Date: Monday, November 8th, 2010
Word of the Day: demotic (dih\MOT\ik); of or pertaining to the common people, popular
Weight: 207 pounds
Goal: lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose: 75 pounds
Waist Size: 44 inches
Rowing Duration: 71 minutes, eight (8) seconds
Do you know that after I have written one more post, after today, I will have written 100 posts, how about that? I'm quite proud of myself for sticking this activity out. It is not always easy coming up with different things to say; I'm sure it hasn't been that easy reading everything that I've written, I know I've scraped the bottom of the barrel a couple of times, and I thank you for bearing with me.
This blog started out as a journey to record my frustration in trying to lose weight; I know I don't always talk about this, but it has been frustrating in my attempts to lose weight. And my progress has been rather slow, I was hoping by Christmas I would have lost half of the weight necessary to reach my goal, I'll be lucky if I break the two hundred pound mark, but I am getting closer to it, and that is saying something. I always try to be optimistic and count my blessings, at least my weight is in reverse and not heading up towards three hundred pounds.
Lately, I hate seeing Cruella, she just sits there waiting for me everyday, and soon when I reach Gainesville, Florida, I will be meeting Cruella's Child, there is no way that I could not row while I'm down south, I would probably undo all of my hard work, so I am going to continue to row whilst I'm away, just in case you were wondering about that.
Sometimes I think I should just sign up to "Jenny Craig" or order that "bowflex," that is advertised on the television; people that do these promotions make it seem like losing the weight is a piece of cake, I wish it were that simple, boy do I ever.
I haven't been as consistent with the swimming as I have been with the rowing; its very hard to jump in the pool when you have to walk, or drive, about a mile to get to the swimming pool, and temperatures outside are freezing, it has been warming up a bit and I'm told that by the middle of the week, it will warm up even more, that figures!
I picked up my enlargements and copies of pictures from the Black's store yesterday. Gosh, the mall was so busy, so much busier than it was on Friday, and the price for my pictures was rather expensive, I should have shopped around better, you know, I probably should have just taken my pictures for development to Walmart, I believe they wouldn't have charged as much as Blacks, oh well, next time.
I talked to a dear friend of mine last night on the telephone, her daughter recently had to sell her house that had been paid off in full, to pay off some debts because of a bad business deal. It was so sad to hear that Mavis lost her house because of one bad deal, poor Mavis and her husband are now back to renting a home, I guess if one has their health, that really is everything, but it is hard to tell people that when they have lost so much.
Well, I just did something that I haven't done in awhile, I accidentally published my post before it was ready, I hope I got to it before some of you started reading it, I don't like people to see my work before its time.
There are now only forty-six (46) days until Christmas, that is, if you don't count today. As I briefly mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, I think people are aware of the impending holiday because the mall was just packed with people trying to find that perfect something, I think if you are not buying presents for children, one of the better gifts to give are gift certificates to stores, I know it doesn't show alot of imagination, but at least the person will buy something with your certificate that they might actually use instead of putting it in the pile of regifts.
I also think that about a month ago, I gave some ideas on gifts that could be given if money wasn't too plentiful. Remember to write up those individual cards that will entitle the bearer to some specific service, such as, "the bearer of this card is entitled to breakfast in bed on such and such a date," you get the idea. Or you still have time to make something, knit something, write something, compose something, just don't whine that you have no idea what to get someone. The best gift you can give someone is your time, why not spend some time at a home for the aged, or if you can afford it, why not take in a household, less fortunate than yourself, and give them the gift of Christmas, it really will make you feel quite excellent, think about it.
I thought I would chat a little bit about anorexia today, anorexia nervosa to be accurate. As always, What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, and an obsessive fear of gaining weight due to a distorted self image which may be maintained by various cognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about her or his body, food and eating. It is a serious mental illness with a high incidence of comorbidity and the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. I don't know if you've ever seen anyone suffering from this horrible disease, but sometimes it really is scary to see someone who is literally just skin and bones.
Anorexia nervosa can affect men and women of all ages, races, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Anorexia nervosa can affect and is most common in young women and adolescent girls. Anorexia nervosa occurs in the ratio of 1:1.5 in males:females. It can also affect young boys, and women up to the menopause can also be affected. The term anorexia nervosa was established in 1873 by Sir William Gull, one of Queen Victoria's personal physicians. The term is of Greek origin: a (α, prefix of negation), n (ν, link between two vowels) and orexis (ορεξις, appetite), thus meaning a lack of desire to eat.
A patient suffering from anorexia nervosa will exhibit a number of signs and symptoms, some of which are listed below. The type and severity of the signs and symptoms vary in each case and may be present but not readily apparent. Anorexia nervosa and the associated malnutrition that results from self-imposed starvation, can cause severe complications in every major organ system in the body.
Possible signs of anorexia nervosa:
Russell's sign scarring on knuckles due to sticking fingers down throat to force vomiting
Chilblains, also known as Perniosis.
Obvious, rapid, dramatic weight loss
lanugo: soft, fine hair grows on face and body
obsession with calories and fat content
preoccupation with food, recipes, or cooking; may cook elaborate dinners for others but not eat themselves
dieting despite being thin or dangerously underweight
fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight
rituals: cuts food into tiny pieces; refuses to eat around others; hides or discards food
purging: uses laxatives, diet pills, ipecac syrup, or water pills; may engage in self-induced vomiting; may run to the bathroom after eating in order to vomit and quickly get rid of the calories
may engage in frequent, strenuous exercise
perception: perceives self to be overweight despite being told by others they are too thin
becomes intolerant to cold: frequently complains of being cold due to loss of insulating body fat; body temperature lowers (hypothermia) in effort to conserve calories [
depression: may frequently be in a sad, lethargic state
solitude: may avoid friends and family; becomes withdrawn and secretive
clothing: may wear baggy, loose-fitting clothes to cover weight loss
cheeks may become swollen due to enlargement of the salivary glands caused by excessive vomiting[26]
swollen joints
abdominal distension
Studies have hypothesized that the continuance of disordered eating patterns may be epiphenomena of starvation. The results of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment showed that normal controls exhibit many of the behavioral patterns of anorexia nervosa when subjected to starvation. This may be due to the numerous changes in the neuroendocrine system, which results in a self perpetuating cycle. Studies have suggested that the initial weight loss such as dieting may be the triggering factor in developing Anorexia Nervoisa (AN) in some cases, possibly due to an already inherent predisposition toward AN. One study reports cases of AN resulting from unintended weight loss that resulted from varied causes such as a parasitic infection, medication side effects, and surgery. The weight loss itself was the triggering factor.
Sociocultural studies have highlighted the role of cultural factors, such as the promotion of thinness as the ideal female form in Western industrialized nations, particularly through the media. A recent epidemiological study of 989,871 Swedish residents indicated that gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status were large influences on the chance of developing anorexia, with those with non-European parents among the least likely to be diagnosed with the condition, and those in wealthy, white families being most at risk. People in professions where there is a particular social pressure to be thin (such as models and dancers) were much more likely to develop anorexia during the course of their career, and further research has suggested that those with anorexia have much higher contact with cultural sources that promote weight-loss. One of my favourite sports is Gymnastics and I know that there is a plethora of gymnasts that suffer from this disease. I believe they have put in regulations wherein gymnasts now have to be a certain weight, which is a really good idea to help deter Anorexia Nervosa, at least I think so.
There is a high rate of reported child sexual abuse experiences in clinical groups of who have been diagnosed with anorexia. Although prior sexual abuse is not thought to be a specific risk factor for anorexia, those who have experienced such abuse are more likely to have more serious and chronic symptoms, which is not surprising. I know when I was sexually abused as a child, I suffered from extreme poor self-esteem and it took many years before I had a healthy esteem.
The initial diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa should be made by a competent medical professional. There are multiple medical conditions, such as viral or bacterial infections, hormonal imbalances, neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors which may mimic psychiatric disorders including anorexia nervosa.
Medical illness often presents with psychiatric symptoms. It is difficult to distinguish physical disorders from functional psychiatric disorders on the basis of psychiatric symptoms alone. Detailed physical examination and laboratory screening are indicated as a routine procedure in the initial evaluation of psychiatric patients. Most patients are unaware of the medical illness that is causative of their psychiatric symptoms. The conditions of patients with medically induced symptoms are often initially misdiagnosed as a functional psychosis.
Treatment for anorexia nervosa tries to address three main areas. 1) Restoring the person to a healthy weight; 2) Treating the psychological disorders related to the illness; 3) Reducing or eliminating
behaviours or thoughts that originally led to the disordered eating
Anorexia has an incidence of between 8 and 13 cases per 100,000 persons per year and an average prevalence of 0.3% using strict criteria for diagnosis. The condition largely affects young adolescent women, with between 15 and 19 years old making up 40% of all cases. Approximately 90% of people with anorexia are female. Anorexia nervosa is more prevalent in the upper social classes and it is declared to be rare in less developed countries.
In the late 19th century, the public attention drawn to "fasting girls" provoked conflict between religion and science. Such cases as Sarah Jacob (the "Welsh Fasting Girl") and Mollie Fancher (the "Brooklyn Enigma") stimulated controversy as experts weighed the claims of complete abstinence from food. Believers referenced the duality of mind and body, while skeptics insisted on the laws of science and material facts of life. Critics accused the fasting girls of hysteria, superstition, and deceit. The progress of secularization and medicalization passed cultural authority from clergy to physicians, transforming anorexia nervosa from revered to reviled.
Anorexia Nervosa is very serious and if you suspect that you have someone in your family with this horrible disease, do not wait, seek help immediately, it could mean saving a life.
Topics coming soon:
Art
Politics
Florida
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