True Lemon/Lime/Orange

I used the last of the TrueLime this afternoon sprinkled on the avocados I added to the salads I built for dinner tonight. Inside the package was a recipe that has WAY too many calories and fat grams to use, but also a go-to for a $1.00 coupon. Since I just wrote TrueLime on next week's grocery list, I went to website. Coupon request did not work from my computer for some reason, but I did request free samples. So I'm passing this along. Go to www.truelemon.com for $1 coupon, free samples, and recipes. Mmmmmm.

Luna Log 08/31/2010

So far, so good today. No binging. I am using the Healthy Day Checklist today. I realize that, had I been using the checklist yesterday, I would not have needed to confess 24 oz. of ice cream. I could of checked 6 servings of protein/dairy instead. Hmmm. Probably a good example of bad information to have.

Today I had my usual breakfast: LFgranola, blackberries, FF yogurt in blackberry, almonds, hot tea. On the checklist that records as 1 fruit, 1 carb, 1 protein/dairy, 1 fat(the almonds), 1 water(because my tea is decaf). That looks pretty good.

For lunch I had German-style slaw, 2 servings of mixed fruit salad, 2 slices of cheddar cheese, which I recorded as 1 veggie, 2 fruits, 1 protein/dairy.

Still need to drink more water. And I haven't done ANY exercise. But I also haven't had any sweet for today. I bought Activia dessert yogurt in blueberry cheesecake, so after dinner. . .

Luna Log 08/30/2010

Such a bad day, first binging, then having to confess. Confessing is what is suppose to keep me honest, but it did not keeping me from binging. Mostly I thought about how to avoid confessing. Not confessing would be easier if I could "not confess" to strangers. Good thing I have 2 best chicks in my corner, on my team, got my back, etc.

Breakfast and Lunch: 24oz. of ice cream for shame, for shame

Afternoon pick-me-up: diet coke w/lime

Dinner: 1/2 of 1 trout, boiled red potatoes, slaw (German style, no mayo), 1/2 corn on cob, tomato, watermelon

After dinner: hot tea (no cookies)

I printed Healthy Day Checklist and Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool from links posted by SSS. Thanks again. Tomorrow is a new day. RCUU and I both have a goal of fitting into our dress clothes in time for Aaron Caldwell's (John and Diana's oldest son) wedding on October 1. It CAN be done! Of course, my dress is a short-sleeve, pale blue, obviously summer dress, so I may have to buy a different dress to wear anyway, but hey I'd love to buy one two sizes smaller than I am now - like the blue dress.

Tomorrow is a new day. I can start fresh every day. Just because I failed today does not mean I have to give up or fail again tomorrow.

Unrelated but new to me quote:
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”
Albert Einstein

Healthy Day Checklist (1200 calories)

This is the checklist I use to track my daily food intake, as well as sleep, water intake, and exercise. Because I'm not keeping a food log, but just checking boxes instead, it's easy to keep up with. An added benefit is that it serves to remind me what I haven't eaten each day, not just what I have eaten.  A quick glance at today's checklist tells me I've only eaten 2 of the recommended fruit servings (I also see that I've had 2 EXTRA servings of carbs, so I'll be steering clear of the graham crackers when I want a snack later, and reaching for an apple instead!) With portion sizes listed at the bottom, it's easy to remember what a "serving" really is. 1200 calories is what you both should be eating each day, too, Elder Sister & Luna. 

You can download  a printable, week-at-a-glance checklist here, and a 4 page food list with portion sizes here.

Healthy Day Checklist

(1200 calories)

Date 8/30/2010

Sleep 7 hrs Weight 211 lbs
Veggies (4 or more)
Fruit (3 or more)   
Carbs (4)        
Protein/Dairy (3)   
Fats (3)
Sweets (75 cals)  Sugar in coffee
Water (per 8 oz)  
Exercise (Type)__________( Duration) _____
Notes: 2 extra servings carbs (puffed cereal w/ sugar/not and soymilk)

****************************************

Portion Sizes: 

Veggies (25 cals per serving): 1 c broccoli, 1 med carrot, 2 c leafy greens, 1 med tomato, ¼ c marinara sauce
Fruit (60 cals per serving): 1 small apple, ¾ c berries
Carbs (70 cals per serving) : ½ c pasta or cereal, 1/3 c rice, ½ ww bagel, 1 slice ww bread, 30 pretzel sticks, 1 biscuit shredded wheat, 1 c soup
Protein/Dairy (110 cals per serving): ½ c lowfat shredded cheese, 1 c 2%  milk, 1 c lite yogurt, 2/3 c lf cottage cheese, 3 oz fish, 1 30z veg patty, ½ c beans, 1 egg, ½ c tofu, 3 oz or ½ c tuna
Fats (45 cals per serving): 1 ½ t pb, 3 T ff sour cream, 1 t canola or olive oil, 1 t butter, 4 T ff mayo,
Sweets (75 cals per serving): 1 ½ T Jam or fruit spread, 1 T honey, 1/3 c sorbet
Tips: 

Plan healthy meals and snacks using recommended food servings. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Spread out the food servings throughout the day. Include at least one serving from most food groups at each meal.
Stay flexible and adjust your food serving goals as necessary. If, for example, you don't reach your fruits goal on Monday, add extra servings of fruit to Tuesday's menu.
Include physical activity in your day. If time is limited, exercise in brief periods throughout the day — for example, three 10-minute sessions rather than one 30-minute session.

******************************************

xox,

Susan

Luna Log 08/30/2010

Missed my food log for Saturday 08/28/2010, so I'll start there.

Breakfast - granola, almonds, fresh peach "chunked", peach yogurt, hot tea

Lunch - I don't remember. Maybe later.

Dinner - wedding "reception" turned out to be a sit-down dinner! sourdough bread and babaganush (sp?), spinach salad with pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and dressing(already applied), and 1st-course wine - White Zinfindel. Main course - yummy chicken with calamara olives, garlic, yukon gold potatoes (I could eat less than 1/2 on my plate - I hope leftovers were salvaged!) wine - red Zinfindel (sp?). We left before the wedding cake was cut. I DEFINITELY would have eaten cake - and if they served a dessert wine, I would have had a glass of that, too!

Back at home - hot tea, no cookies.

Sunday, 08/29/2010

Breakfast - granola, almonds, fresh peach chunks, peach yogurt, hot tea

Lunch - homemade smoothie: banana, pineapple, whey, frozen strawberries

Dinner - (cook for the "kids") grilled trout (that Steve caught on the White River when we were RVing at Cotter), lemon, boiled red potatoes w/skins, slaw, fruit salad, water. (I prepared but did not eat - corn on cob)

hot tea, 5 vanilla wafers

Sunday Funnies

REMEMBER: Pounds lost is only one way to measure success!!

xox,

susan

Elder Sister's Friday/Saturday Food Logs

Pulled from the comments section:

 gaidheallass (AKA "Elder Sister") said...

Stuck to my diet yesterday (Friday) with regular breakfast (yogurt, berries, granola, almonds - all in moderation). For dinner,tuna "fish" without mayo, only egg, tomato, and pickle relish.

Today I did good, too. Regular breakfast, then tomato and cottage. About 8pm the "OMG - I would trade my own child for a bowlful of ice cream" feeling. Instead, I ate a banana, a pear, and a peach. I am NOT hungry - just having withdrawal symptoms.

ARGHHHH!!! Whose idea was this? Remind me again "why" we are doing this.

- Elder Sister

I'll take that to go, please!

A common pitfall for dieters (make that eaters!) is the bad choices we tend to make when hunger strikes and we're unprepared to deal with it in a healthy way.  If I haven't eaten in hours and the only thing available is a Snickers bar and a cherry Coke, guess what I'm going to do? Yes, exactly...

The solution is to plan ahead, so that when we find ourselves famished, and still hours from home and our own well-stocked pantries and fridges, we're not at the mercy of whatever junk (albeit sweet, moan-inducing, delicious junk) we can get our hands - and our mouths - on, fast. 

These strategies work for me; they might work for you, too...


When you leave home, for any reason, for any length of time, ALWAYS take with you:

• A bottle of water. We have a variety of reusable water bottles, mostly from thrift stores. I picked up a nice 3-cup brushed aluminum one at Dollar Tree recently, too.  But I digress...

• Food, ready to eat. Fruit, granola bars, trail mix. Baby carrots. String cheese & crackers -goldfish, wheat thins, triscuits. Cherry tomatoes. Pretzels. WW english muffin w/ peanut butter. Celery stalks, plain, or w/ peanut butter or fat free cream cheese. Raisins. Boiled eggs. Smoothie, in a thermos. Soup in a thermos. Mmmm-mmmm-good!

• Nice to have: a small "flask" (thermos) of tea, ready to drink - for me, this means milk and "sugar/not" added.

You can just grab and go, but a little extra effort in the beginning will remove obstacles to making it happen  later on. Supplies you'll need:

• Reusable plastic containers with lids, and ziploc-type bags, in a variety of sizes. 
• Any combination of the following: paper napkins, wet wipes (generic baby wipes are great), cloth napkin. Roll of paper towels. A kitchen towel - supremely handy for protecting your clothes if you're eating while driving. 
• Insulated lunch bag. These come in all sizes from itsy to jumbo. You can find a variety every day at your local thrift stores. Yes, they may have "John Redcorn's Body Shop," or "Courtesy of Strickland Propane," or "Support the Arlen Longhorns Boosters," emblazoned across the front, but who cares? While you're at it, why not get a Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty, or Incredible Hulk bag, too? Your inner child will thank you. Some really crappy morning, you'll glance over into the passenger seat or open a desk drawer and see Kermit the Frog grinning up at you from your $2.99 thrifted lunch bag, and it will make you smile inside and out. Fuck you, world - I have a happy lunch bag. So there.

ebay.com

cosaverde.com 

• Bag(s) - canvas, plastic, woven, whatever. Freebies, "gift with membership," thrifted, re-purposed. Again, I like a wide range of choices - an eat-on-the-go wardrobe, if you will - but even if you don't want another excuse to shop, you'll probably find a use for several of these bags/totes, in assorted sizes. Keep them handy in the kitchen, so you can toss in your water bottle, an apple, granola bar, and a leftover pancake with peanut butter as you walk out the door. If you're going to need to keep yourself fed for longer than a few hours, you'll need a bigger bag. If you're feeding more than yourself, it will need to be bigger still. 
• 
  

blog.betzwhite.com

• Small zipper pouches. For your napkin(s), plastic cutlery, salt/pepper packs, individual water flavoring packets. Use one to keep your fruit separate from the rest of the food in your bigger bag. Pack your car/desk stash (below) in one. You can either go with ziploc-type bags, or re-purposed cosmetics bags, pencil pouches, etc. Cosmetics bags often have the added benefit of being waterproof; Clinique and Estee Lauder make really nice ones, and it seems no one ever keeps them, because they're in every thrift store I go into.

To keep in the car (because face it, you will forget/be too rushed to pack "away food" sometimes, so just go ahead and plan for it now, and it won't be a crisis later.):

• Granola bars
• Individual packets of crackers, goldfish, pretzels
• Tuna, salmon, chicken in a pouch
• Dried fruit, raisins, trail mix
• Individual water flavoring packets
• Packets of your sugar/not of choice (mine is Sun Crystals: 1/2 sugar, 1/2 stevia, 5 calories per packet and actually tastes good!)
• Plastic cutlery, paper napkins and/or wet wipes
• A small bag for trash
• To the above, add the following for a desk drawer stash:
• Tea bags, sugar/not, creamer
• Hot chocolate packet(s)
• Small tins of fruit cocktail, canned fruit (pull tab top, no can opener needed)
• Salt/pepper, premixed to taste in a re-purposed "sprinkles" shaker

Remember, this isn't meant to be a "what to eat for lunch" plan, although it could be, and isn't all that different from what I usually eat away from home. Really, though, this is about being prepared for the howling hungries, and having the tools on hand to deal with them when they occur. 

Do you have tips and tricks I haven't though of? Share, please!

xox.

Suzi the Younger

Luna Log 08/27 and 08/28/2010

Friday, 08/27/2010 (hope I can remember)
breakfast - granola, almonds, dried cranberries, hot tea
lunch - pulled pork bbq, slaw (again), diet coke
two (2!!!) desserts - frozen fruit salad, AND a brownie
dinner - 2 slices margarita pizza, (1) Guinness
2 peaches, hot tea

Saturday, 08/28/2010
breakfast - granola, almonds, fresh peach, peach yogurt, hot tea
lunch - cheddar slices, salsa, corn chips (not excessive amounts), diet coke
Steve and I are going to a wedding followed by a reception. The wedding shouldn't be too much of a challange, but the reception. . . Keep a good thought for me.

Yoda-speak, from Elder Sister

gaidheallass said...

"Overly enthusiastic and delusionary" - which is Yoda-speak for "Don't think for a millisecond that this is going to be easy". It took seven or eight years to gain this weight, so shedding it will be tedious and slow.Particularly considering what I ate today.

Confession follows: For some reason, by about 3:30 I was absolutely famished...you know that, OMG, I feel a little yucky and I am HUNGRY! Did I think to eat the pear that I had for that type of emergency? Well, what do you think? Absolutely not! I managed to wolf down three packages of single serving graham crackers and two (or was it three?) packages of Fruit Treats. I daresay there was everything in the world in the latter, with the exception of fruit. Then, I ate the pear, too. At the professional development meeting I was scheduled to attend from 4:30 until 6:30, there was popcorn and a Diet Coke. Then home for two average size slices of Margarita pizza. I declined the Guinness, even though I am confident that Guinness qualifies as "real food"...just think of those whole grains - barley, hops, etc. Yummy!

Continuing to count the positive choices, I did NOT stop at Wendy's for a burger with lots of mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles - accompanied by French fries with catsup (oh, yes--I love carbs!), and a vanilla Frosty.

So, the two pounds that I had lost have probably been "found" yet again! (Such a peculiar way to describe it..."lost" weight.)

I will climb back on the wagon tomorrow. And weight again next week!

Thank you, SSS

I'll be checking out the coupons and the true lime/lemon site this weekend.

Luna Log 08/25/2010

breakfast in the car: dry granola, almonds, craisens, diet coke w/lime (my caffeine of choice.

lunch in the bus I was "driving": pulled pork bbq, cole slaw, 1" piece of dried papaya spear (like eating candy)

treat from Steve: a few m&ms

afternoon snack: banana, a few almonds

dinner: homemade margarita pizza mmm mmm good, Guinness (it goes with pizza!)

now: cuppa tea (no cookies)

Luna Log 08/25/2010

breakfast:
bowl of fresh peaches sprinkled with fruit fresh, peach yogurt, granola, hot tea

lunch did not happen, so when I arrived at the Blackmon auction yard at 4pm and walked into the crew kitchen (which is like a commercial kitchen) there were temptation in every direction. I immediately saw the Ruffles - resisted. I next saw the brownies - almost caved. Decided to eat some protein first. A few bites of ham accompanied by a few bites of cheese dip with chips (really no more than 10), (really the healthiest protein in sight) my hunger was gone. Then I ate a brownie anyway. Hey, I'm only human!

dinner back at home: Wanchai Ferry sweet and sour chicken. Not especially low calorie, but REAL food.

after dinner: hot tea (no cookies). fresh peaches. Yoplait lemon torte.

now I am going to bed. Blog you later.

Onward through the fog....

So, I started my diet last week. According to the scales in the nurse's office, I've not lost any weight. The good news is that my rings (those on my fingers) are very loose. Something must be happening. I'm guessing that it is because I have started drinking water by the bottle. Since I have difficulty drinking as much water as necessary, I pour one of little sachets of drink mix in each time. (I discovered that Dollartree carries sugar-free Wylers in several flavors that I like. And at $1.00 for 10 sachets, that is an sweet deal.) With little effort I can and will drink 5 or 6 bottles a day. And, I've not had a Diet Coke in days! (applause!)

I plan to stay away from the scales for awhile, to avoid disappointment.

For the last few workdays, I have eaten breakfast about 6pm and then dinner about 8pm. Bad plan! Today I managed to eat my breakfast about 10:00am (by that time I had been on the move since 5:30am) and lunch about 12:30. All healthy and with correct portions. I was hungry when I got home for dinner, something that I am not when I skip meals.

Which brings me to another point. Why is it that when I eat breakfast and lunch I arrive home ravenous, but when I get busy and don't have time to eat during the day, I am not hungry. Doesn't that seem backward to you?

Whey Whey Whey - Said Fat Albert

Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider, which sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.
(The better to steal your whey, little girl.)

The whey container I am looking at says PURE PROTEIN 100% Whey Protein, vanilla creme. Ingredients: Protein Blend (whey protein concentrate,whey protein isolate),frutose, natural flavors, soy lecithin, stevia extract.

One scoop (provided) = one serving
130 calories
total fat 1.5g (sat.fat 0.5g, trans fat 0)
protein 23g (WOW)

ES brought home the first container. This is the 2nd I think. Always add to smoothies, which makes them a meal because they have protein, which keeps me feeling full. Seems kind of pricey until you compare the protein to steak (which has a lot more fat).

Luna Log 08/24/2010

breakfast on the run:
protein pancakes / diet coke w/lime (I needed the caffeine)
back-at-home lunch:
leftover steamed shrimp/ homemade cocktail sauce(shoot! i could have put fiber in the sauce with the catsup, prepared horseradish, & lemon juice) / avocado (11.84g of fiber, healthy fat) / grape tomatoes / diet coke w/lime (forgot I had one already)

VERY BUSY ALL DAY - GOOD PLAN

dinner:
Wonderful. giant salad-romaine/carrots/grape tomatoes/broccoli/egg
2 strips of crisp bacon / whole avocado instead of dressing
1 leftover golden potato chunked and nuked w/Italian butter (butter/
I-seasonings/benefiber hee-hee)
dessert - Yoplait DeLight lemon parfait - tastes just like lemon ice- box pie
During Covert Affairs, I cut up peaches and sprinkled with fruit fresh for brkfst tomorrow. Of course I had to sample to be sure peaches were good. I had maybe 1/2 peach.

I feel much better after being ON THE WAGON today and definitely not feeling deprived. No cookies. No evening cuppa either. :( I looked at Whole Foods today but did not see any "cookies" worth a try. I'll check HungryGirl for recipes, but not this week.
I'm "helping out" the Blackmon Auction by sitting in an a/c'd van to provide temporary relieve to preferably not-heat-stroked customers on Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow I pick up the rental van, find the giant ice chest at the yard, find the giant ice maker, find the white cotton small "towels" to put in the ice, find a receptacle for really nasty used "towels", talk with Tom and Thomas for instructions. Another busy day, but first. . .
Tomorrow morning I am planning and prepping my food for three days in advance because it is important to have a PLAN.

Luna Log 08/23/2010

Pecan sandies with dark chocolate chips. I did not look at calories - on purpose, the fat grams were probably off the chart. I ate FOUR. I've been much better so far today. I even saw the package that I hid from myself and did not indulge.

Whey - you can buy it at Walmart. I found it at Kroger in the "health" food section. It comes in really big container. We have vanilla creme now.

A little bit of good news. I am going to weigh on Monday mornings. I was at 143.8 this morning.

I rode my bike this morning before it got too hot. Ten minutes feels like 30.

Today's intake
special pancakes (they kept me full til 1p.m. regular pancakes wear off in about 30 minutes for me.) hot tea
neufchafel cheese/triskets/kosher dill pickles (lots of flavor, nothing bad but salt)/ diet coke w/lime
Wanchai Ferry orange chicken / tea / fresh pear
Now I want hot tea and - oh, no - i want cookies. Must find a substitute that satisfies.

I spent 15 minutes online with HungryGirl.com today. That's all the time I had today, but I'm going back for more when I can.

how you feel inside

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. 

It is not something physical.- Sophia Loren

xox,

Susan

Luna Log 08/22/2010

I am a naughty, naughty dieter. Off the wagon, crash! Climbing back on - again!

homemade pancakes - added benefiber, whey, and blueberries. Cooked a double batch. Wrapped leftovers by threes in paper towels, put in fridge. ES ate a set warmed in microwave for 30 seconds. She said they were good reheated, would like with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.

homemade smoothie - banana, pineapple, benefiber, whey, LFyogurt, frozen strawberries. Yummmmeee. I counted the protein in the whole batch at over 100% of daily. Divide by three servings, so 1/3 of protein for each of us here. A delicious meal replacement.

diet code w/lime

steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce, boiled golden potato with butter, sliced tomatos, large bowl of fresh strawberries, FOUR COOKIES, hot tea

The FOUR COOKIES were unbelievably good - and bad.

By the by, the pounds I "lost" last week were an aberration. I weighed that morning after the all day Metamucil nausea and runs, two days later I was back where I started. I've changed my mind about weighing daily. I think weekly (like Weight Watchers) is a better idea. So, Monday mornings. I'll see where I am tomorrow.

Sunday Funnies, PLUS a weigh-in success!

UPDATE: I weighed in this morning, and to my delight I discovered that I've lost THREE more POUNDS! This brings the total to four pounds lost so far. I am, obviously, very pleased.

I have lots of other good, fun, entertaining, and inspiring stuff to blog about, but it will all have to wait; I've got big plans for the day, including organizing my craft closet, hanging the hammock on the porch, giving myself a mani/pedi, and coloring my hair. Yes, I am taking a personal day. 

Check ya later, sweet potaters! : )

xox,

Susan

Gonna try this

Since I got sick the second time using psyllium husk, I have not been able to "stomach" another try. So, that's a BIG decrease in the amount of fiber I'm getting in a day.
Yesterday I bought Benefiber, which is wheat dextrin, gluten free. Two teaspoons contains 15 calories, 3 grams of soluble fiber. According to the Benefactor website, adding it to ANYTHING will not change the taste or texture. I'm going to test that claim by adding it to food.
I've been thinking about trying to make homemade pancakes healthier while keeping them desirable. The more desirable the better. RCUU considers pancakes a special treat, with butter and maple syrup. Since I don't like maple flavor (or syrup of any flavor), I eat pancakes with jam. I plan to treat RCUU tomorrow morning. After I cook his pc's, I'm going to add benefiber, whey, and mashed fruit to the remaining batter and cook up some healthier pc's. I'll let you know if they are eatable, etable, eetable. . . , palatable.

meant to shine

I started this blog as a place to document my journey towards the goal - shared with my sisters - of losing enough weight so that I can once again be comfortable in my own body. My discomfort is physical - my feet hurt, my back hurts, my thighs chafe - but it's so much deeper than that. My discomfort also extends to my emotions; it flirts with shame, lingers near embarrassment,  lives in self-consciousness. I quickly realized that for this blog to be a real record of the journey, I'd need to explore the non-physical aspects of What Being Fat Means To Me, and work on the ouchy places there, too.

It's a self-fulling feedback loop: feel like shit ---> look like shit ---> feel worse ---> look worse ---> ad infinitum. Make that ad nauseum... The loop can be interrupted, and thus changed, at any point. I want my loop to be more like this: feel like shit ---> (make a change) ---> LOOK BETTER ---> (make another change) ---> FEEL BETTER ---> (make another change)---> LOOK BETTER---> (make another change)---> FEEL BETTER/LOOK BETTER ---> ad victoriam!

Last weekend I went to Lane Bryant, where I purchased 4 properly fitted bras and matching panties. (Thank the Big Beautiful Goddess for my L.B. credit card!) Having the girls up front and center made such an immediate and astounding difference in the way I looked - and felt about how I looked - that I threw my ugly, ill-fitting, bra in the trashcan behind the counter, pulled the tag off one of the new ones, and wore it out of the store! The very next day someone asked me if I'd lost weight. (I'm pretty sure the single pound I'd lost the week before wasn't what she was noticing!) Bolstered by my improved reflection in the mirror, and the compliment (because yes, "have you lost weight?" IS A COMPLIMENT when you're trying to lose weight!), I have been more mindful of my eating. Which makes me feel proud. Which makes me stand a little straighter. Which looks better. "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!" (Yul Brenner, as the King of Siam).

I've gathered lots of links on losing weight, being healthy, looking good, and feeling confident (on the sidebar, over there --->), and have spent a fair amount of time browsing. I've reached some startling (to me) conclusions and realizations. Here's the first one:

"Thin" really isn't the only manifestation of "beautiful." 

or, to frame it more positively (ES),

"Beauty has many manifestations."

If you already knew this, accepted it deep in your heart, embraced it as a reality and possibility for not only the world at large, but for yourself as well, then good for you - you're waaaay ahead of me! But after looking at page after page of women with big breasts, wide hips, soft round tummies, and full thighs, I see it now. And finally, I actually believe it.

That means that I can be beautiful right now, at this size, with these thighs. AND YOU CAN, TOO!

Wow.

Want to see for yourself, these busty, curvy sirens, these magnificent and luscious examples of beautiful female bodies? I'm going to show you, lots and lots of them as we travel this path. For now, let's start with these beauties:

(click photo to enlarge)

Seven total knockouts - From far left: Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, 
Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims and Jennie Runk. 
Bottom Center: Lizzie Miller.

Read the great story behind this photo at glamour.com!

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 
  ~Marianne Williamson

xox,
Susan

better than hot sauce

I can see where the hot sauce would be effective on most things. A better solution, and much less wasteful, that I read is to request that half your meal be served on your plate and the rest put in a to-go box to take home. Since restaurant portions are said to be 2 1/2 times a true single serving, that sounds quite reasonable.

after the egg

Edited to add: This was posted before I heard about the egg recall, but I stand by my new-found love, despite the dire warnings! -SSS

I've always liked eggs. Now that I've read this tidbit from iVillage.com, I'm ready to marry them:

Overweight adults who ate two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight (and felt more energetic) than those who started the morning with an equally caloric bagel, recent studies show. Other findings reveal that egg eaters consume 300 fewer calories per day, adding up to a loss of three pounds per month. “Eggs help level out blood sugar, provide energy-boosting protein and are full of nutrients,” says wellness coach Jessica Smith. “If you can’t stomach eggs in the morning, eat them for dinner instead.”

Read about 10 other surprising foods for weight loss here!

Not only are eggs magical weightloss packets with a creamy golden center, there are adorable accessories for them, opening up a whole new avenue of collecting...

Egg Cups:

(This one's for you, ES!)

Egg Cosies:

Unfortunately, I'm  pretty sure chocolate eggs don't count...

mouse over images for source

"Oh, God above,
if heaven has a taste it must be an egg
 with butter and salt, 

and after the egg
is there anything in the world lovelier
 than fresh warm bread 

and a mug of sweet golden tea?"

~ Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes

xox,

Susan