WEIGHT LOSS REVELATIONS Your Power Foods

This chapter is all about telling you what you can safely eat.  We’re going to talk about foods you should eat whenever you’re having a craving for something fattening, stuff you can substitute for the bad stuff.

The main thing is to keep your fridge and cabinets stocked with plenty of foods you can eat in unlimited or substantial quantities.

First, let’s talk about some things you can eat in unlimited quantities.  These are foods that, if you eat them until you feel like you’re going to puke, you still shouldn’t fear gaining any weight!

These are also foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and other essential elements.

They are foods you can feel good about eating, and you don’t have to feel guilty, even if you overeat them.  They are also rich in antioxidants and perhaps other important elements that scientists haven’t even discovered, yet!

Foods to eat in unlimited quantities:

ü     Apples

ü     Asparagus

ü     Beets

ü     Blueberries

ü     Cabbage

ü     Cantaloupe

ü     Carrots

ü     Cauliflower

ü     Celery

ü     Cranberries

ü     Cucumbers

ü     Dill Pickles (Kosher or Hamburger Dill)

ü     Fresh Herbs or Dried

ü     Garlic

ü     Grapefruit

ü     Green Beans

ü     Greens (All Types)

ü     Honeydew Melons

ü     Lemons and Limes

ü     Lettuce

ü     Mangoes

ü     Mushrooms

ü     Onions

ü     Papayas

ü     Peaches

ü     Peppers (All Kinds)

ü     Pineapple

ü     Radishes

ü     Raspberries

ü     Spinach

ü     Strawberries

ü     Tangerines

ü     Tomatoes

ü     Turnips

ü     Watermelon

ü     Zucchini

You can combine these ingredients into delicious recipes that taste great, too.  This will help keep you motivated.  The better tasting the food is that you’re eating; the more likely it is you will stick to the system.

These ingredients can work very well together.  For example, you could take some of the vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, zucchini, celery, and green beans and make a very nice soup.

You could also use unlimited fresh herbs or dried herbs to flavor it.

You could make a nice fruit salad using various fruits, flavorings, and herbs.

Mint and cilantro both go very well with many different types of fruits, and lemon or limejuice with a touch of salt can make a sweet fruit salad a bit more savory.

Lemon juice can also be used on its own with herbs, or blended with fruit to make a dressing for salads.

A salad of spinach and sliced mushrooms tastes amazing with a vinaigrette of raspberries, cranberries, or strawberries with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Experiment with using these ingredients to make various recipes.  You can also add small amounts of foods that aren’t on the list, comprising a recipe mostly of these items and using other foods as flavorings.

For example, you could make a soup using these vegetables and using a small amount of boneless, skinless chicken breast to flavor it and add protein.  Or you could make a delicious salsa with tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and lime juice, and then serve it over lettuce with a 1 cup of black beans.

The combinations are practically endless, especially when you start using foods that you can’t have in unlimited quantities to bring flavours together.

Now you need to know some flavourings you can use in unlimited quantities.  Some condiments are high in sugar or fat, and you should avoid these for the most part.  You can enjoy small quantities of them, but it’s best to limit them.

Flavourings to enjoy in unlimited quantities:

ü     Mustard

ü     Vinegar (All Types)

ü     Spices (No Sugar, No or Low Sodium)

ü     Herbs

ü     Lemon Juice

ü     Lime Juice

Make sure the flavourings you buy do not contain MSG.  There are many seasonings on the market that do.  The salt replacement Accent, in fact, IS monosodium glutamate; so avoid this one at all costs!  Look for flavourings that contain as little sodium as possible, but you don’t have to avoid it completely.

Next, let’s look at some various types of proteins you can add to the unlimited foods to bring a meal together and make it more filling.

You should limit these foods to smaller servings, but you should make sure to use some of these every day.

Proteins to enjoy in smaller quantities:

ü     Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

ü     Turkey Breast

ü     Most Types of Fish

ü     Lean Beef

ü     Beans (All Types)

ü     Other Lean Meats

ü     Tofu

ü     Nuts

Lean meats, beans, nuts, and tofu are filling.  They also provide nutrients like iron that are essential for a healthy body.  They should be used more as a flavouring for other foods than a major part of the meal, especially when trying to lose weight.

Vegetarians can obviously leave meat out entirely, opting for vegetable-based protein sources.  There is a lot of controversy about whether soy-based products like tofu are good for you or not, but I personally use it in small quantities.

Flavourings to enjoy in smaller quantities:

ü     Salt

ü     Ketchup (Preferably Sugar-Free)

ü     Olive Oil (Limit Carefully)

ü     Agaves Nectar (Liquid Sweetener, Natural, Won’t Spike Blood Sugar)

ü     Soy Sauce (High In Sodium, So Limit)

You shouldn’t eliminate salt from your diet completely, as your body does need a bit of salt to run properly.  But these should be limited as much as possible.

Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils you can use.  Studies have shown that people who consume around two tablespoons of olive oil daily for one week show less oxidation of LDL cholesterol, as well as higher levels of antioxidants in their blood.

Olive oil can help protect against ulcers and gastritis.  It may help prevent colon cancer. It contains vitamin # and phenols.  In short, it is probably the best fat you can possibly consume.

As with nearly anything, it should be consumed in limited quantities.  It is still very high in calories, and of course, is pure fat.  Eating enough of it will cause you to gain weight, but it should still be used in small amounts because of its protective benefits.

Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that comes from a type of cactus.

It tastes very sweet, but it won’t spike your blood sugar like process sugar, honey, syrup, and other sweeteners.  It’s also considered much safer than aspartame and other chemical sweeteners.

By: brown Michael

New WEIGHT LOSS REVELATIONS: Food For Fuel

Once you’ve discovered how to listen to what your body wants, it’s time to interpret these cravings and give your body what it wants.

If you’re craving pizza, it’s probably the tomato sauce your body is asking for.  In this case, you could try having some healthy tomato soup, some tomato juice, or a nice, fresh tomato salad.

If you are craving something healthy like watermelon or broccoli, by all means indulge!  But of course most people tend to crave things that they really love to eat.  Maybe watermelon is your favorite food, and if so, that’s great.  But most people have less healthy favorites like pizza and French fries as their favorites.

Remember, MSG can cause you to crave foods that your body doesn’t need.

You have to break away from the addictive cycle, so you should at least cut down on MSG if you don’t eliminate it entirely.

I find I crave cheesecake a lot.  For a long time I thought maybe I was craving the calcium, but then I realized I don’t just crave cheesecake, I crave strawberry cheesecake!

Once I started eating fresh strawberries once a cheesecake craving hit, I rarely craved it anymore.  Sometimes I would still want cheesecake after I ate strawberries, which signaled that I just wanted the flavor of cheesecake.  I knew that wasn’t a real craving, so I had to make the decision to either ignore the craving, or give in and indulge.

The thing is, you CAN give in and indulge from time to time.  You just can’t go overboard if you want to lose weight.  I would have a very small slice of cheesecake, eating slowly and savoring each bite for the longest time possible.

If I was still craving it after that slice, I would wait at least two hours before giving in again, for another very small slice.  And each time I had to decide whether to indulge or not.  The strength of the craving was the major deciding factor in whether I would indulge.

Life is short.  It’s too short to deny yourself entirely.  Once I realized that, it was easier for me to lose weight.  You see, sticking with a diet is really tough when you never get to eat anything you enjoy!

But when you allow yourself treats and indulgences from time to time, it’s a lot easier to keep going.  You have more of a reason to keep it up.

You remember the four food groups, right?  Unless you’re relatively young, you were probably taught about the four food groups in school.  Supposedly those were the foods we needed to make up a healthy diet.

These days, it’s all about the “food pyramid”.  The USDA has devised a new way of teaching people about the right foods to eat, dividing foods up even further.  It contains 6 groups of foods instead of four.

Well, this food pyramid is actually a lot smarter than the original four food groups, because it actually distinguishes fats, oils, and sweets from healthier foods.

Additionally, fruits and vegetables are in two different groups.


                                                         

                                                               The Food Pyramid

As you can see, the largest group is the base of the pyramid.  This group contains breads, grains, and other starches (like corn and potatoes).  This is the group the USDA believes you should eat the most of.

These grains and starches help give you energy, but they can be loaded with carbohydrates that can raise your blood sugar.  It’s best to stick with whole grains, and go easy on the really starchy foods like potatoes.

The USDA recommends that adults consume around 6 to 11 servings of grains and starches per day.  Be careful to monitor your portion sizes carefully!

A single slice of bread is one serving, but a slice of thick-sliced bread is TWO servings, and a standard 6-inch sub sandwich roll is THREE servings!

The next level of the pyramid contains fruits and vegetables.

Originally fruits and vegetables were in the same food group when it came to the “four food groups”, but a distinction needed to be made.  You need to eat both fruits AND vegetables in order to have the healthiest possible diet, so the USDA decided to draw a separation between the two.

Ideally, you want to have at least 3-5 servings of vegetables and 204 servings of fruit each day.  A typical serving of vegetables is 1 cup raw or 1 cup cooked.  A typical fruit serving is 1 small fresh fruit or 1 cup canned fruit.

The next level of the pyramid shows dairy and protein.  The dairy section is smaller than the meat section, because you don’t need as much milk per day as you do protein.

You should be getting at least 2-3 servings of dairy per day, preferably low-fat or non-fat.  This could include things like milk, yogurt, or even low-fat ice cream.

Proteins include meats and seafood, dried beans, eggs, cheese, and peanut butter.  Yes, cheese is included in protein rather than dairy.

You want to get 4-6 ounces of protein daily, ideally from low-fat varieties such as most seafoods, egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese, and skinless poultry.  Tofu is also a good choice if you like it.

The final group includes fats, sweets, and alcohol.  You should keep these to a minimum.  Remember, you do need some fat in your diet, but excessive fat can lead to obesity, especially when consumed with excessive amounts of carbohydrates.

You should have a maximum of 1-2 servings from this group per day, especially when trying to lose weight.

It’s not easy keeping track of all of these things, so I don’t actually worry too much about counting each and every serving and adding it all up during the day.

What I do is I develop menus for the week, and I plan each meal in a specific way.  That way I don’t have to worry about adding things up, because it all happens quite naturally.

Here’s an example of my weekly meal plan:

BREAKFAST

3 servings grains
1 serving fruit
1 serving protein
1 serving dairy

LUNCH

4 servings grains
1 serving fruit
2 servings vegetables
1 serving protein
1 serving dairy
1 serving fat (if not at dinner)

DINNER

2 servings grains
1 serving vegetables
2 servings protein
1 serving fat (if not at lunch)

SNACK

1 serving fruit

SNACK

1 serving vegetables

That’s 3 meals and two snacks per day, which might seem like a lot of food when you’re dieting, but it’s not.  You MUST keep eating regularly to keep your metabolism high.  If you don’t, your weight loss is going to be much slower than you’d like.

As you can see, this gives me each day:

9 servings grains
3 servings fruit
5 servings vegetables
4 servings protein
2 servings dairy
1 serving of fat

This is a good balance.  It’s right in the middle of the grains, on the low end of protein and dairy, and on the high end of fruits and vegetables.  That’s what really got me the best weight loss, because fruits and vegetables are obviously lower in fat and calories than meat and dairy, and I stayed right in the middle for grains to give me enough energy without overeating.

This is what a typical menu would look like:

BREAKFAST

3 servings oatmeal (small bowl)
1 serving applesauce (in the oatmeal)
1-ounce bacon or ham
1 cup non-fat milk (half over the oatmeal)

LUNCH

2 sandwiches with:

2 slices whole grain bread each
lettuce and tomato
3 ounce low-fat turkey on each
1 tbsp. mayonnaise (half on each)


1 apple
1 cup non-fat milk

DINNER

Noodle Stir-Fry with:

2 servings whole wheat pasta
1 cup steamed broccoli
2 ounces grilled chicken
Herbs and 0 calorie seasonings to taste

SNACK (between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner)

1 cup cantaloupe cubes

SNACK (between lunch and dinner or after dinner)

1 cup salad with fat-free dressing

As you can see, this keeps you eating all day long, and you get a considerable amount of food each time.  If you’re hungry, eat!  Just be sure you’re really hungry.

It can be quite difficult to tell if you’re actually hungry or if you are just bored or depressed and want to eat.

Before you eat anything, try to listen to your stomach, not your head.  If your stomach is growling or pinching, you’re really hungry.  If it isn’t, then you just want to eat.

Remember, you can indulge sometimes, too.  If you’re craving corn chips, go for it!  But grab out a handful and put it into a bowl, do NOT eat straight from the bag!

It’s very important to learn portion control.  You can’t eat unlimited amounts of almost any food without gaining weight.  Yes, you can eat to your heart’s content on cucumbers or lettuce, but most foods need to be limited.

In the next chapter, I’m going to make a list of foods you can eat whenever you’re hungry, including foods that you can have in practically unlimited quantities.

We’ll also look at some food substitutions you can use to satisfy cravings for higher-fat foods.  While this won’t always work, sometimes it does.

Whenever you can cut calories with substitutions, it’s a great thing!

By: brown Michael

WEIGHT LOSS REVELATIONS: Listen To Your Body

One of the biggest problems that we face when struggling to lose weight is that we rarely listen to our bodies, and what it is trying to tell us.

Over the years, through self-indulgence and not paying attention to what we are putting INTO our bodies and how it actually affects us, we lose our internal ability to judge what we really need to be eating. Thankfully, It’s very easy to train yourself to listen to your body, it just takes a little bit of practice.

One of the best things about listening to your body is that you won’t have to feel deprived or hungry.  When you eat what your body is craving, you naturally eat less, or you eat more, but healthier foods that nourish your body and give you the energy and mental clarity that you need.

You see, when you’re eating all of that junk food that is nutritionally lacking, your body needs to continue to signal to you that you’re hungry so you will eat more and more.  If it never gets enough of the nutrients it needs, it will keep you perpetually hungry!

Once you start listening to your body and giving it what it needs, you’ll find yourself naturally losing weight.  Your body won’t hold on to that extra fat anymore, because it won’t think it’s starving.

And you won’t feel deprived because you’ll still be able to eat many of the foods you love!

Your body is a remarkable instrument.  It is precisely calibrated to work at maximum efficiency naturally.  If you take care of it properly, it will continue to run at peak efficiency.  However, if you abuse it and neglect it, it will begin to wear down quickly.

Since most of us grow up eating a lot of junk foods like candy, cookies, cake, pizza, and potato chips, our bodies are never given enough of the different nutrients it needs.  Those foods are empty calories that cause us to gain weight, but don’t actually provide us with any vitamins or minerals.

Since our bodies don’t get enough nutrients, they continually crave more and more food.  Our bodies keep telling us to consume more, because we think we are starving!  Surely we must not be taking in enough food if we aren’t getting those nutrients, right?

In the wild that would rarely happen except in times of famine.  Animals instinctively know what types of foods they should consume, how much, and when.  They don’t overeat, because they get the right nutrients.

The only time animals in the wild have trouble getting enough of the right nutrients is during times of famine, when their food supply is threatened.

During times of famine, a body’s normal reaction is to conserve energy.  This is done by putting on weight.

The body stores fat to be converted to energy later when there is no food available.

Additionally, the metabolism slows down in order to keep that weight on as long as possible, so it lasts as long as necessary to keep the body alive during the duration of the famine.  This is a natural part of life.

Humans have evolved to eat foods that aren’t nutritionally adequate.  There are very few nutrients in French fries or a chocolate bar.  Even the “healthy” foods we eat are often cooked until most of the vitamins have been destroyed.

In order to learn to listen to your body again, you have to start paying very close attention to the foods you are craving.  Usually the body has cravings for certain foods based on nutrients it isn’t getting enough of.

For example, a human living in the wild in the wintertime would be without many nutrients for several months.  All of the fruits and vegetables would either be long stored-away by animals or buried under snow.

During this time, their primary food source would probably be animals. They would probably have to eat mostly fish until the plants began to produce again.

After a while, that human would very likely begin to crave fish, long after there was a good supply of vegetables or fruits.  This is because the body builds a preference for the vitamins and minerals found in specific foods, and once your body has experienced the extra energy and vitality that comes from eating healthier foods, your brain and overall system continues to crave those nutrients and proteins.

By breaking down whatever you’re craving, you can learn to figure out what it is your body is really looking for.  This is the key to finally losing weight!

There is one important thing you should know about cravings.  They aren’t ALWAYS indicative of your body needing something.

Cravings can also be triggered by:

·        Hormonal changes (pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome)

·        MSG (monosodium glutamate)

·        Food addiction

·        Depression

These are just a few of the issues that can cause cravings.  It can be difficult to tell whether a craving is legitimate or not, but if you substitute something similar and you’re still experiencing the craving, odds are the craving was not a legitimate health craving.

MSG is one notable cause of cravings.  It has been proven to be very addictive, and food manufacturers and restaurants will often put it in their food to make people crave it.

You should avoid eating foods that contain this addictive substance whenever possible.  Eating food that contains MSG will only make you crave more of it, and this perpetuates obesity.

MSG has many harmful effects.  It has been linked with:

·        Diabetes – It causes the pancreas to produce three times more insulin than normal!

·        Autism

·        ADD and ADHD

·        Alzheimer’s Disease

·        Migraines and General Headaches

·        Brain Lesions

·        Obesity

·        Other Degenerative Diseases Like ALS and Parkinson’s

MSG and aspartame (the artificial sweetener) belong to a dangerous group of substances known as excitotoxins.  These toxins are believed to be responsible for contributing to many of the above conditions and problems.

If you aren’t going to avoid MSG and aspartame, your cravings are going to be more difficult to identify properly.  You will probably have a lot of “false positives” and you’ll likely be craving things your body isn’t physically craving.

By: brown Michael

Rewarding Treats for Natural Weight Loss

Most exercise and diet programs do not work because they are based on the concept of food deprivation. That is why if you are interested in losing weight in a healthy way you should embark on a diet that rewards you with foods that you like every now and then. 

Feeding yourself a food you like after dieting all day is like rewarding yourself for a job well done. The snack can be the treat you get for running five miles or going all day without eating a bag of potato chips.

The idea is to eat any snack that is less than 100 calories.  Here is a list of foods that meet that requirement --

* One of the new 100 calorie yogurts on the market
* One of the new 100 calories puddings on the market
* One of the new 100 calorie chocolate bars on the market
* Eight dried apricot halves
* ¼ cup blueberries with one ounce of canned whipped cream
* ¼ cup fresh peaches with one ounce of canned whipped cream
* ¼ cup fresh strawberries
* 1 medium sized tangerine
* 2 smaller plums
* 2 tablespoons raisons
* 1 fig newton
* 17  medium sized grapes
* ½ cup Jello with a shot of whipped cream
* ¾ cup diet Jello with a shot of whipped cream
* 8 animal crackers
* 3 cups plain popcorn with salt only
* 8 baked tortilla chips with three tablespoons of salsa
* frozen juice bar
* one large dill pickle
* twenty peanuts
* I piece of string cheese
* 1 small baked potato with a small dab of sour cream

Notice that on this list it has been noted that you should investigate the products that are coming out now made by food manufacturers that contain exactly 1200 calories.

Rewarding you with a treat works for most people. However this approach does not always work if your weight gain is due to emotional issues. Sometimes it backfires and you end up eating too many calories in that day and sabotaging an entire week’s worth of calorie loss.

A similar way to reward yourself is to take one day off of your diet and then just splurge on what you want to eat for all that day. That way you are not one deprived for one whole day. Just make sure it is the same way every week so that you have that occasion to look forward to. This helps lessen the pain of self-denial which sabotages so many diets.

By: brown Michael

Antidepressants and Natural Weight Loss

The sad news is that weight loss is next to impossible if you are on antidepressants. It is no secret that all antidepressants cause people who take them to gain weight. In fact it is safe to conclude that antidepressants make natural weight loss next to impossible.

The weight gain seems to kick in within a week or so of when you first start to take it. This garnering of extra pounds often seems insurmountable because they are so hard to lose and the weight gain happens so fast.  Many people feel overwhelmed and like they are helpless to do anything about this particular side effect.

The higher the dosage the more weight you will gain. Some people gain up to fifty pounds a year on these drugs. Unfortunately it may be absolutely necessary for them to take these “happy pills” to feel well. Many people are completely dependent on them in order to be emotionally balanced.

Another sad but true fact about antidepressants is that they put some people in the mood to exercise and then they become very frustrated when the pounds don’t peel off. They become very demoralized.  This is especially true of the individuals who have been told that antidepressants cause weight loss.  Weight loss can be a side effect but it is a rare one due to taking antidepressants.

It is very atypical for the symptom of weight loss to occur in people. Yet another thing to note is that the few antidepressants that do boast extreme weight loss as a side effect almost always list “extreme weight gain” as a side effect well.

If you are overweight and on medication for moods talk to your doctor immediately about what the side effects might be. The problem may not be what you eat, how often you exercise or anything else. It may be that antidepressant that you are taking. This means that for some people that if you want to be thin you may have to quit being on an antidepressant.

Antidepressants are often prescribed to motivate an individual to do things like quit smoking, cure depression or give the person the energy they need to get up off the couch and start exercising. 

However this might all be for nothing. This type of medication can actually slow down your metabolism. All of the dieting and exercising will not jump start your metabolism again. This is why once someone has been on antidepressants a long time often stay fatter than they were when they were not on them.

Antidepressants can also increase the appetite. It is very common for many people to feel more relaxed and snack more when they are on then. Some people also feel stoned and start craving high carb foods. They get lazy and lack motivation to do anything. This of course is no way to lose weight.

By: brown Michael

Natural Weight Loss and Nutrition

Part of a natural weight loss plan is making sure that the foods that you eat are nutritious. Whenever you are on a diet you need to eat foods that are nutrient rich and that contain the optimum amount of vitamins and minerals.  That is because you are not eating as much per day when you are dieting which also means that you are eating less food.

It is easier to cut over 500 calories a day from your usual consumption of foods per day if you are eating well because foods that are good for you do not leave you with that craving to eat even more. As you are eating less you need to make sure that the foods that you are eating are as jam packed with nourishment as possible.

One of the most nutritious foods that you can eat while on a diet is beans. Beans are rich in fiber and don’t cost much. They are also a great source of protein and very cheap,

Broccoli is another food that is great when you are on a diet.  The roughage helps you from getting constipated. The folic acid in broccoli prevents you from getting constipated and keeps you from developing iron poor blood.

Eat as much fruit as possible when you are a diet.  Cantaloupe is a very nourishing choice as it supplies you with all the Vitamin A and C that you need in a day.  Blend this with ice to make a great shake. Melons of all kinds are crammed with the vitamins that you need to be very healthy.

Yet another great thing to eat when you are on a diet is oranges. These have vitamin C, folic acid and fiber.  Oranges are stacked with Vitamin A too.

In fact if you need Vitamin A any orange colored fruit or vegetable goes a long way towards optimizing your nutrition.  Drinking the juices of orange fruits if any kind is also recommended for optimum nutrition and to improve your immune system.

It is important to keep your brain enriched with omega-3 oils as well. Make sure you eat plenty of salmon, avocadoes and fish. Catfish, swordfish and rainbow trout are also good sources of protein and omega 3 oils that can help keep your brain healthy and prevent heart attacks.

If you drink milk then consider that it is one of the best sources of protein.  Soy milk is also a good choice.  However if you are drinking rice milk or soy milk make sure that it is enriched with vitamins. Rice milk in particular can have you downing excess calories that you do not need and make you fatter while at the same time not really containing that many nutrients at all.

By: brown Michael

Choosing Weight Loss Pills and Products

Choosing weight loss pills can be tricky. Even though many claim to lead to natural weight loss not all of them are legitimate. The problem is that the weight loss pill industry is full of people who are selling bogus products. This includes pills, patches and creams.  It can be confusing because there are so many promises out there about natural weight loss pills with no real proof that that they work.

This is not to say that all weight loss pills and products are evil. The key is to choose quality supplements that are good for you.

First of all try to choose natural products. Avoid pills that contain synthetic chemicals that could give you a shocking surprise when it comes to side effects. Keep in mind that if you buy cheap diet pills full of caffeine, you will get the jitters. You should also avoid ephedra which causes shakiness and heart attacks.  You should also never exceed the recommended dosages for these products unless you really want to feel ill or perhaps even die.

There are also a lot of diet pills on the market that are quite simply fake. Some make you anxious and others make you very fatigued. Read the labels and make sure what you are buying something pure, and organic. Always pay attention to recommended dosages for these products and never exceed them to avoid nasty side effects.

You should also only use products that have some kind of medical approval or proof of quality that is legitimate. This is because no diet products are subject to any kind of FDA approval. You need to read the labels to protect yourself from taking dangerous chemicals that can cause disorientation, nausea, dehydration and other problems.

Unfortunately most people have to take these pills for a number of days or even weeks to find out if they even work.  It is hard to get your money these products if they don’t work as usually you end up taking most of the weight loss pills before you find out they are ineffective. 

When you buy pills try to look for ones that come with pamphlets that offer proof that medical studies have been done.  All you can do is read the labels to try and protect yourself.  Yet another sign of a good weight loss product is the offer of a full refund if the pills do not work within a specified period of time.

By: brown Michael

Being Realistic About Natural Weight Loss

The reason that most weight loss attempts fail is because people do not have realistic expectations of themselves. Either the person sets weight loss goals that are too lofty or they choose a diet or exercise plan that is too extreme or based too much self-deprivation.  Being unrealistic or irrational or too idealistic about your weight loss goals is a true recipe for disaster.

Doctors say that it is most healthy to lose two pounds a week. Lose any more than that number of pounds and in a shorter period of time then you will either get sick or gain the weight all back once you have lost it. To avoid this kind of natural weight loss debacle make sure you choose a weight loss regimen that is achievable.

The bottom line is that if you set sensible goals for yourself, chances are you'll be more likely to meet them. Consequently you will have a better chance of keeping the weight off once and for all.

A sensible weight loss plan also is not self-punishing if you can’t make them. Many people set extreme goals and then give up when they can meet their own unrealistic deadlines. This is exactly the type of black and white thinking that has no place in a reasonable and humane approach to your own weight loss.

Being realistic also means forgetting that you are dieting every now and then. It should be less about weight loss and more about changing your lifestyle so that your weight loss is permanent. 

If you make dieting all about success and failure you will hate yourself when you do slip off the diet. This creates an emotional crisis. This is so you can keep it sane if you want to lose that weight!

You also need to factor some other issues into your weight loss plan.  There are many dependencies for most people including interactions of food and exercises, food allergies, your natural inclination to be a couch potato, your work schedule, your age, your gender, your general health, whether or not you have kids and your financial status.  The poorer you are the worse your diet tends to be and the fatter you tend to get.

Not sure what you should weigh? There are scores of websites online that can tell you this. One of the best ways is to get your physique assessed by a professional trainer or by your family doctor who can take any kind of dependencies or necessities that your body has into account before you start dieting!

By: brown Michael

51 Years of Memories Magazine

A little over a week ago now I suggested that rather than just copy everything you see on Pinterest, try taking a few of them and making the pins your own. Adding personalized details or tweaking the project can put a whole new spin on an "old pin". Often I'll get into a project with one picture in my head of how I want it to turn out and then half way through I end up changing what I'm doing...either because I had a new idea or because circumstances around me changed and changed was necessary. Jean sent us in a great example of thinking on her feet and changing up a pinned project when she was thrown a curve ball. She started with a sweet and wonderful gift idea for her husband and ended up with something different but just as wonderful...she made the pin her own. 

The Original Pin

http://nothingbutbonfires.com/2011/06/sixty-years-memories

Have you seen this "60 years of memories" idea? You ask family and friends write memories they have of your loved one (usually the birthday boy/girl) and then you order them by year and present it as [insert age] years of memories. I did this with my husband one year for Christmas...he loves top 10 lists, so I had people write their favorite memory of Cameron and I made a top 10 (or 20) list of favorite memories involving Cameron. He loved it. It meant so much to him that people would take the time to send in their memories and thoughts. We did this again for my parents 25th anniversary and they loved it. This gift really is sweet and fun for anyone at any age. 

Here's Jeans story of her experience with this project: 

"When my husband's 50th birthday rolled around, I froze.  Paralyzed by the fear of planning a surprise party, I did (mostly) nothing.  I did enlist the help of our young daughters in creating an Angry Birds cake, but that's a whole 'nuther Pinstrosity. 

Not wanting to disappoint him for his 51st, and knowing the pressure was off for a real surprise, I began recreating the fabulous '60 Years of Memories' pin.  In the original pin, the Pinner presents her dad with 60 letters from his friends filled with their memories of him.

Like this Pinner, I wrote an email using her verbiage but exchanging words where necessary.  The following message was sent via Facebook to approx. 100 friends:

'Hello!

If you're receiving this message, you probably know that Tom is turning 51 next month. To celebrate his birthday, I'd like to put together a little surprise to let him know that his nearest and dearest are thinking of him. I'm going to try and create a '51 Years of Memories' book with a memory his friends and family have of him.

And this is where you come in!

If you have a spare moment in the next few days, I would be so grateful if you'd jot down a favorite memory you have of Tom and send it in a reply to this message, or email it to me at [email address]. You can mention anything you like -- although the more nostalgic the better! Please absolutely feel free to send jpg photos too.

Thank you so much for participating -- I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and I do appreciate you taking a few minutes to do this; it will be so worth it when he reads all the memories people have of him! (Please don't forget to keep it a surprise until then, though!)

Thank you again! -- Jean'

Of the 100, 15 friends replied with stories, 2 asked when the party was (party?), and at least 3 said they would get back to me (but never did).

Since I was a far cry from the intended 51 letters, I had to work with what I had. I created a magazine, and gave each friend a full page to tell their story.  This resulted in large, easy-to-read fonts and big pictures."

The Pinstrosity

Jean said that "although this did not turn out as expected, [her] husband is VERY proud of his birthday magazine, and never misses an opportunity to show it off."

Things will go awry (I love that word) during projects. That's just life. And Pinterest. But that doesn't mean that all hope is lost and that we should climb under our covers and wail. 15 letters would not have made quite the impact in the original form of the pin...but Jean was able to take the pin and what she had, and make it her own. 

When things don't turn out just exactly how you imagined them, look for ways you can salvage it and turn it into something new! I know not everything is salvageable, but you'd be surprised what you can save even out of the biggest Pinstrosities. 

I Love Lamp.

Friday is here!!!! Holy long week Batman! Tomorrow is craft day with my girl Mille, and I have this lamp that is in desperate  need of a makeover, and this Pinstrosity was just what I needed to get my butt in gear for a lamp shade renovation! Here is Lindsay's creation!

The Original

http://cleverlyinspired.com/2012/02/24/diy-cover-a-lampshade-super-neat-trick/

This was just a plain cream lampshade beforehand, and using a piece of craft or wrapping paper, you measure the area you need to cover, and then cut your fabric to your new paper pattern and using craft glue you glue it on...Lindsay followed the directions and ran into some slight issues, check it out:

The Pinstrosity

It looks great before you turn on the light, and certainly brings some color and dimension to an otherwise boring lamp, but while in use the extra edges underneath create an icky shadow.

How to fix this:

-Lindsay measured the fabric correctly, there is supposed to be a little extra to place underneath, however her fabric looks fairly thin, and therefore is more prone to show a shadow of the leftovers.

-She might have been able to trim up the edges ( after all the gluing was finished) if she was super clean with her application of glue around the under edge, but if she was liberal with her glue (which is fine, you definitely don't want the fabric to go anywhere) than that isn't an option. Make sure your fabric isn't going to cast a weird shadow if you can't trim it.

-Another option is to line the lamp with a darker shade underneath, and then place your decorative fabric on top (if it is especially thin). The only issue with that is that you probably own't get as much brightness if you do that. For some projects, like purely decorative or mood lighting lamps that's fine, but if lamps are your only source of light this probably won't be ideal. 

-I would suggest looking at fabric in the home decor section  (it looks like that is what the original blogger used), it is generally really thick and they tend to have patterns that match most decor (imagine that! Decor friendly fabric in a home decor section lol). This is the stuff you would use for curtains, or reupholstering etc. Be advised that it is usually a little more expensive though, if you are doing a small lamp like Lindsay's though I don't think it would be too bad, however the lamp I will be doing will probably need a yard and half or more, it is a large antique decorative lamp from my grandmother that was damaged in our last home when it flooded, and I am hoping to be able to fix it on the cheap (Huge world map perhaps?!).

And there you have it, how to upgrade your lamp on the cheap and easy...does anyone have any fantastic lamp upgrade experience to share with the Pinstrosity world?!

Make sure to check in tomorrow for an awesome post from Marquette, and have a great weekend everyone!

**Update: So I must have been distracted, because the suggestion to add decorative ribbon to the bottom of the outside of the lamp to hide yucky edges, or to add ribbon to the inside to make a clean silhouette totally eluded me, but almost every single one of comments suggested that, an easy fast fix. This is why we ask for your feedback! Sometimes the simplest answer is the hardest to find! Thanks readers for your suggestions, y'all are awesome!**

Herbs Used for Natural Weight Loss

There are many plants that can help facilitate weight loss. The upshot is that they each work in different ways and have different effects on the body. You need to read the labels of the herbs that you buy and make sure that you really do understand what kind of side effects can occur.

A good example is hoodia which is actually a vegetable found in Africa which cuts your thirst and hunger so much that you can actually become malnourished and dehydrated.  Other herbs are classified as being thermogentic meaning that they speed up body functions such as heart rate, breathing and digestion. These are the “fat burning” herbs. Many herbs also usually have a lot of naturally occurring caffeine in them. These include green tea, dandelion and nettle.

The above mentioned herbs are probably the ones with the least side effects. The ones that have the most side effects are the herbs known as the diuretics.  Believe it or not both green tea and dandelion are part of this group of herbal diuretics which can seriously dehydrate you if you take too much.  You do look thinner taking these herbs but the effect is temporary. As soon as you stop taking them you gain the weight back when your body naturally rehydrates itself.

Many weight loss herbs have the side effect of diarrhea. These side effects include uva ursi, birchbark and buchu. The United States Food and Drug Administration warn against these herbs which can cause serious side effects in the long term including cramping, diarrhea and other problems.

One of the most dangerous of the herbs is known as Ma Huang or Herbal Phen Phen. This drug causes an overstimulation of the central nervous system, an increase in blood pressure and an elevated heart rate. The FDA warns of scores of side effects to using this herb including heart murmurs, depression, anxiety, heart palpitations, heart attack, dehydration, seizures, chest pain, stroke, dissociation, and psychosis.

Safer choices include cayenne which helps burn fat and seaweed which is a good source of trace minerals like iodine and chromium.  Seaweed can help jumpstart a cranky and slow metabolism which is often the culprit in many cases of weight gain.

Keep in mind that before you take any kind of herb it is very important for you to talk with your doctor first. Some conditions simply don't respond well to even the safest of herbs for weight loss. For instance although green tea is generally considered to be healthy it can be a disaster for someone who suffers from anxiety simply because it does contain so much caffeine.

By: brown Michael

Why Most Diets Don’t Work

If you are looking for a way to lose weight fast then you are usually looking at an unhealthy diet. These include any diets that promise that you will lose fifteen pounds in three days, fifteen pounds in a week or even fifteen pounds in a month!  To stay healthy you should not be losing any more than ten pounds a month.

You are also likely not able to stay healthy sticking to any diet that claims to be no fat, low carb, high protein, or that consists only eating grapefruit or cabbage. You should also avoid any diet that involves taking a lot of pills or chemicals or making your body more acidic in nature.

Following most fad diet plans will eventually achieve the opposite of what you want. You will gain unwanted weight, as your body desperately protects itself from acidity caused by these diets by piling on the fat. The only true and lasting solution to being overweight is to change your eating habits so that your blood is at a healthy alkaline pH level at all times.  This will help you stay fit, eliminate toxins and make the most of any exercising.
 
Weight-loss advice comes in many guises. Most often the “new” and “revolutionary” diets are really old fad diets making a comeback. For instance the high protein low carbohydrate is as old as the original Aitkin’s diet, which was first introduced to the public in the 1970s.  Even though it’s an antique concept in dieting it is still often marketed as the “latest thing.” The South Beach Diet is just the Aitkin’s diet repackaged to us again.

You also know you are dealing with a fad diet if the diet claims to recommend only a few foods or ban a specific food or food group. A good example is the cabbage soup diet where you eat only bananas one day and glasses of milk the next. Another good example is the watermelon diet or the grapefruit diet which involves consuming one food alone. You can’t live on one food all day and expect to stay healthy.

The truth behind weight gain in this society is that people are eating more total calories and getting less physical activity. Your body simply doesn’t distinguish between types of calories when it comes to weight gain only the number of calories that you consume.

Fad and crash diets are not only unhealthy but they are also cause rebound weight gain. Also most diets cause an initial weight loss but the ultimate result is that you gain all of the weight back the minute you go off the plan.  If you don't gain it back within a couple of days, you are likely to gain it all back plus a bit more within a year.

By: brown Michael

The Health Consequences of Excess Weight Gain

Is your weight gain out of control? Don’t think that you can go on like you have been without making any kind of lifestyle changes. Obesity has a disastrous effect on your health.

Here is a brief rundown of the health consequences that can result from carrying around excess weight.

1. Carrying around excess body fat will decrease your energy levels because you become needlessly heavy. Having just 10 lbs. of excess body fat is like carrying around a 10 lb. bag of lard. You will feel dragged out, weak and less like exercising.

2. Your heart has to work overtime to support the extra weight. Obesity has a harmful effect on your entire cardiovascular system. Your cardiovascular system includes your heart, your lungs, and all of your arteries and veins.

3. You may develop breathing problems. For example, sleep apnea is a breathing problem that causes you to stop inhaling or exhaling for long enough that you can actually accidentally suffocate to death.

4. You can become sleep deprived from having to sleep in a way that accommodates your excess fat. This can affect your posture and cause leg and back pain.

5. Obesity can cause infertility. If you are trying to have a baby but can’t stepping on the scales might give you a clue as to the reason you can’t conceive.

6. Type 2 Diabetes has been linked to obesity so if you want to lower your risk of getting this disorder then try shedding some pounds.

7. Extra weight will put you at a higher risk for certain types of cancer. Obese men have a higher risk of developing colon, rectum, or prostate cancer. Obese women have a higher risk of developing gallbladder, breast, uterine, cervical, or ovarian cancer.

8. Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risks of gall bladder disease, incontinence, increased surgical risk, and depression.

9. Obesity can affect the quality of life through limited mobility and decreased physical endurance as well as through social, academic, and job discrimination.

10.  Being overweight may have an effect on your self-esteem that, in turn, will have a negative effect on your overall health.

These are only some of the consequences of not shedding those excess pounds.  In the long run being overweight is absurdly expensive both to your morale and to your pocketbook.  That is why it is a good idea to embark on a natural weight loss regimen now.

By: brown Michael

How Dieting Can Make You Unhealthy

Dieting to lose weight is simply not the way to go if you want to maintain your health and it is especially not the way to go if you are trying to recover from an illness.  You can do yourself more harm than good if you put yourself on any kind of calorie restricted food regimen.

First off the very nature of being on a diet is that you are deprived of the calories and nutrition that you would normally be taking in if you were not overweight.  This means that you are running your brain and body on less fuel than usual.  The result is that you can expect your physique to be a little less efficient because you simply are “running on empty.”

When your body is “running on empty” there are a number of consequences. First of all you may feel quite tired and like you can’t get through the day. This is especially true if you also quit fattening caffeinated drinks like coke and coffee as well. Many people also feel foggy and dull and like they can’t focus. This is because their brain may not be getting the sugar that it is used to in order to function.  The result of being deprived caffeine and sugar is withdrawal. Many people become moody and cranky. This side effect of dieting can become so bad that some have to leave work or feel that they cannot get out of bed in the morning.

Yet another consequence of the food deprivation associated with dieting is a lowered immune system. You may simply be more vulnerable to catching a virus because your body does not have the energy it needs to fight problems off. If you are already sick then dieting is not a good idea. Although some diets are cleansing they should only be used for the short term and under a doctor’s strict supervision. Diets that restrict what kind of foods you eat are also not a good idea if you are recovering from an illness as the vitamins and minerals that you will need to heal are found across a broad spectrum of foods.

Ironically dieting can also cause weight gain simply because food deprivation gives your body the message that there is a food shortage. Your brain tells your body to pile on the fat and save it in reserves so that you can live on it despite the lack of food resources.

By: brown Michael

Can a Weight Loss Program Make You Fat?

There are hundreds of special diets being sold to Americans right now and many of them have the negative effect of making you fatter as opposed to slimmer. There is the blood type diet, the high protein diet, the raw food diet, the low fat diet, the low-carb diet, the low sodium diet, the high fiber diet, the low calorie diet, and the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, the South Beach diet, the Atkins diet, the Slim Fast Diet and many more.  The problem is that not a single one of these diets is healthy for you in the long run and may even cause you to gain even more weight than ever.

The reason these diets are not healthy for you is that they do not reset the hypothamulus. This organ produces hormones that help control your weight. This dooms you to just get fatter and fatter.  None of them cures hunger. In fact they just leave you feeling hungrier because many are based on calorie deprivation. Only a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and full nutritious meals can help reset the hypothamulus.

Most importantly, no matter how much weight you may lose doing these programs, none of them get your body to release stubborn fat deposits.

Counting calories is the not the answer!   In other countries people eat way more calories than Americans and still manage to stay slim. Depriving oneself of calories not only makes you sick but it makes you fall off the diet all together.

Throughout the world people eat lots of carbs, tons of salt, drink beer, wine, and other alcohol, eat ice cream and other deserts, have bread and still remain skinny. Nobody drinks diet sodas. Nobody eats low fat food only. They eat all they want and do not gain weight.

How are they able to do this? The answer is that the food is produced differently than in America. In America, for example, beef is injected with bovine growth hormone and loaded with antibiotics and other drugs. The beef is fed genetically modified, chemically produced grain and ground up dead animals. This is a toxic stew that you consume full of chemicals, hormones and drugs. It is not the actual beef that makes you fat. It is the additives.

The problem with beef in the U.S. is just one example of what is wrong with American diets. Eating naturally, organically and with an eye to reading the label on foods is the better part of a sensible and effective natural weight loss plan.

By: brown Michael

Calorie Deprivation Diets Don’t Work

Almost all diets are based on calorie restriction one way or another. These diets simply do not work because they cause they are based on self-denial.  Sooner later we give in to temptation, as it is human nature to simply crave variety when it comes to food. It is also too much of a punishment to be denied food as well as it is a natural urge to fill our bellies.

Psychologically and physically it is too hard on us as humans to stay hungry or not eat enough. We punish ourselves by not eating enough fat or calories or just a single food. This can cause psychological problems and compulsive behaviors like bulimia or anorexia.

The worst diets for you nutritionally are the ones that force you to eat a single food only. A good example of was the Cabbage Soup Diet.  We were led to believe that eating some magically fat burning combination of cabbages, V8 juice and Lipton Onion Soup Mix combined with eating only bananas one day or only drinking milk another would lead to weight loss.

This is a great example of a diet that is based completely on calorie deprivation – about 800 to 1000 calories a day.  Starvation leads to rebound weight gain even if you lose a bit of weight at first on this type of diet. This is because after denying yourself of the fats, oils and carbs that you crave all day you tend to binge on them even more.

Another good example is the classic Grapefruit Diet, which is largely all meat, no carbs, grapefruit and black coffee.  It is also a diet that is below 1000 calories a day. Any diet that is that low in calories is bound to be ineffective and it can also make you very sick. All humans need a variety of foods to function properly.

Think Weight Watchers it the healthy way to go?  It isn’t. The problem with the Weight Watcher's Program is that you are still limited in calories and that the foods that you are allowed to eat or given to eat are often very acidic in nature. The result is that your body becomes more vulnerable to disease in general because the body is more prone to losing weight and staying healthy if it is in an alkaline state.  The prepackaged food involved with Weight Watchers is not that healthy either.

To keep your body in an alkaline state you need to eat in a healthy way that includes the consumption of organic vegetables and juices. Find a diet that is vegetarian or based on the European food pyramid and you will be much healthier. 

By: brown Michael

Do I smell something burning?

Pinterest myth #423...the instructions are ALWAYS 100% correct. 

Okay, I know...our number one suggestion is to follow the instructions when trying out a pin, but Lyndsey is here to tell us that sometimes the instructions can be way off. 

 "I am a newly wed. My husband and I had been married and in our new home for all of two weeks when I decided to surprise him with a pinterest inspired meal when he got off work. Bear in mind, I am no Paula Dean. I have no hesitation admitting I am not a great cook, but if you give me directions, I can usually pull off whatever recipe it is... Enter Chick-fil-a inspired chicken."

The Original Pin

http://www.domesticfrugalista.com/2011/09/15/recipe-home-made-chic-fil-a/ 

"Things went fine until it was time to fry the chicken. The directions tell you to heat the oil for 20 minutes. Now, most of you would automatically say 'No way!'. I, however, thought, 'Far be it from me, a lowly novice cook, to judge these super women Pinterest people...' and continued to heat my oil on the stove top (on 5) for 15 minutes..."

The Pinstrosity

http://www.clintondailynews.com/photoarchives2.htm

Okay...that's not really Lyndsey's house...but you get the idea. 

She tells us that she ended up with "a grease fire in which the fire department was called, and my husband and I were out of our home for close to a month while is was being cleaned of smoke damage.... Lesson learned, take everything with a grain of salt."

"P.S. no picture of burning skillet, though flames went to the ceiling..."

Lyndsey, I hope you don't mind I was chuckling through your story. I think that most of us have these early cooking stories (or if you're like me...still making these cooking stories). I was at a sleep over and my friend and I got up early to make breakfast for the family and pulled out their pancake recipe and mixed it up...only we didn't know there's a difference between baking soda and baking powder. We didn't end up with a kitchen on fire but those were some pretty weird and nasty pancakes. Or like when I decided to make potpourri as a kid and put some grass which I had pulled form the lawn into the microwave to dry. I was sure I was going to get a great smelling plate of awesomeness and that mom would be so proud of me. That microwave made everything taste very..."organic" for the next few weeks. So, we all have these moments that to some might seem like, "Well, duh!" moments, but really we all do things like this every now and then. I'm glad the house didn't burn and that everything turned out alright in the end. But yes...20 minutes is way too long to heat your oil on high...but you know that now. 

Chaos And Curls

As a hairdresser, I have seen my fair share of hair woes...cosmetology school would be the BEST reality TV show EVER created. On a side note, not only would the comedy factor be high, but the drama alone would beat out all those stuffy rich housewives in a second...and America would then know what NOT to do with their hair, it's a win win win situation. Think on it. If I ever get a decent camera, I am starting on that A.S.A.P. and will then distribute the millions I make with all of you, promise. Until that day comes however I will share with you a series of unfortunate hair Pinstrosities...we have received this one, or a variation of this one quite a bit...You might want to sit down, and if you are drinking something, set that down too, laughing and drinking are a chocking hazard, you have been warned!

The Original

http://www.lovemaegan.com/2011/09/revisiting-no-heat-big-curls-w-twisted.html

Miranda sent us this, and here is her take:

The Pinstrosity

The Original

http://theglitterguide.com/2011/10/27/1980s-hair-tutorial/

Here is Sara's take:

The Pinstrosity

The Original

From Piper: http://sherellechristensen.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/05/monkey_cupcakes.html

The Pinstrosity

From A.

The Pinstrosity               The Original          

http://borntobeblonde.com/must-have-curly-hairdo/

Another take on this pin from Sarah Rose:

The Pinstrosity

Ok is everyone still breathing? Is your computer liquid/spit logged because you didn't heed my warning and you ended up spitting your drink onto your keyboard? Bummers. 

Here is the hard part folks, and some of you may be mad, and think, what does she know?! Keep in mind I am a cosmetologist, and I have had experience with all of this and then some, but the hard truth, like we have said before is not everyone's hair will do everything, and it definitely won't do it perfect, the first time or otherwise.

Here's some good news, it also might do what you are wanting. Doing wet twisted curls with your finger and pins isn't always going to give you the same end results and here is why. Variation. Every time you do it you may be pulling harder, pinning looser, taking smaller chunks, taking bigger chunks, inconsistency is the issue a lot of times. That is the other issue with Pinterest, did any of these pictures come with directions ON them? NO. Now if you are lucky enough to have had a link to go with your picture, and smart enough to follow that link, watch the tutorial video (the first one had one), and then follow those directions, you might have had a fighting chance. However if your hair is different than the tutors, then you run into more trouble. Let's be real here also, nobody's hair is exactly the same...I have had clients whose hair does not work with heat, others who do not work without heat, others who had to wash it every single day  in order for it to anything, and others who washed it once a week or it looked like a wig on chicken. Everyone's hair is different. 

Now that I have the different hair pow wow over with I CAN give you some tips to help out.

-Some pins you need wet hair, others need dry, look at the picture, does the original pin picture have nice tight twists on top of their head or do you see "fuzzies" sticking up everywhere? If you see an abundance of "fuzzies", there is a good chance the pinners hair is DRY. If it looks slick and clean is is most likely wet.

**The one with cute little girl seems to be wet, and her picture tutorial only shows four pieces (we will touch on that in a moment), kids hair tends to be softer and easier to do things like this with because they have little to no damage**

-Using a leave in conditioner will generally help with tame the"fuzzies" for when you take your hair out, but humidity is a WHOLE nother (is that a word?it is now.) ballgame. 

-Leave it in over night. Most of these pins require you to sleep on them. Those of you who have hellathick hair, your hair will most likely NOT be dry in the morning, like I said in our last hair post, if you  MUST blow dry it, use the blow dryer gently on low heat low speed...gently...too vigorously and you will look like you put your hand in a socket. No bueno. 

-Those of you with fine limp hair, this is tricky...you don't have a ton of hair and it generally doesn't have a lot of volume, I would put a silver dollar size of muse in your roots before twisting it up, this should help add some volume. Also when you take it out tousle your roots with your fingertips while your head is flipped upside down, but don't shake like a dog, too much will ruin the effect, and definitely use hairspray. 

-Section sizes, it's hard to tell you what size to take because everyone's hair thickness is different, but I would say thick haired people use 1" by 1" squares all over if you want good defined smaller curls. For bigger more wave like curls take bigger sections, but I wouldn't suggest anything bigger than 3" by 3" or you will have a problem with it not drying in time. 

-People with short hair, these pins aren't generally your friend, unless you are going for a look like this:

http://elizabethbanks.com/blog/post/elizabeth-banks-stay-classy-glamour-shots

(Cat included)

-Another thing to think on, if you are sleeping on it, maybe use a hair net, or hair cap over it to add some security, some of us aren't still sleepers. Food for thought.

-DON'T brush it out, use your fingers to separate it, if you are desperate use a pick, again, GENTLY.

Short hair peeps: This isn't t say if you do it loose and maybe do a touch up curl or two that it can't look cute, because it can...exhibit A:

http://pinterest.com/pin/155866837074249482/

Cute no? Short, yes. Touched up? Hell yes. 

-Also, in general you will almost never see a hair style like the above styles on Pinterest that hasn't been touched up with some sort of curling iron/straightener/wig. It is just the way of the game, just like photo shop and magazines, they think no will notice and that everyone will think that's just how they look. The jig is up, America knows.

A great tutorial can be found here: http://www.lovemaegan.com/2011/09/revisiting-no-heat-big-curls-w-twisted.html

The moral of the story is, don't get discouraged, make sure you have directions, or someone who has done this before to maybe help you out, and figure out your hair, it's yours, own it! Everyone's is different, and with that will behave differently, so remember to take that into account...and don't be ashamed to do a two minute touch up. I'm not, and I am a hairdresser. 

Happy Hair Hunting Pinstrosipeeps!