In This Issue

* Research Article: Can You Really Make Fast Food Healthy?
* Super Deal
* A Groaner
* Recipe: Summer Barbeque Sauce
* Success Story: Antoinette Johnson
* Spreading the Word in Jeanette, PA and Boca Raton, FL

Boyle, Matthew, “Can You Really Make Fast Food Healthy?”
Fortune, 8/9/2004, Vol. 150, Issue 3, p134, 6p.

Fortune Magazine just published an interesting article about the fast food industry. The fast food chains have received a lot of criticism lately and taken a lot of the blame for the obesity crisis (from me included). But this article takes a different view of the fast food industry by placing some of the blame on the consumer.  It points out that we haven’t taken advantage of the attempts that the fast food industry has made to offer healthier offerings. When people go to fast food restaurants, they don’t want to eat healthy food.  The overwhelming choices are greasy burgers, fattening fries and sugar laden sodas.

In 1981 the fast food chain D’Lites opened, offering lean hamburgers on multigrain bread and a huge salad bar. With the new and intense interest at the time with fitness, the founder of the chain predicted that in 10 years there would be 1,000 locations and $1 billion in sales.

The company went public in 1984 and the stock zoomed. The other fast food chains tried to follow suit with healthier choices such as multigrain buns, low-sodium pickles, and a Lite version of a Big Mac. But within one year D’Lites was losing money.  Customers weren’t coming back, and by 1986, D’Lites filed for bankruptcy.

Other attempts at healthy food have also been economic disasters.  McDonald’s McLean burger and Taco Bell’s Light menu both flopped. It doesn’t hold true that if you make it, they will come.  I guess our society is just not ready for healthy fast food.

This leads me to ask if when you go out to eat, are you looking for healthy food or do want to forget about eating healthy when out? Eating out is a major concern of mine because I travel so much. I struggle constantly trying to find healthy choices. If every time I ate out I thought, “Well, I’ll just take a break from watching what I eat,” I would soon regain a lot of weight. 

I ate at Ruby Tuesday’s about 3 weeks ago and was delighted with their menu.  For each menu item they listed calories, as well as grams of fat and carbohydrates.  Plus, they offered as a side option, the mashed cauliflower that tastes like mashed potatoes.  I have passed by Ruby Tuesday’s many times without realizing that I could eat there and know exactly what I am eating.

Question:
If you know of another national chain that also provides complete nutritional information about their menu items, please email me and I will share it with everyone. I know that most national chains have websites that provide this information, but having it on the menu makes a difference.  Maybe we can start our own movement!

Weight loss surgery patients are incredibly well informed. We have to be informed because we go through such life altering surgery. Our success and in some respects our safety depends upon it. But there is always something to learn.

Want to know the answers to these questions and more? Then invest in your health. 

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I have a groaner for you compliments of my Aunt Evelyn who is visiting us this week. 

We were driving over a bridge and my Mother noted a sign that said that overweight trucks had to exit.  “Where do those overweight trucks go?” asked my Mother. “They have to take the gastric bypass,” joked my Aunt.  I told you it was a groaner!

Summer is starting to wind down and the last major holiday, Labor Day will be here soon.  If you have a picnic planned you may want to try this Bar-B-Que sauce which is low in calories and carbs.  Brush it on a skinless chicken breast, grill it, and you’re set.

Summer Barbeque Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

 1 yellow onion minced
 2 garlic cloves crushed
 2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup artificial brown sugar such as Sugar Twin
1 cup low carb ketchup        
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent. Add the butter and brown sugar and simmer for 1 minute. Add the low carb ketchup, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and lemon rind, stirring constantly. Pour in the lemon juice and stir well until blended. Simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Brush on ribs or chicken while grilling.

If you have a recipe that you would like to share in future issues of this
newsletter, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.com

If you have a recipe that you would like to share in future issues of this newsletter, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.com

I want to offer special thanks to Antoinette Johnson of Ft. Lauderdale, FL for sharing her success. Here is her story:

My life as a young girl was actually normal.  I was average weight. Once I had children it was all over with being average.  At the age of 22 I was over 250 pounds with two children.  I could hardly walk a flight of stairs without being out of breath.  By the time I was 33 I was about 310 pounds and my weight was climbing.  When I got ready to have the gastric bypass surgery, I weighed 322 pounds, and wore a size 32. My arms where so big that I did not actually wear a size 32 blouse but in order to get my arms in a blouse I had to go up 2 sizes. My waist was not a size 32 but my buttock was.

In 1999 I tried diet after diet. I watched what I ate and lost, but then regained.  In 2002 I decided enough was enough. I found Dr. English and he saved my life with GOD guiding his hands. I was scheduled to have surgery in March 2003 but in February it was delayed due to my anemia.  I started taking iron pills and protein shakes to make things happen.  For three month I was the protein queen.

In May the surgery date was re-scheduled. The surgery was great, the hospital was awesome and my family support was a BIG bag of chips. Well I should say my family support was like a PROTEIN shake (think healthy).

Before surgery 322 pounds                                       After surgery 1 year 200 pounds

Now I am a size 14, weighing 200 pounds and I feel like Cat Woman.  I want to climb some walls and fly.  I have a friend that is about 130 pounds soaking wet.  He says, “Toni, you have lost a whole person.” 

I went through a hair faze. Not because of the hair I lost but because I had so much hair and my face was too small for it. I have changed hair style 4 times in 3 months.  I went from a wig to a short cut in the front, long in the back, put in a long hair weave then wore it natural. Finally I said, “Cut it all off.” Now I am happy.  This life change has made me a better person physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I would recommend this surgery to anyone

In just 1 year
122 pounds lighter
Size 32 to 14

GOD is good

Antoinette Johnson
      Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Before	After

I love good news.  If you have good news, a success story to share, or inspiration, please send it to me at Barbara@wlscenter.com so that I can include it in future issues.