Советы Хелойз: от диеты «больше движения, меньше еды» до опасностей высокого давления воды

Dear Heloise: I’d like to respond to Patty W. She wanted to lose weight for her son’s wedding. I also wanted to lose weight for my son’s wedding a few years ago. The best diet advice I received was free and easy; it was simply “more exercise, less eating” — or MELE for short. It was easy for me to remember. I started walking more often and further distances. I swam as best I could and ensured that I was doing some sort of movement daily. I ate smaller portions and saved my “bad foods” for the weekends only instead of cutting them out altogether. It took a while, but I made it and kept it off! I call it my “MELE lifestyle.” Thanks for all your hints over the years! — Barbara, in San Juan Capistrano, California Barbara, great job keeping the weight off! Readers, before starting any diet, you should always make sure to get a clean bill of health from your doctor. — Heloise Looking for new friends Dear Heloise: Recently, I participated in a practice trial at a law firm for which I was paid, but my other goal was to meet people. It was a diverse group age-wise and occupation-wise. However, at each break, the other 20 participants immediately got on their cellphones. I was never able to exchange more than “good morning” or “good afternoon.” This scenario has been a trend at a number of events I’ve attended. I’m not shy, having worked in the hospitality industry for decades, and I truly enjoy people. — P.M., in St. Louis P.M., don’t give up! Many people have met friends at church, at a political function or with a group that gathers for a worthy cause, such as the preservation of historic buildings. You also could volunteer in a hospital or with an animal rescue group. If there are evening classes near you, find something interesting that you’d like to learn (or teach) and check it out. You might enjoy pottery or learning how to speak French. I learned American Sign Language in night school and loved it. You’re on the right path; just try other sources. — Heloise Dusty artificial plants Dear Heloise: Thank you for my daily dose of helpful hints! I love your column. Do you have a home remedy for cleaning artificial plants? My plants get so dusty, and the store products are very expensive. Any help you can give me will be so appreciated (probably by others as well). — Deb E., in The Villages, Florida Deb, for leafy plants, a slightly damp cloth to wipe down the leaves should do the trick. Afterward, wipe the leaves dry with a clean, soft cloth. If you have artificial flowers that have become dusty over time, pour about 1 1/2 cups of table salt into a plastic bag. Stick the head of the flower into the bag of salt and hold the bag closed with a firm grip. Shake it vigorously. The salt will cause the flowers to shake off dirt. — Heloise Serrated fruit spoon Dear Heloise: Our grandchildren were visiting recently, and the ice cream was too hard to scoop. We all know about warming the scoop up with hot tap water, but another idea is to use a serrated fruit spoon. Wow! Who knew? — Bren M., in Virginia Squirrel food Dear Heloise: A recent column included a letter about squirrel food. You wrote to never feed a squirrel cashews, sunflower seeds, dried corn or pine nuts. I’ve been feeding my squirrels corn, cashews and sunflower seeds. I was under the impression that these were good for them. I have been feeding my backyard group of squirrels these products for some time now, and so far, the little furry guys seem to be doing OK. P.S. I read your column everyday in the San Antonio Express-News. — Cody N., in San Antonio Cody, the debate about whether to give sunflower seeds and/or corn to squirrels is ongoing. Corn isn’t high in nutritional value, and many sunflower seeds have salt, which can cause kidney problems for squirrels. Sunflower seeds also lack a number of vitamins that squirrels need. Anything containing onions or garlic can irritate their digestive system. Chocolate contains thobromine, which can kill a squirrel. After doing some research, I found that birdseed mix isn’t recommended because it contains corn. Squirrels will eat birdseed mix, but it’s not recommended. However, squirrels love carrots and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans. They will also eat broccoli, peas, yellow squash and zucchini. Do not feed Brazil nuts, chestnuts or cashews (which are actually legumes) to squirrels. If your little colony of squirrels is doing well, then you must be doing something right. My group of squirrels love fruit, so I chop up apples, berries, pears and other fruit to keep them happy and out of the bird feeder. — Heloise High water pressure ruins appliances Dear Heloise: I discovered that my water pressure is at 180 PSI (pounds per square inch), which is probably part of the reason why so many of my toilets and appliances that require water don’t seem to last very long. In my area, we are supposed to have a water pressure that is no higher than 80 PSI. If any of your readers are in doubt, they can call the water department and ask to have someone come out and check on the water pressure in their home. If the water pressure is too high, they’ll need to have a water pressure reducing valve installed to prevent the pressure on the water lines from breaking and ruining appliances. — Holly L., in San Antonio Send hints to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001 or email [email protected].