Okay now I am a little annoyed...I just typed my whole blog and it didn't post. So now you're going to get the coles note version.
I have been delinqent in my blogging -sorry but life has gotten in the way.
Here is an article that my friend found that I thought I would share with you:
This was in MacLean's Magazine.
A magic calorie ride
Overeating, studies show, is fuelled by the same brain mechanisms that drive addiction to drugs like heroin
Bob, an office supervisor in Toronto, considers himself an addict. But the substance he's prone to abusing isn't drugs or alcohol - it's food. "I would gorge on Raisinets, pizza, anything that I could get in quantity," says Bob, 60, who asked that his last name not be used. He ran up a $4,000 Visa bill, almost all of it on food. Eating as a stress release, "I averaged about 15,000 calories a day." He weighed 336 lb. at his heaviest. "I'm no scientist, but I think it's an addiction," he says. "When I read about how a drug addict behaves, my response is the same to food."
The term "food addiction" is controversial, but recent studies have shown that high-calorie foods engage the same regions of the brain as drugs like heroin and cocaine. Over time, scientists say, a high-fat diet can impair the brain's pleasure centres like those drugs do, encouraging ever-larger binges and making it harder to quit. Remarkably, a mother's diet might even hard-wire her baby for obesity later on in life. "It's too early to call it food addiction," says Teresa Reyes of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who studies how the brain adapts to changes in diet. "But there is absolutely increasing evidence showing that the brain responds to high-sucrose, high-fat diets in a very similar way that it responds to drugs of abuse."
Lifestyle TV: Rewire your brain for easier weight loss
At the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference in November, Reyes presented her latest work: mice that were fed a high-fat diet for a long period of time, she found, showed changes in parts of their brains associated with pleasure and reward. Just like cocaine or heroin, unhealthy foods seem to trigger the brain's pleasure centres, eventually desensitizing them. It becomes a vicious cycle. "To reach the same level of reward, the person needs to eat more rewarding food," Reyes says. "It's very similar to what happens in chronic drug abuse." (This data is now under review before publication.)
Overeating, it seems, might also spark certain changes in the brain that make people behave more impulsively. Yale University's Dana Small and Eric Stice of the Oregon Research Institute looked into this by feeding subjects a milkshake and checking on their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Overweight and obese people, they found, had less activity in a part of the brain called the caudate nucleus (which is linked to impulsivity) than normal-weight people. This effect was especially strong in adults with a genetic variation that puts them at a higher risk of becoming obese.
What are your thoughts? Please feel free to share.
Go FAT Chick's..........
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Jan 14,2011
I've been delinquent in my blogging - sorry. My life has started to get busy again so I am NOT going to blog everyday but promise to do it at least once a week.
I start my new job next week and hopefully start my new eating plan. Depends on what we can afford. On the flip side I did design my menus and decided that I would use the special K website to help me.
I did promise to post my menus you will find my 7 day plan below. There are a few things you need to know breads and pastas are whole wheat (WW), fruits and veggies are 1 - 2 cup servings with salads being about a 3 cup serving, dairy products are the low fat, with milk being 1%, pasta is a 1 cup serving. If you visit the Special K website you can find the recipes to the meals. Some I may have tweaked to my families tastes. I plan to serve my family the same meals except when there is a lean cuisine meal. B= breakfast, L=lunch, D= Dinner S=snacks.
Monday
B = Special K cereal with 1% milk, orange
L= Black Bean, corn and couscous salad, apple, yogurt
D= Grilled Chicken (boneless skinless), green salad and dressing
S= Graham Crackers, goat cheese, grapes
Tuesday
B= Special K, 1% milk, banana
L= Tuna Sandwich (WW and mayo), celery, apple, yogurt
D=Lean Cuisine, Carrots
S= yogurt, Rice Crispy Square
Wednesday
B=Special K Cereal, 1% Milk, apple
L= Turkey Sandwich (WW, Honey mustard),grape tomatoes, Celery, Carrots, yogurt, orange
D= Open face Roast Beef Sandwich, salad
S=Cheese cubes, Crackers, 1% milk
Thursday
B= Special K, 1% milk, banana
L= Spinach, walnut and goat cheese salad, yogurt, apple, Melba toast
D= BBQ Steak, Salad
S= Yogurt Parfait, Rice Crispy Square
Friday
B= Special K, 1% milk, orange
L= Tuna Sandwich, (WW, Mayo), grape tomatoes, apple yogurt
D= Lean Cuisine, salad, 1% milk
S= hot chocolate, popcorn
Saturday
B= Special K cereal, 1% milk, apple
L= Veggie Omelet, orange, tomato slices, yogurt
D= Dine out
S= Yogurt, banana
Sunday
B= Special K cereal, 1% milk, banana
L= Crunchy Chicken Wrap, veggies and dip, apple, yogurt
D= Sunday family dinner (roastbeef, chicken, ham,), sweet potato wedges, broccoli
S= Rice Crispy Square 1% milk
Everything is portion controlled and I will allow myself to eat veggies or a fruit if I get hungry and of course I will be drinking my water.
My new eating plan is all that much more important as my mom is now a diabetic - she is on pills. This scares me as I am sure I will either develop type 2 diabetes or end up being a diabetic as well if I don't make the necessary changes NOW.
I am really tired of being a FAT Chick and just want to be healthier and happier me.
So remember NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD ASTHIN HEALTHY FEELS.....
So FAT Chicks we are what we eat so let's start making better choices and start getting mobile.
Small steps with achievable goals will help us go the distance - Go FAT Chicks....
I start my new job next week and hopefully start my new eating plan. Depends on what we can afford. On the flip side I did design my menus and decided that I would use the special K website to help me.
I did promise to post my menus you will find my 7 day plan below. There are a few things you need to know breads and pastas are whole wheat (WW), fruits and veggies are 1 - 2 cup servings with salads being about a 3 cup serving, dairy products are the low fat, with milk being 1%, pasta is a 1 cup serving. If you visit the Special K website you can find the recipes to the meals. Some I may have tweaked to my families tastes. I plan to serve my family the same meals except when there is a lean cuisine meal. B= breakfast, L=lunch, D= Dinner S=snacks.
Monday
B = Special K cereal with 1% milk, orange
L= Black Bean, corn and couscous salad, apple, yogurt
D= Grilled Chicken (boneless skinless), green salad and dressing
S= Graham Crackers, goat cheese, grapes
Tuesday
B= Special K, 1% milk, banana
L= Tuna Sandwich (WW and mayo), celery, apple, yogurt
D=Lean Cuisine, Carrots
S= yogurt, Rice Crispy Square
Wednesday
B=Special K Cereal, 1% Milk, apple
L= Turkey Sandwich (WW, Honey mustard),grape tomatoes, Celery, Carrots, yogurt, orange
D= Open face Roast Beef Sandwich, salad
S=Cheese cubes, Crackers, 1% milk
Thursday
B= Special K, 1% milk, banana
L= Spinach, walnut and goat cheese salad, yogurt, apple, Melba toast
D= BBQ Steak, Salad
S= Yogurt Parfait, Rice Crispy Square
Friday
B= Special K, 1% milk, orange
L= Tuna Sandwich, (WW, Mayo), grape tomatoes, apple yogurt
D= Lean Cuisine, salad, 1% milk
S= hot chocolate, popcorn
Saturday
B= Special K cereal, 1% milk, apple
L= Veggie Omelet, orange, tomato slices, yogurt
D= Dine out
S= Yogurt, banana
Sunday
B= Special K cereal, 1% milk, banana
L= Crunchy Chicken Wrap, veggies and dip, apple, yogurt
D= Sunday family dinner (roastbeef, chicken, ham,), sweet potato wedges, broccoli
S= Rice Crispy Square 1% milk
Everything is portion controlled and I will allow myself to eat veggies or a fruit if I get hungry and of course I will be drinking my water.
My new eating plan is all that much more important as my mom is now a diabetic - she is on pills. This scares me as I am sure I will either develop type 2 diabetes or end up being a diabetic as well if I don't make the necessary changes NOW.
I am really tired of being a FAT Chick and just want to be healthier and happier me.
So remember NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS
So FAT Chicks we are what we eat so let's start making better choices and start getting mobile.
Small steps with achievable goals will help us go the distance - Go FAT Chicks....
Monday, January 10, 2011
Jan 10 2011
I haven't blogged in a couple of days - I really didn't feel like it. I am disappointed in myself for not going to ZUMBA. I was just too lazy, and didn't feel like it.
Food and water has been okay not great but okay. Made my share of mistakes and have every intention of getting on track.
Seems that life is getting in the way. My emotions are getting in the way and I need to find a more productive way of dealing with it.
As I type this blog I am resisting the urge to go and heat up some pizza and eat it. I am not sure why I am wanting to eat but know that the urge was there. The only way that I know how to deal with this is by going to bed.
How do you deal with these urges to eat when your not hungry or when the emotions become too much that the only way to deal with it is to eat.....
I want out of this vicious circle and need to get out but, I am struggling. I watch all these shows where FAT people get help and wonder why that can't be me - getting help for FREE? Some how it doesn't seem fair.
Sigh, all I can do is try my very best and hope for a positive outcome.
Wish I had someone to meet up with for walks and/or ZUMBA.
Will try and post my menus tomorrow.
Hope you all are doing well and that you had successes over this weekend.
Let's go FAT Chicks....we can do this.
Food and water has been okay not great but okay. Made my share of mistakes and have every intention of getting on track.
Seems that life is getting in the way. My emotions are getting in the way and I need to find a more productive way of dealing with it.
As I type this blog I am resisting the urge to go and heat up some pizza and eat it. I am not sure why I am wanting to eat but know that the urge was there. The only way that I know how to deal with this is by going to bed.
How do you deal with these urges to eat when your not hungry or when the emotions become too much that the only way to deal with it is to eat.....
I want out of this vicious circle and need to get out but, I am struggling. I watch all these shows where FAT people get help and wonder why that can't be me - getting help for FREE? Some how it doesn't seem fair.
Sigh, all I can do is try my very best and hope for a positive outcome.
Wish I had someone to meet up with for walks and/or ZUMBA.
Will try and post my menus tomorrow.
Hope you all are doing well and that you had successes over this weekend.
Let's go FAT Chicks....we can do this.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Jan 7 2011
Whew what a day. Accomplished a lot at home today. Now my back is really sore - all well maybe I burned some calories. I really didn't drink enough water today - good news is that I didn't drink any pop either. I will focus my energies on myself tomorrow and the laundry and errands of course.
Been feeling upbeat today for a change.... :).
I am going to try and get to Zumba tomorrow....should be fun. I didn't find anyone that could go with me tomorrow. I don't like to try new things without someone to share it with. I asked my Hubby to go and he said no thanks. Nice support. I was really hoping we could go together. I guess you could say that I am disappointed in him. Ah well I am sure that is a whole other blog in itself.
Menus are done but, I will post them tomorrow. Too tired today.
Sorry not much of a blog but hope that all of you had successful days. My next challenge is to increase my veggie and fruit intake.
Let's go FAT Chicks......til tomorrow
Been feeling upbeat today for a change.... :).
I am going to try and get to Zumba tomorrow....should be fun. I didn't find anyone that could go with me tomorrow. I don't like to try new things without someone to share it with. I asked my Hubby to go and he said no thanks. Nice support. I was really hoping we could go together. I guess you could say that I am disappointed in him. Ah well I am sure that is a whole other blog in itself.
Menus are done but, I will post them tomorrow. Too tired today.
Sorry not much of a blog but hope that all of you had successful days. My next challenge is to increase my veggie and fruit intake.
Let's go FAT Chicks......til tomorrow
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Jan 6 2011
Well today has been a busy day and a bit stressful for me. I didn't drink all my water today but I will endeavor to get back on track tomorrow, I read my horoscope last night and this is what it said:
The first month or two of this year require that you be more diligent with financial matters and with adhering to your new vision of yourself. It takes time to develop good habits, just as bad habits take time to develop. But if you stick with your ideals for your life in 2011, you'll be successful beyond your wildest dreams. Starting now, the life you live will become easier and easier. Keep your goals in mind and create a checklist of ways to keep things going in the right direction. By doing so, you'll remain mindful of what you need to do. Aim for success, and you'll reach your target.
How ironic is that? LOL. I hope it is true.
I plan to seek out ZUMBA classes and start attending them on a regular basis. The hard part is finding someone to go with me. I have a friend who will go with me every other Saturday so I will thank her for coming with me and hope that I really like it. I need to get off my FAT ass and get moving again.
My menu planning came to a stand still today due to the fact that I was deChristmasing my home today. I am having a hard time planning affordable family meals so I may end up getting myself some lean cuisine to eat on the nights I can not eat what they are having. Tomorrow I will be rearranging my living and dining room to accommodate my soon to be grandsons playpen and high chair. .
I hope all of you will had a successful day and that you remembered to pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments big and/or small.
Here is to a successful tomorrow - FAT Chick Power Rules....
The first month or two of this year require that you be more diligent with financial matters and with adhering to your new vision of yourself. It takes time to develop good habits, just as bad habits take time to develop. But if you stick with your ideals for your life in 2011, you'll be successful beyond your wildest dreams. Starting now, the life you live will become easier and easier. Keep your goals in mind and create a checklist of ways to keep things going in the right direction. By doing so, you'll remain mindful of what you need to do. Aim for success, and you'll reach your target.
How ironic is that? LOL. I hope it is true.
I plan to seek out ZUMBA classes and start attending them on a regular basis. The hard part is finding someone to go with me. I have a friend who will go with me every other Saturday so I will thank her for coming with me and hope that I really like it. I need to get off my FAT ass and get moving again.
My menu planning came to a stand still today due to the fact that I was deChristmasing my home today. I am having a hard time planning affordable family meals so I may end up getting myself some lean cuisine to eat on the nights I can not eat what they are having. Tomorrow I will be rearranging my living and dining room to accommodate my soon to be grandsons playpen and high chair. .
I hope all of you will had a successful day and that you remembered to pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments big and/or small.
Here is to a successful tomorrow - FAT Chick Power Rules....
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Jan 5, 2011
Had my doctor's appointment today and got my referral for bariatric surgery. Now it will be a waiting game. I called to make my appointment. I hope I qualify...cause I'd like to have options. My BMI is really high and that scares the crap out of me. I don't want to 'die' from obesity. I don't want to 'die' not to have lived my life to the fullest.
I find my obesity is causing me to withdrawal from everyday life - simple things like carrying the laundry basket up and down the stairs can be difficult for me. I have noticed over the last year that stairs have become my worst enemy. I have trouble both up and down. Grrr this is so frustrating. I want to be more active but I can't because it is too hard. So it is a catch 22 - be more active to lose weight but the weight is what is making it difficult to be active. Where does one begin when even walking can be hard. The other problem is that I don't really have a support group to go walking with - people who live close by who can get together 3 times per week for an hour and walk the track with me. It is always nicer to have someone to do it with - someone who completely understands that it can be hard even on the best of days. I would LOVE to join a gym but we are just getting our finances back on track and it is just not in our budget to do so.
I am doing well with the water intake.YAY! Although today I needed to use Crystal Light because the thought of drinking water was enough to make me vomit. Food choices not so well but that's okay my goal was to start drinking water and I am managing 8 - 8oz glasses. So for now I will take the water accomplishment.
I have almost finalized my menu plans - I am finding it challenging to create affordable meals that I can make for the whole family. Guess I will just keep researching.
Hope all of you are having success in your days and that even the small accomplishments are worth patting your self on the back.
Once my menus are complete I will post and share. As well I welcome your menu ideas. My blog is your blog. Let's make the most of this 'support' and use it to our fullest advantage.
Let's go FAT Chicks.......
I find my obesity is causing me to withdrawal from everyday life - simple things like carrying the laundry basket up and down the stairs can be difficult for me. I have noticed over the last year that stairs have become my worst enemy. I have trouble both up and down. Grrr this is so frustrating. I want to be more active but I can't because it is too hard. So it is a catch 22 - be more active to lose weight but the weight is what is making it difficult to be active. Where does one begin when even walking can be hard. The other problem is that I don't really have a support group to go walking with - people who live close by who can get together 3 times per week for an hour and walk the track with me. It is always nicer to have someone to do it with - someone who completely understands that it can be hard even on the best of days. I would LOVE to join a gym but we are just getting our finances back on track and it is just not in our budget to do so.
I am doing well with the water intake.YAY! Although today I needed to use Crystal Light because the thought of drinking water was enough to make me vomit. Food choices not so well but that's okay my goal was to start drinking water and I am managing 8 - 8oz glasses. So for now I will take the water accomplishment.
I have almost finalized my menu plans - I am finding it challenging to create affordable meals that I can make for the whole family. Guess I will just keep researching.
Hope all of you are having success in your days and that even the small accomplishments are worth patting your self on the back.
Once my menus are complete I will post and share. As well I welcome your menu ideas. My blog is your blog. Let's make the most of this 'support' and use it to our fullest advantage.
Let's go FAT Chicks.......
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Jan 4th,2011
Hi Ladies,
Well I am proud of myself today as I have accomplished 2 things. I accomplished getting my finances back on track and I have almost drank all of my water today :). Seems silly to be celebrating drinking water but every tiny steps accomplishments is worth celebrating. Hell I need all the encouragement I can get. I have my glass of water beside me and have about 12 more oz to go... Yay me!!!
I have a friend who is in the same boat as me: weight at the highest it has been in our life, we will be forty at some point this year, our financial situations stank and we both want to have another baby. It is so great to be able to have a friend who understands the Hell I am in. The motivation for me to be a healthier me is two fold. First I would love to have another baby and second, my daughter will be having a son in February so I will be a Grandma for the first time. I want be the type of Grandma who has the energy to keep up with a little one, to be able to enjoy pushing the stroller instead of using the stroller to help me walk when my back starts to hurt. I want to enjoy him. Hopefully, I will be able to have my own. Right now, I am too FAT and unhealthy to have a baby and it could be fatal for me or the baby. I want to be able to enjoy a pregnancy and my baby without worry. I said yesterday that I was working on a menu for myself and that remains a work in progress.
I have my Dr.'s appointment tomorrow and will discuss getting a referral for a bariatric surgeon. I will keep you posted on the outcome of that.
Not sure what my next steps will be but getting my menu completed would be awesome as I start my new job and my new eating habits on the 17th.
Hope you are celebrating all your accomplishments no matter how big or small. Thought: Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Talk to you tomorrow......
Well I am proud of myself today as I have accomplished 2 things. I accomplished getting my finances back on track and I have almost drank all of my water today :). Seems silly to be celebrating drinking water but every tiny steps accomplishments is worth celebrating. Hell I need all the encouragement I can get. I have my glass of water beside me and have about 12 more oz to go... Yay me!!!
I have a friend who is in the same boat as me: weight at the highest it has been in our life, we will be forty at some point this year, our financial situations stank and we both want to have another baby. It is so great to be able to have a friend who understands the Hell I am in. The motivation for me to be a healthier me is two fold. First I would love to have another baby and second, my daughter will be having a son in February so I will be a Grandma for the first time. I want be the type of Grandma who has the energy to keep up with a little one, to be able to enjoy pushing the stroller instead of using the stroller to help me walk when my back starts to hurt. I want to enjoy him. Hopefully, I will be able to have my own. Right now, I am too FAT and unhealthy to have a baby and it could be fatal for me or the baby. I want to be able to enjoy a pregnancy and my baby without worry. I said yesterday that I was working on a menu for myself and that remains a work in progress.
I have my Dr.'s appointment tomorrow and will discuss getting a referral for a bariatric surgeon. I will keep you posted on the outcome of that.
Not sure what my next steps will be but getting my menu completed would be awesome as I start my new job and my new eating habits on the 17th.
Hope you are celebrating all your accomplishments no matter how big or small. Thought: Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Talk to you tomorrow......
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