Day 1

Starting today I…Lisa, will follow the recommendations set forth in the book, Skinny Bitch. During the year 2010 I will attempt to eat, drink and live a vegan lifestyle; while working my way towards a fabulous…me. Now that I think about it I should probably give you my last name, Doherty, just to be sure I don’t bail out…escape…enter the witness protection program, or just plain vanish. Nope, it’s a fail safe plan and I must adhere to the “Skinny Bitch” way of life. After all, the best way too keep your goals are to write them down and share them with others…that’s you, my fellow bloggers.

Let me first introduce myself: I am a 43 year old mother of two boys, ages 11 and 8. My husband and I have been married for 16 years and we live in Orange County, California. During my boy’s younger years I did stay at home with them. Four years ago I began working part-time from home, and in addition, I went back to school last fall. Yes, I may be nuts to now change my whole food and drink routine, but I can do it! I will eat like a Skinny Bitch and report my results faithfully every day.

Why am I doing this? Well, my sister (who is already a skinny bitch) said it would be a good idea. She denies thinking I am fat and says, “It would be interesting to see what happens to me.” Sure, my sister doesn’t live with me, my poor husband and kids do. They may end up moving in with her if things turn ugly in two to three months…or even sooner.

Three years ago, I began experiencing aches and pains after consuming certain meals. Oh, yeah…I’m a chronic pill popper too (over the counter…legal pills). Maybe my body really is screaming at me and begging me to save myself and become a vegan. We will see if my body is right and what I have been consuming in the past is not right for me. Therefore, my body has been rejecting the crap I shove down my throat. I have difficulty going to sleep, staying a sleep, and then I am tired in the morning. Coffee, coffee, coffee is what gets me through the day…it’s a vicious cycle.

Up to this point there really isn’t anything I wouldn’t eat, besides cottage cheese, and Almond Joy candy bars──that stuff is nasty. When I turned 40 my body continued to expand on the list of foods it felt assaulted by. I thought my problem was simply an “old age” thing, so I blew it off. Instead of listening to my body I would pop a pill and down it with a cup of coffee at 10:00 at night to shut it up. This worked sometimes but not always.

My daily routine up to now has been; eat pretty much whatever I want in moderation. Coffee with cream and a half a packet of Splenda (3 times a day) has been a habit of mine for years. Skinny Bitch claims I am poisoning myself with coffee and Splenda and dying a slow death…maybe they’re right. Prior to having kids I use to enjoy one cup of coffee a day, but now that I have two kids I have an additional cup per kid in the afternoon. A decaf herbal tea is recommended on the Skinny Bitch plan, and after I read this in the book I went straight for my pantry. Then I pulled out all the different types of teas I have collected over the years. I am not much of a tea drinker and the only reason I have it in my house is because my skinny bitch sister drinks it. Most of the boxes of tea sitting in my cupboard had collected dust on them…does tea expire?

I will miss brisket, ribs, steak, fish, and pepperoni pizza. Chicken is not a food I enjoy, so it won’t be missed. Drinking lots of water is not a problem for me, and I have been drinking 67oz. of water a day for over 10 years…good stuff.

My junk food of choice is: movie style popcorn, homemade chocolate chip cookies, anything with peanut butter, fruit pies, and jelly field glazed donuts. The exile of jelly donuts might possibly be the one junk food item that will catapult me over the edge, at certain times of the month…YUMMY!

Alcohol consumption: I am not a big drinker and I do not drink daily. I will only have 1-2 or…ah maybe 4, but never more than 6 drinks at social gatherings throughout the year and during the holidays. There are red organic wines that are acceptable to drink on the Skinny Bitch plan, and they are made without sulfites. “Sulfites are additives──used in food and wine──to extend shelf life and fight bacteria growth. Asthma and allergic reactions can be triggered by sulfites…” (Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin, 2005, pg. 12).

In January 2009 I decided to give up salt, soda and cut back on sweets. I am happy to admit I was successful. Actually, over the course of 2009 I did have approximately three cans of soda and all three times I didn’t care for the taste and was unable to finish it. The reduction of salt in my diet was a good change too because I use to salt my food before I even had the first bite. As a result, if I do eat anything with salt now, I find it too salty for my liking.

Exercise: Last January I began a two hour work out regime, 4-5 days a week, which included one hour of cardio, followed by sit-ups, lunges and weight lifting. All of which I do from the comfort of my own home, while catching up on television shows I have recorded. Now, you would think I would already be a Skinny Bitch, but I’m not. Because after I slaved for two hours I would cram too many high in fat foods down me. With the Skinny Bitch lifestyle I am about to confront head on, I plan to taper down my exercise drills to 1.5 hours 4-5 days a week. Exercising has been a solid factor in my life since giving birth eleven years ago, and I enjoy it.

My body type: I am 5’3” tall and 138 lbs. Apparently, I fall into the average category. For the most part I am “ok” with the way I look. However, Velour sweat out fits are my favorite ensemble to cover myself up in. Let’s face it; sweats are more forgiving around the stomach. I have about every color of sweats Kohl’s has sold. In my closet there is a bright fuchsia number I like to wear, and my husband calls be “Barney” when I do…He’s so rude and color blind because “Barney” is purple!

While we are on the subject of my husband, we might as well stay there for a moment. My dear husband has become a really good cook and follows cook books by chiefs, Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay. The meals my husband has prepared are amazing and will be sorely missed in 2010. However, my husband, Greg, has said he will learn how to prepare some vegan meals for me; in an effort to support my, “midlife mamma-hubba drama crises.”

As much as I do applaud the efforts and dedication of the PETA organization, I am not a member of PETA. However, fur is something I would never wear!!! Like most of society, up to this point, I have happily eaten a plate of dead, diseased ridden, decomposed animal carcass with a touch of A-1 and pepper most of my life. Keep in mind I never thought of meat this way until I read Skinny Bitch. Coincidently, my husband took me out to one of our favorite restaurants, for our anniversary in November 2009. The steak was not good and I couldn’t finish it. Needless to say, I have not had red meat since then.

The reasons for me doing this to myself are not to be a Skinny Bitch to be honest. The word skinny to me implies, unhealthy, and the word bitch──well, we all know what that implies. My goal is to be kinder to my body and be fit and healthy, if that makes me a Skinny Bitch along the way, then so be it.

The clock starts now…wish me well.

Fact: Drinking 64 oz. of water a day is vital for keeping your body clean and detoxified. Water flushes out all the toxins in your body from all the junk you consume. One of the reasons for being over weight could be because you don’t poop enough. Drinking plenty of water helps with the waste removal process. (Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin, 2005).

Today I consumed the following:

Breakfast:
Up at 5:45
NO coffee
Banana
Exercised for 1.5 hours
(Per the Skinny Bitch book, fruit should be the first meal of the day and you should wait 30 minutes before eating again.)
1 oz. wild Alaskan blueberry-all natural liquid
Hungry
Hungry
Starving
1/3 cup of 100% whole grain oatmeal with sliced green apples (much different without butter and brown sugar).

Lunch:
Soy yogurt
Tangerine
Veggie burger plain on a whole wheat organic bun
Side salad with tomatoes, avocado and organic vinaigrette

Still hungry and want a cup of coffee.

Between 1:00-5:00pm is when I would normally have two cups of coffee, so I did get tired around this time. Instead, I had another 1oz. shot of the all natural wild Alaskan blueberry drink and that did help.

Cup of decaf herbal tea

Snack – 2 cups of soybeans (just not the same without soy sauce and a pear martini at my favorite sushi bar).

Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta, tomatoes, pine nuts and olive oil.

Hungry

Snack – orange…ok…actually 2 oranges──and a banana

Yeah…I made it one whole day!!!