Healthy Thinspo

So, I realize this is a trend of my posts, but only because it gets me so worked up. Every now and then I look at this new discovery, thinspo and starving tips, to remind myself I am a skinny dieter, but I am not starving and off the deep end. It can be hard for people to tell you you need to eat more, and begin to wonder if you're being anorexic, but when I look at these blogs, I sigh relief and realize I'm not at all. I will never cut out bacon, I won't skin my apples, I won't put skinny people pictures onto my credit cards, and I won't lie to everyone in my life about being hungry. I won't touch my ribs to make myself happy, and I won't replace my meals with cough drops, and I won't trick myself into thinking water is food. PEOPLE IS CRAZY!

So, for all the girls in the world that just want to be healthier in size, or just want a pouch to go away, but all you can find are unrealistic pictures on thinspo, obviously mentally ill motivational quotes, and "Starving tips of the day!" I am going to make this a forever post with thinspiration tips that AREN'T ABOUT TRICKING YOUR BODY. I won't tell you to detox or take vitamins in place of food. That's unhealthy.

So, here are some helpful things to keep you away from the things that are obviously bad in life, or to give you a boost you just didn't know you were skipping out on.

Replacing the bad with equally satisfying indulgences: "There's an entire world of deliciously indulgent chocolatey caramelly surprise out there, totally guiltlessly."

1. Have a keurig. I'm not telling you thin is about consuming only black coffee, I'm telling you that k-cups come in delicious flavors that often quench my sweet tooth when I don't have any chocolate around the house- and that's a good thing if you're trying to avoid my third piece of cheesecake. They've got flavors to pinch that craving in a satisfying and not depriving way. Try German Chocolate Cake, or somehting that sounds like "Caramel Cream Cappucino with Sprinkles and Rainbows"! The more absurd it sounds, the more awesome the flavor truly is. Vanilla nut roast sounds boring, and tastes like coffee, and who craves coffee? I add low fat sugar-free french vanilla creamers if I think it's too blah with just splenda or natural vanilla.

2. Dessert jellos and yogurts available at the grocery did the science so you don't have to figure out how to make low calorie sugar-free taste good. This could range from whipped yogurt "chocolate mousse" to my personal favorite, caramel mousse jello (which sits at a tidy 60 calories.) Of course, there is a whole world out there of delcious wannabes that I'll eventually list, but another good one is "Trader Joe's low fat chocolate-flavoured cat cookies for people." At first you're like "eh" but after 5 you think you've been eating chocolate paste.

3. If sugar is the one thing that your body is susceptible to above all (like me), I present to you: sugar alcohols. I am blessed to not have intestinal reactions to high intake of sugar alcohols, because I love love LOVE sugar-free chocolates and sugar-free cupcakes, pies, etc. Some people get the runs. I would call that a love-hate bonus, because it's like getting a free laxative with the mint on your pillow... gross, but if you're trying to lose weight, I guess it probably doesn't hurt.

Get more active. I am the last person to tell anyone to be active, but I can tell you how to make it happen:

1. I started riding my bike because I was too lazy to walk all the way to campus. Too time consuming. I'd wait until the last possible moment and then ride. And it turned out the high bike seat targeted the areas of my legs running long distance never could. Get a bike, cut corners, and maybe you'll get lucky.

2. Eat protein in the morning. It'll get that metabolism going. I like to eat egg whites, or bacon, and then finish off with nuts. Why nuts?

3. Nuts, avocado, all those "good fats" are great for making you have energy, the kind of energy that makes you antsy to stop sitting on the couch. So put some in you and start aimlessly walking around the house, folding laundry and doing jumping jacks. A handful of nuts is a good limit though.

What to do when you just want to eat without rhyme or reason. I fall victim to just wanting to keep my mouth and hands and belly active, even if I have no cravings, and here are some things I eat:

1. Tea. I like tea because it sometimes has a hint of fruit (Constant Comment), and when I put splenda in it then it feels like I'm drinking orange slices candy or something. Also, sometimes there are teas like "hot apple cider" with the apple and cinnamon taste, but without the stuff that's in apple cider that's kind of horrible for you. Tea is something that is basically free, tastes yummy, you can make over and over again, makes you feel snuggly, and satisfies your hands, mouth, and belly while you're reading or watching tv or talking with friends.

2. Seaweed snacks- okay okay most people probably think this is gross, and I actually got into it because I was wrapping my own sushi and broken bits of paper appealed to my cat like you wouldn't believe, so I tried it. I liked it, but it definitely grows on you. Then I started trying seasoned sushi and it was all over- Trader Joe's Seaweed Crunchies are TO DIE FOR. They have more crap in them then plain seaweed, but frankly, not much. I think a whole package is like 95 calories or something. They're super light but very flavorful. If you go to an asian food store, you'll find an overwhelming array of (very cheap) packages of seaweed snacks in their own little snack packages. The thing I have now is basically a 6 month supply I got for under 4 dollars, there are 3-5 squares in each sealed packet, and about 600 packets. I think it was 5 packets to 20 calories or something silly.

3. Pickles. There is nothing in a pickle besides substance and flavor. Genius. I will eat them all.

4. Raw tomato sliced and lightly salted, or with basil and vinegar.

Boiling Water

I'll never forget that last morning at Moka.

We were down to rat poop rice and some cheese, though we were out of generator gas and water. We were going to make some tea. So we got a pot and went to the outdoor kitchen, and tried to start a fire. Oh man, did we try to start a fire. It was horrible. We were so bad at making a fire. Eventually a jaded 17 year old shooed us away and made the fire easily.

We filled our pot with water from the basins, and then Kelly shrieked. There were a half a dozen worms in the inch of water we put into the bottom of that pot. Our stomachs churned, and we dumped it out, then somehow found one last bottle of water nestled behind rotten plantains. We steadied the pot on the "tripod" of rocks over our little fire. We pourred in the water, and just like that...

the pot tipped over and the water put out that fire we tried to make all gd morning.


So we took the rest of the bottle of water, mixed it with instant coffee, and we sat there in the driveway, quietly. Along flew a bird, mere yards in front of us, that we had discovered was not yet identified as living on the island, but no one ever believed us when we said we saw it. Camera batteries were dead, and we sat there, sipping our coffee. Ain't that just the luck.