How did you do it?

Lifted weights today.  No bike today since I'm watching my knee.  I think the 10 miles extra on the bike has strained it.

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So, if you have lost a lot of weights, people always ask you how you did it.  Unfortunately, I've had the same answer for the last three years.  Watch what I eat and exercise.  And by the way, it's 80% watching what you eat.  Although many just hear the 20+ miles of running I do.  Most just give back a blank stare at me since they really don't like my answer.  They were wishing I had the magic pill in my pocket.  Ha!

Anyway, much of the weight loss three years ago came from knowing exactly what I put in my mouth and how much.  It was either that or get on Lipitor so I chose the hard way.  My wife also cooked(and still does) various low fat meals out of numerous cookbooks, newspaper articles, friends recipes, etc.  The key for me was to not feel like I was giving up much.  I wanted good tasting food.  The biggest thing I had to learn was portion size.  Those of you that have gone on "diets" in the past probably think that you need to eat salad everyday.  Of course, that's not true and doing that will get you back to eating poorly again.

While I can't share all the recipes on this post, I'll start with one of my favorites.  This is a side dish and goes well with a chicken breast, a vegetable and a salad.  The kids love it too.

Baked Apple Slices

Serves 4

Vegetable oil spray
1 pound unpeeled apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon light tub margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lightly spray a 9-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray.  Arrange(just throw them in) the apples in the dish(we use a 9inch square porcelain dish).  Cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave at 100 percent power(high) for 2.5 minutes, or until just tender.(sometimes it takes a few times to get it just the way you want it).  Remove from the microwave.

Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the margarine is completely melted.

Nutritional info
Calories 91
protein 0 g
carbohydrates 21g; figer 3g, sugar 17g
cholesterol 0 mg
Total fat 1.5g(saturated 0.0g; polyunsaturated 0.5g; monounsaturated 0.5g)
sodium 23 mg

Try it.  It's an easy side dish to make and the entire family will love it.  Plus eating it does not make you feel like you are giving up anything.  It's a lifestyle change, not a diet.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!