Skinny Bitch Lessons - Chapter 2: Carbs: The Truth

It's been awhile, but I'm trying to get back on this... and I'm trying to get my mind off of other things, so what better way than to be productive and eat healthy and hopefully lose some weight too?

So here we are, a chapter dedicated to the truth about carbohydrates:

1. Simple Carbs-BAD: There are two types. The ones you want to stay away from are the simple ones. "They are mostly made up of sugar, which releases too quickly, almost violently, into our bodies, causing 'sugar highs' and then 'crashes.' This tends to leave us feeling hungry, so we eat more." Well that effing explains it. What foods are simple carbs? WHITE foods. I don't mean foods that white people eat (although a lot of it IS), but I mean white foods like, white flour, paster, bread, rice... sugar (duh, right?) Basically these foods have been bastardized to the point where all of their nutrients have been taken out. For example, "... they took natural grains, like brown rice and whole wheat, and stripped away all their nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to achieve the color and texture change." Don't be fooled, though. Some companies try to add said nutrients back in and call them enriched or fortified. Our bodies know the difference. It's not the same.

This is not what I mean when I said "white bread"

2. Complex Carbs-GOOD: Then we have the complex carbs, which have other things in it like starch and fiber. These things are released into our body as energy at a more steady pace... and therefor we don't get the highs and crashes. So what are some foods with complex carbs? "Bask in the glory of potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, barley, corn, brown rice, beans, hummus, lentils, quinoa... millet, and pasta made from brown rice, whole wheat, or vegetables." Key: WHOLE WHEAT, WHOLE GRAINS!!!!

Yes plz!

3. Fruit: EAT FRUIT! They're basically badass. Not only should you eat fruit, you should eat it first thing in the morning when you've still got an empty stomach. (Apparently if you eat it with other foods it can't be digested as well... which means it "rots and ferments"--YAY!--in your belly). Anyway, eat it first thing in the morning and you'll get a boost of energy in the morning! This is particularly great for me since I am REALLY BAD at eating food in the morning (breakfast was just never my thing). So if I eat some fruit or make a fruit slushie (just throw some frozen fruit and water or juice in a blender and voila! Instant yumminess!), I get some energy and a jumpstart for my metabolism!

Yes, these guys are good for you

Hope some of this helped? Like my last post, kind of obvious... but it's helped me a bit! :)

A Skinny Bitch and A Skinny Bastard

Oh yeah, we got that cash money!

Back in March, Thomas and I entered into a bet with my siblings. 7 people total. $100 each. The person who lost the most percentage of weight wins half the money and the person who lost the most percentage of body fat.

Well I lost the most weight percentage and Thomas lost the most body fat percentage! :)

Yay for us!

Skinny Bitch Lessons - Chapter 1: Give It Up

So I'm reading yet ANOTHER book. No I haven't finished with Garp yet, nor have I finished with Silas Marner... but this one was necessary to my success as the winner of $600 (this week was not-too-great, so that money is slowly slipping away). Anyway... back to what I was saying...

A few weeks ago I was listening to Loveline. I listen to Loveline almost every Tuesday and Thursday night. Why is that? Are the callers the most interesting on those nights? No. I'm just usually over at Lisa and Mike's long enough for me to leave their home when Loveline is on. A couple of months ago I was listening and they have a porn star as their guest. (I can't remember her name, and I'd attempt to google it to try to remember it, but I'm currently at school and I don't need AISD knowing that I like to google porn star names.) Someone called in asking about either weight loss tips or admitted to binge eating or who knows what. I don't actually remember the caller at all, I just remember that the porn star mentioned that she lost a ton of weight after she went vegan. (No, I don't think I'm going vegan, can't do it, sorry.) She said she read this book, Skinny Bitch, and it totally and completely changed her life. I figured, hell, I can give it a shot. Reading it that is... again, I do NOT plan on going vegan. I do like my meats. Especially Anh Vinny's korean bbq. I dream about it. Literally, I have had DREAMS in which I am devouring Anh Vinny's korean bbq. Where was I? Oh yeah.

I refused to buy it full price because... when Half Price Books exists, WHY is ANYONE paying full price for books? I had a hard time finding it at HPB though. I think it's because I didn't know if I'd find it in the food section, the self help section, the diet and fitness section or... well you get the point. I finally found it last weekend though and after LITERALLY reading the FIRST two pages, it already changed my outlook on certain foods. I don't know if it's the CUSSING that is so rampant that makes their argument so convincing, or just the fact that it's something published in a decently recognizable book and not a random online article. To be honest, the cussing took me off guard at first. It was funny and amusing at first, like in 6th grade when we had a bus driver (Mr. Bynum) that liked to cuss at us. A semi-authoritative figure that CUSSED at us? We respected the dude because we felt he treated us with respect (because he cussed at us?) and I bet none of Y'ALL remember YOUR 6th grade bus driver's name. Anyway, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I did realize that the NAME of the book is Skinny Bitch... so I don't really know what else I was expecting. Anyway, I find their writing mostly conversational (which makes it easier to understand and relate to) except for the few times they get all technical and chemical on me.

I've only read the first 2 chapters, but like I said, it has made a decent impact in the way I view foods and other health related items. They said things that you KNOW, but since they say it in terms so DEMANDING, it kind of makes me want to pay attention and actually do something about it. Does that make sense? Probably not, I should probably just get to the point. I've read the first two chapters to Thomas over the phone the past couple of nights and we take a few lessons from each that we're going to try to focus on and thus slowly turn into Skinny Bitches (or Bastards!)


I don't think Thomas believed me that this existed...
Okay so, I thought I'd share the lessons I've learned with you guys since a good chunk of y'all who take the time to read my blog are doing some kind of weight loss or healthy eating regimen. I figure as time goes by I'll do some updates to add more lessons. I'll tag these as "SkinnyBitch" in case you want to find them. We'll see how well I keep up with these. Also, after the second chapter post, I have a good addition to the Reasons why blah blah Thomas list. You'll see what I mean. So, here are some quotes I enjoyed and/or things I've learned from Chapter 1, Give It Up:

"Okay. Use your head. You need to get healthy if you want to get skinny. Healthy = skinny. Unhealthy = fat. The first thing you need to do is give up your gross vices. Don't act surprised! You cannot keep eating the same shit and expect to get skinny."

1. Smoking. I don't smoke. I wouldn't call myself a smoker. To be honest, I have on occasion taken a drag of a cigarette here and there... and this often happens when I'm already drunk. I never crave cigarettes or anything like that, so this one isn't really a tip for myself, but a good tip in general to keep in mind. :) "Not only do they screw up your whole body chemistry, but they also kill your taste buds. It's no wonder you eat shit and garbage."
2. Drinking. If I could just quote everything they say about this I would, but let's just take some snippets. "Beer is for frat boys, not skinny bitches. It makes you fat, bloated, and farty." None of this is too complicated for me right now, seeing as how I more or less did give up drinking. Not that I ever drank that much to begin with, but I limit it to special occasions... not... Friday nights in front of the tv... they say more terrible things about alcohol and how it affects your body. They did suggest drinking (if you must) "organic red wine produced without sulfites... This magical elixir--rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants, can reduce risk of stroke, helps thin the blood, and has flavonoids, which lower cholesterol."
3. Soda. They refer to it as "liquid Satan." They say a few things about how nothing in soda is anything that was meant to be put into your body, which was fair enough and not really something I didn't know. But then they SLAM the diet sodas. "Now don't go patting yourself on the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse. Aspartame... has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies..." here they list about 1,000 things and then inform us that the aspartame can eventually turn into formaldehyde. * "Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or preservative. They don't fucking drink it!" They they add, "When aspartame is paired with carbs, it causes your brain to slow down its production of serotonin... So drinking soda can make you fat, sick, and unhappy." They suggest drinking lots and lots of water (your daily dose of 64 oz). After all it "is vital for keeping your body clean and detoxified." And I LOVE WATER!
4. Coffee. Sorry Mike & Johnny. "Coffee is for pussies." Basically they go over how human beings should be (and are made to) function without the use of caffeine. They then list a slew of more problems that caffeine is responsible for (e.g., headaches, digestive problems, etc.) They then talk about how decaf isn't all that great either, because coffee (regular or decaf) is highly acidic. "Acidic foods cause your body to produce fat cells, in orrder to keep the acid away from your organs. (Please don't link this acid issue to citrus and other fruits)." Apparently we'll discuss the latter part of that later. They do at least say that if it's just the occasional cup, it's okay, one cup won't kill you I guess. Their alternative? Herbal tea--decaffeinated of course, or rather, "organic, of course". Also, fresh-squeezed organic juice. Apparently "[o]nce you are rid of your caffeine addition, you will get totally high from fresh-squeezed juice."
5. Junk Food. "Whenever you see the words 'fat-free' or 'low-fat,' think of the words 'chemical shit storm.' Read the ingredients. Do you really think sugar or hydrogenated oils or eggs or milk won't make you fat?" Apparently there are some acceptable junk foods and we'll be learning about that in Chapter 11 :)

6. Pills. At first I thought I could skip this part, because I'm not on any medication and if anything, those goons at my doctor's office should read this. HOWEVER, they did talk about over the counter pain killers, which I use decently often has I am prone to gross headaches. "Every time you take medicine, you interfere with your body's natural ability to heal itself. You are alleviating those intelligent responses that alert you to a problem, and sending false signals to your brain. If you have a headache, you might be tired, dehydrated, or suffering from a minor food allergy." Basically, take better care of your body and it will function like the perfect machine it was made to function as.

7. Working Out. Nothing you don't already know here. You can't expect to do nothing (or even eat right and do nothing) and expect to become a skinny bitch. One nice tip they did give was "[a]im for working out in the morning, if you can. When we exercise, our elevated heart rates and deep breathing cause our 'bodyminds' to enter a fat-burning mode that can last throughout the day." They also mention (and I whole-heartedly agree from experience) that when you exercise, the likelihood of you wanting to put junk food and other crap in your body is slim.

So, after reading all of this, I've found that my desire for soda (small to begin with) has lessened, my desire for coffee has DEFINITELY lessened (I don't need it), I'll try to work out in the mornings when I can and keep myself hydrated to avoid headaches. Alrighty. That is it for now. Hope y'all enjoyed it!

*Please keep in mind that one of the authors is described as a "self-taught know-it-all" and the other has a Masters of Science degree in Holistic Nutrition. So... take what they say with a grain of salt, I know I am. :)