The Diet So Far and More About Red Hair

  You may have read something about the Midwest weather at the moment, so yes, it is amazingly cold here!  There have only been two days of school this week, and it looks like there won't be school tomorrow either. It's not because of the snow, it's because of the cold. We have been in the negative numbers, made even lower  by the wind chill factor. I was supposed to get started on my paper and carpet stripping, and all that stuff, but with Ivy home and the temperature so low, even in our house,I have instead been vegging on the couch with Ivy, watching tv. I have been doing one thing I said I was going to do, and that's dieting. You have no idea how much I hate not being able to enjoy a nice glass of chocolate milk or some dessert. I'm a sweets person. That's my downfall. Plus I love cheese. So sugar and dairy are what I miss the most. I have dieted seriously before, and I lost about 40 pounds both times. Unfortunately,it came back. At least this time not all of it has come back yet.The first time it took me 6 years to try again. This time I've been on and off with it, so the damage isn't quite as great. I have been working on it this week, and so far I've lost just over half a pound. Talk about a drop in the bucket! But it's a step in the right direction. I'm never going to weigh 105 again, (Don't panic. I'm only 5' tall, and both sides of my family are just small people.), but weighing less than I do would be great. I know I feel better when I'm not so fat. I have less aches and pains, and everything is just easier to do. It's a lot of work hauling all this around. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing. Knowing that people are reading this will help keep me trying. When the weather gets better I hope to get on my bicycle again. I'm not good on exercising, but I love riding a bike.
   For those of you who  have red hair, I have some more info along the lines of my Red Heads Week posts. According to a 2009 Harvard Medical School study redheads have nearly a 50% greater chance of developing Parkinson's than people with other hair colors. The colour with the lowest chance is black hair,then  brunettes, and then blondes.The reason is that the mutated gene that causes red hair is very close to a gene that can cause Parkinson's if it mutates, and being next to a mutated gene can cause another gene to mutate. Yay. I do have some safety margin. According to Svetlana Kogan, M.D., an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital, (and a redhead), the lighter your shade of red, the more likely you are to develop the mutated Parkinson's gene.Harvard researcher, Xiang Gao, M.D., Ph.D. says, “We found that people with a family history of melanoma had an increased risk of Parkinson’s.”
  Another result of the study explains me, my Dad, and my son Fuzzy. Apparently the same genetic factors that control melanin production,(that gives hair it's colour),also affect how your body manages stress. Margaret Lewin, M.D., a New York internist said,“The genes responsible for the ability to produce anti-stress hormones live close to melanocortin-1 receptors.” So we're back to the thing about mutated genes causing nearby genes to mutate. The 'red hair gene' can cause the hormones that produce anxiety reducing natural chemicals like pregnenolone to malfunction.Well, I knew we didn't manage stress well. Now I know why. (And of course that helps...)  
  I'll be back with some doll related posts soon.