Good evening!
Just a quick update on the car problems I spoke about in this afternoon’s post: To make a long story short, Eric spoke with the ministry of transportation and they said that the only thing we could do is have the ministry inspect it, then we’d have to pay out of pocket for the repairs, and then the ministry might fine the safety inspector (not the actual seller from the dealership).
So Eric decided to take the car back to the seller and have him foot the bill for the repairs. The seller said he wouldn’t let Eric return the car, so the next best thing was to have him fix the problems. Apparently, everything has been fixed that needed to be except for the transmission.He is supposed to get back to Eric tomorrow on that. It has been quite a frustrating day to say the least!
But anyways, enough about that! Let’s get to some fun FAQ’s shall we!? :)
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FAQ Installment 18
150. Melissa asks, “You mentioned once you used to drink a lot of crystal light. I drink a lot of diet soda, and I would love to stop, but I feel so addicted. Do you have any tips?”
To say that I used to drink a lot of Crystal Light is a huge understatement! I used to drink it like water. My roommates and I used to think it was a great weight control method to fill up on Crystal Light and other diet drinks. We would fill up a huge pitcher of it and just basically drink it all day. I also used to drink 2-3 glasses some nights to try and curb cravings. Big mistake!!! Current research now finds that aspartame, along with other artificial sweeteners like Splenda, can cause you to desensitize to sweet foods + drinks, leading you to overeat. Because artificial sweeteners are so powerfully sweet, it makes you eventually perceive that other naturally sweet foods (e.g., fruit) aren’t very sweet. Thus, you will find yourself sprinkling extra sweetener or sugar on things like strawberries because they taste so ‘plain’. Looking back on my ‘artificial sweetener days’ I do think they made me eat more and spiked my hunger. I never felt satisfied after eating things with Splenda in them either, like yogurt. I used to eat all the popular yogurts (sometimes 3 per day!) for snacks. I thought wow all of this for only 45 calories! However, after doing my research and deciding that I didn’t want to put artificial things in my body anymore I decided to completely cut out artificial sweeteners. That meant no more light yogurt, no more diet drinks, no more chewing gum. Zilch. Since I cut it out I have way less stomach and digestive problems and my hunger and blood sugar doesn’t seem to peak and fall as much as before. Overall, I am much happier not consuming things like Splenda in my diet. I had to go cold turkey because as soon as I had a bit of it, I wanted more. I just decided one day to cut them out and that was that. I no longer crave that super sweet taste of Splenda anymore. I now appreciate the subtle sweetness of natural fruits and a tiny amount of real sugar. A little goes a long way once you get used to it again! Good luck!
151. A reader asks (Sorry, I lost the name), “What are your thoughts on eating at night? Do you just eat if you feel like it, do you have a nightly snack ritual or do you try not to eat after dinner?”
I have never cut out night time eating, although I do try to stop eating anything 2-3 hours before bed (some nights this is a bit hard to do). When I eat something less than 2 hours before bed, I usually wake in the next morning with stomach pains, so that is my reasoning for that. Your body also repairs itself at night time and if it is busy digesting food it doesn’t have as much time to repair itself than if you were empty (or near to it). If I am truly hungry at night I do have a light snack (usually cereal, crackers, fruit). In the winter time, I struggle with mindless and boredom eating at night time. It is still something I am working on to this day! I tend to get sugar cravings at night time in the winter much more than in the summer…must be the lack of endorphins + sunlight!
152. Betsy asks, “Have you posted about what you’re going to do now that you’ve left your job? Are you going to be blogging/bakery-ing full time? Sorry if I missed a post, I try to keep up!”
I am currently looking for a new job in my area (research), although to be completely honest with you my true passion is health and nutrition, doing this website, and my goals for an online bakery. I have been looking to do research in the field of health and nutrition but I haven’t found any jobs in this area. The pickings are slim. I will likely be doing some contract research for my old company this spring, which would be great because it would be work from home and would keep me afloat until I find something more permanent or really have my website and bakery take off. Whatever comes first. :) The good news is I now have a Food Buzz ad on the blog that is basically paying for groceries now so that is a huge help. It is great to be finally making some side cash after a few months of devoting so much time and energy into this website. My ultimate goal is to create Oh She Glows and make it very successful generating some good part time income, as well as start up my bakery. I also want to get my Nutrition and Wellness Certification and start counseling people. As you can see I have quite a few passions and lots of ideas! I always say with passion and drive comes success. You have to do what you LOVE to do! That was one of my biggest life lessons over the past year.
153. Anappleaday asks, “I was wondering does Greek yogurt contain pesticides? Now I’m getting little bit worried about consuming dairy.”
Many non-organic dairy products have traces of pesticides, antibiotics, added growth hormones, and/or GMO’s. The only way you can be certain what you are consuming is free of these chemicals is to consume products that are organic certified. I always recommend doing your research before making any decisions about non organic or organic. Try organicconsumers.org and goveg.com.
154. On losing the weight:
Becky asks, “I love all your avoiding the freshman 15 advice. However I never gained the freshman 15, but I did gain the first year of marriage 15. Sometime in the future no rush, could you talk about HOW you lost your weight. Counting calories or just making better choices? You said you eventually found your groove, what is your particular groove? I love the blog- you’re very inspirational!!”
Dylan asks, “Hello, first of all let me say I’m sooo amazed at how you’ve overcame binging & curious if you could give me some tips to overcome that problem for myself. I read on your blog that you stopped binging from not focusing on calories & restricting–but you lost weight at the same time. HOOWWW. That’s my DREAM. I want to lose around 20 pounds badly and have been battling with obsessive calorie counting/binging or just eating poorly because of lack of control. I want to forget about calories but still lose weight–any chance you could enlighten me on how to go about it? (I am basically vegetarian and am also curious which proteins you included with your fruits, vegs, and whole grains.) Also, did you ever for the heck of it calculate calories of a day (in your weight loss mode)?
Ash also, how’d you work up to going 6.0/7.0 on an “easy” run (haha), I go 25 minutes of 5.2!! Is there a section of your blog on how you came to become such a conditioned runner?
I love your blog & you’re gorg!!”
Thanks ladies! Please see my Road to Health Series for a huge detailed description of my journey right from the beginning:
My Road To Health Series
155. Colleen asks, “And I must say that the floors in your kitchen are beautiful! What kind of hardwood are they?”
The flooring is a Cherry Hardwood. And thank you! We eventually want to bring this same hardwood throughout the entire main level (except the entry way that is) but that won’t be for a loooooong time. Lol. Hardwood is so expensive! It was so cute the other day I was mopping and Sketchie got into the kitchen and was slip sliding all over the floor. I felt bad because I was laughing!
156. Gliding calm asks, “You seriously have the most beautiful house!! I know this is sort of personal…….but you’ve shared with us the tips you’ve made for saving money- not going out to eat, making sacrifices with certain foods- going for the cheaper bread, etc…. as a young woman, not close to buying a house, but always thinking about the future…..do you think you could sort of take us on your journey of how you saved for your house, how you found such a beautiful house, and how you planned with Eric to buy your house? Obviously, your finances are private and personal….but just curious if you could share a little bit. It’s so beautiful and HUGE and yet you both seem to really be so smart with spending… it’d be really interesting to hear!”
I would say that Eric and I have been smart about our money from day one and both of us have always been big savers. Compared to a lot of people I know, we never spent money lavishly. We didn’t drink much in university (I knew people who dropped about $200-$300 per week at the bars!) and we didn’t go on any big vacations until our engagement vacation in Mexico (end of 2007) – and even that we got on a big sale. We don’t buy many things, we don’t go out to eat much anymore, and we carefully research any major purchases (save for Eric’s recent used car! ugh).
I also worked throughout my entire high school and university education to pay for school. I was also fortunate to receive a special scholarship that I competed for in graduate school that helped me out tremendously. Eric has been working for about 4 years now at a good job since he graduated university and most of that income went into the house fund. He also works tons of overtime which also helps out a lot!
My advice is not to get discouraged about how long until you are ready to purchase your first home. The worst thing anyone could do would be to get into a mortgage too deep and be house poor. When the time is right you will know it and you will appreciate all the time + effort that went into being ready for such a big purchase. I lived in some pretty crappy conditions in university and it has really made me appreciate where I am today.
157. Inspirational Email of the day:
“I have such admiration for you and your blog that I just had to send an email!
First, your weight loss is so inspiring. You look fantastic and happy- and you maintain a healthy outlook on food. It inspires me as I’ve been struggling with about 12 pounds that have crept up the past two years. I’m a runner so exercise isn’t the issue. For me it all comes down to the food. After struggling with an eating disorder years back, my thoughts are sometimes ‘off’ when it comes to food. As I’ve talked about on my blog, it’s my relationship with food that keeps me from getting to my happy weight. Just reading a few posts from your blog reinforces my appreciation for healthy eating and encourages me. No other blog has this big of an impact on me.
Second, you put SO MUCH effort into your blog and it shows. Yours is a blog I am happy to support because you do it from a passion for health and being your best. I think I can speak for all of your readers when I say we appreciate your stories, recipes, photos.. and everything else!
You are a beautiful person and it shines through Oh She Glows. Thanks for inspiring me and keeping up the best blog!”
Thank you so much for your wonderful email! Congrats on all the positive changes you have made. Beating an eating disorder is a very challenging thing and it is very easy to get discouraged if you feel that progress is not being made. Just let me remind you that every week, every day, every second that you are not focusing on disordered eating is a triumph. It is a huge step in the right direction. Every positive choice you make is helping you reach a happier future. Change is a very slow process, but soon your positive habits will replace your old negative habits and you will feel much more secure in your accomplishments.
I have the most amazing, amazing readers….I really do! I am so proud of all of you who have made healthy changes in your lives. It can be such a hard thing to do, but it is so rewarding when you finally feel that things ‘click’.
It is an awesome feeling to be able to give back and help others with their journeys as well!
[That wraps up the FAQ’s and brings me officially caught up (according to my Word document). It is possible that I missed questions along the way despite trying my hardest to track each of them. Please email me ([email protected]) or leave a comment if you have a question that I missed and I will be sure to answer it!]
Keep those awesome questions coming! :D
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Well, you guessed it- I am off to watch more 24! Sooo addicted. Still on Season 4- the terrorist plot thickens!
Coming up this week:
- Unveiling of Glo Bakery
- A recap of the Oscar Awards best and worst celebrity fashion
- Celebrity weight loss success stories
- Installment 2 on how to get the blog of your dreams
- and more….!
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson