Formspring: health and beauty

On formspring people have asked questions.  The first involved when mouse had the facial injury and how she covered it, if family saw it and how did she explain it.  Well, thankfully none of the people I work with, or the family noticed it.  Lancome cosmetics makes a great concealer, and that helped covering the bruise.  Puffiness was controlled by ice, and regular make-up was applied as needed.  Also I'm lucky enough not bruise very easily and they don't seem to last long, so the whole event only lasted about  a week.  However Omega did photograph it as a reminder of what can occasionally go wrong.  

Heatherone asked a different question: 

"What advice would you give to a new submissive to get in shape/loose weight for her Sir/Master?"

This is such a difficult question to answer, believe it or not.  One of Omega's most important rules is that is if mouse isn't healthy she can't serve her Master well.  It sounds soooo simple doesn't it? Sounds easy...well it's not that easy.  I have learned or adapted to make heathy choices based on what I already eat (which wasn't horrible but also didn't help).  The only things I buy that are "low fat" are dairy products.  Whenever possible I'll swap a low fat or fat free even cheese for a regular one.  Fat free doesn't mean calorie free or mean that I can eat as much as I want.  My big issue was portion size.  I grew up in the 70s, a time of casseroles made from cream of chicken soup and Swanson's TV Dinners.  Half the family was Italian, the other half Irish and both families were originally from the mid-west home of meat and potatoes.  Sunday meals were more like Thanksgiving.  

This wasn't an issue when I was a kid, because I was active (like all the kids growing up at that time, before cable TV and video games...the dark ages).  The problem was my career of choice isn't that active, in fact demands that I sit behind a desk for hours collating and analyzing data.  


Best advice I could give is tell you to sign up on spark people (it's free).  Start tracking what you eat and drink for a couple weeks and then start making small changes.  Like give up sodas during the week, or whatever your biggest issue is.  Try to cook as much at home as possible and not eat out (it's cheaper).  Drink plenty of water and get plenty of exercise.  


Find a diet buddy to talk to or complain to....Never ever go to the store without a list or without eating something first.  Plan your meals for the week in advance and buy those things you need.  


Bake your own muffins...cookies and anything else.  Find ways of cutting calories without giving up taste.  When they say don't diet..it's really true.  


Additionally Heatherone asked another question about menu planning, which follows nicely with the previous one:

How do you come up with a different menu each week? Do you have standard recipes you rotate in over the course of the month? I've ask Isabelle this question also, as I pull out my recipe books and then just stare at them. Never coming up with a menu.

I have tons of cookbooks, but honestly I'll find most of my recipes online.  I'll print them off and make them, see how it goes and make my own notes (like if I swap lower fat cheese or something).  Sometimes I'll start by looking at what I have on hand and make a menu around that item (recently I realized that I had lots of pasta on hand, so for the next few weeks I'm incorporating a pasta night).  If a meal really works (meaning I get raves) then I'll put a mark on the recipe and keep it in a folder.  If the meal falls flat then I won't be trying that recipe again. 


I also tend to throw a bunch of stuff I have on hand together at the last minute, sometimes it comes off wonderfully and other times...eh.  If it works I do write down what I did so I can reproduce it.  


So, how it begins is with me looking through hundreds of recipes (I'm also a cooking show junky), and I start putting together menu items together.  Sides that will go well with the main dish.  Of course I have my go-to sides as well, those are the sides that go well with everything.  LIke zucchini tossed with olive oil, a little red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon zest.  Another side I'll make is with shallots, garlic, balsamic vinegar, toasted slivered almonds, red chard.  


Thanks again for asking such great questions!


Hugs,
mouse