Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive

July 2009

  • Enjoy Your Weekend

    After the record-setting heat of the last few days I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend. Keep clam! Continue reading

  • Thankful Thursday

    [Another weekly exercise in gratitude.] 1)  Being able to do a brisker walk than before… 2) Getting strong enough to up the weights I lift at the gym, too :) 3) Our lavender bush just keeps blooming. 4)  Seattle’s much-higher-than-normal heat wave is starting to break. 5) Having the ready cash to move into a hotel… Continue reading

  • Things To Read

    First: Unapologetically Fat spotted “Obesity Police’s Shaky Science” in The Baltimore Sun, which starts with: Why is a thin, male smoker considered a physical role model as president but a full-figured African-American woman is considered an embarrassment as his nominee for surgeon general? …and moves on to discuss the recent obesity research that finds that overweight… Continue reading

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  • Science Reporting vs Reality

    It’s not uncommon to see health stories that turn out not to be valid.  Sometimes one study is later contradicted by others, which is a lot of what science is about. Sometimes the science news cycle / game of telephone adds confusion. Sometimes a computer model  invents something wonky, but with an appealing hook. And… Continue reading

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  • A brief, humorous note

    It’s reassuring when a treadmill (or stationary bike, or whatever) will let me enter my actual weight.   ;) Continue reading

  • Aerobics at Home

    (This is based on Paige’s comment on the Why Go to the Gym? post.  My reply was getting awfully long, and I thought other folks who read this blog would have good input too. ) [J]ust going outside to walk isn’t an option 8 out of 12 months in the year… Reason being, going outside… Continue reading

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  • Why Go to the Gym?

    During a discussion on another site, someone mentioned in passing that “many – if not most – people join a gym to lose weight”. This made me think a bit. Do I hear gymgoers talking about losing weight or wanting to lose weight? Some.  But I also hear gymgoers talking about getting stronger, or faster,… Continue reading

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  • Small Pleasures

    Tuesday I got tired of feeling stiff each time I got up from my desk.  I started an experiement: even if I’m just getting up to get coffee/tea or go to the bathroom, I “take the long way”.  I walk through more of the office than strictly necessary, then downstairs a flight and back up.… Continue reading

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  • Thankful Thursday

    [Another weekly exercise in gratitude.] 1) Friends who get why greeting me with “Wow, you’ve lost weight!” isn’t helpful. 2) Being able to smile and say, “I’ve been working out more and it really changes how I hold myself” and then move onto other topics. 3) Thought–provoking Fatosphere posts. 4) White wine at the end of… Continue reading

  • Food Hype

    With all the hype about “superfoods” and how they can make you thin or prevent cancer, it’s a wonder that Starbucks doesn’t build an advertising campaign around things like: Moderate coffee drinkers are at decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, gallstones and colon cancer. They also show improved cognitive function and develop fewer cases of… Continue reading

  • Thankful Thursday…

    …just under the wire :)  Today I’m thankful for: My Making It Big order (BOGO, on clearance) arriving and all four items fit. I’m taking a long weekend just because I feel like it ;) Being able to lift some boxes today a lot easier than a few months ago. Going out to the French… Continue reading

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  • NYTimes on Fat Acceptance (Again)

    “Throwing out the diet and embracing the fat” is not a perfect description of fat acceptance, but very, very good to see in mainstream media.  Many fat blogs are named and linked to;  four or five books are mentioned; and the obligatory “but people are healthier if they’re thinner” doesn’t get the last word —… Continue reading

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  • LEAN Works. Not.

    After reading both the Association for Size Diversity and Health’s press release and Laura Frater’s post on the CDC’s LEAN Works site I went and took a look at it. I was not impressed. While skimming the site, a survey popped up asking me to give my feedback.  I answered it honestly, noting that, for… Continue reading

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  • Calorie Restriction has Downsides?

    You’ve likely seen the headlines on calorie restriction, or a “permanent diet“, increasing the lifespan of monkeys.  Turns out some research is being done on human volunteers, too — and it’s not without problems: [I]t has potential downsides, including constant hunger, sensitivity to cold, weakened immune function and sour mood, says Susan Roberts, professor of… Continue reading

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  • Thankful Thursday

    [A weekly little exercise in gratitude.] 1) I haven’t had a romantic partner try dropping “hints” about my weight.  Part of it is that I’ve had enough of a chip on my shoulder to say, “I know I’m fat.  I’m not trying to make my weight go up or down. If that’s a problem for… Continue reading

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  • Side Benefits to Exercise

    …and I’m not saying anyone has to exercise.   Goodness knows a lot of the “Exercise Shoulds” do nothing but spoil the party.  But as I’ve tried to let go of the Shoulds and exercise for my own reasons, I’m discovering some things I didn’t expect. I’m generally sleeping better. Less low back pain. Walking or… Continue reading

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  • A Question for the Ages

    An obese child 6 to 9 had a 37 percent chance of being an obese adult if neither parent was obese. But if at least one parent was fat, the child’s change of growing up to be fat nearly doubled, to 71 percent. The work fits well with current thinking about adult obesity, medical experts… 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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