August 20, 2012 Weight and Measurements Check-in

The Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition tv show has been very inspiring. People 400 and 500 pounds have really made a difference in a year. I want to start documenting my weight loss journey. Many people wait until they have met all of their weight goals. We do not see the weight loss journey. Well, I will not be posting my results daily, but I will try to post updates at least once a month. Pictured is my left arm suntanned. (I am walking in the sun alot.)

On a separate note, I measured my right arm to be 27mm of body fat when I pinched from the bottom using the Body Fat Caliper mentioned in a previous article on this blog.

Pictured here is my left leg without a sun tan. Smile. It looks like a huge "chicken leg quarter." (Smiling) Anyway, I could not find any body fat to measure on my legs, but I did measure my hips to be 54" in circumference. My waist is 44". My weight with socks, sneakers, slacks, and a short sleeve shirt is 237 lbs. My right side of my belly/waist had a body fat reading of 42mm according to the body fat caliper.

I did a 14 minutes run/walk today. I burned 100 calories. My exercise speeds varied from 2.0 to 6.0 mph on my treadmill.

A tailored size 6 is my goal size. I am averaging a size 16 in my tops and size 20 in my bottoms. My height is a little over 5'3". I need to lose about six pants sizes. Typically, every 10 pounds, I should shed a dress size. By next month, I want to be 227 pounds with my sneakers on. Let's do it!

Tools to Monitor Body Weight and Inches

The body Fat Caliper is great for pinching "fat rolls" and measuring them in millimeters. I purchased this one from a "Tuesday Morning" store.

Digital scales are great too! Just step on them and read it in pounds.

Tape measures can be purchased from a fabric store. Waist and hip measurements are the two areas requiring the most attention in women.

Downy's Unstoppables: In-wash scent booster

Downy's Unstoppables are great for use with Woolite washes. The little beads boosts the scent in the clothes. Often times clothes washed in Woolite, do not have a scent, these fragrant beads help. The beads seem safe for sensitive skin!

A Quick Fix to remove Deodorant stains from your fitted top!

I got this tip from http://aprilathena7.blogspot.com (click to visit her blog and video)

Well, the used dryer sheet such as the Bounce brand pictured rubs the deodorant stain off your top in seconds!

Thank God for recycling! No more tossing away the used dryer sheets! Everyone in the household gets one in case they get a deodorant stain! An inexpensive solution that works!

Will seeds grow that are harvested from "cloned" produce?

According to the DVD "Food Inc." our seeds are being genetically produced. So the seeds that we buy will grow, but to save the seeds from the produce to replant the next season probably will not grow.

The produce are generating "fake seeds" inside of them.

I have had a few clients complain about "saving seeds" in a dry bag, but they will not yield anything upon planting them.

It's something to think about. A few companies may be controlling the whole world's food supply.

The movie "Food Inc." was nominated for an Oscar. Rent it soon!

Movie Review: Madea's Witness Protection

Another Tyler Perry Studio and Lionsgate production . . . the last one was Tyler Perry's "Good Deeds" . . .

I was not fond of "Good Deeds" nor was I fond of "Madea's Witness Protection."

Tyler Perry is trying to be "all things to all people," and it is not working for me.

Tyler Perry should either stick to the classic Madea and teach us another lesson about overcoming obstacles or he should stick with his non-Madea storyline like a "Family that Preys." I loved Tyler Perry's A Family that Preys. I saw it at least twice.

Madea's Witness protection was a way to introduce a more "refined" Madea into mainstream society. Tyler Perry also took a more active role as two main characters. One as Madea, and the other as Brian the district attorney overseeing the case.

If you make it to the movie theater early, then you will see a movie trailer/preview for "Alex Cross" movie which features Tyler Perry in another mainstream film. He seems to be accepting more roles in front of the cameras without the cameras being his own film.

Tyler Perry is definitely shaking things up. I actually am curious how everything is going to pan out in the future. I personally think that if something was not broke; why try to fix it? Some people love Madea, and some people hate Madea. If he has enough people who love Madea to keep his money flowing - why worry about the other people?

On a separate note, how can folks be in witness protection from the mob, and the mob never really does anything dramatic the whole movie?????

Overall, I got more entertainment out of going to see the last hour of "Ted!" Sorry Tyler Perry! Love you, but when no one was talking about this Madea movie on Facebook, I knew that it must have been a slight bust.

Please be true to yourself! Stay classic!

Best Sweet Tea in a Can: Arizona Southern Style Real Brewed Sweet Tea

I am not fond of can drinks, but this sweet tea was on sale. A very good sale . . . and to my surprise it was delicious! Not too sweet. Flavorful. And a great price!