Q and A with Jessa Rae

Hollywood has given us a warped sense of reality. If you came across Jennifer Aniston eating a giant Big Mac, Large fry and had a Coca-cola IV hooked up to her arm, you'd feel a little relief, wouldn't you? Like...whoah, she's human, she eats crap just like me! But nooo...instead we read magazine articles that highlight "A day in the life of Jennifer Aniston's diet" and it's a bunch of food that costs an arm and a leg to purchase, recipes that require a professional chef to prepare and don't appeal to the "normal" population like you and I!

Jessa Rae is a real girl.

I live in the midwest. I like corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt, I cook for myself and my diet plan DOES include real food that you can make yourself that you can pronounce.

So, let's pretend I'm a famous actress being interviewed by Jessa Rae Today magazine (JRT) and you want to be just like me today, mmmmk? Won't this be fun!?

JRT: What are your favorite things to eat now that you're embarking on this new lifestyle of yours?

Jess: There are a few things I call my lifesaver foods. These are items I can't NOT have in my house. I'll list them for you...

1) Canned pumpkin. Yep, you heard me right! This stuff is a hidden gem in the canned aisle of your supermarkets! Not only does it have OODLES of fiber to fill you up, it acts as a replacement for the oil and eggs in your devil's food cake mix. I have a killer recipe for chocolate cream cupcakes I'll share later! But I eat 3tbsp of canned pumpkin in my oatmeal EVERY day!

2) Progresso Light Soups. I realize it's coming up on summer, and hot soup is the last thing on your mind. But one can of this stuff is chalk full of veggies and at MOST will run you 2 points for a whole can on the WW plan.

3)Luna Bars. I love Luna Bars! Especially the S'Mores variety. It fills me up in between meals, gives me energy and tastes like a treat!

4) Sugar Snap Peas. These little green wonders are virtually no points unless you eat like 1,000 of them. They are full of fiber, they count toward your vegetable servings for the day and they are darn good! Instead of potato chips, nosh on these!

5) Baked Lays Parmesean and Tuscan Herb flavor. WOWZA! I don't eat chips much. I just never had a thing for them. But I discovered these and they hit my sweet spot. One serving of these is just 2 points. And you actually get a nice amount that satisfies!

6) Coke Zero. I'm a Coca-Cola addict. It's the only pop I enjoy. But thanks to the calories in it, I've had to swear it off. Enter: Coke Zero! The perfect substitute for my addiction, it has less sodium that Diet Coke and it doesn't have that weird diet aftertaste.

7) Subway. If my family wants to eat out, this is where we go. I can get a 6 inch turkey breast on wheat with cheese and LOADS of veggies for just 6 points. That's a point an inch! Whoo hoo!

8) Broccoli. I could seriously eat these tree-like veggies by the pound. They taste earthy, have a nice crunch and they taste good steamed with just a dash of salt.

9) Fruit. Once a week we go stock up on apples, bananas, apricots, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and anything else in season. We're really excited because we joined a Community Supported Agriculture at a local farm and will get fresh, organic fruits and veggies once a week!

10) Flat outs. These little tortilla wannabes are sooo good. I eat them almost every day. Make a wrap, make a pizza, toast them in the oven and make your own chips! They have different flavors like italian, flaxseed and original. Yumm-o!

JRT: How do you keep from gnawing your own arm off? Aren't you hungry?

Jess: I eat more today than I did as Fat Jess. Part of the reason my body is nice and chubby today is because I didn't keep my metabolism working. Simply put, I didn't eat ENOUGH through the day! I sure do look like I ate enough...but apparently my body went into starvation mode and freaked out! Instead of burning off the food I did eat, it stored my sugars and fats in places I didn't like, like my thighs and muffin top. So now, I eat every 3 hours or so, and drink LOTS of H2O in between! By not letting myself get to feeling hungry, I don't risk pigging out in one sitting!

JRT: How do you satisfy your insatiable sweet tooth? 

Jess: I have to eat ice-cream in some form every night. It's just what I enjoy and I refuse to give it up! So I stock up on the perfect alternatives:

-Deans Fudgesicles. These are only 2 points, they are chocolatey, ice-creamy and make me smile.
-Frozen Cool Whip Free. Weird, I know. But a scoop of frozen cool whip free is like barely a point! Add some sliced bananas and drizzle some Hershey's syrup on it, and whallah...I've got myself a banana split!

Also, don't buy what tempts you. I know I'll polish off a whole box of Ho-Ho's in one sitting. So I don't buy them. And if you DO want to enjoy a soft serve cone at the local ice cream joint, get it. Just don't get the super-duper mamma-jamma size! Get the kiddee size and enjoy it. You know you'll be licking your kid's cones, anyhow! []


Oooh, and I'm going to be trying this delicious recipe this week...I'll give you a review once I eat it!
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