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I don’t remember exactly when it hit me that I wanted to blog. I had lost 150 pounds and felt I only scratched the surface of my potential for holistic health. I had all of these questions about my health, my body image & society and wasn’t satisfied with the answers I was being fed by the media and by my inner circle. I wanted to share my story and find people who might empathize. I found answers. I found more thought-provoking and belief-changing questions. I found friends who could empathize.

There is no doubt in my mind: I would not have evolved as much as a person had I not had this blog.  My beginning posts were all about weighing myself and counting calories. I then became interested in food politics. I went vegetarian. I went vegan. I became interested in intuitive eating and the psychological component of our relationship with food. I’m so grateful this blog has exposed me to incredible people and resources that have sparked and encouraged my personal evolution. This blog is also what has propelled me into jobs writing about health and working in the health industry. What an incredible blessing.

Also, had it not been for this blog, I would have never “met” Marsha Hudnall of Green Mountain at Fox Run and started opening my mind to the ideology behind mindful eating & intrinsic exercise. This e-relationship recently landed me the incredible opportunity to attend GMAFR and to meet Marsha in person. You guys have all heard about this experience (I feel like I’m still yelling about it from the mountain tops lol). If you’re visiting my blog for the first time, I’ll tell you in one sentence: Green Mountain at Fox Run (in Ludlow, VT) is an immersion program for women who are interested in a non-dieting approach to health, which includes building a healthy & mindful relationship with food & exercise.

My time at GMAFR in pictures:

I want you to have the same positive and life-changing opportunity that I did.

And, here’s your chance!

Green Mountain at Fox Run is offering one reader a FREE one-week stay in a private accommodation between February 1 and June 15, 2012.

Yes, you read that correctly! An entire week for free at Green Mountain at Fox Run!

How?

• Like Green Mountain at Fox Run on Facebook here
• Sign up for the Green Mountain at Fox Run newsletter here
• Leave me a comment so I know you’re entering!

I will choose one winner on Thursday, Feb. 2nd by noon PST via random number generator. Entries will be accepted until midnight PST on Wed., Feb. 1st. Contest open to US and international residents.

Please share this give-away via Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Myspace (hah! j/k!), snail mail (you have a week!), etc. – I want everyone and their mama to have a chance to win this. You can use this message if ya like: Win a #free week stay at @GreenMtnFoxRun http://bit.ly/xMLB0f #health #mefirst via @FeedMeImCranky1

The fine print: Approval of requested dates contingent upon availability. Winner is responsible for her own transportation to and from Green Mountain at Fox Run. Meals are included in your stay. FTC: A one-week stay at GMAFR ranges from $2,927-$3,127.00.

Have at it, folks! And, thank you from the bottom of my cranky heart for joining me on this journey for the past three years.

<3,

The Cranky One

I was thinking of the concept of biographies today and giggled as I thought about how absolutely boring my biography would be.  I mean, really, it should be required reading for high-security prisons because it would totally lull inmates to sleep with it’s calm and boring descriptions.  Every biography needs a climax or a turning point, or something that makes us think the person we’re reading about is interesting in some way, don’t you think?  Would your biography be interesting to read?  What has been one of your life’s ‘turning points’?  If you were writing an autobiography, would you rewrite any of your past?

I can’t help but wonder…is the most interesting part of my biography going to be my weight loss?  Hmm…not sure I’d be happy with that.

Off to think more!

In the News

• Los Angeles Times‘, “Fitness Fanatic or Couch Potato? Blame Your DNA” (9/8/09) here — Another reason to blame something out of your control…JUST KIDDING!  I totally buy the concluding statements that we may be more or less inclined to exercise based on genes, but environmental factors aid or detract which means we can certainly change the environment to suit what’s best for us, no?
• Science Daily‘s, “Infertility And The Battle Of The Sexes: Evolutionary Explanation For Today’s Fertility Problems?” (9/10/09) here
• Science Daily’s, “Imitate To Communicate: Even Singers In The Bird World Have To Deal With Cover Artists” (9/10/09) here — I just thought this was funny. They say imitation is a form of flattery (I think it’s just annoying), but turns out it’s also a survival mechanism.

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some of Hallie’s favorite things, including Lara Bars, here
• Win some Chia seeds here
• Win some Uncle Sam cereal, coupons and more here
• Win $24.00 to the Lift Your Sole website here
• Win a MizFit “Unapologetically Myself” t-shirt (size L) here

<3, The Cranky One

Instead of writing an actual post this morning, I’m going to draw your attention to a write-up about my twin and my health journey here at the Skinny Scoopers’ website.  Hope you enjoy it!

In the News

• MSNBC‘s “When Parents Try to Control Every Little Bite: Being too restrictive about your child’s diet can backfire, experts say” (9/3/09) here
• Twirlit‘s, “Shame on You Jilian Michaels” (9/3/09) here — You have got to be kidding me.
• AOL‘s, “Injury Prevention for the Sake of your Knees” (9/3/09) here — Did you know that women are almost 2x as likely to suffer knee pain than men?
• Lemon Drop‘s, “Glamour Making More ‘Plus-Size’ Models Get Naked” (9/3/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Exercise Minimizes Weight Regain By Reducing Appetite And Burning Fat First, Carbs Later” (9/4/09) here:  Anyone else here sick of any statement that contains “exercise” the verb of “to make” in any tense and the word “weight”?

Give-Away Round Up

• **Enter here for a chance to win $1,000.00 from Holey Donuts**
• Win some of YumYucky’ fave things here (ends today, 11:59 p.m. EST)
• Win some Newman’s Own Organics’ Dark Chocolate here
• Win some snacks straight from a vacation in Israel here
• Win the VeganXpress app for your iPhone or iTouch here

What’s on the agenda this weekend? I’ll be hitting up the farmer’s market (first time in like 5 years! how sad is that?!) and doing loads of homework (*cue the my-life-is-kinda-boring music*).

<3, The Cranky One

p.s. Happy Birthday Jen! The world is a better place because you’re here!

TGIF! Woo-hoo!  What’s up, guys?  Yesterday was a crazy day I tell you! I got up super early to do an hour of strength training, then I packed some snacks since I knew I would be training at work for 5 hours, went to training (where I was happy I had brought snacks since while they did provide lunch, it was not vegetarian!), I went with my soon-to-be-sister-in-law to get her wedding dress tailored and then I went to meet ex-co-workers for a drink.  Note to self: Stop at two glasses of wine, max!  Let’s just say low tolerance + a 3rd glass of wine = Miss Jittery Chatterbox with an Icky Stomach.  LAME x 12.

Walking Round In Circles & Sisyphus

And now on to something rather interesante!  Did you read today in Science Daily here that the cliche “walking around in circles” actually stems from a legit phenomena?  Yep!  It appears that without a landmark or some fixture in the distance to lead the way, people cannot walk a straight line in unfamiliar territory!  They will eventually end up walking right back to their starting point!  Why do I find this so fascinating?

It just goes to show that we need a concrete destination so that we don’t end up where we started! Granted, our health goals are not necessarily “unfamiliar” territory — but if I may extrapolate a bit, I think we can see that having guiding principles and actionable purpose in our lives can really help us to reach a goal destination.  How many times have we set out to achieve a health goal but have then found ourselves, months (years?) later, at the same exact starting point?  Talk about frustrating!  I know how it feels to be like Sisyphus, pushing a boulder up a cliff just to get to the end and have the boulder tumble all the way back down to the bottom.  Sometimes our goals can seem like interminable challenges with glimmers of progress that are later shattered by set-backs.  This is why I think it’s important to have small, actionable goals, that all lead up to the bigger goal you have in mind.

• Create a watch tower in your mind to guide your way.  Maybe it’s a modest goal to lose five pounds in two months — but write that goal down and keep it in sight, literally!  Don’t just keep it in the back of your mind, have it posted on your fridge, and write down how you plan to achieve that goal, day by day! Each small goal should work towards a larger goal, your end destination, which should also be clearly defined, written down, and given a reasonable time frame to accomplish.
• Allow your friends and us bloggers to be your points of reference as well.  If you feel you are getting lost and heading right back to where you started, reach out (c’mon, don’t be a dude and not ask for directions when you’re clearly lost!)!

Noteworthy In the News/Blogs

• Girl Get Strong‘s, “The Surprising Secret About Packaged Foods that May be Keeping You Fat” (8/21/09) here — Say what?!  Read this one my friends.  Apparently the FDA gives companies quite a bit of leeway on the calorie counts etc. listed on their packaged foods, so if you are watching your calories you might actually be eating more than you think!  Just another reason to make every effort to eat less and less processed crappola, eh?
• Science Daily‘s, “Research Supports Calls To Study Health Benefits Of Nitrate, Nitrite” (8/21/09) here

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some O.N.E. Coconut Water here
• Win a Lift Your Sole necklace here
• Win $50 to www.livingroomsdirect.com here

Do you guys find yourselves like Sisyphus, working towards a goal and always finding yourself back at ground zero?  Do you think making smaller goals is helpful?  What’s on the agenda for this weekend?!

<3, The Cranky One

Uhh…is there Meat in my French Fries?

MrsMarv on Flickr here

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, how confident are you about finding food choices that suit your needs wherever you go?  If you were to order a veggie burger, would you be okay with it being cooked on the same grill as the meat? Are you confident that the sauce on your sandwich is free of meat products? Your french fries?

This is a relatively new issue to me.  After ordering a veggie burger at a restaurant and seeing it cooked on the same grill as the meat, I was rather disturbed at how non-vegetarian my meal became in the split second it touched the grill. 

After doing some Googling, I’ve found that eating vegetarian and vegan is actually quite a feat, especially in the fast food world as things like “natural beef extract” find their way into McDonald’s French fries, anchovies into dressings at Jack in the Box, and  milk (and wheat, for all you gluten-free babes) finds its way into practically everything.  Are specialty restaurants the only “safe” places for people with dietary restrictions/specific food lifestyles to eat? I’d say yes and no.  Yes, if you really don’t want to head back to the kitchen to watch your food being made or to read the labels on every drop of sauce or dressing added to your bread.  No, if you do your research beforehand and stick to really simple, fool-proof items like salads with the dressing on the side (preferably with packaged dressing so that you may examine the labels, or ask for a simple vinegar & oil blend).

Check out this site to find out if your favorite fast food restaurants have any legit vegetarian and vegan options.  If you avoid fast food like I would a bikini, then you might feel more secure in the food choices you make.  But restaurants, especially non-chain restaurants, are less inclined to post the nutritional information for their menu.  While laws in NY, CA and elsewhere are forcing chains to post calorie information, finding the exact ingredients in your foods can be daunting, especially if it’s not a chain.  My one piece of advice?  Never hesitate to ask your waiter or even the chef how something is prepared or what is in the dish you’re eying and don’t be afraid to personalize an item or go off the menu completely.  Any tips to add?

In the News

• Science Daily‘s, “Regular Yoga Practice is Associated with Mindful Eating” (8/16/09) here — Wow, very interesting!
• New Scientist‘s, “It’s True: All the Taken Men Are Best” (8/17/09) here — This isn’t necessarily health-related, but it’s very interesting that this study showed single women to be more attracted to men depicted as being in relationships than their counterparts who were depicted as single.
• New Scientist‘s, “Photos of Cake Can Keep You Slim, Say Psychologists” (8/17/09) here — The parameters of the study seem sketchy — if you show me a piece of cake and then ask me if I have plans to eat better, I’m sure I’d say “yes” and assume you thought I needed to lose weight.  Either way, interesting.  And if true, then we should all prescribe Thisiswhyyourefat as part of a healthy lifestyle makeover plan.

Give-Away?

If you’re suffering from a case of “the Mondays,” I’m offering a give-away to soothe your spirit!  In the mix:

• One bag of Feed Granola in Raisin Nut
• One Honey Stinger 120-Calorie Honey Packet in Ginger
• One Neiman’s Own Organics Super Dark Chocolate Bar
• One Neiman’s Own Organics Ginger Mints Tin
• One Honey Stinger 20g Protein Bar in Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Pro
• Five (5) Stonyfield Farm Product Coupons
• A mixed c.d. of my favorite work-out songs (which may or may not include a shameless sample or two of my band’s songs)

To enter (please submit a separate comment indicating each entry):

• Follow me on Twitter
• Link to this post on your blog
• Add me to your blog roll
• Add a comment listing your favorite place to eat or a tip on how to eat vegetarian or vegan everywhere

Give-away open to U.S. residents only and ends Thursday, August 20th, 11:59 p.m. PST. Winner announced on Friday, August 21st.

<3, The Cranky One

Hi guys!  Happy day-before-Friday!

Here is my second “quick tip” video on the topic of my favorite healthy snacks:

URL here, too. To see my first “quick tip,” click here.

Random tidbit about one of my snack faves — did you know one large kiwi packs 3 grams of fiber? The medium ones I show in the video pack 2 grams each.  That’s quite a lot of fiber for the size, seriously.

Other Feed Me I’m Cranky Snack Picks

• Top 7 Pre-portioned & packaged snacks

Feed Me I’m Cranky Snack Recipes

• Bella’s Skinny Apple Pie French Toast
• Pita Pizza Goop

In the News/Blogs

• Cranky Fitness’, “Ethnic Eats: How Healthy Are They” (8/12/09) here – Loved this post and reach out to you guys to answer how you manage to lighten up your favorite ethnic dishes (or do you?), what are some of your fave ethnic dishes? Have any recipes to share with me?
• Hanlie’s guest post, “Your Body’s Design” (8/12/09) here — Hanlie is a blogger I follow and admire and she writes here why she believes we are designed to be herbivores. Very interesting post with tons of food for thought!  While I am a vegetarian myself, I am not 100% convinced that humans were meant to be so.  I think that as fruits and veggies are now accessible to us from across the world during all seasons, and as we’ve evolved ethically (yes, I don’t necessarily believe we were innately against killing animals for food), vegetarianism is now a practical and healthy choice.  But I don’t think it’s the only healthy choice.  What do you guys think?
• Live Science’s, “High Fat Diets May Make You Stupid and Lazy” (8/12/09) here — Interesting summary of a study: “A new study on rats finds that 10 days of eating a high-fat diet caused short-term memory loss and made exercise difficult” but lacking way too much information and making far too many presumptuous statements (such as exercise being made “difficult” some how translates to laziness?).  I would guess by “high fat” they meant bad, saturated fats, but they don’t say (which is unfortunate because this may just fuel the misconception that all fats are bad for you).
• New York Times’, “Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees?” (8/11/09) here.

Give-Away Round Up

• Win a $100 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods here (this is the 2nd contest like this open.  Other one here)
• Win some coupons for LightLife tempeh here
• Win a coupon for a free box of Sunshine Burgers here
• Win tons of cool loot, including a gym bag and some ProBars (and wish Amanda a happy birthday!) here

What are your fave snacks both store-bought and self-made?

<3, The Cranky One

Hi guys!

Confession:  For the past week or so I have gotten more lax on my eating.  Remember that video post here where I gave my oh-so-insightful advice never to eat a cookie the size of your head?  Well, I ate a cookie the size of my head.  And then another.

These were “donut” cookies the boyf and I made.  Nothing healthy about them.  Question to self: what were you thinking making these and keeping them in the house?

Oh and both were dipped in milk.  I think sometimes I feel I “owe” it to myself to indulge.  I tell myself to relax and just give in on occasion. To live it up. But the truth is that I tell myself these things after I’ve already lost control.  I hardly ever indulge after having the foresight that I would do so — it pretty much always occurs without planning and in a moment of weakness.  The satisfaction I get from indulging is so fleeting and so quickly replaced with remorse that it is never worth it. I hope I can remember that.  Having a giant cookie made from refined flour and sugar never tastes as good as it feels to eat healthy and exercise healthy habits.  I know people say I should “treat” myself every now and then, but “treating” myself comes from eating well and my occasional loss of control really frustrates me.  Are you guys firm believers in the “treat yourself” mentality?  In the “indulge” every now and then mentality?  Or are you of the “treating myself is just saying no” mentality?

I have a few questions on your gym habits & experiences.  I can’t help that I am so curious about you guys!  So lurkers, yea, that means YOU lurker sipping your coffee — I see you!! — please chime in!

• How often do you go to, and spend at, the gym? I try to make it to the gym at least 5 times a week and usually spend an hour there.  However, I only do cardio there.  I do strength training at home on a mat because I don’t like flashing everyone and their mamma in my little gym shorts as I work on my planks and squats.
• What do you guys wear to the gym? I’ve been seeing more and more ads for high-end fitness fashion and it makes me wonder — what do you guys wear to the gym?  Are you willing to spend on fitness fashion?  What are your favorite brands?  I typically show up to the gym in an over-sized t-shirt and tiny gym shorts (I prefer to run in these).  And, honestly, I get mostly all of my clothes, not just gym clothes, from thrift stores.  I know thrift shopping is not for everyone — but it’s something I’ve grown up doing and truly enjoy.
• What’s the first machine/piece of equipment you head to? If you know me, you know I always head to the treadmill first.
• Do you ever make awkward eye contact with fellow gymers? I have a specific treadmill that I always choose if it’s available.  It’s the treadmill at the end of the row, in the middle of the gym where all the action is occurring.  It truly helps keep my mind entertained to have a spectacle before my eyes (plus, the majority of the other treadmills are in front of mirrors and I think that is just plain R-U-D-E!).  Is that weird that I like to people watch while I’m gettin’ my sweat on?  The only problem is when I catch some one’s eye I find it very awkward.  I then usually look down then look back up a second later to determine if they think I was staring at them or if they were really staring at me.  This usually then results in a dance of the eyes.  I love dancing, guys, but not that kind of dancing. Whoops!  Maybe I should stop staring, eh? But if you recall from here — people watching is on my list of ways to make going to the gym more enjoyable!

Noteworthy In the News/Blog Land

• Science Daily’s, “Why Anorexic Patients Cling to their Eating Disorders” (8/3/09) here
• Science Daily’s, “After-school Programs Should Promote Activity, Healthy Nutrition, Researchers Urge” (8/3/09) here
• Science Daily’s, “Temptation More Powerful than Individuals Realize” (8/4/09) here
• Science Daily’s, “Risk Factors Of Self-induced Vomiting And Other Disordered Eating Behaviors In Overweight Youth” (8/3/09) here
• Science Daily’s, “The Way You Eat May Affect Your Risk for Breast Cancer” (8/4/09) here
• Diet Blog’s, “U.S. States to Get More Money to Control Obesity” (8/4/09) here
• Twirlit’s, “The Media is Ruining Fitness” (8/4/09) here — I *loved* this! You know when you feel overwhelmed by conflicting studies on what is and is not healthy or going to give you cancer and kill you?  This no b-s approach hits home.  We all know what we should be doing — no excuses.
• Nutrition by Eve, “Normal Eating” (8/4/09) here — I also loved this.  I usually scoff at intuitive eating, but Eve’s definition of “normal” eating really is something to strive for.

Give-Away Round Up

• Win a copy of the book, “The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl” by Shauna Reid here
• Win a copy of the book, “Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes” by Monique Ryan here
• Win some Amazing Grass products here
• Win some So You Think You Can Dance DVDs (hmm 2nd time I’ve seen this same give-away…) here
• Win some FullBites here

FAIL (Right in my own kitchen – though not my own purchase, obvi)

That would be some apple turnovers with the sticker, “Eat More Fruits & Vegetables” — You have got to be kidding me!  Wow.

For My Pals on the Job Hunt

• Cool list of job search sites and resources here

I hope you guys have a wonderful Wednesday!  Live and love every second you’re here!

<3, The Cranky One

If you’ve seen my recent challenge updates, I’ve been rollerblading… a lot…

How does an avid runner who usually shuns other versions of cardio as “frou frou” bring herself to rollerblade?

Umm…it’s super fun, duh!
Photo by Mag3737 at Flickr here.

Why I Love Rollerblading

• It makes me feel like I’m 10 again or like some 70s disco skater
• I get to whiz by all the runners who are huffin’ and puffin’ their little hearts out.  “See ya later!” I shout while flashing a devious grin (ok, so I don’t really do that, but it sounds like fun)
• It’s easy on my knees.  All the running I do means my little knees need a little break here and there.
• I feel like a tourist.  I blade at the beach w/ the boyf who rides his beach cruiser.  We get to see our beautiful beach city and the little restaurants and shops that we take for granted having lived here for so long.
• I avoid cat callers.  You know when you’re running on the beach and, though you feel like youre hauling a**, you’re certainly not running fast enough to avoid gawkers and pervs?  Well I’m just a blur to you now, pervs!
• I get really odd tan lines that I find rather funny (and a good conversation piece).   Am I the only one who finds that humorous?
• It actually burns calories!  Based on my weight, an hour of moderate rollerblading burns 410 calories says this site.  It’s definitely less than an hour of running, but definitely more than an hour of yoga (and more than that Hip Hop Hustle class where I just giggled and looked for the bartender).

Give-Away Round-Up

• It’s not too late to enter my give-away for Crispy Green freeze-dried fruit packs here.
• Twirlit is giving away some gorgeous bags here.  I’m all over it!
• Soap and Chocolate is giving away Holey Donuts here. Ends tonight!
• Fruit.Veggies.Life. is giving way loads of loot including energy bars here.
• Hop, Skip & a Giant Leap is giving away Amazing Grass here.

Did You See?

• Hungry Girl in the LA Times here and our own bloggie Danica is quoted!
• That’s Fit post on top 5 most “eco-friendly” energy bars here. They put Amazing Grass’s “Chocolate Whole Foods” bar on the bottom of the list due to taste!  Do you agree?

Any of you guys rollerblading this summer?  Doing any less “conventional” forms of exercise?  Experiencing pervs at the beach while running?

Happy Wednesday!

<3, The Cranky One

Enter, the tofu-lentil mash-up tacos…

Tofu is a relatively new product to me in terms of preparing it myself.  Each time I’ve made it, I’ve used this amazing recipe.  For the sake of novelty, I tried a different recipe found here, and as follows with nutritional info.:

“Tofu Balls” (not my title!) – Instead of making them as meatballs, I made them as “ground beef”

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu – I used 14 oz. as that’s how it’s sold at Trader Joe’s – 350 calories, 20 g fat, 5 g fiber, 40 g protein
• 1 small finely chopped onion – 29 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1 g fiber, 0.6 g protein
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce – I used Trader Joe’s Reduced Sodium – 45 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter — I used Kirkland’s organic brand – 300 calories, 22.5 g fat, 3 g fiber, 13.5 g protein
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs — I used 1 slice of toasted Oroweat double fiber bread – 70 calories, 1 g fat, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein
• Fresh basil or oregano
• Nutritional information for entire pan:  794 calories, 43.6 g fat, 15 g fiber, 57.1 g protein
• 1/8th = 99.25 calories, 5.45 g fat, 1.87 g fiber, 7.14 g protein
• A note: I link to Calorie King for items, particularly fruits/veggies, that do not have nutritional info. listed.  If I do have access to the exact nutritional info. on a package, I list that instead of linking to a calorie estimator site.

Directions

• Easy. Drain the tofu, then mix all the ingredients and mash into the texture of ground beef.  Wow, this should be in my own version of “Vegetarian Cooking for Lazy-Butts.”
• Saute over medium-heat until browned. Voila!
• I then mixed the cooked tofu “meat” with lentils made via this recipe.  You have no idea how good this tastes in a corn tortilla.  Like party in my mouth and no one is invited because I’m not sharing good. Add a slice of avocado + spinach + Tapatio = Bliss.
• Calories estimate for serving of tofu (99.25) + serving of lentils (56.13) + 2 corn tortillas (110 cals) = 265.38
• Note: The lentils used in the above are so delish by themselves in a taco as well.

It’s been a while since I’ve showed my obsession with love for black beans and I’ve been having BB withdrawals.  Here are some “re-fried” black beans sauteed with orange, yellow and red bell pepper, onion and tomato and placed in a corn tortillas with spinach and Tapatio.

Yum.  Calories estimate? 110 for tortillas + 220 for a cup of beans (generous estimate) = Around 340 calories and good taste for days.

Give-Aways Round-up

• Did you see all the give-aways listed on this post as well as my own Crispy Green freeze-dried fruit give-away? Enter if you haven’t!
• Happy Herbivore is having a Swanson’s spices give-away here.

Did you know?

• Trader Joe’s website offers recipes here?  They also allow you to select product lists, here, based on “vegetarian” options, “gluten-free” options, etc., so you can see all the products they sell that fit your particular food restrictions/life-style.
• Whole Foods Market’s website offers cooking videos and recipes here.

Here we go:

• Starting Weight: 138 lbs.
• Last Weigh-In July 13: 131.2 lbs.
• Today’s Weigh-In July 20: 129.2lbs.



• Loss since last week:  2.00 lbs.
• Total loss: 8.8 lbs.
• Left to go: 1.2 lbs. by 8/1/09
• Can I just add that I haven’t weighed in my 120s since I was like 11 or 12?…

Here are my daily exercise and calorie consumption stats from last week:

• Monday — 2000 calories, one hour rollerblading
• Tuesday — 1600 calories, 45-mins walk, ran 6 miles
• Wednesday —1600 calories, one hour rollerblading, 30 minutes Turbo Kick Boxing (only 30 mins. b/c my 14-month niece was crying in the kid’s room!), 10-min run
• Thursday — 1550 calories, ran 4 miles
• Friday — 2000 calories, 1 hour rollerblading
• Saturday – 2000 calories, ran 6.25 miles + does slaving in a kitchen from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. count as exercise? Why yes, yes of course it does!
• Sunday – 2500 calories, rest day

So?

I’m happy about being a little over a pound away from being done with this challenge.  This challenge has been, well, a flippin’ challenge.  It’s been mentally and physically exhausting — so much so that I’m ready to escape to a deserted island, forget my academic and professional goals, wear a coconut bra and lay on the beach for the rest of my life.

I kid, I kid…’cept about the coconut bra…

I guess pushing myself outside of my comfort zone was the plan, weight loss was the goal, yadda yadda yadda. I’ve been up and down like a bobble-head convincing myself that all I want is to be “fit” and then contradicting myself by caring about the number on the scale.  I guess that’s bound to happen when you’re involved in a challenge where what counts IS the number on the scale (note to self — don’t do this again!).

Earlier this week, a couple days ago actually, I was ready to write you all and exclaim, “I’m free!  I have not binged or wanted to binge or had any emotional eating issues whatsoever!  Alert the media, I’m dropping everything, heading out on a book tour and joining Oprah on stage where we will wheel in a cart with lard in the amount of all the weight I’ve lost!”

Then I had a couple bouts of eating beyond being full and felt like I had been eating without being conscious of what I was eating.  Realizing I’ve still got work to do on fixing myself? Check!

Goals

Last week I had a goal to do more strength training.  Did that happen? Nope.  Am I lame? Yes. What’s the point in having a goal if it’s just empty promises and no follow-through.  I really don’t have much compassion for myself — no matter what’s going on — if I don’t follow through.  So this week, I better follow-through or I’m going to make myself do something really uncomfortable.  What do I find really uncomfortable?  Well that’s a long and way too personal list, but I promise you guys this – if I do not strength train at least three days this week for at least 30-minutes each day, you will get to post a truth or dare in the comments section next Monday and I will choose a random generated number and have to comply with that entry (if it’s not against the law or morally repugnant, of course)! Am I a silly 12-year-old or what?!

**Give away!**

Crispy Green sent me over some samples, SWEET! THANKS, that I have tried and loved.  They make these adorable portion-controlled pouches of freeze-dried fruits.  They are the perfect portable snack and great if you want a snack that satisfies your sweet tooth AND gets you a serving of fruit. Now I want YOU to try and adore them!  I am giving away one of each bananas, apples, pineapples and pears pack, ranging in 36-55 calories each to one reader.

How to Win* (1 entry each for the following, please separate each comment)

• Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to eat fruit
• Add me to your Blogroll and leave me a comment telling me you did so
• Subscribe to my RSS feed/or via Google Reader and leave me a comment telling me you did so
• Link back to this contest on your blog and leave me a comment telling me you did so
• Winner announced this Friday, July 24

*Limited to readers in the U.S. only, sorry!

You can buy Crispy Green from their online store here, from Amazon.com here, or from Whole Foods.

Full price via the online store, is $1.33/pack, sold in 6-packs for $7.99, free shipping on orders of $50 or more.  Price via Amazon.com is $1.09/each, free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

More Give-Aways

• Check out MizFit’s Fitness Magazine give-away here.
• Check out The Apron Goddesses’ Shabby Apple dress give-away here.
• Check out Girl, Get Strong’s Purely By Nature Make-up give-away here.
• Check out Girl, Get Strong’s Spicy BBQ gift-pack give-away here.
• Check out Carrots ‘N’ Cake’s “mint julips” earrings give-away here.

Oh and I almost forgot!  How was the bridal shower/bachelorette party, you ask?!  Let’s just say I can’t provide pictures because they would be too incriminating, especially the picture I took of a rather indecent pinata.  Not going to go there!  My favorite part was probably what most people thought was the lamest and that was the bridal shower game where you write out your “recipe for a good marriage” to share with the bride-to-be.  It made me reflect on how what works for some of us, as individuals and couples, varies across the spectrum. In applying that to the purposes of this blog, what do you think goes into a recipe for a healthy lifestyle?  If a friend was about to enter the life-long journey of obtaining and maintaining her personal best health – what ingredients for success would you give her?

How was your weekend?

Have a wonderful Monday!

<3,

The Cranky (and sleepy) One