less leslie

Just a quick note, since I’m in the midst of packing for the weekend in Richmond. I don’t even know why I need directions. We go there every year for this competition. The difference, though, is that this time it’s just me and Skyler, and we’re both closely watching what we eat. Usually when the…

It’s Tax Day, and you know what that means. Free food and drink all over the place: ·        Buy one footlong at Subway, get on free today. ·        Bring in your own reusable mug and Starbucks will fill it up for free – not with a caramel macchiato, unfortunately, but with their own brew. ·       …

When I first saw the term “food desert,” I thought it was a typo, referring instead to foods that are really desserts – you know, mostly sugar and empty calories. But it’s not a typo. A “food desert” is an area where there is no real access to grocery stores, or places where one can…

Met with Tanza today, and talked so much my jaw ached. I know, I know. It’s just that I don’t do a lot of face-to-face stuff in this era of email and texting. And I hadn’t seen her in two weeks. First, I had to bail on our standing appointment, then she had to, so…

It was 6:35 a.m., and I was in the gym, heading for the resistance machines. Sick of the boring elliptical, I figured I’d change things up and do strength training first, then maybe finish up on the elliptical or the treadmill, whatever I felt like doing to get the aerobic portion over with. So this…

Like I said, I want this to be my first sleeveless summer, ever. Maybe I was sleeveless as a little kid. I don’t recall, so that doesn’t count. As an adult, though, I’ve never been sleeveless. Here in the South, people take their right to bare arms seriously. It just gets so freakin’ hot, you…

OMG, if I have to wear that Spanx thing again I think I just might scream. Just got back from a meeting at Wake Forest University, which moved from Wake Forest, N.C. to Winston-Salem just over 50 years ago. (That’s your trivia for today.) It was one of those rare occasions where I had to…

Today, I’m looking for a new level of discomfort. I just got rid of the 1.5 pounds gained over Easter weekend, which wasn’t just about the food – although I must admit, I make really good cheesecake! – but some unfortunate stressors that had me seeking carbs and sugar. I don’t try to be perfect.…

So, how much weight have you lost? I accept that this is the one thing folks most want to know: The number on the scale. This is, after all, the  Biggest Loser era, where teams of fatties don’t work, and don’t worry about the mortgage, relatives or meals. Like laboratory rats, their world consists of…

It’s Easter Monday, the day of resurrection – of last night’s dinner. In my  ’fridge is evidence of yesterday’s excesses: Quite a bit of leftover ham and the orange marmalade glaze that goes with it; enough potato salad to feed my house and another’s; green beans; homemade dinner rolls and two cheesecakes – one with…