Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook: Recipes for Weight Loss Freedom

by Phillip C. McGraw, Dominick Anfuso (Editor)

Overview

With more than 100 fantastic recipes, this cookbook is an essential tool to get results and free yourself from your problems with weight — forever.

Dr. Phil is on a mission: to help as many Americans as possible lose pounds and never, ever regain them. And it's working: literally millions of people have lost weight steadily and successfully by changing their self-defeating behavior. Dr. Phil's bestselling books The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom and The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide were the first steps toward accomplishing this vital mission. The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook is another essential tool to get results and free yourself from your problems with weight — forever.

Here are more than 100 fantastic recipes that abound with flavor and are exceptionally nutritious. Your whole family can benefit from a new, healthier way of eating. Enjoy delicious dishes like Banana Cream Pie, Southern Oven-Fried Chicken, Enchiladas with Barbecued Greens, Pot Roast Southern Style, Mocha Fudge Pudding, Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Mushroom-Tomato Frittata, and Sweet Potato Pie. You're going to love shedding pounds while still enjoying your favorite foods. That's because great taste is actually one of the secrets to losing weight and keeping it off.

The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook also includes Dr. Phil's Rapid Start Plan, providing 14 days of preplanned menus designed to give you a jump-start on losing weight. Each day on the Rapid Start Plan includes one or more of the many great-tasting dishes in this cookbook.

Gaining real control over your weight, as opposed to yo-yo dieting, is in your hands. Dr. Phil shows you how to make changes in your life that are healthy, easy to maintain, and result in a slimmer, fitter you. When it comes to genuine weight control, Dr. Phil says, "You have a decision to make." Using this book is an important way to show that you have made the right decision.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743264754
Publisher:	Free Press
Publication date:	05/25/2004
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.12(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

"Dr. Phil" (Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D.) is the host of America’s number-one daytime talk show and is perhaps the most well-known expert in the field of psychology and human functioning in the world today. In his 16th year on television and his 11th year of the Dr. Phil show, he has devoted his international platform to delivering common sense information to individuals and families seeking to improve their lives. Passionately pursuing such topics as family functioning, domestic violence, anti-bullying, addiction and the myths of mental illness, he works tirelessly both on and off the air. Dr. Phil has carried his message from the senate chambers of Washington, D.C. to the suburbs and inner cities across America. He and Robin, his wife of 38 years and counting, along with their "wonder dog," Maggie, reside in Southern California, as do his two sons, Jordan and Jay, along with daughter-in-law, Erica, and two grandchildren, Avery Elizabeth and London Phillip.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

1950

Place of Birth:

Oklahoma

Education:

Attended University of Tulsa; B.A., Midwestern State; Ph.D. in psychology, University of North Texas, 1979

Website:

http://www.drphil.com

Read an Excerpt

The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook

Recipes for Weight Loss Freedom

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By McGraw, Phillip C.

Free Press

Copyright © 2004 McGraw, Phillip C.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0743264754

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Chapter 1: Cooking the Ultimate Weight Solution Way

Listen, you can get down to size in the coming months, but you have to be different and do different -- right down to the way you cook. At first, it can be difficult, indeed a challenge, to weaken the grip of any habit, and old cooking habits are no different. When you think about some of your own cooking habits, such as frying foods, baking desserts, and cooking with a lot of sugar and fat, and you see how they are perpetuating your weight problem, you'll understand that you need to get rid of them; you need to change those habits.

In cooking, the change can be as simple as making a few ingredient substitutions, learning how to use spices and seasonings in new ways, or changing your cooking methods so that less fat or sugar is required. As you become nutritionally more aware, you'll discover that you can still cook most of your favorite recipes as long as you are open to making small and subtle adjustments in how you do things. The bottom line is that you must adjust your behavior so that you are willing to try some new techniques, leaving behind the old and the familiar. This cookbook will be right here to guide you as you do that.

Once you put a whole new way of cooking, one that will put you in control of your weight, at the top of your priority list -- call it a new track to run on -- this healthier way of cooking will become a part of your total health picture and your lifestyle. In fact, you'll begin to wonder why you didn't start cooking like this a long time ago. So, promise yourself now that you'll care enough about your weight and your health to do this -- and do it right!

Foods to Look for: High-Response Cost, High-Yield Foods

The recipes created for you in this cookbook are designed around nutrient-dense, hunger-curbing foods that I call high-response cost, high-yield foods. High-response means that the effort on your part, or response, that is required to prepare, chew, and ingest these foods is high, whereas the calorie payoff -- although healthy -- is low.

High-response cost foods take longer to eat, and thus encourage slower eating (a positive habit that is important to long-term weight control). These foods are hunger suppressors, meaning they produce satisfaction, the feeling of normal fullness you look for from a meal. From the perspective of weight management, high-response cost, high-yield foods support behavioral change. They encourage better eating habits, they are tremendously satisfying, they curb cravings and hunger pangs, and they defeat impulse eating.

What are some examples of high-response cost foods? In general, they include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy products, and healthy fats and oils. Take an apple, for example. It is coarse and takes a lot of chewing and grinding on your part to get it down. And it's also packed with fiber, which keeps your stomach from emptying too rapidly.

Most high-response cost foods also happen to be high-yield foods. High-yield foods are those that supply a lot of nutrients, in the form of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and other food components, relative to the low amount of calories they contain.

Look for more ways to include high-response cost, high-yield foods in your daily diet and you will increase your chances of success. (For a list of all the high-response cost, high-yield foods you can enjoy on my food plans, please refer to pages 150-417 of The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide.)

Foods to Limit or Avoid: Low-Response Cost, Low-Yield Foods

If you want the pounds to begin dropping away, there is a category of foods you must push yourself to limit or avoid altogether: low-response, low-yield foods. These foods require very little effort, or response, from you when you eat them. In plain terms, they are foods you just gulp and gain from -- quickly ingested, too convenient, requiring little or no preparation on your part. Junk foods, candy, convenience foods, and certain fast foods are all examples of low-response cost, low-yield foods.

Overindulging in low-response cost, low-yield foods can send you on a bullet train to becoming overweight and, potentially, obese because they lead to a considerable amount of mindless, uncontrollable overeating. When you eliminate or cut back on these foods, weight management becomes much easier and requires far less vigilance over what and how you eat.

Most low-response cost foods are also low-yield foods. That means they provide very little in the way of good nutrition or fiber, with a huge number of calories packed into a very small amount of food. What's more, they are processed and refined; that is, they have been altered in some fashion that devalues their nutrition by extracting fiber and other nutrients. They can make your body feel so physically imbalanced that, as a result, you often experience fatigue and low energy.

One of the most sabotaging aspects of low-response cost, low-yield foods is that they are hunger drivers. They do not keep you satisfied for very long and may make you even hungrier later. Here's why: You eat them so quickly that your body's natural stop-eating signals don't have time to kick in. So, you keep eating more and more of this stuff until you've eaten way beyond the point of fullness, and the unfortunate fact is that you're overfed with unnecessary calories and fat. (For a full list of low-response cost, low-yield foods, refer to pages 418-707 of The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide.)

A Three-Stage Plan to Weight-Loss Freedom

For those of you who have not yet read The Ultimate Weight Solution or The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide or who are reading it now, I want to provide you with an overview of the nutritional plan set forth in these books, broken down to the daily level of what to eat and when to eat it. This is not a fad diet that denies you the satisfaction of eating -- one of our most basic drives -- far from it. Nor does it require white-knuckle dieting. Because it includes such a wide range of satisfying high-response cost, high-yield foods, this plan provides a workable, sustainable three-stage plan for taking weight off and keeping it off.

Stage 1: The Rapid Start Plan

To begin, you should follow this fourteen-day, calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified plan that helps your body gear up for accelerated weight loss, detoxes you from sugar and refined carbohydrates, and conditions your taste preferences for healthier foods. In addition, the weight loss you achieve within just fourteen days will give you the confidence boost you need to move on to the next two stages and the rest of what you need to do. Here is a typical day on the Rapid Start Plan:

Breakfast

1 protein serving (egg, egg whites; lean turkey ham or turkey bacon)

1 starchy carbohydrate (whole-grain or high-fiber cereal)

1 fruit (piece of fresh whole fruit)

1 low-fat dairy food (skim, low-fat, or soy milk; low-fat, sugar-free yogurt)

1 noncaloric beverage (coffee, tea)

Lunch

1 protein serving (lean meat, fish, poultry, or vegetarian protein such as tofu, legumes, or soy products)

2 nonstarchy vegetables (salad vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy vegetables, in virtually unlimited amounts)

1 fruit (piece of fresh whole fruit)

1 low-fat dairy food (skim, low-fat, or soy milk; low-fat, sugar-free yogurt)

1 noncaloric beverage (coffee, tea)

Dinner

1 protein serving (lean meat, fish, poultry, or vegetarian protein such as tofu, legumes, or soy products)

2 nonstarchy vegetables (salad vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy vegetables, in virtually unlimited amounts)

1 fat (1 tablespoon of any healthy fat such as olive oil, canola oil, or 2 tablespoons of a reduced-fat salad dressing, for example)

1 noncaloric beverage (coffee, tea)

Snacks

Fresh whole fruit, if not eaten with a meal

Low-fat dairy food, if not eaten with a meal

Raw vegetables

Stage 2: The High-Response Cost, High-Yield Weight Loss Plan

Stage 2 creates greater metabolic control so that your body uses more calories for energy and stores fewer calories as fat. This is because the foods you will eat are low in sugar and refined carbohydrates, as opposed to high-fat, high-sugar foods that tend to promote weight gain when eaten in excess. By avoiding the wrong kinds of carbohydrates, namely sugary processed foods, you gain a tremendous edge in managing your weight. Here is a typical day on Stage 2:

Breakfast

1 protein serving (egg, egg whites; lean turkey ham or turkey bacon)

1 starchy carbohydrate (whole grain or high-fiber cereal; whole-wheat bread, roll, or muffin)

1 fruit (piece of fresh whole fruit, 1/2 cup fruit canned in water or juice, 1 cup unsweetened fruit juice, or a serving of dried fruit)

1 low-fat dairy food (skim, low-fat, or soy milk; low-fat, sugar-free yogurt)

1 noncaloric beverage (coffee, tea)

Lunch

1 protein serving (lean meat, fish, poultry, or vegetarian protein such as tofu, legumes, or soy products)

2 nonstarchy vegetables (salad vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy vegetables, in virtually unlimited amounts)

1 starchy carbohydrate (brown rice or other whole grains; whole-grain bread or cracker products; potato or sweet potato; beans and legumes)

1 fruit (piece of fresh whole fruit, 1/2 cup fruit canned in water or juice, 1 cup unsweetened fruit juice, or a serving of dried fruit)

1 low-fat dairy food (skim, low-fat, or soy milk; low-fat, sugar-free yogurt; reduced-fat cheese)

1 noncaloric beverage (coffee, tea)

Dinner

1 protein serving (lean meat, fish, poultry, or vegetarian protein such as tofu, legumes, or soy products)

2 or more nonstarchy vegetables (salad vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy vegetables, in virtually unlimited amounts)

1 fat (1 tablespoon of any healthy fat such as olive oil, canola oil, or 2 tablespoons of a reduced-fat salad dressing; 1 tablespoon of nuts or seeds)

1 noncaloric beverage

Snacks

Fresh whole fruit, if not eaten with a meal

Low-fat dairy food, if not eaten with a meal

Raw vegetables

Stage 3: Ultimate Maintenance

Once you reach your ideal weight, you may liberalize the number of servings you eat of foods taken mainly from the high-response cost, high-yield list. Use the following daily serving allotments to assist in your food planning.

• Protein and protein substitutes: 3 servings

• Nonstarchy vegetables: as many as you like (don't skimp here)

• Starchy carbohydrates: 3 to 4 servings

• Fruits: 3 to 4 servings

• Low-fat dairy products: 2 to 3 servings

• Healthy fats: 1 to 2 servings

All the recipes you will find on the following pages can be folded into any of these three stages. By way of example, and to indicate just how much variety you can enjoy, at the end of this chapter I've provided a 14-day meal plan for the Rapid Start Plan that uses close to forty of the recipes in this book, making the challenges of life-long weight control easier for you to meet. The meal plan proves that you can quite literally feast your way to a trimmer body and make its health benefits an easy-to-maintain way of life.

In fact, when you eat and cook this way while following all seven keys to weight-loss freedom, you can expect to lose weight, and you will keep on losing weight steadily and satisfactorily as you stay on target for achieving your goal weight. It is also an excellent plan for lowering risk factors for chronic diseases, or as a way to simply feel better and experience far greater energy. (I've summarized the seven keys for you on pages 16-17.)

Using the Ultimate Weight Solution Recipes

As you map out your menus, commit yourself to checking the nutrient analysis at the end of each recipe. Each analysis includes values for calories, protein, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar, and sodium -- all information that is relevant to lifetime weight control and good health. Although I am not a fan of counting calories, calculating carbohydrate or fat grams, or multiplying nutrient percentages, I do believe that monitoring these nutrients from time to time is an effective way to keep yourself accountable and progress steadily toward your goals.

Unless otherwise specified, each analysis is based on a single serving. There is also a note at the end of each analysis that explains whether the serving counts as a protein, nonstarchy vegetable, starchy carbohydrate, fruit, low-fat dairy product, fat, or some combination of these. This is all valuable information you can use in your meal planning.

Very often, the recipes use a scant amount of healthy fat, low-fat dairy products, starchy carbohydrate, or egg, mainly for flavor and texture. The amount used is so negligible that you do not have to count it toward your fat, dairy, carbohydrate, or protein servings for the day. In addition, a number of free foods have been used to create many of the recipes. Free foods are very low in calories and carbohydrates per serving and include fat-free or sugar-free foods, such as fat-free cream cheese, fat-free sour cream, sugar-free pudding mix, or sugar-free gelatin desserts.

The serving sizes for each recipe approximate the amount you should eat at your meals. Staying mindful of your serving sizes can make all the difference in the world when it comes to losing, gaining, or maintaining your weight and is thus fundamentally important in successful weight management.

Of course, the larger the portion, the more calories it contains. Further, research has proven time and time again that serving large portions encourages people to eat more. It is simply a fact of eating behavior that people will eat what is put in front of them. If more food is there, they will eat more food.

If you are unsure of exactly how much to eat, here is a useful chart that defines for you exactly what healthy, sensible portions should look like. Use this information to determine the size and amount of your portions when you eat at home as well as when you dine out.

Food: Portion Size

Meat, fish, or poultry: Size of the palm of your hand, your computer mouse, or a deck of cards

Vegetables:

Raw: Size of your fist

Cooked: Size of your hand when cupped

Starchy carbohydrates

Cereal and cooked grains: Size of your hand when cupped

Bread: 1 slice, or the size of a computer disk

Bagel: 1/2 bagel

English muffin: 1/2 English muffin

Muffin: 1 cupcake wrapper

Crackers: Number of crackers listed in the recipe per serving or the food guide

Legumes and other starchy vegetables: Size of your hand when cupped

Fruit

Raw piece: Size of a tennis ball

Canned (in water or juice), or frozen: Size of your hand when cupped

Berries (raw or frozen), raw chopped fruit: Size of your fist

Dairy foods

Milk and yogurt: Size of your fist

Cottage cheese: Size of your hand when cupped

Cheese: Size of a pair of dice

Sandwich cheese: 1 slice, or the size of a computer disk

1 tablespoon of fats, oils, salad: Size of your thumb to the first joint, dressings, or nuts and seeds a teabag, or a walnut

You Can Succeed

Whatever your earlier diet experiences have been, you now have a second chance. You can shape your life around who you really are and what really defines you and matters to you, and your weight is certainly something in your life that you want to change.

Taking the journey toward weight loss freedom requires a willing spirit -- and a commitment -- to try something new for a change, and for a change in you. By reading this book, by using its recipes, by opening your mind to the possibility of a better, healthier lifestyle, you are making a difference this very day.

The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

Key #1: Right thinking.

Lay aside self-defeating, invalid mindsets that do not work. They have the power to keep you from making different choices or developing new behaviors. Too often, we let these negative notions go unchallenged, and act as if they were true. You must monitor what you're thinking and challenge its truth. If it's not working, replace it with thinking that works.

Key #2: Healing feelings.

Overcome emotional overeating by managing inappropriate reactions to stress; solve problems rather than dwelling on them; change self-defeating thoughts, since, more often than not, feelings follow thoughts; gain closure on unfinished emotional business; and learn new ways to cope without resorting to food.

Key #3: A No-fail environment.

Design your world so that you can't help succeeding. This involves removing temptations to eat and rearranging your schedule in order to avoid or minimize triggers to overeat.

Key #4: Mastery over food and impulse eating.

There's only one reason why you haven't changed the bad stuff in your life. You're getting something out of it. I'm not saying that you're getting something healthy or positive, but people do not continue in situations, attitudes, or actions that do not give them a payoff. This key helps you identify those payoffs, unplug from them, and replace bad habits with healthy behavior.

Key #5: High-response, high-yield nutrition.

To lose weight, you must choose foods that support good behavioral control over your eating; that is, high-response cost, high-yield foods, organized into a moderate, balanced, calorie-controlled plan to ensure weight loss.

Key #6: Intentional exercise.

Make regular exercise a priority in your life most days of the week: walking, jogging, aerobic dance classes, yoga, playing a sport, or lifting weights. Exercise does more than simply burn calories; it changes your self-perception so that you stop labeling yourself a couch potato.

Key #7: Your circle of support.

Surround yourself with supportive, like-minded people who want you to lose weight and succeed at your health and fitness efforts.

The Rapid Start 14-Day Menu Plan

Day 1

Breakfast

1 serving Chili Cheddar Grits

1 cup low-fat milk

1 egg (or two egg whites), scrambled

1 cup strawberries (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free plain yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar-free apricot preserves

Lunch

1 serving Seared Tuna Salad

Fresh pear

Snack

1 serving Guacamole with raw cut-up vegetables

Dinner

1 serving Herb Roasted Chicken

1 serving Asparagus with a Warm Vinaigrette

Summer squash (crookneck), steamed or boiled

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,200 calories; 110 g protein; 133 g carbohydrate; 30 g total fat; 5 g saturated fat; 380 mg cholesterol; 20 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 2,515 mg sodium

Day 2

Breakfast

1 serving Tex-Mex Scramble

1 Refrigerator Applesauce Bran Muffin

1/2 grapefruit

Coffee or tea

Snack

Banana smoothie: 1 frozen banana blended with 1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk and artificial sweetener (optional)

Lunch

1 serving Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Chicken salad made with leftover roasted chicken from Day 1: 1 serving of roasted chicken on a generous bed of mixed greens and chopped salad vegetables; 1 tablespoon olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar to taste

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Dinner

1 serving Dijon-Roasted Salmon

Broccoli, steamed or boiled

Carrots, cooked

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,244 calories; 91 g protein; 113 g carbohydrate; 51 g total fat; 9 g saturated fat; 383 mg cholesterol; 17 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 1,435 mg sodium

Day 3

Breakfast

2 slices fat-free ham

1 serving Forget-the-Fat Granola mixed with 1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

1 orange

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 apple, sliced and dipped in Fruit Dip

Lunch

1 serving Three Bean Chili

Side salad of shredded romaine lettuce with an assortment of other chopped salad vegetables, 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Caesar salad dressing

Snack

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with baby carrots and other cut-up raw vegetables

Dinner

1 serving Herbed Beef Tenderloin

Green peas, boiled

Cauliflower, steamed or boiled

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,274 calories; 97 g protein; 177 g carbohydrate; 27 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 149 mg cholesterol; 36 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 2,787 mg sodium

Day 4

Breakfast

1 serving Mushroom-Tomato Frittata

1 cup skim or low-fat milk

Wedge of cantaloupe (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 cup fresh berries

Lunch

1 serving Tuna Salad Wrap

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Dinner

1 serving Italian Roast Pork Loin

Brussels sprouts, steamed or boiled

Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat Italian salad dressing

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,025 calories; 87 g protein; 102 g carbohydrate; 32 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 363 mg cholesterol; 25 g fiber; .5 g sugar; 2,375 mg sodium

Day 5

Breakfast

2 egg whites, scrambled

1 Orange Raisin Bran Muffin

1 cup low-fat or skim milk

1 cup raspberries (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

Assorted cut-up raw vegetables

1 ounce reduced-fat Swiss cheese

Lunch

1 serving Turkey Vegetable Soup

Shredded cabbage tossed with 2 tablespoons low-fat cole slaw dressing

Snack

1 pear, sliced and dipped in Fruit Dip

Dinner

1 serving Moroccan Chicken

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,195 calories; 95 g protein; 134 g carbohydrate; 36 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 203 mg cholesterol; 22 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 1,752 mg sodium

Day 6

Breakfast

1 serving Succotash Omelet

1 fresh nectarine or peach

Coffee or tea

Snack

1/2 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt

Lunch

Broiled hamburger patty, extra lean, about 4 ounces

1 serving Radish Slaw

3/4 cup grapes

Snack

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with cut-up raw vegetables

Dinner

1 serving Halibut Baked in Packets

Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing

1 serving Banana Cream Pie

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,286 calories; 100 g protein; 146 g carbohydrate; 37 g total fat; 9 g saturated fat; 341 mg cholesterol; 12 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 1,990 mg sodium

Day 7

Breakfast

1 egg, scrambled

Oat bran, cooked

1 cup low-fat milk

Honeydew melon (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 apple, sliced and dipped in Fruit Dip

Lunch

1 serving Ratatouille topped with 1/2 cup cubed tofu (for protein)

Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Italian dressing

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free plain yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar-free strawberry preserves

Dinner

1 serving Pot Roast Southern Style

1 serving Roasted Vegetables

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,189 calories; 94 g protein; 151 g carbohydrate; 29 g total fat; 5 g saturated fat; 322 mg cholesterol; 24 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 1,345 mg sodium

Day 8

Breakfast

2 links turkey sausage

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

1/2 grapefruit

Coffee or tea

Snack

Cucumber, sliced and dipped in 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Lunch

1 serving Curried Lentil Stew

Tossed salad, with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing

Snack

1 fresh pear (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Dinner

1 serving No-Fry Chicken-Fried Steak

Tomatoes, stewed

Cauliflower, steamed or boiled

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,189 calories; 107 g protein; 150 g carbohydrate; 23 g total fat; 6 g saturated fat; 141 mg cholesterol; 29 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 2,776 mg sodium

Day 9

Breakfast

2 slices turkey bacon

Smoothie: 1 cup low-fat milk blended with 1 cup fresh blueberries and 3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 apple, sliced and dipped in Fruit Dip

Lunch

1 serving Mushroom-Leek Soup

Broiled hamburger patty, extra lean, about 4 ounces

Snack

3/4 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Dinner

1 serving Apricot-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Yellow snap beans, boiled

Fresh tomato, sliced, topped with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 serving Grasshopper Pie (page 180)

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,387 calories; 98 g protein; 156 g carbohydrate; 45 g total fat; 11 g saturated fat; 205 mg cholesterol; 19 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 1,744 mg sodium

Day 10

Breakfast

2 egg whites, scrambled

1 serving Forget-the-Fat Granola

1 cup low-fat, skim, or soy milk

1 banana

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 fresh plum (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Lunch

1 serving Mexicali Layered Salad

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Dinner

1 serving Steamed Whole Red Snapper

Mixed vegetables, steamed (broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash), with 1 tablespoon trans-free margarine

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,259 calories; 111 g protein; 176 g carbohydrate; 22 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 196 mg cholesterol; 31 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 1,880 mg sodium

Day 11

Breakfast

1 egg, poached

1 Refrigerator Applesauce Bran Muffin

1 orange

Coffee or tea

Snack

Fruit smoothie: 1 cup of low-fat, skim, or soy milk blended with 1/2 cup berries, with artificial sweetener (optional)

Lunch

Ground turkey, lean, broiled or grilled (about 4 ounces)

1 serving Instant Gazpacho

Snack

Cut-up raw chopped vegetables dipped in 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Dinner

1 serving Poached Cod with Warm Pineapple Salsa

Tossed salad with 1 tablespoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,050 calories; 95 g protein; 106 g carbohydrate; 29 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 344 mg cholesterol; 23 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 1,394 mg sodium

Day 12

Breakfast

1 serving Mushroom-Tomato Frittata

3/4 cup low-fat, skim, or soy milk

1 cup fresh raspberries

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 serving Stuffed Dates

Lunch

1 serving Curried Tabbouleh

Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing

Snack

Cut-up raw vegetables dipped in 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Dinner

1 serving Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

1 serving Vanilla-and-Orange Parfait

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,343 calories; 99 g protein; 182 g carbohydrate; 27 g total fat; 5 g saturated fat; 324 mg cholesterol; 28 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 2,297 mg sodium

Day 13

Breakfast

2 egg whites, scrambled

1 Orange Raisin Bran Muffin

1 cup melon balls (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

1 orange

Lunch

Low-fat chef's salad: 2 slices reduced-fat ham, 1 ounce low-fat Cheddar cheese, chopped lettuce and assorted cut-up salad vegetables, 2 tablespoons low-fat French dressing

Snack

1 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Dinner

1 serving Dijon-Roasted Salmon

1 serving Winter Root Vegetable Puree

Daily Nutrition Profile: 961 calories; 71 g protein; 107 g carbohydrate; 32 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 119 mg cholesterol; 17 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 1,485 mg sodium

Day 14

Breakfast

2 links turkey sausage

1 serving (1/2 cup) high-fiber cereal, such as All-Bran

1 cup low-fat, skim, or soy milk

1 peach (or other fresh seasonal fruit)

Coffee or tea

Snack

1/2 cup low-fat, sugar-free yogurt (any flavor)

Lunch

1 serving Seared Tuna Salad

Snack

1 serving Curried Tofu Dip with raw cut-up vegetables

Dinner

1 serving Zucchini Lasagna

Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat blue cheese dressing

1 serving Baked Bananas

Daily Nutrition Profile: 1,269 calories; 106 g protein; 163 g carbohydrate; 30 g total fat; 9 g saturated fat; 181 mg cholesterol; 31 g fiber; 14 g sugar; 2,463 mg sodium

Copyright © 2004 by Phillip C. McGraw

Introduction

The more tools I can put in your hands to help you manage your weight, the better the job you will do at creating a life defined by health and vitality. Now, with The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook, you have the latest in a set of tools designed to help you improve your way of eating, achieve a healthier weight, feel better, and experience far greater energy -- and make all these changes for life.

Millions of you have already taken steps in that direction by acquiring The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, and its companion, The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide. Everything in those two books equips and empowers you to do the work of changing your lifestyle, becoming the healthy, fit person you were meant to be, and, ultimately, maximizing your life and everything you have to give.

Since The Ultimate Weight Solution was published, I have been both humbled and inspired by the sustainable, life-altering results people are achieving with regard to weight management and better health. On average, the results that come from learning and applying the seven keys have produced dramatic weight losses.

There is, however, much more to the story than that. As the numbers on these people's scales fell steadily from week to week, so did other critical numbers including LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Once indicative of declining health and an early skid into the cemetery, these lowered levels began to reflect a new vibrancy of recharged health.

As people internalized the seven keys, making them a part of their deepest self, they began to live a new life with a rock-solid foundation that no shifting circumstance or disappointment will be able destroy. These are people who got real with themselves, for themselves. They did not do it with willpower or intentions, but with action, courage, and commitment.

If you are one of these success stories, I am thrilled for you and your achievement. If you are not -- if you are barely treading water with yet another diet -- then today, at this very moment, let the words on these pages become a wake-up call, because I do not want you to go through one more hour or one more day drowning in misery or headed for more of the same. This very day you can begin to make a difference in your life. All you have to do is open your hands, firmly grasp all the tools available to you, including this cookbook, and use them.

I confess that, with the exception of firing up my grill for barbecues (it is a requirement of Life 101 for Texans to master the art of outdoor grilling), I don't do a whole lot of cooking. And so, for The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook, I brought together an innovative and expert cast of culinary and nutrition experts to develop these recipes, many of which were inspired by our family's favorite foods. This remarkable team collaborate are one of these success stories, I am thrilled for you and your achievement. If you are not -- if you are barely treading water with yet another diet -- then today, at this very moment, let the words on these pages become a wake-up call, because I do not want you to go through one more hour or one more day drowning in misery or headed for more of the same. This very day you can begin to make a difference in your life. All you have to do is open your hands, firmly grasp all the tools available to you, including this cookbook, and use them.

I confess that, with the exception of firing up my grill for barbecues (it is a requirement of Life 101 for Texans to master the art of outdoor grilling), I don't do a whole lot of cooking. And so, for The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook, I brought together an innovative and expert cast of culinary and nutrition experts to develop these recipes, many of which were inspired by our family's favorite foods. This remarkable team collaborated with me and Robin, my wife of twenty-eight years, and put together some of the healthiest and most delicious meals possible. Together, we tested every recipe to ensure that it tasted great and offered high-level nutrition that would help you manage your weight and put health and vitality back into your life.

If you have resolved to cook lighter, leaner, and smarter this year and in the years ahead, you have come to the right place. Designed to work with the food plans in The Ultimate Weight Solution and The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide, the recipes in this book use a wide variety of wholesome, nutrient-rich foods that will move your weight and your health in a better direction. With these recipes, you will produce meals that taste better and cost less, and you will avoid the overload of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, salt, and sugars that are ruining your waistline and your health.

At the same time, these recipes are full of so much flavor that they are destined to become standards in your mealtime repertoire. This should be welcome news if you have ever become bored with healthy food choices and abandoned your weight-control efforts because of it. Every recipe is designed to help you succeed at keeping your weight in line without giving up the tastes you love.

You will not find any recipes here that enslave you to the kitchen for endless hours, because in today's rush of the world, there seems to be less and less time for cooking and food preparation. Our recipes take only a minimum of preparation time, so that you will be able to spend less, rather than more, time in your kitchen.

Nor will you find skimpy diet-type meals that taste like wallpaper paste. I wanted the recipes in this book to be not only nutritious but also hearty and filling, stick-to-your-ribs meals that you will want to prepare and enjoy again and again.

A self-defeating mistake made by many people who decide to lose weight is to prepare one meal (a diet meal) for themselves and an entirely different meal, one that is infinitely more fattening, for their families. How inconvenient, ridiculous, and depriving is that! Not to mention a disservice to their families. I'm betting that if you have done this, you are so tempted so much of the time, just by having to handle and prepare stuff that probably shouldn't be in your kitchen anyway, that you cave in to the temptation, put on your what's-the-use face, and overindulge with everyone else. And so, you're back to square one, as another attempt to lose weight bites the dust.

That kind of self-defeating behavior stops here, and it stops now. Our recipes have been created for your entire family to enjoy, whether or not they need to shed pounds. No longer will you be required to fix one meal for yourself and another for the rest of your family. No, these are meals for everyone. When you make them a part of your everyday cooking, you will be taking care of yourself while at the same time taking care of your kids, your spouse, and everyone else you love.

As I have often said, you do not need to lose weight or become healthier -- you deserve to do it. Using The Ultimate Weight Solution books as your guides, you now have one of the best opportunities you'll ever have to lose weight. That's a great deal -- having the opportunity to enhance your life. But let me repeat myself for emphasis: I'm not just saying that you need to do it; I'm saying you deserve to do it. You deserve something better for your life, and now is the moment to go after it. Let these books move you forward on your journey to weight loss freedom.

It is my hope, and Robin's hope, that this cookbook will become a welcome resource in your household for nutritious, healthy, and delicious meals that you and your family can enjoy both today and in the future. As you turn the pages, we invite you to share with us some of our very own favorite foods and our favorite ways of preparing them. So from our kitchen -- and our home -- to yours...enjoy!

DR. PHIL AND ROBIN MCGRAW

Copyright © 2004 by Phillip C. McGraw

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook by McGraw, Phillip C. Copyright © 2004 by McGraw, Phillip C.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Getting Started

1. Cooking the Ultimate Weight Solution Way

2. Setting Up a No-Fail Kitchen

Part II: The Recipes

3. Breakfasts

4. Lunches

5. Entrées and Side Dishes

6. Snacks

7. Desserts

8. Holidays and Special Occasions

Epilogue

Metric Conversion Charts

Index