Getting down to some serious business

You may have noticed lately that I haven't talked much about weight loss. No goals, no "I'm going to do this!" and no revelations as to why or how I got to where I am now. Nothing about how I'm struggling or much I want to get to my goal weight or about how much I've gained. Barely a mention of any binge eating.<br /><br />Just lots of pretty pictures and nothing serious. Light, fluffy, shallow. <br /><br />Here's the truth and what I really didn't want to talk about, but I need to face reality:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>I'm really struggling on a daily basis to barely maintain under 180.</strong> </div><br />My lowest weight in the past ten years was 154 on February 2009. I maintained pretty close to that weight until September 2009. My size 10's all fit and I worked out almost every day. I still wanted to lose another 20 pounds, but I was comfortable at that weight. <br /><br />Then life happened. My crazy job had me travel extensively. I used that as an excuse to barely exercise and eat like a the maniac food addict on an expense account. I self-medicated myself with food. I quickly gained 20 pounds which is now 23 pounds. <br /><br />The last two months I haven't made any progress on losing that weight. Every day I wake up and think, "I really need to lose this weight!". It's a repeat of what I said to myself when I weighed 240 pounds. I would say the same thing every single day, but do nothing about it. Until one day I actually did do something about it and lost 85 pounds in a year. That was February 2008 and by February 2009 I was a comfortable 154, fighting to lose another 20 pounds.<br /><br />So here I am, March 7, 2010. Sitting right at 178 pounds. I don't like this weight. My size 10's do not fit. My size 12's are getting tight, and I even bought a pair of size 14 jeans last week. I feel fat. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my body like I use to hate it. I'm strong and I like being strong.  I just prefer to weigh about 20 pounds less.<br /><br />I don't feel sexy or attractive at this weight. I want to feel pretty and sexy. As shallow as that sounds, it's just as important to me as being strong. I know some people will say that feeling sexy is a state of mind, and I agree to a certain extent. For me it's a combination of the mind and the body.<br /><br />The big questions are: How am I going to fix what seems to be broken in me? How am I seriously going to get on track with losing weight? What can I do differently that might work?<br /><br />Right now I don't have the answers. I'm trying, but my trying is half-hearted. I guess I have some soul searching to do to figure this out. I need answers and only I can come up with the answers that will work for me.<br /><br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />Now for the light, fluffy stuff and my annoying talk about my exercising. :)<br />I decided to bike to the gym today instead of driving my car. It's only 6 miles round trip, although it's kind of hilly. I stopped quite a few times to take pictures pictures, but still in two hours of biking and strength training my heart rate monitor said I burned 643 calories. Not too shabby for two hours of exercise and one was super fun.<br /><br />I was surprised how much more difficult the hills were for me compared the last time I biked the trail in October.. Could it be because of the 20 pounds that was weighing me down? The hills were almost more than I could do (but I did do them).<br /><br />On the way home the sky was overcast and gray. Really not much to take pictures of that was interesting.<br /><br />One thing that's kind of weird is this sign. My bike trail goes past the Federal Way Aquatic Center and they have a sign out front with the weather and time, but it also has a weird face on it that it took me a few minutes to figure out.<br /><br />Any guesses? Actually, it's suppose to be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2007 his face became the emblem of King County (Seattle and Federal Way). Some of the lights are burned out and it sort of looks like a skeleton. Personally I think it's kind of disrespectful and they should remove his face from the sign until they get the lights fixed. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLhfReob-0SDXhDYbNPKXW4HCVPCsfCguiuvkaL4Kar70Cb-qKBQHAAwLaiHFAA9vNavGm_sBIi8ArnIN1DbFoE3oCTUyvN-gvGeu9_Mw1HYEwz7OOsAPst3jdVobajBEdSPjEGM1Fg8O/s1600-h/7mar2010+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLhfReob-0SDXhDYbNPKXW4HCVPCsfCguiuvkaL4Kar70Cb-qKBQHAAwLaiHFAA9vNavGm_sBIi8ArnIN1DbFoE3oCTUyvN-gvGeu9_Mw1HYEwz7OOsAPst3jdVobajBEdSPjEGM1Fg8O/s640/7mar2010+013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can see all the lights that are burned out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QI_1SiHvuoRcZENk06nnHL7m9_ugHX-3x9abxS9Nam12hq1DahRq0YCHrJ09AzHrHIJtjEix1Fq1B7hfcEQXMcURUDeH46nPsuw4_7xmtpVknUB0JMmHqogVSdY-hpbJGoxXViWCu_RU/s1600-h/7mar2010+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QI_1SiHvuoRcZENk06nnHL7m9_ugHX-3x9abxS9Nam12hq1DahRq0YCHrJ09AzHrHIJtjEix1Fq1B7hfcEQXMcURUDeH46nPsuw4_7xmtpVknUB0JMmHqogVSdY-hpbJGoxXViWCu_RU/s640/7mar2010+007.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Across from the aquatic center is the hill form hell. It's so much fun to fly down it my bike, but it's torture going up it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraITIN6iMK3CtQ_fkc8oMged1ZC6GYOfAkU28YIKiBRX_3JCf7jgcc5_B7iVnKmelsil6eH10UxpVJAtbY0Oc1938YEVACqPYEIhuxl3f9Du6bXHW3AuGRR1q1tw-XbCd4cfrIC60gHrW/s1600-h/7mar2010+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraITIN6iMK3CtQ_fkc8oMged1ZC6GYOfAkU28YIKiBRX_3JCf7jgcc5_B7iVnKmelsil6eH10UxpVJAtbY0Oc1938YEVACqPYEIhuxl3f9Du6bXHW3AuGRR1q1tw-XbCd4cfrIC60gHrW/s640/7mar2010+016.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Really not much to take pictures of today. You can see how gray the sky is and the sun is just barely visible through the overcast sky. This was at 1pm.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx25ZYfuQxNrSr1r6lf2LjHDPqcrWpJGp1wacVluc5DoWrfOLGtwHXf9nuNYzV9rTUtOn4r1Iwhj4zpuzwjt_jWiuD6_gZZvLr0X0j01WE9VScS_zP9pe3iRw2EW35qZzNpGTFC0Y3W_jl/s1600-h/7mar2010+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx25ZYfuQxNrSr1r6lf2LjHDPqcrWpJGp1wacVluc5DoWrfOLGtwHXf9nuNYzV9rTUtOn4r1Iwhj4zpuzwjt_jWiuD6_gZZvLr0X0j01WE9VScS_zP9pe3iRw2EW35qZzNpGTFC0Y3W_jl/s640/7mar2010+022.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>

Getting down to some serious business

You may have noticed lately that I haven't talked much about weight loss. No goals, no "I'm going to do this!" and no reve...

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Virtually Awesome: How Smart Companies Use Video Games to Recruit, Retain Employees

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/video-game-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/video-game-300x225.jpg" /></a></div>As a former Super Nintendo addict enthusiast, I was both excited and surprised to come across this recent Go magazine article about the growing number of companies using interactive software and video games as employee training and development tools.<br /><br />Excited, of course, because it seems like a cool, fun way to engage employees (and brought back fond memories of watching Mario hop around in a Frog suit)…But also surprised by just how many companies are embracing this trend: A reported 70 percent of major domestic employers used these ”serious games” to train employees in 2008, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That figure is estimated to increase to 80 percent by 2013.<br /><br />It’s encouraging to see employers move away from more traditional training methods like white papers, PowerPoint presentations and training calls - many of which seem as if they were designed to be tuned out (apologies if this is news to anyone) – and toward more engaging methods. According to the article, those who use these training techniques say that video games help employees build business skills by putting them in situations that require critical thinking and decision making. <br /><br />Not to mention that being able to interact through computer simulation programs helps employees retain complicated information better than they would using other, more traditional training techniques.<br /><br />Of course, the obvious downsides to using video gaming techniques to train is that the time and cost spent setting up and designing the customized software could be significant, depending on the complexity of the project. And then there’s the not-so-minor fact that simulations can’t completely replace actual human interaction…But none of this is to say this technology doesn’t hold value (so long as its viewed as a supplement to, and not a replacement for, real world training) – and many will argue that the business benefits ultimately outweigh the costs.<br /><br />No Longer Just a Training Tool…<br />In addition to helping companies develop employees’ business skills, more companies are utilizing video games in their recruiting and branding efforts as well. Here are a few examples:<br /><br /><ul><li>Candidate Attraction: The MITRE Corporation, for example, enables job seekers to download a 3D video game that gives players a better understanding of the company’s campus, how the interview process works, and view examples of company projects. Similarly, staffing firm Kelly Services has a virtual community in Second Life that gives job seekers an interactive experience to see what it’s like to work for Kelly, create buzz and differentiate Kelly from its competitors. In August 2009, the U.S. Army opened its Experience Center at a Philadelphia shopping mall, where potential recruits can play military videogames and learn about military bases and career options in an interactive way – helping the Army meet and exceed its recruiting and retention goals. </li><li>Employee Engagement: Kansas City-based benefits provider Assurant launched the gaming suite, “It’s Your Business,” in 2007 with the goal of helping employees better understand the business in order to boost sales. What it ended up with was increased employee engagement and knowledge retention. Today, employees are even more involved in the project, as they are the source of input for developing new training games. </li><li>Employee Retention: In efforts to help employees relieve stress, refocus and (most importantly) avoid burnout, companies are increasingly relying on video games – turning their ordinary break rooms into game zones. At the offices of the Chicago-based tee shirt company Threadless, taking a break to play a little Guitar Hero is an everyday occurrence for employees. And recently, Phoenix-based Multi-Systems, Inc. gave its employees a $10,000 budget to design a game room for them to unwind in, as a thank you for making various pay and benefits sacrifices the previous year</li></ul><br /><a class="addthis_button" href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=rockfordlink"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink" type="text/javascript"></script>

Virtually Awesome: How Smart Companies Use Video Games to Recruit, Retain Employees

As a former Super Nintendo addict enthusiast, I was both excited and surprised to come across this recent Go magazine article about the grow...

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Latest Employment Report a Mix of Good and Bad (But Mostly Good) News

Anyone else looking forward to the day we can say that we’re actually out of the woods with the current financial crisis (if only so we can put a moratorium on the phrase “out of the woods”)? <br /><br />Well, we might have to hold out a little while longer, because as the latest employment report indicates, we’re, um…well, you know. Today, the Labor Department released its Employment Situation report for the month of February, and, as is often the case lately, there’s both good news and bad news.<br /><br />The good news is that the number of jobs in February fell far below analysts’ expectations and that the unemployment rate did not go up. Despite this fact, the bad news, of course, is that unemployment is still at a remarkably high 9.7 percent and that employers cut 36,000 jobs.<br /><br />Among the highlights of the report:<br /><br />Employers cut 36,000 jobs in February (below analysts’ expectation of 50,000), compared with 26,000 jobs shed in January. <br />Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has nearly doubled to 14.9 million and the economy has shed 8.4 million jobs. <br />The U.S. unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent in February, and nonfarm payroll employment dipped slightly (-36,000). <br />Severe winter weather in parts of the country may have affected payroll employment and hours; however, it is not possible to quantify precisely the net impact of the winter storms on these measures. <br />Looking at various industries: Temporary help services added 48,000 jobs, while Health Care also continued to trend upward in February. Construction and Information both fell, at 64,000 and 18,000 jobs lost, respectively, while both Manufacturing and Retail were essentially unchanged. <br />Despite the up-and-down numbers over the last few months (36,000 jobs shed in February…26,000 shed in January…109,000 shed in December… 64,000 added in November, etc.), conditions are stabilizing overall.<br /><br />“The large declines are behind us,” said Joel Naroff of Joel Naroff Economic Advisors in a podcast interview with MarketWatch today, in reference to the job loss numbers. Naroff added that the latest report gives a strong indication that, while we may not see strong job growth anytime soon, we will see positive growth.<br /><br />In fact, employers are expected to add as many as 100,000 jobs a month later this year (and if President Obama okays the House’s new $15 billion plan to offer tax breaks to employers, it could further impact job growth in the coming months). <br /><br />Thoughts?<br /><br /><a class="addthis_button" href="http://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=rockfordlink"><img alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=rockfordlink" type="text/javascript"></script>

Latest Employment Report a Mix of Good and Bad (But Mostly Good) News

Anyone else looking forward to the day we can say that we’re actually out of the woods with the current financial crisis (if only so we can ...

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Planning de la semaine du 08 au 12 mars 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 08 mars de 9h à 12h30<br />- le mardi 09 mars de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 10 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le jeudi 11 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le vendredi 12 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/01/egee-nouveau-partenaire-la-maison-de.html">EGEE</a></strong> - lundi 08 mars de 13h30 à 17h (sur rendez-vous)</li><br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de Gestion</a></strong> - vendredi 12 mars de 09h à 12h30 (sur rendez-vous)</ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong>CV</strong> - mardi 09 mars de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 10 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Lettre de Motivation</strong> - mardi 09 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Préparation à l'entretien</strong> - jeudi 11 mars de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 12 mars de 10h à 11h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - vendredi 12 mars de 14h à 16h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 08 au 12 mars 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 08 ma...

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