The Skinny Confidential: A Babe's Sexy, Sassy Health and Lifestyle Guide (2 page)

1
FAKE IT
UNTIL YOU MAKE IT

How many times have you heard the phrase, “fake it until you make it”?

I’m guessing a mil?

But have you put it into action?

Really, seriously, honestly ask yourself that question.

SERIOUSLY, SERIOUS?

So, you’re feeling overweight and negative. Why not change your attitude? Start by radiating positivity.

If you don’t feel positive, fake it.

When you project that energy into the universe, crazy things happen.

The sooner you start living and adopting a healthy, happy lifestyle, the sooner you’ll get want you want.

We all have moments of insecurity, but faking confidence is what builds confidence. In many ways, it’s a serious ability to be able to walk into a room and pretend like you know what the hell you’re doing, when in reality you’re completely clueless.

But practice makes perfect.

As with any skill, it takes work. So start practicing confidence. Confidence with your body image. Confidence in your job. Confidence in any relationship.

CONFIDENCE IN LIFE.

It’s the key to a happy life. When you feel confident, you feel powerful. Tap into that confidence to achieve the body you’ve always wanted, the relationship you’ve always dreamed of, and/or the happy life you’ve always envisioned for yourself and for those important to you.

If you’re eating like shit, you’re not confident. You’re probably feeling crappy because when you eat like shit, you feel like shit. Start eating healthful foods with confidence.

That’s faking it until you make it.

If you want to get on an exercise plan, but you’ve never pulled the trigger, practice your new skill: confidence.

Start walking for ten minutes a day and add in weights a couple times a week. Fake your workout. Fake like you know what you’re doing. With time and a little bit of discipline, you could discover that maybe, actually, you really like breaking a light sweat.

And then you’re not faking it; you’re loving it.

A relationship you’re painfully insecure in? Make a decision. If you decide to continue the relationship, then know with confidence that you’re the one who decided to put yourself in the situation. Therefore, it’s up to you to be a confident mate.

And trust me; any partner is attracted to confidence.

With confidence comes happiness. Faking it until you make it is not necessarily being a fake person. It’s changing the tone of your life.

I’ll give you an example. My best friend wasn’t a big reader. I told her to fake it.

She was obviously confused. What did I mean by “fake” reading?

Welp, I meant fake that you like to read.

So I gave her an easy, quick read. She read it. Slowly. But she finished the entire book.

From there, I had her progress to another quick read that was a bit longer.

She faked liking to read for about three books.

After her third book, she was hooked.

When she went out of her comfort zone, she realized she actually did like reading and was very good at it.

So good that my bestie now calls me with book recs. She’s unstoppable.

The point is that sometimes when you fake something, you’ll realize that you’re actually quite good at it.

If you’re an unhealthy person, start faking that you’re a healthy person. Do the opposite of all your horribly unhealthy habits.

AND START TODAY. NOT TOMORROW. TODAY.

You just might find you actually like feeling amazing through exercise and diet.

I hope this book encourages you to step out of your comfort zone. I hope it encourages you to be confident, eat clean and sweat often.

Be the best version of you. Even if you have to fake it for a while.

2
CRAVINGS,
SCHMAVINGS

Cravings are like assholes. Everyone has one.

Or ten.

Because show me someone who DOESN’T crave a good handful of Cheez-It
^®
?!

LIKE, REALLY?

In any case, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that The Skinny Confidential lifestyle doesn’t allow cravings.

I’m also not going to sit here and tell you that cravings are the devil and you should ignore them at all costs.

And I’m sure as hell not going to tell you to count your calories like they’re dollar bills.

If you have a freaking craving, then have a small portion and move on with your life.

Here’s the deal: If you obsess over anything (this includes men, too), it will bite you in the ass.

On that note, I guess I’ll share my Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
^®
story. But don’t judge.

One day a few months ago, I had the brilliant idea to stay the F away from the red, MSG-filled little shits that turn anyone’s fingers bright red.

But not just for a day. Not just for a month.

FOREVER.

I wanted to nip my awful craving in the bud, ya know?

Because for some reason, that’s just what I crave. I can’t help it.

Not chocolate-filled cookies.

Not salty-ass crackers.

And not even white bread.

Flamin’. Hot. Cheetos
^®
.

They’re just really freaking delicious. And they’re so bad for you that it’s almost embarrassing that I’m putting this horrendous food weakness into writing.

I’m telling ya, though, these overly salted, chemical sticks are truly addictive.

Like, seriously, balls-to-the-walls, can’t-get-enough addictive.

I know, I know. Stop shaking your head in disgust, because I’ve done my research. And I know I might as well take a puff of a cig every time I eat a handful of Cheetos
^®
.

So, weakness admitted. Now back to my brilliant idea: cutting out Cheetos
^®
.

When I decided to ban Cheetos
^®
like they were against my religion, I noticed I craved them even more.

SHOCKER.

Anything, and I mean
anything
that you ban from your life for good, you’ll crave more.

My Cheetos
^®
addiction was gnarly. After cutting them out, I noticed my upper lip was sweating and perspiring.

Not really, but you get the gist.

I was freaking seething for Flamin’ Hots. I would have done creepy things to get my hands on a bag of those chemicals.

After one month of going Cheeto-less, I caved.

Sadly, I ate an entire bag like they were going out of style. In like, five seconds.

Gross?

I know (shaking my head).

BUT. You know what this little experience taught me?

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.

I can’t stress it enough.

Seriously.

It’s simply not necessary (nor does it agree with my normally healthy lifestyle) to shove Cheetos
^®
in my face every day.

But every once in a while?

HELL YA.

Here’s what I do now: I eat those red little dipshits when I’m having a craving (about two times a week) and I don’t take the bag to bed with me.

Every, single, time I consume something that maybe isn’t super healthful, I use portion-controlled kitchenware.

Because that, my friends, is called a lifestyle change. Not a diet. Not deprivation. A solution.

A solution to a situation that will spiral out of control if it becomes unmanageable.

When you deny a strong craving, that’s exactly what you’re doing, peeps.

You’re fighting the inevitable craving.

Fix the problem before it gets super creepy. If you’re dying for a banana split, go eat a freaking banana split.

But please, oh, please, practice portion control with each and every craving.

More about portion control:

I’m starting to notice that people would prefer to not really, actually know about true portion control.

Ignorance is not bliss.