Thursday, February 25, 2010

Weight loss irks

Ok, I have been inundated with the Biggest Loser and all these other weight loss shows and topics on news sites and the T.V.  While I know many people love The Biggest Loser, and it is inspirational to many people, I just don't like it.  I have seen parts of the show, but the parts I saw I didn't enjoy and I have chosen not to continue watching.  I did look online to see how long the people on The Biggest Loser have to lose their weight because I was curious and sure enough I saw people on yahoo telling someone how to lose up to 15 lbs a week.

Which brings me to the reason I am blogging.  People giving specific (and often full of BS) weight loss online.  Yes, you can find good suggestions for almost anything online, but people need to be very careful what they follow based on advice they "found online".  For granted, I am about to dispense with some weight loss advice, so I am kind of doing exactly what I tell people not to do lol.  Honestly though, life-long weight loss isn't a game or a show.

In the past year I've lost almost 90 lbs (and I am still working on losing more).  Basically, what I've done (besides respecting my weight allergy) is balance healthy eating with working out.  I make substitutions when I can, like yogurt based salad dressing or low-fat cottage cheese for higher fat versions.  Also, I eat food I enjoy, but balance it out with healthier things.  I love pizza, and a local place makes gluten- free pizza.  I still let myself have pizza, I just don't have it often.  And I work out.

If someone wants to lose weight, he or she should do some research, probably talk to his or her doctor, and decide on something that he or she can live with for the rest of her life.  The best bet is probably not to find some weirdo on yahoo telling you how to lose 15 lbs a week by drinking half your body weight in ounces of water per day.

Friday, February 19, 2010

When bad covers happen to good books.





I just have to wonder how some covers make it onto books, and why the publishers think these books will appeal to librarians let alone teens whom are going to read and/or purchase the book.  You would think publishers would want to maximize the potential of a book and give it a great cover so that it would pump up sales.  I know, as a librarian, the cover a book can give me pause as to deciding if I will purchase it or not.
Sometimes the covers look dated already, sometimes the colors are off, sometimes the picture is too flat.  Sometimes it is a mix of all of those and more.
Here are some book covers that just leave me thinking, why?

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Lighting Thief and more YA movie news.

Saw the Lightning Thief last night.  It had some really fun parts but on a whole was kind of meh.  The boy who plays Percy Jackson was really awesome though, and I love seeing Sean Bean in almost anything.  The most upsetting thing about the movie though was seeing Pierce Brosnan's hairy upper arms.  Yuck!  Also, I do not see how this movie got a PG rating, but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was saddled with a PG-13 back in 1984.  I am glad that this movie has added more interest for the books in my library, but I just wish it had been higher quality.  The sad thing is that I still think I enjoyed this movie more than I liked Avatar.

Also, in other YA news I've heard that they have optioned rights a movie version of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and also the book Heist Society by Ally Carter.

I am also looking forward to Beastly starring Vanessa Hudgens.  I haven't read that book (although I'd love to if I could find some time!)  and am somewhat excited by the news that the Stephanie Plum movie is finally in the works with Katherine Heigl set to star.  I think I may be about the last woman on Earth to have read the Stephanie Plum books, but I did read and enjoy the first one and can't wait to read the second one!

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