It looks like we’re in for a long, hot summer. For the last few years we’ve had a week of hot weather sometime in May, and then it’s usually just “nice” until the middle to end of June. This year the hot weather started early and stayed. If you’re anything like me, this is the time you really wish you had stuck to all those weightloss goals you set earlier in the year. Those summer fashions and a bathing suit doesn’t look nearly so good hanging off a body that’s almost 200lbs. as it did when I was 145. I also don’t take the heat as well. Being heavier I guess I carry my own internal furnace with me. I’m always surprised when a larger person gets cold easily, as this usually isn’t the norm. Then I look at their lifestyle, and like me they’re pretty sedentary so circulation isn’t all that good. Like I tell my mother “If you’d get up and do something, you wouldn’t be so cold.”

Along with the summer heat comes all the good-for-us food. The berries are in season. The melons are coming in. I love it and have gotten really good at reaching for healthier snacks. (Smashed strawberries over Fatfree ice cream or frozen yogurt and a small slice of angelfood cake is pure heaven and doesn’t set the diet into a tailspin). I add fresh fruit to my yogurt and add more fiber. It’s all good! Unfortunately, it’s also time when you don’t want to cook because of the heat, and potato salad and macaroni salads make the best side dishes.

I am not going to give you a bunch of tips here on how to avoid those things, because I can’t. What I can do is give you a couple of tips to make eating them not so bad.

1) If you find any you like in the supermarkets you can buy just what you need for a meal and then you don’t have a bunch left over that you feel you have to eat. Personally I do this on occasion but I like to have control over my ingredients. When I make it at home not only do I like it better, but I use less fattening ingredients to make it.

Which brings me to tip #2.

I don’t care for the taste of light mayo. All I can taste is the vinegar. Everyone talks about Best Foods or Hellman’s being the best tasting Mayo, but when it comes to the light stuff I have to go with Kraft. What I do is mix half light mayo and half regular mayo in my salads. While they’re still definitely not fatfree, it does shave off quite a few calories and fat grams. If you scramble eggbeaters instead of using real egg, you can shave off even more.

What I’m truly looking for is a “pasta” diet. I’m afraid it wouldn’t get promoted very much as I can already see how unhealthy it would be. The diet would consist of all things pasta, and fruits and veggies, and a guarantee that even with alfredo sauce, I could still lose weight.LOL.

Yesterday while watching “The View” (I don’t really watch. I have it on while I’m working) a guest of theirs was a guy who specializes in tea. It caught my attention because he was calling what he was talking about “The Tea Diet”. At first I thought “yeah, yeah”, but he started talking about teas and was actually saying some things I hadn’t known.

He says all tea is tea. It’s supposedly just a matter of processing what color it is. White tea is the least processed with the least caffeine, then green, etc.  That in itself was interesting to me, because I thought all those teas came from different plants.

Here’s the good part. He had flavored teas on the show that were named “Candy Bar” “Chocolate Chip Cookie” etc. The girls were going along behind him tasting them and actually gave good reactions. What he was saying was

1. Drink tea instead of coffee in the morning for added benefits (I’ve tried this one. Can’t do it).
2. When you have a craving for a candy bar or a cookie, reach for the flavored tea instead.

You’re getting the taste you’re craving without the calories plus the added benefit of all the antioxidants that are so good for you. I think this is a great idea, and I can see how this could work. I know I have switched to diet green tea with ginseng and it is sweet, which for me has taken some getting used to. I drink my tea and coffee both without any sweetener at all.

My problem with this would be my need to actually chew. They say that gum can cure that, but I’m not sure I would want to chew gum while I’m drinking a flavored tea. Sometimes I just feel the need to “pick”. I usually keep a portion of honeynut cheerios or something like that handy so I don’t chomp on chips or something like that.

I’m thinking I might try a couple of these teas and see just how good of an idea it is. Maybe if I’m getting the flavor, I won’t need to have something chewy. If it works, it could be very beneficial. I’ll have to let you know after my “experiment”.

I’m also paying attention to how mortal I am. I cannot die from disease or anything else until I have my taxes done, my house in order, and all the good articles torn out of all the magazines I have waiting to be read (from my mouth to God’s ear with a “please” attached).

I’m really interested in this “ph balanced” existence. I started on the hydrogen peroxide cleanse, which actually was working to get infection out of my body, but then I went drinking (drug of choice, 2pts. per cocktail) and didn’t think it was a good idea to keep going with alcohol in my system. I’ve been reading about the “alkaline” diet and since it’s wholesome foods should be easy to incorporate into my WeightWatchers.

It’s a very interesting concept, but I can’t find a whole lot about it. There’s info on what foods are acidic and what foods are alkaline, but not a whole lot on hydrogen peroxide as far as taking the hydrogen peroxide and having my morning coffee (coffee is very acidic). Doing the cleanse and then having my wine in the evening (2pts. okay I cheat a little). I did find a one chart on acidic/alkaline foods and tomato was listed as alkaline vs. acidic. Needless to say that’s a question in my mind.

It’s kind of strange when you get old enough to realize you are mortal. All of a sudden there is so much more involved with the “growing older” than just the “getting skinnier” part.

At our house 3-day weekends are cause for BBQ’s and/or picnics. When my sister and I were kids, it was usually a day of some big picnic for some organization my folks belonged to. When my sister and I got out on our own and had kids, we used to get Ma and all get together at the local park.  Then for the last  almost 10 yrs. I owned a bar, so we would throw a big bbq and potluck for everybody. Always a ton of fattening food, booze, and fun.

The kids are grown now. I’ve closed the bar, and I rarely see my sister. Today I miss the chaos, the fun, the people. It’s going to be a much quieter celebration of those who died for our freedom. In away, it almost seems appropriate with our troops still at war and given the reason for the day.

I have since made choices I wouldn’t have made back then. Today I decided to have eggs at home vs. a “Macho Combo Burrito” (25pts.) at Del Taco. I have turned in the burgers (80/20) and potato salad for lean steak and baked potato. This way I won’t be eating potato salad, which of course goes with macaroni salad, for days after the bbq is over. Instead of snacking on chips, we’ll be snacking on fresh veggies and strawberries. While it’s hard sometimes to forget the traditions of the past, many times the new traditions are just as delicious, and without the guilt! LOL

Nothing makes a fat girl say “shoulda, woulda, coulda” like really hot weather.

I “shoulda” stuck to eating right and exercising.

I “woulda” been small enough to fit into some bitchin’ summer clothes.

I “coulda” been there by now.

I had pretty much forgotten how much I hate hot (90 to 100 degrees) weather when I’m overweight. I’ve gotten old enough that I tend to run on the “cooler” side most of the time, so the hot weather when I’m thinner, doesn’t seem so bad. This year I remembered when the temps reached 102, why I usually diet in the fall or winter to be thinner by spring and summer.

One thing the hot weather has done for me is make my attraction to the fruits and vegetables in season much stronger. It must be working, because I’ve actually lost about 5 lbs. in the last week or so. Cookies, etc. just don’t have the same appeal when I’m sweating to death, looking for a way to cool off.  So it’s obviously not due to being post-menopausal, but my crummy eating habits that are keeping me fat. Hate facing that one! LOL

The strawberries have been just beautiful by me this year. They’re huge and so sweet and juicy. Usually at least one store by me (I’m lucky enough to have about 5 different grocery stores all in a circle close to where I live) has a 4lb. clamshell on sale at a really reasonable price. The blueberries not such a great bargain, but I love them in my yogurt and even tho the containers are small, I can still usually find them on sale. I bought a beautiful pineapple the other day, and I’ll probably cut that up for snacking today. To me, the can will never have anything on fresh when it comes to pineapple. When I went to Hawaii, my late husband couldn’t sit me at the bar next to a waitress station because I couldn’t keep my hands out of the pineapple. LOL.

The truly great thing about all this is that it is such a healthy way to eat. I’ve always said “if I truly ate everything they want you to eat when you’re on WeightWatchers, I would never be able to snack on anything else!”

Thank goodness for the hot weather to reteach me how to eat right. I’m drinking a lot more water also, of course, which I’m sure has helped with dropping a little of this excess weight. See, you just never know where help is going to come from. LOL 

I’m writing about this today as I find myself “binge eating” sort of like an alcoholic does “binge drinking”.  Although I wouldn’t call it a “disorder” yet, it got me thinking.

Binge eating disorder is a very serious condition that is affecting many people and will continue to do so until we are all more educated on the risks involved from such behavior. This is a psychiatric condition, an actual disorder that must not be taken lightly. There are many unfortunate risks to your health with this eating disorder just as with any other eating disorder. Educating yourself and your children about the many negative affects from any eating disorder is very important. It can also help you to determine whether or not someone you know or even yourself, might be suffering from an eating disorder, so that you can find the type of treatment needed to be effective. Binge eating is something that is more common than many of you might have first thought. The number of people suffering with this disorder is definitely on the rise today.

The majority of individuals that have the binge eating disorder are extremely overweight, but that is not always the case. Some people with this disorder might even be underweight, which can make it quite difficult to diagnose. Most people would not consider anyone that is skinny possibly ever binge eating, but it does happen. Many people think this is pretty much the same as bulimia, but that is definitely still a big question. Many others believe it is of its own type of disorder, separate from any others. The thing you need to remember is that with any eating disorder you are putting yourself in potential danger. It could cause some very detrimental problems in your life, not just with your health, but also with relationships and your own personal battle with the disorder. Most people suffering from the binge eating disorder usually feel terribly guilty about eating, so they try not to ever eat in front of anyone else because of that shame. When they do eat, they eat unbelievable amounts of foods and they do it very quickly.

With the binge eating disorder it is very common for the individual to eat until they are literally in pain from being so overly stuffed. They will eat and eat, and continue eating as fast as they possibly can, because of it being a psychological condition, they can not seem to control that urge to do so. Finding the appropriate treatment is absolutely necessary because you can not continue to destroy your body, mind and health in this manner. It is an illness and should be treated accordingly. If you or someone that you know is suffering from binge eating disorder, start doing some more research today, so that you can finally have peace. Find someone that you can confide in to talk with about the problem, so that you can begin your recovery.

I don’t generally sit and eat all I can as fast as I can, but I do have a tendancy to just eat everything in sight all day long. I think a good portion of that comes from being home much more now than I have been in years. Another reason is boredom. Some people eat for emotional comforting. I seem to eat when I’m bored, which I guess to an extent is the same thing.

I went to a friends retirement (breakfast) party a couple of days ago, and the hostess served this with slices of sourdough baggetts. I can’t remember for the life of me the Italian name for it, but it’s astoundingly delicious for being so simple.
35 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cups water
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs

Not all of them, but the one with whole wheat pasta & proscuitto does. Of course this is just my opinion. Tonite I fixed it as a side dish (6pts. by itself) to go with my shrimp. It was probably the most blah stuff I have put in mouth in a long time. It didn’t even have enough flavor to call it bad or good. Just blah. So unless you like a really bland diet, while it sounds good, whole wheat pasta, etc. save your money on this one.

A little off topic. My son has spent the last couple of days visiting a friend who, at 20 yrs. old needs a liver transplant. He’s only 20 yrs. old. Why does he need a transplant? TYLENOL.  To me, it’s flat frigging amazing how dangerous this drug is, and it’s still widely accessable.

1. 1) Over 70,000 cases of liver failure a year reported due to acetametaphin.
2. 2) Suicide attempts outnumber accidental overdoses.
3. 3) A good percentage of accidental overdoses are children. Doses should be given based on weight, not age. When based on weight, most adults can’t do the math to get it right.
4. The max dose is 8 extra strenght pills in a 24 hour period. It has caused liver failure at half that dose.

If you have a child under 18, Tylenol is the best answer to fever and flu vs. aspirin which can cause Reyes disease, but if you have children older than that, and especially if they drink, warn them against Tylenol. Have them take aspirin, and make sure they know they should not take aspirin on an empty stomach. (internal bleeding).

Since I started this da** blog back in Sept. with so much motivation and hope for a skinnier future, I have started and started over more dieting and exercising, etc. and I just have not been good about keeping up with any of it. And now I haven’t even been good about posting here, because I haven’t been good enough doing the other stuff that I have anything worth posting. I have not been utilizing WeightWatchers nearly enough, even tho I pay for meetings and online every month. I find the website motivating which is even more reason why I should visit more often. I also love this website called SparkPeople. It too is very motivating in combination with WeightWatchers and is also an excellent tool. It’s Spring now, and I want to do more things and be outside more. By now I should have reached my goal or been darn close. So as of today…

1. I am journaling EVERYTHING I put in my mouth (which in itself ticks me off because it keeps me honest)
2. I will quit stressing over the fact that I’m not doing an exercise routine, but will make myself do something physical every day. Today I am going to be pulling weeds etc. out in the yard. I haven’t gardened for years.
3. Every morning I will start out with the message boards at WW and Sparkpeople to help set me up for the day.

That seems easy enough and enough steps for now. I am taking a page from LadyShanny’s book and going to start with photo’s for my journey. I also have one photo that I will post to keep my frightfully aware of where I am headed, and what I don’t want to look like when I go to the high school reunion in July.

I received this in an email titled “Bacon Grease Will Make Your Feet Look Small” While I admit they all seem to have self-pride, I don’t want to be there.

I don’t care what we are doing to lose weight, you have to admit that we all still keep looking for that “something magic” that will make it disappear faster and easier. I for one cannot help but notice the ads, etc. even when I know most of them are bunk, and some I even go for.

I ran across a magazine while in line at the grocery store a couple of days ago, (exactly why they put them there), and the main story on the front was “Walk Off 96% More Fat” “Lose 43 lbs. by Memorial Day”. This is the walking plan used by Kim, the fitness guru from the “Biggest Loser”. I have tried just about everything when it comes to exercise, but I really didn’t have a workout plan, so I end up not doing much. This has a definate 3wk plan, and it includes weight or circuit training, so I am giving it a shot. After the first day of walking 30 min. with “steam engines” in between, I could definately feel it where I was supposed to the next day. Here’s hoping this is one I can stick to, at least for the 3wks. and then decide what to do from there.

My next “new thing” is, I am not one for “cleanses” even tho I am so toxic I could be the next waste dump. I smoke (damn it), I drink a bit of wine, I have mercury in my teeth, and I’m obese. There’s probably more, these are just off the top of my head. I could never stand the thought of going without food for 2 days, having only water or fruitjuice or whatever liquid. I also didn’t like the idea that when my body flushed all these toxins, more than likely it would be at a very inopportune time when I was miles from the nearest bathroom, so I just didn’t really consider it.

Lately I have been reading so much about the benefits of hydrogen peroxide. It does everything! From killing mold and mildew in my shower, to killing all the bacteria in my kitchen, to lightening my hair, it does it all plus some. What I’ve been reading more of lately is the benefits of ingesting it. They make a food grade hydrogen peroxide which when heavily diluted, adds oxygen to your bloodstream, cleanses out toxins, and returns your whole system to a ph balance. (Disclaimer: This is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. Speak to your personal physician before doing anything).

I have been taking it for 3 days now, starting at 3 drops 3 times a day and building up 1 drop every time each day from there. Today is my 3rd day, I’m up to 6 drops in 5 ozs. of water 3 times a day, and already I am sleeping better and my joints aren’t nearly as sore as they have been. This whole thing ends up being quite a process, but if I’m seeing results already, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have to let you know how it goes as I progress, but I am very concious of when I eat due to how you have to space this out between food, which has also made me more concious of what I eat.

I think 2 new things are enough for one day. LOL.