Everyday Tweet

Is It a Cold or Allergies?

Photo: Sneeze Weed (Helenium) by Oakley Originals on Flickr

Early Spring is one of those times of year when you are not sure if all your sneezing is because you have a cold as it is still cold/flu time or it it allergies as all the new plants are coming back to life.

Form the Mayo Clinic site, here are a few details to tell the difference:

Colds

• Symptoms usually include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing.
• May experience body aches and pains. Rarely, mild fever.
• Can be spread to other people

Allergies

• Symptoms usually include itchy eyes and runny or stuffy nose
• Never fever or general body aches and pains
• Cannot be spread to others

The Mayo Clinic site has a nifty more in-depth symptoms comparison check list along with common treatments for cold and allergies. The best way to find out if you have a cold or allergy is to check with your doctor.

25 Things I Did to Shed 25lbs and Keep It Off For a Year

On Facebook, I think I've been tagged like dozens of times on that "25 Things About Me" meme, and over at Twitter, now that I have over 41k Followers asking me about how I lost weight, I thought I'd combine the two together. I'm all for two-fers!

Just to recap. I started a 25lb weight loss journey back in June of 2005 and reached my goal in January of 2008, and have kept it all off ever since. I did post during the whole time I was dropping those 25lbs on my blog Back in Skinny Jeans which included Weigh-In Wednesdays. Here's that whole section called, "Steph Loses Weight." Above is me in February enjoying a day at a resort on vacation in the Philippines. Mom took the picture.

So here we go:

1. I eliminated consuming any artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Splenda which I was mostly consuming through diet sodas like Diet Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper, and in my coffee and tea drinks at Starbucks. When I did that 10lbs just fell off. My theory, and again I am no medical pro, is related to this study on how artificial sweeteners can increase your odds of gaining weight.

2. My basic eating philosophy is based around a concept I call "Eating Wellness." I created my food blog Noshtopia to share the things I love to eat, cook, and savor in. There's plenty of food shots too which helps me express my creative side. Admittedly too, I am a Whole Foods addict.

3. I pretty much stopped eating in the car like it was a restaurant on wheels. I don't go through any drive thrus either. If I want food, I park and go inside.