"Women Food and God"... and me.

I have just finished another Summer Reading List (now Fall Reading List) entry, the Oprah recommend book "Women Food and God." And actually, it was a breath of fresh air in the midst of a grueling weight struggle. I know I said I'd post entries for each chapter but... this is easier and less boring for you. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK.

No, I'm not filled with an overwhelming exuberance to toss out all junk food in my pantry, revamp my refrigerator, and run for two hours every day. Instead, I finished the book with a feeling of relaxation knowing this process (I will never say 'battle' again) will take time but will also be worth it in the end. I'm looking for a permanent solution to a lifelong problem, not a quick fix.

Basically, Roth's philosophy is eat whatever your body wants and stop beating yourself up about it. Obviously this is hard to explain if you haven't read the book. She believes the billion-dollar diet industry attributes its continued success by making people feel bad about themselves, telling them they have a problem, should be ashamed of themselves, and must fix it immediately. And I don't disagree with her-- haven't we all said those words to ourselves at one time or another?

The overall message is to love yourself and discover the underlying reasons for why you overeat, why you graze at the refrigerator, why you seem to bounce from one weight loss program to another. It's about understanding your body and feeding it the food that gives your body energy. Sure, in an example she uses in the book, you can eat hot fudge sundaes everyday but how does that make your body feel? Not YOU as in the "false self" you perceive as yourself, but your physical body. After you clear away "The Voice"-- that negative voice constantly putting you down and claiming you're a failure and will never change-- and what you think will make you happy, decide whether you can live with your body or not then go from there. Stop warring with your body, embrace it, nurture it, and everything will then fall into place. There is so much in the book I'd love to talk about but I have a feeling this blog will begin to ramble on and on.

Roth does have eating guidelines that she recommends using once a day and a starting reference, but it's all YOUR CHOICE. "The Voice" is my biggest hurdle because I'm constantly putting myself down and keep convincing myself I'll be happy once I'm thin. And yet, how many thin people do we all know with problems just like the rest of us? I do know that, disregarding any negative thoughts about myself and my supposed 'weakness,' I need to treat my body better and lose weight strictly for health reasons. I'm hoping to have a baby in a couple years and would be a high risk pregnancy at the moment-- definitely new motivation for me. Honestly, I'm also tired, feel sick almost everyday at some point, and have been subject to chronic headaches of late. After reading WFG, my priority isn't to put myself down but put the right foods my body actually craves into it. For example, I WANT NUTRIENTS! My body is screaming for fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and lite dairy-- that's right, dairy! Soy milk as of late seems to be making me worse and I think that's due to the sugar.

Anyway, I'm taking notes in my journal as I go along to record aspects to a healthier lifestyle for ME. This, the Bible, and my book will be my references. This is what I have discovered so far--

1. I love walking-- a lot.

2. New music motivates me to pump up the volume and do an elliptical workout. With the right tunes I can end up being on there for 45 minutes and not even notice!

3. Starbucks grande lattes and mochas give me headaches, even with half the syrup. Time to switch to tall.

4. Starbucks iced unsweetened green teas are wonderful and refreshing. My body says YES!

5. When I go to the Bucks for a snack, skip the pastries and go for a KIND bar or sweet potato chips. The pastries aren't that good.

(I'm @ Starbucks right now that's why my rules are all about my favorite place)

6. Meditating is great! I think I might try doing it everyday.

7. Sodium is not my friend.

8. I heart the Body Gospel stretching workout!

9. As Starbucks is one of my favorite places to chill, I can't give it up and why should I? I haven't done anything wrong so I don't need to punish myself. It's up to me to figure out what my body likes and not what my brain says I deserve.

It's about time I love myself. Even when I lost weight at 20, I still felt like I needed to work harder and would punish myself if I didn't have a weekly loss. I think 25 years of degrading, negative, and mean hatred toward the woman in the mirror is long enough. I would NEVER treat my loved ones that way so why do I think I need to be treated that way?

"This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof."

Now I'm not sayin' she's a gold digger...

Although I despise Kanye West-- I felt this way long before he embarrassed himself during the VMA's-- his song "Gold Digger" is... well... awesome. I love it. But it got me thinking, is it right to judge a woman deemed a 'gold digger?'

My immediate response has always been a resounding 'yes.' A social climbing woman interested only in a man's money and/or connections (sometimes power is worth more than coin) then marrying him as a result of it is selfish and low. Or is it? During the 18th and 19th centuries (well technically ALL of them before the 20th), marriages were arranged by families hoping to either elevate to or maintain a high social status, as well as add to property and wealth. They considered such marriages prudent and dutiful. Now these same sentiments inspire anger, negative judgement, and the idea that a woman who participates in 'gold digging' is one step away from prostitute.

Although I certainly agree that some Gold Diggers (men included) have the worst possible intentions, waiting for a spouse to die and making the rest of their existence hell until his/her passing, there are those individuals who look for a wealthier significant other for more practical reasons. First of all, security and comfort-- and don't we all want those? While society faults GD's for pursuing men with large bank accounts, we all strive for padded finances, spacious homes, nice cars, and the freedom to travel without huge budget restraints. A man or woman in possession of a prosperous career is a "catch."

Another sensible, or at least common, reason for desiring a baller is a better life. I'll use myself as an example. I have a great family and my parents worked hard to give my brothers and me a comfortable life with a few adventures scattered along the way. We had a comfortable home, clothes on our backs, food in our stomachs (plenty in mine), we even had a third car and cellphone for the 3 of us to share once we reached 16. However, our cousins had larger homes, bigger bedrooms (my brothers shared all of their life), more 'things,' and went to better schools. For all of my time spent in public school, our district was extremely poor with overcrowding, and yearly worries from the administration about eliminating the Arts programs (God forbid they consider cutting back on sports... but that's another discussion).

Now that I'm an adult and striving toward parenthood, I want to give my kids the toys & stylish clothes I couldn't have, a dream home that'll make a great party house, take them all over the world, and most of all a better education. Although I married my husband for a million better reasons than money-- I've got a Latin lover and devoted hubby all rolled into one for gosh sakes!-- one aspect that made him a more ideal man on paper was his potential toward greatness. I knew his confidence, strength, looks, and intelligence would take him far on whatever career path he chose. Does that make me a gold digger? Personally, no.

Overall, the point is we're so quick to judge before considering our own choices and the real reasons we make them. "Gold Diggers" exist and some have giant holes where their souls used to reside before selling them to the Devil, but many women and men just want security and a comfortable life. The number one cause for marital arguments is money, after all.

Visits by Mom

Whenever Mom comes to visit, I always feel the need to arrange a bustle of activity to keep her occupied since she is bursting with energy. The result being our visits are always too short, and I've seen more of northern Wisconsin than I ever thought possible-- and it's not over yet. Of course, knowing or not knowing Mom, I should assure you every mini-trip is an adventure full of laughter (I should have abs of steel, we laugh so much).

Anyway, during Mom's latest trek up to 'Packerland,' she insisted we visit the Kristmas Kringle Shoppe and Galloway House in Fond Du Lac-- 45 minutes out of the way. Although I don't have any photos of the cute 'Shoppe,' let me assure you it was everything a Christmas shop should be, full of themed trees, shiny ornaments, lights galore, obnoxious carols playing over and over and over, the ever present Dickens Village, nic nacs, whats-its, and thing-a-mabobs.

However, the best part of this leg on our journey was my over-caffeinated, bubbly Mother's failing attempts at entertaining our Scrooge of a Cashier ringing up her ornament purchase. As Mom gathered her items, she purposely turned to Ebenezer's female counterpart and exclaimed, "Merry Christmas!" If looks could kill Mom would have been vaporized.

On to Galloway House! As I am far from a shutter bug, here's a smattering of photos from our odd venture at a historical landmark. It took us maybe an hour to do the entire thing-- we're not a family of readers when it comes to museum displays and markers. Once, we did Chicago's entire Field Museum in two hours, a record of which we are quite proud.

These mannequins haunt my nightmares. And the creepiest part was some of them would be hidden in displays and more than once scared the crap out of us. Not to mention the fluorescent lights were on timers, so every time we entered a creepy old building the lights would flash on with that eerie buzzing noise you hear in serial killer warehouses of horror movies.

The historical town made up of relocated old buildings. I have a thing for any old church, but my favorite are stone.

Mom at the old cabin.

Another view of the old cabin. I don't know how they did it back then.

Galloway House: Wide Shot

Galloway House: Tall shot so you can see the tower.

Mom's attempt at pole dancing...?

At this point, Mom's camera had run out of batteries and she really liked this train so I helped her out.

Church altar.

Inside the women's clothing store. I dig this dress.

But this one is my favorite and probably what my wedding dress would've looked like if I was skinny enough to pull it off. It's just so pretty!

One Luxurious Anniversary

According to my mother and her decades old trusty address book, the traditional 3rd Anniversary Gift is leather. Keep that in mind considering neither of us knew that when we chose each other's gifts.

For our marriage celebration this year, I decided to purchase Hubby a nice briefcase for his new job with my Macy's gift cards. On his end, he decided to spoil me with my first ever COACH PURSE! I couldn't believe it! How great is my man?

I picked out this beautiful Poppy Purse from Coach, with denim & metal detail alongside the original 1940's logo. Since it zippers and has plenty of pockets, it is both fashionable and functional. I love it! Even though I am not a saver and don't place too much sentimental value on material things, I won't ever be able to bring myself to throw my very first designer purse away.

Perhaps I'll have a daughter and give it to her.

King Bed fit for a Queen

Another milestone reached by me at 25 was the purchase of a king-size bed for our master bedroom. YIPPEE!!! For MONTHS Hubby and I have suffered from chronic back & neck pain, lack of sleep, and the inability to utilize our previous queen bed due to a rickety frame-- it collapsed several times at random points. The mattress was caved in in the center, it made the worst, most annoying creaking sound every time I shifted, and there was an overall lack of space since we're both tall and I'm wider than the average person.

It has always been a dream of mine to have such a luxurious and large bed-- I am all about spreading my laptop, notebooks, and novels on top of my bed to do work and now I have ample room to do so. Plus we bought a Sterns & Foster mattress. It was so soft I didn't want to cover it with sheets! And yes, we got a deal. Stan the Salesmen took 20% off everything: all pieces of the frame, the mattress, box spring, and gave us the mattress pad for half off with free delivery and setup! They even disposed of the old mattress and box spring!!!

Thus, everything cost $200 less than the original price of the mattress set alone AND we have a year with no interest to pay that sucker off. Not to mention we found the bedding, which was our current bed set just in all neutral colors, on clearance AND I had Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons for all of the pillows! With the guest queen mattress and Hubby's old box spring, our old frame works better than ever and doesn't creak anymore. It's amazing what difference a mattress makes. Both Hubby and I have eliminated our pain, get a peaceful night's sleep, and neither of us bother the other when we shift. I recommend this mattress to EVERYONE! Our bedroom has become a nightly haven-- what a blessing!

Quick Fire Film Review: Aug 2010

As I'm behind in my movie reviewing, I've combined a few films with short blurbs about why you should or shouldn't see them. I must warn you, we'll probably disagree.

"Salt" Lacking in Flavor

For the life of me, I cannot figure out the world's obsession with Angelina Jolie besides the fact she stole Jennifer Aniston's husband who happened to be Brad Pitt. Other than that, the big-lipped brunette no longer has claim to Hollywood, especially after this predictable doosey of a film. Basically, Angelina wanders from scene to scene, pouting her lips, smoldering her eyes, changing her hair, and trying her damnedest to look tough. Oi. Where is Jason Bourne when you need him? If anything, rent the film when you're in the mood for a brainless popcorn flick.

"Eat Pray Love" the Book

Julia Roberts is lovely. Julia Roberts is talented. Julia Roberts is a favorite actress of mine. However, Julia Roberts is not a good reason to see this film. In terms of an adaptation I cannot comment since I preferred to see the movie before reading the world-famous book. As a film, it's... okay. Everyone does a great job, especially Richard Jenkins, and the scenery is beautiful. That's it. My biggest problem is the message stories like this teach: a woman needs to travel the world to find herself. If you're lost then you're lost and a change of location isn't going to fix that-- it's the internal journey that will bring you to your destination. Don't get me wrong, I strongly encourage experiencing international culture, I just find it a hindrance when on the path to self-discovery... too many distractions. I'm hoping the book will shed more life on Gilbert's inner journey and thoughts so I can fully understand the transition-- a factor film can't show. Again, I'd say it's worth renting.

"The Expendables:" A Fun Bad Action Flick or Just Bad?

Ugh. Here's the problem with Sly Stallone's attempt at creating the most bad-ass action film in the UNIVERSE: the action sucks. During the climactic rescue scene where all of our heroes are acting out an explosive plan of attack, I literally sat in the theater yawning and thought to myself, "Gosh I'm bored." Apparently no one told Stallone not to take himself so seriously and inflated his ego instead. The action is bad, but the jokes are worse-- and I LOVE bad action films! The 80's and 90's action flicks rock my world, there's nothing better, but no one bothered to reference any of them. Skip it altogether, but if you're super nostalgic RENT and DO NOT GO TO THE THEATERS!

"Piranha" 3D is Not For Me

Ironically, my title is actually a compliment to the film as I HATE gory horror films and that's exactly what "Piranha" succeeds at: grossing me out. I actually had to leave it was so graphic; I came back because I needed to see how it ended, but my stomach was churning the whole way through. Unfortunately for me, the film had falsely been hyped as cheesy, with more laughs than horror. Even my husband, who was dying to see it and wanted my support which I was happy to give, admitted the film was not for me. I've also seen my fair share of bad horror movies and well... Piranha is not that bad, pretty freaky actually. So if that's your thing, by all means head to the theater and pay extra for the glasses.

Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Though the above post mentions some of this summer's hottest movies, none of which live up to their hype, these two films exceed expectations-- but only if you like that sort of thing. Cult films can be hit or miss depending on the subject matter, imagery, and audience taste--I dig them.

First up: "Kick-Ass"

Although the theatrical release of "Kick-Ass" happened months ago, the DVD just came out to a video rental store near you, and if you like colorful, violent, and twisted films this one is perfect. The film has been adapted by Brits (that's right folks, it's a foreign film also) from a comic book sharing the same title, is just as violent, super fun, and disturbing. What do I mean by 'disturbing?' See that purple haired hero in the above picture? She is a 13 year old assassin that does nasty things with knives. No joke. A good portion of the combat reminds me of anime. However, "Kick-Ass' is ridiculous, darkly humored, and one of the more original stories out there. Totally worth a rental.

Next up: "Scott Pilgrim vs The World"

After seeing "Inception," my husband and I never thought we'd come across another summer film so entertaining and interesting it deserved a repeat viewing... until we saw "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World." Another comic book adaptation, SPVTW is far less violent and twisted than "Kick-Ass." Instead, it's hilarious as Scott must battle the seven evil ex's (with super powers) of the woman he hopes to date. The world is completely fictional yet all the characters believe in this reality so as an audience member you join right in. Did I mention the music is fantastic? And the jokes? We laughed out loud several times and can't wait to go back. Unfortunately SPVTW will most likely be underrated until it's available for rent since going to the movies is expensive-- most people will have their doubts about spending the money. But I promise you it's awesome and you will LOVE IT!