05/10/2011 01:34
Gale-Force Wind
O.M.G.
I did get the lawn mowed and fertilized, and the front garden watered, but what an adventure! It is a beautiful warm sunny day, but the wind was totally out of hand. I went to start the mower, but it was having none of it.
Out of gas.
I searched the garage, only to discover that my gas can had disappeared. Oh well, there was still the big one that was unused. I went to the gas station and filled 'er up.Got home and discovered the reason the can was unused—the lid for the spigot leaks. Back in the car and off to Home Depot to get a new gas can. The wind was blowing so hard that it blew gas out as I poured it.
Finally got the lawn mowed, and decided to go ahead and fertilize while I was thinking about it. Got that done, but with all the running around, it didn't leave me any time to pot up and plant some of my purchases from this weekend.
I feel blown to bits.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 19:44
My Life is Great, but...
We've seen it on TV. Haunts from the past drive people to overeating, and it's by confronting those bugaboos that people find their way to breaking dependence on food. But that doesn't apply to everyone who's overweight.
Sometimes it's the trauma and stresses of
right now, not the past, that drive us to bingeing. Boredom, restlessness, unhappiness with the very life we think should be making us happy, stressful job or relationship—all can be factors.
I can remember thinking to myself many times, "I've virtually got it all, everything I imagined would give me a happy life—faithful husband, nice house, great kids, but...
Nothing was ever quite good enough, satisfying enough, accomplished enough. The bad habit of occasional bingeing from my teens became the habitual bingeing of adulthood. I began to wonder what skinny adults did to occupy the same amount of time I spent eating.
They exercised. They had hobbies. They went out and did active family activities. Hmmmmm.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 18:03
Low Energy
My energy is very low today. The last three days at the garden center have caught up with me! I really needed this day off, I think.
I've got lots to do, so I'd better get some get up and go from somewhere! I need to go pick up the spading fork I ordered from the hardware store, mow and fertilize the lawn, and get the plants I bought this weekend, planted. For starters. The house is a pit, and I need to get it vacuumed and dusted, and clean the bathrooms. And here I sit.
Not without cause. My allergies are still pretty bad right now, and I'm short of breath, which is a real energy-sucker. None of it will get done if I just sit here, though, so I'm off to get dressed and out the door.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 17:20
The Compelling, Viral Dr. Lustig: The NY Times takes a Closer Look
Sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, has been under attack in recent years. Rather than exercise moderation, we are urged to give it up entirely from many quarters these days. A viral video by a doctor with admirable credentials, Dr. Robert Lustig, is one of them. This New York Times article gives a thoughtful examination of Lustig's persuasive claims.
An excerpt:
"It doesn’t hurt Lustig’s cause that he is a compelling public speaker. His critics argue that what makes him compelling is his practice of taking suggestive evidence and insisting that it’s incontrovertible. Lustig certainly doesn’t dabble in shades of gray. Sugar is not just an empty calorie, he says; its effect on us is much more insidious. “It’s not about the calories,” he says. “It has nothing to do with the calories. It’s a poison by itself.”
"It’s one thing to suggest, as most nutritionists will, that a healthful diet includes more fruits and vegetables, and maybe less fat, red meat and salt, or less of everything. It’s entirely different to claim that one particularly cherished aspect of our diet might not just be an unhealthful indulgence but actually be toxic, that when you bake your children a birthday cake or give them lemonade on a hot summer day, you may be doing them more harm than good, despite all the love that goes with it. Suggesting that sugar might kill us is what zealots do. But Lustig, who has genuine expertise, has accumulated and synthesized a mass of evidence, which he finds compelling enough to convict sugar. His critics consider that evidence insufficient, but there’s no way to know who might be right, or what must be done to find out, without discussing it."
There is a difference, however, between the toxic effects of over-consumption of any food product or ingredient, and actual toxicity.
It's a thoughtful article, worthy of taking a look.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 01:07
What I've Learned, 2
No matter what program you choose to lose weight, you have to get your head in the game. Getting tired of just doing it is a very common occurrence. It will happen no matter what program you choose. When the thrill of newness wears off, you get tired of it all. On JennyCraig you will tell yourself you are tired of the food. On Weight Watchers you will tell yourself you are tired of something else.
The trick is in not allowing yourself to become tired. You aren't on a diet—rather, you are losing weight while learning a new lifestyle that will promote slimness. If you focus on the negatives, you're just making it all a lot harder on yourself.
If you focus on the scale instead of lifestyle-change skills, it is a lot easier to focus on the negatives. On the other hand, if you instead celebrate every little sign of progress toward lifestyle change, it becomes easier and more reliable to measure progress. For a variety of reasons, the scale can be a crapshoot, and it's difficult to predict the results on a daily or weekly basis. If we set a goal to lose x number of pounds per week, we are bound to be disappointed somewhere along the way. If we set a goal to exercise for 30 minutes x number of days, the success of our efforts is readily evident. We did it, and accomplished it in a measurable way that will lead to results on the scale, if we maintain it.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 01:06
What I've Learned
In my journalistic research about metabolism, weight loss, exercise physiology and Binge Eating Disorder (BED) I have learned a lot over the years. Our bodies and our minds are endlessly intriguing to me.
Of particular interest to me were my discoveries regarding serotonin, one of the feel-good hormones our bodies produce. I had begun wondering what was driving what I had called my "food addiction." Like an alcoholic to the bottle, I was constantly going to the pantry for carbs in response to my emotions.
One area of controversy is in the
debate over serotonin. Which came first—the habit of turning to carbs in times of stress or depression, or the craving for carbs driving us to the cookie jar? We already know that obese people tend to have naturally low serotonin levels. We also know that many people plagued with obesity are chronically, clinically depressed (another symptom of low serotonin).
My readings from Dr. Oz's YOU On A Diet had let me know that hormones were definitely involved in my own compulsions to eat in times of stress. Eating high carbohydrate foods briefly elevates serotonin levels, causing us to feel a little better for a short period of time.
Somehow in the midst of all this information a controversy arose. Some say it's simply habit people acquired of turning to carbs, while others say that turning to carbs is only natural, since it stimulates the serotonin production that makes us feel better. This is one place where I believe it really doesn't matter so much why or how the habit was acquired. To me, it is what it is. I tend to think the whole debate between the "experts" is a bit silly. No matter the cause, behavior modification is required to break the cycle.
One wonderful factor than can help with breaking this habit is that exercise also stimulates serotonin. And unlike with eating, the effect lasts for hours, which is much more effective than the mere minutes of serotonin boost we get from eating.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/09/2011 00:55
Out to Dinner
Yaya! Just as I was getting off wok, my son called to ask if I wanted to go out to dinner for Mother's Day. Cha.
We're going to our favorite Syrian restaurant, so that should be very relaxing. I'm just taking a breather before I jump into the shower. Wow. Were we ever busy, again today. Yesterday and today, I unloaded 16 racks of gallon geraniums. I'm a little sick of geraniums now.
It is a store tradition that all of the mothers who work on Mother's Day get a hanging basket of their choice as a gift from management. I picked out a lovely combo basket with mini hot pink petunias, pale pink daiascia, and white lobelia. It made the sore muscles worthwhile!
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/08/2011 16:32
Carts and Horses, Chickens and Eggs
In my journalistic research about metabolism, weight loss, exercise physiology and Binge Eating Disorder (BED) I have learned a lot over the years. Our bodies and our minds are endlessly intriguing to me.
Of particular interest to me were my discoveries regarding serotonin, one of the feel-good hormones our bodies produce. I had begun wondering what was driving what I had called my "food addiction." Like an alcoholic to the bottle, I was constantly going to the pantry for carbs in response to my emotions.
One area of controversy is in the
debate over serotonin. Which came first—the habit of turning to carbs in times of stress or depression, or the craving for carbs driving us to the cookie jar? We already know that obese people tend to have naturally low serotonin levels. We also know that many people plagued with obesity are chronically, clinically depressed (another symptom of low serotonin).
My readings from Dr. Oz's YOU On A Diet had let me know that hormones were definitely involved in my own compulsions to eat in times of stress. Eating high carbohydrate foods briefly elevates serotonin levels, causing us to feel a little better for a short period of time.
Somehow in the midst of all this information a controversy arose. Some say it's simply habit people acquired of turning to carbs, while others say that turning to carbs is only natural, since it stimulates the serotonin production that makes us feel better. This is one place where I believe it really doesn't matter so much why or how the habit was acquired. To me, it is what it is. I tend to think the whole debate between the "experts" is a bit silly. No matter the cause, behavior modification is required to break the cycle.
One wonderful factor than can help with breaking this habit is that exercise also stimulates serotonin. And unlike with eating, the effect lasts for hours, which is much more effective than the mere minutes of serotonin boost we get from eating.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/08/2011 16:29
Hey, Moms—Have a Happy Day Today
I hope your day is filled with sunshine and flowers.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/08/2011 05:42
Give us This Day The Daily Burn
My burn today is already at 2400 calories, and it's only 9:30.
However, I was so busy today that I let myself get too hungry, and I feel like I overate tonight. Will have to pace myself better tomorrow.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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