How to Determine Portion Sizes

I have mentioned that one of the most important things about the diabetic diet is portion control. While you get three meals a day and three snacks, you still need to follow proper portion control to remain within your diet. Now, if you are like me, you don’t have time to be bothered with a scale. I’ve bought food scales before, used them once or twice, and then put them up in the cabinet, never to see the light of day again. But, I got a very helpful sheet from the diabetic specialist that makes portion control easier. If you … Continue reading

About the Diabetic Diet

Before I was put on the diabetic diet, I was told by some healthcare professionals that it is really the healthiest diet for anyone to be on – even if they aren’t diabetic. Now, I am not a nutritionist, so I can’t say if that is 100% true or not, but I know I have tried a few diets and the diabetic diet is the easiest to stick with as far as I am concerned. What makes the diabetic diet unlike other diets? Well, I for one don’t really get hungry. That is because on the diabetic diet, you eat … Continue reading

Weight Loss: My Own Personal Philosophy

In my last weight loss blog, I found myself 46, a good 30 pounds overweight, with high cholesterol and teetering on the borderline of being diabetic. My problem is I know what to do, it is just implementing it, but then I am sure some of you have the same problem. I know everyone has different opinions about weigh loss, but I thought I would share with you my own personal philosophy. Mind you, some of you may disagree with my opinion, so just remember, this is just the way I feel about weight loss. Number one, fad diets and … Continue reading

My Forced Weight Loss Journey – How It Started

I used the word “forced” in the title when I guess no one can be truly “forced” to lose weight. But, let me tell you a bit about my history and why I felt this was forced. When I was younger, I was very active, but like many of us, I became more and more sedentary as the years went on. I married for the first (and only!) time at 36 and right before I turned 40, I realized if we were going to have any children, we had better get started! I was very lucky in that we got … Continue reading

Involvement in My Sister’s Keeper

Having read the book My Sister’s Keeper I was looking forward to seeing the movie. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no. It certainly works well as a movie and is worth seeing. I’m glad I saw it. It’s a powerful movie that raises lots of questions. Even though I knew the storyline, it involved me totaly in the story of Sara(Cameron Diaz) and Brian Fitzgerald (Jason Patric) and their family. For those of you who don’t know, Sara and Brian find out their daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) has Leukemia. The only hope of helping her appears … Continue reading

Are You at High Risk for Breast Cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute, the average woman has a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer. That’s a scary number… and it gets worse if you’re at high risk. What puts a person at high risk for breast cancer? Having a strong family history of breast cancer — that means two or more close relatives with breast cancer. If any of those relatives were diagnosed before the age of fifty, your risk is even higher. A strong family history makes you between two and five times more likely to develop breast cancer than the average woman. Having … Continue reading

FDA Approves Cancer Drug for Canines

When our four-legged friends battle cancer, they often do it using the same medications used to fight cancer in humans. Until this week, human cancer drugs were the only type of cancer drug available to veterinarians. But now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Palladia — a drug made specifically for treating cancer in dogs. Palladia was made to treat cutaneous mast cell tumors — a type of cancer that is to blame for approximately one out of every five cases of skin cancer in dogs. Some of these tumors are small and easily removed; in some dogs, … Continue reading

Sciatica

Talk about a pain in the rear end… and the lower back, and the backs of the legs! Sciatica is a common problem that can range from mildly irritating to severe and debilitating. It all starts with the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from your lower back down the back of each leg. Sciatica is a common type of pain affecting the sciatic nerve, a large nerve extending from the lower back down the back of each leg. If you have sciatica, you may experience some or all of the following symptoms: Pain in the lower back/rear end that is … Continue reading

Star Spring Milestones

Buffy is going to be a mommy. Sarah Michelle Gellar is reportedly expecting her first child with her famous husband Freddie Prinze Jr. The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star is reportedly due to give birth in October. Gellar and Prinze have been married since 2002. It doesn’t look as though Kate Hudson will be following in Gellar’s footsteps. The actress and her on-again/off-again boyfriend Owen Wilson have reportedly split for good. Hmmm… sounds familiar. No, really, Wilson says this is really it this time. According to In Touch Weekly, the couple is done forever. The reason: Hudson recently turned … Continue reading

Weightlifting to Alleviate Back Pain

Forget about paying $100 for a 60-minute massage; according to a new study you are better off lifting weights to ease lower back pain. Researchers from the University of Alberta say people who add weight training to their fitness regime experience less back pain than those who participate solely on other forms of exercise, such as tennis, jogging or biking. The study followed people suffering with chronic back pain as they participated in a 16-week exercise program. The participants were split into two groups. The first group completed resistance training using dumbbells, barbells and other load-bearing exercise equipment. The second … Continue reading