Bulk Bin Bonanza

Ever wanted to try quinoa or wheat berries, but not willing to invest in a large expensive container? Try the bulk bins in Whole Foods or other natural grocery stores!

Whole Foods gets a wrap for being "too expensive" and it can be very pricey for certain items, but the glory of the bulk bin is you can buy as much as you want (or as little).

Only need a cup of cous cous for a recipe? Get it at the bulk bin for less than a dollar.

The bigger the store the more options you may be able to get, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit and other treats.

What is your favorite bulk bin item?

Friday Recap: Month 1

January seems to have gone on forever, yet I can't believe it is over. We have had our share of winter weather and I had my share of festive parties at the beginning of the month. I do consider the end of January to be the biggest hurdle in getting through winter, February is a short month and even if it snows in March we know it won't be around for too long.

So, good riddance January!

Diet: I have established my new post-holiday baseline. I lost the few pounds I had regained over the festive weeks and have re-established goals for myself moving forward. I have a good gym routine back in place after being away for most of December, but I am still struggling with food. I am definitely indulging too much, not just on special occasions, but also on like, Wednesday. So February will be all about re-instating the meal plan and, here is the tricky part, sticking to it.

Budget: For the first time in a couple months I came in under budget overall for the month. I was over budget in 2 areas: Groceries and Entertainment. Since the first two weeks of this month included New Year's Eve and Russian Christmas I will let that slide. They were not the sole culprits, but a big part of that spending.

Mood: I go back and forth on winter, some days I find it so depressing all I want to do is eat an entire box of Thin Mints and sometimes I find it delightful and wondrous. Getting past January will lighten my mood. February has a couple festive days and is a short month. I am also going away for a couple days to visit a friend, so something fun to look forward to!

My New Favorite Machine at the Gym

This is my new favorite machine at the gym. It is the Arc Trainer and like the elliptical before it, it intimidated me for a long time.

I had only ever seen really fit girls using it and I figured it was out of my league. Then I noticed they were using them on this season of The Biggest Loser and thought I might be wrong.

During one of last week's cataclysmic winter weather events I went to the gym and it was practically empty. It was the perfect time to risk injury and humiliation (you know which one hurts more right?). So I hopped on, fiddled with the buttons, selected a 20 minute "Weight Loss" workout (do the others not help you lose weight?) at level 3 of 10 and turned up my Ipod.

I am pretty sure you are not supposed to hang on for dear life like I did and I probably mitigated some of the benefit by not going hands-free, but the second I took my hands off the multiple sets of handles (why so many handles if you aren't supposed to use them?) I nearly toppled over.

There is a great variety of both resistance and incline, which apparently works different large muscle groups creating a better calorie burn than the treadmill or even my newly-beloved elliptical machine. I definitely got a good workout, I was challenged but not debilitated (which is the fine line I try to walk at the gym).

So far 20 minutes is my limit, but I burned as many calories (if those things can be trusted) as I did in 25 or 30 on the elliptical and treadmill respectively. I am all for efficiency!

Support System Part 3

I've talked about friends and loved ones the past couple days, both the good and the bad. Today I want to talk about the nearest and dearest people in our lives. Your nearest and dearest may vary: spouse, parents, siblings or childhood bestie. This is the person or people you feel closest to and who love you unconditionally.

For me it is my parents. I have a great relationship with both my mom and my dad, they provided all the tools I needed to become strong and independent. They taught me that my mind was my greatest asset and assured me I could do anything I wanted. I love them so very much.

Because I love them so much it is hard sometimes for me to tell them how unhappy or scared I become over my debt or my weight. I don't want them to know that I feel I have failed both myself and them. They have provided such great support and they love me no matter what, but the thought of letting them down has paralyzed me.

When I started on this plan I told them, in the most positive cheerleader way that I was making some changes, looking ahead to the future and trying to become the best me I could. They are 100% supportive, both of them trying to fight the food issues too and as they look towards retirement not opposed to budgeting either.

My parents have always helped me financially when needed, and I try very hard not to need it. When I started the debt management program this summer I had to make double credit card payments so I didn't go delinquent while the accounts were being set up. My parents jumped in and covered my student loan bill for a couple months to get me going. Over the years little things like that have made my life easier, but their greatest financial contribution often comes in the form of gifts, clothes or things like that that make my life a little bit nicer.

I know that my parents love me, that love keeps me going some days and it is as much for them as for myself that I am doing this. Failure is not an option.

Support System Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about the steps you need to take to ensure that those around you get on board with any lifestyle changes you are making en route to a healthier, more fiscally sound existence. Sometimes the people in our lives do not embrace the changes and problems can arise.

Generally these people fall into two categories: Enablers and Saboteurs

Enablers

Enablers' hearts are in the right place, but their heads often aren't. They want you to be happy and if they know food or shopping make you happy they will encourage you to splurge. They love you the way you are and it doesn't matter to them if you gain a few pounds. They bring you scones in the morning and ice cream at night, suggest a weekend away you can't afford, but they do it out of love. Enablers are a big problem if they live in your house. If you see an enabler once in awhile you can manage the temptations, but if you live with them you will have to have a talk.

Saboteurs

Saboteurs do not have your best interest at heart. Deep down they want you to fail and they will put up road blocks along the way, possibly under the guise of being an enabler. You have to suss out the saboteur, they can be killing you with kindness. Their motivations can vary, perhaps they are jealous that you are changing your life and they don't have the strength to do the same, perhaps they like the role that you currently play as the fat friend or possibly they are just plain evil. In any case saboteurs are not good for your evolution into the new fabulous you, ween them out of your life.

No one said making these lifestyle changes were going to be easy and with issues like health and wealth involved there is no way to not infiltrate every aspect of your life. You can not isolate these issues, they are a major part of who you are and require you to take a good long look at yourself.

Do you have an enabler or a saboteur in your life? How are you handling it?

Support System

I want to begin this post by saying that I have extraordinary people in my life. I realize that in this regard, both on a diet and a budget, I am very lucky. In order to be successful at either you must be surrounded by people who understand what you are doing, acknowledge the challenges involved and strive to help you through the long haul.


Understanding

You cannot expect your friends and loved ones to support you if they don't know what you are trying to do. If, like me, you have been battling your weight for years or totally ignoring your budget, you have to let people know you are now serious about curbing both. Getting mad at a friend for suggesting an expensive restaurant with lots of bad options is not going to help, make your needs known to those you see regularly.


Challenges

This is your battle. You cannot expect those around you to change because you have to. You must learn to adapt to group settings or remove yourself temporarily from situations in which you fail. The weekly Friday night drink fest after work leaving you poor and bloated? Try to go once a month instead of every week.

Duration

This is not going to resolve itself in a couple of weeks. You cannot go into self-imposed exile for the rest of your life. Let people know this is not a phase you are going through but a lifestyle change and if they want to be part of your life they will understand and accept your new parameters.

This does not mean you have to where a sign saying "I'm on a diet and a budget, please do not tempt me." You do not have to introduce yourself to everyone you meet with those words, but the people that are part of your life on a regular basis should be in the know and should want to help you. If they do not want to help.... well that is tomorrow's post....

Friday Recap: Week 3

The weather this week was much more conducive to sitting on the couch drinking cocoa and eating cookies, but I tried to fight that. Even in the worst of it I got out every day for a workout!

Diet: Last weekend was iffy food-wise, not terrible but could have been better, the week itself was an improvement. I got to the gym 4 times and during the terribly messy storm on Tuesday I walked to the library and home and it took so long and was so treacherous I considered that a work out on its own.

Budget: Definitely getting back to normal post holiday. Of course I am terribly bored most of the time :)

Mood: Resigned to winter and worried about a few things, but better than the previous couple weeks.

Next Friday is the first official weigh in since the holidays... yikes!

Finish What You Started

I have a problem finishing things. I have no end to the number of unfinished knitting projects, writing projects and other creative pieces floating around my laptop and my apartment. I am sure a good therapy session would explain my fear of finishing and my love of jumping into new things, but we don't have time for that here.

I was watching an episode of I Use to Be Fat (mentioned here on Tuesday) about an 18 year old boy form Illinois who lost 80 pounds over the summer before he started college. He was a sweet kid and looked and felt great when he had dropped the weight, but what struck me so much was this comment: "I am proud of myself, not just for losing the weight but for finishing something and not giving up."

I actually got a little teary. How often do I just give up or get bored or think I am wasting my time with so many things in life? More than I would like actually. So 2011 is going to be all about finishing things!

Online Grocery Shopping: Yes or No?

I have lived in a city for over 13 years now with no car and have never ordered my groceries online. I know people that have and I have been tempted to, but it has never happened.

This article on Wisebread has made me consider giving it a go.

Have you grocery shopped online? Pros? Cons?

Watching Other People Lose Weight

I have already blogged about The Biggest Loser. I do continue to watch it from time to time On Demand and enjoy the finale when you get to see them all glammed up, but a couple new weight loss shows have hit the air in 2011 and I am going to tune in and see what they are like.

The first one has already begun and it is on MTV, yep going back to MTV, no more Alan Hunter and I am already sick of Jersey Shore just from the commercials, but the new show I Used to Be Fat has proven to be quite good.

This show focuses on 1 teenager a week, although 2 of the episodes had 18 year olds who had just graduated from high school, and follows them over the course of last summer as they worked with a trainer to lose serious amounts of weight.

Now a teenager's metabolism is firing on all cylinders and I do not watch for tips for myself, but the emotional issues of overweight teens is something I greatly sympathize with and I have found the stories very touching. I give MTV props for making this show very real and not too flashy, I hope it helps other teens.

Last night A&E premiered their new show Heavy. I have it sitting on the DVR but did not watch it last night. I actually saw a trailer for this show at the movie theatre. It is not a game show like The Biggest Loser, it follows 2 people each week through their full transformations, so you get the gratification of seeing their results every week. The people shown in the trailer were severely overweight, so the emotional impact of this show is bound to be off the charts.

I'm not convinced that watching other people lose weight actually inspires me, The Biggest Loser has been on for 6 years. While it is comforting to know I am not alone in this struggle it is also disheartening to know how many people struggle and fail with this issue.

The Value of Fun

As I traverse the weeks and months of my budget, one category continues to be a sticking point: entertainment. My entertainment budget has been quite slashed and living in a city it is easy to rack up the entertainment dollars.

To that end I have begun using a series of websites dedicated to collective buying power. These sites, like Group On and Bloom Spot offer a variety of activities, services and meal options at highly reduced prices.

Some of the offers require a minimum number of participants, the vendor banking on volume to make up the mark down. In some cases you have to buy with a group of people to even qualify (i.e. you and 5 of your friends buy the half off yoga classes) and in other cases you can buy individually but a minimum number of people city-wide have to participate for anyone to get the deal.

I have bought vouchers for reduced meals at local restaurants (generally the voucher covers booze too which is a plus) and I have bought movie passes for $4 (a movie runs about $12 nowadays so that is a significant savings). Generally you have a few months to use your deal so you can buy without an immediate occasion in mind and have them handy for option when cash is tight or you are already straining that entertainment budget.

Check out their websites, you can get daily email alerts of deals or you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to see what the offerings are, you are sure to find something to meet your needs.

Remember life on a budget does not have to be devoid of fun. Shop wisely and you can have a great night out for half the normal price!

Friday Recap: Week 2

So my last holiday gathering was last Saturday. That is it, no more overindulgence until there are leaves back on the trees. This week felt more like normal.

Diet: 4 Trips to the gym (I did not venture out in the blizzard) with good solid workouts. I can actually feel muscle in certain places. Food was definitely better overall this week, not perfect yet, but definitely better. Made some very healthy chicken cacciatore in my crock pot!

Budget: Also getting back to normal here. I have squirreled away a couple of gift cards for a treat in the spring. I am well stocked with lovely things here in the apartment, so I should be able to curb spending back to bare essentials for a couple months.

Mood: Trying to handle work stress better, this week was better than last. Winter seems to make things more foreboding, trying to find optimism where I can.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with some quiet times with friends (not that the last two weekends of celebration weren't awesome!).

That Guy at the Gym

So I belong to a Gold's Gym, known throughout the land as the manly man gym, where body builders and athletes trained in California back in the day. I chose mine because it had the two things that mattered most to me at the time: location and value.

I won't work out if I have to get on the T to go to the gym and my other local gym was twice as much per month and became too cost prohibitive. So, I am at Gold's.

A few people raised their eyebrows at the idea: "Are you sure you want to work out around all those men?" I guffawed, the men are way too interested in themselves to look at me. I was always more concerned with other women silently criticizing me, my shape, my form, my sweatiness. I never gave the men a second thought.

It turned out to be true. I have never felt the least bit uncomfortable there and while there are tons of overly muscled men, they all seem very nice and keep to themselves.

There is this one guy though, who works out very hard and is quite vocal about it. Most days I have my Ipod on and don't notice, but I accidentally left my Ipod on the other night and when I went to the gym realized I had drained the battery. Left with no musical interlude to cover his grunting I was forced to listen to this man strain himself for an hour. It was, well, unpleasant.

Despite that I am happy to hang out with the jocks at Gold's. It is by far the best deal in the Fenway and should I ever need steroids, I know who to ask.

Low and Slow

I got a Crock Pot for Christmas! Crock Pot cooking, especially this time of year, is a healthy hearty way to make a meal chock full of veggies and lean meat that is savory and delicious.

A little prep work and then you just leave it to do its thing for the day.

There are very high tech Crock Pots out there with timers and what not, but since I work from home I can just turn mine on when it needs to go on and be here when it is done (of course I have to smell the deliciousness all day).

Here is an official Crock Pot website with tons of recipes. I am going to make a chicken cacciatore today wile the snow falls!

Ho Ho Holy Hell

So the holidays are really over now. Sure Martin Luther King Day, Groundhog Day and the Superbowl still loom on the horizon, but scarf down those last few candy canes and stock the cabinets with healthy food.

Last week Yahoo posted this article on holiday detox. There are lots of scary scary "cleansing" diets out there, but this is a very sane way to turn your body around and try to mitigate any damage done over the past 3 months (starting with the candy corn and ending with the vodka).

I have already incorporated all 5 of these simple tips into my week and hope to feel less like a slug by Friday!

Book Review: Unbearable Lightness

Last week I read Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia De Rossi just published last month. De Rossi is best known for her television roles on Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, but even more famously for being the wife of Ellen DeGeneres. This is her story of a longtime battle with anorexia and bulimia.

I was skeptical going into this book. I am skeptical going in to most memoirs as I find they tend to fall into a couple different categories: good stories by not-so-good writers and not-so-good stories by decent writers. De Rossi is no Augusten Burroughs (although he speaks highly of this book), but her honesty and pain are real and her genuine likability shines through.

Growing up in Australia De Rossi (born Amanda Rogers) developed her eating disorder as a young model. Having lost her father as a child and determined to help her mother make ends meet and maintain the lifestyle Portia herself had grown accustomed to, she turned to modeling. The up and down eating habits of a child became out of control and a cycle of binging and purging surfaced.

Between serious bouts of binging, purging or starving Portia dieted, relentlessly. She actually states that perpetual dieting is itself a "disordered" way of eating. Constantly judging your food and yourself for eating certain things is also psychologically harmful. Underlying all of these issues with food was Portia's realization that she was a lesbian and her fear and anxiety that that reality would end her career and destroy her family.

The worst of her periods came during the years she was on Ally McBeal. You may remember several actresses on that show being spotlighted for their skeletal thinness and subsequent confessions of eating disorders. Portia said on Oprah that the pressure to be thin did not come from the powers-that-be at Ally McBeal, but a change in the landscape of Hollywood at the time.

At points during this period De Rossi was restricting her calorie intake to about 300 calories per day (dropping as low as 150 for a time). She was maniacal about weighing and measuring her food, using special dishes and utensils to ensure she did not over eat. She was so terribly afraid of ingesting unscheduled calories that she never wore lip gloss so she could tell if the steamed vegetables she ordered had been dressed with any oil.

One of the most upsetting scenes to me was relayed early on in the book, but chronologically was closer to the end of her worst stretch, and involved yogurt. Portia would portion out 2 ounces of fat free sugar free plain yogurt with a sprinkling of Splenda and freeze them. She claimed the result tasted like Dairy Queen. One night she ate 3 servings at once, 6 ounces of yogurt (about the size of a normal serving) and the resulting panic crippled her. The calories were bad enough, the loss of control was unbearable.

At her lowest weight De Rossi (5' 6") weighed 82 pounds, at her highest 168. She claims she does not know what she weighs now and that she does not follow any kind of diet. If I had a problem with this book it is her final assertion that you should eat whatever you want and your body will find its weight. Restricting yourself in any way is not healthy. I know personally that is not the case for me. I have got to keep track of what I eat or I will gain weight, but I am glad for her that she has reached a healthy place.

Friday Recap: Week 1

So, you may be confused. You have been reading this blog for months, how are we back to Week 1? New Year, new commitment, starting fresh. I am not going to forget the strides I made the past 5 months, but from here there will be a refocus and jump start... well next week there will be a jump start.

In a lot of ways this past week was a lot like the beginning as I was very focused at the gym, but had a hard time with food and money. The holiday month loosened a lot of inhibitions and I worked this week on at least getting the gym habit back.

Moving forward I am only going to blog Mon - Fri, so Fri will be re-cap day. Here goes:

Diet: As I mentioned I got back in the gym with focus and feeling some good results. Food was another issue. I did fine for breakfasts and lunches, but dinners were pretty bad all week and there are still some treats around here. This weekend will be the last holiday party for awhile and I will purge all the treats Sunday.

Budget: Thanks in large part to my company's holiday gift and some gifts from my parents, my big party this weekend is not hitting the budget. I am keeping a separate budget on it though so I can plan for future years.

Mood: I was very anxious this week, mostly about work, the hardest part of my year is right in front of me and I am dreading it. Also, I am torn between fearing the end of the holiday season and looking forward to it. There is something to be said for quiet time in the winter.

The Little Things

I have been thinking about food in extreme ways lately. Between the holidays and the memoir I just read about anorexia and bulimia (more on that next week) I am in a bit of an all or nothing mindset. I am feeling overwhelmed by what I have left to accomplish.

Then I saw this article on Yahoo yesterday. While the 7 Bad Habits listed are all things I am aware of, it was refreshing to know that changing your lifestyle does not have to be quite so drastic, that the little things matter too.

I highly recommend reading the whole piece, but here are the bad habit highlights:

1. Putting Serving Dishes on the Table: People who leave the serving dishes on the counter or stove eat less. It takes you longer to commit to a second serving and you either start to feel full or can talk yourself out of getting seconds. This is totally true for me, if the dish is on the table I will pick at it until I am stuffed.

2. Too Little or Too Much Sleep: There is a fine line,t he article seems to lean towards 6 -7 hours a night. I strive for 7 - 8 and my goal is to be as consistent as possible (also difficult around this festive time).

3. Not Multitasking Wile Watching TV: I liked this as it did not say stop watching TV (it did recommend cutting back), the article suggested doing something while watching TV to burn calories. Cleaning, knitting, folding laundry, etc.

4. Drinking Soda: I think we have all heard the evils of soda over and over. In a calendar year I probably have 3 or 4 full calorie sodas, mostly ginger ale on planes (it's a comfort thing). I do drink an awful lot of diet soda and try to cut back.

5. Taking Big Bites: The Dutch (makers of the delicious Stroopwaffle) have determined that we are big bite hogs and if we took smaller bites and chewed longer we would be full faster and enjoy our food more. Hard to argue with logic.

6. Not Eating Enough Fat: Low fat diets don't work. I hope the mainstream eating public has figured this out yet. Fat is flavor and it is also satisfying. Eating healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado, etc. ) makes you full faster and is processed by your body in a much more natural way than overloading on carbs (your body needs those too, so please don't try to subsist on bacon).

7. Not Getting the Best Advice: There is no lack of nutritional information out there. If you are confused by what you are eating or why you are not losing weight, reach out to the interwebs for good advice (try real experts, not me).

I guess it is refreshing to know that there are simple changes I can make to improve my health. At the same time it is easy to second guess everything I do. It is nearly impossible to not be food obsessed all the time.

Holiday Gifts

For a girl on a budget a gift is a lovely thing. A new beautiful book to add to my personal library, some extra luxurious bath products to supplement the ones bought on sale at CVS, new clothes that do not have to be tallied in the annual clothing budget, these things add a little sparkle to my life.

With the holidays just about wrapped up I was reflecting on my bounty of delightful gifts and thinking how pleased I was with how they compliment my new lifestyle. My loved ones invested in my hobbies, providing books and knitting supplies to fill my winter with productive projects. My mother/Santa bought me new smaller clothes to fit my different shape and my company gave me the gift of a sizable Amex gift card to do some fun shopping.

I miss shopping for the fun of it. Living on a budget I justify every dollar I spend these days and I can't just run out and buy a DVD or a pair of earrings without jotting it in the journal. Unlike with food, I can control my shopping though, and having this gift card allowed me a splurge that I can reign in once it is gone.

I was methodical with how I spent it, renewing my MFA membership and investing in a Nook for years of entertainment. I also bought some frivolous things, I really needed Season 13 of the Simpsons, it has Ralph Wiggum on the cover!

When this weekend is over and the last of my holiday celebrations through I will return to my very strict budget with many new and beautiful things to keep me company for the long New England winter. Maybe that is why we have Christmas in winter, you need something to get you through January and February...

2011 Goals

Several years ago my good friend told me she did not make New Year's Resolutions, she set goals for the upcoming year instead. I liked this concept. Resolutions tend to be vague: Get Healthy. Appreciate What I Have More. Give to Charity. Goals are more concrete.

I like to list my goals in writing somewhere where I can reference them throughout the year and can evaluate them come next holiday season. This year they will be scrawled in my date book, but they will also be here for you all to see and hold me accountable.

Annmarie's 2011 Goals

1. Attempt Drawing: This was on last year's list and was the only thing I really failed to make an effort at. I bought the supplies and drew a few lines, but then stashed the sketch pad away. This year I will give it a valiant effort.

2. Write Something & Attempt to Get it Published: Last year I stopped at write something and I wrote lots of things, but I never finished anything and I never attempted to publish it.

3. Knit My First Sweater for Myself: There are other more mundane knitting goals on the list, but this is the big one.

4. Save Enough Money for a Vacation: It may only be a weekend away, but I want to go somewhere this year. I have been saving as part of my budget and I hope to have enough by summer to go somewhere for a couple days.

5. Lose X Pounds and Maintain Weight Loss: I am not giving you the X here, if you really want to know ask me and I will tell you, but suffice it to say the harder part of this goal is the 2nd half. Last year I lost and gained and lost more pounds than the figure I am attempting this year, the key is keeping it off once it is gone.

There are more of course, maintaining my budget and things like that, but these are the big 5, the focus of the next few months as I try to start 2011 positively.

The Lost Weekend

Actually it was a lost 3 1/2 days. 3 1/2 days when I thought really of nothing, I crossed some mundane tasks off a list, went to a really great party and spent the next 2 days sitting.

The story really begins with the french fries. If you have been reading my blog you know I had not had a french fry since I began in August. Well folks, that streak is over.

I went to dinner Thursday night at a local place that has many many fried things on the menu. I specifically asked the waitress for chips instead of fries (I know chips are fried too, but it is a matter of degrees). I got fries. I didn't send them back. Partially because I was starving by the time I got the fries and partially because it was a holiday weekend and what difference does it make.

Well I slipped and I hate myself for it and the weekend devolved from there. I am not sure of everything I ate, I didn't even attempt to write it down. Even being at a party where people who hadn't seen me for awhile commented on the change in my shape didn't inspire me to try to recover over the course of the weekend, I just let those few french fries dictate the slide.

So now it is Monday and instead of rested and rejuvenated and ready to take on 2011, I feel gross and weak and pathetic. So much for 2011 being the year of fun, I clearly cannot handle fun.