It's Greek to Me- Yogurt, That is.

My health conscious friends at work keep talking about Greek yogurt. I have now discovered for myself why this yogurt is becoming increasingly popular.

It turns out Greek yogurt is is strained to remove the liquid whey, and as a result it is thicker and creamier. Since it is more concentrated, it packs more grams of protein per serving. It's also lower in sugar and carbohydrates, since lactose, a form of sugar present in all dairy products, is removed with the whey.

Greek yogurt makes a great substitute for sour cream. It’s a great base to make healthy salad dressings, sauces, smoothies, yogurt based ice creams, and desserts. It even has less sodium than most other yogurts.

Keep in mind that standard yogurt usually has more calcium than Greek yogurt. The Greek version also may be higher in fat and calories. Check your labels and try going Greek! You may never go back to sour cream or standard yogurt again.

Fabulous Fiber

Fiber is not the enemy after all.
I never thought I could lose weight because I love bread and bread products so much. Since beginning this journey, I am realizing that whole grain fibers come in all shapes and sizes and are very tasty too. I have found whole wheat/high fiber English muffins, whole wheat bagel thins (only 110 calories each), and tasty whole grain breads. I can still have a toasted muffin in the morning or a sandwich for lunch and not risk calorie overdose.

I really expected to give up all bread products when I began this journey. I am learning that giving up the things I love is NOT the way to lose weight. Making small changes is still the best way to stay on the right path. There are lots of good choices to be made that don’t force me to give up the things I love.

And fiber is not just found in bread and grain products. It is in almonds and peanuts. I love it in some of favorite cereals and crackers. There are many delicious fiber filled types of squash. Even baked potatoes are allowable, if I don’t load them up with butter and other off limit toppings. Many delicious fruits contain fiber, like watermelon or strawberries.

My biggest challenge is that I don’t do margarine. Butter is almost a requirement on my favorite toasted bagels or toast. However, I am learning that a small amount of butter can go a long way. The same is true of my love for mayonaisse on sandwiches. I used to load it on- and I like real mayo. As I said, small changes and using small amounts means I don’t have to give up eating what I like.

Today I was shocked to discover that I have lost 10 pounds! It has been 5 weeks and still I don’t feel like I am dieting! I can’t wait to arrive at my first milestone goal of 13 pounds, which should be only days away.

Thinville or Bust!

100 Calorie Club

I have become obsessed with checking the calorie count on nearly everything I eat now. Along the way, I have discovered that there are lots of 'calorie bargains' out there. I get very excited when I find a tasty treat that is 100 calories or less. It is like finding a designer purse on the sale rack!

A friend, who is on Weight Watchers, recommended some sweet treats to me. Every time she told me about another item, I asked her about the calories. What I am slowly realizing is that I am becoming a devoted member of the 100 Calorie Club.

There are actually quite a few food items, both sweet and snackable, that have 100 calories or less. You can find many prepackaged 100 calorie snack packs in the cookie and cracker aisles at the grocery. Jell-O Pudding has some yummy flavors that are only 60 calories per cup. I try to keep them in my fridge at all times.

Today, I took my friend's advice and went hunting for some of the items she told me about.
Here are a few of the items that I found:

• Progresso Light Soups – 100 calories PER portion (1 can is 2 portions)
• Vita Tops (in the freezer section)- 100 calories for each muffin top/ great flavors too
• Multi Grain Sandwich Thins- 100 calories each -great for sandwiches and high fiber too

Now that I am a confirmed member of the 100 Calorie Club, I plan to seek out more bargains along the way. I hope others will share their 100 Calorie discoveries as well!

Rotisserie Chicken is my friend...

I confess: I LOVE the rostisserie chicken that they make at my local grocery.

I like to buy the 'savory' flavor and it is very true to its name. I always get comments on how delicious the chicken smells when I am in the checkout line too. Once I arrive home, even my dog is begging me to pour chicken drippings over her food bowl (well, I guess I am to blame for that part). I usually can't resist a little chunk of warm chicken when I arrive home after grocery shopping.

Some temptations are bad- others can work. The good thing about my passion for poultry is that it is a lowfat protein. It works in a stir fry with veggies, with whole grain pasta or cut up into chicken salad. Heck, I eat it as a snack all by itself!

Now chicken skin is another story. The fatty, but flavorful, outer covering of the chicken is off limits. Pretty much all the rest of that delicious little bird is up for grabs. Grabbing and gobbling it up are my specialties.

My only chicken vice is my preference for dark meat. I have always found the taste of a thigh or leg to be much more flavorful than a breast. Recently, I researched the white vs. dark controversy. To my delight, I discovered that my dark meat desires may not be such a big problem after all.

Yes, White meat is the leanest part of the chicken- BUT

 Dark meat contains more zinc, niacin, thiamin, amino acids and iron
than white meat
 Dark meat is richer in riboflavin and contains vitamins A, K, B6, B12
 Even the fats in most dark meats contain Omega-3, Omega-6 and
other ‘healthy fats’
 Most of the saturated fat is found in the SKIN of the chicken anyway

I even found a breakdown of the calorie comparisons between white meat and dark meat at www.Dietbites.com:

Chicken Thigh- 3 ounces, Calories 133, Fat grams 4.1
Chicken Breast- 3 ounces, Calories 142, Fat grams 3.1
Chicken Drumstick- 3 ounces, Calories 151, Fat grams 5.0

In my opinion, the comparisons between white meat and dark meat aren't all that significant. So now I can enjoy a breast or a thigh without any guilt.
Cock a doodle doo!