09 Aug 10 Tightening The Belt

Many people are looking for ways to save money in this lousy economy.

There are a few quite simple ways to do it.

Walk to the store. If it’s within a mile or two, consider walking in fine weather, or riding a bike. You’ll save gas, and wear and tear on the car, and you’ll burn some extra calories too. Most of us don’t get enough exercise!
Continuing with cars, why not organize a carpool with some of your fellow workers? Again, you’ll save gas, and wear and tear on your car, and you get to relax a little instead of doing all the driving every day. Another point to think of – if more people carpooled, there would be fewer cars on the road, which means less pollution, so that’s a health benefit too.
While we’re talking about work, why not pack a lunch, instead of eating fast food every day? That burger and fries can be 1,000 – 1,500 calories a day, and a sandwich made at home can be less than a third of that. Also, even that fast food lunch can be $7 $10 a day, and for Around $10-$12 you can easily buy enough for that homemade lunch to last a whole week.
What do you drink with that lunch, or indeed throughout the day? Do you really need those expensive lattes, that can come in around 600 calories, and up to $4 each? Why not invest in a thermal mug, and make coffee at home, drink one before you leave, and take another one with you to the office, or drink in the car on the way there, if that’s what you usually drop into the coffee shop for. That alone can save you $15-$20 a week. Even better drink tap water! It’s better for you, has no calories, and doesn’t contain that dehydrating caffeine that 90% of Americans consume each day in either coffee, tea, or soda.

These few simple things can save you up to $50 or $60 a week, which is $250 a month or $3,000 a year! Heck, you could get that new car sooner, move to a bigger house, or have a great vacation instead!

Tags: burger and fries, calories, carpool, coffee shop, fast food, fellow workers, great vacation, health benefit, heck, new car, pollution, sandwich, soda, tap water, ways to save money, wear and tear

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02 Jul 08 The Daily Plate

I’m still hanging in there. Been ten days now… Ok, I know it’s not long, but I’ve not quit. In fact, I realized that I was eating too much of some stuff. I’ve not really quit eating thing I ate before, but just less of it.

I’m finding that I CAN eat one sandwich for lunch instead of three, and although after I’ve eaten one, I could really really eat another right away, if I wait awhile, I’m not hungry after all.

My fresh fruit intake has gone up quite a bit, which, of course, is good.

I read recently that we should all eat like a three year old. Huh?

Well, have you ever watched how a three year old eats? They take what you give them, poke around at it a bit, and then usually cram it in until they’re full. Then they push away what they don’t want and that’s it.

Trouble is, even those of us that try to eat decent fresh food often eat too much, simply because we were bought up to “clear our plates” and got the “all the starving children in the world that would be glad of that food and you’re wasting it” routine.

Of course starving children anywhere is a real tragedy but for us to stuff extra food down that we don’t really want does nothing to help that. The way to help is perhaps to eat a little less, and there might be some more to send overseas, or perhaps we’d have a few dollars left to give to aid charities.

Still, that three year old, doesn’t know any of that, and doesn’t care, and when she’s had enough, she’s not going to eat any more, no way, no how.

Also, the three year old doesn’t have an urge to find comfort foods like a big pile of cookies, or a pint of ice cream. They’ll eat it probably, but again only what they want, and not because they’re fed up with something!

Anyway, it’s soon going to be dinner time here, and I’ve got a few ideas, but nothing definite yet. I’d better get to the kitchen and try and think like a three year old.

Tags: charities, comfort foods, dinner time, fresh food, fresh fruit, fruit intake, lunch, pint, sandwich, starving children, tragedy, urge

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22 Jun 08 The Daily Plate

I’ve decided, due to a few factors, that the time has come to make a little more than a cursory attempt to lose a little weight. I’ve been asked more than once, when the baby is due.

I did the BMI thing, and it tells me I’m obese. Not clinically obese, but obese nevertheless. It still conjures up in my mind, pictures of huge huge people, and I don’t think I’m huge, but I know I’m overweight.

Until I got into my mid-thirties, I always looked underweight if anything. In my mid-twenties I can remember asking an older friend how I could put weight on, and he suggested I eat more potatoes. Well, I’ve always enjoy potatoes in their many forms.

Thing is, it all seems to be down to portion control. I read about this in a number of articles. I don’t eat as bad as many folks I read about online, and talk to. I don’t drink soda of any kind; don’t take sugar in coffee; don’t drink that much alcohol; seldom eat dessert; don’t put more than a real drizzle of dressing on my salads; almost never eat take-out food.

However, I do like a good plateful of what I do eat. Mostly we cook and eat at home, and if I go out during the work week to visit a client, I will usually take sandwiches with me, or get a sandwich somewhere.

Well, I’ve been pointed in the direction of The Daily Plate. It looks like a useful aid to achieve my goals.

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My goals are this. I want to lose 65 lbs. I’m not going to start one of the many diets about; they’re all theory, and I’m cynical. I want to lose weight, not put dollars in someone else s pocket so they can tell me their idea of dieting. I don’t want to jump on the fad of the week. Diets go in fashions, and I’m about the most anti-fashion, anti-follow-the-crowd person I know.

So I’ve started this new regime from last Friday. Today is day three. As I said, it’s normal food, none of this overpriced lean cuisine style crap ( I don’t eat prepared processed packet food now, and I’m not going to start).

I’m still going to the pub from time to time. I’m just not going to have seconds, or finish other people’s plates anymore. I’m going to quit being the house dustbin, and put the leftovers in the refrigerator, or even freezer for another day, and not have seconds.

I’m supposed to lose two pounds a week, so this will take me about nine months. I guess by the time I’ve finished, if I succeed, I won’t get asked if I’m pregnant anymore, and I might look like I did just eight years ago

Tags: alcohol, bmi, coffee, crowd, cursory attempt, dessert, diets, drink soda, drizzle, fad, fashion, mid thirties, mid twenties, portion control, potatoes, progress bar, salads, sandwich, sandwiches, thumbnail