A Junk-Foodaholic's Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle: 5/1/09

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Counting Down The Days Until Our Beach Vacation!

Well, the countdown is definitely on... only 24 days until we leave for our North Carolina beach trip!

To say we're excitedly looking forward to this vacation is an understatement. My family absolutely LOVES going to the beach and it's something that we look forward to every summer.

This trip is especially exciting because we will be spending 5 days at my husband's uncle's condo at Indian Beach!

The picture above shows my two sons, Dylan and Brady, sitting on the beach condo balcony. You can't tell from the picture but you can see the gorgeous beach from the balcony, as well as the swimming pool. It is so nice!

What we usually do is drive from my mother-in-law's house in Rocky Mount to Atlantic Beach, which is a 2-1/2 hour trip, spend several hours on the beach and then head back to Rocky Mount. So being able to stay at the condo is going to be a very special treat.

A couple years ago, we spent several days after Christmas at the beach condo and had a blast. With Brady now being two years old, we'll have a lot more fun at the beach with him too.

Now that my birthday celebration is over (I turned 45 yesterday), Paul and I are kicking it into overdrive to get our bodies 'beach-ready'. We are doing lots of bike riding, Paul is running, and I'm getting ready to start back up with the 'Slim in 6' workouts. I'm just hoping my feet (currently on the mend from plantar fasciitis) hold up. Wish us luck!

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Conway In The House - Kris Allen Won!

Adam Lambert, Ryan Seacrest, and Kris Allen

I'm so happy for him!

Congrats Kris!

Just under a hundred million votes were cast for both Adam and Kris last night.

Tonight's show was definitely a star-studded event.

My favorite moments:

Rod Stewart sang "Maggie May".

Queen played while Adam and Kris crooned "We Are The Champions".

Adam Lambert with KISS

Adam Lambert sang "Detroit Rock City" and "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night" with KISS.

Carlos Santana played "Black Magic Woman" and "Smooth" while the Top 13 American Idol contestants sang.

Steve Martin played the banjo to his song, "Pretty Flowers".

Kris Allen and Keith Urban

Keith Urban and Kris Allen sang a duet of "Kiss A Girl" (my favorite pairing of the night).

Black Eyed Peas (with Fergie) performed "Boom Boom Pow!"

David Cook sang "Permanent". I'm a big David Cook fan. If you buy the song through iTunes, all proceeds will go to cancer research in honor of his recently deceased brother, Adam.

Kara DioGuardi and Katrina Darrell

One of the 'fun' moments of Idol tonight was when bikini-babe, Katrina Darrell, appeared on stage (in her bikini, of course) sporting a new boob-job, and accepted her award for "Bad Attitude". She then proceeded to sing. But she didn't expect what happened next. Kara DioGuardi came up from behind her singing on top of her and then when the song was done, Kara ripped her dress open to reveal a bikini underneath! You have to know the back-story to understand why this was so funny.

Steve Martin playing his banjo

My favorite quote of the evening was when Ryan Seacrest asked Steve Martin who he thought would win. Martin replied, "I know it's a long shot, but I'm hoping I do."

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

American Idol Results: Will it be Conway or California?

Did you watch American Idol's finale last night? Did you spend four hours of your life voting for your favorite idol? I did... on both counts.

I know, it's insane! I've never voted for a contestant as many times as I have for Kris. Listening to a busy signal for hours on end is infuriating! But as crazy as it sounds - I did it anyway. I did it for Kris.

All in all, the show was disappointing. The only highlight of the evening, for me, was Kris' performance of "Ain't No Sunshine". If interested, you can watch it here. I didn't care for Adam's "Mad World" - too much drama for my tastes. Simon gave round one to Kris, which I had to agree.

And I didn't really like the fact that Simon Fuller hand-picked the songs for Adam and Kris to sing, though I thought they both performed well. Adam sang Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Kris sang Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?". Simon gave round two to Adam, which I predicted because I knew Simon wasn't going to prefer Kris on two out of three performances - he has championed Adam throughout the season and pretty much 'dissed' Kris from week to week.

But to end the show with the two contestants being forced to sing Idol Judge Kara DioGuardi's song, "No Boundaries," was downright painful to watch... twice! Every year, I dread the "Coronation" song and every year, American Idol never fails to deliver... a bomb, that is.

Saying the song was awful is being too kind. If you like pain, you can listen to Adam and Kris sing the song. I thought Adam was going to hyperventilate and Kris bungled the lyrics (though I can't blame him - the lyrics are embarrassing). Ugh! What's worse, is that the winner has to release "No Boundaries" as their first single! But the greatest disappointment was hearing Simon say he wasn't going to criticize the song. Simon is usually the only judge who is brave enough to actually say what every one else is thinking.

In a few short hours we will know who is this year's American Idol. I'll be happy regardless of the outcome. Both Kris and Adam are talented artists and will undoubtedly have terrific careers.

For a special treat tonight, tune in to hear last year's Idol winner, David Cook, perform his song, "Permanent."

Thanks for reading!

Laura

P.S. I watched a great video this week of Jamie Foxx being interviewed on Ellen DeGeneres' show. In the interview, Ellen asks Jamie what he thought about Adam and Kris. Listen to what he says about Kris. It's pretty funny. Enjoy!

Related Posts:

American Idol Finale Tonight: Will Cheese Dip Be The Difference?

Kris Allen Day Was 'Kick Awesome'!

Kris Allen Update - The Latest & Greatest

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

American Idol Finale Tonight: Will Cheese Dip Be The Difference?

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen - Who Will Be The Next American Idol?

After Kris sang 'Heartless', last Tuesday night, I said to myself... "Wow, he's in this thing to win it!" I think Kris has an excellent chance to be the next American Idol. I've been singing 'Heartless' for the last week. I'd never heard of it before Kris sang it.

I laughed out loud this morning when I read the story in the paper, "Kris Allen inspires free cheese dip".

In celebration of Conway resident Kris Allen's success on "American Idol," Stoby's in Conway will give its famous yellow cheese dip away free to everyone from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, until it runs out.

Too funny! If you watch the video below, you will hear American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, give a shout out to Stoby's famous cheese dip.

When Kris came to Conway to celebrate his homecoming, Stoby's closed their restaurant for 3 hours so that Kris and his family and friends could eat together. You can check out the pictures here. Stoby's is located three blocks from our house so we visit the restaurant frequently (99% of the time for their crushed ice)!

I'm looking forward to tonight's finale and yes, I'll be voting for Kris.

Who do you think will take the title?

K home @ Yahoo! Video

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. Are Your Vitamins Safe? Affiliate Link

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Helen Phillips Is The Biggest Loser!

Helen Phillips - The Biggest Loser Season 7 Winner

I don't know about you, but I didn't see this one coming. I was pulling for Tara and worried that Mike would beat her out but Helen wasn't even in my radar!

Pink is the new 'Green' ($250,000 dollars worth), as Helen Phillips - the show's oldest champion ever - became the 3rd pink contestant in a row to win the title of The Biggest Loser.

"Helen was a 48-year-old, overweight woman who had passed her prime," trainer Jillian Michaels said before the finale. "Everyone's going to tolerate Helen until the time comes to send her packing. And now you have this powerhouse who's kicked everyone's ass."

Helen was almost sent home in Week 7 when she and her daughter Shanon fell below the yellow line. The mother/daughter team, however, decided Helen would stay. Many people hold this against Helen, believing that she should have insisted that her daughter stay at the ranch and Helen gone home instead. I, too, was disappointed she let her daughter go home but I quickly forgave her. Helen is one of the contestants that really grew on me throughout the season. She was the contestant I most remember laughing out loud at. I am happy for Helen though I very much wanted Tara to win. One thing for sure... Helen winning the title at her age sure takes away my excuse for being overweight!

"I've worked my ass off every moment," Phillips said in a taped piece that aired during the finale on NBC. "I've done everything my trainers asked me to do, and it paid off."

Helen Phillips, 48-year-old retired Macy's retail manager and mother of two from Sterling Heights, Michigan, lost 54.47 percent of her weight, enough to beat 19-year-old Mike Morelli of South Lyon, Michigan, and 24-year-old Tara Costa of New York City, New York.

Phillips started the competition last September at 257 pounds. At the finale, Helen weighed in at 117 pounds, for a total weight loss of 140 pounds! Helen went from wearing a size 22 to a size 2! You can watch her winning moment on video here.

Morelli finished second in the finale with a body weight loss of 53.35 percent. His starting weight was 388 pounds. Morelli dropped 207 pounds and weighed in Tuesday at 181 pounds. Mike set an all-time Biggest Loser record of losing the most weight while on the ranch.

Finishing third was Costa -- who set an all-time female weight loss record while at The Biggest Loser ranch and had also returned home as the finalist with the highest weight loss percentage -- had started the season at 294 pounds and weighed in at 139 pounds during the finale, giving her a 155 pound weight loss and a body weight loss of 52.72 percent.

5 pound dumbbell

5 pounds: That's what separated Mike from winning the coveted title of ‘Biggest Loser’ on Tuesday night. If Morelli had lost 212 pounds Tuesday night, he would have won. Same thing goes for Tara. If she had lost 160 pounds Tuesday night, she would have won the title. That's how tight the race was... 5 little ole' pounds!

Here is a rundown of how much each of the contestants lost this season.

Contestant: Start Weight - End Weight = Pounds Lost (Percentage Lost):

Helen: 257-117=140 (54.47%)
Mike: 388-181=207 (53.35%)
Tara: 294-139=155 (52.72%)
Jerry: 369-192=177 (47.97%)
Kristin: 360-193=167 (46.39%)
Nicole: 269-146=123 (45.72%)
Ron: 430-238=192 (44.65%)
Sione: 372-226=146 (39.25%)
Dane: 412-258=154 (37.38%)
Filipe: 364-229=135 (37.09%)
Damien: 381-245=136 (35.70%)
Daniel: 454-293=161 (35.46%)
Mandi: 263-171=92 (34.98%)
Estella: 242-159=83 (34.30%)
Carla: 379-251=128 (33.77%)
Shanon: 283-191=92 (32.51%)
Cathy: 293-198=95 (32.42%)
Blaine: 365-249=116 (31.78%)
Laura: 285-199=86 (30.18%)
Joelle: 309-229=80 (25.89%)
Aubrey: 249-194=55 (22.09%)
David: 393-350=43 (10.94%)

After returning home, Phillips worked hard with personal trainers and especially Shauhen Tahrebandi, Warren Mott's High School football coach, who is a former Bally personal trainer. "I couldn't have done it without him at home," said Phillips.

At home, Phillips worked out six hours a day -- two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening, often at the high school track in Warren. Helen's fitness regime at home included running stairs at stadiums to lifting tractor tires. The reward for all her efforts was an additional weight loss of 32 pounds! I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think once the contestants leave The Biggest Loser ranch, they are on their own at home for 12 weeks prior to the reveal at the show's finale.

Phillips, offers the following advice for anyone trying to lose weight:

• Be prepared. Pack your food so you don't fall into bad habits like stopping at fast food drive-thrus.

• Never make excuses. "It's a priority now to go to the gym or do some kind of physical exercise every day," she said.

• Believe you can do it. "I was tired of doubting myself," she said. "Stop saying you can't and start saying you can."

Helen says that when she first arrived on The Biggest Loser ranch, she could only go 2.3 mph on the treadmill. But before she knew it, she was running on the treadmill!

If interested, you can watch this People.com video of weight-loss tips from the Top 4 Biggest Losers of Season 7 (Helen, Tara, Mike, and Ron).

Winner of The Biggest Loser's At-Home $100,000 prize was Jerry Hayes, a 64-year-old retired engineer and grandfather of five from Wheaton, Illinois. Jerry and his wife, Estella, were the oldest contestants ever to compete on The Biggest Loser. But what amazed me most is that he won the prize after only being on the ranch for two weeks!

Jerry started the show weighing 369 pounds and ended at 192 pounds for a total weight loss of 177 pounds, and a body weight loss of 47.97 percent! You can watch his winning moment on video here.

“I was wondering if I was going to get to my 65th birthday,” Hayes said. “Now I’m thinking, well, maybe 90’s okay! I feel so much better. The whole thing is wonderful. I’m enjoying my grandkids and my family.”

As for how Phillips will celebrate her $250,000 win, she says, “I really, really, really want to take my husband to the Bellagio in Las Vegas! I really want to take him there for a nice break because he has been such a support system to me. I want to lay by the pool, go out to lunch, and be able to go work out in the middle of the day and have a nice salad somewhere and relax!”

Helen and her husband, Russell, plan to open a local spinning and wellness center. In addition to opening the wellness center, Phillips plans to work as a motivational speaker, especially for older women trying to lose weight.

Thanks for reading!

Laura

Related Posts: The Biggest Loser - Season 7

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Monday, May 11, 2009

Kris Allen Day was 'Kick Awesome'!

Kris Allen Concert in Simon Park, Conway, Arkansas

Friday was an exciting day in Conway, Arkansas. Everyone on my team, at Acxiom, wore their Kris Allen t-shirts. All day long, we talked about Kris Allen and what he was currently doing (whether it was performing at the Riverfest Amphitheatre in Little Rock, or being spotted at Stoby's etc.). I left work thirty minutes early to meet my husband and kids, who walked from our house to Simon Park (located downtown), and waited with the throng of 20,000 fans for Kris Allen to arrive.

Kris Allen on the big screen

Every year, during the first weekend in May, Conway hosts its annual festival called Toad Suck Daze. There are normally over 150,000 people that attend the Toad Suck Daze festival. Many people avoid downtown like the plague during the festival but my family has always enjoyed the live music, food (Kettle Corn and Sarsaparilla!), craft vendors, carnival, and last but not least - Stuck on a Truck! So it was neat to go back downtown and hang out, five days after the Toad Suck Daze festival had ended.

Kris' brother, Daniel, came out to introduce Kris and also give the background of how Kris auditioned for American Idol. Kris performed three songs for the crowd: Man in the Mirror, She Works Hard for the Money, and Falling Slowly.

Kris thanked everyone for coming to see him saying, "As far as I can see, there's people!" He said the support meant everything to him.

For more pics, check out my hubby's blog post about the event here.

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

I am blessed to have great kids. My daughter, Rachael, is so creative - she can do anything!

She made me this awesome bouquet of chocolate-dipped strawberries, pineapple (shaped into flowers and hearts), cantaloupe, and grapes. I told her she spent too much money on me. I knew if she'd bought this from Edible Arrangements it would have cost over a hundred dollars but since she made it herself it only cost $25.

I also got a new pair of Yellow Box pink sequin flip flops and a gift certificate to receive a pedicure at my favorite salon.

I know, I'm spoiled. :)

We are getting ready to head off to my brother's to celebrate Mothers Day with the family.

I hope y'all had a great Mother's Day too.

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Friday, May 8, 2009

Kris Allen Update - The Latest & Greatest

Well, things are getting a tad-bit crazy here in Conway, Arkansas.

Kris Allen T-Shirts

Just trying to get a Kris Allen t-shirt here in town is an ordeal. I personally spent an hour after work yesterday, at HipSway, waiting on a t-shirt - only to leave empty-handed. I was told to come back this morning at 9am to pick up my shirts. After leaving HipSway yesterday, I headed to Ace Hardware (the place selling the official Kris Allen t-shirts) to see if I could get a look at the t-shirt design. I was initially told that they would have a shipment of t-shirts delivered at 6pm but the delivery was put off until 8am today. I liked the looks of the official design so I decided to come back this morning and buy one. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at 8:05am and their huge parking lot was full! There were two LONG lines: one to get your ticket(s) - limit 6 - and the other to get your shirt(s). Well, an hour later, I got my shirt and two more for my coworkers.

Kris Allen Concerts

Kris Allen performing at the Riverfest Ampitheatre

Kris Allen performing at the Riverfest Ampitheatre

When I got to work at Acxiom this morning, my coworker told me that her son (who works at UCA - Kris Allen's alma mater) told her that people were in line, early this morning, to get tickets for the 3pm concert at Reynolds Hall. By 11:00am, the line had wrapped around the building. They started issuing tickets at noon today. Doors opened at 2:15pm today.

We also heard that people spent the night at Simon Park, downtown, to save their seats for the 5:30pm concert later today.

Kris performed at the Little Rock Riverfest Ampitheatre today at 11:30am. The crowd was estimated to be around 15,000. I-40 was locked up this morning from Conway to Little Rock as the fans traveled to see Kris perform at the Ampitheatre this morning.

Kris Allen likes Holly's Country Cooking!

My husband, Paul, picked me up for lunch and took me to Holly's. While paying for our food, Paul joked with Holly, the owner. When she asked if that's all we wanted he said, "Yeah, and we also need a plate for Kris Allen." She said, "Okay" and I told her he's just kidding. Holly said she actually has a huge order for him later on today. I told Paul I wouldn't be surprised if the American Idol crew asked Kris where they could get some good home-cooking and Kris said, "Holly's!"

Kris Allen likes Stoby's Too!

Paul called me a little bit ago to report that as he drove by Stoby's (which is 3 blocks from our house), he saw it was packed out and there were police cars and a black stretch limo out front. I told him that I'm sure Chris is inside. Stoby's is another Conway local favorite, offering burgers, fries, their famous original cheese dip, and other American cuisine. I personally like Stoby's for their crushed ice or as I like say, "the good ice!" Stoby's has a big banner on the roof that says, "Stoby's supports Kris Allen with a lifetime supply of cheese dip." Funny, huh? Paul estimated there were about a hundred or so people outside of Stoby's waiting (cameras at the ready) for Kris to come out.

Paul said when he told our 16-year-old son that Kris ate lunch at Stoby's... Dylan said, "I don't see why he would want to eat there, when he could've eaten at Holly's." Hehehehe!

Judges' Choice

It's just been announced that the song the judges picked for Kris to perform Tuesday night is "Apologize" by One Republic. I think it's a good choice.

Conway Downtown Parade and Concert

I plan on going downtown after work for the parade and concert. It's going to be fun to see how far away I'm going to have to park and also fun to see how close I can actually get to the action.

I called into Alice 107.7 yesterday trying to win tickets to the American Idol tour at the Alltel Arena on July 25th. I was actually the winning caller but I answered the trivia answer incorrectly. Dern. The question was, "When Kris Allen was in the Top 13, what song did he sing?" I guessed 'Man in the Mirror'. Survey says.... EEEEEEEEEHHHHHH! The right answer was "Remember the Time". I choked. I would've Googled for the answer but I was in shock that I was caller #10. CHOKE!

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Kris Allen Mania: Exciting Times in Conway, Arkansas

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Fox 16 Interviews Kris Allen

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Kris Allen's Homecoming Itinerary

Kris Allen's Homecoming Itinerary*

THURSDAY

9:00 pm - Kris appears live on FOX16 News at Nine

FRIDAY

11:30 am - Kris performs live at Riverfest Amphitheatre
3:00 pm - Kris performs live at Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA
5:00 pm - Kris Allen parade in downtown Conway
5:30 pm - Kris Allen performs live at Simon Park in Conway

*Subject to change

Source: here

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

Kris Allen and American Idol Are Coming To Conway!

Following is a guest post from my husband, Paul Eilers, from PaulsHealthBlog.com.

It's official.

Kris Allen has advanced to the final three, and American Idol will be coming to Conway, Arkansas.

All over town, there are signs saying, "Kris Allen is Kick Awesome!" You see them on banks, restaurants and even on cars. The slogan comes from an interview with Kris, where he was asked to describe his experience on the show. He replied that he wants to live life with no regrets and his experience has been kick awesome. So now the phrase "Kick Awesome" has become the Kris Allen battle cry around town.

Kris' wife, Katy, works at Acxiom Corporation, the same place my wife works. Every week they get emails saying, "Be sure and vote for Kris Allen!"

There's even a rumor where our 16-year-old son goes to school. Because Kris Allen is in the 'Top 3', the kids will get out early this upcoming Friday, so they can attend a Kris Allen homecoming parade and concert in downtown Conway. Of course, along with all the hoopla, American Idol will be there to film it all.

Exciting times in good ole' Conway!

Until next time,

Eat Well. Live Well.

Paul

Nutrition doesn't have to be hard. That's why there's The Pops™ and ER Fat Burn™.

Thanks for reading!

Laura

My Other Websites: The Experts Agree On Something. Finally. | Are Your Vitamins Safe? | Affiliate Link

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009

Thursday, May 7, 2009