· Atkins Diet Bulletin Board, The longer I am on low carb, the more I find that I am incorporating a lot from other low-carb diet resources and scientific studies. Essentially, by following N&I, I am doing the Atkins induction. This is a great bulletin board, and they help I've received on there has been great.
· Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet and Cookbook, I am following their "diet" plan. This is a link to their webpage.
· MD Eades, The Low Carb Comfort Food Cookbook, I've made the magic rolls and the coconut macaroons. The recipes are good, ingredients-wise, but you need to rely on your own common sense when it comes to procedure, timing, and portioning. Her cookies would have been absurdly small, and the magic rolls were surprisingly big, so I adjusted accordingly. Luckily, she calculates the carbs for the entire recipe, so you can just divide by the serving size or number of items you want to end up with, and figure out the per serving carbs you're actually getting. It is not perfect, but it is a good resource, because low carb baking is challenging, requires exotic ingredients, and is not instinctive, even for someone who considers herself a pretty good cook and baker.
· Debbie Sieber’s Slim in 6 (Beachbody.com), This exercise program kicks your butt. You want to talk about amazing results when it comes to tummy-toning? When I tried this for the first time last year, it only took two weeks for me to notice the belly shrinking, butt toning effect of Slim in 6. This produces great results. It is not easy to do, but at least it only takes about 30 minutes and you can push through to complete it. Give it a try a few times a week for a couple weeks, and tell me if you don’t see the results, too.
· Pema Chodron, Getting Unstuck, This is a great CD from Pema Chodron, a buddhist nun. She's been there. This CD really helped me understand what I was doing to myself with food. Its not a CD about food or dieting - its about being in a rut and identifying why you created the rut, and what its done for you lately. Mindblowing. She's funny. You'll get it.
· Connecticut Breast Health Initiative, This year's race in the park is scheduled for 5/7/11, and I really want to be fit enough to run the women's 5K. I couldn't do it last year (I tried and ended up getting hurt), so I pledged that I would do it in 2011. This goal means even more to me now that I am mourning the loss of my mother, who passed away in 2010 from breast cancer. I'd like to do this in her memory. This is one of the reasons that I'm working so hard to become a healthier person. This is a great organization - please donate if you are willing and able.