drink your weight away

My co-worker has become my partner in the quest for the ideal weight. We share food ideas, thoughts, and go to yoga together. Last week she introduced me to Generation Tea. Oolong tea has been used to aid people in their weight loss. The caffine in it serves as a metabolic stimulant.

She gave me a bag so I could try it out. My husband teased about how the little baggie looked ...



I don't have a tea pot, so I decided to look around for similar teas in a bag. I love Yogi Tea, but was unable to find their Fasting tea.

I did find Traditional Medicinals Weightless Cranberry tea. It doesn't smell all that great, but it tastes fine and works pretty well.

So, grab your tea cup and burn some off some pounds.

Week 3 Weigh In: A new challenge pays off

As you know I manage Red Lotus Mama and this blog. I also have another blog that is just for my family. This blog was intended to be updated daily, but as you might guess it is a lot of work. So, this week I tried something new ... The Daily Plate. It is a free online service that helps you track what you eat. You start by entering your current age, height, weight. how much you want to lose. Then it calculates how many calories you can eat a day. Every day you enter in the food you eat and you can keep a diary. You can view your calorie intake chart along with a bunch of other charts (sodium, sugar, cholesterol, etc.). At first I thought it would be difficult to constantly update it, but I found that it is quite easy and inspiring. It has become a good challenge to stay below my calorie intake target level. I ate healthier this week than I have in a long time.

On Wednesday I did a hatha yoga class and on Thursday I went with a co-worker to a yoga/pilates fusion class. After 2 1/2 years of no exercise (other than chasing and picking up Little 'Ny) doing these two classes has left me pretty sore. But, it is a good kind of sore. I have more energy. I feel lean again. I am starting to feel like my old self.

As a result of these two changes I have lost 3 pounds in one week! I am so incredible proud of myself. I am starting to have some confidence that I can lose this weight. Sacrifices and will power are showing positive results. Let's hope I can keep up the pace!

"zen"ing out

My desperate search quest to find the perfect diet led me to find this interesting article about Zen eating. I liked the concept that there are no real guidelines, but to remember that food is to nourish the body. We shouldn't be filling it with processed, fatty foods.

I am going to have to pick up Halé Sofia Schatz's If the Buddha Came to Dinner.

Cereal Extraordinaire

I am a breakfast person (where my husband can eat ANYTHING for breakfast and often skips the meal all together). When I was pregnant I loved blueberry waffle, blueberry bagels, Breakfast can be a very dangerous meal -- carbs, carbs and more carbs. So I have always been in search of the perfect cereal.

Brooke Burke has 3 daughters and recently gave birth to a son ... and she looks PHENOMENAL! What is her secret? Well, she shares it in a post titled "My Diet" on her blog. I was instantly intrigued that Brooke eats Smart Start cereal. I wondered what is so special about this cereal? So, I looked it up and discovered:

I am sold! I get to eat a 1 1/4 cups which is only 220 calories and I get 5 grams of dietary fiber! I am picking up a box today.