Weight Loss Secret?

Quit drinking coke… At least, that’s what this woman said.

Lent

Ash Wednesday snuck up on me. Even as friends were discussing mardi gras parties and fat tuesday, it didn’t hit me. So, I had to think fast about what I would give up this year.

In years past, I have given up caffeine (more on that in a minute), but after discussing with a colleague at work, I have decided this year that I will give up eating on campus. I spend a lot of money and eat a lot of calories that are all unnecessary. So, for 40 days, I will be eating what I bring from home, for both breakfast and lunch.

Now, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. I haven’t figured out how to break the news that I have fallen off the wagon, perhaps permanently. Yes, I have been drinking coffee, coke, coke zero and loving every sip. The caffeine free life just isn’t for me. However, that doesn’t mean that I have given up on the idea that you can make a big difference with a small change. So that’s what I’m going to do with this years lent as well.

Every day, I buy my morning coffee, breakfast and lunch at the cafeteria at work. This adds up to be both calories and money that I don’t need to spend. So, I’m committing to avoid that cafeteria for the next 40 days.

All money saved from bringing my breakfast and lunch to work with me everyday will be donated to a good cause.

Which good cause? Well, Handsome has made me kind of partial to Pit bull rescues at the moment, so all savings will go to a reputable no-kill shelter. You can double that amount if one can take in my precious Handsome dog.

Handsome’s Story

One day in mid-January, I was out running with my two labs. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this particular day, or this particular run, until I ran into a group of boys and a dog. At first, I was too far away to see any details, and I wanted to keep it that way – since my dogs are not always the most approachable when it comes to meeting new dogs. I probably would have continued my normal day, had I not heard one of the boys call out to another boy who had just pulled up and ask him if he had any food in the car for the dog. Then I looked closer. And even from afar, I could tell the dog was way too thin. I yelled out to the boys that I would be back with food after my run.

I came back a few minutes later with a bowl full of food and lots of treats. But when I saw him, I could have cried right then. Not only, was this dog even more emancipated than I first realized, but he had a very large, deep wound on his rear end. And what’s worse – I could see the pit bull breed in him. Now, even though I have two large dogs, and I grew up with large dogs, I’m a little timid around strange large dogs. As I sat the bowl of food down, I quickly realized that was a mistake; he was eating way to fast and was going to make himself sick. I got brave. And before I could even think about what I was doing, I reached down and took the bowl of food away from a starving pit bull. And his only reaction was to look at me, wag his tail, and use his eyes to beg for me to give it back to him. I did – in handfuls at a time this time.
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november funds part 2

So, for the second half of my november funds, i decided to get in the christmas spirit and adopt an angel from the salvation army’s angel tree. this is something that i have done in the past and i have always felt good about providing christmas for a child that would not normally have one.

this year, you can adopt an angel online through jcpenny. i must say that, so far, this has been a frustrating experience. the angel search does not bring back accurate results for gender (for example, when searching for both boys and girls in the area, i was only given girls, but these girls were requesting boy clothing… a bit suspicious). I finally settled on a 5 year old girl. jcpenny’s also has their site set up so that you can buy everything your angel needs right from their online store and ship it for free to the appropriate place. that sounds great, but when i click to shop for girls 4-6, the sizes do not match the sizes that my angel requested. there is an option for a gift card, which sounds so appealing right now, but i feel as though that is a bit cheap.

despite my frustration, i still believe the angel tree is an excellent and worthy cause and i hope everyone will think about those in need this holiday season.

november funds

I’m doing something a little different this month by dividing the month in two. the reason being that i wanted to be sure and donate this months money to a food bank in time for thanksgiving. so, half of this months savings (or the savings i’ve had in the past 16 days…) went to the arkansas food bank network with the purpose of providing thanksgiving meals for the hungry.

check back at the end of the month to see where the rest of this month’s money is going. also, i’ve been thinking about doing something special for the holidays so stay tuned…

confession

i am drinking a coffee right now. and this isn’t my first cup in a long time. i have been drinking coffee for almost two weeks now. it all started when i had to go on a business trip and the hotel i stayed in had free in-room coffee. it was sooo tempting. i told myself no one would ever have to know… ha.

and the worst part is that i’m not sure i’m going to go back to coffee-less-ness. for a couple of reasons. 1) because i like coffee. 2) coffee actually has some nutritional value – antioxidants and whatnot 3) because I was craving more and more sugar as a replacement for coke and caffeine and gained nearly 10 lbs since I quit drinking cokes 2 months ago! since I started having a cup of joe every morning i have since lost almost 5. As superficial as it may be, I can deal with headaches and cravings… but not with extra pounds.

so, the coke thing still stands and I will continue to donate my savings (even the savings that I would see if I quit drinking caffeine). but for the foreseeable future, i’ll be drinking coffee.

and just for fun… hurray coffee and 15 things you should know about coffee

and another reason….

A colleague sent me a link to this article explaining how coke affects the body. I will add it to my collection of reasons why its better not to drink coke.

» read this before you reach for your next coke

October’s Coke Money

My husband and I are dog people. We have two very spoiled 100lb labs at home that we treat more like our kids. We’d probably have cats too, but I’m allergic.

I am somewhat of a bleeding heart. Especially when I see people who are unable to help themselves and are struggling through no fault of their own. But my empathy extends to all walks of life – dogs, cats, you name it. Whether neglected, abused or homeless, animals in need are helpless and in need of rescuing.

That’s why, this month, my saved coke money went to the Humane Society of Pulaski County, Warm Hearts for Cold Noses. They provide a safe home for up to 200 animals and have saved over 50,000 in the history of the organization.