt
Pudding Cups
Apple Sauce Cups
Cookies (Yes cookies)

So, that’s my short list of ideas. I’m sure you have family favorites that you could add to the list. Go ahead, give it a try! Your children will be much healthier for your efforts.

Back 1998, a year after we quit smoking, something strange began to take place. My wife and I had put on more than a few extra pounds! So started our ten year battle of diets and exercise to try and return to our former glory!

I had read somewhere that it was very important to drink plenty of water while dieting and exercising. Makes sense, flush your system and replenish your perspiration. Not to mention the fact that my beloved grandmother has never felt that I drink enough water. She makes a point to always offer me a glass. Armed with this information, I had an idea. Our family needed to drink more water!

We began having a glass every night with dinner. This habit quickly spread to include going out to dinner. “No thanks, I’ll just have water” became our standard family answer. We have been doing this for more than ten years now.

Over the years, I have witnessed more than my fair share of servers’ facial expressions change from a smile to WTF, when you order “just water”. “You mean you don’t want a drink?” Like I just ordered a quart of motor oil or something. Years ago, you would have thought you just told the wait staff you have an incurable disease. Today, it’s trendy to drink water, no one cares.

So, some time ago, while looking at a restaurant menu, I noticed that a soda costs $2.25. That got me thinking. How much money had we unintentionally saved over the last ten years?

We generally go out to eat once a week. We go through periods where we will go 2-3 times a week, but mostly once a week. In my calculations, I’m going to say the average drink price over the last ten years is $1.75. That seems fair. There are four (4) of us. There are 52 weeks in a year. 10 years. Let’s see (1.75*4) = 7.00 per meal * 52 meals a year = $364.00 * 10 years = $3640.00…..WOW! Repeat after me “No thanks, I’ll just have water”. That’s $364.00 per year. $606.66 per word. OR $910.00 per person. Not bad!

Let’s take it a step further. Let’s say you took that $364.00 and invested it each year in a growth mutual fund. Apply the historical stock market average annual return of 11% and you would have $7,232.55.

If you continued to invest $364.00 per year for the next 30 years, you would have $93,474.64 in your retirement kitty. Not excited? Maybe you ought to just stick to Soda

Whether you do it for your health or the few extra bucks, I recommend asking for water wherever you go.

DISCLAIMER:

I am speaking in general terms, using averages and can in no way predict what your actual return would be. This is for demonstration purposes only. Think I’m being over cautious, check this out!

 
In our family, wraps are extremely popular. I make all kinds of wraps. This is one of my Tex-Mex versions. As usual, it’s a low-fat recipe, but don’t be scared, it’s delicious! As always, when in season, use garden fresh veggies!

John’s Awesome Low-Fat Soft Taco Wraps

INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup water
1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix
8 (8-inch) low-fat whole wheat tortillas, warmed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded spinach or lettuce
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup home made Salsa
Low-Fat Sour cream
8 toothpicks
Optional: Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook ground turkey in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Drain any excess grease. Stir in water and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture is thickened.
2. Spoon 1/3 cup turkey over each tortilla. Top with cheese, some cilantro, spinach/lettuce, tomatoes & onions. Roll up. Secure with toothpick.
3. Serve with salsa, low-fat sour cream and jalapeno peppers if you dare! Enjoy!

This dish goes well with chips and salsa

One of the highlights of summer is our vegetable garden. We grow tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, habanero peppers, eggplants, squash, zucchini and sometimes corn. Additionally, we grow cilantro, basil and other herbs. One of the wonderful creations that comes from our garden is my family-famous salsa. Below you will find one of my many salsa recipes.

 In the off season, I use low-salt, diced, canned tomatoes (2 cans). Also, minced garlic can be purchased in the jar. If you prefer a much hotter concoction, try dicing up a habanero pepper and add at your own risk! Give my recipe a try and let me know what you think. By the way, this goes very well with my home made tortilla chips. On a side note, salsa contains little or NO fat! Live it up! Enjoy!

JOHN’S GARDEN FRESH SALSA


INGREDIENTS
4 - 5 large tomatoes, diced up
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 dash of ground cumin *optional
1 squeeze of fresh lime juice
salt to taste


DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Add jalapenos 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste test after each addition to see how hot your creation has become. Salt to taste.

2. Place all ingredients in the food processor, set to “Chop” for a few seconds. Enjoy!

As I write this I have lost 15 pounds. Fifteen pounds! That’s the equivalent of 60 quarter pound cheeseburgers. Fifteen, 16 oz rib-eye steaks. Or, thirty, 8 oz cups of cottage cheese…..Yuck!  No matter how you cut it, fifteen pounds is a lot of extra weight.

“That’s great” you may be thinking.  However, I am far from reaching my goal. I plan on losing 70 lbs., for good. You must be wondering, “How did you let yourself gain 70 extra pounds?”  As best I can recall, it all started about 11 years ago. That’s when my wife and I quit smoking. Yes, I know, that sounds like a really lame excuse.  It’s right up there with “the dog ate my homework”.  But it’s true. For whatever reason I gained a tremendous amount of weight. For whatever reason?  I know the reason.  I began to eat everything in sight.  And then some!  It was a see-food diet! Now it’s time to pay the piper.

Do I regret quiting smoking? No way! I’d do it all over again. Absolutely! I feel wonderful!  I can breath again!  I have regained my sense of smell and taste. I don’t cough continuously anymore.  It’s great!  Except for the weight.

So, how do I plan on returning to the previous ME? The old fashion way. Hard work. Diet. Exercise. Diet in the sense of eating well balanced meals.  Not a starvation plan.  We are giving the Alli Weight Loss Aid a try.  My exercise plan is realistic and very doable. I am walking two miles a day for starters.  I plan on making these changes permanent.  A lifestyle.  I’ll let you know how I’m doing as I progress.  Are you struggling with your weight?  What are you doing about it?  I’d love to hear from you!