General Grant

Hey Garrett! I've been wanting to watch the Blind Side. It looked really good, based solely off the promos. I'm glad to hear it was worth watching. I guess I'll have to get it from the library. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being awful and 10 being great) how would you rate the movie?

You too?! I also have dial-up, and where we live we can't get an upgrade! (At least that is what the internet-providers tell me... I'm ignorant in the subject so they may just be pulling my leg and I'm none the wiser!) I really feel for you, believe me, it is AWFUL to have dialup. The way I figure it the only thing that dial up does is provide me with a bit of fun when someone who has high-speed uses it and complains about how slow it is. That is pretty funny! Don't worry, GeneralLeeGirl, I also have "spastic" internet... and its cold where I live, too! Actually, Redneck girl, I was upset when we "upgraded" to Windows XP. You see, I'm "techno challenged" and this whole "upgrade" is just downright confusing! I hate technology... sometimes! It comes in handy when it works! Anyway, you are not alone, fellow Dial-Up Users! Hope your internet connection will be good for awhile! I best go before mine cuts me off. General Grant

Hey Everyone! First off, thank you Roger for that wonderful compliment! I was honored (and just to clear it up, no, you weren't in my way!) Garrett- you have the power to beat this, the question now is just: how bad do you want it? You have to want this. It doesn't matter how bad we want this for you, ultimeately at the end of the day, it is your choice. I know you can do this. You can do it! You have the power, and you own this- you have it within you. I do understand how bad cravings can be, now this might sound crazy, but talk to it if you have to. You can say (mentally if you want) "I know you are there, and you aren't going to control me. I'm walking away from you" You have the power to decide and to chose whether they (the cravings) are going to run you, or if you are going to run them out! you can do this, no problem!! daisydukeXenosstraight- That is so great that your dad provides a great environment for you. That is so terrific! I really commend him for that! And it is wonderful that you take so much joy from playing baseball. How did your team do this season? And, good luck in the upcoming season! You guys can do this. I promise to be as much help to everyone as I can, I wish you all the best of luck. From what I've heard everyone say so far (and with a cheerleader like Roger!) I know you can all do this. This is one of those things that you need to do for you, and you are the only one who can do this. You have it in you. Okay, everyday this week, look in the mirror honestly at yourself, and say outloud for the whole world to hear "I can do this, and I am worth it." I'm going to take a risk here and say something that might sound a bit rude or radical, but I really believe this, and I am not trying to sound rude, or arrogant, or self-righteous or anything, but when you think about it, if you don't even try, you are not only cheating yourself, but everyone who loves you, also. You are taking away something from them. You are cheating yourself out of health and confidence, and you are robbing those you love from being able to spend time with you, and they have to watch you suffer through this. I know overweight people and it hurts me to watch them struggle with that and know that ultimeatly THEY are the only one who can change it. I can sit there and preach at them, or give them the tools, or even do the work, but it won't help them if they don't want it. Okay, I'm sorry for going off there. I'm just really passionate about this, and I know y'all have it in you. You CAN do it and you will if you put your mind to it. You are all worth it, and this journey isn't just about losing weight, it is about discovering (or rediscovering) yourself and coming to realize your true inner strength. It is about being confident with yourself, and having the power to change lives. When you change your life, you affect everyone who comes in contact with you. You'll be an inspiration to your kids, parents, siblings, neighbors, co-workers, friends, etc... I wish you the best in this incredible journey! General Grant

Hey Y'all! Okay, texasdaisy, I'll start with you first, then I have a few words for Roger! First off, there are a ton of alternatives for losing weight, and you have to do what works for you. Personally, I think that walking is really the Ultimate weight loss exercise. Take your kids with you, if you want and make it a family activity. Also, you don't have to spend hours in the gym with tons of equipment. I strength train and I only have one bench, a bar, and some weights. Other than that, I don't use any machines, sometimes I dont' even use the weights. I guess if I was you, I would start off with stretching, then walk slowly for a couple minutes, then gradually speed up your walk until you are walking as fast as you can for as long as you can, then slow it back down gradually, and finish up with stretches. TIP: ALWAYS STRETCH BEFORE WORKING OUT. If you dont' stretch you are more prone to injuries and tearing a muscle. That is going to set you back so much farther. Also, don't exercise if you are sick. Another great thing for you to do would be to use your own body weight as resistance, example: exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, crunches, etc... Okay, my personal philosophy (and this doesn't necesarily have any scientific backing) I think that when you are losing weight you should use less weight and move faster, and when you are trying to build muscle, use more weight and slow it way down. But, by "faster" I don't mean you should be going so fast that you let the momentum do all the work. You still want your muscles to do the work. Hey, texasdaisy, get your kids involved. They will probably love it, and it will motivate you. When you get stronger, they can even provide weight for you- have them sit on your shoulders as you do squats, or even push ups! When losing weight, you are basically trying to lose as many calories as possible in your session, where as in building muscle you are trying to fatigue the muscles, because they get stronger during the rest periods. Your muscles "break down" when you work out, and during the rest periods is when your muscles become stronger because they repair themselves to be stronger. Does that make sense? Another tip is not to focus on only calories. A lot of people get so wraped up in how many calories are in every bit of food they eat, that they lose sight of what is healthy and what is not. Be sure to keep an eye on all of the nutritional information. How many grams of fat, sodum, sugar, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc... You need to pay attention to everything because just calorie counting doesn't cut it (in my opinion) You could have two foods with the same amount of calories, but one has four times the fat (we're talking the "bad" fats, but I'll get into that in a later post) and six times the sodium and sugar, while the other has more fiber. Which will be better? I think you get the drift. Also, one of the keys to success is WANTING this. You have to want it bad enough, and follow through. Just talking about it isn't going to get anything done. I completely understand what you mean about a loack of room, texasdaisy, I find that I have the same problem! Fear not, there are a lot of exercises you can do! A couple of exercises that require minimal room are crunches, sit ups, chinups (providing you have a bar), squats, lunges, wall squats, and even exercises where (for now at least) you can use cans of food or milk jugs filled with water as weights. I'm just going to name exercises off, and if you don't know what they are, I can go back and explain. You could start off with stretches, then do a cardio warm up. If you have staris in your home, you could "walk" up and down a single stair, or the whole set, or go for a brisk walk, do jumping jacks, etc... anything to get your heart rate up a little bit. Then move on to strenght training. You can do muscle pairs, or opposites. Pairs would be like shoulders, shoulders, back, back, abs, abs, etc... And opposites would be like abs, back, calves, shins, biceps, triceps, abs, back, etc... Get how that works? For pairs you could do (after your stretches and cardio warm-up, of course!) you could do 10 squats, 10 lunges per leg, 10 calf raises (on BOTTOM step) 10 seated calf raises, 10 shoulder presses, 10push-ups, 10 crunches, 10 reverse curls, 10 tricep kickbacks, etc... And when you start getting bored with a routine (I usually get bored after about two weeks) switch it up, it is your body, you are in control, and you have the power to change. You are accountable for this journey, but I, and it appears Roger and all of Hazzardnet, I'm sure, are behind you. Oh, and as for always being hungry, if you are nursing, I'm sure that is pretty normal. Though you may want to get a professional opinion. Though you may not be eating the right stuff. What do you eat usually? You want to eat "power foods" that are going to give you the most nutrients and will fill you up. My philosophy is to eat more of the foods that aren't packaged or labeled. Typically the more packaged it is, the more processed it is. Thats not to say processed foods don't have their place, I know I certainly indulge on them sometimes! Okay Roger, at the risk of being wrong (and being a bit disagreeable,) I have to disagree with you here. I think that you shouldn't not eat. While not eating will cause you to lose weight, I don't think that it is the healthy alternative. You didn't just sit there to gain weight, and I don't think you should just sit there to lose it either. You made a concious decision to eat that box of Ho-Ho's, or eat that extra pizza, or not work out, and I think it has to be a consious decision to reverse that by working hard to reverse that. That means making a consious decision to have an ounce of dark chocolate instead of a ho-ho, or having a salad instead of pizza, or working out instead of just sitting there wishing the weight away. Do you get what I'm driving at? Okay, three more things, and then I'll stop... I have heard that lemon can help you lose weight. I don't see any harm with putting a couple squirts of lemon in your water (plus it will help you to drink more because you're more apt to drink water if it has a little flavor to it) I've also heard that a teaspoon of honey before and after a workout will help you to perform better and recover quicker, whether that is true or not, I'm not sure. Though I have tried it, I didn't really notice a difference. Another thing is that if you are taking multi-vitamins, here is a cheap and really effective mineral/vitamin supplement. I have tried this one and can tell you that I felt great after doing this awhile (though I stopped, I would not do it every single day, I think I did it for about a month, and stopped for several, and I'll be taking it back up again) But if you go get a better quality apple cider vinegar, you can drink a teaspoon per day (in 8 oz water with some honey or in fruit juice) It supposedly has all the vitamins and minerals in their right proportions. Okay, I think I babbled enough... I hope that helps! General Grant

Right On, Brian! Being a "Wisconsin-ite" myself, that is absolutely 100% true. We talk funny, and everyone seems to know it! Brian, you must have some Wisconsin friends, because you know how to prounouce the name of the state! You can always pick out a "foreigner" because they pronounce it WIS-CON-SIN like Brian said, we pronounce it WI-SKAHN-SIN with the first "i" being short. Anyway, now that I rambled that one to death... No, I don't think Tom has allergies, he just has a bad case of the "Wisconsin Drawl" luckily for the rest of the nation, it isn't contagious! Okay, enough dry humor for now! General Grant

Drat! Someone beat me to this thread! I was contemplating starting a thread for supporting people with weight loss/training. But first, before I go any further, I want to say, "CONGRATULATIONS, MINDUKE!" That must be so exciting for you. Please, let us know if it is a boy or a girl. Okay, back to the thread... I'm not sure if anyone wants my input, but I actually was hoping to study for being a personal trainer, so I do a lot of reading about that. I personally do not have a weight problem, but I find thourough enjoyment in training, and it has helped me, not only physically, but also psychologically and even emotionally. I'm not saying I know it all, because I don't, but I'm more than willing to help, so if anyone has any questions, I have tons of reference books I can look it up, or just give you my opinion (Roger will probably testify that I'm pretty good at giving my opnion!) Anyway, Lori, you are abslolutely right! You are what you are, and you can never have too big a heart! I love that! It is so true, and many people lose sight of that. Though, you do have the power to change, a HUGE part of this journey is confidence in yourself. A lot of people want to lose weight because they are influenced by outside forces (trashy magazines, television, "friends", etc...) and they lose sight of the fact that you need to be happy with yourself. There is no "miracle cure all" and weight loss isn't the answer for raising your confidence, because you will just find something else beat yourself up about. A huge part of this is wanting this for the right reasons. What ever the reason- you want to be healthy, you want to feel great, you want to bench press 100 lb, you want to run in a marathon- what ever your goal, realize it, and stick to it. You Have the power to change, no one else owns that. Sorry for rambling, but I thought of something else. Cravings... we all get them! I'm not at all opposed to fulfillng them- to a point. You can fulfill a craving using healthier alternatives. For instance- dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate- now that's not to say you can eat twice as much of it, but you'd be amazed how a little goes a long way. When I'm training, I eat healthy six days a week, (with a SMALL dessert after lunch and dinner) and then on day seven (Sunday for me) I give myself a day off- "Dirt Day" where I can eat, or not eat, whatever I want from the time I get up until bed time. Boy, it is worth eating right all week to do that. HOWEVER, if you are trying to lose weight, I would probably give yourself more of a "Dirt Half-Day" and don't go crazy with it. Once you have the weight off, enjoy a full dirt day every week. It is my opinion that if you restrict everything that is good and force everything that is unenjoyable, you are literally setting yourself up for failure. You should be enjoying it! (I know, it may sound crazy now...) but really, training can be a whole lot of fun! Change your routines around so you don't get bored, and your body has a funny tendency to adapt to the workouts, and make it a lot harder for you to lose the weight. Most of all, lull your body into losing that weight. Aim for healthy, realistic goals, two to four pounds a week. And Stick with it. You can do it, and you will do it if only you realize your true potential. That being said, I will stop (finally!) But I have to ask this. I have a passion for this topic, and although I don't know all there is to know, it is just something that gives me great joy. It is amazing to see the transformations, not necessarily physically, but how your outlook on life and belief in yourself changes. Would you possibly do me the honor of being "team trainer/consultant"? Let me know your thoughts. Good Luck to everyone in their endeavors, and I know that you all will be able to do well- afterall, you have the support of Hazzard behind you! General Grant

Okay, here is my take on Kay Darleen Duke's question: Does Tom Have Allergies? Well, as wierd as this is going to sound (and I tend to think it isn't true... probably because I am a midwesterner myself...) but I've been told that midwestern people have a "nasal-ly" accent. Personally, I don't ever hear it, but then I've been told I sound "nasal-ly" by some of my cousins who are not midwesterners. I don't know, I guess I never picked up on that. Just a thought...

Hey Everyone! I really liked all of your posts. Those are excellent reasons to LOVE the Dukes. I do agree with everyone who said that the shows now-a-days just don't have the moral fiber they had back then. As a very wise person once said, "Common Sense just isn't common in this country anymore." The Dukes did provide all the common sense, family values, and good ol' fun to sustain one for a lifetime. In my opinion, anyway. Roger, I really think that was great what you said about it is the people on this website that make it like a second home. I really think that this is a wonderful group of people! You are all Just GREAT! I'm so grateful to know that there are other people out there who feel the same about the Dukes, and who value quality shows, such as the Dukes of Hazzard! Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. I really enjoyed reading about why y'all Love the Dukes of Hazzard! General Grant

Congratulations, Roger! You certainly deserve this award. Good Job!