my motherboard, my self

sorry i haven't posted in a week. i went back to wisco for morgan's birthday this weekend and have since discovered that my computer has a virus. a yucky one. one that's made my 'puter unusable. my mind instantly flashed to that episode of sex and the city where carrie's computer crashes and everyone keeps asking her when the last time she backed up her work was.

her answer was "um ... i don't do that." mine's the same.

however, unlike her fatal computer situ, mine will turn out fine. eventually. a friend is actually working on it right now. slowly but surely my pretty (PRODUCT) RED­™ laptop will be fixed. fingers crossed.

speaking of computers, apparently feb 12 was national clean out your computer day. i missed the memo. i could have gotten rid of the junk in my laptop trunk. i will definitely be doing that once i get my 'puter back.

and you know what i'll be doing with all my important files?? back back back it up. i encourage you to do the same.

prob won't do another post until i get my baby back :( until then, live well and be love.

ok ok, one more thing. tonight i'm going with a friend to her very first ww meeting! yaaaaay! you only get one body and you'd better take care of it. simple as that, right? right ;) i'm excited for my friend to be motivated enough to lose a few lbs and keep them off ... and maybe it'll kick me into high gear to lose my last 10 lbs before mexxx.

Phat Tuesday

I initially typed the title “Fat Tuesday” but abruptly halted and (in my head) waved my diva finger and said, “Nuh uh! I don’t think so!”

I’m not a fatty today. I feel great. I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza on Sunday. Yep, I ate it, but not even close to the whole thing. I’m in control! (Also, I’m totally out of my funk. It was only a one-day stint. Phew.) I rocked kickboxing last night, and I woke up feeling fit and healthy.

Do you ever have those days? I’m SO happy to finally be in a place where I wake up feeling fit and healthy most days. I encounter a couple of blah days a month, but, come on, I’m a woman. We have blah/fat/lovehandly/lessthanperfect days — be them in our head or not.

Anyway, today is not Fat Tuesday. It’s PHAT Tuesday!

Pretty Hot And Tempting indeed! Let’s work it, ladies and gents! Flaunt that sexay swagger. Smile just because you’re wonderful — and it’ll make people wonder what’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours. Actually believe that compliment someone gives you instead of brushing it off. You’re here another day; embrace it! You are amazing. You are PHAT :)

Seriously, I cannot believe I just wrote a post centered around that word. If I don’t amuse you, at least I amuse myself!

Things I thought were neat today:

This article, including recipes, about one of my favorite fruits — the avocado! It’s not just about guacamole anymore … although guac makes me superduper happy. Clicky HERE to read.

This article about Kevin Smith (probably most well-known as playing Silent Bob) getting kicked off an airplane Saturday because they deemed him “too fat to fly.” There’s lots o’ drama surrounding this topic, and I very much enjoy Kevin Smith, soooo clicky HERE to read.

This article about Minnesota potholes. There are haikus. Seriously. Clicky HERE to read.

Peace, love and phat Tuesday to y’all!

happy pizza day to me

I weighed myself this morning, and, to my surprise, I weigh 145.6!!! That's the lightest I've seen in a month or so.

So why do I have the urge to order a pizza and breadsticks all for myself?

It could be the fact that I drank a beer (or four) last night and I'm craving greasy wonderfulness. Or that I'm just lying around bored today (but should be cleaning). Or that it's Valentine's Day and I'm feeling sad for my single self.

I'm a strong, confident woman who doesn't need a man in order to be happy.

But it doesn't hurt.

I'm not usually one to have pity parties about my lack of a boyfriend. I know that I'm young and I have plenty of time. It'll just happen when it happens. No big deal.

But I've fallen victim to the stupid Valentine's Day crapola. I've told myself it doesn't matter. I know I'll be over it as soon as I click "Publish Post."

It would just be really nice to hug a boy today. There's one boy in particular who I'd like to hug, but that's not gonna happen. He's probably bad for me anyway (but that's another issue entirely).

But back to the pizza. Evidently I still have the urge to feed my emotions with food. I never said my eating habits are perfect! I don't think eating like this every once in a while will hurt, just as long as it doesn't turn into a habit.

And it won't. I've worked too hard. I've come so far.

I guess it just illustrates the importance of letting yourself indulge every once in awhile. That's what makes this a realistic lifestyle. And it's not like I'll eat the entire pizza.

Or will I ..... muahahahahaaaaaa

Winner Winner Clementine Dinner!

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/

I lived in Wisconsin for 18 years and Minnesota for more than 7, so WHY on EARTH am I surprised at how cold it is every winter? I mean, I KNOW it’s cold outside, and I SEE the frigid temps on the bank signs as I’m driving, but I’m only fully aware of the temperature during the couple-minute walk into work. I actually talk to myself for the last 30 seconds or so of the walk to keep my mind off it. That must be a sight.

You know what’ll help me get through the winter? THAT FACT THAT I’M GOING TO MEXICO IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS! Jealous.

According to my calendar, one of the 10 things to be happy about today is “your desktop background.” How astute of my little page-a-day friend! My desktop is a picture of my Mexican vacay spot!


It’s where I went in April 2008 and where I’ll be exactly two years later — and (hopefully) 75-80 pounds lighter. Puerto Vallarta won’t even know what hit it!


And now, without further ado, the winners of the California Cuties!!!

Lea
Mary @ The Future Welterweight Champion of the World
ptg @ Destination: Athlete
Quix @ adjustedreality.com
sunflowerramos

Winners, please email me your address by Saturday afternoon so your coupons can be sent to you in a jiff!

Thanks for playing! Have a superduper day, loves!

why don't you put it on the blog?

January was a lucky month for me. I won THREE blog giveaways! (Sorry for hogging. I stopped entering once I got on a roll.) I should do another one of my own soon to pay it forward. By the way, have you entered my Cuties giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 pm; get a move on!


My first prize was the book How It All Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. I used to read Becki’s old blog, but when she decided to transition into veganism, she started a fresh new blog — new VEGANnings. When Becki sent me the book, she also sent me some vegan bath soaps as a congrats for hitting my WW goal. What a sweetie! Although I haven’t tried any of the recipes from the book yet, I’m totally pumped to do so. I’ve just been too busy lately for new kitchen adventures. Soon soon.

My second prize was a HUGE box of Salba Smart products that I won from Christy at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Haven’t heard of Salba Smart products before? I hadn’t either! But I am SO glad that I did. The stats on Salba seeds are astounding.

(Kinda blurry, but I think you get it.)

So far I’ve tried both the organic yellow and blue corn tortilla chips and the medium salsa. EVERYTHING ROCKS! Just as I love chips with flax seeds, I love these products with Salba seeds. There’s just more depth of flavor. Nutty. That’s the word I was looking for. So good. If these products are sold in stores near you, BUY THEM. You won’t regret it.

The third prize I won last month was a SuperSampler Pack of Vitalicious wonderfulness — 20 VitaTops and 4 VitaBrownies. Jealous?!?!? I know I’m jealous of myself for winning them. Thank you, Heather from Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, for hosting such a fab contest! I LOVE VitaTops. Banana Nut is my favorite flavor, but I also really like CranBran. Oh, who am I kidding? I love all the breakfast flavors! The chocolate ones are good (especially warmed up), but I’m definitely partial to the breakfasty ones. I just found out tonight that Banana Nut is sold at my Super Target. HOODIE HOO!

I can’t forget something else huge. I adopted my Norman one year ago! Not only did he become Edwyn’s BFF, but he made me an official cat lady. Seriously, I had two cats at 24 years old. I’m not ashamed of it anymore because I make crazy cat ladyness look gooooood :)

Here’s my little loverpie:

Speaking of cats, I got the CUTEST email the other day from The Black Kitteh. If you don’t follow Tail of Two Kittehs, you should. These Kittehs’ posts make me smile every day. But anyway — the email. (I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m sharing this with y’all, but it made my day!!!)

Thanks so much! Love love love the kittehs.

Before I go, here are some clicktastic links you MUST check out:

• My Cuties giveaway ends soon! (5pm Tuesday) Click HERE to enter.
• The spots for the PriorFatGirl and Future PriorFatGirl Get-together are almost filled, but not quite! If you wanna join the fun, check the deets HERE.
• I was featured last week on ThatsFit.com!!! Click HERE and enjoy :)
  
  I’ll announce the five Cuties winners on Wednesday. Until then, be love.
  
  PS This post’s title comes from Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s my jam this week.
  

Orange you gonna enter my giveaway?

BURR BURR BURRRRRRRRR!!! No, that’s not what I scream every time the cold winter air surprises me. It’s the trumpets resounding!

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TIME.
Three of them, to be exact.

UNO. After six weeks on Maintenance, I am officially a WW Lifetime Member! No more paying monthly fees for this lady! Nuh uh. Never again. Of course not having to pay anymore is a big deal, but there are many more things about this accomplishment that I should be celebrating.

1. I lost 70 pounds and they’re stayin’ off!
2. I knew what I wanted, stuck with it, and met a huge goal. It wasn’t easy sustaining motivation for more than 18 months, but since it had to do with my health and my LIFE, I made ME a priority. I’m happy to be a priority for the rest of my long, healthy life :)
3. I’ve acquired habits that are now part of my lifestyle, not just quick fixes for the time being. For instance, more often than not, I choose lower-cal, nutrient-rich options at restaurants and the grocery store because they just sound tastier, and I actually want to be active several times per week.
4. I feel fantastic. I can just feel my body working more efficiently. My mind is clearer. When I come upon a flight of stairs, I run up them because I can. I can’t help myself!
5. When I look in the mirror, I’m happy with what I see. Can’t ask for more than that, kids.

DOS. Since I’m not paying for WW anymore (maybe I already mentioned that …), I decided to use that money for something else rad and self-improving. I’m continuing with kickboxing class! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Can’t stop thinking about it, actually. I hope my friends don’t get sick of hearing about it because I tend to bring it up a lot.

This hasn’t happened yet, but it’s only a matter of time:

Friend: Hey, Amanda! Haven’t seen you in a while. Let’s meet up and grab a drink or something.
Me: Yeah yeah, sounds good. Speaking of kickboxing … my class rocks!

For you Twin Citians (Mpls/St Paulies? Twin Citiites?) looking to throw a new activity in your mix, you should swing by American Kung-Fu Studio in New Brighton or clicky around on its website … and then decide that it’s awesome and you want to hang chill kick it (literally) with me and my peeps.

This weekend, I think I’m gonna purchase some new shoes (should I have said kicks? too much) strictly dedicated for class.

Thinkin’ about scooping something like these:PUMA Etoile Cat

Or these:

PUMA Etoile

I think I'm more likely to find the first ones (or something similar) in a store, which is what I'd prefer. But I am reeeeaaaalllly diggin' the second ones. A lot. I'd probably need to order those online, though, and I don't know about that. But what do I know anyway?

TRES. GIVEAWAY TIME! I’d like to celebrate my WW Lifetime Membershipness and awesome feelings about life by offering you some Cuties! That’s right, those insanely awesome clementines I boasted about a few weeks ago. After I wrote that post, Cuties contacted me and suggested I offer you — my stellar readers — a great deal. As of today, there are nearly 86 days left of Cuties California mandarin season, so let’s get to it!

Already love Cuties? Been dying to try them but haven’t yet? Wanna score a 3-lb bag of Cuties FO’ FREE?? Of course you do! I’m choosing FIVE lucky winners, so enter your little heart out.


Orange you gonna enter my giveaway?*
Earn one entry per item. (Please leave a separate comment for each.)

1. Visit the Cuties site, learn some fun facts, and come back to tell me why you want your very own bag o’ Cuties.
2. Link to this contest on your blog and/or Facebook. And tell all your friends.
3. Add me to your blogroll!
4. Follow me on Google Reader. If you don’t have that, just promise you’ll add me to your Favorites or Bookmarks list :)

*Cuties are only sold in the United States, the majority of them being available west of the Mississippi River; please only enter if you can find them in stores near you. I will accept entries until 5:00pm on Tuesday, February 9, and I will announce five winners on Wednesday, February 10. Each winner will have 72 hours to email me his or her mailing address.

Wahoo! Great day. Love, Amandarin

Fresh Princess

Update on the GS cookie situ: I purchased four boxes that will be donated to the troops overseas. I was a Brownie back in the dizzle, so I wanted to support the program. I’m sure the troops will appreciate a little taste of home, too :)

No. That’s not my freezer. Thankfully.

When I began Weight Watchers, I relied pretty heavily on prepackaged foods. I usually made a packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast. I ate a frozen meal for lunch every day. I would often microwave a can of soup or another frozen meal for dinner. It was quick. It was easy. It was SAFE.

The nutrition information (and oftentimes the points value) is listed right on the package! How could I go wrong?

Well, it wasn’t really "wrong." But it wasn’t very right either.

Exactly one year ago tomorrow, I eliminated meat from my diet. I also decided around that time that I would focus more on fresh foods and assembling my own meals. I had no idea what my former eating habits were doing to my body. I didn't think about the effects of processed foods at all, actually. I didn’t realize how I USED to feel until my body started responding positively to my new way of life. Examples? Here ya go!

Fresh Food Favors
• Less sodium. Less bloating. Nuf said.
• Fruits and veggies are low-cal and very filling. I make a huge salad for lunch at work and am completely satisfied (and sometimes stuffed) until dinnertime. And all for 4-5 points!
• Multicolored produce = well-rounded nutrition. Along with lots of fiber, each color provides different vitamins and minerals. I try to get in four or five different colors of fruit and veggies per day. (Yesterday: banana, clementine, lettuce, tomato, peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes. Nice work, me!)
• No acid reflux! I used to have acidy throat ALL THE TIME. No joke, I would swig from the Mylanta bottle morning, noon and night. It was complete agony 24/7. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep because I thought my throat was gonna burn off. NOT ANY MORE! It simply vanished when I changed my diet.

Meatless Miracles
• I #2 every day. Sometimes twice. It’s awesome.
• I don't feel lethargic after meals. A lot of people feel like taking a nap after lunch or couch potatoing it after dinner. Not me. I feel tip top.
• I rarely get sick or have headaches, which is a huge benefit in itself, but it also means that I rarely take medicine either.
• My meals are cheaper. Steak or lobster dinners can get pricey. Veg meals are generally more pocket friendly.
• I’m lowering my risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
• I JUST FEEL HEALTHIER!

If you don’t want to give up meat entirely, how about just one day a week? Lots of people do Meatless Mondays and find health benefits in that, as well.

Speaking of eating fresh foods, I recently picked up a tiny quick-read called Food Rules by Michael Pollan. I already owned In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by him, and he’s also the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I am a firm believer in that we need to be knowledgeable about what we put in our mouths and how we treat our bodies. His books definitely help with this. (Don't be scurred, non-veggies; these books are helpful for all!)

I don’t usually watch Oprah, but I have my DVR set for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) episode called “Before You Grocery Shop Again: Food 101 with Michael Pollan.” Alicia
Silverstone will also be on the show, and I’m looking forward to hearing what she says. I really want to pick up her book, The Kind Diet, because I appreciate her three-level approach to a plant-based diet and I’m interested in learning more. The founder of Chipotle (yuuuummm) will be on the show, too. They’ll all be discussing the documentary Food, Inc., which I’d advise everyone to see if they haven’t already.

I know this post is getting longish, but I realized that I haven’t put any real-life pics on here in awhile. Here are some January highlights!

NYE at Jen’s house.
I wore pink tights with this dress and was feelin’ fab!

Jenna, Me and Jacob out for pizza in Onalaska.
I’m standing next to two skinnies … and I felt skinny, too! Yay!

Morgan, Me, Jacob, Jenna and Phyllis at my former high school’s show choir competition to support our friend Brianna who directs one of the best show choirs EVER.

Me, Emily and Jen at the Pat McCurdy concert.
If you live in the Midwest, you need to catch a show. SO FUN!

Jenna, BJ, Me and Alia at BJ’s Moving-to-NY party.

We’ll miss you!

And one more …

Happy Veggiversary
to Me and Morgan!!!!

Love.

Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

Oh, Girl Scout cookie time. It comes every year, and some people purchase a couple of boxes or maybe a boatload that they stockpile for the year. However, this year I said no — for my own well-being. It felt great. Empowering, really.

My coworker sent me an email stating that her daughter is selling the cookies. I responded with this:

I LOVE SAMOAS!!!!!!!!!! However, last year when I ordered from [your daughter], I proceeded to eat nearly an entire box in one sitting. Haha! Oops! It's probably best if I just don't order them :) Let me know if your kids ever do a nonfood fundraiser and I'm in!

It’s that easy! I was beaming after I hit send. Yay me!

Last year I ordered a couple of boxes and had intentions of only eating a cookie or two when I needed a sweet after dinner every once in awhile. I even put them in the freezer so that I’d need to let the Samoa thaw before devouring. Yeah, that technique didn’t last. I almost broke a tooth eating a frozen cookie because I JUST COULDN’T WAIT.

Then the madness ensued. I brought the entire box with me to the couch and mindlessly ate cookie after cookie until two of three rows had vanished. Did I even enjoy them?? Maybe the first cookie, but really, two rows? Probably not. So not worth it.

http://www.nataliedee.com/

Lesson learned: Just don’t have them in the house.

I won’t ban them from my life because I don’t believe in banning foods or entire food groups. If I happen upon a Samoa at work or something, perhaps I’ll treat myself to one, but it’s really not important to me.

I’m approaching this Girl Scout cookie situation similar to my practice of not keeping chips or salty snacks in my home. If they’re in my cupboard, I’ll eat ’em like crazy; if they’re not, I won’t! I eat fruit or a minibag of popcorn and don’t feel like crap about it later. Call me a genius :) Ha.

I saw that picture on failblog.org and immediately thought of the scene from The Addams Family movie when Wednesday and Pugsley are selling lemonade.

Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons?
Wednesday: Yes.
Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?
Pugsley: Yes.
Girl Scout: Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?
Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

Hahaha love it! Probably my favorite part of the flick.

This post sure did run away from me, huh? Well, at least I stuck to a theme and got to reminisce a little :)

I wish you luck on your Girl Scout cookie endeavors! What’s your gameplan?

chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug

First off, I can’t thank y’all enough for the superduperwonderfulbunderful comments many of you left me after my last post. I motivate myself in a million ways, but you all give me that extra boost of momentum. Thank you. Really. From the bottom of my heart.

Secondly, I have a thing! Lemme explain. I hung out with a bunch of friends last Saturday, and we ended up at Liz and Cody’s. I brought over some Mission chips that I had at home (and NEEDED to get out otherwise I’d finish the entire bag myself). I also brought some salsa, so I thought we were set. Then my friend Jeff looked at me with kinda sad eyes and said, “What? No guac, Amanda?” I even thought about making it, too, but we went to dinner beforehand, so I didn’t think many people would be hungry enough to want it. AND SOMEONE DID!

I’ve never had a “thing” before. I’d be more than happy if my homemade guacamole is my thing! Well, and taco dip, but that’s another show …

Lastly, and my main point for today:

Please use a reusable water bottle.

Refill it often.

Carry it with you everywhere.

There are myriad benefits of hitting your daily H2O quota, but please don’t purchase packages of bottled water to do it. If you don’t like your water straight out of the tap, get yourself a Brita or something. I personally drink tap water and love it. And it’s freeeeeeeeeee!

More than 90 percent of the
environmental impacts
from a disposable plastic water bottle
happen before the consumer opens it.

Having your own reusable water bottle is not only earth-friendly, but it also keeps you mindful of drinking your daily wah-wah. Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day has been instrumental in my weight loss. It also makes my body work and feel fab!

It’s crazy how you can actually notice your body’s signals when you’re ingesting healthy food and beverages (most of the time). When I need more vegetables, my body tells me. When I need more water, my body tells me. It’s nuts.

The Mayo Clinic has some good info on why drinking water is important for our bods. This article also explains how much we should consume and why.


You know who else thinks water and reusable water bottles (and avocados) are muy importante? Jason Mraz, my fav musician and one of my fav bloggers. He often writes Wet Wednesday posts, which focus on water conservation, drinking from eco-friendly vessels, and the importance of water for our health. You can check out his most recent one here. And this one is especially pertinent and puts a lot of things in perspective.

Well, there it is, folks. If you don’t have a reusable bottle yet, what are you waiting for? If you do, I raise my Sigg bottle to you! Please share with us what bottle you use and love so that those on the lookout for a new one can be well-informed.

Cheers!