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I've been kinda laying low for the past few days. I have been walking. Still doing the Belly Fat Cure diet. I'm adjusting very well, if I do say so myself.

Taking the dog to the vet this afternoon. That should be lots of fun.

Other than having some crazy dreams, not much else happening. I did invent a character for a children's story in one of dreams recently. I'll tell you more about him later. I need to work on who he is really and how I can tell his story.

That's about it.

Getting Rid of the Sugar Now—Before I Have to

The Belly Fat Cure plan is going OK thus far. I do feel less hungry now—or maybe it's I'm actually detoxing from all of the sugar. I've gotten myself down to 15 grams of sugar daily. It's really easy than you'd think.

I've been drinking a lot of water. Sometimes, there's nothing more refreshing than a ice-cold glass of water.

I think I've lost some water weight. I still haven't gotten on the scale. I'm afraid to do it. But, Mr. Cruise says that people will lose a lot of water weight in the first few weeks of his program.

Looks like it's going to be a nice day here in Morgantown, WV. It's a little overcast. But it looks like the sun is trying to peep through.

Just a Few Thoughts
I'm going to give this plan my best. Type-2 diabetes runs in my family. If I don't give it my best now, I'll have to give up sugar sooner or later anyway. Why not do it voluntarily—before I have the permanent health effects?

Today I will walk at least one mile. More if it doesn't rain.

And finally, everyone should have a pet. They provide so much more than companionship. Just petting an animal can lower your blood pressure.

Belly Fat Cure

I started Jorge Cruise's The Belly Fat Cure diet over the weekend. The premise of the diet is to limit sugar intake—by a substantial amount. You can get the book on Amazon for $11.66 plus shipping. 


According to Cruise, most American eat an average of 189 grams of sugar a day. His plan cuts that amount to 15 grams. His book supplies recipes and alternatives to eating large amounts of sugar. He says Truvia and sugar alcohols, like xylitol, are OK. Wikipedia says xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol that is a naturally occurring sweetener found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. 


How do I feel? So far, so good. I went over 15 grams of sugar yesterday—I had about 40 grams. And I wouldn't have had that much but I ate some ice cream. I'm a sugaraholic. I went over but I cut way back. In fact, I probably ate much more than 189 grams of sugar daily. My guess is more than 200, maybe even 250 grams. 


Actually, I've been weaning myself off of the "stuff" for several days now. I haven't weighed myself, but I feel like I've lost a lot of fluid. So, we'll see what happens. 

I'm Still Behind, But, Frankly, I'm Doing Better Than I Thought I Would

I've written nine articles. Yeah, I'm still behind. I think I've found a niche in technology--of all things. With the help of an editor in Belguim--isn't the Internet a wild place--I've written a couple of pretty good articles. I want to talk to my brother--the tech guru of the family--about helping me with other pieces.

I reactivated my Facebook page. I couldn't stand it. But I think I've dealt with my issues. So it's onward and upward.

Sugar Links to Cholesterol and Just about Everything Else Unhealthy

My personal challenge update: I've written seven articles. I'm a little behind. I've exercised at least nine times. I've cut way back on sugar and plan to cut even more. I'm going to do Jorge Cruise's The Belly Fat Cure plan. A bunch of us at work will be doing this plan. And we really need it. We eat way to much sugar there. Someone always has candy, cookies, or cake. We've gotten way out of hand with our eating. It's time to get it under control.

We've found a couple of articles about the effects of sugar on health. Did you know that sugar has a link to cholesterol levels? Are you one of those people who's tried everything to lower your bad cholesterol and up the good to no avail?  It's the sugar--not the fat--that you've got to cut. A new study just out in JAMA shows the link.

Also, I've deactivated my Facebook page for now.I have some privacy concerns. I'll let you know when and if I ever put it back up.

A New Way of Thinking

I was reading Brandi's blog: A Life Change—My Journey to Happiness and she was talking about always putting things off until tomorrow. And I got to thinking.

Everyday I say: Tomorrow I will. . . do whatever. In fact, "There's always tomorrow," has become my motto. I realize I need a new way of thinking. And i came up with an idea. Remember the movie Groundhog Day? When Bill Murray is trying to get out of Punxsutawney? And he's talking on the phone to some operator and he says, "Well what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today." How's that for a new way of thinking?

Good Stuff from the Joy Project

I've been having a hard time trying to figure out what to talk about lately. Here's a post from the Joy Project about grounding that you might find interesting. Wow. The Joy Project has many posts I think you'll enjoy. Here's one about projects you can do to aid in eating disorder recovery.

I hope you find some answers from these posts. They seem relevant to me.

That One Thing

Everyday I think about what I need to do to lose weight. I try to eat right. I try to exercise. But I'm just a slug trying to be something else. But who hasn't felt like that? Just like everybody else who's in this boat with me, I'm looking for that one thing that will get me going like I was a year ago. Maybe I need some magic words.

I haven't been very good about keeping up with this blog. I have written a total of five articles. But like everything else, nothing seems to be working the way I hoped it would. That doesn't mean I'm giving up. It just means I need a different approach--I think that's what it means anyway.

Ok. I just wanted to stop in today so you guys would know I haven't disappeared. I will be back soon, too.

Have You Heard This One?

These are just some thoughts I've had over the past couple of days. 

1. One of the hardest things to do is develop a viewpoint that's somewhere in the middle. Extremist thinking—an all or nothing attitude—on any side of an argument usually doesn't provide any answers. 
2. If you think you're old and worn out, then you will be old and worn out. 
3. One day at a time is really the only way to live. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never get here. Every day is a gift. Live it like it's you're last. 

OK. Those are my best hokey sayings. Here's a good joke:

A firefighter was working on the engine outside the station, when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides, and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle. The girl was wearing a firefighters helmet. The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat.

The firefighter walked over to take a closer look.'That sure is a nice fire truck,' the firefighter said with admiration.'

Thanks,' the girl replied.The firefighter looked a little closer. The girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.

'Little partner,' the firefighter said, 'I don't want to tell you how to run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think you could go faster.

The little girl replied thoughtful, 'You're probably right,
but then I wouldn't have a siren.

As you can see, I really have no updates. I've written four articles total. I walked at least 1.5 miles on two days. I walk about a total of 20 minutes yesterday. I've eaten no candy—although I've really want to. It's like giving up cigarettes.

Only in My Dreams

I made it through the first day of my personal challenges in one piece—what did you expect? I walked for 30 minutes when I got home. I wrote three articles—not just one—yesterday. I'm hoping to get ahead on that challenge.

I Dreamed That I Did It
I did not eat any candy, but dreamed that I did. Isn't that weird? When I first quit smoking seven years ago, I used to dream that I smoked a cigarette and messed up the length of time that I was cigarette free and would have to start all over. That's how my "eating candy" dream went last night. I was so disappointed in myself. Then I woke up and realized that I hadn't eaten the candy and everything was OK.

Power of Positive Energy—And Thinking
I've been praying for positive energy. And I think it's working—whether it's psychological or real, it doesn't matter if it's working. Right? I do think there is something to prayer. Larry Dossey, an M.D., believes in prayer and has seen it work. I believe him. So don't knock until you've tried it.

Even though I feel really tired today, I also feel energized. And I have a lot to do. So I need to get to it. More updates as I go along with my personal challenge. Pray for me. Please.

Facing Life Head On

I decided that my blog needs a lot more than witless droning about the same old things everyday. How can I be expect to do well in any kind of journey—let alone a weight-loss one—if I keep myself in a depressed state of mind? I can't. I also decided that I need to set up some challenges for myself.

Now you're probably thinking that I'm talking about weight-loss challenges, but that ain't necessarily so. I decided to set up some life challenges—the kind that will make my life better. How do I know this will work? I prayed to God and He pitied me—and gave me some answers. He said: It's me. I have to do it. And that the fortune I seek will be at the end of a long journey, filled with fraught and perils. OK. I stole that from O' Brother, Where Art Thou? But the message is the same. Anything in life that's worth anything comes to us because we work for it—often really hard, never giving up. And hard work is that much more rewarding.

How is that a plan?
So what am I going to do? First I have to set up some ground rules for my challenges. Just saying that I'm going to do something won't move me to do it. I need a plan. For one thing, any challenge I take on will have to last for 30 days. They say—whoever they are—that if you do something for 30 days, it becomes a habit. So that's my plan for now—at least until I can think of other things that will be necessary for me to get to my goal.

No Candy for You
My first challenge is a weight loss challenge, and it's simple. I can't go to Betty's office to get candy for 30 days—starting today. Sounds easy, but knowing there's a candy dish up there filled with all kinds of chocolate is really tempting. I figure, though, after 30 days I won't want it any more.

Hey, I'm Walking
I will get some kind of exercise everyday for 30 days for at least 30 minutes. I don't have to go to a gym. I can do whatever it is I want to do—walking, videos, or the gym if I choose.

Writing Something Everyday for 30 Days
My next challenge—and I can't believe I'm making this publicly—I will write 30 articles in 30 days for my Suite101 account. I know I can do it. My biggest obstacle in this is me. I let writer's block take over so I can say I can't do it. I know I can get beyond myself.

So those are my challenges for myself.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

OK. Here's the thing: I need a root canal. This sore tooth has been the root of many problems that I thought were related to sinuses. It's also making me sick because it's infected. So I have to take antibiotics until the infection clears so I can have a root canal. If I wanted the tooth pulled, I could have that done right away. But I don't want to do that.

I'm starting to feel better overall. I feel ready to get my health back. Geez, it's been so long. The great weather we've been having has helped my disposition immensely.

Remember the Munsters? Remember Herman's poem: "Life is real. Life is ernest. If you're cold, turn up the furnace"? I have no idea why that came to mind. But it made me smile.

OK. I'll have more as I start to feel better.

Oh Bats

Once again, I'm just getting over a "stomach thing." For three days, I was pretty down. I drank a lot of ice water. Today I just have that shaky, weak, unsteady feeling that you get when you're finally getting over something. My immunity must be in the toilet--literally with all the germs that reside in there. I've been taking vitamins and trying to get it in order but sometimes "it" does what it wants to do.

On the bright side, I probably lost a little weight. But it's water weight so it'll find its way home if I don't hide well enough.

I don't think I need to say that I haven't been exercising--so I won't.

Friday night, there was a bat in my bedroom. That's right, a bat. I woke up hearing something at the window. Then it was at the other window. "What the heck?" I'm thinking. So I turn on the light. From out of the shutters flies a bat--and it starts dive bombing my head. I lay low on the bed and try to cover up. At my first chance, I jump up and run into the kitchen to get a broom. While I was in there, I propped the backdoor open. In the midst of all of this, the dogs are running around barking like idiots.

I go back into the bedroom and use the broom to poke at the blinds until the bat comes flying out. Now I swat his ass into the hallway. He flies into the kitchen. I run into the kitchen and survey the room trying to find out where he's hiding--the whole time with my broom raised and ready. I see him trying to climb onto the blender. I use the broom to scoop him up and toss him toward the open door--out he flies. Thank God. The dogs are still barking.  My brother slept through the whole thing.

I should be back in action tomorrow. At least, that's my hope.