Kid's Teaching Game Used for Losing Pounds and Inches

Wheel of Dreaded Consequences

This game is designed to get kids to learn there are consequences to their actions. It is simple in its use but ingenious because it's not a threat, rather something that is there to use when the time comes. Kids will fight, or refuse to do chores, or generally act miserable, and sometimes don't you wish you could figure out what to do to get them to listen to you, without having to resort to threats or punishments you don't carry out later? This game is the answer.

Your kids are fighting and won't stop. They won't go to bed when asked, they don't clean their rooms or do their homework. Don't bother with punishments, get out "Wheel of Dreaded Consequences" and let them spin the dial. Where the pointer lands is their "consequence," effectively teaching them how to measure their choices against the possible repercussions.

For instance, if you have more than one child, one effective consequence is the child must clean the room of the other - kids sure don't want to do that, but if it's where the spinner landed, they'll take their medicine. No more blaming mom and dad for being "mean." It wasn't you - it was the game. They know the rules - do your chores, stop fighting when asked to quiet down, etc. or there will be consequences.

Apply the Wheel Concept to Your Diet Strategy

Use it as a reward or punishment for your goals such as staying with your eating plan, or exercise plan. First, you must determine your motivation strategy. Are you a "toward" or "away" from person? That is, would you put more effort into gaining a reward, or avoiding a punishment?

Toward people prefer when they are working toward a goal or reward. They are highly motivated by promises of goodies when they stick to their eating plan for instance. Rewards work well with the Toward person such as a massage if you exercise a specific number of minutes this week or a new outfit when you successfully break the habit of eating in the evening.

Away people would do just about anything to avoid a negative consequence. They don't think of rewards but rather punishments. What they will lose, what will be a negative. This motivates the Away person far more than the promise of some reward would. The Away person would do well to use the Wheel of Dreaded Consequences as it was designed, by spinning the wheel when you do not reach your goal for that day, and taking your consequence.

Once you know whether you are a Toward or Away from person, you can better determine your personal reward/punishment system. If you are an Away from person, then you would list every reason you do not want to stay at your present level of health. What are the worst things that will happen if you do not make any change in your habits? Create a list and pull it out when you are tempted to fall back into old habits.

Read the entire article on Wheel of Dreaded Consequences

The game, Wheel of Dreaded Consequences" is a great idea for kids and adults alike. Our actions do have consequences, and with a game like this we can teach our kids and relearn ourselves that our daily decisions have an impact.

"When you're cooking for Julia Child, the food can't be crappy," says Daniel Maye, executive director of the IACP.

New Year's Resolutions. Have You Gotten Started?

Have your thoughts of getting back in shape or starting some new fitness/eating program stalled because you don't have everything you need? Low on funds? No room to exercise, no equipment, not the right clothes. There's always something else to want, and I'm no exception. Regardless of how much exercise equipment, tapes, or money to spend on fitness stuff you may have, even without having it all, you will get started anyway.

My first dumbbells called "smart bells" were given to me as a gift, and you can fashion dumbbells out of anything fairly heavy you have on hand, even a can of soup will do. I often will lift my bags of groceries as a pseudo-dumbbell curl -- there's no law that says your weights have to made of iron!

You can do sets of bicep curls while walking down the street if your purse or brief case is as heavy as mine! Use your ingenuity and you'll find opportunities to move our bodies are all around.

If you wait until you have all the equipment, all the time, everything lined up just so, you'll never get started. Don't let this happen to you. Start with what you have. If you have nothing, then start with floor exercises. I made the transformation you can see in my before/after pictures with a crappy little weight bench that wobbled when you used it, and my trusty bike.

The bike I'd bought several years prior to that by borrowing money from a more frugal associate. I lived in the High Desert and was 30 miles from a gym which I couldn't have afforded to join anyway, and none of that mattered. I tried running outside and got shin splints so gave that up quickly, but you may be able to run, or even walk. Do what you can do but do it now. Don't wait until everything is perfect.

Things I Want but Don't Yet Have

My wish list? I'd love to get my body fat tested once a month with a commercial bioimpedance device. Frankly I wish I had one of my own but they cost thousands of dollars.

Kitchen Scale: I still want a good kitchen scale. I'm still researching, so I haven't decided on "the best." A kitchen scale is the best way to determine what you are really eating. Be aware, you are eating far more than you realize. I want to retrain my eyes to accept a little less on my plate.

Cookbooks: I love cookbooks, but I don't own a lot of them. I can get them at the but the trouble is, they want them returned! I'd love to have a whole of good cookbooks. There are great recipe software programs and lots of sites, so I have huge folders of paper. Guess it's time to organize. I'm experimenting with recipe software too, and with a kitchen computer that would be great - but I have no kitchen computer. All things in good time.

Bosu Ball: [Score! I got this] This is a neat new exercise bit of gadgetry that I really want but haven't gotten around to getting. It's basically a exercise ball on a platform. We used these in my Pilates classes and I loved it. You can do much more with it than a regular exercise ball including standing on it for balance exercises. You'd be surprise how much work your muscles are getting just in attempting to balance yourself on the Bosu.

Exercise Clothes: Mine are a bit shabby, but you know what? It doesn't matter. Throw on any old T-shirt over some shorts or stretchy elastic waist pants and you're good to go. It's good to wear layers so you can pull off a sweat shirt as you get warmer. Believe me no one is looking at you when you go to the gym - they're too busy looking at themselves.

Write out your Want List, then decide to go ahead and get started anyway. Whether you wish you could join a gym or whatever, we all have something else we want. The time is never better than right now to get started. If there's a book to get or a course to take, do it, or put it on your list, but no excuses warrant waiting to begin. Get started today with what you do have or make a plan if you're an, "I'll start on Monday," type. ;-)

What's New on OneMoreBite

I'm working on a Blog format - I haven't finalized the "look" and I haven't decided on a name, and I just plain don't know how or if it will even turn out, but for now, it's called the Slimming Blog. It will have an Atom feed so you can use a News Reader to view it, if you like. For more information on News Readers do a search for "news readers"

Most of the archives of the current Slimming Blog were taken from the Daily Bites - periodic articles about losing the weight or dealing with the emotional aspects of over eating with an emphasis on using EFT techniques. If you want to receive the Daily Bites sign up here.

Katy's Daily Rant

Sometimes, okay practically every day, I get carried away by something I've heard on the news or seen somewhere that gets my blood set to boiling. Idiot ideas about losing the weight for instance. The latest and greatest diet craze, whatever is currently sweeping the nation - usually fraudulent and bound to cause many to lose money. To get out of my rant mode, sometimes I just start typing crazily. I've posted some of those rants.

Index to Weight Loss & Dieting Articles

+++ The Daily Bites are mini-lessons in how I use EFT to maintain my 80 pound weight loss. Twice weekly and free +++

What's New in Food News:

Seasons 52 - Dessert in a Glass?

Making an effort to serve people what "they say they want" is the Seasons 52 approach. Located in Orlando, Florida Seasons 52 is my idea of a restaurant with the right idea. Their cooking methods include skipping a deep fryer or butter in their kitchen, entrees are most often sautéed, roasted or grilled. Half your plate will be filled with three fresh vegetable choices which change weekly, hence the name. Entrees are typically about six ounces with about three ounces of starch to fill out the plate. Much more in line with healthy portions.

Desserts in a Glass are a selection of shot-glass-sized desserts priced at 1.95 dollars each. Now that's a refreshing change. Sometimes just a few bites is what you want. Ever said, "I'll just have a few bites of your dessert"? Here you could order and it's only a few bites anyway! Excellent idea. Hopefully they'll be successful and other restaurants will follow suit. If you have a chance, check it out.

Here is a great article about the Seasons 52 concept

Hershey's Swoops - nifty little chocolate slices.

Why? Because they couldn't think of anything else to make chocolate chips new, so they flattened them, and call the Swoops. Dumb, I'd say. I'd rather have the mouth feel of a chocolate bit than a skinny slice - but that's just me.

Food manufacturer's have to continually come up with something new and different to keep us purchasing more and more. If you have a new idea for a food product, or food container, let the manufacturer's know. Send me your ideas, I'll pass them along.

Discovery Channel - National Body Challenge

Get started with the Discovery Channel's National Body Challenge. Use their free online interactive tools. Their assessment of my calorie needs was far too low, so I changed it to suit myself. You can change the ratio of fats/protein/carbohydrates as well. Lots of useful resources.

Condiment Museum

[Sadly, this link is broken. I'll leave this post up for awhile to see if it comes back] This guy seems to have too much time on his hands. He's created a site based on his hobby (obsession?) of collecting condiment packets.

New Patent - Car that Tells if You're Getting Fat

How'd you like it if you sat down to go to the store and your car announced your getting a little wide in the saddle? That's just what this inventor is working on; a car that will tell you when you're gaining weight - as if you wouldn't know that already?

Food & Recipe Sites

Eating low fat simply means reducing the amount of fat you're getting, especially the non-nutritious types found in most snack foods, and trans fats. Reducing the fat in your recipes can go a long way toward getting you back on track. Most every person who's lost the weight they needed and kept it off did it with a combination approach of eating more sensibly, avoiding fast foods, learning portion control, reducing the overall fat in their diet, and adding daily movement (i.e. exercise).

Low-Fat-Recipes.com

Low Fat Cookie Recipes

Is Beef Still Safe to Eat?

With Mad Cow disease being found in Oregon, is anyone eating less beef? Not the people I've spoken with. Most are saying, "Goodie, beef's on sale. I'm stocking up." If you're eating more beef because of a high protein diet, then you might want to be as well informed as possible on the subject. You can find and purchase meat that has never been fed the protein additive derived from rendered animals.

Full article: Is Beef Safe to Eat?

The Meatrix - This flash (you'll need the flash plug-in to view but you most likely already have it) movie is taking the world by storm, and it's a hoot.

Icky: Brain Sandwiches still on the menu. One person's gross is another person's delicacy.

Food Trivia: Old Time Advertisements

Did you know cupcake papers were originally designed as a labor saving devise for harried housewives?

Don't be a Slave to your Dishpan!
Use Liberty Paper Baking Cups and Paper Table Decorations and get rid of the drudgery of washing and scraping baking tins. Made of paper specially prepared to withstand heat and require no greasing. A big help in the kitchen. Your cakes are ready to serve direct from the oven in these attractive paper cups, which keep them fresh and inviting. Tested and approved by American Cookery, Modern Priscilla and Good Housekeeping Institute. (c) 1927

More Additions to Goofy Diet Products

Last issue I listed some silly diet products and gadgets and here are new entries I've found since then:

Weight Loss Magnets - Sure why not? Magnets are said to be useful for health, so it was just a matter of time before someone suggested they'd be helpful for losing weight too. They are good for pinning a note to the refrigerator reminding you of that resolution to get more exercise for instance.

Slimming Soap - "Should not be handled by thin people," the ads proclaimed. If you're not careful with this product, you could get so skinny you'd go down the drain. Should not be used with the Slimming Shower Head either (I added that last part myself).

Weight Loss Patch - This product containing Bladderwrack, a sea vegetable. Bladderwrack has been used historically for obesity as it is a metabolic stimulant. Don't for one minute think that paying way too much for a patch containing Bladderwrack will help with your weight problem. It won't. This is a scam.

Herbs can be used in a weight loss program but must be either a tincture, tea (steeped for the proper amount of time), sometimes pill form, and compresses. A patch application of an herb would not be effective. Go to your health food store, buy the herb directly and try it. Weight loss patches do not work period.

Health, Fitness & Weight Loss Website Spotter

Food Poisoning Facts

Eating Utensils in the West - A Brief Timeline

Foodies: "Sites by People who Love Food"

Restaurant Menus at Amazon.com. Great new concept they're trying over at Amazon.com. At present the only cities being covered are Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. If it proves popular I'm sure they'll add most big cities soon. I absolutely love being able to see a menu before I decide if I want to try a new restaurant.

Find the Restaurant Menus feature off Amazon's home page by scrolling down and looking at the left-hand navigation for "Amazon.com Services" then select "Restaurants." If they could have made it harder to find, I'm sure they would have. ;-)

Fitness & Weight Loss Forums

I enjoy reading and participating in the forums. My current favorite is the Weight Loss Forum at About.com Drop in and say hi. I go by the name OneMoreBite (big surprise).

+++ ---------- Ending Emotional Eating ------- +++

You've gone to seminars, read books, bought gadgets, and tried everything to lose the weight, but still nothing works. Could it be you're an emotional eater?
More details about the One More Bite 8-Week Workshop.
If now is the right time to end your struggle losing all the weight you want, get started on this self-paced, home study program today. (Includes follow-up, so you still get personal attention).
I'm Ready! How do I register?
   +++ ------------------------------------------- +++

Fitness and Exercise Sites

ExRx.net

ABC Bodybuilding.com

IsoBreathing.com - Great exercise concept developed by Ellen Miller. Using heavy duty rubber bands for resistance, these exercises are perfect for people who are unable to do other exercise programs. If you're recovering from injury, cannot travel, or do not want to spend much money getting started, this is a great program to get you started.

Collage Video's -
Request their catalog, it's great. Even if you don't like fitness videos, when that catalog shows up it gets me thinking about the routine I'm doing. They offer a roundup of the current fitness magazines recommended tapes as well. Totally great resource for everything fitness related.

Don't forgot to use my Links pages. I make new link exchanges every week, so check back for new additions. You'll find links to sites with health, fitness, and information relating to losing the weight you want.

If you have a site or know of a good resource send it to me as well so it can be added.

Call for Participants in Weight Loss Program Study Group

I'm seeking participants for a brief "study group" for possible inclusion in my upcoming book, Ending Emotional Eating, One Bite at a Time. The only cost to participate is a commitment to follow-through and provide me feedback. If you are interested, please send me a brief note before Feb. 15th, 2004 via this online contact form to let me know you'd like to be considered.

Want a McNifica? How about a McFalafel? If you plan to eat at McDonald's abroad you may encounter these odd flavor combos at local McDonalds around the world. [Update 2011] Apparently this McFalafel didn't work out so well. According to The Guardian, McDonald's discontined the McFalafel. More weird McDonalds? Try McShrimp, McRice or ...?

Yours in good eating,