Are your kids fussy eaters?

So I just read an article titled "Parental food nagging may produce fussy eaters."  it caught my eye since I have an extremely fussy eater in my house.  It also made me think about my house growing up and if my parents made me a good/bad eater.    Growing up we had junk upon junk in my house.  Tastykakes and Entenmann's were a staple, cinnamon buns for breakfast every weekend, plus my mom could be one of the worlds best bakers.  We were rarely limited on what we ate. 

My sister was extremely picky in her food choices and very slim, I on the other hand was the exact opposite. 

I have 2 kids who are also exact opposites in their eating habits.  Although our house now tries to be more health conscious than the one I grew up in.  I try to choose natural and organic foods and we rarely have sweets in the pantry. 

So my parents had no restrictions and had 2 kids who ate differently and I have lots of restrictions and have 2 kids who eat differently.  Does it make a difference? 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40307029/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/from/toolbar

Do you Feel the Burn?

I DVR all kinds of shows so that on mornings like today while it was raining and running outside is not an option my treadmill does not seem so boring.  So this morning while watching Oprah, Jane Fonda was the guest (I am sure this aired a couple weeks ago.)  She is 72 and looks amazing.  I'd like to look like that at 40.  Now she does admit to having some work done to look soo great, but on her face, not on her petite figure. 
Do you remember the pink leg warmers and purple leotard?  Her videos started a fitness revolution.  I remember doing the leg lifts and "feeling the burn."  The amazing thing is that when those videos were released she was in her 40's.  That fact alone makes me feel older than my age. 
Now at 72 she has had a lot of lifes experiences and lots of ups and down but she still makes fitness a priority.  Why?  To feel great, not look great.  I guess thats the bonus.  Working out helps our minds and our bodies.  She even has new videos out, that are geared towards baby boomers, her original demographic 30 years ago. 
She is refreshingly honest about her life and lifes experiences which makes her all the more interesting. 

I wonder if I dig through some more of the "junk" my mom has been saving I can find one of her videos.  
I can probably find some leg warmers in my own junk drawer. 

Are You a Carbohydrate Addict?

After looking  at all the diet/lifestyle books on my bedroom floor I decided to pick the one that I have had previous success with and that seems to make the most sense.  The Carbohydrates Addicts Diet, written in 1993 by authors Rachel Heller MD, and Richard Heller MD.  I have never really been a fan of no carb plans because they seem unrealistic and unhealthy.  But I do agree that our whole society and way of life is over carbed.  And after taking the quiz in the book I definitely qualify as a Carbohydrate Addict. 

Do we really need toast/cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and rice and potatoes at dinner?

I think that processed, high sugar, high carb foods are definitely not what we were meant to consume.  Look at how hyper and crazy they make our kids.  We are bigger so we tolerate it more, but cutting out a lot of processed foods and sugar hopefully will help stabilize our bodies so we don't have extreme highs and lows in our day. 

So what is the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and how does it work?

The premise behind the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet (CAD) is that most overweight people are addicted to carbohydrates. The Hellers’ claim that most people fail to metabolize carbohydrates correctly, causing an imbalance of insulin levels. The elevated insulin levels cause a craving for food throughout the day.
Over the last few decades, refined sugars have played an increasing role in our diets. Authorities have recommended  a low-fat diet – which has inadvertently lead to people eating far more carbohydrate than is necessary (given our generally sedentary lifestyles). It should be no surprise that many people have become accustomed to highly sweetened foods. Whether this qualifies as an addiction is up for debate.

The Carbohydrate Addicts Eating Plan

At its foundation is a reduction of carbohydrate intake. The rules are strict, with the diet providing a long list of foods, that are on the “allowed” list. Anything not in this list must be avoided.
Each day is split into 2 main meals – 2 meals are made up of a protein source (fish, poultry, lean red meat) and fibrous vegetables. The 3rd meal is called the “reward” meal – this can be anything you want, but you should aim for a balance of 1/3 carbohydrate, 1/3 protein, and 1/3 fibrous (non-starchy vegetables). This reward meal must be consumed inside 1 hour.

So I get to eat 2 really low carb meals a day and one meal almost anything I want as long as I consume it within one hour.  Even alcohol is allowed. 

I don't have to give up any of my favorite foods, just limit them.

Week 2 or so

So in the past week and a half I have had Halloween, 2 business trips plus a couple days in New York to watch the NY Marathon.  Congrats to my sister and some friends who ran great races.  Watching thousands of people run over 26 miles in the freezing cold is definitely inspiring.  While you are there, you really start to get motivated and wonder why you have never wanted to put a marathon on your bucket list.  Then while running my 3 miles this morning  my knee started to hurt, reality set in and I remember why I say I'd never do one.  So if I'm not going to train for a marathon what am I going to do to turn this blog into a reality. 

I started to do some research; what method is the best.  I went through my library of books and found a total of 17 diet and exercise books.  These were the ones I kept, and I'm pretty sure their have probably been more along the way.  Their is always a latest fad or idea and I have probably tried most of the craziest ideas. 


The Rotation Diet
The Zone
Total Fitness in 30 minutes a Week
Aerobics (1968)
The Aerobics way (1977)
The Abs Diet
The Hilton Head Metabolism Diet
The Fat Flush Plan
Fast Track One Day Detox
Lean Bodies
The Carbohydrates Addicts Diet
The Last Chance Diet
The Perfect Weight
Eating by Design
Portion Savvy
The South Beach Diet
Biogenesis

Over the years I have read each one and probably followed it for a couple weeks or months.  But eventually eating out, parties, kids and life get in the way of the perfect diet plan. 

So the question still remains to be seen, what is the right plan and which one can you really turn into a lifestyle? 

Made it through Halloween without one piece of candy!

Here is the Dress

People have asked for a picture of the dress so I am posting it.  I am actually posting pictures of all my prom dresses but it is the sequin dress I specifically want to fit into.  The others are pretty small and just to be fair they were hand me downs from my sister.  She wanted to know where her dresses were, so here they are.
If anyone wants to put up pictures of their dresses or their prom pix (big hair included), I welcome you to do so. 


The Dress



back of dress

                         

Today is Halloween, so maybe I should have started this journey next week but I have some ideas of how not to eat my kids candy. I might get some tooth whitening strips and put them in for a couple hours.  You can't eat while they are in, so I end of with whiter teeth and candy free.
The other idea is to just keep apples cut up and eat a piece every time i want to steel a Hershey kiss. 


Any other ideas?  Also looking for some good low carb snack ideas if anyone has them.  

Day 1

A couple weeks ago my mom decided to finally purge herself of the junk in her house.  First stop on the way to the trash, my house.  Amongst the items in the "trash" bags.  My prom dresses.  I loved my prom dresses, and even though they are not in fashion today in the 90's they were spectacular.  I could not resist trying them on.  I knew they would not fit but I had to try, and of course they did not fit.  So I set a new goal, to fit into my prom dress.  That is when my husband made the goal more attractive.  He proceeded to say " when the dress fits, we'll have a prom party."  Anyone who knows us,  knows we don't really need a reason to have a party but why not keep this theme, make it fun and have others join in. 

So here we go.  I will be posting my progress and want others to join in the fun.  We can share workout tips, diet tips, laugh at ourselves, put up pictures, and try to reach our goal.