After-Work Gourmet by Lisa Messinger

If your family's goal is to lose weight, what if you succeed? Congratulations, but maintaining that achievement has been shown to be hardest of all. Studies indicate that 95 percent of dieters gain back all the lost weight, plus at least 10 percent more.

This can set up a pattern of yo-yo dieting, which doctors warn is often more dangerous to the body than simply staying consistently at a higher weight. Therefore, the most important resolution may be to figure out how not to regain. Nutritionists have long recommended tips, such as having soup or salad before a meal to fill up first.

Pete Thomas won the show's $100,000 prize for losing the most weight in season two of TV's "The Biggest Loser" (after shedding most of the 185 pounds in nine months on his own at home after being voted off the show). He's an athlete, physical and motivational trainer, online weight loss program founder and diet book author who has kept the weight off for seven years partially through an innovative method that expands upon the "fill up first" philosophy.

He calls it: "Fluid. Fill. Feast." For a meal, first, he and his followers drink their choice of a healthful fluid (water or other choices) and then fill up on a nutritious soup, salad or other high-volume, low-calorie food, such as a plate of fresh broccoli, and finally "feast" on portion-controlled healthfully prepared comfort foods that they crave, such as oven-baked crusted chicken that tastes like it's fried or macaroni and cheese prepared with low-fat milk and cheeses.

Outstanding, too, is that many of these filler foods, such as fresh vegetables, are the most economical the supermarket has to offer. To get the hang of eating in a way that loosely follows these tenets, try some of my quick ideas below.

Strategic food choices like this prove preparation can be easy, nutritious, economical — and fast. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare. The combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for tasty "home cooking" and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it. Another benefit: You — and your kid helpers — effortlessly become better chefs, since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong mixtures, so whatever you choose to use can't help but draw "wows."

—Fluid: Eight ounces of tomato juice mixed with freshly ground black pepper and a dash of curry powder.

Not all fluids are created equal. Tomato juice is a winner. Here is some information about it from Cooking Light magazine: "If you bike or run an hour or more, you're not just losing fluids. You're also sweating out electrolytes like sodium and potassium.

You could replace them with a sports drink or you could chase down some water with a glass of tomato juice. It's filled with potassium and sodium.

"One eight-ounce glass delivers six-and-a-half times the sodium and 15 times the potassium you'd get from your standard sports drink."

—Fill: Plate of fresh spinach topped with sliced fresh store-bought mushrooms and drizzled with dashes of olive oil and red-wine vinegar.

—Feast: Cooked ground turkey breast, vegetable or soy burger (made with your favorite seasonings) on toasted whole-wheat hamburger bun, spread with fat-free blue cheese dressing and topped with romaine lettuce, tomato slices and grilled onions.

—Fluid: Six ounces diet soda that includes a natural no-calorie sweetener, such as stevia.

—Fill: Store-bought or homemade butternut squash soup mixed with almond milk (provides creamy results for only about 20 calories per half cup) and sprinkled with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper and salt substitute, if desired.

—Feast: Cook store-bought whole-grain ravioli (usually sold in the refrigerator or freezer section of major supermarkets) according to package directions. Carefully drain. Place in a microwave-safe container or a baking dish, cover with preheated pasta sauce that contains no sugar and top with mozzarella cheese and low-fat cheddar cheese. Drizzle with chopped cilantro and scallions and microwave or bake just until cheese begins to melt, being careful not to overcook ravioli.

—Fluid: Mix 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons (or to taste) of a natural sweetener like stevia and 8 ounces boiling water. Let cool enough to sip. (Besides this beverage being filling and tasting good, unsweetened cocoa is high in antioxidants and has also been shown to help improve blood sugar levels.)

—Fill: Plate of mixed salad greens, topped with watermelon and cantaloupe slices, drizzled with a dressing you've mixed from low-carbohydrate fruit yogurt and olive oil and topped with finely chopped fresh basil.

—Feast: Scoop out filling of baked potatoes and mash with minced garlic, nonfat sour cream and chopped chives. Remove skin from and remove breasts of store-bought rotisserie chicken and make a slice in center of breasts that creates a pocket. Fill with mashed potatoes and drizzle with a heated sauce that is a mixture of light soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes. Save additional parts of the chicken for leftovers. —Photo courtesy of CookingLight.com

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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