Megan Likes This

The Simplest Diet

2009-10-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

I went to Sweden for 7 months last year and came back in March 15 pounds heavier. There, the ugly facts have been put down in writing. I figured they'd magically fall off when I came home, because in my experience weight loss has never seemed under my direct control, it just sort of spontaneously happens sometimes. But this time the magic didn't happen.

So, about six weeks ago I bought a bodybugg and started tracking my calories in and out. I learned a lot about where my calories tend to come from (hello, booze) and found that just the act of keeping track of what I eat tends to help me make better choices at each meal. So, since I got the bodybugg, I've lost 4 pounds (and I had sort of organically lost three pounds before that, which brings me to 8 pounds shy of my pre-Sweden weight).

But looking at the numbers, 4 pounds in 6 weeks is not very impressive. I've reduced my daily average caloric intake by just 250 calories—the equivalent of a single cocktail. Today, after another unimpressive weekly weigh-in, I decided that just tracking what I did eat isn't cutting it. I need to plan what I'm going to eat.

I was talking this idea over with a friend from work, who mentioned that Timothy Ferriss blogged about his simple plan for fat loss recently. Ferriss is the author of The 4-Hour Work Week, and kind of a professional life-hacker—he has shortcuts for everything, ranging from brilliant to kind of profane (he sends his jeans to India to be broken in by an outsourced worker), depending on your outlook. I saw him speak at South by Southwest a couple of years ago and the audience was literally gasping at some of his audacious suggestions.

Anyway, his concept for simple dieting goes like this: Choose a limited number of options for each meal and mix-and-match them. That way there's no guesswork and no meal planning. You can create categories of foods like proteins, legumes and vegetables and then put together stuff like (and this is just off the top of my head):

Free-range chicken, lentils and kale
Salmon, mashed chickpeas and asparagus
Carne asada (made with grass-fed beef), black beans and spinach salad

This is a little boring, but if you stick to your plan for just one month, you'll lose weight. Ferriss photographed his meals and they look horrible (sorry, dude—I'm not eating canned refried beans and frozen veggies), but the idea of templated meals is a great one. So is his idea that you should avoid drinking calories, avoid refined carbs, stick to clean proteins and copious amounts of vegetables, and use legumes as your carbs. Obviously this isn't a long-term solution—I personally would die of boredom if I did this for more than a month or so, but after you cut the fat, you can go back to your maintenence diet, consuming just slightly less calories than you burn. Can't hurt; might help. I think I'm gonna give it a try.

I'm Baaaack. But where's Another Bad Creation?

2009-10-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

My friend Kim, who lives far away and whom I haven't seen in person in way too long, reached out today and reminded me that "Megan Likes This" is a good idea. I kinda dropped the ball there, starting a blog and then posting like 4.2 times. Oops. Well, I moved to a new city, started a new job and nailed a bunch of insane deadlines, and now I do believe I'm gonna blog again. Whaddya think?

Today's post is all about nostalgia. Last night a buddy of mine started playing some of those old MTV party CDs from the 90s. That song "Playground" by Another Bad Creation (aka ABC) was in the mix, and... goddamn. It's a been a while since we've had a solid child-rapper to get excited about. Remember Kris Kross? Lil Bow Wow (ok, he's still around, but not "Lil" anymore)? I guess I didn't really realize how young they all were, and how outrageous it was for them to be that good at such a tender age, because I was around the same age myself.

Another Bad Creation was tight. Those kids could seriously rap and dance. So, whatever happened to them? I checked out their Wikipedia page, and it was very much just official band info—nothing about what became of the kids post-Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video. A little more Googling turned up this "Where are they now?" article from a random blogger, but I'll save you a few minutes of mindless reading—she doesn't really know. They regrouped and released an album in 2006, and now they're good-looking but no longer very famous.

Anyway, I encourage you to check out the "Playground" video on YouTube, just for kicks. Something Megan doesn't like: Universal Records has disabled embedding on all their music videos, including this one. Laaaammmme. Don't they understand distributed media? You're still on YouTube if the video's embedded, dummies—it's just a better user experience. Some people.

Anyway, enjoy this little slice of nineties magic!

Megan Likes Portable WiFi

2009-05-08T09:28:00.001-07:00

Yeah, yeah, it's been a long time since Megan liked anything. Well, Megan is busy. But today I came across a review of a new product that I really, truly dig. It's the Novotel MiFi—a portable wireless internet "cloud" that you can carry in your pocket for a fast, secure Web connection anywhere.

Now, at this point you're probably like, "Yo, Megan, don't you have a dongle?"

*Snicker.* No, I don't have a EVDO card, nor do I have a cable-modem dongle (or any other kind of dongle, you pervert). I've used both, though, and while they work alright, the connections speeds in my experience have been a little slow. And unless you have the kind that can be inserted in your computer's card slot, you're always at risk of someone bumping your computer and knocking the precariously attached thingie out of the USB slot. I like the idea of just having the MiFi in my purse and letting it emanate soothing waves of Internet goodness in my general vicinity. Best of all, according to the Pogue article, you can share your signal with others if you care to—it's a closed connection, but if you tell a friend your password and she happens to be sitting next to you, she too can get in on the MiFi lovin'.

Goldfish Training!

2009-04-01T22:41:00.001-07:00

No. Way. Goldfish can play football?? All hail the geniuses at ThinkGeek for making the world a better place with the R2 Fish Training School Kit. Now all I need is a little finned friend.

FYI, Megan is a total SUCKA. This was an April Fool's prank from ThinkGeek. A very good one at that!

Three Toys For Boys

2009-04-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

This evening I stumbled upon Vivre, a shop full of fanciful things most of us can't afford. But ooooh, aaaah—look at the cool guy stuff! The moto-hybrid bicycle is pure Italianate pomposity. You, too, can be the coolest dude in town for just $10,000.

More reasonable is the tricycle for awesome little boys. It's just $300, and when your kid outgrows it, you can keep it in your house as an objet d'art.

Speaking of art, check out the soccer ball designed by Ryan McGinness. McGinness first caught my eye a few years ago with his work at PS 1 and New York's MOMA—he does these surreal, colorful cutouts of fairytale-like images and layers them over one another in collages. I'm not sure why he created a soccer ball—it's not his best work, but it would be a great gift for a guy who appreciates both sports and art.

Drool-Worthy Bags

2009-04-01T11:12:00.001-07:00

I admit it, I'm a handbag whore. Luckily I'm a somewhat sensible whore—I use protection (in the form of a disapproving husband). But if I had my druthers, I'd have a whole closet full of luscious bags in every color. Right now, I'm eyeing the light-brown, buttery leather tote bag from Francisco Biasia (top image—on sale at RueLaLa for just $229!) and this ladylike lavender beauty from Chloe. God, I love Chloe bags. I probably won't ever buy one, though, because they retail for over $1,200. A girl can dream....

Fascinating Fascinators

2009-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

I really, really love fascinators. What the heck is a fascinator, you ask? Well, that's the proper name for a formal ladies' headpiece that usually incorporates feathers and/or flowers. I wore a rhinestone-feather-flower number in my hair (which was arranged in pin curls) on our wedding day. But I wish I had seen this Etsy shop when I was shopping for bridal headwear. I think all of her designs are great, but the one pictured here is my favorite.

via Something Old Something New

Spanish Pancake Recipe

2009-03-31T10:27:00.001-07:00

My friends and I love Mark Bittman's recipes (both in the New York Times and in his cookbooks). For example, Kate and Collin are obsessed with his no-knead bread recipe and have invented all sorts of variations on the original.

This week, Bittman posted a video demonstration of a recipe for a savory seafood pancake he first sampled in Spain. It's made with garbanzo bean flour, herbs, onions and garlic and whatever seafood you have on hand. I love the nutty flavor and crispy, almost sandy texture of garbanzo bean flour, so I think this one will be a winner. I'm going to cook it tonight for a dinner with my pals Mark and Keira and their kids. Let me know if you try the recipe, and whether you like it!

Excellent Date-Night Blouse

2009-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

I love the delicately sexy cut-outs on this blouse from What Goes Around Comes Around. AND it's on sale. I'm currently taking a break from buying clothing since I kind of overdid it in Sweden and had to clear out my closet to make room for my purchases, but I hope one of my friends buys this, so I can borrow it. Did I mention it's on sale??

An Ode to Shopping

2009-03-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

There was a funny episode of South Park the other night in which the economic crisis was parodied in a send-up of the Easter story—the economy equaled God, roughly, and Jesus was preaching the gospel of spending money. (See a synopsis here.) It was a little sacrilegious—well, okay, a LOT sacrilegious—but the point was something like this: You have to believe in a strong economy in order for it to exist.

A lot of people have lost their jobs, home values are in the shitter, our retirement funds are dwindling—it all sucks, I get it. But the thing is, unless you personall, have lost your job, you still have cash. There's a good chance that your situation hasn't changed a whole lot in the past year (unless you make the unwise move of looking at your 401K balance). But here's the thing: if you're still contributing to that 401K and you're at least a little ways from retirement, you're picking up stocks for cheap right now, and your balance will bounce back in the coming years. In the meantime, you're okay, and you could be part of the solution—so spend some damn money.

Of course it's a good idea to create a solid nest egg, but I feel like I'm doing a good thing by going out to eat and making regular small purchases, because a lot of economic experts are saying that it's our fear of a bad economy that is causing this thing to spiral out of control. The more we all sit on our little cash heaps, the more screwed we're going to be. Yeah, Americans in general need to learn to live within their means and not rely on credit so much. So don't buy a McMansion you can't afford. Don't buy a car you can't afford. Try to only spend cash—but do spend it!

Megan likes shopping. The economy likes shopping. Everyone's happy.

World's Cutest Cruiser Bike

2009-03-28T09:55:00.001-07:00

I saw this bike in person at a shop near my house at the end of last cycling season, and I've been coveting it ever since. It's the Electra Gypsy, and it's got the sweetest details—a forest green frame with handpainted folk-art flourishes, red stitching on the seat and handlebars, a basket lined with stylish fabric. Electra makes the best cruiser bikes. They're super comfy and fun to ride around. The only problem is that this model only has three speeds, and I've already got one with seven. Hmmm. Sacrifice a little performance for cuteness? Hell, I do that with shoes all the time!

The Coolest, Most Versatile Laptop Case

2009-03-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Check out this fantastic bag from Hard Graft: It's Italian leather on one side and black canvas on the other. It works for men or women, and it can be configured as a backpack, messenger bag or even a sexy clutch. I'm swooning.

via Oh Joy!

Etsy Find: Sexy Kimonos

2009-03-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

I am certifiably obsessed with Etsy, and I love when I find gorgeous, weird shit that reaches far beyond the ubiquitous throw pillows and canvas tote bags. Take SkyCreation's shop, for instance. She makes me wish I were 20 and Japanese. Okay, I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind if I were 20 and Japanese, too, but that's another story.

Anyway, SkyCreation sews costume-y Gothic Lolita dresses and kimonos that walk that particularly Japanese line between innocent girliness and total kink. A lot of her stuff is unwearably frilly (outside Shinjuku, Tokyo, anyway), but the hot kimonos pictured above are just awesome.

Oh, and her adorable hooded scarves for little girls? Dress-up heaven.

Tell Me a Great Story

2009-03-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

I've done a lot of traveling for work recently, and in my continuing quest for in-flight entertainment that doesn't rot my brain, I've become addicted to the New Yorker's free fiction podcast. Each month, the magazine's fiction editor, Deborah Treisman, asks a famous author to choose a favorite short story from the pages of the New Yorker, and read it aloud. Then they have a conversation about why the story was particularly fascinating or fun or meaningful. One story that stuck out for me in particular was "A Day," by William Trevor, read by Jhumpa Lahiri (author of The Namesake and Unaccustomed Earth). It's hard to describe the amazingness of the story without giving too much away, but I think I can safely tell you that it concerns a housewife who believes her husband is having an affair. It's very sparsely written, and about half the story is told between the lines—a real masterwork of verbal economy.

House of Harlow 1960

2009-03-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a business plan for a new social shopping Web site to pitch to the R&D team at Bonnier, and in the course of my research today, I came across this new line of really great jewelry, designed by Nicole Ritchie, of all people.

It's called House of Harlow 1960 (Harlow is the name of Ritchie's little girl), and it features elegant but sort of tough designs that call on diverse influences like Art Deco, ancient Egypt and superheroes. I especially love these gold-plate and leather bracelets. Get 'em online at Kitson.

A New Blog? Why?

2009-03-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget how much I like things. All sorts of things pique my interest and make me really happy, if I stop to think about it. So this new blog is sort of a public place to count my blessings—or maybe your blessings, too, depending on whether you also like the things I point out.

What I'm going for with this blog could probably best be described as a more writerly version of a delicious feed. A place where I can pile up all the interesting, pretty, or just downright attention-grabbing stuff I find on the InterWebs or in the dust bunny-filled corners of my mind each day.

A lot of style blogs devote space to the opinions and outfits of famous fashionistas like Rachael Zoe or Kate Moss. But I'm not interested in that, because I don't know them. However, I do care what YOU think is cool, because if you're reading this, it probably means we're pretty good friends. So please chime in with your own thoughts and links to the stuff you like in the comments section.

Enjoy!