Obsession Phase: Healthy Food - Calorie Counting

Finally had the baby (4 days late! A healthy, beautiful baby girl) so now I can kick my diet/weight-loss plan into gear. I am approx 137 & would like to get down to 125. I'll be eating pretty much the same as before, just smaller portions. To keep me on track, I signed up for www.sparkpeople.com so I could use their calorie counter. I only input today's food so far but already I'm seeing how off my guesstimates have been. Apparently I didn't think fruits or veggies had any calories. lol.
Hopefully I'll be able to stick with this for long enough to see results. I tend to be lazy & at least controlling what I eat doesn't require sweating. I still have a few weeks before I can start an exercise program. Exercise is something I have trouble making myself do so I will try to post whatever workout plans I'm doing to help keep me accountable.

Books: The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
"In his new novel, McCarthy exchanges the bleak Western setting of previous works for an even bleaker post-apocalyptic one. As usual, lawless space engenders violence, but here a nuclear holocaust has reduced everything to ash, mummifying all but a few unlucky souls, who must kill or be killed (and eaten). The main characters are a father and his son, who was born a few nights after the bombs fell. "We're still the good guys," the man repeatedly assures the boy as they scavenge their way south for the winter, trying to avoid "bad guy" survival techniques. Even by McCarthy's standards, the horrors here—an infant "headless and gutted and blackening on the spit"—are extreme, and, deprived of historical context, his brutality can seem willful. But McCarthy's prose retains its ability to seduce—the deathscape is "like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world"—and there are nods to the gentler aspects of the human spirit." The New Yorker, taken from Amazon.com

This is a much faster read than I thought it would be. Very interesting, sad & touching. It really stays with you & I already know that I'll want to read it again. My only problem with it was that it left so many unanswered questions but perhaps that was the point. Definitely a book you'll want to discuss after you're done with it

Books: In Defense of Food

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.
"Food is the one thing that Americans hate to love and, as it turns out, love to hate. What we want to eat has been ousted by the notion of what we should eat, and it's at this nexus of hunger and hang-up that Michael Pollan poses his most salient question: where is the food in our food? What follows in In Defense of Food is a series of wonderfully clear and thoughtful answers that help us omnivores navigate the nutritional minefield that's come to typify our food culture. Many processed foods vie for a spot in our grocery baskets, claiming to lower cholesterol, weight, glucose levels, you name it. Yet Pollan shows that these convenient "healthy" alternatives to whole foods are appallingly inconvenient: our health has a nation has only deteriorated since we started exiling carbs, fats--even fruits--from our daily meals. His razor-sharp analysis of the American diet (as well as its architects and its detractors) offers an inspiring glimpse of what it would be like if we could (a la Humpty Dumpty) put our food back together again and reconsider what it means to eat well. In a season filled with rallying cries to lose weight and be healthy, Pollan's call to action—"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."--is a program I actually want to follow. --Anne Bartholomew" taken from Amazon.com

I want to start by saying that I'm not big on following any diet plan or restricting my food options. I heard this was a good, informative book & that's why I got it. As far as information goes, I was impressed & I have a feeling that I might end up quoting random facts that I learned from it. He does have a good point in that you should be eating whole, "real" foods & that what your food eats (in cases of meat & dairy) is just as important as what you eat. And we do have the option to eat things that are organic or grass-finished or raised without hormones, although we might have to go to special stores to get those items and pay 2-3 times more for them.
As far as what I'm going to take from this book, I know that I will be checking nutrition labels & choosing the items with a shorter, easily understood ingredient lists. And also at least checking the prices of the more natural meats & dairy products to see if I can swing the shift from the cheaper, more conventional options.
This is a good book, very interesting & informative. Keeps your attention quite well & has a sense of humor. Worth a read

Magazine Review: Elle July 2010 - Rihanna

This issue is all inspired by musicans. Unfortunately for me, thats not something that appeals to me at all. I can appreciate fashion & beauty trends started by influential people in the music industry but as a theme, it leaves me feeling very... eh.
The only notes I ended up making were about Beauty & the Articles.
For Beauty, they had a short writeup on the popularity of blue eyeshadow (not 80s baby blue but bright teals, turquoises, etc), the Beauty Insider column was on Beyonce (guess she does her own makeup quite frequently), how long bangs (ala Zooey Dechanel) are the rock n roll hairstyle of choice & several hit musicians' beauty picks.
In Articles, Afternoon Delight (about sex hotels) & Turn On, Tune In & Drop Out (tv addiction) both stood out.
Again all of the Fashion articles/photo spreads were music inspired & themed.
Overall, it was a good issue but if you are very inspired by music, it might be a must-get.

Magazine Review: Women's Health July/August 2010 - Ashley Greene

I can't wait until I can actually start working out again. I doubt I'll stick with it long since I tend to be lazy but at least I can try. lol
Let's start with the Workouts in this issue. They have a plyometric (jumping/quick movements) workout, Master That Move: Chin Up, the 15 Minute Workout: Get Hot Legs & Reshape Your Body in Record Time (requires resistance band, stability ball, dumbbells & body bar).
For Food, Giada has a few light summer dessert recipes & there are several summer cocktail recipes along w/10 Things You Can Do with a Tomato (stuffed, granita, etc).
In the Articles, they have a page on popular supplements & how to decide if you need to take it, Label Fables (serving size misconceptions), Dry Your Eyes, Guys!, Slow Down for Hotter Sex, Escape Any Sticky Situation (taken from book by Jane Buckingham), Survive Your Doctor (how busy doctors might overlook serious concerns since women in mid 20-30s aren't a high-risk group) & Is Fidelity Obsolete?
In Beauty & Fashion, they have a page on products to even your skintone, several twisted & braided hairstyles tot ry & fashion bloggers wearing white buttondown shirts their way.

Overall, I'm on the fence about this issue. None of the workouts stood out to me (I prefer to not have to buy a lot of equiptment & I'm in a 2nd floor apt so I can't really jump around while I workout) but I did like the Twisted Sisters hair article, Label Fables & Is Fidelity Obsolete?

Food: Dark Chocolate

I have a serious sugar addiction but I've been trying to curb it to just a few squares of dark chocolate a day. Now I've tried a few different kinds of dark chocolate & figured that I would write my thoughts about them.I started with Hershey's Special Dark. Even after trying other kinds, I still like this one & it's nice how readily available it is.
Next I tried Lindt 85% Extra Dark. This has a much more bitter flavor & a chalky feel is left on your tongue.

Next was Trader Joe's Swiss Dark Chocolate 70% (lime green box by checkout). I did like this one, very smooth & not too bitter.Then I tried Ghiradelli Espresso Escape. I was hoping this would have little coffee pieces in it but instead it just had a very intense bitter flavor, not really recognizable as espresso at all. I tried 2 pieces & actually threw the rest out.
Dove Dark was next. I think this is going to be my go-to, especially since I can buy a bag of the Promises & have them easily portion-controlled. Smooth, not bitter or overly sweet. Plus options like Almonds & Tiramusu.I also tried Cadbury Dark but this one was overly sweet.


I declare DOVE DARK CHOCOLATE the winner!!!!

NOTD: China Glaze For Audrey