I recently read an article by Cynthia Sass, R.D. about easy ways to bounce back from a binge. I know that I have a hard time not splurging on some good food and thought I’d share what she wrote.
1. Do A Reality Check. As full and heavy as you may feel, the numbers don’t lie. 3,500 calories make one pound of body fat. So unless you are six slices of cake and drank eight glasses of wine, you are in the clear.
2. Get Enough Water! Drink 8 - 10 cups throughout the day to flush out any extra sodium that could cause water retention.
3. Eat Balanced Meals. Starving yourself after a binge often backfires. It slows your metabolism and it sets you up for another binge! So eat!
4. Fill Up On Fiber! Consuming too much of the wrong foods can lead to short-term constipation and bloating. Keep your digestive system humming with fiber-rich foods such as black beans, artichokes, raspberries and barley.
5. Work Up A Sweat. Stay on that stair-climber for an additional 15 minutes or park farther from the door at the store or office and you’ll burn extra calories!
When I’m trying to really stay focused on my diet and I binge, I am very guilty of #3. I think if I just eat less or skip a meal then it will make up for the damage of my binge. I guess I was Wrong! I knew long term starvation would make your body store the fat it already has and you don’t lose, but I didn’t know short term would do that also!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Turkey Burgers! Yum!
Turkey Burgers…Diet Friend or Diet Foe?
While I’m still learning and training on my job, I have a lot of down time and have been catching up on a lot of reading. I found this article interesting because how many of you heard that turkey is always better then hamburger? Me too, so I started buying ground turkey instead of hamburger.. then I read this article from Shape.
Just because it’s a turkey burger and not a beef hamburger, doesn’t mean it’s healthier. Some of Turkey Burgers contain dark meat and skin, which can make them high in saturated fat and calories. (Sotiria Tzakas Everett-nutritionist) To save over 200 calories and 7 grams of fat with a turkey burger instead of beef burger, you need to select a ground turkey that is at least 90% lean and contains fewer then 5 grams of saturated fat.
After reading this article, I headed to the store. The downside to eating healthy turkey is it is expensive! 93% lean is 3.50 a pound and 99% lean is 5.00 a pound! It’s also very bland! I made a 99% lean turkey burger for me and my husband and we had to choke it down with about 3 glasses of water! Next time I’ll be sure to mix in some healthy flavors to spice it up!
Also, does anyone know how healthy the 97% lean ground hamburger is compared to the turkey? I’ve been researching and haven’t found anything yet. Thanks!
While I’m still learning and training on my job, I have a lot of down time and have been catching up on a lot of reading. I found this article interesting because how many of you heard that turkey is always better then hamburger? Me too, so I started buying ground turkey instead of hamburger.. then I read this article from Shape.
Just because it’s a turkey burger and not a beef hamburger, doesn’t mean it’s healthier. Some of Turkey Burgers contain dark meat and skin, which can make them high in saturated fat and calories. (Sotiria Tzakas Everett-nutritionist) To save over 200 calories and 7 grams of fat with a turkey burger instead of beef burger, you need to select a ground turkey that is at least 90% lean and contains fewer then 5 grams of saturated fat.
After reading this article, I headed to the store. The downside to eating healthy turkey is it is expensive! 93% lean is 3.50 a pound and 99% lean is 5.00 a pound! It’s also very bland! I made a 99% lean turkey burger for me and my husband and we had to choke it down with about 3 glasses of water! Next time I’ll be sure to mix in some healthy flavors to spice it up!
Also, does anyone know how healthy the 97% lean ground hamburger is compared to the turkey? I’ve been researching and haven’t found anything yet. Thanks!
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines, come fly the NOT to friendly skies. I guess that’s not all true. I had a wonderful flight out of Kansas City into Tampa.
For months, I have been worried about fitting on the airline since the Kevin Smith/Southwest Airlines incident. If you’re not familiar with the story, He got kicked off the plane because he was too big. I stressed myself out, made myself sick for months worrying about this. I even bought an airline extender seatbelt to try to not draw attention to myself.
So Vacation day arrives. I sit beside my 7 year old nephew and use my extender. I leave the armrest down, because that is their policy, It’s a tight squeeze, but the armrests are down. The plane takes off, not a word is said to me. Yes! I made it! All the stress and worries are gone!
If you don’t know about southwest’s “Customer of Size” Policy, you can find it here. But plain and simple, if you cant fit comfortably with the armrest down, then they can make you buy a second ticket. It doesn’t matter if you have someone smaller (like my nephew or spouse) next to you. It’s for everyones safety. If the flight is not a sell out, they will refund your money.
So we are getting ready to leave Tampa. I’ve checked in my luggage, I’ve received my boarding pass and I’m waiting for my airplane to board. We arrived early so we had a couple hours to sit and wait. Well my husband and I decided to move closer to the gate and wait. He went to the laptop station and my mom came over to visit. The lady boarding the flight ahead of us asked me twice if I was waiting on someone or if I was flying out. I told her flying out both times. The second time she went and told one of the customer service people at SWA. I’m guess she went and told her that there is a HUGE woman waiting to fly out because the Customer Service Lady came over to talk to me about their “Customer of Size” Policy and telling me that I should purchase another ticket. Well you guess it. I am flaming pissed. Mom is there and helped handle the situation. She told the lady we are on our way back to Kansas City and we were never approached about our size or informed of the policy. We told her that I flew out with my little nephew and that’s how we are flying back. She went ahead and told me for his safety I need that extra seat. I got lucky that I didn’t have to buy another seat because it was Kansas City’s fault I didn’t buy an additional seat in the first place. So she was turning Kansas City in. She gave me a pre-boarding pass and a sign that reserved a seat next to me. She also told me that my nephew is still allowed to sit next to me. WTF??? Seriously??? You just told me it’s not safe and that’s why you make “Customers of Size” purchase two seats!
I wrote a complaint to SWA and let them know how discriminating it was to sit in an airline with 100’s of passengers, and yes many were large, and be told that I am too large. I didn’t even get the chance to sit in the seat! Just because I look to big you approach me and make me feel like shit? I don’t think so. And then you tell me it’s your policy that you have to buy two seats even if you planned on having a family member sit next to me, because of Safety! And you then proceed to tell me after you’ve made me feel like shit about my size that he can still sit next to me? Oh I don’t think so! I’m waiting to hear back from SWA on my complaint. I’ll keep you posted!
For months, I have been worried about fitting on the airline since the Kevin Smith/Southwest Airlines incident. If you’re not familiar with the story, He got kicked off the plane because he was too big. I stressed myself out, made myself sick for months worrying about this. I even bought an airline extender seatbelt to try to not draw attention to myself.
So Vacation day arrives. I sit beside my 7 year old nephew and use my extender. I leave the armrest down, because that is their policy, It’s a tight squeeze, but the armrests are down. The plane takes off, not a word is said to me. Yes! I made it! All the stress and worries are gone!
If you don’t know about southwest’s “Customer of Size” Policy, you can find it here. But plain and simple, if you cant fit comfortably with the armrest down, then they can make you buy a second ticket. It doesn’t matter if you have someone smaller (like my nephew or spouse) next to you. It’s for everyones safety. If the flight is not a sell out, they will refund your money.
So we are getting ready to leave Tampa. I’ve checked in my luggage, I’ve received my boarding pass and I’m waiting for my airplane to board. We arrived early so we had a couple hours to sit and wait. Well my husband and I decided to move closer to the gate and wait. He went to the laptop station and my mom came over to visit. The lady boarding the flight ahead of us asked me twice if I was waiting on someone or if I was flying out. I told her flying out both times. The second time she went and told one of the customer service people at SWA. I’m guess she went and told her that there is a HUGE woman waiting to fly out because the Customer Service Lady came over to talk to me about their “Customer of Size” Policy and telling me that I should purchase another ticket. Well you guess it. I am flaming pissed. Mom is there and helped handle the situation. She told the lady we are on our way back to Kansas City and we were never approached about our size or informed of the policy. We told her that I flew out with my little nephew and that’s how we are flying back. She went ahead and told me for his safety I need that extra seat. I got lucky that I didn’t have to buy another seat because it was Kansas City’s fault I didn’t buy an additional seat in the first place. So she was turning Kansas City in. She gave me a pre-boarding pass and a sign that reserved a seat next to me. She also told me that my nephew is still allowed to sit next to me. WTF??? Seriously??? You just told me it’s not safe and that’s why you make “Customers of Size” purchase two seats!
I wrote a complaint to SWA and let them know how discriminating it was to sit in an airline with 100’s of passengers, and yes many were large, and be told that I am too large. I didn’t even get the chance to sit in the seat! Just because I look to big you approach me and make me feel like shit? I don’t think so. And then you tell me it’s your policy that you have to buy two seats even if you planned on having a family member sit next to me, because of Safety! And you then proceed to tell me after you’ve made me feel like shit about my size that he can still sit next to me? Oh I don’t think so! I’m waiting to hear back from SWA on my complaint. I’ll keep you posted!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Tonya, you just got a job, where will you go?... I'm going to DisneyWorld!
Family Vacation! What an experience! It was me, my husband, mom, dad, brother, sister n law, and their 4 kids. We all flew to Tampa and traveled east to Orlando to spend 8 wonderful days there! Thank you mom for the tickets!
I had a fabulous trip, despite a few family members being jerks 90% off the time. I had my moments when I would lose it and get hateful, but that was only because of someone else being a rude buttface. My poor mother just wanted us to all have fun, and all we did was bicker. Don’t get me wrong, we had a lot of fun, but the bickering was too much. No one could agree on what to do, and when someone decided, it wasn’t what someone else wanted to do. Pretty much, I felt like we did what my brother wanted to do.
I did have a fabulous time though. It was so nice to get away from it all. Especially knowing I had a job to come home too! Unemployment had ran out and we were very LOW on money, so it came at a perfect time. *Side Story: 5-6 years ago, the same situation happened with my father. He got laid off from his job of 29 years. He applied and interviewed at several places. His unemployment ran out. The good Lord was looking out for my family. The radio station was giving away a trip for 4 to Orlando. My whole family, heck the whole city, had been trying to win these trips. I can’t remember if it was one trip a day, or one trip a week, they were giving away, but anyways, it was the very last trip, I was sitting at work at 8am, and they played the magical touchtones, I tried and tried to win it for my family, no luck. Just then my work phone rings and my it’s my dad. He starts a casual conversation asking me if I got in on the radio, and Moms voice came on air. She was the correct caller! She wont the trip to Disney! Dad was trying to make sure I was listening to the radio with out giving it away. Oh it was so exciting. (A side note, when the radio stations had money, they gave away trips and concerts and prizes all the time. Mom is the luckiest person I know, she also won a trip to Hawaii from this same radio station!) Just shortly after, Dad got a call and a job offer. Thank you God. So we are off to Florida and Dad has a job when he gets back. Pretty much the same situation with me 5 years later.*
We experienced, Disney, Orange Groves, Kennedy Space Center, M&M world and Gators! Driving to Kennedy Space Center we saw Gators just chilling on the side of the road in some little watery swamps, It was so exciting, we almost missed a couple of exits looking for gators! The kids had such a great time at Disney. Lily got so use to use taking a bazillion pictures, she started stopping in front of every tree and flower and asking to take her picture! One of the cutest moments with Lily was when she asked Tinker Bell and the Fairies if they could make her fly! Chezney got to meet his favorite Pluto and the big kids loved the bigger roller coasters. I will be honest, I was not a fan of Epcot. It’s basically just some neat buildings, and a lot of shopping. We walked so much that day at that park. I think someone told us it’s about 7 miles if you walk the whole thing, which we did.
I had a few depressing moments on vacation. I didn’t get to ride a lot of rides because I was afraid I wouldn’t fit. So I missed out on a lot of fun. Also, I got stuck in a turn stall trying to board the train. It was one of their older ones, and they are smaller and I just couldn’t get the sucker to spin around. I tried to not cry, but when I saw the line forming behind me and my 5 year old Niece kept saying, “Kaka is stuck” Louder and Louder each time. (They call me Kaka J ) The tears just rolled. This is also the day that it decided to rain cat and dogs and we were so wet it looked like we went swimming with our clothes on. I was able to make my way through the crowd and I saw a handicap entrance. So I went through it and boarded the train. A few minutes later a grumpy old man that works there cam back and loudly stated “YOU WENT THROUGH AN EXIT” I said yes because I don’t fit through the turn stall. at this point im already upset, but he couldn’t hear me so I had to say it louder 3 more times! By this time, everyone on the train in my section knew I was so fat I couldn’t fit though the turn stall. And they were talking about me. I wanted to just turn around and be like, “The old man was hard of hearing, not me!” but I didn’t. I tried to regain composure, but it was hard. That incident and the rain ruined the day so we went back to the rental home.
Vacation was good. It was needed. But I was never happier to get back home. Keep a look out for my Southwest Airline Post in a few days. You think the story about the turn stall was bad, just wait. have a good day everyone!
I had a fabulous trip, despite a few family members being jerks 90% off the time. I had my moments when I would lose it and get hateful, but that was only because of someone else being a rude buttface. My poor mother just wanted us to all have fun, and all we did was bicker. Don’t get me wrong, we had a lot of fun, but the bickering was too much. No one could agree on what to do, and when someone decided, it wasn’t what someone else wanted to do. Pretty much, I felt like we did what my brother wanted to do.
I did have a fabulous time though. It was so nice to get away from it all. Especially knowing I had a job to come home too! Unemployment had ran out and we were very LOW on money, so it came at a perfect time. *Side Story: 5-6 years ago, the same situation happened with my father. He got laid off from his job of 29 years. He applied and interviewed at several places. His unemployment ran out. The good Lord was looking out for my family. The radio station was giving away a trip for 4 to Orlando. My whole family, heck the whole city, had been trying to win these trips. I can’t remember if it was one trip a day, or one trip a week, they were giving away, but anyways, it was the very last trip, I was sitting at work at 8am, and they played the magical touchtones, I tried and tried to win it for my family, no luck. Just then my work phone rings and my it’s my dad. He starts a casual conversation asking me if I got in on the radio, and Moms voice came on air. She was the correct caller! She wont the trip to Disney! Dad was trying to make sure I was listening to the radio with out giving it away. Oh it was so exciting. (A side note, when the radio stations had money, they gave away trips and concerts and prizes all the time. Mom is the luckiest person I know, she also won a trip to Hawaii from this same radio station!) Just shortly after, Dad got a call and a job offer. Thank you God. So we are off to Florida and Dad has a job when he gets back. Pretty much the same situation with me 5 years later.*
We experienced, Disney, Orange Groves, Kennedy Space Center, M&M world and Gators! Driving to Kennedy Space Center we saw Gators just chilling on the side of the road in some little watery swamps, It was so exciting, we almost missed a couple of exits looking for gators! The kids had such a great time at Disney. Lily got so use to use taking a bazillion pictures, she started stopping in front of every tree and flower and asking to take her picture! One of the cutest moments with Lily was when she asked Tinker Bell and the Fairies if they could make her fly! Chezney got to meet his favorite Pluto and the big kids loved the bigger roller coasters. I will be honest, I was not a fan of Epcot. It’s basically just some neat buildings, and a lot of shopping. We walked so much that day at that park. I think someone told us it’s about 7 miles if you walk the whole thing, which we did.
I had a few depressing moments on vacation. I didn’t get to ride a lot of rides because I was afraid I wouldn’t fit. So I missed out on a lot of fun. Also, I got stuck in a turn stall trying to board the train. It was one of their older ones, and they are smaller and I just couldn’t get the sucker to spin around. I tried to not cry, but when I saw the line forming behind me and my 5 year old Niece kept saying, “Kaka is stuck” Louder and Louder each time. (They call me Kaka J ) The tears just rolled. This is also the day that it decided to rain cat and dogs and we were so wet it looked like we went swimming with our clothes on. I was able to make my way through the crowd and I saw a handicap entrance. So I went through it and boarded the train. A few minutes later a grumpy old man that works there cam back and loudly stated “YOU WENT THROUGH AN EXIT” I said yes because I don’t fit through the turn stall. at this point im already upset, but he couldn’t hear me so I had to say it louder 3 more times! By this time, everyone on the train in my section knew I was so fat I couldn’t fit though the turn stall. And they were talking about me. I wanted to just turn around and be like, “The old man was hard of hearing, not me!” but I didn’t. I tried to regain composure, but it was hard. That incident and the rain ruined the day so we went back to the rental home.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Work Work Work
What a month April has turned out to be! As you all know, I finally got a job offer (3 to be exact!) and accepted the position working for the State of Kansas. I started that job this week. It’s a nice, short, 10 to 15 minute drive on the side streets. No highway -Yay! It feels so good to be working again!
Day One: It was pretty slow, I got to meet just about everyone in the office. It’s so different to work in an office with more then two people! They are so laid back and carefree. During lunch breaks they play board and card games. I learned about the type of clients we deal with, that can be pretty creepy if you think about it, because everyone that’s a client has committed a felon in the past. Not all are serious, but we do deal with sex offenders and murders. The afternoon, I sat through orientation, learned all the benefits and policies… yada yada yada.
Day two welcomed me with a carpool ride to Topeka for the Regional Meeting. A long hour ride early in the morning with 3 guys who listened to talk radio! Yep, you guessed it, snooze time! I bet I made a good impression on my second day! I just hope I didn’t snore! Regional Meetings are where the entire North Region gets together and talks about how to better the department and things that are going on with the state. Everyone kept telling me how boring it was, but I learned so much! Maybe it’s because I was the new girl. For instance, before I started this job, I was against the proposed sales tax on soda and sugar beverages. But at the meeting, I learned that the State proposed that tax to try and help meet budget cuts and save State Employee Jobs! I also learned that the State of Kansas is VERY poor these days! Enough about that, on to day Three!
Day three, four and five were all the same. I finally got a computer and started learning some of the basic programs. We have lots of meetings and group sessions we hold on Wednesday and Thursday, so the office was hopping all day long. Friday, I dove into some files. My new task is to reorganize the filing cabinets and make more space. No worries, I wont blog much about my job every week. lol. I was just so excited to finally be back at work and share my new experience with everyone!
I really think I’m going to like this job. There is so much to do and learn! I’m off to the Library to pick up a few books so I can learn a lot of the lingo and crimes! What a good week!
Day One: It was pretty slow, I got to meet just about everyone in the office. It’s so different to work in an office with more then two people! They are so laid back and carefree. During lunch breaks they play board and card games. I learned about the type of clients we deal with, that can be pretty creepy if you think about it, because everyone that’s a client has committed a felon in the past. Not all are serious, but we do deal with sex offenders and murders. The afternoon, I sat through orientation, learned all the benefits and policies… yada yada yada.
Day two welcomed me with a carpool ride to Topeka for the Regional Meeting. A long hour ride early in the morning with 3 guys who listened to talk radio! Yep, you guessed it, snooze time! I bet I made a good impression on my second day! I just hope I didn’t snore! Regional Meetings are where the entire North Region gets together and talks about how to better the department and things that are going on with the state. Everyone kept telling me how boring it was, but I learned so much! Maybe it’s because I was the new girl. For instance, before I started this job, I was against the proposed sales tax on soda and sugar beverages. But at the meeting, I learned that the State proposed that tax to try and help meet budget cuts and save State Employee Jobs! I also learned that the State of Kansas is VERY poor these days! Enough about that, on to day Three!
Day three, four and five were all the same. I finally got a computer and started learning some of the basic programs. We have lots of meetings and group sessions we hold on Wednesday and Thursday, so the office was hopping all day long. Friday, I dove into some files. My new task is to reorganize the filing cabinets and make more space. No worries, I wont blog much about my job every week. lol. I was just so excited to finally be back at work and share my new experience with everyone!
I really think I’m going to like this job. There is so much to do and learn! I’m off to the Library to pick up a few books so I can learn a lot of the lingo and crimes! What a good week!
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