iwant2beaskinnybitch

Skinny Bitch is not just a vegetarian thing to me.  It is a lifestyle.  A set of guidelines for being healthy, happy, successful, joyful, loving, and kind.  I am using this blog to sort of chronicle the application of the Skinny Bitch lifestyle to my life.  Currently I am most focused on the eating healthy part which FOR ME includes exploring vegetarianism.  Therefore there will be a lot of veggie posts right now! 

I have not made a big deal about going meatless to friends and fam because I know the support will not be there.  In fact, I will face ANTI support! :-)  As people have found out there is one common among everybody and that is YOU CANNOT GET ADEQUATE NUTRIENTS IF YOU ARE NOT EATING MEAT.  That is not true and today I will show you HOW EASY IT IS TO GET ADEQATE NUTRIENTS WHEN YOU DO NOT EAT MEAT!

A low meat or meat free diet is kinder to your body and kinder to the planet.  Most of what we need can be found in fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains. 

You can find calcium in almonds, soybeans, nuts kale, broccoli, collard greens, and molasses.  Add some sunflower seeds and green vegetables to get your supply of magnesium for the day, too.  In addition to the broccoli, molasses, and nuts above, try beans, lentils, whole grains, oatmeal, spinach, bok choy, green beans, or asparagus to get your iron. 

For your folic acid quota those nuts and soybeans will work, as well as leafy green veggies, avocados, apricots, fruit, and barley.  Speaking of avocado, that is a great source of potassium along with bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruit, and whole grains.  If you’ve had a combination of what’s been mentioned already, you can cross zinc off for the day too.

Flaxseeds, walnuts, and unrefined oils are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and the Omega-6 can be satisfied with flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, or black currant seed oil.

Grab some oranges, papaya, green peppers or broccoli for your vitamin C.  You already got your vitamin E from all the nuts, seeds, leafy veggies and whole grain you ate for everything else! And you can enjoy 15 minutes of direct exposure to sunshine for your vitamin D. 

The B vitamins are covered with whole grains, seeds, soybeans, bananas and veggies, except for B-12.  The only source for that is animal product so you will have to take a supplement there. 

Easy and delicious, a vegetarian or low meat diet is achievable with just a little research and planning.  Anybody want to try it with me?

My good friend Nan told me recently, “no matter how well laid out your plans are, there is always somebody who comes along to f*@! it all up.”  She’s right, I am afraid.

I have wasted my whole day fielding calls  from clients who wonder why their deals are not closing.  Even though they are all over due, all it takes to keep them interested and in a good mood is communication.  So first thing in the morning I am calling everyone involved with all my deals to get updates on the situations because I know my peeps are going to be on the line any minute.  I received literally zero calls back today from three different sets of lenders, underwriters, brokers, agents, assistants, title companies, and contractors.  Are you kidding me?!?!

I am a real estate agent.  Sales are few and far between so i am very motivated to get these closed and get a check.  Why is no one else?  Does everyone have a supplemental job that is keeping their wallets so fat that a few thousand dollars to each of them from my transaction isn’t worth it a return phone call?

It not only leaves me in the dark but puts potential strain on my relationship with my client.

 To me it is unacceptable for profession people to let a day pass without communication with the other professionals with whom they are in current transactions.  Sloppy, rude, disrespectful, and lazy I call it!  What would you call it?

When I was in my 20s I was an “almost vegetarian” strictly for health reasons.  I knew that red meat didn’t digest well for me and I suffered a lot of discomfort from traditional meat and potatoes meals.  After I was diagnosed with acid reflux I started experimenting with food.  I found that increasing veggies and eliminating red meat made my digestion easier, I felt better, my skin was clear and my hair was thick and shiny.  I still ate chicken and turkey, though, and for my body that was just fine. 

I have since learned that it wasn’t just my body’s reaction to red meat.  The human body today is not designed to digest meat.  Our intestines are too long and the meat rots in our gut for weeks before being eliminated.  That’s gross man! Meat eating animals, in contrast, have tiny short intestines.  Makes sense!

Then I got married, adopted two kids, and started eating mac and cheese and hot dogs.  What can I say?  I was just trying to survive at that point!

We’re settled as a family now and I am ready to get my nutrition back on track.  This time around, though, it is minus poultry, fish, and dairy as well.  This time around it is about not wanting to eat fear, torture, infection, disease, and chemicals.   And this time around was easier than ever. 

I was laughing out loud at the book.  It is a HOOT!  Suddenly I got to the first section about animal cruelty.  Tears fell down my cheeks and I had to put the book down.  I never actually made a plan to quit eating meat.  I simply became vegetarian at that moment and I have not looked back. 

Previously when confronted with others objections of eating “food with a face” I was always able to justify it for whatever reason.  But having it explained so simply and bluntly… I had no come back or justification. 

Supplementing nutrients has been a snap too.  I believe it is the meat industry people pumping out the lies about how unhealthy and dangerous a vegetarian diet can be. 

I certainly can’t blame any meat eaters who were like me three weeks ago and completely in the dark about what goes on in the meat processing business.  But how anyone can be privvy to the details and continue contributing to the horror is sad to me. 

A meat free diet is better for your body and makes you look and feel better. 

A meat free diet is kinder to animals, the environment and the planet.

So do it for yourself or do it for the animals and our planet. 

Just choose to do it. 

Welcome to my blog at Today.com.  This first post is probably a good time to explain my name.  It is in reference to the book SKINNY BITCH which I read 2 weeks ago and my life has not been the same since.  

I have two role models… Dr. Dyer and Ellen Degenerous. A book recommendation that trickles down from Dr. D to Ellen to me is worthy of reading immediately.  The authors neither encouraged me to be skinny nor a bitch. In fact they admit they came up with the name just to get attention so people would buy the book.  Probably no one would have bought a book called HEALTHY KIND GIRL. 

The idea of the book is how to live a happy, healthy, cruel free life filled with kindness for the world and everyone in it.  That’s a lot of wisdom to fit in 200 pages but they did it!  And I am thankful. 

The last five years have been challenging for me and I am finally digging my way back up.  60 pounds heavier, a little more cynical and a lot less perky I have a ways to go to get back to get back to “me”.   I plan to use this blog to share my experience as I venture into vegetarianism along with my family, and head down the skinny bitch path to happiness, health, and kindness.