When I have my lunch, I usually go in streaks according to what's in my freezer. Right now I'm eating chicken or steak quesadillas. And because these are frozen food things (I get them from Sam's Club) they need to be improved. I add a dollop of sour cream and some extra cheese.
And because I do this, the calories as listed on the box are of course not right.
I don't much bother about this - what's a dollop of sour cream and cheese among friends?
What you have to worry about is when you do add-ons to ice cream. Adding chocolate syrup to vanilla ice cream - that's another 200 calories that you don't really need, even if it does make the ice cream taste better.
It's just something to be aware of. You're cutting back your eating gradually, which is good - the more gradual you go the easier time your stomach will have in shrinking to accommodate a lower appetite. That reduces food cravings and helps you stay on track.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Attitude is Everything
If you're sitting around the house, feeling depressed, and get a craving for some chocolate brownies...or just for a late-night hamburger, what's to stop you from eating it?
Yes, you're trying to lose weight... but you're depressed, and eating something sweet or hot is going to make you feel better.
So, you eat it, and while you probably won't gain a whole pound because of it, it's going to play havoc with your "Caloric imbalance" which is helping you to lose weight. (Burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. But your body needs to be "kick-started" into that mode, and it takes about a week of eating less and exercising more before you see any results.)
What you need is an attitude adjustment. Replace your "feel good" chocolate or hot food with going for a walk and enjoying the sunshine, or in cold weather, walking through a mall - but not buying anything, of course!
Life is for enjoyment... be cheerful. Not normally cheerful - work on it!
Yes, you're trying to lose weight... but you're depressed, and eating something sweet or hot is going to make you feel better.
So, you eat it, and while you probably won't gain a whole pound because of it, it's going to play havoc with your "Caloric imbalance" which is helping you to lose weight. (Burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. But your body needs to be "kick-started" into that mode, and it takes about a week of eating less and exercising more before you see any results.)
What you need is an attitude adjustment. Replace your "feel good" chocolate or hot food with going for a walk and enjoying the sunshine, or in cold weather, walking through a mall - but not buying anything, of course!
Life is for enjoyment... be cheerful. Not normally cheerful - work on it!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Necessity finds a way
I can't go outside in this horrible weather - wind! wind! wind! - so I have to get my cardiovascular exercise in a different way.
I've got a 2-floor house, with steps leading from one floor to the other.
What I do is put a CD in my walkman and head up and down those stairs at either a walk or a trot for half an hour.
Going up stairs is actually pretty good exercise for the legs - you get more exercise doing that than just walking.
It's not quite as fun as going out into the fresh air - sans wind, of course - and looking at the scenery while you enjoy the perfection that is your body walking - but if you look at it as something fun to do than it can be fun to do.
I've got a 2-floor house, with steps leading from one floor to the other.
What I do is put a CD in my walkman and head up and down those stairs at either a walk or a trot for half an hour.
Going up stairs is actually pretty good exercise for the legs - you get more exercise doing that than just walking.
It's not quite as fun as going out into the fresh air - sans wind, of course - and looking at the scenery while you enjoy the perfection that is your body walking - but if you look at it as something fun to do than it can be fun to do.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Don't Set Yourself Up To Fail
There are good times to begin to change one's lifestyle and embrace eating and exercise changes. And there are bad times.
For example, deciding to start a diet in December is usually a bad idea - since it's the Christmas season, you're surrounded by food at work and at home, etc.
Once it's January, then the time has come - unless you live in a cold, wintry, snowy state. Even if you get a membership to a gym, you still have to go out into the cold or snow to get to that gym to exercise, then have to come home... how many people are daunted by that?
No, spring, the time of rebirth, that's the time to begin your life change.
So what should you do - if you're a beginner, and haven't already spent several months working on your new life - for the rest of February and March?
As I advise all my clients, before any weight loss/weight maintenance program is going to work, you must know yourself. You must know why you overeat - boredom, unhappiness, whatever; you must know what triggers your cravings for chocolate or salty snacks; you must know at what time of the day you have the energy to do exercises - weight training three times a week, and gong out and running or biking at least three times a week and hopefully more.
Now, if you've been dieting and exercising for several months - what are you supposed to do during the winter months? Well - what are you doing? Do you find the weather depressing, and does that cause you to eat more? IF so, note that down in your journal.
Are you able to maintain your exercise regime - by going to a gym or a pool or what have you - or has your exercising slacked off? Perhaps consider buying a stationary bicycle - or my own personal favorite, a rowing machine, so that you can watch TV and get in some cardio and strength training in at the same time.
For example, deciding to start a diet in December is usually a bad idea - since it's the Christmas season, you're surrounded by food at work and at home, etc.
Once it's January, then the time has come - unless you live in a cold, wintry, snowy state. Even if you get a membership to a gym, you still have to go out into the cold or snow to get to that gym to exercise, then have to come home... how many people are daunted by that?
No, spring, the time of rebirth, that's the time to begin your life change.
So what should you do - if you're a beginner, and haven't already spent several months working on your new life - for the rest of February and March?
As I advise all my clients, before any weight loss/weight maintenance program is going to work, you must know yourself. You must know why you overeat - boredom, unhappiness, whatever; you must know what triggers your cravings for chocolate or salty snacks; you must know at what time of the day you have the energy to do exercises - weight training three times a week, and gong out and running or biking at least three times a week and hopefully more.
Now, if you've been dieting and exercising for several months - what are you supposed to do during the winter months? Well - what are you doing? Do you find the weather depressing, and does that cause you to eat more? IF so, note that down in your journal.
Are you able to maintain your exercise regime - by going to a gym or a pool or what have you - or has your exercising slacked off? Perhaps consider buying a stationary bicycle - or my own personal favorite, a rowing machine, so that you can watch TV and get in some cardio and strength training in at the same time.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
IT's Not Easy to Lose Weight in Winter
As I've blogged about before - I am not in to winter sports. Spring, summer and fall, those are my months - I'm on my bike all the time. (At least, I used to be, before moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming where the wind blows all the time and makes it unpleasant to walk, let alone jog or bike).
It is imperative to combine an exercise regime with a change in eating when you are losing weight - and when you are maintaining your new weight.
Gradualness is the key in both of these. It's easy to control your appetite if you gradually decrease the amount of food you eat, and it's easy to increase your exercise if you work up to walking around a block once a day, to walking twice around the block after a couple of weeks, to alternating jogging and walking, to working up to a full-scale jog.
And it is easier to do this in warm weather than in cold weather. In cold weather, it's necessary to go to a mall where you can walk around in comfort, or a field house if you're near a university that has such a thing, or even a health club.
You can have a series of weights in your own home for weight training, but for cardiovascular - which is more fun, it must be admitted - you need to be able to move.
It is imperative to combine an exercise regime with a change in eating when you are losing weight - and when you are maintaining your new weight.
Gradualness is the key in both of these. It's easy to control your appetite if you gradually decrease the amount of food you eat, and it's easy to increase your exercise if you work up to walking around a block once a day, to walking twice around the block after a couple of weeks, to alternating jogging and walking, to working up to a full-scale jog.
And it is easier to do this in warm weather than in cold weather. In cold weather, it's necessary to go to a mall where you can walk around in comfort, or a field house if you're near a university that has such a thing, or even a health club.
You can have a series of weights in your own home for weight training, but for cardiovascular - which is more fun, it must be admitted - you need to be able to move.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tubby Male Golfers!
I've blogged about this before.. I'm watching the Northern Trust Open Golf Tournament - my favorite golfer Phil Mickelson is tied for the lead, but he is only one shot ahead of many other folks, so its anyone's match.
But there are quite a few guys in this tourney, older ones admittedly, who have got some serious paunches. Bo Van Pelt and Carl Petterson to name two. Then there are the young guys all who have that "fashionable" tiny paunch - something that would get a young woman laughed off a golf course, but which is perfectly all right for guys.
Which isn't to say that if you're a golfer - you can't control your weight by eating whatever you like - in moderation - and playing a few holes of golf every day - as long as you're allowed to walk the course rather than use a cart.
But there are quite a few guys in this tourney, older ones admittedly, who have got some serious paunches. Bo Van Pelt and Carl Petterson to name two. Then there are the young guys all who have that "fashionable" tiny paunch - something that would get a young woman laughed off a golf course, but which is perfectly all right for guys.
Which isn't to say that if you're a golfer - you can't control your weight by eating whatever you like - in moderation - and playing a few holes of golf every day - as long as you're allowed to walk the course rather than use a cart.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Vivus weight loss drug faces FDA concerns
I don't believe in weight loss drugs, but I'll share the news:
From CBS News: Vivus weight loss drug faces FDA concerns
CBS/AP) An experimental diet pill from drugmaker Vivus Inc. has federal health officials concerned.
Vivus, based in Mountain View, Calif., plans to convince experts of the drug's safety next week. It hopes to bring the weight loss drug to market for the first time in more than a decade.
PICTURES - 6 weight-loss supplements to avoid
In the past two years, the Food and Drug Administration has rejected pills from all of the three small drugmakers with such offers: Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. and Vivus. All three companies are in the process of resubmitting their products.
The FDA rejected Vivus' pill, Qnexa, in October 2010, with concerns about two particular safety issues: potential heart problems and birth defects in women who become pregnant while taking the drug. The agency plans to ask experts to weigh in on those issues, specifically risks of cleft lip defects associated with one of the ingredients in Qnexa. The experts will also discuss increased blood pressure and higher heart rates reported for patients taking the drug.
The panel of doctors will take a final vote on whether the drug appears safe and effective. The group's recommendation is not binding, and the FDA is expected to make its final decision in April.
With U.S. obesity rates close to 35 percent among adults, doctors and public health officials say new weight-loss therapies are desperately needed. And even a modestly effective drug could have blockbuster potential. But none of the three medicines before the FDA represents a breakthrough in research.
Qnexa is a combination of two older drugs. The amphetamine phentermine, which is approved for short-term weight loss, and topiramate, an anticonvulsant drug sold by Johnson & Johnson as Topamax. Phentermine helps suppress appetite, while topiramate is supposed to make patients feel more satiated.
Many analysts had picked Qnexa as the most promising contender of the new potential diet pills because of the high level of weight loss reported in studies - on average, 10 percent of total body mass.
But at Qnexa's first FDA panel in 2010, experts voted 10-6 against the drug. Panelists said the drug was associated with a number of dangerous side effects, including suicidal thoughts, heart palpitations, memory lapses and birth defects.
If Qnexa is approved, Vivus plans to offer a follow-up study to monitor patients for any heart problems. Experts will consider whether the company should be required to conduct that study before FDA gives approval. The company will also offer a plan to make sure women who are likely to become pregnant do not use the drug. One of the two ingredients in Qnexa, topirimate, is known to more than double the risk of birth defects.
Qnexa's other ingredient, phentermine, was one half of the dangerous fen-phen combination, a weight loss treatment pushed by doctors that was never approved by the FDA. The regimen was linked to heart-valve damage and lung problems in the late 1990s, and the FDA forced drugmaker Wyeth to withdraw two versions of its drug fenfluramine.
Currently there is just one prescription drug on the market for long-term weight loss: Roche's Xenical, which is not widely used because of insignificant weight loss results.
From CBS News: Vivus weight loss drug faces FDA concerns
CBS/AP) An experimental diet pill from drugmaker Vivus Inc. has federal health officials concerned.
Vivus, based in Mountain View, Calif., plans to convince experts of the drug's safety next week. It hopes to bring the weight loss drug to market for the first time in more than a decade.
PICTURES - 6 weight-loss supplements to avoid
In the past two years, the Food and Drug Administration has rejected pills from all of the three small drugmakers with such offers: Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. and Vivus. All three companies are in the process of resubmitting their products.
The FDA rejected Vivus' pill, Qnexa, in October 2010, with concerns about two particular safety issues: potential heart problems and birth defects in women who become pregnant while taking the drug. The agency plans to ask experts to weigh in on those issues, specifically risks of cleft lip defects associated with one of the ingredients in Qnexa. The experts will also discuss increased blood pressure and higher heart rates reported for patients taking the drug.
The panel of doctors will take a final vote on whether the drug appears safe and effective. The group's recommendation is not binding, and the FDA is expected to make its final decision in April.
With U.S. obesity rates close to 35 percent among adults, doctors and public health officials say new weight-loss therapies are desperately needed. And even a modestly effective drug could have blockbuster potential. But none of the three medicines before the FDA represents a breakthrough in research.
Qnexa is a combination of two older drugs. The amphetamine phentermine, which is approved for short-term weight loss, and topiramate, an anticonvulsant drug sold by Johnson & Johnson as Topamax. Phentermine helps suppress appetite, while topiramate is supposed to make patients feel more satiated.
Many analysts had picked Qnexa as the most promising contender of the new potential diet pills because of the high level of weight loss reported in studies - on average, 10 percent of total body mass.
But at Qnexa's first FDA panel in 2010, experts voted 10-6 against the drug. Panelists said the drug was associated with a number of dangerous side effects, including suicidal thoughts, heart palpitations, memory lapses and birth defects.
If Qnexa is approved, Vivus plans to offer a follow-up study to monitor patients for any heart problems. Experts will consider whether the company should be required to conduct that study before FDA gives approval. The company will also offer a plan to make sure women who are likely to become pregnant do not use the drug. One of the two ingredients in Qnexa, topirimate, is known to more than double the risk of birth defects.
Qnexa's other ingredient, phentermine, was one half of the dangerous fen-phen combination, a weight loss treatment pushed by doctors that was never approved by the FDA. The regimen was linked to heart-valve damage and lung problems in the late 1990s, and the FDA forced drugmaker Wyeth to withdraw two versions of its drug fenfluramine.
Currently there is just one prescription drug on the market for long-term weight loss: Roche's Xenical, which is not widely used because of insignificant weight loss results.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Drugs and Health Don't Mix
Who'd want to be a mega-selling music star?
Sure, they make a lot of money, but they are also in the spotlight 24-7, even more so than actors, because musicians have to perform on stage every night before screaming fans.
Take a look at any rock star from the time they were young to the present day (assuming they are still living), and depending on the type of music they dispense (usually) their faces will tell the tale.
Latest tragedy, Whitney Houston. She grew up singing gospel music and was presumably a sweet religious girl. Then she got into the "big wide world" thanks to her records, and all of a sudden she's surrounded by folks who introduce her to drugs and drink. Most notably, her husband Bobby Brown.
And then and there begins the downward spiral, culminating in her death a week or so ago at age 48.
Take a look at her photos at her Wikipedia biography article.
Has she gained so much weight just because she's 48 and her body metabolism has slown down? I think not. I'd say the drink and the drugs did it to her.
There are many mistakes in our lives that we can make and that we can recover from.
But doing drugs, and drinking to excess? No. I think not. And it's so much harder to give up these things than to not take them to begin with - even with the peer pressure kids - and college-aged adults - are put under by their peers...
Friday, February 10, 2012
Double Churned, Low Fat Ice cream
I have blogged about this before, but I wanted to put in another plug for it again, because it's wonderful stuff.
I do not buy food that has the fat taken out of it, or the sugar, or the salt, because it never tastes as good as "the real thing."
Having said that, Dryers Slow Double Churned Rich & Creamy 1/2 the fat offerings taste great. As a connoiseur of chocolate ice cream, I tell you this in all confidence - it tastes exactly the same as "the real thing."
Now, as I have also blogged, everyone needs to know their weaknesses. Mine is chocolate ice cream. I love chocolate ice cream and if I had it in the house, yes, will power would go by the window. I woulnd't eat the whole carton in one sitting, but I'd definitely have two bowlfuls.
I like maple nut ice cream, and can settle for one bowl of that for my dessert - before 8 pm, mark you. It tastes great, and has less fat and less calories in the same bowlful that I normally eat.
So if you decide to try out this ice cream remember - just because it has 1/2 the fat and calories does not mean that you can eat two bowl fulls and feel virtuous. Since your object is to lose or maintain weight, one bowlful is enough per day!
I do not buy food that has the fat taken out of it, or the sugar, or the salt, because it never tastes as good as "the real thing."
Having said that, Dryers Slow Double Churned Rich & Creamy 1/2 the fat offerings taste great. As a connoiseur of chocolate ice cream, I tell you this in all confidence - it tastes exactly the same as "the real thing."
Now, as I have also blogged, everyone needs to know their weaknesses. Mine is chocolate ice cream. I love chocolate ice cream and if I had it in the house, yes, will power would go by the window. I woulnd't eat the whole carton in one sitting, but I'd definitely have two bowlfuls.
I like maple nut ice cream, and can settle for one bowl of that for my dessert - before 8 pm, mark you. It tastes great, and has less fat and less calories in the same bowlful that I normally eat.
So if you decide to try out this ice cream remember - just because it has 1/2 the fat and calories does not mean that you can eat two bowl fulls and feel virtuous. Since your object is to lose or maintain weight, one bowlful is enough per day!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Start Weight training today
Regardless of how old you are, you can start working out with weights. Don't be afraid that you're going to get bulging muscles - that will only happen if you work out three hours a day and consume a lot of supplements. What you will do is strengthen your musculature to make it easier to carry your kids, carry groceries, catch yourself should you start sliding on the ice, increase your enjoyment of skiing or tennis... and just generally provide you with a good, toned body.
Even little old ladies should work out with weights - assuming they have a clearance from their doctors and don't have brittle bones. Of course it helps if you start out at age 60 rather than at age 80 (and obviously younger than that) but you can start at any age - simply get the appropriate weight amounts.
Solid cast dumbbells come in weights from 1 pound in increments all the way up to 10 pounds. For the elderly who have never used weights before, five pound dumbbells should be fine. It's not about building big muscles, it's about strengthening your muscles. 20 dumbbell curls with each hand, using a 5 pound weight, may be nothing to most people, but to women in their 70s who have never trained with weights before, it's accurate.
I want to make the distinction that I want my readers to "train with weights" , not "lift weights." Lifting weights is what body builders do, the ones who like hypertrophied muscles. (As an aside, I must say that I don't care for that look, not on men and definitely not on women, but it's a free country and if that's what they like...)
By weight training, you're actually "sculpting" your body, removing as much flab as possible. However - don't get carried away with that, either. A little flab is necessary, in particular in women - if you lose too much body weight you'll no longer have periods, for one thing. There is nothing wrong with being able to "pinch an inch." You just don't want to be able to pinch two inches!
When you're first starting out with weight training, be truthful with yourself. If you're a bit of an athlete, you can use weights appropriate to your strength, and do as many repetitions as you can. However, if you're not an athlete, don't be afraid or embarrassed (even privately!) to start out with the lightest weights, and the easiest repetitions.
"No pain no gain" - as far as the average person goes - is a myth. Too many people work out hard for a couple of days, develop muscle soreness, and lose interest in ever exercising again.
Just take it easy! Keep a record each day of all your exercises. Start out very simply, and increase weight and repetitions, every week or so.
Weights
Purchase your weights at garage sales or at used sports stores. This will save you a lot of money.
Weights needed:
Dumbbells - from 5 to 10 pounds. 15 to 20 if you're a guy.
Leg weights - from 5 to 20 pounds (if you dont' want to invest in a weight bench)
Weight bench - if at all possible, invest in one that has an attachment so you can do leg exercises
Barbbell - A barbell set, from 50 pounds to 200 pounds, is nice to have, but dumbbells and leg weights can be sufficient. Having a barbell helps to vary the routine, which ensures that one's thrice-weekly regimen will be maintained.
Even little old ladies should work out with weights - assuming they have a clearance from their doctors and don't have brittle bones. Of course it helps if you start out at age 60 rather than at age 80 (and obviously younger than that) but you can start at any age - simply get the appropriate weight amounts.
Solid cast dumbbells come in weights from 1 pound in increments all the way up to 10 pounds. For the elderly who have never used weights before, five pound dumbbells should be fine. It's not about building big muscles, it's about strengthening your muscles. 20 dumbbell curls with each hand, using a 5 pound weight, may be nothing to most people, but to women in their 70s who have never trained with weights before, it's accurate.
I want to make the distinction that I want my readers to "train with weights" , not "lift weights." Lifting weights is what body builders do, the ones who like hypertrophied muscles. (As an aside, I must say that I don't care for that look, not on men and definitely not on women, but it's a free country and if that's what they like...)
By weight training, you're actually "sculpting" your body, removing as much flab as possible. However - don't get carried away with that, either. A little flab is necessary, in particular in women - if you lose too much body weight you'll no longer have periods, for one thing. There is nothing wrong with being able to "pinch an inch." You just don't want to be able to pinch two inches!
When you're first starting out with weight training, be truthful with yourself. If you're a bit of an athlete, you can use weights appropriate to your strength, and do as many repetitions as you can. However, if you're not an athlete, don't be afraid or embarrassed (even privately!) to start out with the lightest weights, and the easiest repetitions.
"No pain no gain" - as far as the average person goes - is a myth. Too many people work out hard for a couple of days, develop muscle soreness, and lose interest in ever exercising again.
Just take it easy! Keep a record each day of all your exercises. Start out very simply, and increase weight and repetitions, every week or so.
Weights
Purchase your weights at garage sales or at used sports stores. This will save you a lot of money.
Weights needed:
Dumbbells - from 5 to 10 pounds. 15 to 20 if you're a guy.
Leg weights - from 5 to 20 pounds (if you dont' want to invest in a weight bench)
Weight bench - if at all possible, invest in one that has an attachment so you can do leg exercises
Barbbell - A barbell set, from 50 pounds to 200 pounds, is nice to have, but dumbbells and leg weights can be sufficient. Having a barbell helps to vary the routine, which ensures that one's thrice-weekly regimen will be maintained.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Girls Really Do This?
There was a commercial during the Super Bowl last night. Geico. A man wants to lose weight, so he hires three teenage girls to follow him around. Any time he starts to eat, they pop up and look at him contemptuously - two white girls, one Asian.
The Asian girl says "EW." One white girl says "Seriously?" The other white girl says, "That is so gross."
So eating has become gross?
This is not funny...the more so because it is how girls act - at least girls in California!
Bullying in schools has long been a national problem - in every country, really - bullying seems to be a natural human trait. And yes, what these 3 brainless girls are doing is bullying. But at least they're doing it to a guy and not to some other girl who wants to buck the crowd and be a scientist, or not get a tattoo, or dress like a street walker, etc. etc.
The Asian girl says "EW." One white girl says "Seriously?" The other white girl says, "That is so gross."
So eating has become gross?
This is not funny...the more so because it is how girls act - at least girls in California!
Bullying in schools has long been a national problem - in every country, really - bullying seems to be a natural human trait. And yes, what these 3 brainless girls are doing is bullying. But at least they're doing it to a guy and not to some other girl who wants to buck the crowd and be a scientist, or not get a tattoo, or dress like a street walker, etc. etc.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Don't Snack - Eat
Too many people skip breakfast...then are so hungry that they snack until lunch.
Or they skip lunch and snack until dinner time.
Never realizing that the amount of food they "snack" is just as much food as they'd have eaten if they'd had a sit down meal, and frequently more.
Snacks are never filling, so people eat more and more of them to try and fill up. Whereas if they'd just eaten the breakfast or the lunch to begin with, they'd have been full enough to wait until the next regularly scheduled meal.
Then of course there's those kids like my nephew, who will snack and snack even though they are going out to a restaurant. There, they'll be a little hungry, so order a $10 or $12 meal, and just eat a bit of it, wasting the rest. Only to be met with the reaction from their parents, "That's all right."
God how it annoys me when they do that!
Well, that was a bit of a digression. My regular readers here know that I can't stand my nephew, nor the way he is being raised by my sister and her husband. According to the husband, he's "a teenager" which means he can do anything he wants. Because that's what teenagers do. Drives me crazy. And my sister never criticizes him. He spoils his appetite for dinner? That's alright, you don't have to eat any more if you don't want to. You went to a boring school when you were five years old? I'm sorry. Ya da ya da. I'm surprised the kid has turned out as well as he has - spoiled, but not vicious with it. But once he gets to 15 or 16 and gets a car and wants to start dating and all that type of thing...I don't think things will turn out well. I hope I'm wrong.
Anyway, back to the point of this article. If you're going to eat chicken for lunch or dinner from McDonald's - get chicken mcNuggets, not Chicken McBytes!
I just saw a commercial for McDonald's McBytes, which reminded me that I had tried a small boxful, picking them up from the McDonald's inside my local Walmart.
They were awful.
When you buy chicken nuggets, you get a nice mouthful of white-meat chicken and a little bit of breading. With the McBytes, which are their form of popcorn chicken, you get a teeny tiny piece of chicken - if you are lucky, and the rest of it is breading.
Even if the breading were delish, it wouldn't be good enough. When I buy something that has the word "chicken" in it, I want chicken!
I will be buying no more McDonald's McBytes.
Or they skip lunch and snack until dinner time.
Never realizing that the amount of food they "snack" is just as much food as they'd have eaten if they'd had a sit down meal, and frequently more.
Snacks are never filling, so people eat more and more of them to try and fill up. Whereas if they'd just eaten the breakfast or the lunch to begin with, they'd have been full enough to wait until the next regularly scheduled meal.
Then of course there's those kids like my nephew, who will snack and snack even though they are going out to a restaurant. There, they'll be a little hungry, so order a $10 or $12 meal, and just eat a bit of it, wasting the rest. Only to be met with the reaction from their parents, "That's all right."
God how it annoys me when they do that!
Well, that was a bit of a digression. My regular readers here know that I can't stand my nephew, nor the way he is being raised by my sister and her husband. According to the husband, he's "a teenager" which means he can do anything he wants. Because that's what teenagers do. Drives me crazy. And my sister never criticizes him. He spoils his appetite for dinner? That's alright, you don't have to eat any more if you don't want to. You went to a boring school when you were five years old? I'm sorry. Ya da ya da. I'm surprised the kid has turned out as well as he has - spoiled, but not vicious with it. But once he gets to 15 or 16 and gets a car and wants to start dating and all that type of thing...I don't think things will turn out well. I hope I'm wrong.
Anyway, back to the point of this article. If you're going to eat chicken for lunch or dinner from McDonald's - get chicken mcNuggets, not Chicken McBytes!
I just saw a commercial for McDonald's McBytes, which reminded me that I had tried a small boxful, picking them up from the McDonald's inside my local Walmart.
They were awful.
When you buy chicken nuggets, you get a nice mouthful of white-meat chicken and a little bit of breading. With the McBytes, which are their form of popcorn chicken, you get a teeny tiny piece of chicken - if you are lucky, and the rest of it is breading.
Even if the breading were delish, it wouldn't be good enough. When I buy something that has the word "chicken" in it, I want chicken!
I will be buying no more McDonald's McBytes.
Friday, February 3, 2012
What does breast cancer have to do with planned parenthood?
There has apparently been a controversy in the last few days. The Susan Komen Breast Cancer foundation said it would stop donating to Planned Parenthood - which is under fire because it councils girls and womens to get abortions if they want them.
And I have no problem with that. If a girl or woman doesn't want a child - can't afford a child - why should she be forced to have a child who will just become another burden in our welfare rolls?
But that's not the point. The point is this.
If I donate money to something called the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - I expect every last cent of my money donated to go to ... you know... research to end breast cancer. I don't expect them to turn around and send my money - and other people's money - to other charities!
If I wanted to donate to Planned Parenthood, I'd do so!
Truth to tell I don't donate to either charity, but this has raised a red flag. Next time I am tempted to donate somewhere... I will make damn sure that the place where I'm donating money actually uses it for the purpose stated in its name!
And I have no problem with that. If a girl or woman doesn't want a child - can't afford a child - why should she be forced to have a child who will just become another burden in our welfare rolls?
But that's not the point. The point is this.
If I donate money to something called the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - I expect every last cent of my money donated to go to ... you know... research to end breast cancer. I don't expect them to turn around and send my money - and other people's money - to other charities!
If I wanted to donate to Planned Parenthood, I'd do so!
Truth to tell I don't donate to either charity, but this has raised a red flag. Next time I am tempted to donate somewhere... I will make damn sure that the place where I'm donating money actually uses it for the purpose stated in its name!
Don't Diet, Just Get Fit
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you realize that your goal is not to lose weight, but to become fit. If you become fit, the weight loss/maintenance, naturally follows.
There are three types of skeletons, or frames - small, medium and large. People with large frames cannot healthily weigh the same as someone the same height, but with a small skeleton.
Being five pounds underweight is much unhealthier than being five pounds overweight, and if you're 20 pounds underweight, you're extremely unhealthy, whereas if you're 20 pounds overweight...that's nothing. Start riding a bike, give up one candy bar a day, or forget your weekly Blizzard, and you'll lose that weight in no time.
This blog is really aimed at people who are 50-100 pounds overweight or more.
If you're that overweight, you need a complete - and permanent - lifestyle change.
And no, it doesn't mean you have to give up chocolate completely, or carbohydrates completely, and so on. All it means is you have to practice portion control and increase your physical activity.
But of course that is easier said than done, which is where this blog comes in.
What is one reason dieters fail?
Because you expect too much, too soon. You can gain two or three pounds in a day...it will take you three weeks to lose it.
If you lose the weight quickly, chances are you'll gain it back again quickly, plus a little more, because your metabolism will be out of whack.
If you lose the weight gradually, over the course of several months, there is much more likelihood of you maintaining your new weight.
I suggest NOT taking diet pills, appetite suppressant drugs or metabolism increasing drugs. ALL drugs have side effects. And you don't need them. (If you are healthy. If you have diabetes or some other disease of that type, consult your doctor, My advice is ONLY for healthy people who simply struggle with their weight for a variety of reasons.)
There are three types of skeletons, or frames - small, medium and large. People with large frames cannot healthily weigh the same as someone the same height, but with a small skeleton.
Being five pounds underweight is much unhealthier than being five pounds overweight, and if you're 20 pounds underweight, you're extremely unhealthy, whereas if you're 20 pounds overweight...that's nothing. Start riding a bike, give up one candy bar a day, or forget your weekly Blizzard, and you'll lose that weight in no time.
This blog is really aimed at people who are 50-100 pounds overweight or more.
If you're that overweight, you need a complete - and permanent - lifestyle change.
And no, it doesn't mean you have to give up chocolate completely, or carbohydrates completely, and so on. All it means is you have to practice portion control and increase your physical activity.
But of course that is easier said than done, which is where this blog comes in.
What is one reason dieters fail?
Because you expect too much, too soon. You can gain two or three pounds in a day...it will take you three weeks to lose it.
If you lose the weight quickly, chances are you'll gain it back again quickly, plus a little more, because your metabolism will be out of whack.
If you lose the weight gradually, over the course of several months, there is much more likelihood of you maintaining your new weight.
I suggest NOT taking diet pills, appetite suppressant drugs or metabolism increasing drugs. ALL drugs have side effects. And you don't need them. (If you are healthy. If you have diabetes or some other disease of that type, consult your doctor, My advice is ONLY for healthy people who simply struggle with their weight for a variety of reasons.)
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
New month, new goals
In my weight loss program, I encourage gradual weight loss and gradual exercise increase.
Weight is lost by gradually cutting back on what one eats - not "cold turkey" but over time, so the appetite lessens gradually and the cravings fade away gradually.
This is the only way that people who lose weight will be able to do that most difficult of all things - keep it off
Keeping off the weight one loses requires a lifestyle change. Too many people lose weight, and then immediately go back to their old lifestyle - going off their diets completely, forgetting about exercise - and they do this so quickly after they lose that final pound that their body, just aching to get back to that original weight, seems to start packing on the pounds of its own volition.
By losing weight gradually, you are altering your lifestyle gradually, such that when you reach your desired weight, you are used to the new life style and will maintain it - adding just an extra serving of this or that food for each meal now that you're in maintenance rather than weight loss mode.
Gradualness - goodness - success.
Weight is lost by gradually cutting back on what one eats - not "cold turkey" but over time, so the appetite lessens gradually and the cravings fade away gradually.
This is the only way that people who lose weight will be able to do that most difficult of all things - keep it off
Keeping off the weight one loses requires a lifestyle change. Too many people lose weight, and then immediately go back to their old lifestyle - going off their diets completely, forgetting about exercise - and they do this so quickly after they lose that final pound that their body, just aching to get back to that original weight, seems to start packing on the pounds of its own volition.
By losing weight gradually, you are altering your lifestyle gradually, such that when you reach your desired weight, you are used to the new life style and will maintain it - adding just an extra serving of this or that food for each meal now that you're in maintenance rather than weight loss mode.
Gradualness - goodness - success.
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