Can your camera phone help you to lose weight? The Facebook C Diet is a social media experiment in mindful eating using a cell phone camera and Facebook. It was created to see if food craving compulsions could be controlled through community-based, online coaching.Twenty participants signed up in January 2012, to find out if their food choices are based on convenience, calories, cost or a … [Read more...]

When I was fat, I was convinced that all dry cleaners were shrinking my clothes. Mei (May in American), my newest dry cleaner would cheerfully promise “no possible no shrink” as she quickly shook her head and took my bundle.Yet, suddenly it seemed, my suit pants made my butt look big, my dress shirts were too constrictive and wearing a tie made breathing impossible. “Years ago, when we made … [Read more...]

To all of the unique people who want(ed) their transformation to begin on January 1st because everyone else is doing it, remember: if you go with the flow, you might miss the boat. A transformation isn’t something that happens when you find the time. It isn’t something you can add to your calendar; begin my amazing transformation – and then drag to a new day because there’s a … [Read more...]

Baby, it’s cooold outside! It’s actually not that cold here in VA yet, but the freezing weather is bound to be coming soon. I’m not very fond of cold weather – my body gets super tense and all I want to do is stay inside and hibernate. My saying year after year is that it’s only worth the cold temps if it snows… because I do like snow. Speaking of snow, I have … [Read more...]

I love to get emails from my readers telling me how they’ve been successful in reaching their goals. So, today I wanted to share with you Chris’ story, and how he changed his lifestyle, and lost 100 pounds as a result ~ Melanie Depending on how much credence you give the BMI scale, I am a little bit overweight. I’m not buff, I’m not ripped, or anything even remotely like … [Read more...]

And so it begins… the rush of the holidays! The decorating, partying, giving and getting, wrapping and baking – I’m excited for it all! One of my favorite parts about this time of year is baking cookies! Last year I hosted a 12 Days of Holiday Cookies series where, for the first 12 days of December, I posted sweet treats for the holidays (not just cookies) from other bloggers and … [Read more...]

As you may or may not know, I have a strange love with kale. It’s one of the healthiest foods you can eat, you can eat it plain, dressed up, raw or cooked! I’ve tired many different recipes: Massaged Kale Salad Kale and Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowls Garlicky Kale Kale with Peanut Sauce Kale and Portobello Shrooms Spicy and Cheesy Kale Chips And yet, I’m still always up for … [Read more...]

Most people don’t eat enough and those that do, eat too much — of the wrong food — at the wrong time. And, consuming poor quality food will result in a poorly performing person. What exactly is “poor quality food?” Food containing artificial ingredients and additives (used to lengthen a food’s shelf life, maybe to enhance food color and or taste or to make … [Read more...]

Most of us have felt overwhelmed at one time or another as we endeavored to make lifestyle changes. I often recommend a good place to begin is to start making small measurements. This usually involves a weekly record of weight and waist measurements, as well as perhaps time spent exercising. These measurements are extremely effective for helping with weight loss, as well as improving your health … [Read more...]

Hi there! I’ve been getting a few questions about the Tone It Up Plan so I thought now would be a great time for me to do a quick update about how I got started with the program and what I love about it. After finishing the Body for Life 12 week training program this summer, I was disappointed with the results and ready to switch up my routine. During this time I saw a lot of talk about … [Read more...]

My sister had to work on Thanksgiving so I invited her family and my mom over to celebrate on Saturday. Isaac and I had never hosted a Thanksgiving meal before, but we figured it couldn’t be too hard. I was a little nervous about the logistics of having so many dishes that needed to be baked and ready at the same time but thankfully everything worked out and dinner was a success. All … [Read more...]

For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. -Ralph Waldo Emerson I hope everyone that celebrates had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. I celebrated with Isaac’s family and besides a quick trip to the emergency room during dinner, the day was wonderful. … [Read more...]