Rantings of a Creole Princess

Weight Loss by Medical Intervention

If you were offered the option without a financial cost to you...would you do a medical procedure to lose weight ie Lap Band or Gastric Bypass surgery?

Why or why not?

Work it OUT!

When was the last time you worked out?  What did you do?  When are you working out next?

Toni Braxton and Autism

I thought this was a WONDERFULcommercial.

Offensive?

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Is this offensive to you?  Is it offensive that it came from a thin super model?

Everything Ro

Everything Ro

Breast Screening and Mammograms and the new recommendations / guidelines...

How do YOU feel about the new recommendations / guidelines?  'I want my mammograms!'

(By the way...had I followed these reqs I'd be dead by now.)

Symptoms of Depression

By Mayo Clinic staff

Symptoms of depression include:

• Loss of interest in normal daily activities
• Feeling sad or down
• Feeling hopeless
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Problems sleeping
• Trouble focusing or concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions
• Unintentional weight gain or loss
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Being easily annoyed
• Feeling fatigued or weak
• Feeling worthless
• Loss of interest in sex
• Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

Depression symptoms can vary greatly because different people experience depression in different ways. A 25-year-old man with depression may not have the same symptoms as a 70-year-old man, for instance. For some people, depression symptoms are so severe that it's obvious something isn't right. Others may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

From AR Gal: *BLINK*

Would this work for YOU?

Diet Supplements

Have you ever taken one?  Would you ever?  Why?  Why not?

Hot Toddy Recipe

Two lemons

2 tablespoons Honey

2 Green teabags

4 tablespoons of liquor with some tint to it (Bourbon)

4 cups of water

Slice lemons thin and put in pot with 4 cups of water.  Bring to boil and boil until water has reduced to about half.  Stir in honey and liquor put in teabags and cover letting steep for about 5 - 10 minutes.

Pour through a strainer and drink hot!

(I'm not adding this to the recipe because the Vick's people would be HORRIFIED if they knew it...but my mom added a bit of Vick's to it too.  Vick's says it ain't for digesting...but it never killed us.  LOL!)

Sick...

I have a sore throat and the comings of a headache.  I'm coming up on Midol Week so that could be why I'm having a headache.

I had an upset tummy this morning and now I've scared myself ishless thinking about the fact that I have a compromised immune system because when I had a mastectomy they took out my lymph nodes under my left arm.

So yeah...I am taking NO chances.  I do NOT play with my health.  It would be some kinda undignified if I survived cancer and then ended up getting "took out" by a pig.

That said, I have a doc appointment at 3:00pm to make 100% sure that I am NOT dealing with THE PIG MAN! THE PIG!  I

I hate people.

Seriously.

WASH YOUR HANDS AND STAY HOME IF YOU'RE SICK!!!!!!!!!

(I have sprayed so much Lysol in this house that my eyes are watering.)

Dear YOU regarding H1N1, Swine Flu, THE PIG MAN! THE PIG!

You know who you are.  You're sneezing and sniffling and touching shit out in public.  You have body aches and you're digging in your nose, trying to shake people's hands.  You just blew your nose in a thin tissue and now have crap on your fingers but you touch the phone and the refrigerator door in the breakroom.  You're not feeling well but decide to self-medicate and go to WalMart instead hacking and shit in the Halloween candy aisle, touching the basket and ish knowing good and damn well there is some new shit out there that NONE of us have an immunity to yet.

GO SAT YO AZZ DOWN SOMEWHERE HELL!

And waRsh ya damn hands hell!  WASH EM FOR REAL!  NONE OF THAT TURN ON WATER, QUICK RINSE, TURN OFF.  LIKE...STAND THERE AND SING THE ABCs IN YOUR HEAD AND DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU'RE FINISHED!

This is the reason I keep a gallon of sanitizer on hand to refill our small bottles.  Folks are nasty.  Too nasty.

Your President has declared a national emergency in order to better deal with:

Obama declares flu emergency to ease restrictions for hospitals

The LEAST you can do is waRsh your hands and stay your azz home if you feel sick.  Hell...remember how the slogan "Be kind, please rewind" took off and made you remember to rewind the tape before you returned it?  You NEVER took back an unwound tape right?  RIGHT.

Well...let's come up with a slogan for the H1N1.  You know...kinda like:

WaRsh or be beaten.

Sneeze on me and I'll cut ya.

Keep me disease free or bitch I'll kill ya.

What say you?  Whatchu got?

SIP:  Imma need JayZ to write a song about this.  (Cue Alicia Keys...THE SWINE FLUUUUUUUUUU!  IT WILL KICK YOUR AZZ IF YOU LET IT....)

CDC on Swine Flu

Alicia Cole on "20/20" Tonight!

Tonight on "20/20" Alicia Cole's story is going to be on "20/20" after nearly dying from a flesh-eating disease because hospital staff didn't wash their hands.  Just...ew!  I have a feeling this is going to be FASCINATING!  Hand Washing Rate Low Among Doctors

SHELLY BEAN FINISHED HER RACE!!!!!!!!!

AND SHE GOT A TIFFANY NECKLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  GO SHELLY BEAN GOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Michael Steele:

“The feeling in some circles is that this health care train has left the station with the president at the wheel, and Republicans better jump on board,” says our host.

“Well I’m the cow on the tracks,” proclaimed Steele. “You’re gonna have to stop the train to get this cow off the track to move forward.”

When I heard this I laughed wondering if Michael Steele has EVER seen what a damn TRAIN does to a COW.  Um...dude...they run over the dumb azz cow. 

Seriously.

Because I'm evil I moved on but I was TOTALLY grinning from ear-to-ear to find I wasn't the only person who thought that.  MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE OVER GOP

This dude is just...DUMB. 

Mooooooooove Over GOP

$1,800

My dentist is in a fancy, smancy area with all sorts of new technology stuffy.  Seriously...it's really cool.  AND IT IS EXPENSIVE AS HELL!

The cost hadn't ever been a problem for us because we only need regular maintenance stuff that was 100% covered with our insurance.

The first time I needed to get something done that WASN'T covered by insurance my dentist gave me a fancy, smancy quote on nice paper in a lovely folder.

$1,800.

Um...yeah.

I called three more dentists in the area and got quotes from them faxed to my home for the same work using the information on the quote from my dentist.  The lowest price was $750.

I went back to MY dentist and showed him the quotes.  Let him know that I had $750 that I was either going to pay to HIM to do the work or pay to the other dentist that gave me the $750 quote to do the work.

He couldn't BELIEVE the other dentist could do the work for $750 (Insert ::EYEROLL:: here) and went on and on about how it couldn't be done for that amount.

Me:  Okay.  I'll see you guys for my next cleaning!  Toodles!

Dentist:  Well, since I consider you a personal friend and you and Robby have been coming to me for so long...I'll do it for that.

Me:  Okay.  Where's my bib?  (Open mouth...) Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

And we got to getting.

People are funny.

I got a new quote today from my dentist that is sooooooooooooooooooo funny that I laughed till two drops of pee came out.  HA-FUGGIN-HA!  So yeah...tomorrow I shall be getting other quotes for the same work.  I will go with the lowest cost and will give my dentist the first right of refusal for said price.

If he does it...cool.

If he doesn't...cool.

But I'm getting it done regardless.

Do YOU do this?  (By the way...you can do this with the Veterinarian too.  Pretty much anything where you're paying out of pocket for a service.  Yup.  Hell it's a recession for everyone.)

Eastern Medicine

What have you tried?

Did it work for you?

Would you recommend it to anyone?

Question...

You answer an ad of a personal trainer and show up to find that the trainer is overweight.

Would you hire them to train you?

Work It Out!

How much working out have you gotten in this week?  You do recognize that working out is a NECESSITY right?  Like...you should be thinking of it as one of the things you HAVE to do to live.  Eat, drink, breathe, work out.

Seriously.  It's like that.

Spill it...how much did you get in so far?

Question...

If you don't brush and floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth, which promotes bacterial growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. This causes bad breath.

Would YOU kiss someone with bad breath?

Question...

Thick.

Fat.

The same thing?

What is the difference?

A-Cyst Me

So...I had a sonogram and bloodwork this morning.  Dr. Sacks came in on Yom Kippur even.  (That dude ROCKS!)

He found a cyst on my left ovary and is concerned that it might make me me have to scrap this cycle and start over.

He's checking my hormone levels and will let me know later today what's what.

Crap.

Have you ever had cysts in or on your ovaries?  What did your doc suggest for it/them?

Like Mike

Who do you think of when you're working out and imagining the body type you want to have?

Second Opinions and SURGERY!

I've come to the conclusion that yall don't listen to me when I'm talking about stuff like your health.  Hell...everything I say can be verified by Mr. Google.

THAT.SAID...Imagine my surprise this morning when I got an email from one of you saying you were having surgery on your CERVIX tomorrow and yet...you did NOT get a second opinion.

I bout fell out.

Why?

BECAUSE IT'S NOT SMART!

Look...doctors are people too and the days of listening to your doctor as if he/she were God are long.gone.  Why?  The medical industry is run by insurance companies and doctors aren't getting paid what they used to.  Now I'm not saying that all doctors are thinking of their bottom line first but hey...you have to know that if you have good  insurance there just MIGHT be a chance that the surgery COULD be driven by the fact they know they will get PAID more.

But I digress...

Please...do NOT get surgery done without TWO doctors agreeing that it needs to be done.

TWO DOCTORS.

NOT ONE.

TWO.

Yall...this is soooooooooooo serious.  PLEASE DO.NOT.GET.SURGERY unless TWO doctors say you need it.  (Unless, of course, it's emergency surgery and then...duh...listen to the damn ER doc.  LOL!)

Would YOU get surgery done withOUT TWO doctors saying it was necessary?

Question...

Have you ever had a DENTAL emergency?  What happened?  How quickly did your dentist see you?

Saturated Fats and High LDL Cholesterol

WHAT ARE SATURATED FATS?

Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods.  The majority come mainly from animal sources, including meat and dairy products.  Examples are fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, beef fat (tallow), lard and cream, butter, cheese and other dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat (2 percent) milk.  These foods also contain dietary cholesterol. 

In addition, many baked goods and fried foods can contain high levels of saturated fats.  Some plant foods, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, also contain primarily saturated fats, but do not contain cholesterol.

From The American Heart Association

Pills, pills, pills...

81% of Americans take at least one pill a day.

How many do YOU take?  Are you certain you NEED to take what you're taking?  How do you know for sure?  Have you had a second opinion?

1 Teaspoon of Sugar = 4 Grams

Say you buy a cute looking bottle of something to drink.

The bottle says it has 25 grams of sugar per serving.

The bottle also says it has 2 servings in that bottle.

So if you drink it all...that's 50 grams of sugar you're rolling with.

That's TWELVE AND A HALF TEASPOONS OF SUGAR in that drink.

Dude...have you EVER put TWELVE AND A HALF TEASPOONS of sugar in a drink?  Like...REALLY?

I hope this visual helps you make the SIP screwed up face from now on when choosing something to drink and I REALLY hope it makes you think about what what you're giving the children to drink.

ONE TEASPOON OF SUGAR EQUALS 4 GRAMS!

Don't DRINK yourself fat...mmkay?

What say you?  Did you ever think of it this way?

Anti Booty Drooping Workout!

On the days when I work on my butt I think of quitting.  I just keep thinking to myself there is no way in hell I should be putting myself through this nonsense.  And then...once I've done the last lunge and it hurts oh so good...I feel like I'm on top of the world!  LOL!

This is the routine:

1.  Rear leg lift - Stand behind a chair holding on lightly for your balance.  Left leg squeezing butt.  3 sets of 15 each.
2.  Kneeling rear leg lift - 3 sets of 15 each leg.
3.  Leg lift while lying on the floor - Lay flat on your stomach with your chin resting on your hands crossed in front of you.  Look straight ahead and raise your leg and hold for one second.  Repeat for 3 sets of 15 each leg.
4.  Hip lift - Lay on your back on the floor with your knees bent up and your arms straight our along your sides.  Lift your hips until you look like a kid's slide.  (LOL!)  Do this 20 times.  After 20, do it 6 times as quickly as possible.
5.  Lunges - 3 sets of 15 each leg.

I will NOT suffer from droopy booty syndrome!  No way!  No how!  The kid is too cute for that!  How often do YOU concentrate on working our your butt?  Do you do any of the exercises I do?  What I love most about these is that you don't need any equipment save a chair to do em!  GO ME!

On the days when I work on my butt I think of quitting.  I just keep thinking to myself there is no way in hell I should be putting myself through this nonsense.  And then...once I've done the last lunge and it hurts oh so good...I feel like I'm on top of the world!  LOL!

This is the routine:

1.  Rear leg lift - Stand behind a chair holding on lightly for your balance.  Left leg squeezing butt.  3 sets of 15 each.
2.  Kneeling rear leg lift - 3 sets of 15 each leg.
3.  Leg lift while lying on the floor - Lay flat on your stomach with your chin resting on your hands crossed in front of you.  Look straight ahead and raise your leg and hold for one second.  Repeat for 3 sets of 15 each leg.
4.  Hip lift - Lay on your back on the floor with your knees bent up and your arms straight our along your sides.  Lift your hips until you look like a kid's slide.  (LOL!)  Do this 20 times.  After 20, do it 6 times as quickly as possible.
5.  Lunges - 3 sets of 15 each leg.

I will NOT suffer from droopy booty syndrome!  No way!  No how!  The kid is too cute for that!  How often do YOU concentrate on working our your butt?  Do you do any of the exercises I do?  What I love most about these is that you don't need any equipment save a chair to do em!  GO ME!

Let's get PHYSICAL!!!!!

I almost crapped my pants this morning when I thought I heard my doctor tell me I was 5 pounds underweight. I was like...AAAAARRRRRRRUUUUUU??????  He quickly clarified that I was 5 pounds away from BEING underweight and told me to make sure I don't lose any weight.  I told him that I eat more than I ever have since I started upping my cardio workout. 

He had no answers for me...just told me not to lose weight. 

Humph.

Robby got out of the colon check because he's not 40 until November.  Dude was grinning ear-to-ear about that.  ROFL!  He is sooooo funny to me!

We left the doc and went down the street to have our blood drawn and the woman taking my blood complimented me on my wedding jewelry and asked how long I'd been married.  I told her and then she asked how many kids we had.  I told her. 

Blood Taker:  Girl...you'd better give that man some kids.  A little girl that looks just like you would melt his heart.

I shut down and said nothing else to her.  I know she meant well in that "way" folks do...but I'm on drugs and not in the mood for all that.  At breakfast I told Robby and the damn hormones I'm taking made me cry as I was telling him.  He started chewing the inside of his jaw and grinding his teeth together in that way he does when he's gauging his reaction to something and trying to remain calm.

Robby:  She didn't know. 

Me:  I know.

And he held my hand.

I know Robby so I know had he heard her say that to me she would have been blasted and if I hadn't heard it all before because I was new to the infertility journey...I might have as well.

But he didn't...

...and I'm not.

It is what it is even if what it is is pretty fugged up.

But hey...we're super healthy!  Go us.  We can live a long, child-free existence if need be.

Yup.

We healthy.

*sigh*

Pre-Existing Conditions

Do you know anyone who has been screwed by a medical insurance company?

Do you know anyone who was denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition even though they are paying for their insurance?

Do you know anyone who was denied a certain medications coverage because it wasn't covered under their plan but would help their condition?

Have YOU dealt with any of these?

Eight Ways to Boost Your Metabolism by Mary Shomon

Make sure you eat breakfast.

If you don't eat breakfast, you slow down your metabolism and send the body into "hoard mode," thinking it's starving because you're going a long period of time frequently 8 to 10 hours or more, without food.

Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day.

Dinner should be your lightest meal, and some experts recommend you don't anything after 8 p.m., or any later than 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. This helps your body process and burn the food when you're aware and moving around and burning more calories per hour.

Don't starve.

Dropping your calorie intake below 1,000 calories a day will signal to your body that you are in starvation mode, and will slow down your metabolism.

Eat smaller meals more frequently.

Smaller, more frequent meals keeps your blood sugar stable and provides a steady source of energy to fuel metabolism.

Get enough aerobic exercise.

As much as you can is really a help for your metabolism, and if you do it in the morning, you'll raise your metabolism all day.

Build muscle with weight training or resistance exercise.

At least two to three times a week, you should add weight training or progressive resistance exercise that builds muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat, and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest!

Water, water, water!!

You've heard it before, but drink those 8 8-ounce glasses of water every day. The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively.

Get enough B vitamins.

Among supplements, if you are suffering from flagging energy, you need to make sure that you are getting enough B vitamins. Vitamin B-12 in particular is one that is essential for energy. To ensure you're getting enough B vitamins, consider taking a B complex, plus a separate sublingual B-12.

Good Carbs

EXCELLENT INFO!

1. The Ultimate Good Carb Guide
2. From "What are Good Carbs?"
   

Good carbs have these healthy characteristics:

• high in fiber: helps you stay full longer (and avoid overeating), provides sustained energy, lowers cholesterol levels, helps to remove toxins from the body
• low glycemic index: stabilizes blood sugar levels and insulin production
• high in nutrients: natural vitamins, minerals & phytonutrients promote health and help to prevent chronic disease
• low 'energy-density' (except nuts & seeds): provides sustained energy, promotes healthy weight loss and long-term weight maintenance
• greater 'thermic effect': naturally stimulates metabolism and promotes fat loss

Many popular weight loss diets incorporate good carbs into their eating plans because they are so effective at lowering insulin production and stabilizing blood sugar levels. Also, because of their high fiber-content, good carbs make you feel fuller and help you to avoid overeating - a major problem for many people trying to lose weight safely!

To sum it up, the following food types are generally considered to be good carbs and should make up most or all of your carb intake:

• whole vegetables
• whole fruits
• beans
• legumes
• nuts
• seeds
• whole cereal grains

Donna needs our support!

12 pounds

Stop Snacking at Night!

I never snack at night.  I know that sounds odd to some people but I truly don't. 

As yall know...I'm vain as hell and I figure that if I've eaten throughout the day as often as I do...the last thing I need to do is add calories right before I go to bed and am laying there in a sedentary state and not working off the food.  I mean...I eat a pretty good amount of food during the day my caloric intake is already up there ya know?  Why in the WORLD would I want to add more to the number?

As I was thinking about this my phone rang and I asked a friend does she snack at night.  She got quiet talking bout some HUH? 

Lemme repeato me-selfo.  DO.YOU.SNACK.AT.NIGHT?

She admitted that yes she does and that it's most often ice cream that is her weakness.

I hung up the phone and called a guy friend and he admitted that he sneaks and eats whatever sweet is in the house.  He says he's not even hungry when he does it...he just wants something to snack on.

And I don't get that.

In my brain there is a direct correlation between eating and exercise.  I know that if I get on the scale tomorrow and it's a pound or two more than I'm used to...I know I can pinpoint exactly where I went wrong that day and yes...I weigh myself everyday because I'm of the mind that I don't want anything sneaking up on me.

That one or two pounds will haunt my azz right up to the gym to do an extra mile or two on the treadmill because I know what I need to do to get rid of it.  I believe in putting in the work.

Eating at night should be stopped.  You should stop eating after a certain hour and use that time as a personal mandate to let yourself know that you care about what you are putting in your body.  For me...I kinda have a schedule for food.

1.  Breakfast

2.  Snack

3.  Lunch

4.  Snack

5.  Dinner

6.  Dessert

That's six small meals throughout my day and I am VERY picky about what I choose.  Why?  Because I know for a fact that I only have one body and no matter how much money I have...I can't get another one.

Tell the truth and shame the devil...

Do YOU snack at night?  What do you normally reach for?  Do you think you can stop?  Have you ever TRIED to stop?

Flu Shots

Are you going to get one?  What about when they come out with the H1N1 shot?

Elmo Fights H1N1

Work.It.Out!

How much exercise did you get this week?

Keep the Doctor Away

Apparently 40 - 50 million people that live in our country don't have health insurance.

I have health insurance.  I've never had a period in my life when I didn't have health insurance.

The last time I went to the emergency room was a couple of years ago when my implant ruptured.  I was in so much pain and we got scared.  I'd been in pain the day before but then it got sharper.  Felt weird.  Not a pain I could describe.  I went to sleep and couldn't sleep.  Robby didn't sleep either and kept watching me.

The next day it got worse and Robby decided that he could no longer watch me in pain and took me to the Emergency Room against my wishes.  Why didn't I want to go to the Emergency Room?  Because every time I've ever visited one it's been a ridiculous long wait around germy sick people and I'd rather just wait till Monday and call my own doctor.

Dear Weight Lifters

How much weight do you put on your bar?

Break Yourself Off Fool!

What did you start your morning off with today?

QUESTION:  When you're trying to eat healthy...what usually ends up throwing you off track?  Going out?  Free food at the office?  Candy bars in the check out aisles?  What?  Do YOU think your willpower is strong?

Work it out!

Any work out plans for today?  I've been getting bored so I've started taking a different class a day.  Really changes up the atmosphere for me and the results are pretty good.  That dang weight lifting class will kill you though.

Good Sun...Bad Sun

Sun exposure cancer warnings 'lead to Vitamin D deficiencies.'

And yes...I thought it was odd when my doctor prescribed 'sun' for me at first last year. I was like...damn...first yall tell us to stay OUT the sun.  Now you're telling me it's the reason I'm having issues hell.  MAKE UP YALL MINDS!  LOL!

Vitamins

Are you taking any?

Which quadrant are YOU?

The Mind of a Successful Dieter

Wow!

I TOTALLY wish I could take a pic of this couple that just showed up at the pool.  They look to be in their mid 60's and are in the best shape EVER!  Just...WOW!  I soooooooooooooooo wanna look like that when I'm that age!  Wow!

Do you ever think of what you're going to look like in your mid-60's and more?  Considering the care you're giving your body today...do you think you'll be in good shape when you're older?  Are you setting yourself up for a rough old age?  ESPECIALLY those of us who are child free and won't have kids to take us back and forth to doc appointments?

DO YOU EVER THINK OF THE FUTURE YOU'RE SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT DOING THE BEST YOU CAN NOW?????????????

Humph!

This chick pissed me off last night before going to bed.  It made me conclude that yeah...food is a helluva drug and that upset me.  "I can't afford to live healthily..."

House Call

If you went to your doctor and he sat down across from you and said the following to you:

You're a professional.  You're smart.  Your comprehension skills are excellent.  Explain to me why are you overweight?

What would you say?

Work Out DVDs

Have YOU tried any?  Which ones? You recommend?

A Message to ALL OF US From Dr. Ian Smith!

I LOVE.LOVE.LOVE THESE COMMERCIALS!

And this one is HILARIOUS! What would YOU do if you were at a fast food restaurant and Dr. Ian ended up being at the window with his arms crossed *BLINKING* at your azz? If he shows up for my monthly Chick-Fil-A treat he's going to get a friendly wave as I pay for my 6 piece kid's meal with lemonade. I might even chat him up and tell him how much I ENJOY his commercials! ROFL!