Diets: a pain in the ***

All i see these days, or hear about is people trying to lose weight on certain diets. It's all over the place, either on commercials, magazines, everywhere! It could be a non-carb diet, only drinking fluids, or having only vegetables and rice for two weeks! The CCD have estimated that two-thirds of all americans have tried fad diets, or are on diets trying to lose weight. It's been calculated only five percent have been succesfull at keeping the weight off.

Do any of them really work? These diets don't sound very realistic to me. People all over the world are struggling with their weight everyday. Is it the genetics, amount of exercising, or food people eat? I personally believe it's the food in America. I have heard that in other countries they have way smaller portions, no appatizers, and no fast food! Everyone there seems to be fine. The eating habits of Amerians is outrageous. Then people try to do all these fad diets that don't really work.

Weight Watchers is one of the most successful weight loss programs of all time! It's a lenient eating program and varies with all ages. It has an "eat what you want approach" within moderation. This is such a great program that's realistic and doesn't limit you to certain foods that are impossible to stick with. It's a point system. Based on how much you weigh, male or female, and how much you exercise during the day is how many points you get to eat. Certain foods or a food is worth a certain point. Say i could have 23 points a day with 3o minutes of exercise. This keeps your portions in control, but you can eat whatever you want! You could have a piece of cake everyday, as long as you stay within the point range. Basically I think what the program is trying to get across is be able to eat what you want, but keep it moderation. This is definitely something America needs to learn and work on. I have known people who do this program, or who have done it and has been so successful!

Source 1. (Healthy Living Community)http://stanford.wellsphere.com/healthy-living-article/fad-diets-why-they-are-bad-amp-how-to-spot-them-diet-amp-nutrition/372588

Source 2. (What you need to know about Weight Watchershttp://weightloss.about.com/cs/weightwatchers/a/aa061001a.htm

The Bullet

This story struck me as a really sad, but a very expressful piece of writing. The whole situation was a shock to me, I thought it was going to be about a man frustrated in a line at a bank or with his life, not that he was going to be shot in the head. I think it was trying to portray a message that his life had become too complicated, almost like he started to analyze everything too much, and had forgotten the simpleness of his life, and his loved ones. I felt he had a lot of anger built up inside, and in a way took it out on the man with the pistol. Never had I read writing so detailed where something can happen in a split second. The writer imagined, and could only guess what it would feel like for a bullet to go through your head. No one will ever know if you think of memories that for some odd reason pop into your mind when something drastic is happening. It seemed to me everything that was really important and that he really cared about crossed his mind, like the reasons he loved his wife, his daughter, his childhood memories, once again the simpleness that makes life enjoyable was the last thing that crossed his mind, and in my opionion should be.

The Stash

Nichole and I were thinking of what ways we could escape from school, this had been our goal to do since the beginning of the year. We have never had enough guts to actually do it, but today was the day. I said we could either just run out the front gate, which was wide open, or dig a hole under the fence at the end of the field. We went with the hole. Jenna and Gwenn came to see what we were up to, we told them our plan and ther were all for it. After we got done digging the hole that we could have easily crawled under and escaped, none of us could bring ourselves to do it, we just sat there telling everyone but ourselves to go first. While we were sitting there we saw our recess monitor, who we call "the witch", coming towards us, so we quickly started ripping grass and pine cones to cover our hole. The witch came up to us and asked what were we all up to. The quickest idea that popped into my mind was, "Oh we are just playing squirrels." She totally bought and left us alone.

So we were all still sitting there, not on the side of the fence where we wanted to be, and Gwenn mentioned we could turn our hole into a "stash" to put food in and come eat it at recess. This was the best idea we had ever heard, also it was so rebellious, exactly what we were going for. We were planning everything out and gwenn decided she would bring a peice of extra carpet they were using to finish their basement, and lay accross our hole, so the food won't get dirty. The rest of us just decided to bring some good snacks and drinks, but in plastic baggies of course. So the next day we all came to school a little early to stash or goodies, so we could eat at recess, but we had to be extra sneaky so "the witch" wouldn't see us. We brought sour gummies, cookies, kool aid's, the colored, mini marshmellows, and chips, all the good stuff. I could't wait to go to recess, and neither could everyone else! The bell rang and we ran to what we now named it, "the stash" we ate all the yummy snacks, laughed, and all of us agreed this was the best, sneaky idea anyone could ever have! The bell rang and we covered our hole with grass and pine cones. While we were running back to class, all I could think about was getting back to "the stash" next recess!