CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

WATER!

So some of, I'm sure, remember my many failed attempts to integrate more water into my diet. I have no idea why - I just suck at drinking water.

But this week, I've been a superstar. I've filled the little fridge at my desk with bottles and drink them all day. I took some lemons (this guy upstairs brings them in all the time from a tree in his yard) and cut them up to put in the bottles... it took a little getting used to cause I do like my water plain, but it's ok. It's an acquired taste and I know there are benefits to it.

If anyone ever doubted water's benefits, let me tell you -- I feel less lethargic, my scalp is less dry, my skin is less dry, I sweat less (is this realted? No idea.), I'm thirsty MORE... all good things.

Also HUGE in my life was soda but that's cut back. One a day and that's it. And only Diet. I have one Diet Dr. Pepper from the office soda machine every day (and sometimes I even skip a day). Other than that, water or iced tea.

Work has been SO consuming this week and I've not been able to make it to Lindora every day. That frustrates me. Especially right now when I seem to be at a plateau. With so little time left in the program, I want to get as much out of it as I can (plus I've got a 6-day vacation coming up). And for the more curious folk, I'm down 36.5 pounds since I began this journey. I've still a long way to go but that's a gratifying number.

And FYI, totally skipped the Diet Dr. Pepper today cause there's a Diet Pepsi in my future at the restaurant I'm having dinner at and as my friends know, it's my FAVORITE.

A Particularly Lovely Quote of the Day

My friend posted this on her Facebook status and I was profoundly touched by it:

Emily had a very inspiring subway experience. Met a man who pegged us for newlyweds. Told us he and his wife had been married for over 54 years and that he was a Holocaust survivor saved by a 17-year-old Catholic boy on Kristallnacht. Now a Rabbi and teacher, he inquired what religion we were. He said there are three important... rules to follow in life: be kind, be honest, and be humble. Rules to live by indeed.

As a former NY resident, I can testify to how often you take a MEMORABLE subway ride (it's the place of strangeness and freaks, I tell you) but I can also attest to how rare it is to have a touching moment like this... I find it so warming just to read it.

And on that note, I should add that I had a memorable AND warming weekend. I hope you did as well.

Quote of the Day

This one goes out to my homegirl, Shoshana...

"You're fucking TIFFANY, not Things Remembered!" -when dealing calmly with an engraving mishap

Help Haiti in the Name of Love

What a lovely idea from the mind of Craig Bierko...

This Valentine's Day, Let's All Get Together and Make Love

Craig Bierko
New York-based actor
Posted: January 16, 2010 01:57 PM

Like most Americans I have been horrified by the devastation in Haiti - and deeply moved by the waves of humanitarian compassion, a significant portion inspired by celebrities like my friend Alyssa Milano who challenged corporations to match her generous donation of $50,000.

These are difficult times for many people financially and yet many are finding a way to participate by texting ten dollar donations through the Red Cross, Yele and other charities offering immediate, desperately needed aid.

Sadly, according to reports from Haiti, the state of emergency is long from over - and, in the words of a newly arrived humanitarian volunteer, recovery will not be a sprint but a marathon.

Last night I made a donation while watching CNN. A young girl had been trapped between two massive sheets of collapsed cement. She was terrified and the rescue workers kept her spirits high as they labored to free her, which they eventually did. Overcrowded conditions and the general mayhem of disaster complicated her delivery to a hospital and, by the time rescuers finally got her to a doctor the young girl had died.

My heart ached for this child - and it broke for her injured mother who was too weak to be told the news just yet.

I thought of my mother, my nieces, my beautiful girlfriend Meg and our dog Boo. I felt my heart swell to the point of bursting because all of the beautiful ladies in my life were healthy and out of harm's way tonight.

And that's when the ache in my heart became an idea.

Valentine's Day is approaching - a day reserved for couples to celebrate their love for one another by giving flowers, candy, sharing a romantic dinner, exchanging gifts or spending a night in some cozy out of the way hotel.

I am suggesting we dedicate Valentine's Day to those men and women who lost the love of their lives this week - or, right this moment, await news regarding a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend or child.

I'm not talking about romance - I'm talking about love.

And I'm talking about money. The money you'd spend on the flowers, the candy, the dinner, the cozy out of the way hotel. That money.

Ladies, take your boyfriend or husband by the hand and tell him that instead of roses, candy and dinner, you prefer to celebrate the miracle of love this year by giving - together, as a couple.

Let's unite our hearts - right now, today - and offer a piece of the love in our own lives to those who need it desperately.

Gay, straight, Republican, Democrat, high school sweethearts, elderly and middle-aged couples alike - let's celebrate this Valentine's Day early by making love now.

Ladies, you know that this will be a lot easier if it comes from you, not us. Let your man know you'd like to donate the money you'd spend on indulging romance - and offer it together as a gesture of gratefulness for your good fortune - and in the name of those who suffer alone in misery.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-bierko/this-valentines-day-lets_b_425888.html?&just_reloaded=1

What I Am Doing Tonight

Just 30 seconds before I began typing this entry, I was sitting cross-legged on the couch, clutching a mug filled with boiling, hot water, cupping the top with my nose shoved inside... I was letting the steam come up... It was the most glorious I've felt all day.

In other words, this sinus infection is a BITCH.

You see I get these a lot but this is a KILLER. It's just the right side of my face, wherein my right eye and my nose seem to be waged in a battle. Who will burst off my skull first? Only time will tell.

Things I am therefore thankful for: steamy showers, steaming cups of water, Gatorade, Augmentin, NyQuil, soup and Law and Order reruns -- BTW, there are like 300 a day of those on TV. God bless America and NBC Universal, my friends.

This infection hits me just as I am recovering from a kidney infection. That was a ton of fun. Ever had one of those? The aching back is the worst of it -- I couldn't sleep, couldn't sit for too long OR stand for too long...

And remember how I had the flu not that long ago? Also a party.

And in case you don't remember, not too long before THAT, I had - you guessed it! - a sinus infection. Coupled with laryngitis. Marvelous

So really, it's been a swell couple of months. I remain, as always, the personification of healthy living.

At least it's a three-day weekend. Even more time to sit on the couch and bemoan my state.

Ciao!

Anyone Ever Tried These?

Just curious!

Something a Little Sexier

Ok, I'm not gonna lie, I've mostly considered lingerie to be pretty ridiculous. That's not to slight people who like it. Just for me, personally, it always seems silly to put something on in order to lure someone into taking it off... I do like the ocassional sexy bra or something but basically, I'm content in an oversized t-shirt. Pants optional. Although I do have a profound adoration for my old green yoga pants which I bought at the now defunct Mervyn's (How I miss you, Merv)!

BUt, of course, I digress! ANYWAY, regardless, I find it pretty fabulous that Lane Bryant is dipping into lingerie. And it's nothing too tawdry, nothing tacky - it's all pretty classy stuff and some of it very pretty. It's hard to feel sexy sometimes when you're unhappy with your body (and who isn't at SOME point, regardless of their size) so it's a nice gesture. It's a nice way to sorta say "you don't have to be a size 0 to feel sexy." Kudos to the LB. :)

Big Girl, Skinny World

This is a FANTASTIC interview and article from the Rachael Ray Show. You MUST watch - I love it:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/big-girl-skinny-world/

Plus SIzed Lit

I posted an article not-so-long-ago about "weighty teen literature," which is to say fiction featuring plus-sized heroines. I was particularly moved by the article's conclusion, a quote from publisher Elizabeth Law -- she said:  "We're beginning to realize there's more to life than weight loss. There just seems to be a little more acknowledgment in our culture now that everybody just can't go on Slim-Fast and get it taken care of."

Thank you, Elizabeth.

Personally, I think too often the emphasis is put on appearance when it should be more about your health. When people ask me how much weight I want to lose, I often reply "I just want to feel healthy." That makes me a little more comfortable with my struggles. I want to know I'm doing it for a solid, important reason, more so than just a desire to be able to shop at Forever 21 (which, in case you hadn't read, anyone now can anyway)!

But moving on, one of the authors mentioned in the aformentioned article has published another plus-sized-themed work of fiction and I wanted to give it a little shout-out, if you don't mind. Please check out Leigh Purtill's "The Rise of Ginny Cooper." It's a free download and it's a fun and fabulous read.

It's Monday, folks. I hope everyone's hanging in there. This weekend is a 3-day'er and I don't know about you but I could not be happier about it! Cheers!

Quote of the Day

"I am lucky you have entered my life." -My friend Lauren

How could you not be in love with a friend who says such things? She's amazing.