Authors: Julie Haddon
Fat Chance (38 page)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine potatoes, onion and thyme in a large bowl. Spritz with some of the olive oil and toss. Spread evenly on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are browned to your liking, thirty to forty-five minutes.
If you prefer a sweeter option, omit the onion, salt, pepper and thyme, and substitute cinnamon and a sweetener like stevia to taste.
Per-Serving Nutritional Information
180 calories
0.4g total fat (0.1g saturated fat)
0mg cholesterol
72mg sodium
41.4g total carbohydrates (6.6g fiber; 16.8g sugar)
4g protein
Serves four
Whether you’re into an all-things-vegan lifestyle or you prefer a more traditional approach, quinoa is a fantastic source of protein. What’s more, it’s packed with dietary fiber and necessary minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Oh, and quinoa is gluten-free, which is great news for those who wrestle with finding tasty options to meet a restricted diet. Enjoy!
In addition to fried okra, grits are a southern culinary tradition that dies hard. Especially grits with a huge hunk of soft butter on top. Obviously, Jillian wasn’t going to be a fan of the meal, so I caved to the dreaded
keen-wah
. But here’s the thing: It was actually pretty good. In fact, quinoa, which I now know how to pronounce all by myself, has become one of my favorite comfort foods—you know, when there are no grits to be found.
Here’s Chef Jessica’s note on the following recipe: “While it is growing, quinoa is protected by its saponin, which covers the exterior of the grain and gives the grain an unpleasant taste. After harvesting, the saponin is removed, but the quinoa still needs to be rinsed well before cooking to make certain that none of the bitterness remains.” Isn’t she so smart?
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 small sweet onion, diced
½ cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 clove fresh garlic, pressed
1 cup (packed) minced fresh parsley
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve. In a medium saucepan bring two cups of water to boil. Add quinoa, ¼ teaspoon salt, onion, raisins, cumin and vinegar, and mix well. Place lid on pot and simmer for ten minutes. Quinoa will be translucent when done. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and stir in garlic, parsley and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to
taste. Serve warm or chilled.
Per-Serving Nutritional Information
239 calories
2.9g total fat (0.3g saturated fat)
0mg cholesterol
23.5mg sodium
49g total carbohydrates (4.8g fiber; 13.2g sugar)
6.9g protein
Serves four
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
Extra-virgin olive oil cooking spray
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley and fresh basil for garnish
It is just plain wonderful when you can find a vegetable that tastes like a carb but, in fact, is not. Spaghetti squash is one of those amazing options and makes a wonderful substitute for pasta.
Directions
Choose a pot that is large enough to hold the squash. Measure enough water to immerse the squash and then heat the water to boiling. Carefully add the squash. Boil until the skin of the squash is easily pierced and the squash is tender. Remove from water, cut in half, scrape out seeds and then shred with a fork. Serve as you would pasta or spray with a little of the olive oil, season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs.
Per-Serving Nutritional Information
61 calories
0.6g total fat (0.2g saturated fat)
0mg cholesterol
41mg sodium
14.7g total carbohydrates (3g fiber; 6g sugar)
1.5g protein
Serves two
Ingredients
1 whole-wheat pita
Nonstick baking spray
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
½ teaspoon sriracha Asian chili sauce (optional)
¼ teaspoon honey
½ cup low-fat grated Italian cheese blend
Turkey pepperoni, if desired
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
Crushed chili pepper (optional)
The first time Chef Jessica cooked for my family, she made us do all the work. Some friend, right? Admittedly, she prepped all of the ingredients, which meant that Mike, Noah and I were more “assemblers” than chefs. Still, the result was the most incredible pizza substitute I’d ever seen. Or tasted. And you know what a pizza freak I am.
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Separate the top from the bottom of the pita to create two equal circles. Place both circles on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick baking spray (smooth side down). Combine the tomato sauce, sriracha and honey for a spicy sweet sauce. Spread the tomato mixture on the pitas and top with the Italian cheese blend and pepperoni. Place in oven and bake for ten minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is toasted. Top with fresh basil and chili pepper if desired.
Per-Serving Nutritional Information (with sriracha, half-cup turkey pepperoni and chili pepper)
132 calories
3.9g total fat (1.8g saturated fat)
25mg cholesterol
633.5mg sodium
15g total carbohydrates (1.7g fiber; 2.3g sugar)
8.7g protein
Serves one
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably one of the “Dutch-processed” varieties
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
Sweetener of choice, to taste (I use slightly less than one packet of stevia.)
Sometimes life calls for chocolate. Am I right? When you find yourself in the cookie aisle with a massive hankering for some rich, gooey, decadent treat, step away from the fudge-dipped double-stuff Oreos, head home to your kitchen and make this fondue instead. Especially delicious with juicy, sweet strawberries. Mmm!
Directions
Mix together cocoa, coffee and sweetener. Mix in the vanilla to form a paste. Mix in one tablespoon of yogurt and stir thoroughly. Add in final tablespoon of yogurt, stir thoroughly and serve with fresh fruit.
Per-Serving Nutritional Information
62 calories
1.6g total fat (1g saturated fat)
3mg cholesterol
40mg sodium
7.8g total carbohydrates (1.8g fiber; 4.6g sugar)
4.1g protein
W
HETHER I’M SPEAKING to a group of stay-at-home moms, a hospital’s medical staff or a complete stranger in aisle seven of the grocery store, people with whom I come in contact seem to share the same handful of questions. Here are the answers to the questions I get, in some form or fashion, nearly everywhere I go.
1. Is Jillian Michaels REALLY as mean as she comes across on TV?
Meaner! But only in the gym.
2. Is it realistic to tell morbidly obese people that they can lose half their body weight in such a short period of time?
Yes.
If
the weight-loss is handled correctly. When the basic principles of diet and exercise are honored, meaning the person is eating the right amount of calories and working out in a way that suits his or her unique physical ability, it is
absolutely
possible to experience dramatic change in a short period of time.
3. Would you ever consider having surgery to remove your loose skin?
Sure—especially if it were free! Actually, these days I choose to view my loose skin as my battle scar for a well-won war. But I never say never.
4. What was the hardest thing you did while on the set of
The Biggest Loser
?
The hardest thing for me was simply getting up every day, knowing that I was going to have to do the very same thing I had done the day before. It was hard to stay motivated for four months straight, when every sunrise brought with it the realization that I was going to have to deny myself chocolate cake for another twenty-four hours and die another death in the gym.
5.
What was the single most important thing you learned while on
The Biggest Loser
?
The single most important thing I learned as a result of being on show is that I am worthy of living the life that I believe I was created to live.
6. What was your “defining moment?” When did you know that you were ready to make a change?
I think I was standing in front of a mirror at home. I can’t really remember. What I do remember is thinking, “You are thirty-five years old. You either make a
big
change now, or you basically agree to live the rest of your life fat.”
7. Has your relationship with your husband improved since you’ve lost weight?
Losing my weight caused me to feel altogether differently about myself. And when you feel differently about yourself you feel differently about everyone else around you. I’m so thankful for Mike—for his love for me when I was overweight and for his love for me now.
8. How did it feel to come within just eight pounds of being named the first female biggest loser?
It felt great to see how far I was able to go … and yet terrible at the same time. Let’s be real:
Nobody
likes to be the first runner-up.
9. Was there anyone you had avoided for years that you especially wanted to see after your transformation was complete?
Yes! I have an acquaintance with whom I have been in competition my entire adult life. I don’t think she was aware of this fact, but I definitely viewed her as my competition. Ironically, as soon as I got home from the show, she reached out to me, invited me to lunch, and celebrated my accomplishment with me. What a perfect model of grace.
10. Do you still count your calories?
Oh yes. I don’t necessarily write them all down, but I’m an absolute calorie freak. Really. It drives my friends nuts. I can tell you how many calories are in almost any food, or at least guess within twenty or thirty of
being right. For instance, did you know that instead of suffering through a skinny grande latte you can order a tall full-strength, full-flavored mocha for only thirty calories more? Handy tips like this help me stick to my daily total … without sacrificing taste.
11. What is an average workout like for you?
Painful! And, more specifically, it involves sixty to ninety minutes of cardio (70 percent), and resistance training (30 percent),
at least
five days a week.
12. Could you have accomplished your weight-loss goal without having been on the show?
In retrospect I could have. I just don’t think I
would
have. It would have been a far longer, harder process, but in the end I know that the real need I had was changing my mindset, not changing my weight. And that work was mine alone to do.
13. Did you mind forfeiting your privacy while shooting the show? Weren’t there cameras everywhere?
I’m not a very private person to begin with, so for me the individual interviews were a blast and the adrenaline rush of knowing that cameras were constantly rolling actually helped me to push myself harder than I would have if I’d been all by myself. Still, eventually it got old, knowing that every blessed word I said was going to be typed up and saved somewhere.
14. How hard was it to leave your husband and son while you were on the show?
Oh man. I cried on the plane to LA. I cried the whole time I was in LA. Cry, cry, cry. When the last image you have of your son is of him kissing a photograph of you because his little heart is being ripped out by your departure … well, that’s a special kind of torture. And don’t get me started about missing Mike.
15. Would you do it all again?
I would. Knowing what I know now, I would. I will have a different life from here on out, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
16.
Do you think you are beautiful now?
Some days.
17. Do you still see yourself as fat?
Some days.
18. Was there a particular passage of Scripture that ministered to you while you were on the show?
Absolutely. Jeremiah 29:11 was a gift to me every week I was away. “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,” it says, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The verse in Psalms that says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made”—that one was powerful for me. And of course the Psalm about God’s thoughts toward me outnumbering even the grains of sand. I stood on those truths every day.
19. How did you really feel about your other castmates?
I loved them during the show, and I love them now. The casting staff did a great job with our season because, while we all had our individual idiosyncrasies, we meshed together incredibly well. There is not a single castmate from Season 4 that I could bump into and
not
hug their necks. They are great, great people.
20. How much of what we see on “reality TV” is real?
All of it. Well, at least the first take of all of it.
21. Were you fairly depicted on TV, or did the show’s producers edit you to fit a particular role?
I was fairly depicted, as is every player on
every
season. The show’s executive producer once told us that if we saw our season air and thought we came across looking like a mean-spirited person, it’s because we
are
mean-spirited. “We can’t make that stuff up,” he said. For example, I was initially cast as the “ex-pageant queen,” but that’s not at all how I come across. Very quickly the production staff shifted gears to begin referring to me as the “stay-at-home mom who wanted to make her husband proud.”
22.
Did you “water load?”
Are you kidding me? I
wish
I had! No, I absolutely did not water load. Who knows, if I’d caved on that front, maybe I would have won.