Archive for March, 2009
Cravings … Sweet Cravings
I’ve given into my cravings for the past week or so … usually in the form of chocolate.
Journaling everything, but not denying myself anything, really.
Which can be both positive and negative, depending on the situation.
The thing is, I’ve been an insatiable beast, and my period is over a week away!
My self-analysis says that I stopped the chewing/spitting, but am still buying some triggers … perhaps to test myself? The thing is, I don’t NEED any of it; I just WANT it.
So the next step is a logical one, don’t test yourself, don’t buy the triggers. (more…)
14 comments March 31, 2009
Melissa’s Strength Training Program
You might recall that about a month ago I met with my trainer, Cristi, for the first time.
We went through one sample “day” each time we met, but because of my trip to Mexico and then being out sick for a week, it literally took us five sessions to get through everything.
Now I’ve completed a little over a week on my own, and I thought I’d share what my regimen looks like.
She isn’t hell-bent on cardio the way I am, but though I’m not stating it explicitly with each session, you can assume I’m doing 45-60 minutes cardio six days a week, in addition to this lifting schedule (with random biking and walking thrown in when the weather cooperates).
Knowing my goals (to slim down again and get toned) she designed my lifting program to be heavily cardio-centric. In fact, I wear my heart rate monitor the whole time and because I’m doing super-sets with limited time to rest, my heart rate really gets up there even while lifting (more…)
5 comments March 31, 2009
Rachel’s Wickedly Delicious Cottage Cheese
My blog is not a food blog, and I don’t typically do product reviews … but every now and then I come across something worth sharing with my readers.
Today is one of those days. Recently, I found a yummy protein-packed, no-fake-sugar delight and wanted to share with you all: Rachel’s Wickedly Delicious Cottage Cheese.
Has anyone else fallen in love with this? I was soooo excited to see it at my local grocery store and again at Whole Foods in Ann Arbor this weekend.
I haven’t tried her yogurt line yet, but now I’m going to now. if it’s half as good as the cottage cheese, she’ll have a new fan! (more…)
11 comments March 30, 2009
Sad Stat
I read a really sad stat in the April issue of Women’s Health at the gym this weekend that I want to share today, at the beginning of a new week. It was buried on the lower left corner of page 22 in one of those By The Numbers sections.
“19: Percentage of women who say they’re happy with their bodies.”–
Source: Survey by the American Dental Association, Crest and Oral-B.
WHOA. This gave me pause. It was a little teensy newsflash that has legs, will travel … if only anyone else picked up on what a telling stat it was.
My first thought: THIS should be an investigative report in and of itself, Women’s Health, not a miniscule blurb! (And mind you, WH is probably my fave of all the fitness/health mags to which I subscribe).
Don’t you think? I mean, I imagined the numbers to be maybe 50, maybe 60 percent … but only a mere 19 percent? of the women sampled were happy with their bodies?!!
We all know surveys are a sampling and not the be-all, end-all… but how does that translate to the general popuplation? Are you saddened or surprised by that stat, or did you think it spoke the truth? (more…)
12 comments March 30, 2009
Where I’m At
I don’t usually post on the weekends, but my husband is studying and I haven’t been on my laptop all weekend, so I hope you don’t mind a random weekend post.
I do have a post coming tomorrow, but I thought tonight would be a good night to do a recap on what the past two weeks have been like for me.
So here’s a 360 “performance review” of my state of being … mentally, as well as physically.
-I haven’t chewed or spit in nearly two weeks, since I had my realization that I AM IN CONTROL. (more…)
10 comments March 29, 2009
The Help Tab
Like any savvy blogger, I check my blog’s stats each day. I like to know how people are finding my blog, where they’re coming from … and — most importantly — what they’re clicking on.
While it’s always nice to see comments, or to see how many hits a particular entry got … or didn’t get, which sometimes happens, too … the data point that interests me most is how many people are clicking on the HELP page each day.
As it turns out, at least 267 people have clicked on the help link since I added it in late November. That means a lot to me. (more…)
9 comments March 27, 2009
Commentary: Food Photo-Blogs & Recovery
Some of my very favorite blogs to read (besides celebrity gossip blogs!) are non-weight-loss-related, healthy living food blogs.
I LOVE the work my blogging buddies are doing, and love to get ideas from all of you. I wouldn’t have known about Barney Butter, were it not for these awesome food bloggers, for example!
I also read quite a few recovery blogs. I love seeing others grow and get better, and it’s helpful for me, as a reader, to see what others are experiencing. But lately I’ve had a bit of a nagging concern that I debated mentioning …
And so because I can’t keep my blogger-trap shut … I have to put this out there — and please know, in no way do I mean to attack those recovery bloggers, because you know how much I care about each and every one of you and you do it because you believe it’s a positive tool, or you wouldn’t do it — but to me, it seems that photo-journaling food –specifically on recovery blogs — might do more harm than good in the recovery process.
I mean, how does it NOT fuel the obsession? How does it NOT add to the fixation? How does it NOT just keep the cycle going, around and around? I honestly want to know. (more…)
28 comments March 26, 2009
Kids and “Bad” Food Anxiety?!
I found this recent New York Times article that piqued my interest, called, “What’s Eating Our Kids? Fears About ‘Bad’ Foods.”
I want my kids someday (when I have them) to have a healthy relationship with food. I want them to know fruits and veggies and whole grains and low-fat dairy are yummy, but I also don’t want them to freak out if someone offers them an ice cream cone. I want them to be able to enjoy the special treat without another kid (or mother) commenting.
I’m not a mom yet, but I still have an opinion on this: it’s one thing to encourage healthy eating habits (recently Michelle Obama’s been talking a lot about how her family find that balance between health and pleasure with respect to food), but it’s another thing to ban foods altogether — which can lead to binge eating behavior later in life or an unhealthy relationship with food (like I’ve experienced). (more…)
7 comments March 25, 2009
BlogHer 2009 Conference: Chicago
Dear readers, I have a favor to ask of you.
Chicago is hosting the 2009 BlogHer conference this summer, July 24-25.
MamaV (of MamaVision), Roni (of Roni’s Weigh), Steph (of Back in Skinny Jeans) and I have submitted for a panel titled, “Blogs & Body Image: What are we teaching our kids?”
You can read about our exciting panel here.
Here’s where you come in … we need mega votes! Please vote for us!! You need to be registered at BlogHer to do this so any members out there, or new members, please vote for us.
Every vote will count!!
5 comments March 24, 2009
The Dance
I’ve usually thought of Garth Brook’s hit song, “The Dance” with respect to love. But lately, I’m beginning to see it for so much more than that: it’s really about life, and the choices we make and how sometimes even the bad ones, still have a purpose.
I still cry every time I hear it … and I think it’s because it’s one of those songs that just pulls at your heart-strings and doesn’t let go.
It makes me think of college, of my college girlfriends and I belting out the lyrics to that and “Standing Outside the Fire.” Actually, the lyrics to both are quote apro pos right now in my life.
Today, I feel like I’m cresting a hill on my disordered eating journey, and I don’t know I’d be the person I am today without this (albeit painful) experience. I am not saying I wish these issues on my worst enemy, but I do think I am growing from them.
I realize it’s put countless challenges/strains on my relationships and friendships, even my marriage … it’s influenced how I spend my time, the food/exercise choices I make, how I view myself and the outside world …
But in the end, I believe in overcoming it, it’s shaping me to be a better “me,” and one day this will be behind me and I’ll know I’m the best “me” I can be. (more…)
7 comments March 24, 2009
