November News

[forever_wandering]

Happy November!

First! 
I saw that a lot of my friends are jumping over to Dreamwidth because of LJ's new friends page change. I don't plan on jumping ship just yet, but I did go ahead and set up my DW accout. If you plan on completely moving to Dreamwidth, PLEASE let me know, so I can start cross-posting. While I was at it, I went ahead and re-did my Livejournal layout as well! 

My Dreamwidth Account: Please click image to open account!                          My New Livejournal Layout! 
       

Second! 
I finally accepted that until I can get the funds together for that surgical procedure I need, I'm going to have to not only cut back on things I wanted, but also things I don't immediately need. I got the grocery shopping done today, and didn't buy a single bit of junk food! The bill went down close to $30.00. Imagine that!

On top of that, I'm considering trying a protein diet I keep seeing every time I log in to ミクシィ. I'm usually rather indifferent to these ads because they usually feature women that are already like 50kg who are trying to lose 5 more kg. Basically, skinny people trying to be more skinny, and these ads usually offer to do it in about two weeks.  

I'm not that foolish. 

However, this ad promotes a series of protein shakes AND explains the diet plan used to lose 10kg in a month, and after roaming the site quite a few times, it doesn't seem to unreasonable. Despite the fact that I exercise six days a week, my eating habits are rather sloppy, and this diet is meant to help you cut calories and help you get used to eating less without starving yourself. It also forces you to think about what you eat, since you are substituting the shake for certain meals, so you make sure the meal you eat is amazingly delicious.... which is the one thing that kills me about American advertisements that I see about weightloss. 

Those commericals always have women who say "I didn't even have to think about what I was eating. I just signed up, completed the survey and they'd send me the food every month..blah blah.." If you aren't aware of what you are eating, you might lose the weight, but you will not keep it off! 

I feel like a protein diet is more successful because not only is it a physical struggle, but an emotional struggle. You become aware of what you've been doing, what you haven't been doing. You learn to change.  


I only need to lose 5 more kg, so my dieting doesn't have to be as extreme as what these two did, but yeah, I'm definitely a bit curious. 

Have you ever tried a special diet program? What's your take on them? Have you ever fallen victim to a "fad diet" such as the bananna diet? 

And on a completely unrelated note, I'm sharing this here: 

Despite the reward, not a single person has come forward with information. Her car was found abandoned, but it didn't offer any clues as to where she might have gone or been taken to. Absolutely zero clues. The only way to actually get out of Sitka if you don't own your own boat is to take a plane or catch the ferry. No one has reported seeing her. It's as though she's vanished in to thin air. Sitka also heavily depends on tourism. There are a lot of "outsiders" going in and out. I post this here in the off chance that she was taken by someone who did have means of getting off the island. In that case she could be between any Alaskan Island, Canada or Washington. 

Sitka is such a small place where everyone knows everyone. Things like this just don't happen. Close to 3 weeks missing. 3 weeks of friends, family and police heading spending the day searching and searching...and not.a.single.clue. 

Comments

[20thlvl-rogue.livejournal.com]

Maybe if it wasn't cloudy that day one of the government agencies can use satellite imagery records to see what happened.

As for the protein shakes, you shouldn't use them to get skinnier, you should use them to build muscle and make some gains. You're skinny enough as it is.

[kurikuribebi]

I really do need to build muscle! I decided to start lifting weights for 45 minutes, every other day =)

Wow, I didn't know there was a way to do that! I'll definitely bring it up on the search page. Thanks!

[20thlvl-rogue.livejournal.com]

Will you be doing different muscle groups each day?

[kurikuribebi]

Yeah. I'll be dividing it between my upper, middle and lower body.

[starling27.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, it makes me wonder if she's had an accident, like falling down a hunting trap or summin like that.

[kurikuribebi]

That would make sense too. The problem is that they found her car, and there were no tracks leading anywhere from her car nor any signs that tracks had been covered, so people are searching and searching without having any real clue =( Hopefully she's still on the island and hopefully they find her soon. Literally everyone is looking!

[palebold.livejournal.com]

I'm not prepared to switch to DW. I've been on LJ for so long and across so many names that I'm comfortable. If the new changes get too irritating I may switch but for now I'm grounded here.

With the whole diet thing, I agree with you. It doesn't help to start a diet and not be aware of what you're eating, which is why I cook so much. I find that when I take the time to plan meals or even just prepare them without a plan, I eat healthier.

I've never fallen victim to a fad diet, though I have tried diet programs. Most of mine were exclusively for medical reasons and not weight loss. I did find that following the changes granted some weight loss, since I was substituting healthier replacements in dishes and meals that I enjoyed.

I really do hope that Lael Grant is found soon and though I don't normally copy fb posts, in this case I can make an exception so I'm going to share the image on a few other websites to get the word out.

[kurikuribebi]

Yeah, that's kind of how I feel. I have my DW account and I'll update it if a lot of my friends cross over, but I really do feel at home with LJ.

People these days want everything to be so convenient and they want to not be held accountable for anything, so they really do love these pre-packaged meal diet plans, so they never learn. Then they're stuck on the diets for life. They give results but at what cost?

I followed the banana diet before it was the banana diet. It was rather successful, but the key behind it was of course, eating healthy. Most people never understood that eating 20 bananas, for example is still healthier than one bowl of cereal.

Thank you! I don't normally share this kind of thing either, but in this case, even I am honestly stumped. We'd always joke about how it was impossible to kidnap people in Sitka because there was no way out, and now this person disappears. The police in Sitka don't know how to handle this kind of situation. It has no real crime, aside from suicides and underage drinking.

[palebold.livejournal.com]

I actually had never heard of the banana diet until you mentioned it.

Before I started any of the diets that I've been on, I usually looked for getting more variety in my eating, mostly because I'm one of those people who eats several small meals a day instead of three medium meals. The only time I changed my diet without a doctor reccommendation it was because I was finding that at my job I had a hard time squeezing in a lunch so I kinda combined my lunch with breakfast and sipped green tea or juice between customers. Helped with my energy and allowed me to wait to eat again until after work (and before my excercise).

It's no problem. :) I know that if someone I cared for were missing I would hope for people to do the same so when these pop up I'm happy to share in hopes of finding them sooner.

[kurikuribebi]

That sounds like a good idea. I should try eating many smaller meals. I usually eat two large meals at the beginning of the day, then I'm so full I only have tea all day. That's probably what kills my metabolism.

[shampoo-neko02.livejournal.com]

I've never did a special diet program before, I've lost weight in the past, about 60 lbs, and then later after I had Logan and Draven I lost the 30 lbs of preggo weight I gained. I just ate a low calorie diet of healthy foods and did a little bit of exersice, but not much, though since I've been pregnant I don't have much of a sweet tooth so my sugar intake is really little, even snacking I'd my more guilty of reaching for chips or cheese than sweets and biscuits.

Shirataki noodles are great, I like them with eggs. I also love peaches and multigrain bread with flaxseed is yum!

That's terrible about that lady, so was she out in the forest or something and they found her car or was her car at a hotel or something? Do you have the link, I like to read about missing person stoires.

[kurikuribebi]

I go through sugar spurts. I don't really like most sweets, but then I have weeks where I crave it so much. It only happens every few years though, so I'm not so worried about it.
Do you often snack on cheese? That's interesting. I hear a lot of people do that, and then on the other hand, I hear a lot of people say it's actually healthier to snack on say a starburst candy than on a piece of cheese.

There isn't really much about her right now. Sitka is so small that most news doesn't reach outside the Alaska area. Here is the facebook page for her search though: http://www.facebook.com/HelpFindLaelGrant?fref=ts

She left a friend's house one evening and never made it home. Her car was then found near a golf course, I believe it was, but there were no tracks or signs that tracks had been covered. She just disappeared. No one has come forward even with such a large reward being offered.
It has everyone stumped because as I said, Sitka is insanely small and close knit, and in order to leave you need to make some kind of ticket reservation for a ferry or boat. You know those places in romance novels? Those tiny little old fashioned towns cut off from the world by mountains? That's Sitka. Separated from the world by Ocean and mountains. It's not easy to just up and go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sitka.jpg

Since no evidence or signs have been found, people are basically blindly searching.

[night-owl-9.livejournal.com]

Oh no - that's so terrible about the missing lady. I hope she is found soon.

I already have a DW account, but I'm not willing to leave LJ just yet. I've made too many wonderful friends here to leave.

[kurikuribebi]

Thank you!

Yeah, I have a lot of great friends here on LJ too. Unfortunately, a lot of them are jumping ship. I think about 1/2 of my list has started cross-posting from dreamwidth.

[angelachibayuy.livejournal.com]

The friends page changed? I haven't noticed anything. When I click "friends" it looks exactly the same to me... people are just too finnicky.

I agree with everyone else, you really don't need to "diet". You just need to keep up your healthy lifestyle as your body seems to have found a good size for itself and you look gorgeous. Protein is a good meal for mornings though, sometimes use my boyfriends as it gives me a lot of energy and keeps me from just filling up on bread, but things like Atkins are not normal ways of functioning and usually end rebounding. Would be curious to know whether this one does that or not.

[kurikuribebi]

Well, right now, the new friends page is still being tested, so unless you chose to use it, you won't see it. It looks more or less like Tumblr now, but LJ has agreed to still allow the option for people to customize it, since the big concern was how painful the new colors were.

Oh definitely. Those kinds of restricting diets and pre-packaged diets never work in the long run. This diet though doesn't seem to be too restricting and not too much of a hassle to do. I'm not sure if it'll work either, but it's not expensive, so might as well give it a shot. I want to lose another 5kg, but more importantly, I need to learn to eat a little better. I eat in a way I consider healthy, but I'm sure I over-eat calories without thinking.

[noir-au-blanc.livejournal.com]

I hope they find that missing person, its very scary as its such a small place.. you have to wonder what on earth happened?

I didn't realise those two pics were the same people before and after their weight loss.. but crikey its amazing how much we spend on junk food and don't even realise it eh.. at least it can now go into your piggy bank :D

[kurikuribebi]

Exactly. When I watch reports about missing people on the news, I always come up with a million different possibilities, especially because it's so easy to just grab someone and drive them a million miles away. Those same rules don't apply here. You can't just up and disappear because the only ways out force you to interact with people. They say with the technology we have today, it's impossible for people to completely vanish, yet somehow, this woman has.

Yeah! When I saw the difference, I was like wow, way to go! It definitely makes a difference.
I definitely want to make myself thin and make my piggy bank fat. Lol.

[noir-au-blanc.livejournal.com]

Do you wonder if she decided to disappear without telling anyone? Although that has more headaches involved for the people searching for someone they think is missing.

I do hope they find her soon.

Yay for fat piggy banks lol

[kurikuribebi]

That's a possibility too. Anything is possible at this point since we have no clues at all to go on. That's what makes it so difficult. If she decided to disappear, then fine, disappear, but leave a sign for her family and kids that shes at least alive.

[rainsprite67.livejournal.com]

I always get sad when I hear about people moving to Dream Width. I'm not registered there, but I've looked at it. I don't think it's really all that different from LJ?

I mean yeah, LJ is getting few new features, but all those are currently optional. Now if it's something that turns out permanent and not an option - I'd really hate that.

[kurikuribebi]

DreamWidth is apparently run by the old crew who used to run Livejournal before it was sold. It's basically exactly like Livejournal some years back.
I think people are being a bit picky though. First the issue was that they didn't like the "unlimited scrolling" and the blue and white coloring because it was copying tumblr and hurt people's eyes. So then the LJ staff said they're adding the option to turn off unlimited scrolling and will allow people to customize their friend's pages, yet people are still not happy.

If I had my way, I'd only be on LJ for a long while, but since a lot of my friends are jumping to DW and I want to keep in touch, I set up an account.

[noir-au-blanc.livejournal.com]

I set up an account as a place holder for my name.. I'd prefer to stay with LJ as my history is with this place and I don't want to uproot to be honest.

I've looked at DW.. and yeah its okay I guess?

I'll just keep an eye on the new FL and see how it pans out.

[mylune.livejournal.com]

People are switching to DJ? O_o

[kurikuribebi]

Yeah. Ever since LJ announced it's new friend's page, people have been jumping over to Dreamwidth.

[cocojewels.livejournal.com]

Awww. I see those kind of ads, and I think that norms of beauty concerning women are way too strict and most of the time are about their weight. That's unfair this way that they are trying to make everybody looking skinny and the same.

[kurikuribebi]

I definitely agree that the rules of beauty are way too strict. However, it IS important to be at a healthy weight, which is what I liked about this advertisement. It's not skinny women trying to be skinnier. The website showed information specific for people who are over-weight. Someone like me!

[kissuholic.livejournal.com]

i refuse to let the ship that is me+LJ ever sink T___T
lj has been dying slowly, but i still refuse to leave this place! i love it too much and too many precious memories were made here! T^T

idk i am not particularly found of diet programs. You have to eat everything. Of course, excluding junk food, obviously, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to make yourself happy with a happy meal at McDonalds. As my trainer once said: lol who said pizza is bad (as stomping a nice slice of pizza into his mouth) - everything is good as long as you find a balance. I find the essentials to healthy body and mind are those cliches that you hear all the time: Don't overeat. Eat little but often. Eat slowly and chew your food throughly.

as, myself, i never was on a diet program because i sincerely doubt the use of them, but some of my friends were. No one on a protein one thou, but the diets they were on resulted in fainting and for one, even anorexia :/


plus, a protein diet is for building muscles, not exactly loosing weight. The sport's athletes take protein shakes because it makes muscles grow faster and look bigger.

[kurikuribebi]

I knooooow! I love LJ! I only recently started seriously journal-ing, but I've been on LJ for like...ever. Everyone says it's dying but I feel like there are more people than before!

These protein shakes from this diet are made to help control your hunger and calorie intake. They help build muscle too, of course, which is important in losing weight. But mostly, it's purpose is calorie control while not making you starve.

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

hey how did you transfer your lj to dream?? I always have problemw ith it >.<
I don't plan to move them but it's good to have back up there =__=
I hate that everybody go there, it's like running away.

[kurikuribebi]

There is an option to import your entire blog on to the website =) It's under "Organize" and then "Import style"

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

thanks noticed it, I did backup for my blog, but I won't move there..
plus css style was totally ruined =__=

[kurikuribebi]

Really? It takes some time! It took one hour to move mine over.

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

oh mine was moved really quickly O.O
I was shocked because my lj is really old XDD
but still it didn't take my CSS and now I don't have css code which would suit themes which they provide.. plus my photos are huge on whole screen it looks ugly XDD

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

consider dietting, I don't belive in them, eating healthy and exercise is the ebst and the quickest way to lost weight. Diet will let you look slimmer but you will lose water etc... for properly funtion of your body you need all thigns to eat.. and just cutting eatting like 50% helps..
diets make your body with defection on certain substants.
it's your choice, but diet help you temporary, you won't lose real fat just because you're dietting..

[kurikuribebi]

I totally agree that diets make you leave out certain things, which is part of the reason I'm impressed with these drinks. They actually contain a lot of vitamins that I don't even eat now.
I don't think any diet should be done for a long time. If someone decides to do a diet, it shouldn't be more than two weeks.

I don't have a lot of fat left to lose. I just need to control my calories =) Then what is left will go away.

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

who knows about this drinks, maybe they are special combination, I wouldn't trust it.. only if I would be sure what exactly is inside XD

cardio will help to low fat level and it will melt quicker ^^
but I know you're exercise guru so I shouldn't say it to you xD

[kurikuribebi]

Exactly. That is why I read the labels lol. I won't purchase anything until I go to the store and read all the ingredients.

I already do a lot of cardio. I do 1 hour walking/jogging on my treadmill, capoeira, and dance. But I have no muscle >< I really need to build some!!

[warriorofdream.livejournal.com]

cardio make you lose fat and feel better, to build muscle you need pilates, exercise with dumbbells or with using body weight.
I have reverse situation, I have muscles on my stomach (my abs) but they hidden under small lyer of fat xDDD but exercises with using body weight and dumbbells make magic to my body XD

[spangleayee.livejournal.com]

That's terrible about the missing woman, I hope she's found soon, and okay!

I've only ever tried one dieting program - weightwatchers. And that was a good few years ago. I didn't do it for long as I was told to stop it by my psychiatrist but for the time I was on it, it worked. I lost a little weight. I've never really tried any other diets though.
I've point blank starved myself too, but that's not a diet x)

♥

[kurikuribebi]

Why were you told to stop? If you don't mind me asking..

[spangleayee.livejournal.com]

I don't really want to get into it but it was basically to do with my state of mind at that time. It was apparently 'safer' that I stop. It was nothing to do with the diet itself but with me.

♥

[kurikuribebi]

Oh ok. Thank you!