Losing Weight

How do you lose weight? Expend more calories that you take in. The formula is simple. The execution is hard.

I have been exercising and watching what I eat the past two months or so. Coke or other sodas are gone from my diet. Also, I don’t get that daily bag of chips any more. Other changes are trying to minimize red meat, eat more fruits and veggies, and don’t put any sugar in my coffee and cereal.

A few years ago, I went from 195 to 165 in about 6 to nine months. I grew tired of the exercise routine through. I was using the workout center at my job site. But I had to leave at 5:30am to get there early. After 5:00pm, it was way too crowded. Eventually I slipped back to my old habits, and the weight came back.

There are a few tips I have learned in the meantime.

• Don’t weigh yourself too often. This is a long term commitment. I get on the scale once every two weeks (paydays). This helps me see the big picture and keeps me from getting obsessed with the process.
• Don’t give up the foods you like. Just eat less. I love pizza, so when I have some, I limit myself to two slices. If I am still hungry, I make a salad or have an apple. That usually takes care of it. If you eat out, cut the portions in half, and eat the leftovers the next day.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon. Let’s face it. Around the Thanksgiving / Christmas season, you may be going to parties and family gatherings. Lots of food is going to be there. If you over indulge, just get back on the program as soon as possible. There are worse things you could have done. Like vote Democrat (but that’s a different column.)
• Vary your workouts. I usually do the treadmill. If I vary the speeds, going from a fast walk to a slow trot and back, the time goes a lot faster. I also do the stationary bikes. Doing one cardio workout, doing one of the stations for strength training, then the other cardio workout, breaks your workout time nicely.
  
• Have fun!!

-Keep Grinning!

Possums

I hate possums. My dog hates them more. In fact, she has killed three of them. And I hate disposing of dead possums more than I hate the possums themselves. (I found out the local Animal Control will come and pick up dead possums)

The funny thing is that my dog is very gentle with the inside animals. We have two cats she gets along with, and when the guinea pig comes out, Sadie will sniff and lick it, but not do anything else.

One morning earlier last week, she was going nuts looking out the back window, so I went outside to check what was going on. Once I got outside, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was this little rabbit.

I walked over to it and it did not seem to be afraid of me. So I got my daughter, who works at a pet store and she was able to pick it up and put it outside. (Now I’ve got to fix the hole in my fence.)

When we walk out to see it, the rabbit hops up to us, so it must have been someone else’s pet. Anyway the rabbit hangs around mostly at night. I think it goes to the next-door neighbor’s back yard during the day. He keeps his gate open and there’s a lot of shade. We’ve been putting out food and water for it, and so has the lady two doors down.

We’ve been trying to find a private agency that rescues and adopts out rabbits. The only one we have found is about an hours drive away. We really can’t keep it, and if we take it to the County shelter, they will euthanize the rabbit. It is really sweet and cute, and will do well with a good home I think

Keep Grinning.