THE MAGIC IS IN YOU!

THE MAGIC IS IN YOU!

I wish I could teach overweight people what it has taken me 53 years to learn.

There is no magic pill.  There!  I said it!  That is the child in you using magical thinking.  When you are a child you can apportion responsibility to others.  But when you become an adult, all the responsibility lies with you and you alone.  You are the only one who can change what you eat.  Are there products that can help you lose weight?  Yes, and I found a great one in Skinny Fiber.  Because of its ingredients, it has helped me become so much healthier aside from the weight loss. 

I always had reasons (excuses) why I was overweight.  Whatever the reason was, it wasn’t my fault.  My favorite was “I don’t really eat that much”.    Which was true, if you added “at meals”.    I have always been a secret eater.   I don’t eat much at meals but if I’m by myself, I can put the food away.

Another favorite was “I have slow metabolism”.  True, my metabolism was slow but I did nothing to help it.  I lived on carbs and diet soda and my exercise consisted of getting up and going to the kitchen!

I loved this one.  “I have a longer intestine than most people.  The food stays in there longer so I absorb more calories.”  Sounds great and of course, it succeeded in the responsibility for being overweight placed on a part of my body instead of me.

I would proclaim, “I eat healthy.”  Well, I did like fruit and did eat some vegetables.  But having an extra large pizza topped with lots of vegetables and eating the whole thing is not really eating healthy.

Losing weight is not an overnight journey.  Gaining it wasn’t and neither is losing it.  If you truly want to lose weight and keep it off, then you have to make changes.  Skinny Fiber provided the impetus for me to start my last weight loss journey that is more like a leisurely walk than a sprint. 

First you have to decide that all the excuses are going to be placed in the garbage.  You have to own responsibility for your own body.    You have to believe that you are worthy and deserve to be healthy.  Then you have to start making better choices.  You don’t have to do everything at once.  When I started Skinny Fiber, the only journey I was on was to prove them wrong and get my money back.    The only thing I changed was drinking 150 ounces of water daily and taking 2 Skinny Fiber capsules twice a day.  I did that for an entire month.  I ate whatever I wanted but I stopped when I started feeling full.

After seeing that I had lost 10 pounds the first month, I knew I could do this.  The days turned in to weeks and the weeks into months.  I started making better choices about my food and food intake.  I have learned to listen to my body.  Unfortunately for me, my body does not digest or process carbs very well.  Now that doesn’t mean I never eat carbs.  I do but not every day and when I eat them, it is in moderation. 

When you lose weight slowly, like you probably gained it, your body adjusts.  Even when you do overeat on occasion, you probably won’t gain a pound.  Now if you go on a food fest for a week, well, you know what happens.

All my life I wanted that magic pill; that magic something.  I remember after losing about 40 lost pounds, I just got it.  There is nothing and I mean nothing magical that is going to take the fat away.  The magic is in you.  Once you realize that, you will be empowered.  You will know that you can change your weight, your health and your life.  Could I have done it without  Skinny Fiber?  I doubt it.  I’ve never been able to in the past.  But I get it now.  It’s about responsibility.  Being responsible for taking my Skinny Fiber, for drinking my water, for moving my body and for the choices I make regarding my food. 

And when I do that, do you know what happens?  MAGIC!  My life has become magical.  The magic truly is in me.  And it is in your too!  If you need help getting on the path to finding the magic in you, contact me.  I will help you wherever you are.  Choose to find the magic in you and become that healthy person that already lives in you and is yearning to break free!

copyrighted 2014

caryn canntalla

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

NEED SOME EXTRA MONEY?

NEED SOME EXTRA MONEY?

Most of us do!  You have an opportunity to join my team with Skinny Fiber and start making money immediately!

Yeah, but what does it cost, you might say!

There is a one-time fee of $10.  Watch one of the videos (they are super short) and you get $8 back!  So it is really just $2 to become a distributor.  This is what is called the Training Bonus.

The only other requirement is to buy one bottle of Skinny Fiber or Ageless each month!   If you don’t need to lose weight or need a skin product (the best around!), then sell it to a friend who does!

NO INVENTORY TO BUY!  NO PARTIES!  NO POWDERS!  NO PACKAGED FOOD!  Just two capsules you take before two meals a day.  Add a lot of water to your day (half your body weight in ounces) and then just eat regular food until you start to feel a little full.  That’s it!

We are paid 8 different ways.  The more people you sign up, the more you make!  You get paid a Fast Start Bonus.    This are paid weekly!  Whatever you sell before Thursday’s cutoff, you will receive payment for new sales (Fast Start Bonus) the Friday of the next week.  You are paid a commission each month when they purchase another bottle.  You get paid on the bottles your distributors in your downline sell each month based on your ranking. 

You can spend as little as 1-2 hours a day building your own business.  Each level, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Crown Diamond, will increase your monthly commissions.  When you reach the levels of Gold and above and retain that rank for 3 months, you receive another bonus for that!

What could you do with an extra $300 + a month?  We have distributors making $5000, $10,000, $40,000 and even $100,000 a month.   If you walked into one of our events, you would never know who is making the big bucks and who just started.  We all look and act the same. 

This is the greatest MLM company you could work for!  8 different ways to make money, great training, and the company’s motto is WE WANT THIS TO BE THE LAST COMPANY YOU WORK FOR.  Our CEO says often that he wants us all to be able to retire and take care of ourselves and the generation below us.  How awesome is that?

Now, this is not a get rich quick scheme.  You do have to put in time working.  You have to build your team.  But where could you be in a year?  Or two?  Or three?

Check out the SBC Movie (it’s short) and come join my team.  We have the best weight loss product, Skinny Fiber, on the market!  All natural, made with 3 plants, no caffeine, no stimulants!  I’m a product of the product and I’ve lost 60 pounds in 15 months.  Our skin product, Ageless, is the best skin serum around!  It makes your skin feel so good!  MOVIE:  http://CarynsChamps.SBCMovie.com.  

When you finish the movie you can sign up there to be a distributor or click this link, www.caryncann.com , click ORDER HERE in the upper right hand corner and select BECOME A DISTRIBUTOR!  That’s it!

Don’t wait!  Get signed up, Purchase your monthly bottle, and make some sales!  Remember, initial orders by Thursday of each week pay the Fast Start Bonus the Friday of the following week.

What’s holding you back?  You could have money for Christmas, vacation money, etc. by Christmas!  COME JOIN ME!  It’s a great company! 

Hope to see you on my team soon!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

Contact me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Caryncann or

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Caryncann

HOLIDAY FOODS

HOLIDAY FOODS

Have you decided that now is the time to finally try Skinny Fiber?

I know many people say, "I don't want to diet during the holidays."  Let me see if I can put this in perspective. 

Skinny Fiber is NOT a diet pill.  It is a weight loss supplement.  You don't diet.  You eat regular food just like your family.  It is plant based, no caffeine and no stimulants.  Skinny Fiber will allow you to eat all the things you normally eat during the holidays, just less of it!    We do encourage people to eat whole foods and you do have to drink LOTS of water and take two capsules twice a day, every day.  But you don't have to give up everything you love about the holidays!  Last year I lost 6 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas losing Skinny Fiber!  Did I eat holiday food?  YES!  Did I gorge myself?  NO!

Researchers say that people gain 5-10 pounds during the holidays.  This just means you have that much more to lose in January!  Why not get on board with Skinny Fiber, start losing weight now and still enjoy those holiday treats?  You will just want less of them.  Why?  Because Skinny Fiber makes you feel full, cuts your cravings for sweets and revs up your metabolism.

C'mon and join the Skinny Fiber team!  You will be glad you did!  With Skinny Fiber you don’t have to give it all up!

Order your Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com.

Copyrighted 2014

Caryn Cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

IMPERFECT PROGRESS

IMPERFECT PROGRESS

How many times have you resisted change because you knew you wouldn’t or couldn’t do it perfectly?  I know I have, especially when it came to weight loss.   My thought was “I’ve tried before and I always failed.”  I always failed because I always quit!  I always quit because I wasn’t perfect. 

This morning I heard someone say “imperfect progress”.  It immediately resonated with me.  I have never used that term but I certainly know that is what I have been doing for the last 15 months.  When I started my last weight loss journey with Skinny Fiber I decided I would be doing it differently this time.

I realized that I couldn’t be perfect.  I knew that I would “cheat”.  I changed the way I approached this journey.  No food was off limits.  If I wanted it, I would eat it but in moderation.  I admit, there have been a few times that I wanted it, I ate it and it wasn’t in moderation.  BUT HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE!  I didn’t beat myself up over it.  I tried to figure out what made me overeat when I wasn’t hungry.  And the most important thing I did was I didn’t quit!  Nope, the next morning I was back on my program.  This has kept me sane and on track for these past 15 months.  I have never stayed on any weight loss plan more than 6 months.  EVER.  And I’ve been doing this weight loss thing for 53 years.

There is no perfect change because we aren’t perfect.  What we can have is imperfect progress.  Sure we fall.  But all we have to do is get back up and start anew.  That is the difference in failure and success.  As long as you get back up, you have progress.  It might be imperfect progress but it is progress just the same.  If you stick with it, you will reach your goal.  How I wish I had learned this decades ago.  But I’m learning it now and it has brought me freedom in this journey and this journey is bringing me freedom in my life.

This works no matter what the change you are trying to make.  It doesn’t matter if it is weight loss, finances, a career, school, etc.  Try it and see!  Reach your goal with imperfect progress.  You will definitely get there.

Why don’t you join me in my imperfect progress of my last weight loss journey with Skinny Fiber?  It could be your last weight loss journey too.  And if you don’t need to lose weight, then join me in my imperfect progress of building my own business with Skinny Fiber.  Just click the link below for either.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

Email:  caryncann@gmail.com

A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A WISH

A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST A WISH

Are you just wishing or do you really want to accomplish something?  If you have a goal, you have to have a plan on how to reach it.  Yes, you may stumble along the way, but then you just go back to the plan.

How many times do we all say things like, "I wish my house was paid off."  "I wish I weighed 100, 50, 25 pounds less."  "I wish I could go to college."  "I wish I had another job."  "I wish I could retire."  We all do it.  Wishing is like so many other things we do in our life.  It's a waste of our time.

Put that time to better use.  When you wish for something, decide if it is important enough to you to actually want to do it.  If it is, then set it as your goal.  Write it out!  And then set smaller goals to get you to that main goal.  It's difficult to set a goal that is in the future when you cannot see progress of smaller goals along the way.

Here is how I started saving over a decade ago.  I had no savings and had never saved a penny.  I wished I could save 10% of what I brought home.  One day I got a raise at work.  It was $6 a week.  My friend Debi said, "what are you gonna do with all that money?  But a dozen donuts?"  lol 

What I decided to do was save it.  And so I did.  Each week I would put that $6 in savings.  It grew slowly but for the first time in my life, I had a savings account.  Then I paid a credit card off.  I was paying the minimum plus the interest each month.  That gave me about $16 more each week.  I added that to the $6 and now I was saving $22 a week.

I now save more than 10% of my income.  It is a great feeling to look in my savings account and see money.  When an emergency comes up I no longer have to decide, "do I fix my car or do I pay my electric bill?" 

This process works for any goal.  I did the same procedure when I wanted to start tithing.  It worked when I started jogging.  All it takes is choosing a goal, writing it down with smaller goals, and then putting your plan in action.

Once you do that, your goal is no longer just a wish.  It's a plan that you can accomplish.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

FAMILY TRADITIONS

FAMILY TRADITIONS

I give my parents a lot of credit for the traditions I was taught growing up.  Some of them have become part of the traditions my children and I have incorporated in our family.

My most favorite Christmas tradition is going out on Christmas Eve and looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights.  I have done this every year since I was 4 ½.  My mother was big and pregnant with my younger sister that year.  In fact, she arrived just 2 days after Christmas.  Mama was just miserable so my daddy piled us all in the car and we took off looking at the lights and decorations.  I was in awe!  There was one house that had every song and theme represented on their yard.  The house and lawn were covered in lights but the most lights were on the roof!  It just thrilled me to see all those lights on one house!

My children are in their 20’s and still look forward to going out on Christmas Eve and looking at the beautiful yards and houses all lit up for Santa’s arrival!  We have found our own house that just drips with all the stories of Christmas plus lights everywhere in the yard, on the house and on the roof. 

That one tradition has carried over to other parts of Christmas.  Every year my kids get a new stocking.  And every year that stocking is filled with goodies and presents.  No looking in the stocking until all the presents are opened!  Every year we buy all new lights and ornaments.  Now, we do have our special ornaments that we have collected through the years, but each year, we use different colors.  Even for the outside!  And most every year my daughter convinces me to buy a real tree. 

Along with that, we have certain things we cook and bake at Christmas.  We normally have lasagna or Ham for Christmas dinner.  I know lasagna sounds weird for Christmas but their dad was Sicilian.  What can I say?  We make strawberry candy out of jello mix.  We make cookies out of Ritz crackers and peanut butter.  We make a batch of Texas trash.  And usually we throw in a new recipe just for fun.  And of course, you have to have that Christmas music going everywhere.  I admit when they start playing it the day after Thanksgiving on the radio, I am pretty tired of it by Christmas but those first 3 weeks or so are just heaven!

Now, it’s only October so I haven’t started planning everything for Christmas yet.  But Thanksgiving?  Yep, I’ve already started collecting my food items in anticipation! 

We have our family traditions for all the major holidays.  And don’t forget about Halloween!  We still decorate the house for the little ones.  Ok, it’s for us too!  Lol

I think family traditions are so important.  It’s the glue that holds the family together for those special times of the year.  You know you are part of a family when you have traditions that are special just to your members.  If you don’t have any family traditions, start one this Christmas.  Your kids will thank you for it. 

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE YOUR LIFE

WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE YOUR LIFE

Today on my way in to work I started thinking about some people who chose to leave my life and the lives of my children.  The first couple of years after this happened, I admit it bothered me.  It made me sad.  I finally decided that all I could do was accept and respect their choice and move on.

While I was roaming around those memories, the song "He lifts me up" came on the radio.  I started thinking about how I have been lifted up during this past 15 years without them in my life.  I have been blessed with friends coming into my life who are like family.  Men and women.  Older and younger.  When I need them, they are always there for me.  I have a beautiful woman who is only 5 years older than me who calls me her daughter.  It makes my heart so full.  My children have always been the center of my life and they are even more so now as they grow into adults. 

I thought, it's true that I have lost those 3 people from my life.  But look what I have in return.  Brothers and sisters, a mother, friends who know the true meaning of friendship.  And I have a rock solid relationship with my kids. 

Sometimes we look at what we have lost rather than what we have gained.  My life is overflowing with blessings and love.  Don't waste a day thinking or mourning for something that was.  Spend your time thinking about what is.  Open your heart and life up to the possibilities of the blessings that can come to you when you stop trying to relive the past.  Move into the now and see what has come into your life that maybe, just maybe, you would have missed out on if others hadn't left your life.

And then take a big ole' breath and exhale while you say, "I am truly blessed".  Because you are.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

I HATE BRAS!

I HATE BRAS!

I hate bras. The only thing I hate more is having my skin touch skin. I love how underwire bras make your breasts look so perky and stand out. But anytime I wear one, I'm in the bathroom within an hour cutting the wire out.

I have been wearing Genie bras for about 2 years. I love them. No hooks; no snaps, no seams. Also you look like you have no boobs. That's the down side.

And then I read an article on getting the right bra and well, I don't think I've ever worn the right size. I'm afraid they would tell me I wear something like a 48 MMM or something! lol

You know if men wore bras they would be comfortable. Can you imagine if a jock strap was made like a bra? Wires all in it. Straps too tight. Rubbing against their thighs. Bras should be like jock straps. They should be for protection and comfort only. Can you imagine saying to a guy, "Honey, I don't mean to complain but could you wear your underwire jock strap tonight? I love it when your junk is out in front!" hahaha That would never happen. Men design their underthings for comfort. Ours are designed for them.

Yeah, I'd like for my breasts to look like I'm wearing an underwire but I don't want to actually wear one. I've thought about just pulling them up and stapling them but I think that would hurt. sigh That's why I'm thinking my best option is a breast lift by a real plastic surgeon.

Going to put my Genie Bra on. It's like wearing an old bathrobe.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Skinny Fiber here:  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

EXCUSES!

EXCUSES!

This is my latest video from my YouTube channel, FAT LIKE ME!

Excuses!  We all have them!  Now what?

Be sure to like and leave a comment!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Your Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com

NOTE TO MY YOUNGER SELF

NOTE TO MY YOUNGER SELF

Hey girl!

None of the terrible things happening to you now will even matter in the future.  You will grow into a strong, independent woman.  The ones who sought to destroy you and break your little spirit failed. 

You will rise from the ashes and become the woman you were always meant to be.  It's your heart, your goodness, and your faith that will keep you on the path that will lead you to the best parts of your life.  No one can ever stop you from pursuing your dreams and reaching them as long as you believe.  And at every point along the way, trust me, there will be people who enter your life that will help you down that road.  Your spirit of forgiveness and gratitude will become the touchstones of your life.

You, my sweet child, aren't just going to survive.  You are going to thrive and be a beacon for others.  Keep these words in your heart.  Some day you will look back in amazement at how far you have come.

And I do.  Every day.

Feel free to leave a note here for your younger child.  I would love to read them.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Your Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com

WISHING WILL NOT MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!

WISHING WILL NOT MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!

We all have wishes.  These are the things we want in our lives that can happen randomly with no effort on our part. 

You know how wishes are.  Those are the things that we want but we don’t want to work for.  I wish I was thin.  I wish I was rich.  I wish I owned a house.  I wish I had a better car.   Wishes are the lowest rung on the ladder of success.

A couple of rungs up from that are dreams.  Dreams are more active.  You think about them.  You may even visualize them.  You don’t necessarily work towards them but you can.  Dreams are lofty but still much more achievable than a wish.

Keep going up that ladder a few more steps and you will find believing.   Believing takes faith and energy.  Believing is active and you have to participate.  Some people think you can believe yourself to anything.  From my experience just believing will not make things happen.   I remember once being told, “just believe whatever it is you want!”  I tried it for a while and here is what I found out.  You can believe something all you want, like “I believe my house is clean.”  However, until you get up and put some action behind that belief, you just have empty words and a dirty house.

What really works is to have a dream and believe in that dream no matter what.  Then make a plan of action to bring your goal to fruition.  When you do this, believing becomes so important.    Especially during the times when nothing seems to be moving forward, you become frustrated and sometimes want to quit!  I have a saying that I say aloud very often:  “I see with my heart what my eyes cannot yet see.” 

I can tell you from my experience that dreaming, believing and putting an action plan in place does work.  Sometimes it works quickly.  Sometimes it takes more time.  And when you become frustrated, add a little more commitment.  When you put commitment into the mix you are telling yourself and the world, I’m here to stay.  I’m in it to win it!  I’ll never give up, no matter what my circumstances seem.

When you do these things, you will take your wish all the way up the ladder to success and over to the end of the rainbow.  What was once just a wish will become a reality.  Then you will truly see your dream become your life.  Try it!  It really does work!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Your Skinny Fiber Here:  www.caryncann.com

EVER FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GETTING NOWHERE?

EVER FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GETTING NOWHERE?

We all feel this way!  We set our goals; we work our plans and we just feel stuck!

I compare it to being on a treadmill or exercycle.  You are moving but you aren’t going anywhere.  Does that mean you aren’t progressing?  No!  It just means that the progress is slower and less evident.

This has been proven to me over and over on this last weight loss journey of mine.  Looking at myself daily it often seems that I’m still almost 300 pounds.   This is one of the reasons I take a new picture every month or so and join it together with my before picture.  That is when you can really see the difference in all of you.  Your body, muscles, smile, eyes and face.

When I started jogging I thought, well this will certainly help me lose some extra pounds.  It hasn’t.  And I’m burning  an extra 300-400 calories a day.    But my body is definitely changing.  My calves are leaner.  My abdomen is still shrinking.  My thighs are tightening up.  My torso is decreasing.  My face is becoming smaller. 

Here’s my point.  Many days I feel like I’m on that piece of exercise equipment that allows me to move without really being aware of how far I’ve gone.  That’s why I love running my neighborhood.  I can show myself and others, “this is how far I traveled on my own power!”  Even at that, there are still times I feel like I’m moving and going nowhere.

You have to remind yourself that everything you do is helping you change your direction towards your goal, whatever your goal is.  It might just be your endurance and stamina.  It might be your attitude.  Even though you feel like you are at a standstill, any movement is progression.  When you look at it as just a picture in time, you can convince yourself that your work is for naught.  Those are the days when comparing yourself to where you started becomes very important.  You have to be able to see the comparison!  It will uplift you and encourage you to keep going.

I think that is what commitment is all about.   You keep doing what you are doing.  Even if you don’t see your goals materialize as quickly as you hope.  No matter what your goal is.  All the work you put in to reaching your goals will pay off.  You just have to be consistent, keep going and NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Skinny Fiber Here:  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

ARE ONLINE FRIENDS REAL?

ARE ONLINE FRIENDS REAL?

I remember back in 96 or 97, maybe 98 when I discovered AOL and the chat rooms.  That’s where I met my friend, Patty.  We both had little kids, she had two older kids.  Our marriages sucked and we weren’t very happy at the time.  Who on AOL was?  Lol

She says she stalked me until we became friends.  I’m glad she did.  Back in those days communication was by instant messaging.  She and I both typed over 100 wpm.  We would carry on two conversations at once:  mine to her and hers to me.  We laughed, loved, cried, and wondered where in the world would our lives take us.  The one thing we both had was a wicked sense of humor; we still do.  I often wondered if people you meet online could actually become real friends.  They can.

We used to kid that someday we were going to live together, which was funny because it didn’t look like we would ever even meet.  We talked about the house, sitting on the veranda, what we would wear, etc.  It was always the same story, same scene.  In about 2004 she came through Houston and that’s when we met for the first time.  We had a great time.   She ended up moving to Florida in 2012.  I decided to spend my vacation with her that year and the next.  We got along so great!  When I left both times she told me she left things of mine in my bedroom and on the table between our rockers.  She said it made her feel like I was still there.

In October 2013 she moved back to El Paso.  To her it just was no longer home.  She floundered for a few months trying to decide should she stay or should she go.  I told her she was welcome to move in with me.  She made a list of pros and cons for her various choices, called me a few days later and said, “Can I come to Houston in 2 weeks?”  And she did.  That was in March 2014.

A few weeks ago she found out her oldest son is much sicker than anyone realized.   The decision was made to move him back to El Paso after he said he wanted to go home.  Patty and her baby boy, Charlie, are completely re-arranging their lives to get her oldest moved, settled and stable.  Just like I have sung, “You are my sunshine” to Ashlie since she was a baby, I imagine Patty sings that to Charlie in her heart always.

I knew today was coming.  We have been counting the days down for the last 14 days.  Living life every day since then.  Sort of ignoring that she really was going to leave.  She didn’t even start packing until yesterday.  We had our little dinner party last night.  Marisela, Cody, Ashlie and Daniel, Nate (my mechanic, landscaper, and handy man who is finishing and completing the work all my contractors didn’t) and me.  This morning I woke her up to tell her good-bye.  She said, “the bed will be made, my flip flops will be by the bed, I left some clothes in the closet and my books are on the chest.  It will be like I’m still here.”  Just like in Florida.

These 6 months have gone by so quickly.  She has told me that living in Houston with me was what she needed.  She has become much healthier.  She’s been able to heal from the craziness she had to live in Florida (taking care of another family member).  One of the things I so appreciate is her relationship with Cody.  They have a lot in common and spent hours talking and discussing the books they read together.  She embraced Ashlie and they would hang out together even when I was gone.  I loved coming home from work and seeing her sitting in her chair in the driveway.  We often sat out there together and talked and laughed.  Always we laughed.

I loved having her in the house even if we hardly spoke that day.  We cohabitated well together.  Both of us are loners who enjoy interacting together.  She made us some delicious meals.  We listened to each other’s problems, sometimes we gave advice; sometimes we just stayed quiet.  We both had sad times these 6 months but many more good times.  I remember when we took her to Galveston for the day.  She, Marisela and I had a great time!  And out of the deal, Marisela and Patty each gained a new friend.

We have always said that we were like sisters.  Friends and sisters.  We have always used these two lines from this White Christmas song for us:

Sisters, sisters 
There were never such devoted sisters, 

Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister 
And lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man

Hahaha  yep, that was our song!

I’m gonna miss you so much, Patty.  I am believing that you will be home in January.  If your life takes you down another path, you know that I will support you.  Just thinking about you leaving & being gone when I get home makes my eyes overflow with tears.  You aren’t just my friend; you are my family.

I love you, baby!  Hurry home!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Order Skinny Fiber here:  www.caryncann.com