Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Skinny on Skinny Bitch

I have been waiting to write this post since I first began writing here. Today, I get to share with you all, a review of MY diet plan. Please keep in mind that for me to drop 33 pounds in a mere 4 months, I chose an extreme plan. What I have done, I do not consider a “diet plan”, but rather a lifestyle change. I absolutely have no intention of going back to my old ways. At. All. The things that I am doing and enjoying now will be the staples of my life until the day that I take my last breath. THAT is how strongly I believe in my “plan”.

I bring you Skinny Bitch. I am not sure that this book even constitutes a diet plan but this book is the plan that I am following. As well as Jasmine and guess what? It’s working perfectly for us. SB is written by two ladies that were once meat eaters, Rory Freeman and Kim Barnouin.  They are sassy and funny...and blunt. They are both full on vegans. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, it means that they consume absolutely no animal products what so ever. Eggs, dairy, NOTHING. The book is not written to convert all of the carnivores of the world over to veganism. It is written from the standpoint to educate you about food. REALLY educate you. FYI, at the time of this post, I still do eat cheese and eggs on occasion - but not very often.

When I received my copy of Skinny Bitch, I opened the cover with a very open mind. I have that talent. I am able to gather knowledge, evaluate and then pick apart that knowledge and make decisions based on that. I had no intentions of becoming a vegetarian. I had no intentions of giving up coffee. I had no clue how or if I could give up sugar, caffeine or dairy. These girls tackled each of those subjects in such a way that those decisions in my life were actually easy. Point blank, if you eat this, this is what happens on the inside of your body. Every point they made, I could see in myself.

The first subject they cover is the “give it up” theory. It was at their prompting via Skinny Bitch that I made my list of my “vices”. The things that I knew were not good for me. I wrote down on my calendar each week, which of those vices that I was tossing out. Each week, concentrate on only one thing to rid myself of. It made it simple. Baby steps. You have heard me preach this from the get go. I preach it because IT WORKS.

They go on to cover carbs, sugar, meat, dairy as well as medications. Bluntly putting out there what each of those things does to your body. Listing options, helpful hints and recommendations, from their own experience, to rid yourself of the garbage that you have been trained to consume.

I have had this very conversation with Jasmine several times. I have a very difficult time not smacking people in the head with this book. You know that V8 commercial where the person reaches for the burger and the guy behind the counter whaps them in the head and says “you should have had a V8”? That is me with Skinny Bitch. I am a walking, talking, breathing billboard for this way of life.

I was 207 pounds on September 18th. Today, I am 174.8. My weight has not stopped coming off, so I know that my body wants to be skinnier. If I am eating plenty of good for me foods that actually fuel my body properly, then my body will tell me when I am at my target weight, right? I am full of energy. I have yet to get sick other than a small sniffle. I am no longer having to fight with my severe panic attacks. I no longer have the yo yo blood sugar issues that I was having. My hair looks great, my skin is amazing, my fingernails are growing of their own accord. And the best part is, I have yet to feel hungry or deprived. I do not eat nasty food. I do not plug my nose to be able to swallow yucky mixes of crap that will supposedly make me healthy. I am eating everyday things that I find in my grocery store. I cook without much effort. My kids even eat the things that I am eating. I am not taking any medication other than an occasional multivitamin when life puts tons of sick people in my path. I have accomplished all of this through a vegetarian lifestyle that I formed of my own accord due to the things I learned about food in Skinny Bitch.

I realize that a vegan or even a vegetarian life style may not be what you think is in your cards - It’s extreme to most people. That you will read this post and set back and tell me that you can’t give up meat. You find it impossible to make your family happy while making choices for a better and healthier you. That you can’t possibly function normally without coffee and without your McDonalds. My answer to you is this: Making diet and lifestyle choices is just that, a choice. I made the choice to get my body functioning to the best of it’s ability. I made the choice to not push my choices on my family and occasionally have to prepare a separate meal in order to live the way that I want to live. I make the choice each day that I open my eyes to live as happy and healthy as I possibly can. You CAN make the choice too. You just have to want it.

So, with that said, if anyone of you is serious and wants to read this book and make honest efforts to adopt the lifestyle of a Skinny Bitch, please let me know. I believe in this lifestyle so much, that I have decided to donate two copies of this book to the cause. You can post in the comments on this post and let me know that you want in on the drawing. On Friday, I will draw the names of the two lucky ladies and get your books shipped off to you. All I ask, is that you are honest. Only drop your name in the hat if you are seriously wanting to make changes in your life. Not read it and give me a list of crappy excuses as to why it won’t work. I know it works. So does Jasmine. This book WILL change your life.

For anyone who doesn’t want to wait until the drawing on Friday to get your copy, you can purchase it on Amazon for a little over 8 bucks plus shipping. You may as well get a copy of Skinny Bitch in the Kitch while you are at it. Trust me. Ciao. 

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Organic vs Conventional

I am not sure if you guys are aware, but I am a participant in an organic food co op. I go every other week, drop off a check for 43 bucks and pick up 25 - 35 POUNDS of fresh, organic produce. I never know what I am going to get in my boxes. It’s like Christmas for me.

This past month, hub and I have been working on our finances. We were trying to evaluate whether or not the food co-op is worth the 43 bucks biweekly or if we should cut that out of our lives. Reality is, there is maybe one or two items that we don’t use each time. The rest gets consumed via snacks and meals for the newly armed vegetarian moi. I love, love, love veggies. My question was really whether or not it made a difference to pay extra for organic. Let’s face it, that crap is expensive.

What exactly does it mean when something sports that beautifully attractive organic label anyway? That is a great question. Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

What does all of that amount to when you are comparing apples to oranges? Here is my almost expert opinion…

The produce is larger in size. Have you ever seen an organically grown carrot? OMG. They are HUGE. Ok so ladies, size does matter. At least when we are discussing veggies. Hehe. I am doing a pick up this week. I will try to take some photos of my organic next to the conventionally grown bi-products so that you all can judge for yourselves.

The food also has a different taste. I happen to love robust flavored veggies. When I bite into an apple, I want to taste the apple. Carrots are sweeter, tomatoes juicer etc. Just my findings folks. Frankly, when I switched to organic, I had no clue what to expect, really. I just knew that I didn’t want to fill my body with a bunch of second hand chemicals any longer. Organic was my way to accomplish that.

Now, from a scientific perspective, here is what I have found out about organic vs. conventional:

• Did you know that if you consumed an average apple you would be eating over 30 pesticides, even after you have washed it?  Ummm last time I checked, I couldn’t find one person that wanted to ingest pesticides.
• Organic food is much more rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber and retains the levels of nutrients for much longer. They haven’t been drowned out of the food by the harsh pesticides and chemicals.
• Your body will be more resistant to disease as it will have higher levels of the essential nutrients it needs to fight off infection. So organic can keep you healthier. Yeaahh.
• You will have more energy through consuming lower levels of toxins and chemicals that slow your body down. Who can’t use more energy.
• If you are eating dairy or farm produce then you are also eating the chemicals, drugs and growth hormones given to the animals and washed into the ground via the irrigation systems. Umm eww.
• Organic food producers must meet stringent standards. To be certified organic, the farmer must meet standards that are checked on a regular basis. The entire facility where the critters or plants are grown is inspected and held to this standard. Organic products also have to be PROCESSED by organic packaging facilities in order to obtain the “organic” label.
• Organic farms respect our water resources and do not leach nitrogens and other pollutants from their soil.

My household swears by organic now. We even purchase organic eggs. We can tell a difference in conventional and organic. Even the kids. Imagine that one??? The 9 yo complains that the broccoli isn’t organic at Mimi’s house. I am spoiling them rotten, I know.
Ciao.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Which weigh did he go?

I am not sure what happens in your home the day before weigh in. In my house, I am chugging water, eating less, doing extra time on the treadmill...basically anything I can think of to put up the smaller numbers. Why do we only get in this mode when weigh in approaches? My take on that one is that it’s because we don’t want to disappoint ourselves when we step on the scale on Friday. (or in some cases - Saturday at WW)

Am I the only one who gets a frantic rush of “OMG I have to drop this week” happening on Thursdays? I can’t be. What I plan to do next week is to just work my fanny off ALL week long. Then I don’t have to freak out the day before. Wouldn’t THAT be smart?

I am offering up a challenge to you all for this next week. Pretend that every day is weigh in. Come here, post your weight every single day in the comments. Just for next week...be the obsessive compulsives that I know you can be. Let’s see if the new mind set will affect our numbers in the end. I love experiments.

FYI - 175 this week! Ciao.