The Ezine For Every Woman Struggling For The Body She's Always Dreamed Of!

July 21, 2003

Issue # 19

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Contents

1. Your Attitude Will Make The Difference

2. There is no “Best” Diet!

3. Spinach Tortilla Rolls

4. Regain Control of the Meals You Eat

1. Your Attitude Will Make The Difference

It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind. Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.

1. Focus on the Future First: whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.

2. Focus On the Solution: whenever you're faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

3. Look For the Good: assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

4. Look For the Valuable Lesson: fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.

5. Do What Successful People Do: a positive mental attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.

Action Exercises: First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.

Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.

Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it.

2. Is there one “best” diet?

If you're like most of us, you've tried a LOT different diets – all of them with so-so results. Those diets seem to pop up every other day and each one is even stranger than the one before – though all written by some self-claimed gurus.

They will promise you to "Lose 40 Pounds in Four Weeks" Yet, have you ever lost 40 pounds in 4 weeks???

Each time you try a new diet, you hope that "this one will be different. This one will be the best diet -- the one that really works."

But in reality there won’t be any best diet. Because, if there were, there'd only be one diet program and it would be easy. Everyone would use this diet and nobody would have problems with their weight.

Does this sound like paradise to you? If it does, then it should be clear to you, that there is no single best diet. Just like there is no paradise…

Every person and every metabolism different. What works for one person will not work for another. Each of us has to find our own way to eat naturally for ourselves. Because the Ideal Body system is NOT a diet, and works on natural principles, it works for every body."

Stop looking for the "best diet." If you haven't found it by now, it probably doesn't exist for you.

This may sound cruel to you, but in fact it can be relief: because it means, that you can achieve the results you want without deprivation, struggle or difficulty.

Re-read the last issues of this newsletter and find out, how to lose weight in a healthy manner.

Throw away all the wonder diets and start eating in a different and more healthy way.

3. Spinach Tortilla Rolls

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

- 1 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened

- 2 tbsp. sliced green onions

- 4 lowfat whole-wheat flour tortillas

- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

- ½ cup shredded low/nonfat Monterey Jack cheese

- ¼ cup chopped green chilies

- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper

Directions:

- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and green onions; mix until blended.

- Spread ¼ cup cream cheese mixture on each tortilla.

- Top each tortilla with ¼ cup chopped spinach, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, 1 tablespoon green chilies, and ¼ cup chopped red pepper.

- Roll tortillas up from narrow end and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

- Remove tortilla rolls from wrap and place on serving platter. Cut each tortilla into 6 to 8 pieces, securing each piece with toothpick.

- Serve with salsa, if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 125

Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Protein: 10 g

Carbohydrates: 16 g

Fiber: 1 g

Sodium: 510 mg

4. Regain Control of the Meals You Eat

When you're in your own kitchen, you can determine and control the portions of the meals you prepare. Many restaurant entrées, however, contain considerably more than one portion and you typically don't have control over the size of the meal that arrives on your dinner plate. However, here are some strategies for regaining some of that control.

1. Order a salad or appetizer as your first course. Then order another (healthy) appetizer as your main meal.

2. If you find an entrée on the menu irresistible, ask the waiter to serve you that dish in an appetizer size.

3. Order an entrée, but have the kitchen set aside half of it in a take-home container before serving you the rest.

How the food is prepared and what is included with it is also a concern. The most important point to remember when eating out is that you are the paying customer and you can request the way the food is prepared. Restaurants are in the business of making food taste good, which often means that they will either be high in fat or high in sugar. But they are also in the business of giving their customers what they want. The following is a list of things to tell the waiter to keep the fat, calories, and sugar down to a healthy level.

- Could I have that with white breast meat instead of dark meat, please?

- Could you please ask the chef to go light on the cheese (oil, butter, cream, etc.)?

- Could I have my fish poached (grilled, baked, broiled, etc.) please, and will you add vinegar or lemon juice to it?

- Could I have my baked potato with everything on the side, and could you add a side of vinaigrette and/or salsa please?

- Could I please have my sandwich without cheese and mayonnaise and with tomatoes and mustard instead?

- Can you steam the vegetables without butter, please?

- Would you please make my omelet with "fat-free egg substitute" please, or with only one whole egg and two or three egg whites (instead of 3 whole eggs)?

- Could I have my toast served dry with reduced-sugar jam on the side, please?

- Could I please have a baked potato (soup or salad) instead of French fries?

- Does this dish contain cheese, oil, butter, creamy sauce, or anything else that would increase the fat content?

- Could I substitute marinara sauce for the alfredo sauce, please?

- Could I please have my sweet and sour chicken sautéed or stir-fried rather than deep-fried, please?

- Do you have sugar-free syrup for my pancakes?

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Marion