Erin Does Life.

Wow, Tomato Basil Watermelon salad recipe gets no love, eh? Tough crowd! (Or, probably more...

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:16:00 -0500

Wow, Tomato Basil Watermelon salad recipe gets no love, eh? Tough crowd!

(Or, probably more accurately, crowd was probably bbqing when it was posted, instead of surfing the interwebs. Silly crowd.)

navadoeslife replied to your post: Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I… Glad...

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:04:00 -0500

navadoeslife replied to your post: Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I…

Glad to see you back! Drop me a message when you have a moment. :)

Thanks, Nava - nice to see you too! And will do : )

southcarolinagirl replied to your post: Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I…

Welcome back! Good luck getting back on track. I tend to go on and off, too. :-)

Thanks! Ha - don’t we all. I guess the failing isn’t getting off track, but failing to get back on. Or at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

lindsaydoeslife replied to your post: Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I…

missed you! i’m in the exact same boat as you - minus the injury. let’s get back at it together :)

Thanks, Lindsay. And - you have yourself a deal : )

Tomato Watermelon Basil salad

Sun, 27 May 2012 14:04:00 -0500

Tomato Watermelon Basil salad:

I wish I had taken a picture, but it was gone by the time we returned from our friends’ home (which may be an even better testament.) If you have grape or cherry tomatoes, fresh watermelon, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar, you need to make this. Seriously, it’s incredible, and was a huge hit.

My notes…

- Skewers are pretty, but I skipped them and just chopped everything into bite-sized chunks and halved the grape tomatoes into a bowl, easy peasy. Still pretty and way less work.

- If you have fresh strawberries, cut into bite-sized chunks and throw them in. They’re really good in this salad.

- Chiffonade the basil by stacking the leaves on top of one another (stem to stem) and then roll like a cigar, then cut the rolled end into thin slices.

- I used 1/2t sea salt mixed into the whole thing instead of course salt. It was great.

- Yes, there’s sugar, but 1/4c sugar works out to be an extra 180 calories for the whole recipe, or, assuming 6 fairly generous servings (reasonable considering you’re using a four to five pound melon, in addition to cherry tomatoes and optional strawberries), an extra 30 calories per serving. It’s worth it. If the sugar really bugs you, serve this for dessert - it’s a lovely end to a meal. Alternatively, I’d bet you can take out a tablespoon of sugar, too, but I haven’t tried it. Not sure if I’d take out more than that, though.

Tomato Basil Watermelon Skewers
by Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (4 to 5 pound) watermelon, cut into 32 (1 1/2-inch) cubes
32 fresh small basil leaves (or torn larger leaves) (My note: if you’re not using the skewers, no need to select only the small basil leaves. DO NOT USE DRIED BASIL. It will be gross.)
16 cherry tomatoes, halved (I just threw in a whole pint)
1 pound ripe strawberries, washed and cut into bite-sized chunks (optional)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I skipped this entirely; it wasn’t missed)
Kosher salt
Special equipment: 16 (6-inch) skewers

Directions

Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Starting with the watermelon squares, push the watermelon to the very tip of the skewer. Then skewer a basil leaf, then a tomato half. Continue with another watermelon, basil leaf, and tomato half. Place the skewer on a serving platter so it stands upright, using the lowest watermelon square as a base. Continue with the remaining skewers.

Drizzle the skewers with the reserved balsamic syrup and the olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve.

pattidoestris: I’m running for me. Word.

Sat, 26 May 2012 13:23:36 -0500

pattidoestris:

I’m running for me.

Word.

Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I hate writing (and I’m pretty...

Sat, 26 May 2012 13:13:31 -0500

Hey guys! Nice to “see” many of you again : ) I hate writing (and I’m pretty sure people are sick of reading) the obligatory I-got-off-the-wagon-but-now-I’m-getting-back-on post (seriously, I should just create a permalink to the post and reuse it to save you the trouble), so I’m going to leave it below the fold for record-keeping purposes.

I do know that I gain weight when I stop interacting with you all and stop blogging. So - that’s back in : ) Looking forward to reacquainting myself with yall : )

- Work - I’ve alluded to this, but since December, I have faced/am facing probably the most significant work challenges of my professional career (working almost 13 years in my sector.) This is not entirely a bad thing - after all, change can be creative as much as destructive - but it’s certainly taking more time/energy. And it’s quite honestly emotionally exhausting.

- Fargo Marathon. Last weekend, I had to skip my first registered race ever because of an injury. It really, really sucks and even now I just try not to think about it too much. It was the responsible thing to do - got to get healthy for Twin Cities in October! - but still far below my hopes and expectations. Just have to remember to check my ego at the door. Can’t control everything.

- Injury. So, exciting anatomical information: when you inflame your proximal hamstring, apparently it shares an opening with your sciatic nerve, and both of these are affected when your glutes are inflamed. All of that is a lot of physiology-speak for good times in the running department. I’ve been stuck running 8 miles a week for the past eight weeks. Fall marathon training started last week, and I just completed my first week of training, relegated to running three days a week (15 miles this week with two cross training days on the bike.) My butt hurts (of course I would develop a running of the butt. Because I’m dignified like that.) My PT doesn’t quite know what to do. I’m trying to keep a positive attitude but I’m damned frustrated.

- And, of course, weight. So the good news here is that it isn’t as bad as it could be. The bad news is that I’m almost up ten pounds. All of the stress and frustration from work and not being able to run (both my activity and my stress outlet) has me craving carby, fatty, sugary things like crazy.

I’ve started a very bad habit of having very large meals (much bigger and they’d be considered binging) and then trying to compensate by limiting my calories the next day (skip breakfast, light but filling meals for lunch and dinner), and we all know how that works as a long-term strategy.

I’ve also stopped tracking my food. I should know by reading tumblr blogs that people who stop tracking their food generally start gaining.

I’ve stopped drinking my 64 oz of water every day.

For some reason my brain still thinks I’m hungry when my stomach is full. That is so not cool.

I’ve become really obsessed with food again. I find myself impatient for another opportunity to eat delicious things. I’m constantly looking through recipes. We eat out all the time these days. It’s good to brainstorm healthy meal options that are also delicious, but I don’t like my thoughts so preoccupied with food.

I’ve stepped up my activity (biking to work, yay! and weekly sand volleyball!) but as we all know, 85% of weight loss is diet, 15% activity. Damn you, calorie intake.

In summary, overall, I feel myself slipping. I know this feeling - it’s like pedaling faster and faster but the top of the hill just gets further and further away. I’m basically eating the healthy foods because I feel like I need to, not because they taste awesome or because I like how I feel when I eat them or that they make me a better athlete. I almost am eating veggies/lean protein/whole grains as penance for eating the crappy food until I can justify eating crappy food again. That’s a really bad cycle to get into. I don’t get to my weight loss/health goals in that scenario but I spend a lot of energy trying - and if that isn’t a lose/lose proposition, I don’t know what one is. I’m not being lazy - definitely putting forward a lot of effort - but not in the key goals that I really need to get back in the game.

Part of me is very, very depressed and even a bit ashamed that these eating habits and the psychological brain chemistry driving my food choices in stressful situations clearly still haunt me. I haven’t defeated them yet. Perhaps (probably) it will be something I always struggle with. I probably shouldn’t have expected to have overcome these issues either - after all, they’ve been around for over 30 years, and I’ve only successfully dealt with them over the last 18 months or so - but it’s discouraging all the same.

Another tiny sliver of me, though, is hopeful, because if I can name the problem, then reversing all the progress I’ve made is not inevitable. There are concrete, specific, high-return decisions that I can do today, right now, to change this trajectory. It’s just the next phase in this challenge/journey. A bit like how I progressed from the beginner to the intermediate marathon training schedule. Focus on what I CAN do, instead of what I can’t. I don’t know if I can sustain healthy changes for a day, a week, or a month. But I can fill my water bottle. I can track what I’ve eaten today. I can put together a healthy meal tonight to bring over to our friends when we hang out, so that I have something to snack on.

It’s hard. But if this was easy, I would have done it a long time ago.

I just have to stop thinking about it so much and do it.

Ready, set…. GO.

Cheater clear broth soup

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:40:00 -0500

I have a serious addiction to clear broth soup, a staple at Vietnamese restaurants. Far from boring old broth, this is flavorful comfort food at its best. The broth is infused with garlic and ginger, probably lemongrass, and you add nothing but simple vegetables like carrots and something green - I’ve seen broccoli or zucchini or even green beans used - and the optional addition of tofu.

Then, the toppings - yes, toppings for soup! Aromatic herbs - think a combination of fresh basil, mint, and green onion - are essential. I often see bean sprouts used at restaurants, but you could also add pre-cooked rice noodles to make it more substantial. Cubes of tofu are good if you’d like protein. And if you like heat, add slices of fresh jalapenos. The whole thing is then finished off with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice at the end. It’s really something special - fresh, keeps you full, and generally wonderful.

But it’s not readily available by my work, and I’m trying to eat out at restaurants less anyway. So I decided to try my hand at an easy, microwave-friendly make-at-work version. And while it’s not quite as good as the restaurant stuff, it’s pretty tasty (if I do say so myself) and certainly is head over shoulders above any canned soup.

Don’t be afraid of the clove of garlic in this recipe. A fun fact about cooking with garlic - the more intact the garlic clove, the less intense the garlic flavor in the soup. So, a whole garlic clove - slightly garlicky; clove cut in half = slightly more garlic; slices of garlic, even more garlic flavor, and the most garlicky flavor will come from mincing garlic or grating it. I totally recommend starting with a squished whole clove of garlic that infuses the broth with a pleasant garlic flavor but won’t have people avoiding you the rest of the day : )

Cheater clear broth soup
Total time (prep and cooking): 15 min

1 cup peeled/sliced carrots (I sliced mine on the bias to be fancy, but simple “coins” are fine; you can easily chop up baby carrots for this to avoid peeling)
1 cup or so broccoli florets, washed (I used bagged florets but breaking down a fresh head of broccoli would probably make it a - horrors - 20 minutes recipe.)
2 tablespoons “onion-y” fresh herbs - green onion or chives (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE DRIED)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE DRIED)
1 tablespoon other fresh herbs, optional - cilantro, parsley and basil are all good (at the risk of sounding like a broken record - really, don’t substitute dried herbs. It will suck, I promise.)
1 clove fresh garlic (chopped garlic is way too strong for this soup imho)
1 chunk of fresh ginger, about 1” coin
1/2 bouillon cube (I used Rapunzel vegan bouillon with sea salt and herbs.)
1 lemon or lime wedge (don’t use the juice from a bottle. Ugh.)

- Smash the garlic clove with the flat blade of a chef’s knife and the heel of your hand (like this, except hit it only once - you want the clove to be intact but just smooshed.)

- Score the chunk of ginger, but not all the way through - keep it in one piece. The idea is that we’re increasing the surface area of the ginger so there are more points of contact with the broth and cutting it to release all the good ginger-ness without actually having lots of little chunks of ginger in the broth.

- Chop your herbs.

- Put your vegetables in one container, half the bouillon cube, garlic, ginger and lime in another container, and chopped herbs in a third container.

Here are the little baggies I used today; I don’t recommend adding other items with herbs:

All of the pieces: veggies; herbs, lime wedge, ginger, garlic; half a bouillon cube is in another bag just outside of the frame.

At work, preparation is pretty easy:

- In a microwavable container, nuke your veggies first without the broth and just a splash of water for 2 min.
- Then, remove from microwave (be caerful; it’s hot!), and add the bouillon, garlic and ginger to the container with the veggies. (If you’d like to add some tofu, add it to your container now.) Fill with as much water as you’d like, submerging the ginger and garlic, and nuke for another 2 min.
- Remove from microwave (be careful; it’ll be very hot). Add the herbs, stir to ensure the bouillon cube is dissolved, and squeeze lemon or lime over the bowl. Add any toppings you’d like to now (e.g. bean sprouts, etc.) You can also remove/discard the chunks of garlic/ginger, but I like to let them sit in the broth to continue infusing - just don’t eat them (unless you REALLY like garlic/ginger.)
- You now have a steaming bowl of fresh, pretty, delicious clear broth soup. Enjoy!

PSA: Today only - two 0.6L Camelback bottles / $20 (inc. s/h)

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:50:53 -0500

From those whimsical folks at woot.com:

Turmeric "milk"

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:03:35 -0500

I heard a story on MPR awhile ago about a study that found that spices with a high-fat meal reduced blood triglyceride level increases by a third, as well as insulin response decreasing by 20%.

Of course, these studies come and go, and who knows what future studies will bring. I was most taken by the description of turmeric milk in the story - a warm milk sweetened and then flavored with large amounts of turmeric.

I already love curry (curry is a spice mix, much as chili powder is, and turmeric is the spice that gives the mixture an orange color), so I thought I’d give it a shot, and… I love it. I love it, even without sugar in cold unsweetened almond milk. In fact, it’s quickly becoming a favorite filling 40-calorie snack. I too thought the turmeric would be overwhelming, or even just bitter, but it’s really just floral, in a ~~good~~ delicious way. (Turmeric, alone, is not hot - the heat in curry comes from hot peppers.)

Plus, I’m pretty sure I smell like a hippy after I drink it. Bonus.

Turmeric milk
1 cup almond milk (Trader Joe’s unsweetened vanilla for me, thanks)
1 tablespoon turmeric
Your favorite sweetener to taste, optional

Cold version: Mix well. Enjoy.

Warm version: Add ingredients to mug. Stir until sugar and turmeric are mostly dissolved. Nuke. Let cool to a drinkable temperature, remix, and enjoy.

“My dad has told me since I was little. “Don’t talk about...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:21:00 -0500

“My dad has told me since I was little. “Don’t talk about the things you’re going to do; just do them.”

Yep. Or, in my case, it’s Brooksy and Tridad. Telling me since like April of last year.

Also, does this mean no Ben at Fargo? *Sadface.*

bendoeslife:

It’s a strange thing, living a life online. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s less-than-great, and sometimes it’s embarrassing. Shameful, even.

Maybe embarrassing is the better word. Or, in more than one word, “sometimes it’s embarrassing because you just sort of stop running or caring and you don’t want to face the people that know you’re trying to live a healthy life because it feels like you let them down and you just want to delete your blog and forget it ever existed.”

Until last week, I hadn’t run in a month and a half. I gave up spring marathon ambitions, I regressed on my eating, came back to healthy eating, and regressed again. It’d be easy to blame the work I was putting into the book or the European vacation, or whatever or whatever, but I won’t. I know how to do this. I know what it takes.

My dad has told me since I was little. “Don’t talk about the things you’re going to do; just do them.”

He’s right.

As a people, we err on the side of making plans. Grand plans. We talk about what we’re going to do, and how cool it’s going to be, and how we’re going to get better, and how far we’re going to run, and how skinny we’re going to be. And it makes us feel good. And people are impressed with our goals. And we like that feeling. And then we settle for just thinking about them.

It’s been a great three and a half years on this blog. But it’s time to get back to the basics.

It’s Monday. Day one.

Less talking. More doing. More life.

Spoiling yourself silly: On effort, rewards, and food choices

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:09:05 -0500

I’ve known for awhile that I need to take another step towards healthy eating - namely, incorporating more whole grains, more fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and taking a close look at the amount of oil, sugars and sodium I consume. So when I heard about Engine 2, I thought this might be a good way to accomplish that goal.

But what really sold me was when I read Rip Esselstyn’s description.

“Get ready to spoil yourself silly with dyamic plant-based foods…”

I had been dreading the work of preparing all those vegetables, going out of my way to find whole grains, learning to cook with dramatically less oil.

But here’s the thing - in the past (and, let’s be honest, now - still one of the habits I need to at least diminish if not break entirely), when I wanted to “spoil myself” with food, since one of my rules is that I only eat treats that are really “worth it,” I would gladly overcome an inconvenience. I’d drive to the store to pick up my favorite bakery bar. Or I’d make something at home from scratch. Something I read over and over again on weight loss blogs was the reflection that eating junky food takes effort too. Especially if it’s food to satisfy a craving that requires a special trip or special preparation.

Why not dedicate that same amount of energy to eating tasty food that’s good for my body?

Why not “spoil myself” by making high-quality food in reasonable quantities available to myself for my meals and snacks?

I’m still not eating as many whole grains or decreased processed oils as much as I’d like. But I can’t help but think that this reframing of “spoiling myself” is an important part to changing my eating habits.

Running cadence

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:37:17 -0500

Cadence measures the number of times your foot strikes the ground - or, the number of steps you take - per minute. Ever since I read about using “Santeria” by Sublime (not at all revealing my age) to measure about 182 beats per minute cadence from Kate, I’ve been using it, and I think I’ve improved my running efficiency greatly as a result.

Interestingly, my PT suggested using a high cadence as one of the measures to help with the proximal hamstring/glute issues I’m experiencing. It helps other runners she works with.

One thing that’s really changed since I first started running is that I’ve found I really enjoy a higher cadence, especially on hills - it’s almost like the low gear on your bike and it’s easier to run up the hill without expending a ton of energy.

You can measure cadence a couple of ways.

- The most reliable is downloading a metronome app and setting it to your desired cadence. Apparently elite runners have cadences around 200 bpm. You can try quarter mile or even just a minute at a higher cadence to get a feel for it. (For advanced metronome applications, make sure you’re using quarter notes and a 4/4 time signature.)

- Or, you can find songs at your target bpm. I don’t like running with music anymore (it’s kind of a hassle, plus since I run with my dog now I need to be extra alert to keep him safe), so I just find a song I can easily start playing in my head (hence the success of “Santeria.”) You can search for songs by BPM on Jog.fm - scroll down and on the left, look for this:

(Don’t be freaked out by the pace; I run 180ish bpm and am not running 6:15 miles.)

And here’s a good article with a suggested cadence workout at the end.

Do you use cadence to guide your running? Was it successful for you?

would you consider sending someone a pair of your dirty running socks?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:03:51 -0500

Hands down, this is the creepiest ask I’ve ever received.

Kinetic Energy Device Charges Your Electronic Devices with Your Walking, Running, Biking Energy

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:21:00 -0500

So, if this technology works… can you imagine how insanely popular it would be to marathon runners, especially those that run with iPhone GPS apps and music?

Kinetic Energy Device Charges Your Electronic Devices with Your Walking, Running, Biking Energy

APRIL 9, 2012 BY ZACHARY SHAHAN | Cleantechnica.com

The nPower® PEG is a new “backup battery charger for hand-held electronics that uses the energy you generate while walking, running, or biking.” It can be used to power you iPod, cell phone, etc.

What do you need to do to make this thing work? Not much — just stick it in your bag, backpack, briefcase, or such and it charges itself. As you move around, it will recharge using natural movement vibrations. It’s called a “passive kinetic energy charger” or a “vibration harvesting” charger.

“The nPower® PEG is a smart device which automatically senses your activity, adapts to it, and optimizes energy harvesting,” the company writes.

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/1921f)

Easter: Raw (clean) fruit pie

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:29:00 -0500

I made several items for our Easter dinner yesterday. The raw and clean fruit pie [recipe], from the Engine 2 book, was a huge hit. Seriously - it was as popular as the turtle brownies. Win! I think this is a great clean eating “crossover dish” that you could easily serve to people skeptical of “health food.”

My less-than-original attempt at decorating the pie:

A couple of notes/modifications I made:

- I used mandarin oranges packed in 100% juice instead of light corn syrup. If you’d prefer to use fresh fruit, be sure to segment the orange with a knife, like this. The segments will be prettier this way, and that’s really important, especially when feeding to skeptical audiences - we eat with our eyes first.

- Strawberries don’t have a lot of pectin, the substance that allows fruit pies to gel naturally. You can increase the amount of natural pectin in the puree in this recipe by selecting strawberries with white tips (the white tips contain pectin that’s not in the fully-ripened strawberries) with some very ripe strawberries (to make the overall mixture sweet), or add just a bit of maple syrup or natural sweetener of choice. OR, you can just substitute fruit that contains a lot of natural pectin, like blueberries, for a portion (maybe 25%) of the strawberries. (BTW, I bet this pie would be superb with 100% blueberries, too - especially with fresh lemon zest!)

- Ripe bananas are best. I used a small plum to decorate on top, but you could also use blueberries or blackberries, or even kiwi. Different-colored fruits will really make the visual presentation of the pie.

chrisrunsandoeslife replied to your post: Made it two miles. get better sooN! Thanks, Chris -...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:44:00 -0500

chrisrunsandoeslife replied to your post: Made it two miles.

get better sooN!

Thanks, Chris - I’m working on it!

runningwithguts replied to your post: Made it two miles.

I wish every injured runner had your attitude. Suck about the pain, but what can you do, y’know? Hope you heal up quickly!

How should I say this… this is a very intentional, chosen attitude (read: my emotions are going with this reaction kicking and screaming.) The whiny post will probably come soon enough. I just keep reminding myself whining will not make it heal faster, but it WILL make me less motivated to do the PT/icing/NSAID/pool stuff, and I need to stay focused on that right now.

kalsjourney replied to your post: Made it two miles.

Sorry that you are still in pain, but it will get better! :)

Thanks for the well-wishes, Kal!

regainingmymoxy replied to your post: Made it two miles.

Sorry it still hurts, but you are right. One week is a pretty rapid recovery!

I KNOW. Emotional me is very upset with rational me right now. New strategy: Gonna go all cognitive therapy at this. Treat it like a mental strengthening/endurance program. ‘Cause that’s what I’ll need to get through it.

Made it two miles.

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:11:00 -0500

And definitely pain. Worse when I run, but pain when I walk, pain just sitting. Not excrutiating but gets worse when I try to run.

Ah, well. We said we’d try to run. I’ve only been in therapy a week. This is been developing for something like 4-6 weeks. A bit unrealistic to expect it to heal in a week. Keep doing the PT. Keep icing. Keep up with the NSAIDs. Keep drinking water. Do the pool. It’ll all fall into place.

Good news though - my pace seems to be back at its usual spot!

Anyone have any ideas for.. The Gu website says it’s kosher, but what ingredient would make it not kosher for Passover? (Donning my goy hat here…)

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:49:45 -0500

How about Lara Bars? Clearly not a gel but they’re more squishy than a straight-up clif bar, and I think they’re just dried fruit/nuts. Their website says they’re kosher too. (Lara Bars with chocolate have kosher dairy certification because the chips, though nondairy, are manufactured on the same equipment as chips containing dairy, so the bars with chocolate probably some trace dairy in them, if that matters…)

notovernight:

Wow, I totally didn’t know that.

AND you totally got my hopes up, because nothing in the chocolate gu was not kosher for passover.

And then I read this on the Gu website.

Can my dog eat GU?
We don’t recommend it. Maltodextrin is corn-based and corn is not recommended for dogs—many are actually allergic to corn.

Unfortunately corn is not kosher for passover…

SO close SO CLOSE!!!!1!

But for future reference to all all Gu minus chomps are certified Kosher..

You learn something new everyday.

Fat Shaming

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:12:00 -0500

Apparently in Spain.

I’ve come across a couple of fat-shaming items over the past couple of weeks. This was just the latest.

My disparate thoughts/reactions:

- First, and foremost… I really believe that if shame was an effective means of getting people to lose weight, we would not be a nation with an obesity problem. I mean, even in this country, it’s not easy to be fat. It’s embarrassing. We all know someone else in our life who has struggled with their weight. Everyone I know - and I would even wager the vast majority of all obese people - have some shame about being obese and wish it could change. It’s embarrassing to buy clothes, get in a seat on the plane, get the seatbelt over your midsection, fit into chairs at restaurants. It’s not like the signals that society sends to one who is overweight are subtle. And every person I know who is overweight knows it and takes some steps to change the situation - they are eating low-fat this or trying to eat more fruit or trying to park a little further from the store entrance. They just haven’t figured how to get all the pieces to fit together - serving sizes, the right kinds of food, what “moderation” really means, how much activity will make a difference but is something that can be maintained over a long period of time, how much of these changes will make a difference but can be maintained.

To be clear, there is a large element of personal responsibility in losing weight. I’m not trying to say that there isn’t. I’m just not sure that fat-shaming messages encourage that process.

My personal opinion - there should be a huge ad campaign for people to learn how to calculate their own personal calorie budget and how to plan a calorie budget to loose weight, in addition to emphasizing whole grains, veggies, fruits and lean proteins.

And there’s room here for better public policy (e.g. better labeling standards, requirements for restaurants to post calorie counts on menus, better school lunch programs, more fresh affordable food available in inner city neighborhoods, more programs through insurance companies making it cheaper to join a gym, get nutritional counseling, recreational running as part of gym classes (and reinstating gym classes in schools that have cut them), etc.)

From my experience, shame was definitely something I felt (and still to some degree feel) about my body. I felt ashamed of my body since I became overweight when I was about 12 - over twenty years ago now. I felt intensely ashamed of my weight when I was in college. But it was not the place from which I drew strength and enthusiasm and commitment for my new ways of eating, activity, and thinking. Instead, that all came from a place where I thought positively about myself and my ability to change my life.

What do you think, fitblrs? Is fat-shaming effective?

Ha - it was only a matter of time before this meme was used for politics : ) Also 100000000000%...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:00:24 -0500

Ha - it was only a matter of time before this meme was used for politics : ) Also 100000000000% agree.

"Zombies, Run!" app 50% off until Sunday, Ap 8

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:29:15 -0500

Usually $8, but now until Sunday, it’s only $4. Whether the promotion was timed for Easter (resurrection much?) or coincidental, I couldn’t tell you. But you will save some coin.

I haven’t tried it (downloading it now) but I have a friend who says it’s pretty cool.

From the website, for the uninitiated:

THE GAME

You tie your shoes, put on your headphones, take your first steps outside. You’ve barely covered 100 yards when you hear them. They must be close. You can hear every guttural breath, every rattling groan - they’re everywhere. Zombies. There’s only one thing you can do:Run!

THE STORY

You’re Runner 5. Hundreds of lives are counting on you. You’ve got to help your base rebuild from the ruins of civilization by collecting critical supplies while avoiding roving zombie hordes. Can you save them and learn the truth about the zombie apocalypse?

Automatically collect crucial items for your base as you run, plus artefacts, notes, voice recordings, and more

Use the items you’ve collected to develop your base and help your surviving population thrive. With a bigger base comes more missions and some unexpected surprises.

Erin Does Life.

Wow, Tomato Basil Watermelon salad recipe gets no love, eh? Tough crowd! (Or, probably more...

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Tomato Watermelon Basil salad

Tomato Basil Watermelon Skewersby Giada de Laurentis

Ingredients

Directions

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Tomato Basil Watermelon Skewers
by Giada de Laurentis