If not for nutritional reasons, most folks diet for vanity’s sake because they want to look as good as the “people images” that are constantly being thrust upon us through product advertising, television personalities and fashion promotions. The need to identify with the image is a form of hunger. It’s a hunger to be approved, to belong and to be comfortable about belonging, as well as to be appreciated. We want to fit in rather than stand out and being overweight poses a problem with many people’s sense of self-worth as confined to how they look, rather than how they behave.
As we are forced into this “mold”, keep in mind that dieting is not necessarily right for everyone. There are those, who are perfectly healthy and have good feelings about themselves and the world around them even though they are 10 or 15 or 20 pounds overweight. You know your own body and how it functions and what satisfies it physically and emotionally better than anyone! If your choices, now, include things you eat without really enjoying them, you can begin to exercise, instead of your “will” power, your “won’t” power – and refuse to keep on eating what is not good for you and what you don’t really need, replacing it with something you do enjoy and that will benefit you in nourishment, either emotionally or physically. The WON’T power exercise for me meant no bread, no potatoes, no pastries, no gravy, no greens or other starches. It worked beautifully. For you, it might not be satisfactory. So, you can choose another course of action. I merely wish to share my experience with you because it worked for me.
What works for one person, may not work for another; but sharing the secrets of a weight loss diet that works, is too good to ignore. Even if you, personally, are not interested in losing 10 pounds, you probably know someone who is! The diet industry pulls in millions and millions of dollars every year, developing new gimmicks, pills, plans, menus, clubs and published materials about losing weight. I have tried them all in my adult life – and never with success! So, I finally developed my own diet. And it worked – for me!
It’s not really a diet, but a new pattern of eating that can, if I wish, serve me all my life. The best way to learn any new pattern of behavior – whether it is eating or dancing or jogging or working – is to break it down into small manageable parts and work through them step-by-step! This is not a diet to be used, discarded and taken up again. It is a way of life at the table. It is a new attitude towards food – what they can or cannot do for your health, your appearance and your emotional well-being. You cannot tailor your eating habits to other people’s demands. Like a male obstetrician, telling you he knows just how you feel in the 10th month of your pregnancy – nobody really knows, but YOU!
This diet happened to work for me, the same way another diet worked for Jean Nidetch before she put Weight Watchers into operation. She talked about the success of her own diet experiences with others in her home, who shared the disappointments of not losing weight. She was not a nurse, nor a doctor, nor even a qualified nutritionist when she started Weight Watchers. When she sold the organization to the Heinz Corporation, she had made many people happy with her plan for weight loss! Weight Watchers grew to become one of the most successful divisions of the food industry. But the point is, she had an idea, had proven that it worked for her, and could share that experience, giving advice to others, so that it could work just as well for them.
This chapter is a reprint of recipes I used (from my Dieters Digest booklet, published in 1979 and 1980) and the thoughts and philosophies that helped me!
Reproduced with permission from Gloria Pitzer; as printed in Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (St. Clair, MI: Secret Recipes Ltd., May 1983 – 3rd printing), p. 356.
WAIST WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL
There is no safe way in the world to lose weight in a rush. All you’re doing by taking it off FAST is risking throwing your body into shock! This happens when a pattern of eating is suddenly altered.
Foods are like chemicals – and when certain chemicals are combined, certain results are achieved. All a diet is doing for you is changing the combination of chemicals (foods) so that you are producing results that alter the physical condition and still not jeopardize your health and emotional well-being. Many diets are severely damaging to the mental and emotional stress of the individual. So, you must regard any diet as, simply, a new pattern of eating habits. For want of a better title, I refer to this as “Weight Snatchers International” - because we are dieting to snatch away pounds without forfeiting our health and certainly without giving up the best tasting and the most satisfying choices of foods.
Water is very important in any diet – whether it is counting calories or carbohydrates – because it washes the food away before it has a chance to be absorbed by the system. If you practice drinking water with everything you eat – half a glass before a meal, sips during the meal and half a glass after the meal – you will not only not feel hungry for several hours, but you will not be converting the food you eat in to pounds and inches you don’t need nor want! I found that filling a juice container that had a tight-fitting lid with 2 quarts of water 1st thing in the morning was a big help to me and reminded me to drink the water [throughout the day]. There were days when I would be super-busy in the office and hours would pass without my taking a drink of water. So, I put the water container where I could notice it often and stopped every chance I had to drink just a bit. Whenever I did this, I noticed a drop in my weight within a day or two. Water in tea, coffee or bullion does NOT count. You must still drink plain water to “wash away” those foods that would ordinarily turn into unwanted inches or pounds.
THE EASY WAY!
The easy way to diet is to realize that the best diets are planned on sound principles of nutrition, but they must also be designed to give, both, variety and eating pleasure. Dr. George Christakis, who was director of the New York City Department of Health, Bureau of Nutrition and Associate Dean of Community Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, proved that if we remove the personal and social pleasures, which the experience of eating provides, we also provoke psychological isolation, boredom and depression, which leads to stress. Stress then leads to over-eating again!
BARBARA WYDEN said it best when explaining the philosophy of dieting: “Diet,” she said, “is a magic word to most Americans. Talk of any weight-reducing regimen – all-liquid, high-protein, egg and fruit, steak and celery – and the 79 million Americans who are overweight become as spellbound as children hearing ‘Hansel and Gretel’ for the first time.” Her article appeared in the New York Times Magazine (9/13/70) and I take it out every so often to remind myself that most diet lore is wistful delusion, that excessive weight is not so much a result of WHAT we eat, but as of HOW we eat and what our individual attitudes toward foods really are.
DESSERTS from D-Zerta became a life-saver whenever I wanted a snack and couldn’t think of anything sinfully delicious (plus, low-cal and low-carb!) Prepare the gelatin per box directions, but substitute sugar-free soda for the required water in the directions. Sugar-free cola and the cherry gelatin is very good! Sugar-free 7-UP or Vernors goes well with the strawberry-flavored gelatin, also!
WAIST WATCHERS ICE CREAM – made with 1 cup frozen heavy cream, whipped stiff, and 1 cup slightly-set D-Zerta gelatin (any flavor.) Freeze until firm. Beat, again, until fluffy; then, freeze once more – this is about as close as you will come to a “Weight-Watcher” frozen dessert.
WAIST WATCHERS LEMON CHEESECAKE – made with one envelope D-Zerta lemon-flavored gelatin, prepared per envelope directions and placed in refrigerator until it is syrup-like, but not firm. Meanwhile, beat together: 8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup heavy (un-whipped) whipping cream, 1 cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract. When smooth and creamy, fold in the syrup-like gelatin mixture. Grease a 9-inch layer cake pan and dust it evenly over the bottom and sides with ½ cup finely crushed pecans or walnuts. Shake out the excess nuts, but reserve them for the top of the desert. Pour in the cheese mixture. Sprinkle top with the remaining nuts. Chill until firm. Garnish each “reasonable” serving with whipped cream. Serves 8.
WAIST WATCHERS CHERRY CHEESECAKE – Following the directions above for the lemon-flavored cheesecake – substituting cherry-flavored gelatin (prepared with sugar-free cherry soda rather than water, as called for on the package) and, instead of vanilla or lemon extract, use almond extract. Follow as directed above, adding a small dollop of whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings to garnish. Remember the “reasonable” serving rule!
WAIST WATCHERS WALNUTS – Sauté 1 cup broken pecans and 3 cups broken walnuts in ¼ pound butter or margarine, melted in a large skillet, for about 5 minutes. Stir constantly to coat well in butter. Transfer nuts to baking sheet, in single layer. Bake nuts in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes. While hot, sprinkle in ½ cup Brown Sugar Twin. Allow to cool. Store at room temperature in covered container. [Variations below.]
WAIST WATCHERS SPICED WALNUTS – substitute 3 tablespoons season salt and ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for the Brown Sugar Twin (above.) Follow recipe as otherwise directed.
WAIST WATCHERS CHOCOLATE-COVERED WALNUTS – follow the sauté and baking directions above – but coat in the following mixture (made in top of double boiler, over simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth): 1-ounce unsweetened solid baking chocolate, ¼ cup oil, ¼ pound butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons melted paraffin (optional), ¼ cup Brown Sugar Twin and 4 bars (3/4 ounces each) “diabetic” semi-sweet or milk chocolate candy. Freeze or refrigerate, breaking mixture into bite-sized pieces.
WAIST WATCHERS SALAD DRESSING
Mix well: 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon beef bouillon powder, ½ cup dark vinegar, 1 tablespoon liquid artificial sweetener, 1 teaspoon hickory salt and 1 cup corn oil. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2 ½ cups.
WAIST WATCHERS CREAMY DRESSING
Mix together well: 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon dry marjoram leaves, ¼ teaspoon dry dill weed, 1 tablespoon dry minced parsley, 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Refrigerate up to a month. Makes ½ cup.
WAIST WATCHERS ALL-PURPOSE DRESSING
Mix 1 recipe of my creamy dressing and 1 cup of the Waist Watcher Salad Dressing (both, above) with 1 cup of my Maurice Dressing (see Index.) Pour over tossed greens, combined with chopped green onions and olives, 2 slices of bacon (crispy-fried and crumbled), sliced zucchini and fresh mushrooms.
CUCUMBER MOLDED SALAD
Empty 2 envelopes from a box of D-Zerta lime-flavored gelatin into a 1 ½-quart bowl or mold. Bring 2 cups of Fresca (sugar-free soda) to a boil and stir into gelatin until dissolved. (Putting it in your microwave on defrost for a few minutes, will also dissolve it well – or place gelatin mold in pan of hot water and stir until clear.) Then stir in 1 ¾ cup COLD Fresca. Add ½ cup chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon lemon extract and 1 medium-sized cucumber (peeled and sliced or cubed.) Chill until firm. Un-mold onto a serving platter. Then, whip 3 ounces of cream cheese with 3 tablespoons each: heavy whipping cream (un-whipped) and mayonnaise, until fluffy. It should be like a thick, creamy frosting. “Frost” entire surface of the molded gelatin with this mixture, just as you would a cake! Sprinkle the surface with chopped olives and a few tablespoons of chopped pecans or walnuts. Serves 6.
KETCHUP – WITHOUT COUNTING (Low-Carb Diet)
Combine thoroughly, in this order: 6-ounce can tomato paste, ¼ cup corn oil, ¼ cup margarine, 2 packets Sweet & Low artificial sweetener, 2 tablespoons light vinegar and 5 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder. Keep refrigerated up to a month. Makes 1 ¼ cups or 25 tablespoons. One tablespoon of commercial ketchup has about 4 g of carbohydrates and 1 tablespoon of this has only 0.8 g.
STEWED TOMATOES
Plunge whole tomatoes into boiling water for 1 minute and, at once, into ice water for 1 minute to peel easily. Heat these in one recipe of my PDQ Barbecue Sauce (see Index) and ¼ cup of my low-carb Ketchup (above.) Chill thoroughly, keeping tomatoes in just enough mixture to be submerged, then add 1 diced and seeded green pepper, plus 2 diced ribs of celery. Serves 6.
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BIG PLOY’S CANADIAN CHEESE SOUP
Like the Big Boy Restaurants serve, this has a good, rich, smooth base. When I’m on a diet and I make it at home, I use canned chicken broth – or as directed below, with milk, when I’m not dieting.
1-pound Velveeta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup milk (or canned chicken broth)
2 jars (3 ½ ounces each) baby food chicken
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion salt
2 tablespoons butter
pinch of parsley
Melt cheese with paprika and milk (or broth) in top of double boiler, over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Serve piping hot. Freezes well up to 6 months. Makes 4 servings.
CHEESE SAUCE
In a 1 ½-quart sauce pan, combine: 1 cup mayonnaise, a 10-ounce can cream of celery condensed soup, a 10-ounce can cheddar cheese soup, 1 teaspoon onion salt, ½ teaspoon sugar (or a pinch of Sweet & Low), 1/8 teaspoon curry powder and 1 tablespoon dry minced onion. Cook on low to medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and well-heated. Makes 3 cups sauce. Do not freeze this.
HERRING SALAD
Rinse well, the hearing fillets of an 8-ounce jar, preferably packed in “wine sauce”. Remove as many of the onions as possible. Now, mix the fillets with ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon dry dill weed and 1 freshly diced tomato – seeded as much as possible. It can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days. Eat as a salad or a fidgety-time snack.
MIXED SALAD
Combine 1 peeled and diced zucchini, 2 diced ribs of celery, an 8-ounce can mushrooms (undrained), 10 or 12 stuffed green olives (sliced) and 2 green onions (scissor-snipped) with enough Italian dressing to submerged it all in a covered container. Refrigerate 24 hours to marinate the flavors. Enjoy it as a salad or a snack.
SALADS CAN BE VERY deceiving – especially when you’re eating out and on a low-carb diet! Chick peas, croutons, beans and creamy dressings can set you back a whole week if you’re watching your carb-intake. I always carry those 1-serving size packets of Herb Ox bouillon in my purse. Those little packets are a good way to add flavor to an otherwise flavorless “diet” dish when you’re eating out!
EGG SALAD WITH ZIP
After you have peeled 4 hard-boiled and chilled eggs, take a wire French frying basket with about ¼-inch holes and force the eggs through the mesh into a mixing bowl. Combine it well with ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, a 3 ½-ounce jar baby food strained ham, ¼ cup dill pickle (diced) and 1 packet of Sweet & Low artificial sweetener. Scoop onto 3 lettuce-lined plates with a sprig of parsley.
ITALIAN SALAD
Peel and slice one large cucumber paper thin. Also, slice paper thin, a zucchini of equal size, but do not peel it. Combine these with enough Italian dressing to coat well and garnish with sliced, green, stuffed olives. Serve chilled.
FRUIT MAURICE
Peel and cube a whole cantaloupe. Hull and slice 1 pint of strawberries. Combine these and add 1 cup, scissor-snipped, fresh spinach in bite-sized pieces and a quarter head of iceberg lettuce, also cut into bite-sized pieces. Add 8 or 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves, and 2 cups diced and cooked chicken. Drench it all in my Maurice Dressing (see Index.) Serves 3 to 4 well.
MELON WALDORF SALAD
Combine 1 peeled and diced cantaloupe, 1-pint halved strawberries, 1 cup broken pecans, 2 ribs diced celery and 2 cups of my Maurice dressing (see Index.) Serves 4.
SHRIMP MAURICE SALAD
Rinse and mash a 6 ½-ounce can of tiny shrimp. Mix with 1 cup of my Maurice Dressing (like J.L. Hudson’s – see Index), 1 minced rib of celery, 8 or 10 chopped black olives, ¼ cup chopped walnuts, and 2 ounces Swiss or Muenster cheese, cut in ¼-inch cubes. Spoon into lettuce-lined bowls to serve 4.
MOCK POTATO SALAD
Peel and cube 3 zucchinis. Simmer in just enough water to cover, with a dash of salt, until tender. Drain and chill. Mix with 1 cup diced mushrooms, 1 cup diced black olives, ½ cup diced dill pickles, 1 large diced tomato, 3 snipped green onions and 3 hard-boiled eggs (chopped or crumbled.) Coat well in one recipe of dressing from my Macaroni (or Potato) Salad, Like the Colonel’s (see Index.) Serves 6.
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MUSHROOM MEATLOAF
In being mildly aware of the carbohydrate content of mushrooms, I noted ½ cup of fresh sliced mushrooms (1.2 ounces) has about 1.5 g of carbs, while a 4-ounce can has about 2.9 g, varying slightly between brands. To help lose excess water build-up that causes about 10 to 15 pounds of our weight, Adele Davis suggests eating mushrooms. Be cautious, however, if you’re watching your sodium in-take. The nicest part of this recipe is that it never tastes like a diet recipe! I even prepare it for company in the form of one-inch meatballs, submerged in my Barbecue Meatball Sauce (see Index.) Complement the meatloaf or meatballs with either bottled ketchup or my homemade version (see Index.)
3 pounds ground beef
3 eggs, beaten
1 large cucumber, peeled and well-diced
7 green onions, scissor-snipped fine
1 teaspoon onion powder
5 tablespoons beef bouillon powder
8 ounces heavy cream, un-whipped
3 tablespoons each: Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid artificial sweetener
½ cup each: shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese
8-ounce can mushrooms, drained and well-diced or finely-chop
Mix all ingredients as listed. Pack into 2 oiled, 8-inch, loaf pans. Spread 1 tablespoon ketchup over top of each. Loosely cover in foil. Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes. MICRO-BAKE – using oiled Pyrex loaf dishes and covering loosely in doubled sheets of plastic wrap – on “Full” power for 8 minutes and then “Roast” for 10 minutes. Place on countertop without uncovering for 8 minutes. Good hot or cold. One loaf serves 4 to 6. Freeze up to 6 months.
CHOP SUEY
2 cups left over pot roast or pork roast, diced
3 cups of my High Ends Gravy (see Index)
1-pound can beans sprouts, drained
6-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
2 green onions, scissor-snipped
3 ribs of celery, diced
½ cup broken walnuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Combine, as listed, and heat carefully on low. Serve as you would stew. Feeds 6 famously.
CRUSTLESS PIZZA – Have all you want of this dish, if you’re following a low-carb diet!
4 tablespoons oil
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 small zucchini (or medium cucumber)
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon dry oregano leaves
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 green onions, minced
2 tablespoons beef bouillon powder
2 eggs, beaten
8-ounce can mushrooms, drained
2 large tomatoes, sliced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Brown the ground beef in the oil on medium heat. Grate the zucchini or cucumber directly into the beef. Stir until browned and season well with the garlic, oregano and onion. Blend again and remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes. Beat eggs into the beef mixture – but do it quickly so the heat of the beef won’t “set” the eggs. Add mushrooms and spoon it into an ungreased, 9 x 12” pan or Pyrex dish. Arrange tomatoes on top. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Next, cover with mozzarella. Loosely place a sheet of foil over the dish. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Then, place 3 inches from broiler heat for 5 or 6 minutes, until mozzarella bubbles and begins to brown. Makes 12 lasagna-like servings.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Place in a 9 x 12” Pyrex baking dish and cover with doubled plastic wrap. Set on “Roast” for 12 minutes; then on full power for 2 ½ minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing plastic and serving. (You may also add a 10-ounce package of frozen asparagus or a 1-pound can of green beans (drained) to the top with the sliced tomatoes, for added nutrition and flavor.
