2019 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[whateve]

It’s the first of the year so, I’ll throw out another topic that I’ll be wrestling with a bit which is diet and exercise. Exercise later...diet drama now. LOL!

I typically eat a Paleo diet - no sugar, processed foods, grains (breads, pastas, rice, etc), beans. I modify it a bit as I do eat cheese and hummus and will eat a dessert every blue moon if I feel like it without any guilt.

I eat this way because I wanted to eat healthfully but not feel like I was sacrificing anything. And “my Paleo” means I get to eat the things I love - seafood, veggies, fruit, bacon (bacon!!!!), Brie, olives, etc. and stay slim without ever counting calories, weighing food, etc. (I’m not slim by nature or culture so I had to find an easy path.) I don’t like rice or pasta anyway. So, it’s win / win.

But!!!! My name is Sparkle and I’m a sugar-holic. If I “get off” sugar, I never want any. Not sodas, not cookies, nothing. It’s not even tempting. But, if I start eating sugar, the monster comes back and I crave it all day and night.

Well, what did my dumb bunny self do over the holidays? I ate sugar. One of my agencies sent me a huge box of my favorites - Cheryl’s cookies - for Thanksgiving and I tore into them like a ravenous wolf. That led to a slice of cake here, a taste of cobbler there and voila! I’m addicted again. Plus, I gained 6 lbs...all in the wrong places.



So, I’m going cold turkey no sugar. It’s only 1pm here and I’m already ready to track down and hold Willy Wonka hostage at gunpoint if he doesn’t give up some caramels. My family is in witness protection as I rage around the house snarling and threatening anyone who knows where the last of the peach cobbler is and won’t share.

I know this fiending for sugar will go away after about 7 days. And, I’ll actually be happy to be “clean” because I can taste all of my food so much better when I’m not eating sugar. But, ohmigoodness, while I’m in the battle, it’s h-e-double hockey sticks!

Anyone else bravely starting or restarting a healthy approach for the new year?

I had gestational diabetes with my third child so I am always aware that I'm at risk for developing diabetes. I try to eat low carb. At times I'll relax my carb restrictions too much, then realize I need to get stricter. I've been very low carb for about the last 6 months with just a few days where I ate more, usually because there wasn't a low carb option available. Like one day we went for pizza. After the first piece I felt guilty so I just ate the toppings. I bought myself a few candy bars about a month ago but they are just sitting there. I can't bring myself to open them. I know I need to eat them soon or they will go bad. I hate wasting so I have conflicting emotions. I didn't eat anything bad over the holidays. I haven't baked cookies in ages. I miss it. I always loved cookies. I'm a chocoholic. I allow myself a small handful of dark chocolate chips every day. It isn't hard to give up bread except when restaurants have baked their own. I miss pasta but can eat zoodles. I only eat fruit sparingly. I only drink water.

My body isn't as good as it was when I was younger. I have thickened around the middle, which I hate.

 

[Dawn Brockman]

I had gestational diabetes with my third child so I am always aware that I'm at risk for developing diabetes. I try to eat low carb. At times I'll relax my carb restrictions too much, then realize I need to get stricter. I've been very low carb for about the last 6 months with just a few days where I ate more, usually because there wasn't a low carb option available. Like one day we went for pizza. After the first piece I felt guilty so I just ate the toppings. I bought myself a few candy bars about a month ago but they are just sitting there. I can't bring myself to open them. I know I need to eat them soon or they will go bad. I hate wasting so I have conflicting emotions. I didn't eat anything bad over the holidays. I haven't baked cookies in ages. I miss it. I always loved cookies. I'm a chocoholic. I allow myself a small handful of dark chocolate chips every day. It isn't hard to give up bread except when restaurants have baked their own. I miss pasta but can eat zoodles. I only eat fruit sparingly. I only drink water.

My body isn't as good as it was when I was younger. I have thickened around the middle, which I hate.

You are way more disciplined than I am!
I’m only able to hold up about 10 months a year!
When I have extra junk food, I take it to work. The young male engineers I work with suffer fewer ill effects!

 

[Sparkletastic]

I had gestational diabetes with my third child so I am always aware that I'm at risk for developing diabetes. I try to eat low carb. At times I'll relax my carb restrictions too much, then realize I need to get stricter. I've been very low carb for about the last 6 months with just a few days where I ate more, usually because there wasn't a low carb option available. Like one day we went for pizza. After the first piece I felt guilty so I just ate the toppings. I bought myself a few candy bars about a month ago but they are just sitting there. I can't bring myself to open them. I know I need to eat them soon or they will go bad. I hate wasting so I have conflicting emotions. I didn't eat anything bad over the holidays. I haven't baked cookies in ages. I miss it. I always loved cookies. I'm a chocoholic. I allow myself a small handful of dark chocolate chips every day. It isn't hard to give up bread except when restaurants have baked their own. I miss pasta but can eat zoodles. I only eat fruit sparingly. I only drink water.

My body isn't as good as it was when I was younger. I have thickened around the middle, which I hate.

Your body is just fine. Things change and that’s ok. I’m not going to have the body my 23yo daughter has and I’m going to happily let her have her time in the sun. She has a beach body...I have financial assets and an ability to travel. It all works out.

I’m sorry to hear about your gestational diabetes. It sounds like you are really rigorous in avoiding getting diabetes now which is awesome. Does your doctor say you have to be this strict? I had pregnancy induced hypertension with my first but I don’t do anything special to avoid HBP now. (Well I guess my exercise does but you get the point). My BP actually runs pretty low.

Bread. Forgot about that. I do love warm buttery bread but, like you, it’s no problem for me to pass up unless a particular tasty basket ends up on the restaurant table.

I know that a month from now I’ll be back in the groove of things and happily eating and working out as usual. It’s just to get back into those habits after a period of time away.

 

[lynne_ross]

It’s the first of the year so, I’ll throw out another topic that I’ll be wrestling with a bit which is diet and exercise. Exercise later...diet drama now. LOL!

I typically eat a Paleo diet - no sugar, processed foods, grains (breads, pastas, rice, etc), beans. I modify it a bit as I do eat cheese and hummus and will eat a dessert every blue moon if I feel like it without any guilt.

I eat this way because I wanted to eat healthfully but not feel like I was sacrificing anything. And “my Paleo” means I get to eat the things I love - seafood, veggies, fruit, bacon (bacon!!!!), Brie, olives, etc. and stay slim without ever counting calories, weighing food, etc. (I’m not slim by nature or culture so I had to find an easy path.) I don’t like rice or pasta anyway. So, it’s win / win.

But!!!! My name is Sparkle and I’m a sugar-holic. If I “get off” sugar, I never want any. Not sodas, not cookies, nothing. It’s not even tempting. But, if I start eating sugar, the monster comes back and I crave it all day and night.

Well, what did my dumb bunny self do over the holidays? I ate sugar. One of my agencies sent me a huge box of my favorites - Cheryl’s cookies - for Thanksgiving and I tore into them like a ravenous wolf. That led to a slice of cake here, a taste of cobbler there and voila! I’m addicted again. Plus, I gained 6 lbs...all in the wrong places.



So, I’m going cold turkey no sugar. It’s only 1pm here and I’m already ready to track down and hold Willy Wonka hostage at gunpoint if he doesn’t give up some caramels. My family is in witness protection as I rage around the house snarling and threatening anyone who knows where the last of the peach cobbler is and won’t share.

I know this fiending for sugar will go away after about 7 days. And, I’ll actually be happy to be “clean” because I can taste all of my food so much better when I’m not eating sugar. But, ohmigoodness, while I’m in the battle, it’s h-e-double hockey sticks!

Anyone else bravely starting or restarting a healthy approach for the new year?

Your descriptions are hilarious!!!! Just laughed so hard.

I am going to try an cut back on night eating this year. I am naturally slim but the night eating makes me feel ill going to bed. I need to eat a bit more during day and then nothing after dinner. Going to start on Monday - I can never start anything new unless it is Monday. I think it takes me about 3 weeks to create a habit, so going to be a looong January.
Goodluck!

 

[ipsum]

It takes forever to take the right pictures and write up your description!!!

Exactly! And then there's a special part when a buyer starts price negotiation after you've answered to her 50+ enquiries and took 50+ photos as per her request though it's clearly stated I don't take offers. I visualize this situation when ever I crave for a new workhorse and if this doesn't help, you'll see me here Good job and good luck with your sales! I hope you don't end up having same fate as I do.

View attachment 4293509
This is funny. I don’t associate rock studs with Millenials or younger women. I associate them with very stylish women who are 35+.

Has the quality of AMQ’s gone down? Dang it. Just when I discover the brand.

I posted once before to find suggestions on comfortable heels for work and had people saying Laboutins and Choos and Blahniks were comfortable. C’mon now. They may not be painful but they aren’t comfortable walk around all day shoes. For work, I like these from Naturalizer.

I can't help not thinking Kendall, Gigi, Bella, Cara or Selena when I face current edgy trend...


I can't speak of AMQ as I don't own any pair by them but in general the quality has gone down in shoe category as well like leather is not as thick as it used to be, body is build with smaller parts of the leather instead of one full hide, invisible parts glued instead of stitching, rubber soles made of "eco-friendly" rubber which will deteriorate faster. A decade ago, original heel tips have lasted me 1-2 season but now we can only speak of days till I need to take the shoes to local cobbler. It'd add up quite fast because service fee is not cheap here. If I wear heels all year round that's around $1000 per year just for changing heel tips.

Lol! Louboutins comfortable?! Thanks for the tip. I'll keep Naturalizer in my mind if I'm looking for new heels.

 

[Miss_Dawn]

Lovely! Can tell you like the round toe shoes [emoji4]

Yes, I prefer round toe. Much more comfortable than pointed. Thank you.

Well done on listing the bags and shoes today! That must be a relief!

Wow! I wish I could dress like that and coordinate like that. I’ll confess that I grew up with this concept of coordination and changing to match, etc as well, but at one point, I know I prefer sneakers and comfort. I used to wear platforms some time with uniform in undergrad to make it more dressy and womanly, but the rest of the day, I’ll always be in jeans and sneakers. When I started working, I tried again with some heels and stuff, but I had to walk a lot and construction sites aren’t a place for anything but sneakers so.... I guess it’s just fate. I wish I could manage a shoe closet like yours.

Thank you very much!

 

[Rhl2987]

It’s the first of the year so, I’ll throw out another topic that I’ll be wrestling with a bit which is diet and exercise. Exercise later...diet drama now. LOL!

I typically eat a Paleo diet - no sugar, processed foods, grains (breads, pastas, rice, etc), beans. I modify it a bit as I do eat cheese and hummus and will eat a dessert every blue moon if I feel like it without any guilt.

I eat this way because I wanted to eat healthfully but not feel like I was sacrificing anything. And “my Paleo” means I get to eat the things I love - seafood, veggies, fruit, bacon (bacon!!!!), Brie, olives, etc. and stay slim without ever counting calories, weighing food, etc. (I’m not slim by nature or culture so I had to find an easy path.) I don’t like rice or pasta anyway. So, it’s win / win.

But!!!! My name is Sparkle and I’m a sugar-holic. If I “get off” sugar, I never want any. Not sodas, not cookies, nothing. It’s not even tempting. But, if I start eating sugar, the monster comes back and I crave it all day and night.

Well, what did my dumb bunny self do over the holidays? I ate sugar. One of my agencies sent me a huge box of my favorites - Cheryl’s cookies - for Thanksgiving and I tore into them like a ravenous wolf. That led to a slice of cake here, a taste of cobbler there and voila! I’m addicted again. Plus, I gained 6 lbs...all in the wrong places.



So, I’m going cold turkey no sugar. It’s only 1pm here and I’m already ready to track down and hold Willy Wonka hostage at gunpoint if he doesn’t give up some caramels. My family is in witness protection as I rage around the house snarling and threatening anyone who knows where the last of the peach cobbler is and won’t share.

I know this fiending for sugar will go away after about 7 days. And, I’ll actually be happy to be “clean” because I can taste all of my food so much better when I’m not eating sugar. But, ohmigoodness, while I’m in the battle, it’s h-e-double hockey sticks!

Anyone else bravely starting or restarting a healthy approach for the new year?

This resonates so much. I’m addicted to sugar, like many people are. Plus, I’m in my pregnancy and having an extra hard time being restrictive. I’m the same way as you in that it would be no sugar at all or sugar everyday. I can’t have it in between because I’m not good with moderation. I’ve gained 25 pounds in the 25 weeks of my pregnancy. I’m 5’ 8.5” and very healthy and active. I’m cycling or doing yoga or strength training nearly everyday but my problem is with eating! In the first trimester I was eating to try to combat nausea (obviously didn’t help) and then it kind of was like a rolling hill where I can’t seem to stop the cycle. Today, I’ve tried the eating every couple of hours thing. It’s just hard to do when we’ve been on travels. I was doing really well before the Christmas holiday but then being with his family and mine and all of the delicious food, I gained 5 pounds in one week.

I’m proud of you for starting the sugar kick up again!! My Mom has been doing it for a couple of weeks now and she is loving how she is feeling and she was able to have just a couple of sweet things over the holidays. I want to try but I also really don’t. I’m not sure how to get started but at least I’m eating consciously today. One day at a time, I guess!

 

[Rhl2987]

I eat whatever I want November and December. I am pretty tight with carbs the rest of the year. Like you, when I release the sugar fiend, it becomes uncontrollable. But starting tomorrow, anything left is thrown out and the discipline restarts. It keeps me within about 7 lbs of my ideal year round.

I work out a lot - January through October. I run/walk or use an Ellptical and lift almost every morning for an hour. I do a lot of pushups and planks. I ride a stationary bike about 50 minutes most days. At 60, it takes a lot of effort.

But I am a crazy holiday person. My routines all fall by the wayside over the holidays and I cook and bake and decorate and celebrate and EAT.
No time to work out!

Good for you to be so active. Push ups and planks are so impressive and I can’t imagine myself keeping that up still when I am your age. I can’t even workout for an hour at age 31! I played Division 1 Varsity, Big Ten soccer when I was in college, so I’m familiar with pushing yourself and your body to its limits. A couple years after college I went cold turkey and only did yoga, which did wonders for my body. Now, I like a good mix of everything but the biggest issue is maintaining the discipline to workout and also eat well. For me, if I have a binge then I can’t really get back into a routine of eating healthy. So, I love that you have a yearly schedule and that it works well for you!

 

[More bags]

Well, I’ve done it and spent the entire morning listing 4 bags and 2 shoes to sell. It takes forever to take the right pictures and write up your description!!! I think my sister will be buying one of my H bags and I’m happy about that because it is a very special one to me. But, I don’t want to have things sitting around that I don’t use, no matter how much I love them!! The funds gained from the sales will go towards baby gear, building a custom closet so that my nice things can be stored beautifully, a rose gold watch for daily use, and an upgraded pair of diamond studs. I need to only add things that I’m certain will be used often! Of course, my bag sales won’t fund all of my wishlist items, but those are my current wishlist items as they stand.

Fantastic work! Best wishes with baby preparations and achieving your clearly stated goals. What a solid start to 2019!

 

[whateve]

Your body is just fine. Things change and that’s ok. I’m not going to have the body my 23yo daughter has and I’m going to happily let her have her time in the sun. She has a beach body...I have financial assets and an ability to travel. It all works out.

I’m sorry to hear about your gestational diabetes. It sounds like you are really rigorous in avoiding getting diabetes now which is awesome. Does your doctor say you have to be this strict? I had pregnancy induced hypertension with my first but I don’t do anything special to avoid HBP now. (Well I guess my exercise does but you get the point). My BP actually runs pretty low.

Bread. Forgot about that. I do love warm buttery bread but, like you, it’s no problem for me to pass up unless a particular tasty basket ends up on the restaurant table.

I know that a month from now I’ll be back in the groove of things and happily eating and working out as usual. It’s just to get back into those habits after a period of time away.

I haven't always been this strict. After I had the baby, I was told just to keep an eye on my blood sugar, to get tested once in awhile, which I did. When you have gestational diabetes, it goes back to normal once the baby is born. This was many years ago when the recommended diet was low fat, not low carb. The low fat diet didn't help at all and I had to give myself insulin shots during the last part of my pregnancy. Then I had to spend several weeks in the hospital because I had premature contractions and I couldn't have the drug they usually give for that because of the diabetes. I think that if they had put me on a low carb diet, I could have avoided the insulin shots, which hurt like hell.

A few years ago, one of my blood sugar tests came back at prediabetes so I went on the low carb diet and got it back down. Then I relaxed the diet again, felt guilty, and went back on the diet without testing my blood sugar. I'm sure it is in normal range now. Both my grandfather and father had type 2 so I'm afraid I'll end up there if I don't watch it. DH was told he is prediabetic but he won't do anything about it. The doctors don't seem very concerned.

My current doctor, who I see for other things, is a big fan of low carb eating for everyone, even if they aren't prone to diabetes.

One of my daughters has never weighed over 100 pounds. She is just naturally petite. She is married to a guy who loves to eat!

This resonates so much. I’m addicted to sugar, like many people are. Plus, I’m in my pregnancy and having an extra hard time being restrictive. I’m the same way as you in that it would be no sugar at all or sugar everyday. I can’t have it in between because I’m not good with moderation. I’ve gained 25 pounds in the 25 weeks of my pregnancy. I’m 5’ 8.5” and very healthy and active. I’m cycling or doing yoga or strength training nearly everyday but my problem is with eating! In the first trimester I was eating to try to combat nausea (obviously didn’t help) and then it kind of was like a rolling hill where I can’t seem to stop the cycle. Today, I’ve tried the eating every couple of hours thing. It’s just hard to do when we’ve been on travels. I was doing really well before the Christmas holiday but then being with his family and mine and all of the delicious food, I gained 5 pounds in one week.

I’m proud of you for starting the sugar kick up again!! My Mom has been doing it for a couple of weeks now and she is loving how she is feeling and she was able to have just a couple of sweet things over the holidays. I want to try but I also really don’t. I’m not sure how to get started but at least I’m eating consciously today. One day at a time, I guess!

Don't worry too much about your weight now. If you can nurse your baby, I highly recommend it. I nursed all of mine and really enjoyed it. A big side benefit was that I could eat like a sumo wrestler and still lose weight. I ended up 5 pounds lower than my pre-pregnancy weight all three times. But you have to keep nursing for months until all the weight comes off. Even if you only get down to nursing once a day, it still works.

 

[whateve]

I've decided to do the 10 in 31 challenge. This is my first bag of the year, which I've already carried for a few days. Same picture I've used before.

 

[dcooney4]

It’s the first of the year so, I’ll throw out another topic that I’ll be wrestling with a bit which is diet and exercise. Exercise later...diet drama now. LOL!

I typically eat a Paleo diet - no sugar, processed foods, grains (breads, pastas, rice, etc), beans. I modify it a bit as I do eat cheese and hummus and will eat a dessert every blue moon if I feel like it without any guilt.

I eat this way because I wanted to eat healthfully but not feel like I was sacrificing anything. And “my Paleo” means I get to eat the things I love - seafood, veggies, fruit, bacon (bacon!!!!), Brie, olives, etc. and stay slim without ever counting calories, weighing food, etc. (I’m not slim by nature or culture so I had to find an easy path.) I don’t like rice or pasta anyway. So, it’s win / win.

But!!!! My name is Sparkle and I’m a sugar-holic. If I “get off” sugar, I never want any. Not sodas, not cookies, nothing. It’s not even tempting. But, if I start eating sugar, the monster comes back and I crave it all day and night.

Well, what did my dumb bunny self do over the holidays? I ate sugar. One of my agencies sent me a huge box of my favorites - Cheryl’s cookies - for Thanksgiving and I tore into them like a ravenous wolf. That led to a slice of cake here, a taste of cobbler there and voila! I’m addicted again. Plus, I gained 6 lbs...all in the wrong places.



So, I’m going cold turkey no sugar. It’s only 1pm here and I’m already ready to track down and hold Willy Wonka hostage at gunpoint if he doesn’t give up some caramels. My family is in witness protection as I rage around the house snarling and threatening anyone who knows where the last of the peach cobbler is and won’t share.

I know this fiending for sugar will go away after about 7 days. And, I’ll actually be happy to be “clean” because I can taste all of my food so much better when I’m not eating sugar. But, ohmigoodness, while I’m in the battle, it’s h-e-double hockey sticks!

Anyone else bravely starting or restarting a healthy approach for the new year?

This is day one of trying to eat like this too. I went sugar crazy over the holidays. Today I woke up with a headache that turned bad. I stuck to the diet but I did take headache meds because Tylenol wasn’t cutting it. I heard that as I continue I will go through a sugar withdrawal. I am nervous as I am prone to migraines anyway.

 

[Sparkletastic]

This is day one of trying to eat like this too. I went sugar crazy over the holidays. Today I woke up with a headache that turned bad. I stuck to the diet but I did take headache meds because Tylenol wasn’t cutting it. I heard that as I continue I will go through a sugar withdrawal. I am nervous as I am prone to migraines anyway.

I’m prone to migraines too so I understand your concern.

But, you can do it. It takes 1-2 weeks but if you can last, the cravings disappear almost like magic. I didn’t believe it before I did it the first time. I though that cravings would just be manageable. But, they completely went away. And when I’m “off” sugar, if I taste a dessert it will usually taste kinda disgusting. Like if you pour sugar over a frosted cake. It’s just too much.

I’ll cheer you on. We can do this!

 

[Sparkletastic]

Who else is doing purse challenges?

I’m doing the color challenge (red) and 10 in 31.

 

[Lake Effect]

I've decided to do the 10 in 31 challenge. This is my first bag of the year, which I've already carried for a few days. Same picture I've used before.

Love this one. Does the hardware on the strap add significantly to the weight? I would love to see this in real life, to get a feel for it . . .

Who else is doing purse challenges?

I’m doing the color challenge (red) and 10 in 31.

I’m doing 10 in 31 too! This is my oldest bag, I call it my burnt orange hippie bag, circa 1980.