Suggestion for Goal Weight

Everyone has considered their weight.  Am I too thin?  Am I too heavy?  Someone has made a comment one way or the other.  Some media influence has stuck in their head.  Someone may have convinced you your current weight is unacceptable.  YOU may have decided your weight is unacceptable.  You may have tried the latest trend diets.  You may have cut out everything you can think of to shed pounds.  You may have started consuming mass quantities in an attempt to bring your weight up.

Maybe it’s time to consider what’s RIGHT for you.

Have you calculated the amount of calories your body requires to maintain (no tricks or gimmicks) your weight?  We start by finding out how much we should consume, even if we do absolutely nothing all day.  An important note before I link … NONE of the calculators and recommendations for ideal weight or calorie burn are 100% accurate.  NONE.  We are all beautiful and unique snow flakes (despite opinions stating otherwise).  Everyone is different.  These are just recommendations for a good starting point!

You can start with a calculator like this one or this one.  You’re looking for the amount of calories your body needs to function without ANY actual fitness.  I am NOT saying to be inactive, just to find out what amount you can consume when you do nothing to gain no weight and lose no weight.

How do you FEEL about that number?

Does it make you wince?  Does it seem impossible?  Can you comfortably do enough exercise to bring that number up to one that is acceptable to you on a daily basis?  I don’t mean while you’re committed to weight loss and dieting.  I mean forever.  Diets are temporary.  Lifestyle changes are permanent.

My Suggestion for Choosing Your Goal Weight.

You may have already decided (with the help of your doctor) to lose weight or gain.  Your reasons may be absolutely worthwhile.  Keep aiming for what you’ve found to be ideal for you.  What I’m suggesting is, consider the end result in your calculation of goal weight.  If the weight you’re aiming for means you have to eat so much or so little that it bothers you, reconsider.  Find the goal you can make permanent without continued discomfort.  Remember you can reevaluate it later, if it’s right for you.

Why?

A woman (my height and age) who consumes 1,800 or 2,000 calories per day (with no physical activity) may weigh over two hundred pounds.  If she chose a goal weight of 110 pounds, she’d be expected to consume around 1,250 calories per day (to maintain her weight).  The only wiggle room there would depend on how much she burned through activity and exercise.  If she reached that goal weight of 110, would she be comfortable/happy/content to only consume 1,250 calories per day?  If the answer is no, why choose that weight as the goal?

Does that make sense?  Any pro’s or con’s you’d like to share in this regard?

On a related, but somewhat unrelated, note:

Age is no excuse.  Fat increase and activity decrease is why metabolism slows down.  Not age.

Click THIS and have a great Saturday!

~ M

Severe Pet Allergies

From: http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/top-10-cutest-puppy-and-kitten-pals/

Finding out someone has severe allergies to an animal seems to prompt a lot of feedback from people. They want us to know about hypoallergenic cats and dogs.  They try to rationalize how their pets are okay for the person to be around, despite what they’re being told.  They begin to openly question whose “fault” the allergies are (genetically).  They treat the avoidance of the animals as though it is optional or paranoia.

When we first found out about our son’s issues with dogs and cats, it was by way of extreme facial swelling in response to a very friendly pup licking his face.  He was four years old.  We responded quickly and addressed it.  We got the swelling down.  We scheduled an appointment with our pediatrician.  Next up was an allergist.

Tests Confirmed

Blood tests revealed severe allergies to both dogs and cats, in addition to lesser allergies to a LOT of foods.  We were strongly advised to avoid dogs and cats.  The medical professionals assured us that each exposure had the potential to increase the allergic reaction.  We were only given permission to visit a home with those pets on the rarest occasions.  Our trusty junior epi pen present and benadryl for non life threatening reactions.  He takes a prescription (pill) daily and an over the counter antihistamine (daily).  That’s how severe the allergies are.

Somehow, the medical testing and professional insights did nothing to stop the opinion of others from overriding what we relayed about our son.  Even with the public school system … We got a call once from the office because he’d developed hives.  It started in the computer lab.

When I questioned the teacher about possible pet exposure (because you try to identify the source and you know pet owners pets are like their children – and rightfully so – but take one to your work on your day off and have it shed or lick something an allergic person will be exposed to and WHAM – but I digress) and I received one of many scoffs and hrmphs from the party in question.  We never identified the source of the hives, despite a lengthy back and forth with the doc.

We LOVE pets.

I’m not exaggerating.  Our family loves pets.  We ooh and aww and want to snuggle every cute animal we see.  We want to hold them and pet them.  We have puppy and kitten calendars.  We stop and look adoringly at the dogs out for a walk with their owners.  We talk to the cats we see sunning themselves in windows.  We put on our brakes for a bird in the middle of the road.  We’d rather wreck our vehicle than hit an animal.

There are no SAFE cats and dogs for severe allergies.

I’ve researched this a lot, but no one takes my word for it.

There are some breeds that are easier on some people with allergies.  Some dog breeds are safer (again, for some).  What people don’t always realize is, even the “safer” breeds cause allergic reactions.  To quote Animal Planet, “unless someone genetically engineers an animal with allergen-free saliva and secretions, the concept of getting a truly 100 percent hypoallergenic pet will continue to be nothing more than a nice idea.”

But people still don’t believe me … So I quote again, “Studies suggest hypoallergenic cats and dogs can cause just as many symptoms as the regular kind, says James Seltzer, MD, a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.”

They still argue that they’re positive there are hypoallergenic pets.  Okay.  Hypoallergenic means LESS allergens, though.  Why push people with a young child to adopt or interact with an animal with LESS allergens, knowing they’ve been advised to avoid exposure entirely?  It always makes me want to lash out.  Always.

It must be your/his fault.

Once people start to gather that I’m not talking out my ass, the blaming starts.  It must be from YOUR side of the family because he doesn’t have pet allergies.  It must be HIS fault because you never had any pet allergies.  If they don’t take the direct route, they go with … you should have exposed him to more animals as a baby and he wouldn’t have this problem.

Inherited? If either of us had pet allergies, it would increase the chance of our children having them.  We don’t, though. In our family somewhere?  Perhaps.  Wouldn’t know of any from the relatives we know well – that’s for sure. More animal enthusiasts than not.  Regardless …

Back off, folks.  Mind your business and your manners.

There is nothing wrong with our son.  He is absolutely wonderful.  It bothers him enough that he can’t pet the puppies nearby.  It makes him upset not to go visit Grandpa’s new kitten.  If he hears you saying any of your ignorant crap, my manners are going away – completely.  I promise.

Library Goodness

Do you know those “quick” trips to the grocery store where you mean to buy one or two things and leave the store with at least a hundred dollar bill?  Well, that’s what happened to me at the library yesterday!  (Other than the library being free, of course – thankfully)

The kids and I have been somewhat trapped at home lately.  My truck is our truck until we manage to fix the rest of the issues with my husband’s truck.  His Jeep does a death rattle on a regular basis and really shouldn’t be driven unless it HAS to be.  Our youngest asked me about going to the library this week, within earshot of my husband.

Guess who decided to drive the Jeep yesterday (yes – it did its scary shake, rattle, and roll on his way to work – damnit).  I’ve asked him not to take the risk again without good cause, but the library trip was appreciated by all.

I went with the intention of getting a few books for each of the kids.  Instead, we left with this massive pile (in the pic)!  The three of us attempting to balance our stacks as we looked through the rows of books was comedic.  Next time, we’ll remember to take a bag or two!

So, my to read list has changed in a big way.  My crazy amount of e-books will remain in my Kindle account … waiting patiently for me to make my way to them.  There is something about having physical books waiting for me again that’s reawakened my need to read.  I’m not sure if it’s because there’s a due date (I could always check them out again, though) or because I will always love the feeling of an actual, paper, smelling like only books can smell book.  I may not have the shelf space or cash to buy every book I want (and I do love my e-readers), but the draw of the library is freaking fabulous.

I firmly believe that to be a GOOD writer, you have to read.  Read a lot.  Read critically. Does that mean I’m always reading?  Nope.  But when I do … oh, man.

My portion of the lovely stack of library goodness:

Torn

Tangled

Bound

Real Vampires Don’t Wear Size Six

The Vines

Warm Bodies

Superman Vs. Shazam!

The Bone Clocks

What are you currently reading?  Have you read any of what I picked up?

Side note:  Have you all seen this author’s crazed response to getting a one star review?!

When Procrastination Bites

Sometimes, procrastination bites like a mutha.  I procrastinated again (obviously).  I put off writing an in depth paper.  I needed to locate and use two peer reviewed articles about consumer psychology and marketing to use for the paper.  I had hurdles on my first and second attempts, so I put it off.

*dun, dun, duuuuuun*

Cue due date.  Frantic digging for material.  Spasmatic review of article after article and perusing of class materials.  Then it happened.  With sharpened, yellowed teeth … the procrastination bug bit down with all its might.  The student website went down.  For hours.  And hours.

The paper I started working on at 8 a.m. … not finished and submitted until 5:30 p.m.

The mood dampening and bruising from the infected bite still fresh, I’m once again waving my finger at myself and scolding in my mom tone.  Don’t procrastinate important stuff.  GAH.

Haze of Summer and Phoenix Comicon

The haze of summer is draped across my shoulders.  A bit too much sun from back to back swimming days and an unholy amount of traipsing through Phoenix in search of where we parked!  LOL!  My muscles are sore but my spirits are high.  With the young ones out of school for the summer, my routine is off and the days are full of surprises.

Take a peek at a tiny fraction of the photos I took while we were at Phoenix Comicon (we go every year – w00t!) this past weekend:

The summer has already been a whirlwind and we’re barely started!  Between vehicle nightmares, money drama, and worlds of fun and family time (huzzah for balance, right?!) … I’m effin’ sleepy!  😉  Want to place bets about how much writing I’ll get done on the novel over the summer?  Hahaha!

Did you go to a con this year?  Did you post about it?  Link in the comments if you did!  🙂

Take it easy, lovely readers!

♥ M