Guest Blogger: Pamela M. of Team 1 Pink Ladies-New Poison

Whether you hop onto the computer to work or to escape, you cannot deny the world, our country, and maybe your own emotions have been on a rollercoaster these past days. 

Like my mom says - with a smoke filled sigh - "If it's not one thing it's another." 

She usually follows up with "This world is going to hell in a handbasket" or something to that effect. Patsy's the southern Maxine of coffee cup fame.
 

So it'd be really easy to succumb to ______ name your poison here, right? 

Wrong! 

For one thing, we're all women... at least I think we all are. If you're a man you can just disregard the rest of this post. 

Ladies, fat loves us. Those little fat cells in our bodies never truly leave, they just shrink. As much as I wish that metabolizing business meant that fat cells were flushed into the water treatment system, they're really just shrinking, lying there in wait for the next mammajamma-peanutbutter-jelly-banana sandwich and margarita I can inhale. 

Our bodies - not just the female body, but OUR bodies - are exceptionally talented at holding on to last week's calories in preparation for motherhood or the zombie apocalypse, whichever is on our personal horizon. Should our country head into a double dip recession and we're not careful, we will emerge even fatter than one month ago. 

Why? Think about what you'll do to stretch out the groceries. You'll probably add more pastas, rices, breads, and potatoes to fill up. Comfort foods. 

And while you're in there, whip up a batch of brownies or a poundcake - nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven. 

Am I right?  

I happen to have three sizes of clothes in my closet. And I have a collection of 10k t'shirts, running shoes, and exercise bras. If I can just lose enough to wear that smaller size... I'll be able to save about $100, wearing clothes that haven't been worn in so long nobody will remember them. 

If I can add shredded carrots/ chopped celery/ chopped cabbage to that meal instead of more starches... if I can eat a smaller portion and save the rest for lunch... if I can sip veggie broth or eat salad before I get too hungry just to take the edge off ...  if I can drink plain water (my bugaboo!) instead of buying more soda (psst... heads up! Coke's about to raise prices... again!) .... 

Well, if I were an accountant I wouldn't be writing romances and blogs here, but I think we're smart enough to see the cost savings. 

I won't even touch the health benefits... but I will say this -- 

Those fat cells are making our knees sore, our livers polluted, and our potential for heart disease of deep vein thrombosis much greater. 

So, how about we reallocate the grocery dollars (believe me, I have a husband and two big teenaged sons - this won't be easy for me!) from the starches and the refined carbs into the green veggies and fiber rich foods? I know -- they are more expensive!

 But it's that Quality over Quantity thing -- the other day I ate so many blueberries, popping two in my mouth everytime I passed the bowl, that I was as stuffed as if I'd eaten Thanksgiving dinner!  

Little bite sized morsels -- they are my personal poison. 

Did you know that extensive research goes into engineering the M&M candy to have the perfect 'mouth' feel? The size and shape have to be perfect to pass Mars' testing labs. I know this because I could live on M&M's if I had to. Once in college I actually did so. 

But back then I had no car, no money, and I walked in the heat and humidity of Baton Rouge, so I sweated off the pounds. 

Blueberries mimic M&M's for me. So do cherry tomatoes, grapes...

They're fast becoming my new  'Poison'.

How about you? What improved version of a 'poison' can you substitute to make your wallet fatter and your thighs skinnier and your outlook brighter? 

And... speaking of thighs... I leave you with this site to peruse. Sock Dreams at http://www.sockdreams.com/products/socks/ . No, I don't get any kickbacks. I just found them on the web and thought I'd start giving everybody some ideas for the winter, Hanukkah or Christmas gifts, or just a treat. I've never seen a more comprehensive selection of sizes or a more imaginative collection of socks for sale! 

Now --  go run in place for 10 minutes, or do some wall pushups! Every little bit you manage to squeeze in throughout the day tells those fat cells you mean business!