CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Queue Trumpets! It's SUPERFOOD!

Thanks to Mona for forwarding this!

From Health Magazine... It's the SUPERFOODS! I love this. It's always good to know what's gonna give you an extra bonus, right? I mean, trust me, I'm not running out to eat sardines anytime soon but I could definitely stand to add a few more raspberries into my life...

Kiwi Fruit - About 70 milligrams of vitamin C, 20% more potassium than bananas and contains vitamin E
 
Mushrooms - Have tons of phytochemicals, natural compounds that may help prevent cancer.
 
Raspberries - Main source of ellagitannins, a type of antioxidant that may have anticancer effects.  Also a good source of vitamin K, which helps increase bone-mineral density, reducing yoru risk of fractures.  One cup of raspberries hs 8 grams of fiber.
 
Walnuts - Are brimming with alpha-linolenic acid, which helps prevent heart disease and may boost brain function, memory and mood. About 14 shelled walnut halves, provides 2.5 grams of omega-3s.  Add them to your salad, oatmeal or dry cereal.
 
Red Beans - Are higher than black beans in phytochemicals.  They also have three times the antioxidans of black beans and are the number one in antioxidants amont 100 foods recently ranked by the US dept of Agriculture.  Like all beans, they are high in gut-healthy, weight controlling fiber. Toss canned red beans with chopped celery and onions, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
 
Swiss Chard - Afabulous brain food, helpful in fighting Alzheimer's and improving mental function.  Also a good sourse of vitamin E and folate, nutirents believed to protect the brain.  Chop chard, and saute in olive ol.  Or add finely choppped Swiss chard to soups or omelets.
 
Sardines - A great source of vitamin D.  Toss chopped sardines with minced onion and Dijon mustard and spread on whole-grain crackers.  (OK - I think I'll stick to sunshine for my vitamin D!!)
 
Watermelon - One cup of juicy, sweet watermelon has more than twice the lycopene of a fresh tomato.  Lots of vitamins A and C and only 40 calories per cup!
Try tossing watermelon in a salad with feta cheese and arugula.  Sprinkle chile powder on chilled watermelon slices.
 
Pumpkinseeds - A good source of the amino acid tryptophan, a mood elevator.  Nature's healthy Prozac!  One ounce provides about 1/2 of your daily requirement of magnesium.  Toss them in any salad or soup!

Applause, Applause

Blog reader Michelle also had something to say regarding (and I am using her fabulous word here) "bazzoombas."

Excellent word. I shall add it to the vernacular.

Anyway, after reading my post on the matter, she pointed me to hers, which is genius:

http://emzeegee.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-need-to-get-this-off-my-chest.html

Portion Control is Your Friend

Here's a nifty little item for ya:

Get more info. on the Portion Pal here: http://www.delight.com/Amazing-PortionPals-Portion-Control-Mats?source=711NEWS. Thanks to Marni for the referral.

I think portion control is probably 50% of my problem 90% of the time. But God, when I am on one of my hunger tears, look out you family size bag o' chips - I'm coming at you with a passion.

That was the key with Jenny Craig, actually. You could eat these seemingly decadent meals but in controlled portion sizes, which is why it was okay. That said, the problem was after a while, you can only eat so much of the Jenny Craig Fajita pack" without wanting to gouge out your eyes with a plastic spoon.

This could be cool

So this could be cool to check out. I saw a commercial promoting it, believe it or not, during the Toronto/Orlando basketball game today. I think, in fact, it's some kind of promotion for State Farm insurance, but it doesnt cost anything and from what I gather, you just sign up, sign in, and keep track of the weight you drop. Clearly, the goal is for the nation to shed 50 million pounds and fight obesity and all its consequences (heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) -- why not?

http://www.50millionpounds.com

Answer me this...

Curious... Anyone ever done one of those diets where you pay a fortune and they bring you pre-packaged and cooked meals for youy day or week to your door?

I just saw a commercial for eDiets.com's new program like this and it made me curious is all. I could never afford to do something like that but I was just curious if the food is any good, if it's really useful...?

I Call Bullshit

Well, here's a heaping pile of horse dung if I ever saw one:

http://www.eatallyouwantandstillloseweight.com/

What a catchy URL, by the way. Morons.

MUFA

Okay, so here's one from a reader that I had to look into. I mean, someone tells you you can just eat more FAT and lose weight and you're like "say WHAT, homey?" So here I am on the Google:

Of course, let's not get crazy - you can't just pig out on the doughnuts and porkchops (and EW - if you ARE, we should talk) so here's some references I found on this "MUFA" diet if you are interested:

http://www.xomba.com/truth_about_mufa_diet_why_is_it_so_effective

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/reprint/dc06-2220v1.pdf

http://thenewsleak.com/2008/01/02/mufa-diet/

Let me know what you think.

Any by the way, kids, if anyone IS losing weight eating porkchops and doughnuts, shoot me a message. THAT Would be something to write about.

Looks Promising

I got an e-mail about this and I gave it a look. I mean, as far as aesthetics go, it looks clean, user-friendly, sort of quirky and hip... It remains to be seen if it's useful but I certainly love the idea of it.

http://www.diettv.com/

This paragraph is what sold me. It's a sales pitch but that doesn't mean they don't have a good idea:

Let's change the way the world thinks about dieting. We think of a DIET as a fresh start, empowerment, a plan for preventative health care and also peace of mind. We aren't selling any weight loss gimmicks. We're simply applauding your courage and determination to make yourself healthier and happier, one pound at a time.

BBW

“Feeling fat is worse than being fat!”

-Geneen Roth

Thank you to “K8-EEE” for that marvelous quote. I really like that.

What makes YOU feel fat? How often do you say to yourself or out loud, “Shit, I feel sooooo fat.” How often do you hear someone else say that? How often is that person skinny?

Just some food for thought. Pun intended.

I learned a new internet acronym this month. “BBW.” Have you heard this? I guess it’s for “Big Beautiful Woman.” I saw it on a dating website as in “no BBW’s please” and then again as “BBW’s welcome. Size not important.” I pretty much figured out what it meant on my own but had a friend explain it to me anyway.

I don’t know if I am a BBW. It’s not clearly defined. It’s not a “real” word, after all. I mean, there’s a page for it on Wikipedia and as much as I love me the Wikipedia, even they can’t help. Although they do mention “SSBBW,” the “super sized” version, which is over a size 26. “According to who?” I wonder.

So is BBW someone who shops in a plus size department? I guess that would make sense to me. But what is plus sized? Plus sized models are usually sizes 10 or 12. But plus sized clothes usually begin at 14W or 16W – and I happen to think they shouldn’t start til size 18, by the way.

And for the record, I’ve come to realize that BBW is really just a euphemism for “fat.” I mean, isn’t it? A more P.C. way to say overweight, right? Like “curvy” or “voluptuous.” These are the words girls on match.com and Craigslist use to make it clear they are not skinny without being forced to admit they are overweight.

Like it’s something to be ashamed of.

Look, we all have our problems. I am ashamed of the fact that I have struggled to quit smoking and have hid that from various friends. I am ashamed of the fact that when I was at my senior prom, I made out with my friend’s date (story for another time). But I am not ashamed of my size. I am frustrated with it, I am working on it and I am progressing. But shame is such a depressing, morbid, horrible emotion that makes me feel embarrassed and disgusted, even repulsed. And I don’t think anyone with a problem that they often cannot control should feel ashamed. Especially when said person is trying to rise above it.

Really, I am just rambling here. But I hope I made some sense along the way.

Truth in Adverstising?

I don't know about you guys but this ad makes me wanna JUMP on the bandwagon...

Serious inquiries only, though, guys. I mean, if you only want to casually sing up for a weightloss fad, don't even bother.

The ad is scaring me. Particularly when she blows back up.