Comments on Cranky Fitness: Starbucks, Smoothies, and Perfection

Starbucks can be heavy on the calories, but you ar...

2008-10-31T16:12:00.000-04:00

Starbucks can be heavy on the calories, but you are right, they are coming out with some nutrition and weight loss focused beverages and snacks. I usually have the chocolate banana vivano with skim milk. I have not tried their smoothies yet but they sound delicious.

I have the Chocolate Banana Vivano made with SKIM ...

2008-10-31T10:08:00.000-04:00

I have the Chocolate Banana Vivano made with SKIM milk and extra ice (to keep it thick) almost every weekday for breakfast. It's WW points-friendly, convenient, delicious and very satisfying. I didn't care much for the orange-mango-banana one, though. I've tried it a few times from a few different locations and each time it had that weird protein powder taste that turns me off (i love protein powder, just not the chalky taste it has when it isn't mixed properly).

Hey, Cranky Fitness is a blog with an edge! And Cr...

2008-10-30T23:44:00.000-04:00

Hey, Cranky Fitness is a blog with an edge! And Cranky Fitness is sharp! And... and... and you can shave your legs with it! How many other blogs can make that claim??? :)

Is that a razor blade? I thought it was just a lit...

2008-10-30T22:04:00.000-04:00

Is that a razor blade? I thought it was just a little metal emblem sorta thing. :)

I want to go to Starbucks. Right. Now. Mmmmmm, sugar free french vanilla latte ....

On the perfection thing I finally learned that it ...

2008-10-30T21:50:00.000-04:00

On the perfection thing I finally learned that it was never going to happen, that it wasted a lot of my time and made me feel bad; so I give myself slack now, and life is much better. It doesn't mean that I don't do my BEST, just that I don't beat myself up if I fall short of my own or someone else's expectations.

Starbucks. I worked there and got infected by good coffee, back when it really was good. Yes, they used to roast too dark, thus the derogatory "Charbucks" on the alt.coffee list. But I ended up with a great deal on an espresso machine and a super grinder with an employee AND Xmas discount. The machine can only steam milk now, 10 years later, but I started roasting my own coffee 7 years ago and it is awesome. Starbucks is fine in a pinch or as a treat, their mango sorbetto is killer, and their new Pikes Place blend is excellent, as are their Yukon and Gold Coast blends. I don't eat the food much, it seems that the last 4-5 years they have made policy changes, and the pastries are always stale. Shame. Good sandwiches though, have had a few as an alternative to taco hell when traveling..

The razor blade disturbed me as well, no offense!

Perfection is pointless, and heck ya work should n...

2008-10-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

Perfection is pointless, and heck ya work should not come first. Shhh...don't tell my boss. ;)

Also, I tried the chocolate-y with a coupon I won, and it ROCKED!

I think it is great that healthy snacks are gettin...

2008-10-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

I think it is great that healthy snacks are getting easier to find. I only drink Starbucks (yes, even here in Canada) if there is no Second Cup around (only here in Canada).

Sometimes, my subconscious gets sneaky about the o...

2008-10-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, my subconscious gets sneaky about the obstacles.

Oh boy, you have no idea how right you are about sneaky subconscious unless you've quit smoking.

The first 1,437 times I *tried* to quit smoking my subconscious would get downright evil. It not only coerced me into believing that "just one more" cigarette wouldn't hurt, but at times it would pound my head into a cinder block wall until I relented. Which, admittedly, never took as long as it should.

When I finally figured out that my subconscious didn't always have my best interests in..uh..mind, I grew a backbone and actually quit the damned things instead of "trying to quit" for the 1,438th time.

Great blog, first time here, I will be back.

2008-10-30T16:44:00.000-04:00

Great blog, first time here, I will be back.

When I worked outside the home I took a walk at lu...

2008-10-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

When I worked outside the home I took a walk at lunch most days to help me with stress.......it was great!

I'm glad Starbucks is 30 min away......I am addicted to coffee....the flavor, the smell, the buzz......

Since I live in a small town, I doubt we'd ever have one. We have a local shop.....very cute and chic.....but the coffee isn't all that great so I rarely go.

If only Starbucks had good coffee, I'd be there mo...

2008-10-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

If only Starbucks had good coffee, I'd be there more often. But, since their coffee sucks, I just can't bring myself to go. Not even for the oatmeal. (Disclaimer, I live in Portland where we are as snobby about our coffee as we are about our beer. And our wine. And our environmentalism. And just about everything, really. At least we're fun!)

Oh, when I worked in an office, I loved the lunch ...

2008-10-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

Oh, when I worked in an office, I loved the lunch break walk when I had the opportunity to take one.

Now that I am home, I tend to the gym at around lunch time, but it's not the same.

Terrie

i work for starbucks now and my discount makes it ...

2008-10-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

i work for starbucks now and my discount makes it affordable (30% off). that being said, some of their more nutritional options are good. the power protein plate is good though i felt the hard-boiled egg was a bit ... yucky.

i love the oatmeal.

the orange-mango-banana vivanno is pretty good ... and i usually hate mangoes (i know, i know).

i haven't tried the fruit and cheese plate yet ... but that's because the cranberry walnut bread looks yucky. perhaps some day ...

beware the reduced-fat turkey bacon sandwich as it still has 11 grams of fat in it and, go figure, doesn't taste quite as good as the full-fat pepper bacon sandwich.

if you don't like coffee, just go with the iced teas. just ask for them unsweetened (without the classic syrup they put in) - saves a buttload of calories, tastes just like iced tea then ... and you can sweeten it in your own, non-calorific way by adding a few packets of splenda or whatnot.

I'm not into Starbucks because, yes, it's expensiv...

2008-10-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

I'm not into Starbucks because, yes, it's expensive, and because "good" coffee is wasted on me. I'm happy with almost any coffee as long as it's fairly strong and black. So it would be dumb of me to waste money on Starbucks.

I've been known to buy coffee there when there wasn't any other coffee at hand. And once I used their bathroom and then bought whatever their term is for "small coffee" because I felt obliged.

Love the giving up on being perfect thing! It real...

2008-10-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

Love the giving up on being perfect thing! It really is that simple. Crabby rules!

We don't have the healthy Starbucks stuff over here yet, but I'm looking forward to it coming to the UK (pleaseplease) because I do tend to stop by there when I'm working in London.

TA x

Heh, I thought the same thing about the blade.

2008-10-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

Heh, I thought the same thing about the blade.

I was hoping that was an encouragement to shave mo...

2008-10-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

I was hoping that was an encouragement to shave more... :(

I've always thought that Starbucks was way overpri...

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-04:00

I've always thought that Starbucks was way overpriced for what it serves. If they have a decent lunch for $5 (Laura's comment) then that sounds worthwhile. I've just avoided them for a long time for so many reasons. Good for you though for the positive changes.

OK so is it just me, or is that "Just do it" blade designed to be interpreted as a suicide suggestion? (and I don't mean that was Merry's message - just its design)

I am digging the oatmeal with nuts! Now I can get...

2008-10-30T10:48:00.000-04:00

I am digging the oatmeal with nuts! Now I can get oatmeal and plain coffee for what I used to pay for a latte.

And i love the orange-mango-banana smoothie. I've been taking my 87-year-old mother for one after her chemotherapy every week.

I'm very impressed with Starbuck's willingess to make these changes during a tenuous economic period. They've earned my loyalty.

I heard a rumor recently that Starbucks is going b...

2008-10-30T10:41:00.000-04:00

I heard a rumor recently that Starbucks is going back to its coffee roots. I'm not sure if it's true, but there was talk of doing away with some of the fancier, non-coffee, non-pastry kind of foods. I hope they don't though.

I do like those frappucinos, though I don't get them often.

Not having to be perfect is a great motto. I went to a meditation group last night, and at the end, the leader read a poem. I didn't even hear most of it, because my brain homed in on the first part and it really resonated with me:

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
(Wild Geese, Mary Oliver)

Not to say that we should just do whatever we want all the time (chocolate here we come!), but that you don't always have to focus all the time about being perfecting virtuous, eating right all the time, exercising, finding that meditation zen. But it's important to listen to your body, do what you can, and perfection is ephemeral (rather like weight with someone with an ED, the perfection bar can keep sliding away from you).

I just love their coffee...I find their baking med...

2008-10-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

I just love their coffee...I find their baking mediocre. I'm too picky...I just end up making my own.

I take their coffee black...like my soul.

I'm wary of these kinds of things. Obviously its a...

2008-10-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

I'm wary of these kinds of things. Obviously its a lot better than the old stuff, now that this is a bit healthier, but just because its a bit healthier doesn't mean its healthy! Also I'm assuming their portion sizes are quite large plus there's bound to be lots of sugar and such added (for example, I've heard that when you get the oatmeal you're supposed to ask for it without all the sugar and such that they pile on it, because otherwise they just mound it on).

Or maybe I'm just being cynical! Anyway, good for you for getting away from the office for a little while!

I love the Starbucks smoothies, but more than the ...

2008-10-30T09:47:00.000-04:00

I love the Starbucks smoothies, but more than the food info, I really needed to hear "Give up being perfect." I wish I could have someone email me that every single day. I need to write it in random places so that when I open my lunch or get in my car there it is, reminding me. =)

Being a starbucks whore, I've tried some of their ...

2008-10-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Being a starbucks whore, I've tried some of their healthier stuf...ok, a lot of it.

I'm glad they're offering oatmeal along with pastries.

Options are always welcome.

Even better when they send you coupons to try them out :)

Great job with letting perfection go, Merry! That...

2008-10-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

Great job with letting perfection go, Merry! That's a lesson I'm not good at. Yet. I too am glad that restaurants are offering some healthier fare these days.