Friday, April 28, 2006

Five Weight Watchers Wishes

Five Weight Watchers Wishes
By VH Melville
Who can stop at just three wishes. I lost a lot of weight with weight watchers and enjoy the program. I have ideas for weight watchers that I thought would make a good blog.

Wish One: I wish Weight Watchers Online would have online meetings. I’d even be willing to pay extra for this feature – a sort of a Weight Watchers Online Plus. They could balance it out with a Weight Watchers Online budget with some features.

Wish Two: Weight Watchers in Trinidad. There are people who love Weight Watchers, but there are no meetings in their country.

Wish Three: For every journey to be a successful one. One without fat jokes, one where salespeople treat them right, and one that’s full of love.

Wish Four: I’d like partial points listed in the print guides and a partial point calculator sold as well.

Wish Five: A pamphlet and counseling session when you hit your half way mark as a reminder of why they want to stick with it and why they want to attend meetings even after they goal.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

starling-fitness:

starling-fitness is a great Blog and full of good info and news.
Check it out here.
http://www.starling-fitness.com/

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Moving the Scale





Vh Melville

Here some tips about the scale. I even forget them and get frustrated just to be reminded again.

1. You must keep your scale in the same place to get an accurate reading. Moving a scale can alter the readings of even expensive models. Many floors may look level but often are not.
2. Digitals are wonderful scales but they are more often delicate than analogs and don’t last as long. Analogs are a little harder to read though. So you must decide what you want from a calculator.
3. Do not pay extra to get a fat % reading. These readings are highly inaccurate. A doctor’s office is often the best place to get a body fat measurement readings.
4. Your weight may fluctuate 6 pounds in any given day of fake weight. Now if you choose to weigh in daily you have to realize this as normal.
5. Some people want to know why their scale is different than the weight watchers, or Jenny Craig scale at their centers.
6. A weight watchers scale at meetings cost around five hundred dollars per scale. So yes, the reading will be different from your model even if you paid over fifty for it. Places like Weight Watchers must follow the letter of the law. Even on the best scale you might register false weight if you had a huge dinner before weigh in or are wearing jeans today and last week you wore a lighter outfit. I know eat before my weekly WI.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Second Hand Chic

By VH Melville

I did not grow up in a wealthy family, but I learned the pleasures -- as well as the problems -- of secondhand shopping. I now live comfortably but still love items that are well-made.
Don’t fret that buying things secondhand will make you feel poor. My mother worked for Goodwill, and you’d be surprised at how many wealthy people shop at secondhand stores.

1. Vintage is stylish. Vintage boutiques sell secondhand items at higher prices, whereas with a thrift store you have to do a little more work, but you can find must-have, darling pieces to add to your wardrobe.
2. Many thrift store benefit a cause of some kind. You are helping others by shopping at these types of stores.
3. My sister found jeans and shoes that were designer. She’s found $50 dollar DVD sets for $9. I’ve found gorgeous pieces that could be worn to dances, weddings or proms. One friend of mine found out the outfit she bought would have been $400 if she'd bought it new.
4. Just because a person is dressed to the nines in new clothes, doesn’t make a person wealthy. The man or woman could be in debt up to their ears.
5. Your children will never wear secondhand clothes if you don’t wear them yourself.
6. You are cutting down on taking up landfill space.
7. You’re the type of person who won’t let any old junk in your home. You are very careful about which secondhand items are worth your time. You only buy what will truly benefit your life. You can still have the best. You pass over items that you know were other people's junk, and would become your junk. You know the art of Imaginative Elegance.
8. You have style, but have fun while saving money.
9. Thrift stores are great places for clothes, books, DVDs, old jewelry, dishes, plates and sometimes even furniture.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series tips 14 and 15

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.
These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did. Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #14
VH Melville
Do not weigh yourself every day unless you are trying to maintain weight and not lose weight. Weigh yourself once a week.


Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #15
VH Melville
You do the same things for maintenance as you do for weight-loss, but you get more food. If you can't see yourself doing the program or diet after you lost all the weight then you're in trouble. Being at goal is not an excuse to stop working.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series. Tips 12 to 13

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.
These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did. Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #12
VH Melville
When you start to binge stop for a moment to write it all done. There are times this really halted my binge.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #13
VH Melville
Slow it down: These tips won’t work as well if your not journaling.
1. I freeze yogurt to slow down my eating. They end up hard as brick bats but they take a long time to eat. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of coco powder before freezing.
2. I have canned veggies and frozen veggies on hand so when I run out of fresh, I can have a canned salad or a low cal soup.
3. Sugar free gum.
4. Oatmeal with a bit of coco powder very filling.
5. Weigh your pretzels each time you have them at home but only eat half a serving

Creepy Romantic candy

Why give dead flowers when you can give a giant gummy heart? Creepy and disturbing.
Wonder what the nutritional content on one of these is?
http://www.mcphee.com/items/11620.html

Friday, April 21, 2006

Tips That Worked for me tip #10 and 11

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.

These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did.
Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.


Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #10
VH Melville
I started with veggies slowly, and then I put them in sandwiches using light
bread to add bulk to my meal. I do not count green and non starchy veggies in your calorie count if they are oil free.
Only eat the veggies you can stand. Now if you only like only baby carrots and peppers eat them. Do not eat food you hate.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #11
VH Melville
I went for therapy for self image issues I thought un-related to
my eating, but it helped me figure out what triggered my weight gain.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series Tips 8 and 9

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.

These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did.
Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.


Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #8
VH Melville
it’s not your fault when pills don't work. Most ‘over the counter’
diet pills not only do not work but are harmful.


Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip # 9
VH Melville
Join a support group like Weight Watchers or the non profit TOPS
program. I did OA (overeaters Anonymous) online and really didn't
like it. Some people like it though. It’s all a matter of personal likes
and what works best for you.

Gross cooking and Gross Candy Treats

Gross Cooking and Gross Candy treats
You can get all kind of gross stuff from stupid.com


Don't want to eat the cookies or want anyone in your lowfat ones try
ABC COOKIE CUTTER
http://www.stupid.com/stat/ONCE.html


Make a brain mold with your Sugar free jello
http://www.stupid.com/stat/D-MOLD.html

Gross candy


PET RAT CANDY
http://www.stupid.com/stat/RATC.html

Ear Wax candy
http://www.stupid.com/stat/WAXX.html

ABC Gum
http://www.stupid.com/stat/ABCG.html

Tooth Ache Candy
http://www.stupid.com/stat/ACHE.html

Sour flush candy
http://www.stupid.com/stat/FLSH.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Fitness Review: Walk Away the Pounds Walk and Jog

By VH Melville
This is one of my favorite workouts. I highly recommend this. Leslie Sansone is friendly and encouraging. The jogging mixed with walking and kicks bring the workout up a notch. The DVD is wonderful cardio.

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series. Tips 5 to 7

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.

These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did..
Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #5
VH Melville
I hear caffeine boosts your metabolism but it also can make you hungrier because it messes with the glucose level. So it makes you crave more food and more sugar.
http://www.stanford.edu/~johnbrks/theCafe/substance/caffeine.html.
Opt for diet caffeine free coke, and diet sprite. Drink the diet coke when nothing else is available, like at a fast food restaurant.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #6
VH Melville
Reward yourself for exercise. Let’s say, if you exercise for a half an hour three to five days a week for a month, you get one reward. Now, if you exercise an hour to an hour and half three to five days a week for a month, you get two rewards. Rewards can be anything but food. They can be dirt cheap like something from the dollar tree or an expensive spa treatment. My favorite rewards are small exercise equipment, DVD's, books, make-up, pans for my low fat baking, and whatever I fancy that month. Check with your doctor before doing any new diet plan. I love my “Yourself! Fitness” video game, it’s like a personal trainer but cheaper. There is a PC version you can get from Amazon.com.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #7
VH Melville
Make sure you have all of these tools. Freezer bags or containers, dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, a liquid and a dry food scale. Get Nutrition guides for eating out. The things we think are healthy usually aren't. Get a food Journal. By keeping track of the food you eat throughout the day in you journal, even when it's ugly, helps you to stay focused and see where you can make improvements on making better food choices.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series. Tips 3 to 4

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.

These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did.
Always check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #3
VH Melville
Work the diet around your style I like to eat all day and have a bigger meal at night so I choose bulky flow call food that tastes good. When my mom visits I use less of my flex points the day before so I can eat more treats when she’s hear.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #4
VH Melville
Don't feel starved. I eat a lot of low calorie foods in the day
time, but leave enough for my calorie allowance that I can snack at
night. I eat things I love but often opt for either smaller portions
or lighter versions of the foods I love.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me. Tips 1 to 2

Weight loss Tips That Worked For Me Series.
These are tips of what worked for me. You might not have the same results as I did.
I will did weight watchers, but you may have your own program. Always go to doctor for medical advice.
Iportion is not staffed by doctors.


Weight loss Tips That Worked for me. # tip 1
VH Melville
Realize you are beautiful now, not when you weigh less, but now.

Weight loss Tips That Worked for me tip #2
VH Melville
Will power is overrated. Do not deprive yourself.
If you tell yourself, I can't have this food because I am dieting, you will be more likely to binge on it by the days end. Sometimes I would wait until I loss weight to indulge, but then the depravation got to me and I'd gain back all the weight with vengeance.
I do weight watchers points and then decide; is this food worth all the points? How many points would it be if I only ate half of it or an 8th of it? You can do the same with calories.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Bollywood Workout: review

By VH Melville
The price is only $6.95 and I love that. The instructor, Honey, is very enthusiastic and pleasant.
Honey provides a workout that's both fun and challenging. I also loved the fact that her backup dancers were not all rail-thin. It gave me hope.
While this is not a perfect workout due to the camera work and the fact that the music wasn’t always dubbed right, I still believe this workout is a gem. I love fitness DVDS that aren't boring. Plus you can alternate the two workouts on the DVD.
There is an added dance section as well but that’s just for fun. Honey even lent her vocals to the dance song. She’s multi talented.
The moves were hard for me, but I am a klutz and I’ve done this workout time and time again. Don’t worry about getting the hand movements down. I doubt I ever will be perfect but this is fun and you can feel the burn.
I hope honey puts out another DVD soon.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Aspartame News Flash

Link Between Aspartame and Cancer Dismissed
www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=AEAE1A53-5F3A-4DF4-8557-694F26786B47

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Iportion’s Classic Retro Toys

1. Sea Monkeys
2. Play clay. (the non drying kind)
3. Bubbles
4. hula hoop
5. Jump rope
6. Easy bake oven
7. Skip it
8. Slinky
9. Yo-yo’s.
10. Legos
11. Baby dolls and doll houses
12. strawberry short cake dolls
13. Your favorite retro toy here

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

School Lunch

School Lunch
By Vh Melville

Sometimes the school lunch is less healthy than the snack cakes but I think more kids would eat it if menus for school were looked over by a nutritionist and tested.
While I am not for banning whole milk for smaller children, I do think fruit juices, sugary sodas should be band or at least have a ten cent tax on them.
Snack cakes could be made to be lower sugar and lower fat. Cupcakes could be made with healthy oil, and fruit to lower fat content. Iced angel food cakes could be presented in fun shapes.
For older students the nutrition content should be listed on school menus.
Veggies could be on all pizzas. Fries can be baked instead of fried. Meat loaf could be made with turkey.
How about beans? Don’t laugh. Beans are not only cheap but can be tasty in soft tacos, bean burgers, wraps, sloppy Joes, chili dogs, meatless loafs, and gasp even in some snack cakes.
Don’t forget soups. Soups are a great way to get in vegetables even for kids who normally hate the green stuff.
Let them dig in and enjoy a balance of good food and treats.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Hungry for Entertainment

Hungry for Entertainment
VH Melville

There’s been a lot of buzz about too thin celebrities. Being too thin by starving yourself is unhealthy.
The big problem is the tabloids. They will call someone who has a good weight at 5 three and 125 pounds fat. We have to stop buying these papers that try to make healthy feel ugly. We have to stop buying tabloids that put emaciated women on the cover.
I had to lose weight for health but some people need to gain weight for health.
The whole “Nothing Tastes Better Than Thin” is a lie than can be harmful. What about health? What about strength?
I want you to take care of yourself. I want you to love yourself.
You are not beautiful if you lose twenty pounds. You are beautiful now.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Tasteless

Tasteless
By VH Melville
Eating a few slices of pizza if you have the points or the calories is fine if you are calorie counting. It is not cheating on Weight Watchers if you have the points. Yes, make and buy low-calorie versions of food you love, but it is okay to have the real thing. Do not deprive yourself. Buy a Weight Watcher Dining Out and Complete Food Guide kit and plan. Do not deprive yourself when making low-calorie versions either. Food should never be tasteless and horrid just to lower the points. Yes, my taste buds have changed and I enjoy new produce and foods, but some products and recipes are just bad. Some low calorie recipes might tickle my taste buds but do nothing for yours. A parfait or a pie using philo dough will taste better than a pie with a bad crust. Sometimes you never know it’s bad until you ask someone else who’s tried it or made it yourself. Experiment with cooking. You’ll find that some dishes that sound odd will be surprisingly good, yet others will just be surprising.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Billy Blanks Bootcamp

Billy Blanks Bootcamp
Cardio Live.
By Creative Gal

Time: 30 mins
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Space needed: Approx 5 ft across by 3 ft.

Review:
As a beginner I attempted this workout twice before actually completing it.
Encouraged by an online exercise group I joined, I tried doing the moves at half pace, along with watching the DVD and pausing it to figure out the moves, as there aren’t any real explanations or demonstrations on this DVD. However, they do the moves and combinations slowly at first, then they pick it up or do ‘double time’. It is pretty easy to follow and don’t get discouraged if even after a few times the moves are still confusing. Whatever you do, keep moving. At first you may only be able to do half of the reps they do, then you can have fun testing yourself and building up. Billy is very encouraging and points out some modifications to a few of the moves (mainly kicks) and also has one of the girls do a couple moves wrong so you can see what not to do. This is a short workout – it's amazing how quickly a half an hour passes. But you sweat a lot and you really feel it! The Billy Band segment is a little short but very powerful. I am still not strong enough to lift the bands very high, so I opt to do the arm workouts with 2lb dumbbells instead. I have been doing the leg work portion with no resistance, but will soon add the bands as I feel stronger now. The cool down portion is a little difficult to follow. Billy gives a motivational mini speech as his colleague Shelley takes over the cool down. I usually just look past Billy to see what they are doing behind him and follow suit. I also followup with a couple of my own stretches. Whatever workout you try, make sure you give it a good go before you decide whether you like it or not or whether its suitable for you or not. It DOES get a bit easier as your body gets stronger! Never give up! The success is in the trying.

Monday, April 03, 2006

fitlogic

Imagine having clothes that fit better.
Fit logic is sizing by body shape
http://www.fitlogic.net/home.php

Motivation After the Loss






Motivation After the Loss
By VH Melville
You lost the weight, but have no motivation to maintain. Motivation to maintain is harder than weight loss.

You still need goals and rewarding yourself is key. Reward yourself for the first month. Reward yourself every three months after that with a big reward coming every year.

Reward yourself for exercise if you exercise three to five times a week.
Reward yourself when you reach 20 or 30 workouts.

Maintenance reward ideas

1. Small fitness equipment
2. Spa day
3. Books
4. Make up or new cologne
5. comic books
6. Fitness DVD
7. A dance pad
8. A copy of Master Cook 9. Yourself! Fitness.
10. Tickets to a play, game, or concert
11. An item from a dollar tree or thrift store

Star Jones

By VH Melviille
I do understand Rosie’s concern that Star talks about plastic surgery but not her other weightloss surgery. I have no personal problem with Star but I feel that getting plastic surgery though secretive gastric bypass is considered even more taboo. I lost via weight watchers but most who undergo gastric bypass that is their only way out of major health problems.

Some types of gastric bypass are dangerous. People wrongly consider gastric as the easy way out and it is not.

I struggled with weight since I was ten. I’ve learned that I was beautiful to my husband at 234 pounds and beautiful to him at 125.
It’s weird but feeling beautiful was my turning point for health. I was sick of feeling so tired all the time. I was scared of getting diabetes in a few short years when I will be the age my dad was when he most likely developed it. I was angry at clothes store not having things in my size. I wanted to show my family someone healthy and happy with their body and their eating. I am happy with myself, loose skin and all.

It might seem sappy to some but feel there is beauty in us all no matter what our size is.
I do think Star Jones could inspire others but not all people who go through what she has to want to. This is her choice and not mine.
Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge More blogs about iportion.