I have had problems with carbs off and on since high school. A number of years ago, a doctor recommended chromium picolinate to help regulate blood sugar in an attempt improve mood. I discovered that it eliminated my craving for carbs.
I do not take it regularly at this point, but when I find myself devouring cake sliver by sliver or cookies bit by bit, I go back to taking it for a day or to and the craving goes away.
Gah, I have been on various diets every since I hit puberty and gained unexplained weight ( I think Atkins was my first) ...sigh...plus Weight Watchers, Overeteaters Anonymous etc
The one that works the best for me , regardless of what the experts say..is plain calorie ( most nutritionists I have spoken to, say calories are calories, regardless of which source they come from) counting, portion control , and I also cut down on Pepsi...I lost 50 lbs...if I do totally without food I love, especially carbs, all I do it eventually get angry and binge and give up..
Even so, I plateaued and nothing short of starving to death ( like less than 800 calories a day, and even that didn't really work) will work...I will never be a small or even average sized woman, but, I would be happy with just another 20-25 lbs less, which is the weight I have been for most of my adult life.
(My boss is doing Keto, I think it is gross to be honest, lots of stuff I do not like to eat, as food is one of my few physical pleasures, just not going to give it up) as for my health, my BP is normal, my oxygen level is 98, my bad cholesterol is low, good is good, my sugar is fine ( yes, I am the poster child for all those should be bad...lol...it is hereditary)...my health issues are not weight related. More like age most of it now...
Anyway, that set me off, (lol) frankly I am tired of obsessing about weight, it has been going on for over 50 years and I am still not where I would like to be...even if it may possibly lower my dating pool, it is not like I haven't had men interested in me over the years , some men really like my look ( not looking may age is a big gift that helps, also hereditary and not wearing face make up and spending hours in the sun and oily Italian skin....lol)...thank goodness...my problem has been lack of compatibility and lacking the few things I know I need to make a relationship work...
I think food and diet are probably one of the *biggest* problems we face today. We speculate a lot on why so many are overweight, but I’m guessing most of those speculations are pretty accurate. People do not get enough exercise, and serving sizes are ridiculously large.
And, of course, no one likes to diet, but they think there’s a *quick fix,* following diets that no one can stick with for any length of time. I had a friend who was constantly trying different things, and she would lose weight, but over time it seemed like she gained more than she lost (another problem for many people).
Meanwhile, we have an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes, and it’s a problem for children! I know I’ve said it before, but in our town, we see entire families who are obese. It’s scary to think about the future, and it always makes me wonder what will happen if we ever need to recruit more people for our military. Along with that is the extra load on our healthcare system.
In shape for most of my life, I gained weight as a young father of small children (turns out, one is not only an ATM with hair but a garbage disposal, as well)and continued to gain weight for a number of years. Slowly, but inexorably. And I exercised less. Five years ago, I did a medically supervised diet that examined not only the foods I ate, but my genetic predisposition to being able to process or not process certain foods. I lost 40 lbs (and have kept it off---now back to my "fighting weight"), gave up alcohol and exercised every day. Every. Single. Day. Five years. My diet is more the Mediterranean Diet, balancing carbs, fat and protein. It works for me. I keep track of what I eat on an app. I don't feel restricted. And exercise. Every. Single. Day.
Today's special animal friend is the groundhog, Marmota monax. The groundhog is also known as a woodchuck, chuck, wood-shock, groundpig, whistlepig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack, weenusk, red monk, and, among French Canadians in eastern Canada, siffleux. They are rodents (order Rodentia) of the squirrel family (family Sciuridae). The Marmota genus includes 15 species found in Asia, Europe, and North America. The groundhog is an unusual marmot in that it lives in lowland rather than mountainous habitats.
The groundhog is one of the largest marmots, with a length up to 27 inches and weight approaching 14 lbs., about the weight of Jake, the cat who sleeps with me. Males are significantly larger than females. Both sexes gain weight during the fall, when they engage in "autumn hyperphagia," extreme eating, to build up fat reserves for their winter hibernation.
Groundhogs have four large incisors, which grow up to 1.5 mm per week and are worn down about the same amount by gnawing. Unlike the teeth of many rodents, the groundhog's are white to ivory-colored rather than orange with iron. Mainly herbivorous, they eat wild grasses, berries, agricultural crops, and a wide variety of herbs and greens. Their diet also includes some small invertebrates and baby birds, in season.
Like most small mammals, groundhogs have many predators, including wolves, coyotes, foxes, dogs; birds of prey; wild, feral, and domestic cats; mustelids including mink and badgers; and snakes. They are also hunted as a pest in some states. For defense, the woodchuck has long, strong claws, excellent burrowing skills, and the ability to climb trees and to swim. In the wild, their life span averages about three years; in captivity, they can live over ten years.
A groundhog may have more than one burrow, allowing for many avenues of escape and concealment. The burrows can be over four feet below the surface and more than 40 feet in length. They are solitary dwellers, except when breeding, but sometimes live within sight of other individuals. They are aggressive toward their own species and any others that encroach. Females breed in their second (and sometimes third) year, producing up to six young per litter.
The Groundhog Day tradition is believed to have originated in Germany, where the animal was a badger, and to draw on folk beliefs regarding the Christian holiday of Candlemas, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple forty days after Christmas. The concept was popularized in the United States by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Wikipedia feels it necessary to inform us that there is no scientific evidence of a correlation between sunshine (or not) on February 2 and future weather patterns.
Virals.
How in the hell did I get on Kevin McCarthy's email list?...roflmao
I guess it is possible I subscribed to keep an eye on him, but, I have never donated to him or any other congressperson on the right...
Regarding carbs:
I have had problems with carbs off and on since high school. A number of years ago, a doctor recommended chromium picolinate to help regulate blood sugar in an attempt improve mood. I discovered that it eliminated my craving for carbs.
I do not take it regularly at this point, but when I find myself devouring cake sliver by sliver or cookies bit by bit, I go back to taking it for a day or to and the craving goes away.
FWIW.
Good Morning Peeps...
Gah, I have been on various diets every since I hit puberty and gained unexplained weight ( I think Atkins was my first) ...sigh...plus Weight Watchers, Overeteaters Anonymous etc
The one that works the best for me , regardless of what the experts say..is plain calorie ( most nutritionists I have spoken to, say calories are calories, regardless of which source they come from) counting, portion control , and I also cut down on Pepsi...I lost 50 lbs...if I do totally without food I love, especially carbs, all I do it eventually get angry and binge and give up..
Even so, I plateaued and nothing short of starving to death ( like less than 800 calories a day, and even that didn't really work) will work...I will never be a small or even average sized woman, but, I would be happy with just another 20-25 lbs less, which is the weight I have been for most of my adult life.
(My boss is doing Keto, I think it is gross to be honest, lots of stuff I do not like to eat, as food is one of my few physical pleasures, just not going to give it up) as for my health, my BP is normal, my oxygen level is 98, my bad cholesterol is low, good is good, my sugar is fine ( yes, I am the poster child for all those should be bad...lol...it is hereditary)...my health issues are not weight related. More like age most of it now...
Anyway, that set me off, (lol) frankly I am tired of obsessing about weight, it has been going on for over 50 years and I am still not where I would like to be...even if it may possibly lower my dating pool, it is not like I haven't had men interested in me over the years , some men really like my look ( not looking may age is a big gift that helps, also hereditary and not wearing face make up and spending hours in the sun and oily Italian skin....lol)...thank goodness...my problem has been lack of compatibility and lacking the few things I know I need to make a relationship work...
Ok, rant over...
I think food and diet are probably one of the *biggest* problems we face today. We speculate a lot on why so many are overweight, but I’m guessing most of those speculations are pretty accurate. People do not get enough exercise, and serving sizes are ridiculously large.
And, of course, no one likes to diet, but they think there’s a *quick fix,* following diets that no one can stick with for any length of time. I had a friend who was constantly trying different things, and she would lose weight, but over time it seemed like she gained more than she lost (another problem for many people).
Meanwhile, we have an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes, and it’s a problem for children! I know I’ve said it before, but in our town, we see entire families who are obese. It’s scary to think about the future, and it always makes me wonder what will happen if we ever need to recruit more people for our military. Along with that is the extra load on our healthcare system.
My wife got angry with me when she said she wanted to try a low fat diet. So I took the legs off the table and chairs.
I was in the dog house 🏡 for a week! 🥶
In shape for most of my life, I gained weight as a young father of small children (turns out, one is not only an ATM with hair but a garbage disposal, as well)and continued to gain weight for a number of years. Slowly, but inexorably. And I exercised less. Five years ago, I did a medically supervised diet that examined not only the foods I ate, but my genetic predisposition to being able to process or not process certain foods. I lost 40 lbs (and have kept it off---now back to my "fighting weight"), gave up alcohol and exercised every day. Every. Single. Day. Five years. My diet is more the Mediterranean Diet, balancing carbs, fat and protein. It works for me. I keep track of what I eat on an app. I don't feel restricted. And exercise. Every. Single. Day.
MG, you know some of us read this before breakfast.
Today's special animal friend is the groundhog, Marmota monax. The groundhog is also known as a woodchuck, chuck, wood-shock, groundpig, whistlepig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack, weenusk, red monk, and, among French Canadians in eastern Canada, siffleux. They are rodents (order Rodentia) of the squirrel family (family Sciuridae). The Marmota genus includes 15 species found in Asia, Europe, and North America. The groundhog is an unusual marmot in that it lives in lowland rather than mountainous habitats.
The groundhog is one of the largest marmots, with a length up to 27 inches and weight approaching 14 lbs., about the weight of Jake, the cat who sleeps with me. Males are significantly larger than females. Both sexes gain weight during the fall, when they engage in "autumn hyperphagia," extreme eating, to build up fat reserves for their winter hibernation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK3pcIIsmfo
Groundhogs have four large incisors, which grow up to 1.5 mm per week and are worn down about the same amount by gnawing. Unlike the teeth of many rodents, the groundhog's are white to ivory-colored rather than orange with iron. Mainly herbivorous, they eat wild grasses, berries, agricultural crops, and a wide variety of herbs and greens. Their diet also includes some small invertebrates and baby birds, in season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNdts2P-djg
Like most small mammals, groundhogs have many predators, including wolves, coyotes, foxes, dogs; birds of prey; wild, feral, and domestic cats; mustelids including mink and badgers; and snakes. They are also hunted as a pest in some states. For defense, the woodchuck has long, strong claws, excellent burrowing skills, and the ability to climb trees and to swim. In the wild, their life span averages about three years; in captivity, they can live over ten years.
A groundhog may have more than one burrow, allowing for many avenues of escape and concealment. The burrows can be over four feet below the surface and more than 40 feet in length. They are solitary dwellers, except when breeding, but sometimes live within sight of other individuals. They are aggressive toward their own species and any others that encroach. Females breed in their second (and sometimes third) year, producing up to six young per litter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuX251iG4lA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txemQA4NE9g
The Groundhog Day tradition is believed to have originated in Germany, where the animal was a badger, and to draw on folk beliefs regarding the Christian holiday of Candlemas, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple forty days after Christmas. The concept was popularized in the United States by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Wikipedia feels it necessary to inform us that there is no scientific evidence of a correlation between sunshine (or not) on February 2 and future weather patterns.
Groundhogs are a species of Least Concern.