Welcome

Americans are fat. Dieting sucks.

That's not exactly a newsflash. We're bombarded by messages telling us we need to lose weight, how to do it and why we will fail.

Information, as well as misinformation, is abundant. Adequate support is not so easy to find.

my collection of "plans"

Half of my friends are trying to lose weight, anywhere from 10 pounds to 100. And at least some of the other half are not telling me about it. In the past 25 years of struggling with weight, the only times I've been successful at losing was when I did it with friends. Support can make a huge difference in tackling a problem.

This blog is an invitation to my friends (both existing and those I haven't met yet) to share our experiences in finding our best healthstyle and sticking to it. Expect to find links to resources around the web as well as recipes, recommendations and encouragement. Don't expect to find rules, a plan or chastisements. This is about figuring out what works for us as individuals and how we can help each other: vegan for some, paleo for others, hugs for all.

Any blog is influenced by the biases of its creator and manager, so I'll be upfront about mine. I'm a big fangirl of Michael Pollan. I love his mantra "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I've been successful at the first part and the last part for decades and am working really hard on the middle part.

I favor organic foods; I think the evidence that organic is better for the planet is stronger than the evidence that organic is better for our health. Although I advocate for organic food, I'm not a purist and I won't sit in judgment on anyone's Meijer shopping cart (I go there, too). In fact, I believe feeding the nearly 10 billion people who will inhabit this planet by 2050 will require more cooperation between organic and conventional agriculture.

I'm enthusiastic about alternatives to the money-based economic structure. I've been intensely involved with a local currency project and a member-owned natural foods cooperative. I've bartered for goods and services, and I've worked countless hours in exchange for coupons, courtesy admissions, thanks, or (most frequently) no direct benefit (a.k.a volunteering). I believe that cash/money is a tool for facilitating exchange, but it should only be the means to an end, never the ends. Although I intend to "monetize" this blog (if 10,000 Russians stop by, why shouldn't I collect a penny for their page views?), I'm happy to directly trade any local services I may provide (jars of hummus, loaves of bread, dinners, feature writing, etc.) for yours.

Other opinions and biases will no doubt be revealed as we continue.

I intend to update this blog daily (yes, daily -- that's not a typo!), so check back frequently. Leave your tips, suggestions, complaints, achievements, frustrations and recommendations in the comments section (or e-mail me if you'd prefer) and I'll include your input in the next posting.

Special Offer for Local Friends:

Attend a weekly support meeting at my house and enjoy lunch or dinner, prepared by me, for free! Space is limited, so let me know via e-mail, text, phone or Facebook message if you're interested. I can probably manage two lunch meetings a week and one dinner; the dinner will be Monday evenings at 6:30, beginning after Labor Day, and two spaces are already reserved.