Voices from my Bunker 2020

A recent routine Dr's visit included the now standard question asked by the physician's nurse to people my age: Have you experienced feels of depression and hopelessness recently? Years ago, Blind Eye Disease was one of my conditions when I didn't want to deal with an obvious weight problem. I avoided the truth, the facts, the number on the scale. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have to deal with it. I'd pretend it was someone else's problem. Not mine. (Yeah, how's that for a strategy?) It's now the exact same approach a vocal minority of this country is suggesting how we deal with this country's volatile, infantile, incapable of truth telling President of the US. This approach didn't work for me. It won't work for the US. But, not before, real damage is done. Ask me again, physician's assistant, "Have you experienced feelings of depression and hopelessness lately?" The answer is, "Yes". www.artofthediet.com/139

Hold Your Breath. Diet Tips from Houdini. Who knew? If you can learn to hold your breath for longer and longer increments, you might also be a able to manage other impulses, addictive impulses that produce dopamine in our brains. Drugs produce dopamine. Certain foods, like sugar and processed foods, produce dopamine. Addictions like online shopping produce dopamine. The problem is these behaviors also create the need for more and more dopamine until freedom of choice has vanished. So, breathing may be necessary and fundamental to our life on earth but Doritos are not. What do techniques for learning to hold your natural instinct to take a breath have to do with food management? That's what episode 138 talks about.

As Queen Elizabeth II would say, "I've had a Septem Horribilis". AKA, A bad week. Remember when the Queen of England made the pronouncement that she'd had an "Annus Horribilis" after her Windsor castle burned and her son and his wife, Diana, were duking it out in the tabloid press? Well, this week, I had a bad week and decided it might sound a bit better in Latin, and you know what? It does. Septem Horribilis simply sounds a bit classier than a regular bad week. But, this was a regular bad week, to be sure. No castles burning, but discipline? Well, now, that was MIA. I can plan on this week being a horrible one just about every year at this time. But, this week I got a double whammy, but what I do during this horribilis is very ordinary and predictable. The Triscuits are gone. So, this week, let's talk what we do when we have our regular, predictable Septem Horribilis. www.artofthediet.com/137

"If chocolate isn't the answer, could you repeat the question?" Each week the podcast tries to rephrase the question but this week I concede that a life of cravings may not be the curse I once thought it was. Yes, it is possible to reduce cravings by eliminating certain foods, like sugar and processed carbs, […] The post Cravings vs Cravings PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet 136 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

I blame Trump for the three nor'easter storms I've had in 10 days. Frank Bruni of NYTimes blames Trump for his eating the same pasta meal four days in a row while visiting Italy. We all have our excuses for stuff happening, some more plausible than others, but the past 10 days have given me some […] The post 3 Nor'easter Storms in 10 days. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet-ep.135 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Folks who don't throw their scales out the window when the number sets their hair on fire should be in charge of this country as well as their own weight maintenance. Just sayin'. I haven't trusted polls since I read that 62% of women had affairs during their lunch hour. I've never met a woman in my […] The post Folks Who Don't Throw Their Scales Out the Window. Podsnacks/ArtoftheDiet 134 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

If William Shakespeare is right that our bodies are our gardens and our wills are the gardeners, what do I do if my gardener does not show up for work? Welcome to episode #133 of Podsnacks/Art of the Diet and willpower is in a brief spotlight and specifically some hilarious science (two words that don't […] The post Pizza is a Feeling. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet ep.133 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"Marge, It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen." Homer Simpson This episode talks about the difficulty telling the truth to ourselves about lies we tell to ourselves:"Oh, yeah, I've got this weight management thing all figured out." And, how the lies we are experiencing as a nation are the cautionary […] The post Lie:The Russians Hacked My Diet. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet-Ep.132 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I am eating my feelings and they taste delicious." That was the text of a birthday card I received this past week and it fits perfectly into this week's thoughts on weight maintenance. No sugar or grains for three weeks and one soon realizes that habits of using food as the problem solver are a […] The post I eat my feelings and they taste delicious. PODSNACKS|Art of the Diet 131 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

I'm eating man chips as many as I can before the lady chips appear and I'll be forced to eat a chip with no crunch. Episode #130 of PODSNACKS takes a brief snarky look at the decision of the company that makes Doritos to make "lady chips" because ladies simply don't like to crunch in […] The post Lady Chips- PODSNACKS|ARTOFTHEDIET# 130 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Irresistible Foods Meet Resistance is this week's podcast. Ever felt like eating just one sherbet colored macaroon or just one Hershey's Kiss was flat-out impossible? Yep, it can be done. All (sarcastic tone) one has to do is to eliminate all extra sugar (fruits (not tropical fruits, tho) OK ) and no grains, good and […] The post Irresistible Foods Meet Resistance. PODSNACKS-ArtoftheDiet #129 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Let me see..Minus sugar for one week equals? Minus sugar (any sugar anywhere) equals plus 1.8 lbs on the scale. Whaaat? Hello and welcome to episode #128 of Podsnacks/Art of the Diet. I figure out a plan for next week based on my unsuccessful past week. Hint? When I deprive myself of something, I compensate […] The post Take away sugar? Hello, 1.8 pounds. Whaat? Podsnacks|Art of the Diet #128 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Greetings from my country, Donut-Hole Country, where I can eat five glazed munchkins and not think I've eaten a donut. This is Pat Coakley and episode 127 of Podsnacks/Artofthediet and today we're talking "sugar" and my new immigration policy of allowing anyone into Donut-Hole country who can invent something that brings the sugar (like […] The post News from Donut-Hole Country-PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet 127 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Stable Genius, here. Just wanted to let you know I bought an InstantPot as a New Year's resolution and after two days of wariness and dread of pressing its buttons, I decided it might be a good "stand in" for the nuclear suitcase (he'll never know the difference) and the worst he can do by […] The post Stable Genius Meets InstantPot Big Buttons-PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet126 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Voice of one whale to another: "My new year's resolution is to lose 38 thousand pounds." This is a hilarious cartoon from the New Yorker and although I do not want to lose 38 thousand pounds, I do want to maintain for the ninth year, a 60 pound loss, and I need a sense of […] The post 2018 is Year of Voice Recognition. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet125 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"A more unpromising boy never entered the Military Academy. Let this be a lesson to all of us. Looks are deceiving."- General William Tecumseh Sherman talking about General Ulysses S Grant. I have developed my strategy for the approaching holiday buffet tables inspired by General Ulysses S Grant. (I'm listening to the audiobook by Ron […] The post General Ulysses S Grant's Guide to Holiday Buffets. PODSNACKS ArtoftheDiet 118 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

What does Piglet of Winnie the Pooh and Sipress a New Yorker magazine cartoonist have in common? Truth and Accountability to this weight watcher (generic term not national program). What does an 8 hr diet have to do with weight maintenance? Absolutely nothing. Dr. Oz suggests there is a breakthrough 8-hour diet in […] The post Women's World & Weight Maintenance:View from the Headlines. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet-117 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"Wouldn't it be nice if retail therapy was covered by health insurance?"-Anonymous This week I'm talking about clothes. Specifically, Paul Manafort's clothes. I'm taking my cue for subject from this week's headlines but fear not just from the sartorial point of view, not political. Women know the depths and the heights of retail therapy and, […] The post Clothes Make the Man PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet116 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

I hate housework. You make the bed, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again. Joan Rivers Ok. This photo I took in Wyoming. I was in a car not on a horse. It's rare that street signs make me laugh. Anyway, I've decided this quote from Joan […] The post Stop. Begin again. Stop. Begin again. Repeat until Dead. Welcome to Weight Maintenance. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 115 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

#BalanceTonPorc is the French equivalent of #metoo. It means expose the pigs. After this week's revelations about the sexual and humiliating predatory behavior of Harvey Weinstein, a movie producer, the world seems to be acknowledging a world-wide problem. Those of us with weight issues have known humiliation for years but we don't yet have […] The post #BalanceTonPorc and #MeToo-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 114 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

After 8+ years of maintaining a 60-pound weight loss, I have one tip. Just one. Hip and healthy foods come and go but a sense of humor is by far more important than eating cauliflower rice. This episode contains humorous quotes that I consume in-between meals. You are going to need this collection after next week's podcast […] The post My #1 Diet Tip. A sense of humor is more important than eating cauliflower rice. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 113 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

If you've never eaten while crying you don't know what life tastes like.-wolfgang von goethe. Episode 112 begins with a funny wise quote from a man I don't associate with diets or weight management but obviously someone who had his share of down days and trying to find something in the frig to help him […] The post I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon. At MasteryVille. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet Episode 112 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

It's a slog this weight maintenance gig. 8 years of slogging. Am I doing it? Yes. But, it's like walking underwater. So, I tried to animate this without needing a diving bell and waterproof camera gear. Solution? Slow-Mo on my IPHONE. Now, I have to figure out a way to upload it to this website […] The post Lost Weight in Regular Speed. Maintain it 8 years in Slow-Mo. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet111 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Episode #110 of the podcast discusses what every woman has experienced from a very early age: sexism and misogyny. Do we recognize it at the time? No. Do we recognize it later in life? Most of us do. Can it come from people who love us? Yes. If you are the lucky woman who has […] The post Wake up, Female Weight Watchers. You've got other ambitions worth your time and effort, too. PODSNACKS-ArtoftheDiet-#110 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month. -Theodore Roosevelt Episode #109 of Podsnacks/Art of the Diet is all about regime change in my house. I thought my self-discipline just needed a fresh approach but on second look I might need a […] The post My Self-Discipline Needs a Regime Change-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 109 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

People Who Think They Know Everything Are a Great Annoyance to Those of Us Who Do. -Isaac Asimov Episode #108 is the last in a series about fat shaming. I take a look at how fat folks can unwittingly contribute to its virulence. Schadenfreude is the word in German (enjoying the misfortune of others) […] The post Schadenfreude for WeightWatchers PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet108 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I'm just trying to be helpful." Really?? Thanks but no thanks. Pat Coakley In a week about looking at epic floods in Houston and equally epic examples of humans helping humans, I am going to try and relate […] The post I didn't mean to offend. Really?? PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet 107 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

C'mon. Admit it. Didn't it feel good to look up for a change? Some of us with our heads in cereal boxes but not for the usual reasons? Pat Coakley Zone of Totality. I love that phrase. It is my phrase of the week. It was used for the path of the eclipse where the […] The post Zone of Totality for Weight Watchers PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet 106 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"Help! It's Groundhog Day without Bill Murray."-Pat Coakley Here I am again, episode #105, and I was looking for a day in the week when I could put this podcast together without my country sitting in my intestinal track beyond a surgeon's knife. This isn't such a day so I'm going to try to discuss […] The post Help! It's Groundhog Day without Bill Murray. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet105 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I want a YOUTUBE video that shows how mayonnaise, baking soda and vinegar can eliminate bullies from the surface of the earth."- Pat Coakley Episode #104 is about bullies in general,("fire and fury the world has never seen") and those within the Weight Loss community itself, and folks who struggle with weight loss or maintenance […] The post Can Mayonnaise, Baking Soda and Vinegar Cure Bullying? PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 104 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

I'm not fat (he said to himself) but he did ask, "Why do I just sort of look thick.?"-NyTimes This week an article in the NYTimes caught my attention as it was titled, "Losing the fight against Dad's Bod." So, I read it with some curiosity, as I've always naturally assumed that women suffered more […] The post "I'm not fat,"-says who? Every man. Fact checkin'. PODSNACKS/ArtoftheDiet-103 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"You know, you're a feminist." It was not a compliment. I could tell from his tone—the same tone with which a person would say, "You're a supporter of terrorism." ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists Podsnacks/Art of the Diet Podcast is a 100 and I'm looking up quotes about "ambition" and "woman" and found […] The post Hashtag #AmbitiousWoman. What about you? Podsnacks/Art of the Diet-100 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"How many Spiralizers are too many Spiralizers?"- Pat Coakley The Insular Cortex in our brain is ground zero for food issues. It responds to visual cues from billboards, TV, anywhere images of food are projected as well as ordinary hunger signals. The bad news? We all have an insular cortex. The good news for weight […] The post The Insular Cortex Diet and Other Fun Stuff-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 097 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

It didn't work," said the King. "The cloak of invisibility didn't work." "Yes, it did," said the Royal Wizard. "No, it didn't," said the King. "I kept bumping into things, the same as ever." "The cloak is supposed to make you invisible," said the Royal Wizard. "It is not supposed to keep you from […] The post The Invisible Bumps Along the Diet Road-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 096 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"If chocolate isn't the answer, could you please repeat the question?" •Pat Coakley• This past week I decided to return to a rather strict 2 week period of not eating any sugars or refined carbs, even healthy whole wheat ones. I wrote and podcasted in depth about this program a year and a half ago which […] The post Sugar Free and Slightly Sad Part II-PODSNACKS/ART OF THE DIET 095 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one. And now they seem sort of meaningful and real." ― Bill Nighy Welcome to episode #92 of Podsnacks. The weekly podcast of artofthediet.com. Today I'm walkin' and talking', literally. I recorded this episode early this morning with only the birds as The post Comfort Zones Can be Prisons, too. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I do not own any camping gear, but this is not a problem, as I have watched every season of Survivor." David Thorne, The Internet is a Playground: Irreverent Correspondences of an Evil Online Genius Quoting the Earl of Chesterfield is a first for Podsnacks but David Thorne is not. This week's episode, www.artofthediet.com/86, discusses […] The post I'd Love to Hang Out, But. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 086 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

But, my guest this week on the podcast, the deeelightful Jen Briney, says eating with chopsticks has been the key to slowing her eating pace down. Welcome to PODSNACKS Art of the Diet episode 83 and I can guarantee you'll be glad you listened to my guest this week. She made me laugh out loud […] The post Want to Eat More Slowly? Blue Plates & Chopsticks. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet083 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Without obsession, life is nothing- John Waters Cure for an obsession: get another one. -Mason Cooley I have switched obsessions in the past two weeks. From obsessing about maintaining my weight loss and dreaming about the election results in apocalyptic terms to creating an Etsy shop for my art. All I can say is I […] The post The Etsy Diet PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 081 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

ReWild yourself or else. It's my birthday today, 72, & I am in the process of ReWilding myself according to a post I wrote awhile back. So, I'm going to use that post this week as the podcast to give us all a quick reminder that while the saying "Change is good. You go first" is […] The post ReWild Yourself or Else. PODSNACKS-ArtoftheDiet079 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

No, I am not talking politics but weight maintenance. (Although, come to think of it. Never mind.) This week I interview a wise woman who shares her weight loss journey and her attitudes to weight maintenance. Unlike myself, The Great Pretender, (as in my food choices this week) Joanne sees her history and her challenges very clearly. […] The post Let's Pretend This Didn't Happen and then Do Something. PODSNACKS-Art of the Diet-078 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I prepare for my new life as an adult like some people prepare for the apocalypse. The first day or two of my plans usually goes okay." ― Allie Brosh, Hyperbole and a Half I love Allie Brosh. I've used this quote before but this week, two days before the Inauguration of a President of […] The post Apocalypse Now in Diet and Politics-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 076 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential." ― Ellen Goodman Hello. It's 2017. Here's […] The post Creativity is the Best Health Plan. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 074 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"If I know better than you know what I am up to, it is only because I spend more time with myself than you do." ― Daniel C. Dennett, Freedom Evolves The Unconscious Diet. Is there such a thing where one maintains their weight loss without having to think about it? Apparently, yes. I'm not […] The post The Unconscious Diet Bestseller-Podsnacks/Art of the Diet 071 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I would have assumed you understood despite our vague suggestion otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism." -David Thorne There are two topics that elicit spontaneous snarkiness from folks: weight and clutter issues. This week I am tackling both and the name of my diet book (the title seems to change from week to week) […] The post What's the Title of Your Diet Book? PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 070 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"I think losing weight, on any program, is done from a house built on a flat piece of land but weight maintenance needs a house built on a slippery slope."-Pat Coakley So, why do I say this? Because losing weight can be done over and over. Our individual stories can attest to that. Statistics from […] The post Design Your Own Slippery Slope Diet House-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 069 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Holiday Madness, Literally. Food and Tempers on Your Menu? By Hostess decree: Only food at my table. Perspective has returned! This week's podcast gives some suggestions for food management the day AFTER Thanksgiving-to me the most critical day of Thanksgiving week–an article below to help you with the other type of Holiday madness! Good luck! […] The post Holiday Madness, Literally. PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 068 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables. Said if I could get down thirteen turnips a day I would be grounded, rooted. Said my head would not keep flying away to where the darkness lives. Andrea Gibson This week, tips on how to manage your weight when the darkness comes to live at your […] The post Survive the Apocalypse-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 067 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

"In one of the largest surveys of its kind to date, nearly 30,000 women told researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine that they'd rather lose weight than attain any other goal, a figure that alone suggests just how complicated the issue of appetite can be for women. This is the primary female […] The post Election Special: An Appetite for Ambition? PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 066 appeared first on Art of the Diet.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor's warning. So, what are the warning signs for weight watchers (the generic term not the national chain)? That was Diet Reboot Part I Today's podcast is about that we do with our warning signs. Sailors don't go out to sea if they see their […] The post Diet Reboot Part II-PODSNACKS/Art of the Diet 065 appeared first on Art of the Diet.