Monday, December 31, 2007

My Last Message For The Year 2007 - It's So Inspiring

Due to events and timing beyond my control I haven't posted in this blog for the last four days.
I know you have all been waiting patiently for my great words of wisdom, and of course my tender, thoughtful words of encouragement.

Many of you have probably put on another five pounds the last four days only because you haven't been able to connect to my deep, deep, words of wisdom which reach down into the soul and tenderize the heart, and give that special meaning to live by.

So since I know you have all missed me so incredibly much, and missed every word that I write, I have a very special delicately written message for you now that is sure to inspire you to take the correct course of action. Are you ready?

HEY FATTY - YES YOU FATSO - PUT DOWN THAT EXTRA DONUT AND GO OUT FOR A WALK. HEY FATTY - WHAT ARE YOU DOING EATING THOSE THREE EXTRA CHICKEN PIECES FOR DINNER? HEY WHY ARE YOU EATING THAT WHOLE PIZZA FATTY?

Ah, aren't you so glad you tuned into my blog? Oh, how I make myself laugh.
Did you notice the delicate words I chose? There isn't a person out there who is quite as inspiring as I am. Aren't you so glad I am back blogging today?

________________________________________________________________
Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.8-pounds. Woo Hoo that's super.

This means that I am free and clear of the ten extra pounds everyone gains during the Christmas Holiday Season. Tomorrow is a New Year, and I am heading into it just over 180-pounds.

Don't think for five seconds I haven't had some Christmas Cookies, or some Christmas Chocolate Balls along the way either. I have, and they were yummy.

This morning I had to head out early to drop off my rental car. (It's a long story.) So I reached into the freezer and grabbed a cherry Christmas Cookie, two Reese's Chocolate Christmas Bells, a cup of instant coffee, and a banana. How is that for breakfast?

(Here is just an aside thought. If you have any of those extra Chocolate Christmas Bells hanging around, or even some of the Christmas Cookies, put them inside of your freezer. This way you can pull them out and celebrate Christmas all year long. What do you think is in my freezer? Thanks to my friends who push cookies on me.)

That was my breakfast. I went to pick up my car at the auto repair center, and then went with a family member for an early lunch. I haven't calculated up those calories yet. I am sure I have used up about one thousand calories: fried hash browns, Greek toast, a three egg omelet covered with hollendaise sauce and Mozzarella cheese, butter, and jelly.
I Eat What Everyone Else Eats
I do eat food. I eat real food. I eat a lot less than I used too. I am always watching for the end result. I can not do it if don't write down what it was that I ate. I can't do it if I don't weigh myself at least once a day, and then write it down.

It's critical for me to be aware of the food portions as well. I am watching how much meat I eat. I am watching how much potato, starches, or fruit I put on my plate. I am thinking about what I am going to eat. It's a constant thing. It will never end.

When I pulled that cookie and the chocolate from the freezer I wrote down what it was that I ate. If I run into a problem, I know why I am having it.

If you are not constantly monitoring your food consumption, and being critical about what you are eating, then you will have problems.

I wish that I could be like so many other people that eat, and don't pay attention to what they eat. Then they never get an ounce of fat.


I Met Someone Who's Husband Is An Emotional Eater
The other day I ran into a woman who was telling me that her husband is 100-pounds over weight. He is also depressed. It's having an emotional effect on her, and him.

I asked her if her husband pays attention to what he eats. She told me no, he eats when ever he feels like it. She told me that he is an emotional eater. I told her that's tough to deal with.

She said he just won't stop eating. And, when he gets upset, he eats more. Hmmm, it's sounds like some people I know. I told her to have her husband read my blog.

Now, get it straight. I am not a nutritionist, or certified doctor of nutrition. I am not anything but an ordinary guy who over the time of one year lost sixty pounds. I didn't do anything special or out of the ordinary. I reduced the amount of food that I consumed. I just ATE LESS FOOD. That's all I did.

When I tell someone to read my blog I want them to catch onto one thing, "You can do the same thing." When I write, I deliberately throw a spin into my writing that makes it bizarre. Yes, I do try to get some laughter, and I do try to spin up some emotions.

Unfortunately the only thing that makes anyone change is due to events that provoke an emotional response. I am working on an emotional response.

I hate the positive up beat messages that play with the team concept too; "Yes, we are all team players, and we can do it together: ooh, ooh, ooh ah." Bull...!

I am a human being, treat me like one.

Hey, I am as selfish as the next person out there. The only difference between me and a five year old child is that I am almost fifty years old, and I am in a bigger body. Don't think for five seconds I don't put my gooey, little, fat fingers on my chocolate bar and don't think, "It's mine, you can't have it."

Tell me the truth, when you eat that chocolate, aren't you flashing back in time? I do. I flash back in time to when I was little. I remember rushing down the stairs to the Christmas Stockings that were hanging on this ledge by the back picture window. Then I remember the fights we would have because we would steal each others candy. Yes, I remember the greed of the little child.

Isn't it somewhat like this today? We are emotionally hurt, or we're hungry, and out comes the little child. Yep, it's that little child with the wet sticky fingers that clamps onto the chocolate bar and refuses to give it up.

I saw this recently in a grocery store. Some little child in a grocery basket seat latched onto a big candy bar as her mother pushed the cart through the isle. Her child reached out and in a flash clamped onto the candy bar. When her mother tried to get it back the child screamed it's mine, and threw a tantrum.

That's dramatic for sure. However, the next time you decide you want to lose some weight, see if you don't want to throw a tantrum when you decide you have to give up something you like to eat.

The truth is, we want to be comforted. We don't want to feel hungry, not even a little bit hungry. We want our emotions to feel some sense of satisfaction.

The only problem with this is: when we are satisfying ourselves, we are only committing ourselves to an unpleasant doom. Yep, we will have to put up with extra pounds that over stress the body.

Think about that the next time it's late at night, and you think you need a mid-night snack. It's feed the little child now, and have that little child suffer later. Then you'll really be crying.

My mother used to say, "Quit you're crying, or I'll give you something to cry about." That's sounds cruel for sure. But, it was her way of putting an end to the whining of a cranky child that wanted it's way.

It's time to put an end to that cranky child inside of us that wants it's way. How, you decide to do it is up to you.

Here is how you start: EAT LESS FOOD.

Yep, you'll want to throw a tantrum when you do.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 182.6-pounds.
Woo Hoo...! I think this is super.

This means I slipped out of the Christmas Time Trama of over eating and seeing it for the next week on the scale. Am I good or what? Just kidding there.

But, I have been going back into my archives and I pulled up something that I wrote a while ago.

I had written a poem:
I see everywhere I go preponderant people.
There seems to be more than I remember.
I look at pictures of old and don't see as many preponderant people.
Where did they all come from?
Why, I ask myself, Why?
Who is the cause of all this preponderance?
Can anything be done to stop this trend?
Will anyone listen?

I am making the Clarion Call.
Listen to me before it's too late.
I was like you, and then I changed.
You can be like me.

Oh preponderant people why won't you change your ways?
Don't you know your doom is coming?
Don't you even care?

I am making the Clarion Call.
I billow out the same.
I was like you, and then I changed.
I was preponderant too.

Now don't you know that your health will suffer?
Don't you know that you will feel better?
You will jump and hop like a gazelle if you will heed my call.

Oh you preponderant people.
You tip the scale to far.
Your clothes no longer fit you.
You huff and puff when you move.
You can't get up from your chair.
You can't even climb the stair.
But, you won't do what I told you.
Oh you preponderant people.

It hardly rhymes at all. I guess you can't really call it poetry. Well, it can't be called good poetry. But it conveys my thoughts for today.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Christmas Time: I Didn't Gain Weight Like Everyone Else

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183.8-pounds.
Woo Hoo...! I thought that it would be worse than that for sure.

Oh, I ate so well yesterday. Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum, I had ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, flank steak, and sausages. For dessert I ate ice cream, peach pie, pumpkin pie, and of course Christmas Cookies. Let's not forget I had chocolate too.

Yes, it was a nice day for sure. Then I awoke this morning to step up onto the scale weighing 183.8-pounds. That's not bad, considering.

So, that's all the damage so far for this Christmas Season. I think that I escaped gaining ten pounds here by the hairs of my chinny-chin-chin.

Really, I thought that I would be seeing 10-pounds extra too. Here is why, I haven't been killing myself to lose the weight. I haven't been depriving myself of a little sweet here, and a little sweet there. I haven't been ignoring certain foods, just because it's got sugar, or fat, or some other ingredient in it that's banned by the weight losing officiants.

Yes, I have made efforts to be careful, but hey, I get carried away too. I like food too. And I'm not any different than anyone else.

Here is the difference between me, and any other weight conscious American out there. I have a written record of what I ate yesterday. I have a written record for what I ate for the last six months. If I have a problem with my weight, I can diagnose the problem.

Most people can't tell you what they had for breakfast, let alone what they ate for dinner two weeks ago. If they did have a written record, then maybe they could figure out where it is they are messing up with the weight.

It gets tedious writing down everything that I eat. It gets tedious figuring out trying to remember what the amounts were and recording them. It gets tedious recording the calories.

Even though it gets tedious, I believe this is the one thing that has saved me from going over board day-in-and-day-out.

And I am not writing to anyone that it's convenient. I am not writing to anyone it's an easy habit to develop. Recently, I have worked late, late into the night. I have written food and drink down on pieces of paper. Then I have actually missed some days recording what I ate or drank. I've had to pull out the pieces of paper and record them into my journal.

My journal isn't complicated either. It's a spiral note legal pad. I write down the food, or drink and the amount next to it. I just make a list of what I ate. I put down the date, and the weight for the day. And if I think about it, I will weigh myself at night. That's it.

I have nothing fancy. A friend of mine told me oh that's too complicated for me. Oh, OK.
Yep, it's complicated. It takes time to get into the habit of recording everything down to. Because sometimes I will forget something, and then mentally backtrack to what I ate; then I record it for the day.

Also, I can think back to what I recorded for the day, and mentally justify depriving my insatiable hunger. Sometimes when I get hungry, I have to say to myself, "No, you ate today, now forget it."

Someone I was talking to yesterday said he lost 80-pounds and it was easy to do. I asked him if he struggled with hunger. He told me he didn't. I asked him if he had any diet plan, or a mentor. He told me he didn't.

Granted he lost a lot of weight. I don't believe it was easy. Denying self isn't easy. For me it's not.

I question the honesty of people when I am told it's easy to lose weight. Uh, uh, it's a struggle getting it off, and it's a struggle to keep it off. Especially as we age.

If I had consumed the amounts of food at 20, or even 30 years old that I consume now, I would have been at 160-pounds months ago. Things have slowed down in me. Aging has changed my metabolic rate. I don't burn the food like I used to.

Yes, I have gone from pudgy as a child to thin, back to pudgy, and back to thin. But, I seem to remember it all happening with a whole lot more food consumption than I am eating now.

It doesn't matter. I am now on my way to going back to thin. This time, I have a system that I will have to use for the rest of my life. I will have to be constantly monitoring my food consumption. I will be a factory that never rests.

I will have to fill out my logs, and watch what I eat. I will have to keep weighing myself and be ever alert for those pounds that seem to jump onto the body from no where.

I will have to be a pain in the back side to everyone at the table as I pull out my little piece of paper and pen. Yep, it will go on and on.

This is a life long battle. It's "The Battle Of The Bulge."
I don't like it. I wish it were different. It is what it is.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas

Hello weight losing fans...

Today's the big day. Yep, it's Christmas. Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 180.8-pounds.

Not bad for having enjoyed so many goodies along the way this month. Today was no exception. I did eat my fair share of goodies today to include cookies, pie, and ice cream. Oh, the guilt I feel... NOT.

I know that tomorrow I am going to see it.

Merry Christmas anyway...

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmas Time, Easter Time, Summer Time, Winter Time, What's The Difference?

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.2-pounds. That's down from yesterday, and still up over the record.

Today I woke up in the middle of the day, after having slept only four hours. I worked all night long.

I am tired but, I have things to do, so I am up and about. Ugh...

I was disappointed this morning when I stepped up onto the scale. I thought sure I would have been down more pounds by now. Yes, I know it's the Christmas season. Yes, I know we are all facing the temptations of all the goodies.

Our Bodies Don't Care About What Time Of Year We Over Eat
It's really not any different this time of the year than it is any time of the year. We just make it different. We con ourselves into believing that, "I can celebrate the Christmas season," and in doing so go hog wild with the food.

Not, so. You're body doesn't know it's Christmas, Easter, or the Fourth of July. You do, but it doesn't.

All year long the body does the same old things day-in-and-day-out. It processes the food we shove into our mouths pretty much the same way everyday, short of a catastrophe happening as a result of illness.

If it's the middle of the summer and we decide to slurp down a pitcher of lemonade that's laden with sugar, the body has to figure out what to do with the sugar. It's the same as in the middle of the winter when we slurp down some extra sweet hot chocolate, and a fist full of Christmas Cookies. The body has to figure out what to do with the food, and the sugar.

Our bodies aren't saying, "Hey, It's Christmas, it's time to put some extra pounds on this guy or gal here."

Our bodies aren't saying, "Hey, It's Thanksgiving day here, it's time to put on some extra pounds here."

No, we're seeing those extra pounds because we're eating more food than we may need to survive. Isn't that a shame?

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, it makes no difference the season or the time, if we over eat more than we need, then we are setting ourselves up to eventually get fat.

I am not writing that it's easy to make the right decisions. It's not. We all have our weak spots in our wills that allow us to resist the temptation to overeat.

I went to that brunch for work yesterday, and there was this Rum Cake there. I love Rum Cake. If I didn't have to be at work within a few hours, that Rum Cake would have been my chink in the so called armor of my plan to avoid overeating

I had to be at work, so I resisted even tasting the Rum Cake. And, if not, perhaps I would not have been writing so brilliantly yesterday about how I averted disaster with a "Preemptive Food Strike."

Eh, I was just blathering on there. I know that lurking around the corner at someones home somewhere is that one food I won't be able to say no to; it may be fruit cake, or it may be that Rum Cake. It will be something.

And, don't think I won't try to figure out some way to justify my scarfing down an excessive amount of dessert. I will.

I told someone at work yesterday, "Just press the reset button and start over." Today is the day you know you blew it. So, what? Press the reset button and start over.

Tomorrow's another day. The next hour is a new moment in time. The next minute is a flash in the moment of your history when you may finally set your will to do better for yourself.

Then again maybe you won't set your will to lose the weight. That's OK. What? That's OK. Yep, that's OK.

Here is what I say, "Enjoy that Snickers Bar that's melting in your hand there." Yes, enjoy it. Go ahead, eat those big bags of "All Natural Potato Chips" there. Go ahead, eat all the food you want.

But, damned if I want to hear you complain when you can't get up the stairs. Damned if I want to be the one pushing you around in your wheel chair. Damned if I want to be the one who pays your medical bills.

I say, "EAT, EAT, and EAT Some More." Because the food industry loves you. You're helping some illegal alien working in a factory somewhere. Evon's nut's love you. And all of their non-English speaking employees are feeding their families because of you.

And they love me because I am spreading the message for them, go ahead EAT.

Think about all the people who have employment at the Cheetos factory, and the chocolate factory, and the bread factory because of you, and people like you.

EAT, and then EAT some more. There are hospitals, and clinics who's doctors and surgeons will have plenty of work to do with open heart surgery, and heart bypass surgery. Let's not forget the doctors who will get rich charging for lipo-suction, stomach resections, and other surgeries.

Teach your children to eat more sugary food so that Dunkin Donuts won't go out of business.

Eat, Eat, and Eat some more. You are helping to keep this economy going. You and everyone else out there.

EAT, and for Goodness Sakes, don't feel one lick of guilt or responsibility for it. And if you do, I don't want to hear it.

Now, Go Stuff Your Face...

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Friday, December 21, 2007

A Christmas Party Preemptive Strike

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.8-pounds.
It's the same weight as yesterday's weight.
I'm still up 3-pounds over that record weight.

Recently I have written some posts about the Christmas / Thanksgiving / New Years celebrations. It's this time of year when everyone says, "I gained 10-pounds because of all the Holiday Food."

Today was the Christmas brunch at work. I am sure that many Christmas brunches are much like this one. Everybody brings in a dish to eat, or a dessert to share with everyone else.

At my companies Christmas brunch on the make shift tables were set all kinds of desserts, and casseroles, meats, and breads. It truly was a cornucopia of food.

I was reluctant to go to this brunch since I have so far to drive, and I am not really to interested in being tempted with so much food. Did I write tempted? I sure did.

This morning I knew that I would eventually have to make a good will showing at this event. I had to think about what I was going to bring. I had to think about how I was going to avoid chowing down on all the goodies.

I made a decision to make a Christmas Preemptive Food Strike. Before I left I made myself a concoction of pulverised apples, and two scoops of protein powder. When I guzzled down this mix I felt like I had just stuffed myself with a Thanksgiving dinner.

My plan was to make sure I wouldn't show up at this brunch feeling hungry. If I had, then I would have been a goner for sure.

Before going to the brunch I stopped and purchased a couple of bags of Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. I looked at the bag of these delicate morsels of fried potatoes and noticed the grand advertising on the bag. It said, "No trans fats. All natural oils and ingredients."

That's great, natural potato chips. Hmmm? I read that little side panel looking for the calorie count. It said, "Serving size 10 chips. Calories per serving-190 calories." Whew, all natural, but lethal for the calorie counter.

Just think for a guy like me who allows himself 1,500-1,600 calories a day, this bag of delicious, oh so natural delicacies would allow me about 79 potato chips; that's all.
Think about that the next time you push your greedy little arm into a big bag of potato chips.
(If the shoe fits, wear it.)

So, how did I do with the Christmas brunch? I took small portions of different things. I made one sandwich of barbecue beef using only one piece of wheat bread. I had a small scoop of egg casserole. I had some small scoops of other foods. I stopped myself with one plate of food, that had about five different items on it.

For dessert I had one small piece of cherry cheese cake, some cranberry sauce, and a slice of zucchini bread. I took out my little piece of paper and wrote down everything that I ate.

People wondered what I was doing. Some asked me if I was counting calories. I said yes.

I had some conversations with people there at the party. One guy told me that he lost 80-pounds. Then he said he put back on 40-pounds. He told me that he had forgotten all about dieting. Then I ran into the one guy who I have written about before. He was putting two pieces of chocolate cake on his paper plate. I was watching him when he caught my attention with a comment. He saw it and said, "There's Dave watching what I'm eating." I told him, "I'm not your conscience, and I wasn't watching you."
I told him, "You have to live with what you are eating not me."

And that is the way it is. I can't think for myself, let alone think for anyone else. But, the guilty always feel like they are being oppressed, even when no one is watching. It was his conscience that was giving him a hard time, not me.

One of the owners of the company came out and told me to eat up. I told her I have eaten all that I am going to eat. She was delighted to be digging into all this food. She complained that she felt so full already. Then she said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this everyday?"
I said, "Sure we can, and then in five years we'll all be rolling around in wheel chairs."

Then I thought, "That was dumb to say." But, I said it. Oops. I can't take it back.

My only thinking is this woman is a certified millionaire. She can have this kind of food everyday if she wants to. No one is stopping her from having a banquet everyday. She could also afford to put out food for her employees everyday like this if she wanted to. It wouldn't hurt her banking account any.

I am wondering how a woman, and people like this who have so much can think so impoverished. You would think by her comments she hasn't got two nickels to rub together.

Anyway, I couldn't oblige her and dig into the pile for more food. I told her I lost sixty pounds by avoiding eating all of this stuff.

I made my preemptive strike before I got to the party, and I walked away eating like a normal person ought to.

I know that it's hard to eat properly when we go to functions like this. I certainly have my times when I ask myself what did I do? But, I can't take my little finger and stick it down my throat and spit up my food.
If I ate it, then I must live with the end results.

It only makes sense to pull in the belt and say to oneself whoa, what am I doing here? And just because I am going to a Christmas party or any other party doesn't mean that I have an excuse for pigging out. I don't.

I thought ahead of time about what I was going to be facing. I made a preplanned route for escape. I didn't want to see another 185-pound day. I am hoping to get to below 180-pounds here soon. By the looks of things, it's real hard to do.

If you are going to a Christmas party soon, it might pay to eat a couple pieces of fruit before you go. By planning ahead, you may be able to save yourself from a diet disaster.
I call it a "preemptive food strike."

The reality of life is this. Each and everyday many people over eat the amount of food necessary to survive. As a result they get fat, and fatter. I was the same way.

The Holiday season is an excuse people use for eating more food than they should. Then they contrive all sorts of reasons for over eating. "Oh, I would feel deprived," is the best one.

You're deprived here in America? Since when? I haven't seen empty shelves in any local supermarkets lately, have you? I seem to recall going into every gas station I fill up at and seeing rows, and rows of soda, and drinks of all make ups in the refrigerators. I seem to remember seeing about 30 different boxes of candy bars at the check out counter. But, we're deprived?
Ummm, I don't think so.

Christmas is a great time of the year. It's fun. But, I can't let that be my reason to put on 10-pounds. Especially since it took so much effort to get off that 10-pounds.

I like anyone else would love to keep pounding the food into my face. But, I don't want to pay for my mistake. I took a stand today to fight. I said to myself, "No, let all these other people eat this stuff." I thought, "If they want to get fat, and fatter, then they can. I don't want to."

Here's A Thought For The Day
Do you remember the credit card commercial where the items were listed and then the result would be priceless? Here is my rendition:

  • Bag of Christmas cookies- Two for the price of one $5.00
  • Christmas cup cakes purchased at the Charity bazaar- $3.00
  • Christmas Dinner at the Church- $10.00
  • Two loaves of Rum Cake- $10.00
  • Gallon of Eggnog - $5.00
  • 20 extra pounds on New Years Day- Priceless
  • Last Year's "New Years Day Resolution" - Worthless!
And those are my thoughts for today.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane



Thursday, December 20, 2007

Blending Up The Fruits And Vegetable, And Maybe Getting More Nutrition

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.8-pounds.
That's down from where I've been the last couple of days.
It's still up 3-pounds from the record.

I do believe part of my problem the last couple of days was that I was consuming something that was helping me to retain water. I was drinking more diet seven up, and diet rite than I usually do. It also helped to pass some of the junk out South of the border, after which, made a dramatic change on the scale.
(You know what I mean.)

I have been making a concerted effort to eat my vegetables, and fruits by pulverizing them up inside of the blender.

Today I was making my concoction of fruits and vegetables and was pulverizing some tart apples that I had purchased on "sale" at the local grocery store. I peeled the apples and cored them. Then I chopped them and tossed them into the blender.
After I added some cold water and made what looked like apple sauce, I dipped in a spoon and scooped out some for a taste. "Hey, I thought, This is real tasty." Then I threw in a couple carrots. It was still tasty.

I was thinking this concoction would make terrific baby food. It's not pasteurized, to make it safe to eat, but nutritionally depleted as a result. It was fresh. And I am sure any teething little toddler would just love to chow down on this semi-tart concoction. If I was getting ready to toss in some other stuff, I may have had that just for a dessert.

I tossed in a bunch of green leaf lettuce, and a couple of scoops of Cookies-n-Cream Protein Powder. That was my evening meal.

As I have written before, I get stuffed when I drink down these fruit and vegetable concoctions that I pulverize inside of the blender. For a little while it seems I find some satisfaction after eating.

I also can't help but feel something different after drinking down these concoctions of fruits and vegetables made by a mad man in his kitchen.

You really ought to try making up some of your own vegetable concoctions. That is if you have a blender. Just peel some carrots, some apples, core a green pepper, chop them up and blend them up until they become a mush. Toss in some real cold water so you can losen it up and make it more like juice. Then add spices if you want. Then drink it down.

The only thing that I don't like about it, is I have to keep taking the blender apart and cleaning it.

But, I can't help but think that I am unleashing juices that I couldn't just by chewing the stuff with my teeth. I keep wondering if I am not releasing more vitamins, and nutrients this way.
And I wish I had thought of this years ago.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 184-pounds.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Pounds Just Seemed To Jump Onto Me

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 185.2-pounds.
Yep, that's not a typographical error there.

Imagine my surprise with this. Hmmm, could it be I have been having dessert the last couple days at someone else's home? It could be.

Imagine this after having written what I wrote yesterday.

Well, up and down the weight goes.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Monday, December 17, 2007

We're Selling Away The Future By Over Eating

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.8-pounds.

That's up 0.6-pounds from yesterday's weight. It's definitely over the record.

I have been hovering here around the 180-pound target for at least a month. I would love to shed those last 20-pounds at the snap of my fingers. That would be dumb.

One of the things I have had to learn to do is treat my weight loss like it's a science project. I have to be curious about how things work. I have to be observant. I have to constantly monitor what I am eating. I have to write down my weight. I have to write down my food consumption. I have to see what the results will be.

This is a science project that will never end. Everyday I have to monitor what it is that I am eating. Everyday I have to write down what I ate. Most days I will weigh myself and write that down.

Right now I am at a family-member's home. There are a lot more things here to chow down on than I keep where I live. I try to keep the stuff I know that I may binge on outside of my residence.

I am like anyone else, if I get tired enough, and hungry enough, I will grab the easiest thing that I can eat.

The Story Of Esau, And Giving Away The Future
In the old testament of the Bible, Esau came back from a hunting trip. He was so exhausted he didn't have the desire to dress out his game that he killed and cook it himself. Besides, he had the mentality that many men of old had, and some modern men have, "Leave the cooking to the women."

He knew his brother Jacob hung out with mom a lot, and that he could cook. So, in his thoughtlessness, and implied laziness, he cooked up a deal with his brother Jacob.

Jacob knew Esau was coming back from the hunt. He knew Esau would habitually throw his bow and arrows into the corner and then yell at Mom, "Hey, what's for dinner Mom? I'm hungry here."

Jacob was ready with the food for dinner, and he knew he could take advantage of the temporary fatigue, and the disorientation of a long day without food.

When Esau came into the tent he smelled that "Good Old Fashioned Home Cooking." His thoughts turned to satisfying that nagging hunger now, and not about thinking of the future.

Jacob was stirring that brew of stew and no doubt acted like he was ignoring Esau when Esau came into the tent. Esau asked Jacob if he could have a bowl of the stew.

Jacob probably laughed a little and initially told Esau, "No you can't." This probably irritated Esau enough to get him to plead with Jacob for some food.

Esau asked for food, and Jacob agreed only if Esau would cut a deal with him. Esau agreed and Jacob hit him with his very cleaver and subtle proposition.

Jacob told Esau, "You can have the whole pot of stew if you want."Imagine Esau thinking, "I can have all that?"

Aren't we like this too, when we get tired and we are as hungry as a baby bear cub, we can only think about how fast we can fill ourselves? Or, how about when we just had a blow out with the family, don't we think we can fill that emptiness we suddenly feel?

Anyway, Esau said, "Sure little brother, what do you want?" Jacob told Esau, "If you'll give me your birthright Esau, you can have this pot of stew." (And doesn't it look so good, and smell so good?)

Esau flippantly said sure Jacob you can have my birthright. In a flash, and with some careless words, Esau gave away his future for a pot of stew.

In a time of fatigue, and a time of hunger, Esau's stomach became his god. Because of that, he gave away what should have been near and dear to himself, and his future family. He gave away his right to a full inheritance from his father. He gave away his leadership position, and he gave away his future.

He did all of that for one pot of stew.

It's much like this today. We may not have the same birthrights that the ancients had back in the Bible, but we do have an implied future. The implication is that we can have a future. That is if we can keep ourselves alive long enough to get there.

And what will that future be? For you I don't know. Having lived as long as I have, I do know that people make judgements about other people based on their physical appearance.

Most people don't like people who are over weight. They view these people as awkward, and as unsightly. I know that doesn't seem fair, but it's the truth.

I know that the body suffers from all kinds of illnesses that are related to being obese. There is type-2 diabetes, there are heart problems, there is high blood pressure, there is cholesterol issues, there are digestion issues, and on and on the list goes of problems.

Time and time again we have example after example of people who have lost weight by adjusting the food they consume. The list of cockamamie diets goes on there too.

Oh how nice it would be for children if parents themselves would get the message about how to properly consume food.

One of the proverbs in the Bible states, "Put a knife to your throat if you are given over to gluttony." That's a pretty dramatic statement.

If you take it apart and realize what its saying, it's pretty much like this, it's better to kill yourself now, than to suffer from the long term effects of overeating. Look around and see the old people riding in carts because they are so large their body can't support them anymore.

How many people are getting sick and dieing because they are overweight? How many people aren't as productive as they could be because they are overweight?

I heard a statistic the other day that floored me. It was stated that it is now estimated that 40-50 percent of Americans are now over weight. This means that there is now over 150,000,000 (150 million) fat Americans out there. Wow...

Let me tell you, in the future there is going to be a much bigger health crisis than there should be.

In this blog I am not writing to 150 million Americans. I am writing to that one person who may just happen to peek in on my blog post for today.

If you've gotten this far with you're reading, I have one more question for you, "What will your future be like if you keep eating like you do?"

EAT LESS FOOD is my mantra.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Holding That Weight Line

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.2-pounds. That's down from yesterday, and it's up over the record.

What can I say? Not, much. Just remember I have already lost a bunch of pounds. I have 20-pounds to go.

Judging from the way things are going, this may take another six months or so. I'm not kidding. I refuse to kill myself trying to get those extra pounds off.

I think that I have been writing this in my blog all along. It's not worth destroying your health by losing weight to quickly. Not to mention the fact that being over weight is already destructive to one's health.

Fasting your pounds off is stupid. Using diet pills is effective for a short time, but when you give up the pills, back comes the appetite and the weight with it. Besides that diet pills can become addictive.

Oh you can get that stomach tied up and chopped up, but you still have to learn to limit your food intake. Yep, that's right, you have to learn how to eat smaller portions. Gee, couldn't someone do that without the surgery? I think so.

There are all kinds of silly things people do to lose weight. In the end many people suffer from terrible adverse effects from avoiding the one real solution to their weight gain.

EAT LESS FOOD. Cut those food portions in half. Don't believe that garbage that you should push yourself away from the table feeling a little hungry. Nope, that doesn't work.

You'll have to monitor your food consumption. It will have to be a 24/7, 365 days a year.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Eating Those Govenment Recommended Daily Servings Of Vegetables

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 182.2-pounds.
It's only because I had a large lunch yesterday. Someone gave me a dogie box of food from the Christmas Buffet. It was loaded with food.

Yes, when I ate that box of food I went over my calorie count for the day. But, I am not going to fret about it. I didn't have any dessert with it. And, I quit eating for the rest of the day.

Getting A Buzz From Pulverized Vegetables
For the last three days I have been experimenting with pulverizing different vegetables in my food blender.

I started three days ago with blending up carrots and leaf lettuce in milk, and tossing in some protein powder. That made for an interesting concoction.

Yesterday I was mixing in tomatoes, broccoli, celery, tomato, and leaf lettuce.

Today I made two different concoctions because my blender was over loaded. I drank both concoctions.

After having made these concoctions of pulverized vegetables I noticed two effects. One, after having drank them down, I felt like I just ate a Thanksgiving Dinner. I was stuffed. That full feeling stayed with me a long part of the day yesterday. Two, I noticed that I was getting a buzz from it. I can't explain what was happening, but I felt like something was pumping into my veins and charging me up.

I was thinking is this a real feeling here? Is this stuff giving me something like a sugar buzz? I was also wondering if it's not the caffeine in the coffee.

I drank this morning two blenders full of vegetables, ice cold water, and milk. I pulverized five carrots, one large orange bell pepper, a cup or more of broccoli heads, three apples, four celery stalks, one medium tomato, two scoops of protein powder, and honey.

Gee, did I meet the governments recommendation for five servings of vegetables a day there?

Putting all these things together in the blender and pulverizing them overfilled the blender. I had to split up the ingredients and the processing.

I can't help but wonder what the long term effect will be if I continue to eat my vegetables like this. I am wondering if I will improve anything.

Right now after having drank down this concoction over one hour or so ago, I still feel stuffed.

It certainly is an interesting way to eat vegetables. I am definitely pulverizing the veggies down to a smaller particle than if I masticated them with my teeth. I also saved time.

Unfortunately, with my schedule like it is, I won't be able to do this everyday. And believe me, it gets tiring trying to eat four stalks of celery, a tomato, lettuce, apples, etc.. To get all those ingredients together and then eat them takes a while to chew them up in the mouth.

Also when I am out on the road, it gets very expensive to buy salad at a restaurant. It just seems to me, the more healthy the food is, the more they gouge the customer for it. I may be wrong.

Eating out isn't cheap. I went to a buffet the other day and the charge was almost nine dollars. That was cheap compared to many buffets.

When I get into the city and eat at a McDonald's, my bill can easily be $9.00-$10.00 just by purchasing a diet coke, some French Fries, and a hamburger.

It's much cheaper to make stuff for myself. I may start blending stuff and then carrying it in a large jar, or maybe a gallon jug. The only problem with that will be keeping it refrigerated.

Finally, this isn't all that I am eating throughout the day. I am eating other things like chicken, soups, and Christmas Goodies. Yum Yum...

Those are my thoughts for today, such as they are.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is... I'm David Dane

Friday, December 14, 2007

Can We Eat Candy For Breakfast?

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181-pounds.
That's down from yesterday and still up from my record.

Now, I had a fairly large lunch today. I had two pieces of chicken, one of which was a chicken breast. I also had potatoes, dumplings, and vegetables. I am done eating for the day. I expect I won't see any weight change by tomorrow.

Can We Eat Candy For Breakfast?
When I was growing up it never occurred to me to pull out a candy bar and eat it for breakfast. It never occurred to me to eat candy at any time for breakfast.

I guess that's all changed with the younger generation. When I got to work today one of my fellow workers was there in the break room eating a big bag of M&M's. Next to him was a bag of potato chips that he was going to consume next.

I said to him, "Hey interesting breakfast you have there." This is the guy I described in the past that's round like a beach ball. He's lost some weight, but now he's really struggling.

He got a look of guilt on his face and said, "Yeah I guess I shouldn't eat this." I told him, "Don't worry about it. Just make sure that's all you eat for breakfast and you'll be fine."

He said, "Didn't you say this was bad for me?" I said, "I never told you any of this is bad for you. I said, don't eat too much of it, that's all." I then said, "If you eat that candy and the chips and stop there you'll be fine until lunch."

I asked him if he doesn't remember me telling him about the Snicker Bar diet. He said, "He can't." I said, "We talked about just eating one 500 calorie Snicker Bar three times a day, and still managing to lose weight."

The problem with most people is they don't understand how to evaluate the food they eat. They want to eat, but they want to eat all the wrong stuff. Hey, I'm the same way.

He could have eaten four hard boiled eggs for that bag of candies. He would have had protein for his system instead of sugar.

Someone might say, "Hey, what about all the cholesterol in the eggs?" I think he has bigger problems being so overweight than his cholesterol.

I told this young preponderant man that he needs to start writing down everything he eats, and then start trying to figure out how many calories he has eaten.

I know I am wasting my time with him. He's destined to stay the way he is. I can see that it means more to him to stay as he is, rather than to make the necessary change.

I hope this isn't you. The benefits that go along with the struggle are well worth it.

Years ago I thought that I would never see 180-pounds again. I really thought that I was destined to be over weight for the rest of my life.

I found that answer to the question: How can I lose weight? How can I get skinny again?

EAT LESS FOOD. That's the answer. If you'll do that, then you will lose weight.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane


Thursday, December 13, 2007

Try Making Juice In The Blender

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.6-pounds.
This is up from my record of three days ago. It's just stuff waiting to leave.

So here I am back up over my record. Hmm, what am I supposed to do, get depressed? I have to remember that this time last year I was way over 200-pounds. I was close to 240-pounds.

I was eating Lean Cuisines three times a day just about this time last year. I eat more than that now. Is it any wonder that my weight would stall?

I have to remember that this weight loss program is a life long battle. It's "The Battle Of The Bulge." Unfortunately for we preponderates it's going to go on for the rest of our lives.

Ours aren't those hypersonic over driving metabolisms that instantaneously evaporates the food as we consume it, and then turns it into fat burning, muscle building, metabolic fuel.

NO, we are the ones who consume a morsel of food and then see it instantaneously come to the sides of our stomachs or our butts. "There it is today that cookie I ate just yesterday," is our thoughts.

Judging from the many over sized people I see walking around, we aren't the only ones that struggle with this.

The only difference between them and me, is I decided that I must do something to change it.

It's not rocket science what I did, and what I am doing now. All I did was learned to EAT LESS FOOD.

It's just simple physics and chemistry that's all. If someone consumes too many calories for the daily needs of the body, it will store the excess in the form of fat. That's it in a nut shell.

It's not profound. However, putting it into practice; well, that's a totally different story. When implementing a reduced calorie program, the will has to be used. If the heart and the will isn't there, then the battle will be lost.

I don't know how many people look in on my blog. I have had some comments. I don't know if there are all that many people who are getting encouragement from it. I don't know.

Onward I go; writing into the twilight of the future. Then not knowing what soul it will touch and inspire.

My inspiration to lose weight didn't come from a so called "positive message." My incentive came from a tired broken heart that was desperately seeking to be where I was years ago. I was lean in the military. I was running in the military. Then as time wore on I gained weight.

I packed on the fat and tried desperately to figure out how to get it off. My knees were breaking down. I was huffing and puffing climbing the stairs. I had to hold the rail going up the stairs.

NO, I didn't find the answers for my problem until I had an inspiration. It was like a spark of light in my brain. I thought could it work? Could eating less food be the real answer? Is that all it takes? Eat Less Food is all? Won't I die from malnourishment? Won't I be suffering like Karen Carpenter? Won't I end up neurotic from depriving myself? Shouldn't I see a doctor first?

Nope, Nope, Nope, NO, NO, NO. So what do I do? Eat Less Food. Is that it? I Eat Less Food? Yep, that's it, you eat less food. Well how much less? I don't know for you. You'll have to figure it out.

Why not start out weighing yourself first? Why not find a body, height, weight chart that's current somewhere on line? Why not figure out first where you ought to be on that chart?
And quit lying to yourself. If you have fat flapping like I did then admit you are fat, as I like to write preponderant.

You could start there. How serious are you about losing weight?

Making Juice Without That Juicer
Years ago there was an infomercial on TV for the Juiceman Juicer. This fitness guy who was a host was endorsing the wonders of making fresh juice. In his sales pitch he was extolling the wonders of fresh juice made from vegetables that are purchased at the local market.

You would think that drinking juice that was fresh made was the new fountain of youth.

Now, I have known people who have purchased those machines and began juicing every little morsel of vegetable and fruit they could find. Soon they would find that since the machine wasn't an industrial type machine, it broke down. Then there would go their dream of making juice.

I am not knocking juicing as a way to maintain a healthy life style. I will concede that drinking juice is a quick way to get those little vital nutrients into the body.

It's certainly more convenient to drink a vegetable than to chew it. Do I have to purchase one of those expensive juice makers to enjoy the benefits of juice? Umm, maybe not.

How about using that blender that's been sitting there on the counter collecting dust? You know the one that was given to you as a wedding gift. Yeah, that appliance over in the corner that you use once in a blue moon to make margaritas with, that's the one.

Yesterday I hit on something by accident because I was trying to get my bird to eat vegetables. He's like a five year old child, he turns his beak up at everything. He's losing weight because of it.

I purchased carrots, lettuce, and apples, so I could give them to this ill-tempered-fluff-ball of feathers.

I put them into the blender and pulverised them to mush. Then I put them onto a plastic lid and put it in his cage. I thought maybe he would consume this stuff if I made goosh out of it for him. Naw, it sat in the cage and dried out. I threw it away.

But, because of this, I made a discovery. That concoction actually tasted good. "Hmmm, I think I hit something here," I thought.

This morning I took four medium sized carrots, and green lettuce, and pulverized it to mush in the blender. I poured in two cups of milk, and two large scoops of cookies-and-cream protein powder. I ran the blender until the whole mix became puree. I tossed in a small bag of Splenda.

When I was done, I had a thick, creamy, yummy tasting drink that was loaded with fiber, and protein.

I had carrot juice with fiber, lettuce juice, and protein drink all in one delicious drink.

Experiment with mixing carrots, and other green things in the blender. Add ice cold water to make the mixture turn in the blender. Add honey, or sweetener to make it just a bit sweeter.

Here is what you'll get: You'll get the juice and the fiber in the same drink. It will be pulverised so you can drink it like a drink.

It's cheaper than buying a juicer. I think it will work too.

Tomorrow I may toss my angry little bird into the blender, that is if he keeps biting me.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Adding Weight By Eating At The Buffet Table

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183-pounds.
Yes, that's up about four pounds.

It's just stuff waiting to leave.

Yesterday I went to lunch with a friend. We went to a buffet. I had about five different pieces of fish. I also had a roasted chicken breast. Then I had some vegetables.

I went to the dessert table and had an apple pie square, a cherry pie square, and about 1 1/2 cups of soft swirly ice cream.

Like I said, it's just stuff waiting to leave.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is... I'm David Dane

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

What To Do When You Can't Sleep

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 181.2-pounds.

Hey what's up with that? Well, last night I couldn't get to sleep. I stayed up until 2:00 AM or so. I was drinking green tea with artificial sweetener, and hot chocolate. I was attempting to go to sleep.
I was listening to the radio. I was very interested in what I was hearing. I was listening to "Coast To Coast." Now, I am not a real big fan of some of the guests that come on. But the one they had on intrigued me.

He was talking about America isn't really in the middle of a gas shortage. He was also saying that the real people in charge are manipulating our fuel prices. And it's not because they want money. It's because they want control of people in mass numbers. I am investigating this now here at the library.

This isn't the scope of this blog, but some of what he was talking about explains why we are seeing the food prices soaring.

I went to the store yesterday and was gaging because I popped $42.00 for just a few items. I purchased some eggs, a head of lettuce, some other vegetable that I feed to my bird, coffee, and a couple other things. The clerk said $42.00 and my mouth dropped.

I don't usually frequent this store any more. I go to the discount food store around the block. But it was closed.

I have cut so far back on my food consumption, I don't go to the store like I used to. I have been purchasing food that is already to eat. I haven't had the time to cook.
I am not home that much. So, I have been eating out on the road. I already thought the food on the road was pricey.

When I go to McDonald's I will usually eat a hamburger, or something else. Then I am ready to fork out $5.00 for something that years ago McDonald's boasted would give me change back from my dollar. Yes, I get change back from my twenty dollar bill now. Ugh....

So, I guess we all have a good reason to cut back on our eating now. It's too expensive to eat anything.

Why Have I Gained?
I started out this morning writing about my gain of almost three pounds. Why did I gain it? It's easy to figure out. I am full of it again.

Last night I was drinking different fluids. They had not left my system.

You'll see the same thing. You'll drink something late one evening during a sleepless night and you'll see it on the scale in the morning. I did.

Oh, and one more thing. I was hungry late last night. I had to think about what I was going to eat to curb that stomach turning hunger. I decided to eat a very large carrot.
I was trying to get my bird to consume some of it; he turned his beak up at it. I ate it instead.

So, some of the extra weight was that big carrot as well.

Bye for now...

That's the way it is... I'm David Dane

Monday, December 10, 2007

My New Record

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 178.8-pounds.
This is a new record for this weight loss season.

More Christmas Cookies please, we're losing to much weight here.

I had a long commentary, then accidently wiped it out just now. I don't have time to rewrite it. So, you can live without my dribble for a day or so.

Bye for now...

And that's they way it is...I'm David Dane

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Someone Understands

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 179.4-pounds.

I am back at my record weight here today. Hmmm, can I stay there? Especially since I have been chowing down on the Christmas Goodies. Yummy...

I have been eating the goodies. When I have I add those calories to my total for the day. If I hit that 1,500 calorie target, I will usually quit eating for the day.

I didn't say don't eat a fist full of Christmas Cookies. What I said was, you better make a choice. Either you eat that hamburger or you eat those cookies. You don't get both.

Go ahead eat that little bundle of Christmas Joy, then realize that was lunch, or dinner.
I do.

The other day I had a bunch of dessert. I didn't eat for the rest of the day. It's because I blew my calorie count clean out of the window.

Now, I can't keep doing that day-in-and-day-out. That would be unwise. But, there are just some days when the Sugar Monster just hits with a vengeance.

Someone Gets It
Dinah weighed in with this comment: "You are so right about counting calories...we have to do it forever...I finally figured out monitoring my food intake was a lifelong necessity...losing the weight is only part of the equation in weight loss...the other part is keeping it "lost"....keep hammering away...maybe some people will eventually get it...those calories add up!"

She was commenting on what I wrote about yesterday. A woman I was with couldn't understand my obsession with calorie counting.

Thank you Dinah.

It's Not Fun Scrutinizing What I Eat
I don't like having to scrutinize every piece of food that I am going to eat. I wish that I didn't have to. But, I got preponderant because I didn't exercise caution with my food consumption.

There are some people who can go day in and day out eating scrimpy little meals, and they do it by habit. I had a woman friend that was like that. She would open and eat a can of smelly little fishes, and eat a little salad, then feel full. She was lean like a little twig.

I don't have that luxury. My appetite is considerably larger than hers. I want to eat, and eat, and eat.

I think most people want to eat, and eat, and eat. Judging from the number of over sized men and women out there, I think I may be right.

It doesn't matter what drives them to over eat; because sooner or later they will have to realize they are in trouble. Then who ever it is that's over weight will have to dramatically change their food consumption habits.

My way is dramatic. It may seem to be neurotic and obsessive at times. Believe me, I wish it were different. But, if I don't stick to a certain regimen, sooner or later I will lose control.

It's like a pilot that has to go flying; he better pre-flight that plane. And he/she has to stick to a regimen every time. If not, then one day something will be wrong and that could be disastrous.

When I am eating I am thinking about what's going into my mouth. I can still enjoy the momentary flavor, but I must be responsible in the process.

I must be on my way.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Critics Everywhere

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 180.6-pounds.
This is just about 1-pound over my record for this weight loss season.
Golly, I just can't eat enough Christmas cookies.

People Don't Get It With The Weight Loss
Today I took a friend shopping. She can't drive because of her disability, so I helped her out today.

She treated me to lunch at Wendy's. I took the little box the French Fries came in and was looking for the calories. She said, "Oh oh, there you go looking for the calories." I said what do you mean, "Oh, oh?" She said, "You're always talking about calories." Then she asked, "Are you still counting calories? Haven't you lost enough weight?"

Well, maybe I lost enough weight. That doesn't mean I need to quit counting calories.

This is where people don't get it. People think they can eat a little hamburger and French Fries for lunch. Then they will wonder why it is they are getting fat. Well, it's because they fail to remember all the other stuff that they ate or drank throughout the day.

The calories add up very quickly when consuming food. It goes like this: A few hundred calories here, and then a few hundred calories there, then you're fat, and getting fatter.

She was no exception to the rule. When I met here five years ago, she was a whole lot thinner than she is now.

What people fail to realize is we all should be looking very carefully at how much food we consume.

This same lady also told me that a man needs more than 1,500 calories a day to live. Umm, yeah if I were maintaining my weight I could eat a couple hundred more calories. Then I would stabilize at a set weight.

I am still attempting to get down to 160-pounds. She wanted to know why I think I should lose more weight, just as many people want to know. Well, I have 20-pounds of gut fat, that's why.

My Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale says I am at 24% body fat. A man should be at around 15% body fat. I want to get to the 15% body fat range. This would mean that I would be in around 160-pounds.

Here at 180-pounds I am much better than I was a year ago. But, I am not near what I want to be.

I told my friend, "Believe me I am not being neurotic about this. I know what I am doing."

You are going to run in to people who don't understand. Many of them will be highly critical. Many people you will run into are attempting to lose weight but are doing it the wrong way.

I eat food. I eat cookies, candy, cake, hamburgers, French Fries, potatoes, cheese, milk, juice, fruit, and a bunch of different foods. I don't eat as much as I used to.

I eat all the stuff that I used to eat years ago. I don't eat big heaping portions anymore. Well, some days I go to town eating. It's not like I used to. If it was, I wouldn't have lost 60-pounds in just under one year.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Friday, December 7, 2007

No Excuse Anymore For Getting Fat At McDonald's

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto that Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 182-pounds.
That's the same weight as yesterday, and it's only 2.6-pounds over my record for this weight loss season. I gotta eat more Christmas cookies.

Today I Ate At McDonald's
I went to McDonald's for lunch today. I ate a Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese, a medium French Fries, and a Diet Coke. The total calorie count for the meal was 1,120 calories. Of course the double burger was the largest calorie consumable item in the meal coming in at a whopping 740 calories.

As I was eating my meal I was looking at the environmentally friendly cartons that the food was served in. Do you remember when they used to be plastic foam? On the box the hamburger came in was a fully informational listing of the nutritional value of the food. It included the calorie count, the fat grams, the salt count, and the carbohydrate count. On the box of French Fries the same nutritional guide was supplied.

Now, I don't know if McDonald's is doing this because the law made them do it, or they are doing it as a public service. What ever the reason they are doing it for, I found it extremely helpful for me to figure out the nutritional value of the food I was eating.

McDonald's also lists on the paper place mat for the food trays a complete in store menu with the nutritional value of the food. So, if you are staying in the store to eat, or having your food passed out the drive up window, the nutritional value of the food is readily available for any one's observation.

This makes it extremely easy for someone like me who is calorie counting to figure out just how far over the line I may have just gone, or if I am holding the line.

Common sense would tell the average person that eating at McDonald's isn't going to make it easy to stay with any diet; not unless someone orders salads all the time.

Having the calorie counts available for anyone to see makes it hard for anyone to make up excuses for getting fat at McDonald's.

McDonald's has made it obvious that just about any food item you pull off the menu is going to be loaded with calories. This includes the salads, which average about 300 calories each.

Am I saying don't eat at McDonald's? No I am not. But, if you do eat at McDonald's, make sure you look at how many calories are in the items you are going to consume.

If you are a heart patient, a diabetic, a calorie counter, a Doctor Atkins's dieter, a person with high blood pressure, or just a plain old Joe, there is no excuse for messing up your diet any more.

McDonald's has laid its cards onto the table and exposed the truth. Now, no one has any excuses.

Thank you McDonald's... It's genuinely appreciated.

McDonald's I have just one request; just one. Would you please put in a points system for those Weight Watchers out there? They just can't figure out what a calorie is. It's too hard for them. Then they get confused.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Are You A Rabbit?

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 182-pounds.

Hmmm, I guess I'm not eating enough Christmas Cookies. I'll have to have some at work tomorrow. Maybe I should buy some.
I got to get like Santa, 'cus nobody likes a skinny Santa.

So You Thing Eating Salads Is A Good Way To Lose Weight?
Someone told me that he thinks he can lose weight by eating only salads.

My first thought was, "Are you a rabbit?"
My second thought was, "Has this guy even studied anything about losing weight sensibly?"

I think that eating only salads to lose weight is a real bad idea. Who can eat just salad anyway?

One of the things that I keep stressing over and over in my blog here is don't kill yourself to lose weight. Eating only salad is a sure fire way to kill oneself.

There aren't enough nutrients in salad to sustain the human body. Since most salads are usually made from Iceberg Lettuce, the amount of nutrients the body will get are practically nothing.

The body has to have a balance of nutrients that come from the different food groups. The body needs fats, proteins, vitamins, and sugars in order to function properly.

I don't have time to go into the science.

Eating only salad to lose weight is unwise, and that method can't be sustained over a long period of time. Like anything that we eat, we crave variety in our diet.

Eating only salads will get boring. Sooner or later that guy will crave a hamburger and French Fries. Then his salad eating days will be over.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Being Able To Say No Thank You And Mean It

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183-pounds.
Yep I am just hanging around here over that 180 target weight.

No, I Don't Want It
Yesterday I was at a home in Glenview having lunch with a bunch of Senior Citizens from the Danish Home. Along with them came their baker. He was a young man from Denmark.

This young man has diabetes that is the kind someone is born with (Type-1). His body can't develop enough insulin to process glucose in his blood. As a result he has to take regular injections of insulin.

Along with the injections, he has to make sure he eats the right food. If he doesn't, he could suffer some terrible consequences that could prove fatal very quickly.

One of the foods that he has to be very weary of is desserts made with sugar. He also has to limit his intake of sweet liquids. In his case a potently sweet wine that he was given a shot glass full of.

We were eating dessert, and the husband of the hostess saw that most of the dessert had not been eaten. He got incensed and asked why the people weren't eating more dessert. Of course, I was happy to oblige the guy. It didn't bother me to have a little more. (I will explain why.)

He went around the table insisting the woman have more dessert. Then he looked at the baker and told him, "What you don't like my wife's baking?" "Eat more dessert," he insisted.

The same thing happened at the first house that we visited with the luncheon.

This poor kid. He knew he shouldn't eat anymore food. It could kill him right there, or make him very sick. He tried to say, "No, I can't." The old man kept insisting. The kid gave in.

If it had been me, I would have pulled out my injector and said, "Here, when I pass out, you make sure I get this because I am a diabetic." I would have shown him what for. But that's me.

The wife came along after that and was upset when he wouldn't finish off the wine. He told her it was too sweet. She took the glass indignantly.

He didn't have the courage to tell them that he is a diabetic and that he shouldn't, and really can't eat the food.

It had nothing to do with the taste of the food. It had nothing to do with the hospitality. It was that his life depended on abstaining from the food. It was life or death for him.

I am convinced that if he had spoken up and said, "I am a diabetic, I have to watch my food," they would have backed off.

I don't like pushy people. I especially don't like people who push their so called "hospitality" on me. It's no longer hospitality to me, it becomes an issue of control in my mind.

And, it's about that time my mind starts stirring up some incredibly wicked things that I want to say. However, I have to bare in my mind, "consider the source of the frustration." Then I make a concerted effort to curb my tongue. But, oh if they could get into my head, they wouldn't like what's up there for them.

Do We Know When To Say No, And Mean It?
One of the things that I am trying to get across in my posts on this blog is that we have an obligation to ourselves. We have an obligation to take care of ourselves, as long as we still have our wits about us. And, I am not writing it's easy. I have a long way to go in some areas.

This is why I have been writing, "I'm not losing weight for anyone else but me." I don't care if it seems like I am self consumed. I am no good to anyone if I can't live my life to the best I can.
And being over my weight limits was not living my life to the best.

My self indulgent thought is actually a blessing to those around me. Which is a paradox...

Now, when my head is tilted to the side, and and foam is dribbling out of my mouth, and I can't tell who's coming and going, and I am no longer there in my entirety , I will be someone elses responsibility. (God forbid...)

Back to my point. It's our self centered thinking that actually gets us into trouble. We eat because we are trying to fill something. It could be our stomachs, or it could be empty feelings.
So, I have been told. Me, I just get real hungry.

That food we love to consume can be our friend, or it can become the enemy. It's a blessing and it can be a curse.

I am not writing that finding the proper medium to live by is easy. Oh, goodness no. I am not climbing up onto a mighty horse here and looking down with my quill in hand ready to smite the feeble weaklings. In this case my keyboard at my finger tips is my weapon.

What I am writing is that we have to get to the point where we have the courage to stand by what we know we should do. In my case it was learning to EAT LESS FOOD.

What happens to many of us is we don't see that long term future waiting for us. We don't say well what if? What if I keep eating two loaves of bread a day? What if I keep eating a two liter of soda a day? What if I keep giving in to these impulses?

What will be my outcome?

In the situation I mentioned up on top there was an obligation on the part of the baker to put his foot down and say, "NO, I am a diabetic."

If the people didn't back off, then that would prove beyond a doubt they were truly officious people. Their hospitality would have become an offense, and not a blessing.

How about you, and me, are we trying to lose weight? Do we have any idea how much food we can consume to lose weight and still live a healthy existence?

Some people really don't know what they are doing. However if they do, then do they care enough to take action?

We the preponderant ones will run into more people like those I encountered yesterday. They will insist that we break our diets so they can satisfy their foolish yearnings to look hospitable.
They are officious, and they don't even know it.

Do you have the courage to say "NO" to more food? Do you know your limits and have you set them? You ought too.

Ours isn't an instant death from over eating. Ours will be a slow death. It will be lost friends who make foolish assumptions. It will be lost opportunity from our daily life. Our death will come slowly as we creep along in our extra wide wheel chairs.

I strained to make it up the stairs last year. I was in pain. The difference between me and many people, is I really don't complain about it. Not like I could have.

How about you? Can you say "NO" to you?

When I had that extra dessert yesterday I knew how many calories I had consumed already. I knew that with every bite that I took my evening dinner began to become a NO GO. I had to decide dessert, or dinner. Which will it be?

I gave up my evening meal to have my dessert. It was yummy. I had to wait until the morning came.

I woke up at 1:00 AM hungry. I couldn't go back to sleep. I got up, boiled some water, and made tea with some honey in it. Then I managed to fall back to sleep.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Up The Weight Goes, And Down It Goes

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183.6-pounds.

I am at a relatives home. I am getting ready to go to work. Before that time I turned on the computer. There was a link on Yahoo to Diane Sawyer and ABC news. The title was, Woman Loses 500-Pounds.

In the video she states that she was saved by the Internet and faceless people. She said that eating all the food she ate was only because she was stuffing her feelings. OK.

I am glad she lost all the weight. I am glad she was able to shave off 500-pounds. I have a question. How did she do it? She did it without surgery. That's amazing.

When I can I will copy the link to my site. If you wish to find it, go to ABC news. The woman's name was Nancy Maken.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it it...I'm David Dane

Monday, December 3, 2007

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183-pounds.

I had written a whole commentary. It got wiped out by someone who wanted to get onto the computer. So, I will end here.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Why More Woman Are Having Heart Attacks

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 180.4-pounds.

Hmmm, I guess I just haven't been eating enough.

I did have a real tasty dessert yesterday. It was some sort of pudding with pound cake, strawberry jelly, and rum. I had a giant Sugary Christmas Cookie. Yummy... Oh, the terrible shame.

It's Christmas, what can I say?

A Cardiology Nurse Told Me Why More Woman Are Having Heart Attacks
Two days ago I was talking with a nurse who works in a cardio-ward, and with cardiologists. She was telling me and the other woman involved in our conversation why more and more woman are having heart attacks. I asked her if it wasn't because more woman are over weight. She said yes.

She said, "Most illnesses that she and doctors see are food related." She said, "Woman and men are eating too much food, and it's having adverse effects on the body."

She said that,"Woman in America are eating too much food, and getting fatter." She thinks that obesity is an epidemic in this country.

She also said that she has seen more and more children who are experiencing food related illnesses. And this is only because they are eating more food than we need to survive.

Ooops...

There really isn't a whole lot that any one can do about it. At least not until a person comes to the conclusion that he/she has a problem. For the people who have suffered the heart attack or have developed diabetes as a result, the solution has come too late. The damage is already done.

As for me I had always wanted to be thinner. I knew that it was going to take some dramatic event to change me. I just couldn't figure it out.

Well, I did, and here I am sixty pounds lighter. I have twenty pounds left to go.

Tonight I Ate The Northern Pike
Back in October I caught a 29.5 inch Northern Pike up in Wisconsin. I filleted the fish and froze it. Today I cooked it in the oven and then ate it.

I haven't figured out how many calories I consumed. I'll figure it out when I get home. I haven't exceeded my calorie count for the day. Tomorrow I do expect to see it on the scale. That's not because I have gained weight, it's because it hasn't left yet. (You know what I mean.)

The fish was yummy. I baked the fillets in the oven at 400 degrees. I put the fillets in a glass baking dish. I covered them with butter and lemon, and some salt. I then put some bread crumbs over the top of them. I covered them with aluminum foil. Next I baked them for 15 minutes. I pulled them out of the oven then flipped them and basted them with the juice. I put them into oven for 20 more minutes.

Oh, that fish was so good. I have one more pike in my freezer at home. I also have a Catfish that has to be eaten soon as well.

I am trying to figure out if I want to fry them, or bake them.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Saturday, December 1, 2007

I Don't Want To Keep Reducing Calories To Lose Weight

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 184-pounds.

I am here up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. It's snowing like crazy here. I don't know what it's like where you are. However, I got into this area at 10:00 AM and the snow started then. There is now about three inches of fresh snow on the ground at 2:00 PM. Wow.

Well, what does this have to do with weight loss; Umm, nothing at all?

It did almost prevent me from posting on my blog today, since it's kind of hard to drive in this stuff. I was tempted to stay where I was. I will be home too late to get to an open library; seeing as it is Saturday.

But, I braved the snow and found an open library, just so you could keep up with my progress. Or in my current status, my digression of weight.

It's the Holiday Season, what do you expect? Just kidding.

It's tough to keep shaving off the pounds. I have hit a point where my body is standing still.
And to be honest, I really don't want to cut my calorie intake down to 1,400 calories. I just don't.

It's hard enough keeping my calorie count at 1,500 calories, and then trying to keep it there. I get so stinking hungry some times.

I woke up in the middle of the night hungry as a bear. I had to get up and make a cup of tea with some honey in it. I just could not fight the hunger anymore.

The honey helped a little bit.

If you are like me, hunger is your stumbling block to lose the weight. I don't have this compulsion to binge as much as I have the need to satisfy the hunger.

It gets hard. Real early this morning it was hard. It may get real hard for you. But, you have to hang in there.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Late Night Meal Packed On The Weight

Hello weight losing fans...

I brought my Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale with me and stepped up onto it weighing in at 185.2-pounds. I knew that was coming. I had a big meal last night.

Bye for now...

That's the way it is...I'm David Dane

Thursday, November 29, 2007

My Weight's Dropping Some

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto that Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183.6-pounds.

Greetings from Peoria, Illinois. I am here to see the Festival Of Lights.
Good Grief it's cold out here.

I packed my Magical-Scale with me. We'll see what I come in at tomorrow morning.

As you can see my weights dropped a bit there. I am still no where I want to be. But hey, this is a marathon.

I have to get going here. I will see if I can't leave some thoughts later.

Part Two
Before I go to bed I have some final thoughts.

Tonight I was sitting next to a very pretty woman at dinner. I was talking to her. She wanted to know what I did to lose so much weight. I told her.

It didn't take too long for the objections to what I was telling her to appear. She was telling me how inconvenient is would be to write down the food she eats. She was telling me that she couldn't weight herself everyday. On, and on went her excuses that will keep her from trying to lose weight and keep it off.

All I did was tell her my story. She just interjected, because she was feeling guilty.

She was telling the people sitting across from her how her cholesteral is up, and her blood pressure is high. She probably has other problems too, or will soon. Here is why, she is too preponderant. She should lose weight.

It's ashame people have to get sick before they decide to do something that will be good for themselves.

Tomorrow I'll be up again above this mornings weight. It's because I had a large hamburger, and French Fries tonight. So, I expect to see that on the scale in the morning. Watch....

She's no different.

Bye for now...

And the way it is...I'm David Dane

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful, And This Food Is So Delightful. I'll Go Ahead And Eat. Let Me Grow, Let Me Grow, Let Me Grow

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 184.6-pounds.

I was working on my commentary for yesterday's blog posting. I couldn't finish if up so I snipped some of it away and stuck it in for today.

Unfortunately again, I am short on time. So here is part of yesterday's post here today. Enjoy my dribble....

It's Time To Put Up The Christmas Decorations, and to make those Christmas Cookies.
It's the Holiday Season, and the tables are going to be set with wonderfully delightful assortments of food.

At work the friends are bringing in the homemade cookies. They are all so yummy looking.

Suddenly in the mail there came this big box of fruitcake from a long lost relative.

The invitations have gone out, and you've been invited to another Christmas Party.

Let's not forget the Christmas Festivities at the church on Sunday.

Oh, Aunt Beth has sent over her Annual Rum Cake. You know, the kind you ate last year all by yourself and then got the drunk driving citation for.

Oh of course, let's not forget to go to that Christmas Party at the office. You know, the party where that guy gets drunk every year and shoots his mouth off. But, because he's one of the owners relatives, he never got fired.

Ding Dong: Hi, I was making Christmas cookies and I brought some over. Tell me what you think.

Oh, I won, I won, the office raffle. Here you are dear. Here's your bottle of Rum. It goes great with Coca-Cola.

Yep, the Holiday Season is upon us. The cookies and the candy are out there for the taking. The food with all it's sumptuous flavors is there, along with the soda's and the fruit punch, and the booze.

For many of us we will be invited to a few parties along the way. And of course, if I'm not working, I am not turning anyone down.

Along with the Holiday Festivities, comes the mental anguish for we the preponderant ones.

Free Food Is My Motto... Hypocrite!

Oh, where is Denise Austin when I need her?

Oh, help me, where is Richard Simmons? Why isn't he here to beg with me, and to plead with me not to eat that extra piece of Rum Cake?

Where is my Buns Of Steel Tape?

Where is my Abs Of Steel Tape?

Oprah Winfrey please pray for me.

Looks like I have one more New Years Resolution Coming. Yeah, to lose twenty pounds. I can do it. (FAT CHANCE OF THAT.)

Oh, how many fat grams are in this ginger bread man cookie? He's so cute; Chomp, Gulp...

I promise, I promise, in January I will join Weight Watchers.

Maybe I should have that stomach surgery after all.

Yes, Christmas is coming and the opportunity to forget the cares of the year, and all that struggle we put in to lose 10 or 15 pounds.

After all I can't deny myself. That wouldn't be psychologically healthy for me...

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is... I'm David Dane

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 187.6-pounds.
That's not a typographical error.

I will give my commentary when I finish it up. I have part of it in the draft folder. I have to get under way here. So, Ooops on that weight there.

Bye for now....

And this is the way it is.... I'm David Dane

Monday, November 26, 2007

Enjoying Some Of That Holiday Food? Oh, Yeah....

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 184.6-pounds.
Whoops...

It's the Holiday Season for sure. Guess who's falling victim to it? Yours Truly, that's who. Oh the Shame...

Yesterday I went to a Combination Christmas Party / Thanksgiving Celebration / Open House. There was food galore there as is usual for such an event.
And I brought with me my appetite. To be honest I had no intention of eating so much food.
When I was given the left over fruit salad bowl, I chowed that down.

There was the chocolate cake down stairs on the table. Some woman had made it and put this hard semi-sweet-dark-chocolate on the top. Oh, it was so good. I ate three of those pieces. I can't even guess how many calories was there. OK I will guess about 250 calories a piece.

And probably the very worst offense that I committed was going back to the punch bowl, and then back, and back, and back, and back.... Well, drinking that tasty fruity liquid racked up about 1,500 calories all by itself.

Of course I couldn't resist the Cheetos, "The Cheese That Goes Puff" around the middle of the stomach and your buttocks. Did you know that just thirteen of those little Cheetos is 160 calories? They don't fill me either.

So at the end of the day, after having walked in the door with a firm resolve that quickly gave way to my hunger, and the compulsion to eat tasty food, I added to my total weight about five pounds.

When I awoke this morning I stepped onto the scale to see the new weight that I am. Ummm... 184.6-pounds.

Of course, as I attended this event, some people who had not seen me in about a year where surprised to see how much weight I did lose.

Before I went home someone told me that I look good where I am, and that I really shouldn't lose any more weight. I was told that I would look like a skinny old man. OH GEE THANKS....

If I can get through the holiday season here without packing on any more pounds, I think that I will be lucky. Whew, it's hard to say NO....

How many more days of this will I have to battle through?

The Extra Fat Has To Go
Yesterday I was laying in the bathtub taking a leasurely bath and I was looking at the flab around my middle. Yes, there is flab there. It's not stretched skin. It's about 20-pounds more fat that eventually has to go.

And, ya know, it's tempting to listen to people who think it ought to be some other way. But, they aren't me. And they can't see under the shirt like I can.

I have had people say, "Well, firm it up." No, you can't firm up fat. It has to be burned off. Fat is Fat, and it has to go back to glucose before it becomes useful for metabolism.

I wish people would get an issue of Muscle Magazine, or read up on some biology. They don't have a clue about the dynamics of the human body. Yet these are the ones who offer all the suggestions.

I didn't ask them.

Well, you make up your own mind how you will get off the weight, and how much you will lose. You are the one who has to live with who you are. Not me....

Bye for now...

And that's the was it is... I'm David Dane

Sunday, November 25, 2007

I'm Still Seeing Thanksgiving On Me.....

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Scale weighing in at 182.8-pounds.

Bye for now....

And that's the way it was...I'm David Dane

Saturday, November 24, 2007

One Year Ago I Decided To Give Losing Weight One More Try: I Lost 60 Pounds

Hello weight losing fans...

Today I stepped up onto the Magical-Mystical-Digital-Scale weighing in at 183-pounds.
So, maybe I put on about a pound of fat after eating so well on Thanksgiving Day. Maybe...

It Was One Year Ago I Decided To Attempt To Lose Weight Again. Throughout my time as an adult I had lost weight, and then regained that weight.

I got my time lines messed up here and wrote that I did the Doctor Atkins's Diet four years ago. NO, I started doing the Doctor Atkins's Diet back in 2002.

With that diet I managed to lose 60-pounds. I got down from 260-pounds to 200-pounds. I then regained 40-pounds.

That brought me to the dilemma I found myself in on Thanksgiving Day 2006.

I woke up at 2:00 in the morning so I could be at work by 4:00 AM.
I was getting dressed and found that I could not button my uniform pants. The collar on my shirt was so tight, that I had to leave it unbuttoned under the tie. I was emotionally distressed.

That day I was deeply depressed at the thought I was so PREPONDERANT (FAT).
When I went to go to a family members house to eat, I ate reluctantly.
I wasn't enjoying the feast.

When everyone left to go home, I remember sitting slumped on the chair sideways staring at the TV. Then I saw the Jenny Craig Commercial. I had an, "AH HA" moment.
I thought, "Can it be that easy?"

All this time I was trying to redo the Doctor Atkins's Diet. I was trying to do the low carbohydrate thing. Nothing worked. My body was piling on the fat. I was gaining and gaining. Everything I did before was failing. It was depressing.

I was at Target purchasing Christmas Lights. I passed by the frozen food case and saw the Lean Cuisines on sale for half price. I purchased a freezer full. I packed my freezer with Lean Cuisines. (I kid you not.)

Morning, noon, and night I ate nothing but Lean Cuisines. I wasn't weighing myself everyday yet. To be honest; I didn't think this would work. (So much for that BS about having a positive attitude.) My attitude had nothing to do with this.

It was pure physics and science that went to work on my behalf. With Less Food, and Less Calories, the body has no choice but to go after the fat reserves.

When I was done with those Lean Cuisines I very sceptically stepped up onto the scale. I was ecstatic. I had lost weight.

There was one problem. Those Lean Cuisines were just way too few calories for me. So, I went and purchased a bunch of Healthy Choice that were on sale. I filled my freezer again. This time I ate about 100 calories more per meal.

Again I lost more weight. I started looking carefully at the side panel. I thought just how many calories am I eating here?

I calculated that with the Lean Cuisines I was eating around 250-300 calories per meal. This came out to be about 1000 calories intake per day. No wonder I lost weight. Whew...
I was starving to death.

With the Healthy choice I was eating 300-400 calories a meal. This gave me around 1,200 calories a day. No wonder I still kept losing weight.
I was still miserably hungry.

This time I shifted to eating regular TV dinners. This put me at around 1,500-1,600 calories a day.

With that change; the rest is history. I decided to start counting calories, and writing down everything that I ate. I started my food log on some plain paper. I started weighing myself everyday.

I didn't set some of those REALISTIC WEIGHT GOALS... I still say that's BS. And the crap about the Positive Attitude that goes with it. CRAP is what I say to that.

I didn't have a positive, "I'll go get them attitude." I was actually very sceptical. I was in the mind set of, "Let's see if this will work."
When I made up my mind, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was depressed and struggling.

NO ONE, NO ONE came to my aid. NO ONE in my family or around me was giving me an example of how to lose the weight, and keep it off. NO ONE...

When I decided to lose weight I struck out on my own. And with that, and a prayer for wisdom, I hit the answer.

Am I anyone special for this? NO!
Did I hit upon something that's new and revolutionary? NO!
Am I a genius? NO!

Since that time of one year ago I have actually been an inspiration to people in my family, and to people at work. Some incredibly fat people saw what I was doing and decided they could lose weight too.

I Still Get Heckled
I was at the table eating Thanksgiving dinner, and I had my food journal with me. Someone at the table told me to put that thing away. I didn't listen and continued keeping a written record of everything that I piled up on my plate.

Here is why I was being heckled; I was pricking some consciences. People don't want to see the truth being played out. And, to be honest I don't care if Ann Landers herself rose up and told me my actions were tasteless. I give a darn what anyone thinks.

I have written before that there will be those people who are for you losing weight, and you are going to find plenty of people who will be against you. Sometimes those people are right there in the same family, as is in my case.

I don't care what anyone says about having a Positive, Optimistic Attitude when tackling this weight loss program. It's not easy to consistently lose weight. It's not easy to finally get the weight off and then keep it off.

Losing weight is a LIFE LONG PROGRAM. It's like finally figuring out and admitting to being an alcoholic. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. For any person addicted to alcohol, the alcohol is his/her weakness.

For WE THE PREPONDERANT ONES, our addiction is food. Unfortunately, by the looks of things, food is an addiction for most everyone here in America.

WE eat too much food. WE eat more than we need to survive; and we are suffering for it.

I Am Not A Carbohydrate Counter, Or A Fat Grams Counter; I'm A Calorie Counter
When I was sitting at the table someone told me that he's counting his carbs. Great, another stupid complicated way to attempt to lose weight. It doesn't work.

I saw this same person in the kitchen with two pieces of pie on a plate, and a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. So much for counting those carbs.

Most people have never studied the concept of reduced carbohydrates. I did. I read carefully three books that were written by the Late Doctor Atkins.

There has to be a time in the beginning of doing a low carbohydrate diet called induction. This is when someone restricts the total grams of carbohydrates to 20 grams a day.
Then there must absolutely be, a very careful adding in of those extra carbohydrates.
If not, then the body takes everything and turns it all against you.
I know, I did it. It's not an easy life style to live by for years at a time.

It's not easy to count the fat grams either. Have someone at the buffet tell you how many fat grams are in the food you are about to eat. No one can tell you.
Counting fat grams is crazy too. The body has to have fat for the brain and for the organs, and to aid in lubricating the digestive tract.

If someone cuts too far back on the fat, they in essence are starving the body of a vital nutrient.
It's too complicated. It's even harder to explain the dynamics.

The easiest thing to do is just count those calories. Everything else seems to take care of itself from that point on. With a calorie restricted diet, (normal food consumption.) someones not restricted to one category of foods, not proteins, sugars, or fats.
With a low calorie diet, you can eat anything you want. You can change up your food from day to day. I do. It's sure beats eating just meat.

I live and die by this saying, "EAT LESS FOOD."

This is the best way to finally get those unwanted pounds off. I have been successful with this, and I will continue to be successful. Well, as long as I keep my wits about me, and follow this line of thinking.

Bye for now...

And that's the way it is...I'm David Dane

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