Tea Blends

I pulled this from Teavana's website, because I love tea recipes (especially the idea of mixing the black Mate teas with a chocolate tea). You should be able to order them online if you click the links below each picture.


Tea blending is the creative experience of mixing more than one type of tea together for a unique taste, aroma or health benefit. If you are able to visit one of our many Teavana stores across the country you can experience tea blending "face to face" by having our Teaologists brew a special blended tea for you.  Teavana Teaologists are experts at mixing loose teas together and creating custom tea blends for boosting the complexity of the taste. Since it is hard to get an idea of how tea tastes and smells complement each other online, we have added a few tea blend suggestions below.

Many herbal tea blends are packed with the delightful taste of fruits and herbs, especially when mixed with other flavored loose teas. Rooibos teas add more fruit flavor as well as adding antioxidants to your cup. Plus, when mixing rooibos tea into an herbal tea blend, the resulting blended tea still remains caffeine free!

Popular Tea Blends

An energizing chai tea blend of mate and white tea: 

Samurai Chai Mate	White Ayurvedic Chai Tea

A Teavana classic tea blend of jasmine green tea and tropical rooibos tea: 

Jasmine Pearls Green Tea	Rooibos Tropica Tea

A coffee lover's blend of chocolatey MateVana and spicy chai tea: 

MateVana Herbal Tea	Rooibos Chai Tea

A delicious green tea blend with peaches and strawberries:

Peachberry Jasmine Sutra Green Tea	Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea

This fruity green tea blend makes a great iced tea:

Fruta Bomba Green Tea	Apple Lemon Pomegranate Rooibos Tea

A blend of white and herbal teas bursting with flavor:

Youthberry White Tea	Wild Orange Blossom Herbal Tea

A fruity choice for calorie-counters:

Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea	Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate Tea

A healthy white tea blend that adds antioxidants to your cup:

Youthberry White Tea	Body + Mind White Tea

Tips to Trot

Tips to Trot
How to make weight loss easier

I wanted to make these more specific, so I read some articles to confirm them before posting them here. You're welcome to skim through the details and read the highlighted words instead.

1.  Eat dairy. Dairy decreases the body fat stored in your cells by roughly 69%, and also raises your body's core temperature. It has protein as well, which will help you feel full for longer. Just be sure to choose low-fat products (as opposed to cream).
2. Run. 'Weight-bearing' exercises strengthen bones, and any exercise burns calories.
3. Walk. Park your car farther from building entrances and always take the stairs. 
4. Avoid purchasing any food in bulk, no matter the price difference.
5. Organize your kitchen. The more lovely and organized it looks, the less you'll want to disrupt it. 
6. Plan your meals. If you have a problem with binging, chances are that you've forgotten how to tell whether or not you're hungry... or often ignore your hunger pangs until your appetite overwhelms you, causing you to binge. If you eat on a schedule, you can control things better.
7. Don't weigh yourself excessively. Weight fluctuates with water and such, so it won't give you an accurate picture. Set a date to record your weight instead. 
8. Don't drink alcohol. It will hurt your ability to make good food choices, and hangovers will always make you crave carbohydrates and greasy food. 
9. Do not take laxatives. Your body will become dependent on them, which will make you very constipated in the future. Everybody poops eventually. You don't need laxatives to do so. You need apples and probiotics (probiotic pills can be bought at grocers and drug stores).
10. Eat your food from a blue bowl or plate. Studies show that we tend to avoid eating blue foods, because the color is synonymous with mold, poison, and other distasteful things.
11. Pay attention to your portions. Your stomach is about the size of your fist, so your meals needn't be larger to fill you. 
12. Eat soup. Contrary to popular belief, water only stretches the stomach (fills you) for a short period of time. Soup, however, can fill you about an hour longer than solid food can.
13. Go to bed hungry.  I haven't tried anything more effective than this.
14. Fidget. Don't sit still. Jiggle your legs.
15. Eat spicy foods. The capsaicin in peppers decreases appetite and raises body temperature... which increases one's metabolism by 8% for roughly two hours. Black pepper, in particular, helps to dissolve fats.
16. Use cinnamon. Cinnamon improves your body's response to insulin, which helps it break down blood sugar.
17. Every time that you have a craving, force yourself to wait for thirty minutes. If you still crave food after the time has past, then you're legitimately hungry. Have some food.
18. If you can't fight yourself, binge on berries. They're high in fiber, which is very filling. They are also quite low in calories, so you can eat mass quantities of them without damaging your progress too severely.
19. Play a video game. I always lose weight when I'm hooked on a video game, because I forget to eat. As odd as it sounds, I've heard similar testimonials without asking.
20. Educate yourself. If you're familiar with the calorie content in your food, you'll be more likely to make good choices. 
21. Stay hydrated. It's nearly impossible to exercise whilst dehydrated, and very dangerous for your heart. 
22. Be creative. Paint, draw, or make crafts. Keeping your hands busy helps to quell the anxiety, and being creative takes a lot of thought... requiring a lot of goal-oriented concentration. 
23.  Freeze your food. I keep my fruit in the freezer so that it has to thaw a bit before I can eat it, which gives me time to decide whether I really need to eat it or not.
24. Do something with numbers. One of my favorite ideas that I've read, is to go outside, lay on the grass, and count the leaves stemming from the branches of a tree. Counting has a very ritualistic effect on the mind, making it a cathartic process. If you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, however, working with numbers will only cause further anxiety.
25. Take a 'Before' picture of yourself (at the beginning of your weight loss journey) and tape it to your bathroom or bedroom mirror.
26. Eat before going to the store for groceries. The theory that people buy more fatty food whilst hungry has been both tested and proved. If you don't want to eat, try to at least have some caffeine. 
27. Don't sabotage yourself. One bought of overeating won't make you gain weight. Do not tell yourself: "I've blown it, so I may as well eat the kitchen." That's retarded, and you know that. 
28. Know your 'safe foods,' and know your 'binge foods.' The easiest way to become familiar with what your brain craves irrationally, is to put yourself on a diet and then slowly return back to your normal eating. As you ease out of it, add two or three foods back into your diet each day. If one of them sends a binge-signal to your brain, then it's a binge food.
29. Take your vitamins. Being malnourished will make you crave food for nutrition (often high in fat), as well as a plethora of other serious health problems (for instance: anemia and hair loss).
30. Get a job that requires you to move around. You'll burn a lot of calories, and usually won't have much time to eat nor dwell on food. Just avoid the food industry (or risk reeking of food every day).
31. Eat before going to work. It can be difficult for many people to eat in the morning, but you'll be much more mobile, alert, and motivated if you do. In turn, you'll lose more weight from working.
32. Don't eat past seven o'clock. Your metabolism is slowest at night.
33. Create a website or keep a journal to record your progress. Make worksheets for yourself to fill out weekly, asking questions like: "Was this week successful toward my goals? What went well for me? What went badly?"
34. Keep a food diary. Be aware of what you eat. Myfitnesspal is a good tool to use. It's an online support community as well. 
35. Go outside. Being in a different environment gives your mind something else to focus on.
36. Get enough (not too much) sleep. Both extremes lower your metabolism significantly and cloud your mind. 
37. Go to sleep early. It's easy to overeat at night.
38. Drink green tea. It contains antioxidants which help fight infection, and it raises the metabolism. 
39. Stay healthy. When your body is run-down, it signals your brain to eat carbohydrates and other simple foods that produce energy ('pick-me-ups'). Keep hand sanitizer around the house.
40. Find a friend for support. It helps to stay motivated when you have someone who is encouraging you and holding you accountable.
41. Remove yourself from the couch, and embrace your goals.

 

I wanted to post this as a blog entry, since it's easier for some to read posts rather than pages. I hope that it helps!

The Cupboards

There are some food toppings and such that I am particularly fond of, and should (hence) be in all other cupboards as well. Sadly, it's a modest list... since having variety in my diet confuses me.

Fodder for the Cupboards

...and the fridge and the freezer (perhaps the counter, too?).

Food Essentials

Safe Foods

1. Butter Spray (0 calories). Butter spray is amazing. I drown my food in butter spray. It's magical. You should always have butter spray around you.
2. Frozen Berries (79 calories per cup). I munch on frozen blueberries quite frequently, because they're low in calories, and because it's very difficult to binge on frozen fruit. Likewise, I put nearly all of my fruit in the freezer.
3. Zevia Soda (0 calories). Zevia is a brand of soda that uses stevia to sweeten their beverages, as opposed to aspartame (found in popular diet sodas, barring fountain drinks). Zevia Cream Soda has become my favorite dessert as of late. 
4. Water Bottle Drink Mix (5 calories per packet). The mixes that I'm referring to, are packets that are poured into water bottles in order to add flavor. Crystal Light is my favorite brand for this, because they add antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber to their mixes. I prefer their flavor as well, opposed to that of 'off brands.'
5. Pepper (0 calories). I know that this is a common staple, but it deserves a mention. Black pepper temporarily boosts one's metabolism, and it makes boring food exciting (like salt!).
6. Tea (0 calories). You should always have tea. There is no excuse for not having tea. It's filling, it settles the stomach, and it has a plethora of medicinal uses (...and it's good with milk and sugar).
7. Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base (15 calories). Bouillon cubes create a lovely 15 calorie soup, which one could nearly drink with abandon. As a vegetarian, I love Better than Bouillon for their vegan options.

Preventative Measures 

'Safe' Binge Foods

1. Popcorn (100 calories per bag). If you must binge, binge on popcorn. So many wonderful things can be done with popcorn. It can be doused in butter spray, then sprinkled with cinnamon and zero calorie sweetener; doused in cocoa powder; mixed with garlic... all of which are great for satiating binge cravings.  
2. Arctic Zero Ice Cream (150 calories per pint). When I can afford it, I like to keep a few pints of Arctic Zero in my freezer. One can down five pints of Arctic Zero ice cream and still not have exceeded 1,000 calories... making it a perfect binge food. 
3. Frozen Mango (90 calories per cup). Frozen mango has an interesting consistency, reminiscent of marshmallows. It also tastes somewhat like marshmallows, which makes it a very pleasant fruit to binge on.
4. Cocoa Powder (15 calories per tbsp). Cocoa Powder is a low-calorie way to mend chocolate cravings. I enjoy mixing it with stevia (any other 0 calorie sweetener will do as well), and mixing it into a touch of nonfat milk (this changes the consistency, so that I'm not eating spoonfuls of dry powder [and milk raises one's metabolism]).

On an unrelated note: I'm starting the 'Master Cleanse' tomorrow. I'll post my excitement.

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Points: XII

Fifty Hours

I want to apologize for my last post, because it was a bit... scattered. I think that my cold medicine mingled with my antipsychotic (quite an intimidating class of drugs) in such a way that it left me out of sorts. I've since deleted it.

I broke my fast a few hours after posting it, but I feel fine about it in retrospect. My reason being:

This makes me happy.

Happy New Year's.

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Points: X

The Bear

I broke my liquid fast yesterday before consciously picking it back up at ten (it's been thirteen hours now). The time frame feels so surreal, because I slept off and on for the entire day. I had taken a Seroquel in the afternoon to ease my insomnia-addled mind, and it put me out completely. I only remember a few events, which I will list in chronological order (let it be known that Seroquel gives one the munchies, probably akin to marijuana):

1. I fall asleep for several hours
2. I hear a musical knock on the door, and question whether or not it's real... before opening it and receiving a pair of boots (a belated Christmas present) from my mom.
3. I go back to sleep
4. I receive a phone call from my 'boyfriend (whatever he is).' He's unhappy that I don't sound excited to hear from him.
5. I put a potato in the microwave
6. I fall asleep for several hours
7. I wake up and reheat the potato
8. ***big blur***
9. I wake up at ten in the morning. My food is logged, my painting has some new additions (more leaves have been added to the trees), and I have to be at work in three hours. This was such a lovely day off. I can't wait to do it next weekend. 

Fast: 11/72

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Points:  VII

Why McDonald's Makes Us Fat

I think that fast food is misunderstood, so I'd like to clarify why it's linked with obesity:

Why McDonald's Makes Us Fat

When one eats at a place like McDonald's, one is purchasing food that is comprised almost solely of fat, salt, fillers (additives that help bulk up the weight of food with cheap ingredients), and sugar. Nearly every meal on a fast food menu is devoid of nutrients.

When we're hungry, we crave food. Mentally, we crave sugar, salt, and fats, because those components ignite the dopamine in our brains (those same 'happy' chemicals that are stimulated by narcotics). Like junkies in a the land of plenty, we seek our fatty fixes... we're instantaneously happy.

Unfortunately, these 'fixes' are devoid of nutrients, which actually fill the body and satiate our hunger. We eat this junk, and then our bodies are hungry hours later, because we haven't been properly fed. The cravings return, we misinterpret them (again), and then we go back to McDonald's for our 'Happy Meals.' It's simple, and it's ludicrous. Ronald McDonald should be behind bars for making his customers morbidly obese. I never look at a very overweight person and see laziness. I see addiction.

 The McDonald's cycle: Hunger-> Cravings-> (food high) Hunger again, due to lack of proper nutrition> Cravings-> (food high), etc.

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Points:  V

Fruit-sicles

These look amazing. I'm going to make a batch of them this Friday:

Frozen Fruit Pops

Calories: 30 per pop

 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup diced kiwi (36)

1/3 cup diced watermelon (15)

1/3 cup diced strawberries (15)

1/3 cup diced pineapple (26)

1/4 cup fresh orange juice (28)

Instruction:

1. Combine the diced fruit in a bowl and fill each 5 oz cup with fruit.
2. Add 1 tbsp of juice and insert craft sticks into each cup. (they stay in place nicely because of the lot of fruit).
3. Place pops into the freezer for a few hours, or until firm.
4. To remove the pops from the cups, run the cups under warm water for a few seconds.
5. ...and voila! Bon Appetit (practicing my [lack of] French today).  

 

 

(Serves four)

 

Today was my first day starting the S.G.D... which went remarkably well, since I spent most of my day having a panic attack Mental illness is such a lovely accompaniment to a proper diet.

I remember calling out of work, and babbling into the phone about some severe case of vertigo that was "causing the walls to cave in around me..." which was partly true, because the walls really were slanting and bending forward. I decided that it was best to conceal the real cause, since calling out because "I'm mentally ill," seemed detrimental to my career.

 

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4" 

Don't Take Resveratrol

I'm quite concerned about my mental state at the moment, for it seems that Resveratrol (an ambiguous diet pill) has made me very ill. I'm dizzy, my heart is pounding, my head is heavy, and my stomach is nagging at me to purge all of these foreign chemicals from my body. The walls are drawing nearer to me... but this must be nothing more than a panic attack. It needs to be a panic attack. I refuse to miss work. I need these hours; this stupid money. I just spent fifteen dollars on a sweetener for Christ's sake (or Buddha's, or Vishnu's [I love Hinduism], or for whomever's you fancy)!

I didn't intend the former to be the subject of this post, but writing puts me more so at more at ease than babbling about the gym. ...so (my meager attempt to add dieting advice), the loose moral of this story:

Don't take Resveratrol-

especially if you need to drive to work and competently converse and fold clothes for six hours.



 

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4"



The Experiment

My mind's having some difficulty coping with my fasting endeavor, so I'm going to take up the Russian Gymnast Diet for a while instead (I finally have money to buy fruit again!).

I've altered it somewhat, but it's still structured the same way:

The R.G.D (a).
The Russian Gymnast Diet (altered)

Breakfast: One glass of either orange or apple juice

Lunch: Fruit Salad (comprised of either four fruits, or two fruits and one banana), with one cup of fruit juice.

Dinner: One apple, eaten alongside a glass of water

I sincerely apologize for the less aesthetically appealing addition to my sidebar. I'm really struggling to support myself right now, so I've been inclined to into scrape change from every corner of my home that I can. I promise to make up for it by adding at least one new pocket of weight loss tips per day.

Stay well, loves. Rest will bring another chance to continue your path anew.

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4"

The Apple

My boycot of solid foods lasted for about eighteen hours, before I was enticed by the apple that beckoned me from inside of my fridge. I'm certain that I can last longer now, since there are no apples nor pomegranates nestled atop the shelves. I'm going to start over with it at midnight, with a bit more sincerity.


I find myself wanting a pen pal lately. I want a friend to plan diets with, exchange progress notes, pass along stories, and other odds and ends. If I found such a person in the real world, I feel like I'd have a friend who understands me to a greater extent than other people I've met. We could talk about our feelings together, and avoid food like the plague. We wouldn't have to hide our bones in sweatshirts and layers to avoid scrutiny, because neither of us would be appauled. Perhaps I should just move to a bigger city...

There are four hours until midnight in my corner of the world. I can't fathom eating much else right now, so I suppose that I should just throw what's left of the cupboards into the bin. Feeling as though I'm too large to leave the house has lingered on for longer than I can stomach.

 

 

 

(I love this picture)

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4"

The Blues

I'm probably a bit slow to learn this, but I can't help sharing. It's so cool.

 

For the record, I always chose 'Superman' ice cream as a kid, because there was something delightfully odd about eating blue, red, and yellow ice cream. I still add food colouring to my ice cream, because- truth be told- I'm a very immature adult. When I babysat as a teenager (a task which I loathe, despite being very well-liked by children [it's a baffling paradox]), I created a game in which everyone slid down the stairs in a laundry basket (which I was scolded for, since parents believe that their children should spend their lives in fuzzy blankets instead of propelling themselves down a flight of stairs). Later in the day, we shared our Pokemon cards and discussed the current worth of the famed Holigraphic Charizard.

...anyway (apologies for the tangent), the idea behind all of this is that blue food represents things that we should avoid, since blue animals have a tendency to be poisonous booglie ooglies. Interestingly enough, the majority of these pictures were posted by chefs, who were quite proud of their colored creations. I take from this, that these chefs may have slipped through the cracks of Darwin's Theory... and would likely have died out whilst wandering the wild, had properly evolved been unvailable to guide them.

 

Behold! Delicious food: 

(I laughed a lot while I was going through these pictures)

 

 Cheers!

 

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4"

 

Lost and Found

 

 

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95
Height: 5'4"

Icarus

I created a new page for this site, so that I could better seperate my personal blog entries from those related to dieting. This is just a brief snippet from the lot (chosen for no particular reason):

 

In a Fog
July 23, 2012
I’ve referred to being ‘in a fog’ many times, but I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually defined what it’s like to be in a fog. As I am currently in a fog, I’m going to make a meager stride to interpret it… which is no simple task, because the fog is rather overwhelming, and I’d just as soon lie on the floor contemplating the ceiling’s looming lack of tiles.
I’ve been sleeping on and off for a while now, in between shamefully large meals. I’m sure that there’s a lot of psychology behind eating the ‘large meals,’ since I’m normally very particular and obsessive about my diet, but it’s a passing phase and I don’t care enough to dissect it.
Because my family is celebrating Mother’s Day tomorrow, I had to leave my house in order to purchase some compensation for my birth (which really ought to have been a sympathy card). I took a bath before leaving, and then stared at my face for a very long time, wondering whether or not it was appropriate enough to carry on outside.

When things feel heavy, I tend to look at the mirror longer than I can make sense of. One of the most prominent aspects of the ‘fog’ is a state of confusion. My reflection confuses me more than anything, since I’m unable to make a tangible connection between myself and it. I just stare at it in disbelief, wondering whether or not I should take it seriously.

Driving in the fog is dangerous. Everything’s on autopilot, and yet I have this overwhelming sense of apathy which is completely irrational. I begin to ponder certain dangers on the road (explosions, crashes, drive-by’s), and conclude that they may as well happen, since I don’t care either way. If a train flew off of its tracks and sailed in my direction, I’d just watch it, and think, 'Oh, well.'The fog leaves no room for adrenaline. There isn’t happiness in the fog, nor is there hope… nor is there a particular hopelessness, because everything is just very, very dull. I’m able to catch some parts of melancholia within such a state, but it is generally a mental prison.
I’m going to end this blog, because I can’t find any more strength to write it. I’d be eating another ginormous meal right now, if I hadn’t already made a ball out of my moderately-cooked brownie mix, and thrown it over the fence, in an attempt to end my bizarre lack of structured eating.

Icarus

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Lucidity and Carrot Soup

I've been very self conscious of my writing lately, which is why my entries have been disappearing and then reappearing. It's difficult for me to trust my lucidity whilst taking a new medication... and for good reason, because the ways that it's effecting me are not normal.  It feels like the air around me is thick, and that my mind is struggling to recall what I've done or should be doing. It's a very 'drugged' feeling. The most peculiar side effect, is that everything is beginning to taste like soap. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.

I'm going to try to keep my writing more concise whilst I'm trying to get used to the medication, so that I won't second-guess everything. I'm also in the process of moving my personal entries into a solitary page as well, so my editing's moving along more slowly than I'd like it to. I'll be posting recipes daily as well, so there will always be something new here.

A recipe:

Carrot Soup

Calories: 38

(Serves ten)

10 full-length carrots, 5 medium stalks of celery, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion, 8 cups of water

1. Chop all vegetables into small pieces, then boil them in a pot with eight cups of water.
2. Allow to boil until tender.
3. Let cool, then add garlic to the mix. Puree the soup for a heartier texture. For a smoother texter, use a blender.
4. After blending, add garlic, salt, and pepper (to taste).
5. Reheat and eat!

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

Losing Weight at Work

I'm heavily medicated right now, so I apologize in advance for the disheveled nature of this blog entry. I'm very near to falling asleep on the keyboard, but I am determined to finish writing this before then.

I work at a clothing store, and stay busy running to and from the shipping room, with racks and trolleys of clothing. I count the lot of it as cardio, which motivates me, since I know (...or think, at least) that I'll weigh less each pay day. I've pulled together a few jobs that offer similar pay-offs:

Part-time Jobs that Burn Calories

1. Retail: As long as you aren't confined to the cash register, working in retail burns about 125 calories per hour. 
2. Guiding Tours: Walking briskly on a tour burns about 189 calories per hour, whereas walking leisurely burns 149 calories.
3. Paintng Homes: As well as strengthening your arms, painting walls burns 251 calories per hour.
4. Construction: Working construction burns around 290 calories every hour.
5. Serving at a Resturaunt: Serving tables consists of a lot of running around wihlst carrying trays, burning roughly 190 calories each hour.

All of the aboves estimates are based on my weight, at 110 ( 7st 8) pounds (49.8 kilos).

 

Weight: 114 113 112 111 110 109 108 107 106105 104 103 102 101 100 99 98 97 96 95

Height: 5'4"

 

 

 



Photograph

Hair Care whilst Restricting

I've read a lot about this, because I've been dying my hair compulsively for the past six years. Before I was permitted to do so, I colored it with sharpies. On numerous occasions, I was scolded for leaving colored sharpie scribbles on my desks, which wouldn't come out no matter how much cleaning product I was forced to use. It's an irrational passion.

...so here are some things that hair needs:

Nutrients

The common cause of hair loss in a restrictive diet, is a lack of nutrients. Specifically:

Iron: Iron is usually consumed in meat, but as a vegetarian, I have different suggestions. Instead, try soybeans, broccoli, nuts, raisins, tofu and enriched 'concoctions (such as breakfast cereal and bulky energy drinks)'.
Vitamin A: Vitamin A is easy to stumble upon. It's in lettuce, carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes, and a variety of peppers.
Vitamin B: I'll be the first to offer this nutritional advice: there's a plethora of vitamin B (niacin) in energy drinks. It's a brain 'food,' which boosts mental clarity. Monster Rehab is all over that.
Zinc and Selenium: One may find zinc in leafy green veg, nuts (which are also high in iron), beans, whole grains, hemp, and various... meats.

Obviously, anyone who is restricting his or her calories will be deficient in nutrients, because there just isn't enough food. For instance,  it's recommended that one has twelve milligrams of zinc daily. In order to meet that standard, one would need to consume about 280 calories worth of wheat germ daily. There is never anything wrong with 280 calories... but for me, that's a meal. I don't want to sit down with a bowl of plain wheat germ and spoon it in. Multivitamins are necessary, especially if you're taking in less than 1,500 calories daily.

Hair Care

Hair should be conditioned properly. Even if you can't afford fancy conditioner, you can give nourishment back into your damaged hair. Follow these steps once a week:

1. After bathing, towel dry your hair.
2. Apply conditioner to it, being attentive to your 'split ends (coat them well).'
3. Wait around for about fifteen minutes, allowing the conditioner to settle.
4. Rinse and resume life as usual. 

The best structure that's worked for my hair, is to massage my scalp, and wash my hair as little as possible. If I was able to spend a week alone in my house (which is often, since company makes me anxious), I would spend it with dirty hair. Wash your hair once every two days, and regularly stimulate your hair follicles by massaging your scalp with your fingertips.

Best wishes!

Weight: 114  113  112  111  110  109  108  107  106  105  104  103  102  101  100  99  98  97  96  95

Height: 5'4"

You Musn't Eat it. Just... Arrange it.

Good News

I'm excited to  be ninety-five pounds in two months, which is a very new thought process for me. I'm a stranger to such positivity. In the past, I pined over ice cream and awaited the pattern of suffering my cravings before reaping their aftermath... shaking with terror and anticipation. Lately, I'm optimistic. This is better than a pithy reprieve from insanity. This is happiness. I know that placing all of this in the past tense won't bar me from melancholia, but it couldn't hurt (it can't...)

...and yet despite all of this positivity, I still feel like I should be eternally asleep, because staying awake is such an admirable feat for me. I feel dumb in front of the keyboard, and my mind tells me that I'm writing drivel... but I can't curb it, because I can only feign interest in things of substance. I feel like a log. I'm a lagging log. I'm a logging laggard. This is the sort of nonsense that's looping through my brain.   

Even more nonsensical than looping logging laggards, is good news:

 I lost two pounds.

Yes! 

What does this prove? It proves that chronic laziness can beget weight loss. This is a brilliant discovery, and surely a breakthrough for the scientific community (who are really more preoccupied with diet than they ought to be). I'm ready for you skeptics!

Weight: 114  113  112  111  110  109  108  107  106  105  104  103  102  101  100  99  98  97  96  95

Height: 5'4"

Leave a Loner

I'm spending most of my time asleep with the cat, because there isn't enough caffeine in the world to keep me awake for more than six hours. Since my brain has become a ball of fluff, I'm going to share an older journal entry of mine... that may or may not still lack luster. I'm too tired to read it. 

A Journal Entry:
I believe that most people view one’s desire to be alone as an admission of insanity. As someone who has been a loner for as far back as my memory serves, I doubt that there is anything else behind the quirk, apart from finding crowds and prolonged engagements distasteful and/or draining.
I shop at Walmart because it’s open during the odd hours- the time where very few people venture out of their hovels and into the florescent lighting that illuminates the cheap, coveted spoils perched beneath it. If I plan on retiring to bed at a decent time, I leave my house after ten. I’ll often arrive just barely late enough to beat the minimum wage rush hour (retail stores usually close at nine in the evening as opposed to the office jobs that end at five). My habit is usually flawless, and I’m left alone to do my shopping without being shoved or squeezing through blubber, just to get a roll of paper towels.
My method was foiled recently, in the worst possible way. I went to Walmart for groceries the other night, stopping into a different location out of curiosity. It was mostly deserted, which was appealing. I made it through the doors and got about seven feet in before I was approached by a young man, who asked me if he could use his food stamps for my purchase in exchange for cash. He told me that he would buy me five dollars worth of additional groceries for my trouble. I politely declined and he badgered on. Finally, I told him that I wanted to be left alone because I had had one of ‘those days (the term which is universally accepted, but never defined),’ and so he left me and went elsewhere.
It wasn’t long before I was bothered by his wife, who wanted baby formula. She had a sob story. I listened, all the while feeling as though long, tiny screws were being drilled into my head. When that was over, I went to the register to purchase my things, which were no longer as appealing as they could have been, had I wandered about on my own accord without all of the unnecessary mental anguish. They were dirtied and just as worn from it all as I was. At the register, the cashier wanted to know where I was from and who I was… blah, blah, blah. I don’t think that I actually said any coherent words to the people who spoke to me that night. I believe that I responded with a series of barely audible Ah‘s and Eh’s and No…’s.

 There isn't much else to the story, so I'll shuffle to work instead of committing further ramblings.

Weight: 114  113  112  111  110  109  108  107  106  105  104  103  102  101  100  99  98  97  96  95

Height: 5'4"