Weight Loss, Arghh...

...is probably one of my least favorite subjects. But I want to address this topic. Let me preface this article by saying:

1. I think women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful.

2.  No one should ever be called "fat." Fat is a part of every person's body, like water and muscle. To put someone in a box because of our culture's conceptions of "ideal beauty" is...messed up.

3. My own metabolism is very high so I'm skinny and have never tried to lose weight. I honestly can't speak about struggling to lose weight because I have never experienced this. (Sometimes I forget to eat three meals a day, and have to eat more.)

4. But to reiterate my first point, whether you are a stringbean or extra-curvy, I think you are gorgeous just the way you are.

Still, the fact that I have never been overweight may be a sign that I do know "something" about staying slim. And many of you may want to lose some weight for reasons of health or vanity.

Thyme adds flavor to oil-free dishes.

I am thinking about this topic because skincare expert Susan Ciminelli recently blogged that she lost 10 pounds in 5 days. Generally, I  trust Susan Ciminelli's advice, and her book "The Ciminelli Solution" is a must-read for anyone with problem skin.

Anyway, I thought her quick weight loss tips were really interesting, and wanted to share what she said she changed in her diet. She gave up grains and changed the salad dressings she uses on her salad. My impression is now she uses less olive oil and more vinegar. (You can read the full POST with her RECIPE here.)

We all need grains in our year-round diet, but I think it is possible to take a short break from grains and make adjustments to your diet to lose weight. These minor shifts do help.

Also, if you eat fast food and candy and hope to shed a few pounds, try your best to erase these from your diet. If you need to toss cookies and M&Ms out of your kitchen to make this happen, just do it! I find it's easier to avoid unhealthy foods when you can't see them. 

Also, for a quick diet-friendly meal, you can wrap chicken breast in foil with sliced lemon, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary, but no oil, and bake it in the oven.  You could pair this healthy dish with a large arugula salad and a piece of fruit.

Sometimes being too thin is a health problem too. Ciminelli also blogged about one of her clients who had lost 20 pounds due to too much stress and needed to gain weight again. She advised adding an avocado and a banana to her client's daily smoothie in the morning. (You can read her full post here.) I thought this was a great tip too.

Anyway, I hope this blog post doesn't offend you. Really, I wish more size 8 and size 12 women were represented in the media. But I also know that many of you hope to lose weight to both "look slimmer" and improve your overall health. Hope some of this advice is helpful!