posted November 23, 2004 09:52 AM         

I am.

posted November 23, 2004 11:19 AM         

I quit smoking in 2001 and gained 40 pounds!!! I've lost most of it... since I've started smoking again I still have 15-20 to go.

15-20 might not seem like much to some people, but when you take into account that I'm only 5'1" tall, 15-20 pounds doesn't have a whole lot of places to go.

Doesn't help that I looooooove sweets so much.

I was thinking about starting some kind of exercise program. The only problem with that is i HATE to sweat

Beyonce by this summer? Well, I could loose a few pounds, but I'll never be Beyonce. She's beyond beautiful.

posted November 23, 2004 12:11 PM         

Well, low carb always worked pretty good for
me. I lose weight fairly speedy, have more
energy, and my PMS cramps are ceased. But
remember, I have a 2 year old, and he can't go low carbing with me (that lil' Gemini moon has him skinny winny as is LoL) so I have to keep carbs in the house for him making it nearly impossible to stick to low carb because of my non existent willpower.

posted November 23, 2004 12:37 PM         

Here's what I have discovered. As much as people think they are attracted to looks, they are really attracted to attitude, such as the way you carry yourself. If you are overweight and walk with your head down, then yeah people are going to focus on your weight.

posted November 23, 2004 12:52 PM         

I weigh about 150 (give or take a few pounds depending the time of the month ). Before kids I was about 125, a year after kids 130. (Keep in mind that I am VERY short.) At 130 I was between an 8 and a 9. Now at 150 I'm between a 12 and 13. I don't really care so much about being an 8 again (although it would be nice.) I'd like to get down to about a 10. That would be fine with me.

posted November 23, 2004 01:22 PM         

Why are you guys so sweet?

posted November 23, 2004 02:46 PM         

Sooo...

A dramatic change in your lifestyle would be the best choice. Dramatic as far as you stop all the sweets for a while, turn your attention to veggies and fruit, reduce diary, meat and eliminate processed food from your menu.

After you 'shock' your metabolism with the new regime and start exercising you can allow yourself little treats from time to time.

The biggest change that you have to make is to change your current mindset. You have to be prepared and take the challenge of losing weight. You have to change the way you look at yourself.

Never forget that it is you who has full control over your body and you can you WHATEVER you want, just need to believe in your abilities a little more.

posted November 23, 2004 03:22 PM         

1. It is extremely important that one drinks a lot of water daily. You must drink at least 64 ounces water a day.

2. You will have to eliminate all the fruit juices, sodas, all kinds of soft drinks from your menu. The only juices that are healthy are the freshly squeezed ones that you make in your own juicer.

posted November 23, 2004 03:46 PM         

I heard you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day.

So... I weigh 150, I should drink 75oz. a day.

(which I don't )

Sounds good to me, Yin
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I would like to add a little something, come to think of it. I'd like to address the whole low carb thing.

Personally, I think it's very dangerous, especially if you're replacing fats for carbohydrates.

Cutting sugar from your diet is an excellent choice. And... if you really wanna cut complex carbs, hell ... go for it, BUT keep the fruits and veggies.

The *detox* phase of the Atkins diet requires you only take in 20 grams of carbs a day.

To me, this is insanity. ONE serving size of broccoli has 13 grams of carbs. You can't eat even two servings of veggies a day. That is not healthy.

Any diet that requires vitamin supplements because it doesn't allow you to receive those vitamins from your food is very dangerous, IMnot-soHO.

Also, high protein diets can cause kidney stones. I had one once. No cake walk.

It is not know if a heart attack actually caused the fall that killed Atkins. Although, it is known that he DID have a heart attack in April of 2002. If this diet is so safe, why did it's discover-er have heart troubles?

posted November 23, 2004 04:20 PM         

it dissolves everything that goes into you...so you dont put on weight.

also chew food properly...thats really important

and lastly, just done put any sh*t into your mouth.

posted November 23, 2004 04:46 PM         

BUT... lots of people cannot afford organic produce. Some may do their own veggie garden or even have orchards but the majority rely on supermarket food.

That is why I believe extra vitamins and minerals are an integral part of your daily intake. And although I am not on a strict diet right now I take freeze dried vegetables every day. I believe them to have cured me from my vertigo that the doctors weren't able to determine the cause of.

Now I think it was a vitamin deficiency that I'm overcoming with the freeze dried veggies. See, I don't know what vitamins I was lacking. The freeze dried veggies were a shot in the dark. And they worked, thank God!!!

posted November 23, 2004 04:53 PM         

Another important point to be maid is hmm... there is no pretty way to approach this so I'l just say it straight up

It is important that you do number 2 at least once a day. If your diet is balanced you should do number 2 after every big meal - sometimes 2-3-4 times a day.

That will mean you are getting rid of the toxins and all the sludge in your intestines that your body doesn't need anymore.
Here is a quote from one natural healer:

quote:

---

The entire colon is so big that it is connected to, touches, sits next to or is in the vicinity of every major organ in the human body except the brain. It also touches most of your major blood vessels and nerves. Constipation causes the colon to literally swell, expand and even herniate. And according to the leading medical books, it is happening to all of us. So when an area of the colon gets constipated and swells, it compresses and crushes the organ next to it. This could be the lungs, the heart, the liver and gallbladder, the pancreas, the kidneys and adrenals, the uterus, the prostate, again, almost every major organ in the body. This is simply why a constipated, swollen colon can cause an almost endless amount of seemingly unrelated diseases and problems. And I haven’t even discussed toxic build-up in the colon that literally oozes into your blood and infects and poisons not just the nearby organs, but every organ and every cell in the body.

What's the bottom line? A sluggish, constipated, swollen bowel, retaining pounds of old fecal matter can either compress a nearby area causing disease, or emit infection and toxins which can affect and infect any area of the body. This explains why about 80% of my patients that came into my clinic healed their heart problems, blood pressure problems, breathing problems, blood sugar problems, hormone imbalance problems, fertility problems, liver problems, cholesterol problems, immune problems, urinary problems, adrenal and lack of energy problems, prostate problems, digestive problems, lower back problems, leg circulation and nerve problems. The list is almost endless. They healed themselves by cleaning out their colons before I ever did any specialized treatment for their problem. This explains why so many of my patients healed their almost infinite list of problems by doing my Intestinal Detoxification Program.

---

Beware of using commercial laxatives though. I need to do more research on them but from what I"ve read so far they should generally be avoided!

posted November 23, 2004 05:38 PM         

I guess i dont understand why losing weight boggles people. Its pretty simple. Eat less, move more. Besides the losing weight part, exercise does WONDERS for one's mental state. Try to eat food in its most natural state. Avoid processed foods. And the only way to "change" ones given metabolism is to exercise.
I wish wish wish there was some "magic secret" to make all the weight go away. Trust me, if I knew it, I would share. I am not trying to belittle anyone by making these statements. I too have struggled with weight all my life, mainly because the discipline to follow the "eat less move more" doctrine is challenging. But it takes more than 2 months to gain the extra weight, and its going to take longer to get it off.
I have always been healthy and strong, but when you are living in a society that places such importance on a strict standard of beauty...well, we all know how it feels when you deviate from the norm.

The hell with the norm, I say.

I have tons more endurance than my skinny friends, I can work 14 hours a day carrying loads that weigh 75 to 80 lbs. I am healthy. I try to eat good food because my body likes it, not because i am counting every calorie. I go for walks because i love being outside, not because i feel i have to, to lose weight.

My worth as a person is not lessened just because my "size" is greater.

posted November 23, 2004 09:33 PM         

IMO, you dont "find" the mental state. You start consciously choosing what you eat, how you think, and making the choice to go on that walk... even if your favorite TV show is on, or if that bag of Doritos is making eyes at you from the cupboard.

That is when you Find that mental state. I dont think a person can have a healthy mind if the body is polluted. Mind/body are one and the same.

But, as a disclaimer... look, I too despise the people who get on a soapbox and expound some great wisdom. i am not trying to do that. But everything that i had read, everything i knew as fact, I ignored for many many years. Something just clicked.

But let me say, it IS wicked hard to start.
I used to smoke 2 packs of cigs a day. I drank about 6-8 Mountain Dews a day. I stayed up all night, slept til midaft, never really did exercise. Oddly, i was still kinda healthy, but mentally i was shite.

in 6 months i quite the Dew, quit taking sleeping pills to sleep, down to less than a pack a day (yeah, thats the next goal) i get up in the mornings, sleep normally, i eat NO fast food, no candy no chips, and i try to hike every day.

no, it wasnt easy. yes, i still lose the mental state.. alot. but i still try, every day.

posted November 24, 2004 01:09 AM         

Hmm, Yin, about what you said about eliminating fruit juices unless you make them in your own fruit juicer. I'm a Floridian, my breakfast is usually a glass of orange juice. I don't see any harm in it at all, more beneficial than anything. Here's some things it says on my Tropicana 'Pure Premium' carton:

100% Juice
Naturally fat-free, cholestoral-free, and sodium-free
Lots of terrific stuff like potassium, 120% Vitamin C, calcium, vitamin D, etc.
22g of sugar, but it's all natural fruit sugars.

So, yep, just defending my beloved orange juice =).

I try to drink a lot of water. I'm lucky, I'm one of those abnormal-unholy people who hates soda and loves cold ice water.

Moonbaby, does the vinegar thing really work? Eck, too bad for me, I can't stand any type of vinegar, balsamic, apple cider.

I agree with MK about the exercise thing. I get it from school, keeps me running around a climbing stairs all day.

Thing that sucks about school though is that I pretty much can't eat lunch there. I mean, it's ridiculous, there's posters everywhere declaring that you have to eat healthy, and then they serve pizza, fries, and burgers everyday. Your only other alternatives are the vending machines, which are just as unhealthy, and free lunch, which is pretty disgusting. Bleh, I just eat when I get home.

posted November 24, 2004 08:24 AM         

However, I shall proceed with this discussion
when I'm done with all my fat chewing

posted November 24, 2004 11:18 AM         

I think you misunderstand me, though. My family and I take vitamins everyday (I also take an extra B complex and calcium). My point about vitamins and the low carb thing was this:

A person on a regular diet (for lack of a better word) *could* be healthy without the assistance of extra supplements. A person on a low carb diet (especially if only 15% of the normal vitamins and minerals are present in the veggies they eat) cannot be healthy without supplements. That, to me, is a huge warning flag. The idea that there are only 15% of the vitamins and minerals present in the grocery store's produce really only compounds the issues that low carbing could bring on.

Low calcium levels can cause: Brittle nails, cramps, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, osteoporosis, palpitations, periodontal disease, rickets, tooth decay.

Low potassium levels can cause: Acne, constipation, depression, edema, excessive water consumption, fatigue, glucose intolerance, high cholesterol levels, insomnia, mental impairment (I've seen this personally in my hubby's Grandma. She didn't know any of our names. She thought her dead son was still alive... all because she didn't have enough potassium in her system ), muscle weakness, nervousness, poor reflexes.

Low Vitamin C: Scurvy (spongy bleeding gums, extreme weakness, and bleeding under the skin), depression, easy bruising, impaired wound healing, irritability, joint pains, loose teeth, malaise, tiredness.