Miss America Hopeful - A Former Heavyweight

I just read about Miss South Carolina who in the past few years has lost 110 lbs and is now on the road to a possible Miss America crown.  Inspirational?  Hell yes.  I also love that she lost her weight over a period of 3 years by simply eating well and exercising.  We aren't all 'The Biggest Loser' nor should we be.  With simple lifestyle changes and hard work and a forgiving attitude, you too could be the next Miss America!

Wisdom For Your Holiday Weekend

I thought this blog post over at Huffington Post was quite good.  It talks about the behavioral and psychological issues that can be behind humans having a difficult time losing weight.  As a tease, here is the first line of the blog...which I'm in love with right now.  Enjoy your weekends!

If you gave a test to a million people and three-quarters of them flunked, would you attribute their failure to a lack of willpower or laziness?

The Complex System That Is Our Bodies

Another great article I found about how our bodies work and how to work with them in order to keep our weight and health in check.  I like that there are a few small changes you can take from the article that could potentially have a big impact on your weight.  I mostly want to show my husband the section about how the brain doesn't know the difference between walking in the mall while shopping or walking on a treadmill.  He laughed at me when I used to walk in place while watching TV.  I was still moving!

Yet Another Weight Loss Journey Show

Who here has seen the ads for ABC's new show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition?  I'm pretty much a sucker for watching any weight loss show (though some are much better than others) so I will definitely be watching the first episode of this.  I enjoy the concept of each episode being a journey of 1 year with each participant.  I also like that this takes place during their normal lives (as normal as having a trainer move in with you is) so that we can see people losing weight while still having jobs and families.  Who else is going to watch this?

Mississippi Offers Its Workers A Weight Loss Challenge

I just saw this article about Mississippi's Paul Lacoste Sports Fit 4 Change Challenge.  Over 200 lawmakers, state workers and community members participated in an intensive 11 week program consisting of 5 am workouts 4 days a week.  At the end of the 11 week session, all the participants run a 5K together in the capitol.  This program is funded by sponsors so it's free to participate!  I think this is a fantastic idea.  It seems that next year they are going to start a version for school teachers and also try to share the plan with neighboring states.  I really hope this kind of idea spreads around the country.  I know yet another issue for people trying to lose weight is the cost of a gym or trainer.  Not to mention it is a lot more fun and motivating to do it with a group of people that you enjoy.  Would you partake if this was offered to you?

A Step In The Right Direction

Now this is the kind of thing I like to see.  A HMO offering a simple online program for their members to incorporate more walking into their lives.  I would guess that a lot of people tend to feel overwhelmed by all of the diet and exercise options available to us these days.  Hence, a lot shy away from trying anything at all.  But here comes an easy way to start yourself off that also adds some monetary incentive.  You know as well as I do that people will do just about anything to save a buck!  I am all for insurance companies adding healthy incentives to their clients.  I myself started getting yearly physicals just so I could get a discount on my health plan.  I say continue on with this positive reinforcement!  It's something we need as a group that has been continually hit with a lot of negative in our lives.