Once regarded as a status symbol in the far east, being fat has become an increasing problem (no pun intended) here in the US. Surrounded by fast food, TV dinners and fad diets ranging from no carbs to all veggies. Secrets like grapefruits or meat or points or pounds or calories or fat (and now different kinds of fat) — all claim to be the path to a thin wonderland. It’s enough to make your head swim. While the dieting industry is making Billions and continuing to swell — unfortunately so are many American’s waist lines.

So how do you know what works and what doesn’t? Well you can do what I did and spend several years learning what ACTUALLY works and WHY or you can read on. I have discovered over the past several years a number of tips, tricks and methods to lose weight and feel great — both physiologically and psychologically. More importantly, I can explain why certain things help so that you can both understand how these tips are effective and customize your own diet program that fits your needs and personal tastes. So come on and learn how I was able to go from an out-of-shape average-Joe to a Triathlete. That’s right, I first lost 30 lbs of fat and then I gained 5 lbs of muscle and now I run in Sprint Trathlons and actually enjoy it.

This piece is the begining of a new section for this site called Dieting & Weight Loss. It is a way for me to tell others about some of these great things that I have learned about losing weight without starving yourself or spending lots of money while I complete my larger work The No Sides Diet (TM). The lawyers, of course, want me to mention that I am not a doctor nor have I had any formal nutritional training. I am simply a friend sharing with other friends the things that have worked for me (and WHY) and that can work for you.

The greatest dieting secret I have discovered (and anyone that wants to achieve real and lasting success with their weight-loss goals must realize) is this: A food’s calorie content, its ability to satisfy hunger, and its nutritional content are three MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVELY THINGS. Stated another way this means that a food’s weight gain/loss impact, its ability to make you full, and the amount of useful vitamins and other nutrients it contains are three completely unrelated attributes of said food item.
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One of the topics i would like to cover on this is site is cooking or more accurately a cook book of sorts. Focusing on great dishes I have discovered in other people’s cooking & things that i have put together myself that deal more with great taste from a bachelor chef…Today’s installment: My own version of rotel dip.

This dish is often compared to rotel dip but it doesn’t actually contain any rotel. So you might call it more of a cross between rotel dip and nacho cheese dip. It is great for dipping with just about any chip. I personally enjoy both rice cakes (the caramel ones are the best) for the sheer amount of cheese dip they can heft to your mouth and reduced fat wheat thins for the hint of sweetness that the wheat thins have. Yes reduced fat – they taste the same and that means you can have more cheese dip. But for the less adventurous any normal dipping chip like Tostitos will do.

Ingredients

Fill bowl about 1/4 full with salsa. Add hot sauce to taste. Add small pieces of Velveeta cheese over the top of salsa. I use the patented Velveeta slicer in a top down motion with two cuts and a cross cut to make 6 pieces out of the typical velveeta slice. Fill bowl to 3/4 full with velveeta. Microwave on med-hi heat for 40-60 seconds to get velveeta slightly melted. Add a small amount of montery jack cheese and mix dip. I use a butter knife to mix the cheese dip because it is easy to scrape the cheese off of on the side of the bowl. Microwave on med-hi for 20-30 and then mix dip again. Continue to microwave and mix until all the cheese has melted. Adjust microwave times for larger size bowls (as these times are for a small bowl) and wimpy microwaves. Once the cheese is melted, mix in milk until cheese appears slightly runny. Cheese dip will thicken as it cools and this will make the cheese dip creamier and prevent it from solidifying.

UPDATE: This post has been moved to dieting section due to the fact that I’ve only come up with on cookbook item in 3 1/2 years…