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Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s Disease. Cancer. My Father

Lin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:05:58 +0000

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Cancer. My dad has been diagnosed with B type Hodgkins Lymphoma and my mind is racing a mile a minute. I just received a phone call from my mother telling me the news, and I can’t quite wrap my mind around what she was telling me.

People that know me and my background know that I don’t often hear from my mother. Seeing their phone number appear on the Caller ID immediately makes me think someone in the family was seriously injured in an accident, is very ill or dead. I haven’t heard from my father since 1995, because I chose to leave the religion I was born into, and the results of that choice were automatic and immediate.

In the eyes of my father and most of my siblings, I died in 1995. All because of my personal decision to leave a religious organization I no longer wanted to be a part of. My mother tends to think of me as being in some sort of coma, hoping that I’ll somehow “come to my senses” and take the required and necessary steps to rejoin the religion.

Doing so would mean I would have been miraculously “resurrected from the dead”, where family members and old friends (who haven’t spoken to me since 1995) would suddenly welcome me back with open arms. Not gonna happen. Ever.

My parents live in Dallas, which is only about a 30-minute drive from our house. Having family members living in such close proximity to our house, but rarely hearing from or seeing any of them, is something I’ve never quite gotten used to. The wounds from the past run very deep, and try as I may to “forgive and forget” everything that happened, forgiving and moving on is easier than the ability to actually forget.

My mother said that my 79-year-old father has very itchy skin, or “eczema” as she called it, which is a classic symptom of Hodgkin’s Disease. She said my father has sores on his legs, is always very tired, takes several naps a day and is no longer able to work doing people’s taxes.

Common symptoms of Hodgkins Disease include:

Appetite Loss

Drenching night sweats

Fatigue

Fever

Red patches on the skin

Severely itchy skin, often affecting the legs and feet

Weight loss

Some of these general signs and symptoms of Hodgkin’s Disease were mentioned by my mother in regards to my father. I can only assume that the sores on my father’s legs are from persistent scratching of his itchy legs, to the point of causing sores to develop.

Reading about the types of Hodgkin’s Disease makes me very nervous for my dad’s prognosis. From what I’ve read so far, “B symptoms are related to an increased cancer “burden”—more cancerous tissue—in many patients and, therefore, indicate a worse prognosis, or outcome.” We don’t know much more than that at this point.

Tests are scheduled to begin soon to determine the specific “stage of Hodgkins” my father would be categorized as being in at this point, and what treatment options there are for him. I briefly read that Chemotherapy and/or radiation may be treatments recommended for my father, but we’ll know more once the test results are in. That’s about all I can handle reading right now. Rather than dwelling on the possible negative prognosis for my father, I’m doing my best to keep calm and dredge up good memories from the past, and just hope for the best outcome.

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7 Things Meme – 7 Things You May Not Know About Me

Lin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:00:35 +0000

I’ve been tagged with the 7 Things Meme by Todd Morris from Success With Todd, so I thought I’d participate in this meme since I forgot to do the 25 Random Things Meme that circulated Facebook pages not too long ago that I was also tagged with.

The 7 Things Meme Rules:

Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Okay, here goes. 7 things about me you may not know, or maybe don’t care to know.

1. The first record I ever owned was Mony Mony by Tommy James & The Shondells. I’m aging myself here, since the record was a Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single of the hit song. For the “last day of school party” in the 7th grade, my image of being a “cool kid” took a serious hit when students were told to bring in their favorite record to play during the party, and Mony Mony was the only record I owned at that time.

2. I’m a music fanatic, and I watch every season of American Idol, once the judges choose their Top list of finalists. I can’t stand watching/listening to the audition shows of people who truly suck at singing, and whose family or friends aren’t honest enough to tell potential contestants they suck, so they don’t embarrass themselves in front of millions of American Idol Fans. For the current American Idol Season 8, Adam Lambert is by far my favorite performer, and I predict the winner of American Idol this season will be a guy.

3. I’ve been on a Baby Shower Gifts shopping rampage lately, since my daughter’s baby shower is scheduled for next month. Checking out baby cribs was the first order of business to check off the baby needs checklist, and we were happy to find a gently-used crib in near perfect condition at a second-hand baby store. I don’t have any trouble coming up with baby gift ideas for my granddaughter that is due in May, and you can bet that having me as a grandma will undoubtedly mean she’ll be spoiled rotten.

4. I spend a lot of time at my computer at home and at work, which is likely the cause of my occasional severe lower back pain and symptoms of Carpal Tunnel, along with a recurring ganglion cyst “Bible bump” on my right hand which may require surgery to remove. Working in the Dental Field for almost twenty years now, as a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and Office Manager, I’ve spent many hours working on patients in the dental chair and lifting dental equipment and supplies that were/are too heavy to lift one-handed and now I’m paying for it in more ways than one.

5. My desire to quit my full-time Dental job and get paid to blog as a full-time blogger hasn’t changed, so I’ve been working hard to create more blogs that will help me reach my goal to make money from home and “retire” from my current job. While there is niche money to be made from a niche blog like Telling It Like It Is, I get frustrated when I read “you must have a niche” from bloggers who don’t follow their own “niche or no niche” advice and actually have a no niche blog themselves.

6. Speaking of money, the economy (such as it is) has created a lot of interest in setting goals and becoming smart with how we save or spend our money. Managing debt and saving money continues to be one of the top New Year’s resolutions for many people including me, who are trying to learn how to be frugal because of the economic recession, job layoffs, bank closings and home foreclosures. Even though my job is secure, my husband has been looking at ways to make a few extra dollars just in case he were to get laid off, and he’s been talking about starting a small home based business right alongside me.

7. I do all of my shopping online, except for grocery shopping, and I can’t remember the last time I bought a card or gift for anyone by actually walking into a brick-and-mortar store. Since my daughter announced she was pregnant a few months ago, I’ve been buying baby clothes online (and other cheap baby stuff) and hiding them at a friends house so my daughter’s curiosity won’t get the best of her and she finds the baby stroller that comes with an attached infant car seat that she’s been drooling over. I guess there is going to be a lot of drooling going on soon, and not just from my daughter.

Whew, I’ve completed the 7 Things Meme and my right hand and arm doesn’t even hurt. Yeah me!

Okay, here are the 7 people I’m going to tag with this meme, and hopefully they’ll all play along.

Rob from 2Dolphins
Rudy from the Rudy Amid Blog
RT from the Philippines blog
Periapex from Life’s Context
Cath from Cath Lawson
Jeff Nickles from My Super-ChargedLife
Reggie from Fragile Heart

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Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Kindle 2 Wireless Reading Device

Lin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:09:24 +0000

Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device is being released on February 24, 2009, announced during an Amazon Press Conference. Kindle 2.0 is faster, lighter and slimmer than Kindle 1, measuring just over 1/3 of an inch and weighing just 10.2 ounces, which is thinner than most magazines and lighter than most paperback books.

Order the new Kindle 2 now while you have a chance to get a Kindle 2 before all the techies, gadget gurus and geeks buy them all and supplies run low. Orders for the Kindle 2 are on a first come, first serve basis, so be sure to reserve your spot in line.

Kindle 1 owners and users are being offered a special introductory opportunity by Amazon to be put on the priority list for shipment of the new Kindle, “Kindle 2″. Amazon.com says: “Place your Kindle 2 order by midnight PST on February 10th and you will receive first priority”.

Sadly, the price for Kindle 2.0 is still $359.00, the same price as the original Kindle. Kindle 2 has been upgraded with seven times more memory, 25% longer battery life, an upgraded design with round keys, a new joystick controller, kept its original Kindle black-and-white display, just to name a few of the new Kindle features. Kindle 2 is wireless, so there’s no need to hunt for any Wi-Fi hotspots. The new joystick-type controller will likely please original Kindle users who found the previous version a bit awkward.

Kindle Video on YouTube of Kindle 2

I had hoped the price for the new Kindle would be reduced from its original version, and I held off buying the original Kindle because of the price, but this new Kindle 2 is one I just can’t pass up.

What about you? Are you going to buy the new Kindle? What are your thoughts on the price and new features of Kindle 2?

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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas: Valentine Flowers, Candy, Chocolate, Leather, Gold and Diamonds

Lin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:34:35 +0000

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and with Valentines comes flowers, “Happy Valentine’s Day cards”, Valentine’s heart candy, chocolates, Chocolate Baskets, leather, gold and diamonds on February 14, just to name a few. As much as I enjoy receiving Valentine’s Day flowers on Valentine’s and other special occasions, I’m hoping for a couple unusual Valentines Day gifts this year.

Making Valentine’s Day special simply requires putting some thought into what Valentine’s Day gift your special someone would enjoy and what he or she likes, and carefully choosing a Valentine’s Day gift for him or her, rather than just grabbing something off the store shelves. Valentine’s Day is for lovers, dating couples and spouses, but children also enjoy getting in on the fun of Valentine’s Day at school and at home with their families, handing out gifts of Valentine’s Day hearts, cards, candy and/or chocolate treats.

Valentine’s Day roses are always nice, but roses are so cliché and often more expensive as a Valentine’s day gift than any other day in the year. Some companies offer nice discounts and sales on flower arrangements, so Valentines Day orchids may be a viable Valentine option for the flower lover in your life.

I’m a pure romantic through and through, so romantic Valentine’s Day gifts mean the most to me. A romantic dinner for two, with candlelight and soft romantic music in an elegant restaurant with a piano bar, followed by slow dancing to romantic music really sets the mood for the entire evening.

A few of my favorite Valentine’s Day gifts include Cookie Baskets, Chocolate Baskets, Romantic Flowers rather than just a bouquet of Roses (yawn..), and especially beautiful fine jewelry from Finejewelers.com from my brilliant and romantic husband.

Full-figured women may enjoy plus size leather lingerie for Valentine’s Day, and don’t forget the woman who loves charms and jewelry such as gold tennis bracelets for Valentine’s Day. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” as the saying goes, so my Valentine’s Day wish list includes diamond tennis bracelets since I don’t have very many jewelry items in my jewelry box to wear on Valentine’s Day or any other day.

Concert tickets are always a favorite, and I’m anxiously awaiting our Bruce Springsteen tickets to arrive since Bruce tickets and the new Kindle 2 from Amazon are at the top of my Valentine’s Day gift list this year. My man knows what I like, so finding a Valentine gift for moms like me is very easy, and finding a gift for him to let him know how much he’s loved isn’t hard for me either.

Valentine’s Day gifts for men, especially the hard to buy for men who have everything, can be a challenge. Gift baskets for men or women are a unique Valentine’s Day gift idea and reasonably priced. Very cheap Valentine’s Day gifts may include a handwritten card, love letter, a favorite music cd, or a book by a favorite author as a gift for him or her.

Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day yet? What Valentine’s Day gift will you be giving your significant other for Valentine’s Day 2009? Feel free to add your Valentine’s Day gift ideas in the comment section below, from the cheap to the extravagant, to help each other come up with more gift ideas for Valentine’s Day.

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Jennifer Hudson Lip Sync Singing National Anthem at the Superbowl

Lin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:06:34 +0000

Did Jennifer Hudson lip-sync or sing live at super bowl 2009? Jennifer Hudson returned to the spotlight making her first public appearance to sing the National Anthem at super bowl XLIII, following the tragic murders of her mother, brother and 7 year-old nephew this past October in Chicago.

27 year-old Hudson looked somewhat nervous as she took the stage at the super bowl held at James Raymond Stadium in Tampa Florida, wearing a beautiful flowing white top, black pants and cropped black jacket.

Taking a deep breath, Jennifer Hudson performed the National Anthem for the super bowl audience at the stadium, with super bowl guests respectfully becoming very quiet just prior to the performance, so much so that “you could hear a pin drop” according to television news teams covering the game.

Apparently not too many people know that featured performers at the Super Bowl submit pre-recorded song tracks to the NFL prior to performing at the super bowl a week prior to the big game. Did Jennifer Hudson lip sync? Yes she did, and so did Faith Hill who performed America the Beautiful.

Jennifer Hudson National Anthem YouTube Video

Featured performers like Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill have the option to perform live, but it is generally recommended that they lip-sync in order to prevent and avoid possible glitches while singing.

Rickey Minor, pre-game show producer for the Super Bowl, who insisted they lip-sync, explained to the Associated Press the reasons why Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill and other super bowl featured performers lip-sync:

“That’s the right way to do it. There’s too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance. This was such an important performance, because it’s the first time everyone has seen Jennifer. But she’s in such a great place, with such great spirits and time can heal her wounds”, Minor said.

Lip-sync or not, Jennifer Hudson is an excellent singer and actress, deserving the praise and adoration from fans around the world.

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Superbowl 2009: Superbowl XLIII Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals

Lin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:54:30 +0000

Today is Superbowl 2009, with the superbowl kickoff start time schedule at 6:20 p.m. EST in Tampa Florida, where the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will go head-to-head and brawn-to-brawn to decide who will win the Superbowl trophy. Super bowl coverage begins as early as 12:00 noon EST with the Matt Lauer interview of President Barack Obama. Are you ready for some football?!

Men, women, teenagers and children will be parked in front of their television sets this Superbowl Sunday to watch the super bowl, sufficiently prepared and loaded up with all kinds of superbowl food, snacks, beer, dips, nuts and various other high calorie superbowl snacks. Don’t forget to add the 7-layer dip, Mexican style for your list of super bowl foods to snack on.

Some football enthusiasts will watch the Superbowl on live stream online, while others will be following and chatting about Superbowl Ads, commercials, updates on super bowl scores and touchdowns via Twitter. I’m more interested in watching the superbowl commercials and the halftime show than I am watching the game itself, but I’ll be sitting next to my dear hubby during the superbowl, covering my ears whenever he starts yelling at the television during the big game.

Superbowl Hashtags on Twitter

If you are a Twitter user like me, follow along with superbowl chat on Twitter with the superbowl hashtags from www.hashtags.org: Use hash tags on Twitter such as #superbowl, #football4women, #ads, #steelers, #cardinals, #superads09 and #sb43ads, before and during the superbowl. There’s sure to be a lot of Twitter chatter after the big game is over, so don’t miss out on all the Twitter fun.

Who will win the Superbowl? The Pittsburgh Steelers or the Arizona Cardinals? Are you having a superbowl party at your house? Who are you rooting for? From what has been heard over the radio the last few days, bets are that the Steelers will beat the Cardinals, so it’ll be interesting to see who will win the superbowl after all.

Update:

Bruce Springsteen Halftime Show

Bruce Springsteen’s halftime show with the E Street Band had mixed reviews on Twitter, with some saying Bruce was off-key while singing his hit songs, while others (mostly more mature/older folks) understood that LIVE singing is often not with perfect pitch and tone. While keeping up with the Superbowl action and tweeting superbowl highlights throughout the super bowl, the question was raised “How old is Bruce Springsteen?” Bruce Springsteen’s date of birth is September 23, 1949, meaning that Springsteen is currently 59 and will turn 60 in September 2009.

Denny’s commercial ad became the talk of Twitter and across the net, with Denny’s free grand slam breakfast offer at all Denny’s locations. On Tuesday, February 2, 2009, you can get a free Grand Slam breakfast meal from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m, with the grand slam consisting of two pancakes, two eggs cooked to order, two strips of bacon and two sausage links. You must dine-in to receive the breakfast. Each Denny’s location has only 1,000 free breakfast coupons, as well as 500 rain checks to guests who don’t want to wait, so hurry up to get your Denny’s free grand slam breakfast if you’re interested. Search the internet for Denny’s locations near you so you don’t miss out on Denny’s offer of a free meal.

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Google Warning Visiting This Website May Harm Your Computer

Lin — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:02:57 +0000

If you’ve been seeing the Google warning message “Visiting this site may harm your computer”, you are not alone. Google officials have apologized for a glitch that blocked people from using the search engine for a short time on Saturday and warned that websites they wished to visit might harm their computers. Well, doesn’t that just beat all?!

A company official at Google said “each and every search result” from between 9:30 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. ET “likely resulted’ in the message, “This site may harm your computer.” I noticed the problem while creating the “Why Him Why Her” article, as I looked through my archived posts for my article discussing the difference between men and women, only to find the message “visiting this site may harm your computer”!

Vice-president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer, writing in a Google blog, blamed the problem on human error. Mayer said Google flags search results with the warning if the site is known to install malicious software “in the background or otherwise surreptitiously.”

The message “visiting this site may harm your computer” popped up even for well-known, trusted sites because of an error in a list of web addresses compiled by a non-profit group that works with Google to protect users against visiting sites that could harm their computers. “This was clearly an error, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to our users,” Mayer said.

The warning also told internet users to click on a link to get more information on malware, a term for malicious software such as computer viruses and spy ware. In essence, Google caused a worldwide internet blacklist, making every website including Telling It Like It Is to appear to be harmful and dangerous.

Well, thanks a lot Google! You about gave me a heart attack wondering if this site had been hacked or something. Whoever caused the “human error” should get a serious tongue lashing at the very least, and he/she should be very happy that I’m not the boss at Google because they’d be without a job right now.

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Mystery Shopping – How to Become a Mystery Shopper

Lin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:19:15 +0000

Mystery shopping job opportunities are plentiful for those wanting to become a mystery shopper. What is a mystery shopper? Mystery shopping, or secret shopping, is where “undercover customers” get paid to shop and make money evaluating customer service, cleanliness, quality, product availability and other company details, according to your own schedule. A paid shopper?!

Yes, you can make money at home by being a mystery shopper, secret shopper or shadow shopper, doing performance evaluations, service checks, front-line evaluations or any of the other common terms for mystery shopping jobs.

A few years ago, I had become a Mystery Shopper and got paid to shop by a variety of mystery shopping companies, also referred to as “mystery shopping providers” and I enjoyed it immensely. Shhh, don’t tell anyone because the whole idea behind being a mystery shopper is keeping it a secret! The only person that knew anything about my being a mystery shopper is my husband, and no one else had a clue.

If you are thinking of becoming a mystery shopper, it’s important that you keep that information between you, your spouse or significant other, and most definitely don’t tell your children. I’ve read many mystery shopper stories where friends, children and other relatives ruined many mystery “shops” by saying “Are you a mystery shopper here today?” Being a good secret shopper means keeping it a secret from everyone and anyone who might unwittingly blurt it out in public, destroying your “undercover” shopper status.

Mystery shopping is not hard by any means, with both men and women of all ages discovering how to become a mystery shopper and make money from home (usually part-time) as a secret shopper, shopping at retail stores, restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations, financial institutions/banks, service providers, manufacturers, hotels/motels, as well as travel and entertainment companies just to name a few.

How to Become a Mystery Shopper

There is no limit to legitimate mystery shopping jobs in the U.S. or other countries, including the U.K. A word to the wise, from a former mystery shopper to current secret shoppers or those wanting to become a mystery shopper: Watch out for mystery shopping scams, as there are some dishonest companies claiming you have to pay them a registration fee in order to get mystery shopping jobs, and lessons to teach you how to become a mystery shopper step-by-step.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides helpful tips and advice on becoming a successful mystery shopper and not getting scammed:

Becoming a mystery shopper for a legitimate company doesn’t cost anything
Search the Internet for mystery shopping companies that are accepting applications
Legitimate companies don’t charge an application fee, and many accept applications online
Do your homework about mystery shopping. Read mystery shopping books for tips on how to find companies hiring mystery shoppers, as well as how to do the job effectively.

Mystery Shopping Book

Recommendations for those interesting in the mystery jobs industry:

Mystery Shopping Scams:

Be skeptical of mystery shopper “help wanted” emails or newspaper ads, as these are most often scams pitching unnecessary, dubious “mystery shopping services”
Legitimate mystery shopping companies generally do not require certification, so beware of anyone selling secret shopper certifications
Avoid buying mystery shopping directories of companies providing mystery shoppers, or anyone charging a fee for access to mystery shopping opportunities

Whether you decide to become a mystery shopper part-time or full-time, being a good, effective secret shopper requires effort on your part. I don’t believe in the make money doing nothing philosophy, because the amount of time and effort you put into learning how to be a mystery shopper and using that knowledge to be the best mystery shopper possible, will help make you be the one mystery shopper companies are looking for.

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My Life Would Suck Without You Kelly Clarkson New Song Lyrics

Lin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:00:16 +0000

Kelly Clarkson’s new song, “My Life Would Suck Without You”, is sure to be a huge hit with Clarkson fans since its recent release on radio stations. Co-written and produced by song hit makers, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, Kelly Clarkson belts out the lyrics to her new song with predictable fervor. Whether you like the American Idol show or not, Clarkson definitely has a great set of vocal pipes!

When Clarkson sings “you got a piece of me”, Kelly fans may recall the feud between her and RCA label head Clive Davis (who publicly criticized Clarkson for attempting to take control of “My December”), only to be welcomed back following Kelly’s apology and the dumping of her manager and band.

The “My Life Would Suck Without You” YouTube video has been viewed nearly 400,000 times as of this writing, and her new song is included on Clarkson’s album entitled “All I Ever Wanted”, to be released March 17, 2009.

Clarkson naysayers feel this new song “sucks”, but I enjoy the fast tempo of Clarkson’s new single as well as her strong vocal ability, and I have a few of her cd’s in my ever increasing music collection.

Enjoy the video preview of Kelly Clarkson’s new single on YouTube, along with the words/lyrics to the song.

My Life Would Suck Without You Lyrics:

Guess this means you’re sorry
You’re standing at my door
Guess this means you take back
All you said before
Like how much you wanted
Anyone but me
Said you’d never come back
But here you are again

Cause we belong together now (yeah)
Forever united here somehow (yeah)
You got a piece of me and honestly
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye
Maybe I was wrong for tryin’ to pick a fight
I know that I’ve got issues
But you’re pretty messed up too
Anyway, I found out I’m nothing without you

Cause we belong together now (yeah)
Forever united here somehow (yeah)
You got a piece of me and honestly
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Being with you is so dysfunctional
I really shouldn’t miss you, but I can’t let go
Oh yeah

Cause we belong together now (yeah)
Forever united here somehow (yeah)
You got a piece of me and honestly
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Cause we belong together now (together now – yeah)
Forever united here somehow (yeah)
You got a piece of me and honestly
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

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Oprah.com/bestlife: Oprah’s Best Life Diet Series with Bob Greene

Lin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:26:17 +0000

Oprah fell off the diet wagon and gained forty pounds in the past year or so, but that’s no big secret since Oprah went public discussing her struggle with weight by posing next to a skinnier picture of herself on the cover of January’s edition of O magazine.

Oprah’s Best Life Series with Bob Greene debuted recently on Oprah’s show, with Oprah discussing how her life became unbalanced, she stopped making herself a priority, was diagnosed with a thyroid condition, which caused Oprah to feel totally defeated.

With the help of Bob Greene’s book “The Best Life Diet Cookbook”, and the Best Life Diet Series found at oprah.com/bestlife, Oprah is again working towards regaining control over her eating habits and making herself a priority once again.

Anyone who has ever dealt with the struggles and difficulties of being on a diet, losing weight and trying to maintain a healthy weight like Oprah has, would likely not appreciate anyone taking heartless jabs at Oprah’s weight gain by poking fun and criticizing Oprah’s public admission of weighing 200 lbs again or Oprah’s diet series.

Oprah isn’t the first person to lose weight, gain weight, lose weight and gain it all back again, and Oprah won’t be the last. I, for one, wish Oprah the best of luck with the Best Life Diet (oprah.com/bestlife) and getting herself and her life back into proper balance.

Oprah’s Weight Gain Due to Depression?

“What happened was life took over,” Winfrey says on her popular daytime show. “I started getting overwhelmed, I started to gain weight in February of 2007, and I was still okay because, like everybody else, I’m, like, “Okay, the first five pounds, you’re okay.”

Oprah says doctors told her to “embrace her hunger,” due to her thyroid problem, and that no amount of exercise would help. Oprah started eating a bag of organic, multi-grain blue chips each day, which lead to her packing on the pounds, and possibly much worse.

“I think I felt she was losing her zest for life, and that was one of the saddest moments,” says Bob Greene, Oprah’s personal fitness guru. “I really thought, “well, maybe she’s depressed,’ and I brought that up to her.

“What? Me? Depressed?” says Oprah. “I can’t be depressed. I know what depression is. I’m not depressed.

“Something’s off,” Greene says he told her. “Your movements are slower. Your responses are slower. There’s a dullness about you… there’s something going on that’s – that you’re not — you’re not there.” Winfrey plans to dedicate 2009 to getting well again and becoming healthier in mind and body.

2009 is also my year to achieve my goal of losing weight and keeping it off for good.

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