Beyond Willpower

So on Tuesday I went down home to visit my  mom, my sister came too, I'll be posting some of her pics on my blog, Never Quit Playing  tomorrow so keep an eye out. She took this pic of me in my apron above, as I made slaving over a hot stove look easy and glamorous ;) (Photo by Mara Pranzarone )  I had a great time, I am teaching my mom how to ease into a vegan/whole foods/gluten free/soy free diet to try and ease some of her health problems. Sooner or later I will get her doing physical therapy, because the temporary pain of therapy is worth the relief you get after. I am so thankful for Etty, my physical therapist who I used to see and I hope she's reading this since I gave her my card and I hope she knows how much she has changed my life for the better.  I made my vegan alfredo for my fam down home and it was a hit!  Even my stepdad who told me that grilling veggies and tofu on the fourth of July was unamerican liked it and came back for more!The ...

Unfortunately, Forks Over Knives did not come to my city when it opened, but we did go to Cleveland   to see it. For those of you who haven't seen it (or who have and want to learn more), here are some goodies for you to win! If you've ever been curious about what a more plant-based diet can do for you this is a great way to get started! *US residents only* Forks Over Knives DVD The China Study, which is often referenced in the film  Companion book Here are the rules: (When posting this graphic plz chose "large" so the type can be read) The winner will be announced September 3rd and will be chosen at random. Deadline is September 2nd at midnight. Once a winner is chosen they will have 3 days to contact me with their shipping info and if I don't hear back another winner will be chosen at random.  U.S residents only. Sorry! Thanks for entering and good luck! NOTE: If you do NOT have a blog, you can post the link to this contest on your facebook/google...

A fellow weight loss blogger is hosting a weight loss/exercise challenge, there is a 10$ entry fee (payable by check/paypal, paypal has a guarantee so your money is safe, NO CASH) and the more people that enter the higher the value of the gift cards will be awarded the winner. Gift cards for places such as target, dick's sporting goods or itunes or you can make a suggestion for a gift card too. There will be 3 winners at the end, check out all the info here:   Diary of a mad fat woman I'm entering! My other challenge just wrapped up and I think this is just the thing I need to keep me going!

Just so everyone who entered knows, Ellie has two days left to contact me and if she doesn't I will be picking another winner.

I thought that for Earth Day I would make a post about switching to a plant-based diet and the ways it can help not only our health, but the environment. Our biggest environmental issues of today are directly linked to the production of meat and dairy products. Climate change, deforestation, air and water pollution which of course leads to health problems for us are all effects of industrial farming. Over 30% of land not occupied by ice is used in livestock production alone. More greenhouse gases are attributed to livestock than cars, trucks, ships, etc, the world over combined. What does all of this meat and dairy do for us? It is full of saturated fat and cholesterol, it contributes to things like being overweight or obese, which in turn can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. At first I thought that the statistics for the U.S were horrifying - that 33% of kids born in 2000 will end up suffering from diabetes.  What I realized is actually horrifying though is that...

Click here  to enter! Deadline is tomorrow at midnight!  Giving away a copy of Appetite for Reduction!

So, I just wanted to let you guys know I have been talking to the woman who runs  www.yummyplants.com  and I'm going to write an article for her site. It was suggested I write about the health benefits I've experienced since switching to a plant based diet and different things about my experiences with obesity, maybe touch on childhood obesity. It will be an article style, not blog, but I just wanted to let everyone know to check out her site, it's really great and it's for anyone, not just vegans, even if you are just looking to add more healthy fruits/veggies to your diet, it's full of restaurant reviews and recipes and also has a forum so be sure to check it out. I have another job interview on Wednesday. I'm excited, I think I would do great at this place and I feel really confident.  I'll let you all know if I hear back. Today I went looking to buy a new outfit for the interview. Sadly I've decided I'm not a huge fan of what I bought. I was ...

Don't forget, the contest deadline is before midnight on April 22nd! Enter to win a copy of Appetite for Reduction, a fabulous cookbook!

I got my juicer today!  and I made deliciousness! Until I get more supplies tomorrow I just threw whatever I had in the house into it. this was apple, orange and strawberry. Fruit juices are a bit high calorie, so I'm going to mix them with low cal veggies starting tomorrow.  My review: Breville JE900 Juice Extractor After reading reviews for a few hours....okay, a few days! I decided on the Breville JE900, it was on sale, had free shipping, and was one of the highest rated not just on amazon, but on juicer review websites as well. So far I love it, it's fast, it's fairly simple to put together once you read the directions. (I had some stuff on upside down at first. But I'm also ridiculous.) The directions are pics with instructions so it's easy to get together. It juices fast, but let me warn you, to quote my boyfriend joey, "It sounds like a jet engine", which it does. I live in an apartment with a baby downstairs and there is no way they would ...

In 2004 when I lost 70 lbs, (I had also started at 260 as opposed to 299), Right around the 199 mark I started to have a bit of an identity crisis. I didn't recognize who I saw in the mirror, and I would just stand and stare. I am now 235, and I'm feeling those feelings creep up on me, and I think by the time I get down to around 220 (I have a pic of myself from then that I LOVE), I think I'm going to start feeling that way full blown (even if it's 21 lbs earlier, I did start much higher this time.) I always kind of wonder, who will I be when I'm thinner? How will people describe me? Now I'm sure that people who are my friends probably refer to me as "The big girl with the bangs." or something like, "That girl with cartoonishly large boobs" if it's a guy. (Yes I have been described that way, ha.) but I won't always be that girl. I don't know who I'll be. That is just slightly scary at the moment. I'm sure once I hit 175 ...

This contest is for U.S residents only: Okay, so I have a few ideas for some giveaways that I'm planning on doing over the next few months. This is the first one, the next one I'll do once I hit 100 followers cuz it's a bigger prize and I'd like as many people as possible to be able to enter and spread the word. Contest Deadline: Starts now (April 12th) Ends before midnight (eastern time) April 22nd 2011 For now, I will be giving away a copy of my favorite cookbook, Appetite for Reduction , by Isa Chandra Moskowitz  << Her website. The Prize: This book is amazing, a lot of non-vegans think that vegan cookbooks are all full of strange ingredients that are only available at health food stores, but that isn't the case with this book. It has simple recipes made with easy to find and prepare ingredients and nearly everything in the book is between 200-400 calories per serving, and the servings are a good size. I've made many fabulous dishes from this b...

This is a repost from one of my reader's blogs: Amanda, @ Diary of a mad fat woman Win a FREE registration for the UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k Run Alright guys, great news...  I have a 100%  FREE registration available  for the  UPMC Health Plan - UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k Run on Saturday May, 14th.  in partnership with the What you get: A FREE registration for you or a friend or a family member along with a Nike UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k t-shirt and any other goodies included in your race packet. That's right, you don't even have to use the registration yourself, you can give it away - just as long as whoever registers is the person who intends to run. The bib itself is not transferable. Thats a $30-$35 value! Race Info:  The UPMC Health Plan/ UPMCSports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k will be held on Saturday May 14th at 8am, with the Toyota Pittsburgh Kids run set to begin at 10am. The race course travels through the P...