less leslie

  • This Sunday, it’s Me or the Ham

    Easter Sunday, like all major holidays, consists of food traditions. In our house, it’s ham, likely accompanied by potato salad and green beans.  The only other mandatory-ham holiday is Christmas. I like ham OK, but it doesn’t like me. There’s just too much sodium in cured meats like ham, bacon and lunchmeat, and I am…

  • The Comedy and Tragedy of Weight Loss

    I’ll just get right into it: I’ve managed to regain eight of the 15 pounds I’d lost. The last few weeks have been quite stressful, and despite my best intentions, I succumbed to old habits and really packed in the carbs. I’d mentioned bouts with insomnia: That led to eating in the middle of the…

  • Chocolate reduces heart risk? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

    Attention Easter bunnies: This year’s baskets may be extra heavy, so please be mindful of OSHA rules regarding back-injury prevention. In case you hadn’t heard, a new study suggests that small doses of chocolate every day could decrease your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40 percent. Let’s pause for a…

  • Sometimes the Best Advice Comes from You, the Reader

    When you careen through life the way I sometimes do, trial-and-error is often the best way to learn how to do something right. Don’t get me wrong. I am cautious and thoughtful. Most of the time. But I will jump right into a project or task, or try something new without any idea how it…

  • All This Pain is Supposedly a Good Thing. (Yeah, Right.)

    I hurt. I won’t say it’s a “good” hurt because it ain’t. These are bone-deep aches that are affecting the way I move through the day. Have to wonder if I’m overdoing it. I can’t imagine that’s the case, though something’s not quite right. It would be great to add a weekly massage to keep…

  • An AOL Interview, Motivation and Keeping Things Positive

    Yours Truly is featured in a nice piece over on AOL’s “That’s Fit,” a women’s health and fitness site. It’s called Losing 100 Pounds in One Year, and prominently features my “before” picture of seven weeks ago. Interesting that they published the piece under their “Success and Motivation” header. All week long, I’ve felt neither…

  • I've Already Broken 9 of the 10 (Weight-Loss) Commandments

    I tape a lot of weight-loss related shows and news clips to help stay motivated, but they’re starting to really add up. I taped Kirstie Alley’s Big Life when it debuted last week, but I only got midway through the first show – when she was out back in a cage with some monkey things…

  • Self-Esteem 2.0: The Awake Version

    It’s not that I have that big of a problem buying things for myself, if buying things for the home counts. While Tanza acknowledges my home is an extension of me, she says it’s not the same. I’m not so sure I agree with that. I do love to shop, though, and I’m happiest when…

  • Chapter 2: Sleep is Vital to Self-Esteem. Who Knew?

    4:46 a.m.: Can’t sleep. This is happening with increasing frequency. Not sure when’s the last time I had at least seven hours, even though that is my goal. Several times last week I was up until 4-5 a.m., then slept until 9. Forced myself to stay in bed until 10, but was wide awake. Coffee…

  • Catch-22: Nothing Fits, But I Don’t Want to Buy Anything That Does

    The temps were in the 70s this weekend, and I didn’t have a decent thing to wear. No tops, no bottoms, nothing. Before I continue, let me properly define what I’ve managed to accomplish: The term is Catch-22, the best definition being “a contradictory or self-defeating course of action.” Here’s my Catch-22: I refuse to…