A Big FAT Yippee & Weight Loss Math

After a six-week plateau, I lost a pound. 16 ounces isn’t much to get excited about, but I hope that it’s a sign the weight loss dull-drums are over. So how do I keep from making the same mistake again?

Weight Loss Math:

• Calories eaten > calories used = weight gain
• Calories eaten < calories used = weight loss
• Calories eaten = calories used = plateau

I’m not running a weight loss race. I’d end up out of breath, sick of it and celebrate with Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie. (M-m-m)  I’m doing this the slow, old-fashioned way, because that’s how I put it on. It gives me time to learn and adjust. Fast weight loss leads to the yo-yo effect. Do it quick, so you can be done with it and go back to the way you were before.

The way I was before is why I got fat.

So why did I plateau? Because the amount of calories I ate equaled the amount I used. Ideally, this happens at your goal weight. But here in the real world, it can happen at any point (or in my case, points).

My last winter plateau was a combination of mochas and beer. When my kids were growing up, I didn’t keep much alcohol in the house. Why have it around, when not everybody can drink it? It seemed unfair. When they went to college, I thought,"Why not?” At that point, I was cutting back without specifically counting calories and, of course, working the treadmill. To break the plateau, I started checking calories … and discovered beer is something I can live without.

And then, there were mochas – brainchild of an evil genius. Coffee was no calories. Coffee + Milk + Sugar + Chocolate + Whipped Cream = 400 calories. It was a 4th meal!

So this time, why did I plateau? I got off course. The first part of the summer, I was fine.  Beth was cooking larger meals than I’d been eating, but I was gardening and more active.  It balanced. After vacation, I shortened my treadmill time and sometimes dropped it. It caught up with me.

This proves I cannot diet. I have to change. Diets are short-term solutions to a long-term problem. I don’t want to be healthy for a little while. I want it all the time.

Diet Quote for 8/31/09

75% of the medical costs in the United States come from 4 things:

• Physical Inactivity
• Food Choices
• Tobacco
• Stress

40% of premature deaths come from the same

 - Today Show interview with Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic, 8/31/09

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32625721#32625721

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/wellness/default.aspx

Not to pat myself on the back ... or maybe I will.  A few posts ago, I mentioned that we cause many of our own health problems.  (Fat & Greek Tragedy http://fatfamilyotherfwords.blogspot.com/2009/08/fat-greek-tragedy.html) It's nice to be right ... once in a while.

FARM Life: the First Mouse of Fall

First thing in the morning, the pets go out. Fiona, Beth’s kitten, usually leads the pack. But earlier this week, I couldn’t find her. Sometimes, curious kittens get shut in closets, so I searched the house. Then I heard her stampeding through the living room. (For something so dainty, she can make a lot of noise.) She leaped the coffee table, then sat twitching and focused on the bottom of the sofa. A mouse.

My house was built in the late 1800s. Over 100 years of weather and wear will give anyone some imperfections. Yeah, it’s not as tight as modern construction. When the neighboring farmers harvest, we normally get a few mice. But it’s late August. Since they got into the fields late this year, harvest is 2, maybe 3 months away. This way is ahead of schedule. I suspect we’re in for an early fall and I have a list of projects to finish:

1. Edging to set.
2. Shrubs to plant.
3. Perennials to move.
4. A couple of small things to build.
5. A little painting.

It’s been a good gardening year, so I started more projects. I suspect I only have a few weeks to wrap them up.

Looking for a diet tip in here somewhere? Get interested in something besides food and what you’re not eating. Plant a garden. Start a blog. Redecorate your house. Join a book club. Volunteer. Learn a foreign language. Play an instrument. The point is, get a life. There's more to being happy than a full stomach.

Pat's Points: Observations on Life

Speed limits are less of a challenge when your age equals one.

Whoever first got the idea of combing chocolate with coffee was an evil genius.



A lasting marriage comes from shared expectations.



Your bad habits are there, because you like them.



Your fat is not going to loose itself. It’s been tried. It does not work.



Fat women have the best earrings. Jewelry doesn’t care if you’re a size 18.



Being a mom is always a work in progress.



Happiness is sexy.



Murphy's Law of Windshield Wipers: The driver's side always dies first.



The only thing that pees more often than a middle-aged woman … is a dog marking his territory.



The idea is to have a full life, not just a full plate.



Corrupt politicians should be mocked with enthusiasm. .



Maybe it's not so surprising that half of marriages end in divorce. Maybe the impressive thing is half of them last.


For more Pat's Points, go to http://fatfamilyotherfwords.blogspot.com/2009/08/pats-points.html  

FAT & Greek Tragedy

 

No one reads Greek tragedy anymore. Correction: No one reads anymore. Period. That aside, Greek tragedy is a ponderous form for an age that prefers chase scenes and sound bites.

I love stories ... all types of tales … TV, movies, books. Many of the ads I write tell stories – 30 to 60-second yarns of a person, just like you, with a problem my client can solve. Since grade school, I have particularly liked legends and myths -- bigger-than-life people with dramatic lives. Nerd that I am, I’ve read Greek tragedies.



The Greek hero is a noble person with a character flaw. That single weakness brings about his or her destruction. The life of Edward Kennedy is a Greek tragedy.



The Kennedy brothers were raised to be President. (I can’t imagine choosing my kids’ life-goal. Neither would put up with that.) Edward inherited the Kennedy legacy. Every time, the Democrats looked for a candidate, his name was mentioned. Then, there was Chappaquiddick. It brought down his dream and he did it to himself.



I’m not saying he wasn’t a good senator. Sometimes I agreed with him. Sometimes I didn’t, but he was good at politics. He’d probably have been President, if he drank less and stayed faithful to his wife. His vices brought him down.



Kennedy is not the only person whose flaws caught up with him. 66% of Americans are overweight. 10 or 20 pounds, you can blame on bone structure or genetics. FAT you do to yourself. You may think being overweight is not as bad as drinking too much and womanizing. But fat can kill you.

Obesity is responsible for or strongly contributes to these health problems:

• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Endometrial Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Colon cancer
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Stroke
• Liver disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnea
• Respiratory problems
• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
• Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)
• Blindness (caused by diabetes and high blood pressure)

I got the information above from the CDC. ( http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.htm ) The only thing not on their list is blindness. I’ve spent the past week researching vision problems from diabetes for a series of eye surgeon commercials. Indirectly, being overweight can cause blindness. (http://diabetes.webmd.com/eye-problems)



I am not some righteous know-it-all lecturing from on high. I used to weigh 270 pounds. I’m pretty damn flawed. Kennedy eventually cleaned up his act. That’s what I’m trying to do.



You can, too.

FRIDAY FOTOS: The Saint Louis Zoo (part 1)

This is what the hippos looked like above water. Sometimes only a nostril was sticking up.

This is the hippos below water.  They dozed in a big pile, like kittens.

We got to see elephants take a shower.

It looked like fun.

Baby ducks aren't exotic, but they sure were cute.

FUNNY FRIDAY: Thoughts on Dieting (part 1)

It's called a DIET, because all the other 4-letter words were taken.

God must have loved calories, because he made so many of them.

Scientists have discovered that leaving clothes in dark closets over a long period of time causes shrinkage.

You're not overweight.  You're under tall.

I'm in shape. Round is a shape.

Brain cells come and brain cells go.  But FAT cells last forever.

This week's FAVORITE FIXATION: Worth 1000

... as in "a picture is worth a thousands words."  I'm in radio so I disagree, but the site is cool.  They run several photoshop contests per week.  Some are beautiful, others funny.  But it's always very creative. 
http://www.worth1000.com/

FRIDAY Double FEATURE Videos

Danyl Johnson's Audition on X-Factor.  Simon Cowell gives him a standing ovation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mElhT7V3bA 
"Single handedly, the best first audition I have ever heard." - Simon Cowell

Weight Loss 101: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2x0xr2hSRE

Fighting FAT: The New Plan

Now that Beth is back in school, I have to refocus. This weight is not going to lose itself. I tried that approach already. Yeah, not so good.

Weight Loss Tool 1 - Exercise: Instead of hitting the treadmill for a decreasing amount of time, I’m going to pick up the pace and start using the arm machine at the gym. I've planned to do it after the treadmill, but it never happens. My upper arms are icky, so I’m going to quit making excuses. Next, I’ll do 40 minutes on the treadmill. No one is waiting for me to get home, so I have no excuse to slack off.

• 1st 5 minutes … 3.5 mph, 10 incline with 10 arm exercises every minute
• 2nd 5 minutes … 3.6 mph, 11 incline, continue arms
• 3rd 5 minutes … 3.7 mph, 12 incline drop arms
• 4th 5 minutes … 3.8 mph, 13 incline (Are you noticing a pattern?)
• 5th 5 minutes … 3.9 mph & 14 incline
• 6th 5 minutes … 4 mph & 15
• Last 10 minutes ... Last night I started my cool down at this point. With in a week or so, I want to do 4.1 and a 16 incline. Then cool down fore the last 5

That will be Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. This will burn 400 calories a night.  On Tuesday, I’m going to Pilates. My first class was not as intense as I had feared, but there was a lot of explaining. That’s not to say my muscles didn’t tremble every now and then. I’m learning as I go here, but I think you have to sweat to loose weight. Based on one experience, the Pilate’s class does not look like a lot of sweat, but I still think it will be useful. I have a flabby gut I’d like to get rid of.

If this doesn’t work, I can do more arm exercises on the treadmill, add Friday to my gym routine and pick up a second Pilates class.

Weight Loss Tool Number 2 – Food: After my last plateau, I started counting calories. It’s dull, but I saw where I was going wrong. Whoever invented mochas was an evil genius. With Beth cooking this summer, I quit paying attention, so now I’m back to 1300 calories a day. If that doesn’t work, I can go to 1200 or 1000, but I don’t think I have the discipline for lower.

• Breakfast: Yogurt & fruit on weekdays ... oatmeal on weekends– 200 calories
• Mid-Morning Snack: No-Fat, Sugar-Free Latte or International Coffee – 100 calories
• Lunch: Take out salad or low sodium Healthy Choice dinner – 250 to 300 calories
• Mid Afternoon Snack: Diet Soda & one of the following: 100 calorie pack, fiber bar, fruit or low fat pudding – 100 calories
• Supper: I have an advance copy of the Full Plate Diet. I though I’d experiment with his high-fiber options -- something around 400 calories
• Evening snack: One of the following: fruit & yogurt, fruit & low fat pudding, toast with fruit spread, Weight Watcher Chocolate Fudgicle – 200 calories

Just by writing it down, I can see one place I’ve been off track. Too much evening snacking. I’m not hungry and yet watching TV makes me want to eat.

Weight Loss Tool Number 3 – Liquids: Liquids make you feel full. I’m going allow 2 caffeinated beverages per day. I know it’s bad, but I get the napsies in the afternoon. I’ll have at least one 8-ounce glass of water with each meal and several more during the day, particularly in the afternoon.

So this is the plan. Now I have to stick to it. At my age, I don’t get instant weight loss. This fat and I have been together 20 years. It won’t go quietly. I need to stick with this at least a month. If by October 1 I’m still not losing, I’ll have to try something else

FAT & Body Image: Is Size 14 Too FAT to Wear a Thong?

The picture above is from the September issue of Glamour magazine. It was a 3 inch square on page 194 and Glamour was flooded with reactions. Here’s the link: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html

The first thing I thought when I saw this picture was, “She has a tummy fold.” I have a tummy fold, too. No matter what number I end up at in this diet, if I get rid of my tummy fold, I’ll be thrilled.

We wear the same size. She looks much better than I do, but then she’s decades younger. I would never do this. It’s a privacy issue. I mean, I have a blog, but none of my friends know. (OK, a couple of people who live out of town, but that’s all.) That’s privacy issues! I don’t want them to see the first post.

But aside from my eccentricities (and there are so many), most women have body image issues. You can blame the guys (They are visual creatures), the media (universal scapegoats) or maybe it’s our own fault.

For the past decade or so, I haven’t looked in a mirror that went below the shoulders, or at least not often. No wonder shopping was so depressing. Over the weekend, I bought a full-length mirror. No, I’m not planning to look at myself in a thong, but then maybe I should – a reality check. Part of the reason I put on all that weight was I lost touch with what I actually looked like.

I’m off topic. This was supposed to be about Lizzie Miller, the gal on page 194. But that may be why so many women have responded to this picture. She looks like us. Actual thighs.

I think part of what makes the picture work is the expression on her face. We forget sometimes. Happiness is sexy.

She is referred to as a "plus sized model." In fact, the average Amercian woman wears the same size she does - a 14. Would it be healthier for everyone, if the women in magazines looked more like your neighbors, friends and co-workers and less like a stick?

FAMILY: Move-In Mania

All summer, Beth has been organizing a promotion for her campus radio station: Move-In Mania. She put together a handout and got $350 in prizes. But when it came to volunteers, she didn’t get the turn out she hoped for. The promotion targeted Freshman Move-In Day, but upperclassmen should have been available. Of course, no one was in school mode yet.

This is what you have a mom for. College students don’t need a mother for the same things that 2-year-olds do. (Thank Goodness!) But we can be the go-to gal, when they’re in a bind. I brought coffee, picked up the pizza, and manned the booth, when everyone else was out. Certainly not heavy lifting, but I hope it helped. I try to strike a balance – not invasive, but not disinterested. The right mix for Beth is completely different from Eric. Being a mom is always a work in progress.

Here's a link to streaming audio from the station:
http://www.wiu.edu/thedog

Losing the FAT: TIME & the Myth of Moderate Exercise

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1827342,00.html

In the “The Myth of Moderate Exercise,” TIME magazine draws some conclusions that are the opposite of my personal experience, but others are accurate.

TIME says: “What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice — 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week — is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight.”

My Experience: I have lost weight several times. Ten years ago, I lost about 50 pounds by going for a walk every morning. That's all. Currently, I am using both weight loss tools – eating less and exercising more. I exercise 3 times a week – occasionally 4. If I stick with it for 40 minutes, I lose. If I get busy and cut to a half hour too often, I plateau. I started out at 3 miles an hour for 2 miles – very moderate. I lost 50 pounds or about 20% of my weight. When I plateau-ed last winter, I kicked it up to 3.5 or 3.6 miles per hour and started loosing again. Yes, I also cut calories, but I am not living on lettuce.

TIME says: “A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine … suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight.”

My Experience: I have not exercised for an hour at a time since my 20s - the Jane Fonda Work-out. Back then I was NOT obese. I have nothing against an hour of exercise, but I have a life.

TIME says: “Indeed, exercise was more strongly associated with weight loss than any other factor, including diet. Overall, the more the women exercised, the more weight they lost.”

My Experience: This seems to contradict the first statement. Perhaps the problem is the definition of “moderate” If your idea of “moderate” is walking 2 miles an hour, then yes, you’ll have to do more.

TIME says: “More than half of the study participants managed to lose at least 10% of their body weight within the first six months. At the half-year mark, however, most of those women relapsed and started gaining the weight back — a discouragingly common phenomenon.”

My Experience: Been there. The new wears off. You got into your bad eating habits for a reason and you drift back. What elevates your heart rate when you weight 270 and never exercise is different than when you weight 200 and are in better shape. “Moderate” should be adapted as your fitness level improves.

TIME says: "The major outcome of this paper is the maintenance issue," Jakicic says. (This is the guy that did the study.) “Once a patient hits her target weight, it's imperative that she stick with her exercise and diet regimen to maintain her new weight.”

My Experience: AMEN! Dieting doesn’t work long term. You have to change. Why do you think I’ve had to loose weight so many different times? Because I checked it off the list. Problem solved, and I slid back into my old ways.

TIME says: “Still, the underlying question remains: are diet and exercise a reliable cure for obesity? Modern-day obesity researchers are skeptical — achieving thinness, they say, is not simply a matter of willpower. Research suggests that weight may largely be regulated by biology, which helps determine the body's "set point," a weight range of about 10 lbs. to 20 lbs. that the body tries hard to defend. The further you push you weight beyond your set point — either up or down the scale — some researchers say, the more your body struggles to return to it.”

My experience: This is the big question … or is it just an excuse? I have no interest in being a single digit dress size. Too much work. But I don’t think I can blame biology for being 125 pounds over a healthy weight. 10 or 20, perhaps. You can only dump so much garbage on your parent's doorstep. At some point, you have to take responsibility for what you've made of your life. If you've made yourself fat (as I did), then it's time to man-up and deal with it.

TIME says: “But the keys to success, according to Jakicic, were embracing the weight-loss program fully …"

My Experience: This may be the major flaw in this study. How committed were they to losing weight? What did they get out of it besides a free treadmill?

For the complete article, go to http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1827342,00.html

FAMILY: My Empty Nest

I’ve helped Beth move back to college 3 times. Freshman year, it was on a Saturday and it rained. Sophomore year, we did it on Friday and it rained. This year, she chose Wednesday and guess what? It still rained.

She packed up 2 cars and everything but the exercise bike fit in a 10 by 10 single. The bike is still in my car because I don’t think I can get it out. In fact, if I open the back doors, it slips out of position and I can’t get them shut.

Some people think being an empty nester is awful. Get over it! I’m fortunate to have 2 interesting kids, who are off leading their lives. Why shouldn’t I?

Being an empty nester means:

• If the radio was on classic rock when I left the car, it’ll be on classic rock when I get back in. Ditto for the gas tank and the position of the seat.


• There are no messes that I didn’t make (not counting the pets)


• I don’t trip over flip-flops and other booby traps.


• If there was plenty yesterday, it won’t be empty today.


• No glasses or silverware are hiding in far corners of the house.


• Significantly lower grocery bills and a fraction of the laundry.


• I can come home whenever I want.


• Suddenly, my available towels have doubled.

Of course, it also means

• I have to go back to cooking.


• I have to mow my yard again


• The First National Bank of Mom is seriously drained.


• I've lost my help in the garden.

Is It FUN to be FAMOUS: Michelle Obama's Shorts

I was waiting for Carol at McD’s today and saw a bunch of news nonsense about Michelle Obama wearing shorts. Is it a slow day for the media?

I was standing next to a 70-ish lady, who politely sipped her coffee. She looked up at me and said, “Silly, isn’t it?” If grandma-on-the-street doesn’t care that the first lady wears shorts, then TMZ should get a life. Michelle was outside walking the dog in the summer. What else would she wear?

I think it was all an excuse to get out the decades old Nair commercial and play, “Who wears short shorts?”

FAMOUS FAILURES: Dancing with the Perps

Disgraced former GOP Majority Leader Tom DeLay will appear on “Dancing With the Stars. I love to make fun of stupid politicians:

"Does he know the 'Perp Walk?' —ABC News's Brian Ross

"What’s next — Newt Gingrich on 'America’s Next Top Model'"? —Politico's Andie Coller

“First Contestant With Electronic Ankle Bracelet" —Andy Borowitz

"Should do well. With all that experience tap dancing around the truth." —Will Durst

"Isn't it interesting that in our society somebody who is indicted for violating campaign finance law is now a celebrity. He ought to be running for prom queen in San Quentin or some place." --CNN's Jack Cafferty

"I am afraid when I go to sleep tonight dreams of Tom DeLay getting soaked in the Flashdance chair await me." —@pourmecoffee via Twitter

"DeLay is currently working on a plan to re-district the dance floor lines to unknowingly put the other 'Dancing with the Stars' contestants out-of-bounds." —The Hotline

"It is not known if DeLay will wear spandex and sequins." —ABC News's Brian Ross

“What about Blagojevich? Clearly another case of Texas elitism. Illinois grows the best corrupt politicians!” – Fat Pat

This Week's FAVORITE FIXATION

Several hundred years ago, Ambrose Bierce wrote a book of nasty defintions for common things. Many are wickedly accurate even today.

http://www.thedevilsdictionary.com/

FUNNY FRIDAY: Diet Excuses

• If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
• But the doughnuts were calling my name.
• It was my birthday, so I had to eat the whole cake.
• I had to get the bitter taste out of my mouth from eating those veggies and fish, so I had an ice cream.
• One of life's mysteries is how a two-pound box of candy can make a woman gain 10 pounds.
• If God had wanted me to touch my toes, He would have put them up higher on my body.

FRIDAY FOTOS: Galesburg Balloon Race

I took all of these but the last one. Eric Hansen took it, and it's my favorite.

Pat's Points: Observations on Life

The kids are back in college. Suddenly, I have a place to park my car and the wayward glasses have returned to the kitchen.




Never wash the car, when there's a crew working on your road.



Why buy an iron when you have a dryer and a wet sock?



Teach your children to play Tetras. It prepares them for college dorms.



It says something interesting about our country when the most profane word is the sex act. Songs, movies and novels are full of it. Advertising hints with enthusiasm. But we aren’t supposed to say it.



A good boss judges you by your work. A mediocre one judges you by his ego.



What idiot put Mother’s Day in May? It should be in August … on the first day of school.



Fat is profanity for the new millennium. It’s better to say “Fuck off,’ than “You’re fat.”



The only way that grilling is easier than using a stove is if your husband does it.



Think a circus can pack a lot of clowns in a little car? Watch your daughter pack up for college … or fill a closet.



Only a man would design a bathroom with a spacious area around the toilet and a narrow spot by the sink.



Big dogs are big cowards. Little dogs bark a good game.



Your tomboy has grown up when her nice tops out number her T-shirts.



When your children go back to college, they’ll miss the pets. They’ll miss the DVR. But they may not miss you. Your wallet, yes. You, not so much.

FAT Perceptions: The size of my thighs

Body image. You have a mental picture of how you look, but how often is it accurate? Before I lost weight, I knew I was heavy. Mirrors are everywhere. I knew I’d look better minus the fat. I knew … or thought I did. But the first time I actually stepped on the scales and saw how bad it was … yeah, that I didn’t know.

Now I am 72 pound lighter. Compared to January of 2008, I look A LOT better, but I’m still 53 pound over the very highest healthy weigh for my height. In other words, pretty damn chubby.

Daylight hasn’t seen this much of my skin in decades. That’s not an exaggeration. The last time I was a size 14, was before my daughter was born. She’s 20.

I used to wear skirts down to my mid to lower calf. I ALWAYS hid my upper arms. I wore loose clothes, because I didn’t want to show my rolls. (Icky, right?)

Now I’m coming out, but is it too much? I have no idea. I sit at my desk and look down at my thighs. Again, pretty damn chubby. Knee length skirts don’t stay knee length when you sit. The whole thing is a work in progress.

This is not the Biggest Loser. I am not trying to diet fast. I am trying to change … to not just loose the fat, but to get in habits that will keep it off. The best-case scenario is I have another year to goal. I have time to figure it all out.

FOOD & FAMILY: Beth's Cooking

Beth has been cooking recently. It helps, but she heads back to college in a few days. I’ll have to become re-acquainted with the kitchen.

My daughter is a fine cook, but she doesn’t make exactly 2 portions. I think I need more food than I actually do, so if there’s extra I eat it. I have a real case of clean-your-plate-itus. Empty-the-pot-atosis, too. The extra food will look better in the dogs’ dish than on my butt. Now, if I can just remember that …

The advantages of her cooking are:

• I don’t have to do it.


• She has more time. I don’t mind cooking. I just don’t like coming home tired and hungry … and then having to start dinner from scratch.


• More effort. More variety. I get in ruts. Campbell’s Soup and Healthy Choice dinners control the portions, but they’re boring after a while.


• It’s like being a man. I come home and dinner is on the table. Pretty cool.

The very minor down side of having someone else do the cooking is:

• Of course, she doesn’t take my diet as seriously as I do.


• I opened my big mouth and said I’d do the clean up. She’s messy.

I’ll miss her when she leaves, but she has to grow up. It’s the law.

FAMILY: Happy Birthday Eric

On August 15, my son turned 23. He looks so grown up. Ok, he still talks, dresses and acts like a college student, but what’s wrong with that? Currently, he’s a second year senior … great grades, but unsure of direction. He’s had trouble picking a major.

This is the child that changed my life. I always wanted children. Always. But my ex was immature. Marriage was a long list of "settling for less.” Then, there was an oops and I was pregnant.

Control freaks raised me. Unplanned = bad to my mother. My son taught me that unplanned can be wonderful. In the beginning, I was scared. Neither my ex nor my mother were the encouraging types. Having a child when your marriage is a mess ... well, it certainly won't save it.  A thoughtful person would wonder if they were doing the right thing. 

I like choosing what happens to me.  But this unplanned child was the best thing that has ever happened in my life.  I love my daughter, too.  But if Eric hadn't happened, she wouldn't have either.  I suspect he will never understand how much I love him.  That's OK.  Parenting is more about giving than getting.  If you can't deal with that, you shouldn't do it.

I am not a perfect mother. Who is? But I gave it my best and I feel very lucky.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

FUNNY FRIDAY: Labels

The Government has decided that food labels should be more specific to their products. Here are the new categories:

1. No Fat
2. Low Fat (under 5% of calories from fat)
3. Reduced fat (20% less fat than regular)
4. Fat, but with a great personality

FRIDAY FOTOS: Daylilies

One of the great things about loosing weight is I have more energy. I feel younger and I've gone back to gardening. Here are some of my daylilies:

FAST FOOD FACTS: McDonald’s

Here in the real world, people occasionally eat fast food. Since it’s inevitable, I wanted to know what my best choices were. I’ve learned a few things along the way:

• Who knew salads had that much salt? Half of it is in the dressing. You can drop 15 percentage points by cutting the dressing in half. I have high blood pressure, so need to watch the salt.
• Mochas aren’t on the list, because even nonfat ones with no whipped cream have too many calories. (… But I love mochas.)
• My kids were right. Chicken McNuggets are awesome!

The point is you can fast-food-it without trashing your diet.

If the sodium is under 5%, I have it listed as unimportant.

Lunch or Dinner for 300 calories or less at McDonald’s:

• Hamburger: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, 22% of daily sodium
• Cheeseburger: 300 Calories, 12 grams of fat, 31% of daily sodium
• Honey Mustard Snack Wrap® (Grilled): 260 calories, 9 grams of fat, 33% of daily sodium
• Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap® (Grilled): 260 Calories, 9 grams of fat, 34 % of daily sodium
• Chicken McNuggets® (4-piece): 190 calories, 12 grams of fat, 17% of daily sodium. BBQ Sauce, honey or sweet ’n’ sour sauce adds 50 calories. Hot Mustard Sauce adds 60 calories.
• Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken and Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette: 300 calories, 11 grams of fat, 72% of daily sodium
• Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and Low Fat Italian Dressing: 280 calories, 8.5 grams of fat, 67% of daily sodium

Breakfast at McDonald’s for 300 calories of less:

• Egg McMuffin®: 300 calories, 12 grams of fat, 34% of daily sodium
• Sausage Burrito: 300 calories, 16 grams of fat, 35% of daily sodium
• Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait: 160 calories, 2 grams of fat, sodium is unimportant

Snacks at McDonald’s for 110 calories or less:

• Apple Dippers with low fat caramel dip: 105 calories, ½ gram of fat, sodium is unimportant
• 1% Low Fat Milk Jug: 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, sodium is unimportant
• Minute Maid® Apple Juice Box: 100 calories, no fat, sodium is unimportant
• Medium Iced Coffee with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup: 90 calories, 8 grams of fat, sodium is unimportant
• Large Nonfat Cappuccino (20 fl oz): 90 calories, no fat, sodium is unimportant
• Medium Nonfat Latte (16 fl oz): 110 calories, no fat, 6% of daily sodium
• Large Nonfat Cappuccino with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (20 fl oz): 80 calories, no fat, 6% of daily sodium
• Large Nonfat Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (20 fl oz): 110 calories, no fat, 8% of daily sodium
• Large Iced Nonfat Latte (22 fl oz): 70 calories, no fat, sodium is unimportant
• Large Iced Nonfat Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (22 fl oz): 60 calories, no fat, sodium is unimportant

If you want to know more, go to http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf

Road Work at the FARM

Some days are complicated.

I live in the sticks. Tuesday, the township guy told my daughter they’d be working on the road starting at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday and we wouldn’t be able to drive on it for a few hours. She didn’t know what they were doing to the road, but a few hours means oil and chip to me – very messy on a light colored car. She thought they were starting at our end, so we took the time seriously.

She had an early morning interview, so we decided to get out before the work started. She persuaded me to take her out for breakfast.

I hate getting up early and I didn’t sleep well Tuesday night. Knowing I have to get up at an unusual time always seems to do that. 5:30 a.m. came before I was ready. When we left at 6:40 (I know -- 10 minutes late.), there was no sign of the road crew. It turns out that they started at the other end of the road.

Wednesday afternoon, all I wanted to do was nap.

This morning (Thursday) at 6:30 a.m., guess what? Now, the road guys are in front of our house making a racket. Toby, a furry coward, hid under the computer desk. By the time I left for work at 8, the road was perfectly drivable.

I got up at 5:30 a.m. yesterday for nothing. Like I said, some days are complicated. But I did have a nice (entirely too large) apple fritter at Spudo's.

FASHION While You Loose the FAT

I started out a size 22. I am now a 14. I’m dropping about a size every 20 pounds, so I hope to end up a 10 … maybe even an 8. (Yes, the holy grail of weight loss … a single digit dress size).

I have 2 kids in college, so I’m broke. I can’t afford a new wardrobe for every size. Here are some suggestions for a weight loss of 1 or 2 sizes:
· Make the seams bigger. Sewing a parallel line ½ inch from the back seam will take it in an inch. A ½ inch on each side seam equals 2 inches. Ease it back out at the armholes and neck.
· Darts. Hey, I took Home Economics in junior high. Add a dart to the back. If you wear a jacket or sweater, no one will even see it.
· Add ribbon or a piece of fabric to the side seams and tie in the back. As you loose, make it tighter.

Straight dresses and sheaths are easiest to alter.

Altering pants is beyond my limited sewing ability. Buy a couple per size in neutral colors. If you are loosing a pound per week, you’ll be in a different size roughly every 5 months. My rear end is a size 12, while my waist is a 16. I have an apple-shaped figure -- or lack of figure. Elastic waists give me a better fit around, but the rise is too long. As long as you don't tuck in, it's not obvious.

In cool weather, I normally wear blazers, but the 18s and 20s will be hanging on me this year. I think I’m going to buy cardigans. They aren’t quite as structured and formal, but they’ll work for 2009-10. Hopefully by the winter of 2010-11, I'll be at goal.

This has turned out to be a 3-year project. Before I get depressed, I need perspective. Three years to undo two decades of fat is not that bad.

How I lost (am losing) the FAT

So far I’ve lost 72 pounds, I’m 53 pounds from goal.

I get ask a lot, “what diet are you following?” I am not dieting. I’m changing.

Diets are short-term fixes to a long-term problem. I ate more than I needed … not just for a few weeks or months, but for the past 20-ish years. I can’t undo that over night.

People have the capacity for great change – every one of us. But very few really want to. It’s easier to sit on the sofa and complain. Blame the fast food industry. Whine about genetics or invent a glandular condition. That won’t get you anywhere.

You have to change. Stop eating more than you need. Get off your ass and exercise.

That’s all I’m doing

270 Pounds of FAT

In mid-January of 2008, I weighed 270 pounds. Yes, 270. Well, at least that’s what I think. When I first got up the courage to step on the scale – after dieting and exercising for 6 weeks – I weighed 265.


I cried.


For the first year of this multi-year diet, I lost 5 pounds a month, so I’m guess-timating that I weighed 5 pounds more when I started.


Only a couple of people know the actual number. It's not like it was a secret. I've seen pictures. I looked my weight. But saying it ... that's so out-there-for-all-to-see. I don't want to watch their expression. And the comments ... I can just imagine. "You weighed how much!" "Really, I thought it was more." I'm not ready for that.


I'm dealing with it to a degree. I've lost 72 pounds -- roughly 3/5s of the way to goal. But this is about more than loosing weight. I need to confront why I gained over 100 pounds. Otherwise, I can slip back into my old ways and put it all back on. I need to change.


The picture above is me in December 2007. It rotates with all the staff pictures in the lobby where I work. Even though I've lost part of that weight, I can't escape the great white neck picture. I hate it, but it's part of the reason I quit procrastinating.


I plateaued in early in 2009 and broke free … and now it’s happening again. I need to refocus and I hope blogging will help.


I'm fine with total strangers reading this. If you're going through something similar, maybe this will help. You're not alone. But will I tell my friends and co-worker? I'm not sure. Maybe not.


But there’s more to my life than weight loss – hence the title – Fat, Family and Other F Words.