I’m not a huge fan of really strict “diets” and prefer some flexibility because, well, I enjoy eating. But I came across the Cinch! eating plan in a January edition of Shape magazine, while sitting in my doctor’s office a few weeks ago and decided to try it.

Cinch!: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches is a new book written by Cynthia Sass, the former nutrition director and Grocery Guru columnist at Prevention magazine, contributing nutritionist for The Flat Belly Diet, and currently a contributing editor at SHAPE magazine. 

The article in Shape magazine was so well done, and basically offered 20 simple mix and match meals, designed to help you lose weight within a 30-day timeframe.  I tried a couple of them and then went on to purchase the Cinch! book after reading several fantastic reviews on Amazon.

And then I got really crazy, by deciding to try the optional 5-Day, 5-Food Fast Forward plan. Supposedly you can lose up to 8 pounds in just 5 days (which I’m a bit skeptical of, to be honest! I’m skeptical of anything that promises quick weight loss) by eating just 5 different foods.

Now, it would be amazing to lose 8 pounds in 5 days–especially being that I need to lose about 20 pounds–but the real reason I decided to try this plan is for the healthy aspects of the different foods on the 5-Day plan. It’s basically eggs, spinach, raspberries, almonds and yogurt. You combine these 5 foods different ways to help detox your body, get in touch with your relationship with food and jump start weight loss.

I’m on day 1, and at the time of this post, I won’t lie. I’m STARVING. I’ve had my morning smoothie and my salad for lunch…and I have one hour left until I can have my snack. It’s killing me! The author does say you might feel hunger but supposedly you shouldn’t feel overly hungry. Well…I’m DYING. It’s just making me think about food more, and wanting to eat something right now, but I’m determined to at least make it through one day.

Ugh.

And honestly, it’s a bit overkill with the raspberries!! One cup in the smoothie (which didn’t taste very good to me at all, it was almond butter, plain yogurt, raspberries and I added some cinnamon which is recommended–and ended up tasting way too tart for my personal preference), one cup in the salad, and then another cup to be eaten in the “parfait” this afternoon.

Dinner tonight is going to be a scrambled egg and spinach…and you guessed it, more raspberries…

Oy.

I probably won’t ever want to look a raspberry in the eye again when I’m finished with this plan!!

 The rest of the eating plan is not this strict (there’s MUCH more variety) and much more appealing,with wonderfully creative recipes. But I’m really curious to see what might happen by Friday.

Stay tuned for more on whether I make it through the next 5 days without caving!

P.S. Buying all those raspberries and almonds wasn’t cheap!! I never spend that much money on just 5 days’ worth of food (over $100).

For the second time in the past month, I have encountered perfectly good items being thrown out in the trash–and this is a BIG pet peeve of mine. Second only to child and animal abuse, I can’t stand how lazy so many people are, that they just toss baby clothes, furniture, and even brand new TOYS out to the curb for bulk pickup.

What are they thinking??

About 3 weeks ago, I found one bag of children’s clothes purely by accident, when out walking with my baby and my dog. It was stuffed in a white trash bag, clearly not there for someone to “find” and make use of. I understand that a lot of people put things on the curb because they know others might pick them up–but there was no way anyone passing by would think this bag was anything but trash. I happened to spot a sweater poking out from the bag a little bit, and I took a closer look inside.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were BRAND new baby clothes, some still on the hanger and with tags. Beautiful little dresses, sweaters, and outfits– just put out as trash. After I finished my walk, I came back for the bag, washed the clothes, and am in the process of finding new homes for the items (most of the clothes were too small already for my baby, but I did give some to a friend with a 3 month-old).

Then I was out walking again this past weekend, and saw a baby car seat and a cabinet out for trash. On top of the cabinet were several bags. I happen to know the neighbor who put these items out, and he was outside during my walk. I told him that anytime he had things to get rid of, I would help him. So then…he shows me that he put an entire bag of baby toys and clothes out for trash–again, nothing wrong with them, he said he just wanted them out of the garage.

WTF???

So…it’s basically pure laziness going on here. Never mind the fact that you could post your items FOR FREE on Craiglist.org, Listasaurus.com, or Freecycle.org….or that you could have the Veterans or other charity group pick up.  This guy admitted he just couldn’t be bothered.

Really? So it’s better to just throw your items out, especially when so many people are in need and struggling right now (and it’s not like he’s wealthy, he’s a teacher, that should give you an idea). I just don’t follow. What’s even scarier is, this guy is a new parent. He has a 13-month old little boy…so I guess this is what he’s going to pass on.

Oh, just don’t worry that you’re contributing to the planet’s problems by being socially irresponsible. Don’t worry about the legacy you’re going to leave for your son. Better that  you should empty your garage with the least amount of inconvenience for you. That’s waaaay more important.

Well. This blog post is a request to all of you out there who know someone like this–or maybe you have done the same thing in the past.  DO SOMETHING. BE RESPONSIBLE.

I personally collect from my neighborhood what I can donate to someone else, or I post an ad on craiglist with a “Curb Alert” if it’s too big an item–although sometimes, being in South Florida, the rain does its damage before someone can get to it.

It sickens me to think of all the bags of so-called “trash” that are heading to the landfills, that are in reality totally useful, perfectly good items that someone else could make use of. 

So neighbors, please stop being lazy. Post your items online, take a few minutes to call a local charity for pickup, or God forbid, find a drop-off location for Goodwill or Salvation Army and drive your unwanted things there for a tax write-off.

We can all do our part to be more green, and make our world a little better–and hey, help someone else who doesn’t have much.  Here’s hoping someone out there hears me loud and clear, and that the only things put out in my neighborhood and yours, is truly the trash.

Last night, the Top Two American Idol contestants gave their final three performances. According to Randy Jackson, it was a “duel to the end” between Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze–but I beg to differ, Dawg. There was absolutely no comparison between the performances by “Mama Sox” and former paint store employee Lee–Crystal was definitely in a league of her own–and really has been even since we saw her during Hollywood week.

Each contestant performed three times: first with their favorite song from the season, then a pick from Producer Simon Fuller, and finally the song that would be their first single if they win the Idol title. Crystal won the coin toss and opted to sing second–which ended up being a brilliant move on her part.

Read more about last night’s show here…