's MOTD Wednesday February 16, 2011

[Guest guest]

IS DINNER YOUR

PROBLEM?

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

DINNER! Oh, what a ring that word has...for all

of us! "Dicky...dinner's ready!"

And when I heard that announcement coming from my

mother, I'd jump up from the desk in my bedroom and

make a beeline for the dining room table!

My parents set a beautiful table

for dinner every night. There was always a pretty

table cloth and my father would light candles for the

table. (It was like we were eating out at some fancy

restaurant.) There was a big platter, filled with

warm French bread and always a pitcher of iced tea on

the table. (In fact, my brother, Lenny, still has

that very same pitcher and uses it at his home in New

Orleans.)

I remember picking up my fork and having that first

tasty bite of my dinner. And oh, what can I say?

Dinner was that special time when my family and I sat

down together every evening for that most important

feast of the day. And how about you? Was dinner a

special daily event at your home everyday, too? I'll

just bet it was. It's the American way!

Now I have to tell you, dinner

can be trouble! See, most Americans consume

more calories at dinner than they do at any other

meal. And let me tell you this, too. The size

of your dinner helps separate the winners from the

losers when it come to weight-loss. (And I'm not

talking about "losers" who lose weight,

either.)

I've always told you about the importance of balance

when it comes to what you eat during the day. You get

a certain number of calories each day and for

arguments sake, let's say that number is 1600. So,

you have 1600 calories to consume from the time you

get up in the morning until you turn in for bed at

night. All day long, we use up those calories when we

talk, walk, work and move these bodies of ours. And

as we burn calories, we have to replenish them with

food...with more calories.

Your body needs to start the day

with a good breakfast. I'm talking about hearty foods

like oatmeal, fresh fruit or yogurt. First thing in

the morning, you need substantial foods to get your

body going. Somewhere between breakfast and lunch is

the perfect opportunity to get in some vegetables or

maybe another piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack.

Then there's lunch. And I try to eat a few extra

calories during my lunch time which may mean soup or a

big salad. Between lunch and dinner is a good time to

get in a dairy or vegetable portion as a snack. By

then, it's time of course, for dinner. It's

the last meal of the day but it should not be

your heaviest meal of the day.

That's because, right after you have dinner, you

may end up lying on the couch watching TV, sitting at

a desk in front of your computer or you may even turn

in for bed. See, you're resting on all of

those calories you had at dinner, rather than burning

them off.

Those people who don't eat three

healthy meals along with healthy snacks each day are

the ones who have the hardest time losing weight. I

suggest you carve a couple of hundred calories from

your dinner and spread those calories more evenly

across your day.

And okay, what will I be having for dinner

tonight? Hmmm, let's see...a turkey burger on a whole

wheat bun, a cucumber salad and a baked yam. I can

eat that meal and feel totally satisfied. And that's

what you have to do. Eat three balanced meals a day

that will satisfy you and don't concentrate

most of your calories toward the end of the day and

dinner time.

If you're a Clubhouse

member, there're hundreds and hundreds of

recipes you can access to help you enjoy your dinner

without adding a lot of calories you don't need so

late in the day.

So, are you ready? From this day

forward, don't let dinner be your problem to losing

weight. Let it be part of your solution!

Love,