Students Of Success

Holiday feasts can be fabulously festive without being fattening.
With a little creativity and positive intention you can enhance
your holiday meal traditions by serving sumptuous and healthful meals.
As a holiday chef you have the power to be selective, and create a
menu to delight as well as relieve traditional holiday table guilt. Simple
shifts in cooking techniques lighten your favorite fare with professional
ease. This year, create your own holiday traditions by changing
habits and helping recipes evolve, adding your own health-affirming
legacy to the family.

These 5 tips will help you begin… cheers!

• 1. Pick your “must-haves” and make a plan; choose the
  dishes and foods that are most loved, important, and symbolic to you
  and your family. These are the things that are most worth spending
  calories on. Edit out what you can without feeling deprived. Consider if
  another (healthier) option might possibly fit the bill. For example, would
  baked sweet potatoes work in place of candied yams? If the answer is
  no, set your original recipe aside for possible modification (see tip # 3).

• 2. Choose your menus differently and wisely. After your
  “must-haves”, balance and fill out your menu with healthy, whole food
  choices. Avoid more dishes with sauces and gravies. Seek out
  vegetable and whole grain based dishes, lean meats, beans and green
  salads. Consider more fresh fruits, low-fat yogurt and ice cream for
  dessert. Pumpkin or fruit pies have half the calories of pecan pie.
  Overall, think high fiber and low fat.
• 3. Select your ingredients differently. Low-fat (and some
  non-fat) dairy items can be substituted for whole milk products without
  any perceivable change. Evaporated skim milk is the classic dieters
  substitution for cream. Low-sodium salt is a great way to cut down on a
  common holiday culprit. Choose whole grain breads and rolls, brown
  rice and multi-grain pasta (tastes better than whole wheat). Chicken,
  ground turkey (skinless), lean beef and pork are better choices than
  fattier meats like rib roast, T-bone steak, sausage, bacon and ham. Low-
  fat and fat-free mayonnaise works wonders in recipes. Don’t forget the
  nonstick vegetable oil spray for cooking and cutting excess calories and
  fat. To be sure your feast is the most flavorful, nutritious and visually
  enticing that it can be (without caloric excess), use as many fresh, whole
  foods and herbs as possible.
• 4. Simple cooking techniques lighten your menu the same way
  the spa chefs have become famous for. In addition to making
  choices like those described above, spa chefs use techniques like
  braising, roasting and steaming to prepare tender, flavor-rich meat, fish,
  poultry, and vegetables, without added oil and fat. Baking and broiling
  are also considered key low-fat cooking techniques. Always trim visible
  fat and remove poultry skin before cooking. Basting with fat-free broth or
  fruit juice is essential to moist yet low-fat roasting. Steaming is an
  amazing and under-rated technique that can produce quite delicate
  results. Substitute two egg whites or an egg substitute for each egg in
  recipes and applesauce can take the place of up to 1/3 of the oil in
  baking.
• 5. Consider some positive manipulation. Plan gatherings
  where food is not the sole and central focus. Have a soup or salad buffet
  lunch instead of the normal afternoon or evening feasts. Arrange foods
  on tables in decreasing order of importance. Place the high-fiber, low-
  fat, healthy choices at the front of the buffet table and the richer, calorie
  dense items toward the end of the table. Serve dessert only after the
  meal.

Don’t wait… create your own healthy holiday traditions this year. Lighten
up your holiday feast without compromising an iota of enjoyment.
Savor
your meal and appreciate your intelligence in celebrating with mirth
without adding extra girth. Have a toast for the holiday chef!

© 2005 Karen B. Cohen. All Rights Reserved.

Karen B. Cohen C.L.C. RYT500 is a wellness coach and master yoga
instructor, writer and speaker residing in a college town in rural Virginia.
Karen leads people to their own limitless supply of creativity and vitality
so that they can express their talent and abilities fully in the world. A
former chef and caterer she believes that delicious, healthy food is
essential to our happiness and wellbeing. Karen provides seminars,
workshops, individual coaching and training nationally and
internationally. For more information go to KarenCohenYoga.blogspot.com
and RockbridgeCoaching.blogspot.com

Mothers Day comes but once a year so it’s something many of us want to make sure we get right. Finally you have decided on flowers, so what do you do now? Do you pop to your local gas station and grab the first bunch you see, no, you take your time, look around and see what the option are. The best option, if you have the time and your mother lives locally enough, is still to go to a florist. Admittedly this is a scary prospect,
especially for those of a male gender but you will get good advice and it’s always best to see the product you’re buying. Also local delivery is usually fairly reliable, so even if you can’t deliver them in person it’s still a good choice.

The distance options come down to ordering by telephone or over the net. Here you have to be careful, have a clear idea of what you’re looking for, the type of flowers and the amount of money you want to spend. Look for companies that offer guarantees, then if it all does go wrong at least you have some means of claiming recompense. On the net you can find hundreds of florist on any search engine all offering very similar services so look at the small print and remember that the biggest companies are not always the best. Sometimes you are better off looking for a smaller company situated locally to your mother’s address.

Lastly make sure someone is around to take the delivery. If she’s not at home when the delivery arrives then you often lose any entitlement to recompense for late or non-delivery. If necessary ask a neighbor to accept the delivery, otherwise you may spoil the surprise!

Mansi gupta recommends that you visit www.sendflowersto.com/mothers.php for more information on Mother’s Day flowers.

Most Bariatric Surgery Patients experience a wide range of Holiday eating anxieties which can actually ruin a perfectly good Holiday around friends and family.

Prior to surgery, Holidays meant family, friends, and lots of food to indulge in and enjoy – often at a glutinous rate simply because Holiday foods are “special” because they are only provided during the season and they are prepared so carefully which adds guilt if you don’t partake of it.

How many times do you hear these phrases said at a Holiday gathering?

“That’s ALL you’re going to have? I worked so hard on that dish…”
“You better eat this now, because it won’t be here for another year….”
“It will hurt my feelings if you don’t eat this…..”
“These are very special ingredients I ordered specifically for this dish…”
“You can’t be NOT HUNGRY… it’s a Holiday!”
“Just ONE LITTLE BITE, PLEEEEEZEEEEZ…..”
“Have more, there’s plenty…”
“Take some of this home with you if you’re not going to eat it now…”
“Oh nonsense! You’re allowed to eat a lot today!”
“You should have worn your FAT PANTS to gorge yourself like the rest of us…”

OH, how this list could fill a book, right? Such comments add enough stress to non-surgery individuals who carefully watch their weight, let alone those who have had the Bariatric surgery and have to be careful what they eat, how much they eat, and how often they eat. So you are NOT ALONE in feeling some anxiety about being around all of the special food at gatherings this season.

I’d like to offer some suggestions that have worked for me and others during this most stressful time when Holidays equates to special foods and the pressure to partake in them is way too much out of hand at times.

1. Prepare you mind for the event: Reflect on past Holiday experiences and evaluate what lies ahead this year for you. Have it in your mind what you will say and do when those food-pushers taunt you or down-right threaten you to eat during the “special occasion.

2. Anticipate the food: Reflect on past Holiday foods that are always provided to you within your social circle. Predetermine what you WILL eat and what you WON’T eat. Making a decision ahead of time will curb your gut-reaction to “cave in” to the urgings by others to eat what you shouldn’t eat.

3. Never try anything new at the party: Not knowing how you will react to the food carries the high risk of making you ill and calling for you quick retreat to the bathroom or feeling sick for an hour or so. This will draw attention to you, which is something you don’t’ want. The host and guest will feel badly for you, so don’t put them or you in such a situation. Only eat things that you are absolutely certain that you can tolerate.

4. Take baby-bites of the “special” foods: Literally, take a baby-bite if you absolutely must partake of foods strictly for the social expectations. If it’s too much for a baby’s mouth, then you’re putting too much on the spoon or fork.

5. No-Guilt in Tossing it: In a social event where you don’t’ want attention drawn to how little you are eating, take a small plate with small portions of food, then take small bites of each item, then TOSS the rest away when no one is looking. This gives the appearance that you’re “normal” and all will assume you have gotten your fill. This spares hurting the feelings of Great Aunt Gerdie who truly does cry if you refuse her special 60%-sugar/90%-fat/carb-loaded/stroke-on-a-plate pie. Tossing out the unwanted uneaten portions is just a “different” way of consuming… so don’t’ feel guilty about it. All that matters is that Great Aunt Gerdie delights in seeing her pie disappearing.

6. Eat healthy before you go and bring your own essentials: Never go to a Holiday party hungry… NEVER! This is self-sabotage in the worst way! Enough said? Take along your own treats and drinks that are RNY-Friendly to you. Don’t request an extra effort on your host. You know what you need, so take it with you. While they are eating pies and cakes, you can have the sugar-free fudge sickles you brought along or those sugar-free pudding cups. And if they are serving only sodas or alcohol and you cant’ do them, bring your own herbal teas or no-sugar-added hot chocolate packets. This will make you, the host, and the guests feel comfortable and nobody will feel that you are “suffering” as they eat your NO-NO’s.

7. Talk more than you eat: The Holidays should be about PEOPLE, not food. So be social. Focus on the people; laugh with them, tell stories, listen to their tall tales, play games, etc. If you do these things, you’ll be amazed at how well the gathering will go for you simply because you didn’t focus on food. And when the food-pushers come along, just glance by them off into the distance and make your exit because you “want to talk to so-n-so or your cell phone is vibrating and you’ve got to excuse yourself for the call…. Perfectly acceptable to have a pre-planned “way out” when you need one.

8. Change the food-subject: Others may want to cry boo-hoo with you if you keep telling them of all the foods you’re missing out on this year. Don’t do that! Rather than mourn the loss of your favorite Holiday treats, brag on the fact that you’re feeling so much healthier, your clothes are getting baggier, and you’re dreaming again of all the great things that are in store for you now that you are slimming down. Don’t’ allow anyone to pity you for not eating like you used to eat.

9. Wear a “knock-out” outfit: WOW them all this Holiday season by wearing a special outfit that you feel very proud to be seen in. The food isn’t special to you anymore… you’ve swapped that for the special outfits you can now wear! Let people whisper to each other how great you look rather than how little you are eating. The stress of not eating so much will be far away to you when you feel good about yourself and look good too.

10. Make your visit brief: if you are getting too much pressure from others or are experiencing too many anxieties, let leave the gathering earlier than you originally planned. Maybe you’re tired, the roads are getting bad, you realized you need to do something… remember that “pre-planned” escape should be there for you if you need it.

I can attest that these are tactics that I’ve used and STILL use in social gatherings when it is expected to eat special foods during special times. Granted, I am three years post-op, so my anxieties are not as high as they once were… but they certainly threatened my Holiday happiness not too long ago!

Remember this most of all…. The more prepared you are ahead of time, the less you’ll feel nervous about those awful Holiday Eating Anxieties. Now go have fun!

For additional information or support, visit my website at http://www.rnyachievegoals.com.

I offer a FREE “Weekly Tip Newsletter” that can help keep you motivated as you forge ahead along your weight-loss journey.

Meloney B. Hall underwent the Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass Bariatric Surgery in September 2002 and lost a total of 170 pounds in a 19-month period. She is actively involved in helping others find success in achieving their goals along their weight-loss journey through her online support newsletter website and message board. She sells a variety of merchandise that she designed herself to help others celebrate and announce their achievements, whatever they might be in life. She is also available for Speaking Engagements. Learn more at www.rnyachievegoals.com.

Ok, the end of October is approaching, and you desperately want some colored contacts for Halloween. Why? Well, possibly because no one else will have any, maybe because you like to go that extra yard when you dress up, or maybe you want to get your own back on one of the neighbours kids for frightening your cat. Whatever the reason, colored contacts for Halloween make a lot of sense.

But what do you choose?

Well, some of the more conservative colors like blue, brown or green probably wouldn’t cut it. These colors are too subtle and could be used for work maybe, or a dinner party where you are trying to impress. Animal eyes are pretty cool, but are they Halloween eyes? Cat’s eyes might be, but generally speaking, these special effects contact lenses are dance floor eyes. Take them to the nightclub and be the King or Queen of Clubs for the evening.

But for Halloween, what you need is something a little more scary perhaps. Maybe something red - Vampire eyes maybe? That would blow little Johnny’s socks off, don’t you think? Or if we are going down the red road, maybe Zombie eyes would do the business. There is certainly a lot of choice for you. Halloween will never be the same again.

Or perhaps you just like being different. Well, some manufacturers will create custom colors for you. Be prepare to pay more though, because custom made contact lenses will not be stock items, and without the cost benefit of being mass produced, having a unique look could come a little expensive.

And by the way, most colored contact lenses are for cosmetic purposes, and come with zero power. This means that they make no correction to the eye, which in turn means that pretty much anyone can wear them.

The article was written by Charlie Cory, who is the owner of FX Eyes, a website dedicated to providing advice about buying special effects contact lenses online.

You can visit his website about special effects contact lenses.

I waited until the last minute to start thinking about the traditional New Year’s Day activities - reflecting and making resolutions. I have no resolutions, no regrets, but maybe some new goals.

It seems contradictory but I am a person who plans and prepares, but I am also open to changes. I can’t imagine any other way to be. People are often surprised by how rigid I am about certain things. The same people have seen me become more flexible. My only explanation is that I have learned to follow the path that leads to the best outcome. When the path leads to nowhere, I shall not be moved. When the path leads to bigger and better things, I don’t mind if it is unpredictable. I guess 2005 was about learning the difference between the two paths.

I have several mentors in my life. Each one of them has an understanding of one or more of my goals. They monitor me as closely as I allow. Every one of them told me the same thing in 2005. Stop preparing and start doing! How do you know you can do something unless you try?

One of the mentors was my professor when I studied for my doctorate. Have you ever known someone who was always right? Not someone who thinks that they are always right or want to always be right, but someone who really is right all of the time? Well, he is that person in my life. I used to frustrate him while I was at Cornell and I frustrate him now. He knew the difference between the things that would make a difference and the things that wouldn’t. He has never steered me wrong about anything. In fact, I learned humility or “how to eat crow” while working with him almost ten years ago. He can tell when I am ready for something long before I feel ready. Feeling ready and being ready are very different. I got a much better understanding about that life lesson in 2005. In 2006, I will trust myself more.

Another one of my mentors is an accountant who consults for small businesses. He taught me that the flow of money says a lot about your priorities. It seems so obvious, but there is no better wake up call than a spreadsheet that tells you where you have been, what you did, and what you wanted for the last year. I highly recommend a blunt talking accountant to anybody who feels any type of confusion in their life. Numbers tell stories with a clarity that you just not get with words! At the end of 2006, my spreadsheet will reflect the life of a more determined person.

My final mentor is also called my “lifestyle sensei” because I don’t know anyone who enjoys life as much as he does. We became friends very quickly and have remained so despite all of the changes that happen between young adulthood and middle age. He is such a great friend. In 2005, I realized that being a good friend is something that requires thoughtful discipline. My friend has contagious optimism and the ability to express it in ways that make people want to be around him. I think I can conjure up some of that energy for 2006 and be a great friend to more people.

Dr. LaMar researches, consults, writes, and speaks about mentoring relationships among professional women. Her weekly e-newsletter is available every Wednesday. Sign up at http://www.DramaFreeWorkplace.com
http://www.DrLaMar.com