OCD? COD? aka Label Maker Fun

I've been having a period of time where I have lots more free time to do things. At first, this time was spent doing completely useless things like Xbox.

That was until I clued in that I was miserable because I never organized the house.

Now while I've never been officially diagnosed, all my rl friends (aka those who've seen me in action) and family will attest that I have the following conditions.. ADD, a touch of OCD, and what I call COD or compulsive organizing disorder.

Think Monica of Friends with the attention span of Joey.

So anyway, I realized I never got to organize the house. When we moved to the house from the apt, I was working full time and had my hands full just trying to do the every day things plus working that I never got anything REALLY organized.

I go crazy if things don't have a home and for the last 4 yrs most things haven't had a home. They've had very unorganized inconvienent haphazard places to go until I got time to deal with them, which I never did.. or I never took the time.

So I decided to take action on it this week and indulge my COD compulsions. I made lists. As I was making lists, I realized it'd been ages since I had made lists. Oh the fun of it!

The next step was super joy. I got things done and crossed things off my list. YEAH!!

Yesterday, I went to the Container Store (OCD and COD heaven mind you) with a list of dimentions of a closet to find containers to fit in it and organize it. What I found was perfect. I bought a case of plastic shoe box containers and (insert drumroll) a LABEL MAKER!

I was so excited to get started that I stayed up til 5am last night, washing sheets (had to make sure they were washed in corn-free soap, as some of them I don't know when I last washed them) and putting them into the shoe boxes and labeling them. Pillow cases, sheets, etc. boxed and labeled. Organized and easy to grab. Oh and they'll be clean forever! No chances of dust floating inside these sealed plastic boxes.

My linen closet looks amazing now btw. Though I think I'm going to be addicted to my labelmaker. I'm right now brain storming other things I might need to use it on. But the only thing I can think of requires another trip back to the Container Store for more plastic boxes. Oh the torture!

Corn Allergy Bloating

I'd meant to post about this when it occured, but well I've been distracted.

Since I'm new to posting here, most of you haven't a clue about what allergic reactions can do to me. And let me count the ways.. jk

Though this last weekend, traveling up to see my parents and my wayward sister. I got into something corn, and probably something else corn, and something milk.

I started swelling. A few days prior I had just purchased some really nice clamdigger jeans that really showed how slim I'd gotten. I squeezed into them. They didn't fit anymore. I was pissed. Here I had been losing weight for months, getting myself to look good again. And when I get to show it off to someone.. I bloat up like a beached whale.

Thank GOD that I thought enough to bring my fat jeans/pants. These are pants that are one size larger than I normally wear. I put them on and they fit. They weren't BIG. They FIT!!!!!

I was very angry. Shortly after that my ankles started swelling. Normally my ankles are bones and muscle. Despite my weight, my ankles have always been slim. Its one of the things I insisted on early in life. I wasn't going to have fat ankles!!

Well I did. My ankles were huge. My fingers swelled to really really fat lady pudgy. My toes swelled to look like little cocktail weenies. My joints hurt. My ankles throbbed with hurt and were stiff.

When I got home, I was exhausted and fell into bed. Then the next morning I weighed myself. From the time I left, til that morning on the scale.. I'd gained 5 lbs!!!!! 5 lbs in a 4 day weekend!!

Yeah I was upset, but I knew it was just bloating. I watched my foods that day to make certain I only ate safe safe things. I didn't "diet", just didn't try anything new and unusual.

Next morning I weighed myself. I'd lost those 5 lbs and I'm back down to my normal weight. My ankles were once again bones and muscle, my toes were toes again, and my fingers back to long and sexy.

My next trip back up there is in Nov. I think I'll have to keep a detailed food journal of it, as well as a daily weighing log. I think its just the corn in the air up there, but I gotta figure out what's causing this. Because its not fun to look like a beached whale every time you visit family.

Food Analysis

Because I can't eat milk, eggs, and nearly everything else because of corn or corn derivatives, I was pretty certain I needed extra vitamin support.

So while looking at another girl's blog I read a post she did about this website with a Food Adviser tool. It asks you a bunch of questions, then tells you which vitamins you may be short in and how to get those through eating certain foods. Kinda cool.

It gives you a breakdown of which foods have what vitamins. Its really interesting and for me very helpful. It is nice to know that I did pick the right multi-vitamin for what I guessed where my deficientcies, but its better to get your vitamins from foods than to try to take a pill to solve everything.

My deficientcies rating:

93% vitamin e
92% calcium
90% copper
90% omega 3 fatty acids
90% pantothenic acid
90% vitamin d
78% folate
74% magnesium
74% iron
72% vitamin b12
70% riboflavin b2
60% zinc
60% thiamin b1
1% vitamin a
1% vitamin c
1% vitamin b6
1% protein
1% selenium
1% niacin b3
1% phosphorus
1% vitamin k
1% potassium
1% manganese
0% dietary fiber

Now while the test is helpful, I'm not entirely sure on its accuracy. It told me:

"Approximately 41% of your total day's calories appear to be coming from foods that are not as nutritionally dense as the World's Healthiest Foods. These other foods may include fast foods, pre-packaged foods, processed foods, fried foods and sweets."

Uh yeah right. If only the test knew that the most "processed" things I can have is a Dagoba chocolate bar, or a bag of Kettle chips (which I can only eat like 10 chips anyway). Or a bottle of Virgil's Cream Soda. Even if I ate one of each of those a day, I hardly think it makes up 41% of my daily diet.

Somehow I think it used some calculation of my total calories per day based on what I said I ate of what they questioned me on, and assumed that I ate more than that in a day. My total came to 1191 calories of the healthy foods I answered to on the questionaire. So based on that I think it "assumes" that I eat 2000 calorie diet? Which honestly I don't think that I do.

I need to find a calculator that measures the calorie content of what I do eat, then we'll see. I'm not starving myself. I'm just eating what I want til I'm satisfied then I'm done. Which honestly isn't much these days.

Supper the other day was approx 8oz Roast Beef (w/ Organic Ketchup), 1 large potato (nothing on it), 2 c. cooked carrots.

Now I don't think any of those (cept maybe the ketchup) weren't on the healthiest foods list.

*shrugs* Anyway, I'm going to try to eat more of the "suggested" foods for me.

The number is supposedly how many nutrients it has that I need, aka how well it fits to cure my deficientcies. (though looking at their list, I'm not sure why things are cooked, or they suggest you eat dried or ground spices rather than fresh. Don't ya think fresh would be better?)

9 - Spinach (boiled, with salt)
7 - Liver, Calf
6 - Greens, Turnip, Cooked
5 - Mushrooms, Crimini, Raw
5 - Parsley, fresh
5 - Greens, Mustard, Boiled
5 - Lettuce, Romaine
5 - Kelp
4 - Chard, Boiled
4 - Basil, Ground
4 - Collard Greens, Boiled, Drained
3 - Asparagus, Boiled
3 - Sunflower Seeds, Dried
3 - Dill weed
3 - Thyme, Ground
3 - Oregano, Ground
3 - Chinook Salmon Fillet-Baked/Broiled
3 - Broccoli (pieces, steamed)
3 - Peppermint, fresh
2 - Venison
2 - Tomato, Red, Raw, Ripe
2 - Beef Tenderloin, Lean Broiled
2 - Cauliflower (boiled, drained)
2 - Kale, Boiled
2 - Cinnamon, Ground
2 - Scallops, Baked, Broiled
2 - Halibut, Baked/Broiled
2 - Shrimp, Mixed Species, Steamed, Boiled
2 - Snapper, Baked
2 - Squash, Summer, All Varieties
2 - Cod, Pacific, Fillet, Baked, Broiled
2 - Lamb, loin, roasted
1 - Blackstrap Cane Molasses
1 - Milk, Cow, 2%
1 - Seeds, Mustard
1 - Milk, Goat
1 - Tuna, Yellowfin, Baked/Broiled
1 - Cucumber, Raw
1 - Turmeric, Ground
1 - Rosemary, Dried
1 - Flax Seeds
1 - Seeds, Sesame
1 - Egg, Hen, Whole, Boiled
1 - Cumin, Seeds
1 - Pepper, Black
1 - Coriander, Seeds
1 - Almonds, dry roasted
1 - Spelt WholeGrain Flour
1 - Nuts, Walnuts
1 - Papaya
1 - Cloves, Ground
1 - Green Peas-Boiled
1 - Celery, Raw 

From Coach to Congress

For those of you who aren't native Nebraskans or who haven't lived in Nebraska for any length of time, having the University's Football coach immediately be elected to Congress might seem a bit odd.

But thats exactly what happened in Nebraska to the nearly god-like worshiped coach Tom Osborne.

I'm sure he makes a fine congressman as he always did have a head on his shoulders (you have to have some brains to be able to survive as a coach in Nebraska, people there take their sports very seriously).

I just today found out he made it to congress, while I was researching our governments farm/commodity policies and found a picture of Tom among the links. Guess I don't keep up on the native state like I should. But then I don't really keep up on any news.

I just like to pretend I do.

Fuel Economy

Ah the joys of fuel, politics, and corporations..

Before you buy a new car thinking you'll save tons in gas mileage.. Read this.

The Truth About Fuel Economy Ratings

Seems fuel economy ratings can be overstated by as much as 34%.

Thank God my Hyundai Elantra is living up to its claims.

For gas prices in your local area? Look here.

FAAN another four letter word

Still awake because I can't sleep. I began searching the web for weird things. Corn-free blogs, anti-corn blogs, FAAN and corn, pretty much anything having to do with corn that might in some way or another be interesting to read.

Bored of finding nothing to read, I clicked on the allergies.about.com link and went to the Food Allergies link. I was just looking around casually then noticed something odd.

Of the "allergies" listed on this page, corn was the 6th one listed. Now why since FAAN is so adamant that corn isn't important.. Why would allergies.about.com list corn so prominently on its main food allergies page?

No more Girdles - Chub Rub solutions

I believe this is one of the most humiliating things for fat women. There are many forces against fat women in this world and a lot of them in fashion.

Growing up, it was impossible to find decent looking clothes that fit and yet didn't make me look like my grandmother had dressed me.

Today we have more options, especially with stores such as Lane Bryant. But even those can't fit everyone.

There are those who are top heavy fatties. They have huge shoulders, big arms, big breasts, big bellies, and skinny assed legs.

There are bottom heavy fatties. They have smaller shoulders, not as ample breasts, but they have huge bottoms, and thick legs.

Then there are those like myself, who are proportionally big all over.

So I don't get how they think that "one size fits all" when it gets to be over size 16.

But I digress..

I went shopping yesterday, and I saw something amazing. Or I thought it was amazing.

Way back when in the 80's, when my mother insisted that girls MUST wear dresses to church and we went every sunday, I got inventive with fighting chub rub. Nothing like a hot summer day, walking the 1/4 mile from where we parked to the church, with my legs sticking to each other and rubbing each other raw, my sweat seeping into it making it burn. Back in the 80's, my solution was longer skirts and wearing those really slick satiny biker shorts under them.

That worked pretty well until they went out of style and you could no longer find them in any size let alone large ones. So for the last 10 years or so, I've gotten into habit of wearing pants when and where possible. But most men I know like women in skirts, plus they're much cooler in the summers, so I've been seeking better solutions.

So anyway, I'm out shopping at Lane Bryant and I see they're carrying these new "inventions" called spanks which look an awful lot like a biker short though not silky. They looked a bit small so I purchased the next size up. Took them home and tried them on. Or lets say I attempted to try them on.

Spanks - Are supposedly created by women for women to prevent panty lines etc.

I don't believe a woman created them. If a woman did, she needs to get her head examined. They were amazingly tight, so amazingly tight that after pulling them past my ankles I knew what kind of war it was going to be to get them to my thighs and decided to pass on it.

They were so girdle-ish that the inventor had to be a skinny woman thinking that all of us "fatties" needed to be girdled in to make us look like skinny people.

Well let me ask you.. What happens when you "girdle" fat? It moves to other areas. So while your ass might look nice and tight, the rest of you is flopping about like a jelly fish. Hardly attractive.

These "Spanks" are supposed to be a better alternative than the other girdle-ish wear out there that has those "sticky" elastics at the thigh to keep them from riding up. (That sticky stuff is amazingly pinchy and uncomfortable btw)

What I have found over the last few years of experimenting, is .. You'll never guess it..

Men's boxer briefs.

Not the cotton knit ones, but the ones that are silky almost satiny with lots of spandex. The best pair I have are made my Jockey. They come in white and black, and they stay in place without sticky elastic.

Now while I may feel a little silly wearing mens underwear out in public, its much better feeling than the chub rub rash.

All in all, I still prefer a good pair of pants.

To Theme or not to theme?

I thought about making this ONE general theme. Then I thought, but I have much more about me than one topic. I contain volumes.

So do I start 10 blogs with different themes, or make people sort through this one for information they wanted?

I am envious of a friend of mine who has the "where-with-all" aka knowledge to do his own blog outside of a blogging site. He's got categories and searches.. and I haven't been able to figure out if this one does.. or how to work it.

I just dont' think I have the time to start 10 different blogs. So I guess people are just going to have to deal with what I do write here, when I write it.

Which means I probably won't have much of an audience. C'est la vie!

Down with Corn!

We are organizing.

My anti-corn cronies and I are gathering and activating and organizing a revolt!

So prevalent is the corn in our foods that we no longer have a choice. We banded together at first to learn from each other. Then we decided that corn was in so much foods, that it was easier for us to create a list of safe foods rather than listing unsafe foods.

Now the companies that made our safe foods are being bought up by larger food corporations which sacrifice quality and start using the cheaper corn additives instead.

If that isn't enough, our fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and fruits, are being contaminated with corn. Whether it be edible films or spraying them with citric acid (from corn nowadays) to preserve their freshness, our food supply is continuously growing more and more harmful to those of us who are allergic to corn.

But its not just our foods, its medications. Check your medications against the list of corn allergens and see how many suspects of corn are listed in each one. I personally have had to resort to having all my every day medications compounded because I got tired of choosing between suffering through the ailment or getting sick. I have pseudophedrine (Sudafed), guaifenesin (Robitussin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) made special for me with pure drugs, no fillers, in capsules (made from pine trees, I checked). To do this you have to have a prescription, even though they're OTC medications. Which means doctors visits ($), plus having them made ($$$).

We turn to FAAN for help but get replies like corn isn't a "true allergy" or that a "true allergy" to corn is rare. Its not rare. Not as rare as the government would like you to believe evidently.

We were told by FAAN that to get corn recognized we needed to contact the FDA to get their policies changed. We contacted the FDA who promptly referred us to FAAN.

Somehow, we have to get someone to do studies to document everything for FAAN to do anything. Doctors to do these studies. Yet to get Doctors to believe us, we need studies, documentation, and even FAAN to support our claims. Most Doctors are too busy to even bother with us, and too easily brush us off as hypocondriacs.

Tired of being defeated, spending all our money on pricey pure foods, spending all our time in our kitchens making everything from scratch because we have no other choice, scared to travel due to inability to find outside of our homes.. corn-free restaurants, corn-free soaps, even corn-free toiletpaper... Tired of feeling locked in our homes.. We are revolting.

We are writing anyone who might listen.

Oprah

Montel

Local Congressmen/women

The FDA (maybe with enough bombardment someone might do something)
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
* 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)

This is only the begining. But its a start. We're not going away. We won't take a backseat anymore. This is our lives, and we should be allowed to live them. And with things as they are, we aren't really living. We're just surviving one day at a time.

Obese, Malnutrition, and Allergic Response

I am currently having an "argument".. nicely termed as discussion with a doctor about such matters as Food Allergies being able to cause obesity.

The Doc thinks I'm nuts. I know I am right. So we're "discussing". Actually I think its more, I'm discussing and he's smiling and nodding as one would do with a child talking about seeing aliens in the livingroom.

And while I could put at least 10 links in here about malnutrition, starvation, metabolism, allergic reactions, digestion, Celiac, etc. I'm tired of researching for today. So you'll just have to make do with this.

Let me see if I can explain. As in Celiac disease, what happens when such a patient eats gluten? Their body reacts, attacks it (even mistakenly attacks itself), and they don't digest food properly. They become malnutritioned. Even though they are eating, their body is starving itself because it is unable to digest.

What happens to a body that has been starved? When it finally gets food, it whisks it away and holds it as fat just in case of further starvings. Its how our bodies are built. Is it not? And if such a person is continuously periodically starved for a few days then fed, then starved, then fed, would they not actually gain weight as a result?

Now consider a person who is mildly allergic to a common food, lets say milk for argument. If they eat something with milk in it, their body reacts, attacks it, and they dont' digest the food properly. The body doesn't digest the food but escorts it out of the body as fast as it can, thus starving the body of any nutrients from that eating session.

Now you'd think people would notice that when they eat milk they get sick, but even IgE reactions can take hours. And things like diarrhea, acid reflux, nausea.. are easy to explain away as over eating. And if your body is constantly starving, it would be easy to overeat. And what if the person eats milk at their next meal? It becomes an endless cycle where the body adjusts to absorb what it can, when it can, and holds onto it for dear life.

Footnote: "Type I hypersensitivity is also known as immediate or anaphylactic hypersensitivity. The reaction may involve skin (urticaria and eczema), eyes (conjunctivitis), nasopharynx (rhinorrhea, rhinitis), bronchopulmonary tissues (asthma) and gastrointestinal tract (gastroenteritis). The reaction may cause a range of symptoms from minor inconvenience to death. The reaction usually takes 15 - 30 minutes from the time of exposure to the antigen, although sometimes it may have a delayed onset (10 - 12 hours)."

Oh what have I done?

I got all caught up in.. "Oooo whats this?".. now I think I just signed up for a blog. So.. Umm..

HI.

*runs away*