A recent study suggests that food addiction and drug addiction have a very similar brain response. Well, I didn't have to spend a ton of money on research to tell you that! Addiction is addiction, but my real question is how does a food addict give up food when we need it to sustain life? An alcoholic or drug addict can choose to never drink or use again, not so with food addiction. Food addiction is much harder to conquer and stay clean, because you still have to use your "drug" every day. That is why so many people go up and down the scale all of their lives, because you can be under control and lose weight for long periods of time and all it takes is one weak moment or several to send you back up the scale and into full blown relapse. I admire people who can lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for long periods of time because the amount of self control that takes is mind blowing.
It always amazes me to hear people who have never had a weight problem talk about over weight people like we are just lazy or stupid. I doubt they would say the same nasty things about people with other substance abuse issues, we just happen to wear our addiction on our bodies for everyone to see.
I really hope this study will open up some discussion about new ways to treat obesity. People with severe substance abuse problems enter in-patient treatment, well maybe that is something to consider for severe food addiction as well.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Kirstie and Maks Take a Great Fall
I was watching Dancing with the Stars tonight and the unthinkable happened, Kirstie and Maks fell! I could not believe my eyes, but they got right back up and performed beautifully.
After watching it back about 8 times, Maks clearly had an issue with his hip and it gave out and they went down. He was in pain during the rest of the performance, but they both continued on like the professionals they are. Later in the evening, after the show, Kirstie wrote on her Twitter @MaksimC.,,I salute you...U r a gladiator...A champion...I'm honored to be your partner. Maks responded with "To all of the fans...I'm sorry! It will never happen again and I will never 'fail'! To @kirstiealley you were ..FLAWLESS! In more ways than one!" Awe, so sweet!
The problem is, there are people out there that are going to blame this on her weight. They were just waiting for this to happen and it did. I know she is still a big girl, and I am not naive to the fact that her weight could have contributed to the fall, but Maks is a professional dancer, they had practiced this move many times before, and he survived. It was an accident on live television and I fear Kirstie is going to get persecuted for it.
I am probably more sensitive than most people about this subject, because I was teased and ridiculed all of my life due to my weight issues. Kirstie put herself out there and did this show for people like me, to show the public that big girls can dance and look good doing it. You have bullies like George Lopez, trying to destroy all of the good that Kirstie was achieving on the show by comparing her to a pig, but thank God that backfired on him. I just hope this unfortunate fall did not open the door for other bullies to have a reason to ridicule her, just for trying to better herself and lose weight and have fun doing it.
Kirstie really does get the last laugh however, because she is the one who gets to dance with a hot guy like Maks every week. She even got a kiss and that ain't too shabby.
After watching it back about 8 times, Maks clearly had an issue with his hip and it gave out and they went down. He was in pain during the rest of the performance, but they both continued on like the professionals they are. Later in the evening, after the show, Kirstie wrote on her Twitter @MaksimC.,,I salute you...U r a gladiator...A champion...I'm honored to be your partner. Maks responded with "To all of the fans...I'm sorry! It will never happen again and I will never 'fail'! To @kirstiealley you were ..FLAWLESS! In more ways than one!" Awe, so sweet!
The problem is, there are people out there that are going to blame this on her weight. They were just waiting for this to happen and it did. I know she is still a big girl, and I am not naive to the fact that her weight could have contributed to the fall, but Maks is a professional dancer, they had practiced this move many times before, and he survived. It was an accident on live television and I fear Kirstie is going to get persecuted for it.
I am probably more sensitive than most people about this subject, because I was teased and ridiculed all of my life due to my weight issues. Kirstie put herself out there and did this show for people like me, to show the public that big girls can dance and look good doing it. You have bullies like George Lopez, trying to destroy all of the good that Kirstie was achieving on the show by comparing her to a pig, but thank God that backfired on him. I just hope this unfortunate fall did not open the door for other bullies to have a reason to ridicule her, just for trying to better herself and lose weight and have fun doing it.
Kirstie really does get the last laugh however, because she is the one who gets to dance with a hot guy like Maks every week. She even got a kiss and that ain't too shabby.
"Winning"! Take That Charlie Sheen
Everyone seems to being using "winning" since Charlie Sheen had his meltdown and made it the popular thing to say. I am using it because, well I feel pretty good about my eating the last week, and since it is only Monday, I hope this week will be just as good.
My husband is in San Diego on a business trip, so I only have to feed myself and the dog for the next few days. The dog is pretty easy to keep happy as long as her bowl is full, and I decided to keep it simple with my food choices as well.
I am leaving Friday for a conference in Nashville, and I want to make good food choices while I am there, even though I know it will be hard eating out for three days. I will keep using all of my Xyngular products on the trip, and that won't be difficult, since it is a Xyngular conference! I hope to come back with a ton of great new information about the products and how to use them.
Here is to a great new week and all of us being "winners"!!
My husband is in San Diego on a business trip, so I only have to feed myself and the dog for the next few days. The dog is pretty easy to keep happy as long as her bowl is full, and I decided to keep it simple with my food choices as well.
I bought some Amy's Organic frozen dinners. I had this one tonight.
It was very good and only 250 calories. The fat content was low, but there was a bit more sodium in it than I would have liked, that is the problem with most frozen entrees. I had a strawberry and spinach salad for lunch because strawberries are fresh here this time of year. It was so good I ate it before I remembered to take a picture of it! I am still doing my Lean Shakes for breakfast and I will have a shake every other day for lunch.I am leaving Friday for a conference in Nashville, and I want to make good food choices while I am there, even though I know it will be hard eating out for three days. I will keep using all of my Xyngular products on the trip, and that won't be difficult, since it is a Xyngular conference! I hope to come back with a ton of great new information about the products and how to use them.
Here is to a great new week and all of us being "winners"!!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Life's a Beach
I have been busy living life and my blog took a backseat for a bit.
My step daughter's came to visit for my husband's 60th birthday and we went to the beach.
This is what 60 looks like.
My diet also took a backseat for three days because we ate out and I did not really choose my meals as well as I could have. It was a conscious choice on my part and I am not upset by my decision. My step daughter's have never been to the deep south before and I wanted them to sample some of the southern delicacies, so we ate out a lot. Fried green tomatoes and beignets are not diet food to say the least, neither is a Muffaletta sandwich, but I ate them and enjoyed every bite! My husband and I don't eat out very often so I took full advantage of it and I did pay the price on the scale but I am back on track.
Yup, life's a beach sometimes!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
I Went to The Olive Garden for Dinner and "CHEATED"
The day after my husband and I finished our first 8 day Ignite Burning Diet we went to Olive Garden for dinner. I am sure you are thinking to yourself, well a lot of good those 8 days on that program did for you, but the program encourages you to eat on day 9 to let your body know it is not in a starvation mode. It is also the carrot dangling at the end of the stick, because you know after 8 days of pretty strict dieting you get a splurge day and it is built into the program so you feel no guilt. Yup, I said NO GUILT!!! I ate at Olive Garden and I loved every single bite of the cheese filled Soffatelli's with chicken in a garlic cream sauce.
I ate the one on the left, the one on the right is the same dish but it is beef instead of chicken. I also had 2 bread sticks and their wonderful salad. Because my stomach has shrunk, I could only finish about half of it, and I have no idea how many calories I ate. I did not care, because I earned this meal. I even prepared for it by just having steamed broccoli and cauliflower for lunch.
I don't plan to eat like this every day, I have tried that before and it did not work too well for me, but I think a splurge every 9-10 days or so is not a bad thing. I want to lose weight and keep it off this time and I know from experience the all or nothing diet does not work for me, because I am not perfect and as soon as would eat a meal like I did at the Olive Garden I would say, "well that ruined all of my hard work" and just give up again. I also have a secret weapon now that I never had before.
Meet my secret weapon! CHEAT is an all natural fiber product from a Japanese root called Konnyaku. You sprinkle Cheat on your food and when it hits your stomach it expands and creates a viscous-gel that literally traps 25% of the food you just ate eliminating it without your body actually ever absorbing the calories. I think of it like a credit card that gives me a 25% discount on every thing I buy. Cheat is tasteless and odorless and all you need is about 4-5 shakes of the sprinkles per portion. You don't sprinkle as much on wet foods like soup or cereal with milk. It also comes in little packets, so it is easy to take out to dinner with you.
I use it on everything I eat. I put it on my Olive Garden dinner and no one even noticed, and even if they had I would not have cared. Cheat allows me to splurge and not feel bad about it and it helps me eliminate calories from all of the foods I eat, good or bad.
If you have any questions about the Ignite Program or any of the products I use feel free to send me a message. My contact information is at the top of the blog. Also, if you write a blog and would like me to give you a shout out leave me a message. I am all about supporting my fellow bloggers.
I ate the one on the left, the one on the right is the same dish but it is beef instead of chicken. I also had 2 bread sticks and their wonderful salad. Because my stomach has shrunk, I could only finish about half of it, and I have no idea how many calories I ate. I did not care, because I earned this meal. I even prepared for it by just having steamed broccoli and cauliflower for lunch.
I don't plan to eat like this every day, I have tried that before and it did not work too well for me, but I think a splurge every 9-10 days or so is not a bad thing. I want to lose weight and keep it off this time and I know from experience the all or nothing diet does not work for me, because I am not perfect and as soon as would eat a meal like I did at the Olive Garden I would say, "well that ruined all of my hard work" and just give up again. I also have a secret weapon now that I never had before.
Meet my secret weapon! CHEAT is an all natural fiber product from a Japanese root called Konnyaku. You sprinkle Cheat on your food and when it hits your stomach it expands and creates a viscous-gel that literally traps 25% of the food you just ate eliminating it without your body actually ever absorbing the calories. I think of it like a credit card that gives me a 25% discount on every thing I buy. Cheat is tasteless and odorless and all you need is about 4-5 shakes of the sprinkles per portion. You don't sprinkle as much on wet foods like soup or cereal with milk. It also comes in little packets, so it is easy to take out to dinner with you.
I use it on everything I eat. I put it on my Olive Garden dinner and no one even noticed, and even if they had I would not have cared. Cheat allows me to splurge and not feel bad about it and it helps me eliminate calories from all of the foods I eat, good or bad.
If you have any questions about the Ignite Program or any of the products I use feel free to send me a message. My contact information is at the top of the blog. Also, if you write a blog and would like me to give you a shout out leave me a message. I am all about supporting my fellow bloggers.
I Love You Kirstie Alley
It was really exciting to see Kirstie Alley on the premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" Monday night because I have followed her career since the early 80's and have also followed her battle with weight loss and gain.
I can relate to this woman because she is funny, honest about her weight issues and fairly close to my age. She was one of the first celebrity spokespersons for Jenny Craig and she lost 70 lbs. and gained it all back. Kirstie is one of the few actresses who did not hide her weight gain, but used it to her advantage to not only inspire others to lose weight, but also let the public understand how difficult weight loss can be. Her commercials for Jenny Craig were always laced with humor and warmth. The fact that she is a Scientologist does not bother me at all, I just hope that me being raised Catholic won't offend her. :-)
When I first heard she was paired with Maksim Chmrekovskiy I was a little jealous and very worried. Maks is to me, is one of the hottest men on the planet, and I kind of like his bad boy image, but I could not see him dancing with a 60 year old, overweight chick! I know he gets paid to teach the "has been" star that he is paired with that season to dance, but Maks does not hide his feelings well, if at all, and if he does not like you or dancing with you it would show. After watching them interact and dance together I was really amazed! They really "get" each other. My respect and hotness meter went way up for Maks, and the fact that Kirstie said bring it on boy and don't hold back because I am 60 and out of shape inspired me! It is going to push me to walk farther, diet harder and stop using the excuse that I am over 50 and can't work out like younger women!
Kirstie Alley did more for fat girls Monday night than she ever did during her Jenny Craig days. She showed those malnourished, skinny chicks that danced before her, how it is done and she did it with class, humor and talent. Her best line of the night was "If someone asked me to haul ass, it would take two trips". Amen Sister!
Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and daydream about doing the Cha Cha with Maks.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Last Four Days of Xyngular Ignite Program and What I Know for Sure
I haven't posted for a few days because I didn't want to bore anyone with all of the details of my diet plan. After the first few days it repeats it self, like washing your hair, wash, rinse, repeat. The protein only days did get easier and easier as the week went on, and my cravings were for strange things like broccoli, celery, tuna and I really wanted V8 juice. The best news is that I lost 9 lbs. in 8 days and my husband lost 10!!!!
During the week I tried some new foods that I thought other people might find interesting.
I discovered something called "Shirataki Noodles. They can be found in wet or dry forms in Asian Markets and some supermarkets. I found the wet variety at my Publix grocery store.
They are very low calorie, low carbohydrate, low calorie, and not bad tasting. The word "shirataki" means "white waterfall", describing the spaghetti like appearance of the noodle. They are traditional in Japan and made from the konjac plant and are largely composed of water and water-soluble dietary fiber called glucomannan. They really have very little flavor on their own but they will absorb what ever sauce you pair them with. The reason I decided to try them is that my husband is a spaghetti crazed man, and I would not let him eat that many carbs this week on the Ignite Program. So I did this:
I boiled up some Shirataki Noodles, they really do look just like spaghetti, then I added some Quorn Meatballs to some low carb marinara sauce.
I have talked about Quorn products before on the blog, Some New Things I think are Worth Talking About, but for a quick review; Quorn is the brand name of a premium line of all natural meat-free frozen food. The main ingredient in Quorn is mycoprotein, which is a fungus, like truffles or mushrooms. It is high in protein. very low fat and zero cholesterol. So my new "spaghetti" dish was very healthy for us and my pasta loving husband was a happy man. The noodles are more chewy than regular pasta, but it tasted really good.
One of my other favorite meals of the week was this:
For lunch I had a Quorn breaded chicken pattie on a whole grain bun and V8 juice. It tasted just like a chicken sandwich you would have eaten at a fast food restaurant except it had a 1/4 of the calories, carbs and fats. That meal was right around 250 calories and it was wonderful. I made one for my picky husband and did not tell him what kind of "chicken" he was eating and he loved it.
What I learned this week about myself and what I know for sure are:
1. Changing your eating habits is a tough thing to do.
2. I am stronger than I thought I was.
3. That stupid saying, well I thought it was stupid at one time, "Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels" is really true.
4. Xyngular products work. They make it easy to lose weight and they keep you motivated to want to keep going and lose more.
5. I lost 9 lbs. in 8 days and to me that is a miracle.
6. I surprise myself every day by how great I am feeling.
7. Going to Old Navy today and buying an XL top instead of XXL top felt awesome.
8. It really is true, you are what you eat and I don't want to be a greasy, high carb, high fat hamburger anymore.
9. If I can do this anyone can.
10. It is never too late to start your life over one pound at a time.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment or a question.
During the week I tried some new foods that I thought other people might find interesting.
I discovered something called "Shirataki Noodles. They can be found in wet or dry forms in Asian Markets and some supermarkets. I found the wet variety at my Publix grocery store.
They are very low calorie, low carbohydrate, low calorie, and not bad tasting. The word "shirataki" means "white waterfall", describing the spaghetti like appearance of the noodle. They are traditional in Japan and made from the konjac plant and are largely composed of water and water-soluble dietary fiber called glucomannan. They really have very little flavor on their own but they will absorb what ever sauce you pair them with. The reason I decided to try them is that my husband is a spaghetti crazed man, and I would not let him eat that many carbs this week on the Ignite Program. So I did this:
I boiled up some Shirataki Noodles, they really do look just like spaghetti, then I added some Quorn Meatballs to some low carb marinara sauce.
I have talked about Quorn products before on the blog, Some New Things I think are Worth Talking About, but for a quick review; Quorn is the brand name of a premium line of all natural meat-free frozen food. The main ingredient in Quorn is mycoprotein, which is a fungus, like truffles or mushrooms. It is high in protein. very low fat and zero cholesterol. So my new "spaghetti" dish was very healthy for us and my pasta loving husband was a happy man. The noodles are more chewy than regular pasta, but it tasted really good.
One of my other favorite meals of the week was this:
For lunch I had a Quorn breaded chicken pattie on a whole grain bun and V8 juice. It tasted just like a chicken sandwich you would have eaten at a fast food restaurant except it had a 1/4 of the calories, carbs and fats. That meal was right around 250 calories and it was wonderful. I made one for my picky husband and did not tell him what kind of "chicken" he was eating and he loved it.
What I learned this week about myself and what I know for sure are:
1. Changing your eating habits is a tough thing to do.
2. I am stronger than I thought I was.
3. That stupid saying, well I thought it was stupid at one time, "Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels" is really true.
4. Xyngular products work. They make it easy to lose weight and they keep you motivated to want to keep going and lose more.
5. I lost 9 lbs. in 8 days and to me that is a miracle.
6. I surprise myself every day by how great I am feeling.
7. Going to Old Navy today and buying an XL top instead of XXL top felt awesome.
8. It really is true, you are what you eat and I don't want to be a greasy, high carb, high fat hamburger anymore.
9. If I can do this anyone can.
10. It is never too late to start your life over one pound at a time.
Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment or a question.
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