Curvy Bodies

Finally Gals with Curves, Get the Press they Deserve

At least the media is trying. Lately some magazines (In Sight, People) are making an effort to show pictures of "larger" women, which I think is a good thing. There are more celebrities now than ever that sport a real body, Christina Agulera comes to mind. There will always be plenty of teeny tiny ladies too, but it's good to see the real world being portrayed.

I once saw a picture of Goldie Hawn who's in her late 40's and they were making a big deal out of a tiny thigh bulge. Many blame the media's portrayal of very thin models and actresses for the high incidence of dissatisfaction with our bodies and I believe it is definitely a factor.

I saw paintings of Renaissance women when I was a young girl and those images have always stuck in my mind as being so lovely. Women are meant to be curvy. So my belly isn't perfectly flat - it's not supposed to be! Consequently, I don't look at myself and think yuck, even when I was 218 lbs. I saw myself as big, definitely big, but not something to be shunned or hidden. I choose instead to see myself as one of those Renaissance women, something to be admired, maybe even painted.

I prefer being smaller, but I'm still the same confident person no matter what my size. Look at yourself as if through the eyes of someone who loves you so deeply they cannot imagine a day without you (yes, it can be a fantasy), and see if you can see yourself as the gorgeous creature you are, no matter what your size. Then, if you'd prefer a smaller size, fine, do something, but still, love yourself today. The real you is inside that body that you wear, and when you're ready you can make a change. None of us are perfect.

Even those perfect looking models and actresses are real people when you take away the makeup, hair, clothes and perfect lighting from the equation. That's how they get those less than flattering shots magazines love to show.

Food Timeline

So, when did they invent Moon Pies?

Ever wonder about when a food was first introduced? This Food Timeline is fun, and could be a great resource for kids doing school reports (keep the url handy for next school year).

If you scroll through you might notice that the earliest entries are pretty basic:

• 17,000 BC water, salt, shellfish & fish, eggs, rice, emmer grain
• 16,000 BC einkorn grain
• 10,000 BC bread & beer
• 9,000 BC sheep & goats
• 8,000 BC apples & lentils
• 7,000 BC pork
• 7,000 BC beans: old world & new
• 7,000 BC walnuts

but look what happens when we get to 1917: Moon Pies!

We've come a long way baby!

Food Timeline website.

Best Clothes for Weight Loss - Weekenderss

These clothes are the best I've ever found, especially if you are losing weight because they will shrink with you.

They're a knit, sometimes stretchy fabric which acts like magic: never needing ironing (you just shake them out and the weight of the fabric straightens any wrinkles). Most waistbands are an elastic style so they grow or shrink right along with you. You know how your waist will expand after a huge meal (think Thanksgiving dinner)? These clothes will let you remain comfortable when you expand but best of all, they'll still look great when you shrink too.

If you've lost any weight, you probably already know how exciting those first pounds lost are, then you notice your clothes starting to be a little loose, then people start to ask if you're losing weight (they notice because your clothes get baggy), then you start to look "sloppy" and realize you need some new clothes. Have you priced clothes lately?

It's one thing to go get something new every now and then, but it's entirely another story when suddenly nothing you own is wearable, and if you're on the path to lose a lot of weight, you're going to go through a few wardrobe changes. Enter Weekenders: If I lose 10 or 15 lbs (or more), I can still wear the same clothes and they look great.

These clothes are fabulous, and if you're lucky enough to have a representative in your area, go to a party (they're only sold at in-home parties or through a rep). You can't tell by just looking - the clothes don't show well on the hanger. Try them on! They mix and match with other things you already own.

They carry a classic line of basic pieces in common colors, and twice a year they introduce the new "seasons" outfits and colors, so there is a constant changing wardrobe from which to choose.

If you factor in the savings of NO dry cleaning ($9 per dress in my area), these are the most affordable and wearable clothes I've found, and you don't have to go shopping! I love anything I can get from a catalog or in-home party. [Update: Weekenders is no more, sorry :-0 ]

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You've gone to seminars, read books, bought gadgets, and tried everything to lose the weight, but still nothing works. Could it be you're an emotional eater?
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Website Spotter: Health - Weight Loss - Cooking

Virtual Weight Loss - Try Yourself at Different Sizes

Here's a website that's lots of fun, and gives you a "picture" of yourself to see how you'd look at your goal weight. The site is often down, so if you can't get in, just try again later.

You can plug in your hair color, body shape, etc. so your "model" will look much as you do, then take snaps of yourself at different sizes. Frankly, I think they all look good. No matter what your weight, you can tone up and look more fit by adding some exercise.

If you hate exercise (or the idea of exercise), keep in mind that I am not athletic at all. I shunned PE class in school, never did learn to throw a ball, and I hate when someone throws one to me. I don't play outdoor games, and I don't like sports (except as a spectator), yet I'm in great physical shape. How do I do it? Weight training and my indoor stationary bike work for me. Find what works for you, and stick to it and you too will be in great shape sooner than you realize.

Check out the Virtual Models I created for my size and shape from 220 lbs to 140 lbs.

Doctors Rate the Diets

Recipes From the Past: Apple-Fritters

Beat the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites of four well together and strain them into a pan; then take a quart of cream, make it as hot as you can bear your finger in it; then put to it a quarter of a pint of sack, three quarters of a pint of ale, and make a posset of it. When it is cool, put in nutmeg, ginger, salt, and flour, to your liking. Your batter should be pretty thick, then put in pippins sliced or scraped, and fry them in a deal of butter quick. -- (I know a pippin is an apple, but what's a posset?)

The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. Hannah Glasse, Alexandria 1805 Edition

Why Scientists Cannot Agree on the Best Diet

Surgeons typically recommend surgery as a remedy to cure what ails you. No surprise there. So it's no surprised that scientists cannot come to any conclusions about dietary advice. Scientists study and analyze constantly changing data, and their results and conclusions are constantly changing. Conclusions vary greatly depending on who is funding the study (results by the Dairy Industry are surprisingly slanted toward dairy, for instance).

Keep this in mind the next time you read about some latest scientific finding - especially if it's along the lines of "Candy is Good for You."

Kathryn's Easiest Diet Plan Ever

Cut back on visits to fast food restaurants. That's it. Easiest diet plan in the world!

If you find yourself fighting the idea of cutting back on fast foods, listen to the words you use:

• "I couldn't do that, I have no time to cook."
• "I'm not giving up burgers and fries, I don't care what they say."
• "I can't give up chalupas! I love them too much."

Sound familiar? If you tell yourself you cannot give up fast foods, or at least cut back, you're acting no different than someone with an addiction. Check out the next article: How to Quit an Addiction

How to Quit an Addiction

The 6 steps to stopping addictive behavior, whether overeating, drinking or otherwise.

Getting in Shape - Book Review

I said in the Daily Bites that I would scour the web for sites related to exercise. What I didn't realize at the time is there are thousands of these sites, so I haven't yet found the "source" to point you toward the best available. I learned to workout long before there was an Internet, the old fashioned way, from a book.

My first workout book was Getting Built by Dr. Lynne Pirie (out of print, but available used). Another excellent book is Getting in Shape, by Bob Anderson, Bill Pearl and Ed Burke. Getting in Shape outlines several different workouts depending on your goals, with easy to understand drawings.

My online store isn't quite ready, so meanwhile search for either book at Amazon or Half.com

Health Sites: Drug Interactions Lookup

Drugs prescribed for one reason occasionally cause a side effect for which another drug is prescribed. This second drug may cause yet another side effect with yet another drug prescribed, and so on. The elderly are particularly susceptible to this because they typically are prescribed many different medications.

Find out whether anything medication you use should not be taken with another drug or medication. If you do have symptoms, you can also look up whether the side effects of a drug you are taking could be the cause and ask your doctor for a different drug. I suffered from a persistent dry cough for two years before I happened to read that a drug I was taking for high blood pressure can cause dry cough. I stopped taking that drug and the bothersome symptom disappeared! If only my doctor had listened when I mentioned the cough time and again!

Doctors are very busy in their jobs, so it doesn't hurt to do some of your own detective work. If your doctor doesn't appreciate that you are interested in your health, then you might want to shop for another doctor.

Drug Interaction Look-up

Online Fitness Questionnaires

New Article: Why you can't always trust those tests to measure your level of fitness. Online Fitness Questionnaires - buyer beware!

Food Bits Trivia

Carrots were first grown as a medicine, not a food.

Many once believed tomatoes were poisonous because they and white potatoes, peppers (red and green bell variety, chili and paprika) and eggplant all belong to the nightshade family. Nightshade is a botanical genus called Solanaceae species, which also includes tobacco and the poisonous "deadly nightshade" belladonna and the toxic herbane, mandrake and jimson weed. Do you still want fries with that?

+++ The Daily Bites are mini-lessons in how I use EFT to maintain my 80 pound weight loss. Twice weekly and free +++

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'Til next time, eat and enjoy life. Stop waiting until you're thinner, taller, richer - Do it Now!

Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

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