Darn That Facebook

They look soooooo good. Eye candy. You know what I mean. I'm referring to those delicious looking recipes that uninvitedly appear on our Facebook feeds. Many are loaded with cheese, sugar, heavy cream, etc. There are also many nutritious recipes also. However, the ones that quickly catch my eye are recipes such as 'Red Velvet Cheesecake'. Oh yea. Delicious.

I love to cook for family and friends. I love to cook foods that are rich and sweet. The problem is that it is vertually impossible for me to cook those types of dishes and not partake in their rich goodness, which can completely blow my diet and make my diabetes worse.

Therefore in order to keep my diet headed the right direction, I must find satisfaction in cooking dishes that are not going to be a diet buster for my. Perhaps it's time for me to put myself first in this aspect of my life.

My Exercise of Choice

The doctors have talked to me about exercising for decades, and I have indulged in that activity from time to time. It has always been a passing fad, something that captures my attention for a while, then graduated fades off my radar.

All that changed about two years ago. To prepare for my knee replacement surgery, I began to swim laps in the heated pool at the Wellmess Center. I had not ever swam seriously in my entire life, but I found a love for being in the water.

Two years later, I'm still swimming. I now swim in a larger pool at a gym, and my love for the water continues. My swimming time is an hour and my distance is now 1200 yards, the length of 12 football fields.

Swimming is simultaneously relaxing and challenging. I can push myself to swim stronger and faster, and at the same time feel the tension leave my body. Extra benefits. The main benefit is that I burn 800 calories for every hour that I swim!

I hope to be able to swim the rest of my life.

The Secret to Real Weight Loss Is ..........

The secret is that there are no weight loss secrets. There are no shortcuts. There are no quick and easy weight loss diets that will give real and permanent weight loss.

Real and permanent weight loss comes when we eat fewer calories than our bodies use. Period. End of story.

This is actually a very positive concept.  Once we accept this fact as true, then we can cut out the weight loss clutter and just focus on what really works.  We can then set our minds on eating the right  kinds of calories in the right amounts. We can begin to use more calories by exercising and being active.

Permanent weight loss is attained by being consistent in doing what is best for our bodies day after day.

Three Overeating Triggers

I read this article yesterday and felt that it had some good information for us. However, sometimes these types of articles make me feel like (and I could be wrong in this case) they were written by a person who had training and education in nutrition and weight control, but has never been overweight a day in their life! These triggers are definitely true and the suggestions are constructive, but there is much much more that goes into making a person overweight, that I think suggestions like this are chipping away at an iceberg with a kitchen sized icepick.

Overeating Triggers

by Karen Asp

from the CNN website

Emotions can drive you to overeat. So, too, can other triggers. Learn how to spot them, and you'll learn how to beat them.

Dim lighting: The dimmer the lighting, the higher the likelihood of overindulgence, says a study from of California at Irvine. Why? "Brighter lighting forces you to be more aware of what you're eating," says Joe Kasof, Ph.D., lead study author. Beat it by: Sitting outdoors or near windows, using brighter bulbs in your lamps, adding lighting to eating areas, or moving to a brighter room.

Distractions: In another study, when women who normally watched what they ate listened to a taped detective story, they consumed more calories. Researchers suspect the story interfered with the women's focus on keeping calories in check. Beat it by: Clearing all distractions; let the enjoyment of the meal provide your focus.

Low energy: "When your energy's low, you may look for food to pick you up," says Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University at Long Beach. Unfortunately, most people reach for calorie-laden treats instead of an apple or banana. Beat it by: Identifying your low-energy times of day and substituting other activities for eating. Take a 10-minute walk or a water-cooler chat break.

Tomorrow I will begin to list some of the things that have helped me. Perhaps you will have more suggestions to add to the list. Let's support each other with ideas that come those of us who have 'been there and done that'.