#My favorite is this orange and red one my Gram gave me YEARS ago

[prettyblondguys]

I can't wait for scarf weather

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Chapter 2 of my reincarnation fic!

@rottmnt-background-screenshots

@daboyau

“Okay, this clearly is something beyond my scope.” Donnie comments as he watches the recording from last night.

This was after he saw the readings he got were nearly incomprehensible.

The recording showed them all having their markings glow throughout the night.

There was also the fact that each of them remembered the dream from their own perspective.

The exact same dream.

“Draxum could probably tell us what’s happening.” Mikey suggests.

“Normally I’d keep pushing for science, but I’m worried that this unregulated use of our mystic powers may cause damage like it did to our arms, so I’m in agreement for calling him.”

“Should we tell dad first? This might be some Hamato kind of thing.” Raph mentions.

“Could save us a call. Let’s go see if he’s awake.” Leo leads the way to the movie room.

They find him watching his usual commercials.

“Dad, we gotta talk.”

“What is it, Red? Did one of you boys break something again?”

“No, uh…..we shared a weird dream where we were all different people in a different place that looked pretty old.”

Splinter tenses and shuts off the projector, which immediately makes everyone realize how serious this could be.

“Tell me more about it.”

The turtles explain how the dream went from their different viewpoints.

Splinter frowns and rubs his beard.

“I do not believe this is anything dangerous, I think I know what’s going on.”

“So it’s a Hamato thing like Raph thought?”

“No, not exactly Orange. Maybe not entirely. Do you know what reincarnation is?”

“That’s what Tora was talking about, something about another life.” Raph answers.

“There’s one belief that when we die, we could come back as anything, even another person. These dreams might actually be memories.”

Mikey gasps loudly.

“We’ve been a family before!” He squeals and pulls Leo into a hug.

Leo dramatically moves him away.

“No way, apparently Donnie was your favorite! Go hug him!”

Mikey whimpers and gives him the biggest sad eyes he can muster.

“Kidding, kidding!” Leo quickly brings him back into the hug.

“I thought our ancestors all became ghosts after they died, so how did they become us instead?” Raph questions.

“It’s only a possibility they were Hamato. They could have been anyone. We should try to contact Karai, she would know more.” Splinter answers.

“I can’t wait to see gram gram again. It feels like it’s been forever since our last talk.”

“According to my records it’s been….2 weeks.” Donnie corrects.

“Still way too long! Let’s do it!” Leo encourages.

They all go to the area in the lair they set up specially for contacting their ancestors. It was usually just for talking to Karai since Splinter was still angry the rest of them for trying to make his sons martyrs, but his mom was also summoned for some nice chats from time to time.

They sit down on their color coded pillows that were put together close to each other in a circle. All at once, they activate their ninpo and focus on bringing Karai out. Her form slowly appears in the center.

“Hi Gram-Gram!” Mikey greets her with a smile.

“Hello boys. I’m glad to see you all again.”

“It’s good to see you too Gram-Gram, but we’ve got somethin kinda serious to ask about.” Raph comments.

“The dreams, they’re worrying you.”

“Yeah! How’d ya know?”

“When your ninpo activated, I was able to sense what was going on. Please fill me in on the rest.”

The turtles tell her what they told Splinter.

“Your father mentioned the mystic warriors that trapped the Krang, yes?“

They all nod.

“They were 500 years before my time, but it was strongly believed that they started the Foot Clan.”

“Hold on, pops said the Foot Clan worshipped the Krang! Why would they worship who they were tryna stop?”

“The Foot Clan only started worshiping the Krang after they gave the armor to my father.”

“Wait….I’m not good at math, but if the key was made 1,000 years ago and it trapped them, how were there Krang to give your dad armor?” Leo scrunches up his face.

“Some Krang managed to avoid being captured. Enough to cause centuries worth of damage….but not enough to get back the key.”

“There’s been Krang here this entire time….?”

“I don’t know what happened to them after I sealed my father away, so unfortunately I don’t have much information. What I do know is that the ancestors before we became the Hamato clan aren’t the same. Despite the mystic energy, it’s only once we separated from the Foot that we could cultivate the Ninpo. My father himself only appears because of the Ninpo used to free him.”

“Then what you’re saying is that getting our ninpo back could have helped uncover latent mystic energy from before it was actually ninpo. It shook free memories and our ninpo helps us see it all at once.” Donnie explains.

Karai nods.

“Raphael possibly experienced bits and beforehand because he was the first to dig deep. Now that you all have had major moments, Leonardo especially, they are flowing through. Because they’re not channeled, they are random and scattered still. Through meditation and shared ninpo, you could see them clearly and without having to sleep to do it. Some memories may only come through based on the person you’re sharing ninpo with.”

“Thanks for the advice Gram-Gram. We’ll start practicin.” Raph smiles at her.

“Stay safe and be careful.” She vanishes into green light.

“We should try it out now! I want to see more of what we were like!” Mikey shouts excitedly.

“I’m with Mikey, small Raph is hilarious.” Leo smirks.

“This may help be gather more data about this whole situation so I agree too.” Donnie states.

“Go on and try. I will stay with you in case something goes wrong.” Splinter adds.

“Let’s do it then!” Raph stands up and he helps his brothers bring their seats closer together.

Splinter sits outside the new circle and the turtles hold hands before closing their eyes. They each dig into their ninpo, causing their marks to light up like before. Thoughts of the lives they led before transform the dark in front of them into a bright and cloudless day. There’s a dirt road in front of them as well, one that’s moving. It seemed they were hitching a ride on a cart that was mostly occupied with hay.

Kosuke and Tora both kick their feet up and down as they sit together on the edge of the cart. Aoi yawns as leans against the hay and Tomo frowns while looking at the younger two of their group.

“You’re sure that you know how to earn money?”

“How do you think I’ve kept me and Tora fed? I told you not to worry. I’ve got everything under control. Now that I’m your big brother-“

“We’re the same age.”

“But I’m bigger, so I’m the biggest brother, and that means I take care of all of you.”

“They won’t take us to any orphanages?”

“I’ll be honest with you, the orphanage didn’t care that you left. They probably filled up the spaces there already. None of them want to take in any kids they don’t have to. We can stay together. That’s a sworn promise.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t keep.”

“That’s why I don’t! I can make sure no one gets taken away. Just like I can keep us fed. We’re already almost there.” He points towards a farm.

“A farm? What will we do there?”

“Anything they need us to. If they don’t need help then we go to their neighbors.”

“Ugh, physical labor….”

Aoi laughs.

“I’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting.”

“But I help too!” Tora interjects.

“That true, she is a force to be reckoned with. I saw her carry a hay bale twice her size.”

“Really!? No wonder we got that boulder down! You’re so strong!” Kosuke’s eyes light up.

Tora moves her sleeve up and proudly flexes her arm.

Kosuke pokes her arm in awe.

They eventually get off the cart before heading towards the house. Aoi introduces himself and everybody else then asks about any work they could help out with for money.

To Tomo’s surprise, the farmer eagerly accepts. Aoi is sent to take care of the farm animals while the rest of the three harvest fruit.

Tora pouts heavily as she picks pears off the tree and places them in a basket.

“No fair….they won’t let me help him because I’m a girl.”

“I’m surprised anyone had let you before.” Tomo comments.

“It’s because I was wearing a boy’s yukata. In my next life I want to be a big and strong boy like aniki.”

“You could grow bigger and stronger as a girl! So big and strong that you’re better than any boy.” Kosuke suggests.

Tora’s eyes sparkle like everything was just made clear.

“You’re a genius!”

Kosuke smiles widely.

They only stop working once the sun goes down. The three of them head to the house and see Aoi already there, talking to the farmer again. When he sees them, he ends the conversation and rushes over.

“Guys! He said we could sleep in the barn for tonight.”

“What? How’d you convince him of that?” Tomo questions.

“Aniki is the best at talking to people.” Tora says proudly.

“That’s not a real answer.”

“No worrying about how! Let’s just get to sleep.” Aoi walks past them and to the barn.

Tomo narrows his eyes as he watches him again and is the last to follow him. The farmer’s wife was nice enough to give them futons to sleep on before leaving them to rest.

Kosuke was snuggled into Tomo’s side despite the summer heat. Tora was already fast asleep, splayed out with her limbs on top of Aoi’s.

“How do you sleep like that?” Tomo doesn’t move his head, but he can see it clearly.

“You get used to it. It’s part of being a family. Goodnight!” Aoi closes his eyes.

Tomo sighs and does the same.

It’s difficult for him to actually fall asleep. He’s aware that everything is okay, that they’re safer than they had been for a while.

So why can’t he sleep?

After what could have been hours, he’s never sure when this happens, he finally opens his eyes and looks over back at Aoi.

All he sees is Tora hugging an empty futon.

Panic fills him as he sits straight up, still avoiding waking up. He notices that the barn door is closed. It only made everything seem weirder. He quickly leaves the barn and glances around outside to see if Aoi was nearby.

No luck.

He closes the barn door behind him and starts searching the whole farm. Once getting to the chicken coop, his seeking ends.

Aoi is in the middle of a yawn but jerks up in surprise.

“Tomo! Whaaat are you doing here?”

“That’s the question I have.”

“Just….getting some air. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Your words say one thing but your yawning says another.”

Aoi sighs.

“They only let us stay here because I agreed to guard their animals. Something has been spooking through chickens.”

“You worked harder than us today, why didn’t you ask for someone else to do it?”

“Because there’s no way I’m letting any of you get hurt if it’s a big animal! The rule is that it’s me before anyone else in this family.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to that.”

“Too bad, biggest brother makes the rules.”

“For the last time, you’re not-“ Tomo looks behind him and freezes.

Aoi turns around and sees glowing eyes in the darkness. His arm immediately shoots out and across Tomo’s chest.

“Get behind me!”

“I can’t just-!”

Whatever is in the darkness starts coming closer, fast, and Aoi throws himself over Tomo. His eyes shut right and he tenses as he curls protectively around him.

“…..Aoi. It’s okay. You can get up.”

He opens his eyes.

“Why?”

“It’s just a cat.”

Aoi quickly moves away from him and sees the cat casually stroll away.

“The gods are cruel.” He sighs heavily in relief.

“…..You really meant everything you said.”

“Of course I did. I really don’t know you or your brother, but when we became kenzoku, that wasn’t something to just say. We’re in this together now. Even if I wasn’t older than you, I’d still want to protect you. I’d want to help.” He smiles.

“I still feel like….the kind of person you are….the way you act, you don’t really exist. You can’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep proving I do.”

Tomo smiles back softly.

“Now come on, you should get back to sleep.”

Aoi starts pulling him along.

“I don’t think so. Stay here.”

Tomo makes him let go and rushes off. Aoi stays where he’s standing, confused.

That is until Tomo brings their futons back with him and lays them on the ground.

“We’re sleeping in shifts.”

“But-“

“No buts. It’s the only way I’ll be able to get rest. You sleep first before anymore cats get here.”

Aoi chuckles.

“Okay, okay, deal.”

He lays down and Tomo sits upright on his.

“Goodnight, for real this time.” Aoi closes his eyes.

“Goodnight.” Tomo looks at him and watches him actually fall asleep.

He then looks back at the barn where everyone else is sleeping.

“And thank you.”

The turtles snap out of the memory and open their eyes.

“Ohmigosh, we were so cute!” Mikey squeals.

“That cat part was pretty funny, right Donnie?….Donnie…?” Leo’s eyes widen as he looks at him.

He’s crying.

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Saying Good-Bye to Yesterday-Chapter 2

In this chapter we get the emotional fallout from Emily and Ricky’s ultimatum to Jack--because I think this was glossed over a bit, as was everything to do with the annulment. Ricky explains the annulment process to Rusty.

These first 2 chapters have been heavily focused on Emily, Ricky, and Rusty, but be assured Sharon and Andy will make their appearance in the next chapter.

You can find the story in the following places:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15321687/chapters/35979300  

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13004092/2/Saying-Good-Bye-to-Yesterday

and here...

“Our father can be a real asshole,” Ricky said. Emily nodded in agreement and made her way to the kitchen to grab a glass and a bottle of Perrier from the refrigerator. She sliced a lemon to drop in the sparkling water then leaned against the bar, looking out over the dining room and living room. Ricky followed her, only he grabbed a beer and drank it straight from the bottle.

“What are you doing?” He asked leaning in beside her.

“Just comparing this place to Dad’s. God, I hate going over there. It’s so depressing.”

“Mm…It is pretty small.” Ricky agreed. Their father’s credit was shit; the only reason he even had the small apartment he was living in was because he’d been able to convince their Uncle Phil to co-sign his lease after their mother had refused.  

“It’s not just that it’s small. My apartment in New York is a postage stamp, but Dad’s? It’s just empty. No character.” There was nothing that spoke of Jack Raydor in that apartment, nothing to show what interested him, what he loved, not even his favorite colors.  The walls were white, the furniture bland, and the drapes generic. It had the temporary feel of a man used to living in hotels. A man who knew he probably wouldn’t be there for long.

Her mother’s condo was the complete opposite. The minute you walked in you could feel Sharon Raydor. It was tasteful and elegant yet also warm and inviting. Expensive but not ostentatious. Right away, it was apparent that a cultured woman who valued the arts and the finer things lived there. It was in the dance artwork that graced her walls and the exquisitely lovely sculptures on her shelves and tables. It was in her many stylish vases and mirrors, and the large art books sitting on her coffee table.

It was in her kitchen where colorful tea sets in ruby red and eggplant and big ceramic mugs in turquoise and pumpkin spoke of a woman who loved tea, coffee, and deep rich colors.

It was in the dining room where her deep roots in the justice system were displayed with cool black and white vintage prints of true 1940’s LA crime stories, while plush comfortable chairs surrounding the dining room table and a classic dark wood wine rack storing her best bottles of vintage wine were indicative of a woman who enjoyed spending time over meals with family and friends.

It was in the living room, which was all about softness and warmth, feminine without being frilly. Light carpets over dark wood floors, furniture in shades of burnt orange and dark chocolate brown with colorful accent pillows adding a touch of whimsy. Overhead lighting was rarely used; instead, elegant lamps gave off a soft glow, fresh flowers and plants bringing a homey feel to the rooms and to the outdoor balcony overlooking the hills of Los Feliz.  The world her mother inhabited during the day was harsh and often violent; it was no wonder that when she came home she wanted to be surrounded by softness, comfort, and serenity.

With a soft sigh, she took another sip of her sparkling water, and then pushed back off the bar. “I need to get moving. I have to finish packing and get down to Costa Mesa.” She poured the ice from her glass into the sink then put the glass in the dishwasher before heading off toward her mother and Andy’s bedroom where she had spent the night.

Rusty watched her walk away in silence. He could see that she was hurting and he damned Jack for that. He knew exactly what it was like to worry about every little thing you did or said possibly causing your parent to go on a bender, what it felt like to carry the weight of that responsibility even when you knew intellectually that it was not your burden to carry. He knew what it was like to have a parent who manipulated you and made you feel guilty for every opportunity you had, every bit of happiness you had when it went against what they wanted or needed. To have a parent who constantly disappointed you, crushing whatever hope or belief you had in them. Sharon Beck and Jack Raydor had a lot in common.

“So you did end up having to threaten him.” It wasn’t a question. Rusty knew how things had gone down by Emily’s dejected walk down that hall.

“Yep.” Ricky joined him on the couch and stretched out his long legs to prop them on the coffee table. Something he would have thought twice about doing if his mother had been home. “It sucks that he made us do that. For once in his sorry, pathetic life, it would have been nice for him to just do the right thing.  I don’t think I’ll ever understand that man.”

“Be glad you don’t.” People like Jack, selfish, addicted, untrustworthy, manipulative and neglectful were all Rusty had known in his life until he’d come to live with Sharon. For Emily and Ricky, raised by Sharon, surrounded by good, decent, trustful people, their father was an aberration, a person they couldn’t understand. For him, it was Sharon and all his pseudo uncles at the PAB who had been the aberrations. It had taken him a very long time, and he still wasn’t completely there yet, to understand and believe that there were actually people out there who only cared about his well-being, without expecting anything else in return.

“Em’s taking it pretty hard. I think she really believed that when he came back into our lives again a couple years ago things were going to be different. That maybe this time he really had changed. Like that’s ever going to happen. People don’t change.”

Rusty gave him a long measured look. “Yes, they do,” he said softly. “But they have to be open to change and ready for a change.”

Ricky’s brow raised in surprised, Rusty was usually the cynical one in the bunch.  “Dr. Joe?”

“Nope. Andy. People can change, Ricky. Look at Andy. Look at me.”

Ricky took a long pull from his bottle, eyeing his younger brother. There had been a time he’d allowed Jack to manipulate him into believing that Rusty was a con artist playing on his mother’s heartstrings to get what he wanted.  He was still ashamed of the things he‘d said to her in an effort to convince her not to adopt Rusty. “You know what? You’re right. Sorry. I’m just pissed. But…” He picked up the manila folder he’d set down beside him on the couch and waved it in front of Rusty. “I also got what I went there for and that’s all I really care about.”

“So, that’s it? Now Mom and Andy can get married in the church?”

“Not exactly. There is a whole process to this thing. Father Stan explained it all to Emily and me yesterday when we picked up the papers. Mom has to sign the petition to declare the nullity of the marriage, which I have right here. She has to send that in with a filled out questionnaire, written testimony about the marriage and a list of witnesses. If the petition is accepted then the formal process begins.”

“What kind of process?”

“She’ll have to go through the Church tribunal, which is basically a Catholic Church court with the Bishop as the judge.  They’ll investigate and question witnesses. Mom will have an advocate to plead her case and the church will have a representative that will argue for the validity of the marriage. Father Stan said things would be a lot quicker and easier if we could get Dad to co-sign the petition because he won’t be arguing the case with his own advocate.”

“So, he could have contested Mom’s petition?”

“Yes, and that could have drawn things out for years. We made sure that wouldn’t happen today.”

“I didn’t think it was going to be that hard. I thought if Jack signed the papers that would pretty much be it. This sounds like it could take a long time.”

“It used to take a lot longer. They’ve streamlined it all over the past few years and, as I said, without Dad contesting, it should go a lot faster. “

“What if she doesn’t win?”

“She can appeal.”

Rusty shook his head. “It seems like an awful lot to go through just so she can get married in the church. They could get married anywhere. Why is the church so important to Mom anyway? I mean I know she goes to mass a lot, but I don't go to church, do you?”

“I'm an Easter Catholic. Look, it's not about us. It's about Mom. You gotta understand. The church was there for her. It was her support system when we were growing up. You see this,” he gestured to encompass the expensive condo. “But there was a time we didn’t have this.  I was too young to remember when my Dad walked out but I know the church and the parishioners took Mom under their wing and helped her with daycare and after-school programs and with our school tuition. We didn’t have any family in California so the church became our family, especially once Em and I were at St. Joes. We were always going to church picnics and suppers; it was a place where we belonged.“

“Gram and Gramps are rich. Why didn’t they help her out?”

“Yeah, there was no way Mom was going to ask them for help. You know how stubborn she is. She doesn’t like to ask anyone for help, especially when it comes to Gram and Gramps and Dad.”

“Why?” Technically, though he didn‘t share their last name, he was a Raydor, but he still didn’t know all the family dynamics.

“Gram and Gramps didn’t want her to marry Dad, or, at the least they wanted her to wait until after she finished law school to get married. Mom didn’t listen to them. She married him as soon as she graduated and, well, as you probably know, things didn’t quite work out like she planned. I think she was embarrassed about that and didn’t want them to know how bad things were. She was always glossing it over with them. But, when Dad left the second time, along with her savings and our college funds, Gramps flew out and between him, Mom and Gavin they straightened things out financially. That’s when she got the legal separation. I heard her tell Aunt Christine once that Dad was her cross to bear. She made her bed and now she had to lie in it. You know how big she is about taking responsibility for your mistakes.”

“That isn’t fair. She couldn’t know how Jack would turn out. She isn‘t responsible for his mistakes.”

“We all know that. I think now, she does too. Anyway, once she got back on her feet, she started being able to give back and help others. I know she donates a lot of money to St. Joe’s scholarship fund for other parents struggling with tuition and she donates her time at the battered women’s shelter and doling out food for the homeless.”

“Yeah, she’s had me go with her to help out a few times.” The first time Sharon brought him to LA Catholic Worker Soup Kitchen, the kindness and lack of judgment in the people working there had been eye-opening. For so long he’d avoided finding help in places like that, ashamed of what he’d been doing, afraid of judgment, and most of all afraid they would contact DCS and he’d end up in back in foster care. Life would have been a lot easier if he’d accepted their help.

Ricky nodded. “She used to bring Em and me too. The charitable side of the church is really important to her and that’s the way she raised us. I may not get to church every Sunday but I still help out with a local mission when I can.  The church has always been Mom’s moral compass. When I was a kid griping about having to go to mass, I used to ask her why she liked going to church and she always said that the traditions and rituals of the mass give her comfort and peace. It centers her. I think maybe she needs that even more  with the job she has.”

“I still hate that she’s going to have to go through all this.”

“Me too. Father Stan warned us that it isn’t going to be easy. These things tend to dredge up a lot of painful memories. So, we’re going to have to be there for her. Emily and I are going to be relying on you to call us and let us know if you see things are getting tough.”

“Yeah. Of course.” The fact that he was the sibling closest to their mother, even if only due to proximity as the only sibling still living at home, still felt strange at times. Especially on a day like today when he was feeling a bit like an outsider. He was more than happy not to be Jack’s child, one addicted parent was more than enough, but when his brother and sister had gone off to their father’s apartment, it had only served to remind him that Sharon and her biological children had a whole history of which he was not a part. They shared a bond that he could never fully understand.

“I hope that by getting Dad to sign the papers we are able to make it a little easier for her.”

“Now we just have to hope that Nicole comes through.”

*****

Emily sat heavily on the edge of her mother’s bed; well technically, it was her mother and Andy’s bed now. Emotionally and physically, she felt drained. When she’d arrived yesterday, it was the first time she’d been in the room since Andy moved in a few months ago, though there were only a few changes that she could discern; The rack in the walk-in closet now holding his suits, dress shirts, ties, and suspenders, the row of male dress shoes, loafers and sneakers and the new dresser on the right side of the bedroom with pictures of his daughter and her family, his parents and the surprising one of her mother wearing a low cut, cleavage-revealing red dress smiling flirtatiously at the camera. It was a picture she had never seen before. When she brought it out to ask Rusty about it, he said that Andy had brought it from his house and that it had been taken in a photo booth at Nicole’s wedding reception.  Andy also said that she was smiling at him when the photo was taken. If that was the case, there had definitely been a spark between them long before they were officially dating. Her mother was sending out some seriously playful, sexy vibes in that look.

With a sigh, she leaned back and rubbed at a headache that was starting in her temples. Tension. That meeting with her father was something she had been dreading from the moment she, Ricky, Rusty, and Nicole had come together with the plan to make sure their parents got their annulments. While Ricky had been very sure of their actions, she was more conflicted, worried about upsetting their mother and setting off their father. Now, she was very glad she had gone along with the plan. Whatever questions she’d had about whether getting involved was the right thing to do or not had been quickly answered. Jack’s combative response had shown them quite clearly that he would never have simply given his consent to the nullification of the marriage. So, in that, they achieved their goal.

But there had been a price.

Ricky tried to warn her that it was going to go down the way that it had but, stupid naïve little fool that she was, she held out hope, as she always did, that her father might turn out to be a better person than he was. In actuality, he was worse. During her childhood, she had seen him mean and aggressively on the offense like that with her mother occasionally---usually about his drinking, but never with her and Ricky. Mom would never have tolerated that and in any case, he was usually on the defensive with them, trying to apologize, making excuses and promising to do better by them. All of it complete bullshit.

Confronting her father with the pain he’d inflicted on her and on their family had been surprisingly cathartic. It was a relief to release some of that repressed anger and pain. Still, it bothered her; it really bothered her that he hadn’t agreed to sign the papers because it was the right thing to do, because he needed to make amends, or even because he owed them. Even after Ricky damn near bared his soul about what it was like to transition from a little boy to a man without having a father to help him, he hadn’t budged. It was the first time she had ever really heard her brother’s perspective on not having a father during adolescence. Ricky wasn’t the kind of person to dwell on his feelings; things just seemed to roll off his back.  Apparently, that wasn‘t completely the case. Today she learned that her brother was harboring some very deep seeded resentment. Today she learned that despite whatever loss she felt at not having a father in her life, she was actually the lucky one.

Growing up she had a loving, attentive mother to help her navigate the transition from little girl to young woman, a mother who had gone through all those same changes and who could anticipate what kinds of questions and fears she might have and could understand everything she was going through. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like not to have a mother to explain to her how her body was changing and to assure her that everything she was going through was perfectly normal.

Her mother had guided her through the physical and emotional aspects of menstruation, assuring her that it was nothing to be embarrassed about, that she too hadn’t started her period until she was 13, and yes, of course, she could still go swimming. She was the voice of experience when discussing the various types of hygiene products. She was there with open arms the day she came home from school having stained her khakis because her period had come early, understanding the need she had to cry out her mortification. She knew what to do when the cramps hit, advising a heating pad some ibuprofen and a cup of chamomile tea.

Her mother had taken her shopping for her first training bra, laughing with her over what exactly their boobs were training for and letting her pick out the pretty pink and lavender ones with the bows. Her mother was there to teach her how to use a curling iron and a straight iron, how to put on makeup and shave her legs and even how to use a tampon.  The value of learning those things from someone who loved her, someone who had been through it all, experienced it all and understood how she was feeling was something she had taken for granted. Not anymore. Because of their father’s selfishness, Ricky’s adolescence was an entirely different experience from hers.

And rather than feeling bad about everything, rather than doing what his kids were asking of him as a way of trying to make things right, Jack’s unresponsiveness to their pain and their calls to his better angels had forced them into blackmail.

Sign the papers or never see them again.

That was what had done it. He’d finally signed the papers only because he didn’t want to die alone. Oh, and because he couldn’t stand the thought of Andy Flynn being his future grandchildren’s only grandfather. It was always about him, what he wanted and needed. It had never been about them and it never would be. Her mother once said that a relationship with Jack was always going to be on his terms and she had to decide whether she was able to live with that or not or he would just continue to make her miserable. Well, today, she and Ricky changed that dynamic. The relationship was on their terms now. But at what cost?

Her eyes swimming with tears, Emily reached blindly into the top drawer of mother’s nightstand to grab a tissue. Padding around inside, she had to remove a couple of bottles to get to the tissue box. Pulling out a few sheets, she wiped at her eyes and blew her nose, vowing to stop letting her father get to her. She had to accept who he was and all he was capable of giving if she was going to be able to move on and keep him even on the periphery of her life. With that resolution and her eyes now cleared of tears, she turned to put everything back in the drawer, grabbed one of the bottles, and froze. A wave of heat immediately rose in her face as she read the label on the small clear bottle…

Uberlube.

Oh dear God, she had just grabbed her mother and Andy’s lube. Dropping it back in the drawer like a hot potato, she eyed the other blue bottle sitting on the table both hesitant and a little curious to see what was in it. Lifting it like it might bite; she turned it around to read, ‘Euphoria, organic sensual warming massage oil.’ Yeah, that was no better. Andy might not have a huge presence in the condo at the moment but he was definitely present in her mother’s bed. She dropped the bottle in with the other and rose with a shudder, trying not to envision the kinds of things that her mother and her lover were doing in that bed or to dwell on the fact that at the moment, her mother had a sexier private life than she did.

It’s not like she wasn’t aware that her mother now had an active sex life, she just finished spending several days sharing a suite with her and Andy--the two being nearly caught in the act by little Scotty--- but it was something she was still in the process of getting used to.

Her father hadn’t lived with them since she was 7 years old and if her mother had dated after her legal separation, she never brought a man home to meet her and Ricky. When she was 13 or 14 she overheard a rumor that her mother was seeing Ricky’s pee wee football coach and that when she broke things off with him he retaliated by not playing Ricky, even though he‘d always been a starter. Rumor had it that she showed up at the next practice, waited until all the kids were gone to the locker rooms then laid into the guy with the fearsome wrath of a lioness protecting her cub. Ricky not only played in the next game, he was a starter again. Whatever the truth of the matter, nothing ever came of the relationship and that was really all she‘d ever heard when it came to her mother and men. She wasn’t naïve enough though to think that her mother had been celibate for the 20 years between her father and Andy, no matter what her brothers wanted to think. She was a beautiful, vital woman and once Emily had become a teenager, she had been able to recognize the way men looked at her for what it was.

As a little girl, she was proud of having such a beautiful mother. But by the time she became a gawky teen with a dancers chest and braces, that pride turned into something else entirely. The day she a boy she had a massive crush on ogling her mother’s legs only to be told, “I can’t help it; your mom is a babe. And I’m not the only guy who thinks she’s a MILF,” it had played on every insecurity she had about herself and released a wave of suppressed emotion. She lashed out at her bewildered mother accusing her of turning on the sex appeal when in fact, she was wearing the same slim-fitting pencil skirt and stiletto’s she always wore to work. Somehow, that only made it worse. Her mother didn’t even have to try.

Her friends thought she was so lucky having such a pretty, stylish mom but she didn’t feel so lucky, at least not then. Like most teenage girls she was filled with angst over her looks and body image and having a beautiful mother in her face every day didn‘t help with that at all. Back then, she actually envied the girls with plain, plump and frumpy mothers, as they wouldn’t come up lacking in comparison the way she always felt around her mother. But that was a long time ago. Before she’d come into her own, as her mother had always insisted she would, and grown confident in her own looks and body.  

Still, whatever her mother’s appeal, until Andy she never openly dated a man so Emily never really thought too much about her sex life or lack thereof.

Rusty was the one who brought it to her attention. A little bubble of laughter started in her chest as she remembered the phone call she’d gotten from her youngest brother who was all in a dither.  Their mother had been dating Andy for a little while and evidently, the relationship was moving into one of greater intimacy. She’d thought it only fair and courteous to warn Rusty that there were going to be times when Andy would be spending the night. She didn’t want him to be shocked or taken by surprise to see him coming out of her bedroom or to find him in the shower or sitting at the dining room table in his pajamas. Rusty was so appalled by the very idea of them sleeping together, not because he didn’t like Andy, but because, “I don’t want Andy doing THAT to my mother! “, she burst into laughter, which only frustrated him more. It had taken her several minutes to pull him off the sex train and look beyond the coitus, to quote Sheldon Lee Cooper, to see what was really happening. Their mother’s relationship with Andy was progressing. It was becoming deeper and more serious and that was a good thing.

Still smiling at the memory, Emily forced herself to rise and start packing the few things she had taken out of her suitcase after traveling across the country.  Walking by her mother’s dresser, she paused and took a moment to look at the pictures she had on display. They were the same pictures she’d seen dozens of times, at least a few of them, but with the conversation at her father’s still fresh in her mind, painful childhood memories drawn back to the surface, she now looked at them with a new perspective.

Lifting one of the pictures, she gazed down taking it all in as if for the first time. Her mother was standing at the 50-yard line on a football field wearing an oversized St. Joseph‘s Cougars football jersey, number 12. Towering over her all rigged out in his shoulder pads and Cougar’s uniform, matching number 12, Ricky had his arm around her and was handing her a single rose. It was senior night, his last home football game, a chance for the players to thank their parents, only in this case it was just his mom, alone, but smiling with pride.  

Had she ever really taken the time to notice just how alone her mother had been over the years? Of course, it was hard growing up without a father. Of course, she and Ricky had suffered, but what about their mother? All those years as a wife without a husband.

Setting it back down, she reached for the picture next to it. She knew this one very well because she had a copy of it in her apartment in New York. Her mother was dressed more formally this time, her hair in an elegant up-do. Emily smiled, remembering the moment well. It was her first performance with ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Her mother was smiling from ear to ear as she handed her a huge bouquet of red roses. Though she’d sent an invitation, her father had not attended. In fact, he had yet to see her dance professionally. He promised to go down and see her in Costa Mesa but she wasn’t holding her breath

The third photo was her mother and Rusty, arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Mom was beaming, Rusty smiling shyly. It was the day of his adoption and the condo was filled with people there to celebrate. In the back, just off her mother’s shoulder, she could see a bit of Andy Flynn smiling toward the mother and her new son. That’s where he’d been at that time, just on the outside of her life, close the circle but not quite in.

Just to the right of the three pictures of her kids was a large 5X7 of Andy. The last time she visited that picture had been on the nightstand beside the bed, probably so it was the last thing her mother saw before she went to sleep.  Now with Andy having moved in, she had the real thing by her side every night, which was probably why she had moved the picture to place amongst the family photos. It was a close-up. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a denim jacket, and a little grin. Andy really was a very good-looking man. And, honestly, what woman could ever resist a man with a devilish twinkle in his eye? It was no wonder he had caught her mother’s attention. The first time she saw the picture and commented on it her mom said she had taken it on a night she and Andy had driven out to the desert to watch a meteor shower. She also said, with an affectionate smile, that it was her favorite picture of him, which was another reason why she probably hadn’t put it away.

In the last picture, her mother was no longer alone. She was in Andy Flynn‘s arms. He‘d finally made it to the middle of the circle, no longer hanging off in the background waiting to be let in. He was wearing a plaid flannel shirt in various shades of blue and black while her mother wore a light blue cashmere turtleneck sweater. It was uncanny how often their clothes matched. They were standing in Griffith Park, surrounded by greenery. Her mother’s arms were locked around Andy’s torso, her head resting against his shoulder, while his arm was closed protectively around her pulling her in as if to hold her closer, his cheek brushing against the top of her head. They looked so happy.

Setting it back down, Emily felt her chest filling with warmth. As awful as it had been to see her father’s true colors, the end result was worth it. After everything her mother had done and sacrificed for her and Ricky over the years, it felt good, really, really good, finally to be able to do something for her for a change. It wasn’t going to be easy, there were still a lot of hurdles to be crossed, but her mom was going to finally get her happily ever after and it lifted her heart to know that in some small way, she was a part of that.

Now, she could only hope that when her mother found out what they had done, she would understand.

[weightloss18-blog1]

Trim Down Club System - 5 Foods to Never Eat to Get Ideal Body

New Post has been published on https://designweightloss.com/trim-down-club-system-5-foods-to-never-eat-to-get-ideal-body/

Trim Down Club System - 5 Foods to Never Eat to Get Ideal Body

Trim Down Club System – 5 Foods to Never Eat to Get Ideal Body Hey, thanks for coming over you're probably wondering which five foods you should never eat so come in and let's talk I was just making some coffee Are you surprised that I'm making coffee well coffee isn't one of the five foods You should never eat for some reason coffee and caffeine have gotten a bad reputation But the problem isn't coffee itself It's actually what you put inside of it now

Let me ask you a question This cup of coffee has a teaspoon of raw sugar which has about 15 calories and 4 grams of carbs This cup of coffee has a packet of artificial sweetener, which has zero carbs and zero calories So which one do you think is better for you the one with the raw sugar? artificial sweeteners confuse your body Expecting calories and when it doesn't get any it just creeps more calories which can lead to weight gain Raw sugar on the other hand doesn't confuse your body this way of course It's best to try to reduce the amount of sugar that you add to your food And if you cut down a little bit at a time You'll hardly even notice it in the long run your body will even thank you So what about those five foods you should never eat keep watching and you'll see them all warning if you struggle with your weight and want to lose stubborn belly fat, but can't seem to stick to any diet I strongly encourage you to watch this short presentation When you do you'll discover my secrets for fat loss Including learning about the five worst foods You can eat if you want to have any hope of eliminating those unwanted pounds and inches Foods I can almost guarantee you've eaten in this past week Hi, my name is dr Karen Shackleford, and in just a second I'm going to reveal the exact steps I took to drop over 70 pounds and a whopping 14 inches from my waist all with a few simple changes More importantly I'm going to show you how you can do the same what qualifies me to share this life-changing information with you Well it's simple even though I'm a medical doctor I battled my weight for 16 brutal years I was absolutely desperate to lose the fat that just kept piling on me no matter what I did after 16 years of failed diets I learned what I'm about to teach you Because when I stopped eating the foods, I'm going to tell you about today I shed 75 pounds about 25 or 30 pounds was belly fat And the rest was in all the usual other places my arms my rear and my thighs That was 12 years ago, and I haven't regained the weight I call that my not a diet because I wasn't hungry in fact I ate really good food and enjoyed my favorite treats I didn't count anything like calories or fat grams my skin cleared up I had more energy and I was nicer to myself and other people I Still eat this way because I love how it makes me feel

It's delicious, and it's nourishing which is not what we think of diets? So believe me when I say your struggles with weight are not your fault There's a lot of deliberate misinformation floating around on the internet about how to eat healthy and lose weight That's because the big food corporations make huge fortunes getting you to eat as much of their products as possible especially The foods I'm going to tell you about today Then the diet companies they own make small fortunes from selling you weight loss strategies They know don't work, otherwise They wouldn't make money How I learned about those foods is kind of Embarrassing when I began dieting I wanted to keep 10 extra pounds from turning into 20 So I decided to try one of those low-calorie Prepackaged food diets I lost the fat all right and as soon as I started eating real food again I gained all that fat back plus interest By the time I stopped yo-yo dieting I had rebounded my way all the way up to 205 pounds and I had paid about $20,000 for the privilege my last diet I was desperate was supposed to be a 30-day juice cleanse I was miserable my family was miserable the furniture had teeth marks in it and our pets were looking pretty Tasty on day eight I was driving by a very famous fast food restaurant And I could almost taste the french fries before I could stop myself I pulled into the parking lot and found myself standing in line at the counter Practically drooling when a thought popped into my head if I chew these fries just the fries no ketchup Just for the taste and spit them out those calories won't count it was the most completely Horrifying moment of my life I ended my juice cleanse right there on the spot with large fries a bacon double cheeseburger and a large strawberry milkshake Nothing had ever tasted so good as you might imagine I regained the weight so fast my head spun And I realized that it had gotten pretty bad Because after 16 years of dieting and hundreds of pounds of rebound weight gain and loss Topping out at 205 pounds

I knew just one thing if you ever need to gain weight Just diet works great every single time, but then something happened that totally changed my life one day at work my perfectly slender coworker and I were Chatting over lunch I remember it clearly I was sipping a diet shake, and she was eating a full plate of food Suddenly, and I'm still not sure what made me say this I asked her What's your secret? How can you eat so much great food and not blow up like a blimp she replied? I love to eat So I just make sure I eat the right foods and the right combinations at the right time I don't believe in dieting I blushed bright red look down at my diet shake and quickly change the subject at first I thought it can't be that easy she's got to have a super fast metabolism or workout for hours or just be a genetic freak But what she said got me thinking so for the next few days I took notes about exactly what she ate for breakfast and lunch then fixed it for myself the next day and Something incredible happened after a week I had to tighten the belt on my work pants

They were practically falling off Even better I realized I was a lot less grouchy and my skin was clearing up, too Once I broke the code on how food really affected my body I developed a simple insanely effective plan the very first thing I did was to stop eating these five foods that practically force us to become fat and Started eating what I now knew were the right foods and the right Combinations at the right time and I shed seventy five pounds and a lot less time than it took me to gain all of that Weight also it was much much much easier because within weeks I had more energy than I'd had in years and I had fewer and fewer aches and pains and the more the weight fell off me the better I felt I Went from being so heavy I was out of breath climbing stairs or walking around the block to learning to tango with my husband and hiking with our kids Pretty soon I was shopping for a whole new wardrobe in a size 6 I gave all my old clothes away knowing I would never wear them again I have to say that felt good Especially the day I walked into the lingerie store And I bought something that made both me and my husband smile Not long after that I achieved another goal Working with people who were stuck in the yo-yo cycle of dieting just like I had been After 12 years of helping people lose weight I know not eating these foods works for almost Everyone of course we gain and lose weight differently depending on whether we're male or female our age and activity Levels our genetics or even whether we've had children, but these five particular foods practically forced the human body to produce fat storing and appetite hormones some of us just get lucky and produce less of them and Many of us aren't that lucky Worse the damage these foods do to you doesn't end with your weight your waistline and your self-esteem These foods can also dramatically increase your risk of serious so you should avoid eating these five foods regardless of your physical condition and Not eating these foods will work for you Even if you only not eat a few of them You don't have to plunge into some kind of super perfect diet to begin seeing encouraging progress in a matter of days I have to be 100% honest and warn you everyone is different but I hear all the time from people who've dropped a few pounds or taken in their belts a whole and sometimes – That their skin is clearing up And they have more energy Because they're feeding their muscles and not their fat so eliminate any and all distractions and listen up you can take notes if you want because I Absolutely passionately believe in your right to have the body nature intended you to have trim Attractive healthy and energetic you probably have all the answers You need to lose your unwanted fat right in your own kitchen all you need to know is what eating healthy really is Because it's not what most people think it is it's not about diet health bars or eating berries Celery and carrots when you consume the right amount of carbs with the right amount of proteins the fat will burn off naturally It's that simple now I'm betting 3 of these 5 foods will shock you like they did me But let me start with the one that isn't a food It's actually a drink a drink You've been told over and over how healthy it is for you

It's concentrated orange juice Have you ever seen those commercials that tell you starting your day with a big glass of concentrated orange juice is really a good idea The truth is it's probably one of the worst things you can do to your body, and it's not just oh gee A palang grape can cause problems around the waistline you might be wondering How is this possible isn't fruit good for you? well I knew the problem wasn't the fruit so I discovered how fruits are concentrated into juice you see many companies remove the fiber and other nutritious elements out of the fruit during the Concentrating process the fiber in fruit normally reduces the spike in blood sugar with a fiber taken out you are essentially left with sugar water and When your blood sugar is too high it puts your body in fat storing mode Essentially telling your body to store anything you eat as fat blood sugar levels can affect your hormones causing Imbalances that can lead to weight gain most concentrated fruit juices have just as much or even more sugar than soda excess sugar in our diet is probably the number one thing to be careful of and it's not just Concentrated juice you have to worry about a lot of processed foods have excess sugar in them And it's disguised in scientific sounding names like high fructose corn syrup dextran Dextrose and fruit juice concentrate like I just mentioned the Food and Drug Administration has warned that there are over 50 different known poisons and toxic substances in the average American shopping cart These chemicals combined can cause hundreds of different diseases and can even be fatal in some cases Now the second fat storing food can also increase your weight, but it also has far more serious Health risks fat storing food number two is margarine margarine became popular in the mid twentieth century as a cheaper alternative to butter and In light of research linking saturated fat and heart disease a healthier one But is it actually healthier Margarine is made by adding hydrogen to corn or soybean oil to make it solid a process which creates trans fats it Turns out trans fats are way worse for your body than saturated fat Unlike saturated fat which your body can burn for energy Trans fats just clog your arteries with plaque They also increase your LDL or bad cholesterol while at the same time Wiping out your HDL or good cholesterol So it's a double whammy for your body But there's something even more sinister about the research that demonized saturated fat Historical documents were discovered recently that showed how in the 1960s the sugar industry paid? scientists to Downplay the link between sugar and heart disease and to promote saturated fat as the cause instead This bias research went on to influence the next five decades of nutritional advice and dietary Recommendations simply put fat was made out to be much more dangerous than it is while minimizing the risks of sugar We still see it all the time Fat is artificially removed from diet foods, which also removes a lot of the flavor so food companies add sugar instead fat free yogurt Snacks and other diet foods are loaded with sugar and sold as something that can help you lose weight But there's some of the most fattening things you can put in your body in the trimmed-down Club You'll learn that not all types of fat are bad for you You'll also get the tools to help you choose healthy alternatives to foods that contain trans fats and added sugar things like butter instead of margarine or low-fat yogurt instead of fat free you'll start eating foods that don't wreak havoc on your hormones your arteries or your blood sugar levels and Your body will thank you as it sheds inches and melts the extra pounds away You'll learn more about that in a minute Next let's get to fat storing food number Three which was quite a shock for me It's whole-wheat bread, and it's on this list for reasons you might not expect It's not because of the carbs low carb diets are all the rage right now But it's important to remember that our bodies need carbohydrates to function properly Eliminating carbs completely and eating foods high in fat and protein can lead to high cholesterol kidney problems osteoporosis or kidney stones It's not even because whole wheat bread contains gluten So many people who don't have celiac disease or a specific medical sensitivity to gluten have jumped onto the gluten-free bandwagon Thinking it will help them lose weight or reduce uncomfortable bloating or even that it will give them more energy And in pursuit of these wondrous health benefits people are lured in by gluten-free products that while containing no grain protein Do contain loads of other ingredients that do your body no favors? Did you know that corn starch and rice flour which are common gluten-free substitutes for flour? Contain more calories per gram than regular wheat flour that means when you make a sandwich with gluten-free bread the bread alone will contain more calories than your standard slice will and That adds up to a lot more weight at the end of the day So why is whole-wheat bread on this list of foods to never eat is it whole wheat bread healthier than white bread? Well, I hope you're sitting down because the truth may shock you But first let's back up a minute Did you know that your brains favored energy source is sugar yes sugar? Specifically glucose when your body digests carbohydrates They break it down into glucose in your blood The more nutritionally complex a food is the slower it breaks down into glucose that's what's known as having a lower glycemic index and Likewise the more processed of food is the faster it breaks down giving it a higher glycemic index Now here's the kicker researchers compared the glycemic index of white bread and whole-wheat bread Which also contains some refined flours and found that there was no significant difference between them

Let me repeat that There was no significant difference between them We've always been told that whole wheat bread is healthy, and it is if it's 100% whole grain Which has a much lower glycemic index But when bread is made with a mix of whole and refined flours It's a different story still food companies will label their products as being whole-wheat even when they're not 100% whole grain So that you think they're healthy and buy more of them, and that's why it's so important to know the truth which is this the more processed of food is the less healthy it is for your body and There's something else you should know that you can and eat the carbs you love and crave things like pasta and pizza and even biscuits and cake But how don't carbs make you gain weight? Yes, and no When you eat carbohydrates without balancing them with other foods like proteins You'll end up causing your blood sugar to spike which puts your body in fat storing mode But when you do eat carbs that are properly balanced by protein you'll help keep your blood sugar Level so that your body burns fat instead of storing it Imagine that eating carbs and burning fat at the same time This isn't a dream It's just science a study by Professor Katya Hutton from the University of Helsinki Looked at how much the body's blood sugar Rises when eating mashed potatoes compared to eating mashed potatoes when combined with protein fat and vegetables and What she found was that the combination of foods resulted in a 50% lower spike in blood sugar? Than eating mashed potatoes alone It's all about balancing the carbs you eat with proteins, but how do you achieve this balance? How are you supposed to know how to combine your foods in a way that keeps you in fat-burning mode? I'll show you in just a minute, but first Let me explain something else that feeds these cravings for comfort foods cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands in response to stressful situations and Makes you crave sweets and comfort foods But here's the thing too this hormone all stress is the same it doesn't know the difference between a life-threatening physical situation and a mentally stressful situation and When you feel mentally stressed your body is flooded with cortisol just as if you were an immediate physical danger in a physically stressful situation like being inside a building on fire the higher levels of cortisol are burned off by the Activity of running out of the building, that's what it's there for to give you that extra boost of energy But in mentally stressful situations like being under a tight deadline at work having financial or relationship problems or even being overweight Your body continues to produce cortisol to handle the stress And scientific studies have shown that high cortisol levels increase your appetite and cravings for sugar Which is why most of us deal with stress by reaching for these high carb comfort foods And then our bodies typically store this as belly fat, so the more stress the more weight gain especially around the belly Then I learned something else Something that went against everything I always believed to be true When you restrict yourself from eating for a long time your blood sugar drops and your body is convinced It's starving When your blood sugar levels drop it puts you in fat storing mode But by snacking in between meals throughout the day You can keep your blood sugar levels balanced and keep your body in the fat-burning zone all day long Your meals just have to be balanced with the right amounts of protein and carbs this way your blood sugar levels don't go too high and throw your hormones out of whack or Go too low and put you into starvation mode Now think about these first three foods for a second orange juice Margarine and whole wheat bread how many people probably have this every morning for breakfast Are you starting to see why can be so hard to lose weight? can you see how the choice is made available to you are sabotaging your weight-loss goals and this problem isn't just a physical one the Psychological factors can sometimes be even worse ask yourself if you've ever experienced any of these feelings It's hopeless I'm doing everything and the weight still won't come off

I'm never going to look as good as I did before go out I don't want to go out I really don't feel like doing anything Buy new clothes, what's the point nothing ever fits? When I hear these comments, I know the frustration But when you understand how eating certain foods can cause your hormones to go out of whack? You'll be able to make very simple changes to your eating and stop the endless cycle of dieting When hormones continue to be imbalanced it can cause unwanted effects like weight gain and it gets worse Because the more pounds you pack on the less adiponectin your body produces Adiponectin is your fat burning hormone the more body fat You have the less adiponectin your body produces, so it's another double whammy it can be a domino effect when your blood sugar goes to high or low it can cause a hormone imbalance and put your body into fat storing mode as You gain weight your body tends to produce less adiponectin your natural fat burner then add in the day-to-day Modern stress we all live with and the excess cortisol your body produces because of it, and you start seeing why weight loss can be so difficult But it doesn't have to be that way The trimmed-down club gives you tips like keeping your adiponectin at optimum levels to increase your weight loss For instance green tea has been shown to increase levels of adiponectin Aside from its fat burning power It's also a natural anti-inflammatory So it can also help ease the swelling sometimes associated with weight gain The trimmed-down Club has come to realize It's not the hormones But the choices in food made available to us that are contributing to these imbalances like I said earlier There's a lot of misinformation floating around and there's vital information That's being hidden from us that could allow all of us to be slender for life let me just take a moment to quickly tell you about the trimmed-down club before we wrap this up with the last two foods to avoid We are a group of health fitness and nutrition professionals who teach you how to swap out fat storing foods for healthy Fat burning foods things like butter instead of margarine and whole-grain bread instead of processed wheat? Simple tweaks like these will cause your body to burn fat Rather than store it because it keeps your blood sugar levels balanced and keeps your body in fat-burning mode all day We make this very easy for you to do with our Exclusive personal menu planner just choose your favorite foods from the personal menu planner And it instantly creates a weekly menu that will help you melt fat off your body Your personal menu planner gives you simple mouth-watering recipes Using your favorite foods to make hundreds of delicious Meals with just the right combination of proteins and carbs to turn on your body's fat burning furnace It's like having your own personal nutritionist Everything is immediately accessible online You can log-in whether you're at a friend's place visiting the family or from the comfort of your own home We'll show you how to speed up your weight loss because the precise combination of these meals Ensures you're eating the right kinds of food to maximize fat loss Without counting fat grams counting calories or starving yourself This is a family friendly program because when the rest of the family is eating chicken You can eat chicken when they're having dessert you can have dessert You don't have to fix something different Or eat a frozen or prepackaged meal because you're trying to lose weight my personal favorite are the breakfast tacos And I love cream cheese coco fudge cake for dessert These are just two of the many choices You'll find that make it easy for you to lose weight Everyone in the family can keep lean and healthy with our dietician approved meals to keep the fat off Because great food is your best ally in losing weight Every mouth-watering recipe is easy to fix even if you've never cooked before We'll also show you how to eat delicious snacks and between meals to keep your body out of starvation mode Which can cause your body to store food as fat so you never go hungry and? Since you're not depriving yourself of the foods you love you can stick with this plan and watch the flab disappear as your body naturally Redefines itself to your ideal body weight your body has a built in blueprint to be lean and healthy When you feed it the right food and the right combinations it Naturally melts off any excess weight and we show you how to turbocharge your results You'll be back into that favorite pair of old jeans before you know it Plus you have full access to the fat burning forum This is an extremely supportive and active community It's a friendly and fun forum where you can ask questions get support or just trade delicious fat-burning tips and tricks It's a very active community Where everyone is kind of going through the same thing to achieve? Spectacular results and help each other along the way as a private member You'll get exclusive access to new recipes like baked Parmesan garlic chicken Homemade ketchup and because we all love junk food Crispy zucchini chips are junk food that loves us back we test every recipe so you know it's tasty and easy to make and Helps you lose and feel great And we turned the best new scientific weight-loss Information into interesting articles full of tricks and simple tips so you can say goodbye to your fat To get your body in fat-burning mode all day every day we give you a QuickStart guide with a simple step-by-step Plan to get a jumpstart on being lean and healthy and with the trim down Club You don't have to break the bank to lose weight But first think for a minute How much would you pay for a weight loss program that actually worked and gave you the means to keep the weight off? $100 maybe that sounds a little steep, but $50 Surely, it's worth that much to experience the improved health and quality of life that you'll get with the trim down Club But we want everyone to be able to afford to discover the slim trim body hiding beneath the flab That's why we put our whole program online Not only Can you access all of the essential tools and resources from any computer or mobile device? It's also much more cost effective so we can pass the savings on to you So we don't charge nearly 50 dollars or even 20 We don't believe that losing weight and improving your health should cost a fortune, which is why today? We're going to make it practically free

I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out We want you to see for yourself just how powerful and effective the trim down Club method can be So right now, you can unlock the complete trim down club for a ludicrously low dollar ninety nine You'll get a full month of unlimited access to our entire library of fat burning recipes Our forum where you can get professional advice from our registered dieticians and of course all of our weight loss tools including our state-of-the-art personal menu planner all this for one dollar and 99 cents It's pocket change You may even have that much hiding between your sofa cushions It's completely crazy and in fact this deal probably is too Good to be true, and we'll end up taking it down very soon So you should take advantage of this opportunity while you can? Because pretty soon you'll get in the rhythm of these new healthy habits And you'll probably start seeing a difference in your mood your energy levels and the way your clothing fits that feeling alone is Priceless, but we want you to be able to keep it up and you can for just nine dollars and ninety cents a month I'm sure you'll agree that it's remarkably affordable and that way you can stay with the trim down club as long as you like You owe it to yourself to try the trim down club and see how you can lose the weight and keep it off Without giving up the foods you love and without breaking the bank and unlike other fat loss programs We offer a 100% money-back guarantee That's right You lose the weight, or you don't pay at the trim down club We're committed to provide you and your family with the very best educational fat loss products available, and we take that commitment very seriously We believe that if our program doesn't work for you You shouldn't have to pay for it That's why the trimmed-down Club is backed by our unprecedented money-back guarantee You can try it in your own home and prove to yourself that this program really works If you don't start losing weight if you're not well on your way to having the lean and healthy body you deserve You can cancel anytime and we'll give you a refund no questions asked There's no risk so you have nothing to lose the trim down Club guarantees You lose the weight, or you don't pay start using the foods you love to lose weight You really can eat your favorite foods and shrink your tummy when you know how much of them you can eat and the right? Combinations to eat them in but that's not all because when you join in the next few minutes You'll also receive four great gifts gift number one shopping the proper way We break down the myths and show you that Just because something says diet light or reduced fat on the package doesn't necessarily make it good for your body now You'll know if the food you buy is blood sugar safe Next you get the trimmed-down cookbook This is the heart and soul of creating that lean healthy body you want you'll eat Well all day every day and keep your body in fat-burning mode your body will start thanking you right away by Naturally melting away the excess fat This is an eating grape seeds and celery these are hearty wholesome meals your taste buds will love and your body craves Gift number three the perfect soup these are delicious soups and a truly nutritious source of food using the best fat-burning Ingredients that your body was starving for your body will literally sponge up these scrumptious soup recipes that leave you feeling satisfied gift number four Express meals for 14 days We know it's not always possible to cook a delicious fat-burning meal, so we've created a special menu for people on the go You'll get quick snacks and light meals that are perfect for your busy life You're no longer at the mercy of the fast food alternatives that pack on pounds quicker and are not good for you anyway So go ahead and click that button below to get started right now You'll not only see all the foods you should avoid you'll get a complete done-for-you program to help even out your blood sugar levels keep your hormones balanced and in check and Free yourself from unwanted and dangerous fat you're totally covered by our no risk money-back guarantee And you can keep the bonuses as our gift for giving it a try even if you cancel So click the button below when you're ready to start melting the fat away Now you may be very surprised that fat storing food number 4 is processed soy processed soy oil soy flour and soy protein are just a few of the ingredients hiding in products that big food companies Tell us that we should eat so we can lose weight and get healthy, but it's not true you've probably heard how healthy soy products whole wheat breads and fruit juices are especially since it says so somewhere on the package and If you're wondering how soy products can be bad for you It's simple it all comes down to processing many soy products are highly processed Which strips out important vitamins and minerals along with as much as 90% of the phytonutrients? The disease-fighting medicines found in foods when you eat highly processed foods you're eating some pretty empty calories Yes, they supply energy But not the nutrients your body needs to use that energy So your body produces ghrelin a hormone that growls you kind of like this little kitty feed me Ghrelin is your irresistible appetite hormone your body produces it when you're hungry or when you don't get the Nutrients you need and the more empty calories you eat the more ghrelin your body produces Feed me now Which is why you can go on a rampaging refrigerator raid an hour after a big fast-food meal One easy thing you can do to balance your ghrelin is to eat certain nutrient-dense foods instead of processed soy products celebrities who have to stay trim and healthy eat these foods So they don't have to diet you'll find out exactly what they are inside the trimmed-down Club bonus these foods boost your metabolism And when it comes to losing weight? Metabolism is the engine that turns fat into fuel for your body, so you can be healthy and attractive Your metabolism is also crucial for your kidney brain heart and liver to function properly So just avoiding processed food as much as possible can make a difference when you join the trimmed-down Club You'll get a complete list of great tasting foods like cinnamon and blueberries that will supercharge your fat-burning metabolism So if you're ready to turn your weight loss switch all the way on for just one dollar and 99 cents for your first month Click the button below now now the last food that you should stay away from tastes great at barbecues But it can really hurt your weight loss efforts and your health I'm talking about processed meat It's not just that processed meat tends to be high in fat the World Health Organization has warned that eating processed meat like hot dogs sausages ham or bacon on a daily basis can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent and one particularly chilling study showed that those who ate 160 grams per day or the equivalent of three hot dogs increased their risk of dying early by 44% in Fact the global fight against cancer organization advises eating no more than 10 grams of processed meat a day or preferably Avoiding it completely and that the trimmed-down Club We agree, which is why it's on our list of five foods You should never eat The biggest problem with processed meat is the nitrates which are used to cure and preserve the meat and also add flavor and color Nitrates have actually been used as a preservative for thousands of years But the ones used in processed meat are chemically Manufactured and the manufacturing process causes carcinogens called nitrous a means to develop These cancer-causing chemicals are also formed when cooking at high temperatures such as when bacon and ham are prepared So what does this all mean no more hot dogs no more bacon not to worry just keep these do's and dont's in mind Do read your labels carefully and avoid high quantities of sodium and added chemicals? Do choose organic and uncured versions of your favorite meats? Don't go overboard even taking into account the above enjoy processed meat in moderation But nitrates aren't the only problem You know those black lines that appear on grilled or barbecued meat the cooking techniques that create those lines Also produce DNA altering chemicals that further increase your risk for cancer That's why the trimmed-down Club offers tips and tricks for how to cook so that you can enjoy the food you love without the added risk to your health Because staying healthy is the key to maximizing your Metabolism the more nutritious your food the better your body will function and the healthier your body the more efficiently it burns calories You can change your health your weight and your life Just by making better food choices and knowing when to eat how to eat as well as what not to eat The trimmed-down Club gives you a complete done-for-you easy to follow program to melt the fat away to get your entire family lean and healthy But like I said earlier

This isn't about just eating vegetables and granola These are delicious meals where we teach you to swap out unhealthy and fat foods for leaner choices that don't put you at risk Now you could try to go this alone But I would suggest you let the trim down club help you at least until you feel comfortable and know what you're doing when it comes to eating healthy if You know you're ready for a change and you want to burn the fat then join now for just 1 dollar and 99 cents and give it a try if You don't start losing the weight you want and getting your life back Then drop us a line and cancel your subscription We'll refund your money, and you'll never be charged again That's our guarantee Think about all the famous people you know that have coaches and mentors Oprah Winfrey and other media personalities have coaches Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant and top athletes have coaches movie stars have coaches and trainers Even Tony Robbins who is a self-help coach himself has a coach and a trainer the list goes on and on They don't try to go at it alone because they've already learned how quickly we can sabotage ourselves When trying to break bad habits to form new good habits They know that to overcome the obstacles in life you need to increase motivation Put in the extra effort and get that inspiration To dig deep within yourself to create the added incentive to stick it out and reach your goal that's kind of our mission offer people a really effective online coaching program that includes that added ingredient of Motivation to follow through so let's get started the trimmed-down Club is going to help you tap into that hardwired ability that resides within us all to be healthy and Energized this power within you to live a happier less toxic and more wholesome life Before we're done You will know that you are responsible for your well-being in other words the hands of fate are your very own You only need to learn how to use these? Proverbial hands to confidently Drive you down the path of true health and that's what we do for you by showing you what not to eat as Well as the how when and what you should eat? there are people who get exponentially worse with increasing health problems and wither away in pain with age and Others who grow exponentially better with more vigor and vitality as they get older the only difference is that the latter group Decided to activate the body's natural healing power and eliminate the toxicity in their lives So join us and start living a healthier and happier life many people see encouraging results in just the first two weeks The only real risk is if you don't do anything if deep down in your heart You know that you must succeed at any cost for you your family your career Your health and possibly even your life click the button below and let's get started