Fatroll, meet Hauteness. Hauteness, meet Fatroll. I am writing this post for my two favorite blogs on the web…my own!

Out of Control Fatroll was started by me and three girlfriends in June 2009. We all wanted to lose weight (whether it be a little or a lot) and we all struggled with staying motivated to do so. One day, Jenni, Kristine, and Meredith called me via conference call and said “Let’s compete against each other to lose weight and write a blog about it!”. Needless to say, I said yes and Fatroll was born. Our efforts to lose weight by laying everything out there on the blog, including our weekly weigh-ins, garnered us attention from the Austin American Statesman and in October 2009 we made the front page of the Life & Style section with the results of our first 17 week weightloss competition. A year after launching we are still posting and still working hard to lead healthy lifestyles. If you are a Hauteness fan and want to read the reflections of four girls trying to put the cupcake down, feel free to check out Fatroll here.

Hello Hauteness is my second blog child that I launched on June 1st of this year. I have a fashion design degree from THE University of Texas at Austin and, well, fashion is my passion. After helping a few friends with some personal styling advice their overwhelmingly positive feedback led me to take on Stylist work. Hauteness is a forum for putting my thoughts, judgements, and tips on fashion and style out there for all to read. In addition, you can learn a little about me and the services I can offer to help you look polished. So if you’re a Fatroll reader, male or female, and have an interest in fashion and/or style, check out Hauteness here.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful blog friendship…

Welcome to the newly redesigned @fatroll site.

Finally, the day has arrived!!

Wonder why I’ve been so quiet lately? Well, here’s the reason.  I’ve worked goodness knows how many hours to have the site upgraded. From the design to the code, we have a fresh new start!

If I may toot my own horn for a bit, I’m pretty excited about this little project. Talk about a very steep learning curve. Prior to working on @fatroll, I had very little experience with this type of stuff. Luckily, WP documentation is pretty stellar and “learn on your own” is kind of my forte.

Of course, I couldn’t have finished it without the help of the following amazing guys.

It’s like I just won the Wordpress n00b award for “completing her first WP template”.

Appropriately, I have drafted a hypothetical thank you speech. .

To:

Cesar Torres – for the amazing design & last minute hack-a-thon (love Cupcake Carl)

Michael Cummings – for hackin my code and sharing your WP skills with me

Juan Sequeda – for playing with the database and translating geek for me (oh, and the copious amounts of coffee)

Andrew McCollum - for getting me started and cleaning up the ugliness of this code

I’m really lucky to have such brilliant and patient guys helping me along the way. Trust me — this stuff isn’t easy — especially when you’re working with someone who has NO real programming skills.

We have a couple more surprises up our sleeves. But, first — homework.

Let us know what you think by clicking on Contact or commenting below.

This past weekend, the @fatroll girls once again spent the weekend enjoying each other’s company while FAILing in the most grandiose way possible.

After the last final weigh-in, we all let this past weekend become a bit of a slackfest. On Friday night, we gathered together to celebrate and to relax with a little bit of champagne and a lot of Gourdoughs. I think we’ve gabbed about this ridiculous gourmet donut shop enough that it may sound like it’s all we eat. It should’ve been. The calories from one of these delicious creations must equate to at least two extra inches in the waist line. Nonetheless, we enjoyed every fat fail minute of it.

Here are a couple of pictures to document the yummy goodness.

On Saturday night, Jenni invited us over for a bit of carb-loading fun paired with the Hangover. She was running the 3M the next day; so we all decided to show our support by eating her amazing bison pasta creation (well, minus myself but there was an equally yummy gluten-free option).

See, we at @fatroll embrace these types of moments as much as possible. As we’ve always said, never deprive yourself of anything and reward yourself when you can. And, yes, the donut does not help in the pursuit of “hottest bikini body” round three; but, we all have five months to figure that out.

Recently, it seems that my interest has been peaked about the debate surrounding local/organic food growers and large corporations. Living in Austin, we’re pretty lucky  to have a variety of food options. From Whole Foods to HEB, no matter your price point, you can find a way to buy the goods you need. (I do recognize and have read the opposition surrounding Whole Foods and John Mackey of late – but that’s for an entirely different post)

However, I find it fascinating to learn how U.S. agriculture has changed so significantly in the last couple of decades. Earlier this week, I stumbled upon this movie on Hulu called The Future of Food. Check out the full video here.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNezTsrCY0Q]

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

Of course, when I read patent I was automatically intrigued. I am after all focusing on copyright and intellectual property for my thesis. But, in any case, it is an interesting documentary and worth the watch. Did you know there are patents for seeds held by corporations that historically pimp pesticides?

I’ve lived in several places around the world and am always flabbergasted by the sheer size of American produce when I return. Since Peru, I’ve once again become more cognizant of the produce in the States. Last Sunday, we took a shopping trip to SAM’s Club. There, I found a pomegranate the size of a softball. Odd, I thought. That can’t truly be the size of this fruit. There is clearly a trade off for mass production and freshness/quality.

Sure walking in Peru helped with the diet but it is worth noting that the food there was also fresher and “regular” in size. But, let’s be real. As much as this concerns me, I also don’t have the cash to make sure I buy only organically grown/hormone-less products. (A conundrum that plagues the poorest areas of our nation). And, according to the movie above, it would be impossible to know unless we examine produce from a genetic level.

Any tips on how to stay away from such foods and not break the bank?

‘Tis that time of year. Yup, you’ve seen it all over the news. It’s flu season. It’s cold season.

Beyond the flu shot, what can you do to help circumvent the achy pains or runny nose? Well, if you’re like me, it’s a good dose of reality television. Just kidding.

Recently, struck down by some sort of cold bug, I’ve decided to share a couple food tips to cure this ailment. Besides, it gets me out of fetal position from the couch.

According to the “Best cold and Flu-Fighting foods” in Forbes 2008 (written by Allison Van Dusen), the following are your best bets:

• Cremini, Portabello or white button mushrooms
• Garlic
• Tea
• Honey
• Oats
• Elderberry
• Cabbage
• Whey Protein
• Barley
• Sweet Potato

Of course, the best way to avoid either the flu or a cold is to eat a well balanced meal, exercise daily and wash your hands. I firmly believe that my current zombie-like state is in clear retribution of my decisions this past weekend.

Ok, ok..body. I get it. No more fried butter.

Karen, me and Marianne - 2008

Finally! Less than two hours to go before the final weigh-in for this first phase. I am nervous. In fact, I can feel my heart racing fantasizing about stepping on that scale. But, I guess the increased heart rate means I’m burning calories as I type this.

In the spirit of what Ashley and Jenni have posted, I too have decided to share a couple of my before pictures. Scanning through my Facebook, it never really occurred to me how the changes CAN be seen in the pictures. WOW.

FSA Women's Football Championship Team - 2005

I told the @fatroll girls that I suffer from chubby cheeks syndrome. Looking back, I guess you could say I suffered from chubby circumference syndrome too! Though I didn’t lose an impressive double-digit amount of pounds, I must say that even five pounds can make you look and feel so different.

Thanks again to everyone for their support. Special thanks to my roomie, my closest Austin @’s and to Dane for totally keeping me sane. Of course, a BIG BIG thanks to Meredith, Jenni and Ashley for being so inspirational, witty and just plain hilarious.

Weight-loss is not easy. Sharing that number, your wins and your struggles on the Internet is even harder. But, it’s totally worth it. Ashley’s right..it’s a total lifestyle change. I haven’t been this active in a really long time, and I love it.

Me, Pete and Marianne - 2008

I have no idea why we're dressed like this at work

Meredith and I during Halloween (I think 2007?)

My Birthday 2009

Ok, that killed at least 30mins..only 1.5 hours to go!

Back in high school, I had a huge crush on Prince William. So dreamy and cute. Not so much anymore.

And then there was this one time I was at BookPeople checking out their expansive magazine section and came across Royalty Monthly! THE must-have magazine for all gossip and fashion related to royalty around the world. LOL. It is an awesome read (example: “Lock up your daughters!’ the Yanks cried as Harry’s whistlestop tour of New York began, but the party prince’s behaviour was impeccable and the tour a huge hit.” Hehe, Yanks!)

But let’s be honest. Even royalty have had their issues with weight. Fergie was a Weight Watchers spokesperson, Princess Di openly talked about her battles with anorexia, and now this.

Queen Victoria — my absolute “favourite queen” (I did two or three papers on her throughout my schooling and bought a cute china set in London a few year’s back with her crest) apparently was a fattie. And I’m not talking about rocking a 35+ inch waist (which means you have an increased chance of heart issues later in your life). This woman was big! When she was 18, she had a waist size of only 20 inches. That’s like, size 12 in kid’s sizing. After popping out NINE kids, she ballooned to a 56 inch waist.

So for your ladies who are trying to lose weight after children — fret not. The Queen at a @fatroll (or 12) too!

With my last week approaching, it’s bittersweet to look back and think how quickly this trip will come to an end.

Part of me is jealous of the other’s we’ve met along the way who still have weeks/months left in their journey. Sometimes it’s a bit lonesome, but then you meet a bloke who has fantastic stories, and it’s easy to envy him.

But, let’s be real. I also can’t wait to come home. Simple things like tofu or heck, lettuce, sound so comforting.

We just spent the later half of this past week in Puerta Maldanado exploring the jungle. Located on the south eastern portion of the Amazon Basin, we were only 3hrs from Brazil! Should’ve made the jump over.

While there, I somehow passed along the stomach bug to Michael, who has paid dearly. Ouch.

It was hot, humid and mosquito ridden. But totally worth it! We saw so many faacinating and odd creatures. From river otters to huge bugs to the stinky birds, it makes you wonder what nature was smoking when it made that.

While at the hostel, we met several groups of researchers from Stanford and A&M. Talk about feeling under accomplished- these guys have been living in the jungle for the past couple of months advising on waste and water management systems, studying the wildlife, or volunteering. One girl even had a fungus growing down her arm – hardcore.

It did however reignite my excitement to get back home and start my work as an academic. Hope my work will make a difference one day.

Our last leg includes a trip to Puno to check out Lake Titicaca at 4k meters. Awesome. The constant altitude and climate changes are taking its toll on both Michael and I. Luckily, antibiotics is antibiotics in Spanish. Or, at least our hand motions transcend language barriers.

As a side note, I’m listening to the Spice Girls at a local pub in Cusco- oh, the odd comfort I find in hearing Baby Spice.

I do love this city though and hope to come back in the very near future.

Still haven’t weighed myself – oddly there are no scales to be found! No wonder people are so happy here

I would say my clothes fit differently, but I definitely only packed sweats and
elastic wastedband clothing. Better for the psyche.

Here are a couple of pics! Enjoy

Hola!

Know it’s been quite some time since my last blog post, but I finally have some down time and a working Internet connection. Yay for hostels.

Apologies up front; but this one might be a longer entry than usual.  I’ve been out of the U.S. for officially 15 days and there’s a lot to catch up on.

Since my last post, I’ve traveled through a good portion of central and southeast Peru. From sandboarding to Machu Picchu to Cusco, I’ve seen and experienced so much. This country is captivating.

If you’ve been following my Facebook or my Twitter feed, you already know that I had the pleasure of  fighting off a cold/stomach bug.

When I arrived at Cusco, I pretty much slept the entire day while my travel bud, Michael, bought me a crap load of antibiotics. Bueno for selling medication over the counter here. Who needs some Riddlin? J/K

In any case, the recovery was a speedy one. Well, sort of – I had no choice. Due to a looming bus strike and tight schedules, we moved our trek up to Machu Picchu by a day.

Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m on the “poor man’s” trip through Peru. So, instead of the usual pleasant train ride to Aguas Calientes, we decided to travel via public transport and our own two feet.

Beginning our trip at 7:30 pm, we reached our first stop (Santa Maria) at 1:00 am and needed to get to Santa Teresa before the bus strike was in full swing. We took a colectivo (a cross between a bus/van) up the mountains. It was like a real life roller coaster. At one point, everyone was asked to get out of the van in order for the driver to make the small hump without falling off the edge.

At 3:00 am, we arrived in Santa Theresa; no bed and me feeling awful. Bus rides plus nausea plus fever plus stomach pains equals a pretty bitchy Kristine. Michael found us bed – and that’s the nice way of putting it.

The next day, we stopped by the hot springs after a 30minute hike down to the river. Then, finally at 3:45pm we started the real trek to Aguas Calientes. According to the Internet, it would take two hours to walk from the hydroelectric plant. We had 2.5 hours until the sunset. Cutting it close. Yeah, that’s us.

We followed the train tracks. It was great to walk through the mountains and really enjoy the scenery. Plus, the conversations were always entertaining between the four of us. Nearing the third hour of walking (with our 25-30lb backpacks on), we still had not reached our destination. It was dark and the mosquitos were out for blood (I have 62 bites to prove it).

Finally, we saw the Pepsi sign and moved off the train tracks – great! 30 more minutes to go. When we finally reached the hostel, my body was in complete pain. I think we clocked over 12 miles of hiking that afternoon.

The following morning at 4:00 am, we awoke to begin our walk up Machu Pichhu. The goal: to beat the tourist buses, see sun rise and get a ticket to WaynuPicchu. It should take 30minutes – NOT. It was pretty much a 1.5 hour sprint up the steep mountain steps of Machu Picchu. A stairmaster has nothing on that mountain.

We hung out for about six hours at the top and then finally made the trek back down. It was a beautiful site, and I can’t even begin to explain it. I’ll let the pictures do that.

I highly recommend the entire experience to anyone who’s a bit loco too

Since then, I’ve treked through the entire Sacred Valley visiting sites in Ollaytatambo, Urrabamba, Pisac  (six hours of hiking in one day) etc.  If my shoes could talk, they’d probably say: you’re killing us.

Not sure if all the walking is actually helping on the @fatroll mission. I’ve been eating pretty much fruits, chicken, potatos, rice and quinoa! The food here is great, but I’m making a conscious effort to watch everything I eat. It’s still a competition after all. IN IT TO WIN IT.

With less than two weeks left, we’ve got a pretty packed itinerary. First, to the Amazon! I can’t wait to see crazy animals, fight off yellow fever and be on a boat (sans the flippy-floppies).

I miss everyone like crazy and am so proud of the continued fat ass kicking! (not very PC I realize).

Til next time!

Ciao