BITS-O-WISDOM: ""Don't take a butcher's advice on how to cook meat. If he knew, he'd be a chef." -- Andy Rooney

Fun Exercise Equipment

Jogging strollers

Body Togs
Burn fat by wearing BodyTogs they say. The concept is to wear weights under your clothing because the more weight you carry (whether it's body weight or extra weight), the more calories you'll burn throughout
the day.

When Low Calorie Recipes Are Actually Teensy Quantity

Check any new recipe that claims to be low calorie for how many it's supposed to serve before you get all happy about the low calorie count. Chances are it's fun with math, for instance, here's a recent
example found in "Looking Good Now" magazine:

Peanut Butter and Banana Waffle Snack (Serves 4)

4 fat-free frozen waffles
2 tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter

Okay, stop right there. Two tablespoons peanut butter divided by four. That means each serving gets two teaspoons of peanut butter and that's a pretty light smear to say the least.

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon jam (or jelly or whatever)
2 bananas, sliced thin

Toast waffles until lightly browned (er, isn't that what"toasting" means?). Spread each waffle with 1.5 teaspoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon jam, and top with sliced bananas.

Here's my shortened version of that recipe: Spread peanut butter and jam on one waffle. Eat.

Peanut butter is a nutrient dense food (high calories in a small package). Go easy on quantity but you don't have to be ridiculous.

Gelato Better Than Ice Cream?

Gelato is that delicious, dense, Italian ice cream which is a far better choice that US style premium ice cream.

Gelato has less "overrun" which is the amount of air beaten into the ice cream during processing. That means gelato has a more intense flavor, is more dense and even creamier but has less calories and fat.

Half-cup Haagen-Daz vanilla premium has 253 calories while an equal amount of gelato has just 163.

Fat and calorie content is lower because Gelato is made from milk, water or soy milk, while ice cream is made with cream. In fact, you can make Gelato at home by using an ice cream recipe and substituting milk or skim milk for the cream! Neat.

Fun Food

Spaghetti Ice Cream
As long as we're talking about frozen treats check out Spaghetti Ice Cream. I can't see why this couldn't be done with a rice creamer or some other gadget.

Marshmallow Hamburgers
Nothing more fun than treats that resemble real food. Here's a marshmallow hamburger. Naturally I had to get one, so when my 4-year old nephew wanted to know what it was, I said, "Well it's candy." He was pretty skeptical but bravely took a couple bites. He left it with one bite off the top and couple off the sides but wasn't too interested in eating more.

Help for Diabetes, Syndrome X, Metabolic Syndrome and Polycystic Ovaries Without Drugs

What all these ailments have in common is a faulty insulin response. Here's how to easily change that without drugs and lose some weight in the process

Taken before a meal, Bios Life 2 can significantly flatten insulin spikes, allowing your body to digest nutrients more evenly. Helps diabetics reclaim a safe, stabilized blood glucose level while
stabilizing insulin production.

Bios Life 2 slows down rate at which food is absorbed, helping blood sugar remain more even and low throughout the day. Insulin-Resistant-Linked Ailments include:

• Hypertension
• High Cholesterol
• Obesity
• Gout-like Symptoms
• Erectile Dysfunction -- eeks!
• Polycystic Ovaries

A few minutes before meal time mix a packet of Bios Life 2 with a glass of water or juice then drink it. Do this two or three times daily. Taken 10 minutes before meals it also helps with weight loss.

Start with one packet Bios Life 2 daily then work up to more. People with serious heart ailments use it three or more times a day.

Ask your doctor about Bios Life 2. Listed in the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference), it is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar with no side effects.

More info on Bios Life 2

~~ Learn EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to Lose Weight
Emotional eating is often called the "problem," yet few diet programs address the emotional aspects of overeating (or under eating). EFT handles emotional eating & so much more

Oreos With Options

You can now find no sugar Oreos, and no fat Oreos. So I have to wonder, what's next? No Oreo Oreos? Just kidding. Reduced fat Oreo Cookies are "just like the original" according to taste testers. 3 Cookies at 34 grams is just 4.5g fat. That's great, if you can eat just three cookies, but even if you eat six or eight, it's still a better deal than the original.

Just don't defeat the purpose of the lower calorie snack by eating double.

Nabisco has quite the snazzy website for their Oreos

FDA's Dirty Secret: Labeling Tricks

"Wow. I have really been sabotaging my diet. This is enough to stop me cold. I am Swishing a number 4 that is big and red in front of the Splenda box. (Note, Swish technique is taught in the 8-week Ending Emotional Eating Workshop)

"How can SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener be considered calorie-free if it contains maltodextrin and/or dextrose?

"Under US food labeling laws, foods with less than 5 calories per serving are considered an insignificant source of calories and are therefore properly described as *no calorie* foods under FDA regulations. SPLENDA® Granular provides 2 calories per serving and SPLENDA® Packets provides 4 calories per serving."

My reply: You discovered the dirty secret of the zero calorie myth. If they'd list the entire count for the entire package, and then perhaps break it down for a per serving recommendation, that would be far more helpful. The current trick is to make the portion size so small that it'll show nice numbers on the label.

That's the same trick used when you see so called diet recipes. Generally they just divide the dish into more servings, and voila instant low cal! It's stupid really. So, before you think you're eating low cal, low carb or anything low for that matter, add up how much you'll likely eat first and then you'll have a much better idea why it seems you've been sabotaging your diet.

What America Eats Survey

According to Parade Magazine's latest survey 70% of those surveyed skip breakfast and 37% skip lunch. No wonder there's so much weight gain! No one is getting any nutrition. Skipping meals is the wrong approach.

Try Lean Control if you're a meal skipper. I love it for breakfast, especially when I'm rushing around (which I seem to do every day despite being up as early as 4 AM!). I have my Bios Life 2 about five minutes before then drink my Lean Control on my way out the door and I'm good to go. No immediate hunger pangs like those other meal replacement drinks.

Sometimes Lean Control comes in handy as a midday snack replacement as well. It's only 130 calories, so it's better than a food bar. I realized I had a baggie with some Lean Control Vanilla with me that I'd brought to give as a sample. I shook it in my handy shaker, drank it down, and then around 8 PM I realized, I never had that dinner after all and I still wasn't hungry, so that tells me the nutrition is solid.

I would not recommend any product I didn't fully believe is the best. Check it out, get a sample, whatever, just don't skip meals in an attempt to lose some weight. It doesn't work and your heath will suffer.

March: Live Chat at The Back Fence

Post questions to me in The Back Fence EFT for Weight Loss forum and you're more likely to get a speedy response, plus others will benefit as well. Lots of people have the same questions, that's why forums are so useful. You can read posts without registering too, but if you want to post, just register.

Beginning in March I'll have regularly scheduled chat sessions for feedback, support and that all important accountability.

Kitchen Hints

When measuring flour gently spoon it into your measuring cup, else you're getting far more flour than you realize. If you dip in, scoop it out and level the cup off you may be actually getting several extra ounces of flour. That's because flour settles.

It's not just that you get more calories and carbs than you thought, but it can affect your recipe, causing cakes that don't rise, and cookies that aren't the right texture. Who knew?

+++ ---------- Ending Emotional Eating ---------------- +++

You've gone to seminars, read books, bought gadgets, and tried everything to lose the weight, but still nothing works. Could it be you're an emotional eater?
More details about the One More Bite 8-Week Workshop.
If now is the right time to end your struggle losing all the weight you want, get started on this self-paced, home study program today. (Includes follow-up, so you still get personal attention).
I'm Ready! How do I register?
   +++ --------------------------------------------------- +++

Goddess in Chocolate

If you want to send me a present, I want one of these ;-)

Don't Play With Your Food! Unless It's a Food Trivia Game

"Play With Your Food" by
Saxton Freymann

If you think you're really smart about food, check the Foodie Craze game. They call it "A trivia game like you've never tasted before." Other interesting contenders are "Foodie Fight" or how about Eat it! a game you can really "sink your teeth into."

Can you win at Eat it!

Taking it to another level, check out this New Your Times slide-show of serious "playing with your food" art featuring the word of Saxton Freymann who's written many children's books showing whimsical animals completely out of food. Amazon has many books by Freymann, including Play With Your Food

Supplement News: Xenical Soon OTC (over-the-counter)

Xenical (Orlistat) is the fat blocking drug that supposedly helps with weight loss by blocking the absorption of the fat you eat. That sounds great, but it's flawed in a big fat way.

If you eat a high fat meal along with Xenical you're going to get these happy side effects:

• Oily or fatty bowel movements (stools)
• Increased number of bowel movements
• Urgent need and/or inability to control bowel movement
• Gas with discharge
• Oily discharge
• Stomach pain
• Irregular menstrual periods.

Is this a really bad idea or what? People, get a clue. The ads say, "To avoid unpleasant side effects and for best results, eat a low fat diet along with regular exercise."

Guess what? If you're eating a low fat diet and getting regular exercise you aren't going to need the Xenical, so my suggestion? Glad you asked ;-) Eat healthy, drink more water, and stay as far away from Xenical as you can or you'll be sitting all by yourself with your new-found bathroom dependency.

One More Bite's Clients Get Results

"I reached my "happy weight" about 3 months ago, and have maintained this. This is the lightest (and more importantly, fittest) weight I have ever been in my adult life at this time of year, and no matter what happens over Christmas, I will be happy about that fact.

It's lovely to think that next year I will not start off with a problem, but without fear of food; I feel free at last!" ~~ With kindest regards, Sandra Shirley at Ealing Consortium

Just For Fun

Pet Travel Guides and City Guides for Dog and Pet Owners

Farmers Markets

Don't think you should only visit Farmers Markets in the summer. Some are open year-round. Check see if there is one in your area.

Want to Grow Your Sweetener? Stevia Farming Ideas

Here's One Solution For Phone Stress

Stress Can Add to Weight Gain

I marvel at how some companies do business when you call with a question but can never reach a person, all you get are menu choices, none of which covering what you need. Apparently this is a common complaint as Paul English has designed a site that gives specific directions for how to quickly reach a human at hundreds of corporations.

He calls it "Get Human." Catchy name ;-)

Read my blog post about getting caught in Phone Hell at The Slimming Pool, Jan 21, 2006

One More Bite's Latest Weight Loss Articles

Sticks-n-Stones May Break My Bones And Words Do Hurt

ZSweet: New Low Calorie Natural Sweetener

5 Easy Steps to Better Health

Until next time, yours in good eating,
Kathryn Martyn Smith, M.NLP