Hey gang! Here is the latest from my Examiner column. This particular article talks about our closest zoo, but I'd wager the same information applies to most zoos around the nation, sans prices or specific attractions.
Please stop by my column and say hello!
St. Louis Zoo: exercise, fun and low-carb food
Well, you won't win HIS kids, just the book with that title.
So anyhoo, I'm super excited today! Why? Because my 12 year old son has decided he'd like to take better care of himself. He's trying to watch his carbohydrates and exercise. He's become my diet buddy! :)
To celebrate I'm giving away a copy of the very book we are using to help him. As someone who has used Fred Hahn's Slow Burn approach, I can tell you that it is one lulu of a workout in a short amount of time. With the release of his fantastic book Strong Kids Healthy Kids, I can now feel confident in helping my son get through an effective workout. And the cherry on top is the fact that this book contains great carb-conscious nutritional advice just for kids!
I've just finished a full review on the book at my Examiner column, so please go check it out. I'll wait.......
*humming off key*
*attempting to whistle but pathetically spitting on the keyboard instead*
*picking lint off my shirt*
*inspecting the gunk trapped between the keys in my keyboard*
Great! Your back!
Ok, so here's how you win this wonderful book. Simply send your full name and address to healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com and be sure to put in the subject line I WANT HEALTHY KIDS. This will help me keep it out of the spam-a-lot box. (We delete all your information after the drawing so you'll never be spammed or bothered!) Send me your info by midnight central time on July 17th and you'll be entered into the drawing. On July 18th my son will randomly draw a winner from the pile and I'll announce it here. (So be sure to check back!)
That's it. That's all you gotta do. :)
Hey gang! I'm short on time but wanted to share my latest article on Examiner. (Don't have time to post it all here.)
Today I reviewed the EA Sports Active for the Wii. I've included links and a slideshow, so please go check it out!
I'm so busy I don't have time to think straight, let alone eat right. Why do I love this time of year again???? ;)
I'm struggling a bit, but nothing new there. Life gets crazy and then I do, again nothing new. I'm working frantically to improve my photography skills. I really want to be ready for business within the next 6 months, so I gotta get on the ball. I'm doing little stuff here an there, but I want to be ready for the big time, ya know?
I'm also writing as much as I can for Examiner to help with those bills that refuse to go away. These will eventually stop right? Someone tell me they will stop. At least some of them??? Pretty please.
Homeschooling has been a chore this year. Why does it seem great some days and so hard on others? We are trying to get enough done that we can take a decent Christmas break, but don't know if that will happen.
My food planning has been less the great lately, so that really messes me up. I end up grabbing whatever. Have you ever tasted whatever? It's great, but has a buttload of carbs. Not what I need. So my weight is just steady. No real gains to speak of.
DH bought me a Wii fit. It's great exercise! I used to call it a WHEEEEEEE! Now it's just the wii. Why? Because I'm tired of that little game console weighing me, measuring my BMI and saying in it's cute little voice "That's obese!!" Naw, really? I could do without that part. I'm painfully aware I'm considered obese. I don't need a little white box rubbing it in my face. I catch myself yelling back "Oh yeah! Well you're square! And you are helpless without me!" Um, yeah. It's pathetic, but it makes me feel better. :)
I'm thinking of doing the photo food diary after the holidays. I know, I know, everyone is doing it. But since I love my camera more than life itself, this might be a good way for me to keep track and practice my photography skills.
Ok, off to teach my kids more stuff they think they already know.
Want to read about my weekend adventure in the woods? You'll either laugh at me (go ahead, I don't mind a bit) or feel sorry for me because you've done this before. Either way I'm good. :)
Here ya go:
Do you have an inner athlete?
I've been way too busy to do much the last several days. On top of the regular stuff, we've dealt with the flu. Not fun, but thankfully only one of us got it (my daughter, no surprise there, she's always the first to get everything). My hubby is dealing with some sinus junk, but otherwise is good. Thanks to my fabulous low-carb diet, my immune system is working well and I was able to avoid the nasty stuff, even though I had to take care of her. (If I could just get her to eat better...)
Anyhoo, my weight is still dropping. A bit slower than it was, but going down nonetheless. I've dropped another 1/2 lb or so since I last updated I think. So now down 8.5 lbs since I started a couple of weeks ago. I'm almost back to my virtual model weight. I saw 179.6 today on the scale. The cool thing is that my clothes are really getting loose. Smaller clothes, here I come!
I've hurt my back somehow, so exercise is out at the moment. I thought I was because of my last exercise session about a week ago. I did a 2 mile walk with a Leslie Sansone DVD. It's been hurting ever since, but, like today, it's really bad and hurts to move much.
OH, and I'm sure by now you've noticed my new avatar. I decided it was time to update, and I wanted something less serious. So there ya go....
OK, that's it for now. I haven't even put anything on Examiner since Friday, so I guess I'd better try to figure that out. Have a great day!
Check out today's column where I discuss studies about exercise and muscle loss. And please feel free to leave a comment, here or there, anytime! I love hearing what you think on these topics!
Today I thought I'd just share an update on my progress.
I wish I had more to report. Sadly I haven't done that well lately. I seem to be spinning my wheels but going no where. I think my biggest problem is stress. I don't deal with it properly and it tends to get the better of me. Emotional eating is a problem I deal with regularly. While I do much better than I used to, it's still an issue. I just have to keep reminding myself to take one day at a time.
I'm trying a new battle plan starting today. I'll once again plan out every bite that goes into my mouth, including "emergency" foods. You know... those times when things don't go as planned and you can't eat what you intended to. It seems to happen to me often enough that I need to be better prepared for it. I also am going to watch my macro nutrients closely. I do seem to do better when my calories are a bit lower. It may be that I'm simply taking in more food than I need and when watching my calories a bit I tend to eat only what is necessary. I still believe that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to calories, but if I'm over eating it doesn't help. I'll closely track everything again and see how it goes. (I used to do that all the time... I got lazy.)
Another step will be more water. I'm not getting enough in. Also more exercise. Even if it's just an extra few minutes, I think it will be beneficial.
I strongly suspect I have thyroid issues. I've had proof in the past of this (t3 tests), but it wasn't enough to convince my doctor. I then lost my insurance due to a job change and never pursued it further. I may be getting insurance soon, and if I do you can bet getting my thyroid checked will be on the top of the list. I'm having a lot of symptoms that fall right in line with thyroid dysfunction. This may also explain why I'm having such a tough time losing lately. There is also the distinct possibility that my short stint on Kimkins really messed up my metabolism. It could be all of the above. I hope to find out soon.
I plan to keep myself busy today while I struggle to get back on track. Being sick last week really messed up my determination to eat right. I ended up just eating what was convenient instead. Never a good thing. And again I had a lot of stress. It's not something I feel like getting into, but it was a tough week and I'm still recovering emotionally.
Have a great Monday everyone!
Just a few days ago I reviewed a new CD called Skinny Songs. I've seen mixed reviews from other bloggers, but for the most part I liked it.
Here's the fun part - I have two brand spankin' new CD's to give away. Just leave a comment and I'll do the eenie-meenie-minie-moe method. Just kidding... sort of. Actually I'll use the old tried and true method of drawing your name from a hat. Just make sure you check the blog again on Friday so the winners can contact me with their address'. I'll include all comments made by Thursday, 11:59 pm central time.
I'll be gone most, if not all, of tomorrow on a photo shoot, but will approve all comments when I get home. So don't worry if your comment doesn't show up for a few hours since I'll be away from the computer most of the day.
Good Luck!
Hey Gang! Sorry I wasn't around yesterday. Too much going on. You'll be proud of me though. I done good. :)
My kids had a 4H meeting/Valentines Party yesterday and I didn't eat one bite of anything carby. I brought my own diet soda and a small bag of nuts with me to munch on.
I also determined in my mind yesterday that I would not longer eat emotionally. I know that's easier said than done, and I may fall flat on my face here and there, but yesterday I did it! Wanna know how? I started a challenge on Low Carb Discussion forum called "What's Eating You?" where we go to post our feelings when we feel the urge to eat emotionally. If this is something you struggle with, feel free to join us! No huge requirements. Just check in daily, if you can, and let us know how you are. And anytime you feel that maybe your "hunger" isn't true hunger, come post about it and get the support you need. It helped me a lot yesterday.
Another new thing I'm trying is a workout program called Slow Burn by Fred Hahn. I read the recent interview with him that Jimmy Moore did and was very impressed. I decided to look into it further and I like what I see. I ordered the 3 dvd set and it arrived yesterday. I've only watched the first DVD, but I am really pumped about this workout! It requires very little equipment - just basics like dumbbells, ankle weights.. you can even use soup cans and water jugs! And the best part? It requires very little time, which is about all I have anymore. The testimonials sound good and I'm going to give it a shot. I'll be sure to keep you updated on how it's working for me.
OK.. another busy day ahead of me. I am dying to tell you about that new nutrition scale I have and hope to get to that tomorrow. Have a great one!
I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a marketing company who asked me if I'd be willing to review a new CD titled Skinny Songs. Here's what they told me:
SkinnySongs isn't about dieting, and it's not workout music. Rather, SkinnySongs is the first radio-hit-quality music specifically written for empowering and inspiring people to reach their weight and fitness goals. Some people listen while exercising or walking, while others find it helpful when driving or cooking - getting through rough days and strengthening resolve for reaching goals.
Penned by Roizen herself, SkinnySongs reflects her own personal journey:
"About seven months ago I hit an all-time high, I had gone from a size 8 to a size 14. Facing my 50th birthday, I did not want to enter the 'back half' not feeling good about myself, and at an unhealthy weight. Since music has always been a motivator to me, it occurred to me that maybe there would be great songs I could listen to while walking, or even in my car, that would motivate me to succeed, much in the way 'I will survive' by Gloria Gaynor got many of us through a breakup. I couldn't find any, so I wrote SkinnySongs."
skinny jeans, skinny jeans, you’re still hanging ‘round
In the back of my closet and that’s bringin’ me down
this morning, I woke up, and made me a vow
skinny jeans, gonna get back, into you somehow
I spent years in misery
‘Cause everyone who looked at me
Was thinking evil thoughts about my thighs
Made up my mind, I’d had enough
I was determined to get slim and buff
I hit the gym, and no more fries!
Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday so far. Enjoy yourselves, but don't let the festivities be an excuse to pig out on carbs that will just make you sick and angry with yourself. Stick with the healthy low-carb foods and your body will thank you for it!
This weekend will be crazy for me. The New Year is just around the corner and my daughter's birthday is tomorrow, so my to-do list is rather long right now. I'm going to share a few great links with you today. Enjoy!
It's About Time!
Dr. Mary Vernon has a terrific post here on her blog today. She explains that the American Diabetes Association is finally coming around to seeing the truth. They are coming online today to announce that they have reversed their position on the Atkins diet and the role carbohydrates play in managing diabetes. Folks, this is HUGE! While Dr. Vernon isn't overly impressed, I do feel this is a great step in the right direction for those of us who have been fighting hard for low-carb to get the credit it deserves. This could ultimately help open the door for the public to learn the truth about the health benefits of low-carb living. I fully expect the media to fight this tooth and nail, not to mention all the low-fat zealots and PETA freaks we'll see come out of the woodwork. But in the end I believe the truth will prevail and Dr. Atkins will finally get the kudos he deserves, God rest his soul.
Research suggests overall fat intake has little or no bearing on breast cancer risk
Dr. Briffa has quickly become one of my favorite bloggers. He has some outstanding information and really tries to keep it simple. His latest post highlights recent research that refutes the claim that high fat intake increases the risk for breast cancer. As someone who is already high risk, I want to know the truth about what I can do to try to prevent this horrible disease from getting me. The research suggests keeping insulin levels lower to lower your risk. I'm happily doing that with my low-carb diet. But in the past we were told to manage this with a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. Are they NUTS??? Thankfully I know better and have been enjoying good health with the help of my low-carb lifestyle. But what about all those millions of people who haven't yet heard this? That's why I'm so glad Dr. Briffa, and many others like him, are making sure we know what real science is proving.
You burned off that donut? Think again!
Dr. Mike Eades does a fantastic job of keeping us in the know. This post about exercise and calories truly is a "must see", especially if you are one of those folks who eat something sugary expecting an hour on the treadmill to cancel it out. Sorry, doesn't appear to be that simple.
OK, off to get some things done. Have a wonderful low-carb day!
This week will be really busy for me. We have several things going on, on top of all the daily stuff we have to do. I don't know if I'll be posting again this week or not, so I thought I take advantage of the few spare minutes I have right now. :0)
I decided that I have to get back into my exercise routine. I've been so busy that I haven't been doing anything in regards to physical activity. So I sat down and scheduled out my day, including 30 minutes on the treadmill. I may have to tweak and adjust the times as I go, but at least this is a start.
I hopped on the treadmill a while ago and burned 150 calories in about 30 minutes. Not bad considering I haven't really done any exercise in a long time.
My breakfast today was an EAS low-carb shake and I had string cheese for a snack. I'll get today's plan put into fitday and share it with you later. I'm trying to watch my eating very carefully.
I got a new scale yesterday because my old one is on the fritz. I didn't buy all the bells and whistles this time. Now that I know the body fat analyzer can be so far off (as much as 40%!!) it's not worth the extra money to me. I just bought a $20 Health-O-Meter. It does have a cool feature of remembering what your last weight was and telling you how much you've lost or gained. Not that I couldn't figure that out on my own.. but it's cool nonetheless.
DH has a job interview on Friday. We are praying this is the one. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Guess that's all the news for now. I'll try to check back in later. Have a great one!
I finally got the cookbook/products page done on my website. I also added a widget to the right side of this blog as well.
If you'd like to see what cookbooks, books, exercise DVDs, etc. that I like and recommend, you can find that here:
Low-Carb Products
Now, on to tackle those myths pages I've been putting off for so long...
Yeah. See the elephant? That's what I feel like today. I woke up feeling fat and bloated. And I'm up a little more today. I'm pretty certain I'm retaining water, though I'm not sure why. Maybe TOM is going to show up early. We'll see....
I think I'll blame my sister, Lana. She started low-carb just a week ago and has already lost around 7 lbs. SHE STOLE MY MOJO! She started losing and I quit losing! Ok Lana.. if you are reading this, I have a question for you. Why couldn't you have waited until I was at goal before you started low-carbing. Then I would have gladly given you my mojo. (You know I don't believe in mojo.. I'm just giving her a hard time. She knows I love her.) Congrats to Lana! She's almost 1/2 way there already!
I'll spend some more time on the treadmill today and workout on the home gym. Lots of water going down the old cake hole today as well.
Update on the neighbor situation. Hubby talked with a police officer yesterday. She filed an incident report on what happened the night before. She told us to call the police and file a report every time something happens. She said that our area is considered a "safe area" (or zone.. something like that) and the law will not tolerate it. If they are renting the home, they can actually be evicted by the city for their behavior. I don't want them evicted, but I do want them to leave us alone. I'm feeling a bit better knowing that the police will help all they can. I really wasn't sure there was much we could to until someone actually got hurt.
Loads to do today. I'll try to post again later if I can.
(Disclaimer: I'm NOT making fun of anyone with speech problems.. this is just how my daughter sounded while waiting for her two front teeth to grow in. It was so cute!)
Well, my scale seems to like the number 166. It hasn't budged for several days. Just up and down the same few ounces. So today I'm going to go back to using fitday and see if I'm missing something. If all is as it should be, I'll just hang in there and keep doing what I'm doing. :0)
My total loss for this week is around 2 lbs. Not bad, but not as good as I have been doing. I'm not complaining - I'm just sayin'.....
My plans for today are to do housework and walk on the treadmill. If I have any energy left over I'll workout on the home gym for a bit.
Weight Loss
The scale was kind to me yesterday. I was down another 2/10ths of a lb, which put me at 171 even. I had a couple of rough days, where my eating wasn't ideal, but it wasn't non-low-carb either. I'm up about 1/2 a lb today, but that doesn't bother me.
Shoulder
I had my last visit to the chiropractor today. Most of the pain was gone by Saturday night. By Sunday I felt normal. The Chiro checked me over and pronounced me healthy. So now I'm back to my old self.
Exercise
I plan on starting some strength training tomorrow on our home gym. I'm ready to start firming up some of this jiggly stuff. I also don't want to deal with excess skin if I can avoid it, and strength training will help with that as well.
Weird Stuff
I registered in a contest to win free laser hair removal several months ago. I got an email today telling me I'd won $300 worth of free services. They scheduled an appointment for me on Monday. The consultation is about 30 minutes long. I'm not convinced I should even go. I'd love to see about taking care of my legs, so I won't have to deal with shaving or wax anymore. But I have this sneaking suspicion that the $300 I won won't go very far. It's more than likely just a way to get my hiney in their door so they can bombard me with their expensive sale pitch. I also wonder how many others "won" $300 worth of services. Yeah.
Video Blogging
This is an idea I've been toying with. I don't know if I can make it work. I haven't looked over all the requirements to make it happen. (Like does my digital camera film in the correct format.) But if I can, I thought it might be fun to use it once in a while. We'll see. I might just get a wild hair and do it once.
Monday Words of Wisdom:
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.
According to what the chiropractor told me today, shoulder injuries are slower healing than something like misalignment of the spine. I have to go back in Monday for another adjustment. I do have a bit more range of motion, and a bit less pain, than I did, so I guess that's something.
He gave me a large elastic band to do some shoulder exercises with. I'm to use as much range of motion as I can without pain. 10 reps of 4 different exercises, twice a day. Oh the joy of it all.
I don't know if I'll try getting on the treadmill today or not. I usually swing my arms while I walk. Yesterday the idea of swinging my arm was not appealing. I didn't even try. Today I might give it a go and see how I do. I'm trying to keep loose, since I know my muscles will just tighten up and hurt if I don't. Last night I was so tense from the pain that I ended up with a headache. I don't care to repeat that.
Hey Gang!
Today's weigh-in was good. Down another 1.2 lbs. I also checked my body fat % which is down to 37.5. (Ugh.. that's still so unhealthy!)At least it's moving in the right direction.
Measurements:
Chest: no change
Bust: + 1/2" (not sure what that is about)
Neck: no change
Arms: -1 1/4" total
Waist: + 1/2" (again, don't know why.. maybe retaining water?)
Hips: -3/4"
Thighs: -1 1/4" total
calves: no change
Total lbs lost as of today: 30.4
Total inches lost as of today: 23 1/4
Body Fat: 2.5%
I'm almost 1/2 way there! :0) I'll try to post some progress pictures soon.
I need to go get on the treadmill. I'll try to post again later today with something more interesting.
Wednesday's words of wisdom:
Never hold a cat and a dustbuster at the same time.
My weigh-in today shows another 4/10ths of a lb lost. So I'm offically just under 175.5. I did get more fat and protein in yesterday. I also exercised on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I only got in a little over 1/2 my water - maybe today I'll get in all 64 ounces.
I thought I'd start adding some of my favorite sayings with my daily stats. Some are serious, some are funny.
I'll start with this one:
"If it jams, force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway."
Today is a super busy day. My car is in the shop, but I hope to have it back by this evening. I have enjoyed the exercise I'm getting when I need to go some where, but getting groceries is much easier with wheels. I also have to pay bills today and do some closet cleaning.
Oh.. and those of you who were concerned about my piano.. my hubby talked me out of selling it. I did get one email interested in it, but hubby said we'd make it without selling the piano. I think he's right. Selling the piano when I'm so emotional will just make me regret it. I need clear thinking and sane emotions when I make that decision. I've always known that someday I'd sell it, but that was also with the knowledge that I'd be replacing it with a digital.
Well, off to get things done. I'll try to post about some more low-carb articles of interest tonight, if I can.
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