Our Lady of Weight Loss

<img alt="OL-of-Coffee.gif" src="http://blog.beliefnet.com/ourladyofweightloss/OL-of-Coffee.gif" width="372" height="365" style="float:right;margin7px;"
As I was sippin' my morning mega-mug a' joe (more than a cup for me, please), I remembered one of my all time favorite yum-delicious smoothies and whipped up a blender full. There’s enough here for at least 2 people, so if you are in the neighborhood, come on over (before I over do it!) … and if not, please whip up a batch at your home and share the experience with me.
A Buzz-Makin’ Banana Coffee Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 small frozen bananas (I toss over-ripe bananas into the freezer. Good to have on hand.)
1-1/2 cups no-fat or low-fat milk
1 (8oz.) container no-fat or low-fat coffee yogurt
1 buzz-worthy teaspoon instant coffee
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 packets artificial sweetener or raw sugar or brown sugar or honey or healthiest choice available (yes, I know that artificial sweetener is not good for me)
dash nutmeg
Directions:
Combine frozen bananas, milk, yogurt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a blender container. Cover and blend till smooth. To serve, pour into glasses.
If you want to get fancy, garnish with fresh banana slices and a coffee bean!
Bottoms up!
What’s your favorite recipe? Join the Recipe Swap in the Kick in the Tush Club Community.

If You Bite It, You Must Write It
Dear OLofWL ~ Someone told me – I do believe it was YOU – that I am responsible for what goes in my mouth and that I need to ‘count’ everything – even the BLTs. (Bite Licks and Tastes!!!) If that’s the case, I need a calorie count on something, if you please.
My son had a party and actually invited my husband and me (imagine!). He put together a gorgeous platter of cheese, pepperoni and sausage – some olives, too, which would have been fine, I guess, had I been following the ‘100%-fat you-may-as-well-inject-it-straight-into-your-heart diet.’ (Kids!)
Anyway, you know me well enough to know that I had some melba toast and apple sauce tubes (you cut the tops off – or rip them open with your teeth and then, suck out the apple sauce) in my bag for these types of emergencies. But – still – the platter sat before me and the sausage kept calling my name.
I witnessed my husband loading up cracker after cracker and popping them into his mouth. I started salivating.
I said, “Honey, honey.” But he was too busy stuffing his face to hear me. (I’m getting agitated all over again just thinking about it.)
Finally, I yelled, “HONEY! CAN I LICK YOUR SALAMI?”
Dead silence followed by peels of laughter. My son has yet to invite us to another party; his friends keep asking for us – and I’m still left wondering. Was I supposed to track that lick? And if yes, how many calories would you say are in a lick of salami? ~ Doing What It Takes
Dear Doing … One ounce of salami is approx. 100 calories, so a lick, I think is FREE. As long as it was truly one lick and you didn’t take a bite out of your husband’s salami! Keep on ‘doing’ – you’re doing great! ~ OLofWL
http://community.beliefnet.com/kickinthetushclub

Continue Reading This Post »

I’ve received a number of pleas from Kick in the Tush Club members – desperate to find an answer to their office food situations. From co-workers (even bosses) foisting food upon them, to the ubiquitous parties – it’s just too much. What has happened to the workplace? Is it a breeding ground for fat thighs, soft stomachs, spreading rumps and sugar highs?
One member writes:
Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss ~ Office food is doing me in. I just don’t know what to do about the birthdays, going away parties, promotion celebrations, not to mention the leftovers from the in-house meetings and luncheons, as well as the bowls and bags of candies, cookies and chips at every turn of the cubicle. This week promises to be loaded with the inevitable fattening foods – ranging from greasy pizza to chocolate seven layer cake and/or champagne – where I feel obligated to be polite and partake. And, the culture is such that everyone comes in early, goes home late and eats most of their meals at their desk. I haven’t seen sunlight in two months. My hands are sticky with M&Ms.(I thought that they don’t melt in your hands?) Please HELP! ~ Sticky Fingers
What to do? Our Lady of Weight Loss to the rescue.
There are ways for us to fight the office food demons – both food and people a.k.a. saboteurs (listed below) – but there is a bigger problem at play here. It’s the corporate food culture, and it needs to be acknowledged, explored and changed.
Our mission is to establish new policy – to enlist the heads of our companies – the Presidents, the CEOs, the Directors of Human Resources. Our goal is to transform the office into a healthy, happy and supportive workplace environment. (“Impossible,” you say. “Nothing is impossible!” I say.)
Education and communication are our tools. For some it may be easy, as their Big Boss is into jogging and smoothies, but for others, Big Boss may be a bacon cheeseburger and donut junkie. Nevertheless, we must prevail.
Let’s start with The Office Manifesto – a document that you can clip, paste, print, sign and sweetly hand (minus the M&M fingerprints) to your boss.

Continue Reading This Post »

I read Therese’s Beyond Blue post (re: crying in the office) and responded to it! Here follows my response … particularly important for those who want to weigh-less. If you want to/need to/have to cry, let it out … don’t stuff it down!!!Hey there, Beyond Blue … and Beyond Blue Peeps. FYI – Blue is a very powerful color … it is the most popular of colors, and Blue has healing properties. BLUE removes guilt, reminds you of your goals, calms and soothes, keeps bad spirits away, conveys an air of importance and confidence AND suppresses appetite!! I digress, which is something I do! Sorry … back to crying in the closet. Or boo-hoo’ing at work and at your cube. OMG! YES, I cried in my cube, in my office, in my closet, in the bathroom, in the hallway, on my boss’s desk (very dramatic scene), in the elevator, etc. For the record, it did not get in my way, only my weigh! I achieved a nice level of success at the office … the crying was a sign, however, that the office was not contributing to my happiness (on the contrary). So, there you have it. One day, I stopped crying and left – removed 50 pounds plus the boss (another 165 pounds) and here I am. Famous in my own mind!Therese, I have been to the abyss and back, more than once. I’ve cried so much (in past lives) that I damaged my vessels and as soon as I now even water a tiny bit, my eyes begin to swell. Not pretty!I watered a bit yesterday. Was watching the movie, Rudy. A great inspirational movie! For those who are in the mood to let it all out and get in that great cry, watch it! (Oh, I digress again!!!)Thanks, Therese for a good cry. I’ll share you blog post with my fabulous group, the KITT Club. And thanks for the inspiration. I’m going to make myself a “Cry Baby Club” tee-shirt. Send me your address and I’ll make one for you.Yours in tears,JanicePS: For more crying fun, do watch John Water’s movie, Cry Baby!