BELLI LAFFS: WALK--DON'T RUN!

Once again our group was VERY small this week. Where are all of our participants? This week there were only two of the regulars—Dorris and myself. Dorris was happy to have lost weight and I was happy that I only gained a few ounces. Although my jeans are fitting much better, the scale went the wrong way. It went up!! Sheesh!!

I think we need better participation, better encouragement between member in our group AND we need to be setting attainable goals. Eating healthier foods and preparing healthier menus is the primary goal of our group. The side benefit is that we will lose weight and get flat bellies! Wouldn’t that be nice? I think so.

Why the title? Walk—Don’t Run

Well…one of the easiest ways to burn calories, relax and enjoy the beautiful Texas weather is to walk. (there is no need to run or jog) There are many benefits to walking and I found an essay by John McDevitt entitled Walking for Inspiration. The opening line says, “Walking for inspiration is like dancing slowly with yourself. Your mind gliding effortlessly from thought to thought as you move to the rhythm of your footsteps.”

I like that first line. How many times is your mind cluttered with worries and cares, yet when you walk—and for me, I listen to inspirational music on my Zune—you find that your mind clears, you relax and you are prepared again for the rest of your day. It has a calming effect and it’s really good for your body. The entire writing by John was copied as a handout for each of you. You may pick up a copy at the next meeting.

Along with that handout, I prepared a Walking Journal page. It is an easy way for each person to track the date, time of day, weather and either miles, steps or amount of time walking. This too is a handout.

Another handout was from Medicinenet.com and it is the Top 10 reasons to walk. Should want to go directly to the site, this is the address: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=81245

NEWS! We have another new participant. Welcome to Trudy S.! We are happy to have you join our group. Note: We have a tracking sheet which includes your name, beginning date, beginning weight and measurements. If you haven’t started a tracking sheet, please see one of us to fill it out and get going.

Some of the topics we talked about Wednesday afternoon:

What is gout and how does it affect us? Are there diets that help with this arthritic condition? Here is information regarding the topic: http://www.medicinenet.com/gout/article.htm and http://arthritis.about.com/cs/goutdiet/a/goutpurines.htm

When we start our day eating carbs, why are we hungry all day long? Go to: http://www.ehow.com/how_5027964_stop-feeling-hungry-time.html

We also talked about gluten free eating: http://www.ehow.com/how_5027964_stop-feeling-hungry-time.html and http://www.bobsredmill.com/

This question was presented by Trudy: “can wheat germ be gluten free” Answer: No. Please see the gluten free eating sites for further information.

I’ve been reading two new books. The first is written by Jorge Cruise and is entitled The Belly Fat Cure. ISBN 978-1-4019-2781-9 Check it out. The second book is by Kelly Rudnicki called The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book. ISBN 978-1-57284-102-4 You can find them in your local library—oh! That would be the Temple Library for me and that would mean you have to wait until I return it before you can take it out for yourself.

Finally, we have a money jar or ‘kitty’ started for those of us that have gained weight. In other words, if you gain weight back at weigh-in, you have to put money in as a penalty. We talked about this and here is a guideline I thought might be workable for us, but you ladies can give us your input. We want to make it enough to hurt a little, but not so much as to hurt a lot. The goal is to make us aware of where we are at while dieting. Here is the guide: .1 to 16 ounces (1 pound) = $1.00, 1 pound – 2 pounds=$2.00, etc. We haven’t decided what we would do with this money, but the hope is that the ‘kitty’ stays small. If it stays small, it means we are losing weight and winning the battle of the belli!!!!!

That’s all for this week.
Wishing you all a healthy and active week.
~~C.