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

Rockin' the Veggies!

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” - Albert Einstein -

My youngest daughter is seventeen - you might remember seventeen, the age at which all things are possible.  She's working out what she wants to do in the future and figuring out who she is. She's really quite amazing and watching her go through this process is quite eye opening and I wonder if my parents took the amount of time I spend studying her studying me.

One of the things she has done is decided "enough is enough" and started improving her diet and getting in shape.  She is working out and has gone vegan, eating no meat / animal products and is working really hard to go raw vegan. 

As a result of her dietary changes, I have had to learn a lot about veganism and vegetarianism and other isms I didn't know a thing about .  So before I go further, lemme give you the short version.

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Ovo-vegetarianism includes eggs but not dairy products and  Lacto-vegetarianism includes dairy products but not eggs.

Ovo-lacto vegetarianism (or lacto-ovo vegetarianism) includes animal/dairy products such as eggs, milk, and honey. (This is the most common type of vegetarianism in the USA.)

Veganism excludes all animal flesh and animal products, including milk, honey, and eggs.

Raw veganism includes only fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables can only be cooked up to a certain temperature.

Fruitarianism permits only fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.

Sattvic diet (also known as yogic diet), a plant based diet which may also include dairy (not eggs) and honey, but excludes anything from the onion or leek family, red lentils, durian fruit, mushrooms, blue cheeses, fermented foods or sauces, alcoholic drinks and often also excludes coffee, black or green tea, chocolate, nutmeg or any other type of stimulant such as excess sharp spices.

Buddhist vegetarianism (also known as su vegetarianism) excludes all animal products as well as vegetables in the allium family (which have the characteristic aroma of onion and garlic): onion, garlic, scallions, leeks, chives, or shallots.

Jain vegetarianism includes dairy but excludes eggs and honey, as well as root vegetables.

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Wow...  that's a lot to learn, but even more to practice. Like I said, she's vegan and going raw vegan, but not completely there yet.  Like I said, I'm proud of her. Through the working out and eating right, she's lost a bunch of weight and is gettting in shape. Her goal is to eventually run a marathon. I can't say I'll ever run a marathon, and honestly, I don't want to. But I do want to run in the Susan G. Komen 5K next year. She's just one of the inspirations I have for doing so.

My mother had breast cancer and has been cancer free for more than five years now. It had spread to her lymph nodes and she had to have some of those removed.  Fortunately, it hadn't gotten bad enough that she would have had to have a mastectomy. She and several other people I know are other inspirations to make the run. I have to do my fair share of getting back into shape, but there's no reason why I can't ... except for excuses. Lots of excuses.

As I look further into vegetarianism and getting back into shape myself, I may decide to modify my diet.  I don't think I'll ever go vegan. I have to face it - I'm a Texan and I love a good steak. However, I believe I can morph more that direction and definitely eat more of a natural / vegetarian lifestyle and less of a processed foods lifestyle and make it work.

More on that as I make the change for the better... and again... I just have to say - I'm really, really proud of youngest. Rock on, girlie!!!

Fruits of the Forbidden

"Your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden itself." 

Oscar Wilde

When something is forbidden it becomes more desirable, more delicious. It's a temptation we contain through self-control and that nagging feeling in our subconscious when we entertain the idea of taking a bite of the forbidden fruit. And I'm sure you know the fruit is metaphorical; however, even though it's late in the evening, I wouldn't mind wrapping my lips around a strawberry and feeling the sweet juice of spring explode in my mouth.  Yes... the diet continues. (Happy, Happy.... Joy, Joy...)

Anyhoo...
 I was watching "Smash" on NBC tonight. For whatever reason, I dig that show. And this show is in so many ways about the forbidden fruit and the attempt (though not so successful for so many of the characters) to deny themselves what they are so longing for. The show is a tangled mess of interrelationships during the creation of a Broadway musical, "Bombshell" centered around the life of Marilyn Monroe. Uma Thurman is cast as the "lead" on stage as Marilyn and I just have to say "Why????" I'm not sure of the casting choice exactly, but she plays the movie star come Broadway star wannabe well. However when I think of Marilyn, I don't think of a 41 year old woman and on the close up shots of Uma, I see too many fine lines, which I never saw with Norma Jean. Call me cynical, but really? Marilyn died at 36 and I don't think she looked it, but that's just me.

With two episodes left, I'm not going to sweat it too much, but I have to ask what I think is a pretty good question. What was Marilyn's forbidden fruit? She was the golden fleece for so many, but what was it that was forbidden to her and was it enough to push her over the edge?  I know I'll never have the answers to those questions, but it does put into perspective some of my own forbidden desires and makes it a little easier to acknowledge their existence and say, "Thanks, but no."

So I guess I'll just have to tune in next week for the next to the last of the Season 1 episode and see if Ivy has screwed up with Karen's boyfriend (pun intended) and hope that Julia doesn't lose what's left of her marbles when she runs into her old flame. And does Rebecca Duvall steal Derek's heart. Heck... does Derek even have a heart?  Forget those daytime soaps folks.... we have a "Smash" on our hands.

Celeste

The Write Diet

Exhaustion makes me want to eat. Eating involves about 30 Oreo cookies.
The struggle is on today.... I've had three hours of sleep and when I'm tired I ALWAYS crave sugary snack foods.

I have been reading Julia Cameron's book, "The Write Diet" which helps the writer in me process this whole weight loss journey in a different way. Something that has stuck with me after reading this is her list of 4 questions that are already making a huge difference for me.

Am I hungry?
Is this what I want to eat?
Is this what I want to eat now?
Is there something else I can eat instead?

I'm still trying to figure out the difference in hunger and the emotional eating habits that fall under "angry, bored, or tired." However, when I get to questions two and three... I really stop and think about the "want" ... and question 4 settles it. If I really do want the Oreo now, I would eat it. However, I can generally find something to eat instead that even if it has the same calories, has a better nutritional value.

Now that's some food for thought....

Radio, Birthdays and Other Adventures

Yesterday was my youngest's 16th birthday, but because of life and all of it's adventures, we celebrated with friends and family on Sunday. I would just like to say to my kiddo, "I love you... You are amazing."

And I would like to add that despite the birthday, I did fairly well on keeping to the diet and instead of eating the two slices of cake and a half gallon of icecream, I had 1 slice of cake (and tried not to eat any of the icing) and had 4oz of the icecream. yay! My calories were exceeded; however, I'm not going to beat myself up over it too much because I got back on track yesterday. The diet is going okay so far. I'm using CalorieKing to track my food and exercise and it's a program that WORKS.

In other news... I'm totally digging the work at FM90. Being back on the air after such a long hiatus is a little weird, but I'm reconnecting to a part of myself that I hadn't seen in a while. It's nice to rediscover yourself after a long absence. www.kacvfm.org
You can catch me and Tommy tonight from 9 til Midnight covering the best alternative music from the 1990's.

More from the flip side a little later... lunch break is almost over and I need to take a walk.

Sleep Deprivation

Ok. I'm writing this at 1215AM. I should be in bed, but frankly, that won't happen for a few. So I can continue to toss and turn and generally be pissed off at the universe (again) or I can sit and write a little bit and put the frustrations to good use.

Sleep deprivation is a bad thing and from the targetwomen.com website, I had to do a little cut and paste so I could put this all in perspective.

Some of the common symptoms of sleep deprivation are fatigue, lack of physical energy and exhaustion. Our emotional moods are affected by exhaustion and fatigue. This condition in turn will lead to pessimism, sadness, stress and anger. To function effectively, the frontal cortex of our brain needs sufficient sleep. The ability to control speech, problem solving and accessing memory is all controlled by the frontal cortex and if there is not enough rest, these abilities are affected. If there is no sufficient rest, driving can be dangerous.

Adult symptoms of sleep deprivation may vary from those of a child. Yawning constantly, dozing off while watching a television show, poor concentration and grogginess while waking up are some of the symptoms adults display when they are deprived of sleep. The symptoms of a sleep-deprived child include irritability, daytime naps, tantrums, hyperactive behavior and moodiness. Getting out of bed in the morning is a problem for children who experience sleep deprivation.

There are a number of consequences for not getting the recommended number of hours of sleep a night, which by the way are 8. The heftiest one: obesity. The most morbid; death. Not a fan of those ideas.

To put this sleep thing in perspective:
* My darling hubby snores to the point where it's not only loud, but the vibrations carry throughout the bed and there are some nights ( about 50% of the time) I have to take some melatonin or a night time sleep aid to help even get to sleep.
* If I am lucky, I can actually sleep in my own bed one or two nights a week. The majority of the time I have to move to the couch (Remember that not a fan thing? Count this in on that.)
* There are some nights one of the kids is spending the night with a friend or grandparents. Those nights I generally get to sleep an entire night in a bed.
* Couple the aforementioned with a lack of exercise (because I'm freakin' tired) and the extra 50-60 pounds I'm carrying, a lovely case of what I think is RLS (possibly caused by the night time sleep aids) and to top it off ... plantar fasciatis... no wonder I am only averaging 4 - 6 hours of sleep a night.

Now.. if you look at the fact I generally am getting to sleep about 0100 - 0130 and have to get up and pee at least once, sometimes twice, because of other physical problems then I say that starts moving the sleep scale down to 3-5 hours a night because it sometimes takes me a while to get back to sleep after waking.

I'm not the only one in the family that suffers from this malady. My mother is a poster child and I do wonder about some freaked out genetic link. Sleep deprivation has a lot of behavioral side effects and I found this one which really does describe me and my mom to some degree...

If you were a happy-go-lucky by nature, get ready for a new you, if you are a victim of sleep deprivation. Nothing will make you happy, as you will be down almost all the time. Not only will your health be affected, but you will also get drowned from the mental point of view. Thus, the positive vibes, which you would have bought in the room previously, is going to be replaced by a lethargic and a negative atmosphere. www.effectsofsleepdeprivation.net

I can't say mom's ever been happy-go-lucky, but negativity is her mainstay. And lately, I find myself to be quite irritable nature.

Irrespective of the importance that the person, at the other end, holds in your life, you will start getting irritated with everything coming from them. This may cause fissures in the relation and ultimately, lead your life to get filled with stress and tension.

If I look at my situation honestly, yes. This is the case. Not a fan of this either.

So what's the solution?
They claim: exercise, relaxation techniques, meditation, diet and sometimes natural supplements.

I could argue against many of these, but the fact of the matter is I'm knee deep in Crap-Creek and need a way out. I'm starting a new blog that will hopefully focus on these very issues. Stay tuned for more details... after a word from this nap. Good night...

Day 95 - A Few Notes

I love the purple haze that settles over the city in the mornings when the sun is coming up behind the buildings. It's always calming and makes me realize how much I love the "city." I suppose I'm kind of a big-city girl at heart. I love the open plains and the way you can see for miles as the sun sets in the evening, but there's something about the way the sun moves and highlights the buildings that's pretty awesome to me.

I'm taking a quick break and chowing down on an orange. So far, the "diet" has been going well this week and only a few challenges to will-power. I have not deprived myself, but I am being careful to keep things in line with what I need to be eating. So... more fruits and veggies and less crap. As a result of that and some 20 minute workouts (walking, elliptical and such,) I am already noticing a wee, small, little change in the way the pants are fitting. This is a good sign and motivation to keep things going. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for lunch today as I didn't pack one this morning. I'm thinking maybe a chicken breast, spinach and some salad (that veggie thing is all important.) This is under the assumption I can get Jesus to make this for me.

I watched American Idol last night and just for the record... LOVED the show. There are so many great songs from movies that it would be really hard to narrow down what to sing. There is this little part of me that was hoping someone would TRY to sing the theme song from "Titanic" because it's one of the hardest to try to master.
But in case you missed it...
Paul's performance of Bob Segar was forgetable, but don't know if he will go home. It's not that he did a bad job, but by the end of the show I actually had to try to remember what he sang.
Haley totally butchered "Call Me" by Blondie. I understand what she was going for, but when you compare it to the original, it comes across as screamy. I think she wore the outfit she did because her singing wasn't singing.
Casey Abrams did "Nature Boy" and while I love the Nat King Cole song, I think he jinxed himself. I don't know if that America would see him as an "idol" after that jazz performance.
Stefano and Jacob. Ugh. Can't stand Stefano at all and Jacob's Idol career was saved tonight by the song choice, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" suggested by the mentors. If he had gone with his choices, I'm sure he would have gone home.
Favorites of the night were:
James Durbin doing "Heavy Metal) - he ROCKED it out. I am hoping that next week will be something totally different. He's a rocker and I would love to hear him doing a rock ballad.
I also enjoyed Lauren Aliana's "The Climb." This Miley Cyrus song is a good one and she totally trumped Ms. Cyrus. She was a little bit pitchy in parts, but overall, she sounds so much better than Billy Ray's princess.
Scotty doin George Straight's song, "I Cross My Heart" was obvious. He's good, but I wonder if he's getting predictable. I would like to see him branch out, take a chance and all that good stuff.

Tonight's result show should be interesting. There's some great talent there; however, at this stage in the competition, I would say it's all about song choice. Tune in for the results tonight on FOX.

Day 91 - Not So Positive

I woke up this morning and my knee hurt. It wasn't the kind of hurt that you can really get past with positive thinking. It was the kind of hurt where you try to walk and the pain shoots all the way up your leg, grips your intestines and makes you wanna throw up. It's been over 10 years since I felt that kind of pain in my knee and I'm sure it's back because I haven't been exercising, my diet has been shit and I weigh a good 50 pounds more than I should.

I didn't get this out of shape over night and I don't think I can get back in shape that quickly. I'm sure some of this has been brought on by the walking I've been doing as my knee has taken a little bit of a pounding. Walking is good, but I am sure I have over done it. Tomorrow shall be a new day where all of that is concerned will start changing. I am going to take my lunch, eat healthy and find my way to the gym tomorrow. I am also going to remember to take it slow.

Day 37 - Monday... Not a Fan

It's not so much that I don't like Mondays. I have nothing personal against a Monday. I do dislike the first day of the week I have to go back to work whether it be a Monday, Thursday or Saturday. It could also be that I'm not really so concerned today is Monday, but that I'm just not thrilled with life in general.

DH's computer bit the big one. As this is the primary tool needed for him to be able to do his job, that's a setback I hadn't really anticipated. He does have a backup system he's working on, but it is slower, needs more RAM and whatever else... It's frustrating to say the least and I'm not happy about all this crap that seems to be happening lately.

Health and Fitness #37: There is a yoga class and a pilates class tonight offered at the Town Club. I really think I need to go to at least one of them. Not only are they low-impact workouts, but the stress relief is more important than just about anything else. I'm thinking at this point I just might implode.
I've really wanted to start doing yoga again on a regular basis. I actually have a book, a CD and a mat at home. However, home isn't an overly great place to try to do any kind of exercise. Between the DH, the kids, the dogs and life in general, it's kind of the worst case scenario for working out. In 2008 I was doing yoga with some kind of regularity. Hopefully, this will be a great thing to come to pass. Unfortunately, as much as I want to go tonight, I don't know that I will get dinner done in time to make that happen. *sigh* Too bad there isn't an early morning yoga class.

Food tally for the day:
Breakfast: 1 cup of Light Chocolate Silk; 2 small Oatmeal/Banana/Cranberry cookie things (... not that great, but edible, nutritious, and not a lot of calories)
Morning Snack: Frigo Light Cheese Stick and 1/4 cup blueberries
Lunch: 2 Ezekiel Tortillas, 1 Laughing Cow Herb Cheese, 3 slices Organic deli chicken, Spinach, Sprouts and 3 Gobstoppers
Afternoon Snack: "Jazz" apple (can't say I'm all that impressed and much prefer a honeycrisp, gala, mac or granny smith), a cup of sugar-free Cherry Jello, 1 "cookie" and 10 mixed nuts
Dinner: Pork chops, Broccoli/Rice/Cheese, Salad, Crescent rolls (at least that is the theory as I sit here contemplating what to cook)

Feeding the Spirit #37

— James 5:16 (b) —
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

_________________________
Six Blessings of Prayer:
• Prayer fuels faith to dream and hope and risk;
• Prayer woos us to the Word and by our need to hear God's response to our requests;
• Prayer teaches us trust in God by waiting upon His timing;
• Prayer reveals God's plan and our purpose in opening up to us detailed directions for both the present and the future;
• Prayer releases God's power to live and walk in the supernatural realm of the Holy Spirit;
• Prayer unleashes love for God — emotional, real and all-consuming.

Day 34- Friday, the end...

I'm thankful today is Friday. For whatever reason this has been a very long week and I can't wait til the weekend to take care of a few things that I need to take care of and then turn into asparagus - a vegetable. The weather is supposed to be a tad bit warmer, so maybe this means I can finish going through stuff in the garage. It desperately needs to be done and hopefully, this will be the weekend.

So far, diet has been "ok" today, but not quite feeling up to snuff. Maybe it's the large fiber content I've been consuming the past couple of days catching up with me. I can honestly say I'm "stuffed" yet don't feel quite satisfied. How to remedy that I'm not sure.

Food tally for the day:
Breakfast: Apple & Water
Morning Snack: Cherry Jello and 1 peanut M&M
Lunch: 2 Cups raw spinach, 1 cup cubed chicken, 1/2 cup sprouts and 2 Ezekiel Tortillas.. oh and a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge and 5 peanut M&M's
Afternoon Treat:
Dinner: TBA

Health & Fitness #34 Stairs... so good for exercising those massive muscles we sit on each and every day. If you take two stairs at a time, it burns more calories and who doesn't want that?!?!


Feeding the Spirit #34 Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? Why and how can you change it?