I suck

Yesterday, during my lunch hour, when I'm normally either working away or posting here, I went out with my hunny and had lunch buffet at pizza hut. What was I thinking?? He ended up having an unplanned afternoon off and wanted to take me for lunch. Honestly, I was so happy to have a break and get out of here that I didn't blink when he suggested the hut. It's quick and close to my office. Goodness gracious girls, I ate so much for lunch that I was still full at dinner time!! Then, because neither of us wanted dinner, we ended up both snacking the evening away. The only good thing about it is that I didn't eat any of the leftover candy/crap that was still in the cupboard AND I threw the ends of it in the trash (last night was garbage night). When will I learn huh??

I got brave yesterday morning and stepped back on the scales again. Up 6 pounds. Nice huh?? Not shocking though. It makes me sick though, when I think that of the 79 pounds I lost in 2003, I've gained back 35 of them. That means, I'll have to lose 40 pounds by the end of the calendar year to get to that "5 under" virgin fat goal I mentioned earlier this week. Oh well, it could be worse right?? I could have gained it ALL back with some extra to boot.

Couple of "good-ish" things: 1. I wanted to wear jeans to work today. I also wanted to be comfortable. I could get my "thin" jeans up and over my hips but they wouldn't zip unless I lay down (so much for the comfortable thing huh?) so I nixed the idea. Instead, I wore my "fat" jeans, have them on right now actually. They are not bad while I'm sitting but they really are too big on me and I'm having to hike them up whenever I'm walking. 2. Read the following article about dog walking and weight-loss. It's sort of a no-brainer but it makes me feel really glad about our recent decision to adopt a dog from our local humane society.

Daily dog walks work off the pounds By Megan Rauscher

Dogs may be more than man's best friend; they may also be a tool for losing weight, according to a new study that shows making a commitment to walk a dog -- your own or someone else's -- leads to increased exercise and weight loss.

The goal of the study, according to Rebecca Johnson, was to encourage sedentary overweight people to exercise and specifically to walk.

"We know that walking is good for people but we don't know how to get people to continue to do it. We wanted to see whether bonding with a dog might be a motivator to continue walking," said Johnson, who is an associate professor of nursing and director of the College of Veterinary Medicine's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The dog-walkers in the study started by walking 10 minutes per day three times per week and eventually walked up to 20 minutes per day 5 days per week. One group walked for 50 weeks while another walked for only 26 weeks.

For the study, the participants walked with loaner dogs -- trained and certified "visitor" animals that were provided by the Pet Assisted Love and Support (PALS) Program.

According to Johnson, the 50-week walkers lost an average of 14 pounds during the one-year program. "That's a better result than most of the nationally known weight-loss plans," she told Reuters Health.

The walkers "bonded with the animals, improved their flexibility, balance and ability to walk, lost weight and felt better about themselves so it was a very positive thing all around," Johnson added.

It's important to realize, she said, that these were a sedentary, economically disadvantaged group of people with multiple chronic illnesses. Some had trouble walking even 10 minutes per day three days per week at the beginning of the study but they gradually improved their ability to walk.

"We had one lady," Johnson said, "who relied on an electric scooter when she was outside of her apartment and by the end of the 50 week program she was able to walk to the neighborhood grocery store and back."

The 26-week walkers did not lose as much weight as the 50-week walkers "so we know that it takes a year see the weight come off," Johnson said. Having a dog or being responsible for walking someone's dog may be just the motivating factor to keep people walking or encourage more people to walk, she said.