Obesity in the News

8/26/14

Obesity in the News

      Today’s news headline reads, “UNL receives grant to study obesity”.  My first thought was yes something needs to be done in the area of obesity. The article started off with how it affects 200 million Americans and costs hundreds of billions of dollars in health care expenses annually.  They will use the money to research fat cells.  This five year federal grant was 11.3 million.  Yes, 11.3 million of our federal government money being spent to find out why Americans are fat.  Where does the federal government get that money?  Not from Ronald McDonald but from taxpaying Americans.  We already know why people are suffering from obesity, don’t we?  Does the federal government not watch the Doctors, Dr. Oz or Biggest Loser tv shows.  I think if I asked one of my grandchildren the question, why do people get fat?  One out of four would get the right answer.  If I could I would save the federal government 11.3 million by answering that question.  Eat less and exercise more.

    I am not alone in this, those who commented were all about the same.  One Concerned Citizen stated that this was wasteful federal spending.  This study will not give any relevant information that the taxpayer can’t already get from a simple Google search of dietary advice.   BR549 stated that stepping out of the chow line, would be quite helpful. Towards helping to lose weight.  In other words if you’re fat, quit stuffing your face.  It’s a no brainer.  Stop right there!  Don’t get mad at me, I was just sharing a comment from that news report. 

     I know how hard it is to lose weight.  I have gained it then lost it, then gained it back, then lost it again.  I have the closet full of 5 sizes of clothing.  You heard me right 5 different sizes.  Some of those larger sizes are sitting in boxes for the thrift store, and some are still hanging in the upstairs closet.  Those are the ones that I tried to take in at the waist, so they could stay up without falling down.  I was too cheap to buy new pants that fit.  I can always take out the sewing if I gained weight.  I tried on a shirt today that I was swimming in, but did I put it in the possible thrift store box?  No, I hung it back up.  I have heard the rule; get rid of the larger sizes, so you won’t gain the weight back.  That did not work for me.  Years ago when I found myself going into a new unexplored pant size, the whole family went on a diet.  I lost 30 pounds, Pat lost 30 and Angie lost 60.  We also bought bikes that summer and rode around Lake Zorinsky trail all summer.   Another reason I ate less and exercised more was that I did not want to look pregnant.  I have had young adult students ask if I was pregnant.  I had to answer, no I am too old and it is just fat.  I did try to teach my students to never ask a woman if she was pregnant, what her age was, and is that your real hair color.  After losing weight that year I did buy a new pair of jean shorts in a size that my body had not worn since the 70’s.   I wore them one summer and then held on to them for years due to no longer being able to zip up.  They made their way to the thrift store, and into some skinny persons closet.  That was so sad, since I had bought them from a store vs. a garage sale.  I did not get my usual 5 plus years of wear, plus I could not lose that non baby weight. 

     Currently I am in a size that I may have worn in the 60’s.  This has taken a lot of exercise and healthy eating on my part.  I am at the age that this weight loss was not about what size I wear or how I look.  Hey I am blind and can no longer see myself in a mirror.  It is about health.  I want to keep my blood pressure down without drugs.  I want to regrow the brain cells that I lost with the stroke.  I want to gain my vision back.  I want to stay off medications.  I do not want to get dementia or the other condition that starts with an A that I can’t remember how to spell.  It runs in my family and in those who have had a stroke.  Obesity along with diabetes runs in my family.  The doctors are calling dementia and the A word diabetes of the brain.  To avoid that then no sugar, gluten, eat healthy fats, low carbs, and cardio exercise.  I highly recommend the book called Grain Brain that addresses subjects like regrowing brain cells, losing weight along with other subjects.  I do feel good.  I currently have no pain this week.   I have no trouble sleeping and no longer take afternoon naps.  I feel that my brain is working better, now if I can just get those eyes to work better.  That may happen through prayer. 

      I know how hard it is to eat healthy and exercise more.  I go to exercise classes most mornings and I dread getting up to go to a 9:15 class.  In the previous paragraph I stated that I have no problems sleeping.  I would much rather stay in bed and get another hour of sleep.  I hate exercising but I know it is good for me.  I know what you are thinking.  Sure Rene you have time to exercise because you have time and are retired.  I understand you are so tired from working all day or being with your kids that you have no time or energy to work out or go for a walk.  You older folks have trouble walking due to your aches and pains, then do the old people chair exercises.  My students and I would help with exercise classes when we volunteered at a nursing home.  Also old folks stop with the white bread, sweets, and processed foods.  Young folks stop with that eating out so much because you are too tired from work to cook.  We had pizza Friday nights for years, no wonder I looked pregnant.  We ate out at eat all you want buffets.  I sure got my monies worth.  I no longer can eat pizza, sweets, or eat at buffets.  The last time I had pizza and birthday cake for Easton’s birthday this year, I lost my vision.  I could not see at all.  I did not tell Pat or take by blood pressure for fear of an ER visit.  I flushed the toxins out with water and blindly exercised until the vision came back after a few hours.  The last time I ate white pasta I got stabbing stomach pains.  The point I am trying to make is that some of our health problems can be related to what we are eating.  I am still learning about what I can and can not eat.  You can learn also.  Do you have a migraine head ache?  Are you drinking diet soda?  Could it be due to too much fatty food yesterday, from your trip to see Ronald McD. 

     It is so much easier and cheaper to eat processed foods vs healthy home cooking.  It is so expensive to eat healthy fruits, vegetables when out of season.  Nitrate free bacon and hot dogs are more expensive that the cheap 88 cent hot dogs.  We made two trips this week to two different grocery stores and got two bags only at each store at $75 each trip.  Stay turned to my next blog on how I am still living in the 70’s as Pat calls it.  I remember when we could get a cart full of groceries for $75.  We also made a trip to buy some healthy tea and left with some great tea, but Pat’s wallet was short of $40.  Thanks Angie for getting me hooked on Jade Citrus Mint Teavana tea. Pat even picked out a caramel chai tea.  Don’t get me going on the visits to No Name Nutrition, $17.50 to fill my honey jar.  I do love their honey and have it every morning on my oatmeal with blueberries along with healthy vitamins.    

      As I write this blog it is encouraging me to get out and walk the dogs.  Not really, it is 6:30PM and I get ready for bed before 7 PM.  Maybe tomorrow if it is not rainy or too hot or cold.  I will eat a healthy salad for a snack/dinner.  We eat our big meal at lunch.  I really do need to get rid of the larger size clothes that are stored in the huge boxes in the spare room.  I think I can, I think I can?  Well maybe next month?  I did hit a great garage sale that I got really carried away buying some clothes that fit really good.  I got maybe 10 pairs of jeans along with dresses, shirts, and boots for around $100.  So that is my incentive to not gain the weight back, I have to wear those cool jeans this winter.  PS they are not mom jeans, like Julie called them.   She said she would not wear them.  Did she mean they were not her size or were they really mom jeans?   The person selling them was very young.  They were only $8 a pair, so a great price for so called mom jeans. 

    The federal government is spending $11.3 million to study fat cells and why we get fat.  I am trying to save money shopping at garage sales, and you are out their spending some of my hard earned tax monies.  Put that money into education on eating healthy and the advantage of exercising to Americans health.  Educate the doctors to discuss with their patients how to lower blood pressure without drugs.  I do remember my doctor about three years ago telling me to lose ten pounds or more and to lower my stress.  Well I did not lose the weight or got rid of the stress.  I got too busy to work out at the gym, or to eat healthy.  I was living off of so called healthy tv dinners and popcorn and processed foods.  Well I am paying the consequences of blindness by not listening, while others are paying the consequences of obesity, along with drugs that may be destroying their liver or brain, not to mention aches and pains.  Obesity is costing hundreds of billions of dollars in health care expenses annually. Obesity is a national concern but also a no win situation.

Respect or Lack of it in the News

Respect or Lack of it in the News

     What do you think of when you see or hear the word respect?  I have been thinking about that word.  Some of you old folks are humming to yourself like I am doing right now, the song by Aretha Franklin.  Some may be thinking about the sign in Arlington Cemetery that reads Silence and Respect and what that sign really means.  Maybe you are thinking of the lack of respect that you are hearing on the nightly news.  One such story is of a 30 year old making an obscene gesture beside the silence and respect sign at Tomb of the Unknowns and then posting the picture on her Facebook.  She now regrets posting it because she may have lost her job over this.  It was just a joke she later replied.  Her father was appalled when he first saw the picture.   A lot of the news stories can be related to respect and those having a lack of respect.

      You hear of those to do not respect life, so they just behead an American, those who loot and riot, and kill so called brothers, teen attacking an autistic boy and video recording it, man knocking down a 92 year old woman and dragging her while trying to get her purse, until witnesses intervened.  Then there is the recent story of a man who lured his father to a remote campsite and shoots and killed him along with a man sleeping in his vehicle, or the man who kidnapped and sexually abused the two Amish girls.   I could go on and on about the lack of respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  No respect for elders, parents, those who are different, or those in authority.   Am I the only one who has threatened to stop watching the news?  I keep saying that, but I can’t follow through.   One thing positive thing about listening to the news is one cannot help but call on the Lord through prayer for protection and guidance for family, friends, and our nation as we wait for His return. 

     I do enjoy the hearing of the respect stories that some people complain that this is not news.  You know those fluff/feel good stories.  That is one reason that I listen to Diane Sawyer on the evening news because she will end her show with the person of the week story; such as the story of the young caregiver that races from school every day to care for his grandmother, or the cheerleaders who welcome special needs to the squad.  Then the feel good stories on Facebook, yes I love the animal stories and the ones where someone such as a trucker who stops to rescue a woman and young child from a burning crash.  Then there are the stories of those doing their jobs to protect us and our freedoms, save our lives and property from fires or raging floods or those who volunteer to help those in need.  That is respect for elders, disabled, respect for life and property of others.  A lot of these feel good stories never make the news and they do not need to.  They are the personal stories of life.

      The teacher/para of special needs students/adults who are just doing her/ his job, but comes home exhausted and wipeout out due to the stress of encouraging those to be independent, gain social skills in order to get and keep a job, along with the academic skills needed to graduate and survive in the real world. (To the past teachers and paras that I have worked with.) The parents who are homeschooling their children and my precious grandchildren and the work and stress they go through daily. It would be so easy to send them off to school and let that paid teacher teach them about respect for elders, those with disabilities or a different race, respect for life and property of theirs and others.  (Julie I know it is a hard but very rewarding job.)  There are those who are dealing with various lawsuits fighting for the rights of those living in NE and Omaha.  (You know who you are.)  There are those who are overworked, stressed, but love the job of working with children, teens, and adults, who have been placed in their care by the courts and higher up to teach them about respect for themselves, others, and life, along with many other lacking life skills.  (Yes, Angie I am talking about you.)

     I was just talking with Angie about the change of students in her care.  She mentioned that the current teens are coming in with no respect for authority.  She is having a hard time finding those who want to work with these teens that are at risk, not just in Washington DC but in Omaha also.  This got me thinking about the change in students that I have seen over the years.  Why do we have such a lack of respect for those in authority today than in the past?  Please send me your feelings about this.

      I have my thoughts, which I will share.  Could it be the lack of respect for oneself?  Young adults and adults giving away sex without waiting for marriage and love.  Could it be the lack of parenting these days?  Sons growing up without a father figure to teach them about how to respect a woman.  I am back to humming that old Respect song.  Are young ones growing up without knowing God’s word about respecting the value of a life?  Has abortion taught the country not to respect life?  There are those who will damage property for something “fun” to do, are they that spoiled?  Are the schools not doing their job of teaching about the skills needed to get along in this world.  I was just talking to a 1^st grade teacher as she was waiting in line at a Pizza Ranch where I was a volunteer greeter. ( No I was not getting practice for getting a job at WalMart, it would be too hard to read customers  receipts.  I would need the store to switch to 18 + font size, and that is not going to happen.) The lady in line told me education has really changed, she is so busy teaching the skills needed to pass the tests.   The  students have no time to play and learn together like they did in the past.  No time to learn to share and the other social skills needed to become “mature responsible adults.”  I used to tell my students that all the time.  I even caught myself telling that to my grandchild and receiving back that look of what are you talking about grandma, I am only three.  Teachers feel it is the parent’s job to teach these skills and the parents think the teacher is doing that.  That is what I call the gap theory of education.   
    Why is there a lack of authority in the country regarding those who are placed in authority by a badge?  I have to remember the old Berenstain bear story that I used to read to Jocelyn and Katelyn.  They loved the bear stories because they were fairly long and they had been their mother and Angie’s books.  There was one about Stranger Danger or something like that.  Mama bear told her little ones that strangers were something like apples, they may look like a good apple but you can’t tell the good from the bad unless you cut it open.  There are those who wear the badge that are the good apples, but then there will always be the bad apples in the batch.  The Bible calls it our sin nature that we are born with.  Yes, we are all sinners whether we admit it or not. We hear about the bad apples, so it is human nature to not trust the good ones because we can’t tell the good from the bad.  We don’t hear about the good ones due to the bad ones or so called bad ones making the news. 

       We need to realize this happens in all walks of life.  We hear about the bad apple teacher who comes to work drunk and pant less, or those who make the news for their sexual behavior, physicians taking pictures of little ones, government workers stealing from the taxpayers, and those collecting disability who are faking it to collect the benefits, or those on food stamps that can still afford to buy their smokes or fast food, along with hard liquor or pop. One hears stories of priests and church goers that make the news, by breaking the trust of the job; along with those refusing to attend church because of the hypocrites in attendance.  Again I can go on and on, but the point I am trying to make is that, we can’t lump all these together.  We want to hope and pray that the good apples outnumber the bad apples.    

      We need to be on our guard and trust our instincts when dealing with a bad apple, but not be fearful/lack of respect for those in authority.  Not all of us have this skill mastered.  I sure don’t and Angie my daughter reminds me at times, since she has great instincts about people.  She did work as a correctional officer when she was younger plus worked at Long Johns Silver.  I have always felt that working in fast food as a teen gets one ready for life. 

     I feel that what gets in the way of this respect for authority is that those in authority demand the respect without earning it.  I know this will cause some disagreement, so I hope I can explain what I mean.  When teaching I needed to show my students and coworkers respect if I expected that back from them.  I needed to talk with them with respect even in disagreements.  That involves patience and prayer.  I always started my school day off with prayer.  No. I did not force prayer on my students.  It was private prayer for them, staff, and myself plus along with safety for the day.  In the workplace, no matter where you work you need to have respect for those in authority such as your boss.  I had one student that told me that he was going to quit his job at a grocery store because they did not respect him.  I told him that he was not getting paid to be respected, but to work, and do not quit until he had another job.  It does make for a peaceful work environment if there is respect for others.  If not it is a workplace full of gossip and disrespect with no teamwork. 

     Back to the news, those in authority need to be responsible for their behavior.   That is why we have consequences and so called laws.  People in general need be responsible for their behaviors.  If you riot and steal then you should pay jail time.  If you take a life then your life may be taken or life in prison.  If you don’t follow the rules of your employment then you no longer have a job. 

      I need to stop rambling on because I need to watch the evening news.  Please give me your thoughts on respect and authority.

Jocelyn Rene McGee

August 14, 2014

Dear Jocelyn Rene,

     Happy birthday big girl of nine now. You picked out a necklace and earrings for your birthday when we were on our trip to CO last month.  So don’t expect another gift today.  Take care of those special things we have got you these past years.   You tend to lose things in your room, in all the clutter.  You are what I call a stuffer when you clean.  You want to get the job done, so you stuff things.  I found that out about you when I stayed a week with you this summer and helped you organize your room.  I even caught you going through the trash bag the next morning pulling out things that mom had trashed from your room.  You are little mini hoarder girl.  That reminded me so much of Angie when she was your age.  I even called you Angie when we were cleaning.  You also like to pick at things like candles etc.  like Angie did. 

     You are a lot like your mom also.  You love baking and making desserts.  You love making craft things and even sewing like mom does.  You will start a project and then another one, or build a room out of cardboard for a doll.  Julie would draw houses with rooms of furniture.  She was designing her future home.  You create homes for your dolls and then at times you will video your creations and explain to the one watching how to make a doll room or whatever you are doing at the time.

      You love watching You Tube videos and learn to do things like put on makeup or make loom bracelets.  You love putting on my makeup when you are over.  You also help me do other things like pluck my eyebrows, and fix my hair.  You are so funny at times.  Last week you were pretending you were me and you pulled your underwear up and shorts down a little and then walked around like me.  I can’t help it I am too cheap to buy new shorts that fit and don’t fall down since I lost weight.  I did find a pair of jeans shorts that were a small size that I paid a dollar for and they were still too big.  You also told me to stop reading the label to see what was in the pop you were drinking.  You did not care that you were drinking 73 grams of sugar in that bottle of pop.  We were camping and Jocelyn showed up with the pop, I did not furnish it.  I would not poison my grandchildren with that drink called pop. 

      Wow you sure are growing up.  You will always be special to me because you were my first grandchild.  You are a great helper and you are always helping out with the younger kids especially Weston.  You and Wes have a special bond together.  I love watching my oldest and youngest grandchildren interact with each other.  I also enjoy watching you and Katelyn play together, sure you fight at times but most of the times you are playing dolls or something else together.  I am sure you love Easton also, but Easton is marching to a different drummer as I call it, and you are not in his drum beat.

      You are so artistic and love to do anything that involves art supplies.  You may become a famous artist like your Great grandma Deloris Bedrosky someday.  Don’t forget to save me some of your art work, so I can hang them on my nursing home walls.  Also don’t forget to come and visit me.  You loved visiting your great grandma and she loved seeing you and watching you grow up.  You were her first great grandchild so that made you special to her.  I have saved most of your art work in a binder along with the binder of writings that I wrote to you starting back on July 2, 2006.  I also have family pictures in that binder that you will be able to share with your children.  With your first you can look back and say,” my baby walked before I did, and I talked before my baby did.”  My mind is sure wandering to the future and you are only nine, and I have you married and having a family.  Let me travel back to the past to the day you were born.

      The day of your birth was so special to me.  I was so excited that your parents would allow me into the room to experience your birth.  I remember finding out at the hospital that your middle name would be Rene.  That was a great surprise.  On August 12, 2005 we were all at a wedding reception when you decided you wanted to come out of your mom’s tummy.  Mom looked so beautiful even though she could not find any shoes to fit due to the swelling you were causing her.  She did find a pair of flip flops.  Your mom looked huge and pregnant but beautiful, and your dad looked handsome as they danced together that night. I think it was only one slow dance.  Julie did not tell me that she was having contractions because I would have made a big scene, she later told me.  That may have been true.  According to Angie your mom was acting crazy on the way to the wedding and figured it was because you were due to come soon.  When they got home from the wedding reception Julie’s water broke.  The doctor wanted them to come to the hospital around 3AM, so I figured that in the morning when I woke up you would have been born.  Wrong, I got a call that morning for me and Pat to come up to the hospital; she wanted her mom and dad with her.  I had not planned on going up until you were born because I did not want to impose, and felt that it was her time with your dad.  We got there about 10 AM and hung around in the room.  I was supposed to be at school on that Sat. getting the room ready for the start of school on Mon. 

      I helped your mom walk the hallways.  It was 3:00PM when your mom started pushing, and pushing and you refused to come out.  Mom and dad were so tired since they had last slept on Thurs night and it was Sat afternoon.  Your big head was getting caught and the doctors and nurses tried a variety of ways to get you out.  I encouraged her to hang in there because she did not want to have a C-Section.  She hung in there for 23 long hours.  Julie only got mad at me once during her labor.  It was 11:45PM on the 13^th when I said you wanted to be born on Sunday, August 14^th.  She said something like shut up and she wanted you out now!  The doctors came in after midnight to pull you out.  I was right you wanted to be born on Sunday, August 14, 2005.

     I am taking the time to tell you these birth details because when you were younger you would ask me to tell you about your birth.  You had this thing about babies and even wanted to play having a baby.  You would stuff a baby doll under my shirt and say, “push grandma, push, ‘’ and then tell me to breathe until you pulled the doll out from under my shirt.  You would then pretend to wipe off the blood and clean it up.   Then it would be your turn to give birth.  At the time there was a TV show about women giving birth and you would sneak and watch it until mom put a stop to it.  You used to say that you wanted to grow up and deliver babies but then you started watching the Cake Boss and DC Cupcakes TV shows, so now you want to work in a bakery and bake cakes and cupcakes.  You do love making and helping mom make her birthday cakes and cupcakes for events and church. 

     Since you were our first and you were living in Omaha, we got to see you a lot and babysit.  When you were 16 months old we got to watch you while your parents went to Paris.  When we went to the airport to pick them up you saw them and gave an expression of why the heck did you leave me so long.  Another thing I remember is the time you were playing in the water with some plastic fish and Angie was videotaping you, and water was dripping down your arm and you said, “Oh, crap.”  You used that phrase in the right context.  Sean told Julie to stop saying that crap word.  You were a talker.  People would think you were older because of your vocabulary.

      We took you on local camping trips and ones without your parents.  Once when you were really little the screen door did not get shut all the way and you climbed up and pushed on the screen and fell out scratching up your face as you fell out of the 5^th wheel.  You said that grandma pushed you out.  I think Angie taught you to say that.  We took you to SD and to the Grand Canyon when you were three.  You did not say that you missed mom and dad until it was the day to leave the Grand Canyon, so I told you we were going home that day. Grandpa always said we took you so grandma would have someone to talk to when we travel, since grandpa does not talk much. 

      We still take you camping but it is with the other kids.  We asked once if you wanted to camp by yourself or with a sibling and you wanted Katelyn to go with you.  Easton was the only one that wanted to camp with us without a sibling.  When we travel along the road on one of what I call Trip of a Lifetime, you love playing games.  This fall will be #4 when we travel to FL to the Tampa area to meet Angie. 

     When we camp you get to sleep in our room on the floor at the foot of the bed.  You love staying up and watching TV with us, and then you climb into bed to snuggle in the morning and try to get me up and make you breakfast.  You always want oatmeal and then you will add blueberries or other fruits along with honey.  I love that kind of breakfast also. 

     When we were camping last week near Grand Island you were mixing water, dirt, leaves, etc along with the other kids.  You love mixing up things and doing science experiences as you call them.  I would find all sorts of things downstairs after you spent the night here; of some kind of mixture you made using craft items like glue, colored sand, an glitter or other things you found that was leftover from my teaching days. 

     Well sweetheart I could go on and on with this birthday letter, but I won’t because you have all those other letters that I have written you in the past.  I still can’t believe you are now 9.  Where did those years go?  Keep up with your new blog that you- Pumpkin started with your sister- Tater Tot.  I still think you should have called yourself- Potato Head.  You will have to write about your Grandma Rene on your blog someday, but if you do please be kind.  Love you, Potato Head oops I mean Pumpkin.

Sincerely,

Grandma Rene