Another Post about Diets: Why to Bet on Yourself on DietBet

August 31, 2018 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Social Media, Tweets and Mascara, Work, Young Professionalism

You might be wondering, what on earth could you possibly have left to say about weight loss, Sara? And that's a fair question. I want to talk about DietBet.

For starters: What is DietBet?

DietBet is an app which allows users to pay money into a weight loss challenge. The winners split the pot at the end. I hemmed and hawed about doing one. I knew from Biggest Loser that money motivated me to lose weight, but I only knew one person who has done it before. I also couldn't decide how much to bet or which type of game to do.

Whole30’ing in Richmond: Part Two, or After

March 16, 2017 by astoldoverbrunch in Guest Post, life lessons, Life In Your 20's

This January, I completed my first Whole30.

Technically, so did my roommate Grace. This would be mean if we weren’t practically sisters. But instead, it’s funny since it’s the truth, and I also take complete ownership of derailing her first attempt.

What I learned: read your labels.

Whole30’ing in Richmond (Ergo, Brunching Mostly At Home For 30-Days)

March 14, 2017 by astoldoverbrunch in Guest Post, Life In Your 20's, life lessons

I’m not much of a dieter (read: I don’t like being told what to do/eat), so when I first heard of the Whole30, I really didn’t think anything of it. My roommate, Grace, has been focusing more on her diet and identifying food sensitivities due to some health issues she’s been trying to address since we moved in together.

She’s been gluten-free for roughly a year and a half, and ipso facto—since we both love cooking together—generally so have I. Her family jokes about how supportive I’ve been, but—to be perfectly honest—it’s never been a big deal to me, and it was way easier than I ever expected. These days, I just get my gluten from out-of-the-house sources. I just inherited the pseudo-GF diet, so I’ll let her write the article about doing Richmond GF. Fortunately, the food scene in Richmond is extremely supportive of atypical diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, etc.)… more on that in Part Two.

Let's Stop Talking about Weight

August 02, 2016 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara

I’ve written a lot about weight, from the time I was happy with my added weight to the time I was even happier to lose some weight and win the Biggest Loser. I’ve written a lot about weight because I think a lot about my weight. It’s always on my mind, from when I’m picking out which jeans to wear to when I’m brushing my teeth before bed at night, staring at myself in the mirror.

The Pros and Cons of Dieting

April 07, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Work

We made it: I officially came in second in The Biggest Loser Challenge at my work. It’s been a really awesome three months, where I learned that I can actually lose weight, I can stay motivated and I can totally do it. However, dieting is hard and should be a life change that continues forever, not a three month long competition. But today’s not what about what lies ahead for me and my pact with myself to live a healthier life, but a reflection upon the clichéd “peaks and valleys” of dieting.

Easy Come, Easy Go: A Weight-Loss Truth

March 17, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Work

I've been in the heat of my Biggest Loser weight-loss challenge now for about a month and a half. If you want to read about how awesome it feels when dieting works, read my previous progress report. If you want to read how it feels when you realize that dieting is hard -- really, really hard, stay with me here.

Yup, you heard it hear first: Losing weight is work. Shocking, right?

Okay, no, it's not shocking in the least. But it is something to constantly remind yourself to consider. This past week, I had two really bad days of eating.

Sara's Second in the Biggest Loser

February 03, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Work

I probably could have not shouted out my status in the Biggest Loser in the title of this post, and built up to my second place status, but I haven't been this proud of myself in a long time. I have always made excuses about not losing weight, but with a bit of focus, I've been able to do really well with it this time. It started off pretty rocky.

It definitely took a few days to adjust to my new healthier, less food-driven lifestyle. I was hungry all the time and never felt like I was ever satisfied. But my body adjusted. I got used to less food. And you know what? It's crazy how little food you actually do need, once you adjust your body to less food. I'm about to list some tips for healthier eating, but by no means am I qualified to offer suggestions, other than the fact that I've lost a "stone" (which is what the British woman at work said to me, and I thought was so cool I texted several people about my lost stone). To us Americans, that means 14 pounds, which is about 7% of my bodyweight.

Yes, thats 7% less of me to love, but we can get through this together. Anyways, here's my list of diet suggestions:

What Not to Say to Someone On a Diet

January 14, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Uncategorized

As some of you may recall, I have began a work-hosted Biggest Loser competition. It's only a little over a week into my new diet, and I've heard a myriad of statements that annoy me so frequently that I feel it is my public service to write them down for everyone as a learning opportunity. Here is what not to say to someone on a diet (or at least someone like me, or just me):

"Why? You don't have to lose weight." You're right, I don't HAVE to lose weight. No one is forcing me to. However, I am over the weight that is considered healthy. When I sit down, my roll is now protruding over my pants. My face is rounder than it used to be. I get out of breath easier than before. I want to lose weight, but yes, you are correct, I don't need to.

Sara Does the Biggest Loser

January 03, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, life lessons, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara, Work, Young Professionalism

I've read a lot about diets and workout exercises. I once watched an entire workout video too (sitting down). Unfortunately, none of those activities help you lose weight. I've written about my weight before, so it's no secret that I'm not known for my skinny, toned bod. I'm not grossly flabby either. I'm somewhere in the comfortable middle with some pounds to spare. Anyways, we were talking about losing holiday weight at work, and BAM, we (well -- I didn't really do anything to help) organized a Biggest Loser competition.

It'll include sharing recipes, workouts and motivation. We'll bring in healthy snacks, take walks around the lake and verbally assault each other when we're trying to sneak some cookies into our mouths. All things I can get down with. I wasn't planning on taking it too seriously (I mean, I'll have to lay off drinking and eating donuts if I want to win), UNTIL I realized this is an outright competition. We're doing weigh-ins, sending around updates and paying a tiny fee so that the winner gets a huge prize.