“E” Is For Embarrassment

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I found my last "fat" clothes purchase this morning -- two Size E panty hose. Little finds like this always helps me focus on my success and bolsters my determination of reach my goal.

I found my last “fat” clothes purchase this morning — two Size E panty hose. Little finds like this always helps me focus on my success and bolsters my determination of reach my goal.

While putting away laundry this morning I found two pair of off-white Lane Bryant Daysheer panty hose still in their packaging. My eyes wandered to the top of the package and froze on the size…E! This was one of my last clothing purchases when I weighed 325.

Automatically I flipped it over and looked at what “Size E” meant. A sad little smile came to my face. Size E is for ladies who weigh 250-300 pounds. Clearly I was too Embarrassed to buy the next size up, Size F (F for fat?) with a range of 300-400 lbs. Read More

Protein — The New Marketing Buzz Word

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The new food marketing gimmick -- protein! Just ignore the packaging and actually eat some meat. Your body will thank you.

The new food marketing gimmick — protein! Just ignore the packaging and actually eat some meat. Your body will thank you.

Well the new food marketing buzz word is “protein.” I’m seeing it everywhere. Ugh! I pretty much ignored the “fiber” and “gluten-free” craze, but this is just outright annoying. When I saw a box of Cheerios Protein on my grocery store shelf, I lost it. At first I rolled my eyes, then bust out laughing, and finally I ended up ticked off.

Wall Street Journal (subscription required) writes about this latest marketing gimmick. You see the word “protein” has the “halo effect.” We all understand we need protein. It’s good for you.

Food companies know you need protein. So they simply add some protein, repackage their crappy products with the word “protein” prominently displayed and bingo!  People lap it up.

And guess what? We fall for this over and over again. If the box says protein, we assume it is not only healthy for us, but gives us energy and feel satisfied.

Cheerios Protein lists 40g of carbs per serving. You are much better off eating 4 ounces of chicken, beef, lamb or pork than this processed junk.

Cheerios Protein lists 40g of carbs per serving. You are much better off eating 4 ounces of chicken, beef, lamb or pork than this processed junk.

Of course, when you actually read the label on your box of Cheerios Protein, you’ll discover that your eating 40g of carbs, 16g of sugar and 21g of mystery carbs in a one cup serving.  Yikes! That is a big insulin spike coming your way. But hey, your getting 7g of protein. Wow!

Yet, if you eat 4 ounces of chicken, you get 35g of protein, zero carbs, and no major spike in the fat-storing hormone (a.k.a. insulin). Seems like eating meat is a smarter health choice than eating protein “spiked” processed garbage.

 

Weekly Weigh-In: The Push To Onderland!

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I'm down 1.2 lbs. this week, putting my total weight loss at 122.1 lbs. I'm so close to finally reaching Onderland (weighing under 200 lbs.). I'm pulling out all the stops to get their in November.

I’m down 1.2 lbs. this week, putting my total weight loss at 122.1 lbs. I’m so close to finally reaching Onderland (weighing under 200 lbs.). I’m pulling out all the stops to get their in November.

As of Saturday, I’m down 1.2 lbs. Another 3+ lbs. and I’ll finally reach that magical place called Onderland…something I haven’t seen in more than 25 years.

I’ve been within 10 pounds over the last 4 months. Slowly I’ve come within 2 pounds, only to start gaining weight. Ugh! It’s so frustrating. But I have some tricks up my sleeve to get me over this huge hurdle. Well, not really tricks. More like getting back to my good habits.

Dot’s Tricks Good Habits To Finally Reach Onderland Read More

No Candy Challenge Tonight!

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What I'm handing out to the little ghosts and goblins tonight. My challenge tonight: Not to eat any of it and toss out what's left over.

What I’m handing out to the little ghosts and goblins tonight. My challenge: Not to eat any of it and toss out what’s left over. A big challenge, as Kit Kats and Peanut Butter Cups are my favorites.

Tonight’s test: No Halloween candy! Yep, I’m going candy-free tonight. Past Halloweens, I’d set aside a few “fun size” treats for myself. I gave myself permission to eat a few, thinking I won’t binge later. Ha!

Sure, I didn’t binge, but I always ate more than I set aside for myself. Also it made it harder to toss out any left over candy…I mean, why toss it out if I can “handle” it, right?

What was I thinking? I’ll tell you what: I’ll set aside a few pieces of candy so I won’t feel deprived. But seriously, if I feel deprived by not eating 5 (6, 7, 12) pieces of candy, then I’m living a very sad life. Read More

What The Heck Is Ketosis & Why Should I Care?

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No trace of ketones...not surprising after my anniversary weekend. But now it's time to become a fat-burning machine.

No trace of ketones…not surprising after my anniversary weekend. But now it’s time to become a fat-burning machine.

When starting my low carb diet more than 2 years ago, I kept hearing about “being in ketosis.” I tried reading up on ketosis, but for some reason my brain just translated all the info as blah blah blah. Instead, I focused my attention on just trying to eat right, thinking I’d learn more about this mystery topic later on.

Well, for the last couple of months, my weight’s bounced back and forth between 203 and 210. Frustrated, I decided to reach out to a few folks I know who eat low carb. Sure enough, all of them asked me if I was in ketosis.

Crap! I thought. I guess “later on” means now.

I picked up some Ketostix at the pharmacy to measure my ketone production. Oh great, so now I need to pee on a stick in the morning! Read More

Serving McDonald’s To Organic Food Snobs

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We’re bombarded with images and soundbites on the virtues of organic foods. We’re told not only is it more healthy, but organic foods taste so much better.  Is all the good things we hear about organic foods true? I have no idea. But until the price comes down, I’m sticking with my pesticide-treated produce and grain-fed meat.

This little video put a smile on my face this morning. Two guys pass off McDonald’s chow as a new organic alternative to fast food.  It’s in Dutch, so if the subtitles are not on, just click the CC at the bottom of the screen.

Everyone, repeat after me: Just because food is presented as organic, doesn’t mean it is organic or that it is better than non-organic food.

Knee Injury Means More Time For DYI Projects

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Got a great arm workout sanding my window sills this weekend. When you can't do traditional exercise, household DIY projects are a great way to stay active and workout.

Got a great arm workout sanding my window sills this weekend. When you can’t do traditional exercise, household DIY projects are a great way to stay active and workout.

My knee is officially on the fritz. Sore, swollen and painful on stairs, that tells me it’s time to take it easy on the workout front.  Frustrated by the lack of walks, runs or spin classes (oh my!), what’s a girl to do to stay active while resting a bum knee?

I’m proud to announce that I no longer watch HGTV endlessly. I’ve discovered my inner Nicole Curtis, and making a list of DIY projects to do around the house.

First project on my list — the ugly master bedroom. Read More

South Park Takes On Gluten Free; Promotes Low Carb Diet

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The South Park kids go for the gluten jugular in the "Gluten Free Ebola" episode. Trey and Matt doing their best satire yet.

The South Park kids go for the gluten jugular in the “Gluten Free Ebola” episode. I loved the salute to low carb/high fat diet at the end. Trey and Matt doing their best satire yet.

This is pure awesomeness. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are at their best here with a great satire on the gluten-free craze. As an added bonus, the episode ends on a low carb/high fat diet high note.

I made the mistake of drinking water during the episode. It came out my nose when I heard Trey Parker say “2nd hand gluten.”

I’ve shared my thoughts on gluten here.  While there are people who truly suffer from Celiac disease (1% of the population), most people are following the fad of the day.

Check out the episode below or via South Park Studios. But warning, the language is strong. Well, what do you expect from South Park?

Weight Loss Bucket List: 25 Gorgeous Hikes

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I kicked off my 2014 fatpacking season at Raven Rocks. Here I'm resting after climbing 1530 ft to the top of the 2nd climb at Raven Rocks.

I love day hikes and backpacking. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to do much of it this year. The 25 hikes listed in Women’s Health need to go on my weight loss bucket list.

Women’s Health Magazine listed 25 Gorgeous Hikes that you have to do in your lifetime.  Looking at the list, I’m sad to say that I’ve only done one of these hikes — Arizona’s Tonto Natural Bridge Park (Waterfall Trail). Well, one down and 24 to go.  West Virginia’s Raven Rock Trail is nearby.  Perhaps it’s something the hubby and I can try this fall.

Anyway, the list is a nice little bucket list for you avid hikers out there.

Food Doesn’t Equal Happiness

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I use to think a slice (or 2 or 5) use to make me happy. It just made me fatter. The weight started coming off after I changed my views on food. Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

I use to think a slice (or 2…or 5 if I’m honest) use to make me happy. It just made me fatter. The weight started coming off after I changed my relationship with food. Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

One of my favorite bloggers, Diane Carbonnel at Fit to Finish, has a great post about overeating creating a false sense of happiness.  I read the post and it triggered a lot of bad memories.

For me, food was my salvation when my job annoyed me or stressed me out.  Bad meeting, hit the vending machines (Doritos makes the pain go away, right?!?); last-minute project, suck back 2-3 cans of Coca-Cola to deal with stress; ticked off about working late, just run out (ha, more like waddle) to grab some fast food to ease my mind.

I thought all that crap I was shoving into my mouth was a slice of fried gold in my otherwise miserable day. Read More