SAY NO TO PLASTIC …

OK, I’ve a watched a few episodes, and I wish I could say I think Kirstie is going to succeed at her latest attempt at keeping the weight off.  Sadly, I don’t.  I get the impression that she wants to lose the 80 lbs she’s gained … but not really.

  Kirstie is one of those people I can’t help rooting for.  I want her to succeed despite the paparazzi who want her to stay as big as blimp;  the better to take pictures of, don’t ya know.

Here’s my advise to Kirstie and anyone who says they want to lose weight.  Do your prep work first.  You can’t turn eating habits and patterns on and off like a light switch.  You need to be mentally and spiritually ready to move forward understanding that keeping weight off is a life long commitment!  I’ve said this before, losing weight is the wrong goal.  The proper goal is developing a life long set of eating habits that will keep the weight off!

So, how does a person do that?  Well, to begin with, start by reading the best diet book I ever read.  Actually it isn’t a diet book, its a self improvement book that was featured on Oprah several years ago.  It is entitled. If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, by Cherie Carter-Scott.  I want you to pay particular attention to the first chapter in the book, Rule One … You will receive a body.

When reading this chapter, it  occurred to me that when God gives us a body upon entering the earth, the body we leave with if the one we created!  When I was younger I remember being told that every single decision we make in life, no matter how small, will impact our lives forever.  And so it is, every morsel we put into our mouths impacts our lives.

If you truly believe that your God given body is to supposed to be treated as a holy vessel for your soul, how then can you justify trashing it?  I know that this is an oversimplification on many levels, but it is none the less, a legitimate question you have to ask and answer for yourself!

If you are still with me, here’s your prep work before you embark on a diet.  For the next 2 weeks you are to

• write down what you eat,
  
• when you eat it,
  
• and note you are eating because you are really hungry,
• because you are bored,
  
• because you are stressed or unhappy.
  

Keep track and don’t cheat.  If you cheat you are only cheating yourself.  Get yourself one of those little calorie counter books that are always near grocery store check out counters and add up the calories at the end of the day.  Charting the next 2 weeks will give you information you need to proceed and succeed.

Why am I asking you to keep track of what you’re eating?  Because most of us are unaware of the junk we put into our bodies … sometimes we eat without thinking.  Every time you put food or drink in your mouth you should be aware if you are eating to live or living to eat.  Two very different things!

Remember it is very difficult to move forward if you don’t know where you’ve been.  Good luck and I’m cheering you on!

For the record, I am officially sick and tired of politicians, issue orientated extremists of every size and shape who believe because they feel a certain way about an issue that we all must believe and act as they do.

This is an issue orientated site that makes every attempt to treat the people who come here as adults.  I present the facts, give you my reasoning, and then judge that you will make the best decision for you and your family.

The unnecessary use and misuse of plastic is a tragedy that is nothing short of an ecological nightmare.  The damage done to the oceans, the environment, to fish, birds, and sea creatures of every type in incalculable.  That having been said, my preference is that people make the appropriate changes WITHOUT government intervention.

Now comes a New York politician, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn,who introduced a bill on March 5, that would fine restaurants $1,000 for each violation of using salt when they cook.

A THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE FOR COOKING WITH SALT!  That’s it, I’ve had it Jack!  The following is for Mr. Ortiz and all others of the same ilk:

• Trying to eliminate salt from people’s diets while (possibly) laudable is a personal health decision that is of no concern of yours or the State of New York … I’m a grownup and I don’t need you to tell me how to eat.

• Fining restaurant chefs for using salt when they cook, when salt can be found in nearly everything we eat (from ketchup to cereal) makes absolutely no sense.

• If I decide that I want a chef to use less salt in a particular recipe I can ask for that change now, as I have in the past when I eat Chinese food (all that soy sauce don’t you know).

• Eliminating salt when cooking is a akin to a sacrilege, as any decent cook will tell you.  It is needed not only for flavoring but is necessary when canning, making some breads and pastries, pickling, etc.

• There is no single food substance that is all good or all bad. Salt, sugar, eggs, milk, meat, all have drawbacks when eaten in excessive amounts, but that doesn’t mean that we ban them because of the irresponsible behavior of a few.

Mr. Ortiz, grow up and find a real issue like the unnecessary use of plastic!  Oh ya … keep your hands off of my salt shaker!