Yes, I know, I have an “about me” page but a lot of people don’t go there and, to be honest, it doesn’t tell all of the story.  Plus, I wanted to give you all an idea of where I want to take Dave’s Press in the very near future.

The “Who”

Surprise!  My name really is Dave…or David…I respond to both.  And, yes, that is my cheesy picture to the left.  It was actually taken two and a half years ago after I had actually lost most of my weight.  I was born, raised, and currently reside  in Georgia (Metro Atlanta).  I did a four year stint in the Navy where I had the chance to live in a couple of different locations: Philadelphia and Charleston.

No Bake Protein Bar

A great alternative to store bought, pre-packaged meal replacement/protein bars (see 10 Replacements for Your Grocery List)

INGREDIENTS:
5 tbsp natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/2 cup dry oat meal or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
1/2 cup oat flour (double the dry oats if you do not have oat flour)
6 scoops chocolate whey protein (approximately 132 grams worth of low-carb protein powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flax seeds (optional)
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 cup water (depending on what type of protein you use, you may need to add more)
Modifications: Use vanilla protein and replace ~1/4 cup of the oatflour with a variety of nuts, seeds, or dried berries.

PREPARATION:

Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix – the mixture will be crumbly and dry. Add water & vanilla. Sponsored Links

Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, everything until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Spread dough into pan using a clean wooden spoon or spatula that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Refrigerate a few hours (or freeze for an hour) and cut into 9 squares. Wrap bars individually (use sandwich bags or plastic wrap) or store in covered container between sheets of wax paper. Keep refrigerated.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
197 calories, 21 g protein, 7.2 g fat (8% saturated), 13.7 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g fiber

Recipe Courtesy of liftforlife.com

Claim:  You can never get rid of fat cells once they are created without surgery

I do have some bad news.  You are stuck with the fat cells that you have.  Have you ever wondered why it is so easy to regain weight after you diet?  Well, all you did to your fat cells is, essentially, deflate them.  It is very easy for your body to just re-inflate the fat cells it already has…and it does very, very fast. 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta was asked about this and his response was:

That’s true. It’s a really simple equation: When energy input is equal to energy output, your fat cells don’t expand to accommodate excess. It’s only when more calories are taken in than used that the extra fat is stored and the person begins to accumulate fat. Your very best bet for not “fattening” up your fat cells is exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercise. Exercise builds muscles — and it’s true, muscles use more calories than fat throughout the day, even while you are resting.

To add insult to injury, a recent study found that you maintain relatively the same number of fat cells throughout adulthood.  Obese people have more fat cells than lean people but number of fat cells for both groups held steady.  The really irritating part is that, yes, fat cells do die but they are regenerated at about the same rate!

They also found that these findings hold true for people that were obese as children.  For those that become overweight or obese later in life, it is thought that you can actually over stuff your current fat cells to the point where your body may create more.  Guess what?  Those new fat cells?  You have them for life now!

So, there you have it.  You now know why its so easy to regain weight after dieting.  All you’re doing is just filling up your deflated fat cells!  This is the overriding factor why losing weight shouldn’t be your primary goal.  You’re primary goal should be changing your lifestyle AND lose weight.

Verdict:  FACT

Tilapia & Summer Vegetable Packets

A light summer dish that’s easy to make and tastes great! (Courtesy of Eatingwell.com)
 
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
 
1 cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup diced summer squash
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions

 
Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Oven Variation, below.)
2. Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, green beans, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
3. To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one portion of tilapia in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then top with about 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture.
4. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining fish, salt, pepper and vegetables.
5. Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.

Oven Variation: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place green beans in a microwavable bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave on High until the beans are just beginning to cook, about 30 seconds. Drain and add to the other vegetables (Step 2). Assemble packets (Steps 3-4). Bake the packets directly on an oven rack until the tilapia is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
 
Per serving: 181 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 57 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 24 g protein; 2 g fiber; 435 mg sodium; 591 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Selenium (68% daily value), Vitamin C (30% dv), Potassium (17% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetables, 3 very lean meat, 1 fat

I’m sure most people find that they traditionally buy the same food and drinks every trip they make to the grocery store.  This can be a good thing but it can also be a very bad thing!  If your usual list consists of potato chips, margarine, baked goods, and frozen pizzas then you aren’t doing yourself any favors. 

So let’s replace those staples with healthy options but still tasty enough to satisfy. 

1.  Instead of chips, choose almonds

Natural almonds are best but roasted almonds are fine (and taste better).  While almonds wouldn’t be considered low calorie, they are extremely rich in Vitamin E and monounsaturated fats.  Monounsaturated fats are great for reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol.