Tag: Steph

Going Sugar Light … Borrowing from the Best!

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Yum Yucky and Steph, two bloggers I love, have made verbal commitments on their blogs to cut out sugar.

Yum Yucky did her sugar black-out for a week (but even now, days later, is not craving it), and Steph has been at her sugar wean for several months now. Both have had wonderful success and feel better without sugar.

For me, sugar has been my crutch, my go-to “drug” of choice. Some people crave salt and fried things … not me. For me, it’s sugar. SUGAR.

And it has to stop. Continue reading “Going Sugar Light … Borrowing from the Best!” →

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A Little Breather …

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Hi guys, just a little note … I’m taking a much-needed break from blogging the rest of this week, and didn’t want to disappear without giving some advance word.

Things are going well for me re: food/exercise/body image … and frankly, I don’t have much to say on that front–and that’s a good thing.

For a while now, part of me has been curious about putting this side (i.e., the recovery side) of my blog to bed in favor of broaching broader topics … but I’m nervous/unsure about it, or even how to do it.

I welcome thoughts from bloggers who have done this. How did you “un-brand yourself”? I don’t just want to be known as a recovery blogger. I mean, it’s a part of me, but not all of me. Continue reading “A Little Breather …” →

Bidding Adieu to One of My Fave Blogs … BISJ

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One of my favorite bloggers, Steph at Back in Skinny Jeans, anounced today her blog’s retirement. It was a very brave move — as it had been part of her identity for so long — and not that my opinion matters, but I support her 100 percent in her decision.

You can read her whole story here, “When It’s Time to Let Go of Your Skinny Jeans.”

As she notes, BISJ had its purpose, and its purpose has come and gone.

Now, she is focused on something new, Jeans for Good, which is, in Steph’s words, “… a mission for people to let go of their un-used jeans like the skinny and fat jeans, and donate, sell, or auction those jeans for a cause or charity close to your heart. On our favorite theme of how small actions still produce results, I believe that even a pair of jeans can help make the world a better place.” Continue reading “Bidding Adieu to One of My Fave Blogs … BISJ” →

On-Message/Off-Message

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After a few months of blogging, I had a frank phone chat with Steph at Back in Skinny Jeans (one of the first blogs I’d ever read religiously) about paid advertising and blogging.

She’s fantastic and I might be speaking with her on a panel at the BlogHer 2009 Conference … still waiting to hear!

Anyway, we talked about being true and authentic to yourself, and how blogging gives you the opportunity to make 100 percent of your own decisions. You’re your own boss, your own editor … the content is yours to decide upon, the images, the timing … it’s all up to you.

This means you can choose to accept advertising … or not. You can choose to accept guest posts … or not. Continue reading “On-Message/Off-Message” →

BlogHer 2009 Conference: Chicago

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bh09-150Dear readers, I have a favor to ask of you.

Chicago is hosting the 2009 BlogHer conference this summer, July 24-25.

MamaV (of MamaVision), Roni (of Roni’s Weigh), Steph (of Back in Skinny Jeans) and I have submitted for a panel titled, “Blogs & Body Image: What are we teaching our kids?”

You can read about our exciting panel here.

Here’s where you come in … we need mega votes! Please vote for us!! You need to be registered at BlogHer to do this so any members out there, or new members, please vote for us.

Every vote will count!!

“The Skinny Debt Diet”

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I think you know by now that one of my favorite bloggers is Steph over at Back in Skinny Jeans.

I read her regularly, and I absolutely LOVE her new plan called “The Skinny Debt Diet” that she kicked off this week. The basic premise is to focus on financial prosperity vs. weight this month.

In Steph’s words, “The Skinny Debt Diet is very simple in that it is a way to start developing a healthier relationship with your money and debt to boost your financial wellness, and help you become healthier physically and fiscally. The Skinny Debt Diet is a holistic approach that focuses on four main categories: feelings, finances, fitness, and food, and focuses on making tiny changes.” Continue reading ““The Skinny Debt Diet”” →

“Trying Too Hard” — BISJ

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One of my favorite bloggers, Steph at Back in Skinny Jeans, had a great post about how “trying too hard” can backfire.

“Trying too hard” can be applied to anything in life, but since today I was talking about our physical selves, it really resonated. Though I’m still Type A and have perfectionstic tendencies, I do know there’s merit to what she’s saying.

Read for yourself by taking a peek here. I am curious as to what you think.

How about you? Do you think if you loosened up and didn’t try so hard, you’d be more successful in various aspects of your life?

Blurring the Lines: Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

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photoshop-windy-colored-wavy-shear-windWhen I began blogging, I always considered being a disordered eater a separate entity from having an eating disorder.

After all, every woman seems to be a “disordered eater” in one way or another.

And since I never truly binged; never binged and purged (I cry when I throw up; last time was alcohol-induced, at a Dave Matthews Band concert back in 1999); and never starved myself, I was “in the clear,” so to speak … at least in my own little head.

I didn’t classify myself with the girls who threw up their lunches or worked out for four hours a day and lived on lettuce leaves.

I had a complex, thinking, “Well, I’d do anything but that …” as though that made me less culpable or something.

In my head, I wasn’t one of “them”. I just exercised a lot and watched every morsel that went into my mouth.

But I mean, really, who was I kidding? I still had a big, undeniable problem. What might sound admirable (being a militant exerciser and keeping a meticulous food journal) was hurting me –and those I love and who love me — in more ways than one. Continue reading “Blurring the Lines: Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating” →

Living Authentically, Online & in Real Life

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I had an epiphany yesterday: when I began blogging this past July, I was ready to dip my toes in the pool … but I was still afraid to go for a lengthy swim.

I was nervous about how I’d be perceived by friends and family as I shared my deepest thoughts and fears with the blogosphere. I wanted to remain semi-anonymous; just “a 20-something struggling with disordered eating issues.”

I didn’t expect to see 400-800 page views a day (and sometimes way, way more!). I was honestly writing for myself, and hoped there would be maybe a handful of readers that would find me online.

And find me, you have!

So while I identified myself as “Melissa” (which is, indeed, my name) and branded my blog by purchasing the domain name (which I’ll need to renew each year), I chose not to add my blog’s URL to my Facebook or Twitter pages. In fact, I didn’t even register my blog with Technorati — the biggest blog search engine!

Well … all of that changed yesterday.

In an e-mail exchange with Steph at Back in Skinny Jeans yesterday, she said something that totally hit home: “When you live authentically, the universe conspires with you.” Continue reading “Living Authentically, Online & in Real Life” →