Vroom, Vroom! Week 30, Day 5

I've lost another pound and a half. I'm not sure where, though. My clothes don't seem looser. Well, my shirts do a bit, but my jeans are still the same size. Never in my life has it EVER been easy to take weight off my butt. My boobs disappear in the blink of an eye, but my rear stays until the bitter end (terrible pun, right?). This has convinced me, once and for all, that life is just plain not fair. But when you get as big as I did, I guess any weight lost is okay, even if it's not all from the places I would have chosen. I just need to stay diligent with the leg lifts and walking.

Speaking of walking...and not walking, I took Dad out driving today for the first time since his surgery on March 1. He did really well. I only had to remind him of a couple of things. It wore him out, but it did a lot to lift his spirits to be back behind the wheel again. When I go back to Omaha, I'll be doing the same with Adam -- he's more than ready to get his driver's license, so I'll be taking him out to teach him to drive. Opposite ends of the age spectrum, and I get to help them both become independent and road-worthy. As a reward, I have a box of hair color for myself to cover the extra grey hairs I've been earning. I'll experiment with that when I get home and things settle down a bit. (They will settle down some day, right?) Pretty new hair color will look great with my new slimmer body, too! Woohoo!

Today's Tip:
Did you ever think of celery as a "power food"? The folks at Eat This, Not That do. It's among six of the power foods they recommend because celery has bone-beneficial silicon and cancer-fighting phenolic acids. But celery and the other power-filled five on the list are under-appreciated. Don't be missing out! Check out the list and explanations at >>>http://menshealth.r.delivery.net/r/c/r?2.1.3MK.2oN.166bcU.HTLVuc..H.Cxw8.1fXK.bW89MQ__DFcAFRN0

Silver Linings, Week 30, Day 3

Another pound and a half gone. At this rate I'm estimating I'm dropping about 10 pounds a week. Maybe more? Of course, this pace won't keep up forever, but I'm embracing the silver lining while it's here before the cloud goes away. The big thing for me right now is to keep up my activity while I'm going through this. It will help me keep whatever fitness I've gained, and it helps me keep my mind off the excruciating tooth pain. Since I'm not eating more than a couple hundred calories a day, I'm feelilng sort of weak. But I'm continuing to walk with Dad at the hospital (he's up to nearly three-quarters of a mile!) and do my leg lifts. I've done some work with my resistance bands, too, though not as much as before. Little by little... Dad's not happy that he's not progressing faster, but like I keep telling him, little by little, he and I both will reach our goals. I figure that by the end of summer, we're both going to be so fit and fabulous that no one will be able to keep us down! :)

Today's Tip:

Not all sugars are the same! Studies continue to show that high-fructose corn syrup is dangerous, and that while table sugar isn't great, it's a better choice than hfcs. This is from an article at Qualityhealth.com:

In 2004, researchers at the University of Louisiana hinted that an increase in
the use of high-fructose corn syrup in the United States since the 1970s
coincides with an increase in obesity rates in this country. Ever since then,
the sweetener has been maligned as one of the most dangerous food ingredients to
come along since refined white sugar.

A Princeton University study published in the March 18, 2010 issue of the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior showed that rats fed high-fructose corn syrup became obese while rats fed equal amounts of sucrose (table sugar), did not gain extra weight. All other conditions, including total calorie intake, were equal. Lead researcher Bart Hoebel says this may mean that high-fructose corn syrup is more easily converted into fat in the body than table sugar.

Soup's On, Week 30, Day 2

Another 3 pounds gone. I've found that I can eat soup if it's lukewarm and if I drink it through a straw so it bypasses my teeth. So I'm getting some food, but I'm down to about 220 calories a day. Between a much lower caloric intake and walking about a half a mile a day with Dad, plus running errands for the folks, the weight is coming off pretty easily. Not the way I anticipated, and I think it's safe to say this isn't the most ideal way, but at least something good is coming of this.

Today's Tip:
Eating out doesn't have to destroy your diet. Eat This, Not That has a list of the 20 Best Restaurant Foods in America. Surprisingly, the list even includes something from Starbucks: their Perfect Oatmeal with Nut Medley and a Grande Americano. McDonald's Egg McMuffin makes the list, too, because of the 18 grams of protein. Though I question some of their choices from a weight-loss standpoint and certainly from the view of natural foods, their logic is explained, and this brief slideshow is worth a quick look >> http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slideshow/20-best-restaurant-foods-america?cm_mmc=Yahoo-_-ETNT-_-Worst_Mall_Foods-_-20_Best_Restaurant_Foods_Slideshow

Getting at the Root of Things, Week 29, Day 6

I've lost another 7 pounds, but I've done it the hard way. The tooth I broke a few months ago finally gave out, and by the middle of last week the pain was bad enough I was unable to eat or sleep. A year of being unemployed means I have no money to get it fixed, so I'm pretty well stuck. I went to the community health center on Thursday and got some antibiotics, and I have an appointment for a root canal on May 5, but I have no way to pay for it. They said the cost will be $868. So if by some Internet miracle there is a philanthropist reading this who wants to help out a good-hearted but struggling person, my PayPal account is rabblebabble at hotmail dot com. I am happy to do some PR work or other writing in exchange for the help.

On the bright side of life, I went to Omaha on Sunday to celebrate Easter with Adam. I've missed him terribly, and it was great to spend the day with him. We went out to eat (I had a few bites of pasta --thank goodness the antibiotics had been working for a couple of days!), and then to a movie. One of the remarkable things about going to the movie is that I used to have a real big problem going to the theater, and this time I most certainly didn't. I used to have to find a parking spot as close to the enttrance as possible, then walk slowly, leaning on Adam all the way and sometimes having to stop midway to rest, then once inside, having to stop more along the hallway to the auditorium. This time, however, I didn't hesitate to take the first partking spot that came along -- which happened to be fairly far from the entrance, then I walked in and all the way to the auditorium -- which was the farthest one from the door, all without having to stop even once to rest. It was awesome -- I've made so much progress! After the movie, we went to Walmart to do some shopping, and I walked a bunch more -- and I wasn't even a bit tired!

Dad and I have been walking fairly regularly at the hospital, and he promises that once I move back over to Omaha, he will continue to keep walking on his own. He still has a ways to go before I can leave, though. He gets very tired after our walks, and he can only do one session a day so far. But I'm so thankful every time we go walking and so proud of him for working so hard to regain his strength! He and Mom are doing physical therapy three times a week at the hospital, too. I know it's terribly hard for them, but I'm so proud of them and so hopeful that this will be a good turning point for them.

It's all been good for me, too. A few months ago my walking had to be done at the grocery store so I could hold on to the cart. Now I walk on my own and carry weights with me. It started when I was carrying bags back and forth when Dad was in the hospital, and I've kept it up since then. Little by little the changes are happening. I have another 50 pounds to go -- a long way -- but I feel confident I can make it.

Today's Tip:
Resistance bands are a good alternative to weights. Mom and Dad have each been given resistance bands by their physical therapists. I broght my resistance bands with me to Iowa. They're affordable, effective, versatile, and very easily portable. I like using my weights at home, but when I can't be there, my resistance bands are a great option. Whether traveling, or to have at the office or other places, consider adding resistance bands to your fitness arsenal.