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Junk isn't a food group for me anymore

BY KATHY MANWEILER

Originally published March 28, 2006

Junk used to be my favorite food group. Burgers and fries, ice cream, pizza, doughnuts and chocolate all played starring roles on my plate for several years. My weight kept inching up, and going on diets didn't seem to help. Many times, I lost 20 or 30 pounds only to fall off the wagon and gain every pound back.

Three years ago, I decided to slowly start making some healthy changes that I could stick with for the long run. And I have lost more than 90 pounds so far.

Exercise deserves a lot of credit for my progress, but my biggest success has been finding a good balance with food. Here are some of the changes that have helped me the most:

Make fast food at home. There are lots of days when I don't have time to cook, but I don't want to fall back into my old habits of grabbing takeout or raiding the vending machine.

I ward off those temptations by taking an afternoon every few weeks to make several batches of healthy foods. My current favorites include bean and beef enchiladas and some vegetable-based soups.

I pack the food into single-serving containers and freeze it. Whenever I'm pressed for time, I just pop one of those meals into the microwave.

Give some favorite foods a makeover. Through trial and error, I learned how to keep the flavors I love with fewer calories. Sometimes I use Splenda instead of sugar, and some recipes taste just as good with about half the oil. Fat-free cheese can be a rubbery nightmare, but reduced-fat cheese made with 2 percent milk works well in recipes for me.

Cave in to some of the cravings. Junk food doesn't star in my diet anymore, but small portions of it still make regular guest appearances. I enjoy a few ounces of chocolate every week. On the nights when every one of my taste buds screams for pepperoni pizza, I eat one slice and tell the craving to shut up already.

Sure, I could have lost weight more quickly by cutting these foods out completely. But experience tells me that if I deprive myself too much, I will eventually wind up in a "No Junk Left Behind" food fest.

Experiment with healthy alternatives. On the hunt for a snack that could help me cut back on sweets, I recently experimented with smoothie recipes. Here's my newest favorite: I put ice, sparkling water, ½cup of frozen raspberries and 4 ounces of light cranberry juice in my blender. A minute later, I have a delicious 65-calorie sorbet that's a great option when my ice cream cravings hit.

I haven't quite crossed the finish line to my goal weight yet, but I'm so close I can taste it.

Reach Alive & Well Editor Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com.