Sassy Gal's How to Lose the Last Damn 10 Pounds or 15, 20, 25...: How I told all diet gurus, fitness experts, and skinny people to go to hell. Then I killed them, ate them, and still lost weight. You can too!

By SHARON HELBERT

Get out of the way skinny girls, diet gurus and fitness fanatics- here comes SASSY GAL with a clever new approach to losing weight you will actually want to follow! Forget the ridiculous miracle diets, survival type food plans and strenuous workouts that lead most of us to quit and say "To hell with it all!" This lifestyle plan encourages laughter

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alegcris Press, LLC
• Release date: May 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9780983675297

Book preview

How I told all diet gurus, fitness experts, and skinny people to go to hell. Then I killed them, ate them, and still lost weight. You can too!

Sharon Helbert

ALEGCRIS PRESS

Boston, Massachusetts

Copyright © 2014 by Sharon Helbert

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published and distributed by

Alegcris Press, LLC

P.O. Box 610099

Newton Highlands, MA 02461

Cover design by David Aldrich

Illustration by Kath Walker

Editing by Erin Brenner

Proofreading by Joanna Eng

Book production by Glenna Collett

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering health services in the book. The reader should consult his or her own medical and health providers as appropriate before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Printed in USA

Library of Congress Control Number 2011910968

ISBN-13: 978-0-9836752-9-7 (ebook)

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Visit us on the web!

www.sassy-gal.com

www.alegcrispress.com

This book is dedicated to my family, who made this book possible:

My parents, Clint and Audrey Riegle, who offered loving support and who taught me about spending precious time together, going on adventures and enjoying the outdoors. May we spend many more years together around the campfire.

My husband Russ, who gave me technical expertise and a daily dose of laughter. I am grateful that we share the love of our precious daughters and sweet, gentle collies.

My darling daughters, Alexandra and Christina, who gave me creative inspiration and fostered a Go-for-it! attitude. How fortunate I am to be your mom.

Our beloved collies, George and Ginger, who have taught me another dimension to the meaning of love and have been the best walking buddies ever.

I appreciate all of your generous encouragement throughout this journey. Along the way we laughed, became a little sassy, and ultimately learned that the key to our happiness includes a daily piece of chocolate. I am grateful to you for already giving me a lifetime of love.

Disclaimer

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering health services in the book. The reader should consult his or her own medical and health providers as appropriate before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, or the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Contents

Recipes

Acknowledgments

A Few Words . . .

Part OneHow I Gained the Last Damn 10 Pounds

1Food Is the Devil

2The Aha! Moment: Why I Overeat

3Who the Hell Wants to Be Skinny?

4Shut Up, Celebrity Weight-Loss Endorsers!

5Are Medical Professionals Ignoring Their Own Advice?

6Self-Love Fest

7God, Please Help Us . . .

8Shut Up, or I Will Kill You and Then Eat You!

9Beware of She-Devils

10Gals, Stop Being Diet Fools

11Gluttony Breaks One of the Ten Commandments

12A Skinny World

13To Hell with Dieting, Just Throw Money at the Problem

Part TwoHow I Lost the Last Damn 10 Pounds

Step 1: Laugh

14Laugh

15Choose a Secret Reason to Lose Weight

16Die, Diet, Die!

Step 2: Take Baby Steps

17Put Yourself First

18We Need to Have the Joy of . . . Talk

19One Simple Change Equals a Life-Changing Moment

20One Giant Baby Step (Gulp Water)

21Go Green!

Step 3: Create Strategies

22Obliterate the Word Exercise from Your Vocabulary

23Vitamins and Minerals: Why Foods Are Good for You

24Become a Vegevore

25Fall in Love with Nature’s Bounty

26Those Damn Calories. It’s Their Fault I’m Fat!

27Let’s Talk About Poop

28I Am Going to Make You Cry

29Nonstop Eating Is the Way to Go

Step 4: Learn the Secrets

30Stop Bastardizing Chocolate!

31Bad to the Bone Foods

32Sweet-Salty-Sweet-Salty: The Sugar-Salt Roundabout

33Your Weight and the Big Body Theory

Step 5: Follow the Words of Wisdom

34Let’s Cook!

35Dinnertime Blues

36The Four-Pig Restaurant Rating System

37Guiding Your Kids: Don’t Be a Parenting Fool

38Join the Food Revolution

Conclusion

12-Month Plan

References

Recipes

Chocolate Dessert

Sassy Gal Chocolate Cake

Breakfast

Dutch Baby

Nutty Harvest Grain Pancakes

Pumpkin Muffins

Creamy Fruit Delight

Vegevore

Spinach Salad with Chicken

Whole Wheat Pizza

Harvest Soup with Lentils

Honey-Pecan Chicken Fingers with Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Salmon with Molasses Sauce

Chili with Chicken and Chocolate

Barley Soup with Swiss Chard and Sausage

Turkey and Sweet Potatoes with Fruit Sauce

Pasta Salad with Ham

Sweet and Sour Mini Meatballs

Fruit and Vegetable

Red Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Homemade Applesauce

Oven-Roasted Fruit

Mixed Vegetables

Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Pears

Apple and Cranberry Cole Slaw

Roasted Bananas with Sweet Potatoes

Cold Berry Soup

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the individuals who have contributed so generously towards helping me turn my personal journey into a book that I hope inspires others to change their attitudes about what a healthy lifestyle means to them.

To my Mom, Audrey Riegle—Your endless encouragement and truthfulness while working on this book were so important to me and I thank you. You believed in me, and as your daughter it doesn’t get any better than that.

To Erin Brenner—Your skills as an editor provided me with invaluable suggestions and guidance, helping me transform my personal story into a book I’m proud of. Thank you for helping me find my Sassy voice, yet also letting me maintain a humorous tone to my writing.

To Glenna Collett—Your savvy business sense and quick decision making guided me through the complex book production process. You are also a pleasure to work with.

To David Aldrich—Your talent for creating beautiful and striking book covers inspired me to choose you. Thank you for designing this incredible eye-catching book cover.

To Kath Walker—Your illustrations are so original and creative that I knew immediately that you could help me capture the essence of Sassy Gal. Thank you for this fantastic design.

To Joanna Eng—Your skill as proofreader was invaluable. Thank you for joining our team and looking after every detail in such a professional manner.

To Laura Boyer—Your wisdom, combined with your keen sense of humor, was so important to me. You gave me immense confidence for which I am grateful. I also thank you for the precious time we spent together with our families, especially with our daughters.

To my girlfriends—Thank you for being on this lifelong journey with me, and for encouraging me to write my story because you felt I had something to say. Let’s go celebrate by enjoying some delicious chocolate cake!

A Few Words . . .

Why I Wrote This Book

I wrote this book because I had a happy ending. I did lose those last damn 10 pounds—without the help of diet gurus, fitness experts, diet pills, weight-loss centers, prepackaged diet foods, spiritual advisors, hypnosis, or duct tape.

I am happier, calmer, and a much kinder person to be around. After all these years, I finally succeeded, and I would like to share my story with you, so you too can have a happy ending.

My Credentials

I am no expert. Nor am I a healthcare professional, fitness trainer, or celebrity. My credentials are simply that I’m a food loving, sassy gal.

I have many years of life experience, from the hormonal teenage years through pregnancy and motherhood. I have gained and lost weight throughout each stage and have received my share of painful battle scars along the way. I even gave up the endless, tortuous battle and cried.

This is my personal journey of weight loss, and after gaining knowledge of what works and doesn’t work, I am an expert regarding my personal health. I am also a little sassy. At this stage of life, I’ve earned the right to tell it like it is!

My Story

My story begins with the perfect Fat Storm. Here I was, making my annual New Year’s resolution to lose weight. This year I was going to join the current diet trend of being a Vegan. Result: immediate failure. What the hell was I thinking? How could I possibly follow this meat- and dairy-free lifestyle when my world revolves around all types of food? I realized I needed an immediate back-up plan that was more realistic. Desperate, I looked for guidance and inspiration from TV personalities and celebrities, but quickly noticed many of them were gaining back the weight they had