Back to the grind

Hello all. Back from France and in a pretty cheery mood.

Have not weighed myself or bothered with what I have been eating AT ALL in any dieting sense but have gained just 2lbs since 12th December. That is really good news and a boost for my confidence in the band.

I have not been sick for the last 5 days as I finally (DOH!) realised that I do in fact need to chew everything to a paste before I swallow. At times this has even found me hawking up an errant piece of food out of my throat before the reflex swallowing happens just in case, which I am proud about.

So I have been to Russia and France and eaten out every day and drunk wine every day too and only put on 2 pounds in nearly a month.

Now I am back to England and back to normal food hopefully I will start to see that shift downwards.

I have sworn of the booze because its just pointless wen you are trying to lose weight. I have also sworn off takeaway meals too. They are loaded with fats even though it looks like they are not. So I am gonna make a lot of meals on a Sunday to freeze for eating when I get home from work in the evenings and am too tired to cook.

Financially I am totally back to normal and we even managed to get DS one of those Nintendo Wii things. I couldn't believe it when we were looking around before Russia and they said they were sold out! Whats that about? Anyway, we got one in France! HA HA. So although we were prepared to go Wii hunting and DS was on a serious mission to find one, we didn't have to look further than Cite Europe as they had one there. Also it was only £200 so saved a load on the UK price too. So if you want one, go to France!

So DS is happily being a maniac in the front room waving white controllers about with his Dad. He had already bought 3 games for it before we went to Russia so he was so excited about finally getting it back to blighty yesterday that we had to set it up the moment we walked through the door and let him have a go or 12!

We also got loads of bargains in France in the clothes department. Seems they now cater for larger lasses and I bought myself a nice pair of sweat pants. I have taken to wearing them around the house and, I never though I would say this, but its really comfy doing that! Also DH got a couple of new pairs of track suit bottoms which were actually the correct leg length! He always wears his trousers out at the heel because they are always too long. But obviously French men must be shorter than your average UK bloke, so he was chuffed.

DS spotted some really nice jumpers too and there was so much more selection in the boys department that there is in the UK. Seems that French kids like to look smart sometimes (or rather their parents don't just accept them looking like scruff budgets) and they had a great selection of smart casual stuff.

Next time we go I will be more prepared. I could only fit in about 20 packets of coffee pods, but they were only 80p per packet of 36!!! I LOVE coffee and I use maybe a packet of coffee pads in my machine every couple of days. Not senseo, or anything like that, just standard coffee pads. How can they charge £3 in the UK? Its sickening. I usually buy them on the Internet from Belgium, and I thought that was a good deal at £120 a pack of 18. Next time, its actually worth me popping over to France to get them!

So anyway, back to band land... I have NO PAIN, NONE! I am totally fine in every way. I have been swimming and down water slides and walked miles and even done things like *shock horror* scrubbed floors and fed the cats without getting a sore gut!

Its amazing to be pain free.

In fact its hard to imagine the pain I was in now and how tired it made me.

In light of this, I have taken on 5 more pupils and am now working 5 days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I am pleased that my pupil taking her Grade 7 Piano exam at the end of last year passed because I was so worried that without the regular lessons I had ruined her chances, but she passed really well! I am so proud of them all.

Now I can start to get on with my life and start feeling better about myself and hopefully get on with losing weight the way I should have been last year.

So onwards and upwards!

Shout out to D over in Aus - Have fun and hope you had a good journey hun! Will miss you!

Acomplia " Best Weight Loss Pills" of our times?

Acomplia, goes by the generic name Rimonbant. This is being considered as the best weight loss pills and is the new anti-obesity drug of the future. Apparently it can reduce weight and help people quite smoking. In addition, Acomplia increases the levels of good cholesterol (HDL) in the body, while reducing the triglycerides (bad cholesterol).

Recently we have come to know that Acomplia functions by blocking a cellular receptor (CB-1) found in the brain and fat cells (which is involved in people experience pleasurable sensations and therefore leads to cravings). Acomplia blocks this receptor and decreases cravings, which helps to curb appetites and stop tobacco cravings. It is generally advised not to take Acomplia for over a period of two years.

The claim of being the best weight loss pills ever (fat burning pills) is a big claim. It is believed that Acomplia suppresses appetite and the longing to overeat. It can be used not only as a weight loss pill but as a smoking cessation drug as well and we know that both of these are associated at some level.

Studies have shown that obese patients treated for one year on the highest dose of Acomplia (Acomplia 20 mg) per day shed an average of 19 pounds and lost 3.5 inches of waistline, researchers showed, while 39 percent lost more than one-10th of their body weight while taking Acomplia. Acomplia also boosted levels of "good" HDL cholesterol in the blood by 27 percent. You can see why this would brand the drug to be the “best weight loss pills (fat burning pills) of our times. The results of this study are not verified but sound promising.

Like all other diet pills it Acomplia may cause some side effects. Dizziness, nausea, irritability, depression and restlessness are some of the adverse side effects of Acomplia which occur in the initial phase. These should gradually disappear with the regular use of the drug. Benefit to risk ratio will favor Acomplia's positive effects on weight loss, smoking cessation, and its aptitude to maintain a healthy cholesterol level, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Precautions if you decide to take Acomplia:

Do not take Acomplia:

1. If you are (hypersensitive) allergic to rimonabant, or any of the other ingredients of Acomplia or Zimulti
   
   
2. If you are breast-feeding
3. Take special care with Acomplia
   
   

Like always tell your doctor before you take this medicine especially :

1. If you have impaired liver

2. If you have severely impaired renal function

3. If you are currently being treated for epilepsy

4. If you are less than 18 years of age.

There may be some additional side effects of this drug. Acomplia is being considered as the best weight loss pills of out times. Only time will tell if these claims are true but definitely for now this sounds promising.

Craving Sweets or Alcohol?

If you crave sweets this may mean you have a vitamin deficiency and that if you ate more of certain foods it would be easier to quell and drastically reduce your craving for sweets.

Naturopathic medical doctor Colleen Huber says that if you crave sweets, what you really need are nutrients such as chromium (so eat more broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans and chicken) or carbon (eat more fresh fruit) or phosphorus (eat more chicken, beef, liver, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes) or sulfur (eat more cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage) or lastly tryptophan (eat more cheese, lamb, raisins, sweet potato and spinach}.

If your particular sweet craving is usually about chocolate, you are probably craving magnesium. Curb your desire for chocolate by eating lots of raw nuts and seeds, legumes and fruits.

See a very interesting list about various food and alcohol cravings and how they are related to mineral or vitamin deficiencies.

The art print above is by Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin

SuperFoods RX as a Focus

SuperFoods Rx is one of the few weight loss books that gets a five star rating on Amazon. The book has been out for over a year and has helped a lot of people. Essentially it recommends eating much more of the 14 healthiest foods and their substitutes.

Here are the superfoods;

* Beans -- reduce obesity
* Blueberries -- lower risk for cardiovascular disease
* Broccoli -- lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
* Oats -- reduce the risk of type II diabetes
* Oranges -- prevent strokes
* Pumpkin -- lowers the risk of various cancers
* Wild salmon -- lowers the risk of heart disease
* Soy -- lowers cholesterol
* Spinach -- decreases chances of cardiovascular disease & age-related macular degeneration
* Tea -- helps prevent osteoporosis
* Tomatoes -- raise the skin's sun protection factor
* Turkey -- helps build a strong immune system
* Walnuts - reduce risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, & cancer
* Yogurt-- promotes strong bones and a healthy heart

Here's one readers comments on Amazon;

I was never much of a cook, but I have always been interested in getting my family to eat healthy foods, and this book has shown me how easy it is to do just that. The 14 foods listed as "Superfoods" are delicious, and the authors include numerous "sidekicks," or foods that offer the same or similar benefits. After just one month of preparing foods using the recommendations in "SuperFoods Rx," everyone in my family has experienced significant health benefits--my husband's cholesterol level plummeted, and lifelong digestive problems have disappeared. Best of all, everyone from ages six to fifty LOVE the meals (one favorite is a stew I invented that contains turkey, carrots, cabbage, canned tomatoes, beans, spinach, onions, cubes of firm tofu and/or whatever else is on hand; I use Goya "cubitos" and seasoning for a delicious broth). Nobody wants sugar cookies anymore, now that we can go to the fridge anytime and enjoy luscious cultured yogurt with blueberries and diced walnuts, fresh watermelon--even some yummy dark chocolate with a pot of green or black tea. The possibilities are endless!!
Diets do not work--they are temporary, often based on absurd principles, and only perpetuate an unhealthy obsession with food. As the authors point out, what is needed is a permanent change for the better in eating habits for the entire family.

See a good interview with the author of SuperFoods RX here.

The accompanying book The Superfoods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients was just released last week and is already one of the bestsellers on Amazon.

Recipes Wanted: Holiday Cookbook

Link to download your easy How-To GuideI know if you are like me things got nutty crazy over the holidays and I didn't get nearly everything I wanted entered into our great new cookbook. So to help me --- and encourage YOU --- We have extended the deadline to February 15, 2008. Now do not get feeling all comfy thinking -- ahh, 6 more weeks. Get entering now so that Celadon, the First Lady of the

30 Pounds to Go

Meredith has 30 pounds left to go. She is halfway to her goal weight. Last year her goal was to lose sixty pounds and she succeeded in losing thirty. She did this by cutting out a lot of sugar and exercising regularly. She went from a size 16 to a size 12 (she is 5'10") and was feeling pretty proud and comfortable with her weight as she had not fit into a size 12 since she was a kid.

But over Christmas her father spent a long time in the emergency room in the hospital due to his Type II diabetes. She says;

There are few things that I fear more than developing Type II diabetes. I've seen how it can maim and cripple both mind and body when left unchecked, or when lifelong habits prove insurmountable. Having full and proper use of my limbs, appendages and brain is a better motivator than being able to tug on size-8 jeans, though you'd think otherwise if you read my food journals from the past few years.

Now she is determined to lose thirty more pounds. See her story; 30 Pounds to Go.

Yes we are back in Blighty...

But only for 72 hours.

We are off to our hilariously dubbed 'chateau' in France on Wednesday morning. Here is a view of said 'chateau' from inside one July morning...



Yeah, chateau it ain't! But its GREAT! We love it and it sleeps 6 so cant be bad.

So... Moscow was interesting. I enjoyed it greatly. Its amazing to see the things on the telly in real life. To be honest, its like they didn't really exist... they were unreal... and now they're not.

Red Square, The Kremlin, Itzmaelovsky Market, Bolshoi, Lenin's Mausoleum and The Russian State Museum that conveniently covers history just up to 1900 and therefore not bothering with the Tsar, Tsarina and the Russian Royal family that they killed.

It was a pretty chilling place. A definite "Wow" factor but kind of not in a good way. I dunno... I cant really describe it. I am glad I went.

I haven't uploaded my photos to the PC yet, but when I do I will show you some stunners.

My weight? Who knows. I am not going to bother even looking because I know it will be terrible. I am usually sick every day, but after I am sick I can always eat some more. I guess its just a case of fine tuning it all. I feel rubbish about it and have consumed a HELL of a lot of wine over the Russian break. I am likely to do another couple of gallons whilst in France, but then I am on the wagon. Its not good to swill down half a days calories in an evening, let alone what its doing to my guts!

So I am just kind of waiting to meet the Fill Doctor. I want him to actually give a damn.

Right now I am writing this whilst semi choking on some chicken.
Today I have eaten a half plate of garden salad and a handful of cooked pasta with garlic, herbs and olive oil on. I have had a pint of water with lemon and ginger slices, 3 cups of coffee and 4 mouthfuls of curry and rice. I sicked up the first 2 mouthfuls, and then ate a little more when it had settled down (and the meal was cold) and on the second chunk of chicken I had to stop. We are talking 100g of food. No more.

So, I am off to throw this up and grab a yogurt.

See ya all January 7th.