BITS-O-WISDOM: "The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Cooking in Small Batches

I'm beginning to see the wisdom in making small batches instead of doubling recipes as is my usual habit. A client who formerly had a "nighttime cookie problem" (before one private session) said now he and his wife make a batch of cookie dough, keep it in the refrigerator, and take out only enough to make four cookies at a time. Get the dough out half an hour before you intend to cook it or adjust cooking time to allow for the coldness of the dough.

Cooking what they intend to eat completely eliminates the call of the cookie jar. Once you discover how many cookies it takes to satisfy your craving or desire for something crunchy, chewy, salty (whatever it may be that drives you to cookies), then problem solved. You still eat cookies but you aren't feeling controlled by cookies.

For me two good sized cookies is plenty. When you know what quantity is your "enough", whether two cookies, the size of a wedge of cake, how many chips, then you've got a handle on what it means to be satisfied with what you just ate. For store bought cookies I'll want five, maybe six or just under half a row (far more than the recommended amount, but not half a package). Sadly they aren't sold with individually wrapped rows.

This small batch thinking led me to seek books with the theme of cooking in small batches or making miniature sized desserts (there are also books on cooking for two; I'm focusing on desserts because I like to bake). Baking pans can be crafted from used and cleaned food cans (My mother cooked a few desserts in used cans and I thought she was a nut!).

Here's something fun: children's bake ware is perfect for this. They are aluminum or non-stick and are not just play bake ware but the real thing in child sized versions. Below are a few resources for child sized bake ware and books to get you started if you'd like to give small batch baking a try. If you're brave, try altering some of your recipes. Cook half or quarter recipe of cookies, make a small cake, multi-layered if you want, but make less and you'll eat less.

Small Batch Cooking Recipes & Kid's Sized Bake ware

How to Bake in Cans

Easy Calculator for Kitchen Conversions

I'm constantly asking my husband how much is half of two-thirds. While you're waiting for your own kitchen calculator, use this page. Kitchen Conversions: Online Calculator

For the geek who likes to cook there's even a PC EzBake Oven at Think Geek, my favorite gadget spot. Now you never have to leave your desk.

From the Annals of Great Cooking Disasters

I'm the queen of kitchen disasters. When I was young I failed at No Fail Fudge three times and finally gave up. I once made so many mistakes on one carrot cake that it would have made a good movie; I doubled the recipe but not all the ingredients, I chopped the nuts then measured, instead of the other way around (measure whole nuts then chop), I left out vanilla (I do that fairly often).

More often than not I fail to notice the butter should be softened (taken out of the refrigerator at least an hour earlier), or the eggs need to be room temperature, and the fun goes on and on. This post from Annes Food Blog describes it perfectly: "Nigella is such a liar!"

Smell & Taste Tricks to Reduce Appetite

How Scents Reduce Appetite

Studies show specific aromas such as banana, green apple and peppermint can work to reduce appetite. Did you know that pleasant scents such as those from candles and oils can also work?

Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director at Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago and author of Scentsational Weight Loss, says many of his studies demonstrate aroma plays a significant role in losing some weight. In one study 3,193 participants (84 percent women) were asked to sniff green apple, banana or peppermint scents when food cravings struck. "They averaged ... a 5-pound we.ight loss per month -30 pounds during the six-month study," Hirsch says. "Smelling something good tricks your brain into thinking you've eaten it," he went on to explain.

I don't know that it's so simple as "tricking your brain" but this idea is not new. Years ago I came across a scent based weight lo.ss product. The sticks resembled pens and had a faint aroma. I tried sniffing and then wondering whether it was working; ultimately not trying often enough to find out.

More often than not these ideas are intriguing but fall short because of non-compliance. If you want to give something a try, give it a fair trial. In other words, put a string around your finger or set reminders to help you follow-through and give it a chance to work. I use the MotivAider and set it for regular reminders throughout the day

Next month, see Candles & Scents to Reduce Appetite

New in Food News: Shugr

Latest entry into the sugar substitute world, ta da, drum roll, is Shugr(TM). First thing you'll note is that Shugr(TM) is ridiculously expensive: nearly ten dollars for 3 teensy ounces. What are they smoking? This stuff isn't gold, for Pete's sake, it's just a few inexpensive ingredients thrown together in a new way. Naturally I tried to see if I could blend my own and save money.

Shugr contains Erythritol, Maltodextrine and Sorbitol. The Maltodextrine is used to give the substance bulk, making it easier for people to actually use the product. When you can measure it the same as sugar, it's nice and easy, unlike the great brownie experiment described below.

Studies and taste tests have shown combining multiple sweeteners has a synergistic effect. In other words, one is sweet but pair two or more and you get enhanced sweetening. This explains why they added a bit of Sorbitol, although they seem to apologize for it (perhaps because of the controversy).

More on alternative sweeteners coming up, so stay tuned.

Lose Weight by Juggling

I have some weighted juggling balls, about 1-pound each. They are great for practice because not only is juggling great exercise, the weighted balls add that bit of extra resistance. You can try juggling with oranges at home before you get a set of real juggling balls.

My original set are from Better Balls Than Most, and are real leather too so their ultra cool. We have Serious Juggling, a great juggling shop in Portland, Oregon

The Magic of Fiber in Reducing Diets

Fiber is the part of the plant that doesn't digest but rather moves through your body to help keep things tidy. Think of it as an intestinal broom. Because water soluble fibers form a gel, they stay in your stomach longer and help slow food absorption thereby acting as aid in losing some weight. They also aid in the treatment of high cholesterol levels and diabetes.

You'll find plenty of water-soluble fibers in oats, bran, dried beans, potatoes, seeds, apples, oranges, and grapefruit. That may be why I find apples so satisfying as a snack, they are chock full of natural fiber plus pectin, which also acts as an appetite reducer. There is a movement toward eating three apples a day as a weight loss plan, and although I love apples and eat at least five a week, I'm not sure I could quite manage three a day.

Real Age Calculator

What is Real Age? That's the supposed age you really are based on your health, not your chronological age. It's quite possible to be a very fit and healthy 70, while someone can be very old and ill at 30. According to the calculator, for my height, 5'7", weight 137 pounds, and activity level (high), I could consume 2534 calories a day to maintain my weight. Sound high to you? That's the magic of activity! Play, move, bend, stretch, it all counts, and you get to eat more too.

Check your Real Age

What is EFT?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a mind/body technique for overcoming emotional issues that may be keeping you stuck. Think of it as a way to short-circuit those electrical pathways that are so deeply ingrained you think they cannot be changed.

Learning and using EFT may be the single best thing you can do for yourself and your family. I've heard some people say EFT works great for them on everything except losing weight, which tells me they are just not ready to let go of their reasons for keeping the weight, or they may be blocked yet unwilling to push past the walls and barriers to change.

That's perfectly okay, and EFT can help because there is no rule that says everyone must be ready to lose weight now. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't but meanwhile why not start to use EFT on your daily stresses and anxieties and see what happens? Why not use EFT to reduce stress and relieve tensions and possibly reduce the some of your eating triggers in the process?

You see, everything is related. That fight with your spouse may be related to the ice cream tonight and the desire for something salty or creamy can stem from age old memories of when you were a child, but you do not need to figure it all out!

Once and for all, it's not necessary to end up with some explanation for why you gain weight over the years or even why you've always been heavy. You don't need an explanation, you just need to move forward and EFT can help you do just that.

If you'd rather avoid pain, use EFT. If you'd prefer to work towards your goals, EFT can help. Let me explain: Exercise works, in the sense that it reduces body fat and increases strength and endurance (thereby increases heart health), for practically everyone, yet some who exercise regularly still remain quite heavy by today's standards.

How could that be? The answer is unknown but what is known is many of these seemingly "overweight" individuals are actually very healthy and could outlast me in a foot race any day of the week.

Work on building health, such as increasing your strength, increasing your endurance and your body will begin to look more shapely in the process. You'll know you're getting stronger when carrying a load of wood used to make you pant and practically faint and now you can do it easily. When climbing a flight of stairs no longer makes you need to take a break. Endurance is being able to walk or run around the block, not just to the front door.

Build slowly, and start at whatever point you are right now. It doesn't matter if you can walk or run, just start. And if you are literally unable to move, imagine yourself moving. See it in your mind and your body will reward you with better health.

Learn EFT for Weight Loss

Outdoor Activities for the Kids in You

Greenhouse Effect: How to Grow a Tomato Inside a Bottle

It's Spring! Now's the time to demonstrate the greenhouse effect especially if you have a garden started. Begin by getting a clean, 2-liter soda pop bottle (if you wash it, make sure you rinse in hot water so there is no leftover soap inside). Find a baby fruit such as apple, cucumber or tomato (others work too), then gently place the fruit inside the bottle while still attached to the mother plant. It's okay if you need to remove leaves to get it to fit. Do not block the opening, the fruit needs oxygen just like you do!

Now, tie the bottle (if it's in an apple tree for instance) or secure it so it won't move, and then wait for the sun to do the rest. At the end of the growing season you'll have the most mysterious commodity: a fully mature plant inside a bottle! Your kids will be the neighborhood hero.

This idea is from, "Go Outside" by Nancy Blakey. Here's what I posted about it at Amazon.com:

"The best way to keep your kids fit (and even help them lose weight if they need to), is to get outside and start playing.

This wonderful book, Go Outside, has loads of great play ideas. If it's been a few years since you were a youngster, open to any page and you'll soon be smiling with memories. There's things to do at home, the beach, the pool, and every season of the year.

The photographs are wonderful, full of smiling happy children, and every idea includes a "What You'll Need" list so you'll be sure to have all your materials gathered. Most can be done with everyday items anyway."

Check out the book, "Go Outside"

Supplement News: Winners & Losers

Losers: Glucomannan, dietary fiber.

Lots of fibers are touted as being an aid in weight loss, but frankly you're far better off eating more fruit and vegetables. It's said taking Glucomannan 30 minutes before meals makes you feel full sooner, which is exactly what happens if you eat half an apple before your meal. Soup is great for this as well, but I digress. So what makes more sense, eating something, chewing, providing nourishment, or popping a few pills?

Winners: Hoodia

I love Hoodia. I thought I'd found a source to buy in bulk but sadly that fell through (I always try to find a way to get stuff for less). I've been using Hoodia when I start getting hungry, but I don't want to stop working right then, and what's been happening is several hours go by before I start to feel hungry again. It works in a subtle way, and is best used if you're busy with some activity, so if you're just sitting there, wishing you weren't hungry, I don't know if Hoodia or anything else is going to effectively reduce appetite enough that you won't want to eat.

Distract yourself with something you enjoy; write a book, learn to yodel, take up bird watching, anything to take you off the couch and into something that truly interests you, and then you'll find it's actually easy to forget to eat.

Here's a real life example of how Hoodia reduces the appetite: At 7:20 this morning I'd been sitting here working and though my stomach was complaining (I usually eat breakfast around 7 AM), I was working to finish this newsletter so didn't want to stop. My husband came and asked if I wanted grits, which he makes many mornings so I said yes. Then I took two Hoodia tablets, and kept working. It's now 8:03 and I'm not feeling that hungry any more. It's morning, I know I didn't eat, and I want to, but the hunger? It's basically gone. I could wait. That's amazing and it doesn't make you feel all weird and jittery either. Nice.

If you eat whether or not you are hungry, then no appetite reducing aid will help. You'd be better off to work on the issue of why you eat when you're not hungry first, then later, try Hoodia. EFT is very helpful for this. Try using EFT before you eat, especially if you're not hungry:

"Even though I want to eat, and I know I'm not hungry, but I just don't care and I'm going to eat anyway, I deeply and completely accept myself."

That's an EFT statement, and if you don't know what it is, check the resources listed above under "What is EFT." It's so simple to use, everyone should be doing it.

Others whose opinions I trust are recommending the same company I'm using. My results have been nothing short of astonishing. No doubt the FDA won't like it if everyone starts loving Hoodia (see my note on Ephedra below).

Try Hoodia for Weight Loss and see if you like it

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Ephedra Making a Come Back?

Nutraceutical International Corp. recently won a lawsuit against the FDA claiming they made their ban on Ephedra too broad. Consequently, products containing 10 mg or less of Ephedra may soon be back on the market. I think this is good news, you may not agree. The reported adverse affects from Ephedra were widely exaggerated; less than 100 in total compared to the annual deaths from aspirin and other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) alone.

As reported on The Annals of Internal Medicine's site, "Each year, use of NSAIDs accounts for an estimated 7600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations in the United States." I case you didn't read that clearly, that's every single year 7600 people die from over-the-counter pain relievers.

Finding data on deaths due to Ephedra wasn't so simple. One site said 87 reported deaths (not annually, that's total), another, a lawyer's site said 100 reported deaths due to Ephedra, and stated it like the worst news since the Titanic. So what's up with this? Less than 100 deaths in total compared to an annual toll of 7600 due to NSAIDs? Aspirin will certainly never be removed from the market, and it shouldn't be but there is clearly something odd about this equation.

Responsibility lies with the consumer. If a supplement causes health issues the consumer must be intelligent enough to discontinue using that product. People who suffer ulcers and stomach problems avoid aspirin because they know it will cause them increased pain. It's common sense. There is no need for the FDA to protect us from over-the-counter products when they allow the annual prescriptions of many drugs that routinely kill thousands of people.

You've heard the long list of "side effects" on the drug ads they allow on TV? Sometimes you'd think they were satire because they are so ridiculous, often mentioning death as a possible side effect. Gives one reason for pause.

I liked Ephedra and if it's available, I'll still use it, but I do think Hoodia is even better.

Food Trivia: Hibiscus vs. Red Wine

You may have heard that red wine can be beneficial, but the lengthy list of negatives associated with alcohol are hard to miss. In Taiwan, liquid hibiscus extract is added to soft drinks for his health giving properties. It is also taken as a herbal treatment for hypertension.

Health & Wellness Web Site Spotter

Food Co-ops, Health Food Stores & Natural Food Stores
Check your city and state to see if there's a food co-op nearby, or start one with your friends and neighbors. All a food co-op means is you buy in larger quantity and split it up, thereby saving some money in the process.

Many cities have full-sized stores, and others are just groups of four or more people who join forces. I like co-op buying, especially for herbs and spices because I like to buy them in bulk and one pound of basil lasts a very long time! You just cannot begin to imagine the wonderful scents and aromas when the UPS man brings a big box of food stuffs to your door.

Hint: Indulge responsibly.

When a Diet is Just a Diet

A diet, after all, is whatever you regularly eat. If you let someone else decide what you should eat (or can eat), you'll probably lose weight as long as you follow their advice, but then what happens? You go back to your regular diet. Why not quit that losing program and get stepping onto the path of health that makes the best sense for you?

Design a diet is simply taking what you know you like to eat, adding something here, taking a bit away there, until you arrive at a place where you can eat whatever you really want, and still lose the weight you need to lose. Think it can't be done? It can.

I can easily gain 10 to 15 pounds by making a few small changes in my regular routine: Add fast food twice or more a week; add Friday night pig out, add "Anything goes Saturdays," Sunday brunch or breakfast out, and chips by the bag full or cookies by the package. Sprinkle liberally with "I'm too busy to exercise," and shake well. That's my recipe for how I gain weight.

To take it back off, I lose those habits, one by one. Cut back on the fast food and eating out (this is actually the easiest thing to change plus you save a ton of money) to once a week, then twice a month, then once a month and finally for special occasions rather than a regular routine. Take a handful of chips on my plate instead of the entire bag and eat them for some nice crunch and change of texture rather than entertainment.

Take as many cookies as will satisfy me, but if it takes a whole bag, something's wrong. I also use EFT when I think I want that food too much or can't resist. It's not really that I need to resist, it's that I need to stop thinking I can't resist.

EFT is so fun and easy to use and it's so exciting when you try it and magical things start happening. Use it and see what happens and then drop me a line. I'd love to hear your stories.

Get the worksheets and The Daily Bites (mini lessons in how to use EFT for losing weight) and you'll be so excited to show off this summer! No fooling.

Get The Daily Bites

People are Talking About One More Bite Weight Loss:

Dear Kathryn,

" I took your course some months ago for weight loss. I had a bit of a struggle with using EFT, and I decided to try some other programs :) You can guess what happened. I was second guessing myself. I bought Tom Venuto's ebook, and I really liked it and still do. However, I tried to implement the eat every 3 hours thing.. and control calories. Aaargh.

...That just makes me feel like i'm surrounded by rules and that I'm being deprived. So, I went up a few pounds... only 3 or 4 because of this feeling of being bound in and of rebelling (the child in me of course). I also don't like the feeling of "having" to eat at a set time, I have now realized that.

I have come to a real light bulb moment in the last week. I am back to trusting my own intuition and body and to using EFT. I am not following any program. I'm just trying to make healthier choices and care for myself. It is working (as it was when I first began with you and then got scared and wanted to do a "program" again!)

Thank you for your valuable insights. I am truly learning to trust myself for the first time and my body. I am finding that in the last week, I have lost weight and inches effortlessly, just by listening to my body's cues of hunger. I can trust it! I think I finally "get it!" Thanks so much -- Lisa

Sometimes it just takes a little nudge or the right words at the right time. Maybe working with a private weight loss coaching is right for you, right now. Whether the 8-week Ending Emotional Eating course or the course plus personal coaching is what you need, you can get started at any time, so why not right now?

More on what past clients have had to say...

Yours in good eating,
Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP
OneMoreBite-WeightLoss.com