Growing Bolder Community

After five weeks of steady weight loss at 2 pounds a week, my scale hasn't budged in nearly 2 weeks. That's 4 pounds I haven't lost! Is this a reason to panic? Not a chance, but it did cause me to stop and examine what's changed. I've gotten a little complacent. It's hard to track every bite of food every single day, and I stopped doing it. I suspect my calorie count has gone up a little, maybe...

The diet industry is huge. More than 40 billion is spent every year in the U.S. alone. Why? Because we want a magic bullet. We have tried everything and we continue to hope that the next diet fad, whatever it is, will be the thing that speaks to us, that sparks our weight loss and keeps us motivated. Is it going to work? no. It's hooey. Balderdash. Snake oil. Here's how I know. Every diet book,...

This is hardly my first weight loss go-round, but I think I finally have it together enough to make it happen. To be honest, I can't believe I've already lost a few pounds. My thyroid is completely out of whack. Losing weight with a thyroid issue and diabetes is nearly impossible. But I'm lucky in some ways. I never allowed myself to become completely sedentary and I fought my weight gain to a...

I have been successfully dieting now for nearly a full month. If you've tried and failed to diet as many times as I have, you know how hard that is. Since I need to lose more than a hundred pounds, it's a long, discouraging road. Here's why I think I will succeed.My theory is that diets fail due to lack of preparedness. It's working this time because I'm prepared. When I get hungry - and, frankly,...

I started considering bariatric surgery - lap band, stomach stapling, gastric bypass, whatever - about a year ago when it looked like nothing would ever change. I was diagnosed with diabetes about 10 years ago and while I drastically changed my diet, it has only gotten worse over the years until now it's incredibly hard to control. Several doctors have suggested surgery as my best option, but is...

It's been a long time since I read a book I felt the urge to comment about, but The Race, by Richard North Patterson, has really captured me. It's about politics, including religion and race issues, and it highlights everything that is wrong with the way we vote and how the media shapes our decisions. The lead character is a Republican senator struggling to run a campaign just to the right of...

I know, it's been ages since I updated my blog and I apologize. The truth is that I've been busier recently than I ever have been in my life, I think. This is a good thing financially, but socially...wait, what does social mean again? I'm sure I used to know...oh well, it will come to me. Basically, I've been doing the same thing I have done for years, writing content for web sites and fodder for...

I’ve been working for three whole weeks in a real job at a real corporation. For the first time in my life, I am wearing a badge and struggling to arrive on time, an ability that eludes anyone raised on an island. I have been spending my days parked in a cubicle, listening to the chatter around me and trying not to be a nuisance. Cubicles are in short supply, and I’ve become something of a...

It seems I live to fight another day. The crisis, for now is averted and my blood sugar is once again under control. It seems only one medication really works for me, and as long as I take it, my blood sugar remains stable. It's expensive, naturally, but getting to live is worth the cost. Hopefully soon I will beat the exhaustion and get back to writing. Projects are piling up, deadlines are...

Yes. I am, or was, a member of Mensa. In all actuality, I stopped paying dues when I had kids and found that I no longer had time to actively participate, but I'm still on the rolls and can reactivate at any time...and probably will sometime soon, now that my kids are grown. There are a lot of misconceptions about Mensa in general and mensans in particular. People are intimidated, but...