A Month After Christmas Poem

‘Twas the month after Christmas, And all through the house, Nothing would fit me, Not even a blouse. The cookies I'd nibbled, The chocolate I'd taste At the holiday parties Had gone to my waist. When I got on the scales There arose such a number! When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber), I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared; The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared, The wine, and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please." As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt And prepared once again to do battle with dirt... I said to myself, as I only can, "You can't spend a winter, disguised as a man!" So, away with the last of the sour cream dip. Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip. Every last bit of food that I like must be banished Till all the additional ounces have vanished. I won't have a cookie, not even a lick. I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick. I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie. I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry. I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore... But isn't that what January is for? Unable to giggle, no longer a riot. Happy New Year to all, and to all a good diet

Author Unknown, but many thanks to
Charlie and Faye for sending this to me.

Howdy!

A Flu Bug?
I hope you all have been doing than me health wise… It seems I came down with a strange flu bug or something that only gave me fever, chills, lack of energy, and no appetite. It started on Jan 15 and as of today I am feeling much better. Still not completely up to par, but better. One night my fever got up to 103.5! and every night I would sweat profusely at times. One night I had to change tee shirts 5 times because they were soaking wet. I’m glad I’m thru that. Last night was a 2 shirt night (one change).

How Your Health Focus for 2009?
I hope you got off to a good start for 2009, but if you did not, don’t worry. It’s not too late to set some realistic goals and a plan for achieving those goals.

When you think of setting health goals, be sure not to focus solely on one thing that may help in one area but hurt you in another. For example, you work on weight loss so hard, that your overall health declines say to not eating the right foods.

Be positive about your goals:
Say, “ I will!” Don’t say, “Will I?”

And don’t forget about the scoreboards in the side panel. Now there’s only two, one for me and one for Sue, but there’s room for many more. Just let me know your start date, your goal, and a weekly or bi-weekly status report. I’ll do the rest.

 

Quote
A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit. 
~Author Unknown

The New Year is Here

I like to have goals for the new year. And what could be better than to have goals to improve one’s health.

What about 2008 
This past year (2008) I made progress. When all is said and done, I lost almost 40 pounds last year. I had a little backsliding toward the end of the year. That was due to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and partly because I had to stop my exercise in December.

I had a heart attack last December. Does that mean my health efforts during the year were not effective. No! If I had not been exercising and if I had not lost weight, that last heart attack could have been fatal. Instead it was a minor heart attack with no damage to the heart.

2009 Comes with Resolutions
For this year I am going to target for a loss of 40 pounds, and that’s on top of what I lost last year. To accomplish this I’m planning control calorie input to a reasonable level, around 1500 calories per day.

I also have goals for exercise. I plan to complete 4-5 hours of cardio exercise every week (via the elliptical trainer or stationary bicycle). I also plant to do a balanced weight lifting regiment 3 times per week. The weight work is not to build bulky muscles, but to maintain muscle tone and bone density.

Scoreboards
I’ll maintain a scoreboard of my weight loss in the side panel. And if you want me to add your scorecard to the side panel, please let me know.

Something Funny

Good to Remember
Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
~English Proverb

2008 is Winding Down

2009 is Just Around the Corner
And you know it is time to be working on those New Year’s Resolutions. It seems like just a short time ago we were talking about resolutions for 2008. Now 2008 is nearly gone.

I hope you accomplished some of your goals last year. I made some good accomplishments, but still have much work to do in 2009. Right now I am thinking of setting a new weight loss goal of somewhere between 30-40 pounds, and maintaining an exercise regiment which includes 4-5 hours of cardio and 3 hours of weight work every week.

Here’s some Healthy Tips from Eastman HEALTH & Wellness:

SLOW DOWN AT MEALS                               
If you normally rush through a meal, try slowing down. Allow yourself more time to eat. Pay attention to the food’s texture, taste and flavor. Chew slowly and relax! Following these instructions can help you feel more satisfied, reduce overeating and avoid heartburn.

NEW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES!   
The federal government recently issued its first-ever Physical
Activity Guidelines for Americans. The main idea behind the guidelines is that regular physical activity over months and years can produce long-term health benefits. According to the guidelines, for adults, most health benefits occur with at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking. Additional benefits occur with more physical activity. To read more about the new guidelines go to this link:
http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/default.aspx

~~~
Health Comment of the Day

There’s always a good time to start improving your health, and the time for all of us is right NOW!

~~~

Michelangelo's David

You might be surprised about this post and wonder what in the world it has to do with our health and dieting. Well, read on...

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture sculpted from marble by Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504. Unknown to many people the statue has been on loan in the United States.

Now after 2 years Michelangelo's David is being returned to Italy.

His proud sponsors include:...

Just a friendly reminder to all of you to watch what you eat. It can impact our health and our looks.

Thanks for visiting. Don't forget to check me out on my main blog,

Tennessee Granddaddy.

Thanks, Becky

I received a very nice comment from Becky today (on Tennessee Granddaddy), congratulating me on my weight loss this year. She wanted to know how I did it. Just in case some others are interested, I thought I would share my approach with everyone. This is basically the Email that I sent Becky earlier today:

Dear Becky,

Thanks for your note and compliment.

While my weight loss blog is not up-to-date (It is up-to-date now), I'll have to tell you that my loss now stands at 40 pounds. I had been down to 45 lost, but with all the travel and upsets to our schedule lately it has been difficult for me.

Here's my approach. And, no, I did not join any groups.

EATING

I tried to limit my calories to about 1600 to 1800 a day. I did not do a strict counting, but if you are not familiar with calories you might want to write what you eat down each meal/day until you get familiar. If I went over one meal or one day, I would cut back on subsequent meals. I kept at it and did not quit. I weighed every day and I wrote it down. I would go days and days without losing, then all of a sudden I would lose 2-3 pounds.

EXERCISE

I began a serious exercise program with both cardio and weights. The company I retired from provides us a gym to use. I used an elliptical trainer for cardio. When I started I could barely do 10 minutes. Now I can do an hour! I also use 10 or more machines for weight bearing exercise, not for building bulky muscles, but for stamina and strength. Now I try to do cardio exercise 5 days a week, MTWTF, and weight exercises on MWF.

MENTAL

I had to make up my mind that I was really going to do this! Pep talks with yourself, and have someone close to you to provide for support helps a lot. I also plotted my weight on a chart, and that helped keep me going.

Where am I now? Well, I want to hold my weight loss for the remainder of the year, and then start again in January, 2009. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and all coming up I will do good to be able to hold my current loss. But I am not quitting, because it is not really dieting. It is changing the way you live: Eating right, exercising right, sleeping right, and enjoying life!

~~~

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts.
Coincidence? I think not!

Holding On

We were traveling and on vacation for 15 days. As you now, that is not good for a diet. I have to admit that I gained some weight while I was gone. It was due to eating out, eating more, and not being able to exercise.

The good news is that as of this morning I have lost what I gained. I am back to 45 pounds lost. I'm holding on!

Another Tip from Eastman H.E.A.L.T.H. & Wellness

Changing Your Focus
Trying to lose weight? Success in weight management usually requires changing eating habits and physical activity level. Although making these changes will likely result in weight loss, healthy weight reduction takes time. Experts recommend losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. Focus on improvements in the way you feel. Do you have more energy? Sleeping better? Have more endurance? Creating healthy habits will likely lead to weight reduction, so focus on wellness, not just weight.

One should eat to live, not live to eat.
~Cicero