Fat Girl’s Guide: Starving for Perfection.
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Tips:)
So, over the weeks in doing this I’ve found some really helpful tips to use when you’re hungry, or to stay not hungry. Tricks/Excuses to fool parents/ friends will be posted on a page called ‘Tricks&Excuses:)’ I do have to say I haven’t come up with very many on my own, alot of these just circle the ana community, however they are helpful:).
1) Be careful who you tell. It’s great to have online friends – in fact, I would encourage it – but unless you’re 100% positive that your friends or boyfriend will understand or help, DON’T TELL THEM. But, if you’re sure a friend or your boyfriend will be supportive (lucky!), ask them to help you stick to your plan and meet your goals
2) Learn to LOVE that empty feeling in your stomach. Trust me, you’ll feel disgusting when it starts filling up again
3) If you must eat, ONLY eat when people are watching you. All other calories are eaten in vain
4) Get your vitamins! Calcium and iron are super important; take a multi-vitamin everyday
5) Pay close attention to other girl’s bodies. Pick them apart – try to find faults even with the best bodies. Then apply these high standards to yourself
6) Live by the scale and the measuring tape. Unlike people, they will not lie to you.
7) Sleep at least 6 hours a night. Less than 6 hours sleep a night stimulates appetite by 15%
8 ) Buy tiny little clothes – the nicer, the better. Get that sexy cocktail dress or the expensive designer jeans you’ve wanted but buy them one or two sizes too small. You’ll be inspired to slim down so you can fit into them. Try them on regularly to monitor your progress.
9) Keep in mind: if your skinny friend eats a lot, that DOES NOT mean you can, too
10) Never eat anything bigger than your fist. If you have to stretch your lips, it’s TOO BIG
11) DIET SODA! It’s amazing – it’ll fill you up and after a while, it actually tastes better than regular
12) Compete!! Compare your body to your friends’ and coworkers’ bodies. Are you the thinnest? If not, why not? If you are, think about how jealous they are of you.
13) Eat on lighter colored plates whenever you can, you will eat more on a darker plate… (?)
14) When you’re exercising, listen to music or watch TV. It helps pass the time and you exercise more without realizing it.
15) Take a Niacin (Vitamin B3) supplement. If you don’t get enough through your diet everyday (15mg or so), a deficiency can decrease the efficiency of your metabolism (and immune system). It’s also good for keeping your skin and hair healthy; detoxing because it promotes more blood flow to your skin and organs; and promotes good cholesterol as well as nervous system. Though it will turn you red so take it before bed or buy the no flush kind
16) Exercise every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. Take 5-10 minute chunks out of the day and do 100 crunches, or run in place, or take the dog for a walk. These shorts burts of exercise will help fuel your metabolism and burn calories. They’re easier to swallow than a longer exercise regime
17) Resist the temptation to take a nap after a large meal. If you stay awake a few hours longer and take a 20 minute walk, your body will use some of the extra calories for energy instead of storing them as fat.
18) When eating out, order something small and inexpensive. Usually, inexpensive means less. If you order a salad, make sure you skip the dressing.
19) Start to hate butter. Even a tiny amount can have excessive calories.
20) Sit up straight. You’ll burn at least ten percent more calories sitting upright than reclining
21) Eat slowly. Put your fork down between each bite. If you’re right-handed, try eating with your left, or vice-versa. You’ll eat a lot less this way.
22) Thinspo is your best friend. You think you’ve lost weight? Check out some fashion models or skinny celebrities online and you’ll realize that you can probably do better.
23) Chew sugar-free gum. It curbs your appetite and keeps your mouth busy so you won’t want to put anything else in it. Gives you fresh breath too!
24) Eat to live, not live to eat. Food is about sustenance to feed your body, not a substance to heal your soul. If you feel that you eat not to fulfill a physical need, but an emotional one, try to look within yourself to figure it out.
25) When eating with others, cut your food up into really tiny pieces and move it around the plate. It makes it look like you ate a lot more than you really did.
26) When you feel the urge to eat, start by drinking a cup or two of water or a zero-calorie drink. See how you feel after five minutes. If you are still hungry, grab a low calorie snack
27) If you are going to eat dinner, have a snack 20 minutes before. The secret is to eat foods with “good fat” such as nuts or avocado slices. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re satisfied.
28) For those that exercise at home (or have privacy)–exercise in your underwear. They are far less forgiving than workout pants and can really motivate you to go for an extra ten minutes
29) Eating five walnuts or eight almonds (approximately 65 calories) stimulates production of cholecystokinin, a hormone that slows your stomach from emptying so you feel fuller much longer
30) If you’re feeling super starved, eat a handful of popcorn. Air-pop it and eat it slowly. Do not use butter or salt. This will help fill you up, while only setting you back about 30 calories
31) Try to only eat in one room in your house. The kitchen is usually the best place. Make sure you keep your bedroom strictly a food-free zone, this is your best sanctuary when times get hard
32) Keep a food journal or diary. Writing down what you eat and the calories can really encourage you to eat less. Look at it often and frequently. You don’t realize how many calories you consume in a day until you are forced to look at it – it will make you sick.
33) Drink ice cold water. Your body has to burn calories to keep you body temperature up!
34) Throw away all clothes that are too big for you – don’t keep them for “just in case”.
35) When you are hungry, boil or microwave water and put a chicken or beef broth cube in. They’re only 15-20 calories and the taste makes you feel like you ate.
36) Put a mirror in front of your refrigerator or pantry – see if you’ll be able to pig out then!
37) Drink water with the juice of one lemon before every meal. Citrus shrinks your stomach and is a natural appetite suppressant. And you get your Vitamin C which is a powerful detoxifier and helps strengthen your skin.
38) Protein is super important because it helps to keep your muscles functioning properly and your heart is a big muscle that needs help when keeping super skinny. If you don’t want to eat a lot of it, get some canned tuna and eat that. Fish is naturally low calorie anyway but the taste of the tuna will make you want to eat less of it!
39) When in restaurants, ONLY order off the appetizer menu, and ONLY eat half of it. For example, if you order an appetizer of chicken wings, only eat 3 of the 6. If anyone asks, just say you’re not that hungry.
40) When eating at home, eat your meals on salad plates. This way you’re consuming less. No meal should EVER be more than 400-500 calories.
41) Brush your teeth frequently – at least 3-4 times a day. Not only will this give you a great smile and keep your breath fresh, but you’re much less likely to want a snack after brushing your teeth.
42) My favorite skinny tip is sugar-free jello! It comes in so many flavors and it’s only 10 calories per serving. If you add in some plain gelatin but no extra water it makes it firmer, and somehow better. The kind I use only adds about 5 calories per serving. It makes nails grow faster too! Sometime I’ll add two teaspoons of cayenne pepper for an extra metabolism kick–spicy, sweet and delicious!
43) Drink some cider vinegar – it curbs your appetite, speeds up metabolism and detoxes your liver and basically flushes you out.
44) One thing to help you lose weight fast is detoxing. Some claim to have lost up to 20 pounds through detox. There are many ways and some are inexpensive – ways that won’t get your family and friends raising eyebrows when they realize you are having colon irrigation etc. These are natural ways which include things you can get from the supermarket or in your pantry
45) Put on dark-colored lipstick. If you do, you’re not going to eat much – maybe not at all, because you don’t want to get smudges over your lips and face or on your teeth. Apply more lipstick as the day goes on. Stick to this plan and you’ll have the perfect excuse for not eating!
46) There are some very simple things you can do to burn calories, for example, make the bed every morning. Also, get a picture of a model you would like to look like and every time you feel like eating something look at the picture – it will stop you from eating
47) Always check the food labels and calories on everything you eat! Many labels are confusing and tricky so it is important to understand what all the claims mean. Something that is labeled fat-free might contain zero grams of fat but can still be loaded with lots of sugars. These can be hidden calories that we might overlook when reading certain labels
48) Thinspiration is key to skinny success. Keep a thinspiration notebook and thinspo pictures everywhere you can. Keep a little picture in your purse for a constant reminder. Also, keep one right behind your credit card so that you are reinforced each time that you buy something, especially food. When traveling or when you will be away from home for a long time, bring your thinspiration notebook with you. Take a look when you feel the temptations – they are usually worse when you are away from home
49) Eat what you crave OCCASIONALLY and eat it in MODERATION! Those two points are key here! For example, if you are craving chocolate cake don’t buy an entire chocolate cake – the temptation is way too significant and you’ll eat more than you should. Instead, buy a single serving piece and only eat half. Allow yourself to enjoy the things you love and crave. Deprivation leads to binging.
50) A good rule is to limit yourself to one to three bites of anything you crave. For example, whenever I go to a buffet I get one piece or serving of everything I want. This usually means that my plate ends up being completely full. Because I have a fast metabolism, I am able to have one bite of each thing and then throw the rest away. Another upside to this is that people will never question you about your weight because they will see you with a lot of food on your plate and at least some of it with bites eaten. It’s kind of expensive but TOTALLY WORTH IT!
51) Here’s a trick if you have friends that frequently offer you some of their food and then get really suspicious when you say no; then they try and force you to eat it even more. To avoid this, always chew gum around them. Food tastes horrible after gum so you’ll have a good excuse to say no!
52) There are so many ways to burn off calories without really trying. Whenever possible, take the long route to your destination. If you have to deliver something, take two trips instead of one. This will force you to move longer, faster or both; thus burning more calories.
53) Stop thinking that you’re deprived of that bite of chocolate or a cookie. How about being deprived of the chance to get to a skinnier you or fit into that smaller dress? Ever felt deprived of confidence of your body? Give yourself that chance now.
54) I have a tip that works great for me to help me not eat, similar to the lemon water tip. When I feel hungry, I suck on a Vitamin C drop. They’re the same price as generic cough drops and have the same benefits as lemon juice. And a bonus: only 15 calories. Three a day is as filling (for me at least) as three big meals and that’s ONLY 45 calories for the whole day! They have different flavors too so it’s not boring. (thanks, Randa)
55) I just wanted to mention something that is really important for me and really helps resist temptation. Always look your best, always have your hair exactly how you want it and keep reapplying your make up through the day. Have your whole outfit perfect, whether your a goth girl or preppy or whatever. Always project a perfect image of who you are. Don’t skip your morning shower, or rush your make up. Getting up early to do these preparations will help you burn more calories anyway. When you feel perfectly presented, you won’t want to ruin that image by stuffing your face. You will feel more and more like perfection as you get better at presenting this perfect image, and as you get thinner. This goes for your room too, keep everything tidy and in its place. This helps with your control issues and gives you something active to do. When people notice this controlled perfection about you, they won’t care if you don’t eat much or often. They will see it as part of who you are, and be jealous that they don’t have the same self-control.
57) If you want to binge – distract yourself! Try decorating or organizing something. When I pick a project to do, it distracts my mind for a while and keeps me from thinking about food. Plus after I’m finished, I feel a great sense of accomplishment for what I just did. Still want to binge? Drink three big glasses of water. Really chug ‘em and I guarantee you’ll feel too sick to even eat. Another idea – drink a couple of teaspoons of vinegar. It makes your stomach feel really weird and you won’t want to eat.
58) If you have problems with gaining weight in a particular area, a certain problem zone, such as the stomach, wear underclothes designed to disguise or help with that problem zone 24/7. Instead of taking off your Spanx after work or school, keep them on. When the body is trying to find a place to store any piece of fat, it will look to those places but will not be able to squeeze the food there. I have struggled with my problem area of my stomach for years – no matter how skinny I get (I am 5’5″ and 101 pounds), I always have a bit more weight then I would like in that area and can never seem to get the flat stomach I want especially when compared to my longer limbs, like so many other women. A couple months ago, I decided to experiment and wore a tight pair of new Spanx to sleep. To my delight, I woke up the next morning with a completely flat stomach. It seems that the food bypasses my stomach and moves it to other areas now, leading to a more proportionate body fat distribution and the silhouette I have always dreamed of. I bet it sounds crazy, but there are lots of women who use sweat bands or other such garments to burn fat, and corsets have been shown to actually change the bone structure of women over time, so this is no different. I hope this helps, because for many women, no matter how skinny you get, you can’t get rid of problem areas and this often leads to disappointment. It even can cause people to give up entirely on their quest to be skinny, once they feel that their ideal body is simply unachievable. It has worked for me and I can’t say how excited I am! (thanks, Carolyne)
59) Exercise the first thing in the morning. And exercise every morning. Get up earlier than everyone else to exercise.
60) If you don’t know how many calories are in something, don’t eat it! If you absolutely must eat something that you don’t know the caloric content of, always go with it being much more than what you think it is. It’s better to think you’ve eaten more than you have than to think that you’ve eaten less.
61) Food JUST SITS THERE. Whenever you feel like reaching for some food, take another look at it and you’ll come to realize that it just sits there. That cookie isn’t going to jump up at you and into your mouth. It is harmless. All you have to do is NOT reach for it and you’re safe. It’s not going to get at you if you leave it alone. Drink some water,
62) Whenever you feel hungry, try to visualize that gnawing feeling in your stomach in problem areas like your thighs. Imagining your fat being burned away will help give you motivation and to not eat for longer periods of time.
63) Whenever you start to reach for that little snack you’re craving, first take a minute to finger that lovely xylophone, or those beautiful ribs that have found their way out. You don’t want to cover them up again, do you?
64) COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE! It is a well known appetite suppressant.
65) Drinking not enough water can hamper your weight loss efforts. That’s because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 few calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn’t how much you drink, it’s how frequently you drink it. Small amount sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once
66) ALWAYS number your bites! For example, say, “I’m only gonna eat ____ bites of this.” Then, use a smaller fork or spoon for the same number of bites. This way, you’re eating less without hardly trying!
67) Find a drink and/or food you dislike that’s low in calories (for me it’s tea and bean sprouts) and keep some near/with you at all times. When you feel like raiding the fridge, tell yourself “I can eat something else after I’ve eaten/drunk this”. It usually takes a while to force yourself to eat something you hate so when you’re finally done, the time elapsed and the bad taste of the food can usually kill your appetite/craving
68) When I feel like eating something I try to imagine the ingredients. I usually think about all the fat, butter and sugar that is in it and then I don’t want to eat it anymore.
69) Whenever you’re hungry snack on carrots or any other low-cal veggie. They fill you up so you don’t eat high-cal foods.
70) Chia seeds, yes like from a Chia pet. Chia seeds, when soaked in any liquid turn into Chia gel. This gel keeps you full for hours, plus Chia seeds are very good for you, they are high in fiber, protein, and lots of vitamins and minerals. Two teaspoons is 70 calories, so I measure out two teaspoons every morning and put some in everything I drink throughout the day, which keeps me full all day!! I put it in water, tea, coffee, any liquid works! Also, Chia seeds being high in fiber helps with weight loss too. I know it’s gross, but you need to remember, the longer food stays in your system the more calories you are absorbing from it. You should be going once for every time that you eat, if you aren’t then you need more fiber in your diet. (thanks, Megan..?)
71) One random tip that works great on weekends/at night is to paint your nails when you get one of those won’t go away cravings. If you use really thick layers of dark (dark dries slowest) polish (be sure to use base and top coat too!) it can take forever to dry – time where you literally can’t get anything to eat! Sometimes I won’t keep nail polish remover in the house – that way if I mess my nails up, I would have to go to work in the morning looking horrid.
72) If you are having trouble losing those extra 5 pounds, try being a vegetarian or vegan. Think of all the poor little animals! Also, cutting out all of that fried, fattening meat will really help you with cutting out the calories
73) Set aside a weekend morning to go through and try on your entire wardrobe. Then, take anything that is even remotely loose on you, fold it up, and send it to goodwill. This tip has three benefits: first, you’ll be motivated not to let yourself gain any weight; second, you’ll clear out the clutter from your drawers and closets; and third, you’ll be donating needed clothes to a worthy cause. A win all around!
74) Drink a lot of liquids. i.e. tea, water, coffee. It flushes out your whole system and leaves you with a flatter stomach. Coffee tends to make me have to go #2 which helps shed the pounds. Hope this helps everyone like it helps me!
75) This is for those who can’t stop eating and hate exercising:
Honestly if you really can’t ignore your hunger despite all the tips and tricks you’ve read on this site, simply switch ALL your foods to low-calorie foods. you’ll definitely lose 1-2lbs per week at the very least.
76) Use a skin firming lotion to help tighten up problem areas. I use Jergens® natural glow Firming Daily Moisturizer all over my body for a super gradual tan and firming, and Jergens® Skin Firming Daily Toning Moisturizer (which has collagen & elastin in it) on target areas.
77) When I’m dieting and the weather is good, if I can, I get a tall sized frappuccino light from Starbucks. This might sound terrible for dieting but I tend to have it when I’ve had nothing to eat all day, have this early afternoon. It’s an amazing pick me up and just like a meal. It makes you feel full and gives you energy
78) I swear by spinach leaves. One cup has about 7 calories. I find that they fill me up very quickly.
79) Watch videos on sites like YouTubeof people bloating themselves or showing weight gain. It will make you feel disgusting, especially if you do it before eating
80) This probably sounds a little strange, but my tip is to get yourself tested for food allergies. Most people have some sort of mild allergy or intolerance like wheat or dairy. This will give you the perfect cast-iron excuse, as by bringing medical authority round to your side people are less likely to bother you. So the next time the office fat girl bakes birthday cupcakes and insists on shoving them in your face (“but they’re home-made”) you can just smile politely and say that regretfully (ha!) medical reasons prevent you from accepting her kind offer of lovingly home-baked sugar-crusted lard piles. Eventually, people will come to know you (at least behind your back) as “that skinny b**** with the food intolerance”, and will just stop trying. This also works well when dining out, since you can quiz the wait staff about the content of dishes with impunity. (thanks Clara)
81) Have photos of your favorite models in beautiful, editorial shots on your bedroom wall. Then when people ask, it’s not thinspiration, it’s your interest in fashion photography and the surrounding arts. And if you find yourself tempted, go and look at your wall, trace their legs, arms, collarbones, and imagine what you would look like in that piece. Until you can say “as good as them” the temptation should die instantly.
82) If you live with your parents (like I do) tell them you’re going to go vegan for charity for a month, two months, or some specific time frame. Not only does this cut out fattening dairy products, but most of what you can eat consists of fruit and vegetables – great for keeping skin nice, plus all the money you raise from sponsorship goes to a good cause of your choice
83) I know many people crave to eat something right after their meal, here’s a great tip for them: While you’re making yourself a meal, (washing your salad, steaming your broccoli or whatever), always make a big cup of green tea as well. That way it is good and not too hot when you finished eating. When you drink it right after the meal you completely avoid all the cravings of eating more or having dessert!
84) Take every chance you can to exercise and burn calories. Fidget whenever your are sitting down, wiggle your foot, tap / clap your hands, play with your pen. Clench your butt muscles, or go up and down on your toes while waiting to cross the roads etc. Stand up whenever you can. Pace up and down while you wait for the bus/ train. Take stairs not the elevator and go up them two at a time. If you walk to work/ school/ the bus stop etc leave later than you need to so you’ll have to rush (which makes your heart beat faster and burns cals). Try to do a walk that takes 20 mins in 10 etc. Every time you go to the bath room do 5 – 10 star jumps or push ups against the door – and drink lots of water so you’ll have to go often
85) Everyday, I eat about 2 sheets of Sushi Seaweed. Each sheet has only about 10 calories, and recent studies have found that a fibrous material in it, alginate, can reduce the body’s fat retention by 75%. (thanks Stephanie)
If someone is suggesting food say something to the effect of: “Mmm, that sounds good, I’ll probably have some later.”
If you are a smoker and you are hungry, light up it curbs your appetite. But watch out though later you will feel the hunger ten fold. Cigarettes are stimulants and will only make you hungry later. So while smoking think of someting else to do for when you get hungry again.
When hungry do something gross like clean toilets or the litter box. You wont be so hungry afterwards
. Water! Water! Water! Cold burns more calories.
Give yourself a goal. Everyday. This way you will not get off track
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Dont slouch. You burn 10% more calories when you sit up straight.
Never eat alone. This way someone always sees you eat when you do and cant say “Oh she never eats"
Cravings = count to 100 and get away.
Green Tea raises metabolism.
Cold showers will burn more caloires.
Pick one food a day. Like an apple. Cut into 4 equal parts. 1 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 1 left for a snack.
Take a picture of yourself in only your panties. Keep it with you and look at it when you feel a binge or craving coming on. You will then not want to eat.
Wear lip gloss. You will not want to mess it up to eat.
This goes for brushing your teeth too. You will not want to eat after they are clean.
Eat using chopsticks
Eat with the opposite hand.
Need a quick excuse not to eat. Umm Toothache!
Count a skinny sibling/friends’ calorie intake, Never eat more than them.
Don’t make excuses, “one bite wont hurt.” is a big fat lie.
Always wear a rubber band on your wrist. Slap when your hungry and BAM! not no more.
Keep a thinspiration book.Work, Read, Think about it. This is your second bible.
Decorate your surroundings with quotes and thinspiration pictures.
Think nasty thoughts when hungry. Like what the food looks like when it is sitting in your belly about to go straight to your hips.
Eat only veggies and fruit.
Twitch! Every calorie counts.
When you are hungry, drink something warm like tea. This will open your digestive track and make you feel full.
Always think in terms- “What if I was 10-15 pounds lighter?"
Always keep diet pills and laxatives around for just in case purposes!
Sleep at least 7 hours. Less sleep increases appetite by 15%
Buy smaller clothes so you have a goal to get to.