Quick update!

As my darling JuJubee said in last season's "Drag Race," I'm still here! I'm happy to report that I've continued counting calories and adding various exercises to my routine and have lost 46 pounds since May 27 (and counting!). I hope to share tips and tricks I've picked up along the way; keep watching for updates!

Simple substitutes at Starbucks: calorie counting

One of the great things about calorie counting is that it really makes a person more aware of what he or she is eating--though, granted, some of us would rather not know that information. Too often when we order drinks, we don't give much thought to the caloric content. I know when Panera posted the nutrition information on the menu board for its Frozen Caramel drink, I was floored. Sure, when I'd get it I'd split it with my boyfriend, but still--at 600 calories, 22g fat, 60mg cholesterol and 85g sugar for 16.5 oz., that's just far too extreme. (And if you ask, you can get an even bigger size that's not on the menu...!) Needless to say that was enough to keep me from ever ordering it again, despite the definite tastiness factor.

Anyway, I've now passed the 100-day mark with my calorie counting and I thought I'd share a little story that involves one of my favorite drinks at Starbucks and the quest to find a lower-calorie substitute.

For me, there's nothing better than an iced coffee beverage on a hot day, and Indiana's had a surplus of those this summer. (I can't wait for fall!) My favorite iced coffee drink was Starbucks' Iced Caramel Macchiato. Sometimes I'd have a tall (12 oz.) to myself, but usually my boyfriend and I split a venti (24 oz.). The nutrition information for a venti looks like this:

330 calories; 8g total fat; 5g saturated fat; 35mg cholesterol; 170mg sodium; 49g total carbs; 44g sugar; 14g protein

Even before I started counting calories I knew that it wouldn't be a bad idea to substitute nonfat milk for the standard 2% milk that Starbucks uses in their drinks, which brought the calories, fat and cholesterol down but actually increased a few other values:

270 calories; 1.5g total fat; 1g saturated fat; 10mg cholesterol; 180mg sodium; 50g total carbs; 46g sugar; 14g protein

I was content with this drink until I started counting calories and looking into more sensible menu options. In the past, I'd order the occasional iced coffee or iced coffee with milk, which had fewer calories but didn't do much to satisfy my sweet tooth. Enter Starbucks' iced skinny lattes.

Early this summer, Starbucks had their Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte on their menu board, so I thought I'd give that a shot, especially taking into consideration the following nutritional information for a venti: 

110 calories; 0g total fat; 0g saturated fat; <5mg cholesterol; 150mg sodium; 17g total carbs; 14g sugar; 10g protein

Even a calorie counting novice can see the dramatic difference between a skinny latte and the macchiato. If vanilla's not your favorite flavor, Starbucks also offers sugar-free syrup in caramel, hazelnut and cinnamon dolce. The last is by far my favorite, and I tend to add an extra dash of cinnamon from the drink station for an extra kick--and the spice's possible health benefits.

Sure, the skinny drinks have a slightly strange aftertaste for me--and the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners versus real sugar can be debated until the cows come home--but the calorie difference between the two is too great to ignore.

So how about a substitute for Panera's Frozen Caramel behemoth I mentioned above? A more sensible option is one of Panera's low-fat fruit smoothies, a relatively new addition to the menu. The leanest choice is the Low Fat Mango Smoothie, with 230 calories for 16.25 oz. It's also the most nutrient-rich, supplying 15% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A and 130% of Vitamin C. The other two options aren't much worse: the Low Fat Strawberry Smoothie with Ginseng has 260 calories and the Low Fat Black Cherry Smoothie has 290 calories. If you're really craving a frozen caramel drink, though, try ordering the Frozen Caramel drink without whipped cream and caramel drizzle, which takes the calorie total down to 300. Even that's pretty high, so a better substitute is Starbucks' Caramel Frappuchino Light, which is roughly* 150 calories for a grande (16 oz.).

Keep watching for more calorie-saving switches and more calorie counting adventures!

*I say roughly because Starbucks seems to be revising its website and nutrition information at the moment.

Calorie counting: 63 days in!

Admittedly, I probably should have blogged about this before now. Say, the first week. Even a look at the daunting first day. But what's the fun in dipping a toe in that icy pool and taking five minutes getting used to the water when you can just cannonball off the edge, soaking everyone else in the process? :)

You may recall from my June 20 post that I began a new chapter in my life in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle and possibly find relief from my constant headaches. Part of the program I'm following includes daily food journaling, something I'm doing with the help of the website MyFitnessPal. This has been my first attempt at tracking calories and I wasn't sure what kind of results I'd get, but to all the skeptics out there, let me say this: calorie counting works. Like Miss D. told me--she's the resident Weight Watchers guru at my place of work--it increases your accountability and really makes you think about what you're eating. (Thankfully, seeing the numbers in black and white along with the mental part of all of it is enough for me because I happen to lug around a lot of guilt. [No, Taryn; I'm not Catholic--honest!] I can easily say no to a tray of brownies a coworker brings in for that reason. But I know that isn't the case for everyone.)

If you're trying to lose weight, why not check out MyFitnessPal? Yesterday their free Android app was released, and their free iPhone app is an equally great resource. Their forums are full of positive, helpful community members, especially useful if you're having issues finding support from the people in your day-to-day life. And try not to look at calorie counting as dieting: it's a long-term lifestyle change. As my sister told me today, for her, the mere word "diet" makes her nervous. Call it whatever you have to call it--just get counting!

Oh, and my results in these 63 days? I've lost more than 15 pounds. It's a great feeling! Keep watching for tips, tricks and future updates!

Lady Gaga Monster Ball Setlist: Conseco Fieldhouse, 7/15/10

When I saw Lady Gaga at Purdue earlier this year, I later kicked myself for not writing down her set list. Sure, for a couple weeks I could tell you what it was (complete with quotes from her and everything), but my memory now is a little foggy. So I took it upon myself to tweet her set list during the concert using my wonderful new HTC EVO, somewhat of a daunting task as I had never used Twitter before. But it went off without a hitch, so here's a complete breakdown of her July 15 show. And yes; it was, in a word, AMAZING.

Picture courtesy of my boyfriend, who snapped this on his HTC EVO :)

Opening band: Semi Precious Weapons (...no comment)

Opening song: Techno remix of elements from "Dance in the Dark" and "Finally" by CeCe Peniston (listen to it here--really an awesome song)

"Dance in the Dark"
"Glitter and Grease"
"Just Dance"
"Beautiful Dirty Rich"

Gaga on what the Monster Ball is all about: "I created the Monster Ball so my fans have a place to go...a place where all the freaks are outside and I locked the fucking doors!"

"Vanity"
"The Fame"

Films: with Gaga in white, the Asian girl vomits blue liquid on her; Gaga eats a bovine heart; Gaga gets a "DAD" tattoo

"Lovegame"

A soliloquy: uplifting; inspiring; empowering.

"Boys Boys Boys"
"Money Honey"

Gaga calls a lucky fan on the phone, bringing her and her friends closer to the stage.

"Telephone"
"Speechless"
"You and I"

Film: Chandelier twister

"So Happy I Could Die"

Film: Gaga smoking, etc.

"Monster"
"Teeth"

Among other things, Gaga's views on religion: Jesus loves EVERYBODY. My thoughts exactly.

"Alejandro"

Film: Gaga manifesto

"Paparazzi"

Curtain drops, lights flash on audience, crowd calls for encore

Encore: "Bad Romance"

A sizzling summer jam

July isn't my favorite month of the year, but the sweltering heat and sunshine make for a great backdrop to upbeat, summery songs. "So Bright" by Vokab Kompany is such an example, as it was recently snagged by Kia for a commercial for their Sweet Summer Sale event. I'm not a fan of Kia--I've always owned Nissans--but I can appreciate good advertising when I see it, and Kia's marketing team clearly knows what they're doing (who doesn't love the hamster commercials?). So on this, the hottest day of the year thus far in Indianapolis, kick back with a cold one and enjoy this hot song! 

 

This song is available for download on iTunes or, even better, this non-iTunes website. Stay cool!

A new journey

I haven't blogged in a while for a lot of reasons, but I've worked up the motivation today to get on here and share some exciting news. At the end of May I began a 30 week program that combines diet, exercise and therapy with the intention of long-term weight loss. I'm going to attempt to use this blog to chronicle my journey, not to mention share some tips that I find along the way. Stay tuned for updates and feel free to post replies if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!

When the bullied strike back

A target of relentless bullying, Arunya Rouch is in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, years of a coworker's taunting leading to her tragic breaking point last week. But unlike recent news stories where victims of bullying end up taking their lives--like the sad case of Phoebe Prince, the high school student whose bullying led to her death in January--this one does not involve suicide. On Tuesday, March 30, Rouch shot her bully in the face four times.

After being fired from Publix on Tuesday due to a complaint the coworker, Gregory Janowski, made about her, Rouch went home, got a gun, returned to the premises, found her target sitting in his car in the parking lot and shot him, point-blank. She then proceeded into the store but was shot several times by two plainclothes officers, their actions perhaps preventing further injury or death.

I initially learned of this story from my grandmother, a resident of Tarpon Springs and a loyal Publix patron. She had worked for the supermarket chain a few years ago, a fierce product demonstrator who could likely sell water to a manatee if given the chance. She was serious about her work, a top performer who expected nothing less than excellence from herself, her coworkers and her company, and she saw the same qualities in Rouch.

The two women quickly became friends, with my grandmother seeing her nearly every other day, even praying with her frequently. According to my grandmother, Rouch was a kind Christian woman who kept an impeccable seafood counter--one of the best seafood departments she'd seen chain-wide. She did it all without any help, having to come to work early and off the clock to set up shop so the counter would be ready by the store's opening time. However, Rouch faced challenges in the workplace that had no business being there, but that many people around the world face every day: according to reports, she was taunted, daily, especially by a particular man working in the meat department.

Searching the internet for news about the shooting quickly paints a brutal picture of Rouch, especially when one is brave enough to read the often unenlightened responses that follow online articles. Some of the articles portray her as a monster and the majority of the comments follow in suit, with people calling her a "crazy bitch," "psycho," "pure evil" and worse. Once a victim, she has become the villain. (I'll note that one article I found did acknowledge that there were two sides to the story; it's refreshing to see that true journalism still exists.)

But here's my question: why did Publix allow this to continue? Allegedly, Rouch went to management several times and complained about the bullying, involving racism, sexism and general taunting, but Publix management did nothing...until, of course, Janowski reported her, Rouch got fired, and everything spiraled out of control.

It seems to me that people need to take a step back and look at the big picture. With everything that has happened in the past few years, why haven't we? We're nearing the 11th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting, and really, is this incident that different? The Columbine shooting wasn't caused by Marilyn Manson or video games: the root of it all, possible mental illnesses aside, was bullying. Since then, schools have installed many a metal detector with rent-a-cops patrolling hallways, but has much been done to combat the root of the problem? Phoebe Prince's suicide is enough to argue that it hasn't.

It's completely disgusting that our society can plan for the apocalypse by throwing money at security measures and disaster planning but we can't take the time to sit down and deal with the simple problems of people and relationships. True, human nature is an unpredictable beast unable to be completely controlled, but I can't help but wonder if a few sensitivity seminars would have helped. At the very least, couldn't someone in management have dealt with the problems before it turned into this?

Indeed, when the bullied strike back, the bullied become the problem rather than the bullying itself. The victims are canonized, the killers vilified, the saints and sinners alike casting stones. In today's society, it just seems to be much easier that way.