---

Suzanne Burbidge

Age: 46 years old
Family: Married with two daughters, aged 18 & 20
Height 5'1
Weight: 142.5 lbs.

Biggest Challenge:
Tries to eat very healthy and can't figure out why she can't seem to lose weight.

---

March 27

Today was the big reveal. This whole experience has been an eye opener and quite rewarding on many levels. I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity. The staff at Canada AM was very professional and courteous and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable on every level. It was a pleasure to see Dr. Mike again and finally put a face to the name and meeting Jennifer.

Caroline, Paul, Tamy & Jim, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how amazing you all look. Thank you for the continuous support and words of encouragement throughout the last couple of months. I think we all have survived the worse and have the right tools to continue on this path.

As a last You-reka, the 2-hour wait at the airport gave me the opportunity to put in all my steps for the day. It turned out to be a long day and that means I'll be in bed early. Good night all and keep up the good work... for life.

March 24-25

I'm happy in one breath and sad in the other. Happy, because the weekend's not over. Sad, because the You on a Diet challenge is nearing the end. It has become a big part of my life and I will be sad to see it go. It feels like separation anxiety. Snif, sniff.

I had Trout stuffed with Cream Cheese and Walnuts for dinner tonight. Of course, I used light cream cheese. It was excellent.

My progress may have had a slow start but the rewards are much bigger than anticipated. At the beginning of the challenge, I wanted to do this for me as well as for my daughter. But there was no interest on her part. Now that she sees the results, she'd call me and tell me that she gets off the bus earlier and walks the rest of the way home. And she's all proud of herself, as she should be. She's now looking into getting a pedometer! Without having forced the issue, when I see the positive effect it has on the people I love around me - even if minimal - it is very satisfying. It feels like I contributed something for the better. And that's something I can live with.

March 23

It's one of the few rare moments in life I like when things go downhill. The pounds are just melting away. I've lost another 2.5 lbs., down to 136.5. For the first time in over a month, waist is down ½ inch to 34. I could tell there was something different when I put on my jeans this morning. They're lower on my hips and they drag on the ground now. It's not quite time for me to go buy new clothes yet, but it's just around the corner. And at this rate, by next summer, I might just be able to take that bikini out again. I think it warrants a big 'YABADABADOO'!

Last night, I was at a party at the Casino. There was finger food - phyllo pastries and canapés. I had 3 of them but since they were very oily I mainly stuck to the canapés. The two quarter-size types I had were pumpernickel bread topped with smoked salmon or regular bread topped with goat cheese. I had about 10 altogether. Oh, and two glasses of white wine. And, I did manage to put in over 15,000 steps.

Funny thing now. When I go places, I find myself looking at everyone, specifically the stomach area, and I'm tempted to go over and offer some tips. However, since weight is a very touchy subject, I keep quiet. On the other hand, I can't say enough when the topic is brought on by someone else. It's amazing, though, how many people past their thirties could use a "stomach makeover".

Spring's in the air so for lunch I'm having an indoor picnic -- spinach mandarin with walnuts salad and a veggie burger topped with all kinds of cut up veggies. Enjoy your weekend everyone. It promised to be fairly nice, especially Sunday.

March 21

Back at work today and slowly getting back into the routine. Last night I moved up to the Intermediate Workout. It's a little more challenging which is what I needed. Also in the morning, I had done ½ hour of Pilates stretches.

Interesting discovery at dinner tonight. Part of my breakfast routine is to sprinkle cinnamon on my cereal. I left it on the table. After dinner, it was suggested that we make banana splits. My husband spotted the cinnamon and sprinkled it on his dessert... and loved it. "Now", he says, "the next time I go to Dairy Queen, I'll have cinnamon put on my banana split. And the next time I have a banana, I'll do the same." I explained that they may not have any. "I'll just bring my own", he replied. I just smirked.

March 20th

I have regained my appetite. Today, I've been hungry. For dinner we had shrimp with spinach with side orders of broccoli, mashed potato/sweet potato mixture and sweet potatoes. Steps are in and tonight is video workout night.

Saturday, on St. Patrick's Day, we were going out to dinner with friends but because I was sick, we didn't. I was not all that disappointed about it, 'cause our friends are not really health-oriented and chances are we would have ended up in a pub which would have made it very difficult to find something healthy on the menu.

With Easter coming, I've got to come up with a meal that will be satisfying for everyone. Not an easy task. We usually have ham but I would like to make something different this year. Suggestions welcomed.

Hey, Spring is officially here. Yabadabadoo.

March 19th

New additions to my pantry from the Bulk Barn: almond butter, apple butter and natural peanut butter. I would like to know how to convert teaspoons of sugar into grams. I went online and found nothing. Just how to convert from teaspoons to millilitres. Jen, you also made reference in the past that I could be eating too many pretzels. I thought it was an acceptable food?

As I previously mentioned, my big challenge is getting in my 10,000 steps during the weekend. I found that if four times a day, I go on the treadmill to add 2,000 steps each time, the next thing I know, I've reached my goal. And that takes at least 10 minutes, which is the minimum time required to walk. That seems to work for me.

We had fajitas for dinner tonight. Mine was slightly different than your typical fajitas. It was filled with chicken, refried beans, onions, red & green peppers, spinach and a few strands of partly-skimmed mozzarella. I had a large one and one was enough. It was delicious.

March 17th & 18th

The answer to your question of March 13: What were your thoughts on my blog response about your food journal last week? can be found in the last paragraph of the March 8th blog. I meant to comment earlier this week that I watched Dr. Mike on PBS last Sunday. Funny now how I could relate to what he was talking about!

To answer the second question about veggie burger, my preference is Yves, a Canadian brand from British Columbia. Per 75g patty, it contains 4g of fat (0.3 saturated, 0 transfat), 2g of fiber, 1g of sugar per and 14g of protein. I must admit when I first switched from ground beef to veggie burger about 4 years ago, it took some getting use to. But the transition was quick. The trick was to learn that since veggie burgers tasted different than beef burgers, I had to changed the toppings in order to blend with the new taste. Once I found a new combination I enjoyed, beef burgers became a thing of the past.

We were at a barbecue last summer where the only hot food option was beef burgers. I tried one and really disliked it and found it tasteless just as, at the opposite end of the scale, find most desserts too sweet now. When it comes to red meat, I still very much enjoy the medium-rare fillet mignon part of a T-Bone.

March 16

Yabadabadoo. I lost another pound. Down to 139 lbs! It's been about two years since I've been under 140. It feels great. Waist still remains the same. Steps for yesterday were 13,791 and doing the workout video was much easier than I anticipated. I must be getting better. We're expecting a big storm later on today and it will continue until the latter part of the day tomorrow, up to 20 cm of snow. For the next few days, all my walking will be done inside on the treadmill.

Tami and Caroline, hope your weigh-in was a satisfying as mine. Have a nice weekend everyone.

March 15th

I slept a little better last night and today's slightly better than yesterday. I'm not really hungry for anything but I'm forcing myself to eat at least fruits and drink water. Again today, I've put on warm clothing and hit the treadmill to break a sweat. I can't stand being sick. I've got too many things to do and too little time to do it. For dinner, I'm defrosting the Garden Harvest Soup I made earlier this month. Will most likely be in bed early again today as I feel really weak. I'll attempt to do the workout but I will not force it.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Can't wait.

March 14

Double whamee, 15,159 steps for yesterday. I feel like the weather today. Very miserable. I could tell yesterday when I did the video workout that things were different. During the night, I felt like I swallowed a golf ball and it got stuck in my throat. I've been up about every half hour since 1:30 last night until 8:00 this morning. I then managed to get an interrupted two hours. Got up, had a banana, my vitamins and a hot coffee to sooth my throat and start a sweat, dressed up in warm clothes to keep the sweat going, put on my coat and left for a speed walk to really break a sweat to get rid of this virus.

Over 5000 steps later I returned home, had chicken soup and a couple of Contac pills and slept most of the afternoon. Now I've got chills so I'm hitting the treadmill to warm up. I really don't have the energy to cook a meal, so I'll probably just have a bowl of cereal and various fruits.

I'll probably be back in bed by 8:00. . It took every ounce of my being to write this blog today, so that's it for me. Good night all.

March 13

My feat is worth mentioning today. I give myself a pat on the back for achieving 16,782 steps yesterday. Yeah! Even, I'm impressed! The nice weather is definitely a positive factor. This really gives me an idea of what I can expect over the summer months.

Funny thing happened earlier. My husband had asked me to pick up wieners for him. When I got to the store, they had the regular wieners and they had the Top Dogs. I bought the Top Dogs thinking that he would only need to eat 2 rather than the usual three. I got home, put them away and life went on. At dinner tonight, he says: "What's with the hot dogs? I could only eat 2!". "That was the plan", I replied. "Why?" he said. "Because not too long ago you said that you wanted to eat less and I thought this may would be a start for you." The conversation went on for a little bit longer, then life went on.

The last time I had a veggie burger was last fall, and the nice weather has given me a craving for it. So tonight was a burger night. I had the works on my burger. Sliced mushrooms, cucumbers & tomatoes, green & red pepper slivers, alfalfa sprouts with a little hot relish. My mouth was watering all day just thinking about it. To top it off, I made a spinach, mandarin & walnut salad. Great dinner.

March 12

Thanks for the answer on Vitamin D. I have nothing of special interest to report today. Things have become a routine for me. Now I just look forward to Fridays. I must admit though, weekends are still a little more of a challenge when it comes to put in my steps. I sew and do crafts and it is not unusual for me to sit for 2 solid hours at a time on weekends.

Adjusting to the new time will tak a few days to adjust to. I'd like to meet the person that thought this through... or lack of. I get wanting more light at night but it should not be at the expense of less light in the early morning. It was great that finally is was bright when I got up. Now it feels like it's Fall again. In fact, it would have made more sense to push the time change back 3 weeks in the Fall and move it up only 1 week in the Spring. This way, we wouldn't go from dark to light and back to dark again. One week ahead in the Spring would have been barely noticeable in the morning if it would have been a little darker. In fact, this time change should be done on Friday night. Unless you have to get up at a specific time on Saturday, you will actually miss your hour sleep during the night of Sunday to Monday, when you have to get up to go to work, unless you go to bed an hour earlier than your usual time. In that case, then you lost an hour on your day Sunday. It would be so much easier if the time change was on Friday. It would actually give you the whole weekend to adjust to the new time without affecting the work week as much. Because now you would either lose an hour during the day on Saturday or during the night of Saturday to Sunday.

Back on the topic. It is my understanding that stomach muscles must be cut when having babies through Caesareans. How attainable is having a flat stomach again resulting in those muscles being cut?

March 10-11

We had a dinner party this weekend. Our guests were vegetarian. I had it pretty well under control. I served fajitas with chicken, refried beans and homemade guacamole (my daughter made). As a side dish, there was a chick pea salad and a thai rice using brown rice. Everyone could make their own and not a stitch of unhealthy food on the table. It was a raving success.

I'd like to know, what is the added value of Probiotic Yogurt? After even 15 minutes on the treadmill, I sweat. It is not a heavy sweat but it's overall sweat. Is this considered good enough sweating by the "standards" to get rid of toxins and achieve other satisfying results or should sweat be pouring out of us?

About Vitamin D. Does the human body excrete the excess or could it harm it if there's too much of it in the body?

March 9

I've got only one thing to say today. I lost another pound. Down to 140 lbs. Youpi. Waist remains the same.

A couple of my questions in the last few blogs were answered but not all of them.

March 8

I've had C-sections for both my children. I understand muscles must be cut in this process. How will that affect my goal of having a flat stomach again?

I really enjoyed lunch today. I would definitely make the Garden Harvest Soup again. Next time though, I'll add mushrooms. A word of advice. The tomato taste is stronger if you use the crushed or ground tomatoes as opposed to the whole or diced tomatoes, you will need more water, anywhere between 2-4 cups extra.

I skipped the walk outside as it is way too cold. By the end of lunch time, I'm passed the halfway point for the steps. Tonight I've got errands to run and that should put me well over the goal. I've been watching some of the recipes done in the microwave this week. Some of them are really hard to resist.

As for my food journal, coincidentally, I have not had trail mix in a few weeks which could explain the sudden drop in weight. My fruits consumption is 2-3 daily. As for the chocolate and/or pretzels, I believe they could be occurring on a span of 2 or 3 days once every month. I will review my menu and rearrange accordingly. And on that note, you guessed it, tomorrow is "weigh & measure" day. My gut tells me nothing has changed for me. It will be a welcomed bonus if it has.

March 7

Dr. Mike, thanks for the answer on Vitamin D. Does the human body excrete the excess or could it harm it if there's too much Vitamin D in the body?

Glad to hear that Cubans cook differently here than they do on their own resorts. I'd like to try it again so maybe Cuban food, on our turf, is a better idea.

The last couple of times I made a chick pea salad, I followed the instructions on the label to soften the peas. Alas, it wouldn't work. Today, I steamed the peas and they were softened in half the time. For lunch, I cooked four eggs, and removed the yolk from three to make an egg salad. I also had time to make the Garden Harvest Soup from the book. I've added a little more water to tone down the tomato taste. I intend to freeze it in individual portions to take to work for lunches.

I can safety say that I now have had 300 g of chocolate in three days. The good news that it's all gone. It's a good thing that I eat much better the rest of the time and exercise a little more.

Barb, you think like me. I will be turning 47 this summer and my goal is to look better at 50 than I did at 40. I have seen the commercials and have been intrigued by the Probiotic Yogurt. I have been considering trying it lately.

March 6

Being on my own in this challenge is starting to take its toll on me. I have been somewhat depressed the last few days and had about 200 g of chocolate in the last two days. Even though I'm putting in at least 1000 steps more a day to compensate, I won't be shocked if my weight remains the same by Friday.

Today I stayed home with my sick daughter. I always find it much more of a challenge to get in 10,000 steps when I'm at home. Bonus today though, it's 6:20, I have reached my goal for steps, done the exercise video, dinner is over and the kitchen is clean. It was just my daughter and I for dinner. We had steamed shrimp on a bed of brown rice with a side of peas and corn.

March 5

I get what you say about the food when you travel to all-inclusive resorts in the sunny south. Over the past 15 years, I've travelled twice. I had an easier time with the food in Dominican Republic than I did in Cuba. Your comments about breakfast in Mexico was interesting. In Cuba, selection was very limited for all meals. For the most part, everything was fried in regular vegetable oil. There was no whole wheat or whole grain anything. And regardless if you had a piece of chicken, fish or shrimp, the texture was all the same because the food was overly cooked. And that was unanimous across the board. I hope food choices will have improved somewhat within the next 10 to 20 years, when I'm ready to visit Mexico.

Combined with 400 IU of D3 included in the multivitamin, I added 400 IU of vitamin D. How is vitamin D beneficial to the human body?

March 3-4

My husband and older daughter were in the basement when their nostrils were suddenly awakened by the great smell of what I was cooking. So my husband sent my daughter to find out what was that delicious smell. I was making the Apricot Chicken and Green Beans with Almond Slivers from the book. I shared my meal with my daughter. We both enjoyed it. It was excellent. I'd like to know if I could substitute the maple syrup for honey, if that's all I have on hand?

Saturday night, we were invited to a dinner party. The plan was to order in Chinese food. I made a suggestion to walk to the Chinese buffet restaurant, which was 10 minutes away, instead. This way I could avoid the food that was breaded or fried, which, most likely, would have been the entire order. The weather was beautiful to walk and bonus to the interested parties, we got a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. After getting back, I actually received thanks for the suggestion.

Very rare for a Sunday, but tonight is leftover night. I'm having the Apricot Chicken, my daughter is having steak and my husband will be eating chili. All I need to prepare is a vegetable dish. And on that note, I must go and prepare it.

March 2

YOU-reka. After 45 days I finally lost 1½ lbs. Yahooooooooooooooo. Caroline, can you see it? Can you see my dance? The weather here is awful but I don't care. I lost 1½ lbs! It's a miracle. No change to the waist however.

I have a question about sweat. I find that after even 15 minutes on the treadmill, I sweat. It is not a heavy sweat. My forehead doesn't drip but  it's overall sweat. Is this considered good enough sweating by the "standards" or should sweat be pouring out of us to get rid of toxins and  achieve other satisfying results?

In reply to Dr. Mike's blog - Feb. 28. Are you drinking full fat milk? And how much juice a day? I drink 1% milk, 1-2 glasses/day. Juice is very rare but when I do, it's always 100% juice. At his point in time, water consumption is basically non-existent. Tea, about 3 times a week w/honey and  coffee is one daily, with 5% or 10% cream (down from 18%) and 1 tsp of natural brown sugar. Baby steps, I say, baby steps.

Caroline, I'm impressed that you could convince your children to drink tea over hot chocolate. That must have been an interesting moment! Good for you.

Looking forward to Fridays is not just about the end of the week anymore, it's about weighin' in. So Tami, that makes two of us to be weird. Have a nice weekend.

March 1

I really don't know how I feel today. Tomorrow is another 'weigh & measure' day and that is sitting in the back on my mind. At least March is here. And that is definitely, good news.

Tonight is video workout night. The last two times I've done the video, my shoulders felt okay after. The sciatic nerve is still a slight bother. On the other hand, my balance is improving. For the first time this week, I was able to do the balance exercise without holding on to the wall.

In reply to Jennifer's blog, Feb. 28: Yes, I find that by the time I eat what one person is supposed to eat daily, I do not have any room for water. Sorry about the confusion.

In response to the food journal, yes, I did send it last week. If you want me to send it to you directly, send me an email and I'll forward it to you. This version will include up-to-date information... including all the snacks I had last night. All good, no chocolate but constant eating.

I have a question about sugar. 1 g of sugar is equal to what measuring value, ie. teaspoon or tablespoon? In this recipe, for example, there is in total 10 tbsp of processed sugar and 6 servings of ½ cup or 4 oz each to the recipe. So that would make about 1¾ tbsp of processed sugar per serving. By knowing that, is there a way of calculating to find out if the quantity of sugar works out to less or more than 4-5 g per serving?

Feb. 28

I seem to have a harder time with the burning muscles in my thighs in the morning than the afternoon. In fact yesterday afternoon I went up three floors and it didn't burn as much as two floors this morning. I am confident  that the muscle building workout and stretches will improve that situation very shortly.

You can certainly smell and feel Spring out there. I miss my outdoor weekday 3K walks and I am looking forward to going back to that routine. We're not  quite there yet, but now that it is a little warmer outside, I make it a point to leave a few minutes earlier in the morning and I catch the bus at a farther stop. By the time I arrive at my desk I have anywhere between 2000 & 3000 steps already. At night, I'll get off earlier and walk the rest of the way home. In fact, yesterday, my neighbor joined me. It was very welcomed to have someone share your interests. It's a little lonely out here.

As I mentioned before, I don't drink water. But I'm trying hard to incorporate it. In fact, the only regular liquids I drink are milk and sometimes 100% juices. Drinking water is quite an effort. This morning I drank one glass and I'm probably done for the day. Not much but it's a start.

February 27

Yesterday, I was a little concerned about how I was going to fit in 10,000 steps since I was going to be in an all-day meeting going past my regular work hours. But you know, it was easier than I thought. I put in 3000 steps before the start of the meeting. Between all the breaks including lunch, I put in another 4500. By the time I got home I had almost reached 10,000. So really I don't know what I was worried about. In the morning I had an apple and drank 1 litre of water. Needless to say that when lunch came rolling in, I was not hungry but I had to eat. It was now or never. So today I did not have the usual V8 and yogurt. I just didn't have the room. Mid-afternooon I had an orange. It is just past 7:00 and I'm just starting now to be hungry.

After everything is said and done, this day has worked out. Everything's been delayed but the exercices and the completion of my steps all have been done before dinner.

February 24 and 25

First thing I did today, was the workout. Had breakfast and shortly after, did my walk outside. It was refreshing. I don't mind the treadmill, but outside is so much better. While I was walking a light bulb came on. Dr. Mike, is the fact that I don't drink water at all an influential factor in my slow weight loss? Not that I have not tried to drink water, but by the time I apply the food guide every day, there's no room for water. And I don't drink water at night, otherwise I'm up all night.

I did not have time to make any of the soups but I made the Mediterranean Chicken and Herbed White Beans from the website. I served it to my entire family. Surprise, surprise, everyone like it, including my husband. Mind you, he and my daughter just had the chicken part of the dish. In fact, there was two pieces of chicken left over and he insisted on keeping them for lunch tomorrow. I'm not one to argue.

Tami, I was watching PBS and came across this show, Christina Cooks Naturally. She cooks with no butter, just olive oil, and she seems to cook healthy recipes. You can find a lot of the recipes on her Web site, www.christinacooks.com. If you like Mexican food (they use lots of avocado) there's a show called, Mexico, one plate at a time. Most of the featured recipes are also found on their Web site, www.fronterakitchens.com/television/episodes/season5/recipes/index.html. Enjoy!

February 23:

• Waist: 34.5"
• Weight: 142.5 lbs.

The pain in my neck and shoulder I described yesterday has subsided. I feel much better except for the constant bloating. Even though I am not losing any weight, I feel bigger since I've been bloated since, I'd say, about the past three weeks. On the other hand, I have noticed that there's more room in the seat of my pants. It could just be wishful thinking on my part but it feels good. And I don't know what it is, but more people are smiling at me. Probably no connection there! But it feels good nonetheless.

I've been on a mission to find a lunch walking partner. And I found one. Not for long walks, just around the block, about 10 minutes or four blocks worth. It adds between 1500 and 2000 steps to my score. My new goal every day is to reach 10,000 before I get home from work. That will give me a chance to add another 1000 steps and do the workout before dinner. For the past two days, I've exceeding my goal. Over 12,000 steps.

I now have a couple of supporters - well, more like interested parties -- at work. It's refreshing to be able to talk about it, other than through the blog that is.

I've been browsing through the recipes on www.realage.com, and I'll attempt to make one of the soups this weekend. Caroline, good luck with your conference. And Tami, I think you should splurge and go buy yourself one item. There's a lot of end-of-season sales on now. So you won't need to spend a lot of money and you will not feel too guilty if you only wear it for a couple of weeks before it becomes too big. You deserve it. On that note, have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. Richard Todd, there's a link towards the bottom of the home page on his www.realage.com Web site where you can ask Dr. Roizen a question.

February 21

Got home a little later today but by that time all my steps were in. Today, my butt muscles are a little tender so it's a good day to give the muscles a rest. As suggested by Dr. Mike, I've browsed over the food I consumed over the past month. In overall, I can't find anything that would explain with certainty the reason of my slow progress. A good example of my food intake is today's lunch: soup, smoked mussels on three 60% whole wheat melba toast, carrot sticks, glass of V8 and a no fat yogurt.

I must admit though that before I started with this program, I had already started to exercise half an hour every weekday and lost 8 lbs. in the span of 3 months. In all likeliness, I probably have a 3 month head start on my colleagues which could explain why my weight loss has stalled. However, I will be sending Dr. Mike my recorded menus for the past month for further examination.

I'm very tired but uncanny enough, two people have told me I have this healthy look about me. As much as parts of me want to give up I've decided to walk a minimum of 11,000 steps daily. See if that'll make a difference.

February 20

I've been hungrier than usual today. So I snacked a little more. Healthy foods such as no fat yogurt, an apple, a banana. I passed up on dark chocolate because it had a creamy center. And then for dinner, salmon, sweet potatoes and a couple of bran cookies (4 g of sugar total).

After doing the workout videos for 3 days now, I can really feel the stretch. Did most my walking outside. I'm really not a winter person and I can't wait for the warmer weather to get here so that I would regularly walk outside.

Saw the half way point update on TV today. I feel left behind because my progress are literally non existant. Hopefully, now that I've started the workout, I'll finally see some positive results.

February 19

Today's been no different than what I have become accustomed to. I get home, do 30 minutes of treadmill, have dinner and do the workout video. My biggest challenge now is to come up with a variety -- and that is the key word -- a variety of recipes. And there is lots out there. I just have to find the time to find them. My pedometer came in contact with water. These two don't get along very well. Everyone else seems to be doing just fine as well. Keep up the good work.

February 18

weight: same at 142.5
waist: same at 34.5

All day yesterday, I could taste the whole wheat spaghetti in a spicy chunky vegetable and tomato sauce that I was going to prepare for dinner. I could see it cooking. I could smell it. I would see myself enjoying every bite of it. Just talking about it now, even after the fact, my mouth still waters. Needless to say that my dinner last night was to me like Belgian chocolate is to a chocolate lover. I just could not get enough of it.

On the exercise front, I had no problem putting in 10,000 steps a day every day last week. I thought I would skip mentioning it everyday unless I have one spectacular day worth mentioning. I've been doing the workout for 2 days now. I have a bit of difficulty with the breathing exercise because those muscles are obviously not flexible enough. Hopefully in a month, there'll be some improvement, even if it is a slight one.

Dr. Mike, in the past week my I've been eating omelets made with two egg whites only. If cholesterol is part of the yolk, why should anyone include it at all as part of the dish, as it was suggested previously for Caroline's 2 egg whites & one whole egg omelet?

In reply to the answer about my weight issue, I am not convinced the fact that my fridge has not been dumped is the reason for my not losing weight as rapidly as my colleagues. Prior to the program, I already had a lot of healthy choices. In the past few months, I have grown accustomed to viewing my fridge and pantry as the aisles in a grocery store. I visit the produce section on a regular basis and I never go into other aisles. In my fridge and pantry, some shelves I go to frequently and others I bypass automatically. So even though I am still exposed to 'other' foods, my brain doesn't even see them anymore. I have adjusted to making two meals and it has become part of my routine. As much as it may have applied to other participants in the program, I am convinced that it is not the case with me.

February 15

I keep the Food Guide posted on my fridge. I always keep it there as a quick reference. Of course, now it will be replaced with the newer version. It could not have come at a better time. Not only will it help me, but I can't help to think that it will have a much better influence on the thinking of my family when it comes to food.

I have more food questions today. Probiotic, the live culture, what is its purpose?

I see the Wonder bread commercial on TV about this Wonder + bread which claims to have all the goodness of whole wheat and all the taste of white bread. I have never bought it. But is there something to be cautious about with these types of products?

February 14

I'm still following the food regimen. And today - very appropriate I might add -- my question is about food. In the book, specifically on page 244 under the section Look for Less, there is a reference to waxed food. Could you provide examples of such foods? The only one I know of, are yellow waxed beans. So if I understand this, I should stay away from them? How about dates, and I don't mean for Valentine's day. I'm talking about the one in the fruit category, I think.

Pasta will likely be on the menu tonight. If you're the only one in your family eating whole wheat pizza dough, cut the pre-made crust in half before freezing it. You'll only need to thaw one half at the time, which would be enough for one meal or if you're like me, it's enough for a dinner meal at a work lunch. I am not a big chocolate fan but I do have it. If I were to get any today, my husband is aware of what he should and should not get me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 13

Here are a few tricks I've been practicing when I walk outside. When I come to a stop light, rather than wait for the "little man to flash" to tell me it's okay to cross, I'll pace back and forth until I can cross. Or, I'll cross in the opposite direction, away from where I want to go, where the light is green. To explain, picture this as if you were drawing a three-sided square. Starting at the bottom left corner you want to go to the top left corner, but the light is red. So you draw (cross) towards the bottom right corner. By the time you cross, the light turns green to go to the top right corner. So you cross again. By this time you're standing on the corner criss-cross from where you started. The light turns green and you can now cross again to the top left corner, the one you wanted to get to originally. Stoplights are not always on a short cycle but it works well in many areas.

Question: "Olive oil has oleic acid to reduce the risk of getting cancer. Oleic acid breaks down the protein that's stored right under the skin as cellulite. Throw out butter and sauté everything in olive oil." Dr. Mike, how accurate is this?

February 12

A simple trick for you. When I take an elevator, if I'm lucky enough to be the only on it, I walk in circles until I reach my destination (or until someone else steps in). While I wait outside the elevators, I pace back and forth rather than standing still. If there are hidden cameras, around the elevator area or inside the elevators, it must break the monotony for the security offers watching the screens! I actually do the same thing when I send documents to print. Sometime, the printer needs to warm up so I pace the room while I'm waiting.

My question today is about diet pills. My understanding is that they are effective mostly if they are used in combination with exercise and good eating habits. I'm talking about the likes of Hydroxycut, Accelis, SmartBurn, Relacore, etc. It seems that this might be a viable option for me. But I will not give in yet because this weekend I will be introducing the workout video. So I'll give that a chance to accomplish what it was set out to do.

February 11

I am almost through reading the book and I have a few questions. In order to make it less confusing, I will limit my questions to just a few, one or two a day for the next few days. Hopefully other participants in the program have the same questions and hopefully this will provide an answer:

Today's question: Up to a year ago, I used to walk 3 kms every week day. I never stretched after any of the walks. My muscles are quite tight. Now that I started to stretch after walking, will the muscles be limber and flexible again? If injuries to the muscle occur due to lack of stretching, is the damage reversible?

February 9

I know better, but it sure feels like I am not on the same program as Tami and Caroline since my progress is literally NOT there. Trying to come up with a logical answer, I've been doing some research on glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate, which I take 3 times/day to rebuild cartilage between the lower vertebrae on my spine. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are biochemically-classed as carbohydrates (sugars), the body is not able to break them down into glucose, so these compounds do not raise blood sugar by providing an additional source of glucose. Could this interfere? I have not given hope yet. I'm still smiling.

On a more positive note, I get what Caroline's saying about working out. I too used to think of it as a burden. But now I feel cheated if I don't do the treadmill or reach 10,000 steps! At 11:45 pm, I checked the pedometer and at final check, it registered only 44 steps. When I figured out that at midnight it starts at zero again, the start of another day, and stores the previous day's score, I felt better. 11903 steps in total.

When it comes to food, I've noticed in the past that if I go more than 2 days without a fair amount of vegetables - and it really happens - by the third day I literally go nuts. By that time, it's like I get withdrawal symptoms and I absolutely must have veggies to feel comfortable in my skin again.

Dr. Mike, I have a question about sweat. I find that after the treadmill workout, like many people, I sweat. It is not a heavy sweat. My forehead isn't dripping and I'm not drenched, but it's overall sweat. Is this considered good enough sweating by the "standards" or should sweat be pouring out of us to get rid of toxins and achieve other satisfying results?

Weight: no change @ 142.5
Waist: no change @ 34.5

Well ladies and all who participate at home, enjoy your weekend.

February 8

Sadly, the restaurant did not have any olive oil at all and did not offer whole wheat flour tortillas. I chose the dish anyway but had only one wrap and ate the rest of the vegetables and shrimp with a fork. There was lots of lettuce, so that was fine. My husband does not like guacamole, so it was all mine. Fine with me too. Aside from salads, it seems nothing on the menu had a healthy rating, in my new standards. I will make these suggestions to the restaurant and refer them to the new food guide. Maybe other restaurants will follow suit and adjust their menu accordingly. I would not mind paying an extra dollar for my meal because of the extra cost of olive oil versus vegetable oil, for example! I believe my health - and for that matter, everybody's health - is worth a looney, wouldn't you say!

Can't wait for lunch, after Thanksgiving, I made a hearty Turkey Tortellini soup and froze it in individual servings to take to lunch on freezing days, over the winter. I realize today, the soup, filled with carrots, mushroom, celery, turkey broth (fat removed), is a good overall choice except for the tortellini. By next Thanksgiving, I hope that food companies will have more whole wheat choices to offer. Maybe I'll embark on a new adventure and start making my own!

February 7

I use to do it, then I let go. But now I'm back into getting off the elevator 1 to 4 floors ahead and climbing the stairs the rest of the way.

Even though I don't see fast results, I am somewhat proud of myself for being disciplined enough to do 10,000 steps daily. Shortly before bed time last night, my pedometer registered 10,731.

I think my daughter tried to kill me with "garlic". She decided she was going to make dinner for me. We had Chicken Alfredo pasta with cut up green & red peppers, mushrooms and a lot, no, a huge amount of garlic. She did warn me beforehand that if I had a problem with sinuses, that it would not be an issue anymore. She was right. She was really disappointed though that I had taken all of the spinach for lunch! She was looking forward to include it in the dish. Even though the sauce was cream and Parmesan cheese-based, I explained why it was not the best choice. Without any more direction, she proceeded to add only enough to coat the vegetables, about 2-3 tbsp, rather than the usual pouring over the pasta. I was proud of her.

We're going out to dinner to a bar tonight. Following up on Caroline's suggestion, I've visited the restaurant's Web site ahead of time and made my choice: Shrimp Fajitas. I'm hoping the restaurant will agree to fast-fry the ingredients for the fajitas in olive oil rather than their usual oil! If I'm really hungry, I'll also order a Greek salad to complement the meal.

February 6

Thank you to all the viewers cheering us on. And to those on this program, good luck.

Dr. Mike, I don't know if your blog (Feb. 2) that quotes 'Do not know what is happening with Suzanne..." refers to the fact you didn't receive my blog on time or is related to my slower than the other two participant's weight loss. If it refers to the latter, to go back in time, the reason I entered this contest in the first place is exactly for that reason. Overall, I already was eating well. Since being on the program, I have cut most of the sugar intake, which was not heavy to start with, and have added the steps program. It is obvious that my progress is not as fast as Tami's or Caroline's. Is my weight and waist supposed to come down slower than maybe someone else who was not already eating a lot of vegetables, whole wheat products, etc. and therefore has to incorporate more changes into their lifestyle?

As for the Sweet Potato stir-fry (Feb. 4), I did not measure anything. I just threw in what I had in the fridge into a bit of olive oil, cooked garlic (2-3 cloves) and one green onion a few minutes. I thinly sliced one of each -- sweet potato and turnip, and tossed it in with the onion cooking for a few minutes longer. I like my mushrooms cooked to the point just before they start to shrink. So I added them last and cooked another 2-3 minutes longer to achieve that result while the other vegetables were not being overcooked. I like my vegetables the natural way so I did not add any other spices.

For lunch today, I had the other piece of whole wheat pizza I thought I was going to have for dinner last night, my usual glass of V8 and a spinach salad topped with crumbled light feta cheese, black olives, green & red peppers and green onions, no dressing. In fact, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've put dressing on my salads last year. I like to taste my vegetables for what they are worth. Many times, I find myself picking at it more than using a fork. I finished lunch with a no fat Silhouette yogurt. It's good to know about the pizza. Now I know I'll always have enough for one dinner and one lunch.

Last night, I did over 10,000 steps. I have to discipline myself though to do the stretches after. It's a big flaw in my plan.

February 5

Since I got home, I've been rushing. Treadmill, dinner, blog. It's about 7:00 and my pedometer registers 9725 steps. I believe that 10,000 will be in the bag today.

I had three great meals today. My most impressive one was the homemade whole wheat pizza topped with goat cheese and in between the sheets lay red & green peppers, mushrooms, green onions, black olives and baby spinach at dinner time. My husband's pizza was done at least 10 to 15 minutes before mine. But I had much more on it. Consequently, I usually have two pieces but today one was plenty... and I didn't eat nuts before.

That must have been disappointing, Caroline, giving up your steak, but, hey, there's another weekend coming up just around the corner. Or maybe it could be your treat for Valentine's day.

And Tami, good stuff for Sami.

February 4

This weekend was okay food-wise. Not too many cravings. My newly-found exciting food is sweet potatoes. Mashed it on Friday, stir-fried it on Saturday with turnip, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Both times it was delicious. I've noticed in the flyer this weekend that Loeb now offers up to four varieties of multi-grain pizzas. Walked almost 10,000 both Friday and Saturday. Not quite there tonight but I'm just about to hit the treadmill.

Well, I'm ready to face the start of another beautiful week. Are you ready to lose some more weight along with me? I sure am. Last week was a bit of disappointment on that front. So I'm hoping this week will make up for it.

February 2

Weight: 142.5 lbs

Waist: 34.5"

Measurements: weight is half a pound more, so back to square one. Waist is another half an inch less, so down to 34.5 inches. If I know my body the way I think I do, next Friday should be quite a different story. Uncanny that today is the day I started the chapter on The Chemistry of Emotions...

Weather permitting, morning and/or night, I've been getting off the bus a few stops ahead of my regular drop off and walking the extra distance. When I'm tired at the end of the day, it is just enough to give me the boost I need to get through the evening.

Ladies, hope your weekend goes well. Enjoy your steak.

And finally to Ang of Morden, Manitoba, thank you for your support. Don't give up you seem to be doing well.

February 1

This is so cool. I saw someone tonight I had not seen in only 2-1/2 weeks. Yet, after the usual greeting, I was asked if I had lost weight. Seems my face has thinned out a little. Now I can't wait to take my measurements on Friday. Then I'll be doing the "Caroline" dance. I'm all pumped up now.

For dinner tonight, I had a hot chicken sandwich -- white meat on whole wheat bread served with peas, carrots and broccoli. The meal was preceded by a few almonds. Got over 10,000 steps today. I'm proud of ME.

January 30

Well, it has been two weeks since we started the program. The most difficult days should be behind us and from this day forward, it should start to become a little easier. When lunch came rolling in, I did not feel like whole wheat spaghetti. I was cold and I wanted 'comfort food'. What was 'comfort food'? I started to think of what it should be. Shouldn't it be food that you enjoy, food that satisfies, food that will soothe the purpose while remaining healthy? After reflection, the whole wheat pasta fit that profile perfectly. I enjoyed it, it satisfied me, it warmed me up and it was healthy. What better could one ask for?

CDKitchen offers a variety of vegetarian entrée recipes. Even though the nutritional value is not provided, from what I have seen, these recipes do not require margarine, butter or sugar. Tonight, I'll try the Avocado Veggie Tacos.

Dr. Mike: In response to your question about the DVD workout, the answer is: "I am not using the DVD workout". The schedule you have put me on was to walk only -- no other equipment, including the video, for a whole month. At the end of that month, I were to introduce the workout. Measurements unchanged since last Friday: waist still at 35" and weight at an even 142.

January 29

Back to the routine. 8000 steps are in by 6:00 pm. I'll be finishing on the treadmill a little later on. I love pasta and we usually have it once a week. As I did last week, I added three extra veggies to the sauce (my sauce only). Last week it was mushrooms, celery and green pepper.

Today's combination was green onions, tomatoes and green pepper sprinkled with some extra paprika and parsley. I made enough to take to work for lunch tomorrow. Once in a while throughout the meal, my husband will ask if I want something he's having, like cookies.

Before I have the chance to answer, he's reading the label... and realizes that I problaby would not. And he's usually right. The cookies had 6g sugar per 6 cookies. If I really wanted to, I suppose I could have had up up to half the portion making it only 3g of sugar intake.

But I resisted.

January 28

Friday night I had tons of errands to run. Everywhere I went, I parked in the center of the two or three locations I had to get too. By 9:30 when I got home, my pedometer registered 12,809 steps. I woke up Saturday feeling a little bit under the weather and spent a lot more time sleeping this weekend than normal. For the two days combined, I've accumulated 5,000 steps.

I didn't have a sit down dinner Friday night but instead ate nuts, fruits, raw veggies, whole wheat bun, and 1 oz of dark chocolate sporadically throughout the night. My food intake for the remainder of the weekend varied from salmon with potatoes and asparagus, meatless egg mcmuffin on whole wheat and half a grapefruit, roasted chicken with potatoes and peas.

January 26

Put in 10138 steps yesterday. I only lost half a pound but I also lost half an inch on my waist... which is the most important, right? I've only got just over 4000 on my pedometer and my workday is over. But I have a lot of running around to do tonight and it will make up for the difference.

At break this morning, I got stopped by a co-worker. "I have a question for you" she says. "Were you on Canada AM?" She tells me that she is fascinated with this whole ingredients and reading label thing. So we sat down and chit-chatted about it for a while. I felt like I was contributing something positive.

I had lunch with my daughter today and was telling her all about my progress and giving her pointers along the way.

Have a nice weekend ladies. Seems like everyone is doing well. Keep up the good work.

January 25

Well, I was very busy at work today but managed to get in 5000 before the end of my working day. I take the long way to the kitchen, washroom, wherever I have to go. It adds up quickly. Yesterday, I put in over 10,269 steps. By 6:00 pm. today, I'm already over 8600 steps. Since I got home from work, I've been having sweet cravings. I've been fighting them so far but I'll probably end up having 1 oz of semi-sweet chocolate before this evening is over. Can't wait 'til tomorrow to weigh & measure myself. Last Friday, since it was only 2 days into the program, there was no change. I'm hoping that after 9 days, that there'll be a difference, even if it were a slight one.

January 24

Caroline, I get what you say about the energy level. I usually fall asleep between 10:00 and 11:00pm but lately, it's 11:30pm and I'm still up and no problem getting up the following morning. Tami, your horse story broke the monotony of my day. Thanks, it was amusing. Yesterday, the pedometer reached 10,168. For the past few days, everyone around me has been sick, either with the Norwalk Flu Virus or any other cold or flu going around. I've been feeling a little more tired today and I just hope I'm not coming down with this bug.

My work required me to sit on my butt all day which means I'll need more than 30 minutes on the treadmill to reach 10,000 steps tonight. But that's okay. It's cold outside and that is one way to keep me warm. Two birds with one stone. For lunch, I had a glass of V8, two salads - spinach/mushroom and chick peas, and a Silhouette fat free raspberry yogurt. Don't know yet what is on the menu for dinner.

January 23

Yesterday, I put in over 10,100 steps. I've put in over half of the steps requirement and plan to do half an hour on the treadmill later on tonight. Today, I'm hungrier than usual though so I had a couple of handful of nuts before dinner to hopefully tame the craving of the junk food I so wanted.

I'm actually shocked that it took over a week before I came to a point where I really didn't want 'healthy' food. I fought it and I won. Seems the nuts are working wonders. I only have to make dinner for me tonight, so shrimp will be on the menu.

Since the beginning of the week, on more than one occasion, people pointed out my unusually 'cheery' energy -- most likely due to the change of food intake and exercise program. I like it.

January 20-21

First weekend of the challenge. And what a challenge it was! Since I sleep in a little on weekends, consequently, days are a little shorter. By dinner time on Saturday, I had not put in close to even half of the 10,000 steps! Final score at the end of the day: 6300. On Sunday, I adjusted my schedule to fit in half and hour of treadmill which resulted in 10,219 steps by the end of the day. Weekend dinner meals included hot turkey sandwich on whole wheat w/ green beans, whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce (I always add extra cut up veggies to the sauce to make it really chunky) and Shrimp Pad Thai. "Are you allowed to have this?" exclaimed a voice from the kitchen, as I was spreading jelly (no sugar added) on my whole wheat English muffin. It was my husband's voice. Life never ceases to amaze me! I've had the opportunity to visit www.realage.com. It will be a helpful tool.

January 19

I usually drink decaf coffee with 10% cream daily. On Fridays, bad or good -- but striving to be better -- it's treat day: regular Irish Cream-flavoured coffee with 18% cream. Dr. Mike suggested I replace the cream with skim milk. With fear of not enjoying my coffee, I thought I'd compromise this morning by switching from 18% to 5% cream. Obviously, it was not as rich as what I'm used to but surprisingly enough, quite drinkable. I'm one step closer to skim milk. Next Friday will bring another substitution. I'm not sure if I'll go for the skim milk, but at least 2%.

Lunch menu today included chick pea & spinach salads, hummus, V8 juice & yogurt. Shrimp Pad Thai is on the menu for dinner (rice noodles dish). I agree with Caroline. Planning meals is overwhelming. To top it off, in my case, I have to come up with 2 meals each time, that won't entail too much extra work. Lasagna is a great example. I split the recipe in two. The first half, I make it a Florentine Lasagna with 100% whole wheat pasta and the second half, regular pasta with ground beef. Everybody's happy. It's hard to be creative when it comes to meals.

I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve. Caroline, I have a few tips for you when you dine out. When you have a salad, ask for the dressing on the side, just as Meg Ryan does in 'When Harry Met Sally'! This way you control how much you put on. Ask for a double serving of vegetables instead of the potatoes. Most restaurants do not have a problem with that. My husband refers to me as 'Sally' when we go out because I can't go anywhere and just order what's on the menu without attaching conditions/restrictions to my order.

And that's okay. Actually, here is Canada, we are lucky when it comes to restaurant menus. In the United States, it doesn't seem to matter what you order from the menu, everything is fried. It was very difficult to eat healthy when we were visiting.

After 2 full days of a daily regimen of 10,000 steps and cutting down on the sugar intake, physically, nothing has changed. Weight and waist remain the same. On the other hand, somehow, I already feel better about myself.

Dr. Mike, I love spinach, raw or cooked, so I knew I'd like the off the cuff recipe. So did my daughter, except for the tomatoes. I realize there are recipes contained in You on a Diet as well as You the Owner's Manual that fits the program and I intend to use quite a few of them.

However, I like a lot of variety and it's going to be a learning process to find recipes outside the books for the future. After all, this is for a life time, not a short time. Thanks for the reference to www.realage.com it will be a good start point. Wish I could help you with the scarf. Via personal email, if you provide me with a quick description, I'll have another look. Hope you find it.

Have a nice weekend all.

January 18

My program seems slightly different than the other two. For the first 30 days, the only exercise I must do daily is the 30-minute walk on the treadmill. No other gym equipment. No muscle building. Since I am doing this for me and that my family chooses not to participate, I can not empty my cupboards. Thus, I rearranged the cupboards separating "the good, the bad and the ugly".

I usually get up and walk to someone's office about every half hour. I had meetings yesterday and again today. Not my favourite part of the day because you are inactive and always in the same position for a long period of time. By dinner time, I've got over 7000 steps in.

Tami, enjoy your trip.

January 17

Dr. Mike is long gone and I've started the program. With my new friend, the pedometer, we have just reached more than half of the 10,000 steps. And the day is not over yet. To my surprise, the biggest challenge today is trying to find a recipe that will not include any of the foods we're not supposed to have. So for tonight, spinach with garlic, tomatoes and mushroom tossed with some leftover chicken is on the menu.

Before I sign off, I, too, would like to wish my colleagues, Caroline and Tami -- and anyone else for that matter who is trying to improve their health -- great success.

January 16

Today, I met with Dr. Roizen. The whole experience was very enlightening. I am now on my way to a better me. Going for dinner to Mongolian Village, a stir-fry type of restaurant.

January 15

When I entered this contest, I didn't set my expectations on winning one of the consultations. That was quite an added bonus. The way I feel -- and how everybody should feel about themselves -- is that "I can be in this life 80, 90 or even 100 years and I want all those years to be as healthy as they can be". In about 24 hours, the ball will start rolling. I'm very nervous and ready to take the "You on a Diet" Challenge.

If you have questions or comments for our winners, or if you just want to cheer them on, please email hsherman@ctv.ca

Read our viewer feedback