It's A New Day! to be Fit and Trim

[sandytn]

I'm late, I'm Late!! There have been a lot of posts since Wednesday afternoon. My husband and I took a short trip to Biltmore House in Asheville, NC and then spent the night in Cherokee, NC last night so I did not weight this morning. I did weigh yesterday morning (twice) because I did not believe the scales the first time but it said the same thing the second time. The scales showed I had lost 6 pounds since last Friday. I hope that is true but I am going to weight again tomorrow morning and go with whatever it says there. That is just too good to be true.

I did purchase a couple of pair of size 18 pants and they fit. I started this journey last November weighing 232 pounds and wearing a size 22. Like most of you it started with 10 or 15 after each child was born and then I stopped looking at the scales and I was healthy and did not go to the doctor. Took care of everyone else except me and ate whatever I wanted.

I did something on the trip I don't think I would have done a year ago. After hiking over 2 miles through the Biltmore gardens I got an ice cream cone. It was wonderful but I did not eat all of it. When I got full I threw the remainder away. Waste of good money but I did not force myself to eat more than I wanted. At dinner last night I left probably 3/4 of the food on my plate. If I had been home, I could have made three meals of it. I wasted food but when I was full I stopped. I ordered a salad for lunch today and ate about half of it.

I'll let you know what the scales say tomorrow morning. Sandy

[jbtaz36]

After reading some of these comments, I was surprised to find out about Splenda. I have been using that because I thought it was safe. So today I went to a health foods store and bought Stevia to use in my tea since I have given up soda. I have given up York peppermint patties. I don't buy cookies or chips. I rarely eat potatoes. I do eat bread in a sandwich now and then and I do have cheerios in the morning. But that is about it for carbs and I am having trouble losing any pounds. I walk the dog 30 minutes every day and he is a big dog and pulls me along. I think one of my problems is that I don't drink enough water and I need to cut down on my portions. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Judy in AZ

[jbtaz36]

Ladies, I wouldn't let a chlorine atom on the Splenda molecule bother me at all. If you eat anything containing salt, you are eating chlorine. Salt is NaCl, one atom of sodium bonded with one atom of chlorine. And just about everything we eat has salt in it.

Pat in Rockport, TX, who needs to finish packing to go to Georgia.

[jbtaz36]

Pat, my understanding is that it is different. They say it is closer to DDT than sugar. The company is being sued for their claims of being like sugar. Interesting conversation. I always love a point-counterpoint :lol:
EDIT.....Just googled and found lots of information. For instance, see article titled "Lethal Science of Splenda - A poisonous Chlorocarbon". It refers to being similar to the methylenechloride that I mentioned above (being removed from hairspray, but still used to decaffinate coffee).
Jan

[jbtaz36]

Lynn I feel for your cpap issues. I know you will feel a huge fig lift from your brain once the Dr.s get it adjusted just right. Every patient I have talked to has told me how different they feel with it. As far as the artificial sweetener debate goes; I have always said that they were bad for you. Even when I was little. I remember my mother argueing with me about drinking diet soda. I use to tell her anything that leaves that kind of taste in your mouth for that long can't be good for ya :!: She didn't think I was funny so I learned to enjoy water We were broke so we ate popcorn for snack and that was without butter. One more healthy thing I learned to live with. My problem lately is coffee and chocolate. I normally hate chocolate yet I am craving chocolate muffins :roll: :shock: and coffee is the only thing lately that takes my headaches away. :?: :idea: :?: I don't know why but it works. Rachel who is very sunburned from her walk yesterday ops:

[eileenkny]

Jan,
I don't see anything on the label of Maxwell House decaf. It says naturally decaffeinated. How do I find out if that chemical is used?
We also drink flavored decaf from a local coffee roaster-how do I find out about that?
eileenkny

[Margo]

After reading some of these comments, I was surprised to find out about Splenda. I have been using that because I thought it was safe. So today I went to a health foods store and bought Stevia to use in my tea since I have given up soda. I have given up York peppermint patties. I don't buy cookies or chips. I rarely eat potatoes. I do eat bread in a sandwich now and then and I do have cheerios in the morning. But that is about it for carbs and I am having trouble losing any pounds. I walk the dog 30 minutes every day and he is a big dog and pulls me along. I think one of my problems is that I don't drink enough water and I need to cut down on my portions. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Judy in AZ

Judy it sure sounds like you are on the right track! Drinking more water and cutting down on portions should help, and maybe walking the dog twice a day? He will probably love it!
There is only ONE WAY to loose weight. You have got to burn off more calories than you take in. I find that increasing my physical activity is what gets my metabolism going. Because I HATE EXERCISE as an activity, I try to get physical in other ways. I'm back to walking every day, and also park far away from the store when I'm shopping to add a few more steps. Going to the mall? Park at the opposite end from where you need to shop and walk in the cool air conditioned space! I'm also making an effort to do some out of the ordinary things around the house. Clean out a closet! Kill two birds with one stone mentality! Instead of going to DQ for a Blizzard (with Heath Bar chips!! :cry: ) I swept the driveway and deck. I'm also making an effort to only eat when I'm sitting at the table. No snacking by the stove, or in front of the TV or in the car! It's amazing how that cuts down on what goes in my mouth. I keep ice water with me all the time and really make an effort to drink it all day. (Love my Tervis Tumblers!)
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO IS MAKING THE EFFORT TO LOOSE SOME WEIGHT! Sandy has set a great example, and we can do this....one day at a time!

[eileenkny]

As far as eating is concerned, the weekend was a total washout. However, I participated in a Relay for Life. They gave us pedometers and I clocked over 5000 steps! Since 2000 is a mile, I feel pretty good about it.
They let us keep the pedometers, so I'm going to wear it around the house and try to get in more steps.
I'm back on track today, writing everything down.
eileenkny

[eileenkny]

Eileen: I don't think they have to list what is used to decafinate coffee. My understanding is that it will be a solvent of some sort, unless it states that something else was used.

Here's some info on the Splenda/chlorine issue. I found her article to be helpful.

What’s The Difference Between The Chlorine In Splenda And Chlorine Found In Natural Food? .: Ask Dr. Hull



What’s The Difference Between The Chlorine In Splenda And Chlorine Found In
Natural Food?Most chemicals produced in the laboratory using chlorine and carbon
(such as sucrose) are unknown to nature. Manmade chlorine resists normal
breakdown and can deposit (bioaccumulate) in both the environment and in animal
body fat. Synthetic chlorine and its byproducts are very slow to decompose. In
some cases, it may take years or decades to completely break down. Some chlorine
compounds actually become more toxic once unleashed in the environment.

Natural chlorine is not the same as Splenda’s man-made chlorine. With synthetic
versions of chlorine, you must be cautious because it is impossible to predict
all potential complications on human health. Natural chlorine found in foods
will not bioaccumulate in body fat, is not toxic, and it breaks down easier in
the body.

Chlorine found in minute amounts in nature helps your liver cleanse, while OSHA
has warned that synthetic forms of chlorine can burn your internal organs. For
example, a tomato is a natural food source of chlorine, but it contains no
manmade amounts of chlorine. A tomato contains many more minerals as well and,
unlike Splenda, its chlorine molecules have not been replaced with laboratory
halogens, as in Splenda. No molecules have been removed to prevent the chlorine
in the tomato from digesting (as in sucralose). Along with organic chlorine, a
tomato contains:
1. Sulphur
2. Potassium and sodium in combination
3. Phosphorus
4. Silicon (good for the skin)
5. Lycopene (cancer prevention)

Edible mushrooms do not contain manmade chlorine because the chemical damages
the network of their feathery mycelia, the “ribs” underneath the umbrellas.
These mycelia, often seen when turning over compost, are what the mushroom uses
to absorb food and maintain the required moisture to make it a “mushroom.” Most
growers supply a regular spray of “de-chlorinated” water on their yields to
achieve the perfect moisture conditions for growing.

As with most manmade replicas of natural elements, the body may be tricked into
thinking the chemical is natural. Once it attempts to “digest” it and tries to
harvest the chemical sweetener for food-nutrients, the manmade chemicals soon
turn from totally “harmless” (as the manufacturers claim) to toxic.

Man still hasn’t learned that what we create in the lab isn't the same as Mother
Nature!



Jan

[eileenkny]

Some other points to ponder on the mystery of weight gain:

Of course, as Margo points out, gotta burn off those calories Darn! It's so much fun consuming them.

Sometimes there are other factors affecting our metabolism, so some dieting is just depriving ourself of necessary nutrition. And then there's the psychological factor of feeling deprived. I've seen many people fail on Weight Watcher's type regiments because they feel deprived, and eventually give up. I've read wonderful reports about the success of hypnotherapy to address issues of why we overeat, other than our body crying out for something that is missing.

To maintain "balance", it is wise to think of the Body/Mind/Spirit as one - when one is out of balance, the others will suffer.

Stress causes adrenal exhaustion, and excess cortisol release. This results in weight gain. I've used different substances to address this in the past......from a tincture for "adrenal support", to DGL, a form of licorice beneficial to adrenals.....to getting the correct amount of protein. At one point in my detoxification, I decided (all by my little lonesome), that I should become a vegetarian. It wasn't very long before my Naturopath exclaimed that my adrenals were WAY out of whack, and was I getting enough protein "and I mean MEAT" BUSTED! She still maintains that the sickest people she has seen in her practice are vegetarians. Some people can pull it off, but apparantly not many.

There's the hormone factor, too, ladies. Those get out of whack. There are ways to test - and balance those. I've given in to bio-identical estrogen from a compounding pharmacy (prescription from my Naturopath).

Don't forget the thyroid. This one is easy to become out of balance, too. I've taken kelp with success here.

AS ALWAYS.......find a practitioner to guide you on these!!!

One of my favorite analogies: If the water is running....into the sink.....the sink backs up....water fills and begins to overflow....onto the floor.......OH MY! DO YOU.........mop the floor, or turn off the faucet??????? The point is, get to the source of the symptom. Yes, often you still have some mopping to do, but it isn't always the best choice to pop a pill to cover a symptom....the underlying issue is still there, and will manifest itself in another way. It is our bodies' marvelous Created way of saying "HEY, there's something here I'd like you to pay attention to"

Enough for now? FEEL the love that this is shared with. I love and welcome all discussion. Even thoughtful disagreement encourages us to think.

HUGS
Jan

[Margo]

One of my favorite analogies: If the water is running....into the sink.....the sink backs up....water fills and begins to overflow....onto the floor.......OH MY! DO YOU.........mop the floor, or turn off the faucet??????? Jan

Love the quote, Jan!

[jbtaz36]

Thanks, Margo, for your thoughtful comments. I have been getting up really early to walk the dog, around 5, because it is soooooo hot later on in the day. I probably should take a longer walk in the evening rather than the short one to take care of his needs, but it has been over 100 in the evening and it wipes us both out. I know, more excuses. I do know that I am feeling better with the walking in the morning so that is a good thing, now am waiting for the pounds to start dropping. It is soooo frustrating to think that you have been good all day and can't wait to step on the scale in the morning and then to find out that you have gained a pound. Salt is a big factor in my life. I have been cooking without it for my DH sake. And if I have any, then my rings get tight on my fingers. Oh, well, one day at a time. Judy in AZ

[jbtaz36]

I don't know who wrote the article quoted above about chlorine, but they apparently never took basic chemistry. Chlorine is an element, an atom, and can't be manufactured. It's one of the basic elements in our bodies. You will notice that it's one of the things measured in blood tests, but referred to as chloride, and if you have too little or too much, it's not a good thing, but you do have to have some. There is way too much info out there that is not scientifically accurate, and is wildly misleading. Anything used in excess is harmful. Remember the young woman a while back that was trying to win an award from a radio show by drinking the most water, and she died? Even water, in too large a quantity, is a poison to us, whereas in smaller amounts it's not harmful. I tried stevia, but found it had an unpleasant aftertaste. I don't use aspartame (Nutrisweet), but do use a bit of Splenda in my Atkins stuff (but I don't eat 15 a day, too much of a good thing) and a bit of Sweet n Low in my tea. If you have symptoms when using a product, don't use it. It's good to listen to what your body tells you. But there are lots of us who are able to use things that others don't tolerate well. One size does not fit all. I have a distrust of herbal preparations because there's not a quantitative control on the active ingredients. The amount of psychoactive substance in preparations of St. John's Wort, for example, can vary widely, according to many factors--growing conditions, etc. Remember when you read something on the internet, it may or may not be true. Consider the source, and the depth of basic knowledge of the author.

Pat in Rockport, TX, who is really in Athens, GA, at DD's house.

[jbtaz36]

Thanks, Pat. Is the difference in that it is a Chlorocarbon? And/or that it is syntheticaly produced? See first referenced article. There are many listed references found upon Googling. I agree wholehartedly that not everything on the internet is completely accurate! I use my best discernment when reading and accumulating information, and don't just take one person's opinion/research. At the same time, I take heed of warnings of potential harm. If I can avoid it, I will.
Good discussion.
Jan

[QuilterLynn]

Pat, how is the weather in Athens? My DD is in Clarksville (not far) and I'm traveling out there on Friday for a visit and then up to Raleigh/Durham.
Lynn