I have a few minutes before I have to start cooking dinner and thought I would write. Today I skipped breakfast (very bad) and took Jake to McDonalds for lunch so I ended up having a small fry for lunch (very bad) about an hour ago I had the munchies and ate an apple (very good) but still was hungry so I had popcorn (sort of good) and I am cooking a pork roast for dinner with snow peas and baked potato. I will just have the baked potato with salsa and the snow peas. Hopefully I can keep the snacking at night under control. Exercise wise today it was very humid and cloudy so I didn't walk ((we may be getting some bad weather on Thursday with hurricane Isabel. It has rained so much this summer that I did not get a chance to do as many outdoor activities . I did use the row boat and tried to row by myself..half way out in the middle of the lake I needed to get towed by another boat...I guess I am not coordinated enough to row.
Reina, oh how I can relate to the flabby belly. I have a "spare tire " that belongs on a four wheel truck. I found that I need to eat less first then exercise to tighten. Eating right and eating less is key. The less you eat the less calories you need to burn.
Tonight I want to go through Halloween outfits so I can be prepared. Last week I got Jake a fly costume at Costco it is very cute. He is going to carry a piece of board and be a "fly on the wall" Jimmy can not decide yet what he wants to be ...we always have a big kids halloween party the second week of october and an adult one the night after the kids one. My younger sister is crazy about halloween and her house always wins the town decorating contest so my kids expect big plans from me! I was thinking about making a witches cafe in the garage this year...serving eyeballs (peeled grapes), bat wings (chicken wings) finger sandwiches. I have to think of more menu items.
Well, this has not been a fun day. Just rain, rain, rain. Thought I left typhoon season behind in Taiwan:-)
Haven't even budged on the weight control (aka--eating habits) thang yet. My mom gave me some WW material she had. honestly, I don't think I can work $10/week into my budget. Really, sounds awful I know, but it's true. i am still between the WW or South Beach (or anything else that lights my fancy). What do you all think? Of course, i need to start exercising. I need to get a pair of sneakers, but I need to get my driver's license first so I can go out and get a pair of sneakers. I don't like bothering people, especially my parents, about needing to get out of the house and get this or that. See, I let my license expire while in Taiwan, so I had to retake the test and have to wait like 10 working days while driving with a permit (welcome to teen years!!) and then take the driving test. Sooooooooo annoying.
Deb, I may take you half way up on the weight loss goal:-) I would like to lose 10lbs by Dec. 1, 20 would be great, but sounds to much for me. I like the numbers lower on the scale:-p
Reina-sorry to hear about your sickness. I had a bad sinus headache on Sat, my oh my, worse than I have ever had. I was in tears.Hope you are feeling better. You have a new job right? how is that goin?
Newie--sounds like you are doing well with all the stress in your life. Wow!! another 3lbs?!! that is great. Me, i would be chomping away, you've got great will power and determination. Sounds like you just need a rest for awhile. Sorry to hear about your dh's situation. Just support him the way he needs it. DH's are funny about certain situations. Will be praying for your situation.
Miki--sounds like things are going good for you. Well, for those of us who haven't lost, hopefully we haven't gained anyway;-) I really need to get something to get me moving. We live 20min from Philly, so yes, we'll be hear most of the time. Though we are traveling down south for a few weeks. Wish we could stop by Arkansas, that would be great, but doesn't look like we will this time.
Well, I know i have missed some people, but sorry, not that I am not thinking of you, I have to check on Josiah. Poor guy has had a horrible few days. Sat. started with a fever and moody(teething isn't helping). I noticed some canker sores on his gums. Sunday he wouldn't let me out of the nursery. Sunday night, sleep? he forgot about that, though he wasn't playing, he was screaming. Poor thing was tired, but just couldn't sleep. He is funny though. i think his binky is hurting his mouth with all the sores (he is hardly eating or drinking anything!) so he like gets mad at it and throws it across the room. He is sleeping fine now, hopefully he will tonight as well. He has slept a while so i should check on him.
Just wondering...are you living in the US now ...Taiwan?
Hey Debee I think I will join you on 15 pounds lost by dec 1 challenge...I need a goal. And you know...I think I will probably have sushi for dinner tonight So cool that your lake house is turning into your little haven...it sure would be nice to have one of those to relax in on weekends....you should post pictures of it so we can see all the hard work you have put into it.
Reina sorry to hear about your sinusitis..those suck....I suffer from those ocaisionally and oh...are they ever bad...I send you a big hug. I hope you hear from Lady soon
Hey Newie...Hang in there...sorry to hear that your hubby is having a hard time at work...I am a web developer and often have to do graphics so I understand how demanding it can get. But good on you for losing another 3 pounds...158...that rocks! Stay focused and before you know it...things will work out with your recent job worries...somehow things usually do.
Hey Taxi Mom Mikki...vroom vroom...can I get a ride? Its been working...tightening up on my slack list of what I can eat...every once in awhile I gotta sit down again and trim the fat off of my daily intake of food....my lunch today isnt the greatest but I forgot to make it last night so this morning I quicly made mortadella sandwiches ..I used white bread and buttered it I put it into FitDay and the two sandwiches I made totalled up to 457 calories and 20 grams of fat!! So I will have sushi for dinner to counter act all the fat ingested for lunch! So my grand total will be 1515 cals and 51 grams of fat...sushi is amazing...thank goodness its there to save me from ingesting way more fat grams!
Lesson learned...never make your lunch in a hurry and the day of...I just plain forgot and I dont want to go out for lunch ...cause then I get used to that and before I know it...its 100 bucks later and way too many calories and fat grams ingested Ugh!
Hey Lisa...how did that jalapeno fudge turn out! Nice chatting with you on msn...later dudette
Quick note before the school bus...had breakfast out with my hubby this morning but just had an english muffin with jelly and coffee. Lunch was a half slice of pizza. Planning to make a chicken pesto pasta for dinner tonight. Last night I started munching and had a handful of chips, blue cheese and almonds, small candy bar...if only i could stop the mindless evening snacking!
Today is a beautiful sunny day and I plan to go for a walk this afternoon and try to clean up the attic a little. We plan to stay home this weekend so I would like to get stuff done around here. This Thursday is my anniversary and Friday we are going out to dinner in Philly and maybe a show. I am going to save my calories for Friday night.
I am going to keep my weigh-in day as Friday and hope to post my measurements this week for my starting point for my 20 pound goal. Last January I started my weigh loss journey and wanted to lose 30 pounds...I lost at my best 15 and now gained back about five so 20 would be great but I would be happy even with 10 more. December 1st is about 10 weeks away so if I can lose 1 or 2 pounds a week I'll make my goal (not counting Thanksgiving) Also it will help me to stay good during holiday parties.
Hello ladies. It's been a week or so since my last post so I thought I'd update you and say HI!
Debee!!! I'm so glad you're back! Didn't you once say that you had a neigbor or someone that lost weight and was on the cover of a magazine? My family doctor's sister was on the cover of a magazine and I was wondering if it's the same person.
Well, I also wanted to let you all know that I'm taking some time off on the weight loss journey. I'll still be eating low carbs pretty much like I'm eating now, but I thought I might not keep my goal to lose weight for about the next 9 monhts or so. Actually, about 8 months now. In fact..... I might gain a few pounds here and there....if you know what I mean!
You take care of yourself and stay as stressfree as possible these first few months.......
Debee, Keep up the momentum and motivation.... I so need to hear that right now!
Cyan, good for you that you know your flaws and are fixing them. I have to get organized enough to make my lunch in the morning!
But didn't that sandwich taste good??
Taiwan, I understand, I am itching to go back to WW meetings but my budget just can't afford it...Knowing their system helps me keep in line, and I am trying to do a good job. Whats with the South Beach diet... I don't think I can go through that 2 week period they want you to go through.
Good luck in what you decide.
Lisa, what wonderful news! Do you know if you are going to have a boy or girl? By the way my neighbor was not on the cover but instead in an article during this summer in Fitness magazine...she and her friend lost weight with a "buddy system" and they did an article on her.
Reina, that is what I loved about this site and really missed this summer is our buddy system of motivating one another. I feel accountable and can really picture each and every one of you when I am eating or food shopping... Cyan is always on my shoulder trying to make me buy that sushi, Miki is whispering in my ear that I should walk more, Lisa and newie are saying maybe Adkins will work, reina you are saying remember to count your points, Deana is giving me ideas for new diets, and all of you have helped me lose the weight.
Right now instead of heading for the fridge and doing my rountine evening mindless snacking I am writing here. Before I put something in my mouth I am really trying to take a few minutes and ask myself...am I hungry, is this really what I want to eat, does it taste good, is there something else that I can eat that is less calories but will satisfy the craving, can I control my portion size. Thinking while eating I think will help me. It is when I snack in front of the tv or computer and not even remember what I ate or how it tasted that really bugs me. I don't exercise enough to burn off all the calories that I consume and I will either have to start controling what I eat or exercising alot more...I think controling what I eat might be easier than exercising.
Well today was a good day, I ate a small breakfast, lunch an d for dinner had chicken pesto pasta and two small candy bars for dessert...no snacks. One day down....another 10 weeks to go until my goal.
Hi, everyone! Great reading in all these posts this evening! I've been adjusting to my new schedule and trying to change my point of view about the uncertainties of life, especially where jobs and finances are concerned. I really wish everything in life was all secure--ha!!! Isn't that a joke?--I've always had this problem with life and financial issues. I guess it's time I dealt with it. I am doing a lot of prayer about letting go and living in today and not worrying about the future. I've also come to the conclusion that I need to support my hubby as he needs it (like you said, Taiwan), not as I may think he needs it. I took my oldest to her allergist today for a check-up. She's doing very well. I then spent about an hour helping out at lunch at school, and then this afternoon I worked on some of my paper mess in our home office. I'm trying to clean this place without putting a lot of pressure on myself. My whole family has some stage of a cold. I just have the beginnings of it right now, as does oldest daughter. Youngest daughter (the one who brought it home) is done with it, and hubby is right in the middle of his.
The weather is absolutely beautiful here in Chicago--sunny, breezy, warm. I wish it was always like that. Take care of yourselves, Taiwan and Debee, with hurricane Isabel on the way.
I've changed a bit of the way I am eating--watching the dollars. I find I am eating more bread--not because of snacking but because of available choices. I am absolutely staying away from sweet carbs. I did have a few homemade tortilla chips yesterday, but they weren't that good. I am really aware that the carbs are what cause me to gain weight, so I have to be careful about what I put into my mouth.
Lisa, you'll be fine with the easing of your food plan. I know that keeping with the concept of low carb is the thing that helps me keep on track the most.
Debee, it sounds like you have a beautiful summer home. It sounds just great. I'd like my yard to be a haven like that. Maybe now that I am home, I can work on it more.
Well, I can't think of any more personal messages, though I'm thinking of everyone. I'm not going to join any challenges right now; I'm just going to try to do my best with my food and walking one day at a time--up to two miles now--just have to make sure to do it every day. Talk to everyone soon.
Lisa congratulations!! How exciting! Now, arent you proud of the weightloss you accomplished? Even tho you'll gain some naturally, I doubt you gain back more than you lost. It's like you already have a headstart on getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight.
Newie, I hope everything works out for the best with hubby's job. Sounds like you're as busy as ever even without a job...painting, mowing, tending to kids, being supportive to hubby, doing housework, etc. But arent those daytime naps the Best?? Now that's what I call luxury. lol
Cyan, I so need to get back into logging my foods into Fitday. I think that made me feel more accountable just knowing each nite I'd find out the caloric intake for the day. It's just hard finding time to sit down and do it. I know tho that when I dont do that, my estimates of what I've had thru the day are way off. It's easier to fudge with it when I dont calculate them exactly.
Taiwan, poor Josiah. Sorry he's having trouble. Probably not only his mouth hurting but just adjusting to a new place and change in time, etc. lately. Maybe tonite he'll feel better and you'll be able to get some rest for yourself. I really feel for him. Mouth sores hurt sooo bad even for adults!
Reina, I have honestly been thinking lately that my flabby parts are even more noticeable the more weight I lose. That "inner tube" around my waist AND those flaps under my arm...ewwwwwwwwwww! Even tho I've lost 47 lbs now, I still could never wear sleeveless shirts. It's really discouraging. I am realizing that I have got to add some type of weight training to my workouts in order to tone up. I dont want to be flabby! I'd rather be a toned size 14 than a flabby size 8.
Debee, Happy Anniversary! How many years? Wow, I didnt realize there was only 10 weeks til our goal...maybe I should lower mine too...20 lbs would be tough in 10 weeks considering I've only lost 4 in 3 months (oh and I didnt have anything weird to share from my fridge..I actually cleaned it out 2 weeks ago. Now back then there was some stuff, but I honestly couldnt tell you what it was....too green to tell )
Well, Luke is calling me to come tuck him in. He's 11 but still likes mom to come say Goodnite. Josh, my 13 yr old, isnt so thrilled about it anymore so I have to enjoy Luke. Hopefully he wont outgrow it. (of course, like it or not, I still tuck Josh in also)
Hey, Lisa!! I read your last post really fast, and I didn't realize you're having a baby!!! That's wonderful!! I still think keeping the carbs low and focusing on all those wonderful baby-growing foods (in moderation, of course) will keep you on track--even during the pregnancy. Great news!!!!
Let us know of your ins and outs during your pregnancy. Its a good thing you lost weight before getting pregnant...did you and your baby some good healthwise ...I am sure!
Well I had my Sushi last night for dinner...yum yum yum...I forget how filling it is aside from how good it tastes.
I need to get back to exercising...once again I have become slack in that department...I still walk to work and this morning I had to walk up the dreaded hill to make it to my office...ugh!
I brought a frozen meal for lunch today and I am not sure what dinner will be...I will figure that out later on in the day ... but I already know that I will make chicken breast and turn it into chicken salad for lunch tomorrow.
Anyway, I am rambling....good to hear that we have all decided to put forth a little more effort and take Debee's challenge to lose a determined amount of weight by a certain date..the only problem is my thanksgiving is sooner than yours So I guess I will use the american thanksgiving date as my goal date of 15 pounds lost....hears to our challenge..cheers everyone.
So by my accounts it looks like Taiwan, Reina, Miki, Myself and Debee are doing this. Are you in Newie? Lisa ofcourse is preggers but I am sure she will be here to encourage us. I guess her goal will be to eat healthy and maintain her low carb diet.
so I want to lose 15 pounds by american thanksgiving..lets stay focused...and have a great op day
Yes, Cyan, I'm in. I'll make the goal of 15 pounds lost by Thanksgiving. At first I wasn't in the mood--so much going on, but I think it will be good for me to have a positive personal goal going on in my life to focus on. I'll work to keep up my exercise and low carb plan.
I spent the morning sponge painting my daughter Veronica's bedroom (pink and blue on a white background--very pretty), washing towels, and a writing a cover letter for a job lead hubby has. Will okay it with him and fax tomorrow from the local currency exchange. Also have been praying for inner peace and to be a supportive wife during all the changes and potential changes going on. It works, but I have to keep at it. I've caught the kids' school cold--feels like I've got cotton in my vocal cords. Veronica is home today with it too--laryngitis and croup.
Well, there's stuff to do--finish the dishes, take some cough medicine, and some paper work to do. Take care, everybody. Talk to you soon.
This is great that everyone is up for the challenge I really think having a goal and a deadline helps us keep focused and accountable ...well at least for me it does.
Today is a beutiful sunny day but i am in a bad mood...we are having a neighborhood water/flooding problem and just got into a "discussion" with our next door neighbor that regraded her water problems onto our property line..we now have two "lakefront" houses. Thursday night Hurricane Isabel is going to hit and I don't think our lawn can take any more water. About a month ago our new remodeled basement flooded a little (we were lucky it just dampened the under rug mat. I hope we don't get flooded.
Well, foodwise today I had an english muffin with a little melted cheese on it and a cup of coffee for breakfast, lunch was a turkey pita and a few carrot sticks, dinner will be chicken stir fry (I'll try to get more veggies and less chicken and rice.) Each night I am allowing myself a small chocolate treat (pudding, a mini candy bar)
Exercise will be trying to clean up the house a bit.
Hope everyone is having a great day and is making healthy eating choices!
Chewin’ the Fat
Our columnist analyzes the American Journal of Public Health’s reasons why the country’s so fat, and interviews a politician who’s battling the bulge
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE
Sept. 15 — You may have heard that America is fat. You may have heard that nearly two-thirds of us are overweight and 31 percent of us are obese. You may have even heard last week that the Department of Agriculture will soon decrease the number of calories a person should eat every day, an admission that there’s no point in designing diets for the healthy average American when the healthy average American no longer exists.
WE MUST BE fat. After all, Katie Couric did a two-hour special on it on Friday night. And even Dr. Phil, who previously spent his time shrinking heads, has moved on to shrinking bodies.
That’s why I was so happy to see that my favorite academic publication, the American Journal of Public Health, had devoted its entire September issue to why Americans are so freakin’ fat.
If you guessed, “Because we eat so freakin’ much,” guess again: The supersized portions are only the half of it.
You may not be a regular reader of the august AJPH (and when I say “august,” of course I mean, “widely unread”). That’s understandable. There’s not a hot celebrity on the cover or articles that offer new details of why Ben dumped Jen. Second of all, the writing isn’t too stylish. For instance, they keep using academic terms like “the built environment” when they really just mean houses, roads and neighborhoods.
But this issue is chock full of reasons why we’re a flabby nation:
1. We’re the only animals on the planet that live in communities that make us more obese. We’ve built suburbs (“the built environment”) so spread out that people must rely on cars because walking or biking simply isn’t an option. Many developers today don’t even bother to install sidewalks and some communities intentionally build new schools on the edge of town, hindering children’s ability to safely walk or bike to school (whatever happened to President Bush’s “Run No Child Over” education reforms?).
2. Americans bike and walk far less than their European counterparts (what article about American obesity would be complete without a gratuitous comparison with good ol’ Europe?). In the U.S., only 7 percent of all trips outside the home are made by walking or biking, compared to 39 percent in Sweden (hey, it’s cold there), 34 percent in Switzerland (hey, it’s hilly there) and 46 percent in The Netherlands (hey, it’s low and swampy there).
3. If you put less than three items in a list like this, it feels like the problem is too small to worry about, but if you put too many items in a list like this, it sounds like the problem is so vast that it will never be solved. I’m going to err on the side of the latter.
4. Transportation, environment, economic development, legal and public safety officials typically must sign off on new development. But public health officials are rarely, if ever, consulted, so our subdivisions actually make us fatter and lazier. And a lack of public health scrutiny goes well beyond new construction. New York City just signed a deal with Snapple to become the exclusive vender of soft drinks in the city. A spokeswoman for the city’s health department told me that the Health Commissioner was not even asked to review the deal, even though Snapple drinks are actually just liquid sugar. (Snapple’s own website admits that a 16-ounce bottle of “Snapple Apple” has 240 calories and 20 percent of your daily recommended intake of carbs and consists of only 10 percent real juice. The “best stuff on Earth” turns out to be “water, high fructose corn syrup, pear juice and apple juice from concentrates, citric acid, natural apple flavor with other natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice (for color).”
5. Suburban sprawl also makes us lonely. Our communities, the journal says, “are not interconnected” and cause “a lack of social networks and diminished social capital, which can contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, mental health problems, and increased rates of mortality.”
6. And not only are we fat and lonely, we’re poisoning ourselves. Suburban sprawl turns farmland into housing, meaning that food producers must create the same amount of food on less and less farmland. That makes “agriculture more dependent on the use of pesticides [which] has had a debilitating impact on human health, resulting in greater rates of asthma and other respiratory problems.”
7. We haven’t learned from the past. In the 19th century, a new type of architecture was developed to cut down on epidemics of cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis. Yet in the 21st century, we’re doing just the opposite: Instead of designing walkable cities, we build sprawl that makes us even more dependent on the automobile—and only exacerbates the epidemic of the age: obesity.
And last but not least: No. 8. No one is doing anything about all these problems. OK, that’s not entirely fair. One of the articles lauded a handful of politicians who have been waging the battle of the bulge with their constituents, among them Mayor Charlie Ealy of Bolivar, Missouri (“Visit our new airport!”). After the 300-plus-pound mayor’s doctor gave him two choices—start exercising or start shopping for a casket—Ealy began walking. And he encouraged the citizens of Bolivar—average, patriotic Americans who, like Ealy, are very fat—to join him.
The journal article filled me with the vision of thousands of Bolivarians walking briskly with their mayor every day. But I knew something wasn’t right, so I called Ealy immediately. The Bolivar City Hall operator told me he couldn’t come to the phone right now because, wouldn’t you know, he’d just had quintuple bypass surgery. But under my relentless questioning, the operator gave me Ealy’s home number.
The mayor, it turns out, is recuperating nicely (I sent your best wishes, by the way). In fact, he credited the “Walk and Talk with the Mayor” program for keeping him alive.
“The doctors told me I would be dead if I hadn’t been walking for the past nine months,” Ealy told me. “It’s a real lifesaver, if you’ll pardon the pun.” (Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but only the governor has the power to pardon a pun that lame.)
But while Ealy was pleased with the personal results of his walking regimen (some regimen! One mile around the park three times a week. The mayor is a regular Rocky Balboa), I felt he was holding back, so I asked him the tough question: Just how many Bolivarians were joining him on these walks?
“We were averaging about 10 or so,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t find it convenient.”
Most of the country knows what Ealy means. On a recent road trip through Pennsylvania, a recent headline in the Daily Item (“serving the Central Susquehanna Valley”) caught my eye. It said that “many find it hard to exercise” because they can’t find the time. But you wouldn’t need to “find” the “time” if walking wasn’t “exercise” but a way of life.
“Going to the gym or using exercise equipment in the basement is not something most people have the discipline to do,” said John Pucher, a researcher who wrote about the importance of promoting walking and biking. He also walks roughly 10 miles a day because he doesn’t own a car.
“Whether I’m tired or it’s cold out, I have to walk to the office and back. My exercise is part of my daily life.” (So is bumming a ride from friends whenever he needs to buy something bigger than he can carry, Pucher admitted.)
So what’s the answer? Simply put: Burn down the suburbs, junk all the cars and start over.
“We need to change people’s minds about the benefits of living in places where you walk more,” said Richard Jackson, director of the National Center of Environmental Health and the editor of the AJPH special issue.
Will people really give up their Hummers? As we like to say in America: Fat chance.
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Gersh Kuntzman is also Brooklyn bureau chief for The New York Post and a formerly overweight apple juice addict. His website is at www.gersh.tv
Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing great today....Well there isn't much to report, I am trying to stay current with weight, I am eating pretty decently..
I am a bit frustrated right now. I went to pick up Alex from school yesterday, and he had a large Scratch(cut) on his neck! Do you know another 4 year old boy and Alex were sitting cutting pictures with the teacher and the other boy, grabbed Alex from behind and tried to cut his neck with the scissors!!!
Yes, He ran the open children's scissors, you know the ones that are supposed to be safe, ran those across my son's neck, he broke the skin a little in the middle of the cut, but other than that there is a large long scratch on his neck, right over his juggler...
Do you know how pissed I was yesterday!
I just don't know how to react with this..... I have a picture of it, I took one for the school, for the boy's file, but this is unreal!!!!
I am soooooo upset and aggrevated! These aren't 6-7 year olds, where you can take them aside and have the talk with them. These are 4 year olds. How do you deal with this??
Well, I have to go, I am getting pissed again, and I have lots of work to do.
So cool that your lake house is turning into your little haven...it sure would be nice to have one of those to relax in on weekends....you should post pictures of it so we can see 
all the hard work you have put into it.
I put it into FitDay and the two sandwiches I made totalled up to 457 calories and 20 grams of fat!!
So I will have sushi for dinner to counter act all the fat ingested for lunch! So my grand total will be 1515 cals and 51 grams of fat...sushi is amazing...thank goodness its there to save me from ingesting way more fat grams! 
That "inner tube" around my waist AND those flaps under my arm...ewwwwwwwwwww! Even tho I've lost 47 lbs now, I still could never wear sleeveless shirts. It's really discouraging. I am realizing that I have got to add some type of weight training to my workouts in order to tone up. I dont want to be flabby! I'd rather be a toned size 14 than a flabby size 8.
)
Josh, my 13 yr old, isnt so thrilled about it anymore so I have to enjoy Luke. Hopefully he wont outgrow it. (of course, like it or not, I still tuck Josh in also)
Congratulations Lisa!
pissed I was yesterday! 
