Sensible Fitness

at 3:06 PM

A few weeks ago, a lady I know from the gym came in at her usual time around 4:30 in the morning, threw down her book on a stationary bike and said that she had been doing this @$%* for at least a couple of years and had not lost a single pound. Usually at this point in the conversation I need to assess whether I should be tactful and silent and just smile... or does the person really need a single injection of truth into their workout routine which may sting a little bit. Somehow she looked like she might really benefit from the injection. So I told her that what she eats is probably as important if not more than exercise in weight loss. She said she didn't like fruits and veggies (and I am paraphrasing politely) and I said you need to start liking them. Let's face it, if you are working out at the gym, running, lifting, etc., and then you grab a bagel or a frappachino you might as well not workout!! I feel like I need to get this off my chest so my future blogs will make more sense. An hour of exercise a day (yes an hour every day of the week) does not give you the free pass to eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Especially if you are eating calorie dense, easily available, refined carbohydrates (The subject of eating refined carbohydrates will be visited in the near future extensively). And please stay away from the fat-free foods. Remember the 'Snack Well' cookies that were quite popular in the 90's? They made America fat!!

Now let's talk about that egg plant dish-I call it the lean mean egg plant dish- it is so easy and so delicious. Here is the basic recipe and then you can improvise as you go... which is what I always do.

1. Peel the egg plant and cut the fruit into small pieces (it contains alot of water but the raw fruit is very spongy so the smaller the pieces the faster it will cook).
2. I usually cook the egg plant with a can of spicy tomatoes and a couple of table spoons of olive oil or sesame oil. At this point you can add any of the following: soy beans, celery cuts, red onions, a few kale leaves cut into smaller pieces.
3. Add to the mix a little rosemary, tiny bit of turmeric, and of course some ground pepper.
4. You want to add high quality protein to this dish? Break in a couple of eggs. The entire process should take no more than 30 minutes and you have a very healthy low calorie but filling meal.