Reading a local stations website - there is an article about habits for healthy weight loss. Here is what I found interesting:

People don't need us to tell them to eat less and exercise more," said Dr. Donald Hensrud of the Mayo Clinic. "They know that. The Mayo Clinic Diet is divided It is a two-week jumpstart phase where people make sudden changes in their habits. We believe it's the healthiest way to lose weight quickly that there is."

In the two week "Lose It" phase, you're supposed to add five new habits:


Eat a healthy breakfast.
Eat at least four servings of veggies and three servings of fruits each day.
Eat whole grains.
Eat healthy fats.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.


The Mayo Clinic Diet also advises people to break five habits during the first two weeks.

No TV while eating. Dieters can also only spend as much time watching TV as the time they've spent exercising. "It's been shown in medical studies that the more TV someone watches, the greater their risk of increased weight," said Hensrud.

"If I knew that I wanted to watch a TV show, I just knew that I needed to get in the car and go to the gym," said Jenny Nosbisch.

Here are the other habits to break during the jump-start "Lose It" phase:


No sugar, except what's found naturally in fruit.
No snacks except fruits and veggies.
No big portions of meat or high-fat dairy.
No restaurants unless the meal fits your plan.

Hi ladies!

Sorry about the non-sleeping jinx! I forced myself to stay awake all day yesterday, and slept much better last night.

Yes, I am going to be washing the diapers myself. I do 1-2 loads of laundry a day as it is, so another load every few days won't increase my work that much. Plus, I LOOVE using my clothesline, so that'll be nice for the diapers. I just wish it would hurry up and warm up around here, but I know we have at minimum a full month of snowy, yucky winter left.

This morning I planned what I want to prepare and freeze for meals before baby comes. Then I went shopping! I like cooking, so this is going to be fun. I just wish I had that 2nd trimester energy back. I can only do about 1/2 hour of work on my feet until I have to sit and take a break. But I am making myself take breaks and drink my water like a good girl. It helps that I'm re-reading the Twilight series again, so I'm motivated to sit down so I can read something mindless.

Vickie, I'm glad you have some time to recover, yourself now.

Sloan, why are you having so many snow days? It still really amuses me that all these places shut down over an inch or so of snow. We have over 2 feet on the ground here, and things are going along just as always. But I guess we're a little more used to it.

Time to go rest and read until school pickup. Then I'm going to make chicken enchiladas for supper, and extra to freeze. I'm thinking we're going to have to bite the bullet and get a larger chest freezer. The 5 cu. foot one we have just isn't big enough for our family now, and hasn't been for a while. Luckily, they're fairly inexpensive at Sears. Okay, really going now!

Angela

Hey chickies, I'm not sure about how snow goes in your areas, but in Middle Tennessee, we have days that are called "snow days", but they should be called "ice" days. We have lots of hills that will keep ice for several days after snow has melted then frozen when the temps drop. The school systems worry about the busses. It is always interesting to me that other areas have feet of snow instead of inches and school is open. Do you all have ice problems or do the streets just stay snowy? Also, do your cities plow all of your roads? In our area, only the main roads will be cleared and the "country" roads left to melt on their own. As of right now, our system is open although our bordering counties are closed/opening late.

I got a lot done today. I hung a shelf in my closet and cleaned it out. I also organized the area under the kitchen sink. My DS will start painting the upstairs bathroom tomorrow then I am going to border the tub/shower with tile.

Angela, sounds like you are really organized. You are really smart to make ahead and freeze some meals.

Paula, thanks for the article. Good info!

Vickie, thanks for the info about "you know what". I've already set up my account. Awesome!

Maryann, hope you are feeling better!

Sandra, thanks for your good thoughts. Let us know about your allergies. Did the doc draw blood or will you have to have skin tests?

Nancy and Rhonda, hope you are both doing well.

I'll check in after I watch Lost tonight. TTFN

Hi All:

I'm watching the Olympics, the male skaters doing their short programs are on now. But, I'll head for bed soon.

I've had a good day. DH and I went out for real burgers, and I ate only half of mine, not even wanting the other half. I've got a big day of exercising tomorrow, adding the new trainer if all goes well.

Sloan, Texas gets lots of ice and no one knows what to do with it. Of course, it's best to stay off of it!

Night all,
Rhonda

Sloan..that is what we are out for most often. Ice or the conditions for black ice. We have had a lot of serious accidents this past week due to ice.
I am so glad to her the good news that your dad got a good report about his kidneys.



We met with the Ortho surgeon who knows my husband personally so that
is always nice. We got a lot of questions answered about the knee
replacement surgery . The Dr feels like waiting another few months would be
a good idea because he said the severe back pain could hamper the rehab process. Robin doesn't think his back is improving but I see a major
improvement from a month ago. In Jan there were some days that he even ate lying flat on his back. I am praying that keeps improving with the PT and weight loss.

I got a $10 pizza deal for my son tonight and only ate 1 piece.

Angela, will your mother be planting her garden this year. Didn't ya'll have raised gardens before? You almost have me wanting to wash and dry diapers. You sound soooooo happy. Makes me happy just reading.

Sloan, Rhonda's right about the ice. We normally get more ice than snow. This year has been unusual.

Nancy, I hope Robin continues to improve. When do you think he'll get the replacement?

Rhonda, we've been watching a lot of Olympics, too. Now half a burger? I just know your weight is going to start dropping again soon. You're extremely dedicated.

I'm sitting here with a drop under my tongue that's part of food testing for allergies. They did do the skin test yesterday for air borne allergens. I'll start taking drops (instead of shots) for them next Monday. I will find out about food allergies in 3 weeks. (Still worried about onions. )

Here, we definitely get ice. The plows try to clear it, but most of the time we just drive around on it. It gets thicker and thicker throughout the winter, with layers of new snowfall, sand, etc. By spring, the potholes are legendary! I guess we just get used to driving on ice. But yeah, the plows clear every street, although it takes them sometimes a day or two to get to the secondary roads if it's a heavy snowfall. I believe we have some school days set aside as snow days, but after we use them up (which we invariably do) we have to start borrowing from Spring Break or adding on at the end of the school year. Our current superintendent is a little twitchy about the weather, and calls more snow days than I think we need.

Paula, that article seems very interesting. I'll have to go over the info more in depth later today. Seems like good, common sense.

I froze my enchiladas yesterday, and also about 12 cups of beef broth and about 3 cups of diced beef.

I've got to get the girls to school. Later!
Angela

I am beginning to think this cold is more than a cold.
I feel horrible and it has been 3 days.
I have had the Swine Flu(at least the Dr said it was) and I have had the seasonal flu shot, but now I wonder if this a a flu bug.

Sloan..
If I tested positive for type A flu this fall
could that have been the seasonal flu even though they assumed it was
the Swine Flu because that was what was going around.

We're homd from giving our presentation at school. We all had a great time. Curtis and I are konked out on therecliner now.

Nancy, I hope you don't havethe flu. Go to the doctor if you're still feeling poorly tomorrow.

Nancy, I hope you feel better soon. I'm having trouble shaking this cold or allergies too, but it's not the 'flu.

We put up our bird feeders yesterday and I just saw the first bird, a field sparrow I believe. This is going to be fun. I've got my binoculars by my recliner and I feel like I'm retired!

I went to the new trainer today and loved it. She had me do lots of things, including pull a sled (75 pounds) with a tether attached to a band around my waist. Then I had to turn it all around and pull the sled hand-over-hand. She said I had good technique! HA! I love it. I'm going to hate her tomorrow.

We're going to a movie tonight. It's part of a documentary film festival. We've signed up for three of them.

My eating has been pretty good the last few days. I hope it shows up on the scale in a few days. I've got a great NSV though. I can wear rings on my ring finger that I could wear only on my pinky finger recently.

Rhonda

Hi everyone. Just a quick stop by -- back to work today and DD is sick. She has been spiking a fever the last couple days and today was complaining about her ears. Yup - ear infection. She's now on antibiotics. Good thing she didn't have any high expectations of school vacation!

Got to run. Have a good night.

Nancy, I looked on the Centers for Disease Control site and found info that stated that there are no FDA approved rapid flu tests that can tell the difference in the seasonal flu and H1N1, so the test that you had could not confirm H1N1, only flu in general. It's possible that you have some kind of crazy virus or maybe even the flu. There have been occasions when the flu vaccine did not cover all of the flu virus strains that broke out in a single season. I believe the only way to tell if it's really the flu is to have the test again. Hope that helps!

Rhonda, I had 5 male and 2 female cardinals in my yard. They looked so beautiful on the snow! I don't have feeders right now, but you are making me want to get some put up.

Sandra, good luck with the onions. Were you allergic to grasses?

Paula, sorry to hear about your girl. Hope she's better soon!

Angela, I am amazed at your energy! How do you do it?

Maryann, are you okay?

We went back to school today, so I've got lots to do tonight. I stayed after and graded some work, but I need to do that a couple more times. I have to do a power point tonight, so I'd better get busy. Have a good night, y'all!

Good Morning Ladies

Had a very busy day yesterday, that it brought me home around 3:45PM.
First to sing in the choir and get Ashes than out to Walmart to pickup my new slip-covers and than to the bereavement group and than out to dinner with friends.

I'm Still trying to figure out the instructions on how to get the slip covers to fit. Going to ask one of my friends to come over and try to help me.

DD found a pix of Leo & I a couple of years ago,when we dined at the Flying Bridge.The restaurant is by our Harbor and the wind was blowing,and had a bad hair day.

PAULAHope fully your right. I tend to do good and than it fizzles away.I have to make time for me, and not the house.Going to use the Lent season to work on the eating & exercising.


VICKIE=I got your PM and I do go to Spark people for the nutritional value of foods,but I don't use there message board.


SLOANE-I'm feeling fine,I think it was the clam chowder that made me have the tummy ache.


Have to go, have to go grocery shopping as I was there since Saturday will be back later

Thanks Sloan for checking that..You are sweet to even look it up.

I am slightly better today. With colds I usually just take a good decongestant and keep trucking but this has me stopped in my tracks.
I don't think the new decongestant that they put in the cold medicines is as good as the old formula. I am going to get some of the original Sudafed
(you have to ask for it ) and see if that helps.

MARYANNE..you have been busy..good luck with the slipcovers

Paula..I hope those antibiotics help your DD feel better fast.

Rhonda..Those exercises sound intense.. Like some of the things they do on
Biggest Loser.. You Go Girl!!!!

I went to aquafit, but have had a very weird eating day. What the heck.
I had a blackberry and lf milk shake for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch, ice cream when DH and I went to town, and we're taking his older son out for dinner at a Mexican food place! I'll behave and not have any chips!

Nancy, if you find something that works, let me know. I can't shake this sinusitis. I might even go to a doctor, and that would be drastic for me!

Paula, I hope your DD feels better soon.

I'm going to go take a nap!

Rhonda