Healthy living on a budget

How isn’t watching their pennies these days? My job is to keep up on the news and to top it off I work as a designer for the business section of the newspaper. I call it the department of doom and gloom. The only good news in the business world is that it is so bad it that it should keep us in business for a while.

Eating right on a budget is tough but it can be done with some planning. Here are some of my tricks to keep my pennies in my pocket .

1. I make a list and shop the sales.
2. Limit how much you eat out. Not great for the restaurant business but I am not alone in this rule. When I do go out I try to go to family places so that they can stay in business. They have more pride in what they are serving and are they grateful for your patronage.
3. Pack my lunch and dinner. I work a swing shift and this allows me to stay on my diet with little effort.
4. Take advantage of the frozen veggies. There is no waste and are there for more economical.
5. Search out the discount stores and compare prices. Target has great prices on staples.
   

Sure a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese is a cheap meal but it is far from a nutritional meal. Frankly, I think the box has more nutrients and fiber. When I am grocery shopping I look at other peoples carts and I wonder what they are thinking. God gave us one body and it is our duty to take care of it. Eat healthy, be wise with your money and enjoy the temple that you create.

 

Get active!

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, a family physician and Texas Health Commissioner, said in November, 2003, in Austin, Texas, at a conference on patient education, “By 2040, the cost of medical care associated with obesity, superimposed on the cost of care to the elderly, is going to break the system. Super-sized burgers and super-sized fries are the new weapons of mass destruction.  We have more to fear from Big Macs than from anthrax.”  FPReport, January 2004.

Most of us spend at least one third of our day either in school or at work.  To build effective programs to deal with the problem of obesity and long term success, good eating practices and fitness must occur across all spheres of our lives.

Our dollars could be spent wisely on preventive medicine instead of construction of obscure museums, turn-of-the-century wooden bridges (as in one location in central Illinois), $500 toilets, and the like.

Building bicycle paths, swimming pools, ice skating rinks, ballparks (baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, football) and exercise facilities would be a boost to the economy, a boost to fitness and a smack across the face to obesity related diseases.  The sedentary life too many of us are dying with, rather than living with, needs to be corrected now. Tomorrow is too late.

Unsurprisingly, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Sallis et al; 15:379-397, 2000) reported a correspondence between the location of parks and recreational facilities and an increased level of physical activity among local residents.

It is also interesting to note, a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Anderson et al; 1998), found an increased use of stairs in public places when signs were placed to encourage their use.  In 1980, another researcher, Dr. K. D. Brown reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, that when signs were taken down, stair use diminished until the signs were replaced.  A little subtle prodding works very nicely for many of us.  Maybe you can work with your local governments to achieve some simple, inexpensive signs to guide your fellow Americans into better living.  When you do, we will place your name on this web site and praise you and your efforts.  Building a new bike path will likely do us more good than another highway.  Let’s bike to work, walk to work, and skip to school.  The era of the school bus is another contribution to obesity among children in the guise that it is safer.  I am sure our seniors, parents and the retired can keep an eye on our children when they walk a mile or two and back each day from school.  We could develop a cadre of individuals dedicated to the elimination of the school bus and the resumption of fitness and exercise among our children.  Like the Peace Corps, maybe we need The Fitness Corps?

For years, some European countries have taken the lead by building activity areas available to their citizens to improve or maintain fitness.

A. Mary Walborn, M.D., a well-respected internal medicine physician on Cleveland’s West Side has experienced this a “Recently on a trip through Scandinavia, I was impressed with the lack of fat people.  The city of Copenhagen has wide bicycle paths, which are greater than twice the width of American bike paths.  There is virtually an army of Danes on bikes.  Men dressed in suits, women in high heels, even older people with grocery bags, as well as young people in attire from bikinis to sports uniforms, travel the city on bicycles.  Actually, Copenhagen has “free bikes” for anyone to use.  People using public transportation need to be careful exiting as bicycles have the right of way. You can easily be hit by a flock of 10 speed bicyclists going very fast.”

Much of Norway, Sweden, and Finland have even installed special traffic lights for bicycles.  Their commitment to outdoor activities has led to a culture of Nordic well-being.  Mr. President, can you help us?

Dr. Philip

His blogs are his own opinions and do not reflect those of his current and past employers.

 

Life in moderation

 

I am a Cancer, a homebody by nature, but it is time to go back out into the world with my new life and take it for a test drive.

Eating out has been a downfall for me. For some reason, I thought that the calories consumed at a restaurant didn’t count. Wrong Lisa. They count and what is worse the food preparation is out of my hands. Only the cooks know how much oil they use and not to mention the other goodies that they hide in their treats.

Being antisocial really isn’t in my nature so I have learned a few tricks to eating out that I thought I would share with you. I am far from perfect and I still over eat  when I go out but life is short, so when I overeat I hit the gym harder the next day. Try these tricks when you go out to eat:

1. If I am going to an unfamiliar place for dinner I will Google the place and look over the menu and figure out what would be good choices for dinner in advance. My game plan is motion and it helps fight off the temptation to order things I know I shouldn’t.

2. I never order from the main entrée menu. The portions are just too large. I know that some people ask for a take out box to come with their dinner and then they put half of their meal in the box before they start to eat. Nice thought, but it never worked for me. The waiter forgets the box and the next thing you know my plate is empty.

3. I allow myself two items total. I look over the appetizer, soup and salad menu and then pick the two things that I want. The great thing about the appetizer menu is that portions are more inline with what they should be so, if I choose something strays from my healthy eating regime I don’t feel like I fall off the horse too badly because at least the smaller portions keep the calorie count in control.

4. If I know that the desserts at the eating establishment are great I will adjust more my ordering to account for the extra calories at the end of the meal. I ask my friends to share the dish and get extra forks with the treat. It is a great bonding tool and helps again keep the calorie count in line.

5. Moderation is key and enjoying yourself is always on the menu. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself.

 

Dr. Philip

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, a family physician and Texas Health Commissioner, said in November, 2003, in Austin, Texas, at a conference on patient education, “By 2040, the cost of medical care associated with obesity, superimposed on the cost of care to the elderly, is going to break them system. Super-sized burgers and super-sized fries are the new weapons of mass destruction.  We have more to fear from Big Macs than from anthrax.”  FPReport, January 2004.

Most of us spend at least one third of our day either in school or at work.  To build effective programs to deal with the problem of obesity and long term success, good eating practices and fitness must occur across all spheres of our lives.

Our dollars could be spent wisely on preventive medicine instead of construction of obscure museums, turn-of-the-century wooden bridges (as in one location in central Illinois), $500 toilets, and the like.

Building bicycle paths, swimming pools, ice skating rinks, ballparks (baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, football) and exercise facilities would be a boost to the economy, a boost to fitness and a smack across the face to obesity related diseases.  The sedentary life too many of us are dying with, rather than living with, needs to be corrected now. Tomorrow is too late.

Unsurprisingly, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Sallis et al; 15:379-397, 2000) reported a correspondence between the location of parks and recreational facilities and an increased level of physical activity among local residents.

It is also interesting to note, a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Anderson et al; 1998), found an increased use of stairs in public places when signs were placed to encourage their use.  In 1980, another researcher, Dr. K. D. Brown reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, that when signs were taken down, stair use diminished until the signs were replaced.  A little subtle prodding works very nicely for many of us.  Maybe you can work with your local governments to achieve some simple, inexpensive signs to guide your fellow Americans into better living.  When you do, we will place your name on this web site and praise you and your efforts.  Building a new bike path will likely do us more good than another highway.  Let’s bike to work, walk to work, and skip to school.  The era of the school bus is another contribution to obesity among children in the guise that it is safer.  I am sure our seniors, parents and the retired can keep an eye on our children when they walk a mile or two and back each day from school.  We could develop a cadre of individuals dedicated to the elimination of the school bus and the resumption of fitness and exercise among our children.  Like the Peace Corps, maybe we need The Fitness Corps?

For years, some European countries have taken the lead by building activity areas available to their citizens to improve or maintain fitness.

A. Mary Walborn, M.D., a well-respected internal medicine physician on Cleveland’s West Side has experienced this a “Recently on a trip through Scandinavia, I was impressed with the lack of fat people.  The city of Copenhagen has wide bicycle paths, which are greater than twice the width of American bike paths.  There is virtually an army of Danes on bikes.  Men dressed in suits, women in high heels, even older people with grocery bags, as well as young people in attire from bikinis to sports uniforms, travel the city on bicycles.  Actually, Copenhagen has *free bikes* for anyone to use.  People using public transportation need to be careful exiting as bicycles have the right of way. You can easily be hit by a flock of 10 speed bicyclists going very fast.”

Much of Norway, Sweden, and Finland have even installed special traffic lights for bicycles.  Their commitment to outdoor activities has led to a culture of Nordic well-being.  Mr. President, can you help us?

Dr. Philip

His blogs are his own opinions and do not reflect those of his current and past employers. 

 

Embracing hunger

There are many things that are tough about dieting. Like many people, I have struggled with that empty feeling in my stomach. Skinny people will tell you to embrace hunger. Yea, like I can stop thinking about food when my stomach is growling like a grizzle bear. 

But those skinny people are right? Do you have to embrace it or can you just learn to live with that empty feeling in your gut?

Water has been my saving grace this week. When I am feeling that empty pit in my stomach I have reached for tall glass of water and a piece of sugarless gum.

I will admit that going to bed hungry in a one word, SUCKS, but I have done it plenty of times during my downsizing. Frankly, most nights I when I hit the bed I am so exhausted that I am asleep in just a few minutes.  When I wake up I am so glad that I didn’t give in to my stomach before I went to bed and often in the morning the scale has rewarded me for my efforts.

Many diet plans recommend that you not eat after 7:30 at night or at least 3 hours before you go to bed. The theory is you are doing nothing but sleeping and you burn less calories during the night. Granted you burn a few when you are sleeping but not many, so carbing up for a good nights rest isn’t a good idea. Sorry, no pint of ice cream before nighty night.

Just give me a tall glass of water and I will burn a few calories getting up several times at night. 

Stop with the catalogs. Please!

Dear Mr. Postman,

I would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t bring any more larger-sized women’s clothing catalogs to my house. I have called the companies and asked them not to send them any longer. It took 15 calls to Lane Bryant for them to finally stop sending them to me. I must admit that it was the only way that I could buy clothes for decades and they are fine companies but I don’t need their garments any longer and I don’t want their catalogs delivered to my house any longer.

The reality is that I haven’t bought anything from a plus-sized catalog for over 4 years so I am surprised that they waste their money sending them to me. I told a friend about this last week and she asked me why I was so bothered by the junk mail that came my way.

It made me stop and think, and I told her that I didn’t want to know that they still existed. Long ago, I donated all my old clothes so I didn’t have an escape hatch for my diet. I know that you can still buy larger clothes but I have put that idea of that out of my head. I haven’t kept any garment that is more than a two sizes too big unless I am going to workout in it.

95% of diets fail and I don’t want to be a casualty. If I can’t fit into my skinner clothes,  that  is my sign to cut out the sweets and hit the gym. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Thank you Mr. Postman for not delivering any more catalogs.

Disabled List

Once again I have fallen off the horse. Technically, I fell on the ice and re-injured my knee; it is my glass jaw in boxing terms. You know, that spot on your body that is just a mess and it doesn’t take much for it to become a problem. Two years ago, a car hit me when I was riding my bike and my knee went through its taillight. Ouch! So when I fell several weeks ago, I got out the knee brace and it was back on the disabled list for me.

I hate not being able to work out. I enjoy riding my bike in the morning. (Still a bit weird for the former fat girl to think those thoughts, but it is true.)

But injuries happen, and it is important to be proactive and take care of the booboo to make it strong again. So I hobbled along for a week until I felt that the knee was strong enough to walk without the brace. Time does heal all wounds and I have learned to listen to my body.

Being me, I worked out with the brace on.  The bike was off the workout menu but I was able to at least get some good stretching and upper arm work done. But I was itching to get back in the game so I went to a physical therapist to get the knee back to “normal”.

After the car accident, I went to a physical therapist and was amazed how the right exercises can speed up the recovery and can make the joint better. So I am back to doing leg and knee stretches and once again I am on the mend.

Now, it is time to saddle up and get back on my bike. 

What to do about obesity

“May you live all the days of your life.” — Jonathan Swift

Life is too precious to be squandered and therefore your role is not just to preserve life, but to improve your well-being and that of your family members to achieve the most out of what life has to offer.  In so doing you will provide a legacy of good health for future generations to embrace.

In bypassing the precepts of good health, you emotionally and financially burden your friends, loved ones, and society with unbearable costs. It is estimated that between now and the year 2025, over $2,000,000,000,000.00 (that is 2 trillion) will be spent on preventable diseases.  Stacked one-dollar bill upon another dollar bill until the total sum is reached would go from the surface of the earth to the surface of the moon.  I think we can do better than that.  It is time to save a few bucks.

There is a full range of questions need to be answered to solve the problem of obesity!

1. What did humankind eat one million years ago and why does it matter?

2. What influence does agriculture have on our diet and obesity?

3. Does obesity begin in infancy?

4. Are breast-fed babies more or less obese later in life than are bottle-fed?

5. What role in obesity does genetics play?

6. Do parents and relatives contribute to the problem of obesity?

7. Why is obesity dangerous?

8. How is obesity linked to diseases such as breast cancer and Type II Diabetes?

9. Is Type II Diabetes as dangerous as cancer and can it be prevented?

10. Why do most diets fail?

11. How important is exercise in the scheme of losing weight?

12. What is the minimum amount of weekly exercise needed to lose weight?

13. What is the minimum amount of exercise required to maintain weight?

14. Is there a role for medication in the task of losing weight?

15. What is the role of surgery for the extremely obese individual?

16. How can I be successful and losing and keeping weight off?

17. What are my options for exercise in obtaining my goal of losing weight?

18. Is there an effective diet that will help me to achieve my goals?

19. Who will bear the financial burden of obesity related diseases?

20. Should the federal government play a role in the problem of obesity?

21. Should private business be involved in setting standards since they are often involved in the cost of health care plans?

22. Should over-weight individuals pay higher health insurance premiums?

23. Can you beat the problem of obesity once and for all?

24. Will you join me, Lisa, and others on this site in fighting and defeating the problem of obesity?

“The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.” — Abraham Lincoln

Thank you for joining with me in this battle that we will win together!

Dr. Philip

Silence between friends

Just a silly moment when Deb and I lived in Washington. The point of this photo is that Lisa should never get another perm.

So when the emails stop there is usually a reason. I have been in my usual winter funk and I thought it was time to email Deb, my old pal and see what was going on in her life.

Wow, weird. I was JUST thinking about you…and your message pops up!

I can’t write a lot right now. Gotta get some work done, and at lunch I am putting on my sneakers and walking.

Time for me to get ON the horse….get my head in the game, etc. etc.

The month of January was a bust in some ways, but productive in others. I gained and lost the same 5 pounds…sigh…my scale was screaming this morning too.  I walked the dog for 15 minutes this morning and then did a 30 minute exercise tape. Brought healthy whole food.

I have done a lot of soul-searching and thinking this month. I think (once again) I set too many goals at once and didn’t do any of them well in January. 

So February is one thing and one thing only. From now on, I pick one goal per month…do it until it is a habit and then move on to the next thing. This month my only goal is to get the exercise into my daily routine and KEEP IT THERE. I will try and eat healthy, but if nothing else I MUST move my butt. I must set a goal I can stick with…so aside from walking the dog I want to try and do my exercise tapes 5x per week and throw in walks at lunch as much as possible. I even fear 5x per week is too much…but this month the scale has to MOVE…

I would love to be 20 pounds lighter by my birthday in April…but not sure that’s going to work.

I don’t want to set myself up for failure there either. One pound at a time…baby steps.

Gotta run…

My email to Deb.

Truth is that I did a shitty job of sticking with my New Year’s resolutions. I hate winter and I have let it once again sidetrack my efforts. But it is time for me to do the same as you. I need to set my goal for this month. Mine is to stop letting stress rule my life. I am realizing that it is my trigger to over eat. I am taking a new pair of tennis shoes to work and I am going to follow Joy’s advice and walk off my cravings. I am also going to take a yoga matt to work and steal a few minutes a day and stretch out after sitting for several hours. Then if I feel the need the eat something I am going to reach for my water bottle and drink until it feel full. At least, I will burn a few calories by running to the bathroom. You know that is one of the reasons they say that drinking water can speed up your metabolism. You got to burn calories getting rid of it.

Stay tuned to see how we do this month.

 

 

Healthy Cruising with Jon Stanton

I wanted you all to meet my friend Jon Stanton and fellow Joy Fit Club member. Jon has lost over 200 pounds by walking and learning healthier eating habits.

He is 32-year-old communications director from Ovid, Mich., and constantly felt insecure about his appearance and his inability to control his eating habits. It wasn’t long before his weight took a toll on his professional goals as well as his personal ones. “I would often fall short of reaching them because of a physical breakdown, or because they required me to do something that I couldn’t because of my weight,” he said. “Life was busy, but often not very fun — especially once I reached my 30s.”

He is now embracing his new life and the lucky guy just got back from a cruise and he actually lost weight while on the floating smorgasbord.  I asked Jon to tell us about his wonderful trip.

“Healthy Cruising - How I Lost 2 Pounds While Surrounded by Food on the Open Seas”

I confess, I’m a cruise-a-holic. If it weren’t for this lovely thing in my life called “work” or the fact that I am chronically broke, I would cruise year-round. Due to my state of affairs, however, I’m lucky if I can go every other year.

I left the frigid wilderness of Michigan on January 8 - destination: Fort Lauderdale. Ah, Florida - home of horrendous hurricanes, but warm winters. I think we must have been on God’s good side this year, because shortly after I left Michigan, temperatures plummeted to 18 below zero. I was oblivious - enjoying the 80-degree sunshine in Florida.

Our ultimate destination (there were 9 of us “cruisees” this year) was the lovely Independence of the Seas - currently the largest cruise ship in the world. At 188,000 tons, she weighs just a bit more than I did when I was killing myself with food a couple of years ago. Within her “bowels” (why do ships have bowels?) is room for 6,000 people, a theatre that seats 3,000, multiple stores and shops, an ice skating rink, a surf machine, dozens of pools and hot tubs, and pretty much everything else you would expect to find on the strip in Vegas - including a casino.

Alas, also within her belly is enough food to overfeed those 6,000 people for an entire week; twenty-five tons of chicken breasts, 850,000 eggs, enough beer to get a good-sized city drunk, and enough high-calorie desserts to send the passengers that don’t contract the Norovirus into a diabetic coma. How on earth is someone who has lost 229 pounds in the last year and a half supposed to survive that kind of temptation?

Well, I would like to say I have the willpower of chicken working its way out of an egg, or that I am so “supremely fit” that I could eat whatever I want without dire consequences. Neither statement is true, so I had to determine what I was going to do to make sure the ship didn’t end up listing on the side where my room was located. I had the additional motivation of knowing I would be going on the Today Show one week after returning, and I didn’t exactly want my pants to rip or my zipper to pop open on national TV!

Fitness gurus will tell you that when facing a known danger, it’s best to have a plan as to how to avert disaster. All throughout the last year and a half of my weight-loss journey, I have always operated with a philosophy that when it’s time to “celebrate,” it’s best to party like it’s 1999, and when it’s not - be smart about what you eat. However, since this cruise would be an entire WEEK of partying like it’s 1999, my waistline would never survive intact.

So, I determined before leaving that I would eat a smart breakfast. That meant avoiding the buffet line with it’s heaps of fried chicken embryos and pork byproducts, and opting instead for a box of Special K, half a banana, and skim milk. For good measure, I threw in a yogurt. Lunch was salad-time. I’ve learned to love those copious amounts of green leafiness, and I discovered a wonderful low-fat Raspberry vinaigrette onboard that only had 40 calories per two tablespoons (it took me a couple of days to figure this out - I couldn’t find anyone in the kitchen that understood English). In fact, not only was there a GREAT salad bar at the buffet every day, I discovered on day 2 that in the main dining room (think 5-star, Emeril-style food) people in fancy white hats would actually make a salad for you. We would basically stand in a line and bark orders at them as to what to put in a big silver bowl. They would dutifully toss it all together and put it on a big plate at the end of the line.

As for supper…well, after being good for breakfast and lunch, I decided to return to the 1999 party for dinner. I ate whatever I wanted in the main dining room for supper. I did avoid white breads and super-rich desserts (for the most part), but other than that - I ate bountifully.

Everyone always wants to know about the “midnight buffets.” Once again, God was looking out for me, because there was only one of those on this particular cruise (we suspect this is one of the “cut-backs” the cruise companies have made because of financial strains) and I was not star-struck by the food options there. I did eat some cookies and pizza and those kinds of things late at night - something I rarely do at home, but none of it stuck to my body because…

I EXERCISED LIKE A FIEND! Oh yeah - 7:00 am found me in the onboard gym (aptly named “Shipshape Fitness Center) busting a groove with Ryan; a former soccer pro whose newfound calling is whipping chubby Americans into shape while onboard a cruise ship. One morning was aerobics, and the next was strength training, and then it was a morning of ab-work and so on. When I finished with the half hour of hell in the Shipshape Fitness Center, I headed outdoors to the top of the ship, where a walking/running track greeted me. Motivated by my attempts to escape from Ryan as quickly as possible, I would then walk/run for a two to three mile loop. After that, I would return to my room and collapse in a heap on the floor.

Once I regained consciousness, it was off to visit our various ports of call. These were extreme calorie-burning opportunities. In St. Thomas, my best friend and I hiked to the top of the island - including a sprint up several hundred stairs. In St. Marten, we walked 4 miles from the boat, rented wave runners (my butt thanked me for that one) and walked 4 miles back. In San Juan, we wandered the old part of the city looking for cheap jewelry. What I found instead was the local drugstore, where I purchased a box of Diet Coke so I wouldn’t have to pay $2.50 per can for it on the ship.

 

All of my endeavors ultimately contributed to a two-pound weight loss. My fellow cruisees were not amused. While impressed with my physical vigor and amazing stamina, they wanted to commit murder when they found out I lost two pounds. Names shall remain anonymous, but I know at least one of them told me they gained four pounds. Not bad, when you consider that the average cruiser gains anywhere from 7-10 pounds on a week-long cruise. I told them they should be proud it was only four!

 

So - it IS possible to have fun and be healthy. It IS possible to enjoy food and not gain weight! Yes, if I had stuck with only the bark and twigs food selections and had avoided all desserts and other goodies, I probably would have lost even more. Sorry - not going to happen. After all, losing 229 pounds has been because of a lifestyle change - not a diet. Yes, there are some good diet plans out there (like Joy Bauer’s LIFE Diet, which I had an opportunity to “preview” before its release), but unless you’re wanting a body like Paris Hilton’s, trying to diet on a cruise is ridiculous. However - it is possible to be healthy on a cruise boat - I’m living proof! So, go with a plan, exercise like a fiend, take advantage of high-activity excursions while in port, and come back home knowing you had a great time and don’t have to worry about squeezing into those jeans afterwards!

 

 

 

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