Skinny is the goal!

Below is what I looked like in 1991. Of course this is almost 60 ibs ago, but this is where I want to get back.

Numbers dropped in June!

Due to flats and hotter weather, I wasn't doing as many miles as May.

Raw Unrefined Sugar

Raw unrefined sugar is not the same as the brown sugar that you see in the store, even though they are both brown. Unrefined raw sugar is made from the juice from the sugar cane plant and has trace minerals and nutrients present. Refined sugar is devoid of all nutrients. Typically, white sugar is made of pure carbohydrates. Today, it is common knowledge that refined white sugar has devastating affects on the body and health in general. Besides being a certain way to elevate blood sugar levels, unrefined white sugar is considered to be “empty calories” as it offers no nutritional substance whatsoever.

When it comes to choosing sugar, there is no doubt that unrefined raw sugar is the best choice. It contains minerals and nutrients that are stripped from refined white sugar and regular brown sugar. Raw sugar contains roughly eleven calories per teaspoon and has the same vitamin and mineral consistency that is found in the juice from the sugarcane plant. These minerals include Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. In addition, when sugar is refined and processed there are many harmful ingredients that are added to the sugar as a result. Unrefined raw sugar does not have these harmful chemicals. Some of these include: Phosphoric Acid, Sulfur Dioxide, and Formic Acid.

With the increase of Diabetes and obesity in the country, it is imperative that people take a look at the type of sweeteners that they are using. It is important to make sure that you are not using excessive amounts of sugar, specifically refined white sugar in your diet. There are many natural sweeteners that will not detract from your health, but are an enhancement an offer nutritional benefits as well. In addition to unrefined raw sugar, honey is also a wonderful sweetener that offers nutritional benefits as well.


It is very important to make sure that you don't mistake unrefined raw sugar with brown sugar that is available in your grocery store. Brown sugar is sugar that has been refined and then molasses has been added to it. Brown sugar varies in color according to the amount of molasses that has been added to it. Like white refined sugar, brown sugar does not have the nutritional content found in unrefined. Both white refined and brown sugar are comprised of sucrose.
Many people turn to alternative sweeteners because they know that sugar is not good for them. However, there are numerous side effects and warning signs that accompany artificial sweeteners, even those that have been approved by the FDA. Some people think that if the FDA or government approves something then it is healthy. All one needs to do is take a look at the fact that cigarettes are legal to know that this isn't true. When people try artificial sweeteners, they often are disappointed when they try to use the product for baking purposes. Unrefined raw sugar is a much better alternative then artificial sweeteners. Not only is unrefined sugar healthy, but also it cooks and bakes exactly like white refined sugar giving it an advantage over other products.

Just watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

BMi is now 34.5!

Still obese, but it's dropping!

July is a big month!

Here we are in the heat of the summer and what does that mean? Cook-outs, parties, social events, etc with lots of great food that I love! Of course I'm here fighting the battle of the bulge. My goal this month is drop at least 20. Follow me and see how I do.

Diet Soda Linked To Weight Gain

Diet soda might not help you stay trim after all, new research suggests.

A study presented at a American Diabetes Association meeting this week shows that drinking diet soda is associated with a wider waist in humans. And a second study shows that aspartame -- an artificial sweetener in diet soda -- actually raises blood sugar in mice prone to diabetes.

"Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised," study researcher Helen P. Hazuda, Ph.D., a professor and chief of clinical epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio's School of Medicine, said in a statement. "They may be free of calories but not of consequences."

In the first study, researchers collected height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake data from 474 elderly people who participated in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging. They were followed up an average of 9.5 years later, according to the research.

Researchers found that the diet soda drinkers hadwaist circumferences 70 percent greater than those who non-diet soda drinkers. And people who drank diet soda the most frequently -- at least two diet sodas a day -- had waist circumferences that were 500 percent greater than people who didn't drink any diet soda, the study said.

Artificial sugar didn't produce any better results in the second study in mice. Researchers for this study found that diabetes-prone mice that were fed a diet that included aspartame for three months, had higher blood glucose levels than mice not given aspartame.

This isn't the first news illuminating diet soda's health risks. A study published earlier this year found people who drink the beverage every day have a higher stroke and heart attack risks. And UK researchers found earlier this month that sugary drinks can dull taste buds, leading consumers to crave the sweet stuff even more.