I have spent the last 4 days playing the Sims from the minute I get home till I'm forced to go to sleep. I played so long, I racked up 100 days, their time, and a message popped up telling me I must really like the game. It really is the most fascinating thing. I feel like a god. I command them to do what I wish.

I made one family lose their jobs and then bought the most expensive furniture all so I could see them turn on each other and their neighbors. The kid was sent to military school b/c he missed school so much and the parents eventually died from hunger. I sold both their urns for $4/each.

Being a smart ass I once put a charcoal grill inside the kitchen and proceeded to burn it down when I went to make burgers.

I evicted another family b/c I wanted their land. I've had roommates, who can't cook yet insist on using the stove, catch on fire and die. I've been robbed 3 times by the same damn burglar. He stole my computer all 3 times. After the first time I installed an alarm which helped the cop bust him. I got a reward & used that money and the portion the insurance gave me back to get another computer.

I've had my Sim oversleep so much they got fired and got too depressed to look for other work I, the real me, started having heart palpitations.

My Sim has been trying to get w/the Bachelor Sim all week and he kept snubbing her. Saying things like, "On my list of things to do, you are @ the bottom" or "I've got to feed my llama" or "Are you kidding me? I'm @ work!"

Something is throwing off the layout of the front page and pushing the 3rd column, that starts w/"Recent Comments" @ the end where the "Site Bio" is, but it looks fine on my computer @ home. Maybe I'm bugging out.

If it's not just this computer I'll have to try to fix it, so if you too see a big white space on the far right and only the "My Stats" column, can you leave a comment. Thx.

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself." - Anna Quindlen

My 3rd set of bday twins!

Jenniy!

Find her over @ Fantastically Blonde.

AND her bday twin

Martha!

Find her over @ oh, man, I wonder if I can change this title later?.

They share their special day with the quirky Jenna (Where's Greg?) Elfman & Eric Stoltz from Fast Times at Ridgemont High's.

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My site, for better or for worse, turns into a diary. This entry has absolutely nothing to do w/weight, but are some issues & dramas I've dealt w/in the past and am going thru again. It may come across as a crazy ramble, but I can only give so much info. Besides, the details aren't that relevant, it's what this person is doing and how they are making me feel. When I finished typing it out, I felt better, like I had all this air pent up in my chest and it's been released.

It's a bit of an emotional rant, meaning it's all over the place, but I can't edit my emotions for coherence.

Jim Brown started doing aerobics, running and lifting weights two years ago to slim down. Now his employer is giving him another reason to stay in shape and eat right: Money.

Cha-ching...sign me up!

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." - George Eliot

Have hope(ful loser that is). A success story in the making.

Many many many moons ago, I teased about adding a new weekly feature, but due to the fact that @ the time, my car wasn't legally allowed on the streets of Atlanta *ahem* I couldn't get it started. Then she became legal, but other pressing issues distracted me. Now I'm left scratching my head wondering, "Where'd Summer go?"

"Courage is the human virtue that counts most — courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence. That's all any of us have." – Robert Frost

When I was getting ready to actually graduate from college #5, for almost 3 months str8 I worked 2 part time jobs and had a full course load while preparing my portfolio, which I worked on every waking moment. I'd stay @ school till the lab closed on Friday night and get home, piddle around online a bit and wake up bright and early to be @ the lab as soon as it opened till it closed. I did that for almost 3 months str8. It was insane. Then I crashed and burned.

And not of the psudeo healthy snack treat variety.

Before I ruin more eyes from staring @ the bees, I'll reveal a bit more and give smiley answers to those who chimed in:

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Unknown

Ann!

She's site-less but a cherished visitor & shares her special day with Meat Loaf.

and

She shares her special day w/my favorite search engine, w/o whom my site would consist of a single entry.

Google

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Obviously I still got the munchies.

11 Superfoods for Weight Loss - by Linda Kallman

These nutritious foods will satisfy your appetite and help you get to your ideal weight.

Foods for Weight Loss

Here are some suggestions from Sasson for meals and snacks that are loaded with the nutrients your body needs and that will keep those hunger pangs at bay.

Scrambled Eggs, Toast, and Strawberries
Fasting or skipping meals does not lead to successful, long-term weight loss. A healthy breakfast gets your body going, boosts your metabolism, and helps to regulate your appetite for the rest of the day. So scramble a few eggs, which are a great source of protein, vitamins A, B2, and B12, phosphorus, and iron.

Add some whole wheat toast and fresh strawberries for fiber, plus almost 150 percent of the RDA for vitamin C in the berries. Using a little bit of butter or margarine on the toast or for cooking the eggs will help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Recommended Serving Size: 2 medium eggs, about 130 calories or 1 medium egg and the egg white from 1 egg, about 80 calories 2 slices whole wheat toast, about 138 calories 1 pat butter, about 36 calories or 1 pat of margarine, about 32 calories 1 cup of strawberries, about 49 calories

Nectarines and Almonds
Having the right midmorning snack will keep your metabolism humming and your energy levels up, and will help you avoid eating too much at lunch out of extreme hunger. A medium nectarine along with some almonds gives you fiber, protein, a variety of vitamins and minerals, and heart-healthy fat.

Recommended Serving Size: 1 medium nectarine, about 60 calories 6-8 almonds, about 40-60 calories

Colorful Spinach, Veggie, and Chicken Salad
Throw together a spinach salad with cucumbers, carrots, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and some cooked chicken breast. Top it with an olive-oil-based vinaigrette dressing for a low-fat, low-cal, and filling lunch. Vitamin- and mineral-rich spinach provides over 50 percent of your RDA for vitamin A, plus dietary fiber and iron. As a rule, colorful vegetables are more nutritious, and this combination is rich in fiber, tons of vitamins. and the phytochemicals that may help prevent chronic disease. Finally, the protein in the chicken will keep you full until your midday snack.

Recommended Serving Size: 1 cup spinach, about 7 calories 1/2 cup sliced cucumber, about 12 calories 1/4 cup grated carrots, about 10 calories 1/2 cup red peppers, about 12 calories 6-8 cherry tomatoes, about 18-24 calories 2 oz. chicken strips, about 75 calories 2 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing (with olive or canola oil), about 90 calories

Yogurt and Grapes Snack
You'll get calcium, protein, fiber, and vitamin C from this super snack. Plus, grapes pack cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Recommended Serving Size: 6 oz. low-fat yogurt, about 160 calories 10 grapes, about 50 calories

Tuna Steak and Broccoli
This dinner will satisfy your taste buds and fill you up without adding on the calories. Fresh tuna is a great source of heart-healthy fat and omega-3 fatty acid, which helps prevent heart disease and stroke. Broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable, gives you over 80 percent of the RDA for vitamin C, 30 percent of your daily calcium, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. A side dish of Spanish rice is an excellent complement to the fish.

Recommended Serving Size: 3 oz. cooked broiled or grilled tuna steak, about 118 calories 1 cup broccoli, about 25 calories 1/2 cup Spanish rice, about 140 calories

Low-Fat Vanilla Ice Cream with Fruit Topping
Don't deprive yourself of that tasty dessert you crave. This one is refreshing and satisfying but is also a source of calcium, as well as some vitamins and minerals. Just remember to watch your portion size.

Recommended Serving Size: 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla ice cream, about 120 calories 1/2 cup mixed fruit, about 60 calories [source]

"Love, and do what you like." - Saint Augustine

Amelia!

Find her over @ SmallIslandGirl.

She shares her special day with Terminator Diva, Linda Hamilton.

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"I want to sing like the birds sing not worrying about who hears or what they think." - Rumi

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Burger King Enormous Omelet Sandwich @ 730 Calories & McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese @ 770 Calories are two of the things I WONT be eating next week.

On my shopping list for tomorrow is:

Seventy-one percent of women said that their doctor never told them that excess weight, including high-risk abdominal fat, boosted their risk for heart disease.

[snip]

"We are living in a world that promotes obesity," Daniels said. "We have become more sedentary. We have more eating opportunities and those opportunities have higher calorie-density food. It really becomes a day-to-day approach to changing behaviors to eating and physical activity. A big step in the right direction is to build in at least 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity." [source]

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh

Just a few quickies on what I saw this week:

Jen on O: Um...didn't do much for me. I kept wondering how on earth can someone give an interview for almost 30 mins and say absolutely nothing. Plus, I know O is not a journalist, but having a guest stay @ your home will make it hard to ask pointed questions. Jen looked extremely frail, almost waifish. Look @ here knee/calf vs. Oprah.

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will" – George Bernard Shaw

If I did this right, the colors should be looking quite different. Just my way of saying, Happy Fall.

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Astute visitors w/eagle sharp focus may have noticed a new addition to the right side, where it says "Watch this space". It relates to the super duper secret and will be revealed shortly. Till it is, I figured, as with all I do, why not make a game of it. I blame this on watching listening to way too much reality tv (RU that girl, The Biggest Loser, Big Brother [You wuz robbed Ivette!]) in the last week.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a guess on what the graphic is all about. Guess as many times as you want, I'll leave this entry pinned @ the top for a while and the person who guesses the closest or whose answer makes me snort the loudest, wins. And I can't say how long I'll keep this pinned b/c it'll be a tip off, but here's a hint: watch the pictures closely...

*muahahahahaha - - - choke*

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt

So Sunday b/c I just couldn't pry my cramped hands off my keyboard for a single moment, I took the non-mouse hand that wasn't twirling the left side of my head and picked up the cell phone to order in. Over the weekend, my door was bombarded with no less than 5 flyers for take out, which in retrospect, I found odd. Shrugging my shoulders, I skimmed thru them all and found a seafood platter @ a reasonable price for all that came with it and placed a call. Knowing that I'm dealing w/take out due to ordering form Pizza Hut and them not bringing napkins b/c I didn't "order" them, I specifically asked for extra tartar sauce and ketchup. "Yes yes", the Eager Phone Guy replied. I was satisfied.

37 minutes later a knock on the door.

Though I'm not one to cook, for now, even I can get behind some of these meal suggestions. I also dig that it's a hearty 1600 calories a day and promotes s-l-o-w weight loss. Awww Maureen, you're an MS RD after my own heart

Healthy Menus - by Maureen Callahan, MS, RD

Confused over which diet of the day to follow? The menus below are based on just three principles: Get protein with every meal, have at least two servings of fruit or veggies at each meal, and choose fiber-rich carbs. Unsweetened beverages like coffee, iced tea, and diet soft drinks are unlimited. Average your calories out to about 1,600 per day, enough to help you lose weight slowly. Then, as you reach your goal weight, increase portion sizes of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and add a little more healthy fat to maintain that weight.

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm not sure what's up with this site the last few days, comments have been double posting and disappearing. Given that I'm not even playing around w/this site I'm guessing it's gremlins.

In any event, my bad if you're having problems posting. Whether it's doubling your comments or disappearing them. I'll keep an eye on it. Last I heard gremlins don't like water. I can take a hint site, even you want me to get back to water guzzling habit. Point taken.

Erin!

Find her over @ I'm not going to give up.

She shares her special day with All My Children graduate Debbie Morgan, you may know her as Angie.

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For Zara.

Yo ho ho & a bottle of rum.

Unleash the grains...

Kraft Introduces 2 Somewhat Healthier Cookies Made of Whole Grains

heh...I love the phrase "Somewhat Healther"...translation...NOT HEALTHY AT ALL SUCKAS!

In the efforts of food companies to appease nutrition advocates and serve an increasing number of health-conscious consumers, Kraft Foods has crossed an improbable threshold - a healthier cookie.

Something tells me this is going to go the way of McDonalds Go Active Meal. Never heard of it? Exactly my point.

One thing I'm gonna stop doing is predicting when I'll be back to devoting my site to my daily fitness adventures. For the last 2 weeks I'd publicly hoped by that weekend I'd have my off-line follies wrapped up only to be foiled again. So I'll just say it'll be back when it's back. [small voice] hopefully in another week or so [/end small voice] I am thisclose to finishing my super duper secret project and when it's ready, perhaps this'll all make sense. I also didn't mean to leave you guys hanging on the "Up for Grabs" challenge. It also ties into the super duper secret project so hang onto your fat beakers, I'll be collecting them very soon.

As if one needed another to get & stay moving...

Regular excercise when young, makes old age less painful

A recent study carried out by researchers of Stanford University, USA claims that people who regularly perform a daily routine of excercises during their lives experience 25% less muscle and joint pain in their old age as compared to those who are less active. [source]

"Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable are the kind who do nothing." - William Feather

Courtney!

Find her over @ WW Diva.

She shares her special day with Xmen's Scott Summers/Cyclops aka James Marsden.

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"Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure." – Jack Lemmon

"The Noah rule: Predicting rain doesn't count; building arks does." – Warren Buffett

WOW OW OW!

I just read the most FANTABULOUS success story, I had to post it and some things it made me think about.

...in 2001, it seemed my whole life started collapsing around me: My theater company folded and my day job ended. Over the course of the next 2 years, my weight jumped from a still respectable 150 to an obviously heavy 185. Even my cat got fat!

I TOTALLY relate to that jump in weight over the course of a few years after emotional trauma.

What I like most in this article is the slice of bread slathered in baked? beans on a styrofoam plate. Something about it makes me chuckle.

A diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could be a way to prevent cancer, believe UK researchers. [source]

Then there's this:

Eating more raw vegetables every day, especially yellow and dark green ones, may help cut the risk of pancreatic cancer in half, according to researchers.

Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco found eating five or more servings of yams, corn, carrots, onions or other similar vegetables is linked with lower risk of the disease - one of the most deadly and hard-to-treat cancers. [source]

The 12 Best Foods
Black Beans
Blueberries
Broccoli
Chocolate
Oats
Onions
Salmon
Soy
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Walnuts

Bolded text are the same cancer fighters mentioned in the two articles.

I'm a bit distracted this week. Not from heath & fitness stuff, just from writing about it. I hope things can get more settled next week so I can lay out my goals & plans. So these are just some random things that don't warrant an entire entry.

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen." – Frank Lloyd Wright

kathryn!

Find her over @ iDiet.

She shares her special day sexy Nine ½ Weeks stud Mickey Rourke.

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"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." - Chinese Proverb

So last nite, against my better judgment, I watched The Biggest Loser. Nothing against it, I just didn't plan to watch it till it came out on DVD. Season 1 is in my Netflix queue. Fuzzy tv sucks sometimes.

But I was flipping around for some background noise and it was on, so I watched. It was okay. I missed the intro so I'm really not sure what they went over but a few things struck me as odd.

"The way to succeed is never quit. That's it. But really be humble about it." - Alex Haley

Lawdhavemercy, I finally finished pruning the blogs on the links page. I'll work updating links to misc resources later. It was good to see that of all the blogs, only 3-5 links were completely dead, and prolly 10 or so peeps haven't updated in over a month. But it balances out w/the 10 or so that came back online. Nice to see you ladies again

And the monster project, the NutriSystem Food Reviews Blog, that has kept me queasy for the last few days is almost done. I got the bulk of work done last night. Let's just say as many times as I've had to install Moveable Type in the last 6 months, I am so over it.

Fortunately b/c I've had to reinstall the damned thing so many times, I can do it w/my eyes closed.

All that's left to do is tweak all the templates, that shouldn't take too long. Unfortunately in my rush I forgot to back up all the placeholder categories I created so I'm a bit irritated, but who knows, maybe it'll work out for the best as I had too much going on anyway.

I still have box or so of NutriSystem food, I keep it as emergency eats for those months I am down to pennies. Next week I'd like to start reviewing foods I have listed as unrated.

I had really hoped to have the review blog humming along by now, but faced w/a lawsuit from a major company. Um yea, I said lawsuit. Let's just say I had to make that rush change happen in the last few days.

Once it's done, next up is another project that fell by the wayside as I became consumed w/news in the last two weeks. I was hoping to have that super secret project up and running by the middle of this month but it's so huge I had to break it into phases.

Phase 1 will be bare bones and should be in place by the end of this month. Phase 2 is a major undertaking so I'll work on it during the fall months and hope to have it ready to go by the start of next year.

All this to let you know I've always got something or other percolating behind the scenes.

I'm fiercely independent. Sometimes to the detriment of having a boyfriend, but I digress. Over time and learning as much as I have about weight loss & fitness, I get where I'm @. Catch me a year ago, I'd have solely been looking for external reassurances.

Back then, I also used to be an active member of a fitness forum. Whenever I'd post a so-so workout, or that I didn't want to eat clean, there was this one dude, that no matter how much I stated "But I'm not giving up", would chime in, "Don't give up Renee!" which would cause the rest of the comments in my thread to be about me giving up and how I should stick to it. When I'd interject by saying, "Um guys, I never said I was giving up," cheerleader dude, would breathe a sigh of relief that he "saved" me from ending it all.

And as silly as it sounds to say, b/c he seemingly had good intentions, that really chafed my hide. It's like I could never just have an off day and talk about it honestly.

So. Jealous.

THE Australian government is considering subsidising weight-loss programmes to help tackle the country's growing obesity problem.

Despite its image abroad as the home of a fit and healthy population which enjoys an outdoor lifestyle, participates in extreme sports and lives off a diet of barbecued seafood, Australia in fact has the second-highest obesity rates in the world. The problem costs the government about A$1.5 billion a year (£940 million) to treat the diseases it causes, such as diabetes, strokes, heart disease and some cancers, and the country's health-care and hospital system is collapsing under the weight of it all.

"...so often we look at a calendar of days as merely a symbol of the passage of time. We forget why we are on this earth. We forget that there is a reason for all of the pain and all of the struggle. We forget that we were put on earth to learn something. If everything were perfect in this life, we would never learn anything new. We would not be able to elevate our spirits through the events that happen to us." - Lynn V. Andrews

Another twofer!

Stacey!

Find her over @ Life's Journey...my path towards good health .

AND her bday twin

Dee!

Find her over @ |Reflected Thoughts|.

They share their special day with super famous songstress Fiona Apple & the not so famous former American Idol singer EJay Day.

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Only two weeks ago I was "tagged" *sigh*

I'm sure Cat'll forgive me. My head and heart have been elsewhere, they still are actually, but I'm really trying so here goes:

1. What is the ratio of sexy panties to granny panties currently in your possession?

- 5:1 in favor of the grannies.

2. Pretend you won one of the "make your dreams come true" deals that Oprah is always giving away. What would you ask for?

- To be richer than Bill Gates.

3. Describe your high school days in one word.

- Dramarama.

4. If you could shag any celebrity in the world, who would be your top three picks?

George Clooney
Johnny Depp
Clive Owens/Jake Gyllenhaal

5. If you had all the money in the world, more than you could ever spend in four lifetimes, would you eat some?

- Um. No.

6. Tag three people.

- It always feels like a curse to tag someone, so I won't. Whoever wants to do it, join in. Leave a comment so I can read your answers and have a good laugh.

Came across these two tidbits this morning that sheds light on what I ranted about a few weeks ago.

I wrote:

Out of the 50 states only one, Oregon (go beavers!) didn't have an increase in obesity.

From cnn.com:

What makes Oregon different is its emphasis on urban design, which encourages outdoor activities like biking to work, the study's authors said.

Ten percent of Portland residents pedal to the office on a system of bike paths that crisscross the city like arteries, just as they do in Boulder, Colorado -- another bike-friendly metropolis, located in the leanest state in the nation. Only 16.4 percent of Coloradans are obese, according to the study.

Sara said:

I read a study about how fast food joints tend to be located w/in a 1 mile radius or less of elementary and junior high schools.

Again from cnn.com:

The big Burger King sign across the street from a high school campus advertises this temptation: "2 Whoppers for $3."

The scene is repeated throughout Chicago, where fast-food restaurants are clustered within easy walking distance of elementary and high schools, according to a study by Harvard's School of Public Health. The researchers say the pattern probably exists in urban areas nationwide and is likely contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic.

Just some things that make you go hmmmmm

Remember What say you's? It's baaaack.

Going thru that hellacious heat wave sometime late July/early August, everything got sucked out of me. Rather than fight it, I just went w/the flow until the desire came back. Which it has been, in dribs and drabs but nothing like the start of the year. Here I sit, staring 2006 in the face, coming up on the holiday eating season starting next month, trying not to just say to hell with it. Correction, I am saying it, I'm just trying not to give in to it.

I'm curious about something. Has anyone else fallen off lately? Are you just resigning yourself to really doing something in January? Is losing weight going to be the last thing on your mind for the next 3 months? Will you just try to maintain or are you just going to let the lbs fall where the may?

Were you pumped in January, and now you're slumped?

"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine." - Morris West

Ok body, I give. Seriously. Sometimes I think there is no rhyme or reason to this. It's hit or miss. You are up or down. Nothing ever goes according to plan. Today I'm 167. I lost 2.5lbs in a little over 6 weeks. Had I have been exercising like a demon and watching every morsel, I'da had a conniption with those #'s. As it stands, I'm ambivalent. Sorta.

I mean I did notice and update my stats, but I'm, I dunno, pretty much all blase about it. I had already figured I was back in the 170's and early on I was hovering in the 171-173 range. But more than a few stressful situations and then having a complete emotional breakdown 2 weeks ago led me to eating once a day, barely, for over a week. That'll do the trick sometimes. [/end sarcasm]

Plus I've been down this road time and time again. Once I got back to my regular eating, start back drinking water, the scale will creep up yet again. So I state my goal of losing 3lbs in the next 3 weeks w/my eyes ½ squinted. B/c I know this body oh so freaking well. I'll either lose 1lb. No lbs or gain. Muscle building blah blah blah.

Bitter? Me? No way.

Just resigned.

I state my goals. My body mocks me. It's our thing lately.

Tomorrow I'll lay out my 12 week plan. Meant to do it today but I had to change my food reviews domain name and will prolly spend the rest of today working on that site and updating links.

Based on 17 people (including me), in 6 weeks the Beaker Babes have shed 102.5lbs of flab.

For the visually inclined it looks like this:

That is freaking amazing. 100+lbs in 6 weeks!?!? That means the babes lost an average of 5.88lbs. Almost 6lbs in 6 weeks. Roughly 1lb a week. Safe & healthy. Of course most people lost more and helped up the group average, but still. You all really blew me away with this one. Thanks again for playing

Next up is the Up for Grabs Challenge.

Starting today, each week a is well, up for grabs. Official check in day is Sunday and the challenge goes till I get to my own goal. Any one is free to join or stop checking in @ any time.

Your mission is, should you choose to accept it, to fork over each beaker you've lost every Sunday, with the main aim to hand over @ least 1. Even a is totally cool.

The Sunday's you duck me, I'll pretend not to notice

"Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well." - Josh Billings

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The final 25 tips. *blink* *blink*

What? Oh the source is what you want? The source is the sole reason you trudged back here every day for the last 4 days? "Give me the source woman!" is what you are screeching as tears roll down your face? Okay fine. Here it is...@ the end of the last 25 of course. ::

How Can I Conquer My Downfall: Bingeing at Night?


1. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.
2. Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.
3. Drink cold unsweetened raspberry tea. It tastes great and keeps your mouth busy.
4. Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands.
5. If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.
6. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after Dinner."
7. Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.
8. Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.
9. Eating late at night won't itself cause weight gain. It's how many calories--not when you eat them--that counts.


How Can I Reap Added Health Benefits from My Dieting?


10. Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.
11. Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. To fill up healthfully and tastefully, try this sweet, fruity breakfast full of antioxidants. In a blender, process 1 c nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 1/3 c frozen strawberries (no added sugar), 1 peeled kiwi, and 1 peeled banana. Pulse until mixture is milkshake consistency. Makes one 2-cup serving; 348 calories and 1.5 fat grams.
12. If you're famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts--. The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.
13. Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients. If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.
14. Making just a few changes to your pantry shelves can get you a lot closer to your weight loss goals. Here's what to do: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil. Same goes for breads--go for whole wheat. Trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them canned tuna, sliced turkey breast, and lean roast beef. Change from drinking whole milk to fat-free milk or low-fat soy milk. This is hard for a lot of people so try transitioning down to 2 percent and then 1 percent before you go fat-free.
15. Nothing's less appetizing than a crisper drawer full of mushy vegetables. Frozen vegetables store much better, plus they may have greater nutritional value than fresh. Food suppliers typically freeze veggies just a few hours after harvest, locking in the nutrients. Fresh veggies, on the other hand, often spend days in the back of a truck before they reach your supermarket.
16. Worried about the trans-fat content in your peanut butter? Good news: In a test done on Skippy, JIF, Peter Pan, and a supermarket brand, the levels of trans fats per 2-tablespoon serving were far lower than 0.5 gram--low enough that under proposed laws, the brands can legally claim zero trans fats on the label. They also contained only 1 gram more sugar than natural brands--not a significant difference.


Eating Less Isn't Enough--What Exercising Tips Will Help Me Shed Pounds?


17. Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.
18. When you're exercising, you shouldn't wait for thirst to strike before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Try this: Drink at least 16 ounces of water, sports drinks, or juices two hours before you exercise. Then drink 8 ounces an hour before and another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. Finish with at least 16 ounces after you're done exercising.
19. Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk--and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!
20. Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.
21. Drinking too few can hamper your weight loss efforts. That's because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn't how much you drink, it's how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.


How Can I Manage My Emotional Eating and Get the Support I Need?


22. A registered dietitian (RD) can help you find healthy ways to manage your weight with food. To find one in your area who consults with private clients call (800) 366-1655.
23. The best place to drop pounds may be your own house of worship. Researchers set up healthy eating and exercise programs in 16 Baltimore churches. More than 500 women participated and after a year the most successful lost an average of 20 lb. Weight loss programs based on faith are so successful because there's a built-in community component that people can feel comfortable with.
24. Here's another reason to keep level-headed all the time: Pennsylvania State University research has found that women less able to cope with stress--shown by blood pressure and heart rate elevations--ate twice as many fatty snacks as stress-resistant women did, even after the stress stopped (in this case, 25 minutes of periodic jackhammer-level noise and an unsolvable maze).
25. Sitting at a computer may help you slim down. When researchers at Brown University School of Medicine put 92 people on online weight loss programs for a year, those who received weekly e-mail counseling shed 5 1/2 more pounds than those who got none. Counselors provided weekly feedback on diet and exercise logs, answered questions, and cheered them on. Most major online diet programs offer many of these features.

Here's the source, where you'll find all 100 diet tips in a nice printable format.

Enjoy!

"Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength." - Sigmund Freud

Ok confession time.

Does it make me evil that I'm grateful no other beaker babe has checked in? B/c @ this very moment, 9:50, they have lost 100lbs. How much more of a nice round even # can I get than that?

GAWD, my OCD riddled brain is just swimming in euphoria. And 16 people. Four divides so nicely into it. Don't ask what 4 means. It means nothing. But 16 is such a great number.

Check out the sexy, sexy #'s that appeared in this entry:

100
9/9
9:50
16

Put down the phone. I'm one step ahead of you and off to get help as soon as I post this.

I noticed the tips from the last two days seemed disjointed. No wonder. I didn't think to include the transitional text. The list isn't solely a lump of 100 things. It has tips for various situations. I fixed it here and went back and added the text to the for 1-25 & 26-50. It should read better now.

What Can I Eat for a Healthy Low-Cal Dinner if I Don't Want to Cook?


1. A healthy frozen entree with a salad and a glass of 1 percent milk.
2. Scramble eggs in a nonstick skillet. Pop some asparagus in the microwave, and add whole wheat toast. If your cholesterol levels are normal, you can have seven eggs a week!
3. A bag of frozen vegetables heated in the microwave, topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.
4. Prebagged salad topped with canned tuna, grape tomatoes, shredded reduced-fat cheese, and low-cal Italian dressing.
5. Keep lean sandwich fixings on hand: whole wheat bread, sliced turkey, reduced-fat cheese, tomatoes, mustard with horseradish.
6. Heat up a can of good soup.
7. Cereal, fruit, and fat-free milk makes a good meal anytime.
8. Try a veggie sandwich from Subway.
9. Precut fruit for a salad and add yogurt.


What's Your Best Advice for Avoiding those Extra Holiday Pounds?


10. Don't tell yourself, "It's okay, it's the holidays." That opens the door to 6 weeks of splurging.
11. Remember, EAT before you meet. Have this small meal before you go to any parties: a hardboiled Egg, Apple, and a Thirst quencher (water, seltzer, diet soda, tea).
12. As obvious as it sounds, don't stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you'll find you eat less.
13. At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.
14. For the duration of the holidays, wear your snuggest clothes that don't allow much room for expansion. Wearing sweats is out until January.
15. Give it away! After company leaves, give away leftover food to neighbors, doormen, or delivery people, or take it to work the next day.
16. Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.
17. Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.
18. Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.


How Can I Control a Raging Sweet Tooth?


19. Once in a while, have a lean, mean salad for lunch or dinner, and save the meal's calories for a full dessert.
20. Are you the kind of person who does better if you make up your mind to do without sweets and just not have them around? Or are you going to do better if you have a limited amount of sweets every day? One RD reported that most of her clients pick the latter and find they can avoid bingeing after a few days.
21. If your family thinks they need a very sweet treat every night, try to strike a balance between offering healthy choices but allowing them some "free will." Compromise with low-fat ice cream and fruit, or sometimes just fruit with a dollop of whipped cream.
22. Try 2 weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.
23. Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.
24. Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.
25. Try these smart little sweets: sugar-free hot cocoa, frozen red grapes, fudgsicles, sugar-free gum, Nutri-Grain chocolate fudge twists, Tootsie Rolls, and hard candy.

"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail." – Dorothea Brande

Read my site long enough you are hip to the fact that I have a slight OCD thingy about numbers. (See here, here, here & here...further proof on how bad it is? I had to find four (even number) citations). *sigh*

W/catherine, the latest beaker babe, checking in w/a loss, my heart is starting to race and my throat is starting to constrict. Need. Balance.

So here's an open plea. Are you a beaker babe bummed about a losing just a ? Please post it so I can have balance again.

Ladies (& gent *cough*) you know who you are, don't make me start stalking you in your comments (I kid). But for the sake of my sanity, do I have any takers?

9/9 - UPDATE: I got the . I'm calling off the hounds, voluntary checking in has resumed.

Well despite my earlier statement that I wouldn't have another group challenge, I dunno some people seemed to have liked & did quite well w/the 5lb Labor Day challenge *shuffles feet* and I do enjoy being helpful...so...well...you got me. I couldn't help but think up another group challenge.

As much as I like being the challenge master, I realized why all those years as Oprah helped people lose weight she stayed overweight herself.

As an aside, I didn't make these tips up myself. On Saturday, when I post the final 25, I'll link to the original source. We all know doing it now just defeats the purpose of tricking teasing people into coming back each day. ::

How Can I Eat More Veggies?


1. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.
2. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.
3. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.
4. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.
5. Rediscover the sweet potato.
6. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as "lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.
7. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.
8. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).
9. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.


Can You Give Me a Mantra that will Help Me Stick to My Diet?


10. "The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one. Period."
11. "I'll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere."
12. "I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now."
13. "I am a work in progress."
14. "It's more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating."


I Eat Healthy, but I'm Overweight. What Mistakes Could I Be Making without Realizing It?


15. Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters "diet by day and binge by night."
16. Don't "graze" yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it.
17. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.
18. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks.
19. Ignoring "Serving Size" on the Nutrition Facts panel.
20. Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.
21. Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.


What Can I Eat for a Healthy Low-Cal Dinner if I Don't Want to Cook?


22. A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.
23. The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage. Then at home, have an apple or baby carrots.
24. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple.
25. Precooked chicken strips and microwaved frozen broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese.

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." - Mohandas Gandhi

I'll post 25 tips a day for the next four days.

I Can Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now. What Should I Do?


1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.
2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.
3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions--unless you want to superize your clothes.
4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.
5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.
6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.


Are there Any Easy Tricks to Help Me Cut Calories?


7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.
8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.
9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.
12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a year.
13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.
14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.
15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.
16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."
17. Use mustard instead of mayo.
18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.
19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.
20. Take your lunch to work.
21. Sit when you eat.
22. Dilute juice with water.
23. Have mostly veggies for lunch.
24. Eat at home.
25. Limit alcohol to weekends.

"I have learned two lessons in my life: first, there are no sufficient literary, psychological, or historical answers to human tragedy, only moral ones. Second, just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings." - Elie Wiesel

Mentally drained. Emotionally exhausted. This morning I wish I could've came here like gang busters, pumped up and rearing to go. As it stands I could barely muster enough oomph to celebrate the end of the Labor Day Challenge. I'm sorry. To all that lost, you did well. While the weight loss part of my heart is truly happy for you, it has shrunk up a bit in the last week.

I'm not gonna belabor how I'm feeling right now, it's too deep and too raw. I would say this, last week was one of the darkest weeks in my life. I am utterly sad, feel tremendously let down and deeply hurt, not so much by my fellow world citizens. Their compassion and similar sentiments has kept me sane. Despite my hearty proclamation in the early days that our differences don't matter, clearly they do.

Seeing what was brought to the surface with the rising water, I don't know if I can ever look @ the country of my birth the same. There are two images that cause me the greatest grief that even in this moment, prolly for the rest of my life, cause me to cry. Seeing elderly women, in who I see my maternal grandma and seeing little girls under the age of 6, in who I see me. And b/c I identify so strongly, so emotionally, with them and saw what they went thru, my blissful ignorance that this nation has come a long way has been shattered.

But that's another discussion for another blog I am now compelled to start. I just can't keep these thoughts festering in my head and it's beyond the scope of a weight loss blog.

Till I clear out of my mentals, I still don't have very much to say here. For the rest of the week, just to get back in the habit of daily posting, I'll post weight related articles and tips.

As for where I stand fitness wise, I'll be starting my own 12 week challenge next Sunday. Even if I gotta fake it till this feels natural again, so be it.

And lastly for the children of NO, as an adult I failed you. My heart weeps for you. I pray with every fiber of my being that the madness of last week will never ever happen again. And if every single adult, who has a child, loves a child, hugs a child would simply promise to do the same unto other children, in the blink of an eye, our planet will be transformed.

No child deserves to be scared, orphaned, drowned or bombed.

Congrats for finishing the Labor Day 5lb Challenge and thanks for playing along. You can use this post to log your final weight if you want to. I'll leave it posted till this Saturday, the 10th.

Someone, can't remember who it was, asked if there'd be a new group challenge. Sadly, not @ this time. However, Self has a "Reach your goal" program that's giving away free stuff. Use that to keep your momentum going, or if the 5lb Challenge just didn't cut it for you, maybe that one will.

Thx to neca & hopeful for what they said to make me feel better, but I'll close that post b/c my ginormous guilt doesn't want the bigger story to turn towards me moping. Seriously, I may be down about it and it hurts my heart, but there are more serious life & death things going on. I'll truly be fine. You're heartfelt support is well meaning and I appreciate the efforts to cheer me up.

Tell you what...if anyone else is moved by what I said and was about to leave me a comment directed to my well being, how about you do something in the name of disaster relief and just leave me a note about that instead?

In other words, rather than trying to cheer me up, let me know if you've said a prayer, lit a candle, had a moment of silence, hugged your kid a bit harder, snuggled your pet a bit more, gave clothes, money, blood, time...whatever.

Hearing about all the positive ways others chose to give, will pick my spirits up & make my day a thousand times more than you can imagine.

An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. - Howard Zinn

There are events in time that tend to render all else trivial. The last few days I've been so overwhelmed by what has happened to the people hit by Katrina that I just don't have much to say here about weight. It feels superficial and trivial. Though the challenge thread is open to all who want to check in, just so I can mentally regroup, I'm going to lay low till after Labor Day.

I wanted to do so much to help them, I don't have any extra money but was going to donate the entire extra I had, until panic decided to set into GA and within a 3 hour time span gas crept from $2 and change to $6 bucks in some places. I feel as if I am watching a society descend into madness.

So yea, I don't feel much like talking about weight right now, nor do I want to bum anyone out. I'm giving myself thru the rest of the holiday weekend to get this out of my system and will force myself to resume my normal routine by next Monday. Not like I had any major holiday plans anyway, gas prices high as they are, so I'll just tinker on my sites that I've been neglecting since Monday.

Lastly, so I won't feel so paralyzed, here's what I'll do to help.

The rise in gas prices has definitely put a pinch in what I'd planned to donate. I'm a bit gun-shy about giving money to large orgs, not to denigrate any org in particular, as there are many worthy orgs to give to, or anyone who choses to donate that way. Matter of fact I donated to a large org during the tsunami. It's just in some cases, I'd rather give directly to a person or small needy group. This week Atlanta has become home to quite a bit of the refugees, so rather than give to an org where only a portion of it would go to help those still in NO and the surrounding cities, I'm heading to a local shelter.

The minimum I wanted to give was $50 in the form of a care package by going to a few dollar stores and stocking up on as much toiletries, especially things for women, and some toys for kids, as that can buy.

I share this here b/c I was talking to someone and told them about it and they thought it was a good idea and I dunno, maybe others who have refugees in their cities and can't give much $ wise or feel what difference will $10 make, can do the same. To an extent, $10 may not mean much to someone w/o shoes, but put to better use it could buy 10 things like: a bottle of shampoo, soap, toothpaste, cotton swaps, washcloth, deodorant, lotion, toilet paper, a box of snack treats & a large jug of water. That's quite a difference and may mean the world to that same person w/o shoes or car to get around a new city to get those things for themselves.

And I'll be honest, the end of the months check is usually gone, it pays my rent and car note and then I'm assed out till the 15th, so the little money left over from my last check that would've gone towards gas and groceries is what I'll use.

Groceries is no big loss, I have quite a bit of NutriSystem food left over and 2 bags of frozen veggies in the freezer. I won't starve. Gas just means the movies I was going to treat myself to this weekend, will be put on hold. As gas prices stay high, I am only driving to and from home Mon - Fri. Staying indoors from Fri PM -Tues AM will help me stretch what gas I have left and my tank should last me till next week.

On paper I really can't afford to do this, but let's be real, it won't send me to the poorhouse nor will I starve. Life'll be just a bit unpleasant the next two weeks. Big deal.

For the first time (ever?) when I went to bed last nite I was truly grateful to have something to lie on, for my pillow, and the comforter that keeps me warm. Life may be unpleasant, but in comparison to what other people are living, it is, and always has been, bearable.

See you all next week. Take care, be safe and most importantly, stay sane.

marta!

Find her over @ The Pudge Budge :: Losing it WW Style.

She shares her special day with Romeo Beckham, son of football hottie & fomer Spice girl David and Victoria Beckham.

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