Survival Mode

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Tuesday night: I overcame a slew of temptations at the basketball game, then my beau took down a #1 from McDonalds as I sipped veggie juice. No cheats.

Wednesday night: I abstained from indulging in a honey-baked ham sandwich and a taco bell run. Did anyone know that T-bell had the chicken ranchero soft taco on their “fresco” menu? 170 calories! I digress…

Today, Thursday: I’m feeling pretty good, despite the dismal weather. But, my car is fixed and I’m honestly not hungry. I did wake up around 4:30am with stomach pains (which I attribute to the “tea”). Last night I had a major scare! My friend Manny came over and proceeded to step on my scale ( which I’ve been avoiding), he proclaimed that it was way off. Then Robert (BF) hopped on to check it out. He felt like it was at least 10lbs over. When I got on this morning, after two WHOLE days without eating it told me I’d gained 5lbs. Imagine my despair if I’d been the first to realize the discrepancy!?! No worries, I weighed myself at work this morning and it was 10lbs off, I’ve lost 5!! Momentum. It’s all you need. Movement creates movement….my new mantra.

xx

Cleansing and craving

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G’day. I don’t remember it ever being -5 degrees in Fayetteville, Arkansas but apparently that is what it will be tomorrow. What is one to do with their time besides shuttling in and out of places like office buildings, grocery stores, basketball arenas and homes when the weather takes this sort of turn?

I have decided to go on a “cleanse”. Initially, I chose the master cleanse or lemonade diet. On Monday night, I mixed up a pitcher full of water, lemon juice, syrup and cayenne pepper (after a $50 trip to the co-op). On Tuesday, with my first sip of the concoction, I nearly gagged. I was quite depressed as I’d hoped to continue on this path to inner cleanliness and healthier lifestyle for 10 WHOLE DAYS. Supposedly, you should consume 10 servings of the drink. I barely got through 3. By 8pm I was starving, hungrier by far than any other time I’d accidentally gone without eating. I decided to switch to a juice cleanse, where you drink around 800 calories/day of organic and unadulterated fruits and vegetables.  Needless to say, I guzzled down some veggie juice and felt much better. Later I spoke with my friend Lydia, who is a master cleanse veteran. She explained that you cannot add the cayenne pepper to the batch if you make a day’s worth ahead of time. The longer the cayenne sits in the mixture, the more it seeps in and the more it seeps in, the spicier and albeit grosser the mixture becomes. You MUST add the cayenne on a per serving basis. Good to know.

For today, I am still on the juice cleanse. I feel fine and I actually slept really well last night. Hopefully, that will continue. The evenings are much harder for me when it comes to resisting food temptations. I am actually excited about ridding my body of toxins and spending 10 days w/o caffeine or alcohol. But, there really isn’t much to do besides eat & drink when it’s <10 degrees out!

Despite my new year’s resolution to save more money, I’ve been salivating over a few things…

Including http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=footwr&footwr_style=&footwr_size=&footwr_color=&footwr_price=&product_id=2065010850&Page=1#

Have a fabulous day!

Resolution

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I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions. I typically think of something in the moment like “be healthier” or “exercise more” but I never commit to anything and often forget what I resolved to do within a few weeks.

Come to think of it, I’ve never actually given anything up for lent or fast or anything.

New Year, New Decade, New Start. Here are my goals for the coming year.

  • Save money. Start a savings that I can’t touch. Invest in an IRA.
  • Build a budget (goes with above)
  • Develop healthy eating habits that can be maintained
  • Find an exercise/workout/ hobby that I enjoy
  • Spend more time with my family/friends/loved ones
  • Obtain reliable transportation (my car’s life ended with 2009)
  • Start building a home, even if a house is not purchased
  • Realize what I want out of my job

More TBD…

    Flats!

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    Doesn’t every girl need various pairs of flats?
    http://shop.yosisamra.com/flats.html

    These are adorable and affordable :)

    Best books of 2009

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    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121058884

    Best books of 2009 from NPR

    Holiday Gift Guide

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    http://www.rachelzoe.com/2009-holiday-gift-guide
    Thank you RZ for these gift suggestions that are actually great!

    Winter

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    Today, it is officially winter. Horrifyingly, it was 8 degrees when I awoke this morning. It took nearly an hour for the heat to begin working in my car and I am seemingly cemented in tights. I hate tights, but this time of year, pants make me feel wide and leggings are really not appropriate for work. I live in sack dresses with empire waists. Alas, I digress…

    I felt the need to post today because I’ve been thinking a lot about reading and needed to document what I want to read. Cold weather always makes me think of fires and cuddling up in some home that is not my own (because I do not have a fireplace) hunkering down and getting lost in a story. Hopefully we’ll be starting a book club soon…and most of these recommended reads are courtesy of NPR (actually all).

    • Mrs. Bridge
    • Spooner by Pete Dexter
    • When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler’s Journal of Staying Put, by Vivian Swift
    • Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey Through Chile, by Sara Wheeler
    • The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre
    • The Color of Lightning, by Paulette Jiles
    • The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
    • What Happened to Anna K, by Irina Reyn ( This is a re-make of sorts of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, one of my faves)

    More from NPR…

    Mystery books http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111743357

    Carry-On books http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91364064

    Favourites

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    Fingerless Gloves http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_scarf_gloves&product_id=2069253918&Page=all

    Infinity Scarves http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?FLCat=cat70094&productId=prod1730068&categoryId=cat790026&addFacet=1002:cat790026

    VF daily style blog http://www.vanityfair.com/online/style/

    Online shopping? What if shopping is your cardio?

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    I am extremely fortunate in that it is perfectly normal for me to peruse fashion mags while cooped up in my cubicle. I love seeing what editors think we want to see. I’ll occasionally get some fun ideas about how to put an outfit together and seldom see a new trend I want to try. I fervently try not to shop based on trends, but alas we all fall victim.

    Lately, I’ve been enthused with online shopping/browsing. Here are some of my faves of the day:

    I just ordered these after seeing my stylish friend Sara sport them in purple while I was visiting in NOLA. She’s 5’10” and one of the only tall beauties I know that will sport 5inch heels. It makes her look like she just stepped off a runway and I love that confidence. Tall women often don’t excercise the prowess they could have if they embraced stilettos. Sara claims these platforms are “comfortable”. Demode

    http://www.ninewest.com/Demode/095227176034,default,pd.html They were initially $89, reduced to $69 with an additional 30% off and free shipping. For comfortable platforms, that’s a win/win!

    I’ve been wanting a good pair of high-waisted pants and I adore these from Newport News but I haven’t broken down yet… High-waist wide-leg pant http://www.newport-news.com/shop/product_single.aspx?style_id=37260235

    One store that is under-rated in the fashionista’s mind is New York & Co. I have to admit I buy more stuff than intended there and they have SUCH GOOD SALES and deals! Some nice young lady called to remind me about my “city cash” that had to be used this week. It’s basically free money they give you anytime you purchase something. It’s incredibly affordable and the sizes run large (fit into a 4 when you know you’re a 6), the items go on sale after a reasonable amount of time and it’s perfect for office staples! What’s not to love? http://www.nyandcompany.com

    Do you watch Glee? I’m obsessed with the show. Not only has it given Lydia and I several new karaoke songs, it’s so funny! Sue Sylvester has got me thinking about investing in a track suit. Thoughts?

    What do we think of shorts as evening wear?

    http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=whatsnew_app&product_id=2068454376&Page=1

     

     

    Next weekend, I’m off to Woodstock with my beau. It’s a hunting camp on an island in the Mississippi river. What do I pack??

    Even more books on my radar

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    The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Polan

    The Help by Kathryn Stockett

    American Pastoral by Philip Roth

    Pros: It’s Friday, I got paid today, Greenhouse Grille tonight, a whole week off for Thanksgiving

    Cons: My iPhone has imploded, my dog’s valium isn’t exacly working, my dryer is broken

    Pros win. Bon weekend!