Fabo at 40: Keeping Track

The supplement regime seems to be going well. At the very least, I have been taking them each day and no adverse effects have come to me, that I know of. I have a cold, but I don't think it was caused by the supplements in any way.

Scott and I started to track our food intake using the Weight Watchers Turnaround Points. This is about the third time I have used a program of Weight Watchers. The company has the most realistic weight loss program, as you are eating "real" foods. The program that we are using I had used a few years back, and I was fairly successful. I lost about 25 lbs., and then I got sloppy, which seems to be my pattern.

This time, I am not doing this to meet a magic number, though that would be nice. I am doing it to get us back in check with our eating. We were relying way too much on take out food. Consequently, our butts and our budget were battered by that. So, last night, I spent quite a bit of money at the grocery store and purchased some food that would benefit our collective health.

It's interesting to actually write down what I eat. It can be somewhat of a controlling factor in my choices. There is also a points value for activity, which will come back into our lives slowly. I got on the elliptical the other day, and Scott and I have done a good deal of shoveling over the last two days. I am not one of those people who can workout through an illness... I would just rather get better, then get with that program.

So, one more step in the walk of good health. I'm off to drink more water!

Fabo at 40 - Tablet Regimen

Scott has been a bit of a research crazy man lately. He's been taking a look at supplements. The typical "multivitamin" makes me sick to my stomach. I have tried several different combinations with the same results. He has been looking specifically at the symptoms of fatigue, listlessness, weight gain, and stress. We seem to both exhibit these more than we like.

His research began as his one-man quest for a cure for autism. You know how that gets from time to time. Perhaps someone is hiding something? Perhaps there is some magic pill that will make it all go away. I guess I am not looking at autism as something curable. It's not a disease. Just a condition of human genetics. Kind of like having blue eyes. At least that's how I see it. Or maybe that's what gets me out of bed in the morning. It may not be "normal," but it's my normal.


So, here's the regimen, the daily dosages, and the alleged effects. After about a week of taking these and appropriately hydrating ourselves, I will report back. Feel free to comment if you currently take any of these or have had experiences with them.

Soya Lecithin Dietary Supplement; 400 mg; "a natural fat emulsifier, is found in every cell of the body and is a significant part of nerve and brain tissue;" so, maybe I'll be able to find my car in the Meijer parking lot?

Magnesium Glycinate Dietary Supplement; 100 mg; advertised as the best absorbed magnesium for the body; might help with: bone health, muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve impulse transmission, blood pressure, heart function; magnesium deficiency is typically attributed to foods grown in magnesium-poor soils or the consumption of processed foods that eliminate magnesium; magnesium is typically eliminated from a multivitamin because it tends to make a vitamin bulky and hard to swallow; deficiency is said to play a role in anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, depression, muscle twitching, high blood pressure, leg cramps, menstrual cramps and constipation; it is also said to play a role in diabetes

Coenzyme Q-10; 50 mg; "plays an important role in cells and is utilized in the normal process of energy production...key nutrient that may help maintain a healthy heart"

Vitamin B12 Dietary Supplement; 500 mcg; "contributes to normal brain and nervous system functions"

Taurine; 500 mg; supposed to support a calm mood

Odorless Garlic; 1000 mg; supposed to promote heart health and good cholesterol

We shall see what, if anything, changes. This and water consumption are the only variables for this week.

And so this is Christmas...

I kept forgetting to post these photos!! Geez! Here's Christmas (a little before and after) with the Platos.

Fabulous at 40 Campaign

Yes, yes. 2009 is, indeed, the year I turn 40. Embracing that reality, we have decided as a family to also make it the year we look into a healthier lifestyle. I seem to have gotten my work life in check... well, in better check than it was. Now, it is time to work on my basic physical well-being.

As part of this campaign, I decided to be more realistic than any of the "food plans" I have tried in my life. They had one main focus: lose weight. Don't lose weight? You failed. Failure and I are not friends. It has been quite discouraging. My "aha!" moment came with this last bout of losing and gaining the same 30 pounds. I have reached the goal, but I have not embraced the habits.

So, throughout the next 8 months, I will post here things I have learned from past experiences, from "hearsay," and from research. My plan is to take one concept of good health at a time. If you choose to read this... fine. If you choose to ignore it... fine, too. It is important that it is helpful to my family. If it helps others, that's an extra-added bonus.

So, a happy 2009 to all! Good luck and good health in this new year.

Pretzel Hugs

One of my FPFA (Favorite People From Afar) is Becky Higgins. She's a contributing editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, an author, a mother, and a designer. Her blog also shares some quick, simple, and GOOD recipes. I am making one right now from her Pretzel Hugs recipe. Mine are being baked with Rolos. I had some the other day that my friend, Krystal, made and they were sooooo good. Rolos seem to take a bit longer to melt than Kisses, however.

Gotta go check on them then commence with wrapping and card making.

Ciao!

Ice Ice, Baby

Ah, yes. Ice. So powerfully beautiful. Stopped us in our tracks today. Here are some photos from earlier this AM. Ignatius was given the task of clearing off the patio so Otto would actually go father than 5 paces to poop. Max was his supervisor. They did a great job!

Deep Thoughts by Ignatius Plato

Driving in the car with my eleven year old is never, ever dull. Even if you wanted a quiet moment, it would not happen. Lately, I have been "torturing" him with what he calls "vampire music," aka the soundtrack from Twilight. It's really good, but, alas, I listen to it mainly through my iphone. Scott likens the experience to an AM transistor radio. :) Hey, I'm probably getting one of those little iphone stereo hookups in my car for my perseverance! Wise move. But I digress.

So, this morning I was torturing him for saying, "I didn't know you wanted me to get in the car," at 7:25 AM. Yes, we get in the car every morning at this time, yet this was his excuse for not having his shoes or coat on as his brother fought me over a Pop Tart that he did or did not want in a Zip Lock bag. (I KNOW it sounds confusing... it's my life, people.)

So, torture, anyway... I played the song, "I Caught Myself" by Paramore. After a moment, he comes out with, "I think this is a metaphor for addiction." Just about peed my pants with glee, being the English geek that I am. We had a brief discussion on his thoughts on this. So, here are the lyrics. You decide if the prodigy has a point. I think he brilliant, but I am a tad biased.

Don't worry. His next question of, "How did you push babies out?" was far more "sixth grade." Whew.

From Metrolyrics.com:

Down to you
You're pushing and pulling me down to you
But I don't know what I

Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought
Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought

Of you, of you
You're pushing and pulling me
Down to you
But I don't know what I want
No, I don't know what I want

You got it, you got it
Some kind of magic
Hypnotic, hypnotic
You're leaving me breathless
I hate this, I hate this!
You're not the one I believe in
With God as my witness

Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought
Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought

Of you, of you
You're pushing and pulling me
Down to you
But I don't know what I want
No, I don't know what I want
Don't know what I want
But I know it's not you
Keep pushing and pulling me down
When I know in my heart it's not you

Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought
Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something that
I should've never thought of you!
I knew, I know in my heart it's not you
I know, but now I know what I want! I want! I want!
Oh no! I should've never thought!

[Those who know Ignatius, how funny is it that the lyrics of this include "I had to stop myself from saying something that I should've never thought?" Life is colored with irony.]