They Told Me I'd Need Math in Later Life

My junior high teachers were right. I do need math in my declining years! In today's paper I read two articles that required me to do a little figuring. First was the article about a study in London where scientists calculated BMIs on hundreds of obese people and found that those with moderately high BMIs died later in life than those with high BMIs. But the difference was not considered significant, only 3-4 years!!! 3-4 years IS significant to me!! I'm sure somewhere in the US they are studying this very same thing, and some government money is funding that very study. Isn't knowing obesity is harmful to one's health enough? Oh well, on to article #2. This one is on a little lighter note, and actually may end up being helpful. A dietitian suggests that one uses a 9" dinner plate and divide it into quadrants. Using 2 quadrants for fruits and veggies, one quadrant for a protein, and the last quadrant for some kind of dairy. Seems very reasonable to me. The example they gave I really enjoyed. Two slices of pizza covers the 9" plate, so if you were to take the one slice, add 1/2 plate of leafy salad greens, you'd save about 500 calories. My question was, is this really the example we want to use? Now I have to "divide and conquer" my plate. This may be where my 7th grade math comes in handy. :)

Today's weigh in was not nearly as awful as I'd imagined. I'd lost .5 pounds for a total of 8 pounds in 2 weeks. I'm still happy with that. And for those of you who care, I did park away from the door at Lowes yesterday, walked very briskly to the entrance, and then proceeded to "power walk" thru the store. (At least 'til I got kinda lost and had to stop and ask for help.) I am quite sure the people working there thought I was trying to make off with something valuable, but even I cannot fit a riding lawnmower under my sweater vest!! I didn't use the bike yesterday, I went on a little walk all by my lonesome. It was a great day to be outside, and I enjoyed myself enormously. I forgot to wear my pedometer, but I'm sure I did miles and miles.

This week has been just the best for grilling. I love to grill, and will do so in the dead of winter, but being out in shirtsleeves is just so much nicer. I stocked up on fresh fish yesterday, so with a new tank of gas, new cuts of fish, and warmer weather, I'm in heaven!! I have been trying various fruit salsas to go with the fish lately to kinda brighten up the plate and the flavor. Hubby Dearest likes the mango jalapeno version and my chipotle marmalade. Not many calories, but lots of flavor. This weekend we may treat ourselves to some steaks. We are trying not to have beef too often, but Hubby Dearest, being a meat and potatoes kind of guy, likes to have a tenderloin steak now and then. Believe me, we've not cut beef out of our diets completely, we are just trying to be more sensible about it.