Kari's World

I just read a study that states that the number of tvs in your house affects your weight loss. People who lost a significant amount of weight (at least 10%) and kept it off for 5 years or more. Those who had fewer televisions in their home and more exercise equipment lost weight and kept it off.

I think this might be a given, but then maybe not. Is it a matter of temptation not to exercise if there’s a tv handy?

I like to work out in front of the tv and changing rooms would be nice to change the view – but I don’t have many rooms big enough to really exercise in.

The tv helps me forget that I’m exercising. It’s a little trick I play on myself. I turn it on to distract myself. I thought music would work for me, but it really doesn’t for some reason. I’m big on music and thought singing my heart out would help me pass the time more painlessly.

What I discovered  instead is that I can’t sing effectively and exercise and so exercising just makes me angry when music is involved because I can’t sing!

So I watch tv – how about you?

As someone trying to lose weight I have tried just about every diet drink on the market. Imagine my concern when I came across a recent announcement that diet drinks may be doing damage to our kidneys!

Apparently drinking 2 or more a day may double the risk of our kidneys failing. In particular women who drank 2 or more had a 30% drop in kidney function. The report when on to say that the 30% amount was considered signification – duh! Particularly for diabetics who already have kidney issues and can’t drink sugary drinks.

Unfortunately, their definition of a “serving” of diet soda was rather non-definitive. It seems to have been merely a can, a glass or a bottle…

Other things that effect your kidneys in this way is higher salt intake. And of course the study they derived this from was all about women, so there’s no data to prove it’s true for men, but kidney disease diagnoses have doubled each of the last two decades – which is about the time diet cokes came on the scene!

My partner and I went to see that new movie with Julie Childs – Julie and Julia, I think it’s called. We loved it. It was so much fun, but I hated the ending. I mean, I’m blogging about my adventure and she was too and she never got to meet her. But, thank goodness mine is only about me – so that can’t happen to me!

Here’s the big thought for the day – I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before! I can start cooking! I can starting cooking things that are good for me, which means I can still have food adventures and things that taste great!

I can see that many diets fail because they are all about suffering. Think about it. First there’s all that denying yourself thing which leads to the poor-pitiful-me state. There’s making yourself exercise (plus looking terrible while you’re doing it!) And there’s typically rabbit food involved in the dieting part. Oh, yeah, and you have to drink water! Lots and lots of water. And go to bed early! It’s all the things we’ve hated since we were very, very young! It’s like growing up! Bleh!

But, if we can make “savory dishes” we can learn to enjoy the food part again. This marks the official beginning of a new wing on this commitment! I’m going to learn to cook healthy food. (Don’t get me wrong – I’m not about to cook a live lobster like she did in the movie! or even try to cook Julia Child’s dishes.) But I am going to start trying to make my food taste good and allow it to be something I look forward to. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?

I wrote last time about how I had caved in and had a coke… Well, I’ve done it again and truth be told, I’ve done it again. They are the hardest part for me.

They are the reward at the end of a long day. They are that perfect compliment to so many meals. They are what I celebrate with whent things are good.

They are really just part of my life in a big way – or have been. I miss them and sometimes I go and visit!

I also know me and once I consent to the cokes the rest follows. This is becoming a bit harder – but that’s how it works right?

We start off strong and fluctuate and then we either give up entirely or we get a second wind and follow through.

I think if my partner had not quit smoking this would be another failed start. But, I just can’t let her down after she’s been through so much to quit smoking.

But, I guess I just wanted to say that I miss cokes very much and that they are the hardest part all the way around for me. Do you have the same issue or is it something different for you – maybe chocolate chip cookies…?

I just want to report that this morning I wasn’t really looking forward to weighing because the night before I had let myself have a coke. I haven’t had one in so long and was really missing, well, just about everything and caved.

It’s not too hard to imagine that after weighing and seeing that what I’m doing is working I am fired up to exercise today! 10 Pounds is not fantastic, but I figure if I can keep at this steady pace I will eventually meet my goal (which I am not disclosing yet – in case I don’t make the goal!)

That’s a big deal, you know, sharing this publicly. I mean, I guess no one is reading this, but if there is, I want you to know that committing to write about this does help me stay accountable, but it’s also a bit embarrassing.

My partner is continuing the no smoking thing – which I’m very proud of. And the grumpiness, I am also happy to announce, has abated! It is what she wants to do when she gets upset, and apparently every time we ride in the car it’s a deal. She says she typically smoked more in the car and so it’s hard.

Funny side note: She still rolls down the window like she’s going to light one up! She has changed her vice mostly to sunflower seeds as she is determined not to start eating and gain weight!

So, as you see, we are making progress on both of our goals. Yeah me!

I do like the cucumbers, but the lemons really make me happy. I guess because I know I’m getting vitamin C and because they offer a change from just the cucumbers. I think what I’m suffering from is missing taste! So, what I’m doing is alternating so I have variety and having plain water at times, cucumber water at times and lemon water at times makes my world a happier, more versatile place! (It doesn’t make me not miss cokes – man a coke would be good! – but it does give me some variety, and as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life.

So I’m happy and content that I’ve found a workable solution to one of the main factors I am focused on in my efforts to lose weight. Sleep is harder. I’ve been having a hard time sleeping and wonder what that’s about? I don’t think that solution will be as easy as drinking tea or warm milk (blech!) before bed!

I’ve lost 5 pounds! yeah me! I’m still not up to the amount of exercise I want to be, but I am stretching it a bit each day now and feeling like I’m not going to just die each time I exercise. My partner has lost 3 and I had to console her by telling her what a huge thing she’s doing by quitting smoking. I secretly hope she passes me soon so she won’t be sad about it. The various emotions are about to kill me. She is better than she was grumpy wise, but now a bit emotional in other ways. But, I am also secretly happy that I have accomplished something toward my goal. (I can’t rejoice with her though – so you will get to hear about it!)

I have to admit I’m a bit scared to rejoice because I’m afraid it will quit being true or that I’ll wake up or something. And I know 5 pounds isn’t much – but it’s a damn good start! yeah me! Hope you are having Yeah You moments too!

Kari

I tried the cucumber thing I talked about last time. And, honestly, it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t expect to be “wowed” by it, but it really wasn’t too awful bad. I have always hated pickles and when I was younger just the smell of cut cucumbers made me gag. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve discovered I could stomach them in a salad on occasion. I’ve never really been partial like, OOOH Give me some cucumbers, or anything, but I discovered I could stand them. So the cucumber in water thing I wasn’t too sure about.

Actually, I’ve decided that I can perhaps eat them occasionally on my diet. My mother has always told me to retry things through the years because your tastebuds change and things you didn’t use to like you might like as you get older. I always thought that was silly, but hey – you live and you learn.

So, cucumbers are welcome on the table and in my water and I can hate water less. Lemons are next on the list.

I noted in an earlier post that I don’t like water really. Well, I’ve been really trying to drink water – a lot of water – and well, I’m sick of it. I feel waterlogged! Really.

They say that you should drink something like a glass for each pound you weigh… well, I’m really overweight and that means a lot of lt of water! UUGGH! Any ideas? Someone suggested putting cucumbers or lemons in the water… I might try that. How many cucumbers do you think I’d have to squeeze to make cucumber-aide? The problem is I’m not really wild about either lemons or cucumbers, but it might be better than straight water! I wonder why it’s so hard? I mean, isn’t most of our body made out of water and all? It should be refreshing and wonderful and I’ll admit that there are times (usually at the Chinese Restaurant) when water is just really wonderful. But then I drink too much of it! What gives?

By the way, my partner is a bit less grumpy and the world is a better place, except for the water!

In my last post I shared that my partner was a bit grumpy due to trying to quit smoking. Grumpy is not the word for it, but I don’t guess I’ll share the word that comes to mind here – in case she decides to check out my blog! However, I think it is safe to say that I do think it’s getting old and wearing thin! I know the cigarette thing is hard to kick. I kicked myself over 20 years ago. So I am trying to be patient and understanding and everything – but man is she getting my goat!

What she isn’t getting is that I’m a bit irritable too what with trying to exercise and stop eating junk food and all. She of course thinks she has it worse – but Dante’s hell is still hell for the individual and I’m not on a picnic with her either!

Okay. My rant is out of the way, (I think) and I can get on to the business at hand. I still don’t seem to have lost any weight, but I am feeling better. I’ve been trying to get a decent night’s sleep and trying to drink more water. I still have a long way to go on that note, but I am drinking more than I have ever. (It’s just not my thing!)

I know that exercise won’t make much of a difference until I can get my heart rate up for extended periods of time and I’m still working myself up to the “extended” part. But I am exercising and haven’t given up yet! Onward, and well, downward!