Oolong Tea For Weight Loss?

I have read conflicting reports as to which tea metabolizes fat better, green or oolong, but here's an interesting article that sides with oolong.

As stated in the article, all tea comes from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) - it's the processing that differentiates it in the end. Supposedly the drying process of the tea leaves which results in oolong creates a greater metabolism stimulating effect.

Green tea: is treated immediately after picking so that it does not oxidize and it retains its natural colour.

Oolong tea: the leaves are sun wilted, bruised, and only partially oxidized.

Black tea: is left to oxidize the most after being picked.

This may be old news to some, but I had no idea all three came from the same plant, so I find this particularly interesting. I've drank (and enjoyed!) lots of black and green teas, so I think on my next trip to the grocery store I'm going to buy some oolong.

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Can A Good Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?

Is it true? Can eating breakfast really help you lose weight?

Somehow, mysteriously, I've lost 2 more pounds.

I say mysteriously because I haven't been actively trying to lose weight. I've been kind of "cruising", waiting until "New Year's Resolution" time (a.k.a. making excuses to not diet today).

If I look back over the past couple of weeks, the one change I've made is that I've been making sure I eat some kind of breakfast every morning. I used to have only my coffee before heading out for the day, but now when I make the kids their breakfast, I fix myself something simple as well, such as one slice of multigrain bread with peanut butter and honey.

Voila - two pounds gone! I think I'll keep eating breakfast :-)
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Cabbage Soup Diet

Here's a link to the Cabbage Soup Diet.

It may seem like another one of those gimicky fad diets (technically I suppose it is), but the reason I'm passing along this info is because a friend of mine and her husband had success with it. They made minor adjustments to the soup (I think they thickened the broth or something - I forget), but otherwise followed the plan as it is described. Sure enough, they lost some weight and were happy with how it all went.

I as yet have not been organized enough to try it, but it looks doable to me - it's short term and all the food is basically healthy. The times that you are restricted to a specific food or food group is not long enough to cause any nutrient deficits.

The only catch would be, like anything else, maintaining the weight loss once you're off the diet.

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Stir Fry

Yum... Had some leftover onions and grated carrots from last night's tacos, so tonight's dinner consisted entirely of veggies stir fried in a bit of butter and soya sauce:

onions
grated carrot
yellow pepper
red pepper
cherry tomatoes
frozen peas

I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was delicious, and pretty low cal :-)

8 Easy Ways To Walk, Walk 'Til You Drop!

OK not quite (phew ;-)

Walking is a wonderful way of staying in shape because it is relatively injury free. Anyone can do it - you don't have to be overly fit when you start. It's green, it's free, and it's easy to incorporate into your routine.

Here are some ideas on how to add a few steps to your day:

1) Park farther away (we've all heard this one before but it bears repeating).

2) Carry smaller loads to and from the car. Make a point of taking only as many bags as you can carry with one hand when unloading groceries, for example.

3) Put away your laundry without using a basket. I like this one: I fold items as they come out of the dryer, and make piles in my laundry room. I then carry one pile at a time from the room to its destination in the house. It may seem like you're making a household chore take longer, but remember that you're multitasking by exercising at the same time.

4) Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

5) Walk to a co-worker and speak to them in person rather than sending an e-mail.

6) Hide the TV remote ;-)

7) Get a pedometer - they can be a real motivational tool.

8) Use a bathroom father away - either in the basement of your home or on another floor in your office building.

Have fun!

Exercised by My Four Year Old

Just when I thought a rainy day was sedentary...

My son is playing with Play-Doh at the moment, and he keeps calling me over to his table:

"Mommy please you help me open this? Mommy come here please! Mommy look, come see what I made!!"

And on and on it goes. I get up from my table and go over to his, then return to mine. Then get up and go over to his, then return to mine. Then get up and go over to his... you get the picture.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: who needs the gym when you have kids :-) :-)

How To Resist The Temptation Of Leftover Halloween Candy

At least with the Krisp Kreme donuts there was a light at the end of the tunnel - there are, after all, only twelve in a box.

The Halloween candy is a different story because there are literally piles and piles and piles and piles of it.

First of all, we bought too much. I bought another box to replace the, uh, eaten stuff, and it turns out that Hubby did the same thing. We live on a quiet dead-end street, and this year it was pretty dark because a lot of our neighbours went elsewhere. Near the end of the night (9:ish) I was giving out bulging handfuls to the lucky teens & tweens who ventured our way.

Then there are my two kids... I took them up and down our street and then their Dad took them down a few more. They were out for about two hours in total, and came back with at least a year's worth of candy.

Anyway, I need to come up with some coping strategies here. Even at as I type this, I can hear the thousands of little tiny voices coming from the kitchen counter: "Pssst!! Over here!! Chocolate!!" "No no, ME!! Caramel!!" "Hey don't forget me!! Salt Water Taffy!!!"

Phew. OK here goes. I can...

1) Put the candy in tubs of water and freeze them (you know, like the credit card thing?)

2) Sell it all on eBay ('cause no one else has ANY candy in their house right now)

3) Feed it to the cats

4) Tell the kids we're planting a candy tree and bury it in the back yard

5) Use it as a decoy to get the raccoons to stop knocking over our garbage cans

6) Burn it in the fireplace to keep warm this winter and save on our gas bill

7) Use it for bribes to control my family (what??? I didn't say that)

8) Give it ALL to my children because it belongs to them anyway (nu-uh. My uterus - my candy!!!)

9) Eat it so that I'll have an extra layer for warmth this winter

Oops.