THE TRUTH ABOUT FAT PEOPLE

This was the heading on a small article I read in a magazine recently.  Talk about stating the obvious or perhaps not.

"Some people are biologically programmed to fatten up on few kilojoules and are less able to turn food into physical activity.  Exactly why this is so remains uncertain.  It may be genes or upbringing (or more likely both).  Whatever the reason the tendency to gain weight is not due to laziness or lack of willpower, nor can it be 'cured' with appetite suppressants, drugs, fasts or fad diets.

Fat-prone people can become and stay slim if they accept the fact that they can't eat the way they would like to, the way they used to, or the way they think others eat.  They must avoid 'empty' fats, sugars and refined starches, and design their menus from filling, not-fattening foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meat, poultry, seafood daily foods and grains."

I read this through a couple of times and thought to myself "Obviously fat people must design their meals the same way diabetics are told to design theirs.  In other words what would be considered a healthy way of eating for almost everybody.

Apparently I was about 10lbs at birth so maybe I wasn't intended to be small??  I have seen photographs of my birth mother and she certainly couldn't be said to have been sylph-like so genes obviously play a big part there.  Upbringing?  Yes we ate butter, Mum used lard in cooking, we kept the dripping from the roast etc. etc.  Of course we also exercised a whole lot then as many people didn't have cars when I was young so walking was a big part of our life.  Also I danced a lot and played tennis, things that many young people don't do these days.  At 35 I returned to the work force and a very sedentary job so the weight went up a little but I was still able to do lots of walking which was good.  Then the really bad arthritis set in later in life and I was unable to exercise as I once did (couldn't even go for a walk any more) and the weight went on and stayed on regardless of changing my type of diet or food intake.

OK I am a fat person now and have never been skinny; but just a normal weight for years.  So many articles one reads these days tell us that if we are fat we are doomed.  We have to try and live with that prediction and hope that as is often the case with predictions that this one just won't come true too soon.

SOME RECIPES...FROM ME!!!

As MOH and I are both diabetics we try to be as careful as we can with our food intake...both quality and quantity.  Many of the recipes in the magazines we receive from Diabetes Australia don't give nutrition information which I find hard to understand and often include ingredients that we feel we perhaps shouldn't include in our diet.  However, in the Spring 2010 edition I found 4 wonderful recipes taken from "Fighting Diabetes: hundreds of everyday tips to transform your health and live longer".  Apparently this is a book published by Reader's Digest.  Anyway here are 2 recipes that sound really good and which we intend to try shortly:

SEARED WHITE FISH IN ZESTY HERB AND TOATO SAUCE (Serves 2)

4 x 100g white fish fillets (sustainable types such as hoki or hake)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 chopped medium onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cans (400g each) chopped tomatoes with Italian herbs
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or dry red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Sprinkle the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat.  Add the fish and saute on both sides until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove the fish from the pan.  Add the onion and garlic.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and bring to the boil.  Lower the heat and add the balsamic vinegar or red wine.  Simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes.  Add the basil and oregano.  Simmer for 3 minutes.  Serve the fish topped with the tomato sauce.

Nutritional Information:  Each serve provides: Fat (g) 7; Saturated fat (g) 1; Protein (g) 15; Carbohydrate (g) 23, Fibre (g) 8; Sodium (mg) 375; LOW GI

LEMON RICE SALAD (Serves 6)

Goes well with any grilled seafood or poultry

INGREDIENTS & METHOD

Combine 320g of cooked Doongara rice with 4 diced and deseeded tomatoes, 150g thawed frozen green peas, 1 peeled and diced carrot, 2 chopped spring onions and a handful of finely chopped fresh parsley.

Whisk together 3 tablespoons of non-fat mayonnaise. 1 tablesppon of lemon juice, half a teaspoon of lemon zest and pepper to taste.  Add to the rice salad and toss well.

Nutritional Information:  Each serve provides:  Fat (g) 1; Saturated fat (g) 0.2; Protein (g) 6;  Carbohydrate (g) 50; Fibre (g) 3.8; Sodium (mg) 92, LOW GI.

THE RESOLUTION I MADE TODAY

I have dozens (perhaps hundreds) of photographs that got all muddled up when a cupboard fell over about 18 months ago and they have just been sitting in boxes waiting for someone (me of course) to get around to sorting them out.

Today I decided that task could wait no longer so the sorting has begun.  Now of course comes the big question. Which ones to keep? Which ones not to keep?   I have probably 100 or more photos that were taken when we were in New Zealand in 1982 which have just been sitting there!!  I showed MOH today and asked him to sort out those not to keep.   Why did I bother?  "I'd keep them all." was his response.  Oh well, why not.  One day somebody else will ask why we had bothered to keep them and they would probably ditch them as they'd mean nothing to anyone but us.   So much fun!!

Family photos as well are difficult to decide to keep or not to keep.  Sometimes one has photos that are not terribly good but they are of a particular event or person of which there are no other pics.  I think I will have to get back to Creative Memories and set about creating more albums.  They fortunately may be of some use to family in years to come.

Then of course there are photos sent by relatives of MOH who are of course in England.  I have to match the prints I've had made with those in my computer so I know who is who.  Wow~that is going to be a big task in itself.  Not even MOH knows who everyone is as he left the UK over 50 years ago so people born since then are strangers to him even though they are family members.

Another set of photos sent to me by a cousin in Canada are of family members whom I have never met.  They mean nothing to me and yet are blood relatives.  Should I keep them?  There are names on some photos that perhaps I can match up with names in my family tree, also in my computer.

It would seem there will be little chance of boredom if I keep to this resolution made today to get all these photographs in some semblance of order.  Should keep me out of mischief for months to come but then resolution are made to be broken aren't they?  That's why I never make any at New Year.

STRESS OUT!!

By this I mean get rid of stress.  We diabetics are always told that stress is extremely bad for us as it has a nasty effect on our glucose levels and our well being.  Many other people also have a need to try and reduce stress in their lives and the following is good advice for anyone and everyone.  First get into a comfortable position and give it a try.  It really does work wonders.

DEEP BREATHING AND VISUALISTION

1.  Begin by focusing on your breathing.

2.  Take a deep breath and imagine you have a balloon inside your stomach that you are trying to
     inflate.  As you breathe in your stomach will push out, not in.  Now slowly breathe out.  Keep
     breathing like this.

3.  Now close your eyes and picture a place that you find relaxing.  It could be the beach, a bubble
     bath, crisp mountain air a comfortable couch or just a relaxing favourite colour.

4.  Now the next time you breathe in, breathe in those feelings of relaxation and feel the fresh, clean
     air filling your body.

5.  As you breathe our picture cloudy, black and smoky air leaving your body.  This is your stress.
     Feel it leaving your body and as you breathe in being replaced by clean, fresh air.

6.  Repeat this at least ten times and see how relaxed it makes you feel.

I quoted this from the Autumn 2012 edition of Diabetes Matters published by Diabetes WA.  I was also told this method of relaxation by a psychologist I had sessions with several years ago.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING

As you know I don't get out and about as much as I'd like to but today I ventured out into our front garden just to see what's what.  The garden had that lovely late afternoon sun drenched look and I suddenly realised that spring IS just around the corner; in fact only 6 days to go before our winter ends. I know I should have used my stick or walking frame but decided I would 'go it alone'.  Not a good idea perhaps as after only about 10 minutes I had to go and sit down again.  Never mind, at least I got out there.  I took my little camera with me and captured a few snaps of pretty things that I will share with you.   

I noticed the duranta had new flowers as well as last season's berries and there was a little white daisy all on it's own gazing up at me.  I stole a glance next door and there was the wattle flowering profusely.
The lavender is in flower and although last season's petunias are finished new plants sprang up and now they are beginning to flower.  Over in the corner of the garden the bright blue sky looked so beautiful and the late afternoon sun lit up the leaves on various trees and shrubs.

Our garden suffers these days as I just cannot do all the work I once did (the front garden was always my responsibility) and MOH has to feel just right to mow lawns etc.  We are fortunate to have a very good gardener come in every couple of months to prune and weed but MOH and I both feel so sad that neither of us is capable to do all that should be done.

Incidentally a lady that was here back in 2001, one of those people that just knows everything, told us that the very pretty pale pink camellia (pic 7) was on it's way out and would be dead by the following year.  We think it is doing just fine for a plant that was 'doomed' all those years ago.  It may not be as vigorous as it was when it was a young plant but it still gives us lots of pleasure.  Long may it continue to bloom.  : )

REMEMBERING A LIFE-LONG FRIEND

Today my friend Judy would have been 82 but she is no longer with us.  She died on 17th February, 2009 after a battle with cancer.

I first met Judy when I began attending Perth College back in 1944.  We were in the same class together for one year before she left to go to another school.  I can't say we ever really clicked and in fact I didn't like her all that much as she was a bit of a devil and I tended to be a rather quiet child.

We met up again a few years later and became really close friends.  In fact I was her bridesmaid when she married in 1950.  This photo taken as we were leaving the Anglican church in Highgate.

Judy and I remained friends throughout the years, although there were times when she and I didn't always see eye to eye, but the important thing we had in common was that we both found it easy to laugh.  We found we were able to laugh at ourselves and at each other as well as many other things.  Actually I remember Judy and I having a good laugh about something probably quite ridiculous only a few days before she died which I think showed her strength of character.

Judy is often in my thoughts and I do miss her and in particular the wonderful laughs we had together.

(Her first husband Barry shown in this photo would have celebrated his birthday yesterday.  He died on Christmas Eve in 2010).  He was a pharmacist in Katanning for many years.  I remember him well.  He was a very nice gentleman.)

INEQUALITY AS IT WAS WAY BACK THENMum'

Just as I was about to put mum's book down just now I remembered her writing about discrepancies in pay between men and women back in about 1916, so I thought this may be interesting to us in the 21st century.  Once again I am quoting from mum's book.  She was at the time working for the Sugar Commission in London "which had been formed to safeguard the supply of sugar to industry, the community and the armed forces and was vital to the war effort."

"As the war continue my duties became extremely heavy and as I was still Confidential Secretary to the Manager, and often called upon to undertake confidential work for member of the Commission, I was frequently working until midnight and at weekends.

It was then decided to brig in a man to handle part of my work, and he was given that dealing with golden syrup and molasses.  I was most annoyed to learn that he was to receive 800 pounds a year (a large salary then) to do only part of my work, while I had been receiving 250 pounds a year for coping with the lot.  (sorry there are no pound signs on computer keyboards)

Special applications were made to the Treasury on my behalf, but I was refused an increase as I was being paid the maximum possible for a woman without a university degree.  My assistant, who also did not have a university degree, was eligible for the larger salary as he was a male.  There were many such anomalies in government service, but pressure for equal pay has now resulted in better conditions for women."

Mum also goes on to write:

"My service with the Commission was really the crowning point of my career in England as, by having achieved such a position at the age of 19, which covered confidential services to the governent, a department of my own, control of a pool of about 40 typists, as well as the opportunity to work directly with the members of the Commission and my close association with my immediate chief. there was little more to which I could aspire."

I am so proud of this lady who chose me to be her daughter and I know my family is proud of her too.