Huffington Post

Hungry, Hungry Hippo!

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I am a junkie of the Huffington Post. I have a tendency to start my morning on a reading binge, going through about a dozen articles (via my cell phone) within the first thirty minutes of waking up. Half-asleep and attempting to brush my teeth, I scroll through the pages as quickly as my groggy eyes can read them.

While I’m often consuming articles on trending news or world wide events, most of my reading consists of the Healthy Living section: diets, workouts, and nutritional advice.

One article, specifically, caught my eye today:

9 Sneaky Reasons You’re Ravenously Hungry

Today’s article really struck home, as I struggle with the voracity of my appetite most days of the week.

Seriously, if I allowed myself, I could consume THOUSANDS of calories at every meal and still have room for more. Perhaps it’s the remnants of my bigger days, but I can put away food with the best of them.

My dream job... if calories didn't count.

My dream job… if calories didn’t count.

In reading these tips, I feel like I need to smack my forehead a few times. I know these rules, but I don’t adhere to them. I’m horrible about skipping breakfast (coffee counts, no?) and I’m horrible about mindless munching.

Take, for example, this morning:

Since it’s a Monday, I decided to start the day with a healthy breakfast – four turkey sausage patties.

220 calories, 26 grams of protein, and all natural ingredients. Good job, right?

Yeaaaaaah!

Then I got to work.

Four rice cakes (NOT PALEO!) topped with sunflower nut butter (yum!) and raw wildflower honey and I’ve consumed double the calories of my breakfast in just minutes. And it’s not even lunch time yet!

WHOOPS.

I guess I’m just a hungry, hungry hippo today.

I'm the pink one, of course.

I’m the pink one, of course.

Fortunately, it’s still early in the day, I have a healthy lunch packed, and I plan to hit the gym extra hard this evening – both to burn off stress and the excess calories. I’m glad I read this article this morning, as it brought me back to a point of awareness. Most of my dieting failures are the result of complacency – I stop paying attention. Being aware of what you point into your body is just as important as working out and far more important than the numbers on the scale.

So kudos to HuffPost for reminding me to be aware! I needed that today!

On that note, it’s time for this hungry, hungry hippo to get some work done. Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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Humbled

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In the last 48 hours, I shared my story with Huffington Post and Daily Mail.

I shared the ups and downs of my weight loss, the on-going journey I’ve been on, and how it has emotionally impacted my life for nearly thirty years.

Then, this morning, I went to a theme park with friends, oblivious for what was to come.

I had no idea how many people would be impacted by reading my story. I kept feeling my phone buzzing in my pocket and finally, around 12pm, I decided to check it.

Thirty new people had liked my Facebook fan page.

Over 800 people per hour were visiting my blog.

And people were sending me personal messages and comments, telling me how my story touched them and how they could empathize with my struggle.

I had no idea so many people shared the same pain. The same joy. The same fight with numbers on a scale.

To my new friends, to my old friends – thank you for your support. I want you to know that you are BEAUTIFUL, inside and out, for showing compassion, kindness, and love to someone you do not know. I am humbled by the messages I’ve received and the personal notes that have been left on the comments section of several of my posts.

You – yes, YOU – are proof that society will one day supersede the superficial tendencies it has adopted and that intelligence, altruism, and acceptance will prevail. Until then, we’ll just have to learn to love ourselves, to nourish and take care of our bodies, and to surround ourselves with genuine people. I’m blessed that I’m on the path to all three.

On that note, bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Sharing my Story: HuffPost!

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Back in July, I was reading through the stories on the Healthy Living section on the Huffington Post. If you’ve never visited the site, you really should – talk about motivation!

So many people who took control of their lives and transformed their bodies through diet, exercise, and healthy mindset – how can that not inspire you?

After reading stories of young men and women that had overcome eating disorders, I realized that I shared a similar journey. While my struggles may have been for different reasons, the core nature of our issues were the same.

I’ve been very transparent with sharing my story here, on my blog, which is visited by about 2,000 people.

Why not share my story with the world?

And so I did.

You can read the full article by clicking here.

Thank you for all of your love, support, and encouragement. Being “healthy” isn’t a destination – it’s a lifelong journey.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori