Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive

March 2009

  • Day in the Life: Using A Ball As A Desk Chair

    According to proponents, “the constant adjustment and readjustment that your body makes on the ball will work your core muscles — even sitting at your desk.” The potential strain this can put on your lower back and spine is, in fact, why some ergonomics specialists recommend not using a ball at work. The research I’ve… Continue reading

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  • Incentives to lose weight?

    From The Onion’s satirical corner comes this “man on the street” reaction to the news that the Army has rejected 48,000 would-be recruits for being too fat.   So let’s summarize my incentives for losing weight: I’ll be hungry all the time, I’ll be tired all the time, and I’ll qualify for Army service. Not… Continue reading

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  • Thankful Thursday

    Obviously I’m on the west coast since it’s still Thursday here ;) 1) Time with my sweetie.  2) Have a new “exercise ball” to sit on at my desk at the office, paid for by work.  No arms, so “arms digging into my hips and thighs” problem with the standard office chairs goes away.  Plus… Continue reading

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  • Letting Go

    One thing about growing up: you learn how to let go of things, too.  Sometimes it’s all happy, sometimes it’s bittersweet, sometimes it’s an ugly, ugly loss.  Sometimes  it’s “I let it go” and sometimes it’s “It was ripped away from me” – but it’s gone, and you have to deal with that.  What brought… Continue reading

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  • 666 …

    At the moment this blog has 666 approved (non-spam) comments.   I just had to share that ;) Continue reading

  • DayintheLife: Oh yeah, I’m fat

    Every once in a while I run into one of those “Oh, my, yes, I really AM big” moments.  Recently I had three of them. 1) Going to the football/soccer stadium for the Sounders FC game on Thursday.  As stadium seats go they weren’t the worst I’ve been in; some have the armrests so tight… Continue reading

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  • Knee Rehab: Feeling Good :)

    Well, not completely.  I am a bit amused that I can work up to a brisk, steady clip on the treadmill in my office building’s mini-gym with no limp, then limp as I’m walking to my office.  I think it’s partly that I am usually walking a bit slower when I’m off the treadmill…and that the… Continue reading

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  • Things Worth Reading

    Do you know your upper arm size in centimeters?  Well-Rounded Mama has a great post on how the wrong blood-pressure-cuff size can cause misdiagnosis and over- or under-treatment.   (Mine is 48.)   Margaret Cho’s “diet” where you eat what you want, you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want, and you can buy… Continue reading

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  • Thankful Thursday

    1) I’ve got a day off!  Whee, I get to play! :)  2) Knee is reminding me to walk daily  in addition to other exercises.  [….this is the silver lining within the cloud of “Argh, I can’t take a day (or two or five) off?”] 3) Knee is not hurting badly and I can walk with only… Continue reading

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  • Health Assessments

    Mcfluffy’s post in the LJ fatshionista community about health assessments, and the resulting comment thread, got me thinking. She had one very negative assessement from the website of her health insurance company; she had a very positive assessment from the “general health assessement” from another site. Continue reading

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  • Chronic Stress Tied to Obesity? Hey, Let’s Make Them Thin…

    So I was reading about a study that says kids of families with chronic stress were maybe a little more likely to be fat and wondering what else there is about chronic stress and being fat.   I run into:  Researchers found a molecule the body releases when stressed called NPY (neuropeptide Y). NPY appears to unlock… Continue reading

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  • Optimism

    It’s getting tougher these days to think of the glass as half full rather than half empty, but if you’re going to survive this economic crisis – literally – you might as well try. – Time Optimism.  This can be hard when 2 people you know lost their job in the last week and a… Continue reading

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  • Açaí hits the mainstream…

    In this case, The New York Times. Some highlights:  Both Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray have posted disclaimers on their websites that they do not endorse any açaí product.  No studies have shown specific health benefits to eating açaí berries or products.  No studies have shown açaí helps in weight loss.  The Better Business Bureau has warned… Continue reading

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  • Tongue-in-cheek Lenten Poll :)

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  • Thankful Thursday

    My knee doesn’t really hate me anymore.  It’s just occasionally crotchety.  New shirt from Ulla Popken arrived and fits nicely.  Sunny days lasting til 7pm seems to be counteracting my SAD a bit. Taking time to stretch.  A weekend with nothing scheduled and nowhere I had to be.  :)  Continue reading

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  • Walking review: Burke Museum

    Since the knee has been bothering me lately, I’ve been making more of an effort to go for walks.  The University of Washington’s Burke Museum, which focuses on natural history and culture, has a special exhibit on … Coffee.  In Seattle.  Of course.   Cynicism aside, it was an interesting overview of the history of… Continue reading

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  • Sleep Quote

    “It’s a bell-shaped curve,” she said, with just 2.5 percent of the population needing significantly less sleep than average. “The problem,” she went on, “is that 95 percent of us think we’re in that 2.5 percent.” Continue reading

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About Me

Former software tester, now retired heart patient having fun and working on building endurance and strength. See also About page.

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