Sereduck’S Story Tops Them All

Sun., Oct. 10, 1999

By Susan English susane@spokesman.com

Kudos to Debbee Sereduck, a Spokane Valley resident whose picture and story will appear in two national magazines this fall.

Sereduck, who drives a school bus for East Valley School District, has shed 235 pounds (186 of those through the Take Off Pounds Sensibly program) in six years. The story of the lifestyle changes that impressive effort required will appear in the October Fitness for Women magazine and the November Prevention magazine.

Sereduck says she’s tried just about every method of weight loss - from fad diets to starving to electric shock therapy - and none worked long-term before she signed up with TOPS.

She follows a menu, eats smaller portions, avoids second helpings and “family time now consists of square dancing, bike rides, walks, swimming and other great outdoor things instead of sitting in front of the TV,” she says.

* A fresh perspective: College freshmen say the biggest event in their lives so far is losing their virginity.

In a nationwide survey by CampusCruiser.com, 400 college freshmen ranked big events in their lives. In order, they said their big events were having sex for the first time, followed by the fall of the Berlin Wall, seeing their parents naked for the first time, a tie between Prince Diana’s death and getting their driver’s license and President Clinton admitting his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

OK, but seeing their parents naked for the first time? (From Knight Ridder news service)

* In the global village: The Chinese government continues to limit urban families to one child and rural families who need agricultural labor to two children.

And the society continues to value boy babies, which prompts many couples to resort to sex-selective abortions.

Abortion in China is free and the use of ultrasound, although technically illegal for such purposes, makes it much easier to ensure the birth of boys.

According to official Chinese figures, 97.5 percent of the aborted fetuses are girls.

At the edge of the 21st century, how can this still be going on? (From October Marie Claire)

* Think about it: The average American spends four hours a day watching television. In a 65-year lifetime, that’s 11 years of watching instead of doing. (From the Philadelphia Inquirer)

* Find a new excuse: Percentage of people who actually experience a midlife crisis: 10. (From October Health)

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