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World’s Fattest Mother Says She Wants to Become World’s Fattest Woman

March 15, 2010 By dorrie Leave a Comment

The UK Daily Mail is reporting that Donna Simpson from New Jersey wants to become the world’s fattest woman.

I didn’t believe the title of the article at first, “The super-sized 43st mother who is determined to become the world’s fattest woman,” but then I read the quotes from Donna in it and realized the article probably was true since I doubt the Daily Mail is intentionally looking to have a lawsuit filed against them. donna simpson

BTW, “43st” isn’t a typo in the title. It stands for 43 stone (1 stone equals 14 pounds; 43 stone is 602 pounds).

In it Donna is quoted as saying, “I’d love to be 1,000 pounds.”

She talks about how “Dieting just made me miserable because I was thinking about food all the time” (I can relate to that!) and how she “felt so much better when the weight came back” (I find that hard to believe because at the very least that much weight has to make her knees hurt). donna simpson

You might think Donna has no self-esteem but that doesn’t seem to be the case. She says, “I like being the way I am.”

While it’s hard for me, and probably you too, to hear how someone who is already quite heavy wants to gain even more weight I give her credit for being brave enough to speak up about what she wants even though she had to know it was going to spark a lot of snarky and mean comments from people (nasty comments that are often disguised as being “worried about her health” when they’re really just verbal kicks to the stomach). donna simpson

While reading her story part of me understood where she was coming from because I have lots of days where I give up with trying to eat healthy and lose weight because it’s so hard. But I can’t truly imagine completely giving up the fight. I don’t want to always be overweight.

Part of me wanted to cry when reading her story because food obviously has a tight stranglehold on her. She’s likely going to eat herself to an early death which is sad not only for her but for her young daughter.

Or maybe I’m reading too much into the story. Maybe it’s nothing more than her looking for her 15 minutes of fame or trying to get a reality show (seems like almost everyone else has one so why not her?).

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Weight Loss, Weight Loss News Tagged With: donna simpson, super sized 43st mother, world's fattest mother

Sometimes It’s a Good Idea to Skip The Salad

March 6, 2010 By dorrie Leave a Comment

I used to be one of those people that would order a salad for my meal whenever I went out, thinking that it was always the healthiest choice on the menu. Then I got educated and found out a salad can be one of the highest calorie and fat items on the entire menu and that I would have consumed less calories by ordering a steak or a burger (with potatoes!).

I was such a fool! I could have been eating what I really wanted instead of feeling (and acting like a martyr) because I was being “good” and ordering a “healthy” salad. I guess the joke was on me; specifically on my more than generous thighs.

What makes some of those restaurant salads such a horrible choice? The breaded and deep fried chicken, copious amounts of cheese, hundreds of calories worth of dressing, the bacon, the croutons (the most delicious ones are those that have been deep fried), the crunchy won-ton strips or tortilla strips or fried noodles, nuts (healthy but the calories add up quickly), avocado (also healthy but calorie dense), and those delicious flour tortilla shell bowls that you can eat right along with the taco salad that’s tucked inside it (sure you could just eat the salad inside the bowl and skip that delicious, and often deep fried tortilla bowl, but who does that?).

Our salads have morphed from a heaping helping of healthy greens with a small portion of dressing to gigantic tossed meals that have gobs of fat and calories lurking among those good for us greens.

That’s not to say a salad can’t be a healthy choice in a restaurant. Grilled chicken is obviously a better choice than deep fried chicken but it can taste so bland. Marinated grilled shrimp grilled steak, or blackened salmon are much tastier options in my opinion.

And obviously ask for salad dressing on the side and use it sparingly since full fat dressings (the best tasting ones) can easily have 100 calories in a tablespoon.

If at all possible, avoid the 6 worst salads in America from Eat This, Not That! 2010 which are: Quizno’s Honey Mustard Chicken Regular Chopped Salad; Roman’s Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad; Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad; Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Oriental Vinaigrette; Cheesecake Factory Caesar Salad with Chicken; and California Pizza Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing.

applebees oriental chicken salad

The salad I’m most sad to see on the list is Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Oriental Vinaigrette. I love that salad! But at over 1,400 calories it’s not exactly “a light and healthy option). When I’m really hungry for it, I order it in the “small size” and get the dressing on the side. But, I NEVER order it when I’m really hungry because the small version of the salad isn’t enough food to fill me up and I end up ordering a super unhealthy dessert!

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss, Weight Loss News, Worst Light Foods Tagged With: applebees salad, california kitchen salad, cheesecake factory salad, chilis salad, macaroni grill salad, quiznos salad, restaurant salad, worst salads, worst salads in america

Is There A Healthy Low Carb Diet?

February 24, 2010 By dorrie Leave a Comment

Several years ago when the Atkins diet was super popular and food manufacturers were falling over themselves to flood the supermarket shelves with low carb foods, I jumped on the bandwagon and lost 35 pounds in 2 1/2 months.

I ate eggs fried in butter with a side of all the bacon I could eat (sometimes a whole pound!) for breakfast, shoveled bun-less burgers (lettuce instead of a bun please but don’t forget the cheese, mayo and bacon) into my mouth at lunch, cooked huge hunks of beef, pork or chicken for my dinner with a side of broccoli or salad, and in between snacked on lots of cheese. Bread, pasta, grains of any kind and fruit were shunned.

The weight practically fell off me. I was in hog heaven. Who knew a person could lose lots of weight while eating all the bacon they wanted and without every being hungry? My piggish happiness lasted until I couldn’t stand not having any bread or fruit. One bite of it and the weight stated to pile back on almost as fast as I lost it.

The sensible part of me knew that eating a diet consisting mainly of saturated fat wasn’t healthy and eventually my body made its unhappiness known because it got to the point where I was always tired and sluggish and could barely get through my normal day, much less a vigorous workout.

That was 2004. Since then I’ve tried the South Beach diet (another low carb diet), the Zone diet (yet another low carb diet), the Sugar Busters diet (giving sugar up completely makes me really crabby – just ask my husband) and for the last 2 years, Weight Watchers.

The only diet where I’ve had success, meaning I not only lost weight but have kept it off, is Weight Watchers; but I’ve been backsliding with Weight Watchers recently and have gained back 15 of the 57 pounds I’ve lost. I’m so sick of counting “points” for every bite of food I eat and have stubbornly refused to do it for the past several months hence the extra poundage that’s slowly finding its way back to me.

So it’s back to “square one” for me, looking for an eating plan that will help me lose weight but this time I want one that I don’t have to convert every food I eat into a “points” value. A lower carb diet still appeals to me because I know they work, but I’m not going to going on an unhealthy low carb diet again and to me Atkins is definitely not a healthy way to go.

A few days ago I decided to try a lower carb eating plan along with 17 other people at the Curves facility I work out at. The meals and recipes I’m using are from the Curves Complete diet plan, which while encouraging more protein (but healthy lean protein like chicken breasts and fish instead of fatty cuts of meat like my beloved bacon). It’s going good so far even though I’m not following it completely – I’m eating a lot more fruit than what the plan recommends. Fruit can be high in carbs, but they’re good carbs and they help me have enough energy to get through my workouts.

It’s making me think that there can be a lower carb diet that is healthy. The meals I’m having this week are filled with lean protein (including nuts – yum!), low fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. There’s no soda, sugary desserts or junky snacks without any nutritional value. That may sound boring and hard but it’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (okay, I have had a couple bites of chocolate but a girl’s gotta live right?).

Honestly, I don’t think I could eat like this every week, but I don’t have to. I can add in some dessert and even chips if I want to next week but small amounts or I won’t be able to meet my protein, fat, fiber, carb, and caloric intake targets.

Maybe I’ll even take the plunge towards super healthy eating and try the “Eco-Atkins” high protein, low carb diet. The the “Eco-Atkins” eating strategy (sounds much nicer than “diet” doesn’t it?) has been developed by David J.A. Jenkins (he’s the person who developed the glycemic index which you may or may not giving a “flying hoot” about).

It’s a high protein meal plan filled with protein rich plant-based foods instead of animal foods. It’s a completely animal free vegan meal plan. That blows my mind. I didn’t think it was possible to eat a high protein diet without eating any animal products (at least eggs and cheese).

According to information on the Web MD website, people who tried the “Eco-Atkins” eating plan got their protein “primarily from gluten, soy beverages; tofu; soy burgers; veggie products such as bacon, breakfast links, and deli slices; nuts; vegetables; and cereals. The diet emphasized viscous vegetables like okra and eggplant, along with other low-starch vegetables.”

Maybe low carb eating, but the healthy kind (words I never thought I’d put in the same sentence), will find a new resurgence of popularity and we’ll all to a healthy normal weight!

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Lose Weight Naturally, My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss, Weight Loss News Tagged With: atkins diet, best low carb diet, curves complete, eco-atkins diet, healthy low carb diet, low carb diet, south beach diet, weight loss diary, weight loss journal, Weight Loss News, zone diet

Cleanest Fruits and Vegetables

January 11, 2010 By dorrie Leave a Comment

To buy organic or not organic is a dilemma I face every time I go to the grocery store.  I like the idea of buying organic but the prices are at least twice as much as conventionally grown ones and the selection is small. 

But one of my resolutions for this year is to eat healthier and that includes eating organic and natural foods as much as possible. 

When it comes to produce I look for organic for the conventionally grown varieties that have been shown to have the highest levels of pesticide residue according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington D.C. based non profit organization.  Click here for the list of their ”dirty dozen.” 

But, to keep my grocery bills from consuming my entire household budget I opt for conventionally grown produce that’s on the group’s “clean fifteen” list.   

CLEAN 15 PRODUCE:
ONIONS
AVOCADOS
SWEET CORN
PINEAPPLE
MANGO
ASPARAGUS
SWEET PEAS
KIWI
CABBAGE
EGGPLANT
PAPAYA
WATERMELON
BROCCOLI
TOMATOES
SWEET POTATOES

Personally I also opt for conventional varieties of produce that have thick skin that isn’t edible such as bananas, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, cantelope, honeydew, and other melons.

If I’m not sure whether or not the produce is likely to contain a high amount of pesticide residue I opt for organic if it’s a fruit or vegetable that has a thin skin or one where I eat the entire thing such as raspberries and blueberries.

And if my budget for the week is really tight, I buy whatever produce is on sale regardless of whether it is organic or conventionally grown because I figure eating that is still healthier and better for my waistline than processed foods that may be cheap but are loaded with sodium and preservatives.

Filed Under: Healthy Eating, Weight Loss, Weight Loss News, Weight Loss Tips Tagged With: clean 15, clean fifteen, clean produce, cleanest produce, should i buy organic fruits, should i buy organic vegetables, should i buy orgranic produce

The Worst Fast Food Burgers According To Men’s Health

December 18, 2009 By dorrie Leave a Comment

Almost everyone seems to pick on fast food these days and I guess it’s with good reason because most of the choices on the menu are high in sodium and fat and usually pretty hefty in the calorie column as well.

But there are days in our lives where fast food is the only choice if we want to have anything to eat at all – especially this time of year with the extra work of Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, decorating, baking cookies, and parties whether they are ones we host or need to make time to attend (whew! – I got tired just from writing all that!)

What I like about an article I read this morning from Men’s Health about the burgers they consider the 6 worst among fast food choices is that they also offer healthy choices.

Instead of lecturing people to completely avoid fast food (admirable but not realistic for most of us), they offer better choices that aren’t the “side salad with fat free dressing” or “plain baked potato” that wouldn’t be enough food to satisfy a little bitty mouse.

The article does shed more light on the reason why so many of us Americans are fat. The Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese and Mayo that weighs in at 1,250 calories (more than some people eat in an entire day while dieting and who only eats a burger for the day and says the rest of the day – “gee I’m stuffed and can’t eat another thing”).

Truthfully this article won’t convice me to completely avoid my favorite burger every once in a while, but it will help me find the resolve to not eat it as often.

Filed Under: Weight Loss, Weight Loss News Tagged With: bad fast food burgers, high calorie burgers, worst fast food burgers

Read This if You Drink Slim Fast

December 5, 2009 By dorrie 1 Comment

On Thursday, December 3 , 2009 Slim-Fast announced it is recalling 10 million cans of product due to possible bacterial contamination.  Unilever, the company who makes Slim-Fast, said the cans they are recalling could be tainted by Bacillus cereus, which can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

The company is still in the process of identifying and correcting the problem in their production process that led to contamination which was reported to the FDA by Unilever on December 2, 2009.

All of Slim-Fast’s ready to drink products served in cans, no matter what their lot code, UPC number, or best-by date that are on store shelves or in distribution centers are being recalled.

Consumers who have purchased the potentially tainted 11 ounce cans of Slim Fast should discard them immediately and contact the company at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund. The line is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm Eastern time and also has a recorded message containing information for people who call during non-staffed hours.

The recall affects all of the United States.
slimfast picture

Filed Under: Weight Loss, Weight Loss News Tagged With: slim fast recall, slim fast recall 2009, slimfast recall, slimfast recall 2009, tainted slim fast

Where Are the Eggo Waffles?

November 18, 2009 By dorrie Leave a Comment

I love, love, love Eggo Nutri-Grain low fat whole wheat waffles.  They are a staple item in my freezer – at least they used to be.

I was completely surprised to find the Eggo section of the freezer case at the store completely empty yesterday when I went to stock up.

The bare shelves were explained with a hand written sign pasted on the door stating there were national shortages and that the waffles would be restocked as soon as possible.

What?  Did the Hamburglar get sick of McDonalds hamburgers and decide to steal all the Eggo waffles instead?

So, being the curious person I am, I decided to use good old Google and find out what the heck was going on.  You know that saying about how “curiosity killed the cat?”  Well I wish I wouldn’t have been so nosy about what was going on with my beloved waffles because then I could have been hopeful that they would be back on the shelves in a couple of days.

There’s not a whole heck of a lot of information on the Kelloggs website, but they did address the shortage issue in their “Frequently Asked Questions” section.  Here’s what they had to say about the lack of Eggo waffles in stores:

Question:

I have not been able to find Eggo® waffles in the store. When will they be available again?

Answer:

Eggo recently experienced supply constraints caused by flood damage at our bakery in Atlanta. In addition, we’ve been making significant equipment and repairs in our largest waffle bakery. Unfortunately, this is taking longer than anticipated.

Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone’s favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible. We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010. This is a top priority for Kellogg Company.


For more information, call 866-971-3320. Thank you for your patience during this time, and we apologize for any inconvenience.


Yep, patience is definitely going to be needed since I likely will be without my delicious 1 Weight Watcher point low fat Eggos for 6 months :(

eggo nutri grain waffle picture

Filed Under: Weight Loss News Tagged With: eggo nutri grain waffles, eggo nutrigrain waffles, eggo waffle shortage, hamburglar, no eggo waffles, where are the eggo waffles

Pizza To Avoid Even Though It May Sound Diet Friendly

September 2, 2009 By dorrie Leave a Comment

Us Americans love our pizza according to an article by David Zinczenko titled, The Best and Worst Pizzas in America, where it says we consume an average of 46 slices a year.

This article isn’t about the tastiest pizzas nor the ones that taste like cardboard though (and I know comparing pizza to cardboard is kind of silly because how many of us have actually taken a bite of cardboard – well, except on a dare at a party where many cocktails had already been consumed).

It’s about the worst offenders in the calorie, fat, and sodium department.

There’s 2 pizzas on the list that caught my attention, Papa John’s Pan Crust Garden Fresh Pizza and Uno Chicago Grill Classic Deep Dish Individual pizza because they are ones I might have ordered thinking they weren’t too bad to eat while dieting.  Good thing I found this article because I would have been wrong! (which of course hardly ever happens – just ask my husband – he’ll tell you I’m always right and if he does just ignore it when he also rolls his eyes).

How high in calories can a veggie pizza be?  Two slices of Papa John’s Garden Fresh Pizza with a pan crust has 740 calories; 38 grams fat; and 1,320 mg sodium.  But just by getting the garden fresh pizza with thin crust instead of the pan crust saves more than 300 calories and 16 grams of fat.  Asking for half the cheese will save even more calories and fat.

Uno Chicago Grill’s Individual Classic Deep Dish Pizza is listed as the the #1 worst pizza in America.  An individual pizza sounds like it would be okay while trying to lose weight, especially if you only ate half of it right?  Nope!  Just half of the pizza has 1,155 calories and 82.5 grams of fat!  Half that pizza would use up all my Weight Watchers points for the day and let me tell you that I certainly would want more to eat in one day than half an individual size pizza!  The flatbread pizza at Uno is a better choice.  But, like the article states, be careful when looking at Uno’s nutrition calculator because the calories and fat listed isn’t usually for the entire portion of food they’re going to set in front of you; it’s for only part of it.

But even though some restaurant pizzas are really high in fat and calories doesn’t mean you can only have Lean Cuisine pizza at home.  The article also lists some “figure friendly” pizza choices such as Domino’s Thin Crust and Pineapple Pizza which will only set you back 190 calories for one medium slice.

To read about all the best and worst pizza picks, click here to read the entire article.

Filed Under: Weight Loss News Tagged With: best and worst pizza, highest calorie pizza, low calorie pizza

Recall of Weight Watchers Hungry Magnets and Figures

August 21, 2009 By dorrie 1 Comment

If you’ve attended a Weight Watchers meeting the past several months or have been actually watching the commercials on television and not fast forwarding through them (a DVR makes that so easy), you’ve probably heard about or seen “Hungry”  – a cute little orange guy who tries to get people to go off their diet but serves a reminder to not let “Hungry” get the best of us.

I think it’s a genius marketing campaign by Weight Watchers (although I don’t understand why “Hungry” doesn’t have a mouth), so much so that I bought myself a Hungry magnet for my refrigerator door to remind me to ask myself if I was actually hungry or just bored before I opened the door and perused the food choices inside.

But now my cute little magnet along with the larger stuffed figures are being recalled.

On August 20, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, with the cooperation of Weight Watchers International, announced a voluntary and immediate recall of the approximately 445,000 Hungry Figures and Hungry Magnets that been sold in the United States and Canada.

The reason for the recall?  Sewing needles have been found in the stuffing of the Hungry Figures, which poses a puncture hazard to consumers.

People are encouraged to immediately stop using their Hungry Figures and Hungry Magnets and to return them to Weight Watchers where they will receive a full refund or a credit towards the purchase of another product.

For more information read the entire press release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by clicking here or click here to read the press release from Health Canada.

Filed Under: Weight Loss News, Weight Watchers Tagged With: hungry figure, hungry magnet, hungry monster, hungry recall, hungry recall health canada, hungry stuffed animal, weight watchers hungry

Eggs and Weight Loss

August 19, 2009 By dorrie Leave a Comment

Eggs seem to make the news a lot.  First they’re good for you; then they’re evil and cause heart disease; then experts decide they were a little hasty with the “eggs are bad for you” announcement.  It’s enough to make a girl dizzy trying to keep all the “facts” straight!

The truth is that eggs are a good source of protein.  Plus eggs contain a bunch of essential vitamins and minerals (read more about it here in an article written by Margaret Furtado and click here for the complete nutrition information on eggs) and they help a person feel full (music to the ears of a person trying to lose weight!)

But, eating only egg whites is boring.  And egg substitute?  I think it tastes nasty unless it’s hidden in a pastry!

I personally eat eggs several times a week and my doctor tells me my heart is fine (but…that it won’t stay that way if I don’t lose weight).  To make sure I’m not eating too much bad cholesterol but yet have flavor, I eat 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites.  That’s my rule of thumb whether I’m am making an omelette, frying eggs in olive oil, or making an egg salad sandwich.

Plus one large whole egg with 2 egg whites is low in calories (17 calories and .1 grams of fat for each egg white, plus 70 calories  and 4.5 grams of fat for the whole egg).  Add 2 slices of Canadian bacon and 2 slices of whole grain light bread and it’s a tasty, filling, low calorie meal that’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Filed Under: Featured, Lose Weight Naturally, Weight Loss News Tagged With: are eggs healthy, egg, eggs and weight loss, how many calories in an egg