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Walkin' the Dog
Aug. 24th, 2009 09:28 pmAnd no, I'm NOT talking this meaning! Sheesh! (and I always wondered what the real meaning behind that old song was...)
Back to the subject at hand--my dog Goldy's coughing, related to his heart problem, has recently been getting worse. More constant, louder, and the poor thing wasn't getting any sleep, even with the diuretic medication. So, I started walking him here and there, and when we realized he was hardly coughing at all after a longish walk, and coughed even less after a later second walk we started walking him twice a day.
Of course, we realized it was a good idea for us to walk, too. Now, I know walking is the simplest exercise of all, and usually I'm not a big walker; but it's a huge motivation when you can see the benefits to your pet's health. The pup is happier, we're happier because we know he's not as miserable, and we aren't as miserable because the coughing has gone down. (his coughing actually woke me up four times in one night; imagining what it was like for him was not fun, either)
The Hacker's Diet Online is helping me, too. The steady red Trend line down the center of the graph that shows you where you should be aiming your weight loss is awesome! I'm very visually oriented, and this is one of the first programs I've ever seen that takes advantage of giving me instant feedback. Yes, I know that Weight Watchers online has a feature that tracks weight, but that's all it does. This program shows you where you're going wrong, or doing okay.
(the hacker's diet online is free, just so no one gets the idea I'm making a commission off of it! It's just that great!)
One technique that I've read a lot about lately is The Small Bite method. It's a method for portion control, and the people who write glowingly about it have lost weight using this method. It's very simple. Instead of mounding a huge scoop of ice cream in a bowl, for instance (and who hasn't done that? I have), just scoop a small amount into the bowl-like...I dunno, a palm-sized amount. Or less than that.
And damned if it doesn't work. It works for me when I apply it to those really sweet foods/ultra carbs that I am so hooked on--but only so long as I don't keep going back for One More Small Bite. That's the danger. I do find that it's true, that after the first two or three bites, the flavor tends to leave and I'm left with the texture of the food, and at that point, using ice cream again, I have to think about what it is I'm really trying to get out of that eating experience. If it's the cold feeling, a glass of ice water would work just as well, and it often does. Or if it's that vanilla or chocolate taste, well, how much of that do I really need? Not nearly as much as I thought. Because after gorging on a huge mound of ice cream, it's just not as enjoyable since my taste buds are used to the flavor by the time I'm scrounging the final bits of ice cream off the bottom of the bowl.
But if it's Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream? Dudes, there are always exceptions. I have that so rarely now, it really IS a treat (and I can't seem to finish a full scoop of that stuff these days, *sobs*).
And a last hint: if you have children, discourage the baking of cakes, cookies, croissants with chocolate in them, and other sweet things. *balefully glares at daughter, the master cake decorator and baker in the house* Make sure you have receptive neighbors who will enjoy the sweets coming out of your kitchen via a cooking child.
Back to the subject at hand--my dog Goldy's coughing, related to his heart problem, has recently been getting worse. More constant, louder, and the poor thing wasn't getting any sleep, even with the diuretic medication. So, I started walking him here and there, and when we realized he was hardly coughing at all after a longish walk, and coughed even less after a later second walk we started walking him twice a day.
Of course, we realized it was a good idea for us to walk, too. Now, I know walking is the simplest exercise of all, and usually I'm not a big walker; but it's a huge motivation when you can see the benefits to your pet's health. The pup is happier, we're happier because we know he's not as miserable, and we aren't as miserable because the coughing has gone down. (his coughing actually woke me up four times in one night; imagining what it was like for him was not fun, either)
The Hacker's Diet Online is helping me, too. The steady red Trend line down the center of the graph that shows you where you should be aiming your weight loss is awesome! I'm very visually oriented, and this is one of the first programs I've ever seen that takes advantage of giving me instant feedback. Yes, I know that Weight Watchers online has a feature that tracks weight, but that's all it does. This program shows you where you're going wrong, or doing okay.
(the hacker's diet online is free, just so no one gets the idea I'm making a commission off of it! It's just that great!)
One technique that I've read a lot about lately is The Small Bite method. It's a method for portion control, and the people who write glowingly about it have lost weight using this method. It's very simple. Instead of mounding a huge scoop of ice cream in a bowl, for instance (and who hasn't done that? I have), just scoop a small amount into the bowl-like...I dunno, a palm-sized amount. Or less than that.
And damned if it doesn't work. It works for me when I apply it to those really sweet foods/ultra carbs that I am so hooked on--but only so long as I don't keep going back for One More Small Bite. That's the danger. I do find that it's true, that after the first two or three bites, the flavor tends to leave and I'm left with the texture of the food, and at that point, using ice cream again, I have to think about what it is I'm really trying to get out of that eating experience. If it's the cold feeling, a glass of ice water would work just as well, and it often does. Or if it's that vanilla or chocolate taste, well, how much of that do I really need? Not nearly as much as I thought. Because after gorging on a huge mound of ice cream, it's just not as enjoyable since my taste buds are used to the flavor by the time I'm scrounging the final bits of ice cream off the bottom of the bowl.
But if it's Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream? Dudes, there are always exceptions. I have that so rarely now, it really IS a treat (and I can't seem to finish a full scoop of that stuff these days, *sobs*).
And a last hint: if you have children, discourage the baking of cakes, cookies, croissants with chocolate in them, and other sweet things. *balefully glares at daughter, the master cake decorator and baker in the house* Make sure you have receptive neighbors who will enjoy the sweets coming out of your kitchen via a cooking child.
