Brand Spankin' New

Bartleys Run has a new look!

Since I'm taking a drastic down week from running, I suddenly have so much free time to nerd out on my computer. As you've probably noticed, I took this opportunity to update the design and images on Bartleys Run to be a little bit more... us.

Not gonna lie, I laughed hysterically the entire time I spent making the little Todd silhouette in the green tag. I had fun doing it! I'm extremely new to learning Photoshop, so there will be plenty more tweaks to this blog as time allows.

What do you think of the new look? How can I add/change things to make this blog easy to read?



In other news about new stuff, I picked up a Zeo (Sleep Manager) at Ben's request this week while working up in Indy. This product asks the question: How much does a better night's sleep cost? $99 + tax, to be exact.

This little gadget is, in three words, night time headgear. The Zeo headband tracks your brain waves (?) and tracks data on your sleep patterns, uploading it via Bluetooth to your cell phone while you sleep. Have you ever woken up and felt like you were dragging as soon as you got out of bed? Zeo and Sleep Cycle are both designed to analyze your sleep patterns and wake you during your lightest sleep phase -- so they claim. When you do wake up, you're greeted with a pretty little graph and assessment of how long you spent in light, REM, and deep sleep.

There's a lot more to this thing, but since it's less than a week old, it'll still take some time to figure out what this thing is capable of and how useful it is to Ben for improving his sleep habits. [There's some irony in this as I'm writing at 2:44am while he's sitting next to me.] And since RF radiation and similar exposures are starting to come to the forefront, part of me wonders if this is really such a great idea - strapping EM waves to your head while your body's recharging, all while your cell is sitting just feet from your head.

You can try a lower-tech, non-headband version of this tech tool with the Sleep Cycle app on the iPhone. I've heard rave reviews, but have an Android phone and no way to try it out. I'm definitely curious to see if the results are similar!

Meanwhile, Ben's doing the testing on this gadget. I will definitely snap a photo once he's strapped up. :)

It may take months before we figure out the perfect mix of good-sleep variables, so stay tuned, and good night!

Is this nuts or cool? Have you used the Sleep Cycle app? I want to know, so leave a comment!

100 days - I'm Going Streaking!

I just ran 100 days in a row!!

For 100 days in a row I laced up my running shoes, headed out the door, and ran at least 4 miles. And, I did it because I wanted to... not because I felt like I had to.

And how does that make me feel? For something I never thought I'd do in a million years, I am jumping for joy!!!

Photo: Zach Hetrick

There were days when it was kind of a struggle, but not force-fed. Running 3, 4, and 5 days a week was good enough for me previously, but I felt like I could have been better if I put in more time to running. If you read about the 4-week nutrition overhaul, everything I'm doing is to run better. Better = less injured, more efficiently, stronger, and faster (if I can!).

Working out, exercising, and especially running started becoming really stale after Chicago in 2010. Does anybody remember that race? It was over 90 degrees and hot in October. Not only was it horribly warm, but I injured my foot around mile 8. I kept going and actually finished!

In 2011 after that mysterious foot injury, I still didn't feel like training - or running, period. I was on a forced 3-4 day/week running habit, with 30-50 cycling miles each week. The Indiana heat and humidity drove my motivation to an all-time low. Ben finished his first iron distance triathlon (woohoo!) and I slogged through the half iron. For a fleeting second, it was tough enough that I knew I could've felt better during the race if I'd put in more time on the bike/in the water/running.

Not a sheep  - that's me sticking out in the teal tri top

Nothing changed as Winter came... and then New Year's. And on New Year's Eve - suddenly and without any reason - I felt this renewed sense of energy and drive toward running! From that point on, I ran every single day. It's been interesting ride so far.

If you like stats... as of April 9, 2012:

• I logged 709 running miles between January 1, 2012 and April 9, 2012 (100 days).
• 7.09 - average miles logged per day.
• 17 - max single-run distance logged during this period
• 4.2 - miles run on the shortest day(s)
• 50.6 - average mileage per week
• 70 - max mileage in a week
• 2ish - the number of visits I've made to Bloomington Sports & Wellness (BS&W)
• 0 - number of visits to BS&W because of an injury

And once I've mentioned the Hundred Day Challenge, non-runners ask: why? Runners are a little more understanding and curious.

Aren't your legs tired?
They were at first, but after about 3 weeks, my body got used to running every day. In the past 6 weeks I switched from doing 2 workouts per week to none... lowering the intensity has helped a ton. And, there's no such thing as junk mileage - check out this article.

Is all that mileage from one run a day?
HECK NO. The week I hit 70 miles, I ran twice a day for two days that week. I also get in a lot of extra mileage just from running to and from the store for group runs (6 miles round trip).

How are you not injured yet?
Ha, thanks for your vote of confidence!! :) Yeah, my track record's not so good...

Two things are different this year.
First, I have been strength training much more - focusing on glutes, hips, and core. I add arms in also, but it's not a priority. You can usually find me at the Y on the leg press machine, doing lunges with 5-pound weights in the hallway, the hip abductor/adductor machine, and the declined bench. When I quit lifting, things start to hurt or ache.

I have worked my behind off to change my form. Ever since the Ben & I attended the Newton retail summit and form clinics in Boulder last year, I've been sold on the idea of being efficient and  taking stress off of the areas that get injured... it totally worked for me. I love teaching people natural running form and helping them run injury-free, too!

If I miss out on a week of strength training (because it only takes one to two sessions a week), I feel the aches and pains. That's how I know I'm falling off the wagon.

What's different now?
I do a lot more laundry. Bleh.

I hate folding laundry.

I learned that I can be consistent and that I *can* run every day of the week. Taking down the intensity has allowed me to do that, and keeping this kind of routine isn't as crazy hard as it sounds. It sometimes requires early mornings, but I keep running knowing I'll (eventually) be more fit and faster for doing it!

How'd you swing 100 days with the nutrition thing?
Well, I learned by accident that minimizing carbs is bad for you when I started smelling ammonia after my runs. I'll be honest- I felt awful for the two weeks it took to figure out that I need pasta and bread in my diet. With nutrition, I feel my best when purposely eat as many clean, unprocessed foods as I can. SO much easier said than done... I'm a snackaholic.

I didn't really lose much weight like I had intended (to get faster by carrying less weight). Overall, I might've dropped 2 or 3 pounds since the beginning of February. Eh, maybe it's better that way.

What kinds of runs are you doing?
Up until the middle of March, a couple of my weeks looked like this for weekly mileage: 50, 70, 49, 49. In those miles, I was doing track workouts, repeats, pace runs, you name it - 3 of these each week. It was really hard!

I started feeling really fatigued during and right after my 70 mile week. Fatigued to the point that I was stopping to walk on ~5 of every 7 runs each week. Eventually, we figured out that this was a health issue (a non-threatening one that doesn't stop me from running) that is causing me to feel this tired all the time. More on that later.

In the spirit of experiments, Ben & I took on heart rate training around a month ago. When I got my Garmin 610, I opted for the heart rate version. This article, and tons of other research, indicates that we're probably all working/running too hard for the same benefit.

The article asks: If you could run slower but still gain the same amount of speed, would you do it? Yes. Yes, yes, and yes! So, I've been sticking to the sweet spot around 80% of max HR, which has slowed down my pace. I've hit 60 miles a time or two since my 70 mile week and felt incredible in comparison because I quit doing HR-maxing, leg-busting workouts. I love it! Run slower to get faster.

Speaking of training, what are you training for?
Ab-solutely nothing! I love hopping into races last-minute. No expectations!! Nothing's more devastating than busting my behind all season to drop out of the race due to injury, or bomb because of weather, nutrition, or just making a tactical mistake.
I just run 'cause I like it. I'll sign up for a 5k or something soon maybe-ish.

Where do you run?
On those rare cold days during the Winter, we (the group) would run laps at Assembly Hall. There's a figure eight loop you can do in there that's 3 laps to 2 miles. If it was rainy or icy, I was running there inside. [On treadmills: It's a last resort when I'm traveling in an unfamiliar/unsafe area.]

I like to try running with other store groups when I'm traveling for work - the Dick Pond (Lisle, IL) and Three Rivers (Fort Wayne) groups are my favorites! I've been fortunate enough to find some good multipurpose paths and trails in my recent destinations.

Roads are good for me because I can't seem to stay vertical on uneven surfaces like trails.

In Btown, I have a few loops around to South/East sides of Bloomington that hit the Jackson Creek Trail & Olcott Park (5 miles), Hyde Park neighborhood + Jackson Creek Trail (7 miles), and a short 4-mile YMCA loop. I like the gravel portions of the rail trail, too!

Having running buddies helps me keep the fun! in running so it's not just about times, workouts, pace, and busting my butt. Enter BARA. Ben's also a fun person to run with, but this guy (photo above) - Scrappy - was one of my favorites. I've been running on the Rail Trail with adoptable dogs from the Bloomington Animal Shelter, and it makes me happy to see how much fun they're having! I was super excited to find out that Scrappy was adopted only a few days after our jaunt.

When will you stop running?
I'm not sure. I'll just keep on going* until I don't feel like it anymore, or until I can't!


*April 28, 2012 marks 119 days!
--------------------

Am I crazy? Have you considered taking on the 100-day challenge? Or just trying to stay consistent with running?

Your thoughts... let's hear 'em!

Boston 2012 - the Runs!

The week's run in photos...

Milford, MA & Hopkinton, MA - ran on the Upper Charles Trail, a multi-purpose path that was once (next to) a railway. In Milford, it's called the Milford Upper Charles Trail and is split into two distinct halves - North of 495, and South of 495. The trail is planned to go much, much farther, but a large portion of it is still under construction.

As an outsider, the path seemed to be really safe and everyone EXTREMELY friendly. Not only did a couple tell me "Good morning" when I passed them the first time, but they told me, "Have a good day!" as I saw them the second time heading back to the Courtyard. Awww.

There are definitely parts that are more industrial (like a Benjamin Moore plant) or just butt up to the backs of buildings or parking lots, but never once did I feel unsafe or uneasy about my surroundings. I went in the morning as early as 6am, always in daylight. If you go, I recommend it!

Heading South (of 495)

Right outside my hotel: (you can see the hotel sign off in the distance beyond the sign) the Milford Upper Charles Trail. 

Lots  of boulders on the trail

This is what you'll be looking at if you hit this trail* - typical view.

Failed attempt at a photographing-while-running multitasking.

*Note: Don't waste your time running on the offshoot paths that aren't paved - they don't take you anywhere. I promise. I tried... I really did.

 There is a nice "trail head" and parking area near this lake. It was beautiful as the sun lit it up in the morning!

Random photo. I thought the gate was cool-ish.

More randomness... all the trees are in bloom!

Farther south, you run into Fino park (which was obviously empty at 6am) and head into the town of Milford. Again, road crossings are easy. People are so nice here! This is not the culture of the Northeast that I've always heard of...

It starts getting a little more townish when you hit this... as soon as you see this sign (although you'd come from the other direction), the path ends. On the map, this is the part that's still under construction to link to the other phases of the trail.

I took a little detour through the small town on Main Street, parallel to the trail, as I headed back toward the hotel. There are a number of pretty churches and historical-looking buildings like this one that are easy on the eyes (take the good with the bad - there are an equal number of houses along the route that need some TLC!)

Heading North (from 495)

First, from the Courtyard hotel I had to run across a couple of highway onramps/offramps. People are surprisingly very accommodating and are very willing to stop to let you cross.

Then, I ran under a series of 3 or 4 buzzing overhead electrical towers. Not as scary as it sounds.

Once on the trail (about 300 yards in), it was marked every 20 steps with this:

At first I thought it might be some math equation (don't judge - I get stupid when I run!)

In hindsight, I'm guessing every 20 steps = 20 yards. It made me feel like I was going fast! I get that it's marked by distance, but why?

Look at this and tell me it's NOT the Bloomington Rail Trail!

There were sections that you could hop off and run alongside the paved path on this softer surface, well within sight of the paved path.

More nice and cushy path! Flat, no roots, definitely not technical.

The trail is long and straight-ish as you go North.

The trail ends as it's under construction currently, but will eventually meander into Hopkinton. Meanwhile, I ran on the sidwalk-less road for about .5 mile until I hit sidewalks. Careful - the road is curvy and drivers can't always see you.

Hopkinton - the beginning of the Boston Marathon!

And home to cute and quaint New England homes like this one.

 All in all, highly recommend this trail if you're not going far - you can get some decent mileage out of it (8 to 10 on the whole circuit) and it's a good place to turn off the brain and get moving. Eventually, this thing will extend farther and turn into a really solid run!

Want to know exactly where to run (where I ran) in Milford, MA?
Here's my Garmin Data and map.

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Boston 2012 - Part Deux

The week in pictures...

Got to Boston, hung out at Boston Common waiting for friends/co-workers to arrive. WAY less crowded than it was earlier in the morning.... (where you catch the bus to go to the Boston Marathon start line at 5am - it's pandemonium!)

Lots of people wearing their finisher medals around. Way more than last year - probably because it was such a big deal to have finished. Props. Tons of runners everywhere still in running gear... slightly jealous of them, but mostly not. It was a super-nice day, so I loitered around Boston Common on a park bench people-watching.

Marathoners - they're everywhere!

The view of Faneuil Hall, a shopping/restaurant area.

Met up with co-workers and realized none of them had been to Boston before. Walked them around Faneuil Hall for a minute and then headed to Legal near the aquarium. Horrible service... we were there for 2.5 hours and I think our server was drunk. In addition to that, while sitting outside, rats would scurry around our legs every few minutes as it got dark. Gross? yes.

You can't miss the cannoli from Mike's Pastry. The guys weren't really "dessert people," but after they ate this, they admitted it was life-changing. Bring cash.

I ate them way too fast and forgot to snap a picture.

During the week - Training at the Research Institute in Hopkinton, Mass. It involved driving trucks around.

Fenway Park - Red Sox vs. Rangers. They lost.
We took the T in from Newton Center.

My first time at Fenway - love the character of the ballpark.
Stairs:  a parade of insurance company employee awesomeness!

This is the SECOND time I've gotten free tickets while standing outside of a ballpark (first time - Rockies game). Totally free! A couple just gave them to us... beats the standing-room-only "seats" we were about to buy. (Me & Laura left the boys  high and dry in that breezy cold area). Four seats from the field - you could see the creases in the players' pants!

LOVE the old-school scoreboard. There's a guy changing out the numbers at right.

Heading out, had time to kill and hit up a Travel Channel favorite, a hole-in-the-wall seafood place EAST of the airport. Yes, east. 

Belle Isle Seafood - fresh and cooked seafood. Bring cash.

the chow-dah was amazing. I can die happy.

Crab salad on toast - SO fresh.

 This is the place - bars on doors/windows and all!

Next door to Belle Isle - a good place to dump a body. This is Boston! ;)

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Boston: this is work? (Part 1)

It's weeks like this that I love my job. Last week, I went to Boston for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My third Patriots Day in Boston looked nothing like this:

or this:

Actually, Boston was more like this:

My new work bud, Laura, trying to back up a tractor trailer. WAY harder than it looks.

 I drove one of these:

And this too:

And like this as well!

This is my job.

I learned what it was like to drive a tractor & trailer. Then, I learned how to back. Let's just say that if you see me behind the wheel of a truck this big, HIDE YOUR CHILDREN!!

Being a safety consultant, I needed to know what it was like to completely lose control of a truck... to jack knife and to skid, and the horrific panic that comes with it. (By the way, don't think that a tractor without a trailer is safer - it's not.)

This was better than Six Flags!!

This was one of the tamer skids... most people went the full 360º. Wanna see what it looks like from the inside?  (sidenote: my driver co-worker, Brian, is like a trail runner version of my friend Shane with a heavy Boston accent)

Because this was all done under controlled conditions, the trailer was tied down with steel cables. Take a close look at this video and you'll see how easy it is to jack knife. You can see the trailer start to pull away and come around the trailer as the wheels and brakes lock up. Completely scary in a real situation.

Besides that, I spent the rest of the week running in the morning and enjoying the town - Hopkinton, Milford, and Boston - in the evenings. I wished Ben was there so he could do all the cool stuff too!

But, it gave me a chance to stuff myself silly with all the things we don't normally eat on a regular basis - like super fresh seafood and Chipotle (Ben's one of the few people who would not give up his left arm for a Chipotle burrito. I don't get it.). 

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Nutrition Overhaul: Week 4

Week 4 concluded the big nutrition overhaul month, and we have both definitely learned a lot in the past 30 days. Ultimately, this experiment led to multiple discoveries, which are so basic but we obviously forgot:

Have a plan

Basically, I know what I'm going to be eating for the day. This doesn't mean we can't go out to eat (because let's face it, our restaurant/entertainment budget has increased with our grocery bill); I know what food is going in and can somewhat plan my food intake to offset it. The same thing applies for exercise -- if I'm running a bazillion miles in the morning, then I have to make sure to refuel. In the past few weeks, I may have gone a little overboard with the restricting, which presumably led to the freaky ammonia smell in my nose after I run or exercise.

Traveling is seriously rough. 

It may have been kind of weird, but I had to plan ahead to bring healthy snacks with me when I was on the road. I ended up traveling to Peoria, IL, Kalamazoo to Port Huron, MI (views of Canada, you guys!), and Chicago. Coming next: Boston, Columbus, and who knows where else!

Sometimes it SEEMS like I'm driving this much!

Eating enough and well on trips is an art I have not yet perfected. 

A day or two before the trip, I sometimes make what I call my "power muffins," bite-sized 50-calorie/oil-free chocolate chip banana bread mini-muffins, which travel well and hold me over in emergencies. I started experimenting with little bite-sized quiches, but haven't invented a recipe that's worth repeating yet.

Let's not forget - hotel breakfasts are the worst!!! Sometimes it's an all-you-can-eat buffet, but you leave feeling half nauseous, lethargic, and full of grease. Other times, it becomes a battle in the decision between a cheese danish and a bearclaw. Not ideal.

As a "Marriott person," I really like Springhill Suites. The breakfasts at Marriott hotels are usually consistent across brands, and I like that so I know what to expect. Navigating around hotel breakfasts that vary is like playing MacGuyver: what can you make with the few things you've got in front of you? At Springhill, I toast an English muffin, add some of the eggs, and top with salsa or a sprinkle of the delicious egg seasoning they usually have on-hand. If I'm really hungry, I add a slice of sausage. Add a small glass of OJ and I'm good to go!

Kind of random, but this is so awesome I have to share: Courtyard by Marriott now has an EXCELLENT breakfast menu (although one that's not free, unlike the others) that lists the calories next to the menu item, a la Panera. LIKE! Talk about making decisions so much easier.

photo: blogs.marriott.com

...I have so much more to write about traveling, staying healthy, and exercising. That may have to come in another post.

Vehicle safety aside, I usually have to eat while I drive, or I don't get to eat at all. Bringing finger foods is the only way!! I really like Fiber One Oats & Chocolate bars, Smokehouse Almonds, and this new snack mix from Target's Archer Farms brand that is extremely addicting. It's oats and cocoa baked together to form clusters, with chocolate chips, almond slices, and little chunks of pomegranate  mixed in. I'm warning you - this stuff is like crack! I can't remember what it's called (and it's not labeled as 'Crack'), but you'll find it in the trail mix aisle in a package that looks like this:


Here's a sampling of some other relatively travel-friendly foods I like to bring with me:

My already-running-late-but-need-to-eat meal: peanut butter & banana.

Left to right - enchilada (good only until lunchtime), frosted mini wheats, grapes, pear, water.

First energy gel ever made that you don't need to choke down.
It contains bits of fruit

My favorite dietitian friend, Rachel, also recommended oatmeal as a good to-go snack - just put it in a container after you make it in the morning and eat it on the road. It's room temperature, but still keeps you full and balanced.  I mixed mine with berries, greek yogurt, and a little honey. Not something you want to leave in the car all day.

I eat when I feel hungry. 

And I TRY stopping when I feel full. If I'm feeling "snacky," I have to ask myself if I'm actually hungry. Or, maybe I'm thirsty. This trick usually works, but not always. This is definitely the hardest part of the nutrition overhaul, as I predicted.

Sometimes, if I walk away for a few minutes and distract myself with something else (on Pinterest, perhaps?) I can resist the urge. A couple of times, I brushed my teeth and flossed if I felt like I had to have candy - lots of it. If I spend time brushing and flossing, and then need to do it again after eating again, that's usually enough to stop my lazy self from eating more Sour Patch Kids. :) Hooray for dental health!

I'm embarrassed to confess that I haven't been living by this rule lately, because portion control is closely tied in with this. It's even more challenging when eating out - so keeping an eye on quantity, even if it's healthy food, is something I still have yet to conquer.

More recipes! 

The best thing about the project was getting out of the food rut, thanks to the internet.
A couple of fun fitness-food blogs via Pinterest and Google I follow daily now:

• Iowa Girl Eats is an awesome blog by a Midwest girl who's not only a runner (respect!), but a lover of delicious and usually-healthy food!
  
  She takes existing recipes and adapts them so they're slimmed down, or will share recipes she's developed on her own. She also publishes recipes that are so good, full-fat and all, that you have to try. No hard-to-find or weird ingredients, just good taste and lots of nutrients. So, you need to go visit her blog right now. I've been following along for the past few weeks and have seen her share recipes that look and sound so good that I want to drop everything I'm doing and run to the grocery store. Grapefruit mojitos, buffalo chicken quinoa mac and cheese, or the superfood salad with lemon vinaigrette. Yum.
  
• Run, Eat, Repeat is a blog written by Monica, a super quirky personal trainer (and runner!) in   California.
  
  She says all the crazy things we only think about in our heads - and then writes them in her blog. :) She posts multiple times a day, and takes photos of the creative-and-sometimes-weird food concoctions she makes up. Other times, she talks about her run; she's a fellow Garmin lover. Most of all, she's hilarious. I have literally LOL'ed while reading her blog, so go there now!
  
  

Food is fuel.

The ammonia thing might've been what did it for me, but I've always held to the mantra, "Garbage in, garbage out." The cleaner and fresher your food, the better you'll feel. I still have candy and dessert, but sometimes I just feel like BLEH when the sugar crash starts to hit. Taking that further, balancing carbs + protein + vegetables has been working well. Check out Greg McMillan's article on the best foods & drinks to consume to optimize recovery from a (hard) run... I always feel great the next day when I drink Endurox R4 within 30 minutes of a workout. It works! Bonus: The more concentrated you make it, the better the fruit punch flavor tastes.

I overcame my pricey 2-box-per-week cereal habit and started looking more carefully at how I was starting my days. I'd get hungry about 2 hours after breakfast, but once I added some kind of protein (peanut butter, greek yogurt, eggs), I didn't feel the urge to snack when 9 or 10am rolled around.

Like I mentioned earlier, our grocery bills nearly doubled. Now, we eat lots more salads, fish, fruit, and fresh produce. Frozen vegetables are still fair game. We definitely follow the typical runner's grocery list.... Because we always run into one of you at Kroger, you'll see our cart loaded with some of these things:

• Bell peppers
• Salad greens & spinach
• Carrots
• Broccoli sprouts (omg! My new obsession... I could eat this stuff all day, every day!!! More nutrients and longer shelf life than alfalfa sprouts!)
• Egg beaters
• Cottage cheese
• Salsa
• Tortilla chips
• Ground turkey 93/7 lean
• Ragu pasta sauce
• Whole what pasta
• Multi-grain bread (I know it's not as healthy, but the taste is totally worth the trade-off)
• Grapes, apples, bananas
• Tofu
• Frozen fruit berry medley
• Potatoes - sweet and russet
• Meal replacement drinks - an addition to a meal for when Ben's really hungry or wants something chocolatey-sweet but healthyish
• Kale - my other new discovery!
• Ciltantro (I eat cilantro pretty much daily in some way)
• Avocadoes
• Rotisserie chicken
• Chickpeas
• Oats
• Honey

The most notable things that disappeared from our grocery list (or were purchased in drastically reduced quantities):

• Oreos & cookies. Funny story, we used to buy so many Oreos so often that Kroger started sending us coupons for free packages. That should've been a sign.
• Cheese (besides cottage)
• Goldfish & snack crackers
• Ice cream in mass quantities

Number crunching. 

I succumbed. I gave in. I started counting calories... and it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Since I've fallen off the wagon a bit since week 4 actually ended, I may get back on. It's not about the number and calories themselves, but mostly about being conscious of how much junk I'm actually eating - and how quickly that adds up throughout the day. I use an app (available on Android & iPhone) called LoseIt! Highly recommend over any of the others that I tried. It allows you to track exercise, calories, add recipes (I can save recipes with my own concoctions), favorite/recent items, restaurant foods (because I eat at Chipotle and Panera when I'm on the road, and they're all in there!) and best of all: you can scan a food's barcode to enter it into your log.... no more typing and searching! I even found Bakehouse granola nutrition data available on LoseIt.
You can see all of your stats and track everything on your phone and/or on the loseit.com. Convinced yet?

Looking at an overview of the day usually let me know how I was doing and helped me figure out foods that left me full or were just calorie-bombs with no benefit. With the weigh-in function, it was also to see which foods (::cough:: Chipotle ::cough::) were really high in salt. 

We took this calorie-counting practice and found alternatives for the things that we wanted. As an example, a 2,000 calorie serving of ice cream wouldn't really cut it for the day. Best discovery ever: Dream DeLite at Jiffy Treat, which is a water-based soft-serve ice cream that tastes exactly like its heavier counterpart. 8 calories per ounce, compared to 25 calories per ounce, and you won't taste the difference. Artificial ingredients, you say? I checked - it looks pretty clean! It's pro-biotic and does not aggravate your stomach if you're lactose intolerant... and you can get it in flavors! A usual cyclone at Jiffy Treet (comparable to a Blizzard at DQ) would cost me only 100 calories in frozen yogurt + whatever mix ins. This makes dessert about 200 calories, 200-300 calories less than the original version. Yum.

How about you guys? Anyone trying any new eating habits? Have you found any good low-cal same-taste food substitutes?