I am not currently “following” any one program;  I am using the best principles of all of the programs I have researched, but also counting points (Weight Watchers style) so that I can control my portions, at least until it becomes so routine that I automatically eat the right amounts.  What’s different this time is that even though I am technically “doing” WW because I am counting points, I am not surviving on 100-calorie packs and WW snacks like I used to, so I feel better! 

Don’t get me wrong—this is Girl Scout season and I WILL have my share of cookies, but I will count the points, eat well otherwise, and force myself to remember that a sleeve of Thin Mints is NOT a serving!!!  ;O)

What are some ideas that YOU have picked up from various books, plans, or programs that you think may be helpful in creating a healthy, well-rounded way of living?

Being a sponge for all things diet and nutrition related for the past 20 years or so, I have been aware of “trigger” foods for quite a while. 

“Trigger foods [can be defined as] any foods that trigger you to overeat and/or binge. They are foods that you just can’t get enough of; one bite is never enough and one helping isn’t enough. Trigger foods can also lead you to overeat on other foods that initially you weren’t even thinking about eating if you feel guilty for eating your trigger foods in the first place!

Some people could have just one trigger food category like ice cream, and others could be triggered by anything sweet, salty, or fatty. Usually trigger foods contain refined sugar, and while trigger foods don’t necessarily lead to a binge, it’s interesting to note that the binge eating survey [done] at The Fit Shack showed that 72% of the survey participants binged on foods that contained sugar.” ( http://www.thefitshack.com/ )

Trigger foods, like people, come in all shapes and sizes.  I had a friend in college who spoke of Papa John’s pizza as if it were made of gold, because her size-zero self had not eaten a slice of her once-favorite food in years, ever since she had kissed her size-16 self goodbye.  On the same note, I recently read a “success story” in a magazine in which a woman mentioned that she knew she could not resist pasta, and therefore had not eaten any pasta in six years.  Six years!  To me, a world without pasta is a very, very sad world!  In another article, someone else could not be around chips because they could not “eat just one”, and yet another had banished chocolate from her lips for the rest of eternity.

A school fundraiser recently led me to discover that cookie dough is my trigger food.  I had purchased two tubs of the yummy goodness from two different fundraisers.  I figured that in addition to the fact that the money would be going to a good cause, it would be perfect because the holidays were right around the corner, and I could simply bake the cookies to bring to various gatherings (ahhhh…how easily we rationalize–I can also find a very good reason why I NEED that new Coach bag!);  however, the dough had other ideas.  It called my name.  It spoke to me.  It blew me sweet little chocolate-infused kisses.  And all of this from the safety of my refrigerator and freezer (I had received one tub still frozen so it went right into the freezer, but the other was completely thawed and needed to be kept in the fridge).

Although I had been making better food choices and attempting to “eat clean”, when the dough was in the house I would get home from work wanting to eat a healthy snack, but would find myself overcome with desire to eat cookie dough.  Not cookies, just the dough.  I would think, “I should have an apple with peanut butter, or some carrots with hummus”, but then I would hear that nagging voice reminding me of the naughty treats which were hiding behind those inconspicuous General Electric doors.  So I would then find a way to rationalize how taking one spoonful of dough wouldn’t be so bad, because although it wouldn’t provide the nutritional benefits of a healthier snack, it would contain about the same number of calories, although in a much smaller, denser, less-filling form.  

I believe it was the moment that I found myself chiseling off a small chunk of frozen cookie dough that I realized I could not keep it around any longer.  While I was not consuming obscene amounts of the substance at any given time, I was appalled by how consumed I had become with thoughts of eating it, trying to avoid eating it, rationalizing eating it, etc.  I am trying to avoid that 4-letter word “DIET”, and therefore am also trying to avoid counting calories, “points” , or anything else, so there really was no way to justify fitting cookie dough into my healthier way of living.  So I pulled the trigger.  No, I didn’t take the dough out back and shoot it, or flush it down the toilet.  I baked it. 

This might seem like a crazy topic for someone who does not have food issues, but as I have discovered lately, most of us do have a twisted relationship with food, in one way or another.  On my journey to become a healthier human, I hope to work through these issues, and create a healthier relationship with food and eating.  I truly believe that healthy relationships bring health and happiness into our lives, whether the relationship is with a person, a situation, or an inanimate object. 

So I challenge you to take this opportunity to bring happiness into your own life, and kick that lazy good-for-nothing boyfriend off the couch and out the door.  And let him take the cookie dough with him….

Yoga is not for fat people.  This is what I was thinking as I struggled through my first yoga workout.

Please do not take offense to my use of the word “fat”.  I am fat.  I am trying to become “less fat”.  After years of hearing people (including myself) being referred to as “heavy”, “chubby”, or a plethora of other euphemisms, I have finally learned how to simply say the word.  Fat.  There.  I said it.  Moving on….

The day after my first try on the FIRM Wave, I received my first yoga dvd in the mail (this is what happens when I get Target gift cards for my birthday–I order things which I might not have spent the money on otherwise).  Eager to see what the yoga fuss is all about, I opted to skip my Wave workout and give the yoga dvd a try.

I did quite a bit of research on yoga dvd’s for beginners before finally deciding on The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga.  Within the first five minutes of pushing “play” I knew I had made the right choice. 

There were many things which I noticed right away that made this program stand out.  First, the dvd is very user-friendly.  The dvd menu prompts you to customize your workout with a few clicks of the remote.  Since this was my first brush with yoga, I created a very basic program including a 5-minute warm-up, a 20-minute (Level 1) workout, and a 5-minute cool-down.

I also liked that Bob (Harper, of The Biggest Loser) is very straight-forward and encouraging, and also stresses that you don’t have to be perfect in order for the workout to be effective.  Also, the music in the background is relaxing and peaceful without being too “flutey”, and you can choose to listen to the music with or without Bob’s instruction.

Something else I liked is that the people in the video are past Biggest Loser contestants– men and women, of various shapes, sizes, and fitness levels.  I was able to get through the workout using the modifications shown for beginners (with Bernie as my fearless leader!), but it wasn’t easy.  While some moves, such as Warrior 1 & 2 were very enjoyable, others, such as certain moves from the Downward Dog position as well as planks, were extremely challenging, even when modified.  It seems as though quite a few yoga moves involve supporting your weight on your hands, and well, when you’ve got a lot of weight to support, and two little hands on which to support it, it’s not the most fun experience.

Not one to be easily discouraged, I plan to stick with the workouts, and hope they will get easier.  Not because I want an easy workout, but because I want to be able to enjoy the benefits of yoga as much as I think I would if I were in better shape. 

Exhale….

What happened was… I had received a few Target gift cards for my birthday and they were burning a hole in my wallet;  I was afraid that if I waited until I completed those 20 workouts, the gift cards would be long gone by the time I wanted to order it so… long story short, it arrived two days ago.

I was tracking the package online from work (in an only slightly obsessive manner), and was thrilled when the status finally read “delivered”.  After fielding questions from the husband (“What exactly IS a ‘waver’ ?”, he asked), I couldn’t wait to get home to see my Wave in person.  The box was very light, and inside the contents were quite basic:  the actual “Wave” (which resembles a curved aerobic step), as well as a small plastic bag holding the dvd case which includes the 3 dvd’s, a  Weight Loss Success Guide containing a meal plan and rotation calendar (telling you which workouts to do on which days), and an instruction sheet (the kit does NOT include the resistance bands which are shown in the infomercial.  I researched this online but could not find anything that said whether they were or were not included.  As described in the dvd, you may upgrade your system by ordering the Speed Slimming System Deluxe Upgrade, which includes 2 additional dvd’s as well as the resistance bands).

Although in various reviews I had read not to step on the Wave without first watching the instructional video, of course I immediately took it out of the box, flipped that baby over, and got on.  Fortunately, it did not go flying across the room when I stepped on it, and neither did I. 

At first, standing on the Wave felt a bit awkward, but once I completed the 10-minute instructional video (which explains the correct way to step on and off of the Wave), I was much more comfortable on it.  Just as I mentioned after I had first seen the infomercial for the Wave, there is just something about this piece of equipment that draws you to it.  Even my husband (who was also shocked that neither myself nor the Wave had gone flying across the room at any point during the workout) hopped right on it as soon as he walked in the door.

As with other FIRM workouts I have tried in the past, the Wave didn’t let me down.  Some of the moves seemed a little silly at first (like swimming through the air), but after a few reps you can feel that they are also effective.  Using the Wave in the anchored position, I must admit, made squats and lunges almost “fun”, and I even enjoyed the floorwork (abs and stretching) which I usually dread. 

There is no doubt you will build your core strength when you flip the Wave over into the rocking position.  You must use your core muscles to stabilize yourself, (similar to using a “Bosu” trainer), which makes the basic moves extra challenging. 

If you are already a very fit person, it is unlikely that this will be the most demanding workout you have ever tried, but it is something different, and, as with other FIRM workouts, my favorite part is that these routines are designed to be adjusted from a beginner level up through intermediate and advanced, so you shouldn’t get bored or outgrow this system too quickly. 

I think my only complaint may be that my favorite FIRM instructor, the beloved Allie DelRio, apparently prefers her hair straight now, which of course I found slightly traumatizing (I am, after all, The “Curl” Next Door)! 

Next stop…YOGA!

http://www.firmdirect.com/firm/ecs/main/index.html

I had this realization the other day when I was in a store buying some candles.  After smelling 20 different candles, I finally decided on two great fall scents (buy one get one free, how could I resist?).  When I went to the counter to pay, the cashier told me that they were having a sneak peek of the winter scents, and that I could add any of those candles to my purchase for just a few dollars more.  I answered, “No thank you.  I already have those.  I bought them last year… and never burned them.”  As soon as the words spilled out of my mouth, I realized how stupid they sounded.  Not only did it occur to me that I didn’t get to enjoy them when I bought them last year, but also that by the time I do decide to use them, they probably won’t even smell as nice.  What was I saving them for anyway? 

I have noticed this “saving” happening in other aspects of my life, and other people’s lives as well.  All too often, I hear someone say how they are saving a certain indulgence for when they become, it seems, a better version of themselves.  They’ll dress better once they fit in a smaller size, get their hair colored or cut once they lose those pesky ten pounds, or start eating and cooking healthier meals once they have the time to clean and organize the house.  Don’t we deserve all of these things today?

Why are so many of us so afraid to live in the “now”?  If we treated ourselves better now, maybe we’d be more inspired to do those other things–if we took better care of our appearance now, maybe we’d have a stronger desire to work harder to lose the weight that makes us feel bad about ourselves.  Or if we began cooking healthier meals, we may be motivated to clean and organize the kitchen, in order to make that preparation easier and more enjoyable.

I am learning more and more as each day passes that life is short.  We never know how many more days we have left, and just that knowledge should make each day a significant one.  So why not live in the “now”, now?  Stop saving the good stuff in your life and make today that special day…. 

Use the good china, wear that special dress, and for Pete’s sake–burn your candles!

Don’t get me wrong, I do not dislike this woman.  She is beautiful, cheery, and seems like someone you’d want to be friends with (except, of course, for the fact that she’d try to sell you something different every time you hung out with her)!

So what’s her latest must-have item?  Well, the now-blonder TCL is promoting…(drum roll, please!)…The Shake Weight!  The dumbbell-shaped contraption that uses inertia to tone your upper body.  It is an odd-looking piece of workout equipment that makes the user look even wackier when using it;  HOWEVER, it seems to be getting decent reviews.

I am curious: 

Have YOU tried the Shake Weight, or do you know someone who has? 

What is the wackiest piece of fitness equipment you have ever tried?  Did you realize it was too good to be true, or were you shocked to find that you got great results?

With billions of dollars being spent every year on health, diet & fitness products, I think reviews from REAL people (no offense to all the “Commercial Ladies” and “Commercial Dudes” out there!) are the most helpful to those of us looking for something new to “shake up” our diet and fitness routines….

***For more info on the Shake Weight:  https://www.shakeweight.com/ver6/index.asp

This time, though, I wanted to do something different.  I have heard about the various tours that are offered, and have always been especially intrigued by the one that takes you into the legendary “underground tunnels”.  So I found it.  It’s called the Backstage Magic tour, and I am going to attempt to describe it in a nutshell, for anyone who might be interested.  I am not going to go into great detail, but if you plan on taking the tour and don’t want to ruin any of the surprises, stop reading now!

The tour is one of the priciest, because it takes you to 3 parks,  lasts about 7 and a half hours, and includes lunch.  (Tip:  if you pay for the tour using the Dsney Visa, you get a 20% discount!)

Your day begins at a clearly-marked meeting point in front of EPCOT at 8:45 in the morning.  You are given a name tag and an assisted listening device (which was comfortable enough to wear all day, and allowed us to hear everything over the noise of all that was going on around us).  If you are not there by 9, you will be left behind.  Although, this is Disney, so apparently if you are late they will get you to where you need to be, like the honeymooners in our group who “overslept”. 

I was instructed when I booked the tour to not bring bags, phones, or cameras, but all were allowed;  however, you may only take photos when you are “on-stage” (in areas open to the public), and our bags were checked a total of 4 times, for WMD’s (weapons of MOUSE destruction).

Our tour was led by 2 Disney veterans who kept us interested and entertained the entire day.  We rode around on an air-conditioned Disney Cruise Line bus, and cold water bottles (as well as bathroom breaks) were made available to us throughout the day.

The tour began with a drive through the back of EPCOT, stopping at the American Experience, one of my favorite attractions.  Backstage, we got to see how everything works, (I won’t tell exactly what we saw, or how it worked), and I have to say it was really interesting.  The best part, though, may have been learning about the visual tricks (“forced perspective”) Disney uses to get guests to see and feel certain things.

After EPCOT we headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where we were taken to the back of one of the most popular thrill-rides.  We learned a lot about how it was created, and how it works, and it is not at all how I thought.  Very cool stuff.  (Then we took a bathroom break inside the park, where we got strange looks from guests who were trying to figure out who the big herd of people with name tags and earpieces were–pretty funny!)

Then, it was off to the Disney Tree Farm.  We learned about how all of the character-shaped topiaries are made, and got to see many of them in various stages of growth.  Quite beautiful.

Lunch was served up family-style at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  It was all-you-can-eat bbq.  It was delicious, and gave us a chance to get to know the other people in our group (mostly older couples, but also a family of 4, the honeymoon couple mentioned earlier, and one lone ranger–this is definitely a tour you can do solo).

After lunch we headed to a few more locations.  Some of these places were more fascinating than others (each tour may vary, and the tours also evolve with time).  We felt that we spent a little too long behind the scenes of Disney laundry, although it was interesting, because it’s not something most people ever think about.  We did, however, get to see how costumes go from ideas all the way to completion, and also got to see where ideas for attractions come to fruition. 

In the area where components of attractions are inspected, maintained, and repaired, we saw the cars from Space Mountain, inside and out (not a spoiler, because Space Mountain is curently closed;  if you go in the future, you will likely see other things being worked on).

Finally, we found ourselves at Magic Kingdom.  We snuck in from a hidden entrance (just as we did at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios), and ended up right on Main Street.  We followed the enticing scent of freshly-baked cookies (which I was later shocked to discover does NOT really come from the cookies!), and stopped on Main Street where we had an amazing view of the afternoon parade. 

Of course, by this time, we were all wondering the same thing–do those underground tunnels really exist???  I had always heard rumors of a tunnel system running under the Magic Kingdom, but never knew whether to believe it.  They do indeed exist (again, not a spoiler, because this is listed on the tour description on the Disney website). 

While the tunnels (called “utilidors”) were probably the most top-secret and highly-anticipated element of the tour, the tidbits of history and trivia passed on from our guides really made the tour worth the time and money spent.  They really conveyed their knowledge of the Disney philosophy, and gave all of us the chance to catch a small glimpse into the heart of Walt Disney himself, and the “magic” that he believed to be the “real” world.

I would definitely recommend taking this tour if you are a lover of all that is Disney World.  Even if you consider yourself to be a bit of a Disney know-it-all, I believe you will find some surprises along the way….

***If you would like more info on anything regarding the tour, just ask.

If you are a healthy eater and are considering a trip to Walt Disney World, but fear that you will not be able to keep up with your healthy lifestyle, FEAR NOT!

There have been quite a few changes in WDW over the past decade or so.  In addition to the traditional comfort foods you would expect to find (such as burgers, chicken fingers, and pizza), you will also find healthy options at every turn. 

For breakfast in any Disney hotel, you will find a food court and/or sit-down restaurants or buffets offering everything from Mickey waffles with bacon, to omelets and freshly baked beignets and cinnamon rolls; however, you will also find oatmeal, cold cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, juice, and even soy milk.

You will also be able to find grilled chicken of some sort, as well as sandwiches, wraps, and salads (with varying ratios of nutritional benefits to naughtiness), in all of the parks and hotels.

As for snacks, the ice cream carts that sell those infamous chocolate-dipped Mickey bars now also sell fresh fruit and veggies, as well as other low-cal snacks, including pickles.  Crazy, huh?

In my last post, I stated that we packed a bag of healthy snacks  before we left for our trip.  This worked out great;  on the drive up to Orlando, we munched on fresh fruit, veggies, and nuts, skipping the usual greasy-burger stop along the way.  The granola and protein bars we packed came in handy for snacks in the hotel, as well as quick breakfasts before we headed out for our daily adventures.

Don’t get me wrong–we ate.  And ate.  And drank. (We were at the FOOD & WINE Festival, after all!)   But it was good to know we had so many healthy options at our fingertips.  Somehow eating an organic granola bar for breakfast makes you feel a little better about eating and drinking “around the world” at EPCOT, or indulging in a ridiculous Polynesian feast at Ohana (which, by the way, ends with a completely scandalous bread pudding creation drenched in a delectable bananas foster sauce)! 

I have heard (and said) these words so many times before.

But as I established in my first post, I am never going on a DIET again!  So this means I will NOT be starting anything when we get back 3 days from now, but rather that we will attempt to eat as healthy as possible while still enjoying ourselves to the max.  I mean, come on, we are going up to Orlando for the FOOD & Wine Festival…we have no intentions of depriving ourselves of anything, but we also don’t need to strap on that gluttonous feedback that so many of us associate with vacations, especially in Disney!

The best part, is that my husband and I are on the same page with this, which helps so much.  We have changed a lot of our habits (the fact that he has lost 40 pounds in the past few months and looks amazing is a topic for an entirely different post, soon to come…). 

As I was waiting for my turn to get ready (the joys of a 1/1 apartment!), I decided maybe I should pack a few snacks.  In the past, a trip to Orlando always meant a stop along the way for a greasy lunch paired up with sugary sodas and/or coffees.  But I had an idea–if we at least pack a bag of healthy stuff to take with us (remember how upset I was when I wasn’t PREPARED during the cookie outbreak of ’09?), we would at least have options for snacks in the car and hotel.  So I grabbed a bag and filled it with individual portions of nuts and organic trail mix, grapes, apples, carrots, protein bars, organic granola bars, and of course, water.

Like I said earlier, we are going to the Food & Wine Festival, and we are going to eat and drink.  We have been having drool-worthy dreams of cheddar cheese soup and lobster rolls since we left last year.  And the beer…oh, the beer!  We love Sam Adams, and he and his array of fine products are very well-represented at this event!  But again, this does not mean that by the end of the weekend we need to end up looking and feeling like Chet at the end of Weird Science (a big blob of disgustingness, for those of you not keen on your 80′s movie trivia)!

So our bag is packed and ready to go.  I am curious to see the results of this preparation–will we be thankful for the healthy, delicious snacks we have on hand, or will they sit in the bag untouched?

Oooh, my turn for the shower! 

After the PCOS diagnosis, we had decisions to make.  My doctor was completely convinced that he would be able to get me pregnant–ok, get your minds out of the gutter!–but we had to choose which route to take.  Route #1 was the much less expensive, much less invasive option, but route #2 had a much higher success rate.  Being young-ish, and just at the beginning of this journey, (not to mention broke), we chose the first option.

Here are the Cliff’s Notes:  time passed, I popped various pills, gave myself injections, and we finally got to where we needed to be.  We made one attempt (basically involving a turkey baster, for anyone who isn’t following), and then came the wait.  I had a feeling I knew what the result would be, because I didn’t “feel” anything, and I just thought that I would have known if I were pregnant, but we were still hopeful.

I finally got the phone call, with the result I had been dreading, but expecting.  I spoke with the doctor, and we went over the options for our next step.  When I hung up the phone, I was completely gung-ho to go for option #2.

When I got home and shared this excitement with my husband, he looked at me and said he didn’t think we were ready for that.  He felt that we were not in a place to make that kind of financial commitment, and worried that if it did work,  we then wouldn’t be able to afford to take care of the baby. 

It wasn’t the reaction I had hoped for, but as soon as he said it, I knew he was right.  I was thinking with my hormones and emotions, and he was thinking with his head.  We decided that, after a year or so of drugs, shots, almost daily appointments, exams, mood swings, side effects, high hopes, and disappointments, it was time for a break–emotionally, physically, and financially.

I was sad for about 2 minutes (literally), and then, all of a sudden, a huge wave of relief came over me.  For the first time in a LONG time, we were not preoccupied with the obsession of becoming pregnant, or consumed by the fear of it not happening. 

I even debated for a while soon after this experience whether I wanted to pursue this whole “parenting” thing at all.  I almost had myself convinced that it might not be worth it if it doesn’t happen “naturally”, but then one little girl’s face changed my mind. 

One of my co-workers/friends  had gone through a similar experience when she tried to get pregnant;  however, she and her husband chose option #2, and ended up with a beautiful little girl.  One day this little girl performed a song for our staff.  She was in pre-k at the time, and I believe the occasion was a going-away celebration for another co-worker who was moving.  This little girl stood up and began to sing “You Are My Sunshine” with a small group of other children, and just sitting there watching her, I knew that everything her mother had gone through was worth it….

It has been about a year and a half since that day, and we are still “on a break” (not a Ross & Rachel kind of break, just an “if it happens, it happens” kind of break).  We are hopeful that something will happen on its own, and if nothing happens in the next few years then we will go back to debating once again between options 1 and 2;  but for now, we are content with things just the way they are….