too little too late

I have too much to say and not enough of time, as usual. Big deal, I'm losing about fifteen pounds a year, but, at that rate, it will take almost ten years to reach my "before-babies" goal weight. I don't think I have that much time to spare. I was five feet two inches then, I'm now four feet eleven inches. For ten years I was a boarder-line diabetic, now I'm in the ranks of daily medications. The only thing that has stayed the same is my dishonesty within myself about why I am overweight. Today it is the medications, but in reality I have always known that a more active lifestyle will always make the change that is needed to continue a consistent weight loss. Of course I could go the route of decreasing calories, or cutting way down on empty calories. The choice has always been mine, the buck stops here! As a matter of fact the weight I have lost has caused some skin to change its' molecular structure, that I am not too happy with either. Now let's get to the heart of things. Don't fail me now, I promise I will lose more weight if you let me be okay in that area again (medications and procedures, I don't like.) But when you get to be my age you are happy every day that you are just beathing, and that I am. After all I don't mind going home, but I have a lot of lose ends to tie up, if it be His will. Now this is not a goodbye. It is just speaking in retrospect and being honest with myself. I am doing good but I pledge to do better.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Effective weight management demands that you require more of yourself in terms of personal integrity, honesty, and maturity.

article

When you blot your pizza, you do more than turn your napkin a scary shade of orange: You also absorb 9 to 14 percent of a slice's total fat and 17 percent of the saturated fat, according to a study by ABC Research. That makes the occasional slice a nutritious choice; tomato sauce in the vegetable category, crust for grain and cheese for dairy.
Just stay away from the stuffed crust: The fat will overwhelm the pat. J.B.

That's all well and good if you can manage to eat only one piece, not! I never never can. Until I have self control in my corner, I have to stay away from the trigger foods that make me overeat, for now. I also know you can downsize the calories by using whole grains for the crust, tomato paste for the sauce, no or low fat cheese, and all the vegetables you desire for toppings. That will keep me from eating more than one slice.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.

myth

You have to train for weeks before you get any benefits?

Nope. It may take a month or two before aerobic workouts get noticeably easier, but you'll shave pounds within a week. And your strength will sharpen: Studies done at Ohio University demonstrate that muscle responds to weight-lifting after only four sessions. It gets better: Recent researach suggests reduces stress, a rosier outlook, more confidence, better sex, sounder sleep all kick in after one workout. H.

Wait a minute here, I am gaining weight a little, the last couple of weeks (although I have started four new medications.) I started to pedal for at least ten minutes for the last month straight in a row faithfully and I am not losing weight anymore. I did not say I was exerting myself to a sweat. That is what I get for bragging about all of my new better health habits I have incorporated into my lifestyle for changes. Don't give up, when all else fails, add something new to your regimen. (My self-pep talk!)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: HOPE IS OUTREACHING DESIRE WITH EXPECTANCY OF GOOD.

stumbled

I lost weight seven weeks in a row (small amounts.) Too good to be true, I had to break my record by gaining 1.50 pounds two weeks ago. This week I recovered with a 3.75 pound loss at my weigh-in. I try to have at least one salad a day. I pedal (stationary) ten minutes or more a day. I alternate days with stretching exercises....twister....or cardio. I take vitamins and herbs. plenty of water and get sufficent sleep. Eating lots of vegetables and now incorporating a continual cut-back on sweets until I wean myself completely, "I hope." I have faced the fact that you have to do the right thing to get the right results!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Before you put on a frown, make sure there are no smiles available.

lowered expectations

I quit beating up myself with goals that are too restricting and unattainable in a small amount of time. That causes me to feel defeated and strips my motivation for that week. A pound or two gain may happen once in a while but that just spurs me on to try harder the following day. So now since 7/31 I have kept a blue or black weigh-in in my book. So far this year I have only lost nineteen pounds (a drop in the bucket.) I am looking forward to that day soon to come when I change my size of clothing, in a decending number, one size at a time.

I found a new tip I must try. Simply serving your food on lavender-colored dishware can keep you from overeating. Because there so few violet or blue foods in nature, we instinctively feel less hungry when surrounded by these hues, say color therapists, who use this trick to help dieters stick to their weight-loss plans.

article

Q. I always order dessert even though I know I shouldn't. Do you have any willpower tricks?

A. Try popping a piece of gum right after you finish your entree. It takes at least 20 minutes from when you begin eating for your body to start feeling full. Chewing gum keeps your mouth busy and your tastebuds distracted in the meantime, says Richard Baybutt, PhD, an associate professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University.

Last week I lost a few more pounds but didn't go to my weigh-in yesterday. I added some pounds over the holiday weekend. I have had two months of losses and don't want to see that red weigh-in mark messing up my book anymore! I have to work a little harder this week to continue with a loss. I thin I can, I thin I can, I know I can!


Happy Birthday 9/10 to my youngest daughter, I really love and miss you and my grandson very very much. I hope someday I can be in your lives again. God Bless you both!

diet help

We've read it all before, what to do, what to eat, how to increase activity, all for the success of getting healtlhier and losing unwanted weight. There are no surprises in the process. Hints: 1. Support from others is critical to making a successful lifestyle change. 2. Plateaus are an inevitable - and frustating - part of the weight-loss process. 3. Varying your exercise routine can help bust a plateau and keep you from getting bored with your workouts. See you next weigh-in, a little lighter I hope.

hooray

It's been almost a month since I have had access to a computer. The good news is I have lost six pounds since my last weigh-in. I did it the hard way, I was very sick. Of course, that means I have not exercised in over a month. I am stilll somewhat weak but I don't like how my muscles have seemed to let loose. I must get back into the habit of stretching and doing moderate exercise as before. I am also seeing loose skin. I can't wait until I can do things like aerobics again. I know because of my heart, I will need to drop about eighty pounds to be able to handle the cardio stimulation.

I just read a short paragraph on "What Works." Based on studies of people who've successfully lost weight and kept it off, the strategies that appear to work the best are eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet, and exercising. As if we didn't already know that! I say it is utilizing what we do know. Actually foods that are good for you, really do taste good. My problem is I let myself get too hungry and I feel like I need instant gratification. Ahh fast food!

Hint: Chew gum while you're making dinner to prevent those calorie-laden bites that can really add up!

weight & fertility article

(I can't remember where I clipped this article from but the info is interesting.) Weight loss can help fertility. Obesity encourages insulin resistance and ploycystic ovarian syndrome -- conditions that can lead to infertility. "Higher insulin levels lead to more fat storage and disrupt proper ovarian hormone production," says reproductive endocrinologist Laurence Jacobs, M.D. His program, x2 Fit and Fertile (x2fitandfertile.com), helps women correct insulin resistance with weight loss. Through use of a weighted vest, a low-carb diet and, in some cases, medication, the program has had a 50% success rate.

JOKE: Who was the heaviest of King Arthur's knights? Sir Lunch-alot.

unsolicited advice

Nothing can cause this stubborn fat person to run faster to food in rebellion, than unsolicited advice in a demeaning way. Someone I have been in the company of for the last two weeks has insisted I quit my support group, for losing weight, since I do not follow a strict diet plan long enough to reach my goal of at least being a size medium. My only rebuttal was at least I weigh less now than I did when I started. That did not impress her at all.

I am not a garbage disposal anymore. I have become selective about not eating foods I really don't care for. I read all labels, to stay informed. I choose to indulge for any special occasion. I feel that is my choice and my business! I am faithful to always keep a food journal even if it is just a taste.

I can hardly wait to get back to exercising on a regular basis, that always kept me energized. I also need this daily posting on my blog to help keep me accountable and to stay consistant. Oh the good old days!

HINT: The downside of eating for emotional relief is that it ultimately makes you feel worse because it causes weight gain, brings on feelings of guilt, and can erode your self-esteem. Dr.P.

calories

STARBUCKS:

Caffe Latte---cal. 270---fat 14---carb 22---16 fl. oz. with whole milk

Cappuccino---cal 180---fat 9---carb 15---16 fl. oz. with whole milk

Chi Tea Latte---cal. 320---fat 13---carb 36

Tazo Berry & Cream--- cal. 600---fat 23---carb 63

Tazo Berry Grande---cal. 210---fat 0---carb. 53

Iced Caffe Americano---cal. 15---fat 0---carb. 3

I stopped my low carb. diet six weeks ago even though I lost 13 pounds that month. It was too expensive buying foods I didn't have available in the house. I am sure a lot of the weight loss might have been water weight but it made a difference in the way my blouse fit over my stomach. For once I could button the bottom button without it pulling when I sat down. I thought I would try something different to keep myself from getting bored with dieting. This time I decided to count calories. I have kept a food journal for the last four years. Therefore, I assumed it would not be a problem, I like lists anyway. Talk about a rude awakening! I consumed about 3,000 to 6,000 calories a day. I am gradually cutting down each week to bring it to 1,500. I have only gained about five pounds back (13#loss.) I have not had a chance to continue with my exercise routines as before. As soon as I have THAT most important factor on my agenda, again, weight will start to drop off at a healthy pace.

My attention span will be determined by my desire.

requests

I had a few requests for info on calories. I looked through my books and they all vary but this is a guide line if there is no label to review. Depending on the condition of your health, certain aspects of the label-break-down, may be more important than the rest; especially if on any medications. Always check with your physician on what you need to be more attentive to when reading the labels. I more than likely will be making a few different postings on this subject since it is fairly long and my time on this computer will expire.

breath

Big deep breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth slowly. That's how you relax and relieve the stress build up that causes the release of the hormone cortizone, causing that middle belly fat. Calories need oxygen to up-the-burn in your metabolism.

Your calories are distributed in the body for certain functions daily. Here's the break down:
75% basic needs
10% digestion
15% activity ( or lack of, stores it in empty fat cells)
____
100% percent of what you eat is your choice, do the right thing, and use up the 15% for spending time just moving around more than usual. Who wants to take the advice of a fat person? Me, I am trying to remind myself out loud, how quickly I forget my own suggestions.

do & don't

I feel limited with this blog, only able to post about once a month. My low-carb diet is working when I work it. I usually only use it for a few days at a time, have my free days to eat my fruits, vegetables, and any craving that arises. It usually takes two days to get back in the so called "zone." I should follow the rules and do it for weeks at a time but I can't get use to the restrictions. I say whatever works for you, go for it! I have such a long way to go and years and years of built up bad habits, so what's a few more years matter to be able to change all the unhealthy eating and the sedentary life style? Since I started in around May the fifth, I have lost ten pounds. Don't give me any accolades, I almost regained my last sixty pound lost a couple of years ago.

BLOG READS

When I had a working computer I found some sites of interest that I liked returning to for one reason or another. I just thought I'd share them with you from time to time. My diet motivation was wrapped up in doing my diet blog daily for over a year. I was able to also find helpful hints on the internet that kept me wanting to try harder and not to give up. It helped me to change my way of thinking. It influenced me to be tenacious about the fact that increased activity and exercise are an important factor for wellness in my life. Being informed is an effective too.

B.R.'s on 6-17-06....... I checked them out on 5-23-07, and they are all open, in the catagories of: 11-general, 10-diet & wellness, and 11-animals.

HINT: When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there. Z.Z.

hooray

Lost a few pounds last week. I've discovered if I use two days as time off and follow through with the remaining five days "on alert" to a goal of wellness, I can weigh-in and still have a loss at my support group. I tried to sneak in another day of "time off" because of extenuating circumstances but I fell back into my old ways and lost some ground. At least now I know my limitations. I'm even saying "no" a lot easier now. I do have such a long way to go.

Tonight I saw another gross dieter on "The Insider." There was a nineteen year old girl who had lost 170 pounds. She had an apron of fat old looking skin hanging from her body. They showed the transformation before and after. She needed it surgically removed, the skin its self, weighed 75 pounds after it was removed.

I know with old age "supple" is long gone but this girl was still a teenager. I feel like this diet stuff is a catch-22 situation. The looks of a plump taut skin takes on the look of a dried up old prune. Collapsed fat cells are not appealing to me! Exercise & portion control, what a concept!

oops-failure

Hooray for me, I tried the low-carb diet for thirteen days and yes it worked. I lost weight for my weigh-in on Tuesday the 15th. I got over confident, knowing I can use that approach next time for a quick loss again. I rewarded myself with a free day of eating what I liked, bad mistake! I forgot how long it takes to get back into the zone when too many carbohydrates are consumed all day long. I'm Italian and it is hard not to crave the pasta. I feel like a failure, I allowed myself to throw away two weeks of time, effort, and money, on a particular program that is only temporary. As of today I have to think about what I am going to do with the extra ten pounds that came back so soon. I'm such a big baby, instant gratification is what I feel comfortable with! Once I'm on a roll, it becomes more motivating and easier to stick with any diet. In reality, I have known for a long time that behavior modification is the only long term program that anyone can live with to continue to have a successful loss, and be healthier for life. The saga goes on.

facts

*Iodine, a trace mineral in a very small quantity in your body controls the speed of your metabolism by affecting the production of the thyroid hormone thyroxine.
*Eat an apple everyday, a year-round source of pectin, which is a food fiber that traps cholesterol (oat bran does the same.)
*Vitamin B1 Thiamin is essential for carbohydrate metabolism, growth and muscle tone, the nervous system, and stabolizes the appetite.
*Drinking tea with your meals decreases iron absorption.
*Almonds and pistachios are rich in protein and contain key trace minerals, zinc and boron, that stimulates brain activity.
*Vitamin C is an important agent in wound healing. Vitamine C is needed for the formation of collegen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Most of us would succeed in small things if we weren't so troubled with blind ambition. H.W.L.

I heard somewhere on TV a couple of weeks ago that chocolate candy would be changing. It would go from butter to oils, something like that? I love my chocolate, which I crave often. They keep changing it to the point of feeling waxy and lacking a cocoa taste and too much sugar. Now take out the buttery taste, keep it up and maybe I just won't like it and will lose weight by not enjoying the tase at all anymore!

condolences VTech 4/16/07

To all affected by this violent crime, I send a hug of sympathy with tears, love, and prayers always. The pain in my bleeding heart is excruciating once more. Your child is a part of your body forever. Their absence from this world leaves a hole in your heart that will never be filled. Comfort is a long way off and happiness will never be the same. Even when the journey begins to wane, in time, you will still be able to feel the devestating emptiness return on specific days.

There is hope in the enjoyment of the loving memories they have embedded in our hearts and on our minds. No one can take that away from you! In the end we will be reunited. The more I hear and see through the media, about the murderer and the circumstances that led up to the massacre, I get outrageously mad and say "why didn't they forsee that?" But, going through the grieving process over my son has taught me to know that anger will block any healing. Here are a few excerpts from my grief expression blog:

*THE CENTRAL PLACE FOR THE HEALING OF THE SOUL IS MEANT TO BE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY OF GOD'S PEOPLE.

*All is well with your loved ones because they are in the presence of God the Father in absolute perfection.

*Sometimes it is easier to bear pain ourselves than to watch someone we love suffer.

*Grief is the price you pay for the ability to love.

*The purpose of us sharing our losses together is to console one another and encourage hope.

*Learning to better manage your emotions often greatly reduces only the frequency and the intensity of those emotions.

*As long as there is someone who loves us, we will remain alive. Memories makes us immortal. In truth, love will outlive even memories.

*Dear Lord, help me to grow in your grace --- even when the tears are falling.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

7 steps

I read this in my newsletter and this is how success was spelled:

S ee your goal.
U nderstand the obstacles.
C lear your mind of doubt.
C reate a positive mental picture.
E mbrace the challange.
S tay on track.
S how the world you can do it. T.

See you in a couple of weeks. I faced the music last weigh-in and lost 2.50 pounds. No pat on the back please. I looked at my book of w/i and in the last year I have lost 92 pounds, (over and over again I lost and gained and lost and gained etc.) The hard cold fact is I lost my 65# weight loss in the yo-yo system. I need to get back on line so that I can feel that spark of motivation that lasted from day to day as I continued with my postings and researching two years. Times is up, got to go. Thanks for stopping by.