Weighty Issues

New book on dieting

2010-05-22T11:19:00.003-05:00

I have been reading "The 4 Day Diet" by Ian K. Smith, MD and I really like his supportive approach. His meal plans are similar to what I have been doing, but with several variations to avoid boredom and break plateaus. I am hovering at a new low weight - but keep bouncing up a pound so I hope to focus on eating the right foods.
I became aware of Dr. Smith from watching Celebrity Fit Club - something I wouldn't do on my own, but my husband loves to record reality shows and we quickly run through them. I was curious to see what his diet is and so far I like it and have cleaned up my act a little. Although, I did take a break already - after about two weeks!
Nobody is perfect -- especially me. Working two jobs and trying to maintain several websites certainly keeps me a little too busy. Last week was my last day until fall for my teaching job at the community college. -- and 17 more days until summer vacation from teaching. So now I am focusing a little more on websites-- http://www.ticketsproducer.com/ , http://www.jokeclicks.com/, and http://www.top100songinfo.com/.

Today we have a few tickets left for New Kids on the Block at Foxwoods and few for Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle & Yolanda Adams in Foxwoods next Saturday. We also have plenty of Red Sox tickets, although they will be out of town until Thursday.

Spring Fever!

2010-05-01T15:19:00.002-05:00

It is beautiful today!
The school year is winding down and I am looking forward to summer. On Sunday, I became a grandmother and I am dying to go see my grandson, Brady. He lives far away in California. I'll be there in July.

I found out that I haven't been exercising as much as I used to and my weight loss has stalled again. Hopefully this nice weather will inspire me to go out walking more.

Oh, I am offering a discount code for tickets at http://ticketsproducer.com. Use coupon code spring. Current events in the New England area - Jerry Seinfeld, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sugarland, and as always, the Boston Red Sox. Check us out!

New low weight!

2010-03-28T04:52:00.002-05:00

Well my weight crept down a little this month. I've been working too much and exercising too little. I plan to walk this morning.

I've been working on my website. Check out Celtics, Bruins and Blue Man Group tickets in Boston at http://ticketsproducer.com/

Take care!

Feb Staycation!

2010-02-17T10:04:00.002-05:00

I finished my latest course of PT and now am scheduling Tue/Thurs/Fri to be my gym/pool days. It feels great everytime I actually complete my exercises.

My weight loss has stalled again. I probably have been eating too many meals in restaurants again. Although I try to be very careful and usually eat half in the restaurant and bring half home, it seems still to be too many calories and definitely too much sodium for me.

Although it snowed yesterday, it is sunny now and should warm up a bit.

I have a site to sell tickets for all Boston Area events. Check it out ! http://ticketsproducer.com/

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-03T12:46:00.003-05:00

I've been busy with two jobs this fall, but figured I should enter something before I get caught up with work again.

My 6 month check-up with my doctor was great. I am down 5 lbs and the thinnest he has seen me. All my numbers are good!

However, the weather hasn't been good for exercising, but I did make it to the pool and the gym a couple of times over Xmas vacation. I started some physical therapy for my knees and now I have some knee pain again!

During the holidays it can be slightly more difficult to eat less, but luckily or unluckily we couldn't spend much time partying. I guess it is good for weight loss.

Ciao from the white north!

New low weight!

2009-09-05T10:31:00.003-05:00

It seems that I have been doing something right. I have lost about 4 pounds this month! That is the most I have lost in a long time. The only thing that I have been doing differently is that I have been doing pool-therapy twice a week for my arthritis. Unfortunately, now that I am back to work, I may only be able to go once a week. I will do my best to try to go twice a week.

Of course, I still try to walk 2-3 miles 3 to 4 times a week.

I will be working a second job part-time, so that will be challenging for my food plan and exercise plan. I have been trying to get organized, but I am not there yet.

Hope to hear from you.

Summer vacation going fast!

2009-08-20T15:39:00.003-05:00

Today I feel great! My last pool therapy appointment is on Friday and the therapy seems to be doing wonders. I was able to walk today without any pain.

My weight also seems to be down 2 pounds (although that has happened several times over the past couple of months only to go up 2 pounds afterwards.)

However, just feeling better helps me want to continue losing weight.

The challenge, as always, is to keep doing the exercises even when I go back to work.

I have several websites to improve in addition to teaching. I also have created a website for my classes, but have no content yet. I guess I need to get a move on.

Bravo to the Broad

2009-08-11T15:28:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted here for a while, but I did guest post on Broad in Buffalo's blog.

Here it is:
http://necessarymutilation.com/2009/08/11/bravo-to-the-broad/

Off to a great start!

2009-07-12T08:37:00.002-05:00

Today, so far I have walked 2 1/2 miles, read my daily meditation, called my sponsor and made cranberry walnut oatmeal for breakfast and planned out my food for the day.(SERF) It is 79 degrees now, so I wanted to get my exercise in before it was too hot for me.

I do hope to get a little housework done today.(We'll see!!)

Yesterday was a pretty good day also, I walked 3.3 miles, went to Barnes and Nobles with hubby and went to my OA meeting.

At night we watched two movies - "Get Out Your Handkerchief" and "Burn After Reading". The first was a French film which has totally different sensibilities -- although it did make me laugh. The second was a rather dark comedy - I am always on the fence about that type of comedy.

Family Reunion

2009-07-11T10:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we visited with long-lost stepdaughters. It was so great to see them and hope to keep in touch now. It is so wonderful to see them all grown and doing well after seeing them during some tough teenage years.

We ate out which can be challenging, but I ordered grilled fish, rice and veggies and brought half of it home for supper. They grilled the fish without oil or butter and it was good. I did keep my calories under 1200, but will try to stay under 1000 today.

I also walked 2 miles yesterday and 2 miles so far today.

The weather has been beautiful for walking and I am taking full advantage of it.

Another Step

2009-07-09T13:30:00.007-05:00

I walked 3 miles so far today and I took another big step. I called a personal trainer that I know. I used to be in a boot camp class that she ran that was great. That class is no longer available to me, so I finally contacted her. She will set up something for me next week. I know that strength training is very important and my inconsistent attempts are not helping enough. She is very good at motivating me and understands my limitations (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis).

Just making the phone call helps my motivation. I'm hoping by bumping up my activity and strength training that my weight will move a down a little more. Of course it also means that I can't overeat to compensate for extra activity!!!

Yesterday I really wanted to make some monkey bread, but I resisted the urge. The calories must be unbelievable!

I know this is boring - but it's not like thousands of people are hanging on my every word - my food for today:

Scrambled eggs ( 3 whites and one egg+ 1 tsp butter)
2 oz oatmeal/or equivalent
1 banana ( 4 oz) Calories:395

Lunch: 2 low fat turkey hotdogs
2 cups of salad
1 tsp mustard and relish, 1 T lowfat honey mustard dressing
1 nectarine (6 oz) Calories: 340

Supper plan: 3 oz protein( low fat)
1 C cooked veggies (low starch)
2 c cucumber with 1T vinegar Calories: 200

Snack: 1 C skim milk 90

My total today will be 1025.
My breakfast was a little heavier than usual, I usually like to keep it under 300 calories. I like to have a little heavier supper to keep me from wanting to snack at night. Oh, well. I guess I'll make some diet jello.

Advice not wanted

2009-07-07T12:56:00.005-05:00

I am spending the morning somewhat frustrated. I read a question at ObesityHelp where the person was wondering why they were not losing weight faster. They had read about another person who was exercising excessively and eating about 400 calories per day which seemed to be dangerous. This person was walking every day.

These questions don't seem to be any different than those I ask myself. I used to weight 280 lbs. When I first went on a lower calories/ healthier diet I lost about 50 lbs pretty quickly. Since then I have been slowly losing, with some bumps of regaining a little weight.

The problem with people following other people is that the information just isn't accurate enough. We don't take into consideration age, activity level, medications, height, body type, etc.

I know that I bristle every time someone tells me that I am eating more than I think I do, because I am pretty fastidious about weighing, measuring and keeping track of what I eat, but I am still not perfect. The fact remains that I am thinner now than I was 5 years ago and that 5 years ago I was thinner than I was 10 years ago. However, I haven't hit my 1987 weight yet --still working on it.

When people say they walk -- what does that mean? From the sofa to the fridge? Last year I finally bought myself a good pedometer, so I have been tracking my daily walking for about a year now. My minimum lazy day is about 1/2 mile.(about 50 calories worth - which I can eat is 1 second!) My goal is to walk a minimum of two miles a day with a maximum of four miles a day. A few people I know who got down to their normal weight walked six miles a day ( 2 miles morning, noon and evening). Because of my arthritis I am trying to gradually increase the walking and also add some stationary bike riding(although the calorie burn is much lower).

When I was 20-30 pounds thinner, I walked 2 miles a day, did 3 aerobic classes and one swim class per week. I was also 20 years younger!

Great Weather!

2009-07-06T08:44:00.002-05:00

The sun has been shining for 3 days now. I have been out walking every day. It feels great. I have walked 2 1/2 miles and hope to walk another mile or so later.
Nothing much else happening.

Back to the Rain!

2009-07-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

Well, Tuesday I returned to cool and rainy Massachusetts from hot and sunny Florida.

It was tough to leave Fl -- not because of the weather -- I don't like it over 85 degrees, but because I miss my daughter. I hate the fact that I have to travel 1200 miles to see her.

It was also tough to only see my son and his wife for 2 days and know that I will have to travel to California to see them.

Now that I am old and decrepit traveling by plane isn't fun. I have too much stuff to carry and although the security checks are pretty quick now, it is still a pain. In fact, one security person chided me because I didn't realize that I hadn't pushed my bag fully on to the conveyor belt. Gimme a break!

I also got a little confused when I picked up my rental car. I had to stop and talk to an attendant after getting in the car and I couldn't find the button to open the window. I looked at the door and everywhere on the dash -- but no button. Then I saw this funny looking black curvy handle on the door. Oooh!! Manual windows!! Who has seen those for 20 years??? I finally was able to open the window. I also had to figure out the manual door locks. Every time Sharon got out of the car her door locked, but mine didn't. (I finally figured out that she was actually pushing the door lock button down when she got out of the car. duh! My brain was also on vacation.)

I had a very lazy time in Port Orange -- I never even walked the beach this year, but I did at least look at it!

We mostly sat around and went out to eat. Amazingly I did not gain any weight. I did manage to walk 2 miles on three of the days and 1 mile on the other days -- still somewhat short of my 3 mile a day goal.

I also tortured my grand-dog just by being there. Luckily my grand-cats remembered me and I was able to keep them amused with cat-toys.

Now back to reality and trying to figure out how to get rid of the unnecessary stuff in our house. Ugh!

How to maintain a weight loss...

2009-06-21T09:43:00.006-05:00

From my experience:

1. Don't take prednisone.
2. Don't take hormones.
3. Do make sure that your thyroid levels are normal.
4. Don't sit for 8-12 hours per day.
5. Don't eat most of your meals at restaurants.
6. If you are taking glyburide, ask your doctor for an alternative that doesn't cause weight gain.
7. Don't use artificial sweeteners.
8. Don't eat when bored, tired, lonely or angry and not even if you are hungry if it is not a scheduled meal or snack.
9. Do weigh and measure the food you eat on a daily basis.
10. Do eliminate or limit refined flour and sugar.
11. Do drink water.
12. Do exercise every day. Build up to an hour - walk, bike, swim,take an exercise class, etc.
13. Do some meditation, or take some quiet time every day.
14. Do stretching exercises and/or yoga.
15. Join a support group -- Overeaters Anonymous is my favorite.

One more week of school!

2009-06-12T04:27:00.002-05:00

I definitely am excited about summer vacation. Today I start giving exams, so teaching is officially over! I also feel good about my weight loss. I seem to be down another pound, so I have lost about 77 lbs from my highest weight. I walked 3 miles yesterday, but it is raining today so I probably will only walk about 2 miles.

This morning when I put cinnamon in my oatmeal, I dumped about 1/2 the bottle of cinnamon into the oatmeal. So my new breakfast is oatmeal flavored cinnamon -- I hope I like it!

Every so often I re-read The Rice Diet Solution. This is really one of my favorite diet books. I found that doing a very low sodium diet does help with the weight-loss. So what if it is water weight-- it certainly is weight!

I got up really early today, like a kid excited for Christmas, so I need to get to work.

So, what is my food plan like -- you might ask?

2009-05-23T10:47:00.003-05:00

Although I've talked about calories, I don't recall that I've mentioned the specifics of what I eat. A typical day starts out with 2 eggs or 4 egg whites, 1 oz of oatmeal (measured dry and cooked according to directions) and 6 oz of fruit(orange or banana or 1/2 cup of applesauce). (315 calories)

For lunch I have 3 oz of lean protein usually chicken or turkey, 8 oz of raw veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumber , radishes and lettuce, and another 6 oz of fruit. Usually an apple. (280 calories)

Midafternoon I also have 8 oz of non-fat milk. (80 cal)

For supper I eat 3 oz of lean protein, (occasionally I have 1 oz of nuts), 6 oz of a cooked vegetable such as broccoli, green beans or carrots, and a 6 oz salad with a tablespoon of dressing that doesn't exceed 14 grams of fat. (300 calories)

The only times I deviate from these measurements and probably fat content is when I eat at a restaurant. I try to eat out rarely, and usually eat half of the portions. Also, I occasionally eat protein that is more than 40 calories per oz, but I try to limit that also.

I enjoy my meals because I eat healthy whole foods that are very satisfying. Between meals I drink black tea and coffee (mostly decaffinated) and water. I also like fresh lemon in my water and tea. I use stevia extract when I want a little sweetener, although I must confess that I still grab a sweet'n' low packet once in a while. I know - I know it is bad for me!!!

May 9, 2009

2009-05-09T08:16:00.004-05:00

I started a post the other day but never finished. So I'm here again. My weight is back down again. I think that the new dose of Byetta is actually having an effect. Because I have diabetes, weight loss is very difficult. When I was at my high weight of 276 lbs, I chose not to look into gastric bypass surgery, but instead started increasing my exercise and reducing my food intake.

I was successful for several years. From 1998 to 2007 I lost 70 lbs and have been maintaining that weight loss for the past two years. I have been unable to lose significantly more weight on 1200 calories. Since I have been on the 10 mcg of Byetta, I have been able to stay close to 1000 calories per day and am down two more lbs. I am really hopeful, that now I will continue to lose more weight.

I average walking two miles a day, and should increase it back up to 3 to 4 miles a day. This year the snow and ice combined with my klutzyness caused me to fall a couple of times and really hamper my exercise routine. However, I seem to be back on track again.

I could say that life sucks being on the obese side of fat, but I actually am much healthier now than I was a few years ago. My blood sugar is almost normal,my cholesterol and related numbers are great,my blood pressure is good and I am working at a fairly active job so I really can't complain although I still like to!

So if you are old and still kinda fat like I am and struggle, I would love to hear from you!

February Vacation Done!

2009-02-22T17:47:00.002-05:00

As usual the vacation has flown by. I spent all week working with my husband on our
bookmarkitunes site. It was fun.

However, I didn't exercise much. So my weight is still the same. I am hoping for a
change next week.

Waiting for warmer weather to be able to get out and walk more. I think I walked twice last week. When I am at work I walk about 2 miles without trying.

December 2008 Update

2008-12-30T10:23:00.003-05:00

I never seem to know where the time goes. Being a teacher, my work is never done. But between the bad weather - ice storms, snow storms and holidays I have finally gotten a break.

But the first week of my vacation, I slipped in the driveway and got a big goose egg on my head! OUCH!!!! I spent the past week recovering from all my bruises. Sunday was the first day it was dry enough that I dared to walk outside.

In November I also got a Wii fit and have been having a ball with it!

My doctor also put me on Byetta to help me lose some weight, but it is still slow going.

In November I also entered a walking contest at work and won a prize for being in the top ten. That was fun.

My husband bought me an iPod Touch for Christmas, so we have been busy programming an application to help organize the itunes applications on the iPod. It was supposed to take a day, but 5 days later we are still working on it. The functionality is there, but we want to add some polish.

Today I downloaded an app to track my calories, weight goals, etc. So that is my new toy to help with weight loss. If I like Count It Off, I will post more info.

I lost interest in the last book I reviewed. It wasn't that helpful.

Walk, walk, walk!

2008-10-08T21:09:00.001-05:00

Lately my focus has been on trying to walk more than 4 miles as many days as possible. So far I seem to be able to do this every other day.

My weight was actually down this month!

Part 1 - The You Diet

2008-07-26T10:03:00.003-05:00

This book has a lot of information written in a witty and entertaining manner.
I have been watching my diet for about 45 years now, but I am always looking for
new information or to relearn things that I might have forgotten.
This book seems to explore a lot of the common myths and/or facts. Unfortunately in
the business of weight loss, a lot of facts vary from study to study and since this book was published in 2006 a lot of things have changed. The authors
attempt to lay out the facts.

The first chapter is entitled What a Waist! This chapter explains a lot
about how our bodies work and how genetics play a part. It is very interesting
but does rehash what people should know. It is very informative if you haven't
really studied much about weight management.

July 25, 2008

2008-07-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

Time always flies for me. I have been busy this summer.
Right now I am reading You on a Diet. I will post a
review on the chapters as I go through the book.

May update

2008-05-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

Last week I finally finished a course I was taking! Yippee!! Working, going to school, following a food plan and trying to get enough exercise was wearing me out!

I still have not exercised enough this week, but I am walking two miles again.

I am looking to spend some time with my husband working on our websites. I also need to get organized and clean house -- not my favorite thing to do, but maybe I can get rid of some stuff on Ebay or Craigslist. Of course, I said this last year but never got it done.

This weekend my high school class is having a cookout. I am looking forward to seeing my old classmates.

That's it for now!

Weigh In Day

2008-03-01T07:55:00.002-05:00

Today wasn't very successful for my weight loss. My weight has stayed the same again!
I am very disappointed. I read an article about how Ricki Lake lost another 25 lbs by eating 1200 calories a day. She weighs 123 now. I am much taller than Ricki and I weigh and measure my food every day so that I eat slightly less that 1200 calories and I still weigh around 200 lbs. All my life I have struggled to get to a healthy weight and it is very discouraging.

I guess the best news is that I am not gaining!

Hopefully my knees will heal and the weather will be better soon so I will be able to walk more.

Here's to March being a better month!

Monday, Monday

2008-02-25T22:18:00.003-05:00

It was tough getting up to go to work today, but it was actually great seeing my students. (Although they might not have been as happy to be back!) I teach 10th grade geometry and 2 computer science classes. I felt like today went pretty well.

I am also pretty happy that I was able to follow my food plan today. I figure if I keep persevering more weight will come off.

At some point the weather should get better so that I can get out and walk more.

Last night I couldn't listen to any meditation tapes because the batteries were dead, but tonight I have replaced the batteries and can nod off listening.

Good night!

Vacation is Almost Over!

2008-02-24T08:43:00.002-05:00

Back to work tomorrow!

This vacation week has flown by as usual. I have been diligently following my food plan, but I just haven't had any more weight loss. It is a little discouraging. However, a couple of friends who haven't seen me for a while really noticed my smaller size, so that was encouraging.

I didn't exercise much this week, but I did sleep a lot. I had the flu for the past two weeks, so I think that sleeping helped me to feel better.

I mostly have been working on taxes and work for a class that I am taking. It seems that as a teacher I am constantly taking classes myself. I promised myself that I would not take a lot of classes this summer. I will need a real vacation.

I added another link -- this time to a site that I am working on. Hopefully it will be humorous, but it will probably take a while to get it going.

Ciao for now!

Snow Day 2008

2008-01-14T07:17:00.000-05:00

No school today! We are getting 6 to 10 inches of snow. My challenge is to stay on my 1000 calorie food plan while I am stuck in the house most of the day.

My husband and I got a Keurig one-cup coffeemaker for a wedding gift, so it makes it very easy to have a hot fresh cup of coffee whenever I want it. I really love that, so I guess I will go make a cup of coffee now. Then I have plenty of school work and housework(ugh!) to keep me busy.

That's all for now

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

I never can believe how fast the time goes. My weight loss seems to be at a standstill. I fell in November and haven't been able to exercise much.
I am watching the weather and waiting to hear the no school announcement.
My husband and I got a Wii for Christmas and have been having fun bowling and playing golf. I can't quite figure out the dance revolution thing though. I keep failing at that.

I am always so busy with teaching and taking classes. My life seems to be a blur.

That's all for now.

2007-07-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that summer vacation is half over. I spent a week in New Jersey in the beginning of June and came home about 4 pounds heavier! There was plenty of healthy food -- just too much of it available. I have lost about half the weight I gained, but I will be going to Vermont the last week in July. Hopefully, I won't gain back too much.

Vacation!

2007-04-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it has been 3 months since my last post. Time really flies! My weight-loss program is doing well. I have lost another 2 1/2 pounds. I am still going to the boot-camp exercise class and going to meetings. I have a great sponsor who listens to me every morning and gives me a lot of support.

This week is vacation for me and it is going by even faster.

Today I am making an effort to get rid of all my baggy ill-fitting clothes. It is so hard to part with them.

One Day at a Time

2007-01-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

I went to a meeting at 7:00 this am. It was great! The woman who spoke really inspired me to keep going. It is nice to know that I am not the only person who has lost weight many times and can be abstinent again. I have been sticking to my food plan and I feel great. I will weigh in tomorrow to see if the scale agrees.

I was able to go to my boot camp classes two days this week, which also feels great!

I will be starting a class on Monday as well as meeting with my new boss. Hopefully, I will be able to plan my food to keep my abstinence in place.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

Well, things seem to be going well for the New Year. Our boot camp started again and I am losing weight again. Most days I have still been able to walk due to the warm January temperatures. I guess winter weather is coming this week so I will probably be using the exercise bike more.

Ciao!

2006-11-06T07:49:00.000-05:00

Jeanne and Kim

Group Support

2006-10-22T13:13:00.000-05:00

I went to my support group yesterday. I always get a lot from going to meetings. Each week that I have been sick recently, someone else has shared their struggles with food issues while sick.
I am back down 1.5 pounds, so hopefully by Nov.1 I will be back on target. I am feeling better, but still unable to exercise at my normal level. I am also still struggling with eating all of my vegetables.

Minor Setback

2006-10-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been sick for three weeks. I just found out on Monday that I have bronchitis and the doctor started me on antibiotics. Today my weight was up 3 pounds! I am hoping that it is related to all the cough and cold medications and the lack of exercise for the past two weeks. I walked this morning, but only a little over a mile. I am still coughing, but not as much as the beginning of the week.
Hopefully I will be back to my normal routine by next week.

Weight Loss is Good!

2006-09-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I can't believe how fast September has passed. Working full-time, exercising and staying on a food plan is definitely challenging, but this month went pretty well. This week I have a new low weight. I am down another 2.5 lbs for a total of 70 lbs given away! Cheers!

I joined water aerobics and started back at my afternoon exercise class. So I have been exercising 2 days and doing water aerobics 2 days during the week and walking 2-3 miles on the weekends. My knee hurt a few times during the week, so I have started taking Chondroitin again along with my glucosomine to see if it helps.

I met a woman in class who is having the same difficulty with simple exercise due to obesity that I had 10 years ago. It really brought back some very painful memories and made me feel so greatful that I am able to do the activities that I can do today. I am still not where I would like to be(I guess I'll never be a hot babe!) , but I certainly have progressed to where I can fully participate in all my exercise classes.

Thanks to all who have encouraged me! A huge thanks to Roy!

Back to Work

2006-09-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been back to work a week and my foodplan has been easy to follow. However, I have not gotten up any earlier in the morning to walk. I just don't seem to be able to get up before 5:30 am. However, I definitely am much more active when I am at work. I am walking pretty much constantly, either between classes or during class.

Today I stayed home sick with some nasty intestinal bug, so I may not eat everything on my plan today. I started getting sick at suppertime, so I ate pretty lightly and as a result my weight is at a new low. However, as soon as I start feeling better I expect to be back up a couple of pounds. I ate my oatmeal late this morning and seem to be okay now, but I am going to take it easy all day.

I still haven't started water aerobics as the Y was closed for two weeks. I will try to get over there this week.

I'd love to hear some comments! Thanks.

Last Day of Vacation

2006-08-27T07:07:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow I go back to work. I am certainly worried about being able to keep up my diet and exercise routine. I am feeling very comfortable with the rice diet. I made a pot of oatmeal this morning so that I have my breakfast all ready for the week. I have sprouted breads and whole grain cold cereals that I can bring for lunches. I also have some tofu cheese that I will use occasionally. Later I will bag up my veggies for my lunches. I like to make my breakfast and lunch ahead, so I can just grab it each day. I will steam my rice and veggies for supper.

I am more worried about keeping up my exercise routine. For the past few days I have gotten up early to walk two miles. I am planning on walking my third mile at lunch time. But I know from past experience that the desire to sleep a little longer usually wins over my desire to walk. But I will do my best to keep up the exercise. I still need to check on the water aerobics that my doctor wants me to do.

I also found out that I can't get the part to fix my exercise bike. I really liked this one and am disappointed that it broke. I only had it for about 4 years.

I love the Rice Diet!

2006-08-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

I have been following the rice diet for 6 days now. I have lost 4.5 pounds and my blood sugar and blood pressure are excellent! I am very happy so far. I feel good and am not hungry. I like the fact that I can eat fruit three times a day. My craving for artificial sweeteners has lessened, although I haven't given them up 100%. I don't want to post my picture because I still have at least another fifty pounds to lose. I have lost(okay - given up) 68.5 pounds from my highest weight.

I am also trying to walk as much as possible. Yesterday I walked 1.5 miles, today 3.4. My exercise bike broke a little while ago. Hopefully, I will be able to fix it.

Vegetarian Menu

2006-08-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

I've reviewed the "The Rice Diet Solution" and I have decided to try it again. I really didn't follow it to the letter before because I went on vacation the week after I started. I have lost the weight I gained during vacation and I feel good, although I am slightly craving artificial sweeteners. Because I am missing the artificial sweeteners too much, I think that it is a good thing that I am giving them up in my tea and coffee. The program allows either 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup at each meal or one packet of artificial sweetener. I am also still walking 2 to 3 miles a day. My worry is that once I start back to work on August 28, the new plan will be difficult to stick to. Oh well, I will just take it one day at a time!

Vacation is almost over

2006-08-10T15:03:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it is August 10 already! I haven't accomplished many of my list of things to do. However, I did decide that the rice diet is not for me. Even though I was eating good carbs, it was still too many carbs for me. I am back to my limit of two fruits and two or three servings of 15 grams of carbohydrate per day. I eat plenty of vegetables and the equivalent of 4 ozs of protein per meal. This seems to work the best for me to both lose weight and control my blood sugar.

For the past week I have been walking three miles almost everyday and doing water aerobics two or three times a week. I saw my doctor today and he wants me to do more water aerobics and less walking. This means I need to check with the local YMCA and find out the schedule for the water aerobics.

While I have been walking I have been taking a lot of pictures, so I might start some painting during the winter.

Ciao!

TGIF

2006-06-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

Today I went to one of my favorite support meetings. It was a small meeting today, but I really got a lot out of it. It is so important for me to be able to talk about eating and emotional issues with people who have issues similar to mine. Most of the people at the meeting were like me in that our food and weight issues started at a young age. Some of us were overweight before we were 10 years old , but all of us had food and weight issues by the time we hit teenage years that have stayed with us our entire adult lives.

Detox diet

2006-06-29T12:23:00.000-05:00

Now that school is out, I thought I would follow the rice diet from Duke University for a little while to see if I can make my body go to a new low weight. Unfortunately, I got bronchitis the last day of school, so I don't think that I am following it the way I should. It is primarily a vegetarian diet and I do think that it is healthy to eat more beans and grains. I have switched from one meatless day to 6 meatless days, so hopefully I will weigh less next week!
After July 4th I will be traveling for a week and that is always challenging for following a special food plan.

After the flood.

2006-05-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

Well, this was quite a week. I got very sick on Mother's Day with some sort of intestinal flu and spent the day sleeping. I woke up Monday morning to find the overflow from the Merrimack river to be two feet from our back door. Our condo association brought sandbags to put around our bulkhead, but we were told that we would definitely lose our basement. This was very upsetting as we have a finished basement full of electronic equipment. However, our condo association brought in contractors who built a sand dam at the edge of the property which kept the water from getting any higher. We never got any water in our basement! We lost power for a while and spent the week without water, but we were very grateful that we never got flooded. The best news is that through it all, I stayed on my food plan!

Happy Mother's Day

2006-05-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

I got great Mother's Day presents today! My daughter and son sent me beautiful flowers and a box of organic fruits, vegetables and greens! I will be able to cook a healthy meal and decorate the table on Mother's Day. The day will be special for me even if they can't be with me.

New low weight

2006-04-18T15:01:00.000-05:00

I have lost another pound -- or I should say let go of! I have lost over 23 percent of my body weight.

This week I am on vacation so I am really enjoying the weather. I have walked 2-3 miles every day since Thursday.

Saturdays I go to a weight-loss support group which I find tremendously important. I also write in a diary every day. I write down my food and anything else that might be on my mind. I also find this helpful in staying on track with my food and exercise plan.

Favorite Breakfast

2006-03-26T13:44:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I usually make my breakfasts for the week. I make low-fat bars with ricotta cheese, egg whites, wheat bran and splenda. Sometimes I put blueberries or other fruit on top. If anyone is interested I will post the recipe. Having these bars ready makes it easy for me to eat a healthy breakfast on the run. I try to keep some in the freezer for really busy weeks.

Progress

2006-03-25T11:33:00.000-05:00

I was happy this week to see that I have lost inches in the past month or so. I have lost an inch from each measurement. That probably explains why people have been noticing my weight loss even though I have been losing slowly. I have been attending a boot camp at work with some other teachers and my fitness has improved a lot. I can't say that I really like doing crunches and push-ups, but it is rewarding to see the improvement. Since the end of January I have gone from being able to do 30 crunches to over 100. I went from doing about 10 very modified push-ups to 30 less modified.

Favorite Exercise

2006-03-12T13:54:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite activities is to walk along the Merrimack River in Lowell. I try to walk every Saturday and Sunday morning. Today the sky was overcast, but the current was almost imperceptible and the river became one long mirror of the opposite bank. It was mesmerizing.

While I walk I listen to my mp3 player. Annie Lennox's album "Bare" is one of my favorites, along with Maroon5 and Keith Green.

Two years ago I wasn't able to walk a half mile. Now I usually walk 2 - 3 miles. I also have been attending a strength training class with a personal trainer two days a week. That is also starting to make a difference in how I feel.

As soon as I find the charger for my digital camera I will post some more pictures.

I also like to keep my mind fit (a necessity as a math teacher). Tuesday, 3/14 is Pi day. So
HAPPY PI DAY everyone!

If you are interested in Pi check out the following website:

http://www.angio.net/pi/piquery

Enjoy!

Ciao!

Jeanne & Petey

2006-03-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

I went looking for a picture to post and I found this one of me with my cockatiel. This was taken a few years ago. I gave Petey (who happens to be a female) to a good home. She now has a mate and several adopted babies. I miss her a lot, but my work and school schedule didn't give me enough time to spend with her.

March 6, 2006

2006-03-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my weigh-in day. I let go of another 2 lbs. Todate I have let go of 64 lbs. Notice I said "let go of". I really don't want to "lose" weight. A friend of mine explained that if I lose weight that implies that I want to find it. I am tired of losing and finding-- I just want to let go of it entirely.

The First Day

2006-02-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Blogging seems like a fun thing to do, so I thought I would try it. I never seem to have time to contact all the friends I would like to, so maybe they will look at my blog. Who knows?
I am always struggling with my weight, so maybe my journey of weight loss will be of interest to someone else. As of today I have lost 62 lbs and want to keep going.

I have also changed careers a couple of times -- maybe that is interesting?? Over the years I raised a family, sold Avon Products, developed software and most recently started a career as a high school math teacher.

I have several hobbies -- computer games, genealogy, drawing, painting, sewing, and crocheting to name a few.