My latest trick has been to turn off the house heat in winter - mainly because ever since Hurricane Katrina five years ago the prices for car and home insurance have skyrocketed, reasonable deductibles of $1,000 has zoomed up to $17,000 to $28,000, so have prices for energy, food and gas for the car and property taxes.
Basically, the Republicans sloughed off centralized cheaper taxes onto the states forcing the locals to go up on literally everything. That and under President Bush they did nothing to regulate the insurance industry from raping and pillaging people here on the Gulf Coast. Only this past year has this insanity of no regulation and high prices swept all across America impacting everyone now.
We've been paying outrageous prices for five years and finally something had to give, so it was heating the house. So, my husband and I took the economic challenge as just another grin to lose a small bit of extra weight. Besides, the food is sooooo good in south Louisiana that it is easy to put on weight especially during the holiday season. It seems like we are always dieting to stay ahead of "the curves." :)
Now, I do live in south Louisiana where the weather rarely gets below 25 degrees F. so keep that one in mind in case you decide to turn off your house heat. Our house holds the heat well and maintains a temperature about 20 to 30 degrees above the outside temperature, making the house about 50 to 60 degrees F.
One of my other goals is that I was trying to prepare us to move out of state to a much colder state, getting us used to the cold. I've since noticed a real metabolism benefit, a win-win! :) Also noticed we no longer suffer from colds and sinus conditions like everyone else around here. Our bodies seem to be thanking us for choosing to be less comfortable because it has made us healthier.
Now along comes this new medical technique of literally melting fat with extreme cold and it sounds intriguing - especially since it does not involve surgery. Surgery always brings risks from bacteria and response to anesthesia. The technique uses extreme cold to literally melt the body fat from within under the skin. It isn't recommended for people suffering from obesity thought they don't say why. It seems to work the best with those relatively close to their ideal body weight. Over a two to six month period, the body naturally eliminates the excess now melted fat. Pretty cool idea! Just wonder how safe it is - as these new techniques rarely go without side effects. Well, I guess you can always try my "melt off the fat" technique... :)
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