All That & A Bag O' Chips

“The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook.” 

― Julia Child

Every time I turn around there is some new "fad diet" or some commercial hyping a new piece of wonder-equipment.  I hear friends talking about Herbalife, Weight Watchers, Atkins, The Paleo Diet, The South Beach Diet or whatever is the name of the anti-fat game this week. (All trademarked etc.)  And I'm not bad-mouthing them though I'm sure it will seem this way. I know millions of folks have lost weight with them and I'm happy for them and I hope those people can keep it off. However, with some of these, I cannot see why I have to pay money to buy products to lose weight when God has given me natural, pure and healthy foods to eat. It's the junk that kills. 

I have fallen prey to more than a few fad diets in my 40+ years. (The worst of which I don't want to discuss, but cost me my gallbladder.) But about a year and a half ago it got real. It took me hitting the 200 pound mark to suck it up and face reality.  It took me hitting a size 22 to do so. Am I proud of those facts? No. It has taken me a year to admit it in a public forum.  Am I where I want to be? Not yet. But I'm getting there. I'm down over 40 pounds and 4 dress sizes and counting. Yay! Call me a happy camper. 

 I've been keeping it simple and I'm just calling it the Common Sense Lifestyle Change. 

First, let's talk about FOOD! (Because we all like food.)

* Most of the foods I buy are organic or generally have ingredients I can pronounce.  I take my additives very seriously and try not to buy anything with hormones or anything that would gross me out if I were to watch how it was made. Very rarely do I buy things that aren't "simple." I'm probably about 85% vegetarian about now. I just can't seem to give up my steak and seafood. Yum. However, I have tried being a raw vegan for a bit and I actually am probably closer to vegan than vegetarian... but for the love of seafood, steak... oh, and Texas BBQ. Mmmmmm. 

One of the main reasons for this is I have to be very careful of nitrates and preservatives in food because of the migraines they trigger. Makes me not so happy.  There are a lot of things in food that affect a lot of people differently. If you have health issues, you might have a food allergy or intolerance. It's something to at least consider. 

* I generally measure out the foods I'm going to eat.  - Portion control. -  Once you are used to eating a pint of ice cream at a time (which I have done), you have to retrain your brain to understand what a "true" serving size really is.  That's one of the reasons people are obese.  Learn what constitutes a portion and it gets much easier from there.

EXAMPLE: A chip-bender to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag is 1,260 calories sans the dip. So stick to 1 serving, about 15 chips—that’s 140 calories—or pick up some 100-calorie snack packs and save 1,120 calories

* Learn to slow down when eating and understand what "FULL" really feels like. There's no need to finish everything on your plate. The first few times I left food on my plate at a restaurant, I felt really, horribly guilty.  (Starving kids in China...?)  But at the same time, most restaurant portion sizes are enough for two people. WHY would I want to do that to myself?  The sad thing is that I did that to myself for a long time. 

* DO NOT EAT IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION. If you eat in front of the TV, studies show you consume almost 300 calories more than if you ate at the table. 

* Last but not least, I don't deprive myself. If I want some creme brûlée or dessert once in a blue moon, I will enjoy some. But I'm not going to go Banzai bat crap crazy and I'm not going to feel guilty. I will eat right the rest of the time and make up for it. No starvation. No binge/purge. Just pure, clean eating. 
Now, I know that I'm going to turn off a lot of people when I say the next word, but bear with me. "Exercise."   But I'm going to add something to it... if you haven't exercised in a long time, you don't have to go to extremes starting out,  join a gym, do DVD's, workout on the Wii or anything like that.  Ready? Cool secrets here:

* If all you can do is walk up and down a hallway of your house do it.

* From the hallway move to the driveway or the front sidewalk or maybe to the end of the block. (You get the picture.)  I used to tell my dad at 90 years old when he was recovering from a fall, "Just take one more step dad. One more step will get you stronger. What will one more step get you?"  

* From steps, move to a strength move of stairs or a curb.  Step up and down. If you need to hold on to something, do it. 

Something fun for cardio and to get the muscles engaged: Dance like there is no one watching. For Heaven's Sake, put on some great tunes and get moving. It doesn't matter if all you can do is sit in a chair and tap your feet and clap your hands or raise your arms. It's SOMETHING. 

     Side note: It's been said TAPPING YOUR FEET THROUGH OUT THE DAY BURNS ABOUT 350 CALORIES A DAY!!!!! Seriously... those who fidget have got to have an edge on the rest of us. 

Some of my favorite tunes while cleaning house (WHICH ALSO BURNS CALORIES:)
* Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
* Michael Jackson - Beat It
* Beatles - Twist and Shout
* Cameo - Word Up

* Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance

* Fun - Some Nights

* AC/DC - Back in Black

* Toby Mac - Burn For You

* 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite

Again, those are just a few of the tunes I'll throw on and then dance around like a loon. It's all about getting your body moving. When you have some upbeat music on, vacuuming and dusting or moping the floor (or what have you) is not only a little more enjoyable, but goes faster and becomes a better calorie burn. 

Like I said... I've dropped over 40 pounds so far just using these little tips. You've probably heard it before, but I'm the proof that it works.  

There's no need for anything other than eating right and moving your bod. 

“Diet food is for lazy people.” 
― Ice-T

Back in the Saddle

I have been on a hiatus for a while. I've been working on those pesky New Year's Resolutions and trying to get my life into some semblance of order. So far, I've made some progress and I'm pretty happy with how things have gone. I've lost weight and have reached my first goal (lost about 30 pounds total thus far!!!.) I've simplified a lot of things and am working on my relationships. All of that falls under the category of "Work in Progress."
Ok, it really falls under the category of "Rome Wasn't Built in A Day," but carry on I shall.

The kick in the pants is my writing life. I just can't seem to get a grip on that. I'm not sure what direction I want to take and I probably should keep up with the blog just so I can keep writing something creative and "me." I mean, I write every day. However, I can't really say that my reports are titillating for the average bear and definitely NOT accessible for anyone else to read. So what to do, I don't know.
I'm telling ya... this is a conundrum for the ages.
I wonder if Shakespeare, Twain, etc went through this kind of angst or if it just "came" to them.

In other news... eldest graduates in about a month and will start working at the vet clinic full time. Yay! Youngest is making plans for college and culinary school in Rhode Island in a couple of years. Wow!
Darling is doing really well at work and is getting to travel some and do a lot of interesting things since he found a job that really takes care of employees. A rarity and we are blessed.
The dogs are all good. I guess all in all, the family is doing pretty well.

Mother... oy. Maybe I should write about mother, but no one would believe me. They say truth is stranger than fiction, but even then I don't think I could properly convey the proper tone of borderline lucidity/insanity that prevails in her universe. I'm gearing up for her nervous breakdown any day now. This will be breakdown number 3 or 4. If she doesn't break, either myself or my Gotham sister may instead. We love her. We also do a lot of head shaking because we can't adequately explain her thoughts, words or actions. If I could, I am pretty sure I would have some sort of DSM-IV medical miracle on my hands.

Well, I need to get some sleep. The alarm rings early (anything before 10am is early) and I have to try to get a bunch of stuff done at work tomorrow. This writing thing though... lots to mull over.
G'night.

Day 136 - The Latest...

Why do I keep starting my blog titles with Day #so and so? Well, at day 142, it will be June 1st so this is the the number of days from when I started this blog up again. There's no other rhyme or reason and after June 1st, I may or may not continue the practice. I hope that answers the question for you. Now on to other more important things.

Sun. I love the sun. I can't say I'm a sun goddess because I believe to meet that definition, I would have to live in Malibu and walk around as a size 2 in a teeny, weeny bikini. However, I am solar-powered and need to lie in the sun to recharge every so often. While many would tout the cancer-causing effects of the sun, I would tout the fact I'm less bitchy and far more fulfilled on my vitamin D requirements. The goal today is to grab some of that vitamin D because I just like a better attitude and a little less pastiness. And if you need a few other reasons to catch a ray...

"...it has been proven that getting sufficient sunlight aids in preventing chronic ailments such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), osteoporosis, mental depression, type 2 diabetes, and cancers affecting the bladder, breasts, cervix, colon, ovaries, prostrate, and the stomach. To put it more succinctly, sunlight serves as the perfect medicinal pill in promoting a healthy lifestyle."

Speaking of healthy lifestyles...

Dancing with the Stars had their season finale last night. Hines Ward took hime the mirrorball trophy. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver was in pretty decent shape when the whole thing started. Competitor Kirstie Alley - not so much. However, with all of the dancing and training, Kirstie has whittled away 38 inches of her body from when she started. 38. That's a big number and rumor has it she's dropped approximately 60 pounds to wear almost an American size 6 and . I'm seriously wondering if I need to start dancing for a few hours every day... I'm willing to do so. Meanwhile....

I'm breaking out of my well-padded comfort zone and trying a bunch of new classes at the Amarillo Town Club. They are changing the class schedules in a couple of weeks, but I have to say that at the moment, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE yoga. I'm not a fan of group exercise, but for that, I am willing to bear with it. Other classes I'm going to be trying out include the Les Mills "Body Pump" and "Body Step" and maybe even "Body Combat." I'm also planning to test my coordination (HA!) with Zumba and even things out with pilates. Time to try something new and different.... and time to get back to work. More later from the flip side.