10 Dieting Practices that Don't Work

I have done a lot of research and can personally attest to all 10 of these items:

#1) Ordering the Wendy's #4 (Baconator with Cheese) and changing it to a medium rather than a large.

#2) Adding extra exercise when you have added extra food. (by extra exercise we are talking about walking out to the mailbox daily, rather than bi-weekly)

#3) Joining weight watchers. Trust me, it doesn't work... It might work if I actually went to a meeting... and well, kept track of how many "points" I had consumed on a given day... but just joining didn't work.

#4) Joining Lucille Roberts or Bally's ... Nope, apparently you have to actually go there and "work out" to see any benefit.

#5) Drink more water. This one... I'm on the fence. I only tried it for a day, and I got freaking tired of walking to the bathroom every 15 minutes. I was exhausted.. I seriously considered adult diapers as a solution... then realized I didn't have to keep drinking all the damn water. Honestly, it was the worst day of my life, have you ever seen a 43 year old do the "potty dance"?

#6) Eat Salad. Well, apparently this only works if you don't slather the salad with Ken's Russian Dressing, homemade croutons, slices of steak and chunks of cheese. Yum Yum

#7) One glass of wine a night. Wait a minute. Now that I am thinking about it, I believe that is supposed to be good for your heart. No wonder it didn't help me lose weight

#8) Atkins Diet - no carbs. Well, I'll be honest, this worked pretty well for me.... for like a milli-second, then I glanced at a bowl filled with homemade bread -- and the fat came back like the nutty professor.

#9) Register online with eDiets. Again, if you aren't going to take any of the e-advice, then you won't get any of the e-weight loss.

#10) Denial, I have taken denial all the way. I have my mirrors hung, so that I can only see myself from the shoulders up. Most day, this works pretty good. Unfortunately you always run the risk of shock from the random FULL ON BODY SHOT. There's no rhyme or reason, it might be the glass front of the Dr's office or a shiny elevator door... it doesn't even have to be a clear shot... just a Full Shot... enough for you to realize that it's only your reflection not several people crowded together on the other side of the glass... nope. It's just you. AND you are wide. If you are practicing "denial", stay away from dressing rooms. What the heck, if it fits, wear it. Who cares what it looks like.


And that friends, are the 10 Dieting practices that don't work.

My advice (and this is free)
EAT LESS
EXERCISE MORE

The Worlds Biggest Time Saver - Grocery Shopping ONLINE

I don't know why I never heard of this.
I don't know why I never thought this existed
I don't know why there aren't banner ads promoting this service

But I got to tell you.... as a mother of three small children, being able to place my order online, then drive to the store.... wait in my car while the personal shoppers stack the grocery bags filled with food in the back of my mini-van.... never leaving my car! I pay. I check to make sure the kids are still buckled up and I head home. Start to finish.... about 15 minutes (of course your travel time may vary)

In my town there are online grocery shopping options:
Stop and Shop (which is actually http://www.peapod.com/)
Shop rite

Peapod actually delivers the groceries to your kitchen. The truck shows up, he carries all the bags in (including the cases of water and soda... ahhhhhh) and puts them right on the kitchen counter (or in my case, on the kitchen table, because my counters are always cluttered.

I stopped using peapod because it was a little expensive and not as convenient for me. It requires a little planning. You have to order your food at least a day in advance. ME? I keep thinking I'll get to the store, and it's not until I'm out of milk that I force myself to consider my options.

Ordering from peapod is easy, but like I said, you need to be able to schedule the delivery for at least 24 hours later.

Shop rite also delivers, they don't have a big fancy truck... they have a guy in a mini-van (or at least the one by me has a mini-van) But it's an additional $20.00 to your order.

HOWEVER, it's only an additional $10.00 to have the personal shopper pull your food, pack it in bags and place it in your car... only $10.00 extra to have a weeks worth of shopping done for you! AND... they only need about 5-6 hours to put it all together.

So, for instance, yesterday about 8:00am I realized that I need to go shopping, I realized that I had a lot of other things to do and I realized that I just didn't have the patience to spend an hour in the supermarket with all the kids... I spent about 30 minutes shopping (I always check the sales circular first... ) then I placed my order and scheduled the pick up for 3:30pm THAT SAME DAY!

My personal shopper called at 1:30 to tell me there were a few things they didn't have in stock and ask if I wanted substitutions... and by 2:00 I was on the way to the grocery store to pick up my order; by 2:12 I was headed back home. ahhhhhh life is good!

Here are some links to sites that provide home delivery and pick up
http://www.peapod.com/
http://www.shoprite.com/
https://www.acmemarkets.com/
http://shop.safeway.com/superstore/default.asp?brandid=1&page=corphome
http://shop.waldbaums.com/
http://shop.apsupermarket.com/#1+0+H+N+N
and Kings is currently developing their online shopping program.

As is true with most of the world... those that could most use the services... will find they aren't available in your area. However, you may also find that if you shop... "outside the box" , (go to a different grocery store, or one that is slightly farther away) you may be able to take advantage of the online shopping.

I'm very lucky, I have several stores that offer the services in several convenient locations (since I'm the shop online, pick up the groceries kind of shopper) You will need to determine if any of the stores near you offer the service... you may be surprised!

First, check the web for your favorite grocery store.

See if they list "online shopping"

Then use the store locator to find the closest participating store in your area!

Be WARNED, once you use this service.... you will be hooked.

Have a great day! I look forward to your comments.

HOW TO GET YOUR WHOLE HOUSE CLEAN IN ONE HOUR

As the mother of three children under the age of 7, my house is a mess.

I marvel at the homes of my friends and relatives who seem to be able to keep your homes so tidy and clean it looks like a furniture showroom. I have told myself (and anyone that will listen) it's because I am either too busy to go following them around and picking up immediately after them or it doesn't bother me and I'd rather let them experience youth then stand over them making them scrub floors (obviously an exaggeration).

Here's the truth. I'm tired and it doesn't bother me enough to change how I am parenting. I get up, the kids get up, we all leave the house to go to work or school or preschool. We all return, they play while I cook dinner, we all hang out for 1 hour then they go to bed, then I go to bed. Did I mention that all starts at 5:00am and bedtime is 8:00pm. I'm usually asleep by 8:30pm.

It would seem that there isn't a lot of time for cleaning... or messing up the house for that matter. However, if you are a parent with three small children, you are aware that they don't need much time to pull out the Lego's and spread-em all over the living room floor. Or the floor puzzle.

I know, I know, I can hear my sister-in-law with the always tidy, and never messy house say, "Get them to clean it up before they come to the table".

I have finally found a solution that works for me... and works for the kids.

The Pile Method.

I start in the messiest room and I literally sweep EVERYTHING into a pile. Dolls, Puzzle pieces, dog hair, paper plates, whatever is under the couch, or table. I sweep across the rug, I sweep under everything and end up with a big pile of STUFF in the room. This stuff can be broken down into 3 basic categories
1. Clothes - if your kids are like mine, they are constantly taking their clothes off, or shoes off, or socks off.... and just dropping them where they are
2. Toys - like I explained, puzzle pieces, Lego's, littlest pet shop toys - houses - furniture
3. Garbage - empty paper cups, plates, used tissues, you know things that were on the coffee table that maybe fell onto the floor.

So, it takes about 5 minutes to sweep everything into a pile.

I give the kids 5 minutes to pick out the stuff that they want to keep and put it away.

I put everything else in the trash, then I sweep the rest into the garbage with the dust pan and it's done.

That's right.

I go from Incredibly messy, to incredibly clean in 15 minutes.

I then apply this to their bedroom, the dining room (where our kitchen table is).

PAINFULLY, I also apply this method to myself in my own room.

Here's the trick.

The trick is to really throw the stuff out. If the kids see that their toys are going in the trash, then they will be more likely to pick them up. You can't threaten and not follow-through.

Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for your children's initial cavalier attitude towards expensive toys that you believe you would cherish. Prepare yourself for the (what you would believe) misplaced devotion to the doll you got from the dollar store. Prepare yourself. Just get rid of it.

My biggest battle with The Pile Method, was the waste of money. Here's the thing. Having the house cleaned up and straightened up and tidy.... is relaxing. The children are relaxed. I am relaxed and happy to be in that space.

I have been using the pile method for several months and my children's toys have been weeded out to the point where they are quick to clean up the toys in the pile, lest they end up in the garbage.

Ahhhhhh life is good.

Now is someone could just help me get the piles of laundry folded and put away..... sigh.......

Biting the Moon, by Martha Grimes - A Book Review

This is my first ever book review.

I wish I could tell you that I liked this book, but I found it very.... unsatisfying.

The tale was initially reviting, and it held until about 3/4 of the way through, then the characters started to become too fantastic, too dream like and unbelievable. Everything started working out perfectly, no glitches, no hesitation.

The ending left me wondering if they were saving something for a sequel, because I really didn't feel any closure.

There were many situations that I simply said, "OH yeah right"

It's too bad that the novel didn't still with the theme of the first portion. I don't know if I didn't like that the main character never finished anything or the author intended for me to be uneasy. By the end of the book, I was tired of being uneasy and waiting for some comfort or closure or final disaster.... instead it just kind of petered off.

Biting the Moom wasn't a terrible book, but I can't say that I enjoyed it. It took about 1 day to read, mostly because I seemed to be waiting for something to happen.... that never did.

Excerpt from the back of the book: "She didn't know who she was -- or where she came from. But one morning she awoke in a strange bed-and-breakfast with a message that her "daddy" would soon return from Santa Fe. Fearing the worst, this nameless young woman disappeared into the wilderness. She christened herself Andi Oliver, from the initials on her backpack, and lived int he mountains -- utterly alone. Until she met mary Dark Hope, a girl who shared her loneliness and confusion. Together, they vowed to track down the one person who held the key to Andi's identity: The stranger who abducted her"

Your Secret Weapon - The Resume

Your resume is more than just a list of your education and work history, it is an invitation for a perspective employer.

It's a greeting card that should convey the feeling that you are perfect for this job please call to schedule an interview.

And just as you would have different kinds of cards for different types of occasions, you need to have different resumes for the different positions for which you may apply.

Your Resume and Cover letter MUST speak directly to each position. This is the difference between sending out 60 resumes a week, and only getting 3 phone calls and sending a much high percentage.

You don't have to rewrite your resume every time... for instance, if you are looking for customer service position and/or billing (Accounts receivable). You can have two very similar resumes, in the description of the work performed at each previous job, the customer service resume would stress customer service interaction and the accounts receivable resume would have the same details, stressing the accounting aspect of the job. You might even keep the exact same detail, but just switch the order that the work description is listed for the different resumes.

Also, try revamping your resume and after your name and contact information put together a two column list of your skills. Like a quick summary. Here are some examples of skills: MS Word 2003 - 2007, MS Outlook, Webmail, Typing 91 WPM, Quickbooks Pro 2003... You get the idea. Your skills may be related to a specific phone system, or medical software, or heavy equipment.

Think about it, your skills are really what most employers are interested in. Your previous employment and education speak to the employer about your ability to learn, your ability to stick to a job and will give them someone to call to confirm that you can perform the skills you listed. But honestly... it's your skills they want.

NEVER NEVER NEVER include a specific salary requirement in your cover letter or resume. If the ad for the position requires that a "salary requirement be specified" or the resume won't be considered, then put in a desired range, with at least $5000.00 wiggle room. Here's why.... by committing to a salary, you are bidding against yourself. Why put how much, when you don't know what they are offering?

The bottom line is the resume is the unsung hero of successful job searches. Don't be satisfied with that old thing you have been using for years. Take a look at it. Work on it. AND USE IT!

Here are a couple of links to some resume services that I have found on the web...
as well as a Link to MY Resume Template! keep me posted.

Click here for My Resume Template only $5.95 - Its a Very Successful : Buy Now

-- Choose your career path -- Accounting / Finance Activism Administrative / Clerical Advertising / Marketing / PR Aerospace Agriculture Airlines / Aviation Architecture Arts / Media Automotive Banking / Mortgage Biotechnology Call Center Chemical Construction & Trades Consulting Consumer Products Customer Service Decorating / Design E-Commerce Education / Teaching Electronic Employment / Staffing Energy / Power Engineering Entry-Level Environmental Sciences Executive Management Government / Civil Service Healthcare / Nursing Hospitality / Hotel / Travel Human Resources / Training HVAC Import / Export Industrial Information Tech / Computer Insurance Internet / Web Law Enforcement / Security Legal / Law Related Maintenance / Facilities Mgmt Management Manufacturing Military Mining / Metals Non-Profit / Fundraising Other / Miscellaneous Packaging Pharmaceutical Publishing / Journalism Purchasing / Procurement Radio / Television Real Estate / Property Mgmt Recreation Research Restaurant / Food Service Retail / Fashion / Grocery Sales / Sales Management Science Shipping / Receiving Social Services / Counseling Supply Chain / Logistics Telecom / Wireless / Cable Telemarketing Transportation Utilities Warehouse / Distribution Waste Management Work at Home / Business Opp   -- Where would you like to work? -- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

The Secret to Job Searches

You may or may not know, that there is a secret to using the Internet for job searches.

First, you need to be looking for a job.

Second, you need to decided how far you want to go for your job.

Once you have decided to seek employment and you know WHERE you want to work, the rest is easy.

First, let me provide you with a list of the top Job Search Websites. These are the ones that legitimate employers are most likely to use:



























There is also www.careerbuilder.com and www.monster.com (sorry, no really cool graphics!)

Now.... For the secret.

Don't limit your search to any keywords. Unless you are a scientist or physician with a specialist, if you limit your search you are assuming that the person entering the position is calling the position the same thing as you.

For instance, if you want or like jobs in maintenance and you search for "janitor" then you may not get all of the other jobs listed in the maintenance field because you have limited the search by keyword.

If you are seeking a job as a receptionist, and you look for receptionist... you may miss the jobs that is mostly answering incoming calls, but the employer refers to as a "customer service" position.

Now that I've told you what NOT wot write... Here's the other secret. Make sure when you get your MOUNTAIN of results because you didn't limit your search by keyword, you pick out the titles that you DON'T want.

For instance, when I search Monster or Careerbuilder, I always find the "work from home scams" they usually have a job description that starts something like: Make up to $1000.00 a week from home. So, I select a part of that text like "from home" and put that in the keyword search with a minus sign "-" in front (-from home) This will limit my results to NOT include any listings that contain "from home" in the title.
(note: some search engines ask you to separate keywords with commas, if you are using keywords to limit, look for those instructions)

And that's it.

First, don't limit the good jobs by putting in a keyword, you may find the job of your dreams called something that you never would have imagined, and weed out the bogus opportunities with the minus sign.

I hope this helps!

Do What You Love, Love What You Do!

Is finding a job that you love to go to every day a Fairy tale? I don't think so. If you disagree, then stop reading this article now, because you need to believe that you can do it, in order to find the job.


There, have we lost all of the negative nay sayers? Now let's get down business. There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those that live to work and those that work to live. OK OK there are also the people that don't work at all! HA HA, let's make a couple of assumptions.


First, we are all willing to work.

Second, we find sheer joy in something.


Are you asking yourself, "Did she say, Sheer Joy?"


Yup, I said "SHEER JOY"


Finding joy in something--anything is the key to finding that occupation that you absolutely love. Start to think in terms of "what do you really love doing" not in terms of "what jobs are listed on Career builder" Now... I'm not saying that there aren't those people that love and enjoy the money they earn from a job they hate... MORE than they want to enjoy their job.

Let's face it... if you have a nice high paying job, and it is making your life easier to live and making it easier to raise your family and afford the things you like... you should probably keep that job. This article is really more for the people that are either not satisfied with their jobs or simply can't keep a job.

Think outside the box. It's scary and you might need to move outside your comfort zone... you might need to physically MOVE... but think about it. Really think. And Answer this question.
What 3 things do you really LOVE.

Here's my list:

Books
Coffee
Giving People Advice / Solving Problems

Nice right. Here's what I found... I love books, love to own then, love to read them, love to sell them. So I started an eBay bookstore. I do pretty well, when I keep up on the listing inventory, I enjoy everything about selling the books... except -- keeping up on the listing inventory. (shameless plug for my bookstore: http://stores.ebay.com/attic-stairs-bookshop) So, I make some money, but more like a hobby then a real job. Part of the problem (or at least I explain to myself) is that I have to pay bills, so I can't invest as much time as is required into looking for the GREAT books. Well... I never would have known if I hadn't tried.

I LOVE Coffee... My dream. ..... sigh..... one day, I will own a coffee shop. You know, one of those coffee shops with Internet access... maybe even a couple of PC's on the wall... Maybe a coffee shop / gently used book store. Ahhhhh that would be nice. Let local bands come and play on Saturday Nights... That is what I'm shooting for, that's the dream that I'm putting together.

Now back to you, Why is being JOYFUL important? Because it's true, once you start doing something every day, day in and day out, unless you really love it... it will lose some of it's luster.

Now the hard part. How do you make money doing that thing you love. First realize that not everyone can do what you do. Whether it is reading a book, walking a dog, cleaning a house, using a computer, talking on the phone, liking cats, dogs, badgers raccoons... Find you niche.

If it's animals that are your thing, call the local animal control service, or local vet and tell them you're looking for a job. You get the idea, right?

Don't fall into the trap of under valuing yourself, your product or service. Frequently, because you are offering something that you love doing, that you find easy, you may think everyone can do it so why would they pay. Do the research, Google your job idea. See if there is a specific name for what you like to do, See what other people are paying people to do that job. If it's a business idea (like my coffee shop) then do the research. Take a look at successful businesses, see why they are successful and how they run the work place and what they provide.

Before I leave off on this article... You MUST MUST MUST create a business plan. There are hundreds of business plan helpers on the Internet and I think Microsoft (http://office.microsoft.com/) even has several business templates for MS Word. You business plan is a road map. A Road Map to success... it's helps you measure your success and ultimately achieve your success.

Good Luck keep me Posted.