Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

Launching ahead full steam yet gravity is trying to hold me down!

I've had quite a day today!  I've had a large corporation tell me that I am unrealistic or unlikely to lose 40 pounds in 10 weeks.  Can you imagine that?  I tired to pay them to promote my story... and I was told "Your Post wasn't boosted because it violates Fxxxxxxk's ad guidelines by making claims that are unrealistic or unlikely. The post remains published, but it is not running as an ad."  I am amazed that a complete stranger (ad reviewer) would try to discourage someone from sharing their story!  I'm not even selling anything!! I've contacted the company and I am awaiting a response.  

I've lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks during last fall's Northwest YMCA Weight-Loss Challenge. I was monitored during weekly weigh-ins for 8 weeks straight and I did not even exercise during that challenge.  I did walk "so many" steps per week but always fell well below the 10,000 steps/day they were looking for.  During this new personal challenge I will be exercising and quite sure I will be able to lose 40 pounds in 10 weeks. I am a bit pissed that I cannot even pay money out of my own pocket to try to boost my story to get more followers!

I'm back on the wagon!  What better way to illustrate my return to the weight-loss wagon than having an image of a wagon full of puppies!  I need all the cuteness possible to counterbalance the ugly task I have ahead of me!

I'm starting my own personal weight-loss challenge!

My goal is to lose 40 pounds over the next 10 weeks, averaging 4 pounds per week, to reach my weight-loss goal by June 11th. 

Did you ever notice that sugar is snuck into so many foods?

A few months ago, I purchased an almond butter from Walmart. It said all natural and it needed to be stirred. I neglected to read the food label until I got home. There was sugar in it. Target and other stores had the same problem with their almond butters. I finally found an almond butter without sugar at Whole Foods Market. Why do manufacturers think you need sugar in natural almond butter?

I met with my personal trainer today and although my body fat percentage didn't go down much in two weeks, my weight did come down a few pounds. It's going to take some time to build muscle and lose the excess skin, but it's slowly getting there.

One thing he suggested last week is to continue doing the vegan challenge for a week each month. As you might recall, I did my first vegan challenge a few weeks ago. He felt that since I did so well with it that I should keep it going. This way, I can keep away from animal and dairy products for a week and can resume the Greek Yogurt and turkey during the other weeks. I'll try it for a while to see how I like it. The next time I plan to go vegan will be sometime in April. You really need to plan your meals as a vegan. The reason is you need to make sure you're getting enough protein and nutrients in your diet.

This past Monday, Dr. Oz aired a show that focused on some of the dangers of artificial sweeteners. The artificial sweeteners, in case you don't know, are saccharin (marketed as Sweet N' Low), aspartame (marketed as Equal) and Sucralose (marketed as Splenda).

I've written about the dangers of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners for some time now. There are so many reports of health problems caused by these artificial sugar packets, including multiple sclerosis among other diseases. I was eager to tune in and find out what Dr. Oz would focus on.