1/15/11

A Diet That Really Works!

Yes, it's true. I found a diet that really works. I also found that when I strayed from the diet, I gained the weight back. So it's time to use that diet again. It's the "Quit Eating Like a Pig" Diet. It does work. Many people, myself included, have a tendency to eat too much. Food has become a love affair, rather than a practical means of staying alive. Americans are ridiculed the world over as fat because we eat too much. I'm amused by all the different weight loss programs that are available, when all we really need to do to lose weight is quit eating like a pig. As I've gotten older, my active lifestyle has become more sedentary. Have I gotten lazier because I gained the weight, or have I gained the weight because I've gotten lazier? Does it really matter? No. What matters is that I need to get up and move more if I want to be healthy and maintain a healthy weight. It's about motivation. Do I have the motivation to stop eating like a pig? Do I have the motivation to move more?

Many health experts say you should take baby steps to change your life, but honestly I like the "rip it off like a bandage" analogy. It works really well for bad habits. Baby steps are an excuse to not change. Just do it. Learn to push away from the dinner table without having seconds, or thirds. Eat until you are not hungry, not until you are so stuffed you can barely move. Yes, it's helpful to buy low-calorie options and avoid high-calorie foods, but realistically it comes down to this - Eat less. Move more. Skinny jeans, here I come. Since January 1st, I've lost four pounds.

1/13/11

I've Discovered Blogging!

A whole new slice of the web I haven't explored yet. I am excited. I've been browsing around some blogs today and really like what I've seen. I entered a few contests, read some articles, and even started following a few that intrigued me. I have barely touched the surface and am anxious to jump in now. Look out blogsphere, here comes Lisa Weidknecht!

1/10/11

Congratulations! You're a Winner!

Oh, it's magical to hear those words or read them in an email. Winning is such a wonderful feeling. It's like receiving an anonymous gift from someone. My favorite hobby is entering sweepstakes. I probably enter about 300 in a day, probably five days a week. It takes a couple hours to go through that many daily entry sweepstakes, but I prefer the comfort of my own home to anywhere else in the world. While I watch evening television, I enter sweeps on my laptop at the same time. Multi-tasking is the key to my success. I love having a Saturday with absolutely no plans, when I can sleep in until I finally awake, and sit with no guilt at my computer to enter sweepstakes in my pajamas.

Do I win? Oh yes, I win. My best prize so far was the trip to the 2009 Daytona 500 Nascar race weekend. The value of the trip was $10K and it totally got me hooked on racing, which until then was alien to me. I've also won some awesome electronics - Imac computer, Blackberry, cameras, headphones, and Ipods. I won a trip to Hollywood to see the premier of Evan Almighty and attend the after-party. I've won lots of tshirts, hats, housewares, food, gift cards, and so forth. I've won a flute, a pinball machine, and even some silly stuff like a race car shaped razor.

The thrill of winning is topped only by the thrill of passing on something to someone else. When I won a shopping spree to JCPenney, I spent most of it on Christmas gifts. Most of my wins, I share with someone who I know will be thrilled or amused to have it. I've kept a few things for myself, but for me it's not about the "stuff." I do love the travel wins! Cash wins are even better. I've paid off some debts with cash wins. I haven't won a big cash win yet, like over $3K. I did win a trip that fell through, so was given a cash option of like $3K, so I paid off my husband's truck with it. It was great to get rid of that debt!!!!!

Last year, when my husband was laid off from working, I saved a bunch of prizes in my closet all through the year, and we used all of them for Christmas gifts since we didn't have the money for gifts. It was really fun to pass on those wins that way. The kids ended up with a few silly gifts, like Kraft dinner tshirts, but the kids knew that there was no telling what was in the giftwrap!

My favorite place to find sweepstakes is www.online-sweepstakes.com. To win on a regular basis, I recommend you enter persistently and consistently, just like anything else you want to be good at, and you will learn ways to save time and enter more. Download a free copy of Roboform, available on the OLS website, to help you fill forms quickly. Always double-check the Roboform entry to make sure your information is entered correctly (so you are not disqualified). Flash sites won't allow Roboform use, so there are some you'll have to type in all your information, but it saves a lot of time. Learn how to use the OLS website, as it has many great features to save you time. I personally like that there is option to buy a premium membership for $30 a year, but it's not required. Sweeping can be totally free, but I spend the $30 because OLS hides some of the best sweeps from regular members. The premium membership is called "being green." That always makes me think of Kermit the Frog, but that's because I teach preschoolers. The premium membership also gives me enhanced user features that I love. Without it, I would not have won the bigger prizes! Good luck and happy sweeping!