I Took a Job at The Oaks and All I Got Was a 50 lb Weight Loss

Welcome to 2012!  Here we are with all of our new plans, resolutions and rebuilding.  Our lobby renovation at The Oaks was completed in December and, if I know Cathy and Don, they are already planning the next improvement.  The Oaks is looking better than ever. What are your plans for the New Year?

            When it comes to health and weight loss, we know a few things; many of us have tried trendy diets, looking for the easy way to fulfill our ideal. “Now” is the time for us to benefit by assessing our goals and by taking a look at whether or not our “renovation” is effectively in action.  Is yours?

            Focus on success!  Focus on your health and not on the “perfect” body.  If you are anywhere near my age (58) (and a half!), you know that the pounds do not slide off as easily as they once did.  What I also know is that it is up to me.

 I have shared with many in my food demonstrations that it took me until I was 55 years old to finally “get” that waffling weight and quick weight loss schemes were not going to work.  Some despair had set in, but something finally clicked.  I committed myself to one year of healthful eating and regularly planned exercise to reach my 50 lb. weight loss goal.  I committed myself to eating breakfast, not skipping meals, eating only whole grains as opposed to “white” ones, to making sure my plate was at least ½ fruits or vegetables (and using smaller plates), to drinking lots of water and to exercising at least five days a week.  OK, those are all things we know about---all we have to do is implement them.  Well, this time it worked and it’s still working three years later.

What else did it take?  What made this time different?  It included being very conscious about “unconscious” eating (keeping a food journal helps to review the day), weighing myself regularly and responding to the results!  A commitment to self-expression diminished the desire for emotional eating. I can’t say enough about dark chocolate and almonds!  And, I made every effort to forgive myself for falling down on the job of self-care when it happened---it’s tempting to use a lapse in judgment to abandon our own well- being.  I encourage you not to go down that rabbit hole. You can recommit in an instant!  And, you are worth all of the care you can lavish upon yourself.

But what do you think was my biggest marker for success? Partnership!  I have a regular walking/swimming /fitness companion.  Encouragement and support provide a great deal at any time.  It helps to have someone who will call you, who will hold you to something, and to have something and someone to whom you are committed.  Suddenly it’s not just about you!  I exercise alone at least half of the time (I don’t go to the gym to chat, but sometimes it takes someone else to get me there).  Whether it’s your actual life partner or walking buddy, it’s an assurance for a higher success rate for anything!

Soon we are beginning The Oaks’ Employee Weight Loss Challenge that we offer at least once a year, and I am partnering with someone in the kitchen who wants to make a difference in his own future.  We have given each other permission to have our fitness goals be a “conversation”, even when it might not be comfortable.  Choose someone for that part of your life.  Your quality of life does depend upon it!  So does theirs!

  February 1 marks the beginning of our Bring a Friend Special.  Call someone you love that wants to accompany you on a journey to a healthful 2012!  Join us on Face book and tell us how The Oaks has made a difference in your quest for health! 

This is one of our newest recipes (not in any cookbooks), and it is proving to be one of our most popular.  I can never say enough about the deliciousness and the health benefits of nuts (in the correct proportions, of course).  Try this with the freshest broiled or grilled fish you can find, or as an accompaniment or “dip” for shrimp.  Serve slightly warmed or at room temperature.

Pistachio Tapenade

                                        Approximately 15 one- tablespoon servings

1 cups pistachios, toasted

2 tsp. olive oil

1 cup onion, cut in small strips and lightly caramelized in olive oil

½  cup minced celery, added to the onions toward the end of cooking

Mix nuts with onion mixture

 In a small bowl, combine:

2 tsp. orange juice concentrate, 2 tsp. orange zest, 1 TB. fresh lemon juice,

1 TB. minced fresh mint, 2 tsp. garlic, 2 tsp. olive oil

Add this mixture to nut mixture, and gently combine.

Serve and enjoy! 

Christine

Purchase our cookbooks here!

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