Hello friends! Hope you are all having a good week…we are half-way to the weekend WOOT!
My mom sent this post in an e-mail today while I was in Algebra class and although I should have been paying attention to the teacher…I couldn’t stop reading her post! Such a talented writer. 🙂
My mom is on her way to losing 50 pounds! Need to catch up on her story? I created a tab devoted to this lovely lady:
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| Mama Sue 50/50 Weight Loss |
Enjoy her post all!
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| Source |
{“Substitute Teaching” by Mama Sue
I learned the benefits of substitutions when I was about twelve. I was staying at my grandmother’s house in Waterloo, Iowa, with all my girl cousins (four of us total). My grandmother had Diet Pepsi at her house. My family drank the real deal, Pepsi from a bottle, way back then. But diet soft drinks were pretty new so I gave it a try.
It was not great. The formula had changed over the years and the resulting Diet Pepsi is a far cry from what we had back in the early 70s. But I realized at the time that is was possible to have my cake and eat it too: I could drink diet soft drinks and not worry about all the calories. Eureka! And thus my first “substitute teaching” began.
I know some folks worry about the addiditives in diet soft drinks and such; I’m not advocating the increased consumption of such beverages but rather the idea of substituting things that are unhealthy for more healthy alternatives. For instance, when I order my mocha at my local coffee house, I order a “tall, non-fat mocha with no whip, extra foam.” So, instead of whole milk they use skim milk, and instead of the whipped topping I enjoy a little extra foam; the whipped topping all melts anyway and just adds extra calories. Who needs that? But give me the regular mocha syrup; ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby!
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| For more info on nutrition info on coffee, go to my post : Coffee Love! |
And boy, do I love me a double cheeseburger! Last year a fast food chain sold them for a buck and I was buying them a couple of times a week. So cheap! So yummy! But oh, so laden with fat and calories!! Eek! This year I decided it was time to find something a little more healthy to eat instead. So I tried veggie burgers, not expecting much. The flavor, well, it’s not the same, but each burger counts as TWO lean meat servings, and there’s less than half the fat of hamburger, and a little fiber besides. I still put my cheese on, and I use wheat buns (more fiber!), but I really enjoy the end result. It’s filling, and satisfying, and did I mention the fiber?
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| Photo Source and Recipes for Veggie Burgers here |
The art of substituting works for other things. too. Various articles I have read in the past suggest substituting a “bad” habit with a “good” one. For instance, I counsel my heart attack patients who wish to quit smoking to substitute an after-dinner walk for the cigarette they typically crave after a meal. I am still tossing around an idea for a smoking cessation group that I would call “Knit and Quit” which would encourage ex-smokers to pick up their knitting needles instead of a cigarette. It keeps the hands and mind occupied with more healthy activities. It really helps.
What healthy substitutions do you make?}
I definitely agree with the method of substitutions. Splenda regularly makes it’s way into my coffee and I can’t get enough ground turkey!!
Hope you enjoyed her post and let her/me know what you think!
~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~
