EELHOE |
Hydra |
Colorscience |
- SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays
- SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays
- SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays
Life ... curated and with purpose. First a dreamer, then a realist!
EELHOE |
Hydra |
Colorscience |
As we move into the Spring people think about dropping a few winter pounds, and I understand why some of them turn to meal programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. (The latter is the least expensive of the two.) There's no guesswork. Every bite you eat is packaged for you. The cooking and cleanup are light. It's convenient and nutritionally balanced, and if you follow it, you'll drop the weight. Years ago (around 2009), I tried Nutrisystem for 30 days. I wasn't hungry on the diet and remember dropping down to 118 pounds. As a younger woman, my loftier standard of my ''ideal weight'' was much lower. I was a size 6 - 8 for many years (without starving!). Today I'd love to step on the scale at the weight that I started with before dropping down to 118 pounds. THAT number + 20 pounds would be my ideal weight today!:)
At the same time, we also don't want to gain 10 additional pounds each and every year so our weight becomes unhealthy. Unfortunately, even without stringently high (or should I say low?) standards, you can't let yourself go! No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh.
Today I'm going to discuss the well-known Nutrisystem meal plans. If you were to buy similar food independently and are disciplined not to cheat, but follow the plan, including its portion sizes, you could reduce the cost of the diet significantly. Moreover, I remember not liking all of the Nutrisystem meals, yet ate them because of the expense and my commitment to losing weight.
Breakfasts were a combination of protein shakes, dehydrated scrambled eggs (add water and microwave), protein muffins, and protein bars.
Here's what I think you could substitute:
* 1 dozen fresh eggs
* You're favorite high protein, low sugar meal bars - Clean and Pure Protein bars are examples. Look for at least 15 grams - 20 grams of protein with low sugar per bar.
* Protein shakes - Look for 25 grams - 30 grams per serving with low sugar and minerals. Consider buying protein powder (over liquid shakes) and adding it to skim milk for savings. Also try different brands like Premier Protein, Aldi or Trader Joe's house brands for greater savings.
Lunches consisted of canned soups and you could eat fruit or vegetable sticks that you furnish.
THE SAVVY SHOPPER has recipes for a variety of homemade soups, but this post is about convenience.
So you could buy the healthy choice varieties of any number of soups at your supermarket. Read the labels carefully focusing on low calories, salt, and at least 20 grams (30 grams if you can find it!) of protein. I will give Nutrisystem credit for sending chunky protein-rich soup, trickier to find with supermarket canned soup.
Dinners were frozen meals: meat (beef, chicken, or pork), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta), and a vegetable, such as broccoli or peas and carrots).Supermarkets offer all of the above meals for less than $5 - $10 each of the Nutrisystem entrèes. You'll spend far less money plus only have to eat the dishes you like!
When you buy Nutrisystem you still must buy extra fresh fruit and vegetables as they aren't packaged and mailed to you.
Nutrisystem is great at teaching people what they should eat in a day; selecting food with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber; eating a variety of food; learning portion control; and eating when you're hungry. Also, you should and do consume 1/3 of your daily protein requirements with each meal.
America Ferrera in Versace |
The show is not half over! This year's Oscar gowns are lovely and tasteful if not as drop-dead glamorous as other years. Would you agree? Many of the dresses look comfortable so perhaps more attendees decided to dial it down a notch to better enjoy the evening without the fuss or pain.
The gowns are unique in a refined way! There's something of interest in each dress. Michelle Yeoh's long black gloves look so smart with her shimmering gown. Emily Blunt is elegant but her straps don't move with her. Jennifer Lawrance wears playful polka dots elevated by her diamond tennis necklace. More shine than vivid colors this year too!
Photo: IFLScience |
Full disclosure: I'm not a scientist and I don't want to take credit for the work of others. All I can do is read a bunch of sources, then put some of the facts together so you don't have to read all those sources yourself. The following is a paraphrasing -- the Turner "CliffsNotes" -- from several sources on a subject I love covering ... gemstones and jewelry! In today's blog, let's learn more about blue diamonds!
Photo: The Hope Diamond - Smithsonian |
Photo: MID: Okavango Blue |
Photo: Getty - The National |
Getty - The Oppenheimer |
Now we know how some of the big rare blue gemstones such as the Hope Diamond and Oppenheimer Diamond were born. Billions of years ago Mother Nature had to come together in just the right way to produce them and for humans to find and have them all these years later.
Heart of Eternity |
Mouawad Blue |
It was hard to pick only one style to feature! |
Customers pay honest prices for ridiculously comfortable and well-constructed footwear that is incredibly stylish to boot (I couldn't resist the pun:).
These full-grain leather boots were made for pounding the concrete pavements of city streets. They won't fall apart after a few wears, after taking a beating, or by getting wet. Thursday's footwear, jackets, and accessories are made for people who live busy dapper lives. There's no compromise between style, quality, or price.
Debra Turner - What's on your mind:
Macy's has always been my absolute favorite NYC department store. Today it sounds like it is changing its business model to be more like Saks, Bloomingdales, and Bergdorf Goodman's. Along with closing some of its stores, it announced it would be changing its facade, as well as, "focusing more on luxuries." The very thing I love about Macy's is when you need something such as clothes, shoes, accessories, or household items, Macy's has good quality at every price point from budget-friendly to luxury! For decades Macy's has been for everybody! I hate to see changes that are not improvements. Somebody is not paying attention to what happened with the transformation of Barney's from its downtown location to its uptown store. In 2 decades I fear, Macy's may suffer the same fate ... and it will no longer be fun to shop there! How many overpriced dresses, bags, shoes, bed sheets, or towels does a person need?
Now we wait to see what the new business plan will mean for the Macy's we already know and love. I'm sharing our remarks in the hopes that decision-makers stumble upon the blog and preserve what customers love about Macy's.
Do you have any thoughts or memories of old-style department stores?