This is a journal to help me learn LC tactics and to record LC success as 2007 draws to an end and 2008 looms large and hopeful ahead of me.
Wish me luck! Luck?
Ah, luck is the residue of design.
Found that in a fortune cookie, ages ago.
Fits into the LC mantra about how failing to plan is planning to fail. So my plans start out each day with a hot slosh of WPP+cocoa+espresso+VCO so that I start off feeling like a LC success. Yay, me!
Wish me luck! Luck?
Ah, luck is the residue of design.
Found that in a fortune cookie, ages ago.
Fits into the LC mantra about how failing to plan is planning to fail. So my plans start out each day with a hot slosh of WPP+cocoa+espresso+VCO so that I start off feeling like a LC success. Yay, me!
LC tactics ~ having fun without food
Posted 12-20-2007 at 05:45 PM by Zer
http://www.themaninblue.com/experiment/SSCrabble/ is my latest way of having fun without food. Both hands on the keyboard, brain fully engaged. Just scored a 700 that involved building EROTIC and NORTHERLY and a slew of other words that I don't even know the meaning of and would not have attempted in a real game with a partner who might ask me to use a weird word in a sentence or to define it. I feel as if I'm carving new pathways in my brain. And I'm having fun without food!
What are some of your favorite ways to have fun without food?
What are some of your favorite ways to have fun without food?
Total Comments 17
Comments
|
I think this might be a good spot to put a gem of a post by an inspirational LC friend, on the pure joy of breathing - mindful breathing!
Quote:
Our weight depends on a complicated blend of variables – from how much we move (exercise), to what we eat, how much we eat, how we feel about ourselves, to hereditary factors.
Our weight is even linked to how we breathe. Breathing can: * Affect our metabolism. * Affect the quantity of food we ingest. * Make us feel better mentally, physically & emotionally. * Calm us. * Release endorphins, which help us to feel happy. * Enhance our appearance. * Make us feel instantly stronger and thinner. * Revitalize and energize every cell in our bodies. * Increase our energy level. All of this can aid our weight-loss effort. Healthy breathing helps us maintain the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our cells, which has a favorable impact on our metabolism. Jon Kabat-Zinn, University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care Center, says “Every breath, actually, is a release not only of air, but all the pent-up energy in the body. Every in-breath can be restoration or revitalization, and every out-breath a letting-go of anxiety or anger or tension or irritability.” Instead of stuffing down your feelings with food, breathe. It’s natural. It’s free. And it’s easy. Thanks, Deb, for this really worthwhile thread that touches on matters I rarely get to discuss or even think about. It's having an effect on my LC program - and I'm breathing better than ever, thanks to your timely post! |
 
|
|
|
Breathing is so important!!!
I lost some weight once, qute a bit, just doing breathing exercises twice a day. It was wonderful...then winter came. |
|
|
|
|
Wonderful idea, to burn off calories breathing.
|
|
|
|
|
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs13/f/20...alanbecker.swf offers a zero-carb diversion - nice alternative to many of the temptations facing us on Valentine's Day. Try it for sighs. No carbs. No calories. No guilt. Intriguing action.
Notice the selection of "victim" - for what that's worth. |
|
|
|
|
One of my most effective LC tactics is psyching myself up to accomplish things, to overcome fears, to be more than I am without a concerted effort to psych myself up, to pull energy from the cosmos to stiffen my backbone, strengthen spirit, lend power to my massive flabby legs as I walk, stand, do things my legs seem to have great difficulty doing right now. I can move myself through pain and fear by saying I AM MOSTLY SPIRIT as I push myself to rise, to walk, to go out, to do errands.
When I am feeling emotionally fragile, watching news shows can push me right over the edge. Grim stuff, most of the "news" today. The world's misery drains my own energy, saps my confidence, so I avoid watching tv news and a lot of strange stuff that is presented on tv to feed a strange appetite in passive viewers. But I caught a glimpse of a young woman on tv the other day, as I watched it on an idle whim while finishing up some egg salad that was teetering on the brink of its 3-day fridge life. A young singer on a daytime show spoke of her dream and how she and her parents have been working to make it come true since she was a child. She's now 18 and a raging country music star as well as an accomplished musician and a songwriter whose hit song - "Our Song" - she wrote in 9th grade. I've loved her song and had no idea how young she is: Taylor Swift - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia tells about her life and accomplishments. It was wonderful seeing how fresh and vital she is, unspoiled by success, authentic in her enthusiasm for life, earnest about the work it took to break into a world she feels is her destiny. Seeing such a person gives me hope. She sang "Our Song", a favorite of mine (and of a lot of other folks too, as it's a hit and a hot seller). She's 18! What a wonderful thing, to have a goal and to work at achieving it as she has done. That's what I think I find so uplifting, that she spoke of the work she and her parents have done to make her lifelong dream come true. I can do this. I can develop a dream. I can make it come true, one step at a time, nothing magical about it, just baby steps, just as Taylor Swift has done! I need to get more physical, to work my muscles, to get back some strength that I've allowed to slip away from me. What can I manage, with a hinky hip that slows me down and limits what I can actually do? Someone got me thinking about a punching bag. New idea for me. I can well imagine the endorphins that working a punching bag will generate. Hit it! Feel the rush of adrenaline. Get those endorphins working, to lift spirits. Can you feel it? Well do I recall a job that allowed me to hurl a box across the room toward a trash bin. Felt so good, doing a very physical act like that. I wonder what I can do in my own life that will produce the RUSH that physical act did. Just feeling my arm hurl gave me SUCH a rush. Wow. It did. Okay, so what can I do now? Punch a bag? Or just push myself to do reps while my muscles burn and calories are burnt to accelerate my weight loss. I can do this! I can! |
|
|
|
|
Datenight? Rubber sheets, whipped cream?Don't tell me I'm the ONLY one who thought #6 (an empty option on a list seeking ideas about dates for committed couples) held promise of a memorable evening with scented oils, tasty LC substances for a messy fun evening of nibbling and licking and giggling? Guess my libido is waking up!
How about a date that does not involve food? What about dancing as a date to set one's blood to churning? What about an elegant night at the theater/opera? What about a date night that brings back the anticipation of those first dates, when handholding was still exciting and when kisses were tentative? I love it! Courtship is well worth keeping alive in any relationship. Ah, those early days! Anyone know old married folks who still blush at a glance from a partner? I'm thinking these folks know something about keeping alive that early flame that first drew them together. What does that take, I wonder? That's priceless! |
|
Updated 04-11-2008 at 12:20 PM by Zer |
|
|
(muttering)at least whipped cream is LC in small enough quantities...BUT...there are LC chocolate dips (Walden Farms at 0 carbs) that are quite good, too...
I suppose if my ex were a normal person we might still be married. Something to think about... Unfortunately, I still shy away from relationships. Dating is not my scene. It could change, I don't know. God is always moving things around for me. My aunt and uncle still have a pretty good relationship. They're in their early seventies. |
|
|
|
|
I doubt I shall ever enjoy a physically active sex life, but I anticipate having friendships that are rewarding, active and full of zest. Sorry to say, no one I know now has an image of me as a youngster full of promise. That's what I see kept alive in a long-time relationship. Both parties seem to be able to see who the other was long ago. That is part of what brings a glow to the cheeks of long-time lovers, even graylings whose rheumy eyes see nothing else clearly. They see the youth beside them where the world sees a geezer!
I try to see the youth in folks I meet today. I'm getting better at visualizing that in almost everyone I meet. Seeing them at their peak helps me to recall my own glory as a youngster - a time I failed to appreciate properly when I was young. Truly, youth is wasted on the young! |
|
|
|
|
Amazing what a lift a smile gives one. As I smile, I feel positively gay and not at all inclined to seek food to comfort me. What a wonderful feeling - all derived from a smile, a shared laugh. This list makes me smile so big that I just have to kipe it for my own BLOG:
Quote:
Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level of Insanity
1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and Point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. 3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that. 4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It 'In.' 5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. 6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write ' For Sexual Favors' 7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy.' 8 Don't use any punctuation 9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk. 10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face. 11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go.' 12. Sing Along At The Opera. 13. Go To A Poetry Recital; Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme. 14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day. 15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood. 16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom. 17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won!, I Won!' 18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Toward The Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!' 19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.' 20. The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity: Share This with Someone To Make Them Smile. It's Called ...... therapy Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much. |
|
|
|
|
Kool-Aid as a dye? For hair, wool, salmon?While searching for a list of ingredients in Kool-Aid (no luck), I tripped over a site that explores the possibilities of dying hair with Kool-Aid. Strikes me that this may come in handy later, when I feel like Coming Out as a randy redhead at goal weight! So - from http://www.faqs.org/faqs/food/kool-aid-faq/ - here is how it's done:
Quote:
Can I dye my hair with Kool-Aid?
--------------------------------------- Several methods of using Kool-Aid to dye hair have been proposed. Method # 1: ------------- In a large bowl (a little bigger than your head) put in hot water and Kool-Aid. The longer your hair the more packets you need: for shoulder length try 3. Dunk your head in the bowl, and with a cup and a friend work on pouring the K.A. all through your hair. Once it is totally covered and saturated squeeze out the excess and blow dry. Let it sit on your hair for a day. (Beware: it can be VERY messy, and during the day it is on your hair it might smear on your clothes....be careful! Bleach seems to take the stain of off hands and counter tops.) -by Jodie Zwart Method # 2: ------------- 1. Decide what color you want your hair to be. Remember that the color of your hair will affect the way the color turns out. If you have really light blonde hair, it will be about the same color as the drink, but the darker your hair is, the duller it will end up being. And if you're a redhead like me, greens and blues just don't work very well...they usually turn brown. I've got reddish blond hair, and I used one package of Rock-O-Dile Red and one of Orange. Now my hair looks kinda like it's on fire. 2. Get as many packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid as you feel necessary. My hair is pretty thick, and reaches most of the way to my waist, and I got pretty good results with only two packages. And don't forget that you can mix different flavors to get new colors. One package of Berry Blue and one of Lemon Lime turned my brothers light blond hair an amazing shade of turquoise. 3. Boil enough water to completely soak the part of your hair that you want to dye. It has to be really hot, so don't plan on dyeing too close to your head. This is another reason you might want to pick a color that will look OK with your natural color (or, in my case the color your hair happens to be at the moment). Just make sure you're using less water than you would if you were making Kool-Aid to drink. I used six cups of water for each package of Kool-Aid, instead of eight. My brother only used four, but I don't think it made too much of a difference. 4. Dissolve the Kool-Aid in the water 5. Dunk your hair in the dye (careful...it's hot...don't get your face too close to the dye...or any part of yourself other than your hair for that matter). Let your hair soak in the dye for at least five minutes, then you might want to dry off some of the dye with a towel. 6. Let your hair dry (it will drip dye all over the place...I usually go outside) but I don't recommend using a hair dryer...it won't leave your hair very healthy-looking. 7. As soon as your hair is dry, you can wash it to rinse out some of the extra dye, so that it doesn't get all over your shirt. But if you rinse the dye out before it dries, it might all wash off, leaving your hair the same color as when you started. Now is also a good time to use a good conditioner, because the hot dye can dry out your hair pretty badly. Unfortunately, so far I don't know how long the dye will last...at least a week, fading just a little bit each day. The color runs a little for the first few days, and after that it's only noticeable when you wash your hair. Rock-O-Dile Red mixed with Orange on dark reddish blond hair gives a very bright red, which looks a little like fire if you only dye the ends and a few streaks of your hair. Berry Blue mixed with Lemon-Lime on light blond hair gives an intense blue-green. Grape on black hair gives purple highlights when the light hits it the right way. -Kym Britnell (britnell@idirect.com) Method # 3: ------------- Take the packet of dry Kool-Aid and pour it into a paper cup. Add a squirt of conditioner and about 3 drops of water. Mix it so it is kind of thick. Wet the part of your hair that you want to dye, put it on (cover your hands because it stains really badly) and wrap said hair in Saran Wrap. Leave it in for 10 mins, and rinse lightly. Blow-dry and style as usual  -Mindy Sue Method # 4: ------------- Just a spoonful of vinegar added to the Kool-Aid solution helps the color stay in longer, and wrapping your head in plastic wrap and then a towel or something and sleeping overnight with the Kool-Aid in works well. As a brunette, I have trouble getting my hair to "take," but my best friend, a light blonde since birth, used less Kool-Aid than I, and only as "streaks" which we painted onto her head with a basting brush for turkeys and stuff, yet pink and blue strands were still found in her hair up to four or five months later! An Asian friend of mine also dyed her hair with absolutely no success. Know your hair type. As for the staining effects of the Kool-Aid, I highly recommend that you designate a towel as your Kool-Aid towel, and keep the rainbow-colored thing around through all your trials of hair color, as a sort of trophy of your accomplishments, and a colorful history of your explorations. Those blue scouring pads work to get the stains off skin relatively quickly with only a little removal of skin (hey, it was either that or a blue forehead!) But I have recently found that baking powder (good ole Arm and Hammer) provides all the scouring power that you could want without the pain. In hardship, I used baking soda-toothpaste, which worked so well and so quickly, that it made my head spin. Vaseline, as always, is a good idea to rub onto your forehead and ears, to keep those runs from staining your skin. WARNING: The strong and pungent flavor of the Kool-Aid you use will remain as a scent in your hair for several days, and while pleasant, it might earn you a nickname (i.e. Strawberry-Jill) from your dormmates for the rest of the year. -Jill Boughey (athene@u....) A web page that has information on dying is 'The Grateful Dyed' at: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~wymer/dyekool.htm |
|
Updated 04-27-2008 at 11:14 AM by Zer |
|
|
Since I started publishing...er, tracking...my weight as a part of my signature, I find I'm having fun with data. I'm learning about coding as I set up a colorful array of keystrokes showing my weight bouncing and inching my way - ounce by ounce - in a downward trend. It's data. It's not as awful as I've viewed my weight before I got a scale and got support from folks of all sizes at LCFriends. I'm so well supported that I dare speak of my weight as pure data. No shame in it, even as I talk with normal-size people who weigh well under 200# and who hear me talk about moving toward 399# as if they too can celebrate with me an increased mobility (one can only hope!) and greater health (almost certainly) as I move gradually away from being obese, toward being just a large person.
I think I shall always be a large person, even as I lose half my current weight of 408.8 (5/1/08) - 100# lower than my top recorded weight of 508.7 (9/9/04) as I re-started Atkins and recorded that weight in DANDR. That said, here's my current colorful signature block: Quote:
[color=fuchsia]Feb: -5#[/color] 432.4#(2/8) 426.8(2/13), 429.6(2/16), 432.2(2/23), 426.8(2/27)
[color=aqua]March: -13# [/color] 427.6(3/1) 426.2(3/8) 426.0(3/15) 418.2(3/22) 416.2(3/29) [color=purple]April: -5.8#[/color] 414.6(4/1) 418.6(4/5) 413.2(4/8) 412.2(4/10) 414(4/12) 413.4(4/16) 409.8(4/19) 409.6(4/26) 409.2(4/29) [color=blue]May:[/color] 408.8(5/1) Interim goals: [color=gray]432.4 430 420 410[/color]  399 390 380 370 360 350 340 330 320 310 299 290 280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 1995'10"; 64yrs; Your feedback is welcome at my blog Tango, anyone? |
|
|
|
|
Pogo!...Many hours of fun and challenge. Have you ever been to their website?
|
|
|
|
|
Pogo? No, but I love the possum Pogo from the comic strip! See link for more on Pogo Possum. Ah, I see your Pogo is a free game site! Looks interesting. Thanks! I play SSCrabble at BlueManSite when I need to focus on something with no carbs at all - and words does the trick for me, most of the time. Thanks for a new game site! Yay for fun without food!
|
|
|
|
|
Googling on "zer" to see what comes up? Sounds like a way to have fun without food. This is what I found today, as I checked to see if any of my LCFriends postings are available to the general public. No danger, apparently, as I found this for "zer":
Quote:
Urban Dictionary: zer - 2 definitions - the word ZER means to be taken as "something beyond the imagination, explanation, description..."
|
|
|
|
|
By jove, I think I'm finally having fun with my LC program! It starts with my food diary - a yellow tablet with a page for each week, 3 lines a day, one line each for SUPPS, FOOD and ACTIVITY (includes trips to the loo, as I'm tracking that too). K.I.S.S.
My goal with a food diary is to become more aware of the connection between what I eat and what my body looks like, feels like. The benefit of focusing on a goal is that each and every activity then becomes a step toward reaching that goal. Mindful activity toward a goal means that each hour brings a person 15mins closer to achieving that goal. Anything else is no more than wishful thinking - and IF WISHES WERE HORSES, BEGGARS WOULD RIDE! So listing values strikes me as a way of staying mindful of goals and of growing in a healthy direction each hour of each day. Baby steps. Good goal! My values start off with integrity, scruples, self-respect, honesty - all aiming to build a better relationship with myself now that I've broken the hold that carbs had on me for so long. Internal values are what I'm working on right now. I've simplified my life by letting go of people who lack a moral compass, whose lives are guided by EXPEDIENCY rather than by a higher principle that lifts us out of pure animal existence, out of a struggle to survive. Ridding myself of such dead weight has positively impacted my own LC program in ways that surprise me. Who knew that my lifetime habit of collecting baggage was stalling my weight loss! Letting go of dead weight, of baggage, of unproductive relationships - even relatives I despair of finding friendships with - has saddened me more than a little, but it has had an amazingly positive impact on what I do for myself daily. ----- 432.4#(2/8/08; I got a talking scale) [color=fuchsia]Feb -5#[/color] [color=aqua]March -13# [/color] [color=purple]April -5.8#[/color] [color=blue]May -6#[/color] [color=red]June -6#[/color] [color=lime]July -5.8#[/color] [color=red]Aug +6[/color] [color=firebrick]Sept -2.6#[/color] [color=aqua]Oct -15#[/color] ...394.4(10/1) [color=dodgerblue]Nov -2#[/color] ...379.4(11/1) 377.4(11/7) [color=chartreuse]Dec[/color] Interim goals: [color=gray]432.4 430 420 410 399 390 380 [/color] 370 360 350 340 330 320 310 [color=magenta]299(2/5/09)[/color] 290 280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 1995'10"; 64yrs; Your feedback is welcome at my blog Tango, anyone? |
|
|
|
|
One of my favorite threads features this avatar just now.
Quote:
Quote:
Happy Chrismukkahkwanzaayulemadan!!!
no matter which holiday you celebrate i wish you peace and joy this season and always |
|
|
|
|
Now here's a LC tactic that I'd like to add to my array of tools for managing carby cravings!
Quote:
The following is from Dr. Michael Eades' Blog. It's a VERY good read.
Quote:
Back in the early 1980s a psychiatrist, William Glasser, M.D., wrote a book titled Take Effective Control of Your Life that I read at the time and thought to be one of the more insightful books I had ever read. The paperback version of that same book appeared a couple of years later under the title Control Theory. Both editions are now out of print but pre-owned copies can be had for pennies.... This is a book well worth reading. And not just for dietary help.
Dr. Glasser explains that all behavior has four components. He doesn’t explain these in dietary terms, but I will. 1. the physiological component 2. the feeling component 3. the thinking component 4. the doing component We don’t have any control over the first two and only partial control over the third. But we have total control over the fourth, the doing component. Let’s look at how this all works with food. Imagine you’re sitting in your office minding your own business when a co-worker comes in with a box of fresh, hot donuts, sticks the box in your face and says, ‘Have one.’ What happens? First, your physiology kicks in. Your pancreas says, uh oh, here comes some sugar. Better get a little insulin cranked out to get ready for it. You get a spurt of insulin and your blood sugar starts to fall. Then, as your blood sugar falls, you start to feel hungry. And your stomach starts to churn as it gets ready. This is the feeling component. And you have no control over this. It all happens and it is totally beyond your control. Then you think about how good a donut would taste. And you imagine it. And you say to yourself, hey, it’s only one. What could it hurt? This is the thinking component, and you do have some control over it. But with the physiology and feeling components hard at work, it’s difficult not to think about the donuts. Difficult, but not impossible. And all the above happens in just a few seconds. Then you grab a donut and eat it. The doing component. You have complete control over this component. You choose to eat the donut. All the other components are ragging on you and you cave. And you say you had no control, but you really did. If someone had told you they were going to shoot you if you ate one of the donuts, you wouldn’t have eaten it. All the other three components (at least the first two) would have been acting the same, but you wouldn’t touch the donuts. You can control the doing component if you want to. Problem is the other three components gang up on you, trying to disable your will. But, this can all the dealt with. Dr. Glasser realized that the physiology to feeling to thinking to doing progression could be reversed. Since you have complete control over only the doing component, you’ve got to do something. And once you do, you can foil the progression. Because if you take different action, you can drive the progression the other way. If you get up from your desk and say, No thanks, then leave your office and go involve yourself with something else all the components start to fall in line. Once you start doing something different, you start thinking about it, then your feelings of hunger go away and soon even your physiology falls into line. Your liver produces glucose to make up for that the little spurt of insulin knocked down, and soon you’re back to normal. And it doesn’t take all that long. So, basically, we can be driven by a progression over which we have no control to abdicate the one thing we do have control over, our actual active doing. Or we can use our ability to do something to reverse control all the components that we don’t have direct control over. Realizing that I had this ability to control the seemingly uncontrollable made a huge difference in my life years ago and continues to do so today. Knowing that I can control virtually any behavior, but especially my dietary behavior, by simply focusing my attention and effort onto a task or other activity has kept me on the straight and narrow multiple times when strong temptation fell in my path. If the high-carb demon is goading you to go face down, telling you that you have uncontrollable cravings, just force yourself to go do something else. Soon the cravings will be gone. It takes a little practice, but it helps to repeat the mantra: I have 100 percent control of what goes in my mouth. Take the advice of Dr. Glasser. Start worrying less over those things you can’t control and accept that you have no control over them. And take back control of the things you can. If you do so, you will be a much happier person. And a much thinner person. |
|
|
Recent Blog Entries by Zer
- 2009...putting all my LC skills into action! (01-15-2009)
- Quinoa, a high-protein seed/herb, as part of my LC plan... (09-27-2008)
- Finding furniture/cars that fit my size/height/weight needs. (05-31-2008)
- The Recovery Process (04-05-2008)
- Moving my muscles (aka the excruciating "E" word) (03-20-2008)
