It's a common baby-boomer issue

Mom is in the hospital and now she can’t go back to the assisted living facility. Dad is having a difficult time of it and is numbing himself with concern about material things like drawing up a plan for dividing the room equitably with a new roommate. He doesn’t want to let go of any of his stuff. Stuff! It’s such a burden. I have the same disease as him. I have too much stuff. Afraid to get rid of it as if it is a part of me or a protection from loss. I see and feel it as a burden. He does not. Dad, you are almost fucking 90! What do you need all this crap for? It will just be more for us to deal with when you finally leave this earth. As it is, moving Mom will be a big ordeal. So much to get rid of. What’s the point of it all? What am I afraid of? What will I miss out on by not having my calculus notes or my binder of proofs from Foundations of Math? Why do I need to keep a squeaky bird I got at a child’s birthday party 15 years ago? All this stuff just clutters up my house, my mind, my life.

I have been feeling pretty hopeless lately. I still have that damn hole in my belly and I’m gaining weight-like I need anymore. If I am this fat and I get real old it will make things really difficult. It is already making everything difficult. Which brings me to the point of what is the point of trying to take better care of myself? It’s a battle between life and death. Right now I want to die young. I don’t want to go through what Mom is going through. I feel like it is a hopeless task to lose weight. Most people can’t do it. If I can’t I might as well die soon. If I can lose it I would have by now don’t you think? Why is this such an issue? It used to be about looks and self-esteem. Now it is about health, pain, medical issues, being a burden (literally) in my old age. I haven’t got any kids to take care of me.

I told Dad, death is a part of life. He said “but I’m not ready to go yet” I asked didn’t his faith help him? and he said yes, it did. My faith tells me that whatever I don’t deal with in this life will be waiting for me to deal with in another life. But I am so tired and sore that I don’t care. I just want to veg out and move on to the next life. At least I can start out young again. Maybe I will be wiser. I have been so stupid in this life. I have not appreciated what I had and not used my gifts. Why can’t I use my gifts? And how do I use them? What am I here for?

Been watching Roswell again. It is such a comfort to me. To see Jason Behr’s characterization of Max Evans and to relive my youth. I just noticed the other day that he has Chris’s legs. Wow! Didn’t get that connection before. What if Chris was the love of my life and I just threw it all away out of fear or some madness? I don’t hold out any hope for love or romance in my life now. Not gonna happen. Fuck it.

[Via http://lindabaker53.wordpress.com]

229 Days Till The Wedding

Dearest Supporters:

Just a quick update on my progress during this past weekend.  I’ll start by saying that Saturday was my cheat day.  Traditionally, when I used to be a gym-rat and treated my body as a temple, I ate healthy foods…six days a week.  My philosophy was and still is, that you need to reward yourself for the effort you put into your diet and exercise plan.  I know that if I deprived myself of pizza, ice cream and my favorite…chocolate, forever, that I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to start a healthy eating routine.  But just knowing that on Saturdays I could let loose and enjoy those foods worked as an incentive for me.  Now, trust me, I didn’t go hog-wild stuffing my face with as much junk as possible, though I would’ve like to, especially when it comes to pizza.  Being of Italian decent, I can’t live too long without the sauce and mozzarella cheese combo, so having a cheat day allowed me to indulge a bit!

As far as exercise is concerned, I struggled to get my big butt into the gym to do cardio on Saturday.  I dressed in my gym clothes after I showered, as a constant reminder that I needed to go, but I kept finding things around the house to occupy my time.  After spending the afternoon grocery shopping at Whole Foods, which is forty-five minutes from my house, it was too late to go to the gym.  While I was unloading the groceries, I was giving myself the guilt-trip from hell, and when I finished, I hopped into the car and drove to the park, where I walked a full ninety minutes or roughly four and a half miles.

Sunday, I went through the same struggle, but this time I never even left the house.  I spent the day in bed watching movies and reading.  I had no fight in me.  Besides, it was the last day of my vacation and I just wanted to laze around for a day before heading back to the rat-race which, concerned me.   With my work schedule being so busy and stressful, I was worried that I would soon abandon my battle.

When I woke up this morning, the only thing on my mind was how I was going to fit my workout into the day.  Luckily, one of my tutoring appointments fell through in the afternoon and I was able to start my hour commute a whole hour earlier.  My commute, as I mentioned in a previous post, is what gets me into trouble.  I always manage to talk myself out of working out by the time I reach my driveway.  Today, I changed that.  I told myself that I would get to the gym, over and over and over again.  it worked because as soon as I walked through my front door, I headed toward the closet, changed my clothes and then headed to the gym. Afterward, I felt great, ate a nice salmon dinner and am now, focused on tomorrow.  It’ll be another busy day, but I can’t give up.  I’ll keep you posted.

Sincerely,

Thy Maid of Honor

[Via http://thymaidofhonor.wordpress.com]

Is Caralluma A Weight Loss Scam?

Hi, I’m Peter Jackson. The simple answer to the question “Is caralluma a weight loss scam?” is no. I created this page to show you it can work. Not only can it work for me, but it can work for you too.

I am 47 years of age, divorced father of two beautiful children. Until I discovered the power of caralluma, my self esteem was very low. I had just come through a messy divorce and I had found comfort in eating.

Since the divorce, I had piled on the pounds and was looking for a way to get rid of the extra weight. I tried dieting and went from one yo-yo diet to the next. Weight loss seemed like a far off dream to me. My self esteem and confidence fell lower and lower. I thought that I would carry this extra weight forever.

Sound familiar, I bet it does.

Then, my friend Ben introduced me to caralluma. He had used it to lose weight for his daughter’s upcoming wedding. He said it worked a treat.

So I scoured the net and discovered that I could try it for free at this website. I had nothing to lose. If it worked I could keep on using it, if it didn’t, It only cost me shipping and handling. That to me was a good deal.

 I had paid for diets and exercise programmes in the past, and I could get this caralluma for free from these guys.

Even this doctor was saying how the caralluma plant would help with weight loss.

Well my life turned around. It was as if a cloud had lifted from my shoulders. The results were almost instantaneous. I steadily lost pound after pound and it became obvious to me and the people around me that caralluma was working.

My self esteem and confidence increased day by day. I even had my female friends saying how attractive I had become, not only my body, but my spirit as well.

With the grey clouds lifted, my spirits soared and I was attractive to others again. That’s when I met Sally, a Fortune 500 company Executive. If I hadn’t tried caralluma I would not have had the confidence to ask her out. Now we are planning a fantastic future together.

So please, This is possible for you too. You can change your life with caralluma. Get some free here where I did. Remember it is possible for you too.

[Via http://carallumascam.wordpress.com]

Easter with Sex and The City Hotspots: Fabulous "Rabbit" Giveaway

Easter weekend will be all fun and games with On Location Tours’ Sex and the City Hotspots Tour.  Earn fabulous Easter egg prizes along the way by knowing your Sex and the City trivia.  The grand prize winner will get a Rabbit from the Pleasure Chest, where Charlotte buys her rabbit on the show!  All of this while, of course, seeing the city that these four fabulous ladies call home.  You’ll stop and have cosmos at “Scout,” the bar owned by Aidan, go to the restaurant where Carrie has her wedding rehearsal dinner, and stuff your face with cupcakes just like the girls while hearing behind the scene secrets from tour guides who are real New York City actresses.  So, brush up on your Sex and the City episodes ladies, and book now before seats fill up.

When:  Saturday, April 3rd and Sunday April 4th (during 3pm departure only)

Duration: 3.5 hours

Price:  $42 (+ $2 ticket fee)

* To purchase online, visit www.screentours.com

* To purchase by phone, call Zerve at 212-209-3370

Departure at Fifth Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets. (Exact location provided at time of purchase)

[Via http://nealbinnyc.wordpress.com]

The Verdict's In

I stepped on the scale yesterday wrapping up a ten day limeade cleanse and the first five days of the subsequent 10 Day Biotics Cleanse.

I sort of knew something had changed when I tried on a size four dress in the juniors department at Kohl’s the other day and it actually fit!

Regardless, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I actually got on the scale. And got off of it. And then got back on.

I swear, if that scale had been in my bathroom instead of at the gym, I probably would have fallen asleep there standing upright!

For the first time in my adult life, I don’t need to lose any weight! In fact, in a completely unanticipated turn of events, I am actually substantially below my stated goal weight!

Go figure. I guess all of those old boyfriends who used to tell me that I was full of crap were actually onto something!

Anyway, goals or no, I’m curious as to what the next 15 days will bring!

Fifteen days – that is – that include 5 more days of prescribed deep liver cleansing, followed by 11 additional days of sugar detox!

Then let the maintenance begin….

Just in case you were beginning to wonder, the fun never seems to end here at Camp Living Lively!

[Via http://kjlivinglively.com]

Sex in Las Vegas: Where Was Kim Cattrall?

from http://www.eonline.com/:

Just because Kim Cattrall wasn’t in Las Vegas last night with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon does not mean she is persona non grata.

The gals jetted to Sin City for movie industry convention ShoWest, where the upcoming Sex and the City movie sequel was honored with this year’s Ensemble Award.

So why was Cattrall a no-show?

She’s busy in London starring in a West End production of Noel Coward’s play Private Lives.

“We don’t like her, so she’s gone,” Parker joked (yes, joked!) with me backstage. “We’ve actually been emailing with her for the last three or four hours. The next time you see us, we will be complete.”

Nixon added, “We miss her.”

Davis also piped in to set the record straight about one of the more recent tabloid tales of SATC catfighting. “I want to clear this up,” she said, “I promise I have never made Kim eat alone in a restaurant!”

Of course, the gals were tightlipped about the sequel’s storylines, but did share about the sometimes not-so-glamorous filming that took place in North Africa. “We happened to be staying at a hotel that had no electricity and no indoor plumbing,” Davis said. “We always had to run out to trailers to go to the bathroom.”

Parker added, “We were drinking so much mint tea, but it was a real dilemma: Do you hydrate or do you pee less?”

Perhaps they’ll have better accommodations if they make another SATC flick. While no decision has been made about a third, Nixon cracked, “We’re going to do Sex in Space.”

[Via http://nealbinnyc.wordpress.com]

What is a Team Beachbody® Coach?

Team Beachbody is where your healthy lifestyle begins.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight or get fit, we can provide a solution. We help you achieve your goals using a combination of proven home fitness programs, easy-to-follow meal plans and nutrition advice, financial incentives, and a support system like no other. Team Beachbody is proving that changing your body and your life is not only possible, but it can be fun, simple, and rewarding.

About Beachbody®
Beachbody has been the leader in home fitness since 1998. We’ve created many of the most popular fitness and weight loss solutions, including P90X® Extreme Home Fitness, INSANITY™, Slim in 6®, Hip Hop Abs®, ChaLEAN Extreme®, Turbo Jam®, Power 90®, Yoga Booty Ballet® Ab & Butt Makeover, and Kathy Smith’s Project:YOU! Type 2®.

Shakeology® and P90X® Results and Recovery Formula lead our Beachbody Nutritionals® line of products, designed to help you get the best results from your fitness programs. All of our supplements adhere to the highest formulation standards in the industry. At Beachbody, we believe that good nutrition is a must for good health.

At Beachbody and Team Beachbody, our mission is to give people the programs, tools, and support they need to achieve their goals and enjoy healthy, fulfilling lives.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY TO BETTER HEALTH AND FITNESS AND A NEW YOU!

When you purchase any Beachbody® Fitness Program from the link above, I will give you a FREE Personal Training Session to assure you are properly performing the excercises and benefiting the most during your workouts.*
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about purchasing your Beachbody® Fitness Program of choice.
*In Rhode Island.

[Via http://imapersonaltrainer.wordpress.com]

EAT WELL: Discover Beets - A Powerful Antioxidant

Did you know that the pigment that provides the rich red color of beets is also a powerful antioxidant and cancer fighting agent? Beet roots contain a unique class of phytonutrients called betalains. Betacyanin is the red pigment that is concentrated in red beets, and betaxanthin is the yellow-orange pigment found in yellow beets. These health-promoting phytonutrient pigments may be partially responsible for beets’ suggested role as a chemoprotective food. In one study, liver antioxidant enzymes were found to increase in animals fed beet fiber. Since these enzymes protect the liver from free radicals, they are thought to prevent the beginnings of cancerous activity. In a human clinical trial, beet juice was found to be a potent inhibitor of cell mutations that are normally caused by nitrosamines, metabolic byproducts of nitrates, which are chemical preservatives commonly used in processed meats. It turns out that beet roots are not the only part of the plant offering protection against free radical damage—beet greens also have amazing antioxidant potential. In one study that compared them to spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions and celery, beet greens were found to have the highest phenolic phytonutrient content as well as the greatest ability to absorb oxygen radicals (a marker of their antioxidant capacity).
15-Minute Healthy Steamed Beets
The beautiful color of beets also reflects their rich concentration of health-promoting phytonutrient antioxidants, which help protect against the damage to cellular structures and DNA that can be caused by free radicals. They are also rich in folate and one serving of this recipe adds only 57 calories to your Healthiest Way of Eating.

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minute prep; 15 minute cooking

Ingredients:

3 medium beets, about 3″ in diameter
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Optional:
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 TBS chopped dill
1 TBS chopped chives
2 TBS Feta cheese

Directions:
Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.
While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.
Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Although some of their colorful phytonutrients are lost to the steaming water, there is plenty of color and nutrients left in the beets.
Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
Peel beets using a paper towel.
Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients while they are still hot.
* Serves 2

_______________________________________________________________________

Have a question? Ask a Health & Fitness Professional: info@thefitnessunderground.com

Visit THE FITNESS UNDERGROUND.COM: http://www.thefitnessunderground.com

GET FIT, STAY WELL AND THRIVE. START MOVING IN A HEALTHIER DIRECTION.

A YEAR FROM NOW YOU MAY WISH YOU STARTED TODAY!

The Fitness Underground-Los Angeles c.2010

[Via http://thefitnessunderground.wordpress.com]

It's a journey..

This blog is about my journey into a path of healthier eating which must include a lot of raw foods. I realize it’s a journey and the blogging is for me. If someone else can be helped or offer help, that will be great. But I am doing this for me.

This morning I had yogurt for breakfast. I am lacking motivation lately. Honestly I need a bouquet of flowers or something. lol But tomorrow is another day. But I think I’m going to do another 10-21 day veggie cleanse/fast. Yeah I’ve said a lot of things, but whatever. It is what it is… and I say that with a big smile on my face. lol

[Via http://rawcookbooks.wordpress.com]

Congratulation to our first health class group!

Tonight was the last meeting for our first “Foundations for Health” group. Over the past 8 weeks or so, we’ve covered a range of topics related to what our body must have to function properly, including diet, exercise, sleep, and others.

At the final weigh-in and measurements, I was happy to see that everyone that embraced the program lost between 5 and 15 pounds and 2 inches from their waist and 2 inches from their hips. This was during one of the most difficult times of the year to lose weight. I am confident that if they continue to follow their new lifestyle, they will lose just as much over the next 8 weeks.

More importantly, many of the group members expressed that they have more energy and feel much better than they have previously. It’s amazing how well the body can work when its basic requirements are satisfied!

If you’re reading this and are thinking to yourself, “I could lose a couple of pounds”, or “I know I should feel better than I do”, or maybe you’re suffering from some sort of health ailment or have been diagnosed with a health issue, consider giving our program a try. There’s no gimmicks, to tricks involved, and no pills to buy. It’s just good, honest, well researched concepts that when put into practice, can make a world of difference.

Our program is good for the beginner that has no clue where to start as well as those that feel they have a pretty good grasp of what they should be doing. We’ll cover all of the basics and well as provide a concrete plan for those that need a little structure and motivation.

If all this sounds good to you, call our office at 570-366-2613 and ask to be placed on our list for the “Foundations for Health” program. Once we have more info on times and dates for our next class, we’ll give you a call and let you know what’s up. By calling and getting on our list, there’s no commitment involved.

(Dr. Touchinsky is the chiropractor at Blue Mountain Family Chiropractic and owner of Healthy Habits Natural Market in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. In addition to traditional chiropractic care for neck and back pain, he also has a passion for helping people through diet and lifestyle coaching and counseling. The “Foundations for Health” program is designed to give people a basic understanding of what our bodies need to function properly. People that follow the principles often report weight loss, increase energy, decreased blood pressure, better sleep, and many other benefits.)

[Via http://drtouchinsky.com]

● The 6-week GREEK GODDESS challenge!

To all the ladies out there – if you want to see improvements in your body shape, health and fitness, take on my 6-week challenge to start getting the strength and toned physique of a Greek goddess!

3x 30 min sessions a week for a six week commitment, fun and motivating small group training (2-3 people). Make up your own group or meet some new people

To have a better read and for pricing, click on the pic below:

[Via http://angenorton.wordpress.com]

Measures of Success

The scale has been pretty slow to respond lately, so I’ve been looking for other ways to measure my progress. One of the most exciting happened this week when I went shoe shopping. For the past twenty years I have been wearing wide shoes. In fact, for the past ten, I’ve had to get WW. This severely limited my choice of style. Lots of pretty shoes are only made for people with M width feet. Well, I’m happy to report that a few days ago, I bought four pairs of cute, medium-width shoes!

I also fit into size 16s—not all 16s—some pants are still too tight, but I’m probably only about a month away.

And then there’s the airplane seatbelt….

Those of you who have never been severely overweight may not realize that it is possible to be able to fit in an airplane seat but not be able to cinch the seat belt. I made this embarrassing discovery on an Air France flight to Paris several years ago. I was traveling with a friend who convinced me I had to admit my problem to the flight attendant.  I finally did—deciding that a psychological harm I might suffer by asking for help was nothing compared to the physical harm that I might experience in the case of a rough landing. The kind flight attendant seeing my consternation, surreptitiously handed me a seatbelt extender and I buckled myself in. Realizing that it was unlikely that I would be significantly thinner after a week in Paris and so would likely need that device again, I slipped it into my purse and have carried it on every flight since. Sometimes, I’ve needed it. Sometimes I haven’t.

I usually need it on  flights outside the US—I always needed to use it on domestic carriers in Mexico and Nigeria and sometimes on KLM. However, I have never used it on a US flight. I guess that says something about the average waist size  of Americans.

At any rate, the news is that I now easily fit into the seatbelt. In fact, when I pulled it tight,  I had about seven inches left over!

Just goes to show you that you can measure progress in lots of ways.

 - Cheryl

How do you measure your weight loss success?

[Via http://livewellwomen.wordpress.com]

Isagenix, first week summary

Here’s my summary of things after one week on Isagenix.

Weight loss:  I lost 6 pounds in 7 days.  That’s a pretty stellar result, however, I’m not convinced that any other strict diet wouldn’t have done the same.  I wonder how much of that weight is water loss.  I don’t think I’ve lost muscle, since I do work out quite a bit.  I didn’t measure myself again at the 7 day point, so all I know is at the 4 day mark I’d lost 10.5 inches overall.

Energy:  A few people told me that I’d have so much more energy.  I don’t.  I see no difference in my energy level whatsoever.

Sleep:  Another thing Isagenix claims to be good for is improving sleep.  No dice there either.

Taste:  I still hate the shakes.  They taste like playdough smells.  Tonight I tried mixing one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of chocolate.  It didn’t improve things.  Nothing makes these shakes taste any better, so I’ve stopped trying to add anything to them.  I’ve more or less gotten used to the taste of the Ionix Supreme, and to me the Cleanse drink tastes enough like nothing that I have no problem with it.

Hunger:  I have to say that since Thursday, I’ve found my hunger to be controlled pretty well.  I don’t get particularly hungry between meals, and if I do, a small snack is enough to keep me going.  I do still get some pretty strong sugar cravings though.

Overall:  I like the plan.  The 2 shakes, one small meal takes all the thinking out of eating, which for me is a good thing.  I’m on the fence about cleanse day.  However, there are 2 things that will stop me from using the Isagenix products after this month is up:  1.  I hate the shakes.  I’m figuring that I’d need to stick to this program for 3 to 6 months to lose the weight I want to lose.  That’s between 180 and 360 shakes that I absolutely hate.  I won’t subject myself to that.  2.  Even more importantly, it’s foolishly expensive.  The 30 day cleanse cost US$320.  I just can’t justify the cost, when I can get the equivalent amount of Unjury protein powder (which tastes better) for US$80 per month.  Yes, with Isagenix, I do get a few extra products:  Cleanse for Life, Ionix Supreme, Snacks!, IsaFlush, and Natural Accelerator.  I can find quite similar products to each of these (with perhaps the exception of Snacks!, but they’re gross anyway) at GNC.  The equivalent amount of a cleanse product would cost $40.00 for the month, the equivalent of Ionix Supreme, $15.99, and take your pick of fat burning accelerators, for somewhere around $35.00.  Add that all up, and you’re at about half the price of the Isagenix program.  Would it be as effective?  Maybe I’ll try it out next month.

[Via http://darklightwrites.wordpress.com]

118 lbs. later...

Last summer, I decided it was time to get my weight under control for the first time since my early twenties, so on July 15, I went to my family doctor for a consultation. Of course, he told everything I already knew, but needed to hear: fewer calories, healthier food choices, and exercise–essentially, take in less than you’re putting out. We decided on a caloric intake that would be conducive to weight loss and set up a weight-check schedule for me to follow. Then, I went down the hall to the hospital’s fitness center and stepped up my exercise program, which had been hit-or-miss over the past couple of years.

I began by walking two miles a day on a treadmill, using the various weight machines, and cutting my calories to 1500 per day; soon the weight started coming off. I felt energized, and my walking increased to three miles a day and my weightlifting continued. By Labor Day, I was down 40 lbs. and walking at least three miles a day. When my wife and I returned from a fall break trip to visit family in and around Strasbourg, France, I’d lost 50 lbs. and had missed only one day of walking since July 15.

As of today, I’ve officially met my weight-loss goal, and I’m running three or four miles a every day and lifting weights six days a week (concentrating on different areas on alternating days). I’m officially in maintenance-mode, and I’m enjoying my forties more than ever.

[Via http://mou101.wordpress.com]

From 125 to 140 in just 6 months!

So I’ve gained about 15 lbs. in six months.

I’m not happy about it, and I know why. I stopped going to the gym, and we started going out to eat way more often. In addition, I’m a habitual snacker, and I really, really like to eat.

Now, I’m very small-framed, and 15 lbs. extra on me (I’m at 140) looks like twice as much. I look noticeably heavier even if I gain 5 lbs. I’ve got the usual clothes-don’t-fit-anymore-must-wear-all-elastic-clothing syndrome and the why-do-my-boobs-not-get-bigger-when-I-gain-weight complaint (for the record, I’m smaller than an A cup).

Anywho, this week I’m going to hit the gym (we joined Snap Fitness). I want to build muscle, so I’ll be focusing more on weights than cardio. The gym has one of those sessions where they teach you to use the machines, and they give you a fitness assessment. I will definitely get one or two personal training sessions, as that will help me knock out these 15 lbs.

Wish me luck. I’ll be using Leo Babauta’s 6 Changes approach to creating habits (so far mine include working on going to the gym 2-3 times a week and working on living more minimally).

[Via http://itsjustclaudia.wordpress.com]

Kinda Jazzed About Today's Run

My half-marathon training schedule called for me to run eight miles today. A few weeks ago, eight felt like a big bunch of miles. I suppose everything’s relative. Two weeks ago I ran 10 miles, so today’s eight didn’t seem so daunting.

I had planned to take it easy during today’s training session. I had an 11 a.m. work commitment, and I wanted to run prior to that. In order to train at a very comfortable pace, shower, primp, and get to the function on time, I planned an early wake-up. But I didn’t pack my gym bag last night, nor did I assemble my running clothes, fuel belt, etc. In short, I was about a half hour late getting started.

Because I was running late and because I gained a lot of confidence last weekend by running my fastest six miles ever, I ran a little faster than was comfortable. I kept tabs on my pace with my GPS running watch and while it wasn’t exactly Chariots of Fire, I felt good about what I was doing. When I got to the locker room I recorded my time in my training log, then flipped back a few pages to find the notes from my last eight miler. To my astonishment, I shaved 15 minutes off of my time for that distance!

Even though I was a little stiff and sore at the work function, I believe I walked a little taller and prouder. I’m beginning to get used to feeling uncomfortable. And it’s really not so bad.

[Via http://482gr8.wordpress.com]

Immune Boosting

As I write this, I’m sitting on my couch with a glass of wine.  Drinking is a rarity for me these days but, with a friend in from out-of-town, I’ve had a social week that’s involved alcohol.  Unfortunately, the drinking adds a unneccessary calories without a whole lot of nutritional value,  Especially when you take in more than 4 ounces.  And let’s be honest, not many people stick to just 4 ounces.

Speaking of nutrition, I just got off the phone with my friend, Pamela, who was talking to me about boosting my immune system.  Obviously, since I’ve had trouble shaking this sickness, mine is for shit.  I’m going to visit some websites tonight to get some tips on eating to boost your immune system.  I’ll check back in tomorrow or Monday and share any valuable information I find.

[Via http://thebiggestloserhomechallenge.wordpress.com]

Back to work

I don’t really want to get into it but my husband’s job didn’t pan out and we got strapped for cash and I got the better offer on the job front. I am not happy about. Neither is my husband and neither are my children.

I am not that happy with my work environment. I am working in an office butt up against a shop and so my office environment constantly smell like dirt and dust and it is constantly dirty.

I am also the only female even remotely close to my age (that I have seen anyway) so I have no one to share my lunch with. I had lunch with a woman who was probably 40 years my senior but we shared interests in cooking etc. I don’t feel a connection at all with anyone there.

I don’t enjoy the work either.

 Boo hoo. So sad. Whatever.

It pays what I need to pay my bills and it is an early shift which means I get home early and have more of my evening to myself. I also miss the worst part of rush hour traffic too. Which I am happy about. I still really wish I could have worked closer to home and avoid the horrifying traffic altogether but none of this arrangement is really what I wanted.

I am trying to stay positive. I am trying to put good vibes out and focus on what I want. Which in this case is for us to get our place on the market and sold ASAP and then for my husband to get into his training soon.

The real bad news though is that being away from home means I am not getting to focus on my weight loss like I did and I have been gaining weight again.

This makes me so mad because I spent two months working hard and I lost 15 lbs and now it is all creeping back on.

There is stuff I can do. For example. I can make an effort to exercise at night. I am often busy with everyone else’s needs during that time but I could schedule an hour in there for me.

I could walk around during my lunch. I haven’t been because it’s an industrial area and there are no sidewalks. And it’s been chillier lately too.

My job keeps me at my desk pretty constantly. I don’t even get up for faxes or photocopying.

So I make an hourly trip to the bathroom and use that as an excuse to get up and stretch. I could do yoga in my cubicle but there is a massive window facing the shop entrance in front of my cubicle. So I’d be doing warrior two and some guys would walk by. Classy.

I am actually feeling a little bit better about the job now. I was very miserable for the first half of the week. I have come to grips with my reality now. But I do need to come up with a good strategy to avoid gaining all of my weight back.

I am thinking new running shorts (mine are too big now) and some new running shoes.

My husband has also been bugging me to start hittin’ the tennis court once again. That could be a start. I just worry it’ll be too cold for the kidlets who won’t be running around quite as much we will be.

Anyway,

I will be posting some more positive news soon.

[Via http://unschoolingrocks.wordpress.com]

Get Ready for an Interactive March Symposium on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Join us for the March symposium on Tuesday, March 16th at 6:00 p.m. and wraps up at 8:00 p.m.  The event will be hosted at the Mt. Washington Bank in the Community Room at 305 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA  02124. You will experience the new ABMWC Symposium format.  First, we will demonstrate each phase of the Revolutionary Weight Loss Protocol.  Second, everyone one in attendance (women, men, children, couples and singles) will be invited into an interactive conversation about weight loss, healthy living and slim doesn’t equal a healthy body!  Third, we will have fun in the Life Style segment with a guest speaker.

Are You Ready?  Get set.  Let’s do this.

[Via http://abellami.wordpress.com]

Bloody Hell!

Has any woman ever died from blood loss due to that Dirty Bitch Aunt Flo? I’m curious.

I’m amazed I’m still alive after today. At the very least I should be anemic. I’m sick to my stomach and weak and can’t think to save my life. I’ve been shut in my bedroom laying in bed since supper time. The effort it would take to speak or carry on a conversation is just more than I can stand at the moment.

I honestly think my uterus is trying to turn itself inside out.

C’mon menopause – you can’t get here soon enough!

[Via http://pettyreflections.wordpress.com]

DIET PILL WARNING

I was trying to think of a good topic for my post today, but then this email came from a friend who works in the Emergency Department at a children’s hospital and I knew that I had to put the word out there.

Hi Loves,
I’m only telling you guys this because i love you and this totally freaked me out..
 
A 15 year old girl was admitted to the ED today after she had a constant headache for 2 weeks and her eyes and skin started turning yellow..it turns out she has Chronic Liver Failure and its because she had been taking Green Tea Diet Pills that you can get anywhere. She has been immediately listed for a transplant and she is in really rough shape. I know that when I was in high school, I was really naive and took diet pills too but they are SO bad for you. If you or anyone you know has been taking these please please please stop. They have not been approved by the FDA or any medical association and they are so dangerous.
 

After receiving the email, I decided to do some research. Turns out, what your mother told you is true: moderation really is key. As this article states, “the polyphenols present in green tea plants or herbs could pose health risks to humans if extracted and packaged in highly concentrated doses, says a new University of Toronto study published in the current issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine.”

What is a highly concentrated dose? That which is found in green tea diet pills. In a study done on mice,  low doses of polyphenols “protected the liver or isolated liver cells against oxygen radicals,” while high concentrations of polyphenols caused liver toxicity, which is exactly what happened to this unknowing 15 year old girl.

In other words: a mug of green tea can benefit your overall health, while green tea taken in pill form can have severe and possibly deadly consequences. This confirms what we already know about diet pills: they are often more detrimental to our bodies than beneficial.

As my friend says in her email, you are all smart, beautiful, amazing women. If you or anyone you know has been taking these pills to lose weight, I hope that this poor girl’s story will make you reconsider.

With lots of love,

Melissa

[Via http://projectbare.wordpress.com]

Christine Kennedy - In the NEWS!

Life: Real Food Challenge Ditching processed foods is not as easy as it looks

Hamilton’s Leanne Palmerston took on the 28-Day Real Food Challenge, replacing a pantry of refined sugars, vegetable oils and condiments with honey, coconut oil and lard.

//

Participants in the 28-Day Real Food Challenge find that replacing processed items with fresh meats and vegetables has its challenges.

First step: Toss the pantry

//

Wency Leung

From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010 9:33AM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010 11:56AM EST

Leanne Palmerston’s commitment to a healthy, wholesome diet was tested as she rummaged through her cupboards.

For nearly a year, the Hamilton resident had been weaning her family off boxed pizzas and other processed foods in favour of fresh meats and vegetables and whole grains.

Read Full Story Here…

[Via http://liberationwellnessblog.com]

Mr. Rochester

Oh, Jane Eyre.

Thus far, you would be quite proud of me, oh crowd of anonymous well-wishers to whom I write this daily missive.  Not so anonymous, really, since I know at least one person in this very house who reads my screeds which one might imagine would keep me from making such a terrible fool of myself in script day in and day out, but I am nothing if not consistently unafraid of my detractors so long as they remain on the other side of the screen.

I’m writing in a fussy, Austenesque style so as to increase my word count without having to increase my thought output.  Clever, no?

I did get up this morning.  I did exercise.  For exactly 12:30 minutes.  Then, I worried I was late and cut myself short.  But, for someone who has elected to exercise after work when it’s all jumbled up with my relaxing time and my eating/cooking time and my writing this shite/computer time, it’s pretty amazing that I actually was able to force myself to do it.   When I’m on it, it’s fine but it also gets me all out of whack so that I’m not tired when it’s time for bed and I wake up exhausted.  Not so today, where I’m feeling kind of luxuriant that the goal of exercising every day is achieved and I don’t have to fight with myself tonight about it. So tack one on for the home team.   Then.  I ate food from home.  Didn’t buy anything today, imagine that.  There was hardly time to eat, but I had chicken and peppers at my desk in my little tupperware.  I also got this big 1 liter bottle for my water and am now working on my second one with peach green tea crystal light in it.   So party on, dudes.

Bad day followed by a goodish one.  I have had protein bars.  I have had probably too much salt.  But I don’t feel so shaky or that I’m dreaming the impossible dream or that all my problems could be solved in a really good piece of pizza or that I deserve to be seriously castigated and put to task for my miserable performance on this whole diet/life change thing.  You can spend so long waiting for a beat-down that will somehow make you do all this out of fear, a kick in the head that will physically alter the way you respond when you’re stressed or bored or just not with it 100% of the time.  And I don’t think there’s a donkey out there who can knock all the crazy out of us with one good kick.    Behaviors and habits fight back.  Sometimes they win.  Sometimes.

The pathless journey has enough faith in me to let me wobble and fail and skip beats, knowing that it’ll be there, right beneath my feet whenever I decide to make it so.

Today, I made it so.  Which, was pretty fucking nice, Mr. Sulu.  It was pretty fucking nice.

[Via http://lustrata.wordpress.com]

Day 1

Beginning of day 1.

I know it’s going to be a hard bunch of months ahead of me but I’m glad that I’ve started the trip. I’ve been so unhappy lately that I know it affects how I treat others. I like how I interct with others a lot better when I’m not this overweight.

It’s hard to explain to others how difficult it is to carry around this much weight emotionally and physically.

[Via http://dwhite78.wordpress.com]

Isagenix, Day 2

G’day, and welcome to day two.

After the excruciating agony of getting up this morning at 6:30, I actually felt pretty good.  Coincidence, Isagenix, or something else?  Who knows.  Too early to say yet.

I prepared this morning’s chocolate shake with about a tablespoon of peanut butter.  It made the overall taste better.  Not good, but better.  Tomorrow perhaps I will add peanut butter and some banana.  Drank that Ionix Supreme stuff, which is going to get old pretty quick I think, but at least it’s the size of a shot.  I’ll pretend it’s tequila.

And I even went to the gym this morning.  I got there much later than expected, because I spent 40 minutes on hold with my car insurance company to make sure that I do in fact have insurance and am not driving illegally.  I was worried since I’ve not received a policy statement, certificate or the like from them, nor have they taken any payments out of my bank account.  Good news, I am insured!  Let’s hope it continues to be free — that would be awesome.  Anyway, I briefly considered abandoning the gym due to being 40 minutes behind schedule, but figured it was better to go to the gym for a shorter time than not to go at all.  So, in my 20 minute, ever increasing incline, brisk walk on the treadmill I apparently burned 281 calories, if one can trust the treadmill’s calculations, which I’m pretty sure I don’t.  But still.

The good news today is that the shake kept me full much longer.  I drank it around 7am and was pretty much fine until shortly after 11am, at which point I ate a piece of cheese (90 calories).  Being at work and having a routine helps I think.  Lunch today is a PC Blue Menu Chicken Lasagna (360 calories).  I’ve also added SlimQuick to the mix.  I’m using the packets, mainly because it helps me drink the required amount of water (I’m sorry, I just don’t like to drink plain water unless I’m at the gym) and on the few times that I’ve used it before, I have felt less hungry.

Late this afternoon I got pretty hungry again, so I had another piece of cheese and a few strawberries.  Dinner was a vanilla shake with a couple strawberries blended in, which was pretty tolerable.  However, I’m now completely starving.  So, I had a piece of cheese and one of those little tiny cans of tuna.  I figure today’s calorie count is somewhere around 1400.

One thing that I know will be hard about this program is not being able to real food for dinner.  Now I know I could probably take the shake at lunch instead, but that would be hard as well — I prefer to have real food at work for some reason.  But watching the bf eat his pan seared fish and rice last night was a bit tough to take.  Maybe I’ll get used to it.  And on weekends I might do the shakes at breakfast/lunch, just so I can have a dinner for a change.

[Via http://darklightwrites.wordpress.com]

Sponsored Post: Sensa Weight-loss System

So a couple weeks ago I was contacted to join a review team for the weight-loss system known as Sensa.

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Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but I’ve always struggled with my weight… I’ve never been terribly over-weight but I’ve never been a size 2 or a 4 and I can count the months I was a 6. Being 5′2″ means that an extra 10 lbs looks like a lot on my frame. And during my move to NH last spring I gained 20 lbs! O_O That was on top of my already naturally “curvaceous” figure. So since January I’ve been trying to lose that weight plus some and I did lose 7 but then MOH L and her brother came to visit, and I took my first vacation in 7 months, and I had my first shower and well I gained a few of those back…

So when I got this offer, it sounded like it was worth the shot to at least give it a whirl (my initial review to come in another post).

So with out anymore digression… a few facts about Sensa.

The makers of Sensa explain:

“Sensa is unlike any other weight-loss program. It is a 6-month system of Tastants that are sprinkled on your food to help you feel full faster, stay satisfied longer and lose weight.

{source}

It is not a diet. You can continue to eat all your favorite foods and still lose weight. There are no prepackaged meals, stimulants, drugs or diuretics.

It uses your senses of smell and taste to control appetite. Although many people think the feeling of hunger or fullness comes from your stomach – it is actually governed by the satiety center in your brain.  When Sensa Tastants are sprinkled on food, it triggers this satiety center, so you feel satisfied with less food.

To learn more about Sensa visit www.trysensa.com.”

Sensa was developed by Dr. Alan Hirsch, a Neurologist and Psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of smell and taste loss as he Neurological Director of the Smell & Taste Research and Treatment Foundation in Chicago, IL and Faculty Member in the Department of Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center.

{source}

Sensa is suppose to work because it targets the Satiety Center in your brain which contributes to the feeling of fullness. So you stop eating sooner and therefore eat less resulting in loss weight.

This video explains the medical process…

So I’m going to try to update you all a few times each month on my Sensa results. Oh and before I forget, LA marketing agency Rocket XL would like to extend a 15% off discount to my readers on their Sensa purchase. Simply enter the promo code GOAL2010 when you order Sensa for yourself.

[Via http://mismikadodowntheaisle.wordpress.com]

Does Weight Loss Take the Weekend Off?

Uh………in a word– NO! You can easily undo all your hard work for the week, by going off your plan on the weekend. How many people give up because of that? Put the chips down, put the chocolate down, put all the junk down——- not worth it. Wake up feeling good about yourself Monday morning. I care about you and I KNOW you can do it. Feel free to email me at gettingthin4him@gmail.com if I can help you in a more personal way– I want to see you succeed.

!

[Via http://gettingthin4him.wordpress.com]

Weight Loss Challenge - Work Travel

Beginning today, I’m going to be traveling 3 1/2 hours away from home for work-related travel.  I have to say, I am not looking forward to it AT ALL. 

I’m going to participate in something that is a huge honor that will look great on my resume, but is also a huge commitment of time for 4 days.  I’m talking about working 16-hour days. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a team. Then working well into the night on a report that will be submitted to an extremely well-respected agency that works with the state of California on school evaluation and accreditation.  I don’t get paid extra for my time, although they do pay for the hotel, all meals, and “mileage.”  Still, I would never have agreed to do this if I was more well-informed about the time commitment.  It’s going to be intense, to say the least. 

The other thing I’m not looking forward to is the complete break in my daily routine.  I have no idea where I’ll be eating, or what, for that matter. The place I’m going is literally in the middle of nowhere, so choices may not be great.  My Plan: eat small portions and track whenever possible.  I’m so thankful that I have the WW iPhone app, because that will make it a bit easier on the road. 

The location is so remote that the nearest hotel is 20 miles away.  At least the hotel I’m staying in looks nice.  They have a fitness room and a pool, so at least I can exercise.  I was really worried about that at first.  My Plan:I’m promising myself to try workout at least 30 minutes per day, if I have any energy left after a ridiculously long day.  Even if it means I have to workout at 11pm at night, I want to  try. 

I won’t have time to blog while I’m gone, but I have written a few posts that will publish on the days while I’m gone, so you’ll have something to read, if you want to. 

Other blog “housekeeping”:

• I won’t do the Healthy You Update on Tuesday, but I will write a check-in post when I get back.
• I’ll write my weigh-in post on Thursday, since I won’t be home (or have access to a scale) on Wednesday.
• I won’t be regularly reading or commenting on your blogs, but please know that I would if I could.  I look forward to spending a few hours on Thursday catching up on everything. 

Please wish me all the best, think positive “skinny” thoughts for me, and hope that I can have a successful week on the road.

[Via http://bellaonthebeach.wordpress.com]

We Are Not "Starving"

Read time: 1 minute

My wife has become healthier and a lot leaner than ever. She looks absolutely gorgeous. She accomplished her weight loss by simply eating mostly whole, real food and by eating fewer times through the day. She uses intermittent fasting. 

But for intermittent fasting to be successful, old thinking habits must be dropped. She’s still working on this.

I had a meeting that ran late, so dinner was delayed. After the meeting I called her to let her know I was on my way and she replied with a light-hearted comment: 

“Great, I’m starving!”

When I got home she was actually fine and said that her hunger went away after a few minutes. And that was that. We cooked dinner together, enjoying a glass of wine and a conversation.

But her reply got me thinking. She used the word starvation to describe something that’s biologically superficial like hunger. And since it is understood among psychologists that words and thoughts can dictate behavior, something as innocuous as a word — starving, or famished — may end up controlling how we act, or in this case, how we eat.

In the past, my wife would’ve grabbed “a quick snack” while waiting for me to get home, and then she would have eaten again, a full-on dinner. This would have netted her additional calories she didn’t need.

This experience reminded my wife that hunger is often temporary and that starvation is actually a physical response to being unfed for not just several hours but for several weeks.

Starvation, therefore, is a true biological emergency. Its usage should not be thrown around for something so trivial as a fleeting sensation no different from a passing memory. 

In today’s Western world, hunger is never an emergency. We can wait to eat.

[Via http://theleansaloon.com]

Weight Loss: Kirstie Alley

So Kirstie Alley has come up with her own weight loss program: Organic Liaison.  HERE is an article about the specifics of it.  It looks like an organic meal plan with lots of supplements.

“I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist – I’m a regular person like you who has been struggling with her weight and searching and praying for a weight loss program to end that forever.”

(Kirstie on the left after losing 75 pounds strutting her stuff on Oprah.  On the right, she’s back on Oprah recently after gaining it all back.)

“I can promise you our certified weight loss elixir, Rescue Me, takes on excess hunger and cravings. It will support your body and flood your body with the missing elements that make weight loss an uphill battle.”

What do you think about Organic Liaison?  Would it be something you would try or shy away from??

[Via http://skinnyrunner.com]

How to Avoid Weight Loss Failure For the Last Time

Have you tried and not accomplished your weight loss goals with the different diets that exist? Are you struggling with small food portions? Not being able to eat your favorite foods? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. If dieting was easy, all people on the planet would have a great body. To be able to succeed in losing weight, you have to keep these things in mind:

1. Don’t start your diet on a certain day
If you think to start your weight loss program on a certain day your mind is already set to fail. There shouldn’t be a next week or next month idea in your head. The extra food you eat before or after your diet you will have to lose anyway no matter when.

Funny how most overweight people will eat a lot of their delicious favorite foods because once their diet program starts, they can’t have it. Does this sound familiar to you, as well? I was the same way, too.
Do you know when the best date to start losing weight is? It is all the time. Now. Every day. Because every day gives you the opportunity to gain or to lose weight.

2. Don’t do a time limited diet
Actually, don’t do a diet program at all. After trying so many (too many) different kinds of diets I have come to the conclusion that diets do not work. Time limited diets are the worst ones. If you start a diet that will restrict you from eating your favorite “bad” foods within a certain period of time, you will fail. Maybe not on the short run, but on the long run. Because you will be thinking about your favorite foods all the time and the day you can have them again.
Instead, you have to change your whole diet. For life. Eat healthy, eat fresh and try to reduce the “bad” food in your diet.

3. Set small weight loss goals
Go baby steps. Go one week to the next. Weigh yourself in the morning after going to the bathroom. And compare the weekly results. How much weight did you lose within the last seven days? Then set a goal for the next week. Every person and every body has its own rhythm and ability to burn the extra fat. So don’t be disappointed if you didn’t lose as much as you planed to.

I had my best weight loss results when I tried to lose up to 2,2 pounds (=1kg) per week. You can try that, as well. If you lose more, great, if not, don’t be disappointed. Your main goal is to keep losing some weight from week to week. If you accomplish that, be proud about yourself. You will be surprised how quickly a couple of weeks go by. And best of all, you will stay slim.

Get our FREE popular newsletter filled with more tips and secrets on losing weight and staying slim here: http://www.news-bee.com/diets/ or here: How to lose weight and stay slim

[Via http://newsbeediet.wordpress.com]

The More I Change... The More I Stay The Same

Lately coffee is the mote in my eye. I quit it once and was good with it. My sit-downs were solid, I was losing weight, my temper was more even tempered, then Christmas came around and Starbucks had this great Christmas Blend, and I got in the habit of hanging at Starbucks in the mornings and reading on my Kindle.

Coffee is Mote in My Eye

So I promised to be off coffee come the end of the Christmas Blend. Starbucks Christmas coffee has been gone for about 2.5 months. I still sneak coffee.

Although I don’t know if it is connected my weight I had lost has come back, despite my now doing Spinning Classes 2x a week along with treadmill running 2x a week and some lifting. My diet is so/so. Heck, I even drive out and do stairs in Santa Monica area for an hour. I was doing well when I used some iPhone ap to track my weight and eating. I still use it from time to time, for the most part I can tell my calories are under what I need to lose weight. I eat more vegetarian in the morning and lunchtime if I can. Yet my weight is going up. WHY? Sure I could use the excuse that I turned 45 and my metabolism has slowed down. But that is BS. Studies show if you work out regularly and eat well your metabolism might slow a bit, but not enough to cause all this gain.

I could look at my actions. If my gym partners cancel I don’t tend to go to the gym. When I was losing weight I might not have gone to the gym so much but I was using KettleBells down in the garage and swinging them around along with Jump Rope work. I get up and sit on the computer most of the time, or watch TV (very little of it as I have tons of videos and Hulu.com shows and most of them just sit there). I have studies to do for graphic work and my massage business, and I do work on them, but my discipline could be a lot better. Well, unless you are Martha Stewart or some other crazy person who is obsessed with such stuff, then you can be committed to stuff and stick to it. I realize it is all habits. My focus is not very focused and I think that is a big thing to realize. Focus and morning commitment and habits are the killer actions. If I start out my day strong and in a big way and I can be happy with that.. then it won’t effect me having to ignore what is going on in my life (or lack of what I am not doing) by being stuck on the computer.

Ironic I am on the computer posting this since my Gym Partner who has been flaking lately pretty well said in his text last night that he was planning on not showing up. His text was ‘I am going to bed now, so I can try to be up and working out with you’. Notice he used the word ‘try’ in his sentence. He is already planning his failure, as most people do.

[Via http://basboyblair.wordpress.com]

Day 3-Body Challenge

Day 1-treadmill-30 min-breakfast (donut, milk) lunch (baked fish fillet, broccoli) snack (vanilla yogurt) dinner (chickpeas, brown rice, vegetable melody)

Day 2-strength training-30 min-breakfast (scrambled eggs on wheat toast, 1/2 donut, milk) lunch (scoop of sweet potatoes, green beans, 1 smoked pork rib, roll I was at a program that offered sampled lunch 2 glasses of lemonade) dinner (greens, rice pilaf, smoked turkey neck)-crazy day..I know…

Day 3- treadmill15 min speed run- brunch  (chickpeas, brown rice, veggie melody) snack (vanilla yogurt) dinner (cereal, corn bread)

[Via http://ksoul13.wordpress.com]

Wednesday Weigh In

It’s been a week since I joined the  Spring Fling Challenge and I am down 2.1 pounds, my weight today was 248.9!  My total weight loss since June 1, 2009, is 57.1 pounds! I am really enjoying the group of ladies I met over at The Hood, they all seem pretty incredible!

Here’s what I did differently this week…I drank a lot more water which really helps curb my appetite! I started to use the treadmill more at the gym along with the stationary bike and NuStep. I’m still having balance issues when done the treadmill so I just kind of stand on the machine for a few seconds before I try and step off and only use the one that is next to the wall so I have something to brace myself with. One of my goals is to get myself to the doctor’s before the end of this month, I failed the balance test and was told to see a neurologist but just haven’t gotten around to it. I never minded going to the doctors before but now I guess since we go so much for my daughter and she is in and out of the hospital I just really have a hard time making the time to address the things that are going on with myself but I’m slowly working on that.

This week was a little stressful. My daughter just turned 4 years old this past January, which is a miracle (each day, every second she is here with us is), her right side of her heart is enlarged and in failure. Now that she is getting older it’s harder for her to be as active as she would like. The other day we went to the mall and her stroller was in the other car, of course the mall didn’t rent strollers (just my luck). Her heart works pretty hard and she becomes easily short winded. She saw the water fountain and her face just lit up and in this sweet voice she said to me, look mom the water fountain come on and run. Times like this is when I wish some I had someone following us around with cameras, I wish everyone could have seen her face and to see her run (its more of a waddle) it was just too cute. She got so short winded from the little sprint that she started coughing and then the vomiting started and just kept on going (good thing I had a plastic bag with me). She said to me, mom I’m all done and I feel better, can we go home now!  I just love her.  As you can see, she doesn’t look sick and I know we are blessed because I can’t imagine how it is for those families who’s child is sick and looks sick.  When she got sick and not being able to do anything for her (you know fix her) just made me want to crawl up into a ball and cry but I didn’t, I just kept in my head all the silly faces, her dancing in the store, rearranging all the shoes at Nordstrom’s (sure they loved that) I held onto all the fun we had up until that point.  So I am very grateful that my Jewel doesn’t look like her heart is in failure, I think that would chip away pieces of my heart everyday if I had that in your face reminder.

Another thing I took from that day was to stop stressing about Blogging and Twitter, I wish I had more time but I don’t.  All of my time is spent with my daughter and then when she’s in dreamland I get to go online and catch up on the news, read some tweets, blog post and connect with my facebook friends.  I love what the FLG said,“You know what challenge I’m doing? One that really means a lot to me and that I’m trying to put my all into? Life. Changing my life. Bettering myself for the people I love and for mine and my family’s future” Well said FLG!  I guess I’m not that good at multi-tasking, so no more feeling guilty about not tweeting or making comments on all the wonderful blogs I’ve been reading.  Who knows maybe when my Jewel goes back to school then I’ll have more time but for now my goals are to work on getting me healthy (eating right/making better choices, going to the gym at least every other day) and making each second count with my Jewel!

[Via http://fluffy2fit.wordpress.com]

Are You A Comfort Eater?

Something has struck me as interesting for a while now, and it’s the fact that many so-called professionals and companies make so much money from ‘educating’ overweight people about how to lose weight.

Let me be really direct with you here: you already know pretty much everything you need to in order to lose weight.

If you’re currently carrying excess weight, it isn’t because you’re confused about whether cake or cranberries are the healthier option.

And yet so many slimming clubs and weight loss coaches will try to convince you that their point system or their tasty overpriced food range or their cabbage soup miracle is the answer to your weight loss struggles.

Please… stop believing all of this stuff.

If you tell me the name of any of these groups, I can show you the statistics that their systems do NOT lead to long-term weight loss.

And they all fail because they focus on the wrong things – nobody really needs help understanding what is healthy and what isn’t.

We all know that food in its natural state is better than when it’s coated in sugar, that fruit and vegetables should be eaten at least 5 portions a day, that brown carbohydrates are better than white, that eating in front of the TV is a bad idea, that all-you-can-eat buffets lead to oversized meals.

Weight gain occurs when we know all of this, but ignore it.

And that’s very often because of comfort eating.

So before you go and spend money joining some group, take this simple quiz.

The more questions you answer ‘YES’ to, the more likely it is that you are a comfort eater.

1. Do you eat when bored?

2. Do you use food as a celebration, treat or reward?

3. Do you use food as a consolation when you are feeling down, poorly or disappointed?

4. Does a good night out for you have to include eating somewhere?

5. Are there foods that you could eat if offered even if you were not hungry?

If comfort eating is an issue for you, I can help.

Just contact me:

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Plan In Place... Time For Results

I’ve been struggling with my weight for quite some time now.  As of last night, I’ve got a plan in place to fix it.  Now that I’ve got a definitive plan I’m very optimistic about the potential for success.  I weighed 227.0 this morning and I’m hoping that if I stick to what I’ve laid out below I’ll be well on my way to sub 200!

The Plan

1. Limit carbs to less than 30 grams per day
2. Workout at least 3 days per week
3. No snacking after 9:00 PM
4. At least 5 glasses of water per day
5. Eat breakfast every day

Time will tell if this will be a successful plan, but I think it addresses quite a few things that have kept me from being successful in the past.

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Fast Fat Loss - Easy Ways to Lose Weight Fast Without Dieting!

Have you longed for soon weight loss? Alkaline Diet Have you tried starving yourself for weeks in circumstances to shed a few pounds alone to forward it piling coming back on again? This is the quandary in “dieting” as we can identify it. There is a lot of false, misleading hints making pumped out there… and it leads me mad.

I recognize how hard it is to consume weight fast. Why are these types of so referred to as specialists feeding us false guidelines the current instigates it still harder? Could it be so we still be getting this consequently rapidly fat reduction book, magazine or weight deduction supplement?

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Well, no longer…

I hold a key the I found when struggling to get to the underside of how to in effect exhaust weight fast…and stay it off!

The No Diet, Diet

1. Colon Cleansing. The vast majority of stubborn fat, really in the waist state is due to a form up of unhealthy lose in the colon. This put up up prevents your person based on information from absorbing the nutrients out of the foods you eat. Which in turn leaves you hungry and craving for food. All such poorly digested food can get stored at unpleasent fat. Colon cleansing only often consequences in speedily fat loss. swiss answer detox diet

2. Sugar cleansing. Sugar is one of the the majority of bad substances you can put in your person without it killing you. Insulin generation can become significantly impaired and a multitude of illness can arise within too still sugar. Many quality of life experts say it is advisable to hold off sugar as even as possible, along with people “hidden” sugars in foods, this kind of as amended corn syrup. Any legislation to consume weight could key in stopping sugars. candida cleanse

3. Avoid additives. Chose foods which use no or exceptionally few additives at which continually possible. Tests own confirmed the extended operated effects of food additives can be terrible on our health. There are heaps of additive free of charge opportunities obtainable nowadays so you can keep to enjoy your favourite foods.

Fast fat reduction is possible, without starving yourself!

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Warning: Ignoring these types of advices and consistent to try and cost weight by cutting calories only can cause to reducing the pace slumping your metabolism. This affects it that much rougher to consume weight in the future.

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