Atkins Food Pyramid

 If you're wondering how Atkins works, here's a quick summary with the Atkins Food Pyramid:

Hail Merry Raw Vegan Snacks Review

Hail Merry is a healthy food company created by raw food chef Susan O'Brien, who believes in the healing power of certain plant-based oils in their raw state. Hail Merry products are all raw, vegan, and gluten-free. Raw foods are energizing to the body and since they allow for more vitamins and nutrients to be absorbed we can live on less food and easily manage our weight.

I was given the opportunity to try Hail Merry Grawnola Orange Cranberry, Blonde Macaroons, and Orange Rosemary Pecans. What I love about these products first and foremost is that they are low in carbs, which is great for me since I am trying to stick with a low carb diet and keep my blood sugar stable. Hail Merry Grawnola is nut based rather than grain based so the carbs are only 17 grams per serving. This Grawnola has half the sugar and carbs of other raw bars and is also loaded with healthy omega fats from the nuts. And of course Hail Merry's nuts and other snacks are low in carbs and sugar as well, which is beneficial for anyone watching their weight or managing diabetes.

Not only are these foods healthy and good for you, they also taste amazing! I must say, the orange rosemary pecans were definitely a new flavor for me and something I had never tried before. They were sweet and tangy, yet had an spicy, woody taste to them as well. They definitely filled me up and added a "twist" to my lunch! The Grawnola tasted great, definitely lives up to its description and rivals regular grawnola. And of course who doesn't love Macaroons! These made a great dessert, and it was fun to be able to eat something sweet even while sticking with my low carb diet.

If you're looking for a healthy treat, look no further than Hail Merry raw snacks!

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

Aurorae Yoga Mat Review

Aurorae Yoga is a company whose goal is to make its customers' yoga experience more enjoyable. Aurorae offers ultra thick, extra long yoga mats as well as "Slip Free" accessories including the famous Aurorae Slip-Free Rosin Bag and the Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel.

I was given an Aurorae Ultra Thick, Extra Long Yoga Mat and Slip Free Rosin Bag for review. I received a pink yoga mat which measures 72x24 inches and has a 1/4 inch thickness to provide enough cushion and comfort to protect knees and joints without being too thick to grip. The eco-friendly material molds hands and feet to the mat with immediate recovery so it helps give a foundation for poses. This odor-free yoga mat also includes a unique focal point icon to help users focus on their poses and maximize the calming and stress relief yoga encourages.

The Aurorae extra long yoga mat comes in a variety of colors that define your inner self, bringing out your natural aura. According to the illumination chart, my pink mat is Hope and means intuitive, faithful, visionary, power of positive thought, energetic and healing. The pink color is very calming and the thick material and length of the mat is perfect for yoga, pilates, or any floor exercises.

I also received a slip free rosin bag which is used to increase gripping power and absorb perspiration. It is non sticky and has no odor, and is easily used by dabbing the bag on you mat and and on your hands and feet. This worked really well and you couldn't even see or feel the rosin.

All in all I am very impressed with Aurorae Yoga's mats and slip-free products. They are very high quality and make the yoga experience even better.



Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. As part of the One2One Network, I will e entered into a drawing for posting this review.

 

Feelin like a Winner!

I WON!!! Not to gloat, but I am super excited that I won the Biggest Loser competition! Granted there were only 8 of us participating, but it still feels awesome to have won 1st place along with a nice monetary prize ($150)!

I feel like such a winner! Wait, a LOSER! I lost 26 pounds since September and I feel great! I still have 25-30 pounds more to lose, so I can't stop now, but now that I have come this far I know I can do it!

The thing I learned the most throughout this part of my weight loss journey is that it doesn't happen overnight. I started out slow and some weeks got frustrated when the scale didn't move. But I found that focusing on day to day and week to week, all of those small losses add up! If I would've started the competition and my personal weight loss journey by saying I had to lose 25 pounds by December, there is now way I would've done it. I honestly didn't think I'd lose even 20 so I am incredibly happy with my results, but it really helped not to focus on a huge goal but just go week by week.

That is why this competition helped me so much. Even though I wasn't losing weight FOR the competition, it really helped to have a weigh-in each week and someone to report my weight to so that I was held accountable. I always knew that I'd have to weigh in each week so I focused on my results each week rather than looking at the big picture of a huge goal.

So my advice to anyone trying to lose weight - take it one day and week at a time and the results will build up! Your results may not be noticeable at first, but 3 months and 26 pounds later, you will feel great! :)

Also, I do owe a lot of my loss to the Atkins diet. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone and frankly I hated it for the first few months until it became habit for me, but it really made a huge difference in how I eat, stabilized my blood sugar, stopped a lot of my cravings, and has given me a reason to avoid processed foods and sugary foods! Eggs can get boring (that's mainly what I eat since I'm not much of a cook), but I get filled up faster than before and don't get hungry as often, so I do recommend this lifestyle if you have issues with carbs and yo-yo weight. It is definitely a lifestyle change and eventually I will add in fruits and whole grains when I have lost all the weight I need to and move on to the maintenance phase, but obviously it's not something where once I decide I'm done losing weight, I can go back to eating pasta every night and sugary desserts and breads. That's where all the weight can come back on after dieting. This is definitely not a quick fix, but a way of living.

I am happy with the fact that I am eating healthier than ever before and losing weight, and I am determined to stick with this lifestyle! Thanks to everyone for your support, and especially to my cousin who started the Biggest Loser competition and encouraged me throughout the past 3 months!

Before                                                      After

Biggest Loser Ends; Thanksgiving blessings

The Biggest Loser competition I am in with a few former co-workers and acquaintances ends this coming Wednesday, December 1st. It started in September, I believe it was September 8th that we started. Why the leader of this competition chose the week after Thanksgiving to end, I'll never know ;) But, I think I am close to winning!

There has been one girl that has been serious competition and I'm pretty sure me and her are in for first and second place. First place gets 75% of the money (we all put in $25) and second place gets 25%. I am pretty confident that I at least will be the second place winner. The competition went by percentage of weight lost, so even though I lost a good amount of pounds - 24 to be exact! - I still am not sure if I won or not. But I'll find out on Wednesday and maybe I'll even be down 25 pounds by then!

Thanks to this competition and Atkins, I have reached my first major goal, and now I have to keep reminding myself that my journey is not over yet. I still have another 25-30 pounds to lose which is my next major goal. But it really did help to take it slow and focus on small goals. If I would've started by thinking I needed to lose 25 pounds during this competition, I don't think I could've done it. I actually didn't expect to reach my goal at all. But instead, I went week by week and pound by pound, and reached my goal that way! I feel great and it is awesome to fit into my old clothes again and to be able to wear some fun things.

It was also nice to start a new job feeling confident and positive and wearing some cute clothes. The new job has been a great change in my life, plus I started Mary Kay which is another positive support group and a fun experience. I have had so many great changes the past few months and losing weight is the icing on the cake (not that I can eat the cake, lol) My sister had her first baby last week, even though she wasn't due until January 5th, so it was a little bit of a scare but the baby is doing great and healthy and beautiful! She is the biggest blessing in our lives right now! And since my sister and her husband live with me now, I will get to spoil my new niece to pieces! :)

I can't help but feel overwhelmed thinking all of the amazing blessings in my life, and it is good to take a minute to thank God for bringing all things together for good. I always knew he had a plan for everything, but oftentimes I worry that things aren't going right or the way I plan until later I realize "Oh THAT's why that happened"! I love that, and I always say Everything happens for a reason.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Walk at Home Review

I have been a fan of Leslie Sansone for a few years after buying one of her health plan books, and I was lucky enough to get to try one of her great Walk at Home DVD's for review! I received The Big Burn - 2 Miles of Intervals, which utilizes intervals of walking and jogging to increase calorie burn.

The Big Burn program includes:

• A WARM UP Walk to get your ready to move fast!
• A brisk pace averaging 4 mph, 5 mph and 5.5 mph
• Mile Markers allow you to choose a 1 or 2 Mile Walk!
• Multi- Muscle Moves- Compound exercises give you a bigger calorie burn!
• A COOL DOWN WALK and healthy stretch to end!

Although this Walk at Home program is definitely a workout and a great boosted walk, it's something virtually anyone can do. There are no difficult moves or anything and Leslie even says during the workout that it doesn't matter if you are doing the "right" moves or keeping up with the music, as long as you just keep moving. She also gives a low-impact alternate option for the jogging parts so that even beginner's or out-of-shape walkers can still do the program. I love how simple and easy she makes it - No frills, no costumes, no over-the-top sets. Just Leslie and some of her fellow walkers working out in her fitness studio. I really like that because it's real, not an entertainment production.

I actually got a great workout from this boosted walk and was sweating plenty by the end of the program! It was great and is a great alternative to walking outside now that winter has begun. I also like that you don't need any accessories or special equipment - just a DVD player and walking shoes! It is so simple and anyone can do it. And it only takes 33 minutes. Plus there is a great variety of other Walk at Home programs for everyone from beginners to advanced walkers and runners.

You can join Leslie's Walk Challenges on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LeslieSansone and check out all the great DVDs at www.walkathome.com/!

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

CSN Stores Upcoming Review

CSN Stores is an online one-stop shop for anything and everything you could ever want for your household, office, children, and pets. CSN offers so many different things from 200+ stores, like bar and barstool sets, dining room sets, all the way to exercise equipment and health equipment for the elderly.

There are literally thousands of items to choose from, and products for every style and budget. I will be given the opportunity to review a product from CSN Stores soon, and can't decide what I want to review.

I do want a new pair of dress shoes for a wedding I will be a bridesmaid in this coming March, so I was thinking these Monaco sandals. They look easy to walk in during winter. :

But perhaps I want to get some flats:

Or...something totally different?

What would YOU get?