More lifestyle tips and a scrumptious recipe for poached halibut

Whew! The Christmas holiday is over and I'm facing the new year just like everyone else. We're also facing the dreaded tradition of making New Year's resolutions. Bah! Humbug! I believe that if you don't make resolutions, you can't beat yourself up for breaking them. That doesn't mean I don't want to become a better person, or healthier, or skinnier. I just don't want to stress over it or feel deprived. I guess I want things to be easy, but there are things that get in the way.

Here's a little story that illustrates the point I'm making. A few years ago, my husband and I went to California where we both grew up. We both love the mountains, but we love the beach and ocean, too. So, while we were driving along the coastal highway, we saw a sandy road leading to the ocean and took it. We could see the ocean in the distance, but the road wound among sand dunes for a while before getting there. One branch of the road that we took had deep ruts that slowed us down and at one point was blocked so we had to take a different way before we eventually came to the beach that we wanted to get to. I remember seeing the ocean in the distance and wishing we could get to it, but there were these roadblocks in the way.

The road to better health is often strewn with roadblocks that discourage us from traveling on it. Here are a couple of tips to keep you on the road:

Tip #3: To help you avoid sabotaging yourself, first thing in the morning fix yourself a plateful of peeled orange slices, apple slices dipped in lemon juice, cut up celery, baby carrots, strawberries, sliced cabbage, and anything else that is raw vegetable that you even mildly like to eat. Keep the plate on the counter or at your desk where it is easily accessible. The idea is that if you graze on healthful, raw fruits and vegetables, you won't be as easily tempted to go after the bad stuff. You also won't feel ravenously hungry later in the afternoon when those hunger pains are likely to sabotage your good intentions. Feeling full and complete for most of the day can make sticking to the best kinds of foods easier.

Tip #4: Hide the foods that are bad for you so you actually have to go hunting for them. Out of sight, out of mind actually works, especially if you have the veggie and fruit plate out in the open where you can satiate yourself on lower calorie, more healthful foods.

Tips #5: Drink lots and lots of water for two or three reasons: (1) Water satisfies cravings that mimic hunger and a desire for food; (2) If you drink a lot of water, your body will eliminate it more often so it flushes excess fluids, pollutants, salt, and even some fats that you take into your body, which keeps your liver and kidneys healthier and your ankles from swelling; (3) Sufficient water in your body hydrates your skin and keeps it supple so you're less likely to look like a starved turkey as you lose weight.

Here is one of my favorite recipes that is good for an HCG diet, regular eating, and is gluten free as well:

Poached Orange Ginger Halibut

Ingredients:

1-2 pieces of halibut, skin removed (frozen is fine)
1 orange
1/2 lemon
1" piece of raw ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
Onion powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place halibut in small frying pan that has a lid.
Squeeze the orange and lemon over the halibut.
Sprinkle the ginger, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper over the halibut.
Put the lid on the pan and simmer the halibut until it cooks just until it flakes in the center. You may want to turn it over halfway through the cooking process.
Serve and eat immediately.

The poached halibut is especially good with a green salad.