Sorry I missed the meeting....

I've been so tired this week and just felt drained today. As some may already know, I won't be there next meeting either. I'm starting my vacation next week and going to Houston, Texas. I will pay the rest of my dues when I return.

This week I have been doing my 6- 16.9 ounce bottles of water everyday. I have excercised everyday for at least 25 minutes. I didn't loose any weight this week. The only thing that I can thing of that is preventing me from losing weight is the lack of sleep. On an average work day, I get up at around 7:15 AM and get Kayleigh and I ready. I drop her off and then head to class at 9:30. When I leave class, I go straight to the YMCA and work at between 25-35 minutes before I have to get changed to be at work at 12 PM. Get off work at 9 PM. I pick up Kayleigh and by the time I get home it's usually about 10 PM. I get her settled and hopefully to bed and then prepare lunch (on most days), get clothes ready for the next day and then start on some homework. On average, I get to bed at around 1-2 AM (some times later than that). I can't really think of any other reason why I'm not as sucessful as I hoped right now.

Here are my Fat Facts....

The Basics
Every day in grocery stores across America, people read the nutrition labels on foods looking for fat content. There are very good reasons for zeroing in on this important number. Eating too much fat contributes to widening waistlines, because our bodies store the extra calories we consume for future famines (which most likely never occur). High fat diets are also associated with increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancer.

Presently, fat accounts for between 35 percent and 40 percent of many American's total calories. That's really too high. Dropping fat calories to 20 percent to 30 percent of our total calories helps shed excess pounds and lowers blood cholesterol levels..

Watching the Fat
Look for the actual grams of fat per serving on the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods. Grocery stores are encouraged to post nutrition information for the fresh meat and poultry near the meat cases. Always compare the portion size listed on the Nutrition Facts label with the amount you usually eat.

Ignore the percentages and the calories from fat for a specific food. Your goal is to keep your total fat intake for the whole day within your healthy fat intake.

Counting the fat in foods you buy in restaurants is tricky. Most fast-food chains publish the nutritional value of their foods in brochures that are free for the asking. When nutrition information is not available, use several "fat-skimming" strategies:

Order small portions or share a meal with a friend
Take half of anything you order home and use it later for another meal
Ask for salad dressings, sour cream, butter and margarine on the side. Rather than pouring your dressing over a salad, dip the tines of your fork into the dressing and then spear a bite of salad.

Fat-Free Facts
You might think that eating fat-free foods is an easy way to guarantee good health. This simple solution has several drawbacks.

Fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Too many calories from sugars and starches add extra weight, too. See our related article on estimating daily calorie needs.
Most fat-free and reduced-fat foods contain more sodium than their regular versions. Extra salt makes up for the flavor loss when manufacturers cut the fat. If you're cutting fat to help your blood pressure, beware!
We need some fat to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K for our bodies to make important hormones. Rigidly eating only fat-free foods means missing the benefits that whole grains and small amounts of vegetable oils offer.