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Settle down Mother Nature!

foreword: i wasn’t going to write anything about the earthquake, because everyone in Cali was making fun of the East Coasters for our “over-reactions,” HOWEVER, then along came Irene & her annoying little brother Lee. so this indeed deserves an entry. also, Mary Scheske quickly messaged me on GTalk and said “Did you FEEL it? You better blog about it!” So Mary, this one’s for you… sorry for the delay 🙂

Aug 23, 2011, approx 2pm EST: My co-worker Cyd and i are at our desks minding our own business when we feel the building rumble. My first thought was “Whoa! Is that the wind shaking the building?” Cyd responded with “Must be! Do you feel that??” Then here comes Juakeena, walking in the office…
[The room is still rumbling at this point]
Me: Juakeena, do you FEEL that??
Cyd: is it crazy windy outside?
Juakeena: no, i just went on a walk… it’s not windy at all.

I looked out the window to confirm that trees were in fact, not swaying. And then i hit the world wide web. It took me all of 2.3 seconds to confirm on CNN.com and then again on Facebook & Twitter that we just felt the earthquake all the way from the Virginia/DC area!! There was no damage at all here in CT, but i definitely got to FEEL my first earthquake!

Then, Tropical Storm Irene was a’brewin’… and about 5 days later she showed up on our doorstep as a Category 1 Hurricane. NYC & Stamford (where i live) seem to be the only places around here that did not get tore up by Irene.

Trees down in Greenwich, CT

Greenwich was without power for almost 2 weeks, and many streets were completely blocked by downed trees. Norwalk had plenty of flooding. But the major devastation occurred along the central coastline in Milford & Fairfield. Waterfront homes were swept away, neighborhoods were under water, and there were even a few deaths caused by Hurricane Irene. If you’re interested in seeing more pictures of the damage, click here: CTPost.com Slideshow

Right after Irene hit, I had to travel to Texas for work again (not complaining!!) and that’s when Tropical Storm Lee showed up. I was lucky enough to be able to extend my work trip to include some aggie football. I  made my glorious return to College Station, Texas just in time for the 1st game of the season: A&M vs. smu… which resulted in a Win, duh! The only negative was the hurricane-like winds that Lee was churning up in the gulf. Tents were blowing over, EZ-ups were taken down and my hair was just a dang mess 🙂 But the tailgatin’ went on!! We were all set up at 8am and drinking beer well before noon. We didn’t get a drop of rain in Texas, but the east coast got pounded again with tons of rain, courtesy of Lee.

Now here we are in the last week of September, and temperatures are in the 60’s & 70’s during the day, and in the 50’s at night. Yup, it’s officially Fall. Not gonna lie, i really like this time of year here 🙂 It’s hard to believe in two short months we’ll be knee-deep in friggin’ snow. I’m gonna enjoy this while i can!!

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Slow-Carb Diet… Success!

Between my sister’s wedding, traveling to Boston, traveling for work TWICE, Will’s 30th birthday, Claudia’s visit to the East Coast and Hurricane Irene… i haven’t had a chance to give any diet updates. But given the success Will & I have both seen, it is incredibly important that i devote this blog post to the amazing Slow-Carb Lifestyle.

To give you an idea of just how awesome it is…

  • Will lost 23 lbs in the 45 days prior to the wedding in Cancun
  • I lost 11 pounds in the 45 days prior to the wedding in Cancun
  • Both Will & I have been back from Cancun for 4 weeks and only loosely following our diet but i’ve managed to keep all the weight off and Will has lost an additional 3 lbs
  • I’m not proud of this, but: I have only worked out twice in the last 28 days.

I’m not to my goal weight yet, but the bridesmaid dress fit and that was the short-term goal!! I’d like to lose another 7-10 lbs of fat and maintain that weight while toning up some more. I’m not getting any younger, and staying in shape isn’t getting any easier. But with the help of the Slow-Carb lifestyle, i’m able to indulge occasionally while still eating only the stuff that is good for my body and that won’t make me hold on to excess fat.

To some people, it might seem like a very restrictive diet. But to me, it seems like the food choices i should’ve been making all along. Slowly, we all develop bad habits. It starts out as a treat every once in a while. A sweet iced tea at Starbuck’s on a hot summer day. A handful of M&M’s after lunch, from the vending machine at work. A bowl of popcorn after work while you watch tv and unwind. Slowly, the treats become habits. And eventually, these habits turn into thunder thighs and extra belly rolls.

While on the Slow-Carb Diet, there is no need for snacking because you are allowed to eat all the lean proteins, veggies and legumes that you desire. You fill up on all the stuff that is good for your body and leave no room for the things that make you flabby. Even if you don’t think you have the will power to stick to it for a long period of time, i recommend you try it for at least 2 full weeks, if you are interested in losing fat. Unless you break the rules of the diet, i guarantee you will see results in that short time period. If you add a gym regime to the mix, you will be blown away!

Ok, i’ll stop preachin’… if you’re interested, google: “The Four Hour Body”… it’s the book by Tim Ferriss. He is the creator of this diet, and all the other tactics he uses to stay fit & excellent in all realms of life. Buy the book. Read it. And decide how you want to apply it to your life. You will not be disappointed.