*update 9/21/04..
Children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, this was unheard of 10-15 years ago. School nurses are seeing an increase in severely overweight children. There is a definite correlation between our lifestyles and the above mentioned problems.
I'm old enough to remember the pre-tv era.(slightly...lol) I submit this for your consideration, ask yourselves these questions.
1.) How many hours of T.V do you or your children watch a day?
2.) How often are you or your children sitting in front of the computer on an average day?
3.) How often do you get food at a fast food restaurant? (Supersizing a meal, sounds like good economics..more is not always better.)
4.) Do you insist your children drink milk with their meals, or opt out for coke, pepsi or other soft drinks?
We are in crises in the U.S., and other countries will follow suit. Fast food restaurants are popular in many countries now.(not mentioning names for libel reasons)
You can read more about these problems here: access excellence" and here, obesity research, and here: Boston Globe
This is all food for thoght and guaranteed low calorie!! As always your comments and feedback are appreciated.
Update 2/04...Oops my physical this year has me at 160#. That can't be right?? Ok, thinking back on the year, I really have gotten cocky, not to mention busy with other pursuits. It is really easy to slack off, but for me this is an important goal in my life and slacking off, at least permanently, is not an option.
It does seem "they" are right about the Atkins diet. It is all or nothing, so that one is not for me. It was interesting to try it though. I am not blaming the Atkins diet for the few pounds I have gained. I have gotten caught up in other things and have not exercised as much as I should. Tramp is giving me the evil eye too. She has badly missed our walks it seems.
I have not received as many emails this year, but as usual, what I have follows:
Hey Shirley
I just wanted to thank you for posting a diet plan that actually tells
the truth and doesnt sugar coat it. I know because last school year i was on
a strict diet plan and i agree with everything u wrote of what to do and what
not to. MY problem now is that I gained back the 10 pounds i lost because
last year my parents let me go running and so I would run 3 miles a day and then
roller blade 2 miles, seven days a week. I dropped 10 pounds in a month
following this but then my parents made me not allowed to do this bcuz they are
scared ill get kidnapped. i tried to run with friends but none actually want to
but the ones that do can;t last long enough to give me a good workout. Im back
to being large, and its time to go back to the diet plan which worked for me
and you. Thank you for just showing you care because people out there need that
even if it's just a simple typed message on the website like you put.. it
means alot more to some people then you think. I'm 17 now...and this re-motivated
me and im going to lose the pounds i gained and get back to being athletic.
Sorry I typed so much but I just have to because my friends dont care about
weight or fitness or anything. K enough with my lecture, but thanks for caring
for people and their successes and failures even though you don't know us, some
how it still means al ot to me and im sure others as well. your a great
person and much luck to you
your friend,
(name removed for privacy)
Q: Dear Shirley,
Exercising is boring. Is there another way to lose 30-40 pounds without a lot of walking?
Anonymous
A: Dear Anonymous,
You can lose weight without exercising, but the point here is a healthy lifestyle. We need exercise in our lives for so many reasons, such as your body will burn the fat better when you have more muscle. You will have more energy for everything. (trust me on this one!! :)
There must be something you like to do, that would be fun? Call it something else besides exercise, if that is what you need to do. Do you like to Dance?? You have to like fast dancing, and staying on the dance floor quite a bit, but that is great exercise. Biking with friends is great exercise. Give it another go, and let me know what you have come up with.
Shirley
Q: Hello, Shirley. I like your website, its very good, and its making me feel a lot better about myself. I was just wondering, if you don't mind, if you could give me some advice. I am a 14 year old girl, and recently I have had my annual physical. My doctor measured me as 5"2, and 135 lbs. She told me I should be more around 120 lbs, according to my height. Because I have not been very active this summer (during the school year I am very active athletically, I participate in softball, basketball, and i often run a lot because I can never keep still) it seems that i have gained some weight. I want to lose the 15 lbs in a month, and I would really appreciate it if you could help me do so by suggesting a diet and exercise plan. That'd be great. Thank You, I hope you can help me.
-Joanna
ll A: Thank you Joanna for the compliment. I can tell from your email that you are motivated, and that is one of the most important factors to losing weight, or doing anything else that is important to you.
Thanks for writing to me Joanna,
15 pounds in one month is a little steep. I would lower your goal to 7-10 pounds. There are a lot of things you can do in a healthy manner. You already know the advantage of exercise. I like long walks, but you should do something, anything, regularly that is active and do so consistently for 40 minutes at least 3-4 times a week. Daily would be even better to lose the weight faster. I believe a diet should be something a person can live with....ie.....nothing so strict you get bored with it or damage your health. Stay away from burgers, fries and malts, milkshakes if you can. Summer eating can be a big hassle. I love potato salad for one thing...lol....Eat more salads, less starches. Try to stay away from soft drinks, and drink more water and fruit juices. I hope this is not too general for you. You can get some more detailed info from my diet page, but again, especially at your age, DON'T overdo it!!
Some foods are inherently lower in calories and still satifying, such as V8 juice, yogurt and cottage cheese.
Some of this too depends on what your parents fix for dinner. You can eat less of the potatoes for instance and have a second helping of vegetables. Ask your parents to help you stick with a diet by buying some low calorie snack items such as carrots, apples, etc.
This is it for my yearly update, thanks to all who have written to me. Please keep the email coming, perhaps someone else will be motivated by your letters. Shirley
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(author's note: I would like to thank the following people for helping me get my
feet wet in web design;
XseekerR at cybertown.com for help with flash.
Ittybitty at cybertown.com, thanks for being here and being a friend.
Brit for loaning me your music.
GreenFalcon at cybertown.com, for all of your encouragement.
((hugs}}
To all of the other people here in cyberspace who encouraged me!! ~Shirley)