Fat lose: Losing Weight with Lorelei

Nov 3, 2010 Lorelei Sieja

Lorelei Sieja - photo by author

Two days down, only 363 days more to go!

I ate most of the foods I planned to eat, but instead of the whole wheat crackers at lunch, I had some left-over whole wheat spaghetti. Then I skipped the olives and cheese at supper, and I didn't need the after-supper snack.

I went for an hour walk, but it was at a slow pace. A friend invited me to walk the Kalamazoo Nature Trails with her and her two young sons. My granddaughter was with me, so we averaged a three-year-old's pace. They tend to go two steps forward and one step back. We had to stop to throw leaves in the creek, to smack sticks against the trees, to watch the birds, to listen for squirrels, and to race back and forth through the tunnel while squealing gleefully. It wasn't great exercise, but it was more than I usually get. I've been leading a fairly sedentary life since moving to Kalamazoo. I write about four hours a day, babysit ten hours a day, and try to fit walking the dog in before I fall asleep at night after cleaning up the kitchen.

Today's Menu Plan:

Golden Smoothie (2 kiwi, 1 banana, 1/2 cup orange juice, puree in blender)
nuts & raisins
Lemony Mint Energy Soup
5 whole wheat crackers, apple slices
Raw Veggie Casserole
Could it be chocolate pudding?

Today's Exercise Goal

I hope to go for a bike ride. Two miles at least - I'm starting out slowly here. I can't go from a sedentary life to high impact aerobics overnight. I used to ride my bike twelve to twenty miles a day, back in my slimmer days.... I wonder if there's a connection! It might rain though, so if the bike ride gets washed out, I'll put a half hour in on the treadmill at the gym.

It's important to find activities you enjoy, and vary them. An exercise plan won't work if you don't do it. I'm too uncoordinated and out of shape to rack up three games of squash, but if that's your thing - go for it! There are so many ways to get your body up and moving. As soon as the snow falls, I'll be dog sledding, which is my favorite exercise. It's more than just standing on the sled runners and letting the dogs do all the work. It's more like cross-country skiing as far as movement goes. On skis (I've only done it a few times) I would alternately push with the right leg or the left, then coast for a bit. It wasn't constant motion, but by the end of the run I'd be breathing hard and sweaty. I do the same on the dog sled. There are times I get off the sled and run along beside my dogs, especially for uphills. But dog sledding allows an athlete and a couch potato to exercise together! You can still only go as fast as your dogs. So if your spouse is not in the same shape you are, you might consider getting in to dog-powered sports.

Drink Plenty of Water for a Healthy Lifestyle Change

Most people don't drink enough water. You can know this, if your urine output tends to be yellow (or worse, dark yellow to orange). Urine should be clear. Coffee, tea, soda, and juice do not count towards your water intake. The 8 x 8 rule is simple to remember (8 eight-ounce glasses) yet it is not really sufficient. The Mayo Clinic recommends that women drink an average of 9 eight-ounce glasses daily, and men drink 13 cups. If you are sick, or exercising, or pregnant or nursing, you need to drink more than this recommended amount.

Dehydration can lead to a number of common ailments, including allergies, asthma, lupus, arthritis, back pain, ulcers, high blood pressure, migraines, depression, and high cholesterol. (Batnamgheilidj).

Water is the best liquid for you to drink. Human milk is for babies, and cow's milk is for calves. No other mammal on the planet continues to drink milk after weaning. The current add campaigns that "milk does a body good" is put out by the dairy producers, and not by certified dietitians or nutritionists. Leafy greens and almonds provide far more calcium than milk (Lee). And at the moment, bioengineers are not messing around with the DNA of green leafy vegetables or almonds. The rBGH in cow's milk today has not been proven to be harmless to your health.

I plan to fill a half-gallon pitcher with water and keep it in the fridge. This will help me to keep track of how much I drink. I can add a lemon slice to the water to dress it up. I use filtered water, because our city water tastes bad and has an off-color to it. I need to carry water with me when I'm walking, or driving, and I will drink water before, during, and after meals. Water can help to make me fill full, so I'll eat less.

Good luck, to any of you who are joining me on this year of self-discovery and change.

Sources:

Lee, Jean and Randy Wei, "Milk, Doing Your Body Good?", Journal of Young Investigators Science Journal, September 2002. Accessed November 3.http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue3/features/lee_and_wei.html

"How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day", Mayo Clinic.com, November 3, 2010. Accessed November 3, 2010. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

F. Batmanghelidj M.D., "Unintentional Chronic Dehydration: A New Medical Discovery". The Water Cure.com. 2008. Accessed November 3, 2010. http://www.watercure.com/udc4.html