Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Week 11 Weigh-In is cancelled

trick or treatCalories eaten yesterday: 1663
Fat: 74g (43%)
Carbs: 71g (18%) (way too high)
Protein: 115g (30%)
Calories burned in exercise: 106

Week 1: 147.6
Week 2: 147.6
Week 3: 147.6
Week 4: 146 (-1.6)
Week 5: 145.4 (-0.6)
Week 6: 144.6 (-0.8)
Week 7: 142.6 (-2.0)
Week 8: N/A
Week 9: 145.6 (+3.0)
Week 10: 145.2 (-0.4)
Week 11: 145.2 (-0) [Editing in my weight from the next day.]

Total gain/loss: -2.4

I knew I'd be up today so I'm skipping the weigh-in. I ate like Saturday for three straight days and gained a ton. I only managed to get some of that off. :( I really haven't lost any weight since this started 11 weeks ago! What is wrong with my body?

I'm having trouble sticking to plan. I need to be really good six days a week. If I am allowed to give blood in a couple weeks I will make that a free day so I can eat their snacks, but other than that I plan to stay on plan until Thanksgiving. And if I am turned down from giving blood I won't make that a free day at all.

Made it to the gym today. I forgot my weight lifting gloves, but I did 45 minutes of weights anyway. Then 30 minutes on the elliptical, and 20 minutes walking on the treadmill.

I watched two busses drive off today while I ran after them. After the second one at the BART station on the way to work I was so angry I decided to walk over the overpass. I stripped off my sweatshirt near Denny's and decided to just walk the whole way to work, so that was about 30 extra minutes of walking. I had over 13,000 steps by the time I got to work.

My medium size Old Navy size 8 jeans are super tight on me. It sucks that I can eat to satiety on low-carb food for three days and gain so much real weight.

I talked to the folks on the "dinner train" we're having Saturday lunch on (Saturday after Thanksgiving). Their idea of a diabetic dessert includes grapes?!? WTF?!? Grapes are the highest sugar fruit that exists! I'm going to have to pick through the fruit plate for what I can eat. And they wanted to give me a plain chicken breast, although the stuffing looks legal (tomatoes, black olives, Swiss cheese). What's up with that?!?

They also serve no veggies! All there is to eat besides the chicken and plain dinner salad (their dressing has sugar) is fruit and potatoes and bread. I will bring low carb bread with me. God I'm going to look stupid eating so little while everyone else dines on delicious carbs. I asked for no potatoes, will pick through the fruit salad with lunch and again as dessert, and asked for vinegar and oil on the side of the salad, even though it's likely carby Balsamic vinegar. Life as a low-carber trying to eat out sucks. How can people eat a lunch of nothing but carbs and more carbs with a little bit of protein to make it seem healthy? How can people think bread and potatoes are healthy in any way?

I am sooooo hating this and am going to be so hungry. I think I will eat a bunch of eggs or something before going. How can someone serve a meal without a veggie alternative?!?

On the weather front, it's officially winter in my house. Not only am I needing to use the heater and am considering pulling out the down comforter, but after Xena ate breakfast this morning (dry kibble - I'm such a mean mom), I found her curled up in front of the wall heater. She'll remain there for a good portion of the winter, warming her big fat kitty butt. She's my little heat seeking missile. :)

Abby won't sleep in front of the heater. She only sleeps under the bed, or in high places where she can keep an eye on anything that happens. She's my little feral baby.

Not to overlook Halloween, as a Protestant Christian I prefer to celebrate Reformation Day, the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. Wikipedia explains: This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices.

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Monday, October 30, 2006

Daylight Saving Time and some other stuff

22 days cheat freeCalories eaten yesterday: 1526
Calories burned in exercise: 243
Fat: 70g (43%)
Net carbs: 55g (15%)
Protein: 110g (30%)

Decided to sleep in today. I needed that. I did walk the 1.5 miles to work from the BART station, stopping at WalMart on the way. I got a cute pair of jeans with paint splatters all over them. Tre chic! They are too long in the leg because my legs are so short, and I already have other stuff that needs altering, so I will go and take all those clothes to a place that does that on Friday. There's two places that do alterations in my old stomping grounds on MacArthur Ave. The jeans are size 6 of course because I always take one size smaller at WalMart.

I tried to buy a 20 pound dumbbell, but they didn't have any in stock. They have mini trampolines for $23. I am considering getting one. I used to have one as a kid and it was fun.

The Friday November 10 I have an appointment to give blood. I hope they accept me. They close earlier now so the best I could do was a 2:30 appointment.

One note on the time change I mentioned yesterday. Next year daylight saving starts early and ends late. DST begins March 11 next year and ends November 4. This is a sort of trial run to see how it works out. If it does it will become the new law of the land; if not, we go back to the current system. Of course, if you happen to live in one of the few states that doesn't observe DST, none of this will effect you.

In regard to the date change, this Web site explains:
On August 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. Congress retains the right to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete.

Also interesting is that Daylight Saving Time has not always been observed the way it is today. Wikipedia has a whole section on the history. Read this!

And by the way, it's Daylight Saving Time (singlular), not Daylight Savings Time (plural):
Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Similar examples would be a mind expanding book or a man eating tiger. Saving is used in the same way as saving a ball game, rather than as a savings account.

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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Angry and tired

Saturday weight: 149.8

As you can see, I am once again a fat pig. I didn't even get on the scale this morning, knowing I'd be over 150. I ate on plan, just didn't count calories. And what happens? I start gaining about 2 pounds a day. Yep, my body hates me.

Did you all remember to set your clocks back one hour? I didn't. So I woke up at the equivalent of 8:30 and it took my an hour to realize my mistake. Maybe I'll skip the gym tomorrow (which would be just cardio since I did weights today) and sleep in instead.

I am in a really bad mood today and won't suffer fools (like the idiot on the low-carb forum who thinks all depression can be cured by getting to the root cause and that no one needs to stay on medication). It's fools like him who I wish could walk in my shoes and try everything and nothing works until medication. He's new there. Maybe he'll go away. One can hope.

But anyway, I'm not in the mood for pontificating idiots and likely to have a sharper tongue than usual.

I'm still in pain from the oral surgery. I think I need to stop the Vicodin; I think it's the reason I'm so tired. I'll just take Ibuprofen if it means getting my energy back. I go back on Friday to have the protective "wax" covering removed from my gums and the stitches taken out.

Second half of the oral surgery is in January. Sometime after that I can get the teeth whitening. I can't wait until I am healthy and all this surgery is OVER. I'm sick of foot doctors and teeth doctors. Just give me my depression meds and let me live a normal life.

At least the periodontist was good. I liked him and he made the whole thing as painless as possible so it could have been a whole lot worse than it was.

vegetable casseroleHere's the veggie casserole I made for the church potluck this week. Click on the pic to enlarge it.

Recipe: 1/2 package frozen broccoli, 1/2 package frozen cauliflower, 1 can cream soup (any kind), 8 oz. cream cheese. Mix soup and cream cheese, add frozen veggies. Place in 8x8 dish and bake uncovered at 375 for 1 hour. That's it! And the taste is fantabulous!

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Friday, October 27, 2006

Dentist Day, take 6

Thursday weight: 144
Calories eaten yesterday: 1663
Calories burned in exercise: 107
Fat: 84g (47%)
Net carbs: 47g (12%)
Protein: 122g (31%)

Friday weight: 148

I had the oral surgery yesterday. This was complete with stitches. I have to go back in a week to get them removed. The doctor was very nice and knew how to apply the topical anathetic in the best way and how to reduce the pain of the lidocaine injections so there would be minimal pain. I'm starting to lose some fear.

I lost track of how many shots he gave me - maybe 4 or 5 vials in 6 or 7 injections. He said it was fine for me to come back in January for the other half, that a lot of insurance providers do this. He stuck some kind of gummy substance where the stitches were to help them heal better. He said the stuff may or my not last the week and it was no big deal if they came out. They said to go easy on brushing the area, don't use the dental pick brush on those teeth, and no chewing gum for a week. :(

pill bottleThey gave me 16 tablets of a pain prescription of 7.5mg Vicodin and 750mg acetaminophen. $10, dispensed on site. I'm going to save a couple tablets out for my second surgery in January. Yesterday I dosed up on Ibuprofen before my appointment, but I think the Vicodin might be stronger.

The pain isn't too bad, but I am taking the Vicodin as needed. Brad is taking me gorocery shopping this afternoon; I hate to think how humugeous the grocery bill will be. This is going to be a big shopping trip - all the regular stuff, plus stocking up on the heavy stuff such as wine, soda, and cat litter. My steps yesterday were pretty horrible, so I am hoping to walk around the lake with Brad to get some exercise and help redeem today's step count.

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Photo courtesy Geek Philosopher.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

More surgery upcoming...

17 days cheat freeWeight: 144
Calories eaten yesterday: 1538
Fat: 75g (45%)
Carbs: 49g (13%)
Protein: 109g (29%)
Calories burned in exercise: 99

I had my appointment with the foot doctor who has been treating the fungal nail infection I have. It's just not getting better very fast and I have decided at my next appointment (December 13) to just have the nail permanently removed. It's the big toe on my left foot. The skin will toughen and can then be painted and everything just like a normal nail. I let it go so long that it will take forever to get better and I just want to get this over with. I had a lot of questions for the doctor. I already talked to the lady here at work that does the health care stuff and she said they would help cover it, so my out-of-pocket cost would be minimal. It will be cheaper all around to not have to keep seeing the doctor every other month. The only part I'm scared of is the injection to numb the area. Pretty painful from what I've read.

My oral surgery, part 1, is tomorrow. Pray for me. I'm taking the day off so I probably won't be posting.

Walked over 15,000 steps yesterday. My average has been about 12,000 a day.


Click to enlarge.

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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Week 10 Weigh-In

16 days cheat freeWeight: 145.2
Calories eaten yesterday: 1664
Fat: 81g (47%)
Carbs: 62g (16%)
Protein: 98g (25%)
Calories burned in exercise: 113

Week 1: 147.6
Week 2: 147.6
Week 3: 147.6
Week 4: 146 (-1.6)
Week 5: 145.4 (-0.6)
Week 6: 144.6 (-0.8)
Week 7: 142.6 (-2.0)
Week 8: N/A
Week 9: 145.6 (+3.0)
Week 10: 145.2

Total gain/loss: -2.4

Down 0.4 from last week. I guess I can live with that. I'm finding that even eating lunch I can keep my calories down. I'm hungry, but I always am. The key is to keep breakfast small, drink lots, and chew a lot of gum. It does seem that calorie restriction is much more important than the carbs for weight loss, though keeping my fat as high as I can does, I believe, keep me from absolutely starving. And I am finally getting my protein down a bit - probably from eating less meat than before. I think I might have been eating too protein for weight loss.

Week 11 here I come!

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Monday, October 23, 2006

Of salad dressing and blood types

15 days cheat freeCalories eaten yesterday: 1499
Fat: 73g (47%)
Carbs: 44g (12%)
Protein: 103g (29%)
Calories burned in exercise: 260

The name necklaces for Mom and my Vickitim arrived today, as did my medication (I order through a Canadian company as I don't have insurance). My doormat at home is wearing out; I stumbled across one at WalMart that says "Wipe Your Paws" and bought that. They have 20 pounds dumbbells there for about $12! I think I will buy one. Sometimes I just don't have time to get to the gym and this way I could do my arm curls at home.

My salad dressing bottle exploded over my salad today, resulting in a whole lot more calories than I planned. The nozzle popped out when I squeezed the bottle and there was no way to undo the damage. *sigh* I took a wild guess about how much got onto the salad, but I had to subtract another food to make up for at least a few of the calories. Grrr...I always carefully measure my dressing out so I know how many calories I'm eating.

My blood donor card from the Red Cross came today, along with a letter and a reminder of the next date I can donate - October 27. This is, of course, assuming they will let me with my gums still infected and me not being able to get all the work done until Janaury. I do plan to make an appointment for November 3, even if they reject me. We will see. If they take me, it will be a cheat day. They have delicious carby treats afterwards and I don't want to pass them up this time.

One interesting stat: only 30% of first time donors come back a second time. That's really sad!

Oh, my donor card confirmed that I did remember my blood type correctly from when I gave as a teenager. I am A Positive.

At bloodbook.com I found this:

TYPES DISTRIBUTION RATIOS

O + 1 person in 3 - 38.4%
O - 1 person in 15 - 7.7%
A + 1 person in 3 - 32.3%
A - 1 person in 16 - 6.5%
B + 1 person in 12 - 9.4%
B - 1 person in 67 - 1.7%
AB + 1 person in 29 - 3.2%
AB - 1 person in 167 - 0.7%

As you can see, O+ is the most common, with A+ coming in second. AB- is the rarest.

Walked over 15,000 steps yesterday. My average has been about 12,000 a day.


Click to enlarge.

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Sunday, October 22, 2006

Sunday rant

14 days cheat freeCalories eaten Thursday: 1690
Fat: 74g (41%)
Carbs: 53g (13%)
Protein: 117g (29%)
Calories burned in exercise: 254

Calories eaten Friday: 1701
Fat: 69g (39%)
Carbs: 57g (14%)
Protein: 99g (25%)
Calories burned in exercise: 119

I hope my pastor doesn't read this. I am a bit upset with his wife, Becky. I know I am the black sheep in the church. I am no matter where I go. I wasn't raised with good hygiene habits or anything else. Learning them as an adult is difficult and sometimes impossible. I am the definition of white trash.

But where the problems at church really occur is over my diet. They can seem to eat carbs without worry, but I can't. (Come to think of it, Becky does seem to have a roll around her middle. It startled me when I noticed it with a certain dress she wore a few weeks ago.) If I bring food it is sometimes ignored because the church folks don't want anything low-carb. I think they figure it couldn't taste good. And if I bring my own meal I get strange looks - even if I also brought a dish to share.

This is not the first time this has happened. It's happened anytime I've brought food for myself that they think looks good.

low-carb chocolate cheesecake - try #2But yesterday just beat all. I brought sugar free chocolate cheesecake to share (photo to the right; click to enlarge it). It went over pretty well. Because I wasn't bringing a main dish, and there is often nothing I can eat (or very little), I also brought a slice of flax bread I had made, and some strawberries. Someone commented that I had strawberries and I said yes, I'd brought them from home. Becky held up a pot sticker with her fork (one of the potluck offerings yesterday) and said she had brought those from home; the implication I got was that I should have brought enough strawberries to share. Um...I brought a cheesecake and it's sitting on the potluck table and you are welcome to some, Becky. Jeez. I'm sorry I can't eat the pot stickers, french fries, and chicken nuggets and all the other bad food. I brought strawberries for myself. You have high carb, high fat food on the potluck table to eat.

Oh...as it turns out the only other food on the potluck table I could eat was some raw veggies with Ranch dressing that Becky brought. I had some, but I eat so many veggies during the week that they didn't interest me too much. Saturday is my day to relax my diet just a bit.

I never get "that" look when I bring a shake or the flax bread because they think that's nasty food. It couldn't possibly taste good so they don't want it. But oh no - if I bring strawberries I'm suddenly evil because I didn't bring enough for everyone. I try to "fit in" by bringing something to share and I still get "that" look because I have to bring my own food, too. I know I don't live up to your expectations, Becky, but I never will. I can't. I am me, with all of my past, baggage, and blue hair. I will never be the "good little Christian girl" that so many church folks think I should be, and I don't want to be. I want to be ME.

See the name of my blog? I am a carbohydrate addict. I love carbs, but they don't love me back. Please respect that I sometimes have to bring my own food without giving me that you-should-have-brought-enough-for-everybody look, especially when I brought an "enough for everybody" dish that is sitting just feet away!

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Saturday, October 21, 2006

USA Today article on headcovering

Here's an article on headcovering, from, of all places, USA Today.

It's not out of the ordinary to see Muslim women in veils or chador, or Orthodox Jewish women wearing long skirts, long sleeves and wigs to cover their hair.

But it is unusual to see an American Christian woman covering her hair or adopting a distinctly modest style of dress that defines her as a person of faith in a secular society.


Click to read the rest of:
Traditional living takes modern spin

I really liked this article, because as many of you know, I cover. I talked about my personal beliefs on this in this blog post.

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Not losing weight...

11 days cheat freeWeight: 144.4
Calories eaten yesterday: 1626
Calories burned: 1951
Calorie deficit/overage: -325
Fat: 70g (41%)
Carbs: 60g (16%)
Protein: 121g (31%)
Calories burned in exercise: 98

I'm hungry all the time, drinking plenty of water, and eating less than I burn, so how come my body is hoarding the fat?!? It seems I can only lose by having a tiny breakfast, no lunch, and a much smaller dinner than I want.

I think FitDay is way off, even though I even put my sleeping in which lower the total calories burned. I'll keep listing my totals, but take out the calories burned and the deficit because those number are way off or I'd be losing something.

I hear about eating 10x my goal weight in calories. That would be only 1400 calories! Talk about starving. My basal metabolism is higher than that and my stupid meds make me way hungrier than my basal. If I eat to satiety I gain a lot of weight fast. I have to be hungry just to maintain, and it's likely the fault of the medication messing with my serotonin. So I'm not depressed anymore, but I am hungry.

Maybe my body want to be heavier than I want it to be. *sigh*

Just kind of down about my weight today. Don't mind me. And I'm not giving up. This is a lifestyle change for me, not a temporary diet.

The good news is I should break 700,000 steps since August 22 on Walker Tracker today. I'll be at my first goal of 1 million in no time. :) If you like to walk, get a pedometer and sign up. The more the merrier.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart

10 days cheat freeWeight: 144.2
Calories eaten yesterday: 1766
Calories burned: 2102
Calorie deficit/overage: -336
Calories burned in exercise: 259
Fat: 84g (45%)
Net carbs: 51g (12%)
Protein: 139g (33%)

10 days cheat freeToday is Abby's adoption day anniversary, though I didn't know I would be adopting her when I found her. It's been four years. She's fattened up quite a bit (she needed to), and has settled down as much as she ever will. She seems pretty content to be a 100% indoor cat. I think she knows she has the good life. :)

I remember finding her and her kittens, and trapping and putting her in Xena's playpen. She was so freaked out. She jumped all over trying to find a way out. She calmed down after a while and pretty soon her kittens were being placed with her one by one as I trapped them, too.

After I got her fixed she knew where the food was and always came back. I let her run around outside, and sometimes when I came home she'd be waiting for me on the porch. If not, all I had to do was call to her and she'd be there within just a few seconds.

I took the picture above just this morning. All her pictures can be found on her Flickr photo set. They are in chronological order.

Happy anniversary. I love you, sweetheart.

Doing good with my walking. It looks like I'm over 2/3 of the way to my 1 million step goal. I noticed I was at 668,325 steps yesterday. :)

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Week 9 Weigh-In

9 days cheat freeWeight: 145.6
Calories eaten yesterday: 1690
Calories burned: 2080
Calorie deficit/overage: -390
Fat: 73g (42%)
Carbs: 62g (16%)
Protein: 130g (33%)
Calories burned in exercise: 223

Week 1: 147.6
Week 2: 147.6
Week 3: 147.6
Week 4: 146 (-1.6)
Week 5: 145.4 (-0.6)
Week 6: 144.6 (-0.8)
Week 7: 142.6 (-2.0)
Week 8: N/A
Week 9: 145.6

Total gain/loss: -2.0

I gained 3 pounds. How charming. I knew I'd be up. After a two pound whoosh (that quickly reversed itself) two weeks ago and then binging last week it was inevitable. That's okay. I have to take the good with the bad, even if the bad vastly outweighs the good. I'll just keep plugging along.

bridge damageToday is the 16th anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake. 63 people died. 41 of those people died when the Cypress Freeway collapsed on itself.

I found this page about it; it's also where I got the picture from. And here is last year's blog entry about it.

Went to the gym today. Did about 45 minutes of weight training, 30 on the crossramp elliptical, and then just 5 walking on the treadmill since I ran out of time. I had to run to the bank first and that put me behind schedule.

It's official - I can only get half the dental work done this year that I need; the other half will have to wait until January. I have an $1800 cap at work. So far I have used $627.84. That leaves 1,172.16. 80% (Family Radio's portion) of the $1792 of work that needs to be done is $1,433.60. So that must wait. The good news is I should be able to go ahead with the basic cleaning in December and get that out of the way until March or so (I've been told to do it every 3 months).

I got the check for the $1792 from Dad today (of which I must return 80%). I put it in the bank to give it time to clear. Next week I will withdraw half the amount in cash and hold onto it until January, then use my debit card at the dentist to pay for the half of the treatment I can get this year.

I walked over 17,000 steps yesterday. :)


Click to enlarge.

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Monday, October 16, 2006

Another busy day

8 days cheat freeWeight: 146.6
Calories eaten yesterday: 1582
Calories burned: 2068
Calorie deficit/overage: -486
Calories burned in exercise: 234
Fat: 71g (43%)
Net carbs: 60g (16%)
Protein: 116g (31%)

Spent a lot of time at the gym today walking on the treadmill trying to calibrate my pedometer. I think I have it as good as I'll get it. It slightly underestimates my mileage walking at 3.5 mph, and slightly overestimates at 3.0 mph. I then only had 15 minutes on the crossramp elliptical before I needed to leave. FitDay says 223 calories. I already had 12,000 steps about the time I got to work.

Stopped at WalMart and got some low-carb SlimFast shakes. They are so cheap there! I also got cat litter deodorizer, sugar free gum, Halloween socks, and a Halloween door decoration for only $1 so it won't really matter if someone steals it. It's jack-o-lanterns. I try to stay away from witches and ghosts because of my past.

The shirts I ordered for Mom and Bill came today. I think they came out pretty well and that they will like them.

I also re-ordered my medication from Canada. I'm down to barely over 1 month left, so it was time. They have free shipping and my meds will come from within the U.S. so it will be cheap - well, as far as prescription medications go. It's roughly 67 cents per tablet and this is the generic.

I think I'm fighting a cold so I have been dosing on Zicam and sugar free Cold-Eeze with the zinc stuff in it. Eating clean also helps. I'm sure on my old diet I'd be laying in bed right now. By the way, the Zicam oral mist is nasty. Really nasty. Don't buy it. The Cold-Eeze drops actually taste good, but even the sugar free ones have some carbs so I have to watch myself.

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

McDonald's cares about you

7 days cheat freeCalories eaten Friday: 1574
Calories burned: 2030
Calorie deficit/overage: -421
Calories burned in exercise: 201
Fat: 75g (45%)
Net carbs: 50g (14%)
Protein: 106g (29%)

Went walking around the lake Friday (took 1 hour), did nothing Saturday, and then went back to the gym today. I did 45 minutes of weights, 25 on the treadclimber, and only 5 minutes walking on the treadmill because I ran out of time. It's the first time in over a week that I've done weight training. Since I did weights today, tomorrow will just be straight cardio. Hopefully I can get a few more steps. My step count at the gym today was pretty abysmal because I got there so late and still spent the same amount of time on weight training.

One week ago today I cheated BIG and have been cheat free for 7 days now. Hopefully being good the next couple of days will result in a good weigh-in Tuesday.

Speaking of which, I tore the following from my McDonald's tray liner that day. On the back of the liner where the nutritional information is listed is this note:

Jump-start your fitness plan.
A note from Bob Greene..."What's better than making a commitment to improve your health? Getting you whole family involved! When you include more physical activity into your family's life, not only are you improving everyone's health and teaching good habits, you have fun and spend quality time together.


So far, so good, right? This is stuff everyone can get behind. But he continues:

McDonald's truly cares about you and your well-being. That's why I'm proud to be involved with them.

--Bob Greene, Oprah's Personal Trainer and Exercise Physiologist


Say what? McDonald's cares about me and my well-being? Let's have a show of hands. How many people believe that? Hmmm...seems no one does. Seriously...a McGriddle sandwich will run you about 450 calories, with the majority from fat and simple carbs. How can that be caring for my health? It's a heart attack waiting to happen. It's the unhealthy combination of high carbs and high fat.

I cheat at McDonald's because it tastes great precisely because it's so totally unhealthy. Cheating isn't supposed to be healthy. McDonald's will care about my well-being when hell freezes over. They just want me to keep spending my money there so they can rake in the dough. Their crap tastes great, but don't insult my intelligence by telling me they care about me, Mr. Greene. Grrr...

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Saturday, October 14, 2006

Friday, October 13, 2006

Gratuitous cat pictures

5 days cheat freeWeight: 143.6
Calories eaten yesterday: 1594
Calories burned: 1963
Calorie deficit/overage: -369
Calories burned in exercise: 107
Fat: 63g (37%)
Net carbs: 66g (17%)
Protein: 101g (27%)

I'm happy about the weight. I expected more after so many cheats in the last week.

I have some gratuitous cat pictures to share with you today. I've gotten behind. Click any picture to enlarge it in a new window.

Xena in carrier
Xena in her cat carrier. Taken with my cell phone camera.

Xena & bug
Xena investigates a bug

Xena sleeps on mommy's arm
Xena sleeps on my arm. Taken with my cell phone camera.

Xena cleans Abby
Xena cleans Abby

While I'm away, the cat will play...
Xena pulled over the bins while I was at work. I came home to this mess.

Xena
Xena shows her tummy spots

Xena in my large duffel bag - Abby in background
Xena in my large duffel bag (the one I use for groceries); Abby in the background

Finally, because my Mom does not read here, I wanted to show a picture of the shirt I designed for Mom and Bill as Christmas presents. They said April got them one with Bogie's picture, and they would like one with my cats. I found a place online that let's you design a shirt using your own pictures, and allows you to order as few as one.

the shirt I designed for my Mom and her husband
The shirt I designed for Mom and Bill for Christmas. They have one from April with her dog, so they wanted one with my cats.

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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Busy, busy, busy...

4 days cheat freeCalories eaten yesterday: 1519
Calories burned: 1940
Calorie deficit/overage: -421
Calories burned in exercise: 80
Fat: 75g (45%)
Net carbs: 50g (14%)
Protein: 106g (29%)

Busy day. Changed the sheets on my bed so I can wash the old ones tonight, then went grocery shopping and cooked and tried to figure out how to log the meat. Began to bake it, but had to take it out and leave for work. Found, edited, and uploaded some Xena and Abby pictures to Flickr - easy download to my work computer that way. Mom wants a t-shirt with the cats' pictures on it for Christmas. I found a place online where I can do this and buy only one shirt, but it is hecka work...not fun at all.

Walked the last 1.5 miles to work, as I often do. Stopped at WalMart on the way and bought a top.

Been busy at work, too. I need to talk to Lupe about my dental and find out how much coverage I have left. It look like the second half of the oral surgery will have to wait until next year because of stupid company rules regarding coverage. This sucks because I was told not to get my teeth whitened (my Christmas present from Mom and Bill since there is no coverage for cosmetic procedures) until the surgery is done! Argh! And God forbid Lupe being in her office. I keep running downstairs and checking.

And no one from KFTL bothered to notify either Dave or I that Open Forum is recorded tonight and tomorrow. I had to do the 5:30 switch manually, and after two bounced text messages to Dave, I finally got ahold of him and he fixed it so it will switch automatically.

Today was payday so I wrote some checks and paid some bills online. Tried to call my chiropractor to see if there were slots open tomorrow for an adjustment and massage, but they were closed for the day.

Now I have to plan my menus for next week and plug them into FitDay.

Tonight I will do the laundry and then cook some meat while that's going. Hopefully I can also pack my lunches for next week.

Whew! Like I said...I'm busy today! And not a happy camper at all.

Tomorrow I hope to walk around the lake for exercise.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Dentist Day, take 5

3 days cheat freeCalories eaten yesterday: 1605
Calories burned: 1940
Calorie deficit/overage: -335
Calories burned in exercise: 80
Fat: 79g (46%)
Net carbs: 54g (14%)
Protein: 111g (29%)

Today I had the periodontal consultation. They explained I needed oral surgery - not just another deep cleaning, but also clipping back the gums to enable me to brush better. They gave me a regular toothbrush and two special brushes and showed me the proper way to use them all.

I accented to the surgery. Total cost: $1800. It looks like Dad will give me the money and accept only the $1400 back that will be the 80% my employer will cover. Dad initially freaked over the cost and I explained that this was a low income dentist and I wasn't going to get a better price anywhere else. They wanted to do the first part of the surgery today and I explained that I would love to, but I had to get to work. The periodontist will be back in two weeks and I am arranging for that day off for the surgery. It's the day of the fire extinguisher training, so I will have to miss that. They will only do half the mouth at a time so it will require two appointments. Oral surgery. Oh fun. (NOT!)

He used the probe to test the pocket depth of my teeth. This goes on a scale of 1-whatever, with 1 being the best. I had a few places that were 1s, and last week I was told I had a few 9s. This guy said I had some 10s!

He said I'm a big girl (size-wise) and that means my teeth are big so the damage is less than it could be and most of my teeth are still fairly firm in the bone, even if there is less bone.

It's good that I had a ton of work done as a child. Before I had braces I had to have eight teeth pulled in two separate operations (including my wisdom teeth). Without the extractions and the braces I'd be much worse off now and need a lot more work.

He said I have periodontal disease. Like diabetes or heart disease, it cannot be cured, only managed. This is the next step in that management. You know your teeth are bad when, after $700 worth of work, you then have to pony up another $1800! Yikes.

At least the periodontist seems like a nice man with a sense of humor. That should make things a little easier.

I took the train to the Collisium BART station, but I just missed the bus. I decided to walk, which would make me about 15 minutes late since it was a quarter to three and roughly a 30 minute walk. I had planned to walk anyway, so I'm glad I had an excuse to.

My tea tree order came today. I'll start using the stuff right away.

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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Week 8 Weigh-In (has been cancelled...)

2 days cheat freeCalories eaten yesterday: 1554
Calories burned: 2356
Calorie deficit/overage: -802
Calories burned in exercise: 527
Fat: 70g (43%)
Net carbs: 57g (15%)
Protein: 116g (31%)

Week 1: 147.6
Week 2: 147.6
Week 3: 147.6
Week 4: 146 (-1.6)
Week 5: 145.4 (-0.6)
Week 6: 144.6 (-0.8)
Week 7: 142.6 (-2.0)
Week 8: N/A

Week 8 weigh-in has been cancelled. Due to my binge I know I am up. I know I gained some fat, but I won't know how much until I can lose the water weight.

I scrapped going to the gym today - my legs are way sore and even my shoulders are sore (from the pumping motion of my arms when running). No way could I do a decent workout. So I did my bimonthly mail run into the City, then walked the 1.5 miles to work from the BART station. That I can do at least.

I stopped at WalMart on the way. I swore I saw a shrug there and I wanted to try it on. No luck. Either they don't have it or I saw it at another store. :-p I settled for buying a sporty little cute brown cotton outfit (top and skirt). I was able to get size small! I know WalMart has big sizes. At Old Navy I take an 8; at WalMart I'm a 6. So it shouldn't surprise me that if I take a medium everywhere else, I'd take a small at WalMart. The small top was a little tight (it's a zip down sweatshirt, and I will have to wear it alone), but there was no size medium. I'm always a size bigger on top due to my huge chest. I'll try to get a picture of me wearing it at some point.

I bought a size small/medium belt. I can't believe I can wear something so small! I can go as far as the second hole. Do I rock or what?

I also bought a blanket for my bed because I only have one so if it gets dirty I don't have another to sleep under until the first one is washed. And it was less than $5! I think it will fit, but won't know until I put it on the bed.

Also got Chloraseptic Defense Daily Health Strips. Going to Seattle for Thankgiving is just asking to get sick. So I'll take these and hope for the best. They contain Vitamin C and Zinc.

Having trouble cutting back on calories at all today. I'm so hungry. I hate this stupid medication that makes me hungry all the time. And because I have to cut the L-Carnitine out of my diet for the next week, I can't have my diet mints because they contain it. :-p

Walked over 22,000 steps yesterday - 10.2 miles! Go me!


Click to enlarge.

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Monday, October 09, 2006

5 mile run

1 days cheat freeI am so NOT getting on the scale after yesterday's binge. My cheat free count starts over. The funny thing is that the food didn't taste as good as I'd remembered it. It was good, sure, but not as good as I'd hoped.

I "punished" myself at the gym today by running 5 miles to help burn off the glycogen. The first four miles were as easy as four miles is (LOL!), but the last mile went on forever and was pure torture. How can one mile last longer than the other four combined?!?

As if that wasn't enough, I then walked to work from the train station, another 1.5 miles. It took me longer than usual, though, because I was so tired. I'm now exhausted. Still doing "laps" in the hallways at work, but it's harder than usual.

FitDay says I burned 417 calories in my run, and 95 calories in my walk, though I suspect it might be more because I haven't updated my weight due to all my binging, and a higher weight means more calories burned.

Today's my first day of eating a regular lunch of meat and veggies instead of a shake. I figured out I can still keep my calories within a reasonable range if I don't snack between lunch and "dinner." Dinner being a salad at 10 pm, a serving of lunchmeat and two tablespoons of peanut butter (only one tablespoon today, though) at 9 pm.

Walked over 20,000 steps yesterday (about 9.2 miles)! A new high for me! :) Breaking 20,000 was my goal, just to prove I could. I'm shooting for about the same today. I'll sleep well tonight!


Click to enlarge.

I found out my pedometer is not calibrated correctly. After my 5 mile run it only registered 4.23 miles, and this includes the 1000+ steps I took before ever getting to the gym. That is not an insignificant difference! I went into the set up feature and tweaked my stride length up one more inch. I really need to work on calibrating it correctly using a walking pace on the treadmill.

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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Zero = fifty-four

First, Friday's totals. I had a mini binge Thursday and then Saturday is my regular semi-cheat day, but Friday was on plan.

Calories eaten Friday: 1551
Calories burned: 1872
Calorie deficit/overage: -321
Calories burned in exercise: 0 (no exercise)
Fat: 66g (40%)
Net carbs: 59g (16%)
Protein: 78g (21%)

The reason I didn't get any exercise is because I stayed home and redid my blue hair color.

Friday was also dentist day, take 4. I went in to have them check the deep cleaning they did two weeks ago. They said it looked a lot better. I pointed out one place on my gums that still bleeds when I brush and they did some quick tartar scaling. They used the probe to test the pocket depth of my teeth. This goes on a scale of 1-whatever, with 1 being the best. I had a few places that were 1s, but I also had a few 7s (!). The dentist said there were a couple places that bled when he probed (better than 2 weeks ago), but that it didn't necessarily mean it was still infected; it could just mean that it was still healing.

tea tree oilI Googled "natural cures for gum disease," and the one thing mentioned over and over was tea tree oil. One site said to put a drop on top of your toothpaste when you brush. I have an appointment with the periodontist this week for a consultation and plan to ask him about anything else I can do to get rid of this gum disease once and for all, as well as what toothpaste he would recommend.

Today I jumped online and bought tea tree oil, tea tree oil mouthwash, and tea tree oil toothpaste from VitaCost (I'm linking more for me than for you).

I also bought more L-Carnitine, against my better judgement. They seemed to have really good prices. Then I came across this page on Carnitine, and the following paragraph might explain why it's not working for me:

Individuals taking L-carnitine as a sports supplement to improve fat metabolism and muscular performance should stop using it at least for one week each month.

It also says to take 1,000-2,000 mg a day, not to exceed 2,000, and to split it into two doses. I will give all these suggestions a try.

I tried to buy more shirataki from Low Carb Connoisseur, but the value pack I usually buy is temporarily unavailable.

bread rice pastaI'm told confession is good for the soul, so now I will tell you why 0 equals 54. Today is 54 days into the low-carb weight loss challenge, and 0 days cheat free, meaning that today is a major cheat.

Yes, I slipped up. I woke up this morning and couldn't face another day on plan. I've been so good for so long; I fell off the wagon. Breakfast found me at McDonald's, then some junk food at Safeway (some for then, some for later - Twinkies, a donut, jalapeno poppers, double chocolate muffins). For a snack I had a small fries at another McDonald's as I walked to work, and a pumpkin muffin and pumpkin Frappuccino at Starbucks. I'm now drinking tons of Diet Pepsi Jazz; I found a 2 liter of Strawberries & Cream - my favorite - at the store.

I did get in an hour 23 minutes of walking and had over 10,000 steps by the time I got to work. I stupidly wore sandals with very thin socks. The balls of my feet rubbed against them the whole way and are now raw and killing me.

I am a true carbohydrate addict. The one thing my body doesn't need is the one thing I crave. Like an alcoholic, I will never be cured. Once you've eaten as much of the forbidden fruit as I have, it holds an allure that will never go away. Lord have mercy.

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Saturday, October 07, 2006

25 Real Reasons to Lose Weight

I cafe press shirts I ordered a couple shirts from Atkins All the Way. One of them has a list of "25 Real Reasons To Lose Weight." It's numbered incorrectly - there's no #21 and two #24s. Anyway, I wanted to share the reasons here (renumbered for ease of reading).

25. To buy clothes in a normal store.
24. To be able to tie your shoes/paint toenails.
23. To be able to sit on a floor and get up gracefully.
22. To wear a bathing suit.
21. To cross your legs or sit Indian style.
20. To fit into a booth at any restaurant.
19. To be able to pick something up off the floor without sweating.
18. To not have to apologize when caught in a narrow aisle.
17. To go dancing, sky diving, bungee jumping...
16. To not have your belly hit the steering wheel.
15. To not be more out of shape than seniors.
14. To be able to put on wedding rings again.
13. Normal waistbands rather than elastic!
12. To look good in a tee shirt!
11. To not be afraid to ask which hairstyle suits your face.
10. To get promotions/hired or close that sale.
9. To successfully flirt!
8. One size fits all and it fits you!
7. To have a lap.
6. To not have the car you are riding in slant in your direction.
5. To be able to get between cars in a parking lot.
4. To not mind getting your picture taken.
3. To wake up each morning feeling energized and ready to go.
2. To not feel lower than low when an innocent child remarks about your size!
1. The most important reason to lose weight...
You're Worth It!
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Remember...nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!

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Friday, October 06, 2006

Fat Acceptance

I took a lot of flak at the low-carb forum for not supporting people in their obesity. I thought the perfect follow-up to that would be to repost Jimmy Moore's article on the subject here. I happen to agree with him and think he said it so well. I'm not sure why the fat acceptance folks are so threatened by those of us who have succeeded. Yet it appears they are.

Enjoy!

Fat Acceptance Is A Ruse To Avoid Weight Loss

Why can't society just accept fat people for who they are? They're human beings too and should not be scorned by others just because they carry around a few extra pounds. When are we going to stop begging people to lose weight when it is quite possible to be healthy at any size?

Have you heard statements like these from some well-meaning people? The "fat acceptance" movement has taken root in this country with groups like the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance promoting their viewpoint that fat is beautiful and nobody should be forced into losing weight if they don't want to.

I'm sure many of my longtime readers remember how [one] woman got so mad at me over [a] blog post because I dared challenge the premise that being fat is okay. The notion of accepting fat people for who they are sounds pretty good on the surface, doesn't it? If I'm fat, then it's my choice to be this way so LEAVE ME ALONE!

Okay, fine. But as someone who used to weigh over 400 pounds, I not only have a right to speak out, but I would also say that it is my responsibility to share with others that remaining obese is not an option when there are viable ways to shed the pounds even when you think you've tried everything.

Unfortunately, we have people pushing "fat acceptance" like Kim Barto who believe strongly that weight loss is overrated. She is a senior at the University of North Carolina-Asheville just up the road from my hometown of Spartanburg, SC and she recently wrote this op-ed piece for The Citizen-Times about this very sensitive subject of America's obsession with weight loss which Barto describes as "unrealistic" and even "harmful."

Barto attempted to provide evidence to support her theory about American culture hung up on dieting by noting that eating disorders have risen sharply while more and more people express concerns about their weight. She contends that this is leading to higher rates of mental disorders that sometimes leads to suicide attempts and even death.

Morbid thoughts indeed. But what Barto is conveniently forgetting is the fact that TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE AMERICANS IS OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE and the rates keep going up and up! So it stands to reason that weight loss is on our minds as a country because it needs to be. We're FAT!

In Barto's world, though, she doesn't see anything wrong with people remaining fat if that's what makes them feel good.

"A wide variety of body types are normal, depending on one’s bone structure, metabolism and genetics. It is fruitless and misleading to expect everyone to conform to the same weight. Whether you are naturally muscular, chunky, twiggy, curvy or tiny, trying to change your body can be frustrating and even dangerous."

Now wait just a minute, Ms. Barto. What is so "dangerous" about someone trying to lose weight? When I weighed an abysmal 410 pounds at the beginning of 2004, many would say I had put myself in a bad situation, even a potentially "dangerous" one. My health was on the decline with breathing, blood pressure and cholesterol problems among other ailments. I was quite literally a ticking timebomb just waiting to explode.

But then I started livin' la vida low-carb and changed my life forever. Sure, I could have just accepted my fat for what it was and begged people to not judge me for my weight. However, it wasn't about my image, but rather my health. It was better for me to go on the Atkins diet than to remain obese. I honestly believe I may not be here today had I not lost 180 pounds two years ago. Weight loss not only was a desire, but a necessity for me to survive.

It kills me how people like Barto like to bring up the point about how 98 percent of dieters gain back their weight and then some within five years. To that I say SO WHAT?! What the heck does that have to do with the person who needs to lose 50, 100, 200 pounds because their health is in disarray because of their obesity? If diets fail then don't go on a diet. Instead, find a permanent lifestyle change you can do for the rest of your life.

My weight loss is still less than three years old, so I suppose it is possible I have time to regain my weight, too. Should I just throw my hands up in the air and just assume the weight will come back on my body? Is giving up hope for lasting weight loss success the answer? Heck no, it isn't. Weight loss is a journey of choice that YOU and ONLY YOU must make for yourself if it is something you need to do. Fat acceptance is nothing more than a ruse to avoid necessary weight loss. PERIOD!

The problem is that too many people are in denial about their weight problem to begin with. In other words, people HAVE too easily accepted their size and it is now taking a toll on their health. Rising obesity rates is creating financial problems for Medicare because of the extra healthcare costs that are involved with obesity-related diseases. The unintended consequences of fat acceptance is declining health among all age groups.

Lamenting the weight loss profits totaling nearly $50 billion a year, Barto said this is all just so ridiculous and people should stop trying to lose weight while lining the pockets of those who don't care about their health.

"What a paradox, that dieting should be such a lucrative industry in a country with such high obesity rates. Someone is obviously profiting from fat phobia in a big way. Take a nation of insecure people, bombard them with images of impossible beauty standards, and they will greet the latest fad with open wallets. Couldn’t those billions of dollars be better spent? Instead of trying to buy happiness, think of all the good that money could do if diverted to cancer research or stamping out hunger."

Oh please, Ms. Barto. There's no conspiracy to trick people into thinking they are fat to get them to buy weight loss products. Have you looked around lately? There are a LOT of people who are FAT! It literally breaks my heart to be in a public place like a restaurant and see someone whose belly sticks out in front of them at least two feet. My first thought is, "God, I can't believe that's how big I used to be." Then I remember the hard work I put into losing my weight and wish so desperately to help these people get healthier, too.

While everyone is trying to get their piece of the proverbial pie in the diet industry, it is up to the consumer to be smart about what choices they make regarding their own health. They can't rely on a company like Nestle to provide them quality products for a healthy diet. Misleading marketing ads exist out there and people need to educate themselves about what is best for them. [...]

Barto contends that people can be in "good health at any size."

"Too many dieters harm their bodies and psyches by skipping meals, purging and popping pills in the quest for skinniness. We should eat for nutrition and well-being, not solely to lose weight. Amidst all the deprivation and guilt associated with eating, we often forget that fresh, simple food is a joy in itself."

Does carrying around a big pot belly cause harm to our bodies, Ms. Barto? It most definitely does, which is why people need to lose weight. I don't advocate starving yourself, throwing up or taking the latest magic weight loss pill to get there. But a healthy low-carb lifestyle has been proven to be the most nutrient-dense and balanced nutritional approach I have ever come across in my life. There's no deprivation, but rather indulgence to the max on this amazing way of eating.

Concluding her article, Barto said it is time for a "change in mindset."

"Let’s embrace diversity of size and question the source of our insecurities. Find the weight that’s healthy for you, individually, without comparing yourself to the skeletal models on TV. Life is too short to hate your body."

I agree with the point that the warped image of what "normal" is from Hollywood is wrong. But there are ways to deal with your weight problem and get healthy that fall outside the realm of these unrealistic images. Heck, technically I'm still obese despite losing over 180 pounds! But am I worried about that? HA! Yeah right! My body is much better off now in the 220's than it was at 410.

Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Barto? You can e-mail Kim Barto at kdbarto@bulldog.unca.edu.

9-23-06 UPDATE: Well, it looks like the fine pro-fat acceptance folks over at the "Big Fat Blog" didn't take too kindly to this blog post.

Here's an excerpt:

"We must be making waves if people feel this threatened, no? Articles like Ms. Barto's demonstrate that more people are considering just loving their bodies as they are, and getting off the hamster wheel that is the diet industry. And somehow, HAES and fat acceptance are bigger scams than, say, low-carb dieting? Calorie counting? Grapefruit diet? WeightWatchers? Jenny Craig? Slim-Fast? South Beach? NutriSystem? It's sad, really, and it's equally sad that this article came from a supposed news source."

Ahhhhh, you gotta love these people. They feel oh so happy with being overweight that they can't handle it when someone tells it to them straight. I make no apologies for what I wrote because it is my sincere belief that people who over carrying around extra weight need to make a lot more changes in their life besides their diet. But, to each his own. :)

9-27-06 UPDATE: Well, now I've heard straight from the horse's mouth. Kim Barto was kind enough to respond to my concerns about her article today in an e-mail:

Hi Jimmy, thank you for taking the time to write in response to my column. I'm glad that Atkins has given you the motivation to get in shape and change your life for the better. But I must take issue with your assertion that my column deals with "fat acceptance." Obviously, obesity causes health problems--no one disagrees with that. The main point of my article was health, i.e. making the lifestyle choice to get active, eat a balanced diet and find the weight that maximizes your physical and mental well-being. I'm not advocating the total abolition of weight loss here. What is the problem is a nation of young women (and some men) who are taught to believe there is something wrong with their bodies, when in fact they are within the normal parameters of a healthy weight. Believe me, as a college student, this is something I encounter every day. You would not believe how many of my friends and acquaintances obsess about their weight, even if they are naturally a size 6 or 8, skip meals or suffer from eating disorders.

One of my professors took a survey in class one day; he asked all the females to write on a slip of paper whether they considered themselves "fat." Nine out of ten said yes, and this was a class full of active, athletic women. He has done this exercise for several years with the same result. It is truly scary how much these impossible standards of beauty skew people's perceptions. But perhaps you are not aware of the extent to which advertising and runway models affect self-image, since you are not a young female. I was not kidding when I said that these societal messages are warping the minds of girls from elementary school onward. If you don't believe this, I suggest you look up some statistics on pediatric eating disorders. It's a horrifying phenomenon when seven-year-olds make themselves throw up.

I'm flattered that you thought enough of my writing to post it in your blog; however, I think you may have missed my point. From what I've read of your post, we're talking apples and oranges. But thank you again for writing. I do appreciate hearing what my readers have to say.

Best,
Kim Barto


THANK YOU, Kim, for clarifying your comments. I appreciate that you took the time to explain what your motive for writing the column was and for sharing your thoughts on this very important social subject. Take care!

[end article]

If you got through all that, you might also enjoy this well-written piece on fat acceptance by Kevin Beck.

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