YOU ARE A WORK OF ART!

Yes you are! Yep, I'm talking to each of you!

You are an original. One of a kind!  Perfection. Just the way the artist intended for you to be. He has captured your heart, your spirit and your love! Look into your eyes. Do you see it? He does.

Great art is not always appreciated in the beginning. But over time, others come to see the beauty that the artist always knew was there.  It’s time for you to see your beauty too.

Don't let someone else set the value of you based on their assumptions and beliefs.

You, my darling, are the real thing! You are a priceless work of art.

And don't ever let anyone tell you differently!

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Caryncann

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Caryncann

Weight Loss Support Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarynsChamps

MY STORY

MY STORY

Most of us have a story to tell about our weight, our struggles and our hopes.  

Between the second and third grade my abdomen grew exponentially to my body. I can remember sitting at my desk with my belly lying on my thighs.  I knew something wasn’t right. 

Third grade was the first time I was put on a diet. It became an ongoing thing as long as I lived at home.  I was called fatty, fatso, etc. Yeah, those words hurt but no more so than hearing people say, “You have such a pretty face, but…..” Oh I knew what was came after that but….BUT YOU’RE FAT!

School was not a happy place. Home was not a happy place. I tried my best to blend into the walls and just not be noticed! Because when you are fat and you get into an argument or confrontation as a kid, you know the ultimate blow will be, “WELL YOU’RE FAT!”   Knock out!  There is nothing to say after that! 

I was a sad girl who tried to get people to love me by giving gifts and making gifts.  I remember one Christmas I had been up until early morning finishing all the beautiful gifts I had made.  Ponchos, shawls, foot stools, trinket boxes, clothes, etc.  I went to bed after opening gifts and didn’t wake up until the meal was already being served.  As I walked into the dining room, I heard my brother say loudly, HURRY AND EAT, HERE COMES CARYN!  I don’t think I even ate that day, but I never forgot the words and they still sting 45 years later.

I began a journey to find that thin person that was locked away somewhere inside my body.  The things I have done to my body in the quest to overcome being fat.  Starvation (fasting 6 days a week and eating one day). Diet pills, every kind that was on the market.  Fad diets.  Weight Watchers.  Nutrisystem.  Counting calories.  Hynosis.  Experimental drugs that nearly killed me.  Even having my stomach stapled.  None of it worked long term.  Back in 1999 and 2000, I decided to eat clean and exercise. I lost about 100 pounds but I was exercising 6+ hours a day.  I wasn’t working then unless you count exercising! Lol

When I hit 60 I decided, I’M DONE!  No more trying to lose weight. No more depriving myself.  No more diets.  No more anything!  I’d just take my chances.

And then Skinny Fiber came along. I thought.  Ok, I’ll try it and if it doesn’t work, I’ll return it and get my money back.  Even though I’m a diabetic and have an almost non-existent thyroid, I have lost about 60 pounds in the past 18 months.  I’m thrilled to be off my blood pressure medicine,  arthritis medicine, and acid reflux medicine.  My thyroid dose has been decreased.  My fibromyalgia is about gone.  I’m on my way to losing more weight and getting to the size I want to be.  Even my dr. is amazed with my progress!

And I move my body!   Walking or jogging.  Dancing like a fool.   I’m moving my body like nobody is watching.  And if they are, in my mind they are all yelling, “YOU GO, GIRL!”

So what is your story with your weight? What struggles have you faced in the battle to lose weight? It doesn’t matter whether it is 10 pounds or 100 pounds, our struggles are the same. 

And know this:   there is hope.   No matter how old or young you are.  No matter how fat you are.  No matter how little you are now moving.   There is hope.  I'm proof of it.

Help someone while you help yourself and share your own story.  Or just put it into words for yourself.  You will be glad you did.  I am.

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Caryncann

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Caryncann

Fan Page:  https://www.facebook.com/mylighterside

Weight Loss Support Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarynsChamps

SHOULD I GO OR SHOULD I STAY?

SHOULD I GO OR SHOULD I STAY?

Ok, here goes.  This is a very hard and embarrassing thing to write.  I hope someone of you will understand how I am feeling.  But I am not going to lie to ya'll.  They say the truth will set you free.  I'm hoping by putting it in the light, it will help me.

I am struggling.  I'm frustrated.  I feel like a failure.  I have gained 10 pounds.   It goes down and comes back.  I admit I'm not eating the healthiest these days but I have gained 10 pounds in the past week.  I wore a pair of pants last Monday and they fit fine.  Saturday I tried them on and I couldn't even button them.

I've had this happen for 54 years.  The path of least resistance is to just give up.  Start overeating and just quit.  I hear those voices from the past over and over:  "What are you trying to do?  Gain 100 pounds?"   "Hurry and eat before she gets to the table."  "You're so pretty but......"   "It's so difficult to sew clothes for you."   "Your waist should be 24.  Your bust should be 36.  Your hips should be 36."  This is the one area of my life that I have consistently failed at.  And I learned at a very early age that for me, if I was fat I was unworthy.   Still fat.  Still unworthy. 

I''ve never stayed on a weight loss program this long, 18 months.  I don't want to fail.  I want to reach my goal of being healthy and lean.  If I don't, I'm gonna die early.  I promised my daughter I wouldn't do that.  I want to see my kids get married and have children. 

I know my body and nutrition better than anyone.  I know that low carb/high protein is what works best for me.  I know I have to exercise 4-5 times a week, every week.  It’s not a matter of IF I want to.  It’s a matter of HAVE to.

My choices are these:  give up, gain the weight back and die from complications of diabetes or get back on what works for me and accept that this is the way I must live.    I wouldn't let anyone pump my body full of penicillin because I know it would kill me.   I have to accept that I can't pump my body full of food, especially unhealthy food and lose weight, even more important, LIVE a long life.

I don't need pity.  I don't need to be told what I need to do.  I need support and encouragement.  If you are struggling on your weight loss journey or even starting one, join me.   Please.  I need your help.  And hopefully, you need mine. 

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Caryncann

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Caryncann

Fan Page:  https://www.facebook.com/mylighterside

Weight Loss Support Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarynsChamps

BEAUTY ISN’T MEASURED IN POUNDS!

BEAUTY ISN’T MEASURED IN POUNDS!

Why do we believe this?  Because everywhere we look that is what we are told. 

When we go to the dr, they weigh us and that is what they make their determination on.  They don't ask "have you lost weight?"  They just assume you are a big fat pig who never does anything but stuff your face.  “You need to lose weight.”   “I am.”  “You need to lose more.”   I bite my tongue and hold back stinging tears.  What I want to say is, “Bite me!”   But I don’t.  Because when you are fat, anyone and everyone has the ultimate weapon against you.  All they have to say is “YEAH, BUT YOU ARE FAT!”  End of discussion; end of argument.  You go home and lick your wounds.  And sometimes the spoon after you eat that pint of ice cream.

They never ask if you are doing any exercise.  They ASSUME that if you are fat, you are lazy and certainly could not be walking, or jogging or working out.   You should see the faces of people (and drs) when I tell them I jog and that I have completed a 5K.  They give me that poor pitiful look like “sure you have”.   Sometimes knowing the truth is all you have.  Hang on to it.

And I've never had one dr in 62 years ever comment about my beauty.  Not my nails, not my hair, not my make-up, not my clothes, not my smile, not NOTHING!

Then look at tv, magazines, award shows. newspapers, etc.  Models and celebrities are photo shopped and air brushed to make them look thinner, prettier, younger, etc.   And then we, the everyday woman, thinks that is what we should look like.   And if we had a nutritionist, chef, hair stylist, make-up artist, trainer, someone picking out our clothes for us, an air brush artist, a photo shop expert, etc., we would be looking darn good too!

Our beauty is not limited to the house we live in.  Just like the home we live in, the house our inner self abides in does not tell the entire story.  Haven't you seen a beautiful home before and you knew the family inside didn't not reflect the outside appearance?  Same goes for us and our bodies.

Instead of always looking at your body and defining and judging yourself based on the pounds on the scale, why not try looking at the REAL you who resides inside your body.  Being fat does not mean you are automatically a good person.   However, I know many many overweight people who are the salt of the earth, nicest, most giving people around.  They will give you whatever they have and go without.  Many times they do it without a thank you and sadly, many of us do not even expect a thank you.

The next time you step on that scale and you start to judge yourself for the numbers going up or staying the same, just take one minute to stand in front of the mirror and say out loud: 

I AM NOT JUST A PERSON WHOSE BODY IS FAT.  I'M A GOOD, LOVING, LOYAL AND GIVING PERSON.  Embrace that part of YOU.  Your spirit.  Your being. 

Remind yourself of that daily.   Let that sparkle from knowing this dance in your eyes!  Others will see it even if they don't acknowledge it.  The most important thing is that YOU know it, see it and acknowledge it.

Your beauty is not measured by the numbers on a scale.  Only numbers are. 

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

REMODELING TIP OF THE DAY!

REMODELING TIP OF THE DAY!

I love my home.  But every time I walk around I find things the contractors didn't do, or didn't complete.  I was an equal opportunity employer.  I had one white, one black and one latino.  None of them completed the job or completed them properly.  I wonder if I had done work for them the way they did for me, if they would have been satisfied and paid me all the money I paid them.  Sometimes I think, "was it because I was a woman?"  I don't think so.  I just think they take short cuts, do shoddy work and don't complete work.  What we called people like this back in the day was unethical.  Of course, political correctness doesn't allow the truth any more.

So, if you are ever in the position to remodel, here are my tips.

1.  Rethink doing it.   Maybe you should just sell your home and build a new home. 

2.  Get references that are not friends of the contractor.

3.  THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND!   No matter what they say!  They work for you.  Treat them like an employee!

4.  If they want money up front, RUN!  They don't have the working capital to do your job.  That’s like a car dealer asking for money up front to pay for the car for you to buy from them. 

5.  Don't let them use your credit card for any materials.  Period.  If you do, don’t be surprised if you find that they bought things for other people while putting used crap in your home.

6.  Everything must be in writing.  Any changes require an addendum. 

7.  If they don't carry liability insurance, DON'T TALK TO THEM.  One contractor flooded my house twice.   A plumber caused two floods in the house.  Neither had insurance.  My insurance had to pay and it put my insurance in jeopardy.

8.  Never, ever pay everything due until every last thing is done.  Once they get your money, trust me, THEY ARE DONE AND GONE!

After spending $80,000 remodeling, I will have to spend at least $20,000 more to redo my wood floors (flooded 4 times during remodel), redo both bathrooms (the master bath has been remodeled twice already and still a mess), correcting all the electrical problems, and then things like replacing the crappy kitchen cabinets (second set) and all the crown molding (don't ask). 

Like I said, I love my home.  It's old (60 years old) and durable.  It has character and it’s mine.  I don't think they build homes like they did back then.  And I can live it in now while I save the money to fix the stuff that wasn't done or wasn't done properly.  But next time will be different.  I am a more educated consumer on this subject. 

I won't be as nice or as accepting.  It will be my way or no money.  They will know and understand that they work for me not the other way around.  Any demands will be made from me; not them.  I know there are honest, ethical contractors out there.  Next time I'll hold out for that or I'll just continue to live in the house as is.

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

CONFESSIONS OF A STRUGGLING FATTY

CONFESSIONS OF A STRUGGLING FATTY

I’m struggling on my last weight loss journey.  Yes, I’ve been stuck on a plateau for the last 6 months.  I still haven’t gotten back to jogging regularly since my car accident.  But those aren't really the problem.  Those are just temporary setbacks. 

The loss of weight has not and still is not apparent in all of my body.  Because of the over 50 years of gaining and losing over and over my skin has no elasticity.  My lower abdomen is just a huge flap of mainly skin.  The last time I weighed it, it was 25 pounds.  If I lived on 1000 calories a day the rest of my life, it would still be there.   It feels like a parasite feeding off of my body.   Underneath this appendage, my stomach is flat.  I have looked in the mirror so many times in the past few months with my stomach lifted so I don’t see it.    I look small and normal.

The other part of my body that is so out of proportion is my upper arms.  They are just humongous and have decreased very little with all the weight I have lost.  When I look at my arms, I see my normal size fore arm attached to an upper arm that is the size of a thigh.  It’s bizarre looking to say the least.  And it’s frustrating.  

It’s very difficult to buy clothes to fit me.  My pants have to fit over this huge stomach.  That means they will be baggy in the legs and waist.   Last week for the first time, I actually noticed that the seams on the sides of my pants end up being about 3 inches on the front on both sides of my hips.     My waist is about the size of a 14.  But my stomach requires an 18 most of the time.  The same with tops.  My torso is a large or x-large.  My upper arms are a 3x.   I had someone tell me not too long ago (in a very loving way), “Girl you need to get a shirt that fits you!  That one is about to fall off!”  It was.  Off my body.  It fit my upper arms.

The only way I see to have a body that is really my body is to have cosmetic surgery.  It’s expensive.  Very expensive.  Especially since I only want to have it done in a hospital and not a surgical center. Every day since January 1^st, I have put it out there to the universe, “I am going to have my surgery by January 2016.”   I tell you.  I have no idea how that will happen.  I just know in my heart it will.

Until then, I am going to keep working my program and get back to my jogging.  I want to lose 60 more pounds by the end of the year.   I know that after my surgery I am going to feel like a prisoner who has been released from their prison.   My body will at last be the body it should have always been.   And that person who has been kept hidden inside for over 50 years will be freed!

Yep, I’m struggling but not giving in or giving up.   I’m back on track and I see the finish line.  I’m the only one who can get me there.  And I’m going to make it if I have to crawl across that line with bloody knees that no longer have any cushion in them!  I have come too far to ever give up!

My plea to you is this.   If you are overweight please don’t wait until you are 60 to decide you deserve to lose weight and get healthy!  Don’t use your weight as an excuse to put off living.  I’m telling you the years go by faster and faster. 

Tell yourself daily:  I am worthy!  I deserve to be healthy and lose weight.   Decide that you are going to make those changes to complete your last weight loss journey.   Find a meal plan that you can live with, find an exercise you enjoy, and try Skinny Fiber.   It isn’t a magic pill but it will help make your journey much easier.

Are you ready to join me in getting healthy and losing weight?  If so, click here and order your SKINNY FIBER!  www.caryncann.com

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

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ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING OVERWEIGHT?

ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING OVERWEIGHT?

Are you tired of being overweight?  Whether it is 10 pounds or 100 pounds, most of us want to take off the extra weight and get healthier.

And if you are like me, you know what to do.  I probably know as much about food as a nutritionist.  After 50+ years of dieting, I know the caloric content of most any food I eat.  I know how to exercise.  I know the basics.

So what is the problem?  Sometimes we just need that extra little help that motivates us to get started and keep going.  That's what I needed 18 months ago.  And that's what I still need! 

You are no different than me or anyone else.  We have all the knowledge.  I have probably been a patient of 30 weight loss drs.  They have all the answers.  And every one of them was FAT.    We are no different than all those drs.  Knowledge will not make you lose weight.  Action will.

This is one of the reasons I love Skinny Fiber.  No, it is not a magic pill.  No, it won’t make you lose 30 pounds in 30 days.  No, you can’t eat like a little pig and expect to lose weight when you take it.

BUT!  It will help suppress your appetite.  It will help with your metabolism.  It will help with your digestion.  And it will help prepare your body to lose weight.  Will it make losing weight a breeze and something you can do without thinking about?  Not completely but it will help.  Will you lose inches even when the scales scream at you, YOU ARE STILL FAT!  LOOK AT THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE!  Yes, you will lose inches even when the numbers don’t move as quickly as you would like.

I’ve been on the diet train for more years than I’ve been off of it.  There are days that I do great and eating healthy isn’t a struggle.  But let’s be honest here.  Losing weight has its days of struggles.  If it didn’t, well, you know.  None of us would be fat.  That’s the truth.

Skinny Fiber is a supplement that will help you lose weight.  It will help you with your appetite.  It will assist you with your metabolism.  It will improve your digestive system.  It will help you stay focused.  It can improve your sleep.  As you lose weight you will have more energy.  More energy means movement is easier.  More movement means more calories burned.

It’s one big process.  None of it is a stand alone deal.  In 1979 I had my stomach stapled.  I lost about the same amount of weight I have lost with Skinny Fiber.   After a year, the weight started coming back.  It wasn’t long before I had gained it all back and more.

Skinny Fiber is a tool.   It can help you.  But it will not do all the work for you.  There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that is going to magically transform you from an overweight person to a healthy weight person.  You have to have skin in the game.  It has to be important enough to you that you choose to commit to it.  You have to want it enough that you are willing to take that journey no matter how long it takes.  If it takes two years, so what?  In two years you will be 2 years older.  You can be two years older and be the same size you are now (or larger) or you can be two years older and be a lot slimmer.  The choice is years.  But either way, you will be two years older.

I have struggles even after 18 months of using Skinny Fiber and losing weight.  There are times that I just want to eat 2 servings of something or even 3.  Sometimes I do.  Then I feel terrible.  I feel like I’m a failure.  It’s just something that many of us have to face on a regular basis.   Sometimes we just have to face the facts.  We are never going to be able to eat anything and everything we want or as much as we want and have a healthy weight. 

So what should we do?  Give yourself a chance.  Try Skinny Fiber.  What if it works for you?  Decide to dedicate 3 months to losing weight and getting healthy.  That’s what I did and for the first time ever in my life, I have consistently lost weight.  Is everyday a success?  No, but more days than not are.

Come join me on my last weight loss journey to health and fitness.  Once you are on the path you will find out what I have.  The only magic to losing weight is YOU.  You are all the magic you need. 

Step out in faith and give yourself another chance.  It worked for me.  It’s worked for thousands of others.  It can work for you too!  Let’s do this together!  Order your Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com

copyrighted 2015

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

HAVE YOU LOST ALL HOPE OF LOSING WEIGHT?

HAVE YOU LOST ALL HOPE OF LOSING WEIGHT?

In January 2013 I consciously decided that I would never diet again.  I wasn’t interested in even trying.  I was fat.  I had been fat for over 50 years.  I was going to die fat.   I weighed 317 pounds and figured I would weigh that much or more when I died.   I was done.  I had given up.  I had no hope. 

When I started this last weight loss journey in July 2013 using Skinny Fiber, I still had no hope.  I just didn’t believe it was possible for me to lose weight.  I mean really lose weight for the long term and keep it off.  I was completely defeated.    I figured I would use Skinny Fiber for 30 days and then return the empty bottle for my money back guarantee.

But this time, something happened.  It worked.  I lost 10 pounds that first month.  I had not changed what I ate one bit.  I just followed the three steps of Skinny Fiber.  I took two capsules twice a day with 12 ounces of water.  I drank enough water daily to equal half my body weight in ounces.  And I stopped eating when I felt that first feeling of fullness. 

Besides losing weight, I began to feel better.  When I started Skinny Fiber, I could walk less than a block.  I have progressed from walking to jogging to even running.  I’ve been taken off 2 blood pressure medications (it was still 160/90 with the meds); my thyroid medication has been decreased, I’m off medication for acid reflux, arthritis and fibromyalgia.  And I have completed a 5k.

I haven’t just changed my body and appearance.  I’ve changed everything about myself:  the way I think, the way I act, the way I respond.   Today I was looking at pictures from my cruise to Belize and Cozumel.   There I was having a blast, dancing like I was on Solid Gold, and smiling.  I don’t even remember when the last time was that I saw pictures of me smiling.  Not a forced smile or a fake smile.  Just a big beautiful smile.  I have been telling people for months:  I am changing from the inside out and the outside in.  When I look at those pictures, I truly see this transformation. 

Why am I writing this?  Because I know there are many people out there reading this that feel like I did in January 2013.  I know how you feel; I know where you are; and I know you have given up.  I’m here to tell you, there is hope!  I don’t care how old or young you are.  I don’t care how few pounds or how many pounds you have to lose.  I don’t care how many times you have tried and failed.  I’m here to tell you there is hope!  You can lose weight.   It can happen.  You just have to take one more chance.  And when you do, your hope that is just a burning ember in your heart will light anew.   Give Skinny Fiber 90 days and the flame of hope will burst inside you. 

I’m not unique.  I failed at dieting for 53 years.  And now, without dieting, I am finally succeeding at losing weight and getting healthy.  You can too.   I will help you along the way.  If you need or want to contact me, email me at caryncann@gmail.com.  You can contact me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/Caryncann.  You can contact me on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Caryncann.

I know Skinny Fiber works.  It has worked for me for about 15 months.  When I jog and run I feel like an athlete instead of someone waiting to die.  Every time someone decides to try one more time and gives Skinny Fiber a chance, I know that hope is going to return to their life.

Step out in faith one more time and let hope fill your heart again.  Start today with your Skinny Fiber.  I’ll walk this journey with you.    www.caryncann2.com.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann2.com

BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY

BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY

If you are, join the crowd!  I was and have always been the black sheep of the family.  I was always told I had the lowest IQ in the family, “probably no more than 100”.   It wasn’t until I was 55 that I learned it was actually 130.  It never really mattered to me.  I have told people for years that I am smarter than the average bear and that was good enough for me.

I never dated.  “Who would want a fat girl”, they said.  I now can say my ex-husband did (and many since then).  I must be honest.  My ex and I never dated.  He was a dj and I called in & requested a song.  We talked on the phone for over a month.  He invited me over to meet him.  I never left.  Oh, and of all the kids, my marriage lasted the longest.  What can I say?  Maybe dating is over-rated!   Lol

I never finished college.  “You never finish anything!”  I realized as I got older I finished many things, just not college.  Having said that, I’ve had great jobs, supported myself and later my children.  I’ve never asked anyone to help me out.  I’ve always been independent.  I can sew, crochet, throw pottery, paint, draw, cook, etch, knot, cross-stitch, just to name a few.  And I’ve finished many things!  And given everything I ever made away.

“I guess you will always be FAT!”  I certainly believed that one!  At 61 I finally know that I don’t have to be fat and I’m working my way down!  I still say I’m fat, a big girl, a chunky monkey, a biscuit above being thick.  And that’s ok.  It reminds me that I’m still on my journey but I know the fat is leaving and showing the real me that lives inside! 

“You’ll never amount to anything!”  I remind myself often how much I have accomplished in my life.  I started and ran a hotline for 5 years for people who had been abused.  I know my boss would say (and has) he wished he had hired me 5 years earlier.  My employees tell me I’m a great manager.  I have raised two awesome children.    At 61, my home is paid off, I am debt free, I am retiring to part-time in December 2014.  Even at part time I can live just like I live now.   I travel whenever I want.  And I have investments that will take care of me until I die.  Plus, I will leave my children an inheritance, which was a goal of my ex-husband and me.   I guess I have amounted to something, huh?

“You aren’t a good person.”  In fact, one family member called me evil.  Lol  I am a lot of things but evil isn’t one of them.  I’m not bragging but I am a very good person.  I help a lot of people and organizations.  I go out of my way to do for others.    Most people don’t know what I do because I prefer for my giving to be done in private.  I don’t need accolades.   And I’ll share a secret with you:  The more you give, the more you get.  The less you give; the less you get.  It’s a law of God.

Why am I sharing all this with you?  Well, first, I want you to know that I have finally realized that I am an AWESOME person!  And I bet you are too!  You know what we do as kids (and adults)?  We take those statements spoken over us and they become tapes in our heads.  We don’t even hear the voice of the person who originally said them.  We start to hear our own voice telling us those LIES!  And that is what they are.  Just lies!

We have to start changing the voice in our head.  When you hear one of the lies playing in your head, just say “STOP IT!”  “I am a good person!”  “I am smart!”  “I am desirable!”  “I am a success!”  “I have accomplished things!”  And , for me, “I WILL NOT ALWAYS BE FAT!”

There is nothing wrong with being the black sheep of the family.  It just means you follow your own path.  You are an independent person.  You stand out from the crowd.   When someone looks for you, you are easy to find.  You are the black sheep!  Embrace it and love yourself for being that!  You have made your own way in life and lived it the way you chose!  That makes you very special!  Now, say it out loud, “I AM VERY SPECIAL!” and believe it.

copyrighted

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IN FEAR?

DO YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IN FEAR?

I have lived with fear for so long it is almost second nature to me.  When I started my last weight loss journey with Skinny Fiber, I decided to start facing some fears and having some faith.

Did I ever tell ya'll one of my biggest fears about losing weight?  No?  Well, let me tell you.

When I was a young girl, about 12 or 13, my mother said some things to me like, "If you keep wearing things like that you will be raped." and "Go ahead, wear that, and you will end up a whore."  Now, as those who knew me growing up can attest, I wasn't really a provocative dresser.  lol   But her words made a deep impression on my psyche and my heart.

After years of therapy, self-examination, pondering and thinking, I finally admitted what one of my greatest fears was.  And of course, it was all about losing weight.

I can remember once when I had lost down to a size 9 in the 8th grade, my daddy said, "Look at her!  Pretty soon all the boys will be after her!"  Yep, I'm sure you know what happened.  That weight came right back on, and more.  I've never been a size 9 again.

In my mind, if I lost weight and had a slamming body I would either be raped or more likely, just a whore.  Being fat just seemed more acceptable to me.  My fat protected me.  It kept men at a distance.  Especially after my divorce.  Oh, I have dated off and on throughout the years but only one got close enough to get close enough, if you know what I mean.  He was gorgeous and a weight lifter.  I always wondered why he was with me, a fat girl with few muscles.  Ultimately it didn't matter.  He wasn't who he claimed to be anyway.  lol  He created himself just for me.  I must say he was made to order!

So here I am at 61 and losing weight.  I have faced more than a few fears during the last 16 or 17 months.  I've done things I never thought possible.  I now have the faith to move past that fear of being raped or being a whore..

And that faith is pushing and guiding me through my biggest fear.  Losing weight and getting healthy.  I know now that  I will succeed.  And who knows?  This time there just might be a man at the end of the rainbow!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

CHOICES

CHOICES

Choices.  We all make them.  Everyday.  Many times a day.

The choices we make form the journey to our destiny and determine the path for our day.  I admit I let traffic get to me.  I cannot stand drivers who whiz in and out of traffic, drive 100 miles an hour and honk and blink their lights at people going 75, those who pass on the shoulder or get in the wrong lane because they believe their time is more valuable than that of the other drivers. 

Mornings are especially stressful for me.  Especially when I have to cross 6-7 lanes of traffic.   It seems that if I put my blinker on one second before changing lanes, someone takes offense to it and speeds up to prevent me from moving over.  So here I am listening to Gospel music and yelling names at these people and thinking worse thoughts.  Singing about the wonders of God while yelling, “YOU IDIOT!”  Yes, I know it’s a contradiction!  This morning I reminded myself that I am making a choice to let all this upset me.  I can choose to just stay in a calm place and let them do their thing without it affecting me.

I have found this to be true in so many parts of my life.  I made a conscious decision a couple of months ago to stop letting things at home determine my mood.  (I admit sometimes I still fail at this!  Lol)  When a towel is left on the floor, or dishes in the sink, or the garbage isn’t taken out, I ask myself:  Will it take more time to make a fuss about it or just do it myself?”  It’s usually the latter.  I also ask myself, “If it starts an argument, will I even remember what it was about a year from now?  Or even a couple of weeks?”  The answer is always no.

Sometimes the way we approach things and the choice we make in handling a situation makes all the difference in the world in the outcome.  This morning a customer was parked in our drive in such a way I could hardly park my car.  What I wanted to do was pinch his little head off and yell at him.  I thought about it as I walked up the steps to the door.  When I got inside I said, “Could you do me a big favor?  When you park in the mornings, could you move back a little from where we park our cars to make it easier for us to get in?”  It’s only in the mornings I need this.”  Well, he was so apologetic.  Said of course he would.  My choice to be nice resulted in me getting the result I wanted without ruining either of our days.

We are always making choices that affect our lives.  I know most people tend to focus on the big choices of life.  I believe that it is the small, daily choices that truly determine how calm and peaceful our everyday lives are.    It’s a struggle for me.  I’m not there yet but I am working on it.  And what I find is that each time I make the right choice, in an instant, my day is always better.

Try it for yourself.  See what happens.  And feel free to share with me and my readers.  Make the choice to have a great day!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

NO MATTER WHAT SIZE, YOU ARE STILL BEAUTIFUL

NO MATTER WHAT SIZE, YOU ARE STILL BEAUTIFUL

I think many women struggle with this.  Especially those of us who are overweight.  We begin to see ourselves as only fat.  It’s a terrible feeling when you embrace the notion that all there is to you is fat.  And sadly, in our culture, fat often equates to ugly.

I have never believed I was beautiful.  Never in my life.  It has only been in the past 6 months that I can look at pictures of myself and say, “I’m cute.”    I still see the wrinkles.  I still see the jowls.  I still see the turkey gobbler under my chin.  I still see the abdomen that hangs down 6 inches and weighs over 25 pounds.  I still see my upper arms that are more the size of a thigh than an arm.

We all have beauty in our bodies and more importantly, in our hearts.  When I look in the mirror I see my beautiful blue eyes.  I remind myself how my daughter has always said she wished she had blue eyes like me.  And I’ve always said I wished I had brown eyes like hers.  When I look in a full length mirror I see strong powerful legs.  I believe that my legs are one of my best assets and when I put on a pair of black stockings, well, I just think they are lovely!  I keep my nails and toes polished so that my feet and hands are beautiful.  I’ve been blessed with good skin that needs very little attention. 

I am told I’m a good friend.  I have a good heart.  I’m a giving person.  I’m loyal.  So why don’t I think these things make me beautiful?  Why is it that if you are fat, somehow you just don’t or can’t see the beauty in yourself?  How come we can’t look at ourselves and see how lovely we are as a person?  What causes us to decides that we can’t be both fat and pretty?

I don’t know.  I wonder if I didn’t feel pretty so I became fat or I became fat and didn’t feel pretty.  I’m not sure it even matters which came first.  I know this though.  If you don’t like yourself and you feel you don’t have worth and that you aren’t worthy of anything, you will never feel beautiful.   It’s so hard to change that mindset.  

You really have to retrain your mind.  I guess it is no different than re-training your mind when you decide to eat healthy, start exercising, change your career, go to college or any other goal you set for yourself.  Until your mind believes it, neither will you.

I think I will ask my best friend to print this picture out and then hang it in my bedroom with other encouraging pictures.  Then every day I can see it and repeat it.  Until the day that my mind truly believes it.   Believing I’m beautiful is not that far down the path.  As long as I’m willing to take the walk.

What about you?  Are you ready to believe in your own beauty?  I am.  It’s time to let the struggle go and embrace my own beauty.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Your Skinny Fiber:  www.caryncann.com

OBESE CHILDREN & TEENS

We all know that obesity among children and teenagers is an epidemic here in the United States.  It is getting worse each year!  The only people who can stop it are parents and friends who love these children enough to help them.

Were you the fat kid in school?  I was.  It only takes 10-20 extra pounds for a kid to be the fat kid.  Can you even imagine how a little kid feels when they are the fat one?  It's terrible.  Yes, they are made fun of.  Yes, they are left out of things.  Yes, they are never chosen until last for teams. 

And you might not remember this but in elementary school they weigh you twice a year.  Oh they don't even  try to keep your weight private.  It is announced in front of the class.  Yes, the school system isn't bothered by embarrassing and humiliating a fat kid.  I hated those days in school.  I felt so worthless.  It's a feeling that travels with you for years and years.  There are still times I battle it.

It is a lonely life for little kids who are overweight.  Do you have an overweight child in your life that you love and adore?  Have you seen the pain and loneliness in their little eyes?

Skinny Fiber can help!  It has already helped hundreds of kiddoes lose weight and get healthy!  Skinny Fiber is plant based and safe for kids to take.  We have children as young as 5 using Skinny Fiber!

Be the hope for that precious nugget in your life that needs to lose some weight.  What a difference it will make in their young life!  Toss them a lifeline and order Skinny Fiber!

They will love you for it!

Order Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com