Vonda Knight

Diabetic Alert Dog

2008-11-19T01:54:00.000-08:00

So we have begun the process of getting a dog. Last night after our initial research both my husband and I agreed that we would get our son a dog. That was the easy part. Now we have a lot of decisions to make

1. Professionally trained/train him ourselves
2. Best Pet Insurance
3. What Breed
4. Male/Female
5. Rescue dog or from a breeder
6. What food, bedding etc
7. Best car restraint to use
8. If training ourselves what training method

I'm sure there is more to add to the list, just haven't thought of them yet.

We have been weigh up the pros and cons of having a dog professionally trained and training one ourselves. The biggest one for the professionally trained is that we may not be illegible for one. The biggest plus for getting a trained dog is that it will be able to go anywhere with our son. The biggest downside to training our dog ourselves is that we may fail to teach the dog how to pick up diabetic lows. So much to think about!

My Before & After Photos

2007-10-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hight: 173cm
Weight before: 83kg +
Weight after: 66.3kg (I think my scales may be broken as they are stuck on 66.3)
Goal weight: 62kg ( Just a little more to go off the tummy!)
How Long?: Took me forever. Love my chocolate and Ice Cream too much. Did you know that NZ goes through the most ice cream per capita!

Second photo was take walking up Ben Nevis!

Changing the Way I Think!

2007-10-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Everywhere we turn these days we are confronted with healthy living and eating. There are thousands of magazines, books, ads and opinions on what we should look like and eat. Despite that, we at living in a time where more of our children are becoming overweight, and type 2 diabetes in young people is on the increase. Changes need to be made.

Young people, and old alike, who are overweight are judged for their food choices and are made to feel uncomfortable and unhappy about themselves. Even my youngest child, who is a very healthy weight, sitting at the school dinner table with her packed lunch was told by her friends that she will get fat eating that.

My attitudes to food can affect my children for the rest of their lives, it can also affect other children around them.

The decision to change attitudes towards food has to start with me. The belief that my children only likes fish and chips, fast food, fish fingers, or what ever their unhealthy food choice is, and will not eat anything else is hogwash. Thats the easy way out, one that I have taken many a time in the past. No battles at dinner time and no wasted food.

What I needed was good sound advice on how to introduce new foods and get my children excited about trying and experimenting with healthy food.

I also needed to become educated in what is healthy and what is not.

What I have found is there is hope. Change can happen and its never to late to change!

We started our change with fruit. Each time we went to the store we picked a new fruit that the children, husband and I could try. Now they are willing to try everything I put in front of them. Liking what I put there is another matter. Now when we go to the market my children will look out for new fruits and vegetables that we have not tried and ask me to buy them.

Often two of my children will like something and one will not. Last night I made vegetable loaf. (Second attempt.) After slaving in the kitchen chopping and dicing and baking to perfection, non of them liked it. My husband thought it was great! Sometimes you just can't win!!

Onto recipe three! Anyone have a good vegetable or nut loaf recipe out there????