New Taste Buds

New Taste Buds

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet







While on the Plan Z Diet I have developed a wholly enhanced sense of taste. For a food writer, that’s saying a lot. I thought my palate was sensitive and somewhat talented before. Now it’s down-right fine-tuned.

My husband was always the one who could decipher what mystery ingredient was in a dish. That was not a talent I possessed. I was, I thought, fairly good, but he was better. He could identify a bit of oregano when I just knew it was Italian. I could taste a wine and know there was lemon, or pineapple or even hints of vanilla. I could tell if a red wine had tannins, plum overtones or even some earthly elements. I thought I was pretty good.

Now, I can tell the nuances in apples. That’s news for me.

I’ve never been a big fan of apples. I preferred bananas. They were portable and peelable. I could eat the middle and toss the rest. When it came to apples, watermelon or even oranges, if it squirted juice that got on my face or left me with a sugary “smile” I was not happy. That aversion started as a child at backyard gatherings. When they fed us kids a piece of watermelon it didn’t come with a wet rag. We were expected to eat and enjoy and then go play. I hated having a sticky face and fingers. Big yuk. So after that I didn’t want to bite into an apple either. I hated peeling oranges because they squirted and I had to work around the pith. I had no tolerance for pith, so an orange was a project. I’d rather eat mandarin oranges from a can. I probably sound like a finicky kid and I was never labeled that. I just wanted to eat food that didn’t involve me getting sticky. It wasn’t just fruit. You can add barbecued ribs to that list too. This particular trait has carried on into adulthood.

With the Plan Z Diet, an apple for dessert has become a mainstay. I can slice it up. I can sprinkle stevia on it, then some cinnamon or better yet, pumpkin pie spice and I feel like I’m almost eating apple pie. My newest discovery on the Plan Z Diet is to sprinkle on some vanilla powder that I bought once at a specialty store. Vanilla apples are a real treat too on the Plan Z Diet.

I was a Granny Smith eater until recently. Growing up, we ate Red Delicious. I decided years ago that I didn’t like the Red Delicious skin. My “boyfriend” at the time (who later became my husband), turned me on to Granny Smith apples and I was hooked. I baked and cooked with them for decades. With the advent of the diet I have expanded my horizons. I’ve tried some Galas. Love the color. Not hooked on the apple. I’d rather decorate with them. Golden Delicious is a wonder. I love that one because it has a very delicate skin. The skin chews well and doesn’t end up stuck in my teeth. Love that. A mild apple. And my newest favorite is Honeycrisp. It’s the crunch that got me. I bit into that thing and went slightly deaf for a second. The crunch was loud. And juicy! I was standing in the grocery store at a taste-testing table and even though the juice ran down my chin, I was still happy! I bought a bag of those darlings on the spot. I could taste the difference, too.

I know the apple experts out there are laughing right now. The variety of tastes in apples has been known long before I went on this diet. Why else would grocery stores stock so many? I’ve always wondered that very thing. I wonder less now.

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Mom's Meatloaf

Plan Z Diet Mom's Meatloaf

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet




This is a ZReduction recipe. This is very close to my mother's meatloaf recipe. I used to serve this with mashed potatoes and corn when I wanted comfort food. Not anymore on the Plan Z Diet! I also used to say that if I ever ended up on death row and they asked me what I wanted for my last meal, this would be it. It’s such a BIG YUM and brings back fond memories.

One of the times my husband was out of town, I had a "meatloaf dinner party." I served this to a bunch of friends. Boy, were they surprised! All comfort food on the menu. They loved it! And the conversation through the night was all about their favorite comfort foods and childhood favorites. Try it some night. It's a fun time.

For the full recipe of my Plan Z Diet Mom's Meatloaf CLICK HERE or head to https://www.planzdiet.com/recipes/my-moms-meatloaf/

Enjoy!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

80 Grams -- A Day in the Low Carb Plan Z Diet Life

80 Grams -- A Day in the Low Carb Plan Z Diet Life

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet




There is no number set in stone that tells you how many grams of carbs you can eat per day before you begin to gain weight. It all depends on your body; your height, weight, activity level and metabolic rate. Everyone wants a number, but you can’t have one. For each of us that number is unique.

I will tell you this though. Over the past few years on the Plan Z Diet I have come to know that the average human, (male or female) can usually consume, on average, about 80 grams of carbs per day and stay in a safe zone.

Some people are fanatic and get off on keeping the number as low as possible. Nothing “carby” passes by their lips. To them I say… Bravo.

Other people find that lifestyle too restrictive and without room to maneuver.

I’m somewhere in the middle.

What I thought I’d do today is lay out what an average day of eating and carb count looks like for me NOW on the Plan Z Diet and what it looked like in the ‘old days’ (before I developed The Plan Z Diet by Zola). There are some startling differences I think you’ll be interested in and then you can do a similar analysis on your own consumption choices.

So here’s an example of my morning. I love full fat Greek yogurt. I find it keeps me full all morning and gives me an opportunity to eat a meal that looks more like dessert than breakfast. I take out a bowl and put in a cup of PLAIN yogurt. I sweeten it with about a ½ tsp of stevia and a tsp of vanilla. Stir that up and you now have sweetened yogurt without all the sugar you find in all those crazy flavors you find on the grocery shelves. Top that off with a handful of berries. I use a ½ cup of raspberries on most occasions but I do switch it up too. Then I toss on a ¼ cup of nuts. Most of the time I used roasted peanuts. I have a great recipe online for my Plan Z Diet Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts. I’m not a nut purist and I like the saltiness of the nuts in contrast to the sweetness of the yogurt. Ice water is my drink. I drink a lot of water. Over 100 ounces a day.

Plan Z Diet Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts

Let’s tally that up. In terms of grams of carbs I’m at 18 grams. Now, in the ‘old days’ before I developed the Plan Z Diet I would not have been counting carbs. I would have been totally obsessed with calories instead. I NEVER would have chosen this kind of breakfast. I’d have seen it as too caloric at 443 calories. I’d have had a heart attack! And besides it is not low fat. I thought everything had to be low fat.

In the ‘old days’ my breakfast would have been a half of a large banana, and a small glass of skim milk. My attitude was always to save my calories for later in the day. So my breakfast would come in at 207 calories.

Now look at the carbs. My old breakfast had 43 grams of carbs compared to the 18 I eat now. That’s startling! Look at how little food I ate and where the carb count came out. Every nutritionist told me to drink skim milk for my bones and that the banana was a good potassium choice. No account was made for the carb count.

Now, let’s look at lunch.

I used to consider lunch an interruption in my schedule. I’d rather drive around running errands at lunch and just chow down on something simple that could carry me over to my favorite meal. Dinner.

Power bars were a grab and go. The power bar had 247 calories and it was easy to eat and drive while I munched on it. One red traffic light and lunch was done. I could handle a 247 calorie lunch without too much guilt. Sometimes I’d drink one of those canned diet drinks. The carb count on that power bar? 47! A whopping 47!

Let’s look at a typical lunch for me now on the Plan Z Diet. My attitude has changed. I run my errands at a different time and I take time to get out of my office and go eat a civilized lunch.

Let’s say I order an 8 ounce burger with no bun. I have a slice of cheese on my burger and even a ½ cup of sautéed mushrooms. It comes with lettuce and a tomato slice. I might cut loose and splurge and let them bring the fries. I know. Fries are high carb and the purists would avoid them. Instead, I have trained myself to eat 4 full-sized fries and let the rest go. Sometimes I even ask the waitress to tell the kitchen I just want a few fries so they are not wasted on me, and can go to someone else, but usually the kitchen doesn’t ‘get it’ and they give me the basic, huge pile of fries. The waitress ends up carrying most of them away later.

So let’s tally that up. The fries give me 8 – 10 grams of carbs. The burger with all the fixins comes in about 2 grams. So my total lunch is 12 grams of carbs. The calories count is 586. Oh horrors! That would have been my ‘old days’ reaction. I’d never eat that much at a weekday lunch! I can’t risk that, would be my attitude. I might gain weight!

And, on to dinner. Dinner is when I relax and review my day. I start off by watching the news so I can catch up on national and local happenings. I might have a glass of wine while I do that. If I am a tad hungry I might munch on some nuts. Walnuts and pecans are my favorites. They help in cancer prevention too.

I’m a food writer, so my dinner might be more complex than what I am going to lay out here but if I have just a simple meal this is what it might look like. I am doing it this way because my description will be easier to relate to if you’re not a complicated cook.

8 ounces of chicken breast, roasted. I might also roast some broccoli and have a cup of that. I will, of course make some yummy cheese sauce to drizzle over my broccoli. I’ll have more wine and call it a dinner. Grams of carbs? 22. Calories? 650.

In the ‘old days’ my husband was traveling a lot, so my dinner was pretty standard. I hated cooking for myself so I would make it really easy. I’d have frozen diet macaroni and cheese that I’d microwave or I’d have a baked potato. I’d microwave that too. And of course I’d use the skinniest diet margarine I could find. Diet macaroni and cheese is 265 calories and 39 grams of carbs. To keep it even, let’s say I had wine with that too.

So let’s tally up my day of eating now on the Plan Z Diet and my day of eating in the ‘old days’.

My day of food now adds up to 1797 calories. 59 grams of carbs. I ate all that food and I’m still under 80 grams.

My ‘old day’ of food added up to 929 calories and 137 grams of carbs.

I’m eating 93% more calories. 43% fewer carbs.

Every nutritionist, diet expert, doctor and guru (even eating psychologists) could not understand how I could gain weight on 929 calories. (Truth be told, most nights I didn’t have wine so my calorie count was actually just over 700 calories per day). I worked out with a trainer 3 days a week, so it wasn’t that my activity level was too low. All weekend I was out in my garden or on the golf course too. So what was it?

Well, they never figured it out. I just kept getting fatter and everyone threw up their arms. I must be cheating they’d say. I even had them hypnotize me to prove that theory was wrong. I ate like a mouse and just kept getting fatter.

Now I eat almost twice the calories, live a fully food-satisfied life and I don’t gain an ounce. Draw your own conclusions. For my money, I’d say I figured it out. And you can too.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Plan Z Diet Shrimp Curry

Plan Z Diet Shrimp Curry

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet



This is a Plan Z Diet ZReboot recipe. This dishes coaxes out an abundance of flavor from the shrimp. Creamy, smooth, and slightly spiced your taste buds will light up with his lightened seafood recipe.

For the full recipe of the Plan Z Diet Shrimp Curry CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/recipes/shrimp-curry/

Enjoy! 

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

Bring Two. Sip One.

Bring Two. Sip One. 

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet




A couple of weeks ago we threw a wedding shower for a couple of young friends who are getting married in October. We called it Bring Two. Sip One.

This couple has been together for a while now, so they really don’t need the traditional gifts. They are foodies like us, so the stocking of a nice wine cellar matches right up with their style. That led us to asking guests to bring two bottles as their gift. They could choose to bring wine, liquor, champagne or even liqueur. They could plan to open one bottle at the party and enjoy it, and the other one would head to the cellar of the bride and groom.

In the invitation they were given instructions to put thought into the bottle choice. Maybe the bottle would have a story behind it. It could be a reason they chose that particular vintage or wine. Or instead, they could plan to tell a story about the bride and groom that would coordinate with their gift. My fingers were crossed that these assorted guests, (whom we had never met), would follow through and come prepared.

Then I added another twist. We had labels made that had a heading on them. The heading on the label was “Advice for the Bride and Groom”. The labels were about 3 X 4”. Just the white labels you can get at an office supply store. Nothing fancy. They were printed off our office printer. Again, nothing overly complicated.

As the guests arrived, they were instructed to take one of the bottles they brought and get ready to attach a label. All they had to do was think of some kind of advice they thought the bride and groom could benefit from as they go into their marriage. They were to write that advice on the label and then attach the label to the bottle. This way, as the months and years go by, each time the bride and groom take one of those bottles out of their collection to drink, they can start off by reading the note of advice from the gift givers. It would give them a little marriage inspiration and also remind them of the friends who gave them that particular bottle. Again, fingers crossed that these people would not think I’m some kind of dope with crazy ideas.

The party ensued.

We gave the group about an hour to get a drink, mingle about and have some food. Then we ushered them all in one big room to gather and share their bottles and their stories. About 15 minutes into the presentations my husband whispered in my ear. “It’s working!”

The stories were all so touching. Some brought tears to my eyes and even the guys got choked up at times. I didn’t know any of these people when they came to the house, but I felt I had new friends when they left. Each couple shared their story of their bottle or a story about the bride and groom. It was amazing.

And now the bride and groom have bottles in their cellar that have words of advice and touching tidbits to go along with their gifts. It all rounded out quite well.

Feel free to ‘steal’ this idea for a party you’re having. You can do the foodie version or yours might involve something completely different. I’m sure you can riff on this in all kinds of ways. I can see a shower for a gardener and everyone brings plants. I can see a sporting goods version. A tennis version might have notes on tennis balls. (Of course a serious tennis player probably won’t use the balls on the court but they might look really great in a bowl as a decoration in the man cave). Yet another might involve recipes for a young bride who needs help with meal planning and cooking advice. Maybe the recipe was originally developed by the great grandmother of the groom. You get the idea.

And be sure to have a great party!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

It's the Best with a Buddy

It's the Best with a Buddy

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet





“Most people put all their effort into finding the right diet or exercise program, but don’t put any energy into creating a support and accountability system, and too often, that’s where the devil lies,” says Adam Shafran, DC, an exercise physiologist and chiropractor who is the author of You Can’t Lose Weight Alone: The Partner Power Weight Loss Program.

Dr. Shafran may have part of the answer, but in my opinion he’s leaving out the best parts.

I agree that to diet successfully it’s good to have structure. We built a lot of structure into the Plan Z Diet. We give people the coaching and education they need. Instead of telling people what to do, we also tell them why. That’s the most important part of the Plan Z Diet. Adults need to learn why so they can apply the learning properly and with conviction. Most of our Plan Z dieters diet alone so we have a major league support team, too.

I am still amazed at how happy people are who get the opportunity to try the Plan Z Diet with a buddy. The buddy most often is a spouse or significant other. Sometimes the buddy doesn’t live with the other dieter and in even other cases they are living across the country from each other. I get emails all the time with stories of the benefits of buddy dieting on the Plan Z Diet. So here are a few of those stories with hints on successful dieting with a buddy.

Pick recipes together. Maybe one buddy gets to choose 3 dinner recipes for the week and the other gets 3 and then you go out one night. Plan Z has over 800 recipes now on everything from comfort food to gourmet so it’s fun deciding what you’re going to eat. Get adventuresome. There’s no reason you can’t try new things and diet at the same time. And you don’t have to eat bland or boring. Just make a meal plan. It keeps you from buzzing through the drive thru at the last minute if you already have a meal planned.

Shop Together

I get notes from men who say they haven’t been in a grocery store in years; decades even. When they shop with their wives they are amazed. They have learned to read labels. They are astonished at how many things in a grocery store have sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them (the answer is over 80% of the products do). I didn’t ask them to shop together. It just happens and they are finding it to be a pleasant experience and they are even trying new vegetables!

Cook Together

Sometimes one partner plays sous chef to the other one being the master chef. In my case that means my husband does some of the chopping. He’s become quite adept with a chef’s knife and has his dicing down pat. Dinner comes together faster that way.

One guy in Colorado told me that before Plan Z he never even set foot in the kitchen until dinner was done. His wife did all the cooking. After being on Plan Z he got so into cooking that his kids surprised him at Christmas with a whole new set of knives. Now, they can give him culinary gifts for birthdays, too.

Another way to split up duty is one dieter cooks and the other one cleans up. My husband makes me sit and watch TV while he cleans up and then he brings me dessert. Most often he rustles up a bowl of Plan Z Diet raspberry ice cream. He loves that stuff and I don’t mind eating it most days either. 

Plan Z Diet Raspberry Ice Cream

Weigh Ins

This is one way to hold each other accountable. Weigh yourself and report out. I have heard of many a man doing the happy dance in his bathroom after he gets off the scale. Just the vision of that makes me smile.

Compare Water Intake

We suggest that dieters drink 100 oz of water per day. That takes getting used to for most so it’s a good idea to check in with each other around noon and see how it’s going. I try to get my 100 oz before dinner so I don’t have to drink too much too close to bedtime. Your body gets used to the water, but the first week or so you’re in the potty a lot during the night. We did an informal study and found that those who hit 100 oz consistently lost 30% more weight than those who drank less than 70 ounces. That’s a big difference!

Make Things in Batches

Many a dieting buddy pair take some time on a Sunday and cook up a couple of recipes for things that can be done in big batches. Things like chili or soup. That way you have a go-to lunch all ready to go. You want to mix things up though. Don’t let your body get bored eating the same things over and over again. If you do, you risk losing less weight. It’s weird, but it can happen. Take advantage of your freezer too. Many a recipe freezes well in small containers that can fit in your lunch box.

Rate the Food

You can both go online and rate the recipes for Plan Z. Or you can just compare tasting notes. Buddies who live cross country do this all the time. Some ladies in Canada chatted every day by email or text about what they were eating and what they recommended.

Motivate Each Other

Everyone has a bad day on the diet. You should not expect to lose everyday, so be there for each other. But no cheating. Cheating on a diet doesn’t hurt anyone except you. This is your time to make yourself a priority.

Be Public About It

Your buddy might be someone who cares about you but doesn’t live with you, so you can be pen pals of some sort. Or even consider posting about your progress on Facebook. Or Tweet your progress.

Wanna do Plan Z with a Buddy?

Give us a call in the office.You’ll get special pricing and the fun of having your own personal support network.

Share the love. Share the success. Share your dieting experiences; especially if they are good ones.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/

News Flash

News Flash

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet





The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced last week that our future is fat. By 2030, 86% of Americans are predicted to be overweight and 42% will be obese.

This data was announced at the CDC’s Weight of the Nation conference.

I went to the CDC’s site and tried to find the report. The newest information I could find was from 2010. Slightly out of date.

It was reported that the data would also be published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. I went to their site. This is a peer-reviewed medical journal. I couldn’t find any published report. I could find out how I could submit an article if I were a researcher. And I could find a sample of the journal. Looks like you have to join to get any more information. Nothing available to the public; at least not yet.

It’s not that I doubt the statistics. I believe the numbers to sadly, be true.

So I went to a source most consider to be of high reputation; USA Today.

At least they reported some of what came out of the conference. They chose to follow the money. The focus of their article was all about the increases we’ll see in the health care costs. Or in some cases they see some things leveling off.

They interviewed a health economist named Eric Finkelstein, with the Duke University Global Health Institute. I should have guessed there would be a job called Health Economist. I didn’t. At least not until now.

Like I said. He’s following the money.

While I listened to him I really became disheartened. It sounds like the minds at that conference are giving up on us. Just sort of chalking it up. They say if we just stop the obesity epidemic from growing we can save billions. At the end he says he’d “put his money in the kids”. Fix them and you fix the future.

But what about the rest of us? What about those of us on the Plan Z Diet?  And what about NOW!

Plan Z Diet Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Not so Cheerful,

To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/