Blogging Melodrama

According to National Heart Lung and Blood Institute these are some doable lifestyle changes that can help our hearts:

Do yard work.

I live in an apartment, but get out and dig in the dirt, trim grass around my area and just generally putter whenever the weather permits. I live in a rainforest.

Eat from smaller plates.

This sounds good, but if I want a lot of food I know how to pile a plate full to overflowing. This simply doesn't work for me. I even tried using measuring cups; forget the size plate. I say, eat smaller amounts. Just keep reducing the volume until the portions fit the amount of activity your getting. This seems to be working for me, and I don't feel deprived of anything.

I can't, I'm driving the bus... but I am exercising more at home, and keeping this advice in the back of my mind.

Try to: Sit instead of laying down. Stand instead of sitting. Walk instead of standing. Run instead of walking.

Don't eat late at night.

I try to make sure I don't eat past 7:00 in the evening. I'm drinking more liquids: teas, sugarless drinks, and lots of water and avoiding sodas as much as I can; but when I want one, I make sure I really want one first.

Skip seconds.

I eat seconds on soups and even thirds sometimes, but not on other starch or sugar things. So far it's working.

Work around the house.

I have to fit that in between working away from the house; however, I do paint. Recently I started a new project that gets me out in the fresh air doing a lot of walking and stooping, bending and lifting, and even carrying weight other than my own. Then I come home and paint what I've gone to get. Fun work is the only way to work anywhere.

Skip buffets.

Nah! Just make sure those buffets are Oriental. Loaded with lots of meat, seafood and veggies. Train the mind to only want what's good for you. It takes a while, but we can brainwash ourselves too. It worked with stopping biting my nails, and quitting smoking and now it's working on getting a resculpted body by thinking, eating and living healthier.

Grill, steam, or bake instead of frying.

Ya! And take the skins off the stuff your grilling, steaming and baking; if it's poultry. Get a hypodermic needle and inject into the meat some great marinate or rub the meat with a flavor rub. It cuts down on the volume your eating and it tastes just as good if not better; and the extra benefit is less carbs and calories too.

Bicycle to the store instead of driving.

Well I can't do that because I don't have a bike and I usually stop by the store on my way home from work so I can save gas; since you can practically hear the gas prices clicking higher and higher by the hour.

Take dog to the park.

Sure! Go rip off the neighbors pooch and take it on a forced walk. Make sure you have: plenty of poop bags,

a pair of rubber gloves, a small garden shovel, a leash, muzzle and lead; treats to tempt the dog to go with you (they love kibble, bacon and pork rinds) then you better have a good alibi for why you stole the neighbors dog.

On second thought, leave the back pack of crap tools and dog paraphernalia home and just go for a walk. Best be safe and take an oozy; just in case.

Ask your doctor about taking a multivitamin.

Why? Don't you know how? I take vitamins every day and have all my life. There isn't a thing you want in the drug world that you can't get from a vitamin and not near the side effects. Vitamin A helps keep you calm and sleep good. B revs up the system and wards off bug bites. C builds the immune system and fights sickness. D builds strong bones, teeth and nails. E greases the joints and helps keep me from getting leg cramps and Charlie horses. Then there are minerals that we never get enough of in the over processed foods we buy.

Hay it's better to flush down the toilet too much of a certain thing than to not be giving your body what it needs. I don't get as sick as often when I take vitamins. I don't need a doctor's permission to care for my own body.

Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV.

And take along your biggest umbrella and rubber boots. It's finally acting like normal here in Washington. We've been doing a fair impersonation of Southern California weather for the past three years. Drought!

Use vegetable oils over solid fats.

Boy have I got a good helpful hint for you here. I discovered Hidden Valley Ranch. Yes! But not the runny kind; they make a powder mix for making the dressing. It comes in a large bottle and will make salad dressing several times when you mix it according to the instructions on the bottle....BUT! Don't mix it! Just use it as a seasoning like salt and pepper. Only use it along with some olive oil then toss your veggies or salad.

You get the Hidden Valley Ranch flavor with NO! Yes I said NO calories. No sugars. No carbohydrates and people you can eat it till it falls out your ears and not get one ounce from it on the scales.

Since I discovered that I've been experimenting with it on everything. MMMMMM Good! Sin free and tasty.

More carrots, less cake.

Ya! That's an idea; carrot cake. No, I'm just kidding; kinda....well just a little. I love carrot cake. But here's another little tasty treat. make carrot curls (don't forget the Hidden Valley powder) then dehydrate them at a low temperature in the oven..knock your socks off carrot chips.

Fetch the newspaper yourself.

I quit reading the newspaper. They only repeat what the politicians tell them to say or whoever is paying them at the time. The aren't like they used to be; they've lost their backbone. No one investigates and tells the truth any more. So, why waist the money. Watch the six o'clock news and you've gotten what you would have read. If your into reading; walk to the library.

Sit up straight at work.

No kidding, I just spent the last month and a half getting my back straightened out from sitting crooked on a bus seat while driving. Not a good thing to do. Keep the spine straight and stay healthy; when it gets tweaked, look for sniffles to follow.

Wash the car by hand.

Dry-clean the car...we are in a drout. If you must wash the car, use recycled water for the wash and save the rinse for clean water you caught in a 30 gallon trash can that ran off your roof. When the water can is empty...do a rain dance and forget washing the car.

Don't skip meals.

Yep, but I've discovered that nibbling is more my style. I have a bite or two for breakfast with my handful of vitamins and medication (I'm type 2 diabetic and keep it in check with pills and watching my diet.)

Then about every couple hours I have something to drink (water mostly) but something that's healthy liquid and maybe a couple slices of tomato or a few nuts or a couple stocks of celery. Then again at lunch time another nibble of something similar. I like spinach dip or artichoke dip or nufitchel cheese with celery. Then around 2 another nibble of a piece of jerky or some Jell-O made with extra plain gelatin mixed into the package of Jell-O, so the Jell-O comes out almost like gummy Jell-O Knox blocks. I eat that like a piece of cake or candy treat. You can actually bite into them. Good stuff Maynard!

Then around 5 I'm getting hungry for real food and that is when I try to fix a nice salad and eat that while I'm deciding what I want for dinner. I eat lots of soups: vegetable, broccoli, chowder, chiapino, egg drop, fr. onion, lentil, barley, green beans and pork; whatever I have on hand or get the notion I'd like.

Eat more celery sticks.

AMEN! I clean them when I get them home and cut them into BIG chunks, lay them in the Glad container and salt and pepper them. Then when I want some I just sprinkle some HVR powder on them and gnosh away till I'm satisfied. I also will put some carrot sticks (cut into tiny strips, so they can fill the trough of the celery) and I like to have an opened can of black olives in another container for a nibble too.

Run when running errands.

I wish I could. I used to love to run, but my gimpy foot won't let me anymore. I'm shooting for that as a goal though. Hopefully when enough excess luggage on my body melts away, I might be able to try running again without killing the ability to walk.

Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games.

Nah! My grandson gets embarrassed enough at my yelling from the grandstands. Make one for me 55! GO! Ritchey! Whoh! Whoh! Whoh! EEEE-Ha! Yip-Yip-whoopeee! and all those kindsa noises. Then he has to put up with all the razzing from his team mates.

I just wanted to share some of what's been working for me. Drumroll please. I have gone from 279 to 221pounds just by living like I just told you. I'm not on a diet; I'm on a campaign to have a more sculpted body by 2006 and try to live healthier and eat healthier. That's it! No tricks or gimmicks. When I discovered I couldn't control my eating, I started taking Dexitrim Green tea formula to help me control the urges to eat. I began drinking more tea and less coffee. I got every flavor tea I loved and make sure it's there when I want it; mostly when I'm wanting something. Then I asked the doctor to prescribe something to help me that I could take with my diabetic medicine. It is finally working and I'm seeing some results. It was a nice surprise when I went to the doctor's office and asked if I could use their scale to weigh myself.

Then I came out and asked what I weighed the last time I was weighed when I saw the doctor. I can't remember if it was in January of this year or of about September or October of last year. It doesn't really matter; because it's a good loss and is showing me I'm doing it the right way.

I don't feel deprived or even like I'm dieting. I'm just living healthier and loving me more and I'm making me happier as a result. My life is fuller and more rewarding; how much more could anyone want?

Help! I'm eating healthy and loosing all my fat rolls.....
Send donuts quick!
Jan