Sally Struthers Healthy Eating...

Yesterday I spent almost the entire day on the my friend Rich's couch watching Six Feet Under episodes. I still think that David's blackarican cop, boyfriend is the sexiest man to ever breathe. Anyway, around 7:00 he and his roommate decided to order pizza in an attempt to debunk my theory that decent pizza does not exist in Milwaukee. I got nervous because I have done such a good job sticking to my Seattle Sutton diet. Rich sensed my discomfort and said "ohhhh yeah, you are on that Sally Struther's diet". Not quite...

Since August, I have been a good girl, eating mostly whatever Seattle Sutton (not Sally Struthers) sent me. The food is not frozen, which is sexy. There are a lot of fresh fruits, veggies and lean, white meats. NO RED MEAT! There are 2 "plans", 1,000 or 1,800 calorie version. I am opted for the 1,800 calorie option, knowing I would be less likely to cheat... 1,000 calories sounded paltry. The food is okay overall. The breakfasts rock and include items like whole wheat little bagels and nut spreads coupled with fresh fruit. My favorite is a breakfast casserole! The lunches are okay too. Sometimes there is a gross slimy turkey puck thing, which I just cannot eat. I prefer my own dinners to Seattle's... but the convenience is nice, especially now that I am back in school.

I have lost about 20 pounds since mid-August. I occasionally cheat and have chocolate at work or stop at Starbucks for a Skinny Hazelnut Latte, but for the most part, I stick to the SS. I am averaging about 2 pounds per week, which is pretty healthy. I think I am going to switch to the 1,000 calorie plan and add some yogurt and fruit to the daily menu, to bring my caloric intake to 1,500 calories, which I think is very reasonable. I have NOT been exercising like I need to be, but that is next. Since I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) I have vowed to take diet and exercise seriously. I have successfully quit smoking (for REAL) and I feel pretty good about that. I don't really crave those nasty mother fuckers anymore. Now if I can only get my mother and friend Jen to quit...

Anyway, Seattle Sutton seems to be working for me. It is hella expensive ($150 per week!), but really... giving up the coffee treats (a.k.a fat girl supplements) and the cigarettes, I am coming out ahead considering all I need to buy is skim milk. I hope not to purchase it forever, but it is getting me accustomed to appropriate portion sizes and forces me to get to know vegetables that I actually like.

And by the way, I did have ONE piece of that Milwaukee pizza and it was pretty delicious... but I think it was probably because it was the first non-Sally Struthers dinner I had eaten for many, many, MANY weeks. Sorry Rich.

STFU Please!

About an hour ago I was deeply involved in a quadratic equation (boo and hiss), when Rich decided he would do some gaming a few feet away from me. This wasn't a problem, but my fury began when he started eating and munching on some bread stuffing while he played. The stuffing was extra loud because of some crunchy celery bits that are mixed in.

The wave of anger that I felt due to his chewing was nothing new. Some of my earliest memories include being irritated by my father who is a textbook case soup-slurper. In the second grade I sat next to a mouth-breather named Jerry. When someone's nose whistles at work, I lose it. What I feel is beyond a mild agitation, it is full blown rage. Under all other circumstances, I tend to be patient and slow to anger even in extreme situations. This phenomenon really makes me uncomfortable. I can feel my blood pressure elevating just thinking about it! All of these years I thought I was just being a nitpicky bitch and would feel guilty after my rage subsided, but today I Googled "angered by eating noises" and found something incredible.

www.hyperacusis.org

I have 4S!

Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome or 4S, A.K.A Misophonia is a "strong negative reaction to soft sounds, in particular, sounds associated with eating, breathing, speaking, or lip smacking. Noises that are identified as bothersome or extremely annoying most often relate to noises associated with the mouths or noses of other people. Biting, chewing, forks clicking on plates or teeth, tongues licking lips, lips smacking when opening or shutting, "sssss" sounds or other high frequency sounds, fingernail biting, or breathing sounds. In many cases, it can be one particular person that presents the most difficulty for the sufferer. Emotional reactions are closely related to this syndrome: victims may cry, yell, strike out, retreat, scream, withdraw, abuse others verbally or physically, in an effort to remove the negative stimulation."

I feel so vindicated! It isn't just me who feels moved to kill their loved ones! I immediately reported my findings to Rich and all he said was "yeah, great, you better hurry up and update your Facebook status". This was sarcasm.

My excitement over these findings has kept me up too late. I wish I could call in sick tomorrow because of my 4S.

Interracial Couple not Allowed to Marry

OMG! A justice of the peace in Louisiana refused to issue a marriage license to an white woman and black man. Anti-miscegenation laws that prohibited intermarriage between races have been abolished since the 1960s. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish claims he’s “not a racist” and he’s just “concerned about the children” the couple might have. Bardwell said “I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”
What a brave man, he let's them use his bathroom! Come on! We all know use of the “children” rationale is an implicit acknowledgement that racism exists despite the fact that many whites will argue that racism does not exist today, or subconsciously downplay the severity of racial oppression in our society (sometimes called modern racism).

This is worse than the Chicagoland area Eagleman commercials, but now onto something lighter dealing with ending furniture sale racism:

Gays can't be organ donors?!

A friend of mine's partner died about a week ago. He informed me today that the deceased's organs were deemed unacceptable for donation. The reason? Not because he was a smoker, but because he was gay. The justification is the assumption that gay men are high-risk due to their tendency to engage in sexual activity with many partners which leads to the transmission of HIV. Even if the organs tested HIV negative, the virus can lie dormant.

If the family of the deceased didn't disclose his sexual orientation, would they have asked? What if I was in need of a liver transplant? This man could have saved someone's live, but because he liked boys, his liver is unfit?

This man had been in a committed relationship for 5 years! Healthcare professionals need to be asking about BEHAVIOR, not sexual orientation. This law is completely discriminatory and homophobic.