Our Lady of Weight Loss | motivation: the kick in the tush club

Think of sweet and chocolate,
Left to folly or to fate,
Whom the higher gods forgot,
Whom the lower gods berate;
Physical and underfed
Fancying on the featherbed ...
Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917), U.S. poet. “The Anniad.”

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Hey kids - hold on to your chocolate bar - dark chocolate that is - and listen up. Dark chocolate (that's chocolate minus the milk) is now being touted as the healthy chocolate, to be eaten daily.

University of California - San Francisco scientists recently reported the results of a study examining chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. Findings show that a small daily dose of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved the blood vessels' ability to dilate, or open/expand.

The Journal of the American College of Nutrition reported that the flavonoids in a 1.6 ounce serving of dark chocolate a day for a two week period can help make your blood less sticky.
Dark chocolate keeps your arteries supple. It helps heal injuries inside the blood vessels. It therefore reduces risk of heart attack.

A word to the wise: If you are happily including 1.6 ounces of dark chocolate a day into your diet, remember that it has calories and too many calories consumed result in weight gain. Be sure to keep track of what you are eating and stay within your calorie / point / gram allotments.

Righteous Recipe ~ Chocolate Ascension Pie

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 ts salt
1/4 ts cream of tartar
1 c sugar

Filling:
2 c skim milk
1 pk jello sugar free chocolate
2 2/3 cup Cool Whip FREE
(divided: 2 cups and 2/3 cups)

Topping:
One 1-oz. dark chocolate, grated.

Per Serving - Calories 240 (approx.)
Yields 8 servings

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200. With mixer at high speed beat
together egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 Tbs. at a time, until stiff peaks form. Using spoon or pastry bag with star tip spread or pipe meringue into bottom and sides of 9" pie pan, building up rim 1" above pan. Bake 1hour or until meringue is set. Turn off oven; let meringue stand in oven until dry, at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, make pudding with skim milk, let set. When pudding has set fold in 2 cups cool whip free. Pour into prepared crust. Garnish with 2/3 cup cool whip on top of pie and sprinkle top with dark chocolate.

Want to whip up another dish?
Send Our Lady your favorite recipe? Keep them easy, low-cal and FUN.

Fruitful Contest ~
The first to enlighten Our Lady wins a 5-pack of GloriousGreetings.
When and in what city was the first chocolate factory established in the United States?

Last week's fruitful query: Anyone know the size of a fat cell?
The winner is J.E. from Newport Beach, California. Read these enlightening facts!

"An average fat cell weighs 0.4 to 0.6 micrograms. Extreme cases, such as anorexia can result in fat cells being reduced lower than this, but in general fat cells are resistant to shrinking below their normal range.

Fat cells expand and contract as weight is gained and lost. With fat loss, the size of the fat cell decreases, but the number of fat cells never decreases (must have it removed via liposuction!) Fat tissue is made up of fat cells. Fat cells are a unique type of cell. You can think of a fat cell as a tiny plastic bag that holds a drop of fat. White fat cells are large cells that have very little cytoplasm, only 15 percent cell volume, a small nucleus and one large fat droplet that makes up 85 percent of cell volume. Brown fat cells are somewhat smaller, are loaded with mitochondria and are composed of several smaller fat droplets. The mitochondria are able to generate heat."

Dear OLofWL, I am finding it very challenging to eat healthy these days. I start out good every morning with my oatmeal and 4 scrambled egg whites. I'm pretty good during the week but the weekends are killing me. Every w/e is another Bar Mitzvah or some BBQ or something. I knew it was a bad sign on Friday night when we went out for dinner and for dessert
I ordered myself the "Chocolate Fondue for 2"! I do not really have to lose weight. I just need to maintain my weight. Thanks to my grandmother, I tend to gain weight in my thighs. I may look ok in my jeans but my bathing suits reveal all my dimples : ( Help!!!, Steffie

Dear Steffie, Weekends are unstructured time and are troublesome for many, including me. This is what I do:
If going out to dinner, I have something light and low-cal for breakfast and lunch (egg white omelets are always a good choice; big salads with every vegetable in creation thrown in). This gives me a bit more leeway for dinner. If I am going to a BBQ or to a friend's home, I bring something that I can eat (97% fat-free franks; veggie burgers; crudite; a fruit platter). if going to an event, I try my best to stay clear of the alcohol, which inevitably leads to a free-for-all. And remember, it's okay to indulge on occasion, as long as you don't take a decade long detour! Oh, and one more thing, most of us have a dimple or two! Hope that is helpful. ~ OLofWL

The KICK in the TUSH Club provides a weekly reminder in the form of an Art-KICK for those who wish to anchor themselves to their weight loss and/or health goals (or for those who need to satisfy their craving for a quirky kick). It's fun, fab and fat-free. Sign-up now (there's no charge). Just send an email to Our Lady (info@OurLadyofWeightLoss.com) and say, "YES! I need a KICK in the TUSH."

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