Bits and Pieces!

I've have a hard time blogging the last little while... I just find that in my days busier and my evenings shorter. It must be all the nice weather we've had lately (*insert fake 'ya right' laugh here*).

I really don't have a good excuse, except that life happens... and since we got home from Florida over a month ago now... it seems to be one thing after another.

Let's see... PC had double knee surgery almost a month ago, so we've been dealing with his recovery, which has included 3 weeks of being off work (not to mention, 3 weeks of interuption to my daily routine)!  On top of the knee surgery he caught a nasty virus which was deemed 'highly contagious' by the doctor, so the boys and I had to steer clear of him for another week.  He finally just got back to work yesterday, and although not 100 percent, he's doing much better and thankfully back to his routine, which means I can get back to mine.

In addtion to that, it was time for E's annual kidney check up at CHEO... which includes an ultrasound and a visit with his neuphrologist. We did the ultrasound at the end of April (and E was EXCELLENT during the procedure) and the visit with neuphrology last week. I am happy to report that things are going well, the mutli-cycstic kidney continues to shrink, while his functioning kidney is doubling in size, and doing better than fine.  His blood pressure is still controlled, and he is a growing boy, doing very good.  It's exactly the report I expected to get, but it is also a relief at the same time to see that things are going as planned. Hopefully by the time he is five, we can reduce the annual appointment to every two years (fingers crossed).

This past week, my parents were down for a visit, as they had a wedding to attend in the area.  We had a good visit with them, and even though they just saw the boys in Florida, they have both changed quite a bit in the last month.  E is talking so much, full sentences, while Hudson is gaining weight, and a lot more vocal as well. 

We also are in the process of buying a new vehicle which has been a time consuming process.  Thankfully my parents were here to stay with the kids while PC and I ventured out to test drive a variety of vehicles, talk pricing, and narrowing down the options to make a final decision. Hopefully by early June we'll have a roomier vehicle to transport the family!

This weekend coming up is the long weekend, and we hope to hit the tulip festival if the weather cooperates. If not, we will just be sticking close to home and appreciating some healthy down time... which might include some time for blogging too!

Mama Bear pushes back!

Last week I had H to the doctor for a weigh-in.  If you recall, E had some weight gain issues between two and four months, so I think as a precaution, our family doctor asked us to bring H in to be weighed at the 3 month mark.  I happily obliged as this was something I wanted to keep an eye on too.

We went to the appointment with the nurse practitioner and he had gained just shy of one pound between two and three months. He was 5.15 kg or 11.3 lbs at the appointment.  The nurse practitioner charted his weight gain on the holy graph, and it showed that he had fallen of his line just a bit, but he was keeping a pattern in my mind, as every month he has gained a pound since birth.

H was low on the graph to begin with (at 10th percentile), but so was E, and E is now around the 45th percentile, so I am not going to do all of the stressing with H liked I did the last time around with E, because I'm a more experienced mother, and its not. worth. it.

However, that was last Tuesday, and now yesterday, the doctor's office called and wants to see H before we leave for our vacation.  PC took the message and accepted the appointment, but when I learned about this, I thought about it, and I'm upset... because I was just there last week and they let me go without so much as a mention of any concern.  The nurse even said 'he's fallen off his line a bit, but your weaning him, and you seem like a really confident Mom, so nothing to be concerned about'. I took that as a compliment, and the fact that we are scheduled for his 4 month shots right when we get back from vacation tells me this appointment is not necessary.

I'm guessing that the doctor just wants to be sure he isn't missing anything and I understand that to an extent. But if that was the case, instead of having me see the nurse practitioner last Tuesday, he should have scheduled the appointment with him instead of asking me to make a second trek back to his office (not to mention clogging up our already overburdened health system for no good reason).  The other thing that bothers me is that they aren't taking our family history into account. Specifically, the history with of E's slow weight-gain. I just don't think my kids are big gainers, and so what if they aren't average or above average on the holy graph... H is on the graph, which is more than we could say for E at that milestone. 

Either way, its got me bothered just a bit... and I think to myself 'okay, if something is of a major concern, we can't do anything about it until we get back anyways'.  With E, they referred us to a pediatrician, and we then spent the next period checking in with her every week for a month until he started packing on the ounces (which he did). In H's case, I've already recognized my breast milk isn't supper fatty, I committed to breastfeeding for three months, and now that we're there, we're switching it up to formula.  My stance is now that we've done that... give him a chance to gain, and he will gain. He's reaching all of his other milestones, smiling, laughing, rolling, sleeping... so in my heart of hearts I know he is perfectly healthy.

All this rambling to say that... this morning I picked up the phone and pushed back with the doctor's office. I asked why was the appointment needed when we would be there in another 10 days, and we were just there a week ago? The receptionist didn't have the answers, and our doctor wasn't there today. I explained my thoughts and why the appointment isn't necessary, and her response was 'well, we can't force you to come' and she's right she can't ... so we left it at her leaving the doctor a message that we would see him after our vacation unless it was an emergency of another sort... not involving weight.

I don't expect to hear from them again... until we go for H's 4 month appointment, and trust me, if he questions my decision at. all. I'll have my Mama Bear argument ready.

H is my baby boy, I'm his Mom, and I know best.

An honest look in the mirror...

Do you have those times where you look in the mirror and think 'Wow, I look pretty good today' and then 10 minutes later you walk by the same mirror but catch a glimpse of yourself at a different angle and that feeling goes speeding down the express way faster than you can say chocolate covered almonds.

I'm not fat, but I'm not a skinny person either.  I'll never be someone who people say 'She's a stick', or 'there's nothing to her', and I'm good with that. But I don't want to become the person that people say 'wow she really packed on the weight after she had kids' or 'she used to be MUCH thinner'.

I am almost two months post-pregnancy and while I am fitting back into my old clothes just fine (there are perks to breast feeding), I have been asking myself if I was really happy with my body pre-second-pregnancy. And seriously, how long can I hold onto the crutch of 'I look okay for JUST having a baby'?

I have had never had the crazy yo-yo weight problems, but I have gone up or down 10 to 15 pounds through the course of my life, and these gains and losses were mostly associated with major events in life: break-up with high-school boyfriend (down 10 to 15)), starting university/moving away from home  (up 15 - as in frosh 15), meeting PC (down 10), and finally a year of hell on French training (up 10).  I am anticipating that having two kids could also go on that list, but I am hoping the weigh goes down instead of up.

Throughout my life, I have been active, but never stuck to one exercise program that gained a ton of results. I use to go to the gym in University but even then, it was always at my convenience.  I don't think I am a gym person to be honest.  The idea of going to the gym, and saying you went to the gym sits well with me, but the actually function of going there does not in the least bit excite me.

I have never been a runner, but I think I want to start running when the snow clears. I don't know why, because you couldn't have paid me any amount of money to run in my early school days. I hated track n' field and cross-country running. Ab.sol.ute.ly hated it. But for some reason, I feel like this is something I can do now that I am older and maybe even enjoy?  (I'll keep you posted on this one FOR SURE).

I think while the exercising will come, its the eating that I really need to get a grip on.  Right now, I think E has been wearing off on me with his need for 'treat-ties' every hour on the hour.  I have come to be that way since the beginning of the third trimester of my pregnancy.  I had a treat every afternoon and sometimes early evening and felt I could because I was pregnant. Now, post-pregnancy, my body is still craving those treats, and I have a hard time telling it NO. I am constantly wanting to snack on high-calorie, high-sugar/salt treats - and the real problem is, I have them in the house so they are easily accessible (even though I like to think I have self-control).

I'm still breast-feeding but I am hoping to get out of that business in the next couple months, so the while I can get away with the extra calories now with little consequences, its going to be a sad reality when I get my boobs back, and there is no where for the weight to go except to straight to my hips, ass, and stomach (a moment on the lips forever on the hips).

Do any of you struggle with the snacking factor, or weight gain and loss? Any tips, advice, secrets? I would love to hear for any beginner runners too, if there is any advice for people like me who are *thinking* of starting out.

It's the thought that counts - right?

Today.... was a big day - well almost.

Last week I received an email at work letting people know that Canadian Blood Services would be on location at my office this morning. I decided that having never given blood before, this would be a convenient time to do so, as when I was pregnant, I learned that I have rare blood type that would be very useful to blood donation banks. So... last week I called 1 888 TO DONATE, and booked myself in.

The lady I spoke with on the phone got a little excitement in her voice when I told her it would be my first time donating... she ran through a welcome spiel with me, and was happy to take my request for an appointment.

So this AM, having not thought much more about it, I got a reminder call from the mobile blood lab coordinator reminding of my appointment. Having forgot about it, I was happy to get the call, and suited up with my work bb and a bottle of water for the appointment.

I was actually quite impressed with this mobile lab, which is essentially a decked out bus made into a mini hospital, complete with a waiting area, check-in counter, private consultation room, 4 donation station chairs, a snack and refreshment stand, and an entrance and an exit.

I was able to use the waiting area, and the check-in counter, and when I mentioned my blood type, they're faces lit up as apparently its in short supply! However... after doing the necessary paper work, and getting my finger pricked to check my iron - the bus derailed right then and there (not physically - if that's what your thinking!). My iron level came back at 12.4 and guess what level you need to be able to donate? Yep - 12.5 and greater.

Are you KIDDING me?

1 point shy of my first donation.

I should have actually known my iron would be an issue as I had low iron during pregnancy and post-pregnancy it didn't get a whole lot better. I have been put on over the counter iron supplements, but have been a little negligent in taking them regularly, so it really is my own fault. But turns out.. the nurse says even if I had been taking the supplements, they wouldn't really want me as donor anyways. Apparently, they like an all natural candidate, not someone who is hopped up on supplements!

So... basically they talked to me about how to get my iron up to an acceptable level without supplements, and encouraged me to come back in 56 days to try again.

Heading into the appointment I was feeling pretty good about myself... but coming out a little disappointed!

However... I'm thinking it was the though that counts - right?

Working Mom of 1

So I can see that you have been eagerly checking this blog, to see if I survived the first week of being back to work... the first week of getting E to and from daycare, and the first week of what is going to be regular everyday life.

I did survive... but let me tell you, I was so glad to see the weekend, and I only worked 4 days this week because Monday was E's actual birthday and I was off. This next week is Thanksgiving on Monday, so I am off and then its another 4 day work week. I feel pretty lucky to be easing back into the work week with two short work weeks to start.

However... it sounds to me that life is going to get a bit more hectic than a new mom returning to work would actually like. Without going into too much detail, the department I work for is the lead on dealing with the H1N1 flu virus... and in order to provide the necessary communications support without burning out the entire team very quickly, we are going to be moving to rotational shift work in a few weeks... to cover off communication support 7 days a week, 15 hour days. Not exactly what I wanted to hear my first week back... but that's the reality.

Although I want to throw bricks at a wall thinking of how much I would rather be working my neat and tidy 8 to 4 schedule, 5 days a week... I do consider this a learning experience and a major bullet for my resume. I don't know how its going to work quite yet, but I do know that it will throw one hell of a wrench in my family life, not to mention my social life. It has an effect for both PC and I, and not to mention E.

Obviously this schedule won't last forever, hopefully H1N1 calms down, and we go back to our normal working hours ... but for now, this is the reality - and one I have to deal with.

Aside from that bomb... work itself was really good this week. I was busy everyday I was in the office, and I remember that I do have a brain that knows how to do work-related things, and not just make bottles, wash bottles, pick up cheerios, and change diapers. It is kinda rewarding to know that I can do both.

E's first week at daycare was really good. I heart our childcare provider, she is fantastic. E was smiling and happy, just like he's been at home... so to me I know he is well cared for when PC and I are working. I did manage to get the boy supper, and ourselves something to eat every night. I have come to see that meal planning on the weekends is going to make supper time less stressful during the week.

E been going to bed a bit earlier too... so although I am exhausted after putting him to bed, I do have an couple hours to get the house cleaned up, get ready for the next day, and maybe watch a show. I really don't know how people throw in a run, or hit the gym ... maybe I am too much of a newbie, but I have hard time feeling like I can do that right now. Hopefully if I get my rotational schedule mapped out better, I can figure out where to throw in the occasional workout, but for now, its taking a major backseat.

Yes... week 1 is done and over with, and week 2 is just around the corner, but in a way I am excited for it. This working mom of 1 is actually not the bad, but check back for the 'I quit' post in a few weeks, as I have a feeling my my optimistic approach will wear off soon!

Wednesday Wrap-Up!

Nothing super fascinating to bitch blog about ... so thought I would go with a little Wednesday Wrap-Up to bring everyone up to speed on my fairly boring life!

• We recently got GOOD NEWS here ... E's test results from the VCUG came back along with his blood work, and everything is CLEAR - as in, his good kidney is functioning A okay... and should be for a long time to come. I was so relieved to get this news, you have no idea how much this was weighing on my mind - especially at night. I wanted to believe that everything was good, but until you actually get the results you can't let your mind rest. E will still have to have his blood pressure monitored and in the fall we will be seeing a neuphrologist to look into the condition of his right kidney, but most likely the right kidney will be left alone as long as it isn't causing any problems in its current multicystic state. Can we all let out a big 'pheeeeeeeeeeeeew' for E - THANK YOU!

• The ongoing saga of Jon and Kate plus 8 came to a head on Monday night's show... where the couple announced in separate interviews that they are divorcing. As much as I could see that coming, I am still saddened that it has come this. I absolutely love this family... watching them in the earlier seasons was a favourite past time of mine - now that they are struggling, I still want to watch because in my opinion, regardless of what happens with Jon and Kate as a couple, their children are still inspiring people.

• I am so freaked out about this coming summer. I am so excited for July to get here, but I also know that once July hits, September will come faster than I expect ... which means I have to start preparing myself for going back to work, the transition from home to daycare for E, his first birthday - all things that will happen way to fast for my liking.

• LCBO workers are still thinking about striking ... just when the nice weather is finally here! The news outlets are all saying its going to be a 'dry' summer for Ontario - but I will be darned if its going to be a dry one for me. I have waited much to long to indulge in some summertime sangria and slushy goodness - there is no way this new Mom is going without a drop after one looooooooooooong alcohol free summer last year! Screw that!

• Father's Day has been here and gone. And I just wanted to officially say 'Happy First Father's Day' to PC. He truly is an amazing Dad to our baby boy - he lights up at the sight of his son, and seeing their bond as father and son is something I will never get sick of witnessing. As well... a happy belated Father's Day to my Dad... who I didn't have a chance to speak with on father's day, but who I love dearly... and am always thinking of him - even when it's not Dad's day!

• I have been going to MomMeFit classes for a couple months now... and although the scale isn't really showing any crazy numbers for, I am just now realizing how much more endurance and strength I have from these classes. Every Wednesday and Friday morning, the instructors run us through the paces, while our babies sit on the sidelines and giggle. The classes are coming to an end for me next week (because I am away most of July), but I am really happy that I found these mom and baby fitness classes - thanks to MJ and Mel and MomMeFit for such a great experience.
  

• HOLY HOT! It's been sooooo hot here the last couple of days, and I am LOVING it. This is the kind of weather I had hoped for when I figured out I would be on maternity leave with an 8 month old during the summer. I hope this weather continues well into September.

• Belated birthday wishes going out to my Mother-in-law who celebrated her special day on Monday! We are getting together later this week for the official celebration, but wanted give her the bloggy shout-out since I didn't get a chance to see her on Monday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mom C!

• This past weekend, PC and I headed to Belleville to attend a 130-O wedding, one my roommates from University got married and we had a nice little reunion (minus one member who we missed dearly - Miss Texas). It was the first time we left E for two nights, and surprisingly it went well for E and for us! His grandparents watched him for the weekend (thank you to them), and although I missed seeing his smiling face, it was nice to get away for the weekend and have little 'us' time.

Well... that's it for Wednesday! I wish I had something insightful to say to wrap this up, but I don't! It's hot and muggy, and E and I are both ready for a nap! I will say to the working crew 'Happy Hump Day'... the weekend is half way here!

VCUG test is DONE!

We graced the doors of CHEO yesterday for E's VCUG test... and I was very impressed with how things went.

First off... let me just say how WONDERFUL the people who work at CHEO are. This is the fourth time we have been to CHEO for one thing or another in the past few months and these people truly have a gentle way with children, that can make uneasy/scary situations into low stress affairs.

Yesterday, the radiology technicians we worked with were very nice and so good with E. I had heard mixed reviews from friends and blog readers about how the test would go. Some people clearly had bad memories from the test, others thought it wasn't so bad. After having it done, I am with 'not so bad' crowd - and I think this is due to staff at CHEO.

We arrived for the appointment on time, and we were given a room almost immediately. No sitting down and waiting and agonizing over what was to come - they called our names right away.

The technicians were very calming and encouraged PC and I to stick very close to E while the procedure was being done. They didn't make us feel in the way or out of place... and we did as much as we could to take E's mind off of the procedure. Of course, E being the nosey baby that he is, once the catheter was in, he went right back to checking out all of the screens and the tools in the room.

Yes, there were tears for a few parts of it, but overall he did smashingly! It wasn't long before he was back to being all smiles... and before we knew it we were in the car and he was sleeping like a baby.

The doctor who preformed the test said that she thought things looked good, but she would have to examine the x-rays in more detail before sending off her report. We should get the results in a week or two - but I am not going to stress about it, rather think positively that all will be well with the good kidney.

And what would a day in a E's life be like without the camera snapping a picture of him? He'll never know! Here he is in his little hospital gown... just before the we took him in for the test.

Isn't he cute?

The Kidney Update

I apologize for not getting this update sooner, we have been on the run a bit in the last week and haven't had much time to sit down and blog.

Nonetheless... here we go!

We saw a pediatrician last week... the appointment was informative and gave us an idea of what the issue is with E's kidney. He has what is called Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney, which sounds bad by the name, but the reality associated with it, is better than expected.

As I said in a previous post, the right kidney is made up of multiple cysts which were detected in a prenatal ultrasound. The cysts form due to abnormal fetal development of the kidney (which I am told could not be prevented, but am I thinking my trip to Dominican just prior to finding out I was pregnant may have been cause -- NO NO, of course not)!

The research I have done on this kidney issue says that Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney occurs as often as 1 in 4300 births - which isn't that often, but isn't super rare either!

One of the main issues with this diagnosis is blood pressure. When we saw the pediatrician last week she took E's blood pressure and it was HIGH. It was the first time he had his blood pressure taken so she wanted to do another reading the following day to ensure that it wasn't just a fluke. Luckily, we returned the next day and his blood pressure was much lower/normal, so she didn't rush us to a hypertension clinic, she sent us for some precautionary blood work (which is a whole other post).

The pediatrician is also referring us to a nephrologist who will follow E's case in the coming months. His blood pressure is going to be monitored by our pediatrician for now (every two weeks to start), and we will go from there.

In addition to E's right kidney, the original ultrasound he had a few weeks back, also showed some mild displacement in the ureter - the tube that flows from the kidney to the bladder - meaning that some urine was backing up in this tube which is suppose to have a one directional flow of urine. Because of this, the pediatrician wants to ensure that no urine is backing up into the good kidney, as this would be major cause for alarm.

So... next Wednesday we will grace the doors of CHEO again for a VCUG test which will tell the doctors if the good kidney is in jeopardy or not (which in my mind, it is NOT).

That is as much as we know to date... and surprisingly my stress level is not that bad. I think for me, the fact that E is so happy and outgoing - and doesn't show any signs of slowing down is keeping me from thinking that this small hiccup in his health is going to turn bad. For now, I am believing that he will go through life with one good kidney and that this kidney will not fail him, or us!

That's my story ... and I'm sticking to it!

Tricking ourselves into eating less....

The story below, aired on the CBC news last week, and I found it to be somewhat eyebrow raising. A food researcher from Cornell University points out many interesting facts about research he has done on eating and over eating. Basically he concludes that we eat way more than we need to... SURPRISE SURPRISE!

It's a bit long, but I really found that the researcher's comments and remarks hit home... especially towards the end of the piece. All I know after reading this, is that it scares me... one donut a day ... is an extra 28 pounds at the end of year... if that is not enough to scare you, I don't know what it!

The entire piece is excellent... but I have highlighted the areas that I found most interesting if you don't feel like reading the whole thing.

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CBC: Maybe this has happened to you; have you ever wolfed down something, then wondered why did I eat that? Well, it turns out there are plenty of reasons why we consume the food we do. Unfortunately hunger or common sense isn't always in that mix. Bad news for anyone thinking of shedding a few pounds. However, in this food fight, there are ways to win. Here's Kelly Crowe once again with "What we eat, why we eat."

REPORTER: Guess how many times a day you make a decision about eating; at meal time, a snack here and there, a couple dozen times at most? Not even close. Each of us makes more than 200 decisions every day about what to put in our mouths. It's a scientifically-proven fact, and Brian Wansink is the scientist who proved it. He's a food researcher at Cornell University in New York.

BRIAN WANSINK (Food Researcher Cornell University): They're often decisions that we're just really unaware of. We have been influenced by, say, the people we're with or the plate size we're using or the variety of food that we're given, and the problem is we don't realize these things are influencing us so, at the end of the day, much of what we've eaten ends up being determined largely by what's been around us in our environment, not necessarily our own conscious, specific decisions.

REPORTER: Things that affect those eating decisions, well, like the size of a plate. A serving of pasta on a small plate looks like a normal amount. On a larger plate, it doesn't look like as much so the natural instinct is to serve up more, and if you have company, you can eat up to twice as much as you would if you were eating alone, and those are just a couple of the environmental cues that cause us to unconsciously eat more than we think, between 20 and 50 per cent more.

WANSINK: Every one of us believes we are too smart to be influenced by the variety of food at a buffet or the size of a serving bowl, the shape of a glass. That's what makes these things so dangerous.

REPORTER: This is Brian Wansink's own video taken during one of his eating experiments, a Superbowl party designed to measure how much people will eat from an unlimited buffet of food. As you can see, they keep on eating because that's what everyone else is doing. The
same thing happens in a movie theatre.

WANSINK: What happens is there's all these cues around us that suggest it's time to eat. In the case of the movie like this, you're sitting down at the movie. It's part of the script. You eat popcorn when you're at a movie. The people around you are eating. So that's another cue to start eating. You've got a big bucket of popcorn on your lap. That's yet another signal to start eating. It's because we're not paying that much attention, you do what comes natural which is, in this case, eat.

REPORTER: Wansink did a study to prove that people will eat popcorn at a movie even if they're full and even if they don't like the popcorn.

WANSINK: So we went to a movie theatre, took people who had just finished eating lunch and gave them popcorn that was 14 days old. It was terrible. It didn't even have a crunch to it. What we found is that if we gave them large popcorn containers versus medium popcorn containers, the typical person ate 35 per cent more popcorn during the movie even though they hated the popcorn.

REPORTER: The size of the package can affect how much people eat. In a study using M & M candies, the researchers discovered people ate twice as many from a big bag as from a smaller bag.

WANSINK: We eat with our eyes.

REPORTER: That means people decide they've eaten enough when the package or the plate or the bowl is empty. And science has proven if the bowl doesn't empty, people just keep on eating.

WANSINK: So we devised these refillable soup bowls where tubes came up in to the soup bowls from underneath the table. Were filled in to a six-quart vat of soup. So as people ate, the soup level would go down a little bit, but imperceptibly it would start rising again. They could eat up to six quarts of soup and would never hit the bottom. What we found is compared to people who ate out of normal bowls, these people ate 63 per cent more soup in just 20 minutes.

REPORTER: Twenty minutes. That's how long it takes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full. Many people eat their entire meal in less than 20 minutes.

WANSINK: What happens is there's a delay in our body's ability to detect how full we are. So the faster we end up eating food, the more we can eat before our body can really register that we've eaten. If you're a very fast eater, it can take up to 20 minutes before your body can tell you how much you've eaten, and in 20 minutes there's an immense number of calories that you can eat.

REPORTER: And the calorie is the key. A calorie is a unit of food energy.

WANSINK: The average person needs in the range of 2,000 calories a day just to maintain weight. If you go 100 calories above that every single day for a year, you've gained 10 pounds at the end of the year.

REPORTER: It's the simple math of calories. The Cornell researchers have calculated that if someone eats just three extra jellybeans a day, they will put on more than a pound in one year. That same person would be over 10 pounds heavier in ten years all because of a few extra jellybeans. Drink just one more can of pop a day, that's 15 pounds at the end of one year. One more large latte? 26 pounds at the end of the year. One extra doughnut a day, 28 pounds at the end of the year. Because it only takes 3,500 calories to make one pound of fat. That's just six large orders of fries. That's eight banana muffins, and it doesn't matter whether you eat them in a day or in a year. If you don't burn it off, it's fat. Trouble is, most people have no idea how much work they have to do. to burn off just one of those muffins you'd have to run for more than half an hour and, to make it worse, most people then reward themselves with even more food.

WANSINK: One thing we find out is typically when people start exercise programs, oddly enough they start gaining weight right away, not losing weight right away. One of the reasons we found this happens is that once a person goes out and, let's say, runs a couple miles, they come back and two things happen. First of all, they estimate they burned a whole lot more calories than they did. The second thing is they come back and they say, man, that was a big workout. I really deserve something. I really deserve to sort of compensate for all that effort i put out. So that 2 miles that they ran ended up being about 200 calories, but in reality what they do to compensate is they end up eating 400 calories worth of food to kind of reward themselves for the 200 calories they burned up running.

REPORTER: The good news is if you reverse all of this, you can lose weight. Eat three fewer jelly beans a day, you lose more than one pound in a year. One less can of pop a day? 15 pounds will vanish at the end of a year. And one less doughnut a day, 28 pounds will disappear in a year.

WANSINK: We gain weight at the rate of two or three pounds a year. That ends up being probably the best way to lose weight is at the rate of 20 or 30 pounds a year because that way we're not going to feel deprived. That way things won't backfire. That way we're not going to mindlessly eat to the point where we say after ten years, man, how did i get this way?

REPORTER: Another trick, if the food is out of sight, it's out of mind.

WANSINK: We did a study with secretaries where we put candies in a candy dish on their desk. They ended up eating twice as much that was on their desk than if it was just six feet away from their desk. Simply moving something a little bit farther away or a little bit out of our sight line or a little bit out of our traffic pattern ends up tremendously decreasing how much we eat.

REPORTER: From Wansink's lab, an unflattering image has emerged of a society of human robots mindlessly munching through life, responding to external cues that have little relationship to hunger or the need for food. The good news is the robot can be reprogrammed to eat less by fooling the eye with smaller plates, smaller spoons, smaller glasses, by eating more slowly, by reducing the number of food choices. In other words, by tricking ourselves in to eating less.
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What do you think.... can you relate to any of the research findings?