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.