yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro Sport Earphones – Giveaway

Lovin' my new yurbuds!

When I told you all about how amazing my yurbuds Ironman Inspire Sport Earphones are, I heard from several of you that you had been looking for something just like these!  Then, I shared with you how much I LOVE the yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro Sport Headphones.  I guess yurbuds just make awesome products!

Well get ready because I have some awesome news for you!

Before I tell you the great news, I wanted to share a cool opportunity with you.  From now until June 4, yurbuds is having a contest.  All you have to do is snap a photo of yourself doing your favorite sport or activity and going #beyondthewall.  It is so easy to enter and the winner wins an all expense paid trip to the 2012 Ironman World Championship in HAWAII!!!!  To enter, all you have to do is upload a photo via Twitter or Instagram (include #beyondthewall) or on Facebook.  So show yourself going “Beyond the Wall” and upload your photo for a chance to win!

Now…on to the moment we have all been waiting for…

The yurbuds company gave me TWO yurbuds Inspire PRO Headphones for me to give to YOU!  Not only that, a THIRD winner will win a 50% off coupon code so you can try either the Inspire or the Inspire Pro headphones or anything else on their site at half price!

Read all of the details below so you can make sure you maximize your chances of winning!

How to Enter:  The first way to enter is mandatory in order to have a chance to win.  There are four other OPTIONAL opportunities for a total of FIVE chances for you to get an entry into this giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:  Leave a comment below telling me if you win, what feature of the yurbud Inspire Pro headphones you are looking forward to the most!Share this giveaway on Facebook.  You can either link directly to my post via your status or use the Share feature on Facebook.   Leave a separate comment on this post that you shared the link to this giveaway!Follow me on Twitter and then tweet the giveaway mentioning @ItSuxToBeFat and @yurbuds.  Example:  @ItSuxtoBeFat is having a giveaway for two @yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro headphones.  Check it out!  Leave another comment on this post for an additional entry!Subscribe to my posts via email.  There is a link on the right hand side of my blog or you can just click here to put in your email address. If you already subscribe (YAY!) – feel free to update your info.  Fill out the form and confirm your email. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. Leave a comment on my yurbuds Facebook photo that you would love to win the free yurbuds!  After you do…Yep…you guessed it…leave another comment!I will be using your comments as entries so make sure you come back and comment after each task is complete!

Who Can Enter:  Giveaway is open to any legal resident of the 50 United States who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry.

Duration:  This giveaway goes from May 16  – May 23, 2012.  It will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on May 23, 2012.

How the Winner Will Be Chosen:  Three winners will be chosen on May 24, 2012 via random number generator.  The first number chosen will choose which color they would like, red/black or white.  The second number chosen will receive the second set of headphones.  The third number chosen will receive a 50% off coupon code to use on the Yurbuds website.  I will notify the winners via email and they will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a different winner will be chosen until the prizes are claimed.

Liability:  By receipt of any prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Administrator (Jennifer Swafford), Sponsor (yurbuds), and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

Taxes:  All taxes are pre-paid and are not the responsibility of the winner.

Good luck!

yurbuds Inspire Pros

My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

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Something More Permanent

Do you ever feel so busy that you can’t get a real grasp on anything? Things are slipping through the cracks?

That feels like me right now.

I feel like there is so much going on I just can’t keep up. Blogging is a pretty low priority for me so it’s been on the back burner for the most part. That’s a shame sense it’s actually a huge stress relief for me!

Things feel like they are going super fast and everything is in transition at the moment. From where I live to work to how I exercise… you get the point.

I’m used to this type of thing. I have segmented my life into 2, 3, or 6 month segments for years now. Three months living in Vermont, four months living in Austria, two months living in Oregon, five months in Tennessee, six months in New Zealand…. since I’ve started blogging I’ve bounced around every few months. I’m used to being more of a nomad than a permanent citizen anywhere.

I’ve felt temporary and in flux for so long. I know things always change and I’ve accepted that and flowed with it better than most people, but right now I’m not loving it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun. I’ve seen more of the world and had more awesome experiences than I ever dreamed I would. It’s been amazing, but I’m craving something more permanent. A city that I’m planning to stay in for a while. A place to stay for a few years instead of months. Roots. Family. Stability and permanency.

It’s something I’ve been craving for a while now. Getting married and thinking about starting our own family has made me want to have a place to call home. It’s made me want to have more than just what fits in suitcases for the next move.

Maybe it’s not surprising to you based on what I’ve been blogging lately, but I’m moving back to Memphis.

Yes, with Kepa. No, not right now. Yes, hopefully this year. Yes, I’m going back to New Zealand still.

This is more of a change in long term plans. I love my family and want to be closer to my mom since she has cancer and is getting up there in age (sorry Mom!). I love my job and want to work in my office instead of a room by myself. I love my city and want to be part of making it a better place with people who want to be here.

So Kepa and I made the decision together to choose Memphis over New Zealand at least for the foreseeable future. It will be a chance for us to actually start a regular type of married life and have a more permanent living situation together. You know, ‘cause I actually like living with my husband!

I’m still going back to New Zealand in July and will stay for a bit. I plan to go snowboarding and road trip the South Island and do a bunch of other things off my list before leaving again. It will be fun!

That’s the plan for now! But remember, like I mentioned, things are always changing.

No related posts.

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What is the Ketogenic Diet?

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A Ketogenic Diet refers to the natural bodily process called Ketosis in which fat stores are burnt for energy rather than the sugar and carbs in the food consumed by the Ketogenic dieter during the day. Consuming fewer carbs prompts the release of ketones, the active hormone in Ketosis. Carbohydrates create an easy and quick energy source for the body; they are also comfortably converted by the body into fat reserves. In contrast however, protein and other fatty food groups provide an energy supply that is not as readily converted to body fat and is used as an immediate source of energy.

The thought process behind this diet stems back to our evolutionary past, where our ancestors would survive on meats, seeds, berries and the occasional seasonal fruit. We have evolved and became accustomed to this balance of food. It was only with the advent of grains and farming (requiring a fixed living location) that the industrial/agricultural revolution begun and we started to consume complex carbohydrates. Not only this but farming became common practice meaning humans were forced to settle in single place to tend to cattle and crops. Ketosis returns us to our hunter gatherer past, a diet and lifestyle that our bodies are more evolutionarily adapted and accustomed to.

It is therefore not essential to exercise during this form of dieting as the concept of calories in and energy out is shown to be redundant by the impressive weight loss afforded by a Ketogenic diet. Assuming portion control is in order, calorie counting is not necessary and creating the correct energy expenditure is also superfluous. Weight will be lost naturally, while Ketosis and its inherent processes allow weight loss to thrive, despite the lack of increased energy expenditure.

There are alternative approaches to be able to enter the process of Ketosis, such as eat an extremely low calorie diet, thus starving your body and forcing the Ketogenic side effects to appear. Ketosis can also be initiated by a continued regime of extreme exercise. However, both of these approaches to Ketogenic dieting and the process of Ketosis are far less sustainable when seeking to retain your weight loss. They are also clearly more time consuming and require far more planning and commitment.

A Ketogenic diet plan will be rich in Ketogenic diet foods giving the body the highest chance of achieving and retaining a state of Ketosis. Depending on the individual, Ketosis can arrive at different stages however once pushed into Ketosis by the Ketogenic meals, you can comfortably remain in Ketosis with no negative side effects. However whilst awaiting the arrival of Ketosis, the dieter may endure headaches and a lack of energy.

Due to its requirement for high protein, many meals are centered around meat and beans, and snacks contain a variation of seeds and nuts. A sample day on the ketogenic diet would include a breakfast of almonds and oats, porridge style, then a lunch of peas and pancetta soup. Follow that up with a scrumptious dinner of beef in peppercorn. If you feel peckish in between meals, you can try a peanut and pecan bar or a raspberry nut bar. This certainly is not the kind of diet you’ll feel like you’re suffering through in order to stick to it.

This form of dieting is a natural way to improve the speed at which your body burns fat, all while eating a normal amount without having to cut out all of the foods you like.

About the Author: Go Lower provides weight loss options via a meal delivery system which abide to the ketogenic diet. To learn if this form of dieting is right for you, visit their website.

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Fresh Approach to Changing School Lunches

Tonight I ate a cookie.

It wasn’t a normal cookie though. It was one of those healthy cookies. The kind with less fat, less sodium, less of all the bad things yet it still tasted great. It was also the kind of cookie they have started serving in Memphis City School.

Cool, right?

Tonight I went to Community Foundation of Greater Memphis to watch the documentary Cafeteria Man. The film is about improving school lunches which falls into one of the Community Foundation’s main initiatives of healthy eating, active living.

The film follows the work of Chef Tony Geraci in Baltimore schools as he worked to change the way school lunches and other meals were served. The film was fascinating and it was awesome to see the changes he made in Baltimore during his time.

Based on the video he focused on great things:

buying food local from farms in the state/areabringing food from farm to table instead of prepacked traysproviding fresh whole foods to kids at each mealembracing urban agriculture and farming even at the schoolsteaching kids to grow food themselvesteaching kids to cook food that they’ve grownthe end goal of producing a healthy student ready to learn

The above photo is actually Memphis kids in a Memphis garden. Chef Tony Geraci is now the new director of Nutrition Services for Memphis City Schools. He is working here to create the same kind of changes to improve the quality of school food.

After the movie Tony Geraci was there to answer some questions and talk more about what he is doing in Memphis since the movie was focused on Baltimore.

Cool things happening with school food and nutrition in Memphis:

Breakfast in classrooms is now at 71 schools. Last year it was at zero. This rocks because as he mentioned it’s hard for kids to learn if they are hungry or jacked up on sugar so this kind of program is a type of readiness for learning.Geraci runs the program like a business. He makes sure they save money from the budget and he listed several projects currently running that do this. For example he is putting 200k into a few dozen acres to grow food and that will create 1.2 million in produce utilizing a prison-farming program.Grahamwood Elementary school created a hoop greenhouse garden that is producing food actually being eaten at their school and a couple others. It’s one of the first of several gardens planned. Hoop farms can provide food and also be a great teaching tool.New point of sale system that allows parents access so they can see what their kids are getting each day. It will also allow blocks (no cookies for example) or reminders to get at least 3 salads a week (and a message pops up if that isn’t happening so the kid has to get one).Trucks of food ready to cook and already prepared (cut, washed, etc.) go out from the central kitchen to the schools. Food is actually cooked at the school instead of just reheating trays a prepackaged food.People are parents in Memphis have been really supportive so far.

My favorite quote of the night: “If you eliminate the crap, they can’t order the crap. “

I really found the movie and the talk afterward fascinating. It’s a popular and sometimes controversial topic these days but things really do need to change. I remember the school lunches I used to eat and … they were bad. Really bad. I’m pretty sure I never ate a salad until college and vegetables were rare because they always looked so disgusting. It’s awesome to see that the choices are getting better and giving kids now a better chance at being and staying healthy and ready to learn.

What were your school lunches like as a kid? What improvements would you like in schools today? Meatless days? Fresh foods? More/less choices?

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Fitness Magazine's Fitterati 2012 Best Weight Loss Blog – Winner

I WON!!!

Thanks to YOU, I did it. I won the Fitness Magazine’s best weight loss blog, Reader choice and I am officially a 2012 Fitterati!

What does that mean?!?

It means that I will be able to contribute to Fitness Magazine, I will be receiving lots of Fitness goodies and…the biggest thing of all…I will be featured in the magazine late this summer!!! HOLY CANOLI!!!!

I am so excited and humbled to have won this award. If you would have told me a year ago when my website was just starting out that I would win an award like this, I would have told you, “NO WAY!” Well, here I am. God is so good and continues to be good. All we have to do is step out in faith and go with our heart.

This blog is so much more than I ever expected it to be. It was my way to motivate others and in return, hold myself more accountable for my actions. What it has turned into is an amazing, glorious thing.

There are so many great blogs that were nominated and won the Fitterati awards and I hope you will head on over there and check out the other winners. They can offer you so much inspiration when you are feeling down or need some motivation.

Again, THANK YOU! Without you and your votes, I would not have won!

Have you ever won something and you were totally surprised to win?

My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

View the original article here

The Importance of Weaning Students off of Soda

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Guest Post by Angelita Williams…..

Soda—it contains more than 39 grams of sugar and 140 empty calories per 20 oz can. But despite medical experts constantly reminding consumers that soda is essentially liquid diabetes in a can (not to mention one of the leading causes of weight gain and obesity in children), Americans still drink more than 13.8 million gallons of soda each year. In fact, headlines show that a woman died from soda consumption in April. Her intake was excessive yes, somewhere around a liter of soda a day, but she did die of hypokalemia –a condition where soda depletes potassium in the body.

In short soda is one of the unhealthiest drinks one can consume. But students, those ranging from grade school to grad school, still typically make it their beverage-of-choice. Some drink it to stay awake, others just like the taste. But it needs to be cut from their diets. If you think you’re ready to help your child adapt to a healthier lifestyle without soda, or if you want to cut the drink out of your life for your benefit, continue reading below.

When eliminating soda from their diets, some people choose to go cold turkey. But this can actually be a hastily move—some drink it so often that abruptly eliminating it from their system only causes them to suffer from caffeine withdrawals. Symptoms may include but are not limited to:

Headaches IrritabilitySleepinessDepressionConstipationStuffy Sinuses

So if you are a heavy soda drinker and consume about two to three cans of soda a day, try limiting yourself to just one a day. Then work your way to limiting your weekly amount. In the meantime, choose water as your main beverage. Water doesn’t have any calories and helps flush out toxins that can harm the body.  If you’re not too crazy about water, there are some ways you can liven it up, which leads us to our next tip—

For most soda lovers, water is just too bland. But there are some ways that you can spice it up a bit. Try adding some lemon juice to give it a citrusy flavor or other fresh fruit like cucumbers, oranges, or strawberries to create fruit-infused water which is a tasty summer beverage. You can also try adding a packet of low-calorie Crystal Light; or add some ice cubes with mint leaves locked inside. Making water interesting might take some creativity, but it’s well worth it.

Many love soda because of the carbonation—most crave the “burn” that comes with the fizzy drink. But if it’s the bubbles you miss, opt for sparkling water instead. It can give you the same feeling as drinking a soda but it’s healthy for you. If you want a little bit more pizzazz, stores do offer flavored sparkling water as well.

Caffeine is what usually gets people hooked on soda, especially older students that need it to stay awake. But there are other beverages with hints of caffeine that actually help strengthen your immunity and burn fat, like green tea. Whether you drink it hot or cold, green tea has been linked to increasing metabolism and as well as helping the body fight off certain cancers if consumed at a regular basis. And since you’re essentially just drinking herb-infused water, you’re still working to meet your goal of six to eight glass of water a day.

Last but not least, the easiest way to refrain from drinking soda is to not make it so easily accessible. Don’t have it in the house, at all. Don’t order it at restaurants. If you’re really craving a soda, then the best way to deal with the situation is to treat the sugary drink as “dessert” for special occasions only.

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

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A Mother's Day Letter

I have talked about my amazing mother in past posts and with Mother’s Day being today, I thought it would be appropriate to hear directly from her. I asked her to write me a letter about my healthiness journey. Here is a letter written directly from my mom’s heart.

Me and My Beautiful Mother

Dear Jennifer,

As your mom, I have watched you grow up through the years. You have been a joy and a delight – for the most part!

Your struggle with your weight began fairly early, but then, I was a “chunky” 10-year old who grew out of it during puberty so I just knew you would do the same. You did pretty well until you went off to college at Lee University, started eating fast food, had some emotional issues, and started stuffing your feelings with food.

My mom and I in 2006

As a counselor, I was sure I could help you with your “issues” and I did practice every new therapy that I learned on your “willing” self. We did manage to clear up some issues along the way, but I knew you and God had to do most of the work together. As I watched you struggle, I had to give you up to Him over and over as I saw your misery, your tears, and listened to your heart crying out for healing. As your mom, this was not easy to watch, but I continually gave you over the Lord knowing that He had the answers – not me. But, I was also willing to be used in any way possible under His direction.

The challenge came in 2009 when we made a deal with you. Lose at Weight Watchers and we (your father and I) pay, gain and you paid. We knew, especially at this time, money was a motivator. This motivation and Jacynta (your God-sent leader), finally paid off! We started seeing results. S.L.O.W.L.Y the weight started coming off. I began to see an excited, motivated, healthier, energetic and MUCH happier daughter. And it does, to this day delight my heart.

Your journey has not been easy, quick, or immediate but you are continuing to persevere and I am so proud of you.

You are also allowing God to use you, your struggles and your journey to inspire and help others. And isn’t this what it is all about? Reaching out to others and helping them with where you have been and are continuing to struggle, encouraging them on – knowing if you did this so can they.

As your journey continues, I look forward to seeing how God will continue to use you for His glory and for your good.

Mom, Grandmamma, Katherine, and Jennifer

Before I close, I must mention the beloved lady who was my hero, my model and my biggest cheerleader, my mother – who would have been 98 years old this past Friday, May 11. She is also your namesake – Jennifer Delaney. You carry a great name for a great lady. Without her, none of this would have been possible.

May your readers all be blessed and inspired as they continue to follow your journey. I know I am continually blessed and I thank God for seeing fit to choose me as your mother!

Much Love,

Mom

Mom, You are MY hero, MY model, and MY biggest cheerleader. Without YOU, none of this would have been possible. I love you and thank God that He gave me to you. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother! Thank you for hanging in there with me all these years and loving me unconditionally. You are the perfect role model for all mothers out there and I love you so very much!

My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

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Spark the Fire – Weekly Weigh In

This post is actually my weekly weigh in from LAST week.  Since my site was switching servers and I was unable to post, I thought I would share it with you this week.  I didn’t make it to my weigh in due to a work obligation so it all worked out.  Just know that this was actually last week’s topic!  Enjoy!

It was an amazing Weight Watchers meeting tonight. Jacynta, my leader was really “on” and she hit home with me about quite a bit. The shocking 3.6 I gained on the scale is what it is. At home this morning, I was exactly the same so I am chalking it up to “first day” heaviness. I am not going to focus on that because the meeting was SO MUCH MORE than a number on the scale.

As some of you know, the reason I began this journey was to get healthy to hopefully be able to have a baby. Those were the initial “logs” that were put on my fire when I joined Weight Watchers back in January of 2009.

For those of you that know anything about fires, you know that you have to have some good coals in order for your fire to continue burning. Not only do you have to have good coals but you also have to continually add wood and stoke it in order to KEEP the fire from going out.

My initial “logs” on my weight loss fire were the desire to have a baby. Then, other “logs” were put on the fire like having a rockin’ leader, losing my first 25 pounds, losing 50 pounds, and then 100 pounds, shopping in regular sized clothing stores, getting compliments, running a half-marathon and having the confidence that I CAN do this. All of those logs were added gradually to my fire in order to keep it going.

Then, there is the stoking. These are the little things we do to keep our fires going. Things like, saying no when we really want to eat something, walking a few times a week when we don’t want to, training for a half marathon, going to my meetings when I really want to go home and eat dinner. All of these little things also keep the fire going.

Without adding more logs or stoking our weight loss “fires”, they will eventually go out.

Tonight, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” What are the big logs that are keeping my fire going. Sometimes, when we start to get discouraged, we need to remember those things and keep our eye on the prize.

This week’s meeting was somewhat emotional for me. Whenever the topic of WHY I am doing this comes up, I get emotional. This journey is so much more than just “to look cute” or “to fit into those jeans.” This is the future of my family. This is one day, a healthy, God given baby.

The next time I look at something unhealthy and want to eat it, or the next time I don’t want to get up and exercise, or the next time I start to let negative thoughts come into my head, I need to remember my fire. Remember that baby who is worth whatever sacrifice I have to give in order to have him/her. I need to keep my eyes focused on the fire so the flames do not go out.

What is your why? What are your “logs” that are on your fire that keep your weight loss journey alive and going? Whatever you do, don’t let the fire smolder and die. You are worth living your dreams!

Spark the Fire!

Photo Credit

My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

View the original article here

Food Truck Rodeo in Memphis

First, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!  Happy Mother’s Day to my mom who is awesome and all the other amazing moms out there. I hope the day is amazing and you are celebrated and cherished.

Second, let me tell you about the food truck rodeo that happened in Memphis on Thursday. Sure this blog post is a little late but I’ve been busy!

The new Memphis Food Truck Alliance was created recently to unite the various food truck operators to help support and market the members. Memphis is new to food trucks and only last year started allowing them to operate. I think right now there are around 50 or so in operation and I’ve seen maybe a dozen of them, most at the Food Truck Rodeo on Thursday.

By the time thursday rolled around I couldn’t contain my excitement!It started at 11 a.m. and we left around 11:45 to walk the couple blocks to Court Square where the food truck rodeo was happening.

When we got there things were in full swing and several trucks had rather long lines. It seemed that Revival Southern Food and Fuel Cafe were very popular and had the longest lines.

After checking out several of the menus at various food trucks I decided to get in line at Fuel Cafe’s food truck. They had bison tacos that sounded interesting!

Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea that I did. The line was very long so it crawled along slowly. Lucky for us it was a beautiful day.

Then, five people before I got to order they ran out of bison. After waiting twenty minutes (or more?) in line I had to switch my order to chicken tacos. They erased it right off the menu when I got close. It was a bit disappointing but I was also excited they were getting so much business.

When I finally got my chicken tacos, about half an hour after ordering them, but luckily they made up for the wait.

I love a good taco! The chicken was well flavored and taco worked perfectly as a whole with the veggies and warm corn tortillas. I was very happy to see the cilantro on top too! I added a bit of hot sauce and it was perfect!

After eating my tacos I went to get frozen yogurt from YoLo… except they weren’t taking credit cards. Yuck.

Overall the food truck rodeo was a bit disappointing. A few people on Twitter complained about waiting 1.5 hours for food and my coworker gave up after waiting and went to a local restaurant. I’ll give them a pass though because it was the first one and it’s hard to predict how big the crowd will be the first time you hold an event like that. Hopefully next time will be better.

I’d love for them to do it once a week downtown, maybe on Thursdays. I think it would be nice to have a revolving group featuring different food trucks every week.

The Memphis Food Truckers website will eventually include event listings where food trucks will be and a map tool showing exactly where food trucks are operating that day. As a food truck lover I’ve extremely excited about that!

Related posts:

Life In The OfficeBoring Food Is Good Food For Weight LossMemphis in May… I can’t wait!Back in Memphis!Biking In Memphis

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Bike Collector

I started the day with zero bicycles and no intention of getting any.

Somehow I ended the day with two bikes.

And I’m still not biking to work tomorrow.

That is mainly because I don’t know if I would even make it on the bike that works. Who knew bikes without gears were so tough to ride? I’m going to have to build up to that since taking so much time off biking has left me as a total pansy.

Other things I collected today: tiredness and headaches.

Goodnight.

Related posts:

Back on the BikeBike Ride To BotanyGood Thing I Like To BikeFirst Bike Ride Of 2011Bike Ride To The Airport

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yurbuds Ironman Inspire Pro Sport Earphones – Review

LOVE these!

I have no patience sometimes. There are times when I really want something, like have to have it now, and even though my birthday is in a month, I just can’t wait to try out something new. Well, that was me this past week.

You all know I have been wanting to try out the yurbuds Inspire Pro headphones. I LOVE the Inspires I have been using but my biggest complaint was no microphone. I even hinted to family that I wanted a pair of Pro’s for my birthday. Well…my birthday came early and I bought them for myself. AND…let me just tell you…

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Holy cow I love them. I didn’t think I could love a pair of headphones more than the Inspires but I DO! It is what I love about the Inspires but so much more!!!!

All I was hoping for was a pair that had a microphone so I could talk on the phone while running or talk to Siri to have her text for me, hands free (It’s that whole, don’t text while walking thing!). Well, these certainly do that and more! Here are the awesome things about these headphones.

Amazing Earbuds – Same earbuds as the Inspire’s that DON”T FALL OUT because of their twist-lock technology! Love that!Comfortable – They are also super comfy – I can’t even tell I have them in except I hear music!Sweat and Water Resistant - No matter how much I sweat, I can really get a good workout and they stay in without slipping out.Microphone – YEAH!!!! I can not only talk on the phone but I can talk to Siri (on my i-Phone 4S and she can text for me!).  I have used the microphone several times in the past few days and everyone I am talking to can hear my nice and clearly! Another bonus!Volume Control – No matter what music you are listening to, you can turn the volume up and down with just a click of the dry mic that is dangling on your chest.Music Control – This was a complete surprise and something that I adore about these yurbuds headphones. You can skip songs, pause songs, or rewind songs with just a few clicks of the mic. One click stops/starts the song and answers or hangs up the phone. Two clicks will skip a song and go to the next one. Three clicks will go back to the beginning of the song you are listening to. I was concerned that it would only work with the i-Pod built into my phone but it worked great with Spotify (the only way we listen to music at my house!) and I am assuming with Pandora or any other way you listen to music.Cute – These are super cute and come in two color choices, white or red and black.  I bought the white ones just so it would match my outfits but the red and black look killer!

I can’t imagine these earphones ever disappointing me. They truly have it all. I am so glad that I started with the yurbuds Ironman Inspire’s just so I can appreciate the “extras” these have to offer. As much as I loved the Inspires, I love these even more. They are worth the extra money if you want the added features of music control and a microphone to talk on, hands free!

Do you LOVE the headphones you are currently using?  If not, just wait.  I have an awesome giveaway coming on Wednesday so you too can love the headphones you are using!  Are you excited?!?

yurbuds Inspire Pros

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My name is Jennifer, I’m 33 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

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Life In The Office

This is me.

Today. And all week.

Being back in the office is fun but it’s a whole different lifestyle than living in New Zealand and working from home. There is definitely a lot more sitting. When I’m at home I’m usually standing to work a lot more than I do here since we are in an open office work environment and it’s just a bit weird.

I’m trying to stay healthy despite my increase amount of sitting.

I’m drinking more water. See that bottle in the photo? It’s big and I drink a couple of those a day.We walk at lunch. It is awesome to have a couple coworkers who like getting out of the office for a short stroll.I’ve brought my lunch multiple days! Saving money and being healthy all at the same time. Win.

I’ve also been crazy busy at work.  That means doing the normal things like writing articles about social media and the more fun things like playing with our office dog.

That’s Sophie! She is the cute little furbaby of a coworker. She is spending the morning at the office and it’s so fun to watch her run around. She makes me miss JuJu even more!

Back to work for me now. I’ll be back at some point soon to share about the food truck rally that happened in Memphis yesterday at lunch. I love food trucks so the fact that Memphis has a food truck scene now makes me super happy. Post coming soon, I promise!

Do you work in an office? How do you stay healthy?

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Simple Changes in Lifestyle to Achieve Weight Loss

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Guest Post Written by Sachin

Losing weight seems a humungous task for somebody who has just started in this direction. During the initial days one looks for various options available on the net that suits them and there is also a tendency to look out for easy ways to achieve weight loss. There are some who start off with a strict weight loss regimen which they are not able to handle after some days or weeks. This result in reverting back whatever benefit was gained with respect to weight loss. There are some simple weight loss tips which if practiced may help in bringing about significant benefits. Some of these have been discussed below.

Serving in smaller plates and bowls greatly helps in reducing the portion size of the food you consume. A three ounce serving on a big plate looks small, but the same serving on a small plate looks larger.

Positive Changes in Life to Control Weight

It has been found that when you sleep six hours or less before starting your day, the tired body craves sugary or high carbohydrate foods to restore the energy it lacks. Doctors from the University of Chicago studied two hormone levels, ghrelin and leptin, in 12 healthy males while monitoring the men’s appetites and activity levels. When the men received less sleep their leptin levels decreased and ghrelin levels increased. Their appetites were significantly larger, resulting in a 45% increased demand for carbohydrates and other high-calorie foods. Thus, providing sufficient rest to the body helps in avoiding cravings for sugary foods.

Exercise smart instead of hard. Walking helps in diminishing “bad cholesterol”, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) while increasing “good cholesterol”, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It reduces blood pressure and also helps in enhancing mood. Jogging, running and bicycling are high-impact exercises. Start with a few minutes of stretching and then preferred exercise at least 3 days a week. The length of workout should be increased gradually over time.

In a weight loss regimen rewards have a significant role to play. For instance, if you are sacrificing three of your favorite junk foods or candies out of your diet plan, set aside a day when you reward your efforts by eating one of those three foods.

According to researchers some spices like cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and rosemary have positive benefits on the metabolism of the body.

Hormones, like adrenalin and CRH, are released when you’re too stressed, decreasing your appetite for a short time. This is known as the “fight or flight” response, but when the stressors are events that one can neither fight nor avoid and then you tend to eat more.

In contrast to chicken skin, which contains 30% of the fat that poultry has, edible fruit skins contain most of the nutrients of the fruit. Some of these are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, prunes, and some others.

Time Management: A Boon to your Life Style

Time management is an often overlooked aspect when going on a weight loss regimen. Planning ahead for the time dedicated for exercise and other important work greatly helps in sustaining your weight loss efforts.

Keeping the kitchen stocked up with fruits, vegetables, healthy meats, grains, cereals, spices, and other relevant items encourages healthy cooking. Apart from these eating healthy home cooked meals is a great way to avoid excess calories which come along with packaged meals and other junk foods.  Whether it’s you who’s cooking, a family member, or house help, one must ensure that every one practices healthy cooking methods, and ingredients. Using less oil, low salt, fresh produce, start showing their results in no time.

Thus if one adheres to these simple weight loss tips one can not only bring about positive changes in one’s lifestyle but also be more healthy and fit.

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Awesome Weekend

My weekend started on Friday with Friday Funday!

Friday, after a morning meeting the entire office headed out for an early lunch out in East Memphis. We had a choice of where to eat between a deli and tacos. Of course, I chose tacos.

It was my first time eating at Swanky’s Taco Shop. I ordered crunchy chicken tacos.

They were nice but not the best tacos I’ve ever had. Maybe I should have eaten them slower. I couldn’t though because our office field trip continued… with a movie!

Yep, we went to see the new Avengers movie. Sometimes it’s nice working with a bunch of geeks. ;) I really enjoyed the movie – it was quite funny! After the movie half the office went home and the rest of us grabbed some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before parting ways back at the office.

Saturday was a busy day for me. I hit up Walmart for some needed supplies like contact solution and then visited some thrift stores for new clothes.

I love thrift stores both for the price and the randomness of the selection. Sometimes I’ll go shopping and find nothing I like and sometimes I’ll leave things at the store I wish I could have bought. It just depends on how lucky I get. This particular shopping trip was extremely lucky because I finally found a maxi dress I liked!

It’s a bit long on me because I’m a shorty but I love it. It’s so vibrant and the colors are awesome. It’s not really anything special but after a long search for a dress I both liked and could afford I’m happy to have found it!

Sunday was spent doing absolutely nothing for the most part. I’ve been a lazy bum to be honest. The two productive things I’ve done were reading the Rebel Strength Guide because I’m thinking about actually doing one of Nerd Fitness’s guides all the way through and cooking some food for the rest of the week.

I’m trying to combat my new tendency to eat out every day (sometimes multiple times a day) since I’ve been here. Maybe having food ready and portioned out will help me make some better choices this week. My body needs a break from the sodium and calorie overload from eating out so much. We will see!

How was your weekend? Have a great week!

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Good News Wednesday

I started today planning to do a What I Ate Wednesday post. Then I was going to do a Wordless Wednesday post. Instead I’m just going to share the pictures from today and then tell you the good news at the end. Feel free to scroll down immediately.

My day looks so much cooler through a bunch of overly processed photos. I see why people like Instagram so much. ;)

So the good news of the day is that my mom’s appointment with her radiation oncologist went well! Since she caught the tumor early it’s only dime sized and she is a great candidate for a simpler surgery and faster radiation. Both of those are outpatient and she doesn’t need any chemo. Hurray!

Basically she got the best prognosis possible in this kind of situation which is a huge relief. Of course this is all dependent on the tumor actually being what they think and no deal breakers popping up, but it’s good news to hear. We were already both feeling pretty positive about the situation which seemed to shock the oncologist. He was super positive (which is good) but it felt like he was doing that to cheer up my mom who was already upbeat about things. It was funny. Anyway, everyone is encouraged and feeling good about the treatment situation which will begin at some point this month with surgery.

It’s still the beginning of this process but it looks like it won’t be as bad as it could be. There will be more doctor bills and the next two months won’t be super pleasant for my mom with the treatments but all things considered that is some great news to hear. Thank you all again for your support!

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It Sux To Be Fat Update

Missing You

I’ve been missing.

I hope you noticed because that means you read my posts on a regular basis.

For the past week, my husband has been working very hard on switching It Sux To Be Fat over to a new server.  In order for this process to go smoothly, I had to NOT post.  It has been very hard for me to not post updates on my weekly weigh in, how my eating is going, new goals for the month, about an important doctor visit and new things I have found.  However, the new server space is going to be so much faster and make navigating through the blog much easier.

So, please be patient and we will reward your patience with a very cool giveaway.  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we improve the site to make it easier for you!

You can stay in contact with me on Facebook.

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Back On Track

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY PEOPLE.

Seriously. I feel pretty good about things.

What things? Let me tell you.

I’m back on track.

After finishing LiveFit then freaking out over my mom’s cancer then moving back to the USA I let myself completely derail from the healthy living thing. I wasn’t out there eating twinkies and chugging soda, but I wasn’t paying attention to my food and I wasn’t exercising much at all.

Frankly I felt awful last week because of it. A few weeks of that made me feel just AWFUL.

I can only go so far off track these days before my body screams at me to stop it and treat it better. Better food, more movement, more positive thinking. Those things are the important things to me and make me feel better. It’s important for me to feel good, to feel strong, to feel capable. So I’m shaking off the last few weeks and getting back on track.

That means:

Taking my lunch to work most days. (Started today!)Going for a walk before/after work and during lunch. (Also did today!)Tracking what I’m eating in some way. (Back to MyFitnessPal counting today!)Forcing my thoughts to the positive. (Harder, but I’ve tried today to banish the downer vibes!)

It’s pretty damn annoying to go through this process so many times (and probably more annoying to read for those faithful reader who want to shake me sometimes). You know… I get to my healthiest point and then for whatever reason slide into less than healthy behaviors. Here’s to hoping one day this isn’t something I do anymore.

But for now I’ll deal with the reality of the situation. Taking it one day at a time. Small healthy behaviors lead to bigger changes, right?

Go team Merry Life. (Maybe we need to work on the team name, hehe. Suggestions welcome.)

-

All The Other Things

There’s a lot of stuff happening in my life right now that I’m not talking about and might not for a while.

Doesn’t matter though…  I feel good about the things that are happening behind the scenes. Life is good.

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Whatever It Takes

I landed in Memphis Saturday afternoon tired and on the verge of tears. I knew I had to wipe them away fast though because I couldn’t face my mom crying.

As soon as I had a chance after saying hello I asked the question I most wanted to know.

“So, how bad is it?”

I held my breathe as I waited for the answer and a recap of what the doctor had said. I calmly listened and held strong because I know that’s my job here.

A few days before my scheduled departure to Memphis I learned that my mom had breast cancer. It’s hard to sum up how I felt for the first two days that I knew. I was sad and scared before I had a chance to talk to my mom about it. I was then angry and bitter after that because it didn’t seem fair. Then finally I accepted the fact that it was happening and I would go home and help her through it. By the second day there was no other option in my mind than it being a temporary problem to work through together.

My mom has always leaned on me in tough times. We’ve gone through a whole lot together. I’m the rational one in the family, the logical one, the oldest and the only girl so I’m the one she leans on. I feel duty bound to be there for her and actually cherish this position. She is my mom and best friend after all.

A few years ago my mom almost died from blood poisoning. In fact if we had waited just another hour to go to the hospital she might have died. To say it was the scariest event in my life is an understatement. The thought of her being sick again, in a hospital, scares me. I remember that experience and the anxiety creeps into my mind and threatens to strangle all other coherent thought. Cancer now doesn’t seem fair. My mom has had a hard life and a lot of crap has gone wrong when she didn’t deserve any of it. Things were finally going pretty well for her recently until this. I don’t understand it and won’t even try.

I’m pushing my anxiety down and handling things. Trying not to stress already about how to help her pay the extra medical bills piling up (goodness that happens fast!) or how to deal with other difficult family members. Trying not to stress about being distracted at work or being away from Kepa. Trying not to stress about the fact that I can’t live in two place at once and I don’t know which is the right place for the future. Trying not to stress at all because my job here is to be calm and helpful and get her through it as best as I can.  It’s lucky, in a way, that this trip was already scheduled because at least being in the same city means I can’t support her and help in whatever way I can.

Luckily they caught this cancer pretty early we think. She will have to have surgery sometime in May and some sort of other treatments but because they caught it early she has a good chance to beat it even with other health problems she has. YAY, right? She has to meet with a bunch of other doctors first and get a final diagnosis and find out what surgery she needs and whether she whether she will get chemo or radiation (one or the other). Whatever it takes, really. It’s not the end of the world yet. Even if it is expensive and painful and scary, she’ll beat it.

Thank goodness because I’m really not prepared for any other outcome.

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Learn How to Lose 5 Pounds Fast in One Week

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Do you want to learn how to lose 5 pounds fast in one week? You can reduce your weight successfully, but you have to be sincere, patient and determined to change your lifestyle and eating habits. It is certainly not easy to lose weight in such a short span of time because it will take utmost hard work and commitment on your part to achieve your weight-loss target. You need to plan your diet to reduce your weight successfully.

Here is the way to learn how to lose 5 pounds in one week:

A high protein diet can help you in reducing the extra pounds faster. High protein diets have gained tremendous popularity as research says that protein is able to satisfy hunger better than any other fat or carbohydrate. When you eat high quality protein foods, they increase the amount of leucine, an amino acid that help a person maintain muscle mass and increase the fat-burning capacity.

Yes, you can lose 5 pounds in a week by eating high fiber foods. There are many researches to suggest that eating high fiber food keep your body hydrated, full and also help in losing weight. Our body cannot digest fiber so quickly so it stays longer in our system. In an addition, we cannot absorb any calories or fat from it. But, there are many health benefits that we can take from high fiber foods. As you’ll feel full, you will automatically eat less.

If you want to learn how to lose 5 pounds in one week, starts with first step i.e. eat breakfast every day. When you eat breakfast, it reduces the hunger and help you avoiding overeating. You will feel more energy to perform your physical activity during the day. It actually increases your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories throughout the day. Skipping breakfast can make you put on extra weight and tend to cause obesity.

If you seriously want to lose 5 pounds fast in one week, you have to cut down junk foods from your diet. Don’t eat any junk food for the entire week and you’ll find yourself losing weight successfully.

In order to burn off 5 pounds in one week, you need to burn more calories than what you consume. Perform physical activities such as swimming, skipping, jogging to burn more calories and increase fitness level. To lose 5 pounds in a week, you need to burn approx. 2,500 calories in a day.

Image Credit @www.ptweightloss.com

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