March 22 - Oh, those were the days....

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Breakfast - 2 egg omelet w/cheese and onion. Toast.

Dinner - 1 cup noodles w/sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

March 21 - "Blame Bob" weekend

If you gain weight this weekend, you can do what I do, Blame Bob. Last weekend, when Bob stayed in CT, I was perfectly in control. This weekend, I ate myself into a small food coma. The difference? Bob came to town.

I think we can all agree that Bob is the culprit for our overeating. So, if you end up indulging this weekend, don't sweat it.

Blame Bob.

Breakfast - 2 pieces of toast. Made from the bread that BOB brought home.

Lunch - A portabello and grilled veggie wrap. About 1/3 of the sweet potato fries shown. BOB wanted to go out for lunch.

March 20 - 40 lbs officially shed!

It's another Bear Day! I have officially lost 40 lbs as of this morning! WOOT! (See previous Bear days here, here, and here.)

With Bob home this weekend, that's unlikely to last until Monday morning. Bob brings home gifts of cookies and bread and enjoys going out to eat while he's home, so I'm going to enjoy the next few hours at this new milestone.

I have 10 more pounds to go (really 13) to get to my "healthy" weight that all of the texts say I should try to achieve. As long as my BMI is still above the recommended level, I'm going to go for it. I can always put on weight. I'm really good at that. (My BMI is considered "overweight" by the CDC, and "marginally overweight" by Halls.MD)

Breakfast - Usual Fiber One Cereal / Flax Oil Gel Tab

Lunch - Spinach Salad. DAMNIT! Someone brought lemon cake/bread. Oh, well. I've been good. I'll have a piece. Then two more.

Snack - ChocoChip cookie from Panera. (Bob ate the entire rest of the package in one day.)

Dinner - We went to a little event and I porked out. A little Asian cuisine. A little pulled pork, strawberry, stuffed mushrooms. A mini sloppyjoe. 2 little pieces of pizza and some creamy blue cheese. (urp!)

Personal Observation: After looking at the food consumed today, it doesn't look like much, does it? But it certainly feels heavy in my belly this morning, and it packed on 2 lbs in a day.

March 19 - Hmmm. Bacon Butties.

I have to admit, when I posted yesterday's "Too Fat to Work" article, I had no idea what the family's favorite lunch (Bacon Butties) was. Thanks to Wikipedia, I'm that much smarter.

A bacon sandwich (also bacon sarnie or bacon butty (UK) and bacon sanger or pigwich (Aus)) is a form of sandwich made from cooked bacon between two slices of bread, perhaps toasted and/or buttered. Usually some form of sauce, such as tomato ketchup or brown sauce, is included. (HP Sauce advertises itself as the perfect complement to a bacon sandwich.)

Bacon sandwiches are an all-day favourite throughout the United Kingdom. Rarely found on the menus of high class restaurants, they are often served in greasy spoons. Other ingredients such as sausage, cheese, fried or scrambled egg and beans are often added.

A variant of the bacon sandwich is the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich.

I gotta admit, I'd certainly like to try it. But that portion shown would probably kill me at this point.

Breakfast - Dry Fiber One Cereal.

Lunch - The other 1/2 of the Chicken Waldorf Wrap from last night's dinner. 100 cal pack of Oreo Thin Crisps. (Bleh!)

Dinner - Wasn't really hungry when I got home so I only gnoshed on 8 Suncoast Olive & Fig crisps. Later, when I went to pick up Bob at the airport, I popped a quick bag of 100 cal popcorn.

Bob brought home a big bag of chocolate chip cookies from Panera. They looked sooooo good, but I didn't give in. I knew that if I had 1, I'd have 10.

Family who is 'too fat to work'

Son-of-a-biscuit-n-gravy. Why didn't *I* think of this?!

"Hello? Boss? Yes, I can't come in today. I'm calling in fat."

Now, as a self-proclaimed fatty, I can relate on a certain level - especially to the exercise thing. But these people make fatties look bad.

A family of four with a combined weight of 83 stone (1162 Pounds) say they are "too fat to work" and need more than the £22,000 ($30,859) they currently receive in benefits.

Philip Chawner, 53, and his 57-year-old wife Audrey weigh 24st. Their daughter Emma, 19, weighs 17st, while her older sister Samantha, 21, weighs 18st.

The family from Blackburn claim £22,508 a year in benefits, equivalent to the take-home pay from a £30,000 salary.

The Chawners, haven't worked in 11 years, claim their weight is a hereditary condition and the money they receive is insufficient to live on.

Mr Chawner said: "What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It's not our fault we can't work. We deserve more."

The family claim to spend £50 a week on food and consume 3,000 calories each a day. The recommended maximum intake is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.

"We have cereal for breakfast, bacon butties for lunch and microwave pies with mashed potato or chips for dinner," Mrs Chawner told Closer magazine.

"All that healthy food, like fruit and veg, is too expensive. We're fat because it's in our genes. Our whole family is overweight," she added. “All that healthy food is too expensive. We all love nibbling on biscuits. I once bought some pears but they tasted funny.”

Each week, Mr and Mrs Chawner, who have been married for 23 years, receive £177 in income support and incapacity benefit. Mrs Chawner is paid an extra £330-a-month disability allowance for epilepsy and asthma, both a result of being overweight.

Mr Chawner gets £71 a month after developing Type 2 diabetes because of his size. He was on a waiting list for a gastric band last year, but a heart condition made the operation unsuitable. Their daughter Samantha receives £84 in Jobseekers' Allowance each fortnight while Emma, who is training to be a hairdresser, gets £58 every two weeks under a hardship fund for low-income students.

Emma, said: "I'm a student and don't have time to exercise" she said "We all want to lose weight to stop the abuse we get in the street, but we don't know how. ‘We love TV. It’s on from the moment we get up. Often I’m so tired from watching TV I have to have a nap.’

March 18 - Up and At 'Em.

Yesterday was the first time I've worn a shirt and tie without a sweater or jacket over the shirt and felt good about my silhouette. My pants are too big, but I really don't want to buy new pants until I settle on where I want my final weight to be. Still, cinched by a belt that I had to add an extra notch in (I'm not buying new belts until I decide, either), I felt comfortable and OK.

I have an event that I'm going to in May in New York. I'll have to buy a new suit for that event. I'm looking forward to having a fitting and feeling good in that new suit.

I was pretty certain that last night's pizza and bread would have retained a few pounds, but delightfully, not so.


Lunch - 1 cup of black beans with cheese

Dinner - 1/2 of the chicken salad wrap shown. No chips.

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

Today's weather is going to be absolutely inspired - 63 degrees and sunny. Normally, I ride in the St. Patrick's Day parade on my scooter, but this year, my superiors have decided to hold a meeting from 3pm to 5pm. I have to say, for a Human Resources department, they don't get the whole "cultural sensitivity" thing.

Breakfast - Fiber One Cereal. Flax Oil Gel Tab

Snack - 2 (TWO!) packages of caramel rice cakes

Lunch - Spinach Salad

Dinner - Piece of bread/butter. Slice of pizza. Bowl of wedding soup.

March 16 - Always Something There to Remind Me

Saturday's fish feels like it's still swimming in my belly. I can honestly say that I am still feeling full a day-and-a-half later.

Breakfast - Fiber One Cereal. Flax Oil Gel Tab

Lunch - Spinach Salad

Snack - 2 rice cakes

Dinner - Was going to grab something on the way to the theater, but just didn't think about it. When I went to bed, I was hungry but I knew it wouldn't kill me to go to bed hungry. Last year, I would have whipped up something, grabbed some cake, or stuffed my gob with something to stop that rumbling in my belly. That's the difference between then and now.

March 15 - The Ides of March

Just like Julius Caesar was betrayed on the Ides of March, so was I by fried fish, garlic bread and creampuffs. The result was a stabbing 1.5 lb weight gain in a day.

But oh, what a lovely death. :)

No worries, I shall resurrect myself from butter, cheeses and tartar sauce and be reborn today.

Breakfast - Went to Perkins with Mom. 2 egg omelet w/Toast. That did me in for the day. Between that and the meal from the previous night, I wasn't hungry the rest of the day.

March 14 - Off to Ashtabula

Spending the afternoon in Ashtabula for funeral service for a dear friend's father. On a cheerier note, there will be dinner afterward at the El Grande Steak House (yes, the place Pat Cooper recommends.) My tastebuds are already set on the broiled scrod. Hold the pot of butter.

Breakfast - made myself 3 popovers with butter and powdered sugar. YES!

Late Lunch/Dinner at the El Grande - piece of garlic toast. 1/2 of the salad shown. 1 piece of the fried fish (I opted for fried instead of the broiled. Sue me), about 1/2 of the fries. Creampuff from Zak's Aunt Mary. It's now 10:15pm. We ate 5 hours ago and I'm still plenty full.

March 13 - This is gonna hurt.

One Friday each year during the Lent season I take Mom out for a fish fry. I'm not sure why we do it because in the past few years it's been more like the Fear Factor Fish Fry.

Last year we went to a place in Seven Hills called Mimi's. Now, I've had their fish in the past and it was fine, but last year I think they marinaded their frozen cod in Crisco. The result was a nasty, greasy mess that ripped up my belly for days.

Tonight I'm taking mom out for the annual fry. Wish me luck.

WOOT! GOOD NEWS! - Mom just called. She can't make dinner tonight. She's going out with my nephew. Spared from the Evil Fish!

Breakfast - Coffee/Gel Tab. 1/2 cup of Fiber One Cereal.

Lunch - Spinach Salad.

Afternoon Snack - 100 cal pack of caramel rice cakes

Dinner - Pasta w/ quick sauce (2 whole red onions, 3 roma tomatoes, garlic, basil oregano.) I'm feeling a bit congested. Spring sinuses, I think. Hoping the garlic/onion combo knocks it out of me.

Snack - Went to Truffles. Had coffee and a lovely choco chip cookie.

Hey, Jefferson - Get Your Flax Seed Oil

The other day, Jeff asked me about this miraculous Flax Seed oil that I have been taking daily. I had heard the buzz about flax seed oil from several doctors who suggested it for cardiovascular care, and since I had been concerned about the stress on my heart when I was bigger, I decided to try it for myself.

The studies show that Flax Seed Oil may be doing a lot more good than just benefiting the heart. Here's what one site says:

- Research shows low incidence of breast cancer and colon cancer in populations that have high amounts of lignan in their diet. Flax is 100 times richer in lignan than most whole grains.

• - Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol and blood triglycerides, and prevent clots in arteries, which may result in strokes, heart attacks and thromboses.
• - Helps protect the body against high blood pressure, inflammation, water retention, sticky platelets and lowered immune function.
• - Shortens recovery time for fatigued muscles after exertion.
• - Increases the body's production of energy and also increases stamina.
• - Accelerates the healing of sprains and bruises.
• - Eases weight loss
  
  in people afflicted with obesity.
• - Stimulates brown fat cells and increases the metabolic rate making it easier to burn off fat.
• - Improves the absorption of Calcium.
• - Strengthens finger and toenails.
• - Can improve eyesight and perception of colors.
• - Can relieve the side effects and stop development of many forms of cancer.
• - Can relieve some cases of Asthma
  
  .
• - Helpful in the treatment of Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dandruff.
• - Can relieve the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
  
  . It can relieve the symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus.
• - Helps prevent Atherosclerosis (the accumulation of fatty deposits inside the blood vessels, especially the large and medium-sized arteries, that many people experience during the aging process).
• - Lowers high blood pressure in Hypertension sufferers.
• - Has been scientifically proven to treat some cases of depression.
• - Can improve the mental function of many old age pensioners.

Even WebMD is suggesting the benefits of Flax Seed oil.

I'm not really big into supplements, but so far, the Flax Seed oil seems to be beneficial. No side effects and if it's doing some good from the inside out, I'm all for it.