Scale Junkie Weight Loss Blog

Healthy You Challenge Week 6, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Hope everyone is off to a great start for the month of February! As you may have realized by now, its a leap year, that means we get a bonus day. How do you plan on spending your February 29th? I'm planning an active day of hiking or a morning beach trip with my husband and dogs depending on the weather. What about you? Its not often we get an extra day in the year, why not make it fun? Back in 2008 on the last leap year I posted about a bonus day, Its not too early to start thinking about it. I wanted to post about it earlier this year so people could have time to plan. I actually do some of the routines I outlined in that post when I feel I need to let go of something negative. It works!

Goals for this week for me: keep the eating clean and get in more exercise!! What about you?

Healthy You Challenge Week 5, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:07:00 +0000

Hi everyone, end of the first month of 2012, are you on track? I need to tweak my eating a bit and keep up with my other goals this month of drinking enough water and increasing exercise gradually. I feel like I'm on track and I'm making progress, I want to keep it that way. What about you?

For those of you who live in the south eastern United States and have a Publix grocery store near you, I have a giveaway going on for a $25 Publix gift card so click here and enter if you want! Deadline to enter is February 1st so hurry!

And now on to checking in!

The Best Meals Happen At Home Publix Gift Card Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:23:00 +0000

Publix does it again! They've launched another savings special called The Best Meals Happen at Home with savings up to $200 and shared tasty FASTastic and easy recipes. Chipotle Ranch Taco Salad...its whats for dinner at my house tonight. In conjunction with this special promotion, I'm giving away a $25 Publix gift card! Keep Reading

Healthy You Challenge Week 4, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:52:00 +0000

Hi everyone! How did you do with your goals last week? I ended up doing great with my goal to stay hydrated. This weeks goal is to increase exercise...but I'm baby stepping this one. I'm not going to start doing X amount per day and then beat myself up when I don't stay with it. I'm going to do a reasonable amount of exercise or some active outing each day. What do you have planned this week?

One slip is not the end of the world

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:01:00 +0000

I’ve been blogging a while, dieting a lot longer. Historically this is the week where people start to give up. Maybe the first two weeks of the new year the scale really dropped and you felt great and then this week the scale didn’t move as much. Or maybe your willpower started to show signs of cracks. That food that couldn’t tempt you back in week 1 might start to look just a bit better. Or maybe worse, maybe you’ve CHEATED and you think it’s the end of the world, why bother, I’ll just stay fat and unhealthy, it doesn’t really matter anyhow, blahdiddy blah blah blah…STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!

Every step towards better health, no matter how small is a step in the right direction. Did you take your measurements? It’s not too late to do it! There are so many ways to measure success besides the scale. Did you write a list of why you really want this?

One of the things that overwhelms a lot of people and causes diet failure is that we try to take on too much at once. I think most of us have been there we decide that we’re going to never eat __fillintheblank__ again and we’re going to exercise for an hour a day, every single day no matter what, get your gungho game face on and woooooohooooo….. and then something happens. You have a bite of something you don’t think is on your diet, maybe you missed a day at the gym or a workout? These are NOT reasons to quit.

I read a quote on a friends facebook wall the other day that I wanted to share: Saying “oh, I’ve already ruined good eating today, I’ll just eat crap” is like saying “Oh, I dropped my phone on the floor. I’ll just smash it til it breaks.” How true is that? Just because your car runs out of gas or breaks down doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new one! The comparisons can go on and on and on. One slip being eating or exercise is not the end of the world. Now say it with me: One slip is not the end of the world!

If you’re struggling this week, I hope you aren’t but if you are, stop and take a minute to regroup. Take a minute to think of what you’ve already accomplished and think of the small steps you can take. Make one change each week. Add one healthy new thing to your life once a month. It all adds up. It all matters. Just like one candy bar didn’t make you gain 100 pounds, it takes time to undo what we’ve done to our bodies. Don’t give up!

Now say it with me: One slip is not the end of the world!

Healthy You Challenge Week 3, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week. I've noticed that its around about now that people start to lose their diet mojo. Quite often we see such great results on the scale the first few weeks of the new year that when it starts to slow down we get discourage and eventually quit. I'm here to tell you right now...don't do it! Every step towards better health, no matter how small is a step in the right direction.

This week my small step is going to be to focus on staying hydrated. What is your small step of the week?

Mid month round up and the book I've been reading

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000

I'm trying to get back into the swing of life after a rough couple of years and so far so good. I've started by taking charge of my life and health. You know once I stopped taking Zyrec it was like this huge fog of depression just melted away and I felt like me again...unfortunately I hadn't made much progress with my health and weight loss goals and as I mentioned before I had completely put my head in the sand with my pre-diabetes diagnosis and most likely sent myself into full blown diabetes.

When I decided to take control I started researching and found out that Diane Kress was releasing a new book called The Diabetes Miracle, 3 Simple Steps to Prevent, and Control Diabetes and Regain Your Health...Permanently. With a title like that I knew I had to have this book. I wanted to buy it immediately! Full disclosure: I found out the book would not be released until the 2nd week of January but I needed to start NOW so I reached out to the publisher and requested an advance copy and they were wonderful enough to oblige, thank you De Capo and Diane Kress xoxo. They have not asked me to write this and what I'm writing is my own opinion from my experiences so far. The book is now available on Amazon through the link I posted and no I don't make any money if you click my link and buy it but if you're pre-diabetic or diabetic and your blood sugar is out of control you should and let me tell you why.

Author Diane Kress is not only a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, she's a type 2 diabetic herself. When she talks about diabetes she's not only talking from her education but from her personal experiences. Would this fall into the same category as the saying never trust a skinny chef? Okay so maybe not the best comparison here but she knows her stuff!

In the book she not only tells you whats going on in your body when your blood sugar is too high or too low, she explains why. She puts it in terms that are not only easily understandable, they're eye openers. So often well meaning doctors try to put patients on diets for diabetes that don't really work. I know, I've been there.

I'm currently on the first step, an eight week plan where you eat a lower carb diet but you're allowed 5 net carbs every five hours. I know you might be saying 5 net carbs isn't very much but let me tell you, 5 net carbs can keep a dieter sane.

She says don't weigh in during step 1 but HELLO look up there at the title of my blog and what do YOU think is happening in my bathroom a few mornings a week? Oh yes, the strip naked and peek at the scale dance. Since the start of the month I'm down 17 pounds. My blood sugar has dropped considerably, its still not in normal range but I'm working on getting there.

I think the most important thing, getting OFF the sugar has taken me off the sugar roller coaster. I'm not getting those spikes in my blood sugar anymore. My blood pressure is back in the normal range too. I feel...good.

From step 1 you transition into adding in more healthy carbs, brown rice, fruits, things I enjoy and have always made part of my healthy lifestyle. Yes I threw out that word lifestyle because after reading some of the analogies in this book I know that this needs to be my lifestyle. The days of candy and cake binges need to be over. Knowing what that is doing to my blood vessels, organs and body is enough to make me stop in my tracks and start taking her advice.

Is the eight week step one easy? Yes and no. I miss fruits, I miss whole grains but I'll see them again in March. You can have 5 net carbs every five hours so things like low carb breads, lavash and tortillas are options and so is yogurt. The one thing I love, using half and half in my coffee. Milk has too many carbs but I don't miss the milk because I can use almond milk. And then there are the nuts! You can have a reasonable amount of nuts on this plan too. I have been enjoying pistachios, partly because you have to crack them open and it slows me down and I hit that satisfied spot before I finish a handful of them.

If you're pre-diabetic or diabetic, please think about getting this book and trying this plan. 15 days into it and I'm feeling so much better already. I know this is a lifestyle that I need to embrace and if you need to, please take your head out of the sand and take action now.

Healthy You Challenge Week 2, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Hope you're all off to a great start for 2012! I've been doing great at getting in more physical activity but I need to get my eating under tighter control so I'm working on that this week. I think the last of the holiday food is out of the house and we've attended our last post holiday season party, no more distractions!

How is your week going? Are you sticking to your plan? Have you navigated distractions? Are you making this a lifestyle and not just a diet? Lets hear all about it and anything else you wish to share in the comments!

Happy Found Day

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:16:00 +0000

On this day in 2006 two incredible beings came into my world. We don't know the date of their birth so we celebrate the day they were found. This is the story of their "Found Day"

Hi we are Sadie and Max and this is our story. It begins on the day our lives nearly ended, January 4th, 2006. Someone put us in a black garbage bag and left us in a dumpster with some newspapers and other trash...we were just about four weeks old. They say when one window closes another window opens and on that day, we had a wonderful window open. I don't know how long we were in the dumpster or why we were left there. I just know that when someone started throwing garbage on top of us, Sadie used the last of her energy and strength to whimper. Suddenly there was a rumbling noise and then light...bright light. A very kind face looked down at us and reached into the bag and scooped us up and gave us a little cuddle. He took us to a van and put us in a box with one of his shirts. We had a long ride ahead of us. He was working that day...three hours away from the place that would be our new home. He still had work to do when he found us. We heard him telling his wife on the phone that he was having a bad day, a flat tire, a speeding ticket but he had a good surprise for her. He sounded happy when he mentioned the surprise.

The kind man gave us water to drink and cheese crackers...it was the best he had and we were grateful. One of his customers gave us a musical teddy bear. We really liked cuddling up to that but we were happiest when he was holding us. We felt safe with him.

Finally we arrived at the place that we would call home. He put us in the box and told us not to make a sound and carried us into the house, he wanted to surprise her. We could smell food cooking and we heard her voice for the first time. She was so happy to see him and as he placed the box on the counter we heard her say "Whats in the box" He told her to look in side and when she opened the box Sadie had to peek her head out and see. We heard the woman gasp. Then she looked in the corner of the box and saw Max. He was curled up in a ball, very sick and very scared. We heard her exclaim:
"OH MY GOSH THERE'S TWO OF THEM!!!"

She reached in the box and gently pulled us both out one bye one and cuddled us close just like he did. We really liked it. We were in a new house with new smells.We really liked it here. They decided to keep us both and we were so happy that we got to stay together. Brother and sister through thick and thin. It was there and then that The Adventures of Sadie and Max begin...

Healthy You Challenge Week 1, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Happy New Year!! I hope you're all off to a great and healthy start in 2012.

The only change I need to note is for NEW MEMBERS...no need to email me to join, just sign in and introduce yourself in the comments. Some people were shy about emailing and others didn't want to have their blog "welcomed" on the sign in page for whatever reasons.

So if you're new to the HYC (Healthy You Challenge) WELCOME! and if you've been staying accountable with me for a few weeks, months or years, WELCOME BACK!

Lets make 2012 a great year!

Welcome 2012, its going to be a great year!

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:35:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to a great year and making progress in not only my weight loss but improving other aspects of my life as well.

This year we rang in the new year from home. Sadie and Max have never been bothered by fireworks in the past apart from when they were puppies and would hear a boom and bark and we'd say "its just fireworks" and eventually they stopped barking and learned the big booms was just humans being silly. This year it was a little bit different for Sadie.

For those of you who don't know, Sadie was diagnosed with diabetes in September and over the past two months she's been slowly losing her eyesight. She's a champ though, she's learned to navigate the house, she knows her way around the yard and as long as we don't move something she doesn't run into anything.

Around our neighborhood people like to light off a LOT of fireworks so we expected a good show at midnight. I have to say the only upside I am seeing to the horrible economy is that people in my neighborhood couldn't afford as much fireworks. In past years the booming would start before dark and carry on all night long and when I say all night long I'm talking until the last drunk passed out at 5am New Years Day. Oh yeah, its a wee bit redneck around here! This year a LOT less booming but a nice little show at midnight.

We did our typical stand outside with the TV playing in the living room so we could hear the countdown and when the fireworks started Max was zigzagging through the bushes looking for geckos to ~~munch on~~ say hello to but Sadie had disappeared. She'd gone back in the house when the booming started. This wasn't like her. Ken picked her up and she snuggled up with her head on his shoulder, I gave her a scratch on the chin and some reassurance. It was about then I felt a paw on my leg. I looked down and Max had pulled his head out of the bushes and was looking up at me while on his hind legs as if to say well if Dad is holding Sadie shouldn't you be holding me? Come on human woman, PICK ME UP!

So I picked him up, all 55 pounds of him. Immediately it was harder to breathe and my back hurt but instead of putting him back down. I walked up and down our path, into the driveway, up and down and then back again. For two minutes I carried an extra 55 pounds. Its hard to admit I'm up 35 pounds from my lowest weight this past spring which is better than saying I'm up 50 pounds from my lowest weight this summer which is what I would have said before . I know why and I've already taken actions to stop and head in the right direction so throw no stones please, I'm owning the poor choices that led me here. I found the cause of my depression and once I removed that, no more desire to binge eat so its all good again, I'm back on track but still, that 55 pounds of weight was brutal. I'm NOT going back there again.

I've said in the past I don't make resolutions. There is no one magic day of the year to start a diet. I no longer believe in diets either, I believe in lifestyle changes. There is no old way, I'm making a new normal. Following the lead of my successful friends, this year I've written a list of goals. They include weight loss and fitness goals...pounds to lose and a 5k that I've said I'd do for years now and haven't, working more so I can afford to take more metalsmithing classes and buy supplies so I can make and sell jewelry, saving money and paying off debt.

If you haven't made a list of GOALS for 2012, write that list now. Don't get caught up in the "resolution" trap because for so many resolution is an all or nothing word and lets face it, we don't live in an all or nothing world.

My wish for each and every one of you is that 2012 brings you health and happiness, that you're able to work on those goals and cross each and every one of them off your to do list!

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 52, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:06:00 +0000

So here we are, another year older and a new one just about to start. I've had several inquiries asking if I would be continuing the HYC and the answer to that is yes, but I plan on making some changes and updating some of the content on the HYC pages. We'll still have banners and buttons but I won't ask people to email to join, if someone wants to join they can just join in, some had reservations about being "welcomed" and some didn't want to email so I'm trying to streamline to make it as easy for everyone as possible. But more about that next week :-)

Welcome

Wish Me Thin
http://wish-me-thin.blogspot.com/

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 51, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Here we go, second to last check in for the year! Are you ready for a strong finish to this year? I've said NO to so many sweets this past week, I've moved more and really watched my calories. I haven't been drinking enough water so that is added to this weeks goals, get enough to drink!

If you celebrate, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or anything else this coming week, I'd like to wish you good times with your family and friends, peace, health, happiness and much love from my family to yours!

Diabetes, Depression, Diet and other random things

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Its no secret, my eating has been on a roller coaster. I do well for a while then crash and burn, cry, pick up the pieces and vow to fight again. I still don't have health insurance but the last time I was at a doctor a few years ago he wanted me to get tested again for diabetes. Instead of taking action, I let depression suck me in and put my head in the sand for a few years.

Depression is an ugly word but so is diabetes. I found the cause of my depression, a random post by a friend on Facebook led me to try a little experiment and by cutting out one little thing, its been like night and day. I started taking Zyrtec a few years ago for allergies, I was taking it every night before bed. I know some people take it first thing in the morning but I had got into the habit of taking it at night and since its a once every 24 hours pill, I never bothered to break the cycle. I don't remember when I started to feel depressed. I do know I am the person who never really understood depression. I remember once when I was in my 20's hanging out with a group of friends and someone made the comment that everyone has been suicidal at least once in their life, everyone agreed but me. I'd never experienced a suicidal thought in my life...until the past few years. I never tried suicide but my thoughts were overwhelming at times and often very negative inside of my head. I kept up a good front with friends, no one knew but Ken did, even Sadie and Max knew, one day when it was really bad, they took turns laying with me. I think they knew, they sensed I wasn't myself. Having them beside me that day stopped me from finding a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Thats just it, everything felt like a huge problem. Fast forward to September and the post on my friends Facebook wall. I stopped taking Zyrtec cold turkey and within days Ken noticed I was different. October was probably the BEST month I've had in years. November wasn't great because I had an abscessed tooth but I can't imagine what that would have been like if I had depression issues on top of it.

Please know I'm not saying Zyrtec is the cause of every ones depression or that it doesn't because it did, I didn't have allergy issues while taking it but I did experience pretty severe depression that started to go away within days and was gone weeks and only kept getting better...and still is. I should also note that I've had reactions to other types of medications, Nyquil for instance that is supposed to make you sleepy makes me feel hyper and wide awake.

Which leads me to where I am now. A few years later, having done who knows how much damage to my body by putting my head in the sand and I'm here trying to assess the damage and find the best course of action for me to get my health back under control. Watching the carbs, eliminating sugar and highly processed foods, trying to keep it simple and yes even starting to exercise again.

Watch this space!

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 49, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:39:00 +0000

So close to the end of the year. Are you feeling the pressure? I had a very busy week and I will admit my eating plan went out the window. The only thing I did with any consistency was walk every morning. I'm working on making this week better. More water, more exercise, better food choices. How are you handling the holiday MONTH filled with temptations?

WELCOME!

Getting Past My Number
http://incurvate.wordpress.com/

Trials and Tribulations of a Fat Girl Blog
http://trialsandtribulationsofgthefatty.blogspot.com/

Sausage Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Appetizer night has become a tradition around my house, in the weeks leading up to the new year we pick a few nights to chill at home, eat appetizers and watch holiday themed movies. Its typically a package of Boursin and crackers, veggies and hummus, a bowl of mixed fruit, nuts and then everyone picks a favorite to add to the mix, my favorite to add is sausage balls.

They're also great to make to take to a party but if you don't have a party to take them to, no worries, make them, let them cool, put them on a baking tray in the freezer, once frozen transfer to freezer storage bags. When you're ready to serve, just put them in the microwave on a plate, defrost setting for about a minute...more or less depending on how many you're thawing, then heat on 80% power until hot, about a minute.

I posted this recipe on my recipe blog a few years ago...a site I started to keep recipes organized for myself and share with others. I haven't been doing much sharing lately but I was looking for the sausage ball recipe and when I searched online I found all of those full fat, unhealthy recipes and then I remembered I'd posted it to my recipe blog.

If you need to bring an appetizer to a party, these are a great choice and under 30 calories per sausage ball.

Years ago I went to a family party and my older sister Sheryl made these delectable little balls of yumminess called sausage balls. It was truly love at first bite. They were made with a pound of hot sausage, a pound of mild sausage, Bisquick baking mix and LOTS of cheese.

I wanted to recreate these little bite sized beauties because I was asked to bring an appetizer to a party. Of course I was going to healthily them up Scale Junkie style and I have to say WOW!

I didn’t take step by step directions but I did manage to snap a shot for you when they came out of the oven and passed my taste test.

Ingredients:

5 links of Jennie O Italian Turkey sausage (20 ounces)
1.5 cups of Heart Smart Low Fat Bisquick Baking Mix
8 ounces of low fat 2% finely shredded cheddar cheese.

Remove the turkey sausage from their casings and discard casings. Add in the baking mix to sausage, use your hands to mix this all together most of the way and then add in the finely shredded cheddar and mix the rest of it all together to make a meatball mixture. Be sure to use the finely shredded cheddar its just easier to mix through than the bigger chunks of shredded cheddar.

Shape into about 1.5 inch meatballs and place on wire rack on baking tray. This allows any grease to drip from the sausage into the tray and your meatballs stay grease free. Make sure you place them so they aren’t touching because they will expand slightly as they cook.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes until cooked, mine were ready in 12 minutes.

I serve them warm and as is but I’ve seen them served at parties with various dips so go for it if you so desire.

Variation: Used finely shredded mozzarella cheese, add 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp Italian seasoning to ingredient list, form and bake as above and serve with a marinara sauce for dip.

Yield: approximately 65 sausage balls

Nutritional Info:
Calories 28
Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 6mg
Sodium: 90mg
Carbs: 2g
Fiber: 0
Protein: 2.5g

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 48, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Hi everyone, welcome to December 2011, hard to believe another year is almost over isn't it? I'm extremely busy with work this week and I've tried to stock up on healthy snacks so I can avoid the holiday candies and cookies. One of my favorite go to snacks this time of year are the clemenite oranges. Tiny little 30 to 35 calories each, easy to peel, very portable, great little sweet snacks. What are some of your favorite healthy snacks this time of year?

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 47, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone, December is nearly here. Sorry for not getting this up earlier, work has been dominating my time because I'm trying to make up lost hours from when I was sick earlier in the month. Anyhow, my goals for December are to drop at least four pounds, I'm not putting unrealistic expectations on myself, I know I have parties, special events coming up this month where I will indulge. I refuse to gain! What are your December plans and goals?

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 46, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:48:00 +0000

Last week was a very rough week for me, my tooth ended up infected and I was very sick for days as a result. It really taught me a lesson on just how quickly you can go from feeling fabulous to oh no I think I'm going to die, it can turn on a dime. It makes me realize my health is a delicate balance and right now, getting healthy is going to help me bounce back quicker from future illness. I hate to think how my body would have reacted 50 pounds ago. My goal for this week of Thanksgiving is to appreciate what I have and not let a holiday, a day of celebration, make my body feel worse. I'm balancing the indulgence with exercise. What is your plan of attack for this holiday or any holiday?

WELCOME

Oh No Where Has My Waistline Gone?

http://determined2bfit.blogspot.com/

Holiday Gift Guide Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Do you get tired of saying "ummmm, I don't know" when someone asks you what you want for the holidays? Or maybe you want to buy a gift for someone you love and you aren't sure what to get. Here are a few of my top picks.

Gadgets On the Go

BodyMedia FIT CORE Armband
You may have seen it recently endorsed by Jillian Michaels' or heard of other similar devices but the CORE Armband captures over 5,000 data points per minute and it tracks calories burned, steps taken, levels of physical activity, it even tracks your sleep.

The BodyMedia FIT CORE Armband | $179.99

It was easy to set up, it only needs to be charged once every 5 or 6 days and the interface on the website is easy to use, easy to understand. It takes a bit of time to enter in your food and get in the habit of tracking but it was fascinating to see my walks and other activity tracked and see how many steps I took, calories burned and it was easy to know how much I needed to decrease to see weight loss. I'm still learning the ins and outs. But this is a keeper and a great way to start the New Year off right!

Disclosure: I'm currently using the Advantage model but the CORE is the newest model and is smaller. Just make sure you order the correct size for your arm, I didn't and my band was too tight. They sell replacement bands with fashion colors too. BodyMedia provided me with a Armband starter package but as always, the opinions expressed here are my own.

GEEK OUT

KENS ART

As the name says, these are pieces of art by Ken who also happens to be my husband! He is a geek, a gadget man, a techy tech guy. He takes things apart and fixes them but sometimes things are too far gone and even Ken can't fix them. Instead of sending them to the landfill, he started making little odds and ends and eventually started making sculputres. He decided to start selling them on Etsy after Sadie was diagnosed with diabetes in an attempt to offset some of the ongoing costs of her testing and care. Here is one example, you can see more and purchase on KensArt Etsy. Stop by KenSwallowArt Facebook page and "like" it too! Makes a great gift for the geek in your life <3

Recycled Three Wheeler by KensArt

The Professor by Ken's Art

Disclosure: Ken is my husband, Sadie is my dog. I profit from this by keeping my dog healthy. My payment is mainly in the form of slobbery dog kisses.

WEARABLE ART!

Nashville Restrung

My friend Laura is from Nashville, she married a man who makes custom guitars. Like me she's a creative type and one day she saw her husband throwing away broken guitar strings she asked why he didn't recycle them. It turns out they're made of mixed metals and can't be recycled so they end up in the landfill. She asked him to put them in a box for her and when she had time she started making bracelets, necklaces and rings from the strings. She has very limited items listed online currently (she's working on listing more as I type) but if you're in or near Nashville she has items for sale at White Bluff Music in White Bluff TN, you can also check out examples on her facebook page, she will also use strings you provide from your stringed musical instrument (guitar, bass, violin, etc.) and create a custom piece just for you or your musician. They make great gifts and money made from Nashville Restrung is going towards her latest project Strings For Hope, a non-profit she's founded that is committed to financially supporting the physical, educational and spiritual needs of our communities, both locally and globally thorough the sales of wearable art created of recycled strings from musical instruments. So good cause, recycled product, very affordable, around $12 to $30 plus a small shipping fee. She has a few listed here but her inventory is vast, contact her today about a gift for yourself or your loved one.

Nashville Restrung Bonanza Store

Nashville Restrung on Facebook

Strings For Hope

Disclosure: Laura is one my dearest friends. I haven't been compensated to post this, just sharing because I believe in her and believe in her cause.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale

I have used many bathroom scales, from those that track body mass, body fat, etc. to the old fashioned dial scales way back before digital. This scale remains my favorite because its just so simple and easy to use. Its attractive and you don't have to tap and wait you just get on and wait a few seconds and your weight is displayed in easy to read numbers. It has a capacity of 400 lbs or 180kgs and its accurate for under $30!!! I can't tell you how many other scales I'd get on and get one weight, step off and step back on a minute later and it would be off by a few pounds. Not this scale, its consistent every time!

Disclosure: EatSmart sent me this scale about a year ago and generously did several giveaways to my readers. Reminding you about them is just good karma for me :)

Hopefully these will get you started, check, back, I'll try to add a few more things over the next week!

Happy Holidays,
Lots of Love from
Diana, Ken, Sadie and Max

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 45, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:51:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great week. I'm having a bit of a rough week. My tooth decided it was going to scream with pain on Thursday, I went to the dentist on Friday afternoon and it was abscessed and they wouldn't work on it until I had at least four days of antibiotics which means I'm headed back to the dentist Tuesday morning. Not my favorite place to be the drilling and pain, the expense, ouch squared! My diet has been soft foods, I'm so sick of scrambled eggs and oatmeal but for a few more days its going to be soft foods, suggestions?

Enough about me, what are your goals for the week? For those of us in the USA we have the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, I'm already preparing and picking my battles. There will be a slice of apple pie, there will be at least two miles of walking, 1 mile in the morning and 1 mile in the evening, beyond that, I'm not so sure yet.

Anyone else gearing up for Black Friday sales? The tooth put a huge damper in my shopping plans but I still like to look at the good deals.

I'm also working on putting together my holiday shopping guide, its a lot of fun, look for it early next week :)

WELCOME!

Work It Out, Gurl
http://www.workitoutgurl.blogspot.com/

Big Steps 2 Take
http://bigsteps2take.blogspot.com/

Watching Thin People

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Talking about taking control made me remember the Christmas party we went to two years ago for hubby’s work. We ended up assigned to a table with a woman everyone called Sergeant Major. She was in charge of the accounting department, retired military and very controlling and bossy. She was about 45 years old, 5’9” and thin and fit.

The food at this party was phenomenal. Appetizers of bite size Beef Wellington, puffed pastry filled with crab and cream cheese mixture, shrimp cocktail. For the buffet style main course dinner, a phenomenal salad with gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, mandarin orange, red onion and spring mix greens, I make this often. There was poached salmon, chicken breasts stuffed with sundried tomato, spinach and parmesan cheese, roasted pork, chicken picatta, beef in a merlot sauce. For side dishes, rosemary and citrus roasted potatoes, wild rice pilaf, a vegetable medley, glazed baby carrots, green beans with almonds and of course there were piping hot fresh rolls on every table with butter. For dessert there were pies, cookies, Belgian chocolates, chocolate turtle cake or cheesecake.

I indulged in at least two of each of the appetizers…just in case I didn’t like what would be offered for the main course. Then the buffet was present, I was so overwhelmed by choices I took a small portion of almost everything, as did most everyone else at our table. We passed the rolls and butter and endulged in a feast of feasts. When dessert was offered, hubby and I each picked a different dessert and shared.

The one thing I noticed during this meal is what Sergeant Major chose. She had one beef wellington appetizer, she had a portion of salad, steamed salmon, vegetable medley, green beans and about a ½ cup of rice. For desert she took one bite of cake and enjoyed conversation with everyone as she sipped her coffee sweetened with splenda.

This still stands out in my mind over two years later. Not the details of the food, I confess I looked them up on the country club’s website to refresh my memory on what was served. But I recalled exactly what she ate. What this tall thin, fit and healthy woman ate. To her this wasn’t a special occasion meant to indulge. To her it was eating to meet her nutritional needs and a bite of cake. She stands out in my mind as someone who isn’t controlled by food.

I’ve let food control me for so long I didn’t know there was another way. I grew up a family that used food to celebrate everything. I used food to celebrate when I was happy and I used food to console me when I felt down. Learning to let go of “using” food is the first step. I feel like I finally get it.

I feel like the story of “Sergeant Major” stuck in my mind for a reason. Food isn’t a reward it’s something we need to meet our bodies nutritional needs. This is something I’ve come to terms with. I know it, I get it. Now I have to hold on to it for dear life and never forget these lessons I’ve taken so many years to learn.

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 44, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Hi everyone. I hope November is off to a great start. I'm just trying to push myself a little bit harder this week and for the rest of the year so I can end on a strong note. I had a pretty interesting weekend and I plan on blogging about it at some point. I know my blog posts have been infrequent but I'm hoping to change that.

Healthy You Challenge Check In Week 43, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:09:00 +0000

Hi everyone, hope your Halloween was full of treats and not tricks! We only had a few kids and a 120 piece bag of candy...Ken has claimed it as HIS and thats a good thing for me because if I tell myself its his candy, I won't eat it...whatever it takes right?

Goals for November? My big plan is to stay on track and not let the Thanksgiving (United States) holiday throw me off track. Its a holiday not a holimonth and in the past I've let October, November and December become one long feeding frenzy. Not.this.year! Lets make a pact to finish 2011 strong!

Breaking the negative self talk cycle

noreply@blogger.com (Scale Junkie) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:32:00 +0000

The other day a friend sent me an excerpt from what I thought was an article. It was thought provoking and I thanked her for sending it to me because I found it inspiring. After a few more email exchanges she confronted me and asked me if I'd really read the words and I said I had and she said read them again. Then she sent me this and I was like..oh yeah, those were MY words. I'm spending some time re-reading my own posts and finding my inner strong.

Breaking the negative self talk cycle

For years I felt like a failure because I couldn’t lose weight. I blamed this or that along the way but the truth is that when I’m 100% honest with myself I’ve been my own worst enemy. When the going gets tough I’ve run the other way. When faced with a mountain to climb I’ve never made it to the top and I’ve used every excuse in the book to justify my failures. Would I do this in my professional career? NO WAY but I do it to my body.

I look at how harshly I’ve treated myself in the past and I realized that I would NEVER EVER treat someone else the way I treat myself. Would you call a friend a failure if they made one mistake? Would you sit back and let a friend binge eat? Would you call a friend ugly? Would you point out every flaw to a friend? Would you criticize every decision a friend made? Would you let a friend abuse their body? I’d never let a friend do the things I’ve done to myself, not ever. But yet I do it to myself and justify it. It needs to stop and it needs to stop now!

If you take the time to examine what you’re saying about yourself ask yourself first if its true. If its true then ask yourself if you’re skewing it at all. Chances are if you aren’t giving yourself the whole picture when you hit yourself with a negative. Look at the facts first and then see where you can go from there.

I am worth fighting for and so are you. Can we make a little pact to stop being so hard on ourselves? If you find yourself saying something negative STOP and turn it into a positive. I’ve learned that when I really want to change I have to make myself step out of my comfort zone. As much as it hurts, sometimes we need to get uncomfortable to get to the truth. Saying nice things about myself is something I’ve never been good so I’ve decided to look at things I know are true about me and things that can help me along the way to a healthier mind, body and spirit.

When I fall down I get back up again
Sugar is not my friend, I feel so much better when I avoid it
My body feels so good after exercise
I meet challenges head on
I don’t quit
I will be kinder to myself and treat myself as I treat others
I have a capacity to learn and will seek new information daily
I am a loving wife and good puppy momma
I am unique and beautiful in a way that is all mine and I’m proud of that
I am strong, physically strong and getting stronger, mentally strong and getting strong, spiritually strong and getting stronger.

Your turn, even if it hurts, even if it causes some discomfort, write a list of positive things that are true about you. I wrote 10, you can write more or less but do at least 6 and really push yourself out of that comfort zone and look inside of yourself for this list. You don’t have to share them if you don’t want but I really REALLY hope you do! Looking a little deeper sometimes provides the push that we need.