Just Another Writer

My World, My Opinion…

Ten Weight-Loss Strategies That Really Suck October 31, 2007

Filed under: Life — News Writer @ 2:15 am

scale_feet.jpg

Summer is over, and I have 15 pounds to lose. Plus or minus some. Plus, if I’m honest. This feels like a weird dieting reversal, since instead of dieting to lose weight for a new bathing suit, I am simply trying to fit into last year’s work wardrobe. So far, I have not met with success. Here are the lousy things I tried:

1. Not eating. This one resulted in feelings of dizziness and an even greater number of blonde moments than I already have. It was simply not a good long-term plan, anyway.

2. The Kanten Diet, otherwise known as a kind of seaweed, or in English, agar agar. It is expensive, and tastes like something that is literally indescribable. I tried making it with chocolate soy milk, juice and tea. It reached a 10 on the Nausea Scale every time. The article lied. I need to keep this one in mind as an appetite suppressant, however. One taste, and I’m certain any desire to eat would disappear. As a side note, the health store guy told me it was WAY better than eating nasty cow hooves, ie: regular gelatin. I’ll chow on cow hooves any day, dude.

3. Following this line of thinking, The Jello Diet. The idea here was that anytime I felt hungry, I would eat diet jello. Ha! Jello doesn’t come in Cheeto flavor, and anyway, it did nothing.

4. Drinking two liters of water a day. I really like Fiji water, but it costs about $10 a gallon. I did this for a month, and while I know that drinking water is good for you, I just ended up having to go to the restroom more often, which resulted in more frequent trips to the teacher’s lounge, and resulted in more doughnuts consumed.

5. Hanging a list of reasons to lose weight on the refrigerator. I would glance at Number 3, “Look hot in my red dress”, and begin to wonder when I am going to move to a town where there is nightlife. I would then get depressed and open up the refrigerator and consume an entire jar of olives. Hey, that monounsaturated fat is GOOD for you! Anyway, the list soon got covered up by my son’s spelling test, on which he got a 100!

6. Eating Lean Cuisines. Basically, you pay about a dollar more for less food, which means that you get hungry and pay more for more food later, like Almond M&Ms.

7. The Soup Diet. I tried this ploy to trick myself into eating more vegetables. Out of all of the things I have tried, this one was the most successful. Every Sunday, I cooked a huge pot of chicken soup, with as many different vegetables as I could cram into the pot. I then put it in individual containers and ate it for lunch at work every day. Sometimes I ate it for dinner, too. I lost a couple of pounds, but now I hate soup. Perhaps in a month or so I’ll give it another try.

8. Drinking too much caffeine. I am not supposed to drink any caffeine, because it increases my anxiety. I did lose my appetite, and left work early one day because I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that I was going to throw up. And my legs were shaking. Panic attacks are not the way I want to lose weight. Nope.

9. Signing up for the Sparkpeople diet site. I found a friend on there who I haven’t seen since high school! We’re getting together for lunch soon. Barbecue, anyone?

10. Looking at pro-anorexia sites for inspiration. I discovered that I simply don’t care as much as they do about my weight, and therefore could never find the patience to peel my grapes before I eat them. Anyway, I’d rather have my chi-chis than a collarbone that could cut someone.

I know, I know. It’s a lifestyle. I’m working on mine, hence the Wednesday postings on this subject. Next up: The Jello-Soup Diet.

And yes, I will continue to have contests. Look for one coming up soon!

<!–
ch_client = “mizchulita”;
ch_width = 160;
ch_height = 160;
ch_color_title = “0D9B00″;
ch_non_contextual = 1;
ch_default_category = “410″;
var ch_queries = new Array( );
var ch_selected=Math.floor((Math.random()*ch_queries.length));
if ( ch_selected

 

Bloggrrl’s Real-Life Money-Making Adventures October 29, 2007

Filed under: Metablogging, Money — News Writer @ 1:44 am

going_crazy.jpg

It’s a Sunday night, and I’m reflecting on the success of this blog as a money-making venture thus far. I’ve made about $250 or so, which is nothing compared to the hours I’ve put into it, which I estimate at this point to be 27,374. Seriously? Probably about 450. Yikes!

On the other hand, I earned an extra $900 this month for 20 hours of after-school tutoring. It’s pretty easy to see where my time is better spent if I am only interested in the money, and I’m not even tutoring math!

On yet a third hand, I can’t imagine not writing. Unless it has become boring, of course, and then why bother?

Following that line of thought, I’ve decided to begin writing about things that I am working on in my life, and that I know many others are as well. This way, I can be interested in what I am writing–as the “making money online” subject is getting stale–at least when written about constantly.

Here’s the working schedule of posts from here on out:

Monday-Metablogging

Because it’s still my hobby, and heck, I don’t want to change the header.

Tuesday-Simplicity

I absolutely don’t have the time to be taking care of tons of stuff, cooking complicated meals, etc. This is all about making life simpler.

Wednesday-Diet/health

I still haven’t lost the 15 pounds from this summer. It is also a constant struggle to keep from going crazy. I’ll write about what does and doesn’t work. Most likely, my first Wednesday post will be entitled “10 Diet Strategies That Really Suck”.

Thursday-Making and saving money

Because figuring out new ways to make or save money is fun. More money equals more options.

Friday-A book worth reading

I can’t recall a day in my life when I have not read at least a few pages out of a book. I’ve come across some great stuff lately that I’d like to share.

Nothing on the weekend, unless I happen to feel like posting some cool stuff or doing a review.

This has to do with the not going crazy part of my plan.

Exceptions for breaking money-making news and reviews.

So, there it is.

I’d like to thank Emma at It’s Write Now for giving me a clue about how to put Amazon book links side by side in my file cabinet post. She has a great new template, which is definitely inspiring, and a bit envy-provoking over here on my end.

 

Online Writing and Video Opportunity October 21, 2007

Filed under: Money — News Writer @ 4:46 pm

money.jpg

Quickie here. I got an email from some folks that I used to do some freelance work for, and they sent me a link to Demand Studios. When you fill out the application, you have the opportunity to specify your areas of expertise and link to your work. Notably, video is in demand as well as writing, so you folks who can’t spell can make some money too. :-)

As far as articles go, they pay around $15, so you won’t get rich. If you can crank out an article in 30-45 minutes, though, it’s not bad money.

I noticed that one of the websites they work with is Cracked.com. Have fun!