Are you doing crunches and other exercises everyday trying to flatten your lower abdomen, but no matter what type or how many exercises you do you’re not seeing any results?  You might have fibroids or some other growth in your uterus that makes your efforts to flatten your stomach with exercise useless.

I remember years ago, before I got fibroids myself and found myself facing the same problem, my younger sister would complain that no matter how many crunches or other stomach exercises she did her stomach just wouldn’t get flat for anything. I would tell her she was not doing the right exercises, but she would insist that it had nothing to do with exercise. She was convinced that there had to be something growing inside her lower abdomen that was causing it to protrude. It would be years before my sister would discover that indeed, she did have something in her belly that was appearing to defeat her every effort to achieve a flat lower stomach. She had fibroids.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the uterus or in the womb. Fibroids are said to be very common, occurring in 2 or 3 out of every 10 women over age 35. They can also occur in women in their 20s. You could have multiple fibroids growing in your uterus or womb and some can grow so big that they cause your uterus to expand and your stomach bulge and take on the shape of a pregnant woman’s belly. How much your stomach bulges depends on how many fibroids you have, how big they are and where they are located.

Until a year ago I had no problems keeping my stomach flat. Even if I gained a few pounds my stomach remained relatively flat and all I needed to do was some dancing and some strategic stomach exercises to take care of any bulging.

Then in April or May 2007 I began to notice that my lower stomach was protruding regardless of my exercising habits. Refusing to believe my body was already shifting over into that place where after a certain age a woman’s lower stomach becomes nearly impossible to keep flat, I went to the doctor and lo and behold I discovered I had fibroids. Within just a few weeks of going to the doctor my fibroids grew so big that I looked like I was 4 months pregnant.

Apparently fibroids don’t  shrink until after  menopause. There are a number of treatments for fibroids, but  what treatment you can get will depend on the size of your fibroids. Unfortunately for me my fibroids had grown too big to allow for any of the non-invasive surgical procedures. I was told a hysterectomy would be the surest way to remove my fibroids and ensure they didn’t grow back; but I have a phobia of being cut into by surgeons and having internal organs  removed so I didn’t go through with the planned hysterectomy.

Right now I am trying to see if a combination of diet and exercise will at least shrink my stomach to the point where, with my fibroids still I place, I look 2-3 months pregnant instead of 4-5. And I’ll just have to make up my mind that I can’t wear tight-fitting tops; but then again, I was never much into tight-fitting tops anyway.

The moral of the story is:

If you keep doing crunches and sit-ups and every stomach exercise known to man week after week, month after month trying to flatten your lower abs but you’re seeing no visible results, it might be that you have fibroids, or some other growth in your uterus that is causing you not to have a flat tummy.

I’m still on a hunt for summer dresses with sleeves even though I still can’t afford to buy any new clothes right now.

I came across a page of summer dresses with sleeves from an August 2007 post on lookstolove.blogspot.com

I like the yellow dress Jennifer Lopez is wearing except for the length. I don’t do dresses that show my legs. It would be perfect if it fell just below the knees. It looks like it would help to conceal the fibroid expanded stomach.

The dress Britney Spears is wearing looks like it would work; but again it would need to fall just below the knees. And the dress Kate Hudson is wearing also looks workable. The sleeves would need to be a little longer though, and you guessed it, the dress would need to be below the knees in length.

There is something about Carmen Electra’s dress that I don’t like. It looks like it would draw too much attention to the bodice, and you don’t want to wear dresses that draw attention to your bodice unless you have an impressive set of boobs to show off.

I stumbled across a website today while looking up some information on juice fasts. It was a website about colon cleansing. I admit I had no idea what colon cleansing was ‘really’ all about until I did some reading this morning. The first time I heard someone talk about getting their colon cleansed I was watching Eddie Murphy’s version of “The Nutty Professor”….

So I stumbled across the website for the product DrNatura COLONIX and I started reading an article by Dr. Heather Johnstone, Ph.D., R.N., A.P.N., Director and Chief Academic Officer of the Global College of Natural Medicine titled Are You Clean Inside?.

By the time I had finished Heather Johnstone’s article and looked at some of the horrendously disgusting pictures of what users of DrNatura COLONIX reported ‘passing’ from their colons while on the program, I was quite seriously terrified at the thought that I had things like that inside me. So terrified, in fact, I went researching whether or not colon cleansing is absolutely necessary because I really didn’t want to experience passing anything 3 feet long with bulbous sacks.

What I discovered in my search is that the strongest supporters of colon cleansing and the most stalwart propagators of the “death begins in the colon” propaganda are the people with colon related products to sell. Now I’m not suggesting this industry is out to scam anyone, just based on a single observation. A few hours of research doesn’t qualify me to comment on colon cleansing being necessary or over-hyped to scare people into buying colon cleansing products and making their manufacturers rich; but I did find it curious while reading the testimonials of users of DrNatura Colonix that some people were saying they tried other products that didn’t work, but the DrNatura Colonix product resulted in weeks of passing green things, orange things, black things, slimy things, things that were 3 feet long and bulbous, worms and the like. Somehow it seemed to me that if these things are in your colon and DrNatura Colonix can get them out, other colon cleansing products should be able to get them out as well. Surely the manufacturers of DrNatura Colonix wouldn’t know a secret ingredient for getting those nasty things out of your colon that other manufacturers of colon cleansing products know nothing about?

But what about all those testimonials from people with all those disgusting pictures they took of the things they passed, lining them on on newspapers, lining them up on the seats of their toilets? Seeing is believing right? Unless, as Lisa Barger suggests in her article “Is Colon Cleansing a scam?” those things weren’t inside these people before they started using DrNatura Colonix. She maintains that colon cleansers trick people into believing that they work.

Here’s how Lisa Barger explains the trick:

To fully understand how colon cleansers trick people into believing that they work, it’s important to explain exactly what they are. And what the vast majority of herbal-based colon cleaners are, is just plain old fiber. Now, some have herbs and other ingredients with believed anti-parasitic and/or laxative propeties, but colon cleansers are mainly just fiber. And fiber “bulks up” when when it comes into contact with moisture. In fact, you can demonstrate this yourself by dropping a capsule into water and watching how it expands as the shell dissolves.

So let’s assume that you’re a typical American. You probably eat a diet that’s relatively low in raw fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains. In other words, you probably have a diet that’s pretty low in fiber. And you probably have only a few bowel movements a week.

But let’s say that you begin a cleansing regimen. Your dietary fiber probably doubles (or even triples) and you now have 2 or 3 bowel movements a day for 2 or 3 days in a row. Maybe your bowel movements are more comfortable and, maybe, you feel “finished” for the first time in a very long time. That’s exactly what fiber does–it speeds up your colon, bulks up your stool, and helps some people feel “empty” after they use the toilet.

Now, isn’t it easy to understand why so many people feel that they’re being “cleaned” when they use a colon cleanser? After all, what could possibly be wrong with bigger, more frequent and vastly more comfortable bowel movements? Excerpted from Lisa Barger’s Is Colon Cleansing a scam?

I’m not saying not to clean your colon. I know I’ve had some days when I’ve left from a bathroom session feeling physically relieved, like I’d dropped a boulder that had been slowing me down without my realizing it; so if cleaning your colon will give you that feeling of relief and renewed energy hey, go ahead and clean your colon; but for now I’m going to pass on the colon cleansing.

I have survived day 2 of my fast. It was not as difficult as Day 1. I had a total of 4 cups of green tea with ginger and peppermint. I was not able to stick to my workout schedule though. I started the morning with 20 minutes of foga, which I have previously explained is my word for the fake yoga I do. You can’t call it yoga if you’re making it up as you go along right?

I was to have done some dance aerobics later on in the day and then a closing day foga session but I was only able to manage the foga session at the start of the day.

Now here I am on day 3 of my fast. Again I will only drink tea today starting with a first cup at 9AM after I have completed a 20-minute foga session and taken a bath. I am thinking I might have to extend my fast by 2 days, but I’ll probably switch to a juice fast for Sunday and Monday.

I have to honestly say I am feeling pretty calm at the moment. I don’t feel hungry right now; nor do I feel weak. The only thing I have consumed in 57 hours is 4 cups of tea. I’m not sure if the way I feel is an indication of just how unhealthy I have become in terms of fat storage. It would seem my body has so much excess fat to feed me on that I could go 10 days not eating before I start to look like someone who hasn’t eaten in days.

Poverty is a virtue? Oh yeah seriously?

Tell me how.

Come on.

Explain that convoluted story.

I am fortunate to have nothing?

I’m sorry but how is that?

Somehow I just can’t see where I am blessed because I lack.

Paint me a picture.

Show me how it is better to be nice girl with nothing

Than a rich bitch who has it all.

There are certain expectations that come with wealth. One of these expectations is that you will have knowledge of the world. Traveling is part of the “culture” of wealth, which is not to say only wealthy people travel; but certainly one generally needs to have a good deal of money to make a habit of traveling.

The fact that I don’t have a passport should give you a pretty good idea of how much traveling I do; but I’ve made a note to myself to get a passport before the end of the year, because I plan to start traveling as early as 2009; and one of the first places I plan to visit is Italy.

I’ve always been fascinated with Italy, though I can’t really say why. In this continuation of “Travel Italy” I will share some information about Venice Italy. As I see it, just because you can’t travel to Venice doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to know a little something about the place.

Venice—a place where romance blooms

A city which is known for its canals and gondolas, Venice can definitely make anyone fall in love with its splendor. With beautiful streets and quaint buildings lining up along the canals, the exquisite charm of the city brings a romantic mood for tourists.

Located at the northern part of Italy, the city stretches across 110 small islands in the Venetian lagoon along the Adriatic Sea. During the Medieval and Renaissance period (13^th-17^th century), Venice was an important center of commerce and art. The city of canals was built 600 years ago by its original inhabitants to protect themselves from land-based attacks. They diverted all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon which prevented sediments from accumulating around the city. Due to this, they had created a deep lagoon environment.

The buildings of Venice are constructed on wood piles that were closely packed together. The structures are often threatened by flood tides from Adriatic sea between autumn and early spring. During 20^th century, when many artesian wells were built for local water resource, the city began to sink. It was then discovered that water extraction causes it to subside, and so during the 1960s, artesian wells were banned. This was an effective solution as recent studies suggest that Venice is no longer sinking. However, the city is still threatened by frequent low floods.

One of the most interesting features of the Venetian countryside is the villas of the Veneto, as these were rural residences of nobles during the past. These have also beautiful gardens that used to be the venue for social gathering of the elites during the middle age. The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared these villas as World Heritage Site (being of cultural and natural importance to the common heritage of humanity) because of its rich architectural design and its colorful historic past.

Also Read:

Tuscany—a place of sweet wine

Travel Florence Italy

Image: Several gondolas docked in Venice

As explained in “Travel Italy“, I have decided to share some material I collected for a book I planned to write a while back. The material was written for me by a freelance writer whom I prefer to call my research assistant because it makes me sound important (tongue in cheek). I’m currently focusing on Italy, but I’ll be sharing material about London and Paris as well. Then later on maybe I’ll get some material on additional countries and share those as well. Maybe you already know all there is to know about Florence Italy, but some of us aspiring rich girls have never been to Florence or any other place in Italy or Europe for that matter. Until such time as we can afford to travel like the ultimate rich bitches (no offense to anyone who doesn’t like my use of the “B” word.) a little education about some of the world’s most traveled regions couldn’t hurt.

Florence with its rich historic past

Florence boasts with its baroque buildings, remarkable galleries, and striking churches. The city of Florence lies on the Arno river and used to be the center of Medieval European trade and finance. Today, the place is known for its art and architectural design that dates back from the middle age.

The must-see place in Florence is the magnificent domed cathedral called Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as Duomo). The church, which was built 600 years ago by Filippo Brunelleschi, is a famous tourist spot that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Other well-known churches in Florence are the Battistero di San Giovanni, the Basilica di Santa Croce, the Basilica di San Lorenzo, the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, and the Chiesa di San Marco.

The travelers should also see the old bridge called Ponte Vecchio. This is the only bridge that has survived the catastrophe of World War II. First constructed hundreds of years ago by its original inhabitants called Etruscans, the bridge’s most striking feature is the multitude of shops upon its edges. At the center of this magnificent city is the famous marble sculpture called Bartolomeo Ammanati’s Fountain of Neptune. This masterpiece is a breathtaking view that will enthrall every one with its beauty and charm.

If someone wants to have a taste of the rich historic past of the city, he or she must visit the Uffizi gallery which is considered as one of the finest galleries in the world. One of the most famous squares in Florence is the Piazza della Signoria which used to be the heart of social life in the medieval city. What is interesting to note is that this is the only square in the world which has the most incredible large numbers of historic monuments.

In 1982, the historic center of Florence was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its medieval walls which were built in the 14^th century to protect the city from its enemies.

Note: UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage sites are places in the world that are regarded to be culturally or naturally important to the common heritage of humanity.

Also read:

Tuscany—a place of sweet wine

Venice—a place where romance blooms

Image: The Florence Cathedral in the evening sun.

In continuation of “Travel Italy” ,Tuscany is said to be one of the most visited places in Italy, known for its vineyards and winery.

There are six localities in Tuscany that have been made UNESCO protected sites. UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) protected sites are places in the world, such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or cities that are regarded to be of culturally or naturally important to the common heritage of humanity. The regions in Tuscany that are UNESCO protected are: the historical center of Florence, the historical center of Siena, the square of the Cathedral of Pisa, the historical center of San Gimignano , the historical center of Pienza and the Val d’Orcia.

Because Tuscany is the exact birthplace of renaissance period, it has a rich heritage that includes painting, architecture, and sculpture. There are many museums in this region that showcases the rich historic and cultural past of its people.

The region is known for its agricultural products such as Chianina cattle, and its wide varieties of olive oil. Tuscany is the birthplace of Dante Alighiere, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, famous renaissance men that have been regarded, even in this modern day, as the world’s greatest thinkers.

Image: The Florence Cathedral in the evening sun.

I have never been to Italy but I’m told Italy is one of the most beautiful places in the world. My research assistant (really just a guy I paid to write up some material for a planned book) assures me that, with its rich historic past and amazing culture, it is easy to fall in love with Italy, which he calls a remarkable country.

Because aspiring rich ladies ought to know as much as they can about the world’s most traveled regions, even while they are too poor to afford to travel to these esteemed places, I have decided to share some of the material I’ve collected. If you’re planning a trip to Italy you might find some useful information as you prepare for your travel. Otherwise read to educate yourself if for no other reason.

Italy Part 1

Located in Southern Europe, Italy shares its northern boundaries with Austria, France, Switzerland, and Slovenia.

The climate of this country is very diverse. The northern areas have tropical climate while the southern part has various weather depending on the region’s altitude. Regions that have high altitudes are often cold, wet, and snowy. Regions that are near the coast have mild winters and have often dry and hot summer.

This is a place that is ideal for someone to reflect and to be enthralled by the mystifying beauty of Italy, as this place offers many tourist attractions such as art museums, opera houses, restaurants, historic landmarks, and beautiful countryside. The country is also the birthplace of renaissance period which is the rebirth of classical ideas that happened during the 15^th and 6^th centuries. Visiting Italian cities will give the traveler a sense of mystery and charm. With its remarkable architectural designs and other remnants of its rich and colorful past, the place can bring memories of the time when kings and noblemen ruled and flourished.

Go to Italy Part 2 – > Tuscany—a place of sweet wine

I’ve succeeded on day one of my fasting. I have had nothing to eat or drink in 33 hours. My goal was to not eat or drink anything for 1 day. That goal has been achieved, so now I am setting a new goal for today. I will only drink tea today.

Yesterday was difficult. There was still pizza in the house from the previous day and I wanted to eat a slice. The hungrier I felt the more difficult it was to resist the temptation to put my fast off for another day and go have the slice of pizza. I also had to make dinner for my son and husband. Usually I will have to taste the food to make sure it has flavor, but I managed to avoid this by having my son do the tasting. I made my favorite soup so it was not easy to resist taking even a small taste; but I fought and I am proud of myself, not because I didn’t eat, but because I proved to myself that I have the ability to stick out something that is difficult in order to achieve a set goal.

I am reading up on fasting and I am not sure how I feel about a conscious choice to deprive yourself of food; but I’ve decided to try a 3 day fast nonetheless. Why? Well, while I have stated in “how to fast” that fasting with a primary purpose to lose weight is not recommended I would have to admit that the primary purpose for me right now is to shed some of the excess fat I’ve gained in my belly, waist, arms, back and thighs. However, while that is my primary purpose, there is something secondary and arguably greater that I am hoping to gain.

I have no intention of developing a bad relationship with food as in getting back into a habit of not eating and reciting as my daily mantra “Food is evil. Food is the enemy.” But at the same time I don’t want to have an opposite bad relationship with food whereby I use food to soothe myself, to cope with stress and to punish myself for my various imperfections. This is as much a loss of control over your relationship with food as anorexia. Overeating results in you getting as abnormally fat as under-eating results in you becoming abnormally thin. And in both cases food is not the problem.

I have a long history of bad relationships with food. I’ve been borderline anorexic, though never clinically diagnosed. In my teens and 20s I would starve myself to stay thin. It was easy because I was living with sisters who always “seemed” to be watching you like a hawk waiting to point out to you the moment you gained an ounce. I quote seemed because this was my perception. It could have been paranoia.

In my early 30s I’ve engaged in activity that could have led to becoming bulimic. Living on my own with my husband and son and indoors most of the time because of agoraphobia, I had no one that I had to keep up appearances for except myself so it became harder to starve myself. Having to prepare food for my family meant I was cooking every day. So I started eating every day, and as marital stress began to take over my life, I started working out less, succumbing to depression. I began to gain weight, and when I needed to lose it quickly because family was coming to visit or I tried on my size 1 jeans and couldn’t fit them I would eat but force myself to regurgitate the food right after.

In more recent years, between marital stress, financial stress, stress from raising a teenage son and battling with clinical depression and anxiety, I’ve taken to eating uncontrollably. The consequence has been an ongoing battle with the bulge that sees me fluctuating between wearing a size 4 one month, a size 6 the next month, a size 8 the month after that and a size 10 the month after that and repeating this cycle monthly.

The benefit I hope to gain from the 3-day fast I am attempting is that of rewiring my mind. I will try to explain my thought process. I am not going to be fixed 3 days from now, meaning, I won’t overcome my bad relationship with food just by fasting for 3 days. If I manage to complete the 3-day fast successfully, it will not be the end but the beginning. All I will have done was rewired my mind in preparation for processing on a different channel from now on.

For the last several years I’ve been wired to be controlled by my impulse to eat. Every time I’ve felt a tinge of stress I’ve gotten up and walked to the kitchen in search of food. By doing that, all I’ve been achieving has been programming myself to believe I don’t have the strength or capability to endure or resolve conflict my life. I have also been programming my brain to trigger a food craving every time I feel the slightest hint of stress.

When you’re accustomed to eating every hour on the hour, having to go several hours without food feels like hell. You can’t get much more stressed out and irritated than when you’re in the first stages of real hunger; but what’s amazing is that after you’ve gone long enough without refueling, your brain makes an adjustment and sends out signals to your body that it needs to rely on your fat reserves to help keep you going. Of course starvation is an ordeal that leads to death if prolonged, so I am not making light of hunger by any means. If you read up on fasting you’ll quickly understand that fasting doesn’t mean starving yourself completely. The body needs something to subsist on. It can only go so long on fat reserves, and how long it will go depends on how much fat you have stored to begin with. Some people can go many days without eating, but they’ll eventually die from starvation.

The key for me is to realize that I can endure stress without having to run to the kitchen for food; to understand that feeding stress doesn’t address the problems causing the stress; that, in fact, it creates bigger problems. So making myself go 3 days denying every impulse to eat will begin a retraining process that can only help me take back control over my life.

It’s not like I haven’t gone days without eating in recent times. But I’ve never undertaken a mission to try to rewire my brain for the long haul. I’ve always just starved myself because I’ve needed to lose weight fast, usually because family was visiting; but I’ve always regained the weight because I had no greater purpose than to try to avoid having my family see me so much fatter than they are accustomed to me being.

This would be the first time I am consciously using fasting as a means by which to take back control over my life, and I am fully aware that, even if I complete my 3-day fast successfully, it will only be the beginning. I will need to be practicing self-control and self-discipline long enough for it to become as much a habit as the lack of self-control and lack of self-discipline have become.