Back in skinny jeans

Original Story: Dropped 80 Pounds and Featured in Self

Remember how I clapped like a proud big sister when BISJ reader Meghan Clifford was featured in February's Self magazine about how 5 Self readers came to find body bliss through attitude adjustment and self-appreciation? Only a small snippet of Meghan's story was shown in Self, but today, you'll get to see the original story Meghan submitted. It's very inspiring, and again high-five to Meghan!

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If you see a woman running through the streets of with a huge smile on her face, it may just be me. I'm not smiling because of something amusing on my ipod but rather out of pure joy. The simple act of lacing up my sneakers and running fills me with such gratitude at what the human body can do. About what MY body can do.
 
Over the past 3 years I have lost over 80 pounds and it wasn't until only recently that I have really been able to process what it was like to grow up overweight. The idea that I could fit into a size 12 let alone run a 10K still amazes me.

I'll never forget lining up for my first race, nervous but excited, loving the feeling of being part of something bigger than myself. When the horn went off to start the race I had tears in my eyes. I was no longer the heavy girl in grade school praying I wouldn't be picked last for kickball. I was an athlete. It was then that the magnitude of it all really hit me.
 
There were some lonely moments on that first run, stretches of the route I had to walk, and times when I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was runner's high or an impending heart attack. But what kept me going was the voice in my head that kept saying, 'You are in a 10K! YOU!' It didn't matter to me if I finished last; I was just so grateful and happy to be in it at all.

I lost the weight the old fashioned way, by eating healthy food and exercising regularly. I took my time because I knew a quick fix wasn't going to work for me.

Watching my body and most importantly, my relationship with my body change over the past 3 years has been an amazing journey. I can't say I ever actively hated my body when I was heavy, I just chose to ignore it. It was as if I didn't acknowledge I was fat, then maybe no one else would notice.

Now I can honestly say that I am happy I had to go through the first 30 years of my life heavy, because I will never take what I have now for granted. We are blessed with these amazing bodies, and I plan on celebrating that with every run I go on.

Beauty Where You Least Expect It: Excel...Yeah, the Spreadsheet

For a brief moment, I worked at Microsoft, and while I was there I worked with Ani Babaian. I remember fondly having no clue what .NET was or how it worked, and Ani explained the whole thing to me using, wait for it....a makeup metaphor. Yes, makeup!

So, if Ani can explain a complex software thing like .NET and get a geek noob like me to see the light, just imagine how fun and clear she can make Excel sound. To help girls (and us big girls) get more comfy in the techie subjects, Ani has written a book called, "The IT Girl's Guide to Becoming an Excel Diva." Nice part about the book, Ani is donating 50% of the proceeds to the Girl's Scouts of America for a special program which she shares later in our interview.

Ani is going to share with us some very interesting tidbits about Excel like tips on what you can do with Excel for non-work related things like I used Excel to track my 25lb. weight loss journey, and for you bloggers, did you know Excel has a plug-in to help you with SEO and your keywords? Oh yeah! So, let's jump right in.

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Steph: So Ani, you have done something that I think is absolutely phenomenal. You wrote a book that makes Excel actually interesting. I didn't fall asleep once or get that deer in headlights look. Who knew spreadsheets could be chic and intriguing. But why do a "girl's guide" to Excel? Some people might interpret that as saying that girls just don't "get it" so they need their own book. Why isn't something like the Dummies book series fine enough?

Ani: Funny you should mention that Steph, because Wiley, Inc. the publishing company also created the Dummies series. When I spoke with Katie at Wiley at TechEd many years ago about this idea, it was all about creating something that women/girls could relate to and use as a reference every day.

A book that was not big and heavy, a color that was pleasing, Do It Herself step by steps that would apply to their everyday life, would be fun and would teach many things at the same time. A book that would take the boring out of tech and put chic back in. Show me a tech book that does all that…

Steph: Why is beautifying the data important? Does the look and feel of a spreadsheet really make that big a difference?

Ani: Imagine how it feels when we go out with our girlfriends, we don’t all just get out of bed and walk out with our PJ’s do we? We spend time to beautify ourselves, put on cloths and jewelry for the occasion. Once we meet up, we notice the little things about the other person and comment about their hair, makeup, shoes, bag, cloths, etc.

In short, how the other person is dressed tells a story about them which we love analyzing, data is very much the same way. So more than just beauty is the meaning of the data, how easy is it on the eye when you see a list of numbers, but when you add colors and graphs, the numbers come alive and tell a story.

Steph: Quickly, what are three really cool things about Excel that most people don't know about but would say "awesome" if they knew.

Featured in Self Magazine BISJ Reader Meghan Clifford, "Got Up and Ran"

I'm like a very proud big sister here. Back in Skinny Jeans reader Meghan Clifford is featured in February's Self magazine in an article about how 5 Self readers came to find body bliss through attitude adjustment and self-appreciation.

Meghan has dropped 80 pounds over the last 3 years and has kept it off. Running her first 10k was one of her first big fitness accomplishments. Woo-hoo! Give a huge round of applause for Meghan. {clapping}

Who Knew Personal Finances Could Be So Sexy and Fabulous

Today, for Finances day on the Skinny Debt Diet, I have dived into the world of the personal finance blogs and wowza, there are some pretty cool, and hilarious bloggers out there. Really. I got totally sucked in people, and now I'm hooked.

It's so refreshing to go to sites that speak human instead of bank. These blogs are warm, fun, joyful, and most importantly provide very good information. You will find a wealth of information. Check out these 10 blogs that caught my eye. I have no doubt that there are many more fantastico personal finance blogs.

• Fabulous Financials - “the journey of a 30-something fabulous single mom pursuing financial independence.” I need to have Cosmos with this woman.

• Budgets Are Sexy - J. Money says, once upon a time, "I" *thought* i was The Man when it came to money."  That was until he and his wife bought their first house. This guy is pretty funny, and I love how uses the word "sexy" in his blog.

• Give Me Back My Five Bucks - This young lady is still in college yet in 10 months she has managed to eliminate $17k in debt from her shopaholic days. krystalatwork has a size zero debt! Very impressive. She is tracking the building of a retirement portfolio and a travel fund. I love the blog name.

• Thicken My Wallet - Fat is good when it comes to wallet size. This blogger is a recovering lawyer turned entrepreneur earnestly trying to thicken his wallet. Great attitude about life. Here's a great post on what he learned about personal finance in 2008. My favorite line: "character is enduring- and people remember what you did when the times got tough."

• Over the Cubicle Wall - This is a relatively new blogger, 5 months, but the writing here is like chatting with a friendly co-worker at the water cooler, and indeed, he does work in a cubicle. How many of us can relate to that? {raises hand} He's a 30-something and "working towards a goal of financial independence, with the option of an early retirement somewhere between the ages of 40 and 45."

• $5 Dinners - Erin has a family of four to feed: her, hubbie, and two boys. She has what she calls an "unnatural need" to make meals for under $5. She "races through recipes and numbers as I go through the grocery store, wondering 'can I pull off that meal for less than $5?" And you know what, she's got some really good ideas, and pretty healthy as it would be very easy to eat lots of processed foods and starches when we get that frugal. She even has a Gluten-free section.

• Shrinkage is Good - Love this blog name! This is the company blog for BillShrink, a free, personalized savings service for everyday services like wireless and credit cards. Normally, I think many company blogs are boring, sorry companies but ya are, but this one has quite a unique personality and wow some really helpful tips like, "Top 12 Coupon & Discount Websites - Because Paying Full Price is So 1999." The Editor of Shrinkage is Good, also blogs at his own place Stop Buying Crap, and yeah, the content is just as personable as the blog name.

• The Simple Dollar - Trent was born into poverty, got some money of his own as an adult but then had a complete financial melt down in 2006. A husband and father, enough was enough. He was so determined that within eight months, "I had paid off all of my credit card debt, paid off my vehicle, and also established an emergency fund." Nice! Trent is a really good writer, and a favorite at Wesabe, our Skinny Debt Diet community partner.

• Well-Heeled With a Mission - This 20-something has a good head on her shoulders as she balances living well in her means without having personal finance make her miserable as she puts it. Indeed she is into shoes. Wellheeled has been navigating the quarter life, and been blogging for over 2 years now. Her motto:"Experience, not stuff." I like it!

• Make Love Not Debt - This blog is as uplifting as the name. Money is one of the biggest relationship stressors, and this engaged couple shares how they are making more love not debt. They are saving for their wedding, they paid off all their debt in 2 years, and they even found a creative rated PG way to make money by having sex. On the Skinny Debt Diet theme of being fit physically and fiscally, here's a great point about "The Cost of Good Health."

So, there you have 10 personal finance blogs I thought were very cool. What personal finance blogs have you read that you enjoy and find very helpful?

Hear The Awesomeness That is Diet Girl

I absolutely love a woman who is willing to sell all her goods, pack a suitcase, and book a one way ticket to the other side of the world. I find that utterly amazing and truly a soul filling journey.

Shauna Reid, the fabulous blogger behind The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, did just that and dropped half her body weight along the way between leaving her home country of Australia and moving to Scotland where she still resides except now thinner, healthier, and married to a wonderful Scotsman.

Shauna has a new book out based on her blog, The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl , and instead of doing the usual Q&A and asking her about diet tips, I thought it would be uber cool to do a podcast because I love Australian accents and plus I was curious if 6 years in Scotland has given her a whiff of a Scottish accent as well because those are hot too. Take a listen and find out.

In this podcast, here's what Shauna and I cover:

• The gist of her book
• How long it took to drop all that weight
• What prompted her to move to the other side of the world
• How her diet blog led her to her life purpose work
• How blogging and developing a community has helped her keep a healthy weight and life
• How she got her book deal which I know many of you BISJ readers would love to know because like myself, many of us are aspiring to be published.

Reading Shauna's book, The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, is a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon with a nice mug of tea or a strawberry smoothie. I read the whole book in 4 hours and thought many times throughout, "Yup been there. Uh-hum, did that too. Oh dear, I wish I was that brave."

I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I enjoyed finally getting to chat with this extraordinary woman.

Play Shauna Reid Dietgirl podcast (14 minutes)

In pictures: Having an oatilicious time with healthy living bloggers

Thanks to Quaker Oatmeal and their Living Proof blogger event, not only did I get to eat and learn more about oatmeal than I could have ever imagined, I got to finally meet in person some very cool rock star healthy living bloggers whom I, and you all, mingle with quite often in the blogosphere. And before I forget, Quaker has nicely offered up some coupons for you all to have your own oatastic oatmealpallooza.

This was my first time to the windy city of Chicago, and it wasn't windy, but it was surely frickin' cold for this admittedly spoiled Californian. I really am a cold wimp people. In fact, there was some beginnings of a Charlie Brown Christmas snowfall.

But instead of typing more, let me illustrate some of the trip with pictures. I'm kinda bummed because many of my pics came out blurred so here were the ones that came out the best. First, here I am trying to make out with "Larry" the Quaker man. Really, that is what they call him internally. All I could think is "Larry the Oatmeal Guy: Git-er-done!" Seriously though folks, I need some major help finding a new squeeze because now I am resorting to coping a feel with statues of mascots of cereal. You gotta admit though that the puffy shirt action is kinda hawt! And, who doesn't love a man with a tray serving you breakfast in bed, yes?

Without further adieu, above is Anne of Elastic Waist who sat next to me, Jason from Twit2Fit with his synopsis (and I give Jason serious props as the solo male blogger amongst all that estrogen), Jennette of Pasta Queen who happened to take a cool shot of the faux snake skin lounger in our hotel rooms along with a shot of the other side of the room with the other bloggers, Mo Pie of Big Fat Deal, and Roni of Roni's Weigh who took some great pics too.

So, let me show you some healthy living bloggers actually working out...

Pasta Queen is "Half-Assed" after dropping 200lbs

On Tuesday, we showed a clip of Jennette Fulda aka blogger PastaQueen.com author of "Half-Assed" on the TODAY show. Continuing on her blog tour to promote the book, we have the pleasure of Jennette's company via podcast. I sit down with Jennette and we chat about:

• Her thoughts on a blogger become a book author.

• Her "A-Ha!" moment, when she knew it was time to do something about her 372lb weight.

• What she basically did to shed the 200lbs. Did she go on any weight loss programs?

• How she started blogging about her weight loss journey and her advice to those thinking about blogging their own weight loss story including whether to use your real name or a pseudo-name.

• Jennette talks about how she has less fear in her life now that she's 200lbs lighter including the "pounds of protection" and how the weight loss has affected her career.

• How she trained to run her first half marathon two weeks ago. Will she run a full marathon?

• Finally, her thoughts on achieving your goals.

We're so proud of Jennette, and we wish her much success in the future! If you're going to BlogHer 08 in San Francisco in July be sure to stop by Jennette's panel on turning a blog into a book deal.

Play Podcast: Interview with Jennette Fulda (15 min.)

This ain't your granny's greeting cards any more, unless she's Maxine

Last week I mentioned that I traveled to Kansas City, MO. I was there at the Hallmark Cards corporate offices for their very first Blogger Conference along with a handful of other bloggers who specialize in parenting, weight loss, and life transitions representing the age groups: Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers.

Hallmark gathered us bloggers to learn more about us and our audiences and to get our opinions on some new cards in their newly launched (Feb 07) Journeys cards line. Journeys Cards are for times when you want to show someone support during challenging life phases like divorce, cancer, being stressed out, being on a diet, and coming out.

We got a peek into how the Journeys cards are made, and got to give input on hot topics in our particular area of expertise. Mine obviously was weight loss, but I did give input on how it would be nice to have cards on celebrating "Singlehood" as now 51% of adult Americans are single. Plus can we have more women's cards that are not about shoes, shopping, and chocolate. I'm tired!

Walking into this blogger conference, I have to admit that I always thought of Hallmark Cards more as my mother's or grandmother's cards because growing up the style reminded me of a " Little House on the Prairie" type of girlie feel. After this trip, that image is completely wiped from my psyche. I personally buy Shoebox Cards (a Hallmark brand) because they are witty, sarcastic, and funny.

The whole trip to Hallmark was absolutely fantastic but the personal highlight for me was to learn that one of the writer's of the Shoebox cards is a huge fan of Back in Skinny Jeans. I nearly peed in my pants when I met this witty and talented Shoebox lady as I am a huge fan of Shoebox. It was like when rock stars meet rock stars.

Here's some very cool things about Hallmark that I learned that I bet many of you didn't know:

Interivew: Molly Gee Nutritionist. A stop on The Biggest Loser tour

Did you know that Wrigley's Gum had nutritionists that help them find ways to aid in weight loss? I sure didn't. In conjunction with this season's "The Biggest Loser", Molly Gee, a Wrigley's Nutritionist with 25 years of experience in health/nutrition communications and the clinical management of obesity as well as a leader of the ADA (American Dietetic Association) is spending some time with us today to share information about how gum can help you in your back in skinny jeans efforts.

BISJ: Hi Molly, we are very excited to have you speak with us today. The first thing I'd like to know is how gum can help someone in their weight loss journey. Gum doesn't seem to have much in the nutrition area, or am I wrong there?

Molly: Chewing gum can be a great tool to help people manage their weight since it’s a low calorie alternative to a high calorie snack. I often tell my patients that when they feel the urge to snack, especially in the afternoon or at the office, to pop in a piece of gum like Extra instead of reaching for that handful of cookies or chips. With only five calories per serving, sugarfree gum is a very small portion of your daily caloric intake.

BISJ: I find it really fascinating that a gum company like Wrigley's hires nutritionists. I would never have guessed that but it is a relief to know. Can you give us a quick peek into some of the things you help Wrigley's with in terms of weight loss?

Molly: Wrigley has Registered Dietitians on staff to marry the science of nutrition and the flavor of its products. I’ve been in the obesity wars for over 25 years and help to review select research and tools for their educational materials. For example, Wrigley’s Walk and Chew Gum Challenge provides great tools like a grocery list and a weekly progress journal.

BISJ: Can you tell us 3 things that people trying to shed pounds can immediately do to help them with their nutrition during their weight loss journey?

Interview: Camy Tang scribes "Sushi for One" romance with a kick of wasabi

Some thing you won't see often are Asian lead characters in Christian themed books. Well, all that is changing with "Sushi for One" the first book of four in a series written by the talented and fabulous Camy Tang. Of interest to Back in Skinny Jeans readers in Sushi for One, is the body image issues that women in the Asian cultures experience.

I admit some bias here because Camy is also a good friend of mine. What I admire most about Camy is that she took the leap of faith and left a good paying yet heart un-fulfilling job in Biotech to go after her dream, a career in writing. Let's learn more:

BISJ: So Camy, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Can you start be telling us the inspiration behind Sushi for One?

Camy: Over the years, most of my Asian American friends have told me stories about mothers/aunties/grandmas who nag them about getting married. Some of these naggers are kind of scary. Luckily, my own parents and grandmas are not so bad, but I wondered what if I created a character who was a conglomeration of all these naggers? Then I came up with the characters of the four Japanese and half-Chinese cousins in the story, and the plot just rolled from there.

BISJ: Throughout the book, there are quite a few references about body image in terms of enhancing one's looks in order to "nab a man." For example, grandma says she'll pay for a boob job because Lex is too flat. When Lex is at a restaurant and says she isn't hungry, a male character points out that less calories means she can lose weight. As well, there's a cousin who's a size 0 with long curly lashes who can apparently eat what she wants, and her "look" is highly valued. I found myself nodding my head every time I read one of these cases because in the Filipino culture, being beauty queen pretty is highly treasured, and when I was younger I always felt a great deal of pressure to be thin so that I could get attention from all that aunties and uncles.

Do you think that women in Asian culture compared to American women experience more, less or equal pressure to be thin and pretty and fit a standard of beauty?