In the past few weeks I’ve lamented a bit about the state of my wardrobe.  Clothes are getting too big for me.  I’m trying to figure out what to do about keeping my body suitably clothed while it continues to change shape.   People who know me would tell you that my wardrobe has needed a makeover for a while now.  They’d also tell you I’m not a clothes conscious person.  If it doesn’t have holes or visible stains and it matches reasonably well, I”ll wear it.  A clotheshorse I am not.

The same lack of appearance consciousness extends to this blog.  I’m all about the words.  What they look like doesn’t much matter to me.  Still, the urge to make things over has been stirring in the last few weeks, and that urge has extended to this blog.  I’ve changed themes here a couple of times already, but had never found one that really worked for me.  One theme was too bland.  Another was far too green.  Nothing seemed to fit quite right.

In addition to not being a clotheshorse, I am also emphatically not a coder.  As Steve from Vanseodesign would confirm, I know just enough HTML to be a menace to any unsuspecting code I try to alter.   Steve is the one who rescues me when I mess something up and the one who keeps my blogs in working order.  I doubt these blogs would exist without him.

Despite my acknowledged lack of coding skills, I do know enough to upload and change a blog theme, so I decided to give it a try.  This new theme was created by a designer who has an array of themes available for download at Scribble Scratch.  I chose the new theme for a couple of reasons.  One, I liked the colors.  Two, I liked the image of the woman in the teal skirt.  While I don’t think I’ll ever be wearing belly baring shirts, surgery scars would prohibit that, I can envision the day when I might show up in a cute top and a short little skirt.  Somehow the image just seemed appropriate.

So, the blog got a makeover and it was easier and went more smoothly than I had thought.

Here’s hoping my clothing upgrade goes as well.

I have to confess, my weight loss has slowed down a little.  I slacked off on exercising a bit.  I’m still trying to stay motivated and I know that my body is changing and getting healthier, but it’s become a little easier to find excuses for skipping a day of exercise or for eating something I know I really shouldn’t eat.  It is definitely possible to blame some of this issue on Winter.  It’s also possible to blame some of it on my personality.  I have a tendency to get in my own way when I’m about to accomplish something I really want and, after years of wanting to be thin and never getting there, I’m finally approaching that goal.  I have a ways to go, but I seem to have found a way to make my diet and exercise plan work for me.  I’d like to keep that going.

I suppose everyone hits this point at some time in their journey toward fitness.  The initial excitement of losing weight is over.  Exercise is now routine.  You’re tired of thinking about every bit of food that goes into your mouth and occasionally you’d rather just say screw it and have a pizza.  Your clothes are getting looser, but that just means you have to buy new clothes.  The newness has worn off and now it’s just your life.

What I’m wondering is what kept the rest of you going if and when you got to this point.  I know, at some point, I’ll start feeling like I’m really thin and that will give me a second wind that will help me get to my goal.  Right now I’m kind of in between and the pounds are a little harder to take off.  I guess what worries me most is that I’ll get discouraged and give up and before you know it I’ll be back where I was.  I don’t want that.

If any of you have any tips or advice to give me, now would be a great time.   I could really use them.

Also, as promised, I am giving away a cookbook today.  Last Monday I offered a Cooking Light Cookbook as a giveaway on this blog.  To enter, you had to leave a comment on this post.   Four people commented and I dropped their names into a hat and picked at random.

Congratulations, Betty Blue, you’re the winner of the cookbook.  Just drop me a line at kristines.25 at charter dot net and let me know where to send it.

As I mentioned yesterday, today is the day I am going to start a new series. In this series I’ll be reviewing things that I’ve tried that may be helpful to other people. It might be a book, or a DVD, or a web site I’ve found useful. It might be a recipe. The goal of these reviews is to help other people who might be looking for the sorts of things that I’m already using. I figure if I share my knowledge, others might share theirs as well and then we’ll all be better off. Losing weight is a tough thing to do, it is helpful to learn from those who have already walked the path you’re following.

Today I’m going to review Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home – 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk. I’m a big fan of Leslie Sansone’s videos, in fact the first exercise video I ever did was one of hers. I like her videos because they’re simple, they don’t feature a lot of flashy moves or dancy steps, and the shorter ones are great for people who are just starting to exercise. The aren’t so intimidating that you think you’ll never be able to finish the workout. When you’re just starting out, that’s a very comforting thing.

The first thing I want to tell you is that the Five Mile Fat Burning Walk is a bit more challenging. Each mile ends with a “boost” which is two minutes of jogging. One of the nice things about this video is that Leslie exercises with a group and divides the group into those who do the boost and those who stay at the low impact pace. So you always have the choice to take things a little more slowly if that’s what you wish.

Another thing that I really liked about this video was the fact that it is divided into mile segments. You have the option of stopping at the end of each mile if you want or you can play the DVD in on continuous 5 mile segment. I was glad I had the option to play each mile individually, because I ended up stopping after three miles. I’m going to have to work up to doing the whole five mile segment in one go.

The choreography for this video is very basic, walking, knee lifts, kicks and side steps. There is some arm work and a few variations on the leg work, but it’s all very simple and straightforward. If you can walk you can do this video. The pace is fairly fast and speeds up as each mile goes along, and each mile features the two minute jogging boost at the end. Even when walking the past is not a slow one. This is a good work out.

If there was anything I didn’t like about this video, it was some of Leslie’s mannerisms. When she exercises with others she calls people “doll” and is a little too cute for my taste. I guess she and the other exercisers are trying to create a “girlfriends” exercising together sort of atmosphere, but I founding it a little cloying. Still, it was a minor annoyance, and certainly didn’t get in the way of a good workout. Overall I would recommend this video to anyone who’s looking for a challenging yet simple workout.

Because I bought a house last year, I got a pretty nice refund on my taxes.  I decided to use some of that money to buy a few new exercise DVDs.  I’ve been working out to the ones I currently have for quite a while, and I figured it was time to move up to something more challenging.  So I bought seven new DVDs that are a mixture of aerobics and toning.  I’m pretty excited about my new stash.

Since I have these new DVDs, I figured it would be a perfect time to add DVD reviews to this blog.  That way you guys can get the benefits of hearing from someone who has actually tried the DVD before you go out and make a purchase yourself.  I’ll also confess that this gives me a ready made subject for this blog, which is a good thing.  I’ve been trying to get back to a more regular posting schedule here, and having some topics on tap will be helpful.

One of the first recommendations I want to make is for the site from which I bought the videos, Collage Video.  This is a terrific site with great prices and a wide array of videos.  What I really like about the site is that they review each video and give you a realistic description of the video.  I’ve bought videos from this site on a few occasions and I have yet to disagree with their assessment of the videos I’ve bought.   It’s nice to get a little more info on the videos thatn you can get from simply reading the back of the case.

In addition to the new videos I recently got from Collage Video, I’ll also be reviewing some that I’ve purchased previously and have used for a while.  I figure the more information I can put out there, the more everyone will benefit.  I’m also hoping I might inspire some other people to recommend some DVDs that they’ve found useful.  I’ve discovered that one of the challenges of exercise is keeping it challenging.  Sometimes it’s nice to do a DVD you’ve already mastered, but doing something that pushes you a bit is generally more beneficial.

The first DVD review Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home – 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk will go up tomorrow.

Also, I wanted to remind everyone that the Cooking Light Cookbook Giveaway is still going on and continues through Sunday. There’s still time to get entered for the cookbook.

I have been a huge fan of Cooking Light magazine for a number of years. It is a great magazine, with terrific articles and a lot of wonderful recipes that can help you eat healthier while still enjoying your food. I have a binder of recipes I’ve torn from various issues of the magazine. I guess you could say I’m building a little cookbook of my own.

While I do love the magazine, I have one small quarrel with it. I sometimes wish that it catered more to people with special dietary needs. Take my new diet for instance. I have to watch my sodium intake quite carefully because excess sodium leads to fluid retention and fluid retention places a strain on my heart. It would be nice if Cooking Light offered more lower sodium or heart healthy recipes. I’m sure there are people on other more restrictive diets who might have similar complaints.

Mind you, this is a small quibble as I recognize that the magazine has to cater to the widest readership possible, and overall the recipes are very healthy. I manage to find something in almost every issue that sounds yummy and fits in with my dietary needs. I also give the magazine high marks for creative presentation and for teaching people how to eat and cook in a more healthy manner. Cooking Light not only gives recipes, it explains different foods and different ways of cooking. If you’re trying to revamp your diet or to learn more about nutrition, this magazine is a great tool to have.

In addition to the magazine, Cooking Light also offers a variety of cookbooks. One of them that I’ve enjoyed is Cooking Light Superfast Suppers: Speedy Solutions for Dinner Dilemmas. This is a great cookbook for people who are on the go, or who work long hours like me. You can find quick solutions for healthy meals, and you can also find ways to take one main ingredient and make several different meals. This book will help you save time and money.

Because I want to help everyone who reads this blog be healthy and save money, I’m giving away a gently used copy of Cooking Light Superfast Suppers: Speedy Solutions for Dinner Dilemmas. This copy has a few highlighted recipe titles in it, but is otherwise unused. If you would like to own this cookbook, just leave a comment on this post by next Monday, March 16. On that day, I’ll pick one of the comments at random and whomever made it will receive the cookbook by mail.