SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM

To My Much Appreciated Readers:

My humble, little blog has been targeted by a spammer.  For those who may not know what this means, there is a person "out there" who is being paid to place comments on my blog that contain links to other websites that are selling things, like diets, jewelry, lawn furniture and perfume, just to name a few.  I was gone for the whole day recently, and when I returned home, I found more than fifty comments awaiting moderation that were all made by the same spammer.  It took me about twenty minutes to open them, identify them and delete them.  Yesterday, there were twenty of them waiting for me to deal with when I returned from work.  It's very disheartening!

Because my blog does not require that you register, people can leave comments under "Anonymous."  The problem is that spammers can also do this, and they can leave many, many, many comments that I then have to deal with.

So, from now on, I am going to ask that you register to leave a comment.  I don't get a ton of comments anyway, so I am hoping that those of you who want to comment will not mind this one little step - that you only have to do one time - to save me the hassle and frustration of dealing with the spammers.

The only other choice is to make you do that other thing - every time you comment - where you have to type in the squiggly letters/numbers in order to leave your comment.  I, personally, hate those things and have to go through a few of them every time because they are so hard to read.  I would rather not comment at all rather than have to do that!

So, sorry!  I just can't waste my time with the spammers anymore.  If you watched the video above, you will get just a hint of how I feel every time I open my email to find I've been spammed once again.  "I don't like Spam!"

THE LAST 100 VISITS TO THIS BLOG FROM AROUND THE WORLD

I'm global, baby!  It's fun to look at the Site Meter for my blog and see where people are reading me from.  This map shows the locations of the last 100 visitors:

I'M A MEAT EATER - MITCHELL AND WEBB

WHAT DOCTORS WILL SAY IN THE FUTURE

FEED YOUR BABY 7-UP!

I just found these great (great?) ads from the days of old, when we were told that sugar was health food.  You can find more ads like this here.

The small print on this one says: "Babies who start drinking soda have a higher chance of 'fitting in' during those awkward pre-teen years. Start them on a strict regimen of cola and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness!"

BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK - AND IN A PRETTY DRESS

If you scroll up and look right, you will see a before and after comparison of me at my heaviest in February 2009 on vacation and me in June 2010 at a family wedding.  Underneath, you will see my body fat percentage when the photos were taken.  Lately, my body fat has been above 34.4%, but today - TA DA! - I hit that number again!  I was so happy that I put on that same dress and had my husband take a pic to celebrate.

So this is me, with a different 'do, no makeup and wearing my cheaters, and no, I am not referring to a push up bra!

I'm just happy today and feeling skinny...

(To hear the song, fast forward the video to 0:45.)

2012 LOW CARB MEET & GREET

2nd Annual Low Carb Meet & Greet last year in 2011

Yesterday, I traveled four hours to the home of Dana Carpender for the 3^rd Annual Low Carb Meet & Greet.  After my drive through the record-breaking 100+ degree weather, I found that the party had been moved indoors, and what a relief that was!  Even so, with fifty low carbers in Dana's house, it was still pretty warm, and I snagged the spot over the air conditioning vent more than once while I was there!

It was so fun to get to meet some of the movers and shakers of the low carb movement and get to ask questions about their views, their health and progress and the ways that their blogs, podcasts and websites are impacting the state of the health here in America and even around the world.  They are such a fun group and so giving of their time to effect change for the good of all of us, healthy and struggling alike.

Me with Dana Carpender and That Nice Boy She Married, aka Eric Schmitz

You will recognize Dana Carpender from her website Hold the Toast.  I added Dana to my blog roll last year and have learned so much about the low carb movement from her.  I did have the chance to have a long discussion with her yesterday, and got to sample some of her favorite low carb dishes, too!  What a neat thing to do to open her home each year to host a party like this.

Me with Jimmy Moore and his lovely wife, Christine

It almost seems silly to give Jimmy Moore any introduction at all, but in case you are new to low carbing, Jimmy is an American blogger and author who is best known for his Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb books and blog. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs promoting a high-fat, moderate protein, low carb diet plan.  I had the honor of being a guest on his podcast in 2010 (which you can listen to here), as a result of being a "success story" in the newest Atkins book, The New Atkins For a New You, which was published that year.  Jimmy is a hoot and it was so fun to finally meet him face to face.

Dana Carpender, Gracie the Incidental Beagle and Jimmy Moore

If you follow his blog, you will know that he has started a new n=1 experiment involving nutritional ketosis, which you can read about here.  After losing almost two hundred pounds and then gaining a portion of it back, his struggles with trying to find "the magic bullet" that will take care of his weight problems in a permanent way have been well documented by Jimmy himself on his blog and in his podcasts.  I admire his transparency in this matter, and I have always tried to emulate that honesty here in my blog.  I must have done a good job of that, because my detractors seem to have memorized all of my failings! 

I think that everyone there wanted to hear a first hand account of how his latest experiment is going, and I was no exception!  Jimmy graciously took 15 or 20 minutes explaining to me what he is doing and how he has started losing weight again (yay!) as a result of tracking the ketone bodies in his blood with a specialized meter, similar to a blood glucose meter.  After hearing more about it, I will be getting The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance, and trying out this experiment for myself to see if I can whittle off those last pesky 10 pounds!  I am very anxiously awaiting Jimmy's next report of his progress.  Onward and downward, Jimmy!

Me with Amy Dungan

A new person on my radar is Amy Dungan, the author of the Healthy Low-Carb Living blog.  I had heard her name a few times, but just checked out her blog a few days ago.  I added her to my blog roll (look right and scroll down) and I'm very interested to start trying to keep up with her and her posts.  Like me, Amy has had her ups and downs with low carb living, and I admire her stick-to-itiveness and resolve to never give up.  We also got to talk one on one for at least a half of an hour, as she shared her journey with me and the hopes she has for her blog.  One fun thing - Amy looks so much like my daughter, Emily, and I could not resist telling her that and showing her Emily's senior portrait.  Not only did Amy say there was a resemblance, but showed me photos of herself at a younger age to show how much she really did look like my daughter!  (Amy's husband John was there, too, but was absent at picture-taking time.)

Andrew DiMino

As the party was winding down and most of the folks had departed for home or hotel, several of us lingered in the living room and chatted.  There was a nice gentleman sitting in the chair next to me, and presently, he extended his hand to me and said, "I don't think we've met.  I'm Andrew.  And how do I know you?"  I was so happy that I could at least say I was in the new Atkins book!  And, lo and behold, he was none other than Andrew DiMino, president, founder and publisher of Carbsmart.com.  He told me about how he started in the business, and how he has recently made the decision to discontinue the online store at CarbSmart and focus on the online magazine.  We also got to share before and after photos of each other, which was fun.  Of course, I had to show him my morphing weight loss video on youtube.

Andrew was very patient to listen to my woes concerning my struggles with my weight and the attacks I came under writing this blog, and encouraged me to press on.  Thanks for that, Andrew!  Here is a little funny thing - earlier that day, I needed to test my camera, so I pointed it at Andrew (whom I had not yet met) and asked if I could snap his picture.  And then I ended up having a great conversation with him a few hours later.

I was wondering what was going to offered in the way of cold drinks at the party.  I have been off of diet soda for a while (although, I must admit I have one rarely as a special treat), so I was thinking I would be drinking water all day.  I was so pleased to find out that Zevia had sponsored the party, and provided a ton of free cans of their all natural soda.  I sampled the grape, orange and dew flavors, and I really liked them!  Learn more about Zevia here, and where to purchase it in your area. 

All in all, it was a great time, and was surely worth the trip!  I'm sure I will attend next year, if Dana and Eric decide to continue this tradition, and maybe I can find a friend to bring.  Maybe my husband!

In closing, I want to share this photo I took of Amy and Jimmy.  Amy found these shirts at Walmart and could not resist buying a couple for herself and Jimmy, and, of course, they had to model them and have their picture taken!  Both Jimmy and Amy have their detractors,  but have managed to keep a positive and upbeat spirit about the whole thing.  Obviously! 

MY LOW FAT DIET REALLY WORKS!

LCHF IS THE S***

This is a riot and so true:

MY GRANDDAUGHTER BEFORE SHE WAS BORN

WONDER WOMAN HITS MENOPAUSE

THE LIPITOR PARADOX - FUNNY AND SCARY AT THE SAME TIME

VIRTUAL WEIGHT LOSS

I used a free online program to make this virtual model that shows the difference between 158 pounds (my starting weight), 144 pounds (my present weight-ish) and 130 pounds (my goal weight).

I wish there was a way to do it by body fat percentage instead on pounds, but I guess this is pretty close.

The picture below is what it looked like before I dressed it and personalized it with my own face and a nice background.

PHOTOS FROM PARADISE

AND IT'S STILL KNOWING...

The sidewalk is usually lower than the landing.  The highest point of the drift outside our front door is around 3 feet deep.  Our front yard is two levels, with the lower level about 4.5 feet deeper than the upper level.  Today, there is at least 2 feet of snow on the upper level, and 6.5 feet of snow on the lower level.  The yard is now level.

You can see the red car across the street mostly covered with snow.  The igloo in front of the car is our neighbors' other car.  Why they did not put the cars in the garage last night is a mystery.

The snow is above the glass on our back deck door.

The deepest snow on our deck is around 2 feet deep.

We've heard that some people can't get out of their houses, due to drifts that totally cover their doors.  Our drift is only 14" deep.

I FINALLY GOT MY HUSBAND TO START WORKING OUT

CAT WITH A MACHINE GUN

34 YEARS AGO TODAY - JANUARY 21, 1977 - IT'S A BOY!

This is me on January 20, 1977, the night before my firstborn was to arrive.  I was 21 years old, two weeks overdue for delivery, and had not had even one contraction.

After seeing my doctor and having an x-ray, I found out that the baby was breach and huge, so I checked into the hospital to prepare for a C-section in the morning.

I was so scared!

And just a little irritated that I was not going to get to use all the cool things I had learned at Lamaze class!

Barry Alan was born at 9:12 am on January 21, 1977.  He weighed 9 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 21" long.

This is his first photo, which was taken by his dad in the hall the first time they met.

Because he was long overdue and big, he did not really look like a newborn baby.  Plus, he was delivered by C-section, so he did not have that "fresh squeezed" baby look.

This is the first picture of Barry and me.  I think he was a couple of days old here.

I had a rough time with the surgery, and I was probably not up to having a picture taken right away.

Back in the good old days, they did not kick you out of the hospital within hours of giving birth.  And, because of surgery, I got to stay a whole week.

 The day we were ready to go home, I remember thinking, "What are they thinking?  Are they really going to just let me walk out of here with this baby?  I have no idea how to take care of him!"

This is the first photo of Bill and Barry.  It was taken at our home the day we got out of the hospital.

I also have a strong memory of seeing a cat walking into my living room.  My first thought was, "Why is there a cat in my house?"  Before Barry was born, my cat was my baby.  While I was in the hospital, I forgot she existed.

Here is Barry today, along with his lovely wife, Laura, their daughter Annelise and their son Will.

Happy Birthday, Barry!  I love you!

IS IT INHUMANE TO EAT EGGS?

MY HUSBAND IS TOO THIN!

Bill in October 2010
Taken in our backyard

At least that's what my step-sister told my father the other day.

She told my dad that she is worried that Bill is getting too thin and should stop losing weight.

Of course, it is not true - he still has around 15 pounds of fat to get rid of - but he used to be 40+ pounds overweight, so it is fun to hear that someone notices the difference.

Lately, every time I see Bill from across the room, I am struck by how slim he looks. He's lookin' pretty good!

Bill in September 1995

Just for comparison, this photo shows Bill in 1995, when he was at his heaviest.  When I look at his face in this photo, it's hard to believe he was that round - it doesn't even look like him to me.