tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19857348165060865412012-02-01T14:22:49.218-05:00Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-15127131883395417952012-02-01T14:20:00.004-05:002012-02-01T14:22:49.225-05:00

Isn't that a wonderful quote? It's attributed to Kiyokazu Washida, a Japanese fashion critic. You can read more at Ten Reasons Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat. I love Japanese food and was thrilled when an all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet, salad, hibachi and sushi bar opened in my area. Right away I noticed that the large percentage of Japanese patrons eating there one Sunday all appeared to

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-25349526187774092842012-01-27T16:59:00.000-05:002012-01-27T16:59:04.866-05:00

I like to take away the power of “facts” written by snake-oil peddlers selling self-destructive denial and 2012 is full of it. I want to offer people hope from a time that offers a far different perspective on what's possible for healthy, joyous living and eating!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-5179107283482404962012-01-27T09:10:00.024-05:002012-01-27T09:19:03.764-05:00

Although the first TV remote controls became available during the 1950s, they weren't the norm as they are today. Most people still got up from the couch to turn the channel. More frequent movement is good, especially when exercise time is limited or non-existent. Also, if you're looking to lose or maintain your weight it's better to get up to change the channel instead of going to the fridge for

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-65408382355294378182012-01-25T14:30:00.003-05:002012-01-25T17:11:07.573-05:00

From a 1950s healthy and beauty guide by Joe Bonomo. Click to enlarge: I like that exercise is described as enjoyable and being good to yourself in conjunction with making time to relax and enjoy your dinner. Plus, he recommends fresh air and beauty sleep!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-79839180820426352152012-01-20T10:04:00.006-05:002012-01-20T10:20:43.062-05:00

New snow at daybreak in my backyard this morning People generally kept a slower pace in the 1950s which gave them more time to stop, take in and enjoy what's around them. Feeling less harried and more relaxed will reduce the chances of "stress eating."

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-62053324397022546802012-01-19T11:50:00.009-05:002012-01-20T09:37:56.361-05:00

I collect vintage recipes- not just from cookbooks published in the 1950s but also those that were handwritten. Handwritten family recipes tend to be more authentic as far as what was being served at that time since many published recipe booklets were really ads for various food products. Women in the 50s generally ate simple, wholesome foods and served them in a manner that wasn't necessarily

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-38476641469933965792012-01-16T08:59:00.005-05:002012-01-16T09:15:00.205-05:00

For those of us who live in northern climates, the winters mean we spend a lot of time indoors and aren't getting enough sunlight. However, even for people who live in climates warm through the winters, an indoor/sedentary lifestyle can also mean a lack of light. Our skin coverts natural sunlight to vitamin D, so less time outdoors means less vitamin D. Why do we need it? For healthy teeth and

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-21640081030489590402012-01-15T10:21:00.001-05:002012-01-15T10:21:57.418-05:00

I have just added a new page: My Vintage Kitchen. Soon I will be cooking vintage recipes in my kitchen and sharing them with you!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-87605866858228654932012-01-13T17:38:00.008-05:002012-01-13T17:43:21.298-05:00

Paula Deen — the queen of high-calorie, Southern cooking — is about to come clean and confess that she can’t eat her own dishes anymore because she has diabetes. Last August, “No Reservations” host Anthony Bourdain called Deen “the worst, most dangerous person to America” and said she should “think twice before telling an already obese nation that it’s OK to eat food that is killing us.”

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-52247660062944444402012-01-13T06:33:00.001-05:002012-01-13T06:34:09.280-05:00

Circulating the headlines today: Size 6 Is Plus Size (for models): Plus-size models have shrunk, too. A decade ago, plus-size models averaged between size 12 and size 18. Today, the majority of plus-size models an agency boards are between size 6 and size 14, the magazine said, based on its own research. There was no mention of vanity sizing, so the alarmist declaration of shrinking plus-size

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-72908416639462459302012-01-08T17:36:00.011-05:002012-01-08T18:14:19.106-05:00

  Two years ago I decided to give up all refined sweets for a full year and consumed only fruit when I wanted sugar. I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be nourished after eating something sweet AND healthy. Junk food fed me a sugar "high" followed by the inevitable lows which set up more cravings for a sweet fix that added on the pounds. Satisfying myself in the moment with pie or ice cream

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-82838467263590272712012-01-07T06:43:00.003-05:002012-01-07T06:45:40.490-05:00

In the out-of-print, tongue-in-cheek anti-diet book, Never Say Diet by Corey Ford, the following weight loss hint is offered: "You can always correct your weight by changing the scales. Wife of a friend of mine has been setting hers back a little each day, and she's lost seven pounds in a week."

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-57256067266085693482012-01-05T04:56:00.000-05:002012-01-05T04:56:10.443-05:00

http://strong4life.com/ Check out the website for this campaign along with their PSAs. I read some of the comments on their facebook page and saw many familiar complaints when the topic of overweight kids is brought up: telling kids they are overweight will drive them to starvation diets; they have the right to be fat; you're shaming them and they will suffer from low self-esteem, and so on. I

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-40269458264304126332012-01-01T09:42:00.007-05:002012-01-15T11:20:52.758-05:00

New year, good news! I have decided on a format for my book!!! I plan to do a paperback since many people, including myself, aren't e-book readers BUT I may also do an ebook in addition. My goal is to have it published and ready to sell by the end of the summer. As for my current weight, since I applied the principles in my book to my own life two years ago I have lost fourteen pounds. On the

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-36854276617214188722011-12-28T18:41:00.004-05:002011-12-28T18:54:43.541-05:00

It's nothing new, really. The "studies" funded by those who could benefit from the proposed cures (pills, potions, surgery, snake oil) and conclusions published as scientific proof that people who want to lose weight are fighting some kind of cosmic law that will keep them overweight.  The latest is a piece from The New York Times, The Fat Trap. It looks at a study that "proves": A full year

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-13779056422672373502011-06-05T10:54:00.001-04:002011-06-05T10:56:58.165-04:00

A flea market find today! I love the sparkles, too! This circa 1950's scale can weigh "only" up to 250 pounds while the newer scales go much higher, some 400 pounds.

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-62023357688679997082011-04-08T07:00:00.009-04:002012-01-01T09:43:11.657-05:00

A friend shared that she's on a 500 calories a day diet so she can look good in her swimsuit. Any time we give into the binge now starve later mentality we're engaging in a dangerous kind of contest. For some of us, the competition is between practicing a lifetime of healthy eating with less dramatic and immediate results that last versus the excitement of a roller coaster ride of extremes with

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-44252992136130876012011-03-26T06:25:00.003-04:002012-01-12T10:32:42.419-05:00

 

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-64191320523913048622011-02-19T14:43:00.003-05:002011-12-28T18:55:04.019-05:00

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-44097618802381038332011-02-12T14:37:00.004-05:002011-12-28T18:55:43.989-05:00

It seems like quackery, the idea that a machine can remove fat, yet that's just what the FDA recently approved!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-88213653466770884232010-10-17T09:56:00.002-04:002010-10-17T09:57:48.055-04:00

Wearing pearls and an apron, taking pride in keeping house and living a life free from exciting and glamorous problems can not only be a valid and respectable life choice, but also an entertaining and empowering example for women. Millions of people agree evidenced by the fact that June Cleaver was “America’s Mom.” “Keeping house” June Cleaver style meant living in a modest middle-class home

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-43135380177618452192010-09-17T19:25:00.006-04:002011-12-28T18:59:28.232-05:00

I'd like to get to know you all better! Please leave a comment letting me know if you consider yourself to be overweight, and what method you use to determine that. For example, some may use a scale or BMI while others may have a pair of skinny jeans as a measure of thinness.

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-18465309397979192172010-09-09T09:20:00.003-04:002011-12-28T18:57:58.639-05:00

First, wear properly fitting clothing! Next, Joe Bonomo instructs you on how to get and maintain a great-looking midriff:

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-76109395373839009912010-08-28T05:26:00.014-04:002012-01-12T10:37:06.507-05:00

My blog vacation is almost over, and I have been thinking about the direction I will  be taking with this. One of the things I'd like to gauge is: Who is still reading, and will you come back for more? Your input is important to me. I'd appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to leave your feedback in the comments. Thank you!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-8073335429195740752010-06-15T05:58:00.003-04:002012-01-12T10:40:40.778-05:00

If you are what you eat, and you eat a lot of processed, chemical laden and synthetic foods, what does that make you? I don't know either, but I do know that I am always working to reduce the amount of fakery in my food.  Readers, I invite you to think about the percentage of food you eat on a regular basis that is heavily processed. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-59377876122955128392010-06-09T06:35:00.005-04:002011-12-28T18:49:31.155-05:00

I like that he distinguishes between too much "flesh" and sagging internal muscles. No six pack  or Red Bull needed; just exercises for muscle tone and pep.

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-67965758679005084952010-05-29T20:35:00.003-04:002012-01-12T10:34:29.818-05:00

It's beautiful weather here in Maine and I've been enjoying time away from my computer when I'm not working. I plan to have a post by mid next week. Until then, I'd love to hear from the lurkers!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-21302935721522672122010-05-06T10:10:00.006-04:002012-01-16T08:35:43.138-05:00

I love reading Joe Bonomo's books! But I'd like to give a little introduction to him before I share more of his advice with you. There's a fun biography about him online, and I encourage you to read it: "He is single-handedly responsible for injecting superpositivity into the lives of millions, and although his name rests in relative obscurity today, his footnote is a lengthy

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-60943501434984337922010-04-24T19:13:00.019-04:002012-01-03T07:10:59.550-05:00

Up until today, I had always loved Polaner All Fruit. It was truly just fruit with fruit juices. I like their ad campaign from the 80's when the awkward Southerner asks for the "jelly" and shock and horror ensue at the prim and proper dinner table. I am disappointed to report that Polaner All Fruit now contains maltodextrin.  I've learned to check labels each and every time I buy a product

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-72823669948427205852010-04-22T13:25:00.007-04:002011-12-28T19:02:18.627-05:00

This was published in 1957 as part of a series on health and beauty by Joe Bonomo. I'll be sharing much more from him with you soon. But could you imagine something like this being published today for the general female population in America? Would anyone buy it? I suppose many American women in the 50's were so good at staying trim that they needed to get expert advice with putting on the

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-31033972931639666332010-04-08T17:47:00.004-04:002011-12-28T19:04:57.712-05:00

It can sure feel like you're at war, fighting urges to eat too much, or  binge on processed junk food. After all, the "enemy" has propaganda all around you in the form of ads and attractive displays. It's so easy to just reach over and break those promises to yourself and go off of your diet plan, or even just your resolve to eat healthily and not snack all day. What's in your arsenal to keep

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-80403977200626317062010-03-27T16:41:00.006-04:002012-01-03T09:53:52.971-05:00

This is a vintage key chain calorie counter from my personal collection. Before the internet, counting calories involved books and pen and paper.  Heck, maybe you even walked to the library to take out a book of calories. 

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-68936373323382002472010-03-21T07:03:00.004-04:002011-12-28T19:04:07.740-05:00

"When confronted with anything not on your diet, sit with head erect and move head slowly from side to side. This, too, is often very difficult for the beginner."

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-83687373547178578472010-03-17T20:30:00.017-04:002012-01-07T04:51:01.138-05:00

I live in a "time capsule" 1950's ranch house and the kitchen is my favorite place in it! I had always dreamed of living in a mid-century ranch house like my grandmother’s where I spent many happy days as a young child, eating lunch at her chrome dinette set, admiring her figurines in her curio cabinet, watching “I Love Lucy” on her large TV with rabbit ears or looking out of her large multi-pane

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-77589014072992262412010-03-15T20:15:00.007-04:002012-01-03T07:07:43.859-05:00

Watch "The Big Issue": http://www.honkytonk.fr/index.php/thebigissue/ Very powerful look at the obesity "pandemic"* in America and France from a French perspective. *I like their use of "pandemic" instead of "epidemic!"

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-32015737154557919752010-03-14T11:46:00.009-04:002012-01-12T10:36:27.900-05:00

I had been purchasing Shady Brook Farms turkey cutlets for many years. Something I've learned  is that manufacturers frequently change their ingredients which includes adding sugar where there once was none added. So I thought I should check the package of the cutlets. What the....sugar on my turkey cutlets?! Had it always been there and I just didn't notice the fine print on the bottom left?

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-45284083223732656112010-03-07T07:42:00.017-05:002011-12-28T19:03:46.027-05:00

By request, here is a recipe from my vintage 50's recipe book, "Sunday Night Suppers." This recipe is very high in fat and can easily be prepared by reducing the amount of butter added. It's important to realize that many for-profit food industries published cookbooks to promote and encourage the use of their products. That means that they can be very unhealthy, calling for gobs of butter or

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-41643474994065785132010-02-28T11:17:00.003-05:002012-01-03T07:08:33.929-05:00

Something I added to my life about ten years ago is a "Sunday Dinner." In my books dating from the Victorian Era through the 50's there is frequent mention of Sunday Dinner being a special time. Some of the specialness may come from making a roast, or putting out the "better" table settings, or even religious meanings. I don't hear many people mention "Sunday Dinner" anymore other than to mean

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-68867343592302923712010-02-17T13:16:00.009-05:002011-12-28T18:50:32.056-05:00

Bananas are kind of liked prepackaged treats, only the outer wrapper is biodegradable, they have zero fat and are packed with fiber and nutrients. They taste good AND they're very inexpensive!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-64647295395820516732010-02-03T10:19:00.005-05:002011-12-28T18:51:56.156-05:00

I know it looks like that poor woman is sweating things out because she's in a cooker trying to shed some pounds, but really I think it's because she'd dreading having "Savory Pan Fried Liver" for dinner. These recipes are from a 1956 low-calorie cookbook, "Tempting Low-Calorie Recipes." I think I'd rather starve, and perhaps that's the secret to this cookbook!

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-10072653080021528392010-01-29T20:36:00.009-05:002011-06-17T18:42:19.289-04:00

You might find the image above offensive. It's one of many illustrations inside of the book "Better Homes & Gardens Diet Book" published in 1955. What I have learned from reading my  vintage source materials over the years is that it was socially acceptable to use the word "fat" to describe someone who was overweight, although not to the person directly since decorum was still in full force. In

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-30189661440676632602010-01-20T07:11:00.008-05:002011-12-28T18:48:31.263-05:00

In the NY Times is an article about our current culture of kids and snacking. Here is an excerpt: Apparently, we have collectively decided as a culture that it is impossible for children to take part in any activity without simultaneously shoving something into their pie holes. “Children used to come home, change into play clothes and go outside and play with other children,” said Joanne Ikeda,

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-14117430409406272932010-01-19T14:55:00.008-05:002012-01-08T17:50:52.280-05:00

In the 1950's, Americans ate 67% less fat and oil. Even though we know that overdoing is bad for us, we're obviously not getting it. I think a lot of it is because of that self-talk which romanticizes those feel-good-in-the-moment foods. It's hard to rep the good points of carrots and broccoli when we're sexing up the fast food fries! When you consider all of the commercials, ads, TV shows, fast

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985734816506086541.post-32175735638183556322010-01-16T07:34:00.016-05:002011-12-28T18:45:26.533-05:00

It seems innocent enough, this tranquil and charming vintage image of a housewife looking lovingly at the table where she placed her home baked cake. But part of me wonders if she prefers cake to the company of her dear husband. Beware! Let this be a public service message on the dangers of sweets, and a reminder to not take yourself too seriously.

Averylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503623912680511126noreply@blogger.com6