Last week I shared with you all how to add some color and nutrition to your meals by eating foods from the 5 major color groups.

Now let’s talk about choices. My mother has always said “life is about choices.” As a kid I didn’t really understand that, but as I have gotten older it makes more. Making bad choices is how I gained over 70 pounds, so I can attest to the fact that life truly is about choices.

We are in a fast paced convenience based society so we are bombarded with quick meal options all of the time. Most of those grab and go meals are terrible for us and most of us are just too busy to care.

What I’d like to do is challenge each and every one of you to start caring and to start critically evaluating what you fuel your body with. It sounds really difficult which is why so many people just go for the easy, quick meal.

The first step is the hardest, but trust me it gets easier with time.

So how do you get started?

You look at what you’re about to eat and think “what can I eliminate or skip to lower the calories of this meal?”

• Cheese is very high in calories and comes on most everything you can get when you drive through someone. Get a sandwich, skip the cheese. Save about 70+ calories.

• Get a burger, take 1 bun off, or pinch the middle out of the bun. It looks and feel weird at first, but it lowers your caloric intake and is just one step you can take to have a healthier meal.

• If you have a chance to order a combo, skip it. The fries are terrible for you and drink water instead of the soda. Or, if you feel you need the combo, get a small size and a diet soda or unsweet tea and add some sweetener.

• If you have a choice to have grilled or crispy, choose grilled.

• Think lean. If you have an option for other meat like fish, buffalo, or turkey, go for it.

• Skip the sauces or dressings, or go for a light version.
It is little things like this that can really make a difference on your daily intake and helps you both lose weight and get healthier.

Last week I wrote about fueling your body with the right kind of fuel. This week I wanted to provide you all with a guideline on how to introduce healthy choices into your daily meals.

A good rule of thumb is to be sure to have a variety of colors on your plate. Seeing all brown or tan foods on your plate usually means it is all fried or foods that are high in carbs such as gravy, potatoes, and such. Some researchers argue that, while there are some good carbs, that items like those listed above are bad for the body when consumed on a consistent basis. However, even I enjoy some of these “bad” carbs once in a while. There is something to be said for enjoying starchy carbs in moderation.

A well balanced meal would include items from several color groups; think a meat and a few vegetables. For our vegan and vegetarian friends- I’m sorry, but you’ll have to research that because I am unfamiliar with those lifestyles. I did think about you all when I wrote this, though!

When shopping for fruits and vegetables look for things in the 5 major color groups :

Green: Leafy greens, lettuce, green pepper, broccoli, green beans, peas, green cabbage, green apples, green grapes, honeydew, asparagus, artichoke, brussels sprouts, celery, okra, zucchini and kiwifruit.

Orange/Yellow: Carrots, yellow apples, apricots, yellow figs, sweet corn, tangerines, pumpkin, pineapple, sweet potatoes, butternut and winter squash, cantaloupe, oranges, lemons, nectarines, peaches, mangoes and papayas.

Red: Tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, red peppers, red onions, red kidney beans, red lentils, red apples, pink grapefruit, red grapes, strawberries, cherries, watermelon, raspberries, pink or red grapefruit and cranberries.

Blue/purple: Eggplant, purple grapes, plums, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, purple figs, dried plums and black currants.
White: Cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, garlic, parsnips, ginger, dates, shallots, turnips, white peaches, white nectarines, white potatoes, bananas and pears

Now, not only will you be eating healthier your meal will be more visually appealing, too!

One of the key components of weight loss or weight maintenance is about what you consume. I prefer to avoid referring to it as a diet or dieting, because “diet” generally has a bad connotation and often reminds people of yo-yo or fad diets, failed weight loss attempts, and the like.

In my own experience I’ve found these types of fads or practices have the potential to be very unhealthy because they keep your body from gaining valuable nutrients and can put stress on your system as it tries to perform using only the diet food. I’ve tried many plans over the years. Weight Watchers, Atkins, NutriSystem, The Hollywood Juice Diet, and more. None worked long term, if they even worked at all.

I did, however, discover a meal plan that used to be prescription only that changed my life. I lost over 50 pounds by only eating the food. I was in an ankle brace and was unable to exercise. I in no way sell or earn any money from the plan, but will tell anyone about it if they ask.

What I found so amazing on my own weight loss journey was that your body will actually tell you what it needs once you get all the junk cleaned out of your system. Once I ate nutritious food for a while and had a sugary treat my body reacted to it in a way I had never noticed before.

I got a headache, my stomach hurt, and I felt sleepy. You might not find that as fascinating as I did, but I remember being astounded at how negatively the human body reacts when those kinds of things are reintroduced to it.

I like to think of the body as a machine. It only works as well as the fuel you put in it. If  you load up with sugary, salty, carby foods think of that as dragging the machine down and hindering its performance. Eating a good balance of protein and good carbs can provide high energy levels and increased performance without any pills or supplements.

It suddenly made sense why today’s society has a health problem as a whole. We as a culture fuel our bodies with junk food so our bodies are then trying to compensate for that in an attempt to run efficiently.

Next time I’ll go over some simple guidelines to help you transition into eating healthier. Until then, keep drinking water, get up and move around a little bit, and think about what you’re about to eat. Is it fuel, or is it junk?

Nobody wants to be nagged about their lifestyle, so instead I hope to be able to provide some tips, tools, and practices I’ve found useful to me as I’ve embraced a healthier lifestyle over the past few years.

Let’s kick this off by discussing water intake. We all know water is essential to life; even your body’s principal chemical component is water.

This means that water is essential to your well being and health.

The Mayo Clinic (see above link) recommends that men take in about 13 cups of water a day, whereas women need an estimated 9 cups total.

Increasing your water intake has several benefits:

• Generally improves skin/complexion
• Flushes out toxins from vital organs
• Carries nutrients to your cells
• Increase your energy levels (because your body is functioning with optimal hydration)

So how do you get started?  Drinking water is hard! I know, because the old me would  grab a soda or sweet tea before I’d even think about drinking water. I used to joke that the only water I drank was the ice in my tea.

Then I spent a week in Nevada and in 2007 and drank primarily water during because it was readily available…and crazy hot outside.

I noticed I felt better and was more energetic during the trip (even though I was still fat) and just kept it up once I got home.

You now see me with a 33 oz. water bottle all the time. Why? Because if it is in front of me I will drink it. And so will you.

It wasn’t exactly easy to give up the things I thought quenched my thirst, but as I kept practicing drinking water instead of the other junk it got easier. It just took time and required me changing my habits.

Looking back I realize those types of drinks only made me more thirsty for the product I was drinking; there was no significant hydration taking place.

I can honestly say I am happy drinking plain ol’ H20. But, if you’re not quite ready to drink plain water you can try zero or low calorie water flavoring products like Crystal Light drops or packets.

Still not enough to make you switch?

Try seltzer water or carbonated flavored water. My husband prefers seltzer water because it still feels like you’re drinking soda because you get the carbonation and the feel and sound of opening a can like you would with a soft drink.

Whatever way you choose, just start. Starting means you’re serious about changing your lifestyle.

So get out there and start hydrating!

If you know me personally you know we are stationed in Oklahoma City while David is working on a special duty military assignment and if you’re watching the national news lately you know there have been devastating back to back tornadoes in our area.

5/19 in Shawnee, 5/20 in Moore and surrounding areas, and last night in Mustang, Yukon, OKC, and those surrounding areas, to be exact.

These storms have caused significant damage, injuries, and loss of life and last night we thought it was our turn.

The sky quickly got dark and began to look really dangerous as I was leaving Dell at 5:30 yesterday. I even jokingly posted on Facebook about trying to beat the tornado home because I naively thought there was no way we could get hit twice in the same week. I had time to heat up a healthy choice microwave meal and eat half of it before the news reports started showing a strong vortex developing to the west of us and moving fast. And of course the condo we rent has no storm shelter.

David’s co-worker lost his home in the 5/20 Moore F5 tornado so we had put some thought into the kinds of things we’d need if we had to flee but we hadn’t put together a formal bug out bag and we had failed to make time to locate local shelters. We should have done that.

David and I quickly grabbed the cats, litter/litterbox, cat food, granola bars, bottled water, a blanket, medicine, firearms, and our small handheld firesafe and made for the car.

We headed east; there was no traffic yet. We waited for about 20 minutes in what seemed like a safe place, got gas, and thought we could head back towards the house. That’s when the tornado made a drastic turn south. Towards us. We immediately tried to go south, too, but so did everyone else.

The cell signal was spotty so we couldn’t locate shelters. In between the storm and everyone we know texting us both repeatedly we were lucky to have the news streaming and the gps working so we could try to locate side streets. I still have no idea how we were able to juggle all that and remain calm and focused.

We are lucky that we left the house when we did because that gave us a 5-10 minute lead and outran the tornado. Every time the weather crew was reporting activity on a specific street we had just passed it. We drove from 6:00 pm until 11:30 pm all over Oklahoma with 2 cats bouncing all over the car. Erik was surprisingly chill and laid down, but Phil was moewing his head off and running all over the car peering out the windows and leaving little kitten noseprint smears all over them.

behind us

The storm started turning into the shape of a horseshoe so no matter where we turned it looked like it was enveloping us. I looked at the people in the other cars. All of their expressions were the same. Somber and focused, except for the occasional beating of their hands on their steering wheel in a desperate attempt to urge the cars ahead of them forward. If only that had worked. Traffic was painfully slow, which only added to the urgency of our situation.

While trying to head west from Norman David got quiet and suddenly said “brace yourself. the winds were coming.” I have no idea how he knew this; he must have seen something I hadn’t. We sat there holding hands tightly and petting the cats as the straight line winds pushed our car back and forth.

I don’t think we got any lift, but it was strong and it was frightening. Without saying a word I knew we were both prepared to die, and I was happy knowing I was with my little family. I have never before felt the kind of peace that I did in that moment. I knew where my family was. I knew I was loved. And I knew my life had meaning. Our grip on each other’s hand tightened as our car kept moving. The violent winds lasted only seconds, but it felt like so much longer than that. We survived.

The winds subsided long enough for us to keep pushing forward. We ended up in Purcell, which is only 31 miles from our house. It just took hours to get there. David and I are both stubborn, which is both our strength and our weakness, so with no hotels to speak of we kept going. We were determined to get home that night.

We headed over to Chickasha and on the way we were pelted with large golf ball sized hail. The hail slammed into our car and David told me to take cover under a blanket. The sound stayed with me. It was a loud crashing smashing sound that sounded like serious damage with each impact. While huddled under the blanket I prepared myself because I was sure the glass would break any second. Like the wind, even though the hail only lasted a minute or two it felt like 10 as we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and trapped with nowhere to go. We just had to ride it out and hope for the best, but expect the worst.

Tornado travel map

After that was over we lurched forward to Newcastle still believing we could get home. We knew the news was reporting I-35 and I-40 were shut down but thought we had a chance with I-44. Traffic was halted there, too, so that wasn’t happening. After waiting in line at McDonald’s for 20 minutes without moving we found a Braum’s that was still open. I caved and had a grilled chicken sandwich with cheese at midnight. Ever the nutrition conscious eater, I tried to remove the cheese but it was permanently glued to the rest of the grilled amalgamation I was about to eat. After the deed was done I instantly wished I hadn’t, but we were out of granola bars and we hadn’t eaten substantial in 6 hours.

Traffic was still backed up so with no other choice we slept in the car, only to be awakened by the sound of a lone shopping cart careening across the parking lot. To my surprise the bright clangy rattle of a cart galloping over the asphalt is discernible even while half asleep. We both immediately shot up from our awkward car seat sleeping positions, saw the cart was coming right for us in the with increasing speed, and drove to another spot in the mostly vacant lot. David and I watched as it continued on to where our car would have been and kept going to
attack another unsuspecting vehicle.

We had difficulty going back to sleep after all the excitement with the unmanned cart so we checked on the traffic. Nothing. Roads that were packed both ways 30 minutes prior were completely empty now so we started the dark journey home.

Lights were out all over the city but we could still see the debris on the road and along the sidewalks. We were welcomed home by whole fences torn apart, trees split and uprooted, siding hanging from power lines, broken and leaning power poles, and darkness.

We finally got home around 1 am and found a massive tree down and blocking the door to neighbor behind us. The streetlights were out, too, so David turned the car around to shine the headlights in that direction and climbed over the tree limbs in an attempt to get to their door. Luckily nobody was home. We remembered bitterly that the garage door wouldn’t work without power so David had to enter from the front using his phone as a flashlight so he could go through the house and manually open the garage.

Once we got the car pulled in and the cats and supplies unloaded we settled down to text everyone who had been contacting us throughout the night to let them know we were safe.

We went room to room to assess the damage by candlelight. The condo has an insufferable existing leak in the downstairs ceiling and a leak in the wall of the upstairs bedroom closet so of course the rubbermaid storage bin I permanently leave under the leak was full of water and the towel in the closet floor was soaked.

The upstairs was too hot and without the ceiling fan the air felt stagnant so we ended up camping out on the Ikea sofa bed downstairs. It has been a long time since I slept that well on something so uncomfortable.

So here we are. 8:22 pm the next day and we still have no power. We went and got lunch at Burger King in Moore since they had power and wi-fi, bought dry ice to try to salvage our cold food, and had ourselves a no-power feast: grilled chicken and a heated up can of sliced carrots on the grill.

We’re probably outwearing our welcome at Starbucks. We’ve been here for over an hour and my hair is a hot mess so it’s probably pretty obvious we’re squatters without power.

The sun is starting to set now and that means we’ll be going home to a dark house again. But the silver lining is that we’re safe. We’re happy. And we’re together.

Zaggora came out with new colors of their Hot Top and I purchased a grey one as a Groupon Goods item.

After wearing it to work out I broke out in a weird rash that was later diagnosed as Pityriasis Rosea, a harmless rash that has a distinctive pattern. I took the medication and after it went away I wore the other tops from the same company (but from their original batch of products) and was fine. I then wore the same top again, freshly washed, and broke out in the same rash again.

I could only conclude that the Hot Top was the cause of my rash. It is a bit strange, though, because Pityriasis Rosea is generally thought to have no known cause, but some physicians believe there are triggers.

I contacted both Zaggora and Groupon, who refuse to offer a refund, exchange, or replacement in any form. I even offered to send it back to the manufacturer for analysis, but they had no interest.

In a month long email conversation with Zaggora they originally offered an exchange if I obtained a doctor’s note saying he believed it caused my rash. I obtained the note, they they said they could not locate my order. I advised again, as I stated in all emails, that I got it via Groupon Goods. The reneged on their exchange offer and  ultimately argued that it is neoprene based and that some people’s skin reacts to it.

Even though I have mentioned it in nearly every email they fail to comprehend  that I have 6 other of their neoprene items and have had no breakout whatsoever. I also scuba dive and have worn a variety of rental wetsuits while traveling, also with no breakouts.

Groupon is unable to offer a refund because it is well over their 14 day return policy by now.

Has anyone, anywhere broken out in a rash after wearing a Zaggora Hot Top? If so, please comment and let me know what color where you ordered it from.

Handler J Warfield and kittens. Photo from CuddlyCatz.org

In January I came across a program called Cuddly Catz. I am truthfully unsure of where I read about it, but it is a program that pairs cats with behavioral or other issues with non-violent inmates who care for them and prepare them for their forever home.

I was quite moved by the information I found on their website and by the stories of how this program has changed both the cats and their handlers.

January came and went and I forgot to send a gift card donation but this weekend my husband and I went and made that happen. It will go into the mailbox tomorrow.

With that, I invite you all you consider sending a gift card in any amount to this program so it may help them with their mission.

Here is an email I received from one of the volunteers when I asked about how to donate:

Hi Angela,

Thank you for your comment on our website. The handlers are doing a great
job and in the last year have worked an animal cruelty case that brought
in three adults, six kittens needing bottle feeding, as well as an
overweight kitty, an aggressive kitty, and one who had inproper urination
issues. To date, their adoption rate is amazing and out of twelve cats,
nine have adopted, and one returned to the owner.

To answer your question about donating to the program. You can do one of
two things. Cuddly Catz has closed their bank accounts as we transition
the program to now help local shelters, but you can donate to West
Columbia Gorge Humane Society who has just placed five cats in the
program. Their website is wcghumanesociety.org and there is a donation
link. You should be able to notate LCAP Program (Larch Cat Adoption
Program).

Or, if you want to support the handlers directly, you can purchase a gift
card of any amount at PetSmart or Petco and mail to Larch Corrections
Center, 15314 Northeast Dole Valley Road, Yacolt, WA 98675. Please send to
Att: Monique Camacho – LCAP Program, and the gift card will be utilized
for whatever supplies they need for the cats in care.

Thank you again for your kind words and interest in the LCAP program. We
will continue to post updates on the website during the transition period
and then you should be able to continue to follow the program via West
Columbia Gorge Humane Society’s website.

Kelly Clarke
LCAP Volunteer

Check out this news coverage about their work: Prison Inmates Get Rescue Cats Ready For Adoption

The only 2 ingredients are 1 1/2 TSB milk and 1 TSB unflavored gelatin. Mix, heat for 10 seconds and start applying.

Here are some important things I wish the blogger had mentioned:

1. It smells pretty terrible. It’s heated milk with gelatin for crying out loud. I had no idea it was going to be so strong

2. There is no way you need to wait 15 minutes. My husband did it and waited 4 minutes before he started peeling. I tried to follow directions and waited the full 15 minutes.  He said some of the peeling hurt at only 4 minutes so I thought maybe I could handle it because I have a decent pain tolerance.

It. Was. So. Painful. Little stray hairs got stuck in the mask and I only noticed once I started peeling. Luckily it comes off with a good washcloth but take my advice. Wait 2-3 minutes instead. I wish I had!

Now for the results- the fun part.

Both of us have amazingly smooth skin. Now, as far as pore cleaning… I’m underwhelmed. If I had paid for expensive pore strips I would have been pretty bummed out.

I have no zits usually, but after this mask I had 1 with a white head immediately pop up to the surface. At least that suction-like effect worked though I’d rather have skipped the new zit part.

To me, my pores still look dirty. Maybe they’re cleaner, maybe they’re the same but they certainly seem to still have some dirt in them.

Overall- an inexpensive, slightly smelly, and temporarily painful way to spend 15 minutes on a cold, dreary Saturday. There’s a silver lining though- our skin IS super smooth now.

Have you had any Pinterest successes or failures?

Follow me there

Very little gets me down. I roll with the punches, shake it off, and push through it.

But today. Today was one of those days that I imagine many of my co-workers and friends lament about both on Facebook at at the office.

Today I experienced disappointment after disappointment and it was even the first weekend of Spring Break, at that. It wasn’t even a bad day. Nothing terrible happened. It was just very disappointing.

It started out with one of our cats freaking out while I was carrying him and clawing the crap out of my chest, back, and arm.

Last Wednesday I was diagnosed with Pityriasis rosea (a temporary rash with no known cause) so my poor skin just can’t get a break. Now I have scratches to match my weird splotches. That’s hot!

Then my husband and I decided to go see Oz in IMAX. Those know who me IRL know that I avoid carbs the majority of the time but I look forward to a little movie theatre popcorn once in a while. I get a small tub of unbuttered popcorn, and was bummed to discover that after the first layer it was mostly broken up pieces and kernels.

So now I’m thinking “this movie’s going to be awesome so it will make up for it.” Wrong. If you want to see Oz, wait until it comes out on DVD. It was okay. Barely “meh.” Had we seen it in non IMAX and at night when it was more expensive I would have been more sad about it. Predictable, lack-luster. I know it was a PG movie, but come on, Disney. You usually make it entertaining for adults, as well.

Then I lost an auction on some scuba equipment on eBay when I should have just chosen “Buy It Now” 3 days ago. I will be kicking myself for that one for a while.

So now I’m cut up, itchy, unsatisfied with both carbs and the movie, and am without that piece of scuba luggage. First world problems, I know. I’m happy, generally healthy, financially secure, and have an awesome soul mate to get through days like today with. In the end, that’s all that really matters. Only I am both confused and fascinated by how bummed out I got over all this. I can definitely see how back to back let downs can really get someone down in the dumps.

I definitely look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings. Surely it will be more relaxed and more full of promise.

David just suggested we make sushi tomorrow..it’s already looking up!

Have you ever had a day like mine?

I was scrolling through Facebook mid January and saw a post from a local newspaper asking military wives with husband’s returning in early February to submit a brief essay about why they should win the “Give Me Liberte” makeover,

I’m an opportunist, and was an English major who has won a few local awards in my day, so I thought it was worth a shot since David’s return date was within that time frame.

A week later I got the call that I had won. I was pretty excited to be one of the winners. Then I found out I was THE winner.

A bit about me- I am a very low maintenance kind of person. Before the makeover my last haircut was about 8 months ago. I pulled my hair back into a low pony and went to work with whatever I grabbed from my closet that day. I gave very little thought to what I wore to work, though I did actually try when it came to going out with my husband. I never wear makeup,  shop mostly at thrift stores, and I have  lost over 50 pounds in the previous few years and went from a size 16 to a size 4.

My weight loss is credited to a few things. Besides my husband’s support and willpower, I lost the weight with Medifast  and I lost the inches after I reached my goal with Zaggora’s weight loss clothing.

I had no idea what was in store for me. I assumed there would be some outfits, some makeup, some hair stuff, etc. I tried on AMAZING European clothes, got my hair done from a premier local stylist, had my makeup done by someone who has done work on A list actors in LA, had a professional photo shoot, and GOT TO KEEP THE CLOTHES.

The store providing the makeover was Liberte of Oklahoma City. I had never even been in a boutique before, much less tried anything that expensive on. The store itself is incredible. If you get a chance check out the gallery on the website. It is very modern and chic.

The outfit they gave me is worth more than everything in my closet combined. I shop primarily at thrift stores because I am so very cheap so when I saw a $100 t-shirt, a $300 scarf, and $2,000 dresses in this store I had to touch them all because I assumed I never would have the opportunity again. While I can afford some of the items there I am not yet physically able to let myself even fathom purchasing an item of clothing that costs that much. Maybe someday I’ll get there…

I chose a fuchsia satin knee-length “Esther” style skirt by Temperley London ($690), a Valentina Shah “Laura” style black sweater with lacy cap sleeves and details ($225), a “Crystal Bow Belt” by Temperly London ($830) and a pair of nine-carat crystal dangle earrings by Crislu ($145).

It changed my life because I never thought I could be photogenic (because I freeze up in front of a camera), had never dyed my hair (and I LOVE IT!), had never really seen my new size 2/4 figure before, and met some amazingly generous people I never would have without this makeover. It was an incredible experience I will remember forever!

You can read the full article by Mood Magazine for The Oklahoman here. It also appeared on the front page of The Oklahoman (above the fold) and was a full cover and feature on the Mood fashion insert. That was a huge surprise- I thought it was just going to be on the website so it was kind of surreal to see myself on the cover of a fashion feature.

Here are some pictures. The article linked above has a pretty cute video they put together.