My "Awesome" Vlog

I haven't been the best vlogger, but as the journey progresses, I hope to share more.

Other author and writer blogs have been incredibly helpful to me and I want to give back and share all that I have learned with others.

Can you count correctly how many times I said, "Awesome?"

I did this vlog very late last night--in my PJ's. I also forgot to use the better light. But then again, I am not wearing make-up, so it was probably a good thing.

My BIG project

I've been working on this project since May. I told no one but my husband, a few very close friends and the world of Twitter. (Thanks to @supernovia for her support in convincing me that the Twitterverse cared.)

As time has progressed and I've grown more comfortable with the idea, I've slowly told friends and family.

I'm now at the point where I'm okay with telling the world.

(I did this video back in June, just after I finished writing my manuscript in 6 weeks)

Step 1 -- Casting on for left handers or paying attention to details

After a rough start, the knitting project is going well. I came to the realization that I actually don't know how to knit. I've never knitted anything except for a few scarves and potholders, mostly when I was a kid. I tried to knit a pair of mittens a few years ago but the mitten was made for extraordinarily long hands (about two inches longer than my own hand).

My mother was very talented, she knitted sweaters, gloves, mittens, and hats. She tried to teach me but I didn't have much interest back then (about 40+ years ago...I think I was 11 or 12 at the time).

When I started my current knitting project, a simple scarf made out of this cool yarn, I had some problems.

The first step to any knitting project is casting on for the first row of stitches. For the life of me I couldn't remember how to start. I had a beginners book in my big box of yarn so I pulled it out and read this:

I still couldn't figure it out. I couldn't get that first loop to work. It seemed odd, kind of backwards to me. I finally faked it by tying the yarn around the needle and casting on the first row. From there it was easy, just a simple knit stitch, which I remembered how to do.

This morning I looked at the book again. The directions, as you can see from above says "Step 1 - casting on for left handers". Aha! I'm NOT left handed, I'm right handed! No wonder it seemed backwards to me. The right hander instructions were on the next page.

So what does this has to do with weight loss? Not paying attention to details has been my downfall lately. By lately I mean the past year.

I had a lot of weight to lose when I started February 2008. 100 pounds. The first 60 pounds were easy to lose. Then I lost my focus. I lost another 20pounds but it was a struggle. Then I gained back the 20 pounds, then I lost it again. Then I gained it, which is where I sit now.

My problem is my lack of attention to detail. I only track a few days a week. I don't always weigh and measure my food. I don't stay within my allowed Points. In other words, I'm wasting my time.

The real way to lose weight is to cut back on eating. Exercise is good for you but it won't make you lose weight. When you read how much you'd have to exercise to work off the calories of a single M&M you'll realize that you're not exercising to lose weight. It's one to two minutes of exercise to work off one M&M. Yes, exercise is good for your heart, your muscles, your bones, but it's not really a weight loss technique.

I'm living proof that it takes more than exercise to lose weight. I'm faithful to my workouts but I don't cut back on my eating. I don't eat junk, I eat healthy, nutritious food, but I eat too much.

Based on my new revelation (okay, it's not really new...I knew I was slacking), I'm changing my goals for the week to just two basic goals. Track my Points and stay within my limit. I've been making this a lot harder than it has to be.

Here's something I don't post very often. Me post workout today, where I was a sweaty mess.

Rapid Weight Loss Diet

Here are the Best Rapid Weight Loss Diet Techniques that will surely trim down those fats and get a super slim sexy head turner body

First thing you should do if you're over-weight is to seek a doctor to recommend the best weight loss diet. This will be done after a full physical examination, which leads to your determination of proper weight loss technique. And to lose weight fast and effectively, 4 aspects of your life should be changed: what to eat, how to eat, your behavior and the activity level.

Here are Extreme Weight Loss Diet Tips that can change your life:

1. Rapid weight loss composes of a multi-faceted technique that consists mindset, exercise, and in other cases, diet supplements. Begin by learning a diet food plan that you can easily get familiarized with. Include an exercise plan that allows even at least 15 minutes a day like brisk walking, running, swimming, and dancing.

2. Set realistic goals. The ability to focus and have proper mindset enables someone on a diet to quickly lose those unwanted pounds. With discipline and proper mind set, you will never be discouraged and you'll stay focused.

3. Listen to your body. Each and everyone's body metabolism reacts differently to different rapid weight loss diets, programs and plans. Try substituting one program for another to compensate the body's reaction. Exercise program must be suitable to your body, as you may not be able to exercise as rigorously as others can. If walking is all that can be done, then walk for this is proven the best exercise. Muscles burn more calories than fats so it is also best to put on a little muscle and look good too.

4. Eat more fibers because it makes you feel full sooner and longer, slowing down the rate of your body's digestion. A single serving of whole grain bread moves fat through the digestive system faster. Grains turn into blood sugar that spikes the body's insulin level. Thus, making the body more energized and ready to tell the body when it should stop burning fats or start storing.

5. Avoid fried foods especially deep-fried; this contains a great amount of fat. Although fish and chicken appear leaner than beef, this white meat can contain more fat than when a beef is fried. It is recommended, if you're on a strict diet to opt for grilled food because this doesn't have or contain less amount of fat after the food is cooked.

6. Drink lots of fluid. Drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day keeps the body refreshed and hydrated. Since weight loss depends on how the body eliminates body wastes, the body must stay hydrated.

Overall, discipline and consistency is still the best practice and the key to a rapid weight loss success. By following this Rapid Weight Loss Diet Techniques: Light dieting, workout, and right amount of supplementation in a regular way everyday; will result in faster weight loss than having a crash diet only to go back to old habits. This would only lead to gaining more weight than when the weight loss plan has started.

Time to stop floating and get grounded

From Saturday's bike ride:

I wish my legs were this long and skinny!

Beautiful Mt. Rainier. Saturday was a perfect day.

Goals
I woke up in a foul mood this morning. I had the words of a two-year old I know going through my head "I don't wanna!". I really just wanted to turn off the alarm, roll over, pull the covers over my head and forget all my responsibilities in life.

Of course, I'm not two, I'm fifty-five. I learned a long time ago that some things in life just aren't optional. Like going to work. If I want a place to live and food to eat, I have to go to work.

Exercise and eating healthy are optional. As much as I'd like to claim these things are NOT optional, in reality, they are a choice. We can choose to be a couch potato and eat crap, or we can make our best effort to do what's right for our bodies.

In high school my best friend's dad would always tell us, "the hard way is the easy way and the easy way is the hard way". At the time he meant if my we chose not to go to college, in the short run it would seem easy, but in the long run, that was really the hard way".

I've thought of that philosophy hundreds of times over the years and how it applies to weight loss. In the short run it would be easy to never exercise and to just eat whatever the hell I wanted. In the long run that would most likely cause a multitude of possible health issues as well as greatly reduce my quality of life.

Which leads me to the purpose of this post, it's really time for me to stop floating along, staying the same weight. I looked at my calendar this morning and my weight on August 1 was exactly my weight today. In almost two months I haven't lost an ounce. That is seriously a sad state of affairs.

I love reading about people setting weekly goals for themselves, and especially when they report a week later on how they did. Monday is a perfect goal setting day, because after all, all "diets" start on Monday.

Goal #1
Exercise six days a week.

Normally, this wouldn't be much of a challenge for me since that's my normal, but the last month my job has really messed up my workouts. After a 12-14 hour workday, getting to the gym or even a walk was more than I could manage on some days. My average turned into 3-4 times a week.

Goal #2
Attend a Weight Watcher meeting.

I've been terrible at attending meetings lately. I don't have an excuse other than, well, I don't really have an excuse. I just need to do this. It's one hour out of my week. Why is that so difficult?

Goal #3 
Drink water

This is really sort of pathetic to admit, but I've completely stopped drinking water at work. The reason was that I didn't want to take time to go to the bathroom. It makes me crazy that I did this, but things are back to normal at work, and it's time to get back to the water guzzling.

Goal #4
Count Points.

Not even stay within my Points, which would be mighty nice, but just count them, even three times a week (every day preferred, but I have to start small).

Goal #5
Knit a scarf.

It's not weight loss related, but I need to stop being so obsessed by weight loss. I use to do crafty stuff all the time. It's time to get back into something that has nothing to do with weight loss.

Goal #6
Read a book.

I can't remember the last non-weight loss or non-exercise book I read. I have about a dozen fun books on my nightstand. I miss reading and want to get back to it. It use to be one of my favorite things to do. Now it's all about the gym and the food. B-o-r-i-n-g.

I'll report next Monday how the week goes with my goals. Wish me luck. Lord knows I'm going to need it!

Let's Get the 5 Day Pouch Test Done Right!

Kaye shares secrets to getting the 5 Day Pouch Test right and keeping the momentum going beyond Day 5. Learn how to use an important tool that will empower your success. You Can Do This!

Celeb Diet Secrets: Celebrity Diets that Work

Here are some of Celeb Diet Secrets that Work

Celebrities always look great and fabulous. Whether appearing in movies, or television or strutting down the red carpet during movie premiers and awards, they never cease to amaze us.

Truth is, it takes a lot of effort to look the way they do, and being the public figures that they are, they cannot afford to slack off when it comes to taking care of their physical appearances. Aside from the clothes, the hair and the makeup, celebrities have to take good care of their bodies.

Here are some of the diet secrets of seven women celebs:

1. Jennifer Aniston
The star of the phenomenal television show Friends not only mesmerized audiences with her adorable comic sense and her famous hairstyle, she was also known for having one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood, as she appeared in countless magazine covers. To stay slim, Jennifer follows the 40:30:30 diet method. The diet consists of:
40% Low glycemic carbohydrates
-Foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables, legumes
30% lean proteins
-Tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and low fat dairy products
30% essential fats
-nuts and seeds, fish and olive oils
It is essential that every meal should contain macronutrients to attain the balance of hormones and maximum weight loss.

2. Kate Hudson
The gorgeous daughter of actress Goldie Hawn gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, which she needed to shed quickly before commencing on her next film. From her previous eating plan, she switched to a higher protein diet. She consumed high protein meals in smaller portions, and she combined this diet with an exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular workouts. After getting a lot of flak because of her post-pregnancy figure, Kate removed all that baby weight in only four months and has gained abdominal muscles that gained the envy of many in Hollywood.

3. Oprah Winfrey
As one of the most successful talk-show hosts in the world, there is no question that Oprah needs to maintain her physical appearance for her millions of fans and audiences. Known as one of those celebs who are constantly battling weight gain, she has recently toned up her figure and has never looked figure in age 50 by combining a regular exercise regime and diet plan. Oprah works out 5 days a week, spending 30 minutes on the treadmill and doing free weights. Her eating plan consists of fruits and vegetables, legumes, fish, nuts, chicken and dairy products that are low-fat. She limits her intake of white sugar and flour. Oprah also credits her slim figure to her habit of not eating anything after seven in the evening.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow
A lot of people may find it hard to believe that the perpetually slim Academy award-winning actress actually needs to diet. Gwyneth actually follows a healthy eating plan that resembles Oprah's, avoiding sugar and white flour. She usually follows a macrobiotic diet, eating foods like vegetables, lean meat and brown rice. She does yoga everyday and also eliminated dairy from her diet.

5. Madonna
The pop star known as the Material Girl has always flaunted a body that is to die for, and has become a true fitness paragon over the years. She keeps herself in tip-top shape by having Ashtanga Yoga, and follows a strict diet that mostly shuns junk foods. She adopted a macrobiotic eating plan that includes organic foods rich in lean protein.

6. Claudia Schiffer
The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.

7. Christie Brinkley
Long-time supermodel maintains her all-American good looks by being a vegetarian. She does not keep junk foods of any kind inside her home to make sure that she does not eat them when cravings occur. She snacks on sweet potatoes in place of candy bars, and she adopts a liquid juice diet when she needs to slim down fast.

Celebs are just like ordinary people. They need to maintain their figures just like anyone else, and there is more pressure on their part since they are constantly in the public eye.

It's no surprise that these celebs have their own diet secrets when it comes to staying fit and gorgeous. Who doesn't want to know their secrets in staying absolutely sexy and gorgeous?

Ordinary folks can have celebrity-like bodies, too, and by following these celeb diet secrets and fitness plans, they can also look like red-carpet worthy.

Proactol: A Proven Herbal Remedy (Part 2)

Proactol

is a completely natural fiber complex made from the dehydrated leaves of Opuntia ficus indica, a species of cactus. This prickly pear cactus grows large fruits known as tunas or nopal. Nopal have traditionally been used for both medicines and cosmetics [1].

Early research on this cactus found that animals which consumed its dried leaves had lower levels of bad cholesterol, known as LDL, but that their levels of good cholesterol, or HDL, did not decrease [2].

A patented medicinal herb made from the dried leaves of Opuntia ficus indica is known as NeOpuntia. NeOpuntia is the ingredient found in the commercially available diet pill Proactol. NeOpuntia is known to be an

effective weight loss

alternative because it binds with lipids in the digestive tract and prevents them from being absorbed into the body.

NeOpuntia is set apart from other herbal weight loss remedies because there has been much attention devoted to researching its efficacy and safety on both animal and human subjects. InQpharm is one agency responsible for conducting several of the clinical studies on NeOpuntia. Go to Proactol web page right now.

Which Chocolate is Best for Weight Loss?

Dark Chocolate vs Milk Chocolate: Which one's best for weight loss?

There’s evidence that the body responds differently to the calories in dark chocolate versus milk chocolate.

Milk chocolate contains more sugar and, as such, is more likely to trigger cravings and be stored as fat. Dark chocolate contains less sugar and is more satiating: A study at Denmark’s University of Copenhagen found that compared with milk chocolate eaters, women who enjoyed 3.5 oz. of dark chocolate reported fewer cravings and ate 15 percent fewer calories over the next five hours.

That’s likely thanks to the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids in dark chocolate , but not in milk chocolate.

Tip: Did you know that having goodies in the house limits munching?
Stocking pantry shelves with tempting treats can actually reduce the urge to indulge, according to a study at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

The researchers concluded that, while being exposed to pictures of a treat (such as a chocolate) on TV can lead to overeating of any available food, weight-conscious women who had a stock of the temptation in their homes felt more in control and were less likely to cave in to cravings.

Quinoa for Weight Loss

What makes Quinoa a Super Weight Loss Food?

Swapping whole grains for refined carbs is a smart way to add extra nutrition- and waist-whittling perks- to comfort foods. But instead of reaching for the same-old brown rice, consider Quinoa.

This hearty seed (a relative of spinach and Swiss chard) contains plenty of stomach-satisfying insoluble fiber. But here’s the difference: One cup of cooked quinoa also packs 9 grams of protein (nearly twice as much as brown rice), which was shown in British studies to trigger the release of the hunger-reducing hormone peptide YY.

This potent combo of fiber and protein means you’ll feel full and enjoy a steady stream of energy that lasts up to 12 hours, according to research in The New England Journal of Medicine. What’s more, quinoa is a rich source of energizing magnesium and immunity-boosting riboflavin. This grain may seem like an unusual pantry staple, but quinoa has been enjoyed in its native South America for years.

You can find it in supermarkets, or order Now Organic Quinoa Grain. For the best deal, look for it in bulk bins at health-food stores. Cook quinoa like rice on the stove or in a rice cooker for 15 to 20 minutes.

Tip: rinse with cold water to remove saponin, a natural compound that can make it bitter.

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If Broccoli Is So Good for Me, Why Does It Make Me Sick After WLS?

By Kaye Bailey

People in pursuit of healthy weight management know to stick close to the veggie tray at parties and buffets. After all, vegetables are good healthy food full of beneficial vitamins, nutrients and fiber. But some vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables like the ubiquitous broccoli and cauliflower, can cause severe gastric upset when eaten raw by patients of gastric weight

Returning to sanity

The last three weeks have wiped me out, mentally and physically. I almost feel like I'm in vegetative state. I feel like if I never moved from this couch for the rest of my life, I would be happy.

I'm thrilled that I'm not working this weekend, which is the first free weekend I had in four weeks. Thursday I worked almost non-stop from 9am until 4am in the morning. Thankfully these type of hours are rare, but when they happen, they're a killer.

Today I've recommitted myself to tracking my food online. I don't know why I make such a big deal about it. It's not difficult, and it only takes a few minutes. By seeing all the food I've eaten in the tracker, it makes me realize I'm not starving to death. My head may be telling me something different, but the tracker tells me something else. I realize I've had plenty to eat. It also helps keep me very aware of whether I'm following the healthy eight eating guidelines, something I've been struggling with lately.

Even though I haven't gone too far off track in my eating, I haven't been getting all the requirements of a healthy diet. Vegetables? Dairy? Healthy oils? No. No. No.

It's been more of a grab whatever is quick and easy. I even went to Jack in the Box a couple nights ago, the first time in at least three years.. My coworker and I were still at the office at 10pm and hadn't eaten since lunch. I got one of their grilled chicken salads, which was just awful.

After I choked down the salad with it's awful low-cal balsamic vinaigrette and two ounces of chicken that tasted weird, I ate some cookies that were in the office (five to be exact). I never eat cookies. I can't even remember the last time I had a cookie before last Thursday. I felt like I was really splurging and being bad.

Sadly they had Macadamia nuts in them. I'm allergic to Macadamia nuts. Wouldn't you know it, I decide to have a couple cookies and they made me so sick I wanted to die. The nauseousness was unbearable. It resulted in me standing over the toilet thinking I swear I'll never eat another cookie! Of course I will someday, but it's going to be a while and if there are any white chunks of anything in them, no way!

It's gorgeous weather here today in the Seattle area. Sunshine and the thermometer in the sun says 82. I'm getting off this computer and riding my bike to the gym for an hour of strength training. I've skipped the gym Thursday AND Friday. I rarely miss two days in a row, but my body just said no way. Can't and won't do it. I felt like my battery was close to dead, and I couldn't use what little energy I had at the gym or I wouldn't make it through the day.

I kind of feel like I've been to hell and back this past month. I'm really looking forward to eight hour workdays, and weekends off. I feel like I've been let out of jail, and have returned to sanity.

Using fat burning pills to lose weight

Perhaps you have long been wondering what’s behind the slim figures of various celebrities that you’ve been seeing almost everywhere: in magazines, in posters, in television ads, etc. There has been this eternally nagging question on how on earth they are able to shed weight and wear all those figure-fitting, hip-hugging apparel that seems to fit them 24/7. Well friend, how about you try fat burning pills or appetite suppressants?

As you may well know, these are like “craving busters” which kills your usual constant longing and hankering of excessive food intake. Ergo, simply put, when you regularly ingest appetite suppressants, it automatically means that you wouldn’t experience the typical mind-over-body struggle on whether you should eat that delicious double chocolate mousse cake, or whether you’re actually going to wolf down that large piece of pie. It’s actually like having an injection of some ‘food constraint’ dosage. Moreover, aside from, like, snubbing those sugary pastries and fatty foods: chocolate cakes and other cakes, fried chickens and those delicious crispy French fries which, oh, by the way, go straight to your thighs, you get to have more time to actually rationalize, which foods you are way better off, and which are the ones that are, in fact, good for your body. Like, for example, picture this: you are in front of the office café food display, and right in front of you is a seeming-endless array of delicious food. The usual scenario is that, because you are not a regular taker of appetite suppressants, the tendency is to actually order and fill your tray with all sorts of edible food imaginable that sparked your craving in a snap.

Appetite suppressants, when taken regularly, seem to give you more ‘thinking time’ on choosing foods you are about to eat. What’s more, you wouldn’t be remembering the words ‘wolfing-down’ or ‘pigging-out’ anymore. And you would now be regularly choosing those type of foodstuffs that would not only be perfect for your acquired figure, but to you over-all health as well. There is a wide range of appetite suppressants for you to choose from, but always take heed of those fakes from the genuine tablets and prescription. Also, always consult your physician if a certain tablet or pill is right for you.

One need not worry on intake of these crave killers, because these suppressants only help you in having control on choosing the right type of food to eat. From the usual reckless choosing of unhealthy foods, these suppressants, in a nut shell, gives you the control you never had in choosing food. Aside from this, because you now have the ‘control’ and you are now much more aware from the effects of certain foodstuffs, your mind is kind of health oriented in the sense that, since you are seeing the good effect of choosing the right foods only, there is a high tendency to engage in healthy exercises, to maintain the fit figure you acquired from having been given the ‘control’, over choosing the foods you must want and what your body essentially needs.

So if you are the type who just naturally wants to eat every seemingly-delicious and edible food imaginable, if you are actually one of those people who have long been struggling on over-eating, perhaps these appetite suppressants must be the right thing for you.

Potatoes and Human Health, Part II

Glycoalkaloids in Commonly Eaten Potatoes

Like many edible plants, potatoes contain substances designed to protect them from marauding creatures. The main two substances we're concerned with are alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine, because they are the most toxic and abundant. Here is a graph of the combined concentration of these two glycoalkaloids in common potato varieties (1):

We can immediately determine three things from this graph:

• Different varieties contain different amounts of glycoalkaloids.
• Common commercial varieties such as russet and white potatoes are low in glycoalkaloids. This is no accident. The glycoalkaloid content of potatoes is monitored in the US.
  
• Most of the glycoalkaloid content is in the skin (within 1 mm of the surface). That way, predators have to eat through poison to get to the flesh. Fortunately, humans have peelers.

I'll jump the gun and tell you that the generally accepted safe level of potato glycoalkaloids is 200 mcg/g fresh weight (1). You can see that all but one variety are well below this level when peeled. Personally, I've never seen the Snowden variety in the store or at the farmer's market. It appears to be used mostly for potato chips.

Glycoalkaloid Toxicity in Animals

Potato glycoalkaloids are undoubtedly toxic at high doses. They have caused many harmful effects in animals and humans, including (1, 2):

• Death (humans and animals)
  
• Weight loss, diarrhea (humans and animals)
  
• Anemia (rabbits)
• Liver damage (rats)
  
• Lower birth weight (mice)
  
• Birth defects (in animals injected with glycoalkaloids)
  
• Increased intestinal permeability (mice)

However, it's important to remember the old saying "the dose makes the poison". The human body is designed to handle a certain amount of plant toxins with no ill effects. Virtually every plant food, and a few animal foods, contains some kind of toxic substance. We're constantly bombarded by gamma rays, ultra violet rays, bacterial toxins, free radicals, and many other potentially harmful substances. In excess, they can be deadly, but we are adapted to dealing with small amounts of them, and the right dose can even be beneficial in some cases.

All of the studies I mentioned above, except one, involved doses of glycoalkaloids that exceed what one could get from eating typical potatoes. They used green or blemished potatoes, isolated potato skins, potato sprouts or isolated glycoalkaloids (more on this later). The single exception is the last study, showing that normal doses of glycoalkaloids can aggravate inflammatory bowel disease in transgenic mice that are genetically predisposed to it (3)*.

What happens when you feed normal animals normal potatoes? Not much. Many studies have shown that they suffer no ill effects whatsoever, even at high intakes (1, 2). This has been shown in primates as well (4, 5, 6). In fact, potato-based diets appear to be generally superior to grain-based diets in animal feed. As early as 1938, Dr. Edward Mellanby showed that grains, but not potatoes, aggravate vitamin A deficiency in rats and dogs (7). This followed his research showing that whole grains, but not potatoes, aggravate vitamin D deficiency due to their high phytic acid content (Mellanby. Nutrition and Disease. 1934). Potatoes were also a prominent part of Mellanby's highly effective tooth decay reversal studies in humans, published in the British Medical Journal in 1932 (8, 9).

Potatoes partially protect rats against the harmful effects of excessive cholesterol feeding, when compared to wheat starch-based feed (10). Potato feeding leads to a better lipid profile and intestinal short-chain fatty acid production than wheat starch or sugar in rats (11). I wasn't able to find a single study showing any adverse effect of normal potato feeding in any normal animal. That's despite reading two long review articles on potato glycoalkaloids and specifically searching PubMed for studies showing a harmful effect. If you know of one, please post it in the comments section.

In the next post, I'll write about the effects of potatoes in the human diet, including data on the health of traditional potato-eating cultures... and a curious experiment by the Washington State Potato Commission that will begin on October 1.


*Interleukin-10 knockout mice. IL-10 is a cytokine involved in the resolution of inflammation and these mice develop inflammatory bowel disease (regardless of diet) due to a reduced capacity to resolve inflammation.

What I'm going to do with 10,000 pounds of tomatoes.

Well, not 10,000 pounds exactly, but close.  This is what I have starting at me right now, and I have another box just like these in the house we've been working on that I forgot to include in the following picture.

Did I mention that the vines outside are already ready for a picking too?  Please don't think I'm complaining, I'm not.  I am a little overwhelmed, but I'm not complaining.  Our CA summer was so mild the tomatoes didn't get the heat they needed to ripen, so we are having a late harvest.  (On the plus side, fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving)

So today, I'm doing what other garden growers do this time of year who lack large freezers and time to can.

I'm getting creative.

List of High Fiber Foods and Fiber Content

Here are typical High Fiber Foods along with the approximate number of grams of fiber they contain.

A list of high fiber foods helps you know which foods to include in daily meal planning. Obtaining adequate fiber is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

The recommended daily fiber consumption should be about 25-30 grams for an adult. The walls of plant cells are the sources of dietary fiber.

Fiber contents shown below on the list of high fiber foods are for a food quantity of 1/2 cup unless otherwise noted:

• Bananas, 3 grams - medium 8" long
• Beans, 6-10 grams - baked beans, black beans , great northern beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, pinto beans, white beans
• Berries, 4-5 grams - blackberries, raspberries
• Bran Cereals, 5-10 grams - All-Bran, Bran Buds, 100% Bran, Raisin Bran
• Bread, 4-7 grams - 2 slices whole wheat, pumpernickel, seven-grain
• Broccoli, 4-5 grams
• Brussels Sprouts, 2 grams
• Carrots, 3-4 grams
• Dried Figs, 10 grams - 3 figs
• Fruit, 4 grams - medium apple, medium pear
. Green Beans, 2 grams - broad beans, pole beans, snap beans
• Greens, 4-6 grams - beet greens, collards, kale, spinach, turnip greens
• Lentils, 6 grams
• Lima beans - 4-6 grams
• Peas, 7-9 grams - black-eyed peas, green peas
• Potatoes, 4-5 grams - medium baked Idaho or sweet potato
• Sweet Corn, 5 grams

The best fiber supplements are rice bran or psyllium made from ground-up psyllium seeds.

Be sure to have a print out of High Fiber Foods list so you can always have the best choice which healthy fiber foods to include in your daily diet.

Three Red Flag Warnings Leading to Weight Gain After Bariatric Surgery

By Kaye Bailey

Before undergoing bariatric surgery for weight loss it is hard to imagine that we could possibly ever become one of "those people" who gain weight after losing it with the help of surgery. Sadly, at some point most patients who have gastric surgery as their last hope for weight loss eventually regain some weight back. It can happen quickly and without fanfare. Here are three red

Calorie free and tasty snack: Kim Chi Cucumber

We have such a variety of vegetables right now, to prevent burnout, we are creating different meals.  Just last night my hubby made a variation of  lasagna using several veggies from the garden.  I am proud of him, he's still eating zucchini after several months of cooking with it.

At our favorite Japanese restaurant, we enjoy a dish called Tako Kim Chi.  It's cucumber and octopus covered with kim chi sauce.  Such an easy recipe to recreate, but since I'm not proficient in octopus preparation, I will leave that treat for when we eat out.  

What we do instead is chop up cucumbers from the garden and drizzle kim chi sauce over it.  The sauce was hard to find because you typically can't find it at your local grocery store.  I had to go to an Asian market to find it.  

You know what shocked me the most at the market?  It wasn't the embryonic, purple eggs or the numerous bottles of fish parts pickled, fermented, salted, etc.  What shocked me the most was the isle of bagged MSG.  I try to avoid every trace of the stuff in my diet and yet there were bags and bags of it up and down the isle.

  

The only downer with the sauce is that it does have MSG in it, so I use it sparingly and not very often.  What I would like to do is make my own sauce with natural ingredients.  I'm on a quest for a recipe.

Getting Rid of Cellulite: Goodbye Cellulite

How to get rid of cellulite on thighs without exercising:

"Cellulite treatments can indeed make a difference in reducing the appearance of dimply fat"

That's the word from expert dermatologist Jeannette graf, M.D. To get rid of cellulite, she recommends a combo of Endermologie, a massage treatment that thickens connective tissue to give skin a firmer appearance, plus stimulates the lymph system, and VelaShape, which combines radio waves, infrared light, massage and suction to boost lymph drainage and shrink fat cells.

Three hitches: It generally takes four weeks to see real results, cellulite treatments must be continued or dimples will return and each treatment costs about $100.

For a low-tech solution to getting rid of cellulite, take a cue from Brazil's bikini-beautiful women, who rub sand on problem spots as they lounge on the beach. The massage helps stimulate the lymphatic system to release trapped toxins, while the rough sand helps smooth the skin's surface.

Pre-beach season, try a body bar that features sand-like granules such as Buffy Body Butter by LUSH. It contains ground almonds, rice and aduki beans, and you'll say goodbye cellulite just in time for the beach season.

It's not a project, it's called life

Another incredibly long day. I think it's been about 16 hours with maybe a half hour break that I've been staring at this computer. My eyeballs feel like burned out sockets.

I managed to get in a good workout this morning and my eating has been great. Mainly because I don't really have time to think much about food. That gives you a clue as to how busy my work has been. Food is always on my mind!

I've been thinking about what I wrote yesterday, Monday. About how I couldn't handle another project right now, referring to my weight loss. The truth is that I can't look at it as a "project". That's been my problem (or part of it) my entire life. If I couldn't give it 100% of my focus I would fail. When I'm 100% on and it's my entire focal point, I'm good. When things, like life, get in my way, that's when I really have problems.

My goal this time during this work stress is to just to get through it the best I can. Get to the gym, even if it's only thirty minutes, which lately there's been a few days that was all I could squeeze into my day. Today it was an hour and a half, which felt great, but thirty minutes is my minimum, an hour is better, and an hour and a half is optimal. Of course, watch my eating. Maybe I can't journal every bite, but I know what to do and what not to do when it comes to food. I'm not new at this game. :)

One of these days, soon I hope, things will be back to normal. Right now, I just have to make the best of it.

I've finally hit the wall

It's taken several weeks of long hours and little sleep, but I've finally hit the wall. I'm exhausted beyond words. I feel so tired, like I could sleep for weeks.

I got hit up today with a new requirement for what I've been working on. It's not something I can do in an hour, but will probably take a full day of heads down coding. We go to prod in a week, I wanted to yell, "You've got to be kidding!". Hopefully I live through this period of my life.

I've already decided I'm taking a week off as soon as this misery is over. I need some down time to just unwind at home. I can hardly wait. I want my life back!

Not much else to report. My eating is pretty good, but not perfect. No fast food or sugar, just too much of the good stuff. I'm not gaining weight, but holding steady at 173. That doesn't make me happy but right now I just can't deal with another project in my life.

It's a little after 8:30pm and I'm going to bed. My three hours of sleep last night is catching up with me. I miss the old me. I feel like I've lost myself along the way.

When did I become so boring?

I wanted to post quickly to let everyone know I'm still alive and haven't given up.

Someone told me last week that they read my blog, and it's always either I'm working out or I'm having a bad day at work.

It made me reflect on how sad this little blog has become lately. No insight on life or revelations or thoughts about weight loss. Just work and gym. Gym and work.

I actually had a really fun Saturday this weekend (although I worked 12 hours Sunday...but such is life). We went to a Karala Association of Washington festival. It was their new year celebration. Karala is in India, the Southwestern portion. A coworker of my husband is from Karala and she invited us to attend. A coworker of mine is from a province near Karala so I invited him to go with us.

It was very fun. There was a lunch, made of traditional Indian food, all homemade. We ate on green waxed paper that symbolized bamboo leaves and ate with our fingers. I learned how to use my three fingers and thumb to mush the food together, scoop up a mouthful with my three fingers and then push it into my mouth with my thumb. Very messy but kind of fun.

After the lunch were was a three-hour show of dancing and skits (all skits were spoken in Malayalam, the language of Karala). My friend Naga speaks a different language, but could still translate some of the Malayalam for us.

Luckily most of it was dancing and a fashion show (they used Lady Gaga music for part of the fashion show). The clothing was gorgeous, some traditional Saris and then some modern Indian clothing. The women were all model material. Beautiful. Some of the music was from Bollywood, which is like Hollywood but in Bombay, India (It's called Mumbai but Naga said in India the locals all still call it Bombay and think Mumbai is stupid).

One of the dances was done by teenage girls dancing to Jai Ho (from Slimdog Millionaire - the song at the end of the movie). It was really good. Actually they were all fantastic dancers. Even the little kids did some of the dancing, five and six year olds. They were much better than I could ever dream of being.

It was really fun having Naga with us, especially since we were the only non-Indian people there, among about 300 people. I learned so much about the Indian culture, the Hindu religion, their beliefs and customs. India is very rich culturally, and I loved learning about their way life. It was also very interesting being the minority, but everyone was super nice to us.

These litle girls were just amazing.

Everyone had gorgeous costumes.

These girls were teenagers. I talked to then after the show. They were so beautiful and very talented dancers.

My husband's coworker, Divya and her husband. They were in a really sweet little skit that made everyone laugh.

Naga and myself, and lots of food.

Potatoes and Human Health, Part I

Potatoes: an Introduction

Over 10,000 years ago, on the shores of lake Titicaca in what is now Peru, a culture began to cultivate a species of wild potato, Solanum tuberosum. They gradually transformed it into a plant that efficiently produces roundish starchy tubers, in a variety of strains that suited the climactic and gastronomic needs of various populations. These early farmers could not have understood at the time that the plant they were selecting would become the most productive crop in the world*, and eventually feed billions of people around the globe.

Wild potatoes, which were likely consumed by hunter-gatherers before domestication, are higher in toxic glycoalkaloids. These are defensive compounds that protect against insects, infections and... hungry animals. Early farmers selected varieties that are low in bitter glycoalkaloids, which are the ancestors of most modern potatoes, however they didn't abandon the high-glycoalkaloid varieties. These were hardier and more tolerant of high altitudes, cold temperatures and pests. Cultures living high in the Andes developed a method to take advantage of these hardy but toxic potatoes, as well as their own harsh climate: they invented chuños. These are made by leaving potatoes out in the open, where they are frozen at night, stomped underfoot and dried in the sun for many days**. What results is a dried potato with a low glycoalkaloid content that can be stored for a year or more.

Nutritional Qualities

From a nutritional standpoint, potatoes are a mixed bag. On one hand, if I had to pick a single food to eat exclusively for a while, potatoes would be high on the list. One reason is that they contain an adequate amount of complete protein, meaning they don't have to be mixed with another protein source as with grains and legumes. Another reason is that a number of cultures throughout history have successfully relied on the potato as their principal source of calories, and several continue to do so. A third reason is that they're eaten in an unrefined, fresh state.

Potatoes contain an adequate amount of many essential minerals, and due to their low phytic acid content (1), the minerals they contain are well absorbed. They're rich in magnesium and copper, two minerals that are important for insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular health (2, 3). They're also high in potassium and vitamin C. Overall, they have a micronutrient content that compares favorably with other starchy root vegetables such as taro and cassava (4, 5, 6). Due to their very low fat content, potatoes contain virtually no omega-6, and thus do not contribute to an excess of these essential fatty acids.

On the other hand, I don't have to eat potatoes exclusively, so what do they have to offer a mixed diet? They have a high glycemic index, which means they raise blood sugar more than an equivalent serving of most carbohydrate foods, although I'm not convinced that's a problem in people with good blood sugar control (7, 8). They're low-ish in fiber, which could hypothetically lead to a reduction in the number and diversity of gut bacteria in the absence of other fiber sources. Sweet potatoes, an unrelated species, contain more micronutrients and fiber, and have been a central food source for healthy cultures (9). However, the main reasons temperate-climate cultures throughout the world eat potatoes is they yield well, they're easily digested, they fill you up and they taste good.

In the next post, I'll delve into the biology and toxicology of potato glycoalkaloids, and review some animal data. In further posts, I'll address the most important question of all: what happens when a person eats mostly potatoes... for months, years, and generations?


* In terms of calories produced per acre.

** A simplified description. The process can actually be rather involved, with several different drying, stomping and leaching steps.

Why Proactol Works For Weight Loss: Reviewing The Research (Part 1)

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions around the world and now affects hundreds of millions of people. Obesity increases the risk of many negative health conditions like stroke, heart attack, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Usually the result of an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, obesity is treated through dieting, exercise, pharmacology, and surgery.

Exercise and dieting can prove fruitful only if an individual is capable of following a regular routine over a long period of time. However, many people struggling with obesity find it difficult to keep to their dieting routine, which results in failed attempts at treating obesity.

Of course, there are pharmacological options available to treat obesity. Drugs like sibutramine, phentermine, and orlistat are often prescribed to those trying to

lose weight

. Many of these drugs offer promising initial results. However, these treatments are linked to rebound weight gain. Additionally, they can prove addictive and sometimes have unwanted side effects.

Surgical interventions on the other hand, have been used to treat special cases of obesity. However these procedures are often dangerous and lead to permanent changes to the digestive system. Surgery is rarely the right choice.

Due to the low success rate of so many conventional treatments for obesity, more people turn to herbal medicine. Recently,

herbal remedies for weight loss

have garnered much attention. Many people seek natural remedies because they dislike the side effects of pharmacological options. Go to Proactol web page right now.

The Specter Key Trailer [HD]

Check out this book trailer for an upcoming book. I've talked about Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse before in other posts, this is the sequel. It's called Bran Hambric: The Specter Key. It certainly has a chance to make it to the NYT Best Seller's List.

At the end of the trailer, there is a link to sample chapters. Be sure to check them out.

Come 10/10/10, you will find me reading this on the elliptical....

Drink Water to Lose Weight

Does drinking water help you lose weight? Yes! Here’s how:

Recent research in hydration science reveals that both the temperature of water and when it’s consumed trigger astonishing weight loss.

Although you’ve likely heard the advice to drink more water to lose weight, it’s crucial to employ this little-known approach: “The secret is to alternate drinking water of different temperatures- hot, lukewarm and cold- throughout the day since each of these temperatures plays a different role in weight regulation,” explains Barbara Hendel, M.D., coauthor of Water & Salt (Natural Resources, 2003).

In fact, alternating three water temperatures to capitalize on the unique benefits of each could make your body’s weight loss systems up to 50 percent more effective, allowing you to easily lose up to 10 pounds per week, according to research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. That’s a total loss of 30 pounds or more in a month.

“Water’s importance is often overlooked, yet it is the key to fast, hassle-free, lasting weight loss”, says Christopher Vasey, N.D., author of The Water Prescription (Healing Arts Press, 2006).

How drinking water in different-temperatures speeds up weight loss in unique ways:

1. Hot water triggers a body-wide detox. When cellular levels of toxins rise, your body concentrates them in the liver, lymph system, intestines and skin in an effort to speed their excretion, according to researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Problem is, the stored toxins end up slowing down metabolism.

To the rescue: hot water. By flooding the GI tract with heat, it promotes peristalsis- muscle contractions that encourage the movement of toxins from the liver and lymph system into the digestive tract, stimulating their elimination from the body, suggests research at the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California. “Hot water also makes your pores open slightly,” adds Dr. Hendel. “This allows extra toxins stored in skin tissue to evaporate into the air”.

2. Lukewarm water suppresses appetite. When lukewarm water enters the stomach, the organ registers fullness more quickly than with hot or cold water. “Lukewarm water doesn’t set off the drastic hot/cold alarm signals in the brain, so it’s easier to gulp down a full glass at once,” says Dr. Hendel.

This action causes the stomach to expand rapidly, stimulating the brain’s vagus nerve to turn off hunger pangs, she explains. Room-temperature water is also more rapidly absorbed by the stomach lining, so it doesn’t stall the digestive process the way liquids of other temperatures can.

The result: a quicker stabilization of blood sugar- which shuts down food cravings, adds Dr. Hendel.

3. Cold water gives your body a work out. Your metabolic rate jumps as much as 3 percent within 10 minutes of finishing a glass of cold water, and it stays elevated for 30 minutes thereafter, say experts at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

The reason: Your digestive tract has to work harder to heat cold water before the water can be absorbed and used by cells, explains Dr. Vasey. “This process takes an enormous amount of energy, which your body derives by breaking down food and fat to release their stored calories.”

Hydration produces amazing benefits:

- mental clarity increases by 20% in 30 minutes
- Late night hunger pangs disappear
- Energy levels increase by 89% in 24 hours
- Blue moods lift and sleep improves in 72 hours
- Exercise endurance increases in 4 days
- Chronic back pain end in 1 week
- Joint pain eases in 2 weeks
- Peptic ulcers heal in 3 weeks

Next>>

How to lose weight by drinking water, the tricks that will help you lose 30 pounds in less than a month

How to lose weight by drinking water: Tricks that will help you lose 30 pounds in less than a month

The Drinking Water Strategies proven to help lose up to 10 pounds a week.

Even slight dehydration slows all of the body’s function by up to 50 percent, including the actions of the weight-regulating thyroid and adrenal glands, note experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. And since the brain is 80 percent water, dehydration offsets appetite-regulating functions, as well. This means drinking 4 oz. of water every hour is essential for preventing weight gain.

But for amazing results, try these strategies proven to melt weight at the pace of up to 10 pounds a week.

The temperature tricks that turn Drinking Water into a miracle slimmer:

1. Start the day with 8 oz. of hot lemon water. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, plus 1 tsp. of freshly grated lemon zest, into a mug, then add 8 oz. of water that’s been boiled and left to cool for several minutes. Sip slowly. “Lemon and hot water promote peristalsis- intestinal contractions that speed the elimination of fat-storing toxins,” explains Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of The Fast Track Detox Diet (Broadway, 2006).

2. Alternate steamy and icy sips throughout the day. Switching between hot and cold water acts as a form of internal hydrotherapy that cleanses the body, says Christopher Vasey, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Switzerland. “Hot water helps your intestines flush toxins all day, while cold water keeps calorie burn high”. To do: An hour after drinking 8 oz. of hot lemon water, drink 8 oz. of ice-cold water. Repeat this cycle twice (at nonmeal times).

3. Drink lukewarm water before meals and snacks. Drinking 8 oz. of room-temperature water 15 minutes before a meal quickly signals satiation, Penn State research suggests. This easy strategy can lead to the consumption of 104 fewer calories per sitting- enough to help you shed 31 pounds every year. “To maximize the effect, down a glass of water all at once,” suggests Dr. Vasey. “This makes your stomach lining stretch rapidly, which stimulates the vagus nerve to shut down food cravings fast”. Water is absorbed when it’s at room temperature, and that means these premeal sips flood metabolically active tissue with water, raising its ability to convert food into energy.

Another sweet way to stay hydrated:
Fruit and veggies are typically 85 percent water, so enjoying 3 cups of them daily will provide up to 20 oz. of fluid. More good news: “Many of them are rich in detoxifying nutrients that speed the breakdown of fat-storing toxins in the liver, triggering a one-to-two pound weekly weight loss”, says Gittleman. Try pineapples, kiwis, watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach.

More Healthy Water Options:

If you drink mostly bottled water: In a test of 1,000 bottled water brands, 22 percent had chemical amounts above state health limits. “Your liver has to filter these chemicals, and that stalls its ability to burn body fat for weight loss,” notes Dr. Hendel. Two chemical-free picks: Poland Spring and Evian Natural Spring Water. For a list of other safe brands, log on to nsf.org/certified/bwpi.

If you drink mostly tap water: Consider a filter to get rid of lead, mercury, herbicides, industrial chemicals and other metabolism-slowing toxins. Two that ranked tops in Consumer Reports studies: Countertop Superior Water Filter System and the Brita® Faucet Filter System.

Speaking at Wise Traditions 2010

I'm happy to announce that I'll be presenting at the Weston A. Price foundation's 2010 Wise Traditions conference. The conference will be held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Nov 12-14. The theme is the politics of food.

Sally Fallon Morell has invited me to give a talk on the diet and health of Pacific islanders. The talk will be titled "Kakana Dina: Diet and Health in the Pacific Islands", and it will take place on Sunday, November 14th from 4:00 to 5:20 pm. In preparation for the talk, I've read eight books and countless journal articles. Although some of the material will be familiar to people who follow the blog, I will not be rehashing what I've already published. I have nearly an hour and a half to talk, so I'll be going into some depth on the natural history and traditional food habits of Pacific island populations. Not just macronutrient breakdowns... specific foods and traditional preparation methods.

Learn about the health of traditional Pacific island populations, and what has changed since Western contact. Learn about traditional cooking and fermentation techniques. See unpublished photos from the Kitava study, courtesy of Dr. Staffan Lindeberg. Learn about the nutritional and ceremonial role of mammals including pork... and the most gruesome food of all.

I hope to see you there!


Kitava photo courtesy of Dr. Staffan Lindeberg

Still standing...sort of

I just logged off my work computer and yes, it's indeed 12:03 a.m. Work is the same as the last time I posted. High stress, long hours. This is just temporary and won't last much longer (and at this rate, I won't last much longer either!).

However, today I seemed to be handling it a whole lot better. I'm not sure why, although I have a theory.

Recently during this highly chaotic time I decided to start decluttering my life. Those Hoarder shows have really bothered me. Like just maybe I could become one of "those" people.

I'm not a collector of anything, at least when you first walk into my house, that's what you'd think. I hate knick knacks. I really like the whole idea of Feng Shui, or actually, just the idea of no clutter. It makes me feel better.

I think as you get older, you realize you've accumulate a whole lot of junk during your life and you don't want anymore junk. In fact, you really want to get rid of the junk you have stockpiled over the years.

Even though I may appear to like clean surfaces and a clutter-free environment, open a closet or some of the drawers around here, and oh my goodness...look what we have here...a secret hoarder! I won't even discuss the garage...definitely the makings for a Hoarder show.

During my decluttering these last couple of weeks I've been finding stuff I didn't even know I owned. One thing was a brand new, unopened New Testament on CDs. I'd never even taken off the cellophane. I opened it up this morning and thought maybe I should listen to it on my way to work.

It's kind of cool because the reading is done with a lot of famous actors (and yes, James Caviezel does the voice of Jesus). It also has sound effect, if there's a storm, there's thunder and lightning. If there's water, you hear water running. It has all sorts of background noises and music.

I started with Matthew this morning and at first I thought oh boy, all these "begets" are b-o-r-i-n-g! But it quickly became interesting and somehow, comforting.

I know I have atheist friends that read this, but honestly, you really should give the Bible a try. It has some great advice on how to live your life.

Swearing
My new thing is to stop swearing. I'm not sure how this happened but recently I'm swearing like a sailor. Not the f- word, okay, sometimes the f- word. Usually it things like "oh crap!" or "that's crap!" or "what the hell" or "Oh my God!" or "Oh Shit!". It's really gotten out of control.

I work in a business environment. One person I work with is very religious, and I'm sure he's offended by my language. I'm even kind of offended by the words coming out of my mouth.

So I've started my own swear jar. It's not for other people, just for me. I don't really care if other people swear (except the GD phrase...I hate that one...prefer the f- word over that). Other people swearing doesn't bother me, it bothers me most that I swear. My Baptist mother would die if she heard me (if she were alive).

I gathered together the dimes and quarters out of the change jar and decided the quarters are for the f- word, dimes for the "crap" and "shit" and "OMG" words (I have a lot of dimes). Within about thirty seconds of getting my money and jar together, I said "oh crap!' and then "oh shit!" because I had just said said "oh crap!"

See what I mean, it's really bad when I swear because I just said a swear word! It's kind of disgusting if you think about it, and not cute at all for a 55-year old woman to sound like a trucker. Not classy, kind of trashy.

The diet and the exercise (after all, this is a weight loss blog, in case you forgot)
I went to Weight Watchers Saturday, and had a one-pound loss. I should have done better, but I didn't. I'm at 174.8. I could write a whole lot about this, but I won't, not tonight (this morning).

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday. I know...who AM I?! Actually, I kind of hurt myself last Saturday. I pushed myself on the weights, doing concentrated dumbbell curls with 25-pound dumbbells, hammer curls with 20-pounds dumbbells, lat pulldowns with 75 pounds, and three sets of full plank for a minute each. That was just a part of my workout, and I overdid it big time. I was still sore this morning, three days later. I was trying to compete with a 20-year old working next to me. I need to remember...I am not 20. I am 55. I need to act appropriately.

Well, it's off to bed. I have a million things I want to write about, but no time right now. I'm definitely going to the gym in about five hours (ugh!). I'm really missing reading all your blogs. I haven't been taking a lunch break at work lately so I don't even have that time to read. This will all come to a grinding halt in about a week. It's just a little tough right now, and I can hardly wait to have my life back!