Embracing hunger

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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.

 

 

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