I have been complaining off and on in this blog about weight and weight loss, but one thing I will never, ever do is take diet pills. I came across this non-biased article on the new weight loss drug, Phentermine and it really freaked me out.The way the drug works is it inhibits your hunger signal. In my personal opinion, any drug that inhibits your body’s natural signals is a problem. I know that obesity and weight problems affects so many of us, especially Americans but there are other, safer, healthier, better ways to lose weight.

Here’s just a few that I have found effective, and they don’t include inhibiting my natural signals.

1. Exercise-the number one way to lose weight is to get off your duff. Walk around the block, or just walk a little bit every day. While you might not get as thin as you want, you’ll be in the healthy range.

2. Change of diet-I don’t mean diet as in starve yourself or only eat soup. I’m talking about taking a good look at the food you eat, and what ingredients are in it. Don’t eat food full of preservatives or other additives that can make it addicting. Switch from soda to water, trust me you’ll feel much better.

3. Get happy-change your life in a positive way. Happy people are generally healthy people. When you’re sad, you tend to gain weight because you’re depressed. Then you’re depressed because you gained weight. It’s a vicious cycle.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from my quest to get my figure where I want it is knowing that nothing happens over night. It’s all about persistance and a good attitude, not taking a pill.

So my dear friend, The Queen as she’s linked on my page, told me that she sent me a birthday present. She told me way ahead of time that she was having something made, and that she was getting all of these things together, so of course my anticipation was mounting.

Well yesterday when I got home, guess what was waiting for me? I couldn’t grab my box cutter fast enough! I ripped the package open, and there was a postcard, with my “guide” to everything she’d sent me.

1. Bag-to help you carry your burdens

2. Hoodie-to keep you warm on cold days

3. Book- to escape reality if need be

4. Candy-to thank you for all the times you’ve saved my life.

5. Slippers-to remind you I’m here for you if you ever “slip” or fall.

I seriously had tears in my eyes when I read it. She is for sure one of my best friends, even though we don’t see each other that often. She’s always been there for me, with a card, with a silly text message, or an amazing book that changed my life (TWILIGHT!!!). I told the boy that we HAVE to go visit my fellow Coast Sister and her hubby in North Carolina. Now I can rock my sweatshirt and feel like a local. Hahah!

So what do you think of all my cool gear? I should explain we call each other Coast Sisters because we both live on opposite coasts. How great is my bag? The only drawback of the slippers is that my dog thinks they are furry playthings. He keeps chasing my feet around the house.

I was so amped about the Grey’s Anatomy Premiere-especially after seeing the previews! They made it look so intense: Rose tells Derek she’s pregnant, Derek casually pops the question, and then Derek was hooked up to industrial clamps and all of this medical equipment, while Meredith was screaming.

The thing is, it was a classic case of the writers teasing us and then slapping us in the face with something a lot less dramatic. Still, it was Grey’s so it still drew me in. I’m still hoping for some of what captured me in the beginning, and maybe this season will be it.

(more…)