The Christmas bounty

I'm a cheat. A weakling. No self control whatsoever. That can of Dad's peanut brittle was sitting there tempting me all afternoon. Upon my arrival at the folk's house I quickly dispensed with the usual greetings and pleasantries. "Yeah, so where is the peanut brittle?" I asked Mom - interrupting her Merry Christmas greeting. Christmas kindness could wait - I was on a mission.

Well, wouldn't you know it? Before even reaching that most highly sought after of Christmas goodies I encountered along the way some of my sister's delicious little chocolate balls. In the house two minutes and I've already consumed several hundred calories in chocolate balls. Then I found it - neatly tucked away in the middle of the table. Dad's golden brown peanut brittle. A sugary delight without peer on this magical day. Forget the eggnog. And the Christmas cookies. Mom's Christmas fudge can wait. I was in heaven - or as close as I'll probably ever be. I was savoring a piece of Dad's famous annual Christmas candy.

So now its back to reality, Eating Healthy and setting my sights on next year's goals. Time to get with it. Time to exercise and lose weight fast Here is a cool video I found from one of our favorite nutrition experts - Natalie - on eating healthy. Hope your Christmas was Merry and your New Year will be Happy!

The Joy of Christmas

God is so good to us. The sights and sounds of Christmas are so enjoyable. They seem to have their own uniques sense of wonder and joy. An almost indescribable, heartwarming feeling. Last night as I laid my head down an got one last glimpse of our Christmas tree with all the children's gifts tucked neatly around I felt a joy that only comes during this special time of year.

Today I overheard one of the boys saying "This is my best Christmas ever". And I thought how lucky I am to hear those few wonderful words. How lucky I am to have little ones to love.

Last night our little Church had a candlelight service - filled with scripture and some of the most beautiful songs I've heard all year.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:10-14)

A dear loved one shared this video with me today. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

" And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:7-14

Simple is good, or Keep it Simple Silly

Found another great exercise video today on YouTube. This guy has some great advice for those of us seeking to improve our shape and overall health. My first serious weight loss adventure included lots of push-ups. They're easy to do. Great stress relievers and you can do them practically anywhere - like your living room while your favorite TV show has gone to commercial.

Or, what a great way to start your day - with some simple exercises in the comfort of your own home. You really can exercise and lose weight fast!

Now check out this guy's excellent advice and enjoy your workouts -

Only twenty weeks

Sitting in my easy chair savoring every bite of the delicious fudge my neighbor brought over today I look back on this wonderful year. Lots of great memories, many blessings, and another inch around my waistline. I know how this happened - too many days filled with sweet, sugary snacks and not nearly enough physical activity to burn off the resulting calories.

In just 22 weeks pools will be opening. We hope to get back to Florida and the lovely beaches. If I have any hope of getting back in anywhere even close to decent shape I'm going to have to burn more calories than I consume.

Life really is simple. The good news is I have the time - over 20 weeks - and the tools to accomplish this much needed goal. Sitting at my desk and in front of the TV at night simply don't allow me to burn the calories I need to burn.

So what is the most efficient way to shed the pounds? The answer seems simple enough - burn twice the calories.

Check this out -


Buy a TreadClimber and burn calories twice as fast!

Exercise time in Winter

It is Friggin Cold out tonite. Please excuse my language - but I was hoping to emphasize the severity of the cold. I know I don't want to even go out to my car to drive to the nice warm gym. Besides, once I'm done at the gym I'd just have to go back to my ice cold car, and drive home. No Thank You. Tonight I'll just hit the extra room and spend some time on the TreadClimber!

Check out this video - you can change your body!

The butt splash

I almost landed on my butt this morning. Insisting on walking outdoors in the falling snow on slippery sidewalks was not a wise choice today. "It will do me some good to get out" I thought as I laced up my walking shoes and put on four layers of shirts. It took almost as long to dress for the cols as my brief walk lasted.

Oh, sure, the cold air on my freezing cheeks felt exhilarating at first. But on the cold slippery sidewalks I kept slipping around like i was walking on an ice rink. Getting any sort of speed was both a challenge and potentially dangerous. It didn't take long to realize the outdoor walk today was something of a waste. Then as I slipped and lost my balance for the fourteenth time - almost landing on my butt - it finally hit me.

Go home and hit the treadclimber. Burn some real calories. Get a decent workout instead of this frozen ill fated attempt at getting any level of cardio in the great outdoors today. Even in the cold of winter it is possible to eat healthy, exercise and lose weight fast!

Dreams do come true

As I sat there in my two room dump eating my favorite brand of potato chips and girl scout cookies I started reading the book. A guy at work - who was always in much better shape than I had ever enjoyed had suggested this book. I don't even remember the name of it - or the author.

I didn't take long before I realized those favorite treats of mine would have to go. Or at least drop way down in my own food chain. I was taking a night class at the local university that semester - trying to escape from the painful realities everyone experiences in their first divorce. Or so I imagine. The college had a great big health facility which was open to all students.

I soon became a daily visitor to that great big building. Their tiny little weight room was not very busy - I hardly ever had to wait. And if I did i could hit another station on one of the two big weight machines. I learned a lot that semester - about love, and divorce and lawyers and some really useful lessons about working out. I eventually worked up to jogging three or four miles in that huge gymnasium five days a week and using the weight machines every other day.

And the diet - I discovered many healthy and simple meals that even a novice in the kitchen could easily prepare. Between February and June I lost around 35 pounds and gained a decent upper body. My overall health was probably the best it had aver been. Even after years of smoking.

If I can do it - so can you. Watch this video and help your self to a new start. A new you. You can exercise and lose weight fast. You could start before Christmas and be looking good before summer.

the best Christmas present

Why not give yourself the best Christmas present? After you've got all those gifts for your little loved ones and the big ones too, its time to treat yourself. Give yourself the gift of good health. Exercise and lose weight fast

Bowflex Success Story: Anisa Rocchi

Its all about Him

Christmas time is such a wonderful time of year. You can feel the excitement in the air. Children enjoying the last few weeks before the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. All the Christmas music filling the airwaves enables us to remember the good old days and to appreciate these good days we have this Christmas season. Rich or poor, old or young, we can all find much enjoyment in this special time of year.

And hopefully remember the reason we get to share all this fun and merriment. Today is the second Sunday of Advent. Many Christians associate this second Sunday of Advent with a theme of Love. How fitting that we should think of Love in this wonderful time of year. Christmas is, after all, an ultimate expression of God's love for us - the day he gave us the Messiah - his son, Jesus Christ.

I hope I will always strive to love others in my own simple, human way - in some semblance of the way our Lord loves us.

Christmas Treats

Christmas Eve is such a fun day in our home. There always seems to be some last minute gift wrapping on the dining room table. Lots of tasty Christmas treats set out on the buffet for everyone to enjoy. Dad would have some old Christmas hymns playing on his trusty tape player or some oldies radio station. The Christmas tree seemed to fill the living room with that unmistakable smell of only a real tree can offer. For some reason Dad always bought a real tree. And we grew up loving that smell every year.

Mom would bake cookies and let us help! That was a special treat for us - we got to help decorate the Christmas cookies with all those little red and green sugary toppings. Cookies shaped like little Christmas trees or wreaths.

And she would make her fudge.

Mom's Christmas fudge was so darn good - I'm probably gaining weight just writing about it. I don't know how she managed to make that rich chocolate treat so well. She'd use her best stainless steel and copper cookware to warm up her condensed milk and chocolate chips and butter and sugar and toss in those chopped up walnuts and pecans and somehow end up with the most heavenly tasting chocolate fudge I ever introduced to my taste buds.

Waiting for Christmas day to arrive was always half the fun of Christmas. The anticipation, the fellowship, the family time. And Mom's wonderful Christmas fudge.

The Christmas treats

We watched eagerly as Mom carefully placed the fresh greenery on the table and added the four candles. "These candles represent the four weeks before Christmas she explained. Each of the four Sundays before Christmas we'll light a candle" she explained. We were getting excited at the thought of Christmas. Let the anticipation begin!
Mom would always enlist our help with the decorations. That well used old nativity set and my perennial favorite - the green ceramic Christmas tree. That beautiful little tree with its multi-colored lights could always bring a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
December meant Saturday and Sunday afternoons filled with heart-warming aromas emanating from our tiny little kitchen. Chocolate and peanut butter fudge, all kinds of cookies, and of course, Mom's annual fruit cake. Dad would deploy our best stainless steel cookware and copper cookware on the stove-top filled with his own special blend of corn syrup and peanuts. The resulting mix was then spread out on the table top marble slab to cool.
Dad's peanut brittle was one of my favorite treats of the Christmas season. I don't know how he made that delicious concoction. Christmas in our house just wouldn't have seemed complete without several cookie tins full of Dad's thick, sticky peanut brittle. And another with some of Mom's chocolate fudge. Christmas eve was cookie day. We'd make dozens of sugar cookies and spread green and red colored sugar on top.