Kim Dannies: Lifestyle & Adventure writing

Join The Lean Plate Club
January 12, 2006

Are your 2006 diet resolutions vanishing faster than a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies? It’s not too late to join the lean plate club. I personally cannot follow a diet: too boring, too many directions. I think it’s more fun and productive to use common sense, kitchen shortcuts, and some inspiration. I conducted a very unscientific poll asking lean people for their best weight loss/maintenance tip and these are the results:

Right off the bat every person said: if you’re planning to eat everyday, plan to exercise everyday. A fundamental edict. 35-45 minutes of cardio and some light weight lifting or situps will burn 400-500 calories. It takes 3500 burned calories to lose a pound. Dance, walk, run -- mix it up. Learn to look forward to it as much as you do a meal and you’ll never have a weight problem.
Portions: use a lunch sized plate for every meal. You’ll be amazed at how full the plate looks and how fast you feel full. Dining out? As soon as your meal is placed in front of you, portion it into two sections and request a take-out container immediately.
Use citrus zest in as much food as possible- lemon or orange zest and juice perk up salad dressings. Always mix salad by hand. You’ll use a fraction of the usual amount of dressing, and the warmth of your hands will make smaller amounts of oil go further.
Red pepper flakes make food flavors pop, use them instead of regular pepper. Food that is more flavorful satisfies quicker, you eat less.
Use buttermilk and chopped garlic in mashed potatoes. It will drastically reduce the need for all that butter, cream and salt, and the potatoes will have more flavor.
Eat low glycemic foods. I didn’t say lo-carb! Carbs are important. Low glycemic foods have a higher fiber content and take longer to digest, leaving you feeling fuller longer. Whole wheat pasta is an excellent example. The quality of this product has improved dramatically over the past year. King Arthur flour makes white whole wheat flour that nicely matches cup for cup with white flour recipes. A switch to these high fiber sources is a simple and smart step. (more information: www.prevention.com).
Get a dog (or your neighbor’s dog) and walk it everyday. This works. There are days when I think I don’t have the time or inclination to get out and walk until my dogs, Speedee and Puffina, literally beg me. I always feel grateful for their good example and inspiration.
Don’t operate from a scarcity mode. Say yes to bites of everything, but have just a little bit. Begin every morning with a small teaspoon of olive oil. Take it like a communion, slowly swirling and savoring the lusciousness. Your brain will send a message to your body: “hey - plenty of fat to burn here today” and your metabolism will fire like hell.
Say ‘no thanks’ to dessert, but always have a stash of great quality dark chocolate available. Enjoy a small piece everyday.
Treat yourself royally. Whatever your idea of a treat is (mine’s Al’s French Frys) indulge it. I am a regular; I go once a month. I have a coke, a double cheeseburger: works, and split a quart of fries. I look forward to it. I enjoy every single moment of it. Then I calmly return to my membership in the lean plate club, until the next time.