Resolutions 2012 / New Years' - Anyone Planning Any?

[Lazario]

I've already started mine but I'm going to try to become a vegetarian.

(For anyone who knows me, my saying that is like Jenna James saying she's gonna become a nun.)

[Elladorine]

My usual one is to lose weight, but due to my condition it'll be a year or more before I can even think about cutting calories again (which is beyond frustrating). Maybe I'll just resolve to eat healthier? While I'm trying my best now I certainly could be doing much better.

I've already started mine but I'm going to try to become a vegetarian.

(For anyone who knows me, my saying that is like Jenna James saying she's gonna become a nun.)

Good luck to you! I've done that on and off before, and at least in my case, it got difficult to maintain at times. And the funny thing is that I really don't enjoy meat much outside of plain old chicken breast and the occasional burger, but it's so hard to eat away from home because meat is in like everything (even the french fries at McDonald's have an added beef extract), and people become strangely judgmental when they notice you're looking at the vegetarian options.

[Lazario]

Thanks. In my case, I've heard eating meat and dairy (like I do) really affects your energy level. I've been so exhausted the past year- I'm looking into anything to help with my incredible fatigue. Eating out is simply out of the question for me.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you too.

[slave2moonlight]

I probably should cut out or lessen my meat and dairy too, ha. Those are the main parts of my diet. I don't know if I'd WANT to live without them though. I definitely will be trying to eat more fish and chicken over beef though, but not entirely. I do want to lessen my soda intake a lot. I'd cut it out completely, but with certain meals, I want to make allowances. Some things I just aren't the same without a soda, ha. Basically, I want to work in more temperance. I'm not about cutting things out all together.

Mainly for me though, I've got a lot of big ones I hope I can pull off. Lose weight, of course, but also to get settled in my own apartment and get a stable income going. I'd also like to have some kind of romantic relationship before I'm 40, ha. If I don't at least get kissed this year, my resolution next year will be to hit the Moonlite Bunny Ranch.

The girl I was dating in July/August, who seemed like the perfect match for me but eventually patched things up with her ex, is still talking with me and recently suggested we make a resolution to celebrate the coming year's holidays to the fullest. I assume she meant "together". This was shortly after writing me a long letter of complaint in regards to her boyfriend, about how he basically has nothing in common with her and doesn't like to do the things I like to do. It's all been very confusing for me, and of course, we're both out of town right now, so I don't know what the coming year will bring with her, but I certainly hope it provides a more defined relationship for us early on, and preferably something I like, ha.

[Elladorine]

Thanks. In my case, I've heard eating meat and dairy (like I do) really affects your energy level. I've been so exhausted the past year- I'm looking into anything to help with my incredible fatigue. Eating out is simply out of the question for me.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you too.

Thanks! I think it's a different case for everyone and I hope cutting out meat and dairy is your answer. It totally sucks to not have energy! My main problem seems to be simple carbs (white flour, sugar, etc.), so for the past couple of years I've tried to eat like a diabetic. I think that's helped, although I fell back into old habits in the past six months or so due to stress and gained back 20 pounds.

I do want to lessen my soda intake a lot. I'd cut it out completely, but with certain meals, I want to make allowances. Some things I just aren't the same without a soda, ha. Basically, I want to work in more temperance. I'm not about cutting things out all together.

Except for sipping on some 7-Up to settle my stomach when I've been throwing up, I haven't had regular soda in about two years. And I can't have most diet soda either since most brands contain aspartame (which gives me horrid migraines). When I do have soda, it's home made so I can control what exactly goes into it (juice, extracts, stevia). I'm all about moderation myself, but when it come to sugar . . . well, it's my crack. It's different for everyone but I'm personally better off avoiding it as much as possible.

[Lazario]

I do want to lessen my soda intake a lot.

Oh yeah, that's gotta go for me too.

I think it's a different case for everyone and I hope cutting out meat and dairy is your answer. It totally sucks to not have energy! My main problem seems to be simple carbs (white flour, sugar, etc.), so for the past couple of years I've tried to eat like a diabetic. I think that's helped, although I fell back into old habits in the past six months or so due to stress and gained back 20 pounds.

Stress sucks. Sometimes, I think I have stress running through my veins rather than blood.

As for carbs... not sure what foods are the worst other than starches. I do eat a lot of bread too. I'll wait to see what it's like after dropping the meat and dairy before I think about not eating toast in the morning anymore. (I never butter it, which shocks 99% of people. I also stopped buttering corn - on the cob - in the 90's. Haven't done it again since.)

[slave2moonlight]

Corn is about the only "vegetable" I like, ha. Yet, I heard recently that it has zero nutritional value. I am really bad about veggies, which is why I could never become a vegetarian. I just don't like them at all! I don't even like fruit that much, though some. I can't eat things like oranges though. The acid is just too much for me. Funny, the acid in soda doesn't bother me, but an orange, it kills me. I can drink orange juice, but can't eat them.

The only vegetable I really eat, besides corn and potatoes if you want to call them vegetables (which I guess they are not, they're starches, right? But they used to refer to them as vegetables when I was growing up), is lettuce. As in, Caesar salads. I don't care for lettuce really, but I force myself to eat it, but I do enjoy Caesar salads. I can eat carrots, but they have to be really well cooked, like in vegetable soup or stew, or with a roast. I hate them though, man, I really hate veggies.

I also utterly loathe green beans, and onions too.

But, yeah, meat, cheese, milk, coca cola, and bread are the best. *sigh* And, yeah, I have a major sweet tooth also. I don't really over eat, either, it's just that that stuff is what I get the most of, and I've always had difficulty shaking the habit of eating just one or two meals a day, one of them usually pretty late. That and my lifelong sinus trouble that has always made exercise difficult for me (impeding my breathing) have always been the major difficulty of getting in shape for me.

More specifically about soda, yeah, I drink quite a bit of it. Though, sometimes I will swear it off for weeks or months successfully, or sometimes I will only drink a small amount of it for a long time too. But, then I have a lot of work to do or a stressful situation and use soda as a crutch, ha.

On the upside, I've never smoked or drank alcohol before. I know, supposedly a little wine is good for you, but at least I don't have to worry about the negative possibilities.

Stress is actually something I usually handle well, since I've always had a very much Baloo the Bear sort of attitude.

However, lately I've been feeling it a bit more. Just lost my dad, my mother is struggling to get treated for her cancer, I am trying to figure out where I'm going to live soon and how I'm going to pull that off without a job at the moment either, and there's that dating issue I've been having. The situation with the girl I've been seeing certainly has caused some stress, but not having anyone at all, ever, has only been more stressful every year too.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

I'm sorry to hear about the tough time you're having, Slave2Moonlight, I hope things pick up for you and improve


For me I never, ever seem to follow through with my resolutions. I always intend to put on more muscle and get a job so that I can have more money. Keeping this in mind I'm almost considering making my resolution to be "skinny and poor" and see what happens


But, on the more serious side I really want to finish my Adult Education courses so I can get my diploma. That will mean working my butt off for the next six months to try and get it all done in time.

[Goliath]

I've already started mine but I'm going to try to become a vegetarian.

Good luck! I've been one for the past 12 years!

Thanks. In my case, I've heard eating meat and dairy (like I do) really affects your energy level.

As far as I know, dairy is good for you, in small doses.

I've been smoking again the last few days... well, occasionally, with a few of my co-workers who gave me cigarettes. I really don't want to start doing it permanently, so I'd better quit before I've even begun. And I've got to be more mindful of drinking, too. (Not that it's a problem, but I don't want it to become one.) Also, I've got to make sure I gain a lot of weight quickly, too, before a simple cold kills me.

[Khonnor]

Become a pescetarian again (maybe I'll allow chicken once a week, haha).

Get a new job.

Start working out, at least 2-3 times a week.

Start to learn how to save some money.

Finish therapy.

LOSE WEIGHT!

[JohnnyWeir]

I've already started mine but I'm going to try to become a vegetarian.

(For anyone who knows me, my saying that is like Jenna James saying she's gonna become a nun.)

Speaking from personal experience, I'd say that if you are craving meat, you should give your body what it wants and not go cold-turkey(no pun intended) from meat. Maybe try slowly cutting down on the amount of meat you eat, and eventually you wont crave it anymore. I did this about 6 years ago, I had a period of about a year where I was a "semi-vegitarian", meaning I would only eat, say, 1 hamburger or something every few months(usually due to peer pressure!), then after a while, I just became completely disguisted by any/all meat and have been a vegitarian for the last 5 years. Basically what I'm tryinig to say is-your body will let you know whether or not you can be a vegitarian or not. If you enjoy eating meat, then you probably wont be able to stick to a vegitarian diet-not yet anyways.
But then again, if youre a person with a lot of self-control and able to overcome cravings maybe it is possible to just become a vegitarian over night, although Ive seen alot of people try that method, and none succeed.
(By the way, I'm not trying to discourage you from becoming a vegitarian or implying that you cant do it. Just telling you that if you havent been able to stick to it in the past doesnt mean you wont be able to in the future! )

[slave2moonlight]

Thanks, Chernabog, I hope so too.

[Barbossa]

Get a new job
and
Try to lose some weight by first cutting down on my sugar intake. Been drinking too much Coke and other pops lately.

[Disney Guru]

My only resolution is to relax more, my last job was horrible literally used/abused by my supervisors overworked by the end of my time there was a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. My new job is great/amazing get compliments all the time on how I'm the hardest worker there but still always stressing out about everything just keep on thinking something is going to happen going to get the axe, because I'm not used to being treated so well by an employer.

So yeah just trying to relax more, rebuild my self worth/confidence.

[PixarFan2006]

I am bad at keeping resolutions (I always break them the first week)

-Cut back on my soda intake (Which may not happen as I am forgetful)
-Eat more vegetables (I have warmed up to lettuce and I do tolerate carrots)

[Rose Dome]

I am bad at keeping resolutions (I always break them the first week)

Don't think of yourself as breaking them. Think of them as things you can work on

[Lazario]

Corn is about the only "vegetable" I like, ha.

It's definitely my favorite. But I like broccoli, spinach, and the salad vegies: lettuce, tomato, carrots, celery.

Yet, I heard recently that it has zero nutritional value.

I believe that. Sad.

I am really bad about veggies

I'm half-bad. I eat plenty of them. Beats, green beans, asparagus, wax beans, mushrooms. But I mix them up into my soups, stews, etc(.) or drown them in dressings, cheese, breadstick (in the form of crutons, crackers, stuffing, crushed up toast), or other sauces (I make a mixture of barbecue sauce, sweet & sour or duck sauce, pickle juice, mayo, ketchup, mustard, ranch & Catalina - it all comes together and turns orange, I stir it and put it in a bottle for later which I used to add to salads or use on chicken fingers or french fries). From now on, I'll be trying to eat them with nothing on them.

That won't kill me. The thing that I know is going to really tough is... no yogurt. I've become addicted in the last year + and I don't do soy or tofu. So, because they use milk... I'll likely be cutting that off.

I don't even like fruit that much

I need a good damn blender. But I'm good with fruit.

I can't eat things like oranges though. The acid is just too much for me. Funny, the acid in soda doesn't bother me, but an orange, it kills me. I can drink orange juice, but can't eat them.

Well- as long as it doesn't bother you, the way that you eat. What it sounds like is maybe there's something wrong with your stomach. For me- I can't take any anti-acids. Not even Rolaids. I've had too much aspirin and ibuprofen over the years. If I have heartburn, I have to suffer through it or go to the doctor which I can't afford.

I don't care for lettuce really, but I force myself to eat it, but I do enjoy Caesar salads. I can eat carrots, but they have to be really well cooked, like in vegetable soup or stew, or with a roast. I hate them though, man, I really hate veggies. I also utterly loathe green beans, and onions too.

You've never liked onion rings? Was my favorite food.

But, yeah, meat, cheese, milk, coca cola, and bread are the best. *sigh* And, yeah, I have a major sweet tooth also. I don't really over eat, either, it's just that that stuff is what I get the most of, and I've always had difficulty shaking the habit of eating just one or two meals a day, one of them usually pretty late. That and my lifelong sinus trouble that has always made exercise difficult for me (impeding my breathing) have always been the major difficulty of getting in shape for me.

Thank hell for candy- everytime I have some, it makes me want to diet the more. Just over the last year, I've began to grow a major anti-sweet tooth. My weakness is chocolate covered nuts. Still love them. But last night, I had some M&M's out of the huge bag I got for Xmas... Yeah, those things have got to go. As for soda, I gave it up for about 3 years and have had a lot recently. It's like cigarettes to someone who has no trouble quitting. I get a real craving once every 5 months. Once and then it's gone. And usually I don't indulge it. I've been drinking a lot recently - but only because it's better with soup than milk for some reason. But I'm kicking both tonight. Just water and juice from now on.

On the upside, I've never smoked or drank alcohol before.

Hey- a fellow anti-smoker / drinker. I tried a cigarette ONCE in my life just to see if I would choke / cough. I didn't. Me and my brother tried it at the same time- he became a huge smoker and I never tried it again. As for drinking, I was a kid and my parents each offered me one of their beers. I never finished either. After that, I had one of those small plastic novelty glasses of champagne and some of a Mike's Hard Lemonade in 2000. Since then, nothing. That's all the alcohol I've consumed in my life. Less than 2 cans' worth. Well, except for cough syrup. And I hear some gums have alochol in them. Dunno. But I'm insanely proud of my history with each. Of course, all the good it did me- throughout my junior high and high school years, I dabbled in bulimia, starving myself for days, pill popping, ingesting under-the-sink products, and slicing the hell out of my wrists. So, I'm the last person who can lecture anyone else about their health.

I've already started mine but I'm going to try to become a vegetarian.

Good luck! I've been one for the past 12 years!

Thanks. In a way, I anticipate it'll be easy. When did you become one? Was it encouraged by your family?

As far as I know, dairy is good for you, in small doses.

I've been smoking again the last few days... well, occasionally, with a few of my co-workers who gave me cigarettes. I really don't want to start doing it permanently, so I'd better quit before I've even begun. And I've got to be more mindful of drinking, too. (Not that it's a problem, but I don't want it to become one.) Also, I've got to make sure I gain a lot of weight quickly, too, before a simple cold kills me.

Do you intake any dairy?

If you decide to try and quit- good luck. I know way too many smokers and they've all tried and all failed.

[Elladorine]

Corn is about the only "vegetable" I like, ha.

It's definitely my favorite. But I like broccoli, spinach, and the salad vegies: lettuce, tomato, carrots, celery.

Yet, I heard recently that it has zero nutritional value.

I believe that. Sad.

At the very least, corn is a whole grain that has fiber, and is highly nutritious in its natural form. It gets a bad rap because it's a starchy vegetable (like potatoes), and is high on the glycemic index. It doesn't help that highly processed versions of it appear in nearly everything available on the grocery store shelves, from soda to baked goods to so-called health foods. The healthiest way to prepare it is by steaming. Eating it in, say, corn flakes? Not so much.

I am really bad about veggies

I'm half-bad. I eat plenty of them. Beats, green beans, asparagus, wax beans, mushrooms. But I mix them up into my soups, stews, etc(.) or drown them in dressings, cheese, breadstick (in the form of crutons, crackers, stuffing, crushed up toast), or other sauces (I make a mixture of barbecue sauce, sweet & sour or duck sauce, pickle juice, mayo, ketchup, mustard, ranch & Catalina - it all comes together and turns orange, I stir it and put it in a bottle for later which I used to add to salads or use on chicken fingers or french fries). From now on, I'll be trying to eat them with nothing on them.

I go on occasional health kicks where I'll make what I call "junk salad" for lunches; I basically chop up whatever veggies I felt like picking up at the store for the week and set them in a bed of baby spinach, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But I fall out of the habit easily and have been trying to force myself back into it for months. I think part of me was just burnt out from dieting with so little results for so very long, and more recently my taste buds have gotten all weird on me. But I at least tolerate veggies well if I don't absolutely love them.

That won't kill me. The thing that I know is going to really tough is... no yogurt. I've become addicted in the last year + and I don't do soy or tofu. So, because they use milk... I'll likely be cutting that off.

I think I'd have a really hard time without dairy. I rarely ever drink milk but I do have cheddar or parmesian cheese every week. I always pick up plain greek yogurt as well since it's probiotic, has extra protien, and no added sugar/sweetener; I mix in my own fruit for flavor or add it to smoothies.

I don't even like fruit that much

I need a good damn blender. But I'm good with fruit.

I'm not big on fruit myself, if I'm eating any real amount of sugar it changes my tastebuds and is just way too tart and acidic for me. If I go sugar-free, after several days the fruit actually starts tasting much better.

I have one of those Magic Bullets and just love the thing to death. I use it to "hide" veggies in my fruit smoothies, lol. Making those smoothies helped me adapt to eating certain fruits every day, like blueberries and oranges, things I had trouble making myself eat before.

I can't eat things like oranges though. The acid is just too much for me. Funny, the acid in soda doesn't bother me, but an orange, it kills me. I can drink orange juice, but can't eat them.

Unfortunately, orange juice isn't all that healthy aside from the vitamin C. For me the difference is having to chew the orange; I personally can barely handle eating oranges myself (they hurt my mouth!) but can guzzle down the juice just fine. But the body doesn't process it the same without the fibrous tissue of the orange itself (and is why it's bad that fructose is added to so many foods that don't include fiber, it basically poisons your liver in a similar way to alcohol when there's no fiber to counter it).

I don't care for lettuce really, but I force myself to eat it, but I do enjoy Caesar salads. I can eat carrots, but they have to be really well cooked, like in vegetable soup or stew, or with a roast. I hate them though, man, I really hate veggies. I also utterly loathe green beans, and onions too.

Can't stand iceberg lettuce myself (bitter, bleh!) and it has no nutritional value other than the fiber. The darker greens (spinach, kale, arugula, romaine, etc.) taste better and have many more nutrients in them. Wish I could have caesar salad (I like romaine lettuce) but the dressing has anchovies and I'm allergic to seafood. I love baby carrots, but don't like the flavor of cooked carrots at all for some odd reason. And I can't remember the last time I had green beans, although I don't particularly dislike them either.

But, yeah, meat, cheese, milk, coca cola, and bread are the best. *sigh* And, yeah, I have a major sweet tooth also. I don't really over eat, either, it's just that that stuff is what I get the most of, and I've always had difficulty shaking the habit of eating just one or two meals a day, one of them usually pretty late. That and my lifelong sinus trouble that has always made exercise difficult for me (impeding my breathing) have always been the major difficulty of getting in shape for me.

I've got heredity against me, along with a stubborn metabolism and being asthmatic. I'm currently trying to build up my exercising again, mostly through walking. I just haven't had any energy lately and I know a big part of it is that I've let my eating habits slide since September or so.

Thank hell for candy- everytime I have some, it makes me want to diet the more. Just over the last year, I've began to grow a major anti-sweet tooth. My weakness is chocolate covered nuts. Still love them. But last night, I had some M&M's out of the huge bag I got for Xmas... Yeah, those things have got to go. As for soda, I gave it up for about 3 years and have had a lot recently. It's like cigarettes to someone who has no trouble quitting. I get a real craving once every 5 months. Once and then it's gone. And usually I don't indulge it. I've been drinking a lot recently - but only because it's better with soup than milk for some reason. But I'm kicking both tonight. Just water and juice from now on.

Unfortunately, I could eat chocolate all day. Oddly enough, I don't really like most candy even though I have a major sweet tooth. I don't like lollipops, skittles, sweet tarts, gummi bears . . . but give me something with chocolate or caramel in it and I'm gone!

On the upside, I've never smoked or drank alcohol before.

Hey- a fellow anti-smoker / drinker. I tried a cigarette ONCE in my life just to see if I would choke / cough. I didn't. Me and my brother tried it at the same time- he became a huge smoker and I never tried it again. As for drinking, I was a kid and my parents each offered me one of their beers. I never finished either. After that, I had one of those small plastic novelty glasses of champagne and some of a Mike's Hard Lemonade in 2000. Since then, nothing. That's all the alcohol I've consumed in my life. Less than 2 cans' worth. Well, except for cough syrup. And I hear some gums have alochol in them. Dunno. But I'm insanely proud of my history with each. Of course, all the good it did me- throughout my junior high and high school years, I dabbled in bulimia, starving myself for days, pill popping, ingesting under-the-sink products, and slicing the hell out of my wrists. So, I'm the last person who can lecture anyone else about their health.

Good to never start either habit! I smoked for about ten years, but quit cold turkey in 2007. Haven't looked back since. It's also possible I was an alcoholic on and off for a few years, but by definition I honestly don't know. Just that I drank a lot of hard liquor out of depression and the whole "I don't give a f*** attitude" to the point where I'd black out most nights. The thing was that I don't think I was ever actually addicted like they say alcoholics are, I just didn't care enough to quit . . . but once I got my life back together, the drinking ended. Oh, I've had the occasional beer or margarita since then, but I haven't avidly tried to get drunk in years.

The alcohol in the gums that you've mentioned is actually a sugar alcohol, which is just a non-nutritive sweetener; it's not alcohol in same sense as in beverages.

Sigh . . . I was anorexic several years back, not that you'd know it by looking at me. Got myself pretty sick though and nearly ended up in the hospital. My weight's been a constant struggle ever since I got put on steroids as a kid (asthma treatment) and had depression and social issues/agoraphobia.

* * *

Oy, I hope I don't sound preachy anywhere in this post. I got really sick at my highest weight several years back, at one point I started to black out behind the wheel (I don't ever want to get near that point again) and my asthma got way out of control. I realize it's different for everyone but in my own personal experience it's helped immensely to cut out sugar and flour, and stay away from processed foods in general (not that I've been following my own advice at all lately, I need to get back on track all over again). I hope you guys figure out what works best for you.

[PixarFan2006]

I am going to try not to break anymore ornaments next year. Today, I accidentally broke one of my Mom's favorite ornaments trying to get it off the Christmas tree while we were trying to take it down (It was a bulb with a scene from It's a Wonderful Life on it). I also broke a penguin ornament (it wasn't as severe though and my dad managed to fix it).

[slave2moonlight]

I am going to try not to break anymore ornaments next year. Today, I accidentally broke one of my Mom's favorite ornaments trying to get it off the Christmas tree while we were trying to take it down (It was a bulb with a scene from It's a Wonderful Life on it). I also broke a penguin ornament (it wasn't as severe though and my dad managed to fix it).

Ack, breaking my stuff through my own carelessness or clumsiness upsets me so much! Losing one of my "It's a Wonderful Life" ornaments would be tragic! I just wish they had made them out of a good looking plastic (like the Hallmark ornaments I collect) instead of ceramics. I have some really cute ones like the "George Lassos the Moon" sign that are soooo breakable!

At the very least, corn is a whole grain that has fiber, and is highly nutritious in its natural form. It gets a bad rap because it's a starchy vegetable (like potatoes), and is high on the glycemic index. It doesn't help that highly processed versions of it appear in nearly everything available on the grocery store shelves, from soda to baked goods to so-called health foods. The healthiest way to prepare it is by steaming. Eating it in, say, corn flakes? Not so much.

Aside from all the ways it is sneaked into other foods, probably sodas especially, I guess I mainly get it from canned corn heated on the stove (though I do add butter, salt, and pepper) or from boiling corn on the cob. I occasionally have popcorn or a cornflake based cereal, but not as a regular thing (except this month, apparently, with popcorn; been eating that a bit more since I recently learned how good it is with Parmesan cheese, which is a weakness of mine; before that, I hadn't had much popcorn in the past several years). I occasionally have cornchips at a Mexican restaurant too, but not super often (except right now, while visiting my mom in her border town), or cornbread too, which I really love but really only make a couple times a year.

I go on occasional health kicks where I'll make what I call "junk salad" for lunches; I basically chop up whatever veggies I felt like picking up at the store for the week and set them in a bed of baby spinach, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But I fall out of the habit easily and have been trying to force myself back into it for months. I think part of me was just burnt out from dieting with so little results for so very long, and more recently my taste buds have gotten all weird on me. But I at least tolerate veggies well if I don't absolutely love them.

I don't too often go on extreme health kicks, though I will sometimes decide to lose weight and cut out soda for months until I'm in a stressful situation, or I need to get a lot of work done and pull all-nighters, or I just want to enjoy a holiday or vacation to the fullest. But that gets me back into drinking them long term, ha. Or I will go on an exercise kick till I just get sick of it or can't find the time. The thing about exercise is two things for me, my breathing trouble and also the fact that I find most exercise really boring and HATE sports for a million reasons. It doesn't help that I don't like to be "seen" exercising (until you're in shape, you look your worst when exercising and people seem to find it the most appropriate time to openly mock you), but I rarely have total privacy, and in addition, the bigger you are, the more stressful it is on your joints and all.

However, last... Spring, I think, I got on my first SERIOUS health kick. This was partly because I was anticipating dating someone whom I actually had a lot in common with, which is hard for me to find, ha, and really liked (and it's also hard to find someone willing to date me; in fact, I never have before; so, to find all this in the same person...). I also liked what I was hearing about a certain program, P90X, and it was the rare occasion that I had the cash to invest in something like that, so I ordered the DVDs and started using it, and even followed the diet plan well. I dropped around 40 pounds. But, then my father's Leukemia situation really kicked into high gear, and my mother got sick too, and all these other stressful situations came up and I just ended up having to put a daily exercise program and strict but not cheap food plan on hold (incidentally, it has you eating 3 meals a day and ... I think it was 3 snacks, which is totally bizarre to me; I was spending most of my time preparing meals!). All the stuff that came up soon had me back to old habits of 1 or 2 meals a day and a lot of soda, ha. I want to get back on it though, at least the exercising and the small, spread out meals (maybe not being as strict about what I prepare and how, because I just can't afford it nor do I have the time), for the new year. It's tough though, because I'm still taking care of my mother, who likes certain meals at certain times that don't match up well with the program, ha. But, when she starts going back in for treatments, and especially when I leave (hopefully by mid-Jan.) to go back to Austin, I intend to get back with it. I know I've probably put a lot of the 40 pounds I lost back on, though not all of it. I probably need to lose a total of around 160lbs right now (incidentally, while I know it shows that I need to lose a lot of weight, a funny thing about me is that I have always weight A LOT more than I look like I weigh; I don't know what's up with that, but that's always been the case with me).

I have one of those Magic Bullets and just love the thing to death. I use it to "hide" veggies in my fruit smoothies, lol. Making those smoothies helped me adapt to eating certain fruits every day, like blueberries and oranges, things I had trouble making myself eat before.

Ah, I should get one of those.

Unfortunately, orange juice isn't all that healthy aside from the vitamin C. For me the difference is having to chew the orange; I personally can barely handle eating oranges myself (they hurt my mouth!) but can guzzle down the juice just fine. But the body doesn't process it the same without the fibrous tissue of the orange itself (and is why it's bad that fructose is added to so many foods that don't include fiber, it basically poisons your liver in a similar way to alcohol when there's no fiber to counter it).

Well, that's a bit disturbing. Not that I drink Orange juice all that often either, ha, though I mainly do it for the vitamin C, as I think I get a lot of fiber from other sources. But, I hate to think that my liver is getting damaged even though I never have had a drop of alcohol! What a ripoff!

Can't stand iceberg lettuce myself (bitter, bleh!) and it has no nutritional value other than the fiber. The darker greens (spinach, kale, arugula, romaine, etc.) taste better and have many more nutrients in them. Wish I could have caesar salad (I like romaine lettuce) but the dressing has anchovies and I'm allergic to seafood. I love baby carrots, but don't like the flavor of cooked carrots at all for some odd reason. And I can't remember the last time I had green beans, although I don't particularly dislike them either.

Green Beans were the torturous food from my childhood. The thing I hated but was often forced to eat. I don't usually eat iceberg lettuce myself, either. I try to stick with Romaine all that I can. In fact, my little sister has a tortoise, a vegetarian one, and I've heard you shouldn't give them iceberg lettuce either, just the greener kinds like Romaine. I didn't know there were anchovies in the Caesar dressing! Ha. I find I'm finicky about which dressings I eat, too. I bought the Caesar Paul Newman dressing, and I didn't like it at all. But, I think it was Wishbone that was really good... Baby carrots I particularly don't like, because they stay so hard when cooked. particularly don't like carrots when they're hard/raw/crunchy. Gotta have them in a stew or something. With a roast is okay, but I have to be able to hide their flavor a bit with meat and potatoes, ha.

I've got heredity against me, along with a stubborn metabolism and being asthmatic. I'm currently trying to build up my exercising again, mostly through walking. I just haven't had any energy lately and I know a big part of it is that I've let my eating habits slide since September or so.

Ah, I have all the same problems. I haven't dealt with being an asthmatic since I quit taking the medication when I was a kid, so maybe I have outgrown that, but there are all these aftereffects from having that as a kid which you brought up when you mentioned the steroid medications, but more on that in a minute...

Unfortunately, I could eat chocolate all day. Oddly enough, I don't really like most candy even though I have a major sweet tooth. I don't like lollipops, skittles, sweet tarts, gummi bears . . . but give me something with chocolate or caramel in it and I'm gone!

Yeah, I'm a chocoholic. I am less into the other stuff you mentioned, though I CAN enjoy lollipops/hard candy or sweet tarts; they are a last resort though. My preference is something with chocolate and, if at all possible, nuts. But my sweet tooth craves cookies, pies, and cake more than anything. Even ice cream (cookies 'n' cream is my mainstay), which I ate a lot for dessert in Austin. I'm a pretty finicky guy though with tastes and brands, I guess. I mean, especially with chocolate. For example, I HATE the chocolate used in most Easter candy! Ugh! My main candy choices are M&Ms, Hershey's with Almonds, Reese's (love Reese's Pieces too), and I love Starbucks hot chocolate and Nestle Quick powder for cold chocolate milk. Almond Joys, Snickers, Mr. Goodbar, and Butterfinger are also faves, and the occasional Baby Ruth. I'm terrible, I will enjoy those things with a Coca Cola half the time, ha. Coke is one of the big weight problems I have, and probably also played a big role in my tons of fillings/root canals. Honestly though, I don't eat candy all that often outside of holidays, but I do like those more desserty desserts as regularly as possible these days. Oh, and I do have the problem of still preferring kids' cereals, ha. Though I usually end up getting Honey Bunches of Oats, I will get Cap'n Crunch, Pebbles, Lucky Charms, or Monster Cereals whenever I can.

Good to never start either habit! I smoked for about ten years, but quit cold turkey in 2007. Haven't looked back since. It's also possible I was an alcoholic on and off for a few years, but by definition I honestly don't know. Just that I drank a lot of hard liquor out of depression and the whole "I don't give a f*** attitude" to the point where I'd black out most nights. The thing was that I don't think I was ever actually addicted like they say alcoholics are, I just didn't care enough to quit . . . but once I got my life back together, the drinking ended. Oh, I've had the occasional beer or margarita since then, but I haven't avidly tried to get drunk in years.

I suppose I have abused Coca Cola in a very similar way in my life, and still do, ha. Though I might be somewhat addicted.

Sigh . . . I was anorexic several years back, not that you'd know it by looking at me. Got myself pretty sick though and nearly ended up in the hospital. My weight's been a constant struggle ever since I got put on steroids as a kid (asthma treatment) and had depression and social issues/agoraphobia.

Hear it is. I gotta admit, it is nice to hear someone else bring this up. As a kid, I was diagnosed with asthma and put on steroid treatments too, and this was actually the original source of my weight struggles. I was an average kid before that, but that was when I was very, VERY young. This is why I get so frustrated that so many (skinny) people assume that if you're overweight, it's because you are always thinking about food and eat every chance you get, which can often be the opposite of the truth. As a kid, I was put on those steroids and it caused me to put on weight, largely because my ability to exercise was very limited due to my difficulty breathing, which was only partly the asthma, and largely sinus problems I've always had (in college, I had surgery to remove polyps, but that was only slightly effective at improving my breathing, and by now I supposedly should need polyp removal again, but I don't think I could go through that brutal/gory surgery aftermath again). So, being a kinda chubby little kid because of the steroids (not very chubby, just kinda, but when all the other kids are skin and bones as they were...), I got picked on a bit (actually, probably more by the doctor than anyone else, which resulted in my mother always making a big deal about my weight too) and developed a complex. Eventually, around when I was leaving elementary, I quit taking the asthma treatments. I lost weight (also partly because I got taller), but I never got over feeling unattractive and thinking I was overweight. When girls liked me in junior high, I always thought they were just making fun of me (hindsight is 20/20, of course). And by high school I had developed zero skills at flirting or recognizing flirting, or being social at all with others. Those steroid treatments pretty much ruined my life. I still couldn't exercise well as I got older, and I still had a complex, and then I started putting a little weight on out of depression from being lonely. But then, in college, just after college actually, a girl I really liked rejected me in a brutal way due to my weight, which was still not much over at the time (but she apparently was one of those who hated any chub at all on a guy), but this caused me to get into a heavy depression that lasted several years and caused me to gain a lot of weight very quickly, which is what I'm still struggling to take off now. That was around 2000. I was in a depression and putting on a lot of weight for around 6 or 7 years after that (never being able to find a good job after college hasn't helped).

Oy, I hope I don't sound preachy anywhere in this post. I got really sick at my highest weight several years back, at one point I started to black out behind the wheel (I don't ever want to get near that point again) and my asthma got way out of control. I realize it's different for everyone but in my own personal experience it's helped immensely to cut out sugar and flour, and stay away from processed foods in general (not that I've been following my own advice at all lately, I need to get back on track all over again). I hope you guys figure out what works best for you.

I understand that. When I put on the most weight really quickly, it played games with my continence. I haven't really shared that with anyone before. I had a few bad accidents during my depression and rapid weight gain in the early or mid 2000's. Anyway, I have had some luck with the P90X thing, so like I said, I'm going to get back on it very soon if I can. I don't usually put on weight unless I am in a depression, which I usually only get into because I get so lonely or treated badly. My natural disposition is very cheerful, but I'm also a romantic and have never had anyone to be with in that respect. Feeling alone and lonely can instantly turn me into a psychic vampire, but otherwise I am just the opposite. It's a bit of a vicious cycle though, as I am constantly rejected for being overweight, ha. And that isn't an assumption. Even when I was only slightly overweight, I was often told that was why I was being rejected...