This Poor Neglected Puppy of a Blog!

Poor sweet little blog is sitting here still sending out its messages with no input from me, the blog owner. What a brave little puppy of a blog, thank you for your faithful action of being here for those who stop by.

I'm going to actually post something today, and I hope will be posting more into the future. Blogging is a thing that goes in cycles - one second blogging is the most important thing in the blogger's life, and then something else takes over. In my case it was life and other blogs that got most of my attention. I've kept my interest in healthy eating though, and exercise to a lesser extent.

This year I've been promoting my other interests - I have written several books and selling them by connecting with interested people and chatting with them is a favourite things to do. I have a funny little book about dogs and gardening. I have a poetry collection dealing with sex abuse, and child abuse. And I have my most recent book, which is about multiple sclerosis from the viewpoint of a person dealing with it, me.

The dog book 'Dig it! Gardening Tips for Dogs' is the oldest of them, and I did another print run recently, so have copies for sale. The poetry collection 'Damaged Children Precious Gems' is a very personal work, and I don't feel any need to push that one, it's more for sharing with people who may gain from having the poetry there to find comfort from. Knowledge that others understand is a healing thing ...

The MS book 'Mick, Jane and Me, Living Well with MS' is the main and most recent one. It's a more substantial book, a memoir, with some poetry in it. The writing process was an interesting one - I had a mentor to assist me as I went through the writing of it. I'd decided I wanted to write the book in verse, and that took some work - without my mentor, this book wouldn't have been the helpful but lovely book that it is, I don't think.

I know have a brand new way to make a little money with my writing. This is an online article writing site - Hub Garden, and the reason I began this blog post is to share my most recent article posted there. This the link. It a post about healthy snacks.

If you have any healthy snack ideas, I'd love to read about them - feel free to leave a message here!

Losing Weight At Home

I don't go to a gym, I much prefer to exercise at home. I don't do lots of hard exercise, but I try to do a little.

I switched on the family Wii Fit machine today, to catch up with what my weight is currently, and to do a bit of a workout. The machine told me I hadn't been there for 19 days, which surprised me. It embarrassed me a little bit too - I know how good it is for me to do regular exercise.

This is good for all of us, but particularly good for people like me - I have a chronic illness (multiple sclerosis), and keeping my ability to walk around and keep active depends on actually keeping active. So I was happy that a comment from a friend on Facebook prompted me to get active again.

Having friends who can/will give these little prompts can sometimes be the difference between exercising and just sitting around. So I say a hearty Thank You! to Irma, for tweaking my conscience earlier today.

I usually have no problems with eating relatively well. I know what's good for me nutritionally, and I generally stick to what I know is the best to eat. If I go out for a meal, I make sure I choose low calorie foods, or if I want something higher in calories, I amend my diet for the day, and eat even better at home for the few days around my 'dining out' meal.

I was happy with my weight earlier today - the machine told me I'd lost a little weight. It also reminded me I still had a long way to go to meet the weight loss goal I'd set myself earlier. I'll work at that goal, and hope that I will meet it.

So the points I want to stress to readers are these:

• having a buddy to keep you on track can be a great help with exercise and weight loss
• eating out requires thought if it is not to lead to gaining weight
• keeping track of your exercise and weight are great ways to keep at it

Happy exercising, and Happy Weight Loss

Lose Weight in Summer

Can you lose weight in Summer? You sure can!

In Australia, we're in the beginning of the second month of Summer. Some states have certainly been having hot summer weather, sending people inside where it's cool. That means people may not be doing their usual jogging or walking to keep fit. They're staying inside instead, and maybe they're raiding the fridge in their search for coolness.

This can lead to eating too many sweet and cool things. This, added to the lack of exercise and combined with the usual Christmas season partying and good food, all adds up to danger time if you're trying to lose weight. There are some ways you can stock the fridge though, that can help you.

Keep the fridge topped up with calorie free drinks - water is still the best thirst quencher there is, so make sure you always have a jug of water in the fridge. There are a great many diet soft drinks available if you want a change from water every now and then.

There are some great cooling foods available in summer, especially grapes. Crunchy sweet grapes are a lovely snack, and don't add too many calories. Other good food ideas are sandwiches - cheese with pickles says summer to me, and I love the sandwiches nice and cool, sometimes with some chicken or turkey slices, yum!

Nuts are also a good snack. Yes, nuts are high in fat, but the fat they have is a fat that's healthy for you body. This doesn't mean you should go overboard and eat nuts all day, the weight would pile on if you did that. Nuts are high in protein though, and they have fibre too, so they fill up your tummy, and your body shouldn't get hungry as it would if you were eating sweet foods.

In summer, salads come to mind, and they can be a great way to have a healthy and low calorie meal. Be careful with the dressing you use though. There are some excellent low cal mayonnaise products available in the shops, and of course lemon juice is a great way to give raw vegetables a zing. Another interesting and no fat dressing is balsamic vinegar - excellent with fresh mushrooms and baby spinach!

For people with Wii Fit games and good air conditioning, there are lots of fun ways to exercise, alone or with friends. And of course summer in Australia is synonymous with the beach or the pool. Go outside and play in the water, fun, fun, fun!

So there are some ideas to help you lose weight over summer, enjoy!

Are You Really Hungry?

These days there are so many people who are trying to lose weight! There are many businesses out there too, who claim to be there to help people rid themselves of the unwanted weight.

Some of these businesses are honest and do a good job, but others don't really seem to be trying to help, they just want to keep on selling their services or goods and making money. It seems they just don't care about the person with the weight loss problem. This can become expensive and saddening for people who pay their money but don't get the results they want.

There are cheap ways to lose weight though. One of the first things people need to do is to think about the reasons why they may be overweight. It's a simple maths problem - if you eat more food than you burn off by doing things, your body will store the excess weight as fat on your body. Simple! Don't eat too much and you will lose weigh.

As we all know though, not eating too much can be the hardest thing to do. We feel hungry, so we eat. But often the messages your body is sending you may not be about hunger. Feeling thirsty can be mistaken for feeling hungry. If you think you're hungry, why not try having a drink of water before you eat anything. Leave it for a while, then, if you still feel hungry, eat something. Often, the drink will satisfy your body.

Another reason people eat may eat because they feel sad. Eating may help them to feel happy and loved. This type of  'comfort eating' though, can lead to a person going from feeling happy and loved to feeling sad and unloved. A phone call to a friend may help a person feel happy and loved, without the extra and unneeded food!

Boredom can be another reason some people eat more than they need. If you're feeling bored, try going for a walk instead of getting stuck into the food. Walking, of course, has the extra benefit of using up the food you eat, and also making you feel fitter.

So, next time you think you're hungry, think again. Are you really hungry, or could you be thirsty, sad or bored instead? If you start thinking about these things before you eat, you may surprise yourself, and start losing the weight you don't want!

Pre News Years Eve Resolution

We all mean to do well over the Christmas period. We say or think we'll eat wisely and not have too much, and we'll do some exercises too. Sadly, for many, that doesn't happen.

Not meeting these goals though, doesn't mean all is lost. The best time to get back on track if you're trying to lose weight or get fitter isn't next week, or next month. The best time to get back on track is right now!

Right now, you can decide whether you're truly hungry, or simply bored. Right now you can walk up those steps instead of catching a lift. Right now you can eat a piece of fruit instead of the tasty but fat laden cake you've been thinking about.

The new year means party time for many, and party time often goes with lots of food, fattening food. Arm yourself if you go to a party with some low fat and calorie snacks, such as rice crackers. Either take them with you, or eat a meal before you go out, and stay firm when you tell others you're not hungry.

If it's too difficult to do, stick to the healthiest foods you can see at the party, and have lots of water to drink. The water will help you to feel full, and will be good for your body too.

Christmas time is often holiday time too. Get out, walk around your neighbourhood. You can often find interesting things quite close by if you travel by foot. Driving around means you can sometimes drive past things you would have enjoyed, if you'd been going slowly.

There are many things to do to lose weight that a free or at least cheap. Walking is always a good one, swimming is too. Most biggish towns have a heated indoor pool which is available to the public at a reasonable price.

If you've been a couch potato for many years and think you can't do anything, at least get up and walk a little bit. It doesn't have to be a 20 hike to do you good. Just walking to the letter box and back a couple of times can be a good start. Do it twice one day, then slowly increase the number of times every day. Before you know it, you might be going beyond your letterbox!

These small things can all add up. As you get fitter, you may feel more like getting out and about. Getting fitter isn't just about getting slimmer, it's about becoming more comfortable with your own body too. You may realise your body loves the new fitter you you've become!

New Years Eve Resolutions

It's Christmas time as I write this post, and New Years Eve will follow. Christmas for most means lots of fun, and lots and lots of lovely food.

New Years Eve often means New Years Eve resolutions about losing the excess weight you have, some of it caused by that lovely food. I'm not here to bring you down and tell you not to eat any of that yummy food. I'll leave it up to you to find a way to get through this time in a way that suits you.

I have written an article about these issues though, and you might like to go here to find out some health reasons to help you to do the right thing for your body.

I'm going out for Christmas lunch tomorrow, and I know I'll eat more food than I actually need. I can deal with that later, and I will deal with it, and not ignore it. I intend continuing my current exercise program tomorrow morning, even though it's Christmas.

I have multiple sclerosis MS and I'm doing my best to keep active. Doing my best currently means I get up in the morning and switch on my Wii Fit Plus, and do 30 minutes of exercise. I try to do some of the more difficult exercises, not just the easy ones. I feel as though this is helping me to keep mobile.

I've also know about healthy diet, and I'm working toward eating healthy food as much as I can. Nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables, some dairy and meat. These are my main sources of food. I'm trying to lose some extra weight, but I'm keeping within my ideal weight range.

I hope my words on this blog and here may be of assistance to you if you're struggling to reach your own ideal weight. I have further help for you here. It may be the thing that kicks off the new and slimmer you!

Winter and Comfort Food

Does winter mean you always look for comfort from the cold with sweet puddings and chocolate? Do you always put on weight over winter and have to try to lose it again for summer?

Why not do yourself a favour this winter and find comfort in hearty casseroles and soups instead! Winter afternoons can become cosy and warm if you have a delicious smelling casserole slowly cooking on the stove or in the slow cooker.

Casseroles are so easy - just chop up the meat and vegetables, add herbs and water and turn on the hotplate. Nothing is much easier than that. Add garlic and wine for extra flavour boosts that will smell delicious!

Soups on the stove top can bubble all afternoon and give you a wonderful warming and healthy meal if you serve the soup with multigrain breadrolls. Any soup that doesn't get eaten can be stored in the fridge, to make another appearance the next day. You can add more to the soup, adjust the seasonings and it will be even better.

This is a terrific way to make the most of winter vegetable when they're at their cheapest price. Soup is also a good way to use up the vegetables hanging around in the crisper. Once the vegetables are chopped up, it won't matter that they're not the freshest ever.

Casseroles can be made without added fat, just saute the meat and then onions and capsicums with a little stock, add the rest of the vegetable chopped and then add more stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and then simmer until you're ready for a yummy meal!

Here is a yummy and healthy thing for you to try

Cranberry and Fresh Pear Cobbler



Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 medium orange*
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp honey
1/2 ripe pear (any firm variety)
1/4 cup + 2 TBS walnuts
Directions:

Grate enough orange rind to make 1 tsp zest and place in a mixing bowl.
Cut the orange in half and juice both halves into the same bowl as the rind.
Add the cranberries and honey. Mix until the honey is dissolved. Let sit for 1/2 hour to allow cranberries to soften.
After the cranberries have softened, cut the pear into 1/4-inch cubes and add to the bowl.
Add 1/4 cup walnuts.
Divide the mixture into 2 dessert dishes and sprinkle each with 1 TBS of the chopped walnuts.

Does this sound yummy to you? It sure sounds yummy to me!

Are you trying to lose weight and save money?

Doing both at the same time can sometimes seem like an impossible dream. But if you can get help, you can do it! Click on this link to go straight to a place to help you!

I’ve found a great website that has lots of fantastic tips on ways to improve your diet.

This is an American site, so some of the information may not directly suit people from other countries, but most of the hints and tips are still good for those in other countries.

I live in Australia, so the tips on great food to eat in Autumn/Fall are not so useful when it’s Spring where I live, but lots of the info is still good.

When I saw an email about 10 ways to eat better for less, I knew I had to read it! Most of the hints are fantastic and I can see myself starting to follow the advice.

The website has information for people with various dietary needs, for different kinds of food, different types of meals. It’s all focused on eating a healthy nutritional diet, and it doesn’t limit you.

Instead, it gives you alternatives so, if you want to eat something sweet, the site doesn’t say you can’t do it, it gives you ideas on how to get your sweetness in a healthy way.

Are you interested? Have a look at the website, your body will be glad you did!

Your Body, Your Weight Loss Program!

There are many ways to lose weight, and many ways to be spend too much money for little result. Looking around and thinking about the right method for you can get you the best results for your weight loss program.

Sometimes you find the perfect way that suits you well. We are all different and we need to address our weight loss in a way that is right for us.

And people who are uncomfortable with their size and shape may not want to put themselves on show to other people. That’s why it’s great to find a weight loss method you can do in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Home Workouts suit lots of people, especially at the beginning of the whole weight loss program. No-one wants to look silly in front of strangers, so working out at home can give you the privacy you crave at the start.

There’s more to losing weight than just working out. You need to get your nutritional needs sorted out too. If you are staring to try to lose weight, especially after a life of not doing much, and eating incorrectly, you may need more help.

It’s important to have the proper supplements when you increase your body’s workload and P90X Recovery Drink will give you what you need when you are increasing your work outs. Do yourself and your body a favour and use the right weight loss method.

Shakeology will help you get there, keeping your metabolism going at top sped and giving you all you need. Shakeology is a meal replacement that helps with weight loss and proper nutrition. Proper nutrition is even more important when you’re working, so you don’t crash and burn.

It gives your body all the nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants needs are you reshape yourself into the fit and healthy person you wand to be.

Summer Approaches!

I live in Australia. It's Spring here, and Nature has just begun giving hints to us that Summer is on the way.

Yesterday was one of the suddenly warmer days that can trick the unwary. I had an event I was involved in for the morning and early afternoon that I was any partly prepared for.

I had water to drink, but I hadn't brought a hat along to keep the sunshine off my face, nor sunscreen. Luckily the day was cloudy and cooled down a little after lunch, but even so, the hotter weather after many days of cooler weather was a wake up call to be prepared. The event was held at an Opportunity shop and I was able to buy a pre-loved hat for the day.

Being prepared means lots of things - I will remember a hat from now on, and sunscreen. It also means getting lots of healthy and yummy salad ingredients to keep in the fridge. Spring means no more long and slow-cooked comfort foods to keep the body warm.

Spring means vibrant and colourful salads to add a spring to your step and zest to your life! I was happy to receive an email yesterday from The George Mateljan Foundation with this lovely sounding recipe for Mediterranean Tabouli Salad.

I love tabouli salad, and I'm going to make this one very soon!

Don't Let Winter Weigh You Down!

It is so easy in winter to let the healthy food plan slide into comfort food. But there are lots of healthy food choices that will give you extra vim and vigor to make it through the dark winter days.

I subscribe to several email lists, including this one The World's Healthiest Foods . it is a website from the other side of the world from me I think, but healthy food is healthy food.

Some of the ideas I've read on this site are a little way out for me, but the page I've posted the link to has some good information and it's well worth a read.

As winter winds down in Australia, I will be moving more toward salads, but for now, there are lots of healthy and yummy options for keeping fed and satisfied!

If you pay attention to what you are eating, think about whether you are actually hungry before you eat, you can keep off that winter weight. I know you can do it!

If you have good ideas for winter meals that yo and your family love, and that are good and healthy, I'd love to hear about them - just leave a comment and maybe a recipe. Me, and my family as well as other readers here will thank you!

Losing Weight is So, So Simple!

It's easy , right? Simple maths - use up more energy than you take in, then you'll lose weight.

But it doesn't quite work like that, for many reasons. Some people don't know enough about what a good diet actually is. Some people just can't resist that chocolate. Some people rarely move further than bed, to bathroom, to fridge, to sofa and then to bed again.

That is not enough work in one day to use up much food at all, and I bet if that person is you, the things you get from the fridge aren't healthy things.

You don't have to run marathons to lose weight, and you don't have to starve yourself either. You have to learn to be more aware of yourself and pay attention to what you are doing. Mindlessly chowing down on food, and barely realising you're doing it, is the way many of us became overweight in the first place.

Once you begin to pay attention to yourself though, you may begin to question whether you really need to eat those biscuits. You may begin to explore books about weight loss, and nutrition and so learn things that can help you on your new journey to a slimmer you.

You may begin to think about things you can do outside, walk a bit, go exploring in your nearest town or go down to the beach.

As I said, running wasn't how I lost the weight I wanted to lose, but I stopped being lazy and began doing more things during my day. I began asking my body what it wanted, and not letting my head do the deciding. Your tummy knows more about whether it's hungry than your head does.

I realised too, that being a little bit hungry wouldn't kill me, and also that being a tiny bit hungry still after a meal is much more comfortable than being stuffed full!

So give it a try, eat less, or at least eat better, and do a little bit more. Your body will thank you for it.

Maintaining Weight Loss

I live in Australia, where we are heading into winter. This has been a danger time for me in the past.

With winter comes staying inside, the need for comfort food and weight gain. Not anymore though.

I will remain in touch with me body, eat only when I am hungry and try to fit exercise into my daily life. There are many good and healthy things to eat that can be comforting without the calories.

I love making mini muffins for putting in the freezer so there is a snack for me whenever I feel the need for one. And the muffins I make are always low in fat and high in taste.

Fruit in muffins is great, muesli in place of some of the flour adds the the textural interest as well as taste.

Whenever I have bananas that are getting too brown, I pop them in the freezer for my next batch of muffins - Super Yummy, Super Tasty, Super Easy!

These sorts of recipes can help you to say no to the fatty things that tempt you to make bad food choices. Because muffins are so nice, your whole family will learn to pop a muffin in the microwave when they want something to munch.

If you know you have lots of muffins in the freezer for snacking on, it's easy to not buy snacks at the supermarket. Those chip packets may satisfy you snacking urge, but they offer no good things nutritionally.

Your muffins, on the other hand, are yummy and healthy too.

Shocking News about Australian Obesity

I've just read a new article that truly shocked me. I know there are lots of people who are bigger than they'd like to be or should be. This article though, from ABC News is shocking!

I'm sure I'm not the only Australian who has comforted themselves by saying, at least we're not as bad as the Americans. Now, it seems, we are at least as bad as the good folk in the USA or even worse!

Are you shocked? Are you worried? What can you do about not being one of the Aussie fatties?

Well, it's not difficult, but it will take you time. If you're overweight or obese, it probably took you years to get there. You have to realise it may take you years to get down to the healthy weight you want to attain.

It doesn't require lots of money, it doesn't require hard work, it doesn't require starvation. Your lifestyle is probably the main reason why you've become overweight, and simple changes to your lifestyle can help you lose weight. Weight loss at its most simple, if you're overweight, comes from eating less food and doing more work than you currently do.

Our western culture is squarely aimed at turning us into couch potatoes. Sitting in front of the TV and mindlessly scoffing fatty food that is advertised on the screen in front of you can numb you to the damage you're doing.

If you want to get to the shape your body needs to be you have to become more mindful about what you do and what you eat. Learn about nutrition, learn about exercise and you will learn what you need to know. It certainly won't happen overnight, but the rubbish ads you see on TV won't actually make you healthy. They quite often lead people to greater weight, not less.

The health benefits that go with a lower weight will make it all worthwhile. And turning the TV off and doing things with your family can lead to an even better relationship for you all.

Fast Food? Fast Fat!

Do your kids hound you all the time, asking for fast food? McDonalds, Hungry Jacks and so on can play a healthy part in your child's diet, but take care.

The fast food chains don't really care about your kids, that's your job. The chains want your money, and they want it now!

If you read this article you'll have a few tools in your good parent kit.

Our children sometimes ask for things without understanding what they are asking for. And a lot of the time, just getting their parent's attention can be enough. If your kids are a little much of a handful when you give them a cuddle, it may be time to start parenting in a better way.

Cuddly can be a killer, it's time we all realised it and stop feeding our kids to death. Harsh words? Sure, but obesity shouldn't happen to children, they should be eating good healthy food and racing around the place, like we probably did when we were kids.

Do your kids a favour, make them realise fast food is a special occasion thing, not an every day thing. And follow the same rule yourself - it may not seem like it sometimes, but our kids do pay attention to the things their parents do, so do the right thing!

Your Body, Your Responsibility

We should all take responsibility for our own body. If you want to lose weight, don't relay on special potions and powders, rely on yourself. I did it that way, and you can too.

I found this article on the internet and it rang so true to me. There are so many stories, but most of them are about ordinary people stepping up and taking control of their own lives.

Read it and see if you think any of these methods might work for you. It's so simple consume less calories than you expend. If you overfill something, the excess has to go somewhere - you don't want it on your butt or tummy, do you?

Eat less, do more.

New Disease, New Diet?

I have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It explains why I am having the symptoms I'm having. But it opens up many questions, some of which are relevant to this blog.

I have been studying MS online in the past few days, and I've been amazed at the thoughts and ideas. Some people say eat this and don't touch that, then others will say the complete opposite. I am putting my faith in what the experts say at this stage - the Multiple Sclerosis Society say to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. That is always the best news for everyone.

Whether you are looking at your diet to lose weight, or to improve your health, the most important thing is to talk to the actual experts, rather than the Gurus who are more concerned with your purse than they are about your health.

So, my next step, one I will take today, is to ring my dietitian and see what she can tell me about MS. I know my dietitian well, and she knows me and cares about me. This relationship builds trust and the benefits can be great.

I recommend building a strong relationship if you can, with a real expert you can trust, and see them as a resource, instead of relying on people who just want your money!

Read the Labels!

When you go shopping, do you read the labels? No? If you are tryingto lose weight, maybe it's time to start reading them, and with a critical eye too.

I found this article on line today and it's been a bit of a wake up call. In the article they talk about serving size and how that is determined. The article is from an American Paper, but it may still apply to other countries.

The most important thing to remember when reading food labels is that the actual kilojoule/ccalorie rating is the most important thing for a person trying to lose weight to focus on, and then the amount of fat in a serving.

If you stay well away from anything with more than 10 grams of fat per 100 grams, then you will make your weight loss plans go along better. And if you do want to eat that chocolate, make sure you only eat a little bit, eat it slowly and make sure you enjoy it, so that the memory of it will last a long time.

If you're trying to lose weight, good luck and be alert to the big companies who don't love you as much as I do!

Fat Parent - Fat Child

Fat parent have fat kids, and lazy parents have fat lazy kids. It's a crazy combination of nature and nurture perhaps.

There may be a genetic predisposition toward being fat, but you don't have to be that fat person, if you're clever and eat and exercise, you can beat that predisposition, in spite of your genes.
I think part of the whole problem these days may be unresolved guilt feelings.

A lot of parents are doing too many things, and not giving their children enough time, so they pander to their child's every want, so the child is 'happy'. The thing most children want most from their parents is love and attention.

If you begin as you hope to continue, you should be OK. I have to admit though, that I found it difficult when my son was small, and underweight, I fed him whatever I could get into him because I was terrified he was starving. I was breastfeeding him, visiting the baby nurse, and slowly going mad from post natal depression (without realising it). I’m over it now, and all is well, but it took a while.

Now, sixteen years later, my son is short for his age, compared to a lot of other students in his year level. But I'm short, my husband is not tall, my parents and his are/were all short. I think that, back when he was a baby, if the nurse had really thought about genetics, we could have all realised this baby was never going to be big, and we could have relaxed and enjoyed it all so much more.

I feed my son and my husband and myself good nutritional food, with the occasional yummy treat. We exercise a little (far too little on my part) and we are all working at getting to our healthiest state we can. It won’t happen overnight, but, with focus and work, it will happen.

I’ll get off my hobby horse and go back to the stable. Thanks for your attention.