How to Reward Good Behavior

This is from the Lifestyles Change Strategies - Strategy #3

How to reward good behavior
Can you imagine working for a boss who:

- Notices every mistake you make
-Reminds you of these mistakes at every opportunity
- Belittles you, points out your faults, and minimizes achievement whenever you start to
feel good about yourself
- Never acknowledges what you do right with so much as a kind word or small reward

Ironically, the job I was let go from did just that. It was a very toxic environment and I am glad to be gone.

Anytime something traumatic happens in your life, you always question if it was you or not. This mental therapy has been going on for over a year. (The job market sucks here in Michigan). So until I get a new job, I will probably still question myself even though I do not truly believe it.

As for the weight loss...it is a slow process. I reward myself too often and it is inhibiting my goals. I have a bunch of new friends to hang out with and all we have done so far is eat and drink! Believe it or not, I am limiting that. But obviously not enough. I will be taking the rest of this week to develop a new strategy of my own.

March 1st, here I come!

Anti V-Day

Do not look to this blog for gushy, heart-felt feelings. I'm a bit of an Anti V-Day snob this year. Well actually the last few years. Why you ask? Because the "love" feeling I once had was ripped from my heart. It was the most painful experience I have ever gone through. And I am still going through it. I question whether I was good enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough. I question why me? What did I do to deserve this? I did not do anything wrong.

The heart is the most resilient muscle. It holds the most emotion and can easily break but bounces back to love again. I'm just waiting for my turn.

Becoming a Skinny Bitch

I recently picked up Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. While I have never claimed to be a vegetarian, I can go several days without eating meat. I do not crave meat. After reading this book, it most certainly is going to make me go full vegetarian. I'm not sure about going vegan although the claims regarding dairy products I find quite interesting and I plan on researching it to find out if it is true. Looking back to prehistoric times, there were no processed foods. You killed and gathered what you needed. As a society we have become lazier and like to purchase in bulk. To purchase in bulk and not have it go bad, the foods need to be preserved. Is there really a link to the preservatives and modern diseases? You would hope that the FDA and the USDA would have our best interests in mind. According to the book, all the agencies are in cahoots with the farming and food processors. While I am not sure about the benefits or disadvantages of animal by-products, I do disagree with the treatment of animals prior to be slaughtered. Politics seem to play into everything and it is a little discouraging that these politicians can not seem to focus on important issues. The public health and safety should be first. Not where and when they are going on vacation/holiday (Congress). Seriously... I have ordered my free vegetarian starter kit from www.goveg.com. There is a disturbing video of animal cruelty on the site. I can not bring myself to watch it. Yes, I eat , and but I do not think any living being should be tortured that did nothing wrong. I am one to research everything before delving in. I know that pop, either diet or regular, is bad for you. I have been a diet pop drinker for years. I love me a big fountain pop! However, the book claims that there is a deadly acid in pop. I have to research this more but I am phasing pop out. Start small and work your way on to a Skinny Bitch!

5 Things To Do Instead of Eating

Here is a list of things to do to keep your hands busy so as not to start snacking. Sometimes when I'm bored or just mindlessly watching TV or hanging around the house with nothing to do, I'll snack.

1. Knit! - Or crochet. It is a hot craft and if you have yarn and needles in your hands you can not eat mindlessly. You would have to make a conscious effort to put down your project to pick up food. Honestly, today all I had was coffee until about 2 pm. I know that's not good either BUT I did not snack.
2. Exercise! - Who can exercise and eat at the same time? Don't answer that or try it. I'm sure it is possible but why would you want to?
3. Clean! - Seriously, we have to do it. We may not like it. But it is necessary unless you want Clean House and Niecey Nash coming to visit you.
4. Take a nap! - Yay naps! Love them. Wish I could do it everyday. And those kids who refuse to take a nap now? Tell them you wish you could be as lucky as they are.They still won't appreciate it but it's worth a try.
5. Pamper yourself! - That's right. Try a facial mask. Who is going to eat when you have crap all over your face? Of course, that is assuming the facial mask is not homemade from oatmeal and sugar and taste like a cookie.

Now, get off the couch and stop eating!

Healthy Body Water Percentage Chart

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13909.asp   Low Carb Site Lisa Shea BellaOnline's Low Carb Editor Healthy Body Water Percentage Chart Water is critical to life! This healthy body water percentage chart will help you determine if you have enough water in your system. Many scales will tell you this value in seconds. Because your fat in your body has a lot of water in it, you have to first know how much fat you have in your body before you can then figure out what your healthy water content is. That is, if you say have 33% fat in your body, then you only need another 37% of water alone, because you have water in the fat. The scales don't count "fat water" as water, otherwise your numbers would get very confusing :) Luckily, every scale that I've seen that measures water also measures fat, at the same time! Female Body Water Chart Body Fat % Body Water % 4-20% 58-70% 21-29% 52-58% 30-32% 49-52% 33%+ 37-49% Male Body Water Chart Body Fat % Body Water % 4-14% 63-70% 15-21% 57-63% 22-24% 55-57% 25%+ 37-55% So the key here is that as you lose fat, you need to have more water in your system to compensate. Your body will tend to do this naturally for you. That is part of why it's key, as part of any healthy diet, to drink a lot of water. You should never "lose weight" by losing water. That can cause dehydration issues, which can be quite serious! NOTE: One of my visitors feels that fat is only 10% water while other parts of your body might be 70% water. Yes certainly an eyeball might be mostly water while a fat cell might contain mostly fat and only some water. Still, it is important to remember that there is water / liquid in pretty much every single cell in the body in some percentage. You want to have that water in your body to help relay chemicals and nutrients back and forth. Never try to "stop drinking water" to lose weight. Quite the opposite. The more water you drink, the more your body pees out any excess and has the most optimal metabolism it can to lose weight.

Scale Stats

Well this is disappointing. No change in a month: December 21, 2009 Fat %: 48.9 Water %: 40.8 Muscle Mass %: 28.7 BMI: 34.9 Calories needed daily to maintain: 1661 January 27, 2010 Fat %: 48.9 Water %: 40.9 Muscle Mass %: 28.7 BMI: 35.1 Calories needed daily to maintain: 1663 Normal healthy range (according to the scale manufacturer) Fat 22-32% (whoa) Water 50% (clearly not getting enough water) Weight 110-140 ish (huh) BMI 18.6 - 24.9 (oh my) I really don't understand how the scale gets all this info from my feet. Anyway, I need a new strategy. The little is getting the best of me right now. Grrrrr....

What Sexy Means to Me

According to Merriam-Webster: Main Entry: sexy Pronunciation: \ˈsek-sçFunction: adjective Inflected Form(s): sex·i·er; sex·i·est Date: 1925 1 : sexually suggestive or stimulating : erotic 2 : generally attractive or interesting : appealing I think anyone can be sexy. Sexy comes from feeling confident in who you are right now. Not waiting until you get to that magical goal weight. Think of how you feel when you lose 5 pounds. Your confidence increases and is expressed by how you talk and dress and in your mannerisms. I am still battling with my inner but I feel sexier than I ever have!