CLEO COYLE: If you follow this blog, then you know we all enjoy treats. We've blogged beautiful cakes, cookies, and rich desserts. Just for today, however, with summer now upon us, I thought it would be fun to ask my fellow culinary mystery writers to share some ideas for lighter fare, as well as weight loss tips they've found helpful over the years.
I'll go first...
By now, I'm sure most of us have heard about intermittent fasting, though it may not not be the solution for everyone. It has worked for me. I've lost twenty pounds with this method (singing "Hallelujah!" from the chubby girl chorus), although the key for me and my metabolism has been keeping my carb intake low (#keto) in conjunction with the fasting, and that means keeping my cravings under control.
My best tip is: don't fight your cravings, trick yourself into satisfying them. Here is one example. I enjoy pizza, but it's too high in carbs and calories for me when I'm not moving around enough. Instead of eating a New York slice, I'll make my "Pizza Bites" (click here for the recipe or on the photo below). It's just one example of how I'll "trick" my craving monster with a lower carb (and calorie) treat...
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| Click the photo for Cleo's recipe. |
How about you, fellow foodies?
Do you have any tips or recipes that you
find helpful for weight loss?
(Join us in the comments with your own!)
(Join us in the comments with your own!)
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LESLIE B: Though I've been a Weight Watchers' Lifetime member for more than 30 years, I do occasionally need to take off a few pounds, usually after the holidays. What works best for me is to focus not on what I can't eat, but on making the positive choices that will help me reach my goal. It's starts with planning -- knowing what we'll make for dinner for the next few days, often making a soup or a dish full of vegetables, grains, or beans. Bonus? Plenty of leftovers so it's easy to figure out lunch and avoid being tempted by, say, grilled cheese -- our topic in March!
Herbs and spices are a great way to make dishes tasty without adding calories. This Greek Chicken with Baby Bell Peppers, Orzo, and Tzatziki is my adaptation of a Weight Watchers recipe that fits the bill perfectly.
And I always save "room" in my plan for dark chocolate or a glass of wine!
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DARYL: My dieting tip is eat less at night and try to eat only protein and vegetables at night. About a year ago, I cut back to eating "half" what I thought I'd like to eat and that seems to be perfect for maintaining my weight. Now, don't get me wrong. I like sugar and carbs, and I do eat those in morning, before lunch. I might splurge with a Dove's dark chocolate mid-afternoon. But I find that having my carbs early lets my body burn it off throughout the day. I use protein powder in my milk with fruit breakfast. I like scrambled eggs for lunch. Like Leslie I think herbs make all the difference in a meal, so use liberally. Also, like Leslie, I do like a glass of wine at night. With a good book? Heaven.
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| Lucy's vegetable beef soup |
LUCY: This is such an important question, Cleo, with the news out last month that 40% of Americans are obese. 40%! Yikes! Here's my best advice: Don't diet. Eat everything in moderation, except for vegetables--and there the sky is the limit! If I make cookies for example, I then freeze them so I can dole them out one by one. It's harder to eat a lot of cookies if they're frozen. If you eat out one night and order fried chicken and mashed potatoes, maybe the next night a vegetable soup and salad are in order? Here's an easy recipe for creamed vegetable soup, but you'll find lots more on our website!
And plan all this before you're starving--it's so much harder to resist treats when you're hungry. One more tiny tip--make water your drink of choice. It has no calories and it's good for your body.
And finally, exercise. Walk, attend a yoga class, go to a trainer at the gym. You'll feel better and did you know that muscles burn more calories than fat?
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MAYA: I agree with Lucy about eating in moderation instead of giving up foods you like. Like her, I freeze cookies to enjoy them one by one. In my case, it's more often two than just one, but they're small cookies :-) and I don't usually have a dessert after dinner unless it's fruit.
My best tip for weight loss: Fish rather than fast. Fish can be a leaner and lower-calorie source of protein than meat, and it doesn't take long to cook or require elaborate preparation. I shared one of my favorite fish recipes on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen a few weeks ago: Parmesan Halibut Steak. It has only five ingredients and takes barely 15 minutes to prepare. While it's cooking, you can make a salad to go with it. Fresh Alaskan halibut is readily available during the spring months, but you can also use this recipe for any firm-flesh fish like mahi or swordfish.
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| Maya's halibut steak with a side salad |
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PEG: I recently lost 20 lbs. using the Weight Watcher blue plan--you've probably seen some of the WW friendly recipes I've been posting. I do what a lot of other MLK folk do--I eat fewer carbs. I've found substitutes like these pancakes made with bananas and eggs. I measure the carbs I do occasionally eat like rice to keep me honest and I also measure the oil I cook with. I've found you usually don't need anywhere near the amount in so many recipes! Luckily I don't have much of a sweet tooth--I'd rather have a glass of wine. Like Lucy, if we go out to dinner or a party, I allow myself to indulge in whatever I want--but I eat a light breakfast and lunch beforehand and also cut back the next day. That way I don't feel deprived. Plus hubby and I have started to take a short walk (just shy of a mile) with our coffee in the mornings and then a longer "power" walk in the afternoons.
ESSIE LANG: Honestly, the only weight-reducing solution in my house would be to lock up the kitchen cabinets with timed releases on them, only at mealtime. It's just too, too easy to stop and pull open a cabinet door, rummage around and pop something into my mouth - every time I walk past. Especially when I'm writing. I love what Daryl does and may try to switch to that. Carbs aren't difficult for me to give up, except for pasta, and sweet potato fries, and potato salad. Okay, it will be a work-in-progress. What I seriously try to do is drink as much water as I possibly can and stock up on baby carrots. Often I'll add a delicious green dip from a local restaurant -- I'm not totally sure what all is in it but I know there are few calories and lots of goodness. I also like Peg's walking program but for now, will stick to my early morning power walks.
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LESLIE K: With a metabolism that wants to
conserve fat as if I were stranded in an arid desert with only grass
and radishes to eat, I’ve spent most of my adult life watching my
calories. And what I’ve learned is that it’s best if I stick to a
regimen on a daily basis (the French word for a “a diet” is “un
régime,” after all)—generally something light like a salad
or cottage cheese and tomatoes for lunch. But I try to make the lunch
colorful and artfully arranged—it tastes better that way!
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MADDIE: I'm right there with Leslie K, both in stature (those calories have nowhere to go...) and metabolism. That salad looks yummy, my friend. I learned a delicious cucumber soup recipe from a woman I cleaned house for when I was a southern California college student many (many) years ago. It's tasty, refreshing, and fills you up with veggies and low-fat dairy. What's not to like, especially mid-summer? Thank you, Mrs. Schwartz!
I included the Cucumber-Dill Soup recipe in Strangled Eggs and Ham, which takes place during a steamy southern Indiana August, and Brooke Blogs featured it. (Note: the giveaway has been over for most of a year.) It's best when you can use locally (or home) grown cukes and dill, but if you're not a gardener or don't have a farm stand nearby, don't let that stop you. For me, I have cukes AND dill in my little organic garden, and I can't wait for them to be ready to harvest. Gardening burns calories, too - and I always save room for wine.
VICKI: Sorry, no weight loss tips from me. I lost 55 pounds about 2 -3 years ago, and I'd like to say it was hard, but it wasn't. I had several gall bladder attacks and had to be very strict about my diet for two months before I had the pesky thing removed. And I quite simply lost a lot of my appetite over those months and it never came back. One thing I have been aware of since then though, is not letting the weight creep up. I weigh myself every day and once it creeps over the number I've set as unacceptable, I cut back for a few days.
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KRISTA: Ouch, Vicki. That's a very hard way to lose weight. I'm always having to lose weight. In fact, I am probably the very worst person to give advice on this topic. However, I do have one trick that helps and that's limiting dinner to soup. It works very well for me. The hardest part is convincing myself to do it! Pass the Krispy Kremes, please.
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