Rant against the government for the day...

The laws of physics and gravity are conspiring against us....and, some days, I think our government, men, food manufacturers and bottled water corporations are in league with them as well. Cheer up though! I have it on the best authority that being a conspiracy theorist burns calories. In my mind, all bad things in this world can be blamed on one of FOUR things ...

1. Humidity

2. Republicans

3. Carbohydrates

4. Satan

Soooo..... take your pick and blame one of those four things!!! In our situation today, the problem is clearly Republicans. Grrr...... those pesky suits!

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UCD VSO1&show_article=1

Congressional leaders announced a deal with the White House Thursday on an economic stimulus package that would give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children.

(SNIP)

Individuals who pay income taxes would get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those couples with children an additional $300 per child under the agreement. Workers who make at least $3,000 but don't pay taxes would get $300 rebates

(SNIP)

They're trying to stimulate the economy, right? Free money! Woohoo!

Wait...didn't they do this a couple of years ago? And didn't people use the money to pay off credit card debt? And then wasn't everyone upset because they got lower refunds or actually had to pay the next year?

Actually, it's just an "advance" on your tax refund for NEXT year... which will be correspondingly lower. And don't forget...they'll make you pay taxes on it for 2008 also...gotta love it!

Sounds like a serious attempt by the Bush administration to make it look that the economy that is snowballing its way into a recession is healthy. Then...if the Dems actually get their act together and get into office...they will look like idiots this time next year after the inauguration as people complain about having lower tax returns and a recession in full swing.

Gotta love politics.

Anthropomorphizing my scale...

Do you ever wonder if gravity is conspiring against you? With your scale? To drive you nuts? Do you step on your scale over and over again in the hopes that you can get the weight down just a teensy bit??? Hee hee hee! I do this! In fact, I think I do so MUCH "scale stepping" that I actually burn calories.

I am not too proud to admit that (in addition to getting weighed butt nekkid), I've tried (1) holding my breathe; (2) exhaling; (3) standing on one foot; and (4) going to the bathroom ..... JUST TO SEE IF I CAN GET THE SCALE TO SHOW WHAT I WANT IT TO SHOW! If anyone ever had a candid camera on me (and what a scary prospect that would be), they would see me holding my breathe, balancing on one foot, and trying to look down at the scale .... all without falling off and killing one of the dogs!

Today, I like Mr. Scale ... because I lost weight. But I've put him on notice that this may well be an on-again, off-again romance ... depending on his next weigh-in.

6:01 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remo

Diet foods that I cannot live without...

So as I travel and travail on my diet journey, I find new and interesting foods that make me truly wonder how I ever lived without them. This week in my foray into diet land I was back at the Co-op (East End Food Co-op, Wilkensburg, PA). I stumbled across the most yummy black bean tortilla chips by Guiltless Gourmet. They are 130 cal, 3 g fat, 2 g fiber and basically awesome. To top it off, 18 yummy chips is a serving and they are certified organic. Only $2.17 to make a happy tummy!

Chas is also trying to rededicate himself to the diet craze that has swept our home. He hates yogurt, but this whole Dannon Activia line with the tummy friendly enzymes is a great thing for him. He tries the strawberry Activia with craisins for a snack...about 240 calories, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein. Yum!

Aidyn's selection is vegan Boca Burgers...he thinks they are great vegetables! At first we tried to trick him into thinking it was chicken to make sure he would try it, but then he asked what part of the chicken it was. We finally 'fessed up that it was veggies and he said they were great veggies. So what better recommendations can I give?

$2.53 Spicy Thai Couscous with Asian veggie slaw...

This is an awesome meal...cheap and easy. All you need is:

3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1/8 cup (or more if you like it really spicy) Red Hot
1 tbsp lemon juice

Blend together and pour over 1 cup prepared couscous (1 cup dried couscous and 1.5 cups water/veggie broth...place in microwave for five minutes and voila)...yum! You can make the sauce while the couscous is cooking.

Pictsweet makes a great frozen Asian veggie mix (on sale at Wal-mart this week for $1.28 a bag)...1 g fat, 200 mg sodium. Place veggies in microwave for 5 minutes while your setting the table...

Costs:

Couscous: $0.75
Sauce: Ingredients in fridge, so maybe $0.50
Veggies: $1.28

Grand total: $2.53 for four servings, or $0.64 a serving for an incredible meal in under ten minutes and about 260 calories! Add a grilled chicken breast or spinach salad if you're looking to up the calorie value.

Feeling like I need more, but afraid it will mean less...

We're talking calories, of course. I feel like I should be taking in more calories, as CC suggests, but the moment I jump up from 1200, I have no weight loss. I haven't lost this week. Now I know this could be attributed to certain other factors (TTOM), but I still blame the extra calories. Plus...every time I go above 1200...I can't stop there. I end up at 1800-2000 for the day. My BMR is 2300 and I am burning about 400 extra a day from working out (walking or other cardio). That means it averages 2700 a day. So I understand I should be at 1700. But at 1700, nothing happens.

I don't want to enter the dreaded starvation mode and I don't want to adversely affect my metabolic rate. But being as obese as I am...won't it take a while for me to hit starvation mode and such anyways? I don't know. We'll see I guess.