Spotlight on "Six Weeks to OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends"

This book is written by Venice A. Fulton (an alias) and is soooo unusual. I've literally been reading every diet book I can get my hands on for the past decade, and this blows them all out of the water. It is very different, as in most of his principles laugh in the face of everything we've been taught up to this point. His suggestions seem to be backed by sound scientific principles, which he describes in very easy to understand terms. I have to say that the whole book really made sense to me, but is that an indication that it will work? Well, only you and I can be the judge of that. Warning: some of the suggestions in here are PAINFUL. How badly do you want to lose the weight?

So here they are, the main points:
Do everything as described and you could lose 20 pounds of fat in 6 weeks.

1) Don't eat breakfast until at least three hours after you wake up and preferrably three hours after you exercise.

2) Take a 15 minute cold bath first thing in the morning to get your metabolism burning all day.

3) Drink BLACK coffee first thing in the morning, or take caffeine pills. But do not put anything in the coffee. Not even artificial sugars. Apparently your brain will taste the fake sugar and think that food is coming, thereby preventing the body from eating itself.

4) Before breakfast do some sort of exercise for at least 30 minutes, preferrably 45. Then wait at least one hour, preferrably three, before eating anything.

5) Have three meals and NO snacks. Your body will burn fat in between meals.

6) Fill half of your plate with protein at each meal.

7) Do not eat more than 120 grams of carbs a day. For fastest results, do not eat more than 60 grams a day. Do not count carbs from fibrous vegetables.

8) Those carbs should come from whole grains. No candy, soda, or other fake and addictive crap!

9) Don't eat more than three pieces of fruit per day. For best results, don't eat more than one.

10) Do some sort of exercise before every meal, for a minimum of 15 minutes. For best results, shoot for 30. Then wait at least 15 mins before you eat, preferrably 30 minutes.

11) Do an intense, allover weight training session 3 times a month to maintain muscle. You can do more of course, but three times is enough apparently.

12) Work your abs by blowing up balloons. This one weirds me out, but hey! Give it a try. See the book for the how-tos.

13) If your going to drink, try to stick with the hard liquors, and don't forget to count the carbs!

14) Sleep long and sleep well!

15) Stay hydrated.

16) Don't eat for at least two hours before going to bed.

17) Try skin brushing to reduce cellulite.

18) After your morning coffee, drink green tea throughout the day.

19) Eat a variety of vegetables.

20) Use smaller plates.


Yes, so that's it!! If the above has piqued your interest, make sure you read the whole book to get the important details. I'm about to start the Master Cleanse for 10 days, but when I'm done with that, I'm going to try this OMG stuff. For me it's all about breaking my damn addiction to sugar. In my opinion you can't be badass if your a slave to something as simple as sugar. But that's a lesson for another day.

Embrace the Rain and other advice that every Badass Chick should follow

My older sister came to visit me last week and it was great. While she is super strong and confident in some ways, she is also a prissy bitch in many ways. I honestly don't mean that in any derogatory way. We all have our thing, and she is simply not a Badass, nor does she want to be. The great part is that she showed me some very important examples of what NOT to do when you want to be Badass. (Again, I love you Big Sis!)

1) Don't be afraid to get wet!
I mean for Christ's sake, are we the wicked witches of the west? Are the droplets that penetrate our clothes during the dash from the house to the car going to make us melt? No. Seriously, no. And unless you are just standing in a downpour, you won't even smudge your makeup. So this is just prissy bitch stuff. The Badass Woman (BW) needs to move confidently and deliberately in any situation. The BW oozes panache and infallible infallibility. Always be prepared. Wear waterproof makeup.

2) Flip-flops are not sexy. Or Badass.
Plus, they slip, slide and fall off in the rain. As I mentioned above, always be prepared. That means no flip-flops. Ever. If you have to run from a predator, can you do that in flippers? Can you chase the bad guys? Can you walk sexily for the hot chick on the other side of the room? My God, you can't even run in the rain! The same goes for most heels. Choose carefully. Choose functional yet amazingly sexy heels. I recommend boots or booties. With practice you can do anything in these babies that you would do in sneakers and look damn good while you do it!

3) Dirt happens. Suck it up and enjoy the adventure.
I am totally guilty of this myself. I take a walk through the park and keep constantly looking down at my ensemble to make sure there are no dirt smudges. I mean, seriously? I'm at a freakin park! You know, the place where dirt and nature live? Plus, thank the gods that we have showers and running water. Why not have FUN, FORGET the dirt, and just live in the moment? Plus, what's sexier than a woman that isn't afraid to get dirty, whose confidence shines through and just radiates sex appeal. Anyone seen the show "Lost"? Goddess those people are hot, and who knows when they last had a decent shower?

Well, that's it for now, but remember... be prepared, live in the moment, and look HOT!

Challenge Your Fears

One of the hardest decisions I ever made was to join the Army. The reason it was
so hard was because I was scared shitless! I mean, God! Who wants to give up
their cozy life of freedom and take a job that basically takes that all away? My
worst fear was basic training. Back then I used to cry whenever someone yelled
at me, so I was convinced that I'd spend the entire three months blubbering like
an idiot. It turns out that I surprised myself.

I was yelled at constantly of course, but I didn't take it personal, so I didn't cry. I
grew a tougher skin. I faced many, many challenges that I didn't think I could
handle, but I got through them all (sometimes with secret tears). I thought about
quitting more than once but pushed through anyway.

I hiked ten miles with 30 lbs of gear on my back.
I low crawled half a mile while bullets flew over my head and my knees and
elbows were rubbed raw and bleeding.
I slept in the rain.
I barely slept at all.
I learned to be hated for my decisions.
I ran so hard that I threw up.
I did more pushups and sit-ups than I'd ever done in my life, and then I did even
more!
I jumped out of a five-story building in a simulated air-jump exercise.
I left my husband and kids behind for months and months.

And that was just in training.

During Active Duty, I learned a whole new set of lessons that focused more on
my mental rather than my physical fortitude. But combining it all, I finally became
as close as I've ever been to being the badass I've always dreamed of. I'm strong,
but I want to be stronger. The best lesson I've learned from the military is that
growth happens when you ignore your fears and just do it anyway! Those were
the hardest and most important years of my life.

My new goal is to challenge myself to do one thing everyday that scares me. You
can do it too! Start off small and work your way up, but just do it! You'll be
surprised at the person you can become.

Your Badass Body, Part II

This segment will focus on the most effective exercises (in combination with that
clean diet from Part I!) to get the body of your dreams. But guess what!
Remember how everything you believed about nutrition was wrong? Well,
everything you know about fitness is wrong too! The good thing is that in this
case, less is more.

Most of us have been taught throughout our lives that endurance exercises are
the most effective in burning fat. And while endurance exercises such as jogging
do have benefits, it's not necessary to get the results you crave.
Numerous studies have proven that 20 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training
(HIIT) is just as, if not more, effective than 60 minutes of steady endurance
exercise. HIIT involves alternating bursts of extreme effort with easier recovery
periods. You can use any machine (treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or stepper)
and be out of the gym quicker than it takes to watch an episode of How I Met
Your Mother!

For more information and workout plans, check out the following resources:

http://oxygenmag.com/Training/Articles/HIIT-Blast-fat-in-no-time.aspx
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=HIIT
http://experiencelife.com/article/hiit-it/


FYI, I hate cardio whether it's endurance training or HIIT. Unfortunately it's a
necessary evil for a badass body. So pick your evil... A longer bout of exercise
where you sweat through an hour of boredom or an extremely high intensity
bout where you feel like death for twenty minutes before it's over?

I shouldn't talk like that, I know. What you need to focus on is that amazing high
you get when it's over. Plus your fabulous bod, of course!

Spotlight on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

Anyone that knows me at all will be in shock that it has taken me this long to
write an entry on Buffy. After all, she is my idol, my goddess, my imaginary lover...
Haha! Joking. But I do really like, ok love, Buffy. I've pretty much idolized her since
my second year of high school. She was my original BA inspiration girl. She's
gorgeous, she's smart, sexy, funny, unique, interesting... Everything I have always
wanted to be myself.

So yes, even to this day I idolize Buffy. (Note: this has nothing to do Sarah
Michelle Gellar. I appreciate her role in bringing the character to life, but this is
about the character of Buffy, not the actress. I am not an SMG fan). All of these
years later I still study the shows. I pick out all of the little Buffyisms that I want
to make my own. You know, the things she says and does that seem to add power
to her character. At one point I actually took notes while I watched!

Luckily, Joss Whedon (or "God") continues to gratify his fans in comic book form,
although we all still pray for a movie that will never come. They are nearly as
satisfying as the show. Somehow the same spirit manages to shine through the
pages. It must have something to do with the fact that Joss is amazing, thank the
Gods.

If you don't get the hint by now, I highly recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer
even these many years later and following their 10 year anniversary. Actually
anything from Joss Whedon comes highly recommended from me, but you can
just start off with Buffy for now.

In the mean time, some Buffyisms to get you craving more:
1) The dictionary is for losers. Feel free to make up your own words if they will
help you communicate your point better.
2) Always appreciate the normalness in your life. You never know when normal
will become just a dream.
3) Looking good is a 24-hour must. There's no excuse for bad hair or hygiene. No,
not ever. It's part of your BA self!
4) Close friends are important. They act as your wing-people and partners in
crime.
5) Mochas qualify as a sugar binge.
6) Love hurts. It's up to you whether or not it's worth it.
7) Kicking ass is an awesome stress reliever.
8) Monsters exist in many different shapes and sizes.
9) When you can't run away from your problems, have a bunch of sex instead.
10) Smile and laugh in the midst of unfathomable problems.

Your Badass Guide to Fashion

Fashion can be one of the biggest challenges on your quest for badness. I mean
think about it. Every season we feel pressured to keep up with the latest trends.
To some of us this can be kind of fun, but to others (like me), it's just an
annoyance. I love my black boots. Why can't I just wear those every year for the
whole year until they fall apart or something?

Don't get me wrong, I like shopping as much as the next girl, but until I figured
out the true secret to fashion, I spent many tortuous hours trying to figure out
the trendiest and sexiest choices. Hey, some people have that knack and some
people don't. I fall decidedly into the DON'T category.

So here is the secret. It comes from a source you would never expect... My
mother. Haha! Just joking. No, I got this golden bit of information from a fantastic
book called The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex by Barbara Keesling. This book
has helped me in tons of ways, but it's advice on fashion is arguably the most
important.

Chapter 3 is called "Bad Girls Dress the Part." Need I say more? But here's the
real kicker, the bit of information that makes this advice different than you've ever
heard before... what the "Part" looks like is completely up to you. The only
requirement is that whatever you choose must make you feel totally and
completely sexy.

It may seem easier than it actually is. Most of us are used to buying clothes that
are supposed to be trendy and not paying attention to how we truly look and feel
in them. But that's about to change. You need to start shopping with purpose!
So first, close your eyes and take some time imaging yourself feeling utterly
powerful. What are you wearing? What does your makeup look like? Your shoes?
Purse? Hair? Try imagining yourself in different scenarios and picture what the
Bad You would wear. Think about how you feel in these visualizations. That feeling
is what you should be looking for when you shop. Your clothes should add to
your sense of power and self. They should accentuate your best attributes. "This
is about dressing like a woman who knows who she is, knows what she wants,
knows what she needs, knows what she has to offer, and knows how to send a
clear message." Even your underwear can add to your sense of badness, just by
knowing you're the sexiest thing around, clothes on or off!

So there are three important pieces of homework for this lesson:
1. Go through your panty drawer and throw out anything with holes or stains.
Throw out anything that doesn't fit. Finally, throw out anything that doesn't make
you feel like a sexy badass!
2. Go through your wardrobe. Try on everything. If it does not make you feel sexy,
powerful and BAD, give it to Goodwill! This includes pajamas, lounge clothes,
workout clothes, everything. I don't care if you're left with one shirt and one pair
of pants. It's better to feel powerful every day in the same clothes than so-so in a
different outfit every day.
3. Go shopping and replace what you tossed. Try on EVERYTHING, and don't buy
anything unless it makes you feel like the baddest of bad.

Make this a permanent change in your life and you are well on your way in your
quest for badness.