Week 15: Rachael takes the next step — and gives you her best tips!

Hi Skinny Friends,

This is going to be my last column for a while. I’m not going far away, I’ll still be plugging away on my diet and meeting with Tanya to stay on track, but I want to make way so you can meet the next Skinny Size Me candidate! I wish her much luck! But really, it’s not about luck, is it? It’s about hard work, a positive attitude and stick-to-it-ness! There are SO many things I’ve learned over the past months.

Protein and fiber are key!!!
If I’m going to eat, I always make sure I’m getting a combo of protein for energy and fiber to keep me full. This is totally the secret to my success. Tanya knows her stuff. Seriously people, check out The F-Factor Diet!

Come prepared
Knowing that I’ve got a yummy healthy lunch tucked in my purse means I don’t even have to think about choosing a healthy lunch. Another trick I’ve learned is to have a healthy snack with me — at all times! I’m not kidding. We all know that feeling when your blood sugar drops and you need to eat. If I’m not prepared, this is when I’m most likely to cheat. If I need to eat pronto, I reach for a low-cal/high-fiber protein bar, GG crackers with turkey, or an apple with some peanut butter.

Keep it exciting!
When the foods I eat start to get monotonous, I invent new ones! This past week I was totally craving an everything bagel, but I know that is not a wise food choice if I want to reach my goals. So I went to my spice drawer and put 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon minced dried garlic, 1 tablespoon minced dried onion and 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt in a dry pan and toasted it until our apartment smelled like a bakery! When everything had warmed and turned a golden brown I put it on top of GG crackers spread with low-fat cream cheese. It tasted JUST like an everything bagel, just crunchier! Hubby added sliced tomatoes to his. So good, and so good for me too! Realizing that healthy food can taste wonderful was a big breakthrough for me!



I’ll still be around, checking in with you about my progress. (I’m only 2 pounds from my goal weight!) So it’s not goodbye, it’s see you in a little bit. Thank you for all of your love and support. It meant so much to know that you were all with me through my ups and downs, and downs and down-downs! Thank you for everything!