Tofu)
1½ cups frozen raspberries, semithawed
3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2–3 packets Splenda sugar substitute
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Toss all of the ingredients into a blender and whip until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Reprinted from The Gold Coast Cure. ©2005 Andrew Larson,M.D., Ivy Ingram Larson. Health Communications, Inc.
3
NO PAIN . . .
NO GAIN
S uccess consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.
Oliver Goldsmith
Slow and Steady
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
SirWinston Churchill
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” my doctor said, poring over my chart, “but you know about those warning signs for stroke and heart attack?Well, you have them all.” In that moment, my life changed. I had avoided going to a doctor for years for just this reason. I was afraid to hear these very words. Now I had finally found the courage, and I was forced to face my worst fears.
Don’t get me wrong. I knew there had to be problems. I was clearly overweight. I had been taking medication for high blood pressure for years. I was smoking and eating every bit of junk food I could lay my hands on. I was fifty-four years old when it caught up with me.
I could have received the doctor’s verdict as a death sentence. Instead, I took it as a challenge. There I was, already faced with the weight and blood pressure issues, and now I had high cholesterol and borderline diabetes to deal with as well. Some changes had to be made immediately.
I started thinking about things that I needed to stop doing. Smoking was first. That stupid habit, always more of a social thing for me, was finished. The diabetes demanded that sugar had to go. That was a problem. I had always loved my sweets, and I still do. I could cut down on my fat intake, including red meat, and maybe give up white flour in the bread I loved so much. Some exercise wouldn’t hurt, and perhaps a vegetable now and then would do me some good. I hated all green food.
I had tried the various popular diets. I’d done Scarsdale, Atkins and Nutri-System. They all worked, in that I lost a lot of weight on each one of them, but I gained it all back. It was clear to me that a diet wasn’t what I needed. I needed to change the way I thought about my life in general, and my eating habits in particular.
I’ve been around long enough to know myself pretty well. I know that if I deprive myself of all of the things I love, I will quickly revert to form. I had to find a solution that would help me regain my health while still allowing me to enjoy one of my great passions, eating. It was a short drive from the doctor’s office to my home. By the time I got there, I had a plan.
My plan was not low-carb. I’d done that, lost some weight and become bored. It was low-fat. That just made sense to me. It began with oatmeal topped with one half of a banana in the morning, followed by about thirty minutes of exercise. I knew that if I made the exercise routine too strenuous right off the bat I would find excuses. I needed something I would be willing to do every day. I created a little routine that involved yoga and some work with an exercise ball. Though it had some difficult features, most of the workout was about stretching. In other words, it made me feel good.
I ate a lot of chicken and turkey. I grilled some salmon once or twice a week. I filled the vegetable requirement with lots of salads that included raw vegetables. I stayed away from white bread, though I did supplement my meals with a snack of a wheat bagel now and then. I switched from sandwiches to wraps, and only wheat wraps at that. If I had tuna, I mixed it with some good olive oil instead of mayo. I tried to stay away from salt to help with my blood pressure. I developed a sensible, healthful diet that I could live with.
I don’t have a scale in my house. The only way I know if I’m losing weight is by how my
1½ cups frozen raspberries, semithawed
3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2–3 packets Splenda sugar substitute
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Toss all of the ingredients into a blender and whip until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Reprinted from The Gold Coast Cure. ©2005 Andrew Larson,M.D., Ivy Ingram Larson. Health Communications, Inc.
3
NO PAIN . . .
NO GAIN
S uccess consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.
Oliver Goldsmith
Slow and Steady
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
SirWinston Churchill
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” my doctor said, poring over my chart, “but you know about those warning signs for stroke and heart attack?Well, you have them all.” In that moment, my life changed. I had avoided going to a doctor for years for just this reason. I was afraid to hear these very words. Now I had finally found the courage, and I was forced to face my worst fears.
Don’t get me wrong. I knew there had to be problems. I was clearly overweight. I had been taking medication for high blood pressure for years. I was smoking and eating every bit of junk food I could lay my hands on. I was fifty-four years old when it caught up with me.
I could have received the doctor’s verdict as a death sentence. Instead, I took it as a challenge. There I was, already faced with the weight and blood pressure issues, and now I had high cholesterol and borderline diabetes to deal with as well. Some changes had to be made immediately.
I started thinking about things that I needed to stop doing. Smoking was first. That stupid habit, always more of a social thing for me, was finished. The diabetes demanded that sugar had to go. That was a problem. I had always loved my sweets, and I still do. I could cut down on my fat intake, including red meat, and maybe give up white flour in the bread I loved so much. Some exercise wouldn’t hurt, and perhaps a vegetable now and then would do me some good. I hated all green food.
I had tried the various popular diets. I’d done Scarsdale, Atkins and Nutri-System. They all worked, in that I lost a lot of weight on each one of them, but I gained it all back. It was clear to me that a diet wasn’t what I needed. I needed to change the way I thought about my life in general, and my eating habits in particular.
I’ve been around long enough to know myself pretty well. I know that if I deprive myself of all of the things I love, I will quickly revert to form. I had to find a solution that would help me regain my health while still allowing me to enjoy one of my great passions, eating. It was a short drive from the doctor’s office to my home. By the time I got there, I had a plan.
My plan was not low-carb. I’d done that, lost some weight and become bored. It was low-fat. That just made sense to me. It began with oatmeal topped with one half of a banana in the morning, followed by about thirty minutes of exercise. I knew that if I made the exercise routine too strenuous right off the bat I would find excuses. I needed something I would be willing to do every day. I created a little routine that involved yoga and some work with an exercise ball. Though it had some difficult features, most of the workout was about stretching. In other words, it made me feel good.
I ate a lot of chicken and turkey. I grilled some salmon once or twice a week. I filled the vegetable requirement with lots of salads that included raw vegetables. I stayed away from white bread, though I did supplement my meals with a snack of a wheat bagel now and then. I switched from sandwiches to wraps, and only wheat wraps at that. If I had tuna, I mixed it with some good olive oil instead of mayo. I tried to stay away from salt to help with my blood pressure. I developed a sensible, healthful diet that I could live with.
I don’t have a scale in my house. The only way I know if I’m losing weight is by how my
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