Quick Tostadas

Running food: As we’ve discussed before, we want to eat a lot so we’re never hungry, but we want to eat low-fat.

The only way to lose weight, or keep weight off, is to burn more calories than you consume. That’s it.

If I eat 5,000 calories a day, but only burn 4,000, I’m going to gain weight. If I start running and burning 5,200 calories a day—I’ll lose weight.

However...If I start running and then increase my eating because I think I’m “safe” from all the exercise, I could end up eating 7,000 calories and only burning 5,200!

The trick is to eat lots of low-fat, high-fiber, healthy foods. Baked chips instead of fried. Rice and beans. Baked tofu instead of deep-fried chicken. Oatmeal instead of fatty, sugary mega-muffins.

Check out Dr. McDougall’s website for tons of recipes (look under the newsletter link).

Here’s one of my favorite work snacks:

Buy one package of fresh, soft corn tortillas (not the crispy fried ones!).
One can of vegan fat-free refried beans (most of them are naturally veg and fat-free).
One jar of your favorite salsa.

Plop a big spoonful of beans onto the tortillas. Spread evenly. Top with another tortilla. Microwave for 1 minute. Top with your salsa and eat. That’s it!

If you’re feeling like a chef, add shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and/or whole beans. Add vegan ground “beef” or vegan “chicken” strips if you like that sort of thing.

Sometimes I’ll eat 4 of these in a day, but I never worry about the fat or calories. They leave me so full I’m not even tempted by the bag of greasy chips sitting on the office kitchen table.

Alex