AMA Round Four

Good morning! Quick fly by post to answers more Ask Me Anything questions…

I’ll be back soon for a recap from last night. Ryan and I are off to breakfast with his family!

(You may still click here to submit an anonymous question.)

AMA Round Four

How do you balance your eating habits with your fiancés? Boys/men tend to eat more than females and require more energy/calories in a typical day as well, but I sometimes struggle with the fact that I eat as much as my live-in boyfriend frequently and (probably due to social perceptions) feel that I shouldn’t be that way.

Ooooh I can relate to this!!! I think there’s a reason why statistically women gain weight after marriage – blame the men! 😉 Seriously though, it can be challenging to live with a guy that eats all the time. Ryan eats constantly, but fortunately is very open to trying healthy recipes. When we cook, we typically cook recipes for three people and Ryan will eat two portions while I will eat one. It takes some adjusting to recipe measurements but makes it easier to control portion size when the meal is ready and I know he gets two thirds of the meal while I get one.

Where I struggle most is dessert. If Ryan wants ice cream or something sweet, I have a very hard time saying no and will typically indulge right along with him. As long as I don’t down a pint of ice cream every day, I try not to worry about it too much.

How often do you go grocery shopping? What foods do you always keep on stock in your fridge and pantry?

I go grocery shopping once a week (sometimes twice) and typically buy the following foods if I’m currently out of them at home:

• Greek yogurt
• Cheese (string cheese, shredded cheese, deli cheese, feta/goat cheese)
• Whole wheat sandwich thins
• Cottage cheese
• Fruit (whatever is on sale… apples, strawberries, raspberries)
• Vegetables (whatever is on sale… broccoli, squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, spinach)
• Sugar-free gum (I’m addicted)
• Lean protein for dinner (chicken breasts, lean ground beef)
• Ravioli
• Pasta sauce
• Sugar-free Jello
• Eggs
• Oatmeal

 If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want? (Other than peanut butter. 🙂 )

Assuming necessities like water aren’t allowed, I’d want Ryan, Sadie and a ridiculously long but very entertaining book. If I could have an unlimited supply of three foods on the island I’d pick ice cream, chocolate and Cheez-its.

I’m thinking about transferring to UCF. I’m a marketing major. Did you enjoy your time at UCF? If you had to do it all over again would you pick the same school?

I really, really loved my time at UCF and am very grateful for such a fantastic college experience. I want to be 100 percent honest with you though and tell you that I didn’t feel overly challenged in my classes at UCF. I’m not sure if it was my major (advertising and public relations… which I loved), but I didn’t feel like I was ever overwhelmed with studying obligations and I think I possibly could have been better challenged elsewhere. That said, the teachers and students really are wonderful people and I really would highly recommend UCF to anyone. 🙂 Feel free to email me (pbfingers@gmail.com) if you have any additional questions because I was a marketing minor and have some experience in marketing classes there as well. Good luck in your decisions!!! If you select UCF I have no doubt you will love it!

Hi Julie! Have you ever noticed that when you open your page the peanut butter on the spoon has a smiley face? It’s only on the top, once you scroll down it stays there and the spoon moves down. Is this supposed to be there? I love it and I’m sure it was planned, however if it was not planned it would be super cool as well. Can you tell I’m very observant and pay attention to detail? HEHE

I love that you brought this up!!! This was actually not planned and, believe it or not, doesn’t show up on everyone’s computers! It doesn’t show up on my lap top at home, but it shows up on Ryan’s and my family’s computer. Odd, huh? I kinda like the little smiley guy. He’s like my little blog guardian. 😉

I was wondering how many hours of sleep do you get each night? You seem to do so much in one day. When do you go to bed and wakeup? I wake up at 6 and most days I’m exausted after work and don’t feel like doing anything but coming home fixing dinner and going to sleep. Where do you get all of your energy?

I typically wake up at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and am in bed by 9:30 p.m. That’s a full eight hours of sleep baby! 😀 Sleep is SO important to me and after a full day of work, working out, walking or playing with Sadie, hanging out with Ryan, making dinner and blogging, my body is ready for bed at 9:30 p.m. every night. My body is really used to this schedule now and I don’t feel tired most days until be time. I work out first thing in the morning and eat constantly throughout the day (six mini-meals) which I think really helps keep me feeling energetic throughout the day.

One question: How do you keep your stomach so flat?

First of all, thank you! 🙂 Secondly, I naturally gain weight in my lower half first (hips, butt, legs). However, if I do notice that my stomach is getting a little softer, I’ll up cardio and try to incorporate more intense cardio sessions (like interval training) into my routine which my body seems to respond tto best. Also, I cannot stress the importance of healthy eating when it comes to carrying weight in my stomach. I will literally be walking around with a food baby belly if I have a weekend full of ice cream, cookies and other indulgent foods. 🙂

How often do you and Ryan drink alcohol?

We drank Relax (the best Riesling wine ever!) last night! 🙂

Ryan and I both are not really all that into alcohol. I really don’t like it all that much, with the exception of wine that tastes like juice. 😉 If we’re hanging out with friends or the alcohol-drinkin’ mood strikes us we’ll definitely have a few drinks! I just haaate feeling like caca (yes, I just said caca) the next day. Cheers!

I know I didn’t get to all of your questions, but I’m pluggin’ away!!! Stay tuned for more AMA Q&As! 😀