Janice Taylor, Editor: April 2008 Archives

If You Bite It, You Must Write It

Dear OLofWL ~ Someone told me – I do believe it was YOU - that I am responsible for what goes in my mouth and that I need to ‘count’ everything - even the BLTs. (Bite Licks and Tastes!!!) If that’s the case, I need a calorie count on something, if you please.

My son had a party and actually invited my husband and me (imagine!). He put together a gorgeous platter of cheese, pepperoni and sausage – some olives, too, which would have been fine, I guess, had I been following the ‘100%-fat you-may-as-well-inject-it-straight-into-your-heart diet.’ (Kids!)

Anyway, you know me well enough to know that I had some melba toast and apple sauce tubes (you cut the tops off – or rip them open with your teeth and then, suck out the apple sauce) in my bag for these types of emergencies. But – still – the platter sat before me and the sausage kept calling my name.

I witnessed my husband loading up cracker after cracker and popping them into his mouth. I started salivating.

I said, “Honey, honey.” But he was too busy stuffing his face to hear me. (I’m getting agitated all over again just thinking about it.)

Finally, I yelled, “HONEY! CAN I LICK YOUR SALAMI?”

Dead silence followed by peels of laughter. My son has yet to invite us to another party; his friends keep asking for us – and I’m still left wondering. Was I supposed to track that lick? And if yes, how many calories would you say are in a lick of salami? ~ Doing What It Takes

Dear Doing … One ounce of salami is approx. 100 calories, so a lick, I think is FREE. As long as it was truly one lick and you didn’t take a bite out of your husband’s salami! Keep on ‘doing’ – you’re doing great! ~ OLofWL

http://community.beliefnet.com/kickinthetushclub

I've received a number of pleas from Kick in the Tush Club members - desperate to find an answer to their office food situations. From co-workers (even bosses) foisting food upon them, to the ubiquitous parties - it's just too much. What has happened to the workplace? Is it a breeding ground for fat thighs, soft stomachs, spreading rumps and sugar highs?

One member writes:
Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss ~ Office food is doing me in. I just don't know what to do about the birthdays, going away parties, promotion celebrations, not to mention the leftovers from the in-house meetings and luncheons, as well as the bowls and bags of candies, cookies and chips at every turn of the cubicle. This week promises to be loaded with the inevitable fattening foods - ranging from greasy pizza to chocolate seven layer cake and/or champagne - where I feel obligated to be polite and partake. And, the culture is such that everyone comes in early, goes home late and eats most of their meals at their desk. I haven't seen sunlight in two months. My hands are sticky with M&Ms.(I thought that they don’t melt in your hands?) Please HELP! ~ Sticky Fingers

What to do? Our Lady of Weight Loss to the rescue.
There are ways for us to fight the office food demons - both food and people a.k.a. saboteurs (listed below) - but there is a bigger problem at play here. It's the corporate food culture, and it needs to be acknowledged, explored and changed.

Our mission is to establish new policy - to enlist the heads of our companies - the Presidents, the CEOs, the Directors of Human Resources. Our goal is to transform the office into a healthy, happy and supportive workplace environment. ("Impossible," you say. "Nothing is impossible!" I say.)

Education and communication are our tools. For some it may be easy, as their Big Boss is into jogging and smoothies, but for others, Big Boss may be a bacon cheeseburger and donut junkie. Nevertheless, we must prevail.

Let's start with The Office Manifesto - a document that you can clip, paste, print, sign and sweetly hand (minus the M&M fingerprints) to your boss.

I read Therese's Beyond Blue post (re: crying in the office) and responded to it! Here follows my response ... particularly important for those who want to weigh-less. If you want to/need to/have to cry, let it out ... don't stuff it down!!!

Hey there, Beyond Blue ... and Beyond Blue Peeps. FYI - Blue is a very powerful color ... it is the most popular of colors, and Blue has healing properties. BLUE removes guilt, reminds you of your goals, calms and soothes, keeps bad spirits away, conveys an air of importance and confidence AND suppresses appetite!!

I digress, which is something I do! Sorry ... back to crying in the closet. Or boo-hoo'ing at work and at your cube.

OMG! YES, I cried in my cube, in my office, in my closet, in the bathroom, in the hallway, on my boss's desk (very dramatic scene), in the elevator, etc. For the record, it did not get in my way, only my weigh! I achieved a nice level of success at the office ... the crying was a sign, however, that the office was not contributing to my happiness (on the contrary).

So, there you have it. One day, I stopped crying and left - removed 50 pounds plus the boss (another 165 pounds) and here I am. Famous in my own mind!

Therese, I have been to the abyss and back, more than once. I've cried so much (in past lives) that I damaged my vessels and as soon as I now even water a tiny bit, my eyes begin to swell. Not pretty!

I watered a bit yesterday. Was watching the movie, Rudy. A great inspirational movie! For those who are in the mood to let it all out and get in that great cry, watch it! (Oh, I digress again!!!)

Thanks, Therese for a good cry. I'll share you blog post with my fabulous group, the KITT Club. And thanks for the inspiration. I'm going to make myself a "Cry Baby Club" tee-shirt. Send me your address and I'll make one for you.

Yours in tears,
Janice

PS: For more crying fun, do watch John Water's movie, Cry Baby!

Our Lady of Weight Loss has whispered (and sometimes yelled) at least a gazillion Permanent Fat Removal (a.k.a. weight loss) tips to me as I 'let go' of 50 extra pounds on my journey to Sveltesville over these past seven years.

The following are the tips she's re-mentioned just this week. OLofWL thinks it's important to hear things more than once, allowing the vital information to reach the recesses of our minds, giving us ample opportunity to soak it in and make these changes permanent! We are creating a new lifestyle here; we are not just losing weight and finding it again.

Our Lady of Weight Loss's Top 10 Tush-Kickin' Permanent Fat Removal Tips

1. Food Is NOT the Main Course There are other ways to satisfy and satiate. Make art; write; garden; walk backwards.

2. Spice It Up. Use plenty of ginger, cayenne, jalapeno peppers and Tabasco sauce. It can boost your fat-burning ability up to 25%.

3. Sleep Baby Sleep. Your metabolism rises 40% if you get enough sleep.

4. Listen to feel-good music when you have the urge to binge. Researchers found that music activates the same feel-good center of the brain that eating your favorite foods does.

5. Drink green tea. Green tea extract contains a substance that may help burn fat. Try to drink three cups a day.

6. Walk on the sunny side of the street. Try to spend twenty minutes a day sitting outside or, if not possible, try sitting by a sunny window. Sunlight helps to control food cravings and helps mood in general.

7. Yo-Gert. Studies show that yogurt promotes weight loss. Three 6 oz. no-fat containers per day! Not the heavy duty fruity kind.

8. Exercise is Cumulative. If you don't have the time, divide your exercise along the day. Three 15 minute segments equals one 45 minute workout. No excuses, get moving.

9.Floss those Pearly Whites. Flossing and brushing promote weight loss. Taste and food particles linger in your mouth and can trigger the desire to eat. Get those morsels out!

10. Stairway to Heaven: Opt for the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

Dear OLofWL ~ Yahoo, spring is here. Time to go outside and soak in some rays, and while I understand that overexposure to the sun causes sunburn, wrinkles, freckles, skin texture changes, dilated blood vessels, and skin cancer(s), I STILL CRAVE her and long to sit on the beach (for hours and hours and hours). I sit pale and sad in the shade. ~ Yours In Desperate Need of a Tan

Dear In Desperate Need of a Tan ~ Ahhhhh, yes. I understand and can relate. The rays of the sun do feel comforting, and a good tan is something many of us admire - even strive for! How about a compromise? Sit on the beach in the early part of the day, after applying sunscreen with a high SPF. Take twenty minute walks when you can. Those rays are strong, and if you protect yourself, your tanning may be slower and less than that of George Hamilton, but it's the safer, less orange route. ~ Our Lady of Weight Loss

**HEAD'S UP people. Today is the last day of the "WIN ME" on THE FORGIVENESS TOUR giveaway. Click here and enter.** 174 comments/entries were left as of this morning! WOO HOO! Thanks for playing!

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