So yesterday was weigh-in #2 on my Mat Lalonde-inspired approach for Lent. I mentioned in my day 19 post that I lost nearly 8 lbs in the first two weeks. Not surprisingly, this slowed in the second two weeks; I lost a bit over 5 lbs.
On the plus side, that’s still a better average than I was seeing in 2011. I’m sure the lack of cheat meals is helping, as is the increased physical activity.
Barefoot shoe quest
Alas, my hopes for the Altra Eve’s were dashed when I tried them on (see the post update for details). But after reading Melissa McEwan’s review of Merrell’s Wonder Glove, I got psyched again.
Like Melissa, I have a pair of their Train Pure Gloves, and like Melissa, I find them to be “relatively clunky and inflexible.”
But the Life Wonder Gloves are a different story (see pics below … Pure Gloves in red, Wonder Gloves in black; click to enlarge).
The pics show the major differences: the soles are almost the same, but it’s the uppers of the shoes that seem to make the difference. The Wonder Gloves are just far less “constructed” in the upper, especially on the sides of the foot by the arch.
BTW, note that I have actually “hacked” my Wonder Gloves. I’ve got a wide foot and a high arch, and wearing the Mary Jane strap was doable, but not as comfortable as I wanted.
So, despite the fact that these are $100 shoes, I experimented at first by taping up the strap and then wearing them around the house. The shoes work perfectly well as ballet flats, and IMO, a careful job of trimming the strap simply means that the remaining leather just looks like decorative trim.
The bolt where the strap attached is non-removable, but it’s on the inside of the shoe. I think it looks like just another decorative element.
I like! I may well go back for another pair in another color.
My crazy barefoot clown shoes
As comfortable as the Wonder Gloves are, they are also $100 shoes. So I’m not planning on wearing them around schlepping errands. And since the Eve’s were a no-go, I still needed something to wear on longer walks. A search of Amazon for barefoot shoes led me to the ZEMgear O2 All Sports.
The sole of the shoe is a thin sneaker-like material, while the top is mostly neoprene with what they call “tech bands” that “deliver secure footing and lateral stability.”
Oy, are these comfortable! I got them Friday and wore them all day yesterday, including in the rain. I loved that the soles did not get cold and soggy like my moccasins would have. They aren’t cheap, but at half the price of the Wonder Gloves, I plan on using these far more often.
The only down side is the look. Not the bright colors (I like that). No, this shoe is shaped for folks whose toes haven’t been disfigured by wearing unfriendly-to-feet kinds of shoes for decades. Sigh.
Anyways, I don’t suppose the look is obvious to anyone but me (according to my family, they look like socks), but when I look at my feet in these shoes I can’t help but thinking: clown shoes. The toe box looks insanely large compared to the heel and midfoot.
Ah well. Fortunately I am an old lady who wears purple … I’m all about comfort now ;).
I’ll have to look into those; I need that toe box but am not crazy on the stripes - though I fully endorse being an any-age lady who wears purple! Thanks for the tip outside of the usual barefoot suspects.
Lauren, they have other colors, including one that has black stripes (tho the sole is still bright).
Oh, and you might also want to look into Sockwa. They look promising (and less neon-y ;), although their womens’ sizing seems weird.
I’ve emailed Sockwa about sizing; either they have a lot of yeti customers, or none, because there seems to be nothing over a size 9 in stock. I put a pair of Zems on my wishlist to think over.
Another brand to consider that has a similar shoe is Kigo.
Hmmm. I’ll take Crocs, please, for the win. :) Of course, in winter I wear them with wool socks and YakTrax for icy conditions. Still. Cheep cheep. Comfy and effective. Learned ’bout ‘em in nursing school.
I lived in Crocs for a few years. They are comfy as hell and so inexpensive. But I read an article that talked about how shoes that require you to constantly grip with your toes aren’t so great actually. And they don’t have the flexibility that some of these more narrow-soled shoes have. Hence my migration to more barefoot-ish style shoes. I still wear my Crocs from time to time, but only for more casual use.