Tag Archives: health

I’ve Only Felt You But Never Met You, Yet You Stole My Heart Forever. Maddox I Love You!

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This is going to be a tough post to write, but I’ve given it some thought, discussed it over with my Husband and I think that it’s time you all know what we’ve been going through over the past year.

As you may or may not know I was pregnant a little over a year ago & due about June 2012. I had an extremely healthy and relaxing pregnancy. No morning sickness, no aches or pains. I was at home able to really just spend as much time relaxing and prepping myself for the beautiful baby that we were going to have.  I actually started this blog when I was about a month pregnant to have something to do throughout the pregnancy and it was really nice because whenever I would put the computer close to my belly, Maddox (Our baby) would kick it as if to tell me to move it because it was bothering him, I connected to him as if he where already here.
I was home alone all day throughout the week until my husband would get home from work, so I would talk to him (my belly) and he would keep me company by kicking and moving around (in my head I guess that meant he was responding to my words).

It was Sunday March 4th, 2012 and it was not such a nice day; I told my husband that seeing I was 6 months 3 weeks pregnant and we might not have a lazy Sunday when he was born that we should take advantage and not do anything, stay in bed all day, relax and have special me and him time, so we did. We watched movies, cooked and just relaxed. We really enjoyed ourselves this day; we went to bed said our goodnight’s to Maddox as we did every night and dozed off to sleep. I woke up to go to the bathroom Monday in the early morning around 6am and didn’t feel him move and had a nudge that something was off, but I didn’t think much of it. The next morning I woke up at 8:45 and thought that it was odd because since Maddox had started kicking I woke up every morning at 8 max 8:30am and to wake up late without even a kick made me feel strange; I tried to think of what it could be and then thought that maybe he was just being lazy and that he might be resting, I had felt him be a riot all day on Sunday so I thought he was just resting and relaxing.

I had a Dr. appointment anyway on Tuesday morning so I decided to wait, but all day Monday I had a gut feeling that something might not be right I tried calling and talking to friends to see if it is normal to not feel the baby kick and they said if it’s only been a couple of hours then yes, so I tried talking to him, I played music, I ate sugary foods. I did occasionally feel as if maybe he would stick his butt out or something so although no kicks he was still moving somewhat. Monday night when my Husband told him goodnight he didn’t move or kick which is what he would normally do, I was sick to my stomach and that’s when both my Husband and I started to get really concerned; we didn’t sleep that night. I guess in certain movements that my body would make his body would move and stick to one side and so I thought that that was him coming up for a little rub. Tuesday in the AM I went to the Dr. and told her I had felt him all the way until Sunday night but Monday AM I didn’t except for the little nudges, she said that we would check for a heartbeat but not to worry because I had been perfect so she didn’t think that anything could be wrong. She started up the monitor and when we went to look for the heartbeat it wasn’t there, so she said that she wanted me to go to the neonatal hospital about 20 minutes away and told me to tell them that they couldn’t detect a heartbeat and try to get a second ultrasound.

We got there had an Ultrasound done, the technician said nothing stepped out of the room and in came the Dr., he showed us the screen and that’s when we saw him there not moving just laying inside there and not one movement not one heartbeat. If I have to describe what that moment felt like I would say ‘hell’, I couldn’t even start to believe that I would not be having a baby, it’s the worst pain I have ever had to deal with.
When they told us that the baby had infact passed and that they would have to induce labor we just wanted to die! I asked them what happened? What could it be? I had felt him kick? How is this even possible? They said that it happens, they said that the development was right up to the time 26 weeks & 4 days, so that means that yes we would’ve felt him move around all the way until then and then he just suddenly would’ve passed, no warning, no sign, no nothing we could do about it!

They admitted me Tuesday night to induce labor and I just had to ask for another ultrasound before we started the process just for peace of mind and the picture was the same as the first. My heart was shattered into a billion sad, angry, distraught, mortified, empty pieces.
They started giving me pills every 3 hours that would make me start having contractions and dilating, I was up all night with my Husband crying and with horrible contractions, they said that they were going to make sure that I wouldn’t feel any of the pain, (because when I found out that I would actually have to give birth, I was angry, I explicitly said that if I had to go through that and not have the joy of a baby I did not want to feel a thing) so they had me on a “morphine drip” and yet I still felt everything. I ended up giving birth naturally at around 7:30am on Wednesday March 7th, 2012 and felt the whole thing and it was the worst pain ever, I screamed and yelled and cried. At this point they asked if I wanted to see the baby all the while telling me that he was perfect, beautiful and gorgeous, but I asked to see my husband and when he came in the room I asked if he wanted to see Maddox and we both agreed under this shocking, stressful and completely out of this world moment that we did not want to remember our baby lifeless, we wanted to remember him lively and kicking. (I can’t say it was the right or best decision, but I can’t say that it wasn’t. All I know is we had to make a decision that we didn’t even know was to be made. We were caught off guard and made the best decisions for the state of mind we were in.)

They then asked if we wanted to get an autopsy performed and we said yes. We wanted to know what went wrong. What could they potentially tell us that could give us some sort of closure; peace of mind, an Answer is what we needed. So, they had us sign papers for the release of the body. Then they also asked us if we wanted to bury him or if we were fine with them burying him at the local cemetery. I honestly was caught off guard. I had no idea about all this; I guess I never thought about what happens in situations such as these. But it is a body and you have to bury it. So, we decided that seeing as they bury all the babies in this one lot at the cemetery that we would like him to be surrounded by other babies and so we told them to do it and hence signed more paperwork.  They said that it would all take about 2 months before everything was done and he would be at the cemetery.

They left the room and said that they would be back to check on me and make sure that everything was fine and my uterus was clean. I had delivered the amniotic sac intact, so they said they assumed that the uterus must be clean but they need to check with the monitor.
When they checked me later the PM they said that everything seemed fine and that they would double check in the morning. In the meantime we stayed a night in the hospital grieving and I think still in complete unbeknownst shock of what was going on. The next morning they checked me and cleared us to go home. They prescribed some shots that I would have to administer to myself for the next 12 days and also some pills to take to dry up the milk. Again, I was in total shock that I would have milk coming out for about the next 4-6months. I thought only if you have a baby would that happen and then the Dr. mentioned to me that I did have a baby; and that was just crazy for me to think about. I had a baby but I wasn’t bringing him home.

It all happens so fast. Literally! One minute you’re trying to plan parenthood, making lists about what you want to do, how you want to raise your child, talking to your belly, and the next minute you’re in a hospital signing papers, taking pills, making decisions that you didn’t know about or planned to make, and then you stop to look down and you can see your toes, no belly, no kick, no life growing inside of you. The world stops and you feel lost, like you don’t even know what just happened and what you are going to do next. Plans die and you just want to cry forever!

When we got home and opened the door to the house everything seemed to stop. And all you feel is a hole in your heart where there was to be love, love for the baby you planned to bring home after such an event. Everything makes you think about him. You crawl into a ball in the bed and just let yourself cry and be angry. Nothing really matters at this point, how can it; the most precious thing you and your Husband have ever created is gone and you don’t know how to feel, think or be.
It happened to be National Women’s Day here in Italy (which is a major Holiday) so my Mom and sister’s decided to come over and cook and just keep us company. (I have to admit I really didn’t want them there, I just wanted to cry and I knew if they come I wouldn’t be able to just sit there and cry). They came anyway; I just didn’t have the strength to hold up a phone to my ear & tell them no. All I can really remember is I was not hungry and the minute they left we crawled into bed and cried.

This is part of the letter that I wrote to my Mother-in-law and I just wanted to share it because I wrote it literally when I got home from the hospital, it’s what I felt at that moment and it’s the best description I have for you of our feelings:

“What hurts more is looking down and not seeing him anymore, nights are extremely hard because it was our family time and I honestly hate to look at my stomach because it is flattening out really fast and I just wish he was there. I miss his kicks. I miss his nudges. I miss him. Nothing at the moment is truly consoling me and I just am so angry that he is gone, I wanted to finally have a family with Terry and I was so into it. I MISS HIM! It makes me so mad to know that he is gone and we didn’t get the chance to become parents. We were doing everything so perfect. I know that he is an angel watching over us but I wanted him to be our son.”

This is what I wrote to her the second day:

“Things will get better I know, I just don’t know how long will it take. We will never forget M. We loved him more than words will ever be able to say and we just still can’t believe it’s all done and he is gone. This is the second day home and it hasn’t been easy as we had planned so much around him, waking up this morning in our bed for the first time without M. has been really hard, I opened my eyes and before they were fully opened tears where already rolling down my cheeks. There is no reason to get up because I don’t have to feed anyone, and no one is asking for mommy’s attention anymore. I know it sounds silly, he never asked for anything, but every morning at 8:30 sharp he would start to kick me as if he was asking for breakfast and that is what I thought those kicks meant atleast. Also, looking at my blog bothers me some, because I started it when I found out I was pregnant and now trying to write without him kicking my stomach makes me feel empty. Alot of things have no meaning at the moment, and I know that I can’t give up. I just have to find some internal peace and learn how to cope and move on. Terry has been great with opening up and it has definitely brought me alot closer to him (I don’t know how close we are going to be after this, we already are so close) We are just taking it one moment, one step, one thought and one feeling at at time. I never know what the next thing is going to bring. I love you very much and so does your son.”

It’s tough to re-read this and go through these emotions but I want you to know what happens in the real world sometimes and people need to be informed that things like this can happen and it’s not as uncommon as you may think. There are emotions and I think that it’s nice to know that it’s ok to feel in certain ways and you are not crazy if you go through these same thoughts. I’ll give you the last piece of letter I wrote her a week later:

“Yes I decided to post something yesterday, I am not inspired but I feel like I owe it to M. and myself to not give up yet, if in a couple of month I still feel uninspired then I will stop but when my mind is a little more cleared.

Thanks for all the prayers, we really need them and although I am angry and my faith is dwindled, I appreciate the prayers. Time is flying and that is another of my fears, I am scared to death of moving on and forgetting what once was to be the most important person in our family. It’s tough because I want to move on and turn a new leaf but I feel like I am abandoning M. I know in my heart that he knows my love for him and how much he means to me and that a piece of my heart left with him and is there to comfort him, so therefore I could never truly abandon him, but I sometimes catch myself really hating the fact that I have to move on.

It’s so tough, I am a strong person and love to take care of others and like to absorb the pain so it doesn’t have to hurt anyone else, but I find myself to be the opposite in this situation. I am trying to be strong but I am so weak. I am trying to move on and yet I want to stay in the past. I know he’s in a better place and it happened for a good reason, but I want him to be here this was to be his home and no good reason can change that. I am trying to see the positive in the situation and all I can see is the negative. I try to distract myself but all I am truly and ever thinking is what happened. I know that I should eat and all I can think is that there is no one to feed. The days are changing and beautiful and I don’t want to go out because I wanted to enjoy them with him. I love Terry and I am trying to not bring him into my sadness because I want him to be happy….he deserves it more than anyone. I just have so many, many, many emotions.”

I want to mention that throughout this whole process I made sure that my Husband grieved just the way I did, for me it was extremely important that he feel comfortable enough to express himself, I insisted on him opening up and us crying together, I did not want him to hold anything in and just be strong for me because he lost his son as well. I didn’t want him to look back and resent me for not allowing him to be himself and express his feelings and emotions. Yes, I went through all the physical pain and I had all the signs still on my body of him, but both of our hearts were broken and it was our son, not just mine. I wanted us to experience the stages of grief together. And I certainly didn’t want this to tear us apart. I wanted him to tell me what he felt. As a woman you feel like a failure when something like this happens (atleast I know I did), I was the one that carried our son and he didn’t make it. I didn’t know if my husband resented me for that so I flat out asked him. He was just in shock that I would even ask something like that but I needed to heal correctly without any questions or concerns left behind. If we were going to heal; honesty and love was the only thing that would get us through this.

We got the results back from the Autopsy just like they said 2 months later and they didn’t find anything abnormal or any malformations, they said that they had found pneumonia developing in the lungs but they couldn’t define that as a COD because that’s the first place that infection develops in young bodies, so it could’ve been while we were inducing labor. As for the rest of the paper it describes every inch of your baby’s body, his head circumference, his eyes, his ears, his mouth, his nose, his heart, his length everything is described and that is one TOUGH paper to read.  At this point you cry because you can only imagine what your child would have looked like by piecing it all together.
Now, comes closure time, because up until now you are going to doctors visits, researching, reading, gathering information, and trying to get by. But when you get the ok to go to the cemetery it’s done, you are visually seeing something that you only imagined and you are seeing that this is truly over. It really has happened. That is how we both felt. It was a rough day to go to that cemetery and see this tiny little space. We had bought flowers and an Angel to put on his tomb and we just sat there and cried for a very, very long time.
Life at this moment sucks, you are exactly what you need to be angry and disappointed with everything that has occurred and that you are going through.
No one will ever understand the pain you have inside and no one will ever understand that telling you that everything is going to be fine; is bullshit. Yes, we will be fine eventually but our son will never be fine because he is gone. Again he’s in heaven but a parent doesn’t want to hear that. You shouldn’t have to bury your children, it’s unfair and my heart goes out to anyone that has had too.
It’s not like you lost your job and now u need to find a new one and someone pats you on shoulder and tells you “it’s going to be fine, it’s going to be ok”, yeah it will be you’ll find a new job and deal with this sucky period for now.
But how can you be fine when you lost something that no one or nothing will ever replace. You will always have a son that passed away so even if I have other children and we take family pictures there always will be Maddox missing. Birthday’s missed, first steps missed, first word missed, first day of school missed, our Son missed.  And that’s the reality of it all. You get through it, and learn to live with it. But you can’t change the hurt that is left behind because you’ll forever miss and love someone you didn’t have the amazing chance to meet!

It’s sad the things that we humans have to deal with. It’s nice to know that I have come to a place where know I don’t have to move on; I learned to live with. I have a scar that will never disappear, but it’s healing; and although a year later I can go to the cemetery without balling my eyes out I still randomly cry and miss Him! There is never a day that goes by that he doesn’t pop in my head (well maybe a day), but I’ll never forget and although people don’t like to talk about it for fear that they will make you remember or make you sad, well I say I never forget and I’ll never be happy about it; it’s not you that makes me sad it’s the thought that does, and no I don’t cry every single time I talk about him, but maybe sometimes I do, and so what! Who cares!
I am allowed to feel, I have a right to talk about something that is a part of my life. I do have a child, he may not walk or run around like others; but I know that one day I’ll meet him. He’s gone and why should I not talk about it for fear to make others uncomfortable. I should be uncomfortable. It happened to me. To us!! I only recently found out that the type of birth that I had is called an Angel Birth, so I know I have an Angel. But if we don’t do some research or talk to people you would never find out things. You’d be amazed out how many people out there can relate to our situation and yet until it happened to me I never even considered it being a possibility of an event that could occur.

A year and a half has passed and the emotions are many and just so different everyday, sometimes you feel hopeless, sometimes you cry, sometimes you want to talk about it and others you don’t. We got ourselves busy with trying to enjoy life and eachother and look forward to the future trying to create positive thoughts and just be there for eachother. I’ve learned that life is short and I have no problem eliminating people that aren’t a positive influence. I don’t walk around crying and playing the poor me card I try to have fun and be happy. When I talk about him it’s to inform and help others and not to make people pity me, I don’t need the pity it won’t change a darn thing.  All I need is for people to be open and honest. I know that my Angel is looking at me and I want him to know that I am a happy Mommy and I love him.

Thanks for listening. I hope that this helps you if by any chance you are going through a similar situation. I want to inform people that things do happen and I wouldn’t want anyone to be caught off guard or unprepared as we were. We get so much information about what pregnancy and bringing a child into this world is about, but we get no information about what happens if you don’t, or can’t, or something (God forbid) goes wrong, what are the things you will be asked, decisions to make, feelings to deal with. I want to help and if putting my story out there helps you; then I’m glad I mustered up the courage to do so.

May god bless you, and thanks for supporting mythineats and keeping this blog alive.
In loving Memory of our Precious Angel Maddox De Francesco–Thurston

On a side note, I am not associated or affiliated at all with this project, atleast not at the moment hopefully I can help them out now. But, I randomly found this website the other day and I just want you all to take sometime to go on here and see what a wonderful project this is and what they are putting together. I was in awe when I saw this trailer the other day and how these people are trying to help all the families that lost a child or had pregnancy loss. Please check it out! Watch The Trailer, You Must! You can donate $5 to help get the documentary done.

 http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/still-project-phase-ii 

http://stillproject.org/

https://www.facebook.com/StillProject

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Tips to a Binge-free, Thin and Healthy Life

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I have been asked the question about binge eating from mythineats readers and how to overcome this habit.
I believe a lot of people struggle with this, so today I will broach this subject and give you a few tips that work for me; you must remember that I am not a medical or professional or doctor and before you change anything in your life please consult a medical professional.

BINGEING PRESENT PARTICIPLE OF BINGE
Indulge in an activity, esp. eating or drinking, to excess: “she cannot help binging on food”.

This is the dictionary definition. What I mainly want to discuss and help understand is why are we bingeing and how to overcome it.

To me there is a huge difference between eating to excess and eating one more piece of cake. I also believe that the reason people binge is because we are stressed, unhappy, angry, lonely, bored and more than anything tied to the idea that food is bad and we shouldn’t eat it if we want to feel good about ourselves or look like the girl in the magazine then we need to abide by the rule of no eating. Right? Wrong!

Society sets us up to believe that we are gaining weight or miserable because we eat too much, they publish a ton of articles with skinny, long legged models on the cover and then next to it say “want to look like her here is the diet”. So, we go on this diet because for some reason we think that we are going to end up looking just like the model if we do it and then when the diet comes to an end we are left to fend for ourselves except that we feel starved and possibly still unhappy (because not much has changed) that we decide to eat whatever we want because we were good and we did the diet and we deserve this much, and of course not to mention that our body just wants food but we don’t have a guide to follow after the diet so we eat everything and anything and lose control. This is what I think leads to a lot of binges. If we just had a healthy relationship with food we could stop constantly thinking about it and obsessing over everything that we put in our mouth and just really eat when we are hungry and hopefully be conscious about making healthy decisions not just for weight-loss, but mainly for health. If you are unhealthy there is no way that the food you eat is beneficial towards a gorgeous figure but more likely towards healing our bodies, and using up energy just to keep us functioning.

As you know I believe in eating everything in moderation and that if you listen to your body you will know when and what to eat. You are not going to get fat because today you ate a handful of chips, or because you had a piece of chocolate cake after dinner, but you will gain weight (and binge) if you put it off too long, restrict and tell yourself you can’t have it at all; because the minute you are stressed or let your guard down you are going to attack the whole bag of chips or end up eating the whole cake in one sitting, giving you the feeling that you have done something horribly wrong, and punish yourself by never eating a chip or cake again until the next time comes around and you are weak and do it all over again. It’s a cycle.

I’m fortunate enough to have been blessed with good genes and also with healthy eating habits since a very young age, with that being said I still had my shares of struggles. As you know I started cleansing about 7 years ago and after the 3rd time I got pretty addicted to it doing it about twice a year. Initially I started doing it because I really felt and looked good, I had energy, my skin glowed, I felt fantastic; but with that also came 10lbs of weight loss (mostly water and muscle mass) little did I know that I started using it as a crutch, I would cleanse and then when I would come off it in order to maintain I would try to eat about as little as humanly possible.
Let’s say just a green salad all day because I knew that I would gain all weight back if I ate normally, the problem is that you can only go so long (especially if you are a foodie as myself) eating just salads and 10 almonds a day. Then come the weekends and I would allow myself a glass of wine maybe some warm fresh baked bread (my utter addiction) with some cheese, you feel bloated and think “what the hell I ate badly already I might as well have more bread and maybe some chocolate and some of this and some of that”. I never binged to where I would eat a whole pint of ice cream but I definitely felt hopeless at times because I just over did it and started to look for more food in the cupboard to eat because I messed up and needed to punish myself tomorrow by not eating anything so I needed to eat as much as possible today. Then I would cleanse to be able to get “back on track” with my weight and eating only a salad bowl. Bad! But true! So, here as some tips that I use and that have completely and utterly changed my life for the better, I feel great and am in the best shape of my life, but mostly I eat what I want, when I want and I don’t punish myself because of it. Yes, there is bread in my life and many more foods that you would be shocked about (Lasagna, Pasta, Pizza, etc..) I eat it when I really want it and don’t actually crave it as often as you would think because it’s not forbidden it’s allowed and I know I can have it when I want it. It doesn’t have those bad effects on me because my body is in a good shape and these foods are not staples but mere accompaniments to my healthy Lifestyle where I mainly (because I love) eat Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Proteins, Nuts and Whole Grains. I hope that you find these tips helpful.

1. No more Dieting
I know this is hard but trust me they don’t work. Just try to live a healthy life style, food is fuel and it’s what we live on so it will be around your whole life. Make it your friend not your enemy. Eat mainly lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats (aka nuts, olive oil, avocados), whole grain carbs and starches. Eat foods in their natural state as much as possible. Like raw sugar vs. white sugar, or dark 70% chocolate vs. white sugary chocolate, or steamed, grilled, baked, roasted, sautéed vegetables, meats vs. fried or battered.
2. Portion Control
Try not to eat out of the carton, bag or box. Serve yourself and let that be your portion. Say you want Almonds, serve yourself a ramekin and take it with you and let that be your portion. Just because they are healthy doesn’t mean you need to eat the whole container today, remember you are not on a diet so you can have them again tomorrow. Same goes for any other food, try to serve your snacks or treats in small bowls or ramekins. Your body will thank you.
3. Listen to your Body
Learn the difference between hunger and cravings. Say you get a sudden craving for sweets but you just ate; drink a nice tall glass of water give it 20 minutes and if you are still craving something sweet have a delicious apple or any fruit. This should satisfy your craving for sweets. Now, if you continue to have the craving the next day or later on in the day I say go for it; serve yourself a scoop of ice cream and enjoy every bite of it. I say no dieting, but make mindful decisions also. Choose the best for your health, what is going to make you feel better about yourself, not disgusting and gross.
4. Keep a food Journal
I started keeping a food journal about 5 years ago, I write everything I eat throughout the day and how I feel. I have since figured that I am intolerant to soy (because although everyone said that it was good for me and milk was bad) I still always felt fatigued, bloated and really uncomfortable, turns out I am really intolerant and have a very hard time processing it. I eliminated it from my life and I am back to enjoying my cappuccino in the morning. Again this journal helps with listening to your body and its needs, but also helps you with tips 1 & 2 because you need to write everything down and sometimes you don’t want to write down “ate pint of ice cream today”. Catch my drift. 😉
5. Don’t deprive yourself
If you forbid or deprive yourself from foods that you might crave but don’t necessarily fall in the “good for you list” don’t put it off too long or you will be just setting yourself up for failure and a binge. Remember tips 2 & 3 and enjoy! Don’t overly restrict your diet. I like to follow the 80/20 rule which is you eat healthy 80% of the time and then you can indulge 20% of the time it’s easy and fair.
6. Move on
Come to terms with the fact that no one is perfect and there will be times when you might not be able to say no (say Christmas,  Holidays, your Birthday or Special Occasions) you had a piece of cake more, well move on. No one got fat off eating 2 pieces of cake you don’t have to go on a binge to punish yourself. You indulged now make better choices for your next meals. Maybe instead of having a scoop of ice cream for dessert have a fruit. It’s ok!
7. Set yourself up for success
You will reach your goal of weight loss or feeling fantastic. No one got toned and looks fantastic from starving and bingeing. It takes determination! Live a healthy lifestyle and try to go for walk, get some exercise these are the only ways you are going to get rewarded for the hard work you are putting into your life. Starving will only make you lose mass and without mass you get skinny fat, which means that if you binge you gain weight and if you gain weight without muscle mass you look bloated and soft, no definition and you retain a lot more fluids. So, set yourself up that if you do eat a cake for dessert you won’t lose all the hard work of eating healthy and exercising that you put in everyday. It might be a slower process but its long lasting. Believe you me.
Also don’t buy a bag of chips if you know that you can’t control yourself around them. Don’t spend money on failure. Why are you going to buy the bag of chips for just incase you start craving them you have them around? The store doesn’t go anywhere, so leave them at the store and if you get a real bad craving for them and really, really want them at 10 o’clock at night get dressed, get out of your comfy, warm clothes and go to the store to buy them, make it to where failure is harder to achieve not right there in your cupboard.
8. Take Control
Most importantly you need to remember that you are in control of your body and you make the decision of what you feel like eating or need to eat based on how you feel or what you want for yourself. No one can tell you what to do. Suggestions are welcome but don’t allow them to overwhelm you. We are all different and respond to foods differently. Just because I can’t drink soy and feel better on lactose-free organic milk doesn’t mean that you can’t feel great on soy or drink it. Don’t stress if you are invited to a restaurant to have dinner with friends just because you feel that you are going to lose control remember what you had the day before or for lunch and balance your meals out. If you feel like ordering the baked potato go for it, try to have it as healthy as possible (like just the sour cream, or just the butter and chives, not cheese, bacon, sour cream, etc.. all at once), and if you do and you really were craving it then don’t order the fried chicken or fried shrimp as well order a nice side salad, some steamed veggies and some grilled protein. Balance! Train yourself to remember that this is not your last meal; today you are craving the baked potato, eat it. If you still want the molten lava cake then come back tomorrow and order it. It’s not your last meal; it’s one of many to come. Take control of your life and enjoy it.

I hope that this helps answer how you too can live a healthy and binge free, balanced lifestyle. No more punishments and no more restrictions. Just try to make healthy choices and train your body to crave good for you pick me up foods not the bad foods that make you feel worse about yourself after the 2 seconds are passed. Enjoy life and mostly the array of foods this world has to offer. Here and here you can learn some healthy eating habits. Regain control of your life and know that you are gorgeous and there is only one of you so no need to compare because no one in this world will ever be you! Have a fantastic week.

This is me and I had just ate a plate of pasta with my sister.This is me at the beginning of The 90 Day Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Method. I started doing it in November of 2012 and I will post about that and how it’s going soon. A lot has changed and I feel fantastic considering that I’m up to day 130….My body looks and feels great. It’s tighter, way more toned (yes I have kind of a six pack). I’ll post about that and a new picture too soon. For now I just wanted to show you that you can eat and be in shape too! That’s why I picked a picture of only eating healthy without the workout body! Ciao

Mazzancolle al Sale Marino – Sea Salt & Peppercorn Prawns (A Skinny Girl Dish)

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We all know how good seafood is for you. It’s a healthy and good for you protein. I myself am a huge fan of anything fish/seafood. One of my favorites are prawns or shrimp. Seafood should be a healthy part of your diet. Prawns health benefits are many one of them being its rich content of selenium and 100 g mineral content per serving which prevents the growth of cancer cells therefore protecting the body from cancer.

One serving of prawns only contains 1.73 g of total fat, with less than 1 g of that being saturated. Prawns also contain .49 g of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, the fatty acids in prawns reduces and prevents the body against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

A serving of prawns supplies you with 20.3 g of protein. Proteins in prawns provides body with growth and development. The calories in prawns are less when compared to meat and beef. Moreover the nutritional benefits of prawns make it healthy for the body while adding taste to the food. This is why prawns have nutritional benefits.

Loaded with protein, vitamin D, vitamin B3, and zinc, Prawns are an excellent, carbohydrate-free food for anyone determined to shed off pounds. Zinc supplementation of zinc deficient subjects has been shown to increase the levels of circulating leptin. Leptin is a hormone that plays a key role in regulating the body’s energy expenditure, fat storage, and appetite. Insufficient leptin levels are believed to be the primary cause of food cravings, overeating, and obsession with food. The iodine in shrimp is good for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland which controls the basal metabolic rate, or the rate at which the body consumes energy at rest. Iodine deficiency can result in sluggish thyroid activity which in turn can lead to weight gain or hinder weight loss.

Enjoy the nutritional and health benefits of prawn.
I went to the store the other day and they had these beautiful looking prawns. I had to buy them. Other than the obvious delicious ways I enjoy making them (grilled, steamed, lightly sauteed and of course boiled and added to a salad) I decided that I would go ahead and try this more than famous Italian recipe.
I didn’t have obviously enough salt in the house to completely cover them so I used what I had and added a few extra twists of my own (as always), but the result was to die for. I hope that you Enjoy.
Ingredients:
Serves 2
  • 10 Prawns or Large Shrimp
  • 1 cup Sea Salt
  • A bunch of mixed dried Herbs, rosemary, thyme, and whatever you like
  • 1/4 cup mixed whole Peppercorns
Preheat your oven at 200°C (400°F)
Wash your Prawns and dry them with a paper towel. Mix the salt together with herbs and peppercorns. Pour half of the flavored salt in the bottom of your baking dish and arrange the prawns evenly.
Coat the shrimp with the rest of the flavored salt and cook for 15-20 min at 200°C, when color changes.
Rinse salt off before serving this way you don’t eat too much salt and you don’t get bloated, but you have the amazing flavor. Ha! Enjoy!

Healthy Eating New Years Resolutions – My Thoughts and Life

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As I was surfing the net today and yesterday; I noticed how many posts were about losing the Holiday weight, getting back in shape, cleansing, dieting, detoxying; etc.

I started thinking about when was the last time that I have felt like that after the Holidays. I think that it’s maybe because I am so busy, hosting, prepping and running around that I really don’t actually gain weight during the Holidays. Don’t get me wrong I can’t wait to go back to eating healthier foods, eating at decent times, drinking a little less and staying at home a little more after the Holidays; but gross to the point of having to do a hardcore detox just hasn’t been on my to-do list.
But, I do know what it feels like and I do know what a nice detox does to the body. I’ve been there, done that and stressed about it just like everyone else. The thing that got me to writing this post is that once you start that detox/cleanse/diet you get back on track lose the weight and then reward yourself by going back to the same eating habits that brought you to do this in the first place. So, you go right back to square one.  Hence beginning a yo-yo effect. Then your body gets used to you doing this every so often that you don’t get the same results that you did the first time so you have to be a little more drastic each time and be more strict even while rewarding yourself.
So, I thought that I would give you some insight on how to get back on track and what I do to feel good again. It’s nothing crazy and it isn’t unachievable, you don’t have to sacrifice on the important foods and no you don’t have to blend everything.
You can eat and be thin too!

Often times too many we can’t wait to eat that piece of cake that’s in front of us. We can’t wait to have that huge plate of fries with that bigger than life burger. We think about eating that whole bag of chips (because we were good). Well I have news for you; I’m not saying that you can’t do that. I’m not saying that you’re a failure if you do that. And I am not even going to say that you’re an alien for even considering something like that. What I am going to say is that you need to reconsider if that’s what you really want to do? If that’s really what you’re body is craving? Is that something that is going to give you the energy to do something positive for yourself? Is it going to make you want to workout harder? Is it going to make you feel proud for making that decision? Is it going to give you the energy to go outside and play with your children for a bit? Is it going to give you the inner peace of mind that everything is going to be all right? Is it going to make that zipper on your favorite jeans go up? Is it going to make you feel light and healthy? Is it going to give you pure and utter satisfaction that when you are done you’ll want to get cozy with your husband, boyfriend or lover because you look and feel fine f@&king-tastic? If you don’t have one is it going to make you want to go out and find one?

Well if it doesn’t then why do it? Why even go there? I know sometimes we just really are craving it and one little piece won’t hurt; well that’s true one bite or piece won’t hurt. But do you have the willpower to say that’s enough! Do you have the will power to stop at that one piece or that one bite? Or are you going to excuse yourself every single time this situation presents itself? First; it’ll be because you were really good and ate really healthy so reward yourself. Then it’s because it’s the weekend. Then it’s going to be because it’s your friend’s birthday. Then it’s girl’s night. Then because it’s Easter, Memorial day, Summer Vacation, Independence Day, Winter, Christmas, NYE and there you have it a whole year of pure excuses that you seem to have no control over because you never told yourself that you don’t need that in order to be happy. It’s food! Not Eternal Salvation!

Ok, now those words were hard for me to say because I love food. I have and will always love food, and yes I’m going to saying it: Food Makes Me Happy!
But food makes me happy because my relationship with food is: eat to feel good, not eat to feel bad.
When I eat, it’s to have a positive effect on my body not the negative effect. I like to eat, indulge, know my limits and walk away. I’m not saying that you can’t eat that cake, or fries or whatever. I am saying that you shouldn’t look at it and say “that’s bad for me and I’m going to feel bloated in the morning” and then eat it anyways this way creating a negative effect with food because now you can only relate it to bad, and thus using it to punish yourself when you feel like you have gone too far. Instead of saying that is going to make me feel fantastic tomorrow and give you the energy you are lacking.  I eat and I know what is going to make me feel one way or the other. Say I don’t like Burgers, I’m not saying they aren’t good for you but they aren’t the best option either; so I’m not going out to eat one and I’m not going to eat it if it’s in front of me just because I am at a friend’s house or feel peer pressured. I don’t feel like I nourished my body and don’t like the after effects. I like pasta but I don’t eat it at every meal and I certainly don’t eat it when I feel like crap. I eat it when I feel good this way I look at it as a friend and not the enemy, this way I don’t have to eat it always. I know I can have it whenever I want; it’s a friendly food and I just don’t need it all the time.

What I know that I do need all the time is Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Proteins and Healthy fats and this is what consistently live off of. The rests are just fillers. I have lasagna, pasta, bread; I have cake, cookies, gelato; I don’t ever have sodas of any sort. I don’t have canned foods (besides beans and tuna). I don’t have white sugar in the house. I only cook with Olive oil. I try to eat only whole grain. I don’t eat processed foods if I can at all help it, so none of that is in the house.
I have formed healthy habits that I just will not touch certain foods, but because they literally disgust me. And for the rest I just eat them on occasion and when presented more often (like say the Holidays) I just eat a small portion and fill up on my veggies because I literally cannot live without them. That’s all. If you just cut back on the stuff that really doesn’t fill your heart, and just gives you a bloated belly. And start eating more whole; you can have miracles happen to your body.
Make your own salad dressing: 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil, some fresh squeezed Lemon (or Vinegar I like Apple cider) some salt and pepper. That’s delicious and great for you and you’ll really enjoy it.

You’ll notice that your body won’t ever crave those foods anymore. And yes, you will be able to make all types of foods your friend and not cause you to feel so miserable after enjoying it.
Your New Years resolution should be about rediscovering yourself and changing your eating habits one step at a time. Food is good you just need to know when no is no. It’s obvious that if you are going to a party and you know you’ll have say a burger and fries, or pizza; well then start your day with fresh fruit, eat a nice salad with chicken or salmon for lunch and avoid eating crappy. You’ll fill up on good for you foods and won’t be starving for dinner and you’ll probably not even want to eat that dinner because your body is in ‘healthy mode’ all day it’ll know what it wants for dinner. Trust me. Your body is so freaking intelligent you don’t always have to over ride the cravings. If you feed it healthy it craves healthy.

As for drinking I know everyone says not to drink. I can’t do that! I like drinking and I’m married and my Husband likes to drink. What to do? Well, drinking isn’t bad you just have to watch what you drink. I love wine, I enjoy it and my Husband loves wine as well, so we drink wine. Not every night and not a bottle each time. We enjoy it, we can have it whenever and a glass isn’t going to damage anything. I don’t really drink anything else besides the occasional Skinnygirl Margarita or a Vodka Soda with 2 pieces of Lime squeezed in it. They are light and I still enjoy them if wine isn’t available.
I do like Mojitos, Caipirinha, Caipiroska, Pina Colada, Americano, Spritz, etc; but the thing with these drinks is that they are so sugary that you can really only drink one of them occasionally to not have negative effects on the body that I just opt out and prefer to stick to my glass of wine. Gives me more satisfaction. Period! I do give my body a break sometimes I tell my Husband that I am not going to drink for 2 weeks or something like that but it has to be an achievable goal and when drinking I try to limit 1-2 glasses a night. I’m not perfect I have those nights when I drink way too much, but it’s ok I am aware and I am having a good time. What is life without the occasional slip up. Just don’t regret it and punish yourself. It’s life move on. Make healthy choices and don’t put it off till tomorrow.

I can’t stand when people say. I feel like shit. I ate like shit, I need to start a diet or to eat healthy, but today I already started out unhealthy so I’ll do it tomorrow; oh wait after tomorrow because tomorrow I have to go out or blah, blah, blah. It’s an excuse! Just because you go out doesn’t mean you can’t make a healthy choice. So what if your friends are ordering crap. You’re paying for your food; eat what you want. Order a nice piece of salmon with roasted veggies and a glass of crisp white wine. Or do you really want that Burger with fries and a beer? If you do, go for it. You see I know how I would feel the minute I finished something like that and that’s gross! Unless I’m not making it at home with grass-fed meat, fresh veggies, a nice whole grain bun, some real cheese; then I don’t care for it. And especially not if I’m trying to be healthy.  You control your body and what goes in it. Healthy is so delicious. Start making small changes now and next year you won’t have to go on a diet after the Holidays. Yes You Can Do It!

Here’s a small list of my all-time favorites for a healthier lifestyle:

  • Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
    (if you can squeeze 1/2 a lemon even better)
  • Eat fresh Fruit for breakfast (have an apple cut it into pieces and sprinkle cinnamon on it, or a nice fruit salad)
  • Serve yourself a ramekin of Almonds for a snack (or whatever nuts you like)
  • Eat a vegetable at every meal, and pick one night a week where it’s the star of the dish.
  • Don’t buy junk, you won’t eat junk.
  • Make healthy snacks and keep them around for when you get that hunger pang.
  • Don’t drink Sodas, and unless it’s completely 100% natural try to eat your fruit not drink it.
  • Eat a square of Dark pure Chocolate instead of dessert, and absolutely no Candy.
  • Make your own salad dressing, I don’t care if what you’re buying says low-fat, fat-free, all-natural, whatever make your own.
  • Avoid fried foods. Try roasted, baked, steamed, sautéed, grilled or boiled. Just top off with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper if it’s bland. It’ll be Delish!
  • Drink hot herbal or green teas throughout the day, and don’t put sugar. If you must a drizzle of honey, or brown sugar.
  • No artificial flavorings, foods, ingredients or drinks. If you can’t spell it out don’t ingest it.
  • Try to eat whole grains. Not wheat, whole-grain.
  • Incorporate more Lean proteins a.k.a Fish, Veal, Chicken, Turkey and some lean Red meat.
  • Eggs aren’t your enemy eating them at least once a week is good for you.
  • Eat Natural, Organic and try to stay away from anything in a box or can.
  • Drink wine instead of hard liquor, and if you drink hard liquor make sure it’s at least clear.
  • Keep it simple. Don’t over season or flavor your food. Leave out all those sauces. Stay all-natural, need some pizzaz use Extra Virgin olive oil.
  • Listen to your body, if you don’t like Soy or feel good when you drink it then don’t. Just because people say it’s better or good for you doesn’t mean you have to have it. I feel horrible and bloated when I drink Soy so I drink Lactose-free milk now and feel great.
  • Workout. You have to get off your butt and move that gorgeous body of yours. You have 24 hours in a day – 8 for sleeping = 16 hrs – 8 for work = 8 – 3 for meals = 5 -1 for working out still leaves you 3 hours. And if you don’t work that means taking out the 8 hrs for sleep, 3 hrs for meals = 13 hours left to work out. Do it! Find what you like and incorporate it in your long term lifestyle. Whether it be running, aerobics, yoga, pilates, kickboxing, rowing, cycling you need to find what you like and enjoy doing it because that the only way it’s going to last it you actually like the way it makes you feel.

I’m not a nutritionist or doctor. And please consult a specialist before stopping or starting anything new in your life. What I am is a girl that is 28 going on 29 and am in the best shape that I have ever been in my life after experimenting with all the possible, cleanses, detoxes, and trying a lot of different things I always went back to what I was trying to change. I finally figured it out. It’s a journey, a lifestyle and it doesn’t happen overnight but it does stay. And yes, you are going to look and feel much better forever.

Be healthy + eating healthy = Happy and Happy = Gorgeous body! Happy New Years.

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Indulge these next Holidays without GUILT!

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The Holidays are right around the corner with one of the biggest being tomorrow…Thanksgiving. So, Happy Thanksgiving Mythineaters! Have a blessed and wonderful day.

I love the Holidays, it’s a wonderful time to spend with your loved ones, to decorate and also to eat some delicious food. Now FOOD, this I think is the tricky part because it’s a time of the year that everyone makes time to be together and cook a big meal, but this doesn’t mean that you have to stuff yourself even if you may or may not like the food. I for instance don’t care much for the food in itself, it’s more about the experience; but many a times I have found myself eating just because 1. It’s in front of me and 2. Because I feel obligated to over indulge because it’s the holidays.

These 2 reasons are wrong. I always feel bloated and I don’t actually get to enjoy it and feel like I have to behave and eat light after that. I have come to the conclusion that if I want to eat then I should, but if the next day I want to also make a lasagna, or a plate of pasta I shouldn’t feel disgusted with myself to the point that I Can’t eat it. Keyword Can’t.

Don’t punish yourself, the holidays are a time to have fun, enjoy and really feel happy about your life and the people in it. Most of all it should be a time we all look forward to, not look forward to when it’s over so you can get back on track. Sound familiar??!!

Here are a few simple steps to follow that won’t leave you feeling deprived or guilty.

1) Exercise – I know that I have been guilty of this before, but just because the holidays are here doesn’t mean that we should forget about exercising. I think that you get so busy thinking about this and that, that you forget about yourself. Take your 1 hour, or 30 minutes, whatever you need and don’t feel bad, you generally take this time anyways so why not now. This is a great time you can use to plan the rest of the day and whatever else is needed. Trust me the Turkey can wait. This way you will burn extra calories so you can eat that pie without feeling the least bit guilty.

2) Choose your indulgences – A lot of the food that is served during the Holidays are foods that you generally wouldn’t eat and just fillers. ‘Is that really something you want to eat?’ If you really want to have that pie then eat it. Do you want to have an extra cocktail, then drink it. Enjoy it and skip the rest. Let’s say you don’t like casseroles, why eat them? What about the Gravy? For instance my husband hates gravy, but likes the sweet potatoes and has that and doesn’t even touch the gravy. Don’t worry, pass it along.

3) Make a plate – Mindless eating is the enemy. If you just pick here and there without serving yourself a plate you may not know just how much you’ve eaten until you just feel stuffed and gross. By serving yourself you are able to see what you are eating and also if you really want more or not. Keep track and you won’t feel lost.

4) Don’t beat yourself up! Move on – After all it is the holidays and if you had one too many move on, don’t beat yourself. No one got fat or fell off the wagon from eating a little more than usual, it’s how you react to it that’s the problem. You want to have a piece of pie, go for it. But don’t eat the whole pie just because you feel you where bad. Move on. Enjoy yourself mostly and think of it as a reward for being awesome.

Happy Holidays and remember that you workout and are healthy so that you can feel good. Stay focused and relax. You can eat without regret. It’s food not your life savior, you are not gonna die because you didn’t eat the whole turkey in one sitting or if you don’t feel stuffed at the end of the day. You are strong and better than that. Think and eat only what you really want.

I hope that this helps you to stay motivated during this wonderful Holiday season. Enjoy it!
Buone Feste!

I made our Thanksgiving meal this way last year. It’s exactly what my Husband and I wanted.

DETOX ….The Master Cleanse it is!

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We all know how I feel about Food; I love eating it, I love cooking it, and I love shopping for it. Food is a big staple in my life as I am sure in most people’s lives.
However, lately I have been feeling kind of in a slump about it, I feel like I am so consumed with the many recent changes going on, with summer headed our way, the allergies I have due to the pollen and so on.
So after much consideration I have decided that I will do the ‘Master Cleanse’ a combination of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I have done this cleanse a few times already and it always makes me feel fantastic it gives me that extra energy I need during times when I am not feeling so great.

The Benefits of a Detox

Besides the usual benefits of increased energy, clear eyes, skin and regulated moods, Detoxing has many other benefits:

  • Improves our Immune Function
  • Reduce the amount of toxins and pollution into our body to lessen the burden against the detoxification organs
  • Promote healthy eating, nutrition and supplementation to help our body effectively clear the toxins
  • Scavenge free radicals and eliminate toxins
  • Strengthen body’s fight against cancer cells and generate healthy cells in our body
  • Cleanse mucous, congestion, fermentation, inflammation in our digestive tract
  • Purify our blood
  • Reform our lifestyle addictions for sugar, salt, high glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol, junk foods, nicotine, etc

The first time I did “The Master Cleanse” was back in 2005 everyone had said that I would not be able to go without food for 21 days and it kinda kicked something in me to prove them wrong. I had started to smoke in 2004 and went from hating smoke to smoking about a pack or more a day, I never had it in me to quit and didn’t even want to.
So when I started the cleanse I hadn’t thought of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to smoke either. And, obviously after reading everything carefully and really soaking in the words “DETOX” I realized that I had embarked one tough journey. The first 3 days were torturous I had a horrible headaches from the caffeine withdrawal, I was craving my cigarettes, had muscle and body aches and I didn’t know if I would be able to complete it. However, although every single day I thought about quitting (sincerely only because I missed and craved the food), I started noticing how energetic and wonderful I was feeling, I would wake up in great moods, I had tons of energy (sexually as well, ha!) and felt like I was a new person; and the bonus was that I also lost a few lbs.

When I got off the cleanse I had no desire to put a cigarette in my mouth and felt so great. It was a way for me to push the button and start anew. I felt fantastic. I have consistently done the cleanse just about once a year, right when I start feeling sluggish and not so great, with the weather changes and my not so inspirational mood I know that I need to reset myself and this seems to work fantastic for me.

I only do it for 10 days, I have never re-done the 21 days I initially did. I don’t really know of any other detox because I generally stick to what I like. This one worked for me so I do it. However, you have to know that you are not allowed to eat anything at all, you can only drink the lemon mix, water and herbal teas. So, I don’t suggest everyone to do it because it is tough, there are other cleanses that are less drastic, I will list them below. I do however suggest an occasional detox, it’s good to give your body a break so that it can focus solely on you and help give that extra spark back in your everyday life. However, if you are doing this exclusively to lose weight I would suggest other things and always remember to contact your physician before starting any cleanse/detox. And remember to follow the guidelines carefully, you have to introduce the right foods back into your body slowly, I have attached the original link to the Master Cleanse for instruction.  Ciao

Master Cleanse:

  1. Nightly Laxatives (Herbal tea called “Smooth Move”) you can find it in any health store
  2. Salt Water Flush

Prior to your first day on The Lemonade Diet you should have taken your Nightly Laxative. On your first full day you do not need to do the SWF so you can start drinking your Lemonade immediately upon waking.

Lemonade Diet Recipe

Mix each of the following lemonade diet ingredients into a large glass:

  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup
  • 1/10 Teaspoon of  Cayenne Pepper Powder – or to taste (as much as you can stand)
  • 8 ounces (250 milliliters of Pure Water)

Little tip: Roll each lemon firmly between your palm and the counter. Put sufficient downward pressure as you rock the lemon back and forth under your hand. You are softening the lemon to make the extraction of juice more efficient.

How much Lemonade should you drink during the day?

You will drink between 6 and 12 glasses of Lemonade each day (some people drink as much as 26 glasses per day). The more you can drink, the better. I try to drink at least 8 glasses each day. This will depend on how big or small you currently are (caloric needs), your tolerance to physical and psychological urges to eat, and your desire to to lose weight.

Here is the official Website: http://themastercleanse.org/

Here are some other types of Detox/Cleanses:

1) http://www.cleanprogram.com/

2) http://www.justcleansing.com/juicefasting.htm

3) http://detox-resource.com/10/fruit-flush-3-day-detox-diet-detox-made-easy/

 

 

 

Eating Habits of Naturally Thin People

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I know that we all have ways we like to eat. But sometimes it’s our eating habits that can cause us to feel unhappy with our bodies and ourselves, we form these habits without even knowing that it’s a habit and maybe not such a good one at that. Eating is an essential part of our daily lives and who doesn’t love to eat?! But, we do have to watch at times how we eat. This is why I want to share with you the (secret) actually; known but not practiced eating habits of thin people.
They are simple steps we all know about and actually not that hard to follow if we make them our habits too, it will help our over all mood and way we look. Let’s see:

 

Naturally Thin Habit #1 – Don’t Overeat

Have you ever noticed that naturally thin people don’t over stuff themselves with excess amounts of food? They rarely eat larger portions or go back for seconds, but more often than not they have a natural awareness of their bodies and stop eating when they recognize that little signal that says, “Thank you, I’ve had enough to eat for now.”

Start applying this habit in your own life by paying close attention to how your body feels as you eat. When your body starts communicating that it is now satisfied, stop eating.

Naturally Thin Habit #2 – Get Rid of Guilt

Naturally thin people don’t beat themselves up for eating something they shouldn’t have – in fact, there are no forbidden foods in their world. They eat what they want, but they don’t overdo it. If they do eat something they would consider to be more fattening than their normal food choices, they don’t obsess over it for days. They don’t beat themselves up for eating it, and they don’t jump to conclusions like they are out of control and can’t be trusted to make wise decisions. They simply accept that they ate the food, and move on. No regrets, no guilt.

How freeing would it feel to adopt this habit yourself? Give it a try and notice how much better it feels to not have to carry such a heavy burden of guilt on your shoulders all the time.

Naturally Thin Habit #3 – Fill Up On Greens

Eat a side salad or green vegetable like broccoli to help fill your stomach. This gives you the volume of food that you’re used to without a lot of calories. Then, eat something that will satisfy your taste buds. An example would be an appetizer of a side salad to tame my hunger, then an appropriate portion of whatever sounds good to you. Maybe it’s a juicy steak or a pasta dish that looks good. A smaller portion of pasta will go a long way when you’re already partly satisfied from the greens.

Naturally Thin Habit #4 -Don’t be Obsessive

Don’t Get Obsessive About Losing Weight. When you first decide that you want to start losing weight it’s really easy to get obsessed with it. You may find yourself spending a lot of time thinking about what you’re going to eat or Googling weight loss topics online. This will only backfire on you. What goes up must come down. The key is to fit your “diet” into your life instead of trying to fit into your “diet.” Naturally thin people don’t obsess about working out and burning calories. They think positive and maintain a healthy exercise routine, if they miss one day there is always tomorrow.

Exercise is good, just don’t over do it. Almost all of your weight loss will be a result of your “diet.”

Naturally Thin Habit #5 – Find What Works for You

Naturally thin people eat what works with their body type. They listen to their body, some can stomach grapefruit, other can’t. Some can stomach soy milk, other can’t. Some eat dairy, other don’t. Some eat beans, others don’t.

You have to listen to your body and know what makes you feel good, some food bloat certain people and others don’t so you really have to learn to listen to your body and notice what is working for you in that moment. With this being said, we can all agree that too much sugar, junk food, sodas or artificial stuff doesn’t work great for anyone.
This is just some personal habits that I find to work for me, my husband and all the fellow Mythineaters out there.Thin people shouldn’t have to worry about what they eat, because they know themselves well and don’t feel controlled by food. Have a wonderful day!! Cheers to better eating habits from my Husband and I

 

                                          

Foods that Burn Body Fat

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Well, before we get into it and I want to say that the list of foods below are there to help you make smarter decisions when ordering or cooking foods and will help you when working out and tying to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering your muscles.

So how do you pick the best foods that burn body fat? Easy. Look for foods that are considered thermogenic. Calorie for calorie, certain foods are considered to increase your metabolic rate – that is, they naturally increase energy expenditure – helping you burn body fat rather than storing it.  In reality, ALL foods are “thermogenic” because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) or “specific dynamic action of food.”

And when that occurs, your body taps into existing fat stores to meet energy demands, melting off the layer of fat covering up your six pack that you’ve been dying to show off. Even better, some foods have abilities to surpass their fat-burning effect. Certain choices result in fullness; some require energy to be broken down; and some can even release body fat elevating your metabolism.

A lot of people try to starve their nutrition in a bid to reduce fat. This approach can have spurious effects on the harmony of the body and is not a wise or healthy way to reduce fat. The right way to reduce fats would be to eat foods that reduce the possibility of further fat deposition, or foods that assist in burning fats, while also taking up calorie-burning exercises (like aerobics, yoga and resistance/weight training) to use up the past-stored fat in your body. The science is complicated and not necessary to grasp.  You need to understand which foods work to promote fat burning so you can capitalize on the best options and get rid of your unwanted fat. However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food is lean protein from solid foods.

Question: What are the best fat burning foods, that help eliminate body fat?

Oats:   Oatmeal will help you reduce fat levels by providing sustainable energy and keeping you full so you don’t over eat mid morning. It’s full of plenty of fiber to maintain your insulin levels throughout the day.

A key to losing fat is to keep insulin levels lowered because insulin moves fat into storage more easily, especially if you’re not weight training regularly. Raisin and Barn cereal is another good example of breakfast food that’s rich in insoluble fiber, so is cooked barley.

Eggs:   A study showed that those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of bagels lost considerably more fat.  Not to mention the muscle-building power of the protein found in eggs because of it’s superior amino acid profile.  The fat in the yolk of the egg is the healthiest part and helps with slower digestion and reduces hunger therefore one of the best foods that burn body fat when eaten in moderation.

Poultry:   Poultry like chicken are low on fats and carbohydrates while have a good protein profile. Research has proven that the thermic effect of protein is the highest of all the macronutrients, requiring about 30% of the calories it contains, just for digestion and processing. An added bonus is that lean protein foods suppress your appetite! Try to incorporate the following lean proteins as well: Turkey breasts, Bison, Venison, Buffalo, very lean Red Meats like (top round and lean sirloin, as well as lean veal), just about any type of Fish, Shellfish and other Seafood.

Almonds and Walnuts:   These nuts are a great source of healthy fats. It has been seen that people who don’t consume healthy fats are more likely to gain weight than people who do. This is the reason why it’s very imprudent to eliminate healthy fats from your diet in a bid to reduce weight. Remember that healthy fats are needed for a harmonious functioning of the body because most of the body’s cell structure is made from these fats.

Olive Oil:   Your body cannot live without certain foods and “good fat” is one of them. That’s because approximately 70% of it Olive oil is one of those “good fat.” Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that has many healthy benefits like preventing heart disease, colon cancer and controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s also loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants.  Olive oil can increase the activity of certain chemicals called “uncoupling proteins.” These chemicals effectively “tell” the body to burn excess calories, rather than store it. Oil is one of the forgotten foods that burn body fat.

Water:   Though water would not count as a food, because it has no calories, it would need to mentioned that water helps improve the over-all metabolism of the body and thus helps burn fat. And of course, water helps flush out toxins and thus improves the capacity of the body to stay healthy. Certain foods are rich in their water content and thus help in the process of fat reduction. Regardless, keep cold water in your thermogenic food plan and rely on water’s other advantages: It keeps you hydrated, which assists with energy, absorption, being anabolic and is required to burn fat.  Staying hydrated can also help you keep your overall calories lower.

A Simple 3-Step Formula To Put Together A Fat-Burning Meal:

STEP 1: Select a green vegetable or fibrous vegetable such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, salad vegetables, etc., and then

STEP 2: Combine that with one of the lean proteins (previously mentioned above).

STEP 3: The lean protein and fibrous carb forms the foundation of your fat burning meal. From there, add natural starchy carbs or grains such as brown rice, oats, or sweet potatoes – in the amount your calorie needs dictate and to the degree your body can tolerate them (some people have a carb-intolerant body type). Fruit is also ok, but focus even more on the green and fibrous vegetables.

I hope that you enjoyed this research I did. It’s a great and healthy way to eat everyday regardless! Remember I’m not a doctor or dietician, just a girl that is interested in how to get the Maximum benefits out of food and have a healthy physique.

 

Here are some of the websites I pulled this information off of:

http://www.burnthefat.com/fat_burning_foods.html

http://www.home-workout-success.com/foods-that-burn-body-fat.html

http://www.iamnotobese.com/fat-burning-food-list.php